As Lavael shifted and twisted before us, her body morphed into a solid, familiar form. The sight sent an involuntary shudder through me—there he was, Roderick, down to the last detail. Every scar, every muscle, every inch of the brother I knew better than myself. But his expression was off; his usual fierce grin twisted into something cruel, his eyes gleaming with a malice I'd never seen in him.
"Well, well," he sneered, his voice carrying Lavael's mocking edge, tainting Roderick's familiar tone. "So this is what you thought a demon would look like, Thalia? Or did you think it'd be as easy as every other little beast you've taken down?" His gaze raked over Katsuro, dismissive and contemptuous. "And you brought this one along?"
Before I could process the insult, Lavael—wearing my brother's strength—moved. Roderick's massive axe swung down in an arc, and Katsuro barely sidestepped in time, his face set in grim determination as he dodged. The blade crashed into the stone floor with a force that made the entire room shake, shards of stone scattering around us.
Without missing a beat, Katsuro retaliated, his movements swift and precise, his blade slicing through the air with a grace that was second nature to him. But Lavael, with Roderick's brute strength and quick reflexes, blocked each strike with ease, her laughter echoing off the basement walls. "This is what you call skill?" she sneered, her voice dripping with contempt. "You might as well be a child playing with sticks."
Katsuro's jaw tightened, his stance shifting as he moved in again, faster, his strikes aimed to exploit the tight, close quarters. But Lavael was ready for him. With a sweep of her arm, she deflected his blade, sending it skittering to the side. Katsuro went for another strike, aiming at her legs to destabilize her, but she caught his wrist with an iron grip. Before he could react, she twisted, forcing him to drop his sword with a pained gasp.
Katsuro's gaze flicked toward me, as if he wanted to reassure me, but Lavael's grip tightened, and his face contorted in agony. "Is this all your so-called 'dependable warrior' can manage?" she taunted, her voice a mocking echo of Roderick's, before she slammed Katsuro into the wall, the impact enough to rattle the stone.
Katsuro grunted, trying to right himself, but Lavael was merciless. She yanked him back by his arm, her grip so strong that I saw his shoulder strain and dislocate with a sickening pop. Katsuro grimaced, his face pale, yet his stance remained steady, his gaze defiant.
I clenched my fists around my staff, fighting the rising panic in my chest. Lavael was relentless, moving with Roderick's brute strength, and there was no doubt now—she could tear us apart if we weren't careful. My brother was a powerhouse, the strongest fighter I knew, and seeing his abilities turned against us was like witnessing a force of nature, terrifying and unstoppable.
Katsuro, despite his injury, tried again, moving with a determination that had kept him alive in countless fights. His good arm swung toward her in a sharp arc, but Lavael caught his blade with her hand, ignoring the way it sliced into her palm. Blood oozed between her fingers, but her twisted grin only widened as she tightened her grip and ripped the blade from his grasp.
"Is that all, Katsuro?" she mocked, her words a mockery of everything he'd fought for. "You play at strength, but you're no match for me. Not even close." She raised her arm, swinging the hilt of the axe down against his chest with a brutal force that sent him sprawling to the ground, coughing and gasping for air.
In an instant, Lavael was on him again, grabbing his leg and twisting with a sickening crunch. Katsuro's face contorted in agony, and I heard a strangled scream tear from his throat as his knee gave way, bending at an unnatural angle. She released him, watching him struggle to get back up, her expression one of cruel delight.
I wanted to scream, to charge at her with every ounce of magic I had, but I forced myself to stay calm. I knew what Roderick was capable of, knew how he fought with relentless strength. And that was what I was up against now: a demon wielding my brother's unstoppable power.
Lavael turned her gaze to me, her eyes gleaming with malevolent amusement. "And you," she sneered, stepping over Katsuro's crumpled form, her eyes raking over me. "You thought you'd save the day? You thought you could handle a real demon?" Her voice was a twisted echo of Roderick's, dripping with scorn. "Always relying on others to pull you through. What will you do now?"
My grip on my staff tightened, my knuckles white. "I do what I always do," I said, summoning my magic, feeling the familiar warmth gathering in my palms. "I don't give up."
A flash of anger crossed Lavael's face, her mockery twisting into something darker. She raised Roderick's axe, ready to crush us both in one final, brutal strike. But before she could bring it down, I released a blinding blast of light, hitting her square in the chest and sending her stumbling back, if only for a moment.
"Katsuro!" I shouted, rushing to his side, helping him to his feet as he clutched his injured leg, gritting his teeth in pain.
He looked at me, pain etched in every line of his face, but he managed a nod, a grim determination still glinting in his eyes. "We're not finished yet."
With a murmured incantation, I cast a protective charm over myself, Katsuro, and the kid's father, who had somehow managed to crawl into the corner, still clutching his wife's lifeless form. A faint shimmer enveloped us, a ward that would hold for as long as I could keep it steady. But in a basement with a demon wielding my brother's raw power, it wouldn't last forever.
