Whether it be a questions of morals, of decisions made that had led down very different paths, Hark didn’t care. Did not give any importance to it any more than the attack that had been launched to him previously, or the attack that had been thrown at him now. And if Hark cared about the fact that he’d stepped where he shouldn’t have, he didn’t care either.
The only thing he cared for, the only thing that had his attention now, was the fact that someone, someone who thought that all that mattered was themselves, was walking on territory that he shared with a friend, one he could only hope was a friend, and they were endangering everything he loved.
The chao, the Island, his wife, this phoenix with an ego as big as herself was a danger, and would probably take immeasurable glee in trampling it if only to prove herself superior.
And he wouldn’t stand for that.
Her next attack missed, Hark once again teleporting away, this time to the air so he could gain extra time. Extra time to shake off the fact that Satu had flinched at the shriek only to warn him last minute of the incoming attack, and the fact that, yes, since he was so small, he could dodge incoming attacks, but he didn’t have the will, the firepower, to throw her off.
… Fine. Just fine. If she wanted to take out her anger and deal with someone her size, then he’d give her someone her size.
A silent warning would be the only thing he would spare for Satu. A quiet hope that Chaos would forgive him for ruining the Island he held so dear would pass him. Right up until, one by one, the Chaos Emeralds that Hark knew so well, would start appearing, melting him further, causing him to land onto the group has droplets instead of whole, droplets that would quickly grow in size and accumulate on themselves, starting to create something, something that could not only hold head with the phoenix, but probably confirm that Hark was, indeed, a Chaos.
No amount of breaking the water would stop Hark. No amount of trying would stop the thing, the wyvern from forming, thinner, maybe, than any Chaos counterpart, and definitely lacking the brain, instead housing in his chest its equivalent, a roughly misshapen crystalline heart. And nothing, absolutely nothing would stop the wyvern from opening its maw and screeching, sending alongside the angry cry a ray of Chaos that would have torn through the ground had it not been aimed for the fiery creature.
Hark was angry, and nothing would stop him trying to throw Ifrit off the Island.
Missed again, but that was the intent after all. dialing back her fury for the moment, Ifrit resumed a neutral, nonchalant stature. Apparently that hadn’t scared him off, she supposed he deserved props for that. Then again Chaos always opted for fight over flight didn’t he?
Hark was not pressed for time, Ifrit sat comfortably in patience as he transformed. There were many reasons behind this; one was his reluctance to use his power thus far was insult enough. Another was that some very well hidden part of her actually felt bad for picking on the small fry already. But the biggest reason worn in plain across her expression... were those gems...
Curiosity took hold of the bird beholding seven emeralds appear one after another. These strange, eerie little gemstones gave off that same sickeningly familiar vibe- yet they were all slightly different from his- and from each other for that fact. His manner of usage told her at the least they were power sources...
-But they seemed to warp in on their own..? Only that touched by a temporal had such an ability, one of the few things she lacked. Then what, were they his??? No- that too critically lacked reason, what kind of deity would segment off their energy into wee pebbles?? That passed even Iblis’ level of incompetence!
Surely none were thoughtless enough to do that? -at least, not willingly..? And now this new creature, this-... borderline mutilation of the God she once knew. This was truly Chaos??
... And why did those stones give her such a deeply sickening feeling..?
She choked it down, perhaps this was just what it meant to be an alternate..? For a first she thanked the powers that be for having spared her this knowledge so long, and then cursed them after for showing her now. If this is how poorly another realm represented this rat, she shivered to think of how one might handle her. Something here was terribly eschew, the phoenix was struggling to rummage up her previous rage.
-Then he fired a laser at her and suddenly she couldn’t be more at home.
She dodged it of course, wings ablaze blasting her to the side. It was nothing new really, pretty by-the-numbers opening. The bird took flight stride full of comfort and confidence. She feared none, but had she made a list, Perfect Chaos was one she feared the least and this no better- though in fairness he was a good bit ornery already, better to play it safer than not.
Ifrit cackled this time, not quite as loud but shrill enough to irritate. Those crystal shards tore her mind from wrath, and she was starting towards getting back into the flow of things. Best stick to dodging for a spell, keeping a moderate airspeed for control.
... Still... it’d been so long... she couldn’t help but rile ‘em up, for ol’ times sake.
*Oh theeeeeere’s my sweet-streams!! Didn’t recognize it at first, but the new form’s a nice touch. I’m flattered, really~, but sorry to say you’re still coming up short. My Chaos’ sting is muuuch bigger~ so don’t hate me if we get a little too Rough!!*