Fire Legend 6; Hyperion Colossus

One of the deities of these Corona Badlands, the Hyperion Colossus; a great being whose head easily surpasses the height of the clouds when upright, its body ever maturing as it molds more and more volcanoes from the mountain range serving as its entire physical makeup. Where it was once just a lifeless strip of mountains, it is now a great burning volcanic deity treading about the Volcanic Range. It has aged and matured quite significantly since its conception. Now, the Hyperion Colossus is the guardian of the Mountains, and serves as an entire mountain range in and of itself in tandem to the Hyperion Mountains. It and its younger sibling, Mt. D'Stroi, are the rulers of this land, under the direct command of the Fire God, otherwise known as the Kasaigami.

After Magnus Ignis was done dealing with Misery, he would come to the mountain range that was the Hyperion Colossus, watching it rest upon the ground undisturbed. It was technically a Divine Pet, but it was also its own being, along with its younger sibling, Mt. D'Stroi. Those were two beings that The Insanity created from the Hyperion Mountains long ago in the Lost World, using them both to wreak havoc across the land. When the Hyperion Mountains were taken back from The Insanity by the Tensei, so too were the two deities of the Hyperion Mountains. Now, Mount D'Stroi no longer roamed the Hyperion Mountains, but the Hyperion Colossus slept soundly where it was until it was needed. However, the Magnus Ignis knew that leaving the Hyperion Colossus to sleep for however long it had been just to summon it later if things ever happened in the Veritas was not a good thing to do, and to actively interact with it was essential.

So, Titus the Kasaigami would manifest out of flame at the base of the Hyperion Mountains and seek to awaken the sleeping giant. It was under his direct command, so it shouldn't have been hostile upon awakening. The only thing about it was that Titus did not know what he was going to DO with the Hyperion Colossus, as he wasn't entirely certain about what the deity would consider engaging in terms of interaction. He'd just have to wait and see.

"Hyperion Colossus," the Kasaigami called out, "Awaken From Your Slumber And Rise To Meet Your Master." Titus waited with his legs crossed, hovering in midair, his bound hands of fire resting in his lap.

There was silence for a while.

Nothing stirred nor moved, and even the volcanoes seemed unusually quiet. It wasn't until the faint rumbling of the earth began that noise picked up, boulders scraping against one another as it seemed like the very mountains themselves were rising from their place lodged into the ground. The grinding of the rock upon rock filled the air as a very large portion of the Volcanic Range elevated into the air, suspended only by stone that was connected to particular edges of the entire construct. These stones fit into sockets that seemed to be those made for arms and legs, which pushed up from the ground and revealed the back of an enormous figure.

Stony fingers spread between the rocks and pressed upon the earth to further push the large mass that was in the air farther up, flat and mountainous feet raising it up high. What turned around to greet the Kasaigami, ruler of the Corona Badlands was an earthy being with a ridge of volcanoes running up the spine of its back, smaller ones scattered about around the edges. Its front held many boulders together with liquid hot magma that glowed brightly as the being breathed. Its chest was formed acutely by larger boulders that made out as pectorals, and smaller ones that created an abdomen. The face of the creature was a mixture of stone and lava, glowing like hot metal and with magma oozing from the top of the head like a volcano.

It was the Hyperion Colossus, freshly awakened and rather confused as to why it was disturbed.

Gazing at the very minuscule Fire God, the Hyperion Colossus gave a magmatic roar as a sign of greeting, almost like a fierce yawn. Molten baths splattered from its back, shooting out of the volcanoes that ran up and down it. Standing on its own two flat mountain feet, it stood leagues taller than its master, but seemed ready to obey whatever command it was given. The molten monster's hand reached for its head, scratching at it with a finger, a sense of confusion to it. For whatever reason the great being was summoned, it surely did not understand why. It sensed no danger or threat of any kind, and unlike when it was created, it bore its sanity within it to keep it docile and friendly instead of wild and ferocious.

Thus stood the Hyperion Colossus in all its glory, awaiting the word of the Kasaigami, Magnus Ignis.

