Lucas's expression hardened; his resolve unyielding as he faced the duo. Behind him, Henry and Emily watched, their faces reflecting a mix of fear and confusion as they assessed the situation.
The man continued to tighten the dark tendrils around Diana, his actions showing a callous disregard for her well-being. The young lady's demeanour was more taunting than threatening, her words aimed at provoking a reaction.
"You were such a hassle to find." The young lady whined, giving Diana an annoying look.
"Drop her now," Lucas commanded, his voice steady but firm,
"Or what?" The man retorted, his expression blank
Henry's frustration and impatience boiled over as he drew his swords, lunging towards the young lady with fierce determination. She effortlessly sidestepped his attack, her movements graceful yet swift as she countered, drawing her blades to block his advance, a sly smirk playing on her lips.
Before Henry could react, she vanished into a cloud of dark smoke, the smoke swirling and turning into a shadow on the grassy floor. Henry's eyes widened in surprise, his senses heightened as he tried to anticipate her next move, his gaze fixed on the dark silhouette moving around him. The dark shadows around him began to shift and move with speed, travelling towards the man as she hid in the shadows.
The man scoffs at Henry, his gaze filled with amusement. "Nice try. Just go back home. You can't beat us, to be frank," the man said laughing, but his laughter was abruptly cut short by Diana's unexpected fall.
The man's smirk faltered as the heavy thud of Diana's body; his dark tendrils had been cut in two. His eyes widened in shock and disbelief, realizing his control over the situation had slipped.
"Grab her, Emily!" Lucas's urgent voice cut through the chaos, his hand shrouded in shadows as he faced the man, prompting Emily to spring into action. She hurried to Diana's side, assisting her and guiding her back to stand protectively beside Lucas.
As the lady emerged from the shadows, her eyes locked onto Lucas with a mix of surprise and defiance. Lucas remained unfazed, extending his hand towards them, dark shadows swirling around it.
"What is a magic user doing in Tauris?!" the lady exclaimed, clearly taken aback by Lucas's powers.
"You talk too much," Lucas replied calmly. With a swift motion, he manipulated the shadows from the surrounding trees, seizing the lady's ankle and flinging her into a nearby tree. She let out a painful cry upon impact.
Reacting quickly, the man summoned shadows from the ground, shaping them into sharp, pointy forms aimed and moving with eerie speed at Emily and Diana. But Lucas was faster, creating a protective shield of shadows around them, shielding them from harm within the shadow dome.
Emily's mind went blank, her eyes widening in shock as she held onto Diana, who was in obvious pain. Her heart raced, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she tried to process the chaotic scene unfolding before her.
Lucas sprinted towards Henry, who stood frozen in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Snap out of it," Lucas urged, his voice firm as he reached Henry's side, keeping his focus on their opponents and the shadow dome.
"What should I do?" Henry asked, his voice tinged with urgency and determination.
"I'm going to let go of the dome. I need to concentrate. I need you to run to the villages," Lucas commanded, his tone decisive as he prepared to release the dome.
Henry nodded, understanding the gravity of the situation. He ran towards the dome as Lucas let it down, swiftly moving to Emily's side to pull her out of the shadowy enclosure.
"We need to run," Henry urged, his voice urgent as he glanced back at the ongoing battle behind them.
"But Lucas..." Emily started to argue, her concern for him evident in her voice, but Henry cut her off, his tone resolute.
"He's handling it. Get up, we should be fast," Henry said, his swords ready, prepared to lead them to safety as they fled from the scene.
Henry helps Emily carry Diana as they quickly leave the fight, heading towards Tauris. The man watches them go, his expression hardening.
"Dammit, they're leaving. Chase them," he commands the lady.
The lady transforms into smoke, her shadow moving quickly towards the fleeing group, but she abruptly comes to a stop. Lucas holds the dark tendrils in his hand tightly, keeping the shadow in place.
The lady reverts to her human form, facing Lucas with anger in her black eyes. Her brows furrow, and she folds her hands on her side.
"You traitor! These bastards kill people like you and I, and you are letting them escape," she exclaims, her voice filled with disdain.
Lucas stands his ground, his gaze sharp and determined.
"Cowards," the man adds, his tone mocking. Lucas flinches but quickly regains his composure. The man raises his brows in amusement.
"Your eyes? They aren't black. So, you've been suppressing your power then. You know that has great consequences," the man remarks, dropping his hand to stand casually. Lucas bites his lip, his eyes avoiding the man's gaze.
"Oh! You've been hiding. Now that you've revealed your powers, do you really think they will let you in?" the lady taunts, moving towards Lucas in slow, deliberate steps.
"Shut up! You don't know the lives of the people you've destroyed by killing everyone," Lucas begins, his voice filled with anger. "Yes, I'm a coward, but you are not hurting my people or anyone as long as I'm alive. So, fucking fight me," Lucas challenges, his anger manifesting in swirling shadows around his arms. His eyes turn from their usual blue to pure black, resembling the night sky.
