The abomination and Sirius were locked in a strange stalemate—though it was clear Sirius was the one in danger. With the Abyssal Shade closing in before him and the dark river swirling behind, Sirius found himself caught between a rock and a hard place. Both options led to death, and he wasn't prepared to dive into that cold embrace just yet.
As for the Shade, it seemed to relish his torment. It crept closer, inch by inch, with each step slow and deliberate. Its grotesque maw twisted into what almost resembled a mockery of a smile, as though savoring the fear rolling off Sirius.
Terror clutched at Sirius's heart as he watched the Shade's predatory grin. The hopelessness felt all-consuming.
'Even this abomination thinks I'm dead,' he thought bitterly.
His life flashed before his eyes. He saw the happy days with his parents, the warmth of their smiles before fate tore them away. He remembered the pain of being cast aside by the rest of his family, forced to fend for himself, until Aunt Ava and Xander took him in. Their moments of laughter, the times he had caused trouble, the fear he had instilled in others that earned him the moniker "Dark Angel." And then there was the promise he made—to become a mecha pilot and help Xander become a great Soul Weaver. He could still hear Xander's voice, see his grin...
'No. I refuse to die like this,' he thought, shaking off the memories.
Sirius forced his mind to focus. He needed a way to fight the four-armed abomination, even if the odds seemed impossible. His eyes darted around, searching for anything he could use as a weapon. Scattered on the ground were rocks and sticks—primitive, but they would have to do.
He crouched, his fingers curling around a sturdy stick. It wasn't much, but it felt solid enough. Then he grabbed two rocks, one for each hand.
"Show me what you've got, monster," he muttered, gripping the stick between his teeth like a knife.
The Abyssal Shade, as if provoked by the challenge, let out a hoarse roar and charged. Its speed was terrifying—far faster than anything human. Sirius realized with a jolt of fury that it had been toying with him all along.
'It could've killed me already,' Sirius thought angrily. 'I'm just a snack to you.'
His eyes glistened with indignation, and despite the stick in his mouth, he muttered through gritted teeth, "Well, I... refuse."
Without waiting another moment, he sprinted to the side, dodging just as the Shade crashed into the spot where he'd been standing.
Sirius twisted in mid-air, using the momentum to bring up one of the rocks just in time to block a descending claw.
Dang!
The impact reverberated through his bones, the force so immense it flung him to the ground. Groaning through the stick clenched between his teeth, he rolled to the side just as another claw came crashing down where he had fallen.
Scrambling to his feet, Sirius spun, driving the second rock into the joint of an approaching claw.
Roar!
The Abyssal Shade let out a screech of pain, its predatory eyes narrowing with fury. There was no longer any playfulness left in its gaze-only murderous intent. It lashed out with all four claws, determined to end him in a single strike.
Sirius knew he couldn't defend against the assault. But he didn't need to.
Dropping low to the ground, he ducked beneath the wild swipes, using his shorter height to his advantage. With surprising agility, he jammed the rocks into the creature's legs, striking the joints with a brutal force.
The Shade roared again, stumbling as its balance faltered. It smashed its claws into the ground in a blind rage, trying to crush Sirius, but he was already crawling out of harm's way.
Panting heavily, Sirius knelt on one knee, his body bruised, blood trickling from the cuts on his arms and knees. His clothes were filthy with dirt, and his teeth bit into the stick, holding it firm. Fear and anxiety filled his mind, but something else was there too-a strange, eerie calm.
He had hurt it.
The monster limped, its movements slower, less certain.
'I can hurt it,' Sirius thought, the realization sinking in. 'I just need to make no mistakes.'
But his heart raced with the unshakable question-what if he did make a mistake? What if he couldn't keep this up?
The creature was massive, its claws lethal. A single mistake, one wrong move, and it would all be over. The weight of that truth pressed down on Sirius. He was just a 13-year-old, terrified and outmatched. But fear wasn't going to save him now.
The Abyssal Shade, no longer toying with him, charged again-slower this time, but still lethal. The forest loomed just behind Sirius, but he knew better than to turn his back on the abomination. It was furious now, and he'd only made it worse.
Forcing the panic out of his mind, Sirius focused on the creature's every movement. As it swung another claw, he dodged, ramming the joint of its arm with the rock in his hand. The Shade howled in pain, but retaliated with a brutal swipe from its other arm, grazing Sirius's side.
Sirius hit the ground hard, grimacing in pain as he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid another descending claw. His side throbbed, and the warm sensation of blood oozed from the wound, but he couldn't stop now.
Gritting his teeth, he hammered the rock down onto the creature's claw joint again, a fierce strike that sent a shiver through its grotesque body. The Shade roared, its knee buckling as its limb twisted at an unnatural angle.
But before Sirius could react, it swung again, this time wild and erratic, desperate to end the fight. Sirius barely dodged, the force of the blow sending him tumbling across the dirt once more.
Panting, he scrambled back to his feet, just as the Abyssal Shade collapsed onto its damaged knee. The beast's fractured joint gave out, and with a howl of rage and agony, it crashed to the ground.
The ground trembled beneath the weight of the falling creature, its howl shaking the air. Sirius stood a few feet away, gasping for breath. His body screamed in pain, his arms and legs throbbing from the strain, but he forced himself to stay upright.
The monster wasn't done yet. It limped toward him, its eyes burning with malice, its movements awkward and sluggish, but still dangerous. Sirius sidestepped the creature's swiping claws, moving towards its fractured right arm. The once terrifying limb now hung uselessly by its side, and Sirius knew he had to take advantage.
He pushed the weakened arm aside with ease and, using his last rock, smashed it into the creature's split jaws.
**Crack!**
The impact shattered the rock, but the damage was done. The Abyssal Shade roared in pain, its body crashing to the ground again, but still not giving up. It twisted and thrashed, but before it could react, Sirius acted fast.
He reached into his soul, drawing upon the energy of his Soul Weave. In a flash, tiny white crystals sprayed from his hands toward the creature's face.
Salt.
The crystals hit the Shade's eye, immediately drying up all the moisture, causing the creature to howl in agony. It thrashed wildly, unable to focus, its enormous claws flailing in the air.
With the monster blinded and disoriented, Sirius saw his chance. He took the stick from his mouth and, with all his remaining strength, drove it into the creature's eye, hoping to finish it once and for all.
But things like this never go as planned. The stick wasn't strong enough to pierce through the eye into its brain, but it did the job—blinding the Abyssal Shade completely.
The beast went berserk, flailing its long arms in a frenzy. One of the wild strikes hit Sirius with brutal force, sending him flying through the air.
He felt his consciousness slipping as the impact knocked the air out of his lungs. Darkness consumed his vision as he plummeted, the world spinning, before he crashed into the cold, black waters of the river behind him.
The last thing he heard before blacking out was the tortured howls of the Abyssal Shade as it too stumbled and fell into the river after him.