I slowly opened my eyes, blinking against the haze clouding my vision. Familiarity dawned as I took in my surroundings—the shattered shards of glass scattered across the marble floor, the swirling streams of wild essence dancing erratically in the air, and the suffocating weight of destruction that filled the room. Each detail struck me like a sharp reminder of my current condition.
What was this? Why had I been dragged back into the most miserable state of my life just now? My thoughts felt disjointed, fractured, as though someone had pried away my memories. What had happened?
I raised my head, and there she was—my mother, standing tall amidst the chaos. Her figure was as commanding as ever, but this time, something inside me was different. This time, I didn't feel fear. This didn't feel hopeless.
Something had shifted. Something I couldn't understand.
But I didn't have time to dwell on it. With effort, I pushed myself upright, only for agony to rip through my body.
"Aghhh!"
The sound tore from my throat as my legs buckled beneath me, sending me crashing to the floor once more. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to look down—and what I saw sent a shudder of revulsion through me. My legs were skeletal, twisted shadows of what they had once been. Skin clung loosely to brittle, stick-like bones, as though the flesh and blood had been violently stripped away, leaving behind only hollow remnants.
I tried to channel essence into them, willing them to strengthen, but the moment the energy neared my legs, it ignited a pain so excruciating that I gasped, clawing at the ground to steady myself. The essence burned, like molten steel poured directly into raw nerves.
What was happening to me?
There was no time to think. My instincts flared, a primal warning screaming in the back of my mind. Without hesitation, I threw myself to the side, landing hard on my shoulder as a vortex of raw essence obliterated the spot where I had been. The attack crashed into the marble floor with a deafening roar, sending tremors rippling through the hall.
The very foundation of the room groaned under the impact, cracks snaking across the enchanted crystal walls like jagged lightning. Dust and debris rained down around me, and the residual shockwave slammed into my body, nearly dislodging my grip on the fractured marble tiles. Without the hold, I would've been hurled across the room like a broken doll.
Gasping for breath, I turned toward the source of the attack.
My mother.
She stood at the far end of the hall, her hand still outstretched, essence crackling around her like a living storm. Her expression flickered with something—shock, perhaps, that I had dodged her strike. But the fleeting surprise was quickly eclipsed by fury. Her eyes blazed with anger, twin infernos that burned into my very soul.
I needed to stop her. Somehow.
Ignoring my ruined legs, I gathered the remnants of my essence, shaping it into a shimmering silver spear. The weapon pulsed with energy, a glimmer of hope amidst the chaos. With a sharp cry, I hurled it toward her, the spear cutting through the air like a comet.
But she was faster.
With an almost casual flick of her arm, she deflected the attack, sending it careening off course. The spear shattered a crystal window in its path, disappearing into the void beyond.
Then she blinked.
One moment, she was across the hall. The next, she was above me, her form blurring with impossible speed.
Panic surged through me. I summoned a volley of silver arrows, each one laced with as much essence as I could muster. They tore through the air toward her, but she didn't even flinch.
Her mouth opened, and a guttural, inhuman sound escaped her lips—a sound that wasn't just heard but felt. The vibrations collided with the arrows, and, in an instant, they disintegrated into nothingness.
I barely had time to react before the same sound waves crashed into me.
The force sent me flying backward, my body slamming into the cracked crystal walls. Pain erupted in my spine, and the shards of glass embedded in the walls tore into my flesh. My legs screamed with even greater agony as I crumpled to the floor, essence spilling out of me like blood from an open wound.
Another vortex of essence formed in her hands. I could see it building, spinning faster and faster, its glow growing blindingly intense.
I tried to move, tried to dodge—but deep down, I knew it was useless. I couldn't outrun this.
The vortex came hurtling toward me, a harbinger of my destruction. I stared at it, hopelessness settling over me like a shroud. My body trembled, my spent essence flickering weakly in my veins.
And then, in the instant before it struck, a figure appeared.
A dark silhouette, cloaked in shadow, materialized before me. The vortex slammed into the figure, its force rippling outward like a thunderclap.
It was Arion.