✨🌙✨
Emily and Henry carry the unconscious Diana towards the woods, their path shrouded in darkness.
"Damn, it's so dark, I can't see anything," Henry exclaims in frustration.
"How are we even going to get back to the village?" Emily wonders aloud, squinting into the darkness ahead.
Henry sighs, adjusting his grip on Diana as he carries her bridal style. "We'll have to try," he says resignedly.
Emily looks back, her thoughts consumed by Lucas. Henry notices her distraction.
"We can't go back," Henry says flatly.
"They fight with shadows," Emily states, a plan forming in her mind.
"Thanks for stating the obvious, darling," Henry mocks, but Emily ignores the sarcasm.
"No, I mean, I think we need light to stop the fight," Emily clarifies, her gaze still fixed on Lucas.
"No way. Lucas trusted you to me," Henry retorts, rejecting her idea.
"But we need Lucas. It's two against one in that fight. And we shouldn't go too far before we get lost in the dark," Emily argues.
Henry sighs, looking in the direction of Lucas. "It is too dark... What should we do, Princess?"
"Well, we're surrounded by sticks, stones, and dry leaves. Let's make a flare," Emily suggests, her voice filled with determination.
✨🌙✨
Lucas stood firm, his body tense, as he blocked the path of the antagonists, preventing them from pursuing Diana.
"You insolent bug!" The lady screamed.
Despite his exhaustion, Lucas remained resolute, his black eyes fixed on his trembling hands.
"We can keep this up all night, boy," the man taunted, sensing Lucas's waning strength.
With a flick of his wrist, the man conjured the surrounding shadows into a large, clawed hand that grabbed Lucas, the sharp claw on his neck, drawing blood from it. Lucas grunted in pain; his movements restricted by the shadowy grip.
"I'll cut your neck if you don't stop moving!" the man threatened, his voice laced with malice.
The lady smiled and laughed, seemingly pleased with the man's actions, and approached him with slow, deliberate steps.
Meanwhile, Emily emerged from the forest, clutching two flares, her expression determined. With Henry watching closely, she sprinted towards the man, her intent clear.
The lady, however, anticipated Emily's move and transformed into shadows, swiftly advancing towards her. Henry reacted quickly, aiming the flares at the shadows, causing them to dissipate.
The shadows dissipated, revealing the lady in front of him, Henry braced himself, prepared for whatever she might attempt next. The shock on her face was evident, not expecting Henry's quick thinking.
"Nice try," Henry taunted.
As Emily ran past the man, she felt his gaze burning into her back. Ignoring the feeling of unease, she focused on her goal, pointing the flares towards the shadows of the large hand holding Lucas.
The shadows began to shake and swirl, and to her relief, it dropped Lucas, who landed on the ground with a groan of pain.
'The light is not enough,' Emily thought, realizing that the shadows were only dissipating slightly. As she concentrated on maintaining the light, she failed to notice the man walking towards her with increasing anger and frustration.
The man turned her over, making her drop the flare as he grabbed her neck. His hands tightened around her throat, squeezing with a force that threatened to snap her delicate bones. Her eyes bulged; her face contorted in agony. Panic surged through her veins, and her eyes begged for mercy. A chance of survival filled her thoughts, and her eyes searched everywhere;
Henry was busy with the lady and Lucas was in pain, his body curled up on the floor. She spots a stone close to her, her hands stretch towards it, and her eyes fill with tears.
Finally, she got it and hit it in the man's face, letting him release his tight hold. He held his face and cheek as he let out a sharp grunt.
Emily took a sharp inhale running towards Lucas, helping him up.
"Why are you here?" Lucas said in pain, his gaze meeting her.
"You are hurt. We need to—" Emily was interrupted by an arrow landing on the lady's back in a loud thud, making her collapse on the ground.
Henry looked at the lady in shock, his arm settling down in relief. The man holding his cheek in pain looks at the lady in confusion.
"What?" the man wondered out loud.
A young teenage girl sneaks up behind the man, putting a white cloth up his nose. The man grunts wanting to fight back until Henry runs to him and holds him in place, letting the teen push the cloth to his nose, making him fall to the ground unconscious.
"So, are you on our side?" Emily asked carefully her gaze at the teenage girl who smiled at her. Lucas's gaze is on the teenager in confusion.
"Yes... We are with Miss Diana," a voice said.
The voice appears behind Henry who carries Diana in his arms the voice is revealed to be a young girl who cradles a bow in her arms.
"Let's go back to the cottage for now before they wake up." the young girl said.
"Sir" the teenager addresses Lucas. "We need your night vision sight," she said shyly.
Lucas nodded, releasing Emily gently, but he avoided meeting her gaze. Emily observed his shaken arms and noticed his black-coloured eyes. She attempted to meet his gaze, but Lucas remained adamant and hesitant, his emotions swirling beneath the surface. His eyes were downcast.
"This way," Lucas said his voice exhausted and dry. Everyone follows his lead towards the forest leaving behind the unconscious duo.