The Higher Plain Ch 43: His Savior Stands Tall, Krelzor Run!

I couldn't stop staring at her.

Faylina stood like a titan reborn, her form shimmering against the broken horizon. Even after everything I'd seen tonight—the storms, the fire, the monster that tore through my home—nothing could have prepared me for her.

She was huge, yes, but smaller than before. The last time I saw her like this, she could've stepped across an entire valley in a single stride. Now, though... she looked almost compressed, as if the world itself had forced her down to fit inside its rules. Still, she towered over me easily, her shadow swallowing the land around us.

"Faylina..." I said softly, my voice still shaking from the adrenaline.

She looked down at me then—eyes bright and warm even through the haze of smoke and purple lightning. The tension in her shoulders eased just a little. "You're alive," she breathed, almost like she couldn't believe it. "Oh, Krelzor, thank the stars—I made it in time."

The sight of her smiling... it was enough to make me forget the world was ending.

She bent down, her enormous form moving with surprising gentleness. The ground trembled as she lowered to one knee, her face coming level with mine. Her hair, long and golden, spilled down like rivers of light around me.

For a moment, all I could do was stare. I still wasn't used to her size—how impossible she looked, and yet how human her expression remained.

Without saying another word, she reached out and scooped me into her hands. Her touch was careful, protective. Before I could react, she brought me close—pressing me softly against her chest.

I could feel her heartbeat. Deep, steady, powerful. Each pulse vibrated through my whole body. Her warmth enveloped me completely, and for the first time in what felt like hours, I felt... safe.

"I thought I'd lost you," she whispered, voice trembling slightly.

I swallowed hard and hugged her back as best I could. "You didn't. You saved me again."

For a second, the world was still. Just her breath, the faint hum of her power, and the warmth of her embrace.

Then—

A sound tore through the air.

It wasn't a roar this time. It was worse.

A laugh.

Deep, echoing, twisted—like the earth itself was mocking us. It rolled across the valley, vibrating through my bones. The very air turned cold.

Faylina stiffened immediately. I felt her arms tighten around me protectively as she lifted her gaze toward the forest.

And there it was.

The creature stood tall again, framed in the smoke and ruin. It had grown. Or maybe it had always been this size and I'd just refused to see it clearly before. Its twisted body was draped in shifting darkness, the purple light pulsing through its veins like poison fire.

It took one heavy step forward, and the land shook.

"Well, well," the beast said, its voice dripping with venomous amusement. "The little Xylarion who plays guardian to a fragile human. How quaint."

The way it said Xylarion made my skin crawl.

Faylina's jaw clenched. She set me gently down on the ground behind her, then rose to her full height. Even though she was smaller than before, she still looked enormous compared to me—and defiant compared to it.

"Krelzor," she said, her tone suddenly sharp and commanding. "Run."

"What?" I blinked, stepping forward. "No—no way! You can't fight that thing alone!"

She glanced down at me, and though her expression softened for a heartbeat, her eyes carried a strength that left no room for argument. "My friend is on her way," she said. "She'll be here any second. But until then, I need you safe."

I shook my head. "I'm not leaving you to—"

"Go!" she snapped.

That single word hit me harder than the wind. I hesitated only a second longer before the ground beneath us cracked again—sending a wave of dirt up into the air.

"Faylina—"

"Run, Krelzor!"

The sound of her voice—sharp, desperate—broke through every thought I had left. My chest tightened, but I turned and ran.

The forest was barely holding together at this point. Whole trees leaned or had been ripped from the soil. The ground shook constantly, forcing me to catch my balance every few steps. Behind me, I could hear Faylina's booming steps as she charged, her voice echoing through the chaos. The creature's roars answered her, shaking the heavens.

I didn't dare look back—at least not right away.

But then the air changed.

It thickened with dust and energy. Lightning—purple and violent—flashed across the sky. My curiosity got the better of me. I turned my head as I ran.

And instantly wished I hadn't.

The forest behind me was gone. Just... gone. In its place was a swirling maelstrom of destruction—dust clouds rising like walls, chunks of land being torn into the air, flashes of light cutting through the smoke. Every roar from the creature sounded like a mountain collapsing.

"Keep going," I muttered to myself, forcing my legs to move faster. "Just... keep going..."

I didn't get far.

I wasn't even looking ahead when I slammed into something solid.

The impact sent me sprawling backward onto the ground, stars flashing behind my eyes. I groaned and looked up, expecting maybe a fallen tree or boulder.

But no.

It was metal.

A wall of gleaming steel the color of polished moonlight—curved and massive. My eyes traveled upward, slowly, and the realization hit me all at once.

It wasn't a wall.

It was a shoe.

A steel shoe.

And standing above it—above me—was another giant woman.

Her silver hair cascaded down her shoulders, reflecting the faint purple light from the distant storm. Her expression was... odd. Not angry, not cruel—just uncomfortable, like someone trying to stand in clothes two sizes too small.

She groaned softly, lifting a hand to her forehead. "Ugh... I don't know how Faylina handles being this small. It feels like I'm being squeezed."

I blinked, my mind struggling to keep up. "Wait a minute..."

Faylina had said her friend was coming.

"Faylina?" I asked slowly, pushing myself up to my knees. "You mean you're her friend?"

The silver-haired woman looked down at me, her expression half amused, half in pain. The ground still trembled faintly under her weight, and the air around her shimmered with energy.

And though she hadn't yet spoken my name, something in the way her eyes met mine told me she already knew exactly who I was.

The world around us was breaking, Faylina was fighting for her life somewhere behind, and this towering stranger had just arrived in the middle of it all—looking like a goddess who'd fallen too hard through the sky.

And somehow, I had the feeling things were about to get even worse.