Aetherial Annihilation Read online

  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.

  LICENSE NOTES

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people unless expressly permitted by the author. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please go to a digital ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  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:

  Sweet Blood of Mine

  Dark Light of Mine

  Fallen Angel of Mine

  Dread Nemesis of Mine

  Twisted Sister of Mine

  Dearest Mother of Mine

  Infernal Father of Mine

  Sinister Seraphim of Mine

  Wicked War of Mine

  Dire Destiny of Ours

  Overworld Continuum:

  Aetherial Annihilation

  Overworld Underground:

  Possessed By You

  Demonicus

  Overworld Arcanum:

  Conrad Edison and the Living Curse

  Stand Alone Novels:

  No Darker Fate

  The Next Thing I Knew

  Outsourced

  Seventh

  For the latest on new releases, free ebooks, and more, join John Corwin's Newsletter at www.johncorwin.net!

  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.

  I drew in aether, the magical energy of the world, and channeled it into Murk. My veins grew icy cold as I flooded myself with the dark ultraviolet energy, letting it build until I felt ready to freeze solid. The air rumbled and a gust of hot wind hit my face as the water loomed like a leviathan from the deep poised to consume me and the island whole.

  Despite the power coursing through me, I felt insignificant—like an ant preparing to thwart the advance of an elephant.

  "Oh my god," I whispered. "That thing is huge." My confidence melted and my knees buckled. Unfortunately, there wasn't much I could do at this point but try or die. Holding my left hand out before me, I imagined a giant wall forming along the beach and opened the floodgates.

  Ultraviolet energy flooded the air, shimmering and crystalizing like black ice. I drew more and more energy from the magical ley lines in the earth, until it felt as though I were nothing more than a conductor discharging aether into the air.

  My body could take no more. I felt something pop, like a fuse snapping in my brain. My legs went limp and I fell. Strong arms caught me by the armpits and Elyssa spoke.

  "I've got you, babe." She dragged me away from the water.

  My body finally regained some strength and I climbed wearily to my feet. My crystalline wall rose fifty feet tall and a hundred yards wide, curving slightly inward. It was by far the largest shield I'd ever conjured, but it might as well have been a picket fence compared to the monstrous beast I hoped to contain.

  "It's not enough," I said. "It's nowhere near enough."

  Elyssa stared at the oncoming horror, futility in her eyes. "You did your best, Justin. That's all anyone can ask."

  With a thunderous roar the tidal wave struck my shield. Water rushed around the sides, filling in the gap behind it while the brunt of the wave pressed against it. Cracks sprouted in the middle and I knew it wasn't going to hold for long.

  I ran back to our beach towels and slid on my flip-flops. "We've got to run for it."

  Elyssa grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. "Are you strong enough?"

  I nodded. "Yeah, I think so." My legs felt wobbly, but my demon aura was already speeding my recovery.

  Fangs flashing, violet eyes glowing, Elyssa called upon her supernatural dhampyr strength. Half human, half vampire, and all Templar, she wasn't quite as strong as me, but she made up for it in agility.

  My flip-flops flipped and flopped at about a hundred flip-flops per minute for the first fifty yards until I lost one. I wonder if it's just a flip now, or a flop. We passed by a parking lot. I saw people atop hotels and houses, their faces hidden in the shadows until the luminescent wave crested close enough to cast the small town in light.

  I heard them scream when they realized the wave was far higher than their hotels. Elyssa and I soon caught up to the crowds of fleeing people and it occurred to me that our supernatural speed wouldn't do us a lot of good if we couldn't squeeze through the throng.

  Screaming metal, shattering glass, and the crackling of trees rose above the sound of rushing water as the wave crashed through the parking lot a few hundred yards behind us. I glanced back and saw the wall of water quickly gaining on us, preceded by a swell that swallowed the street moments before the wave annihilated everything in its path.

  I grabbed Elyssa's waist, aimed a hand at a nearby building, and channeled a web of Murk to swing us over the throng. Nothing happened.

  Elyssa raised an eyebrow and urged me to run. "Was that a hug, or did you have something else planned?"

  "We need to get around this crowd, but I can't seem to channel magic." Trampled bodies lay in the street and a wall of humanity prevented our escape. I knelt next to a moaning woman on the side of the street. Two children cried over her and a fallen man nearby. Anger, sorrow, and worst of all, futility weighed me down with guilt. My attempt to save this island had failed miserably. Looking up at the nearest hotel buildings, I realized they were probably tall enough to protect people, but how was I supposed to get people up there before the wave hit?

  Elyssa wiped tears from her eyes. "Justin, you can't save everyone."

  I shook my head. "No, but saving one person is better than just saving myself." Without my magic, there was only one way to do this. I unleashed my inner demon and manifested. Muscles rippled and bulged along my arms and bare chest, making me even stronger than my human form. My body grew taller and wider, and a tail sprouted from my backside. A light blue tone shaded my skin. I ran to the children.

  They looked up at me, the demon monster, and screamed.

  "I'm here to help," I said, my voice deeper than usual.

  The boy recovered first. "You're a superhero? Is that why you look so scary?"

  "Exactly." The unconscious man next to them moaned. I glanced back at the wave and made a quick decision. I slung the man over a shoulder, took off his belt, and wrapped it loosely around my waist.

  "I have something better," Elyssa said, and produced a strand of diamond fiber rope from her purse.

  "What don't you have in there?" I asked. "Come hug my waist," I told the kids. "I'm going to tie you to me."

  The girl, frightened as she looked, followed her brother. I knelt and secured them against my waist. All those bodies hanging encumbered my stride, but there really wasn't a way around it.

  Elyssa picked up the woman in the road and placed her over a shoulder. She pointed to the tallest hotel. "That's our best bet."

  When we reached the building, I leapt up and caught the railing of the lowest balcony, pulled myself up. Leapt to the next one, wash, rinse, repeat. The boy whooped with excitement. His sister shrieked and buried her face in my ribs. I looked down. Elyssa hung three stories below me, sweat-streaked face grim with determination.

  We still had a dozen stories to go before reaching the roof. The rumbling of the wave drew closer and closer. I looked back and saw it tearing up the street less than a hundred yards away. We'd never make it in time. I redoubled my efforts, springing myself as high as possible and skipping balconies in between.

  Even with my demon form strength, I was panting by the time I reached the roof. People cried out in shock and fell over themselves in an effort to get away from me. I unbound the kids and put the man on the roof. I looked down and saw Elyssa seven stories away and struggling. Without thinking, I leapt off the roof. When I was only a short distance from her, I pressed my claws into the brick, digging deep gouges, and gained a foothold. I wrapped my tail around the woman and snatched her from Elyssa's back.