There Titus the Kasaigami stood before the Hyperion Colossus, which gazed him in the face with blazing eyes of confusion. The Fire God could only stand amused and chuckle lightly at the bewilderment of the great giant, for it was like that of a child. He asked it, "You Are Wondering Why I Have Summoned You From Your Slumber, Correct?" The Magnus Ignis shook his head. "It Has Been A Very Long Time Since You And I Have Engaged With Each Other, Hyperion Colossus. I Am Simply Here To Check On You And Your Status." Certainly, a being born from The Insanity might return to The Insanity should it be provoked, but the Kasaigami here was here to prevent that with a healthy checkup. "I Apologize For Disturbing Your Deep Slumber," The Magnus Ignis said, bowing his head to the Hyperion Colossus deeply. "Forgive Me. I Am Simply Making Sure That You Are Well."

Titus raised his head and looked up to the Hyperion Colossus, smiling warmly. "I Do Not Want To Have Disturbed You For Only That Reason," he began to say, "So I Also Am Here To Engage In Merriment With You." In other words, "To Play." Now, Titus didn't know exactly what the Hyperion Colossus found 'fun' considering that the only time it had its way was when it was running rampant in an insane fit, destroying the land and making it its own. That is how this land became so widely barren... At least in this area. The rest of the land had its story, but the Hyperion Mountains had the Hyperion Colossus as a part of its story... The being made as a child of The Insanity.

Now neutral, the Magnus Ignis thought it good to make the Hyperion Colossus feel like it was beloved instead of just a weapon. As such, he said to it, "I Am Here To Show You Love. And, I May Not Know What You Like To Do For Fun, But I Do In Fact Have A Creature I Have Tamed That Might Serve As A Sufficient Playmate For You." Titus looked up to the sky, which had the smoke of the various volcanoes blotting out the sun in certain areas. However, as he looked up, the ashen smog cleared away and shone down the rays of the sun, which beamed brightly on the area that they were in. You see, Titus had another Divine Pet that was under his dominion that he tamed as one of the heads of the fabled Orochi -- a dragon.

"Quetzalcoatl," Magnus Ignis called out, his voice booming and resounding in the air. He was summoning his pet dragon, which was formerly one of the Eight World Serpents that belonged to the Eight Heads and Eight Tails of Orochi, The Eight-Headed, Eight-Tailed serpent. The creature bore every World Serpent as one of its eight heads, and Titus was the one who cut off and tamed the Quetzalcoatl.

He awaited his dragon companion to come from its lofty place in the Fire Sanctuary, where it normally lived.

The sky was clear. The sound of a serpentine roar could be heard coming from the distance as what looked like a very long string of feathers came into view from out of the blue. The nearer it got, the more of it could be made out -- twas a rainbow-feathered serpent of various wings, each aflutter in their own harmony as the snake soared. It twisted itself around when it drew near to the Hyperion Mountains, gliding down toward the Volcanic Range in a spiraling fashion. Each of its rainbow-feathered wings shined brightly in the light of the sun, magnifying their color and splendor as the beautiful bird-like snake slithered down through the air. It curled around the largest peak of the Hyperion Colossus and slipped back into the air in one fluid motion, shining feathers illuminated all the way through. This was the dragon Quetzalcoatl. It did not stop for a moment to greet its master, but circled the air around him as if showing sign of its readiness to be commanded.

The Hyperion Colossus understood what the Magnus Ignis was saying to it, but did not expect its playfulness to be satiated by someone so very... Small. The titan was used to dealing with things on a larger scale, like its own younger brother, Mt. D'Stroi, or The Insanity when it was large and foreboding. The entire range of volcanoes and even beyond into the rest of the Corona Badlands was like a playground to the Hyperion Colossus, and this small Fire God did not even reach the ankle of the beast by even a little bit. He was so small, the Hyperion Colossus had difficulty seeing him. He was like a speck to the ginormous giant. If it weren't for his immeasurable power that could be sensed in spite of his site, the Hyperion Colossus might have thought it a joke for him to command it. But it respected the Kasaigami's power, which radiated from his tiny form as a condensation of rawness. Its radiance also seemed fused with the land itself, which the Hyperion Colossus could tell by just observing the energy of the Corona Badlands. This was truly its master.

When the feathered serpent named as the dragon Quetzalcoatl was seen by the Hyperion Colossus, it was roughly large enough to be considered a suitable being to interact with it. The dragon was certainly large and long, and its beauty knew no bounds. The Hyperion Colossus reached up for Quetzalcoatl in a childish fashion, trying to grab it out of the sky and have fun with it... In whatever fashion that might have been.

