Emily P.O.V.
"Emily, listen to me, I don't have much time. Use what is left of the wolfsbane, I am here and I can fight back, I just need your help."
Z's voice fills the air, I can hear the strain in her tone. She is here, she is still in there. I fight back the tears that threaten to fall from my eyes. Relief washing over me as a wave brushing the shore of the ocean.
It's short lived having her back, the darkness that has consumed her rose back to power and cut Z off within an instant. But, it's too late . We all now know what we need to do. We need to save our friend.
With new found hope that Z isn't lost to us, at least not yet, we all move as one single unit. One final assault to send this beast back to where the hell it came from.
General Adkins and Nicole rush towards the Lycan to distract her as I run like a mad woman towards the small puddle that remains on the floor. With the syringe shattered I have to think of something else we can use against her.
Scanning furiously with my eyes I land on the surgical table where scissors and a scalpel rest. 'Perfect' I think to myself. Looking back towards my friends, they are still fighting against her. Each exchanging blows with the dark beast.
I grab the scissors and scalpel and go back over to the puddle. My hands are shaky and my breath is hitched. The adrenaline courses through my body. Soaking the tools in the wolfsbane, I flip them over to be sure the surface on the front and back of the tools completely.
With both of them soaked. I let out a breath and gather myself. Slowly I walk towards the beast. My vision is just one straight tunnel. One small narrow path and it's just this thing at the end. My grip on the tools tightens. Right here and right now it ends. This battle will be won and then we can focus on the war.
Nicole's P.O.V.
Punch after punch, each one connects but doesn't do anything but manage to piss this bitch off even more. We are both out of breath, yet we know we can't stop. We must keep pushing forward. 'Come on Emily, we need you to hurry.' I think to myself.
The longer this goes on the weaker we both become. Being hit and having to get back up off the ground takes its toll. I look up in time to see a giant paw with bloody black claws come my way. I lunge backward dodging the attack by a mere inch. This just shows she is ready to end this as well.
I look over my shoulder to the left and see a very determined Emily walking fast paced towards her target. She grips two surgical tightly in her hand. With gritted teeth I see her leap as far as she can in mid air. Only to be caught by the throat of the bitch from hell.
"Hahaha" they laugh maniacally.
"You pesky little worm, you thought you could sneak up on me? How cute."
Lifting her higher I can see her face begin to change colors, however her raw resolve is still plastered. She doesn't shed a tear. She doesn't look away. It almost looks as if she is smiling. What the hell?
Drawing her closer to her face the beast laughs again.
" Are you really smiling? A human smiling at me? My my, you are either brave or stupid." They spit.
" I guess you could say I am both?" Emily whispers, trying hard to sound spunky. But you can tell her airflow is slowly being cut off.
"Both eh?" The beast retorts.
How can you be both? This I must hear before I snap your neck. Please indulge me."
With a wide toothed smile Emily opens her mouth to speak.
" Well, stupid enough to hope this would work and keep defying you, and yet…." She stops.
And with one powerful motion swings her arm into the air plunging the poison tools into the neck of the foul creature. She pushes them deeper and deeper. The beast roars in pain and sends Emily flying across the room. General Adkins manages to catch her and break her fall. With a grateful nod she recovers quickly.
" And brave enough to keep pushing forward to save the woman I love!" She shouts.
I can't help the smile that consumes my face. Emily has finally realized her full feelings towards Z. And I couldn't be happier that maybe there is a light at the end of this cruel tunnel for both of my friends. I'm dug out of my thoughts as the beast howls in pain and agony.
The smell of burning flesh fills the air, and the beast falls onto their knees. Desperately trying to get the tools out of their body is no use. The wolf's pain pierced the main artery of the neck. They are both choking on their own blood and burning on the inside.
Smoke begins to appear from all over the body, fur and skin melting away in giant clumps. Blood trickles down the floor and soon muscle tissue, tendons, and intestines follow. All that is left is just a flesh melted body and a pile of bone.
"That's not what I had expected,"Emily says, covering her nose from the egg rotten stench in the air.
"Wolfsbane, if mixed correctly and made more potent, can burn and melt any Lycan or werewolf from the inside out.
"That's insane,but, if that thing took over Z's body and we just destroyed it, how will Z come back to us?" Emily asks concern drawing on her face.
