Aetherial Annihilation
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Authors: John Corwin
Aetherial Annihilation
Overworld Continuum
Book One
John Corwin
Copyright © 2015 by John Corwin.
Digital eBook Edition.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
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To my wonderful support group:
Alana Rock
Karen Stansbury
My amazing editors:
Annetta Ribken
Jennifer Wingard
My awesome cover artist:
Regina Wamba
Thanks so much for all your help and input!
Books by
John Corwin
:
The Overworld Chronicles:
Overworld Continuum:
Overworld Underground:
Overworld Arcanum:
Conrad Edison and the Living Curse
Stand Alone Novels:
No Darker Fate
The Next Thing I Knew
Outsourced
Seventh
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!
THE MAGIC IS GONE
When crystal meteors slam to earth and drain the magical energy from the world, Justin and gang are once more pressed into action.
Confronted with the prospect of a world without magic, they'll face their toughest challenge yet—how to destroy the crystalline threat and discovering who's behind the attack. But the meteors are all over the planet and getting to them without the use of omniarch portals or magical transportation poses a daunting task.
If Justin and his allies can't disable the meteors in time, the world may lose magic for good and the supernatural community will be destroyed.
Chapter 1
I found Nightliss sitting in the war-torn field behind Arcane University a few days after the end of the Second Seraphim War.
Wondering what she was doing out there all alone, I sat down beside her and put an arm on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
She looked at me, her expression as bleak as the blasted landscape. "No." She wiped tears from her eyes and stood. "I don't think I can go on anymore, Justin."
"But you're the Templar Clarion—their guiding light." I squeezed her small hand in mine. "They need you—we all need you."
She took a deep breath, eyes lost in the distance. "My sister is dead and Eden is safe. Now Ketiss marches to Seraphina and into another war."
"Do you plan to go with him?" I asked.
She shook her head. "Seraphina doesn't feel like home anymore."
I sensed something more to that statement. "And Eden?"
Nightliss blinked and looked up as if waking from a dream. "I don't know where I belong."
"With us, with your family."
She hugged me. "I love you, Justin. You are a true and dear friend."
Dread spread its cold tendrils through my chest. "You're not planning to kill yourself are you?"
Nightliss smiled and stood. "No. But I'm going away for a while." She looked around the destroyed field and over at the blackened ruins of Colossus Stadium. "I have fought too many wars in my life. I want to find peace. I want to find
myself
."
Her statement hit a nerve deep within me. I'd gone from hardcore nerd to supernatural warrior in the space of a year, fought demons, angels, and almost everything in between without a break. How many thousands had died under my watch? How many more would die when Ketiss invaded his homeland to wrest control of the government back from the traitor Cephus? I pushed to my feet as the past swirled through my mind.
"You're haunted by ghosts too, Justin." Nightliss looked at me with intense green eyes. "You just haven't realized it yet." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me on the cheek. "I will see you again."
Tears stung my eyes. I embraced her petite frame. "Don't pick any fights with stray dogs."
She laughed and cried. "You will always be my hero, the man who saved a little black cat."
"I'm going to miss you so much." I kissed her forehead and reluctantly did what I had to do.
I let her go.
Nightliss wiped her eyes, turned, and walked away.
War is an ugly thing.
Even if you survive, it slowly kills you inside. Nightliss had woken something inside me—a realization that I hadn't made it unscathed through the countless battles I'd fought against Daelissa and her minions. I wasn't ready to embark on a journey to Seraphina to unseat a usurper, much less to fight a long war against more Brightlings.
Maybe Nightliss had the right idea. Maybe I needed some time away from death and destruction.
Ketiss has an army of super-charged Darklings. He won't have any problems beating Cephus.
I called Elyssa.
"What's up, babe?" she asked.
I took a breath to soothe the knot in my throat. "How would you like to see the world?"
A pause. "Right now?"
"The train leaves tomorrow."
She chuckled. "A plane or portal would be a lot faster."
"We're taking a break from the supernatural." I couldn't remember where I'd left my wallet and ID. "Do you have a passport?"
"No."
"Well, I guess we have some nom stuff to take care of."
Elyssa made a thoughtful noise. "You're serious, aren't you?"
