«We don't have time for this.» Layton pointed out. «We have to get to safety.»
The earth had begun to shake even more violently and seemed as if it would split at any moment. Erleen and Lyth, remembering what had happened to their family members, instinctively bent to the ground to try to calm those oscillations, and give them time to escape. But they couldn't control it, since it was the work of Glawogs like them. They had done it unconsciously, without thinking. And actually, as soon as they placed their hand on the ground, the two sisters looked at each other. Strangely, they had managed to contain that earthquake. «It's not the Glawog's fault, there's something underground.» they said in unison.
«There's a lot of energy, I can feel it.» Lyth said.
«There are some Nerys down here, I can hear them too.» Erleen confirmed.
Caleigh felt a shiver run down her spine, remembering that Lun turned to dust. «I don't think they're alive.» he whispered.
Strange black smoke began to emerge from the ground.
«Where did those Hebs go?» Alyx asked Caleigh.
«There's a trap door there.», the Aderyn pointed to a point in front of them, from where much more smoke was coming out.
Alyx turned to Layton. «Protect them.» he said before disappearing.
The red-haired girl wrapped her friends in a protective shield. In doing so Hyram lost control of the three Hebs he had put to sleep, but they were still safe from their attempts to kill them.
«I don't know how long I'll last.» Layton said. «I hope Alyx is quick.»
«We should get out of here, there's no time for this.» Hallam said.
«I'm afraid there is no safe place anywhere on the planet.» Alyah said. «Look there.», from the cracks on the surface, in addition to the smoke, rivers of magma began to emerge.
«I'm afraid Alyah is right.» Lyth said. As much as she and her sister tried to keep the ground stable – at least in their protective bubble – they felt that there was something too powerful and beyond their control.
Hyram bent down next to Erleen, who looked exhausted. «You shouldn't get too tired, in your condition. Take some of my energy.»
«Don't worry, I can do it.» she replied. «Lyth is helping me.»
«Alyx!» Kihan shouted.
The Hedfan had returned with a shocked look. He couldn't even find the words to describe what he had seen down there. All he could say was that they had to run. «Everything's about to explode.»
Underground, having reached the origin of the smoke, in a room dug into the earth, he had seen a machine under pressure. The bolts kept escaping and flying away. Among the cloud of smoke, he had seen a gigantic crate. From the transparent door Alyx had seen an exorbitant quantity of cubes containing a luminous powder. He knew what it was, he had already witnessed the death of a Nerys, and that dust was all remained of them, after their last breath. However, that device could not contain such energy. The pipes, which connected the box to a small cabin, had exploded and black smoke continued to emerge from there. It was that machine that was shaking the earth, not just the Glawogs agitated and seeking their freedom.
«We must warn the Elders.» Hallam said. «We need to raise the alarm.»
«Let's save our families before it's too late.», Alyx invited them to come closer to him. Layton dispelled the barrier and they followed him to be taken out of there immediately.
They first went to the village where Kihan and Alyah had grown up but there was nothing left. It had been razed to the ground and lava was slowly starting to cover it. Alyx had to float them into the air before it reached them too.
Kihan tried to look through the cameras and devices connected to the network, but there was nothing that would allow him to do so. «We were too late.» he said, his voice cracking.
«No, it's not possible. They must have camouflaged themselves, or hidden, they can't all be dead.» Alyah said shaking his head, he had tears in his eyes.
Lyth and Erleen unfortunately, however, did not perceive any energy.
«There's no one here anymore.» Lyth said saddened by their loss. She understood the pain they were feeling, it hadn't been long since the earth had swallowed her and Erleen's parents.
Alyah continued to shake his head, still in disbelief.
«I'm sorry, we have to go.» Alyx said. He couldn't keep floating them, he was losing his strength too.
There was a very powerful explosion that echoed across the entire planet. The land began to swallow village after village, city after city. They could do nothing to prevent it. A giant black cloud began to envelop the planet's surface. «The Oracle was right... » Hyram whispered in front of that devastation, while Alyx kept them in the air. «It predicted the end.»
«What are we going to do?» Neewel asked. «It's imploding now, we have no escape.»
Alyx clenched his fists. «Let's go to the hangar. Hoping there is at least one spaceship left. We have no other choice, if at least we want to survive.»
«What's the point, we've already lost everything.», Alyah barely held back his tears. «There's nothing left.»
«Don't say that.» Hallam patted his shoulder in an attempt to console him. «We have each other.»
Alyx didn't waste any more time, he felt weak and didn't know how much longer he would hold out. He took them to the hangar whether they wanted it or not. Unfortunately when they got there, it was completely destroyed and there were sparks everywhere. One of the ships crashed into the ground and Layton had to protect them from some shrapnel. Pieces of the building were falling from the ceiling and magma had already begun to cover everything on the ground. Only one spacecraft remained. It was stuck in some wires but it didn't appear to be in bad condition. Alyx brought them aboard and the spaceship rocked. «I'll handle it.» Kihan said, trying to fix it. Neewel helped him piece together the missing pieces and she tried to stay as focused as possible, despite the ship's instability. If she lost control, the pieces would disappear too.
«The Oracle, I have to go get it.» Hyram said, helping Erleen keep her balance on yet another swing.
«What? No! There is nothing left of the Elders' tower.» Erleen said. «We've lost enough, let's not take any more unnecessary risks.»
«We need it.» Hyram insisted. «To prevent the mistakes of the past from being repeated. We should have listened to him.»
«I agree with Hyram.» Alyx said. «If we leave, we don't know what will happen. The Oracle could be useful to us.», he disappeared before they could stop him. There was no point in shouting at him not to go.
Kihan continued to repair the ship which was in pretty bad shape. He tried to do what he could, but they weren't in a very stable position. Erleen helped him in the hope of being able to start the engine with a little jolt.
The ship moved again, this time the oscillation was due to Alyx's return. He was completely covered in ash and was bleeding from his arm. Hallam and Caleigh helped him sit down.
«Show me the wound.», the Aderyn tore off his sleeve and looked at the cut. Luckily it wasn't very serious.
«When I appeared in the tower, it was sinking, I couldn't avoid the debris.» tthe Hedfan explained.
«Let's leave, Kihan.» Layton said. She could no longer protect the ship from all the fragments that continued to fall from the ceiling.
«I'm trying, but it's stuck.», Kihan continued to press the lever and Erleen to apply power.
The cables that wrapped the spacecraft did not allow it to move forward. So before they knew it, Lyth came out to cut them down. Erleen ran towards the door but her sister closed it. «Lyth what are you doing?! Come back inside!»
The Glawog cut the cables just in time before the explosion engulfed her and pushed the spacecraft away.