"Don't worry, I wouldn't have made it the way I did if there wasn't a way for her to come back. Even though she gave up her immortality to save you a few months ago. A Lycan can be taken over by their darker form and be reborn only one time, if they manage to beat their other side. "
Emily looks puzzled. Her shoulders slump and her eyes fall.
" The final battle is one of pure will, the test of the heart and soul of the host. If Z's will or spiritual energy is strong enough she can win the battle and will be reborn from the bones of her original body before she was consumed."
I try to keep it simple and sound optimistic. Z is a strong woman and a very determined one at that. I can only hope with her now knowing that Emily is awake and fine that she will now be more focused than before.
" How long does it normally take?" She replies, breaking the silence.
I just shrug my shoulders.
" There is no time limit on this type of thing. It will wage on until one of them wins."
Looking at the bones and flesh before us Emily looks back to me and General Adkins.
"And how will we know that she won?"
"That part is easy, those bones over there will return to her normal form, the Z that we know and love. When you see them begin to change into her, she's back. If she loses the bones will shift back into that beast from hell."
Emily nods to me and just begins to stare blankly at the remains before us. I hope Z is going to come back. I don't know if we can withstand another battle against her dark side again.
Z P.O.V.
Serna's screams echo throughout the thick black air. Breaking me from my calm resolve. I open my eyes, narrowing them in the darkness before me. I can feel the spiritual aura surround my body outlining me in a vibrant green silhouette. There is another spiritual aura speeding closer towards me. This one is a blood red silhouette making out the outline of Serna.
Her razor white teeth preening from her muzzle and jet black covered eye lock on to me and her claws have fully extended.
"Why hello." I greet them with a smirk.
"Don't taunt me Z!" They shout angrily.
" Who is taunting Serna? I merely greeted a part of me. A part that should have stayed locked away." I respond circling them.
"You are weak and nothing without me! I came out to show you how needed I am. To kill those that make us weak. To kill the main one that has caught your attention, that human makes us weak!" They point between us.
"That human has a name and she makes me strong. You aren't needed Serna, not now, not ever!" I swing my hand to the side.
" So you have fallen for her? Just as you did Estelle." They respond coolly.
"Don't bring my dead wife into this." I warn.
" Why not? Estelle was your one and only. Such a shame you couldn't control yourself then. She might still be alive."
"Enough!" I scream.
Memories of that terrible night flood my mind with images of my dead mate lying in a pool of her own blood. Her body going limp in my arms.
"So you do remember Z? You do remember that it wasn't Solarious that killed her." They keep pushing with a knowing tone.
"He did kill her!-"
"No Z, YOU killed her, you murdered your beloved mate that night. All because you couldn't control yourself. If only you had been able to have a better handle on your Lycan back then. She'd still be here and that human would be nothing to you! Face it Z, you're a murderer."
I can't bear to hear those words and the flashbacks replay over and over in my mind. My vision is filled with nothing but the bloody image of Estelle. The cuts across her face from her eye brow down to her chin. The long claw marks down her chest. And stab wounds in her abdomen. I can't take it.
"I had control, the only thing I didn't have control over was you Serna, you betrayed me! You said you would protect her!" I shout back, stomping towards her.
" And I did, I put her out of her misery to avoid torture by Solarious when your planet fell. And it did fall, it is not my fault you are so weak!"
"I am not weak!" I draw my sword.
Using my spiritual energy to conjure up my weapon of choice to use against her. There is no more time for words, I have let Serna play with my mind long enough. And this time I won't let her win. I can't fall for these petty games of hers again.
"Finally a fighting spirit, now you will be worthy to fight. " They smile wide and ready in a fighting stance to pounce.
Taking a deep breath, I grip firmly on the handle of my sword. Pointing my sharp blade in the direction of Serna. As two predatory beings circle one another, sizing each other up.
Serna lunges towards me and I roll out of the way and manage to balance myself back on my feet. I swing my blade aiming for her head as she manages to jump out of the way.
She cackles wildly at me as she lands gracefully back onto her feet. Her tongue glides across her red blood stained lips as her eyes stay connected to mine.
Serna charges once more a growl escaping from her. I ready myself and slide on my knees underneath her as she jumps in the air again to tackle me to the ground. I lift my blade at the same time and manage to pierce her flesh.