Quetzalcoatl stayed just out of reach of the Hyperion Colossus, almost as if out of mischievousness. The sly serpent wouldn't just allow itself to be snatched out of the sky by some lugging monster. It was far too wise and proud. However, it did tease the creature by dipping down every now and then, just within range, then rising back up just out of reach again. Quetzalcoatl saw this as entertaining, at least a little bit.

As the feathered serpent arrived on scene, the Magnus Ignis, Titus, would chuckle at the little playfulness the once vicious dragon had about it. "It Seems That You Two Are Getting Along Already," he said about Quetzalcoatl and the Hyperion Colossus. "Just Do Not Get Carried Away." He wondered what a serpent that controlled the weather and a volcanic deity would do together, but they were both already here, so that would soon be figured out. The Kasaigami might have been quite small in comparison to the both of them, but he could enlarge himself to basically any size he saw fit and take on a multitude of fire related forms that were not confined to a flesh. He could even cause his own flesh to become enlarged if he saw fit. He was a God, after all, and such menial things were no hassle to him.

As such, Magnus Ignis did not want to simply sit back and be a bystander of the play of the two deities. For now, however, until he could observe the two of them a little more, he would stand by and go into meditation, thinking deeply on what it was that he would do with the two of them. It was tough to be a God; so many options to do simple things and the necessity to make the correct choice with those options always looming overhead. "Hmmm..." the Magnus Ignis wondered, going into deep meditation. "... Mmmm..." His eyes closed and his mind expanded, going through a series of different methods of dealing with the situation at hand.

Whilst the dear boy went into meditation, a certain frequency pierced the ear of the great Hyperion Colossus; one that was known all too well throughout the Veritas. Twas a remnant of what once was, for, the Hyperion Colossus had not been awakened since the day it was put to sleep. That left it with just a tiny bit of what its old master left inside of it... Insanity.

"What...?" a deep, gurgling voice questioned from out of nowhere, "... What Have You Done To My Child...?" Born of The Insanity, as the Magnus Ignis feared, there was indeed a trace amount of insanity left within the Hyperion Colossus when it awoke, and that tiny little bit was all that was necessary to spark a grand ignition of incredible voracity. "... You... Do Not Command This Vessel... Kasaigami..." The Insanity said, causing the Hyperion Colossus to revert to its original destructive self with just a whisper, "... I Do."

Volcanic ash poured from the spouts upon the back of the Hyperion Colossus, spurting into the sky and causing a calamitous storm to brew filled with sulfur and fire and lightning. The sun was totally blocked out and the scornful eyes of the malignant adversary of the Tensei opened up in the cloudy smog, burning red. From the billowing ash clouds came arms that stretched around the Hyperion Colossus, easily dwarfing it and forming themselves as if to insinuate the Hyperion Colossus a toy betwixt the palms.

"All It Takes Is A Tiny Bit..." The Insanity said, "To Bring Forth The Entire Thing." Of course, it regarded itself, as the fullness of The Insanity was supposedly contained within Tatari Tensei, the one that was meant for all insanity to be absorbed into. However, whenever a Tensei had a fit of insanity, that was a gateway for The Insanity to emerge again, and also, whatever harbored The Insanity within it prior to purification -- such as this Hyperion Colossus -- served the same purpose. The Hyperion Colossus may have been tamed and put to sleep, but all of The Insanity had not been purged from it.

"Go, My Child," The Insanity commanded, "Destroy This Land And These Two Beings Along With It!" Hostilely, yet obediently, the Hyperion Colossus acted on the words of its original master and began to fight the Quetzalcoatl and Magnus Ignis, raising a leg to kick the Magnus Ignis as it also swatted its hand at the serpent in the air to knock it out of the sky.

The eyes of the Kasaigami burst open with a fiery passion as his meditation came to a premature end, the infamous Insanity that was thought to be completely purged of the land and of the Tensei now reared up again through a being that was born of it. He had no words for The Insanity, but had all such time for action.

