Reyna's strikes were relentless, the air around them rippling and cracking as she pushed herself beyond her limits.
Each blow she threw at Xeridian seemed to move faster, her sword a blur of steel and Aether. Yet no matter how hard she pressed, no matter how much strength she poured into each swing, Xeridian danced around her attacks effortlessly.
He's getting faster, Reyna thought, frustration gnawing at her. Her sword clashed with his forearm, but it felt wrong. His movements weren't just faster; they were... easier. He was toying with her, barely trying.
The realization hit her like a punch to the gut. No, she realized, her heart sinking. I'm the one getting slower.
Her breath came in ragged gasps, her limbs feeling heavier with each passing moment. She could feel her energy slipping away, draining her strength like water through her fingers. Her Aether reserves were running dangerously low, and the fatigue was starting to settle deep into her bones.
But she couldn't stop. She wouldn't stop.
With a snarl of defiance, Reyna surged forward, her sword raised high, aiming for Xeridian's neck in one final desperate strike.
Crack! Her sword shattered on impact, the force of it sending shards of metal scattering through the air.
Reyna's eyes widened in shock, her breath catching in her throat.
Before she could react, Xeridian's hand shot forward like a viper, piercing through her shoulder with terrifying precision. The sharp pain ripped through her body as blood splattered from the wound.
She gasped, coughing up blood, her vision blurring from the shock.
Xeridian leaned closer, his vertical-slit eyes glowing with cold malice.
"Your energy is dwindling, human. Your fragile species has always been at the bottom, scratching and struggling, clawing for a false illusion of godhood. And for what?"
His voice was a venomous hiss, laced with contempt.
"To fall? To bow before the ultimate vessels? You and your kind are nothing but pathetic imitations, destined to serve those far greater than yourselves."
His words stung more than the wound itself, each sentence driving home the harsh reality of her situation.
She could feel her strength slipping away, the world fading around her as her blood soaked the ground beneath her.
Just as Xeridian raised his other hand, ready to finish her off, a sudden flash of bright light caught his attention.
His eyes narrowed, glancing toward the distance.
Floating in mid-air was Zephyrine, her body glowing with a magical green aura, her expression one of calm determination.
Zephyrine's ears elongated to sharp points, her entire being radiating a raw, otherworldly power.
Her eyes, once soft, were now hardened with fierce focus as they locked onto the compass.
It spun violently, the air around it humming with energy, and let out a deep, primal sound. The very fabric of space groaned under the strain, and then—
Crack! A portal ripped open before them, unstable and flickering, but it was a way out.
Sweat dripped down Zephyrine's brow, her lips trembling, but her resolve never wavered.
Her eyes were watery, pain etched in every corner of her face, yet she stood tall, unyielding. She glanced over at Ethan, who stood frozen, eyes wide in awe at what he was witnessing.
"It... hurts," she muttered, her voice strained but steady, the words snapping Ethan back to the moment.
From behind them, a familiar burst of chaotic laughter cut through the tense air.
"HaHAHA!" Jaxon's voice rang out, a twisted mix of terror and exhilaration.
His grin was wide, unhinged, blood splattered across his face.
"You son of a bitch! Didn't know you had it in ya!" He laughed again, his voice raw.
"We can fuckin' go home now!"
Ava Morales collapsed to the ground with a long, shuddering sigh, her whole body shaking from the tension finally breaking. They had done it. The portal was open. Zephyrine's power had made it possible. Relief washed over her as she stared at the shimmering, unstable gateway, flickering and cracking, but offering salvation.
Jaxon let out a grunt, half-laughing, his fingers twitching with excitement. "Finally..." he muttered, the wildness in his eyes tempered only by the adrenaline surging through his veins.
Benedict's hands were trembling, still clutching his bow as he let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "We... we're going home," he whispered, as if saying it aloud would make it more real.
Ethan stood in stunned silence, his heart pounding in his chest, unable to process everything. Zephyrine's face was a mask of pain and focus, her body glowing with that eerie, magical green light. She kept the portal stable, every second it stayed open costing her more and more.
But then, a voice-smooth, cold, and dripping with menace-cut through the relief like a blade.
"An unstable awakening... how fascinating."
The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. Panic gripped the crew in an instant.
Ethan's blood turned to ice, his body frozen in place. Slowly, painfully, he turned his head, his breath catching in his throat. The voice... it was right beside him. He didn't want to look, but his body betrayed him. His gaze shifted to the side, and his heart nearly stopped.
Reyna lay on the sand, bleeding profusely, her once-powerful presence reduced to a fragile, dying warrior. Her breaths were shallow, her blood pooling around her.
"Re-Re-Reyna?" Ethan's voice cracked, barely audible, his entire world tilting in that moment. She was his anchor, and now she was slipping away.
And then he saw him-Xeridian- standing just behind Reyna, his cold, reptilian eyes focused entirely on Zephyrine. He stroked his chin thoughtfully, an eerie calm about him as if he were simply observing an experiment.
The rest of the crew hadn't even noticed his presence yet.
But Jaxon did.
Jaxon's rage exploded like a bomb. With a primal scream, he leaped forward, his massive hammer raised high above his head. The sound of his war cry filled the air as he charged at Xeridian with everything he had.