Serna's scream is ear piercing as she falls and writhes in pain. Gripping her abdomen, blood spewing from her wound and leaking out over her paw.
" I won't go away, I won't be locked away again!" They shout charging at me once more.
Their speed has increased and with each swing they take at me the harder it is to dodge and evaluate where the next attack will come from. I can't let this keep going on. The longer this fight continues the weaker I can feel my aura become. And with Leona resting so she can heal I am even more prone to getting tired. And I can feel it with each motion of the sword. With each step that I take. I'm growing weary.
" I can feel it Z, you're fading quickly." She snears.
Dammit, this isn't good. I need to end this quickly. Now, that she can tell my situation she will only try to drag this battle out now. I promised Emily I could win. I need to return back to her, to my friends. I still have to stop Solarious. It can't end like this. No, I won't let it end like this. I will die when I choose to. When the rest of the Galaxy is safe from Solarious then I will gladly let the hands of fate take me. But until then I won't die.
My aura grows brighter at my new found determination, and the look of surprise that meets her eyes only tells me that Serna wasn't expecting my fighting spirit to endure. She thought she had me with the mind games she was playing. Along with dragging on this fight, but she was wrong and now is the time to prove to her just how strong I really am.
This time I charged towards Serna, my speed matching hers. I land a right hook to her muzzle, followed by a hard front kick and another roundhouse kick to her head. She goes sailing through the air. And with that I quickly give chase. This is my mind and my body. It's time she is reminded of that.
Another exchange of punches between us and we keep going. One hook after another. We pound each other left, right, left right, taking turns. I've had enough of this. I tell myself. And summon my sword in my hand once more. Hand to hand combat isn't working. And I'm done. Really truly done. Serna looks at the sword and looks at me again. Their sinister smile reappeared on their face.
" You won't win this Z, you never had it in you to win." She says walking towards me.
" You don't know me Serna," I charged towards her.
What happens next I wasn't expecting and would've never thought in a million years that it would happen. And yet, within the blink of an eye it did. Serna waits for me to get close and when I do she doesn't bother to dodge my attack or move out of the way. She simply just spreads her arms apart and waits for my blade to stab right through her. My blade makes impact and comes out the other side of her body.
Serna spits blood and it pours from her mouth in tiny waterfalls. My eyes widen and my heart stops. My grip is still firm on my blade and I can't move from my position. I look into her eyes and she looks back into mine. She's my reflection of an inner darker side of me. One I had always wished to destroy. To remove completely from my mind. An evil rage capable of doing anything without remorse.
With this knowledge though I still chose to keep her locked away in my mind. Behind a golden cage. She was left there to wait for me to need her. In my desperation the cage would unlock and she would be set free. In time I learned that I couldn't trust her to be free and yet I still felt I needed to keep her close by even if I never wanted to use her again. But, now I am finally free and it was the evil side that decided I could be free. How the fuck does this make sense?
" What the fuck?" I mumble.
" Don't be so surprised," she huffs.
"How do you go from wanting to fight to kill me, so that you can remain free, to just giving up? It makes no fucking sense." I reply frustrated.
" It doesn't have to. You'll need me again and I'll be lying around waiting. For, when I do get free again, there won't be a battle. You'll welcome me with open arms. I'm tired of this spiritual fight, it's getting nowhere."
Her breathing is growing more and more shallow by the second. The aura silhouette that surrounded her is slowly fading away.
" I won't let you out again Serna, you got lucky this time that is all. And now that I have you, it is time I destroyed you." I shove the blade further in.
Wincing in pain Serna falls to her knees, the agony rising and coursing through her veins. It won't be much longer now. Over half of her silhouette is gone.
" You're such a fool Z, you can't destroy hatred, you can't destroy rage. It will always be apart of you… I will always be a part of you." Serna's voice ends in a whisper and she collapses the rest of the way.
I release my hold on my sword. I watch as the remainder of the aura dissipates into the thick blackness that surrounds us. Within a couple of minutes so does Serna, her body turning into nothing but a grey smoke that disappears from my sight.
I close my eyes, filled with relief that this fight is over and I can finally return back to the people I care about and the one woman that I love. And it is time that I tell her how I truly feel. I just hope that her feelings are matched to mine and we can finally move forward together. And once Solarious is taken down we can talk about a brighter future together and our dreams we wish to have. How perfect life would be, just to have Emily by my side forever.