The door burst inwards; shards of wood flew around the crypt as whatever was outside finally made it through. Cassidy flinched back against the icy wind that howled into the chamber, carrying with it the scent of decay and something far more sinister. In, the darkness seemed to seep-twisting, writhing in living tendrils.
The man to her side stiffened, his blade glinting in the poor light. A moment weighed; the air was tight with what was to happen. Whatever was to happen at that moment, there was just no going back.
A figure now came forward from the dark, a tall, draped figure, clad somehow in night itself. The face was invisible; at least the presence before her was crushing; then the figure glided nearer, weird in its fluidity, as if blown thither by some gust of wind through the midnight air; and on,.
The man hefted his knife, his voice low and growly. "Stay back."
Then the figure stilled, its head cocked somewhat as if weighing the command, and in one slow, measured movement, it raised a hand. Cassidy gasped as the air around them rippled, darkness gathering and condensing into a palpable force.
The man leaped, his knife aimed at the heart of the figure, but before he could strike, inrushes of darkness flung him back in a single movement with such power that he crashed against the wall. Cassidy screamed, running to his side, but he waved her off, working his way to his feet.
"Cassidy, you gotta use it!" he cried out in his hoarse voice of pain.
Cassidy's brain had spun, trying to make sense of what he was talking about, but her thoughts had been utterly dislocated. Till she turned back toward the figure now advancing slowly toward them and some deep inner stirring-a power, ancient and sleeping, buried beneath tangles of fear and doubt-awakened.
The figure reached out his hand to Cassidy, and immediately the darkness closed in upon her, like a chokehold. She felt herself gasp, her vision starting to blur, but in that desperate place, something in her just snapped.
A wave of heat and electricity ran in rivers through her veins, searing out the ice-cold terror which had clutched her heart in its cold fist. The very atmosphere seemed to crackle with the weight of its power, and beneath her skin, she felt it building-that pent-up force which had lain so long in wait.
Cassidy instinctively raised her hand; she hadn't thought about it. The energy inside stirred and, with a single swift, blinding flash of light, reached out and lashed at the darkness. He recoiled and sent him tumbling backward.
Cassidy's heart was racing, the power surging through her, bucking wild and untamed; she knew nothing about how to control it, but in that second she wouldn't have cared if it'd blown them all to kingdom come. All that counted was that it worked.
It hissed-a cold, deep sound that seemed to resonate in Cassidy's very bones-and it struck again. The darkness writhed around it like a storm. Cassidy gritted her teeth, huddling deeper into the power, trying to grasp it, trying to channel it. The light around her roared brighter, beating back the shadows.
He stepped to her side, clenching his knife, his voice low and urgent: "Focus, Cassidy. Control it. You are stronger than this."
Cassie took hard, sharp breaths, fighting the rein on the power. It felt as though the darkness was pressing in from all sides, would crush her, but the light inside her surged higher, fed by her will.
It was then, with a loud yell, that Cassidy stretched her hand out and started to hose the figure in light. The blow made it reel, the rumbling darkness scattered and dissipated. For a moment, Cassidy thought that she had won.
And then it straightened; its outline flickered while it struggled to hold coherence. And the darkness surged, stronger than before. It was then, with that sinking feeling in her gut, that Cassidy thought this was far from over.
The cloak swirled, and then, from under its folds, out came another one-smaller, more human in shape, but huddled in wraps just the same. He stepped forward, and Cassidy felt that pang of recognition.
It was her.
Or, at least, she looked like her, some twisted shadow version of herself with eyes that shone with hollow malevolence. Cassidy's heart stuttered, her mind racing as she tried to wrap her head around the apparition before her.
The man beside her straightened, his voice low in warning. "It is only a reflection of your fear, Cassidy. Do not let it master you.
Cassidy swallowed as her stare locked on the dark double of herself that flowed into view, hugging to the outlines of her form like some dark mirror of herself-every move that she made, it would make-yet edged with that aura of violence against which her skin crawled. It was in her mind, too-a whispering voice rejoicing in doubt and insecurity.
"You are not strong enough," it hissed, the voice echoing within her head, "You will fail, just as you always does."
Cassidy shook her head, trying to block it out, but it wouldn't stop, only getting louder with every second. The figure stepped closer, further in with slow, meaningful steps, and Cassidy felt herself start to break.
Then his voice came, no louder than a whisper yet as clear as daylight, unmistakable above the chaos: "You are stronger than this, Cassidy. Strong enough to overcome it. You only have to will it.
Cassidy's breath caught in her throat. Believe in herself? It sounded so easy, so impossible. Yet, looking at this twisted version of herself, she knew this was the real fight-the fight to win her strength back, to take it far away from the darkness that had pursued her for such a long time.
Cassidy sucked in a lungful of air, as much as was possible, closed her eyes to his brilliance, and felt it course, simply begging to be freed. The voice was yelling louder, more insistently, but Cassidy just shrugged it aside and settled into the warmth of the light, her inner strength that had been there all the time.
Yet suddenly there had leapt a light from those yawning eyes, and splendour wrenched the greatness of that crypt to brightness. And that dark form receded from something shining there within that splendour. There passed the grey thing that had choked that crypt-leaving naught but faint memory of grey presence.
Cassidy stood tall as the light encircled her, coursing through her body into a peace so long unmet. She had done it; she had faced her fear and won.
Beside her, the man resheathed his knife and smiled, pleased with himself. "Well done, Cassidy. You just took the first step.
Cassidy flung to him; her heart still galloping. "What happens now?"
Grave was his expression, his tone somber. "Now you shall learn to temper that power, for this was but a taste of what is yet to come. The storm isn't over yet, and it shall not subside until it engulfs everything. You have unleashed something, Cassidy-powerful, indeed, yet dangerous-and you seem to be the only one capable of keeping it at bay."
Cassidy nodded, a decision now set in her mind. She didn't really understand what was occurring or what she was to do, but one thing was for sure-she could not turn her back on this anymore. Whatever lay ahead, she would face it head-on.
With the light leaking away, the crypt receded once more into its dark, musty shell, but there was no dread in the air now. Cassidy took a deep breath to steady herself, inhaled deeply. Only a step, it was-but for the first time now, she was going to turn and face whatever was waiting ahead.
"Vamos," he said, and his voice did not shake. "There's much to do, and not much time.
Cassidy followed him out of the crypt and into the cold night air that bit at her skin. The storm was over, leaving behind a clear sky smothered with stars. A feeling of unease remained in her as she walked through the forest, but now a new strength arose in her-the will to know the truth, the will to know a way of stopping this darkness from swallowing earth.
Whatever the future held, she knew she was not going to face it alone, and with that in her head, a flicker of hope ignited inside-perhaps they might win this fight.
To be continued.