Jonathan flipped in the air to right himself, and fell to the ground, landing softly. He rose, and studied the city around him. He could hear the rumbling steps of the Bone Titan behind him, but the tunnel had been more than long enough to provide a significant impediment to the monster’s movement.
The city itself was massive, with buildings hundreds of feet in height towering over the shadowy streets of the cavern. Skeletons lay against the walls at odd angles, and many of them were covered in chips and in some cases, the bones were severed in half. A battle had happened here, and judging by the yellow color of the skeletons, it had been a while ago. Other than that, there was no sign of any life in the entire cavern.
Jonathan raced through the streets, towards the far side of the cavern. There was nothing here for him, only an escape route from the Bone Titan. If he could find his way into the rest of the subterranean network of Cessation, he could open his portal in safety and bring the others back to this realm.
The rows of desolate buildings passed by in a blur, Jonathan not paying any attention to them. As it was, there was little to see, merely grey rocks stacked on top of one another, and kept in place by crumbling mortar. In the center of the city, a spire jutted out of the ground, a thread of molten energy connecting it to the glowing orb that provided the cavern’s light. Jonathan could feel an immense amount of elemental energy spiraling around the tower, but ignored it for now. He could always come back later if the Bone Titan didn’t kill him first.
A rumbling crash echoed through the cavern as a foot larger than many of the city’s buildings came hammering through the side of the underground city complex. Buildings fell as the Bone Titan kicked them out of the way, making space for itself to emerge.
“Where are you going, worm? There is no escape. I rule the Underworld!” The monster shouted, its voice so loud that many of the abandoned buildings started to collapse, the aged mortar no longer able to stand up to the wear and tear of the world. With another shuddering boom, it kicked one of the closely placed towers across the cavern, and towards Jonathan. It sped through the air as fast as a bullet, carrying enough power in it to pulp him if it struck home. Tier 4 stone accelerated to such speeds could have blasted a mountain apart back on Earth, let alone Jonathan.
Up above, the false sun flickered as the Bone Titan wreaked havoc upon the ancient city, each step shaking the ground. The spire that provided the energy to the swirling orb of fire suspended above the subterranean expanse was faltering, having done its job faithfully for eons, only to be disturbed in the twilight of its purpose by a monster capable of crushing it with one idle footstep.
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Jonathan saw the writing on the wall, and with a whistling noise, a Void Missile streaked from his left hand, burning a path through the air in the direction of the tower. The fake sun flickered once more, and then, as his projectile struck its origin point, it ruptured, loops of flame beginning to whip at the air around it.
Stamina burned through Jonathan’s legs, and with a sharp crack, he exploded forwards, towards the end of the cave. There was nothing there, no hole to race through, but that was hardly an impediment to him. A nova of the Void formed around his body, like the tail of a comet. The rock melted like butter, and Jonathan slid through with ease, Maw of the Void living up to its name as it devoured the stone.
Flashes of grey sped past as Jonathan carved a path through the bedrock of Cessation, a hundred feet passing by every second. His mantle of consumption was inexorable, and soon, the last flicker of light from the dying sun of the distant cavern cut off, only to make its presence known once more as it detonated. The world rumbled, and behind Jonathan, the walls of his tentative tunnel collapsed.
His mantle of consumption was inexorable, and he flitted through the underground world, leaving a tunnel behind him that extended for over a mile. The last flicker of the false sun passed across his eyes, and then, with a thunderous boom, it detonated. Cracks spiderwebbed across the tunnel, chasing him down as chunks of rock fell from the ceiling. It was of no consequence, however, and his Maw of the Void dealt with anything that managed to catch up.
There was a muffled screech of rage, and then a shifting noise as the Bone Titan was buried beneath the earth. Hopefully, the explosion and the collapse had spelled its end. Jonathan would never know, however, as he had no role in its death. No essence came his way, and he simply continued on, finally able to breathe easily.
He eventually had to push off the ground, removing the coating of the Void around his legs. His momentum had stalled, but it was of little consequence. Much of his rush had been a result of his flight from the Bone Titan. With a smile, he slowed down, saving his Void energy. Although the usage wasn’t that noticeable over a shorter period of time and distance, he had already run through over a third of his reserves.
Jonathan swept his elemental energy out, searching for resonance. There was a faint cloud of Earth energy surrounding him, but that was to be expected. Then he found a tiny spark of Fire, at a steep angle beneath the tunnel. He kicked off the top of the tunnel wall, and changed his trajectory, descending rapidly.