When Titus was kicked, his body burst into flames and reappeared upon the neck of Quetzalcoatl, where the binding Tensei Seal was upon its neck. The Kasaigami knelt down and touched the seal, saying to Quetzalcoatl, "It Is Time For Us To Combine Our Powers." The Tensei Seal would activate, bestowing Quetzalcoatl with a great deal of power and linking its mind to Titus', keeping them both in sync and in resonance mentally as well as spiritually. "Distract The Monster And I Will Deal With The Insanity." Titus guided the dragon out of range of the Hyperion Colossus and closer to where the swirling smog of ashen clouds forged The Insanity's form. Though the volcanic ash was thick in the air, it was not impenetrable, and it seemed to be the form that The Insanity had taken on this time. A simple "Iris" would do the trick, and as it was called out, a beam from the sun shot down upon the top of the dark clouds, piercing through them with a great intensity. The object was to target the Hyperion Colossus and etch a Tensel Seal into the body of it the same way Magnus Ignis had done Quetzalcoatl so that The Insanity would no longer have any power over it and also it would be completely purged from the Hyperion Colossus for good.

Quetzalcoatl heeded the words of the Magnus Ignis and swooped down to the sight of the Hyperion Colossus. It weaved through the rocky fingers and boulder apparatuses skillfully, carrying Titus along with it. Quetzalcoatl's presence brought about powerful winds that blew away the ash in the air to make clearer a way for the sun to shine down. It hissed and a gale force wind blew with enough power to at least knock the volcanic creature off of its feet, despite how heavy and sturdy it was... Or, so the Quetzalcoatl hoped.

The initial face that The Insanity had taken on was blown away, arms and all, but its presence still lurked within the Hyperion Colossus, where it originated. It recognized what the Kasaigami was trying to do to purge it from the Hyperion Colossus and commanded it, "Avoid The Sunlight At All Costs. Do Not Let Yourself Into Its Light." For if the Hyperion Colossus did that, Titus would certainly brand it with the Tensei Seal and expel The Insanity completely.

The Hyperion Colossus obeyed its natural instincts to destroy, just as it had done in times of olde. It breathed in heavily, causing its molten bound body to glow brightly as it inhaled, then when it released its breath, magma came spewing out like a volcanic eruption, the force of the blast like a beam of energy and wiping out part of the Volcanic Range on the ground. The lava that was left from the melted rocks would be left oozing all over the ground like an oil spill, making the ground into one large lava bath rather swiftly. The Hyperion Colossus found joy in its lava bath and thought to bask in it and its destruction when... A gale force wind blew the lava away and caused the Hyperion Colossus to stumble a bit. It did not fall, for it was far too large and heavy for such a simple wind to knock it around, but it was thrown off balance, and its awkwardly shuffling mountain feet nearly tripped over themselves.

But, as the Hyperion Colossus took a powerful earth-quaking step upon the ground to regain its composure, it swiped its rocky hands at the now annoying serpent that fluttered all around it. Its hands may have been large and clunky, but a good grip on Quetzalcoatl would spell the end for it, as it would likely be instantly crushed by the very hand of the Hyperion Colossus.

To avoid the sun, as its master commanded, the Hyperion Colossus continually released volcanic smog from its back into the air, giving it a constant veil of thick ash in the sky that blotted out the sun wherever it stood. Even if the volcanic ash was blown away, it would still be pouring out of the Hyperion Colossus in such great volumes that it would return the air to contamination just as quickly as it was cleansed of it.

Titus flew upon the back of Quetzalcoatl for a time until it was recognized that the 'Iris' he'd come to use so often had failed. The light of the sun did not pass through the clouds of ash, and if it did, it was quickly snuffed out. This not only angered the Kasaigami, but increased the strength of his power and connection to the sun.

"Don't You Know Who I Am?" the Fire God asked, "I AM THE MAGNUS IGNIS!! THE SUN ITSELF!!" Where Quetzalcoatl was doing a fine job distracting the Hyperion Colossus, Magnus Ignis was using a concentrated ray from the sun to bear down upon the land with hyper intensity, burning with a passion the same as his fury. It was more than enough the angrier he got to pierce through even the thickest of the smog coming from the Hyperion Colossus' back.

The powerful ray of sunlight first trickled in as a simple speck, but not too long afterward, gradually spread into being an enormous beam of concentrated heat that focused itself right where the Hyperion Colossus stood. The damage that was done could be more or less restored later, but right now, the main objective was to keep the Hyperion Colossus in the sunlight. The sun's ray was so large and so powerful, it was blinding to the eye and brightened up the entire Corona Badlands with its shine -- blood red from the Bloodred Pumpkinhead. The Tensei Seal had no issue etching itself into the Hyperion Colossus and he ground around it, effectively binding it both in its will and in its mobility to keep it from exiting or blocking out the sun's ray.

