"An entire week?" Ember gasped, sitting up as Derekosh chuckled and grasped his side.
"Yes. We're both still recuperating from it," Fermot laughed, his chest rippling in minor pain. "I'm sure Jerosh and Jaqeluu are better now… but we weren't prepared for his energy."
"I don't think Jaqeluu was, either," Derekosh admitted. "But he's become stronger than any of us… and now he'll become the strongest of our race."
"What will his training be like now?" Twilight asked, eyeing the bandage around Fermot's shoulder.
"Now he will master the bond between him and his Nera'ak, Nyla," Fermot answered, smiling slightly. "They'll master the stages of Ina, the bond between every Nera'ak and Signa, and become stronger through each other."
"Ina?" Rainbow questioned. "How can you train a bond?"
"Oh! Maybe they do trust falls!" Pinkie giggled, zipping over to Fluttershy and falling back. "Trust fall!" The pegasus yelped as Pinkie knocked them over, landing on her stomach. "You caught me!"
"I guess so," Fluttershy murmured, rubbing her head uncomfortably.
Derekosh and Fermot chuckled softly. "Not exactly, Ms. Pie," Fermot smiled. "There are three stages to Ina. The first is what every Signa has. The ability to speak mentally with their partner, and allow others to speak with them as well."
"That's why they were so quiet the day they met," Ember said, remembering the day. "What's the second stage?"
"The second stage joins their energies, connecting them through their minds and spirit," Derekosh answered. "When Reku'un calls upon his Ina form, Nyla will transform along with him, doubling their power after initially increasing it."
Celestia rose a brow in question. "What do you mean he calls upon his Ina form?"
Fermot glanced to Derekosh, who shrugged softly then stepped back. Using what little energy he'd recovered, his body transformed back into his mineral state, startling the others aside from his brother.
"This is an Ina form," Fermot stated, gesturing to his brother. Derekosh powered down, release his form and returning to normal. "Reku'un's is a biological and sturdy alloy of some sort."
The ponies thought back to the day they had seen him fight Netu'ung. "Oh yeah," Rainbow said. "He was all silver with that mask."
"Then what's the third?" Applejack asked. "Can't get stronger than that, I'd bet."
The Signa chuckled with smiles and shook their heads. "Imagine being able to increase that power by over a thousand fold," Derekosh smirked, thinking back to his first Ina joining. "We call it… Ina Dulok."
"We take the body of the Nera'ak and our own, then merge them into a single entity," Fermot said, using a bit of energy to shape a dragon and a Signa. Their bodies melded together, then a bipedal dragon stood that looked as though it matched the size of the mountain.
"There is no Signa. There is no Nera'ak. There are signs, but that is it," Derekosh continued. "We become one being, fighting in harmony without any sort of quarreling. We see, hear, and feel everything this entity does, but we cannot control it. It uses each of our mind sets to fight for our own purposes. We aim it like a weapon."
"That sounds incredible," Rarity gasped, trying to imagine one of these beings herself.
"It sounds like a sight to see," Luna nodded, wondering what her nephew would look like in such a form.
The brothers sighed gently. "It truly is… but we hardly ever use it," Derekosh told them. "It takes massive amounts of energy to sustain it, which means it can only be used for a short time."
"Have any of you ever used it?" Ember asked.
"I did it once," Derekosh laughed, scratching his head. "I barely managed to wipe out the pack attacking our outpost before we were separated."
"I've never attempted it," Fermot admitted. "I've never had to resort to that technique, but I'm sure I could manage it for some time."
They all had their own imaginations on what a being like that looked like, and what it could do. "And after Draco masters it, he can come home?" Ember asked.
"We're… not sure," Derekosh sighed, leaning back against the wall. "If he desires, Figanti could allow him to visit for a time… but we'll have to be going… as well as your son, Limir."
"I know," Luna said softly, her expression dimming as she thought about her son facing an army of monsters.
"We could arrange for the Bestials to let him stay here for some time longer than Reku'un," Derekosh smiled. "From what I've heard, he's become almost as powerful as a Signa. I'm sure his pack would allow him to visit his family."
Luna and Fluttershy both perked up at this. "Yes… that would be wonderful," the lunar princess said happily.
"Alright," Fermot nodded. "Derekosh, we should be leaving. Figanti will need to see us."
The ponies gasped. "He… he knows you're alive?" Twilight hesitantly asked.
"Reku'un's final test destroyed our father's training facility," Derekosh laughed. "The entire fleet knows now. And with Reku'un's ignorance to our customs, no one is questioning us. The League is fine… but they won't stand for another act like that."
They nodded in understanding. "Derekosh," Ember said, sitting up slightly in her bed. "Tell… tell Draco I said hello…"
The warrior nodded with a small smile, gesturing for his brother to accompany him. "And tell him to keep kicking flank!" Rainbow shouted after them.
The brothers chuckled as they ran out of the castle and mounted their Nera'ak. "They are very much like his family, aren't they?" Fermot chuckled, his partner ascending first while Derekosh followed.
"Yes they are," Derekosh laughed. "I'll see you there."
"Not if I'm faster," Fermot smirked, getting low in his seat as his Nera'ak sped up.
"HHNG… AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Jerosh smashed his head into the wall, bone rippling out from his thighs and causing blood to spill.
It's time, Jerosh. The moment we've been waiting for.
You… were holding… THIS much of my energy… back?!
I needed to inspire the boy. And you would have been too weary if I'd let you use all your power for that little trial.
You… bastard… you… drek tra-AAAAHHH! GAAAAHHH!
They're all weakened and relaxed. The last thing they'll see is their own brother with a good amount of energy left. And with my power, your family will fall, and all of my creator's kind will be upon you.
Jerosh chuckled softly, then it elevated into a maniacal laugh, causing the voice in his mind to growl irritatedly.
He'll… survive… I know he will. He's… a survivor… he can destroy you… once his energy returns to him… and he'll unlock the power within the Ashla… I promise you… you won't… WIN… GAAAAAHHHHH!
I loathe the fact that you praise my alter ego, even when it's dormant within him. If only he knew… if only any of them knew what I'd done that day. But I know you're right… so I'll eliminate the problem firsthand. And then, the mighty Loki'irian race will know what it means to be completely and utterly, HELPLESS.
Jerosh screamed as his mind was overpowered, his mark glowing black and disorienting horribly. His eyes rolled back, and darkness replaced the white and irises. An evil and malicious grin appeared on his face, and he stood up from the floor, laughing lowly before straight out cackling in madness.
"And so begins the fall of the Loki'irians. Drepshol would be proud. Using the power of the Makti against his own people. This will be fun."