The Forgotten Sibling

Chapter 16

The army below him was horrifying.

Tommy was petrified with fear. His body was shaking as if he was at the North Pole, and his skin was white like he'd seen a ghost. He technically had seen one, actually. When he was younger, he was at his deceased grandpa's cabin, and every night he would hear the quiet footsteps of an old person walking down the hall. He remembered he would cry out in the night and his mom rushing over, comforting him and saying that Grandpa was simply watching over him, making sure he was safe.

He thought it was a bunch of garbage. He didn't believe anything his mom told him; he was convinced that his grandpa wanted to drive him insane.

Now, standing on a towering cliff, he was brought back to that memory that happened when he was seven; eight years ago. He couldn't believe that a fifteen year old like him would tremble from a mere memory.

No, what was more horrifying was what he saw. Below him, there was a giant army of Khrillin that swarmed beneath them, letting out loud and low pitched calls like a mix between the laugh of a hyena and the shriek of a cougar.

In the center of the army was a tall, cloaked figure. Its skin was ashy gray, its skeletal hands crooked like it had arthritis. One of its hands was holding a long, wooden pole that had a massive blade at one end. The blade caught the harsh light and glinted, hurting Tommy's eyes.

Its hood covered its face, obscuring it from view and stopping Tommy from seeing its eyes. It would be for the better, though.

As if that wasn't enough, behind all the Khrillin was another larger, more powerful one. This one had horns that branched out like antlers with the solid black eyes and wide smile to match.

He didn't need mythological knowledge to know that that was Skrill, the first Khrillin to exist. At some point he would have been a regular Contaminite, but centuries of being down in the Underneath would have further eaten away at his body, leaving skeletal limbs with a wide smile and small nostrils.

He didn't know who was the cloaked figure though, but based on how the rest of the Khrillin avoided it, he could tell this wasn't something to mess around with.

He finally found the ability to talk. "Who is the cloaked figure?" Tommy whispered. He didn't know if Skrill could hear him, but he didn't want to risk it.

"Tykine," Carlos whispered, pronouncing it like Thy-kine. "He's a vicious deity, the entity of Death."

He just noticed that above the entire army, a girl was floating, looking concerned. She had waist length, purple hair. Her white eyes scanned the army like she was searching for weaknesses. She had purple pants with a purple hoodie, covered by a purple cloak. Her skin was as white as snow, and she carried a sword by her side.

What shocked Tommy the most, though, were her wings. They were absolutely enormous, rising above her and casting a shadow over the valley.

"Who is that?"

"Kypolita." Carlos said that like Ky-pholikta. "She's a Galaxion, one of the few races of winged beings. She's the oldest and wisest of the Galaxion, born from the corrupted matter that rose out of Earth several billion years ago.

"She would be the oldest thing ever if it wasn't for the Catwings. In ancient times, she was known to help the Catwings out and watch over the humans. What she's doing with Skrill, I have no idea."

Kypolita began to speak, and his friends crouched down and listened. He had no choice but to join them.

"What is the point of this?" she was saying. Her voice was high, but it had a sound that Tommy couldn't describe. It echoed around the valley, causing the rocks to move across the ground and casting shadows in places where there was light. It made Tommy want to forget all his problems and curl up. But he fought the feeling and focused on what was happening down there.

"We need to destroy the Skelris and Ifnos," Skrill boomed. That was a voice Tommy would never forget: low and dark and deadly, Skrill radiated fear and danger. He was the type of guy to befriend you then leave you to get eaten by bears. And one thing that Tommy knew about bears was that they didn't wait for you to die.

"But you said that you wouldn't attack the Skelri," she said. Even though Kypolita was much, much older, Tommy could tell that she was afraid of Skrill.

"That was twenty years ago," he growled. "Their new queen was inexperienced. But now, her bond with the Dangerous One has strengthened, and she needs to be eradicated."

"Star Tail has said that you should wait before you act," Kypolita warned.

"He's taking a long time to give me his orders," Skrill hissed. "I'm beginning to get impatient."

"Let him take his time," Kypolita advised. "He's struggling with a lot right now."

"I know," Skrill said. "But how can he be controlled by a normal Catwing?"

"He is the One," Kypolita said. "He can do things like no other, and he is using his energy to control Star Tail."

"Yes, he's certainly doing a massive waste," Skrill said.

"Waste?" Kypolita's eyes flashed. "He knows that he is doing something good. He's sacrificing himself to save his friends, even if some of them are forgetting him."

"Yes, and that's all good." Skrill shuffled forward, revealing leathery, massive wings that towered over him. Suddenly, he didn't seem so small anymore.

"But he's weakening. We can take that to our advantage and destroy his human friends."

Kypolita shook her head. "But at what cost? You saw what he did to your village. Do you really want him to lose everything he has?"

Skrill was quiet for a long time. When he finally spoke, his voice is strained. "You're right. I don't; I just want revenge so bad. The humans have left us Khrillin like we were nothing, and the Catwings... well, we can't do anything against them. They are too powerful, and I don't want to die again."

"That's why it's wise to attack the Skelri," Kypolita said. "So you can have your revenge satisfied."

Skrill slowly nodded. "The Skelri have done more damage to us than any race in the past. They look down at us like we're nothing, forgetting that we were once the same being as them."

"The Skelri are currently doing nothing right now," Kypolita reported. "They are weak, so it's a good idea to go for the attack."

"I'm wondering about the queen's friends," Skrill said. "Obviously, they should be allowed to live."

Kypolita tilted her head. "You want to keep them alive?"

"I'm evil, but I'm not heartless," Skrill snarled quietly. "I understand the concept of friendship, and I kno how much her friends mean to her. If they get killed..."

"You don't want to see her grieving."

Skrill nodded. "Yeah."

"Speaking of her friends, I heard that they came down here to get the gem."

Skrill straightened. "Ah, yes. The quest Star Tail gave them."

"But where could they be?"

Skrill scanned the cliffs until his eyes caught on Tommy's. He quickly ducked down behind the wall, but it was too late.

"Come down, friends! Say hello!"