Quetzalcoatl managed to evade the slow Hyperion Colossus for a majority of the time, but as it continued to circle around it, eventually Quetzalcoatl was caught in the mighty grasp of the Hyperion Colossus. The strength of the grip was incredible, and the strain it put on Quetzalcoatl made the dragon screech in pain. The Divine Pet was thoroughly incapacitated for the time being, unable to fly or move freely because of the Hyperion Colossus. It was now up to Magnus Ignis to take care of the rest.

"Huahahahaha!" The Insanity laughed, "I Have Captured Your Little Pet." The grip on the feathered serpent would intensify, trying to crush it to death. However, it was too late for the Insanity and the Hyperion Colossus -- the Tensei Seal was already being set. "No!" The Insanity cried, trying to spew more smog from the back of the Hyperion Colossus and up into the sky, but the rays of the sun being concentrated so heavily brought it no avail.

Before too much damage could be done to Quetzalcoatl, the Tensei Seal was binding the Hyperion Colossus and The Insanity to their place, halting them in the process. This included the powerful grip of the Hyperion Colossus. "Not Again!" The Insanity cried, its voice much weaker than before when it bellowed across the land. "You Can't Do That!!"

But it was already done.

The Tensei Seal was complete and etched into the very bedrock of the Hyperion Colossus itself, as well as the ground surrounding it. The same seal was on the back of the neck of Quetzalcoatl, which was how Titus gained dominion over such a creature way back when. The Tensei Seal purified The Insanity and either bound it to its vessel or cast it out completely, this time being the latter of the two. There would be a powerful shine that overtook the area -- a red glow that filled the air -- and The Insanity would be cleansed from the Hyperion Colossus.

Titus looked as the 'Iris' had done its job yet again, that technique becoming one of his favorites let alone a signature. He would bow his head and close his eyes, saying, "All Has Come To Peace." With that, he would dismiss both Quetzalcoatl and the Hyperion Colossus, as they were both probably needing their rest again. Titus had to clean up the Volcanic Range YET AGAIN for the second or third time in a single day, sighing heavily, as his work was never done. He would be pleased when he was able to rest.

Wasting no time, the Magnus Ignis descended from Quetzalcoatl -- who should have been warped away by the Tensei Seal and no longer within the grasp of the Hyperion Colossus -- and down to the ground, where the enormous lava bath was. Magnus Ignis was not capable of controlling the element of Earth, so reshaping the volcanoes manually was out of the question. He had to get creative.

First, he would take command of all of the lava that was about, letting it be forcefully drained underground through the Craterous Crags. This solved the issue about the lava spill, but did nothing about the mountain range that was completely erased from being melted away. The entire streak of what was once mountainous volcanoes was now laid bare, and it was a stream of lava. However, the Kasaigami had an idea that would resolve the issue completely.

He heightened his focus. The control he had over the lava was one thing, but he also had control over heat, as well. He did not need to use the Earth element to reshape the volcanoes -- he could cool the magma flowing as a stream into solid rock! Fortunately he was one for 'bright ideas', his hair flaring up when he thought of one. With his heightened focus, Titus molded the lava into the shape of mountains with his will alone, causing them to take form as volcanic piles. Finally, he removed the heat from the lava mountains and withdrew it into himself with a mighty inhale through his nose, causing the lava mountains to solidify into rock hard volcanoes again. With this done, the Hyperion Mountains were restored and there was no collateral damage from what the Hyperion Colossus had done.

"It Is Time For You To Go Back To Sleep," Titus said solemnly. "I Am Sorry That I Disturbed You." One of his 'bright ideas' almost cost him the loss of a Divine Pet and the Corona Badlands... Though he would have simply dismantled the Hyperion Colossus should things have gotten that bad, since it was made of both rock and magma. "Go In Peace," the Kasaigami commanded, hovering to a new location in the Corona Badlands and leaving the Hyperion Colossus to do as it pleased. Whether it went back to sleep or not was up to it, but Titus had given his suggestion -- not a command -- and left it at that. The Hyperion Colossus was able to move of its own free will now that The Insanity was purged from it... So long as it did not cause anymore damage to anything, that is.