The guard stood firm, his sword raised high as it absorbed the full brunt of the attack. The patterns etched into the blade began to glow, growing brighter with each passing second as the vortex weakened. The ground beneath him cracked under the strain, but he didn't falter.
With a deafening roar, the blade unleashed a burst of silver light. The explosion rocked the hall, sending Arion flying backward into the far wall. His body crumpled to the ground, motionless.
The light washed over me, enveloping me in its warm, rejuvenating glow. My spent essence surged back to life, coursing through my veins like a river breaking through a dam. But even as it healed me, the pain in my legs only worsened, the essence clashing violently with whatever corruption had taken root.
I couldn't survive like this.
Desperation took hold. I summoned a silver blade, its edge gleaming with lethal intent. Gritting my teeth, I steadied myself and brought it crashing down on my ruined legs.
The pain was indescribable, a blinding, searing torment that tore through me like wildfire but still nothing compared to the torment of my awakening. Blood—white as moonlight—poured from the stumps, mingling with the yellow pus that oozed from the open wounds. My vision blurred, but I forced myself to focus, channeling essence into the torn flesh.
Slowly, agonizingly, regeneration began. Bones extended first, raw and exposed, their jagged edges knitting together piece by piece. Veins slithered across the framework, pulsing with life, followed by the slow, torturous growth of muscle. Finally, skin crept over the new limbs, sealing them in a pale, fragile sheath.
When it was done, I stood once more, stronger than before.
The moonlight in the room intensified, pouring through the shattered dome above. It wrapped around me, filling me with unrelenting power.
And as I turned to face my mother once more, I knew the battle was far from over.
After a while, only white blood remained seeping from my wounds, and I watched as my legs began to regenerate. First, the bones extended from the severed edges, raw and pale, growing with agonizing slowness as if every inch were sculpted from my pain. The skeletal framework stretched outward, forming the shape of legs and feet, jagged edges knitting together piece by piece. Veins slithered over the bones, pulsating faintly, followed by the sinewy growth of muscle that coiled tightly around the structure.
Flesh grew next, thin and translucent at first, until it thickened and darkened, its surface crawling with life. Finally, a layer of taut skin emerged, encasing the regenerated limbs. When it was done, I stood again, feeling a grotesque sort of satisfaction as I flexed my newly-formed legs. They were whole, strong—and ready for battle.
The blinding light that had filled the room subsided, retreating into an ambient glow that left faint streaks across the broken walls. I took a deep breath, steadying myself. My blood, my very being felt renewed, essence surging through me with newfound intensity. My organs thrummed with power, my senses sharper than ever as my gaze turned toward her.
My mother stood in the middle of the ruined hall, her presence still commanding despite her injuries. Her eyes gleamed with a dangerous light, and I could feel her influence pulling at me like invisible tendrils. I knew those eyes carried something beyond power—an effect that reached into the soul, sapping the will to fight.
I had to be careful.
I'd never asked her about the nature of her powers, but I had always known they revolved around the mind, the will. There was a sinister elegance to her abilities, an invisible weapon that could erode even the strongest defenses.
I gathered my essence, circulating it into a barrier around my mind. The shield pulsed faintly, and I felt a sense of relief as her influence dulled. She couldn't affect me now—or so I hoped.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Arion's body lying motionless nearby. His sword had skittered across the room, its glowing edge faint but still alive with essence. Blinking to his weapon, I picked it up and reappeared at his side.
I crouched down, studying him closely. His face was hidden behind his mask, but his labored breathing told me enough. He was alive, though barely. Without a word, I handed him the blade.
"Leave," I said firmly, my voice cutting through the silence like a blade.
Arion hesitated for only a moment before obeying. His figure dissolved into darkness, disappearing from the battlefield.
Now, it was just her and me.
I turned toward her, blinking through the space until I appeared directly in front of her. My hand surged with essence, coating my arm in shimmering silver as I struck at her neck. She dodged with fluid grace, her movements almost inhumanly fast. Her mouth opened to unleash another attack, but this time I was ready.
I launched a relentless barrage of punches and kicks, each strike laced with essence. She dodged most of them, her body twisting and weaving like a shadow, but my assault left her no chance to use her voice.