I steadied my breathing, forcing myself to focus. I knew a hundred spells and then some, each useful in its own way, but knowing a spell was only half the battle. What had kept me alive all these years wasn't just my knowledge—it was knowing which spell to use when. And right now, brute force would be useless against someone like Roderick. If I tried to meet him head-on, I'd end up like every shattered thing he'd left in his wake.
No, fighting my brother was about patience, about waiting for him to make the first move.
Lavael—still wearing Roderick's sneer—stalked toward us, her massive frame filling the room, every inch of her rippling with raw, borrowed strength. She raised the axe high, her gaze locked on me, fury radiating off her like heat.
But I didn't flinch. I waited, feeling the magic build at my fingertips, until she was just a few steps away. Then, in a quick whisper, I cast a spell.
A flash of icy blue shot across the ground, and a slick layer of frost instantly formed beneath her feet. Lavael, caught in mid-step, looked down just as her foot skidded, her balance lost. With a surprised roar, she flailed, her weight pitching forward, her body too heavy to stop.
She hit the ground hard with a thunderous crash, the impact shaking the basement walls, splinters of stone and dust scattering around us. I allowed myself a small, grim smile. Roderick never could handle ice, not with all that muscle weighing him down.
Lavael's face twisted with rage, and she let out a scream in my brother's voice, a bellow of pure, unfiltered anger that echoed around the room. "You're just delaying the inevitable, Thalia!" she snarled, pushing herself up with a dark fury in her eyes.
As she got back to her feet, I watched with a mix of horror and awe as she raised the axe high above her head and slammed it down onto the ice, shattering the frozen surface beneath her in a single blow. Chunks of ice flew, clattering against the walls as the slick surface dissolved into fractured pieces, leaving the ground rough and useless for any more ice spells. She had crushed it all in one swing.
"Oh, silly brother," I muttered under my breath, a smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. "If that were really you, I'd slap you across the face."
But Lavael's eyes were already on me, her fury mounting, her knuckles white as she gripped the axe even tighter. The demon wearing my brother's form took a step forward, her gaze fixed on me with an intensity that sent a chill down my spine.
And I knew she'd be coming for me now, with nothing held back.
Thankfully, Katsuro was back on his feet, his breathing steady as he adjusted his stance. Orcs had a way of bouncing back from injury almost instantly—a trait I had always envied, and right now, one I was grateful for. His arm still bore the bruises from Lavael's brutal assault, but his eyes were clear, sharp, as he raised his curved blade, sliding back into the fight.
He moved in fluidly, his blade a gleaming arc as he deflected "Roderick's" next swing with a ringing clash. Katsuro kept his steps nimble, sidestepping and weaving, forcing Lavael to turn with him to keep up. I matched his movement, staying opposite, keeping the distance between us and the demon while searching my mind for the right spell.
Katsuro was good—one of the best swordsman I'd ever known—but he wasn't Roderick. He didn't have that brute strength, that relentless power. In a contest of raw force, he would lose.
But I could even the odds.
I tightened my grip on my staff, feeling the energy pulse in my hands as I summoned the magic into a bright, crackling sphere of light. With a quick motion, I thrust my staff forward and released it, chanting under my breath. A bolt of energy shot from my staff, twisting into a spinning force of pure magic. It expanded outward, a forceful gust of energy that hit Lavael square in the chest, pushing her back a few feet as she staggered.
Her eyes flashed with fury as she regained her footing, but the few seconds I'd bought gave Katsuro the chance to reposition himself, keeping his blade ready, his breath steady.
I felt the tug of exhaustion start to creep in, but I shoved it aside. In this cramped, claustrophobic basement, I didn't dare risk any bigger spells. Something explosive would bring this whole place down on top of us, and I wasn't about to risk the life of that poor kid's father, still huddled in the corner, or Katsuro, who had already taken more than his share of the demon's rage. I had to keep it controlled, focused—just strong enough to buy us time, to push her back without leveling the entire room.
I cast a quick glance at Katsuro, nodding as he met my gaze, our silent agreement holding us steady. He would keep up the pressure, and I would find a way to take her down—without bringing the whole place crashing down in the process.
But then, the whole place seemed about to crash down on us. A low roar rang from deep below, vibrating through the floorboards. Dust drifted from the ceiling, and even Lavael paused, her sneer faltering as she glanced around, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
Then, with a deafening crash, the basement door burst open. But it wasn't someone who stormed in—it was an axe. A huge, heavy-bladed axe that shot through the air with terrifying speed, slicing straight across the room in a blur of silver and steel. It struck "Roderick" square in the chest, and I winced as I watched my "brother" fly backward, pinned to the wall like a twisted, unnatural tapestry, Lavael's stolen form writhing as she struggled to free herself from the weapon impaled in her chest.
For a moment, the room was silent.
Then a familiar figure stepped into the doorway, filling it with his broad shoulders, his familiar