I kicked a rock across the mud. "Yeah. I just want to be a normal guy with his normal girlfriend for a while. Is that okay?"
"There are a lot of loose ends around here, Justin." She sighed. "Now isn't really a good time."
"There will never be a good time." The more I thought about fighting in Seraphina, the more desperate I was to run away. "Please."
She spoke in a soft voice. "As you wish."
The tightness in my chest eased. "I love you."
"I love you too."
Three months later, Elyssa and I watched the sun set over the Andaman Sea in Thailand. Splashing in the water and bathing in the sun was nice after our visit to Switzerland and chillier climates. A young woman raced past us and into the water. Her dark hair, petite figure, and olive skin looked so familiar.
Elyssa looked at the woman. "Something wrong?"
I shook my head. "She looks like Nightliss."
"You've seen someone who reminds you of Nightliss in every country we've visited."
"Yeah." I forced a smile. "I hope she's doing okay."
"She's a powerful Seraphim, Justin." Elyssa squeezed my hand. "Of course she's okay."
"Emotionally, I mean." I cleared my throat to ward off the knot forming and changed the subject. "Gorgeous sunset."
"Mhm." She watched me for a moment. "You're feeling guilty again, aren't you?"
I looked down. "Are you?"
"This vacation has been amazing, and my father tells me everything is under control but—"
"You feel like you're shirking your duty?" I said.
She nodded.
I blew out a breath. "Maybe I wimped out, I dunno. When Nightliss told me how she felt, it just hit a nerve, you know?"
Elyssa wrapped her arms around my neck. "You have nothing to prove to me. I'll travel the world with you for eternity if that's what you want."
I chuckled. "I'll settle for cuddling for now."
She planted a kiss on my lips. "Maybe once it gets dark and everyone leaves, we can do a little more than cuddling."
"Like stargazing?"
She punched my shoulder. "Yes, that's exactly what I meant."
We leaned against each other and watched the last rays of the sun vanish over the horizon. Before long, it was dark. The lack of sunlight didn't deter many people, and it looked like the privacy we wanted wasn't coming anytime soon.
Elyssa pointed up. "Look, a falling star."
I noticed it as well. In fact, it was hard not to notice the massive glowing ball in the sky growing larger and larger with every passing second. "Holy farting fairies, that thing is huge."
"Shouldn't it have burned up in the atmosphere?" Elyssa asked.
I sat up and watched the massive meteor slam into the ocean just off the coast of another small island a few clicks from ours. The water didn't quench the flames. Instead, the glow grew brighter until it lit the ocean like a massive pool light.
Shouts of alarm rose from the other people on the beach. Those shouts turned to screams as a great glowing mountain of water crested and headed for shore.
A tidal wave.
People ran inland toward the small tourist town. A mountain loomed about a half-mile away, but I didn't see how anyone could possibly make it there in time—anyone except for Elyssa and me.
Despite the uncountable monsters I'd faced, I didn't know how in the world to fight Mother Nature's wrath. I might channel a magical shield to protect Elyssa and me from the wave, but that wouldn't save the stampede of normal people running for their lives.
Think, Justin, think!
Seraphim magic came in four different flavors: Murk, Brilliance, Stasis, and Clarity.
Brilliance, the element of destruction, would only turn the water to steam. Stasis might freeze the water temporarily, but channeling it required a great deal more effort. Clarity revealed a soul's deepest inner truths, but water didn't have a soul.
That left Murk, the magical energy of creation. It formed the strongest barriers, but I'd never before attempted a shield so massive.
"You've got that look again," Elyssa said.
"The one where I just ate a lot of spicy Indian food and really regret it?"
"Actually, it does kind of resemble that expression, but in this case, you're not running for the bathroom." She gripped my arm. "You're going to try to stop this thing, aren't you?"
I nodded. "I can't let all these people die."
Elyssa looked at the fleeing crowds and a look of firm resolve erased the fear from her eyes. "Then let's save them."
We raced toward the glowing ocean and the looming tidal wave. In the distance, I saw water crash across the surface of the distant island where the meteor had fallen. I wondered how many lives the ocean had just snuffed out of existence but forced the thought from my mind. I walked to the edge of the water, took a deep breath, and prayed I had it in me to keep this monster at bay.