Her power was dangerous, but not in close combat. She wasn't built for this kind of fight—and it showed. My speed increased with each movement, my strikes growing sharper, more precise. She began to falter, her rhythm breaking. A pattern emerged in her movements, and I exploited it, landing a crushing blow to her stomach.
The soft flesh of her abdomen tore beneath my fist, essence erupting from the wound like a burst of light. She staggered backward, blood pouring from the injury as her eyes widened in pain and rage.
Desperate, she blinked away, creating distance between us. But I was already on her trail, blinking in pursuit, refusing to give her the space she needed to unleash her voice.
When she tried to meet my eyes, I felt her influence clawing at the edges of my mind, but the shield held firm. I stayed focused, though she caught me off guard once or twice, managing to unleash a sonic roar that sent me reeling. The impact slammed me into the ground, carving deep grooves into the shattered marble as she created more distance.
I couldn't let her control the range of this fight.
Summoning my essence, I crafted a silver whip, its surface glowing with a dangerous, serrated edge. The weapon lashed out, slicing through the air toward her. She dodged to the side, then to the other, her movements quick but not infallible.
The whip finally connected, slashing across her face with a vicious snap. A streak of silver essence remained, burning into her skin, as white blood poured down the gash. She glared at me, her expression twisted in fury and pain.
Taking advantage of her momentary weakness, I coiled the whip around her body, binding her in place. The serrated edges dug into her flesh, biting deep, causing the soft tissue to bulge grotesquely in the spaces between the glowing chains of essence.
Her anger boiled over. She let out a guttural roar, and the sound struck me like a physical blow, sending me crashing into the walls. The whip disintegrated under the force, but before she could recover, the silver spear I had thrown earlier pierced through her from behind.
The spear's glowing tip erupted from her chest, its surface pulsating with raw power. She screamed, her voice tearing through the hall like thunder, as her heart—silver and pulsing—fell from the wound and landed on the ground with a wet thud.
I had kept the first spear active, sustaining it with the last of my essence, knowing that creating a new weapon would alert her to my presence. The strategy had worked.
Taking advantage of her stunned state, I summoned silver chains, wrapping them around her wrists and ankles. With a flick of my hand, I hoisted her into the air, suspending her in an X-shape in the center of the hall.
Her body writhed against the restraints, the silver chains digging into her flesh. Blood oozed from the deep grooves they carved into her soft body, the scent of it thick in the air.
She roared again, the sound causing the chains to crack. But before they could break, the moonlight in the room intensified, pouring over us like liquid silver. The chains absorbed the light, their surface glowing brighter, the cracks vanishing as their strength increased tenfold.
Her body stretched against the unrelenting chains, her soft flesh bulging and tearing in places where the bindings held tight. Shards of crystal rained down from the shattered dome above, embedding themselves into her exposed skin. Blood—silver and thick—poured from her wounds, dripping onto the marble floor in glistening pools.
I stepped forward, my gaze locked on her. She thrashed violently, but the chains held firm.
Nocturnals thrived on desire, on the fulfillment of their most primal urges. And if I wanted to end this, I had to reach her—to feed into the emotions buried within her and remind her of who she was.
Her mouth opened again, a pulsing sound wave reverberating through the hall. But this time, I didn't dodge. The moonlight absorbed the attack, softening its force. The waves shattered what remained of the crystal dome, sending shards raining down like jagged stars. The glass pierced her soft body, tearing into the tender flesh, and a whimper escaped her lips as silver blood streamed down her form.
I stopped before her.
Her body, bound by the chains, was a mess of torn flesh and ragged clothing. Her dress was little more than tattered rags, barely clinging to her battered frame. One of her breasts was little more than a mangled mass of flesh and blood, while the other had a jagged shard of crystal jutting through it, silver blood pooling at the site.
Anger burned within me at the sight of this destruction—this chaos. My frustration boiled over, and without thinking, I lashed out, driving my foot into her stomach with all the force I could muster.
The impact sent her reeling back against the chains, causing them to jingle with a haunting, melodic tone. The motion drove the shards of glass deeper into her body, making her whimper softly.
I exhaled slowly, the moonlight intensifying around me. The silver in my eyes gleamed brighter as I stared at her.
I was frustrated.
And this was fun.