Isidril halted his steps and dropped his pitiful ass on the ground.
" High Guard! Attack!" he heard the command and pushed himself off the ground at the loud clatter of armour running past him.
Ian stood up, his leg hurt pretty bad and looked around when his eyes fell not far away from where he was on a bright pulsating ball of light. He looked around, trying to find Iris. He knew she would be there. Ettrick would have brought her to Arkathira.
His eyes fell on the knights surrounded by a cloud of black smoke, screaming and battle cries rung in the air. Not far away, Iris stood unmoving, glowing just as bright as Arkathira, wrapped in tendrils of energy that connected her to Arkathira. Next to her, Ettrick, holding one hand over her heart and the other over her head, swirling with black smoke slowly mixing with the tendrils of light.
" Iris" Ian screamed, limping to where she was as fast as he could.
" Azra! The sword!" he screamed again, and Azra ran to where Iris and Ettrick were.
" You know my daughter?" the king appeared next to him.
"Your daughter?" Ian asked in disbelief, limping. He knew he was pitiful, but there was no time to feel sorry for himself.
" Yes! She has been lost for a very long time!" the king informed, walking alongside him. Didn't bother to help.
" She is my wife!" Ian said. He didn't even bother to look at the king. He didn't give a shit about the king. Ettrick was doing something to her.
Azra reached where Ettrick and Iris were, but that was as far as he got. The black smoke that kept the knights busy knocked him on his ass before he even had a chance to raise his sword. The king ran past him. He was almost there, just a few more paces and charged like the knights, picked up a sword off the ground, but the moment he got close to Ettrick, tendrils of black smoke threw him in the air and landed on the ground with a loud thud.
" Fuck! Ian cursed. Ettrick was getting stronger. That is why he needed Iris. With her, he can become all-powerful, rule the realms and sink everything into darkness.
He halted his steps one pace away from Ettrick and Iris. She glowed. The only thing that stood out was her eyes which burned with green fire. The Darkness wrapped around the tendrils of light, slowly making their way to Arkathira. Ian looked around. Azra was gaping, still holding the soul's collector's sword. Ian picked up the sword and limped inside the glowing circle. He looked at Iris and then at Ettrick.
" I love you! Forgive me!" his voice broke, and tears pooled in his eyes, but he blinked them away. Not now.
Ian looked at the sword, gripped it tight and threw a glance at Arkathira. The tendrils of Darkness were wrapped around it, turning as black as the endless night.
A tendril of smoke kicked him in the stomach, but it didn't do much. He was almost a soul collector. Another tendril came for him, but he raised his hand, and the tendril fell limp and retreated. He looked at Ettrick, smiled and raised his sword but felt the sword pulled out of his hand, and Ettricks head rolled on the ground while his body remained in the same position.
Azra looked at him and then at Ettrick and stabbed him in the back, but still, he remained the same. They were either too late, or he had to complete the ritual. The bond between him and the sword made him almost as powerful as Ettrick. An eternity of servitude to the Darkness. He cringed at that thought and ran the blade through Ettricks heart, and he finally collapsed to the ground. The Darkness retreated, pooled on the ground at his feet and wrapped around him like a shroud. He felt his soul slowly die, ripped to shreds screaming and clawing to escape the darkness that consumed it faster and faster.
" I love you!" he heard his voice in the distance when the last remaining specks of his soul spent, and he sunk into darkness. Everything went silent. He was numb. Everything that he had felt was nothing more than just a distant memory. He knew that it would eventually fade.
When the Darkness had finally cleared, he opened his eyes and looked at his hands and saw that they were just like Ettrick's. Disgusting, he grimaced.
His eyes fell on Iris. She was lying on the ground senseless. Her chest moved slowly up and down. She was still alive! He knew he once loved her, but he felt nothing. He was empty. Memories of their moments together flashed in front of his eyes, her laughter, her beautiful smiles. He was numb.
Azra looked up at him, sitting next to Iris " Thank you, father!" he teared up like a crybaby.
Ian didn't reply.
He turned around and looked at the piled knights on the ground, all groaning, covered in blood. The king, Iris's father, stumbled on his feet and wobbled his way to where they were.
Ian glanced one more time at Iris and Azra, the crybaby sniffled, and that was it. He couldn't take it anymore. Ian waved his hand, and the portal opened, and he stepped into his forever home.
The Hollow.
********************
Hello people!
This the end of book one. I hope that you have enjoyed reading the book, so far. I will be taking break. I will return with 2nd book in a few weeks. Thank you very much to those who had taken the time to read it. I'm grateful to all of you.