Threads of the Soul

A web of crackling electricity wrapped itself around Astra's meditating forms as wayward bolts arced from the forming ball and struck the ground, leaving smoking and sizzling scorch marks or even melting the road on contact. If Seth had been awake for his own metamorphosis, he might have thought that she was forming a similar, if more dangerous, cocoon around herself made of pure electricity. But such a thought would have quickly been proven wrong. At least, partially wrong.

Unbeknownst to the pair watching the electrifying spectacle, all around them objects were beginning to shudder and move. It wasn't just any object, however, seemingly limited to ruined cars, nearby lampposts and other such metallic objects. Their first hint at the events unfolding around them, was when a single copper coin, dropped by someone in the first day and never picked up again for it no longer served a purpose, launched itself off of the ground and flew between their heads.

It whistled past Corvus' head, clipping the side of his mask although not that the puppet would have felt it. Seth only briefly heard the clang and made out a brown blur, before focusing his attention on the crackling ball of plasma only to see a copper coin stuck to the surface of the ball.

He frowned slightly at the sight, but before he could even formulate a question in his head, dozens more coins, screws, copper fragments from the cut wiring and other small metallic objects rocketed through the air, whizzing passed them to join their comrade on the surface of the crackling sphere.

Having Corvus turn his head and glance over his shoulder, he saw a peeled section of a cars body wiggling in an invisible wind. The metal sheet trying to tear itself free from the heavier body as its sharp edge glinted menacingly. Seth, who was in the middle of an information gathering conversation with one of the libraries denizens, widened his own eyes in shock as dread crept its way down his spine.

'Oh Shit.'

Suppressing his physical reaction, and trying to play it off as nothing to the man he was talking to, he focused back on Corvus and immediately grabbed the silver haired Fox by the collar of his shirt. Diving to the ground, he dragged the older man down with him, just in time for the deadly, torn shard of sheet metal to fly over their heads as it spun like a lawnmower blade until it finally hit the sphere. The sheet metal wrapped itself around the electric sphere, hugging it with glee, as more and more fragments tore themselves free of the cars body to join their brethren. Yet, almost as if it was jealous, the heavy body of the car started to drag itself across the ground towards them.

"We need to get safe. She is giant electromagnet!"

Corvus grunted out, his voice even more strained as he had to shout over the deafening thunder that proceeded every crackling bolt of lightning arcing off the slowly forming metal sphere. More and more sheets of metal peeled themselves free of different structures and flew over the men's head as they started to crawl away. However, they didn't get very far.

Behind the wall that surrounded the library, many of the guards wearing shiny, regal armour found themselves unable to move for a brief moment. Once that second was over, however, many of them found themselves being dragged slowly across the ground. Their feet digging in, carving ruts ground. Many drew swords or a variety of weapons, trying to dig them into the ground to act as anchors, only to find themselves pointing their blades towards the sphere. Even though they couldn't see it beyond the wall, only able to be dazzled by its light, every drawn metallic weapon was pointed at it like the needle of a compass.

It was Erik, who was still reeling from a similar experience, that quickly told them to dismiss their equipment and spread the order to start securing anything that might be effected by the ground magnetic field caused by Astra's powerful mutation.

Although, there was one person who couldn't dismiss their armour under any circumstances. One who was learning that the silver, metallic sheen on his mask and the glistening edges on his weapons were not just for show.

Corvus halted as he was crawling away, his fingers digging into the tarmac and trembled from the strain. His cloak, covered in an area of beautiful and deadly feathers, each one with a glistening steel edge, was flapping wildly and standing up as if he was in a wind. Yet the air itself was completely still.

No matter how much he tried to resist, Seth couldn't stop Corvus from turning his head until the point of his silver beak pointed towards the sparking sphere of metal. Unable to hold on any longer, Corvus' fingers left the holes they had made as he began to tumble through the air. Flying backwards, dragged by the cape he loved so much, until he landed in the loving embrace of the waiting statue.

The statue locked an arm around Corvus' body in a spine crushing bear hug, one that thankfully he couldn't feel, before digging its other arm into the ground as an anchor. The remaining statues eagerly obeyed the commands of their puppet master as they piled on top of the anchored statue, using their weight to counteract the strength of the magnetic pull.

Yet, despite nearly having his body double skewered on a giant piece of metal shrapnel or nearly having his identity as a body double exposed, there was some benefit to the magnetic attraction that Astra had over his cloak. It gave Corvus, and thus Seth, a front row seat to the rest of what was happening.

Of course, the magnetic ball was not the only part of the process, in fact it wasn't clear if it even was part of the process and not just an unfortunate by-product brought about by those dastardly laws of physics. Of all the times they had disobeyed them or spat in the face of them up until now, why did this have to be the moment it tried to kill them? Perhaps it was revenge for all the face spitting, it was kind of rude.

Regardless, the metal ball was not the only thing that Astra's electricity was effecting. Although random bolts were constantly arcing off of her body, not all of them were random. In fact a majority of them were not.

Corvus got a perfect view of the enchanting spectacle, bolts of pure plasma struck the charred body of the Shelled Drake, not just for a single second either. Instead they persisted, forming crackling webs that dissolved through the flesh yet left no residue in sight. Unbeknownst to everyone watching, even Seth at the distance he was at, the lightning was not just melting the flesh but absorbing it in yet another feat that spat in the face of physics, just when it had gotten its face clean and brought forth its revenge. Sorry Physics, would you like a towel?

With every dissolving bolt, more and more of the Drakes body disappeared. First it was the front legs, then the head underneath the ball soon followed leaving the ponderous orb suspended in the air contained within its own magnetic field.

Like starved pythons desperate for a feast, the lightning dove into the depths of the Shelled Drakes shell, eager to slurp up the delicious goodies left inside, even if they were burned beyond redemption. What would lightning care for a little crispy meat?

Every chunk of meat atomized and devoured by the lightning serpents caused the numbers floating in front of Astra's vision to increase. Unlike Seth, who had taken a week of gradual and staggered feeding to fully supplement his secondary mutation, as well as his little stow away, Astra was gorging herself on a prime cut of meat.

[10%...]

[40%...]

[70%...]

The numbers flashed before her eyes too quick to register as her body sucked up the incoming supplements like a black hole, feeding it towards the new mutation that was forming within her.

However, being reminded of his own situation, Seth formulated a dastardly plan that he thought Astra might appreciate. He had no idea if it would work, but it was absolutely worth a try. Sending a command to Bearemy, his last remaining skeletal puppet, he quickly found the ice cold little ball of fluff and scooped it up into his bony claws.

Even as the puppy wriggled in his arms, and chewed as his arm bones, he refused to let it go as he raced outside and towards the sparking ball of metal. By now, most of the flying debris had reached the ball, although there were many bend streetlights that showed the remaining strength of the electromagnetic field.

Slowly but surely, without any clue of how much time he had left, Seth had Bearemy bring the puppy closer and closer, ready to pull it away at the first sign of trouble. The puppy, on the other hand, was wagging its tail happily, not a care in the world for the dangerous circumstances it found itself in.

Pausing its bone chewing for a second, it sniffed curiously at the air. Its black nostrils twitching as it inhales the powerful scent of the ozone filling the air around them, but it was focused on something more. Not the ozone scent itself, but the trace smell that each and every bolt carried with it.

When it finally detected that scent, and realised what it belonged to, it had a small feeling deep within itself. Perhaps it was its new instincts reaching out, or perhaps it was something else trying to guide it.

Whatever it was, the puppy waggled its tail happily before it let out a small yapping bark and, by the strangest coincidence, at the same moment countless bolts of lightning struck its adorable little body.