Blood stained her white dress, a crimson blossom blooming against the pristine fabric. Before her, a twisted parody of Eydis stood, its elongated limbs mimicking her form in a grotesque mockery. A cruel grin stretched across its face, and its claws, stained with Astra's blood, glinted with a chilling malice.
"Your energy," the creature rasped, its voice a warped echo of Eydis's own, "unexpectedly delicious." Its claws retracted from Astra's abdomen, leaving behind a shimmering wound, a silent testament to the power it had siphoned.
Grant, reacting instinctively, flung the creature away from the injured Asta. As it hit the ground, its body contorted, the human form dissolving into a mass of spindly legs and gleaming eyes. A colossal spider, pulsating with malevolent energy, emerged from the twisted flesh, its legs lunging towards Astra with predatory intent.
Then, with a deafening CRACK of energy, the monstrous spider writhed in agony, its body contorting as if an invisible force tore it apart from within. A blinding white light erupted from its core, engulfing the creature in its brilliance before consuming it whole. Astra and Grant watched, mouths agape, as the scene unfolded before them. What kind of power was this? Where had it come from?
Perched on a distant mountain peak, a mile above the chaos, Eydis gripped her sniper rifle, her heart a storm of conflicting emotions. The sight of Astra's wounded form, pale and still, constricted her throat. Her heart hammered against her chest, Eydis rose, an instinct to rush to her roommate pulling at her, but a firm hand settled on her shoulder, anchoring her in place.
"You must destroy them, Eydis," Melissa whispered, her voice full of resolution. "All of them. For those they've harmed, for the city, and for her."
How did she get into this, you may ask? Well, the answer was kind of awkward.
**
A shiver, laced with a low, throaty moan, escaped Astra's lips as Eydis's teeth found the tender pulse point on her neck. The damp air clung to their skin, amplifying the whisper of fabric as Eydis's fingertips danced provocatively at the hem of Astra's blouse.
"Well, this 'foggy illusion' is proving rather...illusionary," the brunette breathed, her voice a husky caress, "we might as well enjoy ourselves while we're waiting." She smirked, her lips brushing against Astra's earlobe, but the familiar spark was missing.
Astra's reply, when it came, was a murmur, a single key too low, the violet in her eyes was a shade too bright. Her lips met Eydis's in a kiss, but the familiar fire was missing, replaced by a cool, unsettling echo. "As you wish," the older girl murmured, her voice like silk gliding over ice, and Eydis jumped back with a grimace. This wasn't Astra. This was something else, something lurking beneath a borrowed skin.
Amber eyes blazed with a predator's glint. "Who are you?" Eydis snarled, her grip tightening on the hilt of her Ethereum blade.
The creature's amethyst eyes morphed to crimson slit, its grin stretched from ear to ear. "Intriguing," the creature rasped, its voice a chorus of whispers. "You break through the illusion faster than we anticipated. But your purpose remains the same, you are our fuel."
The clearing blurred at the edges, warping into a nightmare landscape as the beast lunged. Its claws, extensions of nightmare itself, slashed at Eydis with inhuman speed, each shriek of metal on chitin sending tremors through her arm. But the Ethereum thrummed in her blade, a shield of ice and diamond against the onslaught. Every blow channelled the creature's rage, fueling the gem's glow.
Eydis, a whirlwind of amber and steel, danced with the storm. Wind whipped her hair into a maelstrom, lightning painted her face in fleeting brilliance. The Ethereum blade, a comet of diamond fire, met the creature's snapping claws, each clash echoing like thunder in the bruised sky.
Then, a surge of power from the gem, brighter than a thousand suns, erupted. The creature shrieked, a sound that ripped at reality itself, but it was trapped, frozen in a cage of blinding light. The Ethereum pulsed, a hungry star feeding on the nightmare's essence. Slowly, inexorably, the cage constricted, squeezing the horror until it was nothing but dust and a chilling echo of fear. Silence descended, heavy and absolute, the only evidence of the battle the trembling earth and the glint of starlight on Eydis's sweat-streaked cheek.