The next moment was a blur-too fast for anyone to comprehend.
Xeridian didn't move. He didn't even blink.
And then Jaxon was split in two.
From the midsection, his body came apart like wet paper. The sound of his flesh tearing filled the air, followed by the wet, sickening plop of his body hitting the ground. His guts spilled onto the sand, steaming, the stench of rot filling the air as they decayed almost instantly.
There was no scream. No final words. Jaxon's life ended in one horrifying moment, his hammer falling to the ground with a hollow thud.
Benedict's scream pierced the air, his eyes wide with terror as he pulled back his bow, firing arrow after arrow at Xeridian. "No! NO!, GEt AwaY FrOm Me!" Tears streamed down his face, panic overriding any sense of reason as his arrows flew wildly.
None of them hit. Or rather, none of them mattered.
Xeridian turned toward Benedict with a slow, deliberate step.
Without hesitation, his hand shot out and wrapped around Benedict's neck. The archer's screams were cut off, his eyes bulging in terror. With a casual twist of his wrist, Xeridian snapped his neck, the sickening crunch echoing through the wasteland. Benedict's body went limp, falling to the ground like a rag doll, his lifeless eyes staring into nothingness.
Ethan's knees buckled, and he collapsed. His mind was in shambles, his breath ragged and uneven. He had never seen anything like this-never imagined this level of horror.
Ava moved next, her face twisted with desperation as she blitzed towards Xeridian. Her movements were fast, a blur of energy and fury, but it didn't matter. Xeridian barely registered her. With a casual flick of his wrist, he backhanded her. The force was immense-Ava's body was flung through the air like a ragdoll, crashing into a nearby rock with a sickening crunch. Blood splattered across the stone, her body limp.
Xeridian stood in the center of the massacre, unbothered, as if swatting flies. He looked at the scene, at the carnage he had caused, and sneered.
Zephyrine could hear it all-the terrified screams of her comrades, the gut-wrenching silence that followed their brutal deaths. Each one struck her like a dagger to the chest, but she stood firm, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. Her magic still surged with raw energy, holding the unstable portal open, her very presence a beacon of hope amid the devastation.
Xeridian slowly approached her, his movements casual, unhurried- almost as though he was savoring the moment. As his arm reached out to touch her, it immediately ignited in searing agony. The magic surrounding Zephyrine burned away his flesh, stripping him down to bone. But even as the flames devoured him, his limb regenerated, reforming just as quickly as it had been destroyed. It was an eerie, endless cycle-one that Zephyrine knew could only hold him back for so long.
Ethan stood a distance away, frozen in shock and despair. The weight of everything-the death, the hopelessness-was too much for him. His knees buckled, and he collapsed, staring blankly into the ground.
"A..Ack.... Acknowledge me" he whispered, his voice hoarse with anguish. "Kill me Already!!!!. Why won't you look at me!!!??!!"
But Xeridian didn't even glance in his direction. He moved ever closer to Zephyrine, his focus entirely on her, as if Ethan wasn't even worth noticing.
"Stop ignoring me!, spill my blood already!!!" Ethan screamed, his voice cracking as rage consumed him. "I'm right here!, kill me just as you have with my comrades monster!!!"
Xeridian finally stopped, his reptilian eyes shifting slightly toward Ethan, though his body remained fixed on Zephyrine. "Too weak to even be worthy of death," he said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. "I do not waste my gaze on lesser creatures."
The words struck Ethan like a physical blow. His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms as hot tears welled up in his eyes. He wanted to charge, to strike, to do anything-but he was powerless. He knew it.
Xeridian turned his attention back to Zephyrine, his arm stretching out once more. The air around him crackled, distorting as his clawed hand broke through the last of Zephyrine's magical defenses. His fingers were mere inches from her throat-
Suddenly, there was a gust of wind- a fleeting breeze that carried the scent of blood and metal. For a moment, everything went still. The very fabric of reality seemed to hold its breath.
Xeridian's head was no longer attached to his body.
It took a heartbeat for him to realize it. His body stood frozen, headless, as his reptilian eye-now on the ground-stared blankly up at the sky. The last thought that flickered through his mind was pure confusion. What... what just happened?
The thud of his head hitting the dirt echoed through the battlefield, followed by the crash of his body collapsing a moment later, still unsure if it was time to bleed.
Ethan, his mind clouded with exhaustion and disbelief, turned slowly. His tear-filled eyes widened as he saw a man standing beside Reyna's fallen body. The figure, cloaked in shadows but exuding a quiet strength, bent over Reyna, gently checking her pulse.
Ethan's heart skipped a beat. That aura-that presence-it was unmistakable. "Alaric... Thorn..."
The man, Alaric Thorn, slowly stood, his gaze sweeping over the wreckage and destruction. His hand, strong but gentle, scooped Reyna into his arms as if she weighed nothing.
Ethan's tears finally broke free, streaming down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably. The comfort of Alaric's presence washed over him like a warm embrace, offering him a moment of peace amidst the chaos.
His vision blurred, his body swayed, and with a final, weak cry, Ethan collapsed into the sand, his last sight being Alaric, carrying Reyna to safety.
And then, darkness claimed him.