The glow from the fissure intensified, casting eerie shadows over the capital of the Northern Kingdom. The crackling energy seemed to warp the very air around it, as if reality itself was bending. From the widening tear in the sky, shadowy creatures emerged, their forms shifting and flickering as though they were made of smoke and nightmare.
"Well, that's new," Lumumba said, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the creatures. They were unlike anything he'd seen before—massive, with limbs that moved too quickly and too fluidly for their size. Their mouths, gaping and filled with jagged teeth, made unsettling, inhuman noises.
William, standing beside him, gripped his massive axe. His carefree attitude was gone, replaced with a grim determination. "You've fought things like this before?" he asked, his tone serious.
"Nope, but they don't look like they're here to discuss politics," Lumumba replied, already drawing his twin sabers.
Amara and Jon appeared behind them, weapons drawn, both of them looking slightly unnerved by the sight of the fissure. Amara's eyes darted between Lumumba and the creatures. "We can't let these things reach the city. If they spread, we're looking at a massacre."
"No argument here," Lumumba said, his gaze fixed on the creatures. "William, you with us?"
William hesitated, his eyes flicking back toward the city, as if weighing something. But when the creatures surged forward, his decision was made. "I'm with you," he growled, lifting his axe. "Let's send these things back to wherever they came from."
Lumumba flashed him a grin. "Good. Now let's have some fun."
The first of the creatures lunged at them with terrifying speed, its shadowy form distorting as it moved. Lumumba was the first to react, his sabers flashing as he intercepted the attack, his body moving in perfect synchronization between strikes and dodges. The creature's massive claws swiped where Lumumba had been just moments before, but his agility and precision kept him out of harm's way.
"Cursed Slash!" Lumumba shouted as he delivered a powerful blow with one of his sabers, his blade cutting through the shadowy creature like a knife through smoke. The creature let out a screech and recoiled, but Lumumba didn't let up, following with another strike from his second saber.
At his side, William charged forward, his massive axe swinging with devastating force. With a powerful swing, he cleaved through one of the creatures, sending its shadowy form scattering into the wind. "Take that, you ugly son of a—!"
Before he could finish his sentence, another creature lunged at him from behind. But Lumumba was faster, firing a bolt from his portable crossbow that struck the creature mid-leap, sending it crashing to the ground.
"Thanks," William grunted, not missing a beat as he swung his axe into the next shadowy creature.
"Don't mention it. This is teamwork, right?" Lumumba quipped, twirling his sabers as they pressed forward.
The battle was fierce, and the creatures seemed endless. For every one they cut down, another emerged from the fissure, more grotesque and feral than the last. Jon and Amara fought bravely at Lumumba's side, Jon using his short sword and dagger in a deadly dance, while Amara unleashed bursts of magic that crackled with power, striking down creatures from a distance.
"There's no end to them!" Amara shouted, wiping sweat from her brow after a particularly taxing spell.
"We don't need to end them, just keep them back until we can figure out how to close that damn fissure," Lumumba called back, his focus never leaving the battle.
But as the fight wore on, it became clear that simply fending off the creatures wasn't enough. The fissure was growing, and with it, the number of shadowy monsters pouring out into the world. They were losing ground, and the city was in danger.
"We need a plan, and fast!" Jon shouted, fending off a creature that had gotten too close.
"I'm working on it!" Lumumba growled through gritted teeth, his mind racing. He'd fought many battles, but this? This was something else. The fissure wasn't just a rift in the world—it was a gateway to something much darker. Something controlled.
And that's when it hit him.
"The fissure... It's being controlled," he muttered to himself, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the glowing tear in the sky. "This isn't random."
William, breathing heavily after slicing through another creature, looked at him. "What are you talking about?"
"These things, the fissure... someone's pulling the strings. We're not just dealing with monsters here—we're dealing with something deliberate."
Amara's eyes widened as she realized what Lumumba was saying. "You think someone's using the fissures?"
Lumumba nodded grimly. "Yeah. And I have a feeling it's tied to the Sovereign. This isn't just an attack—it's a test. They're seeing what they can unleash."
Jon cursed under his breath. "So what do we do?"
Lumumba grinned, the chaotic gleam returning to his eyes. "We give them something they didn't plan for."
With a newfound determination, Lumumba launched himself back into the fight, his sabers flashing as he cut through the horde of creatures. The others followed his lead, their movements sharper, more focused. But even as they fought, Lumumba's mind was racing, trying to figure out how to close the fissure.
Then it hit him.
"Amara!" he shouted over the din of the battle. "Can you channel magic into that thing?"
Amara, already exhausted from the fight, looked at him like he was crazy. "You want me to pour more magic into a fissure?! Are you insane?!"
"Maybe, but it's our best shot. If we can overload it with energy, we might be able to destabilize it!"
Amara hesitated, but seeing the look of conviction in Lumumba's eyes, she nodded. "Alright! But if this blows up in our faces, I'm holding you responsible."
"Wouldn't have it any other way," Lumumba grinned.
Amara began to gather her magic, her hands glowing with an intense blue light. The air around her crackled with energy, and the creatures seemed to sense the change, becoming more frantic in their attacks.
"Keep them off her!" Lumumba shouted to William and Jon as he fought his way toward the fissure.
The ground trembled beneath them as Amara unleashed a massive wave of magic, directing it toward the fissure. The energy collided with the tear in reality, and for a moment, everything seemed to freeze. The creatures paused, the world held its breath, and then—
Boom!
The fissure erupted in a flash of light, and the creatures let out a deafening screech as they were pulled back into the void. The energy around the fissure surged, then began to collapse inward, like a whirlpool sucking in the last remnants of the shadowy monsters.
In the span of seconds, the fissure sealed shut, leaving nothing but the faint hum of residual magic in the air.
Lumumba, breathing heavily, wiped the sweat from his brow as he surveyed the now-quiet battlefield. The city was safe. For now.
"Well, that was... intense," William muttered, leaning on his axe. "You do this sort of thing often?"
Lumumba smirked. "More than you'd think."
Amara, her face pale from the exertion, gave Lumumba a tired smile. "You owe me for that one."
"I'll buy you a drink," Lumumba quipped, but his mind was already elsewhere. He knew that this was just the beginning. The fissures, the creatures, the Sovereign's involvement—it all pointed to something much bigger. And he had a feeling that the next time they faced a fissure, it wouldn't be so easy to close.
As the group made their way back to the city, William fell into step beside Lumumba.
"You know, I'm still not sure what the hell all of this is about," William admitted, his usual bravado tempered by the reality of the battle they had just faced.
Lumumba glanced at him. "You'll figure it out soon enough. And when you do, just make sure you're on the right side."
William's expression grew serious. "Yeah. I think I'm starting to get that."