The illusion shimmered, then vanished, sunlight filtering through the trees to reveal the familiar clearing, Verdant Labyrinth's gate. Relief washed over Eydis, but it was short-lived. A knot of dread tightened in her stomach as she noticed Elias and Lord Grant locked in a heated argument.
"The spiders made their choice," Lord Grant sneered, his voice laced with venom.
Spiders? Were they the illusionary Black Widows?
Eydis's blood ran cold. Dean Swans' research flashed through her mind, creatures of the Mythshollows, fed on fears, grew stronger with each scream. A potent mage's nightmare became…catastrophe.
Shit. Astra.
Panic surged through Eydis. Astra's power was boundless, a beacon of fear for any creature lurking in the shadows. What if the spiders had found their way to her? What if they channelled into her worst fears? What horrors awaited if they feasted on her power?
Gripped by a fierce determination, Eydis clutched the Eydiseum crystal, its warmth a beacon of hope in the face of mounting dread. She had to find Astra, and fast. There was no time to waste.
**
The crystal pulsed with urgency beneath Eydis's cloak, guiding her to a chilling sight. Melissa, eyes wide with terror, was trapped in the grip of a monstrous octopus, its tentacles like thick tree trunks. Eydis's hand flew to her pistol. This was no mere illusion; the luminescence of her Ethereum confirmed a real, albeit moderate-level, beast. Eydis knew Melissa was capable of defeating it, but panic had her trapped.
With a sharp crack and another, Eydis's bullets tore through the air, severing the octopus' tendrils holding Melissa and shattering the form of the black widow mimicking Natalia's likeness. The creatures dissipated into shimmering fragments.
"Pardon me for bringing a gun to a tentacle fight," Eydis quipped. She holstered her weapon, her gaze settling on Melissa. The Azura girl flinched, wide-eyed and shaken. With a sigh, Eydis offered a hand, gently pulling Melissa to her feet.
"Ready to snap out of it, Azura? Fainting becomes you more and more each time," Eydis teased, a hint of concern softening her voice. Finding Astra was her priority, not playing house with this girl.
Melissa's voice trembled as she asked, "N-Natalia, is she...?"
Eydis shook her head gently. "It wasn't her." Her eyes narrowed as she glanced at the fading illusions of the other mages. "And interestingly, you only care about Natalia. Emma and Anna met a similar fate, remember?" she asked, then, realisation struck.
Oh.
The hostility, the jealousy... it all made sense now. "There was never a Sylvanwood boy you were interested in, was there?" Eydis murmured, her voice softening this time.
Tears welled in Melissa's eyes, relief and vulnerability etched on her face. She lunged at Eydis, enveloping her in a tight hug.
Déjà vu struck Eydis like a truck. When did she enrol in the unrequited love counselling hotline? All she desired was to find Astra, unravelling her secrets, but mostly just to unravel her senselessly. Self-control be damned.
The ground beneath them thrummed, a metallic tremor that resonated through their bones. Like a sheet ripped in two, the illusion distorted, spitting them back onto the cobblestones of Verdant Labyrinth's south-west entrance. Towering arachnids, limbs like jagged knives, crawled into existence. Each leg, a twisted scythe tipped with razor-sharp claws, ripped through the air, leaving trails of chaos in their wake. Screams tore through the smoke-choked air, and the city erupted into a geyser of panicked chaos.
Eydis's heart hammered against her ribs. Her tiny pistol felt pathetically inadequate against this monstrous tide. She spun to Melissa, her question urgent. "Can you lift us?"
Melissa, whose eyes, still glistening with tears, widened in surprise. Then, a slow, triumphant grin spread across her face. "Thought you'd never ask," she said, her voice laced with a thrill that bordered on mania.