When the flames finally began to disperse...
Everyone was fairly drained. But a profound, heavy peace settled over the smoldering crater. It felt as if the atmosphere itself had been holding its breath for centuries and finally, mercifully, exhaled.
On the distant flank, Lin observed the phenomenon up close.
The Platinum mutants she had been desperately holding at bay completely ceased all movement. They were perfectly still, standing like statues in the ash, their chests rising and falling in slow, docile rhythms, entirely devoid of the rabid convulsions they usually exhibited when fighting her paralysis.
One by one, the exhausted elites severed their fusions to save energy. The battlefield, which just seconds ago had been a blinding storm of celestial light, spiritual fire, and primordial dragon power, faded into a relaxed silence. It was the silence of soldiers who had burned away a good portion of their energy and survived to feel the emptiness as if it was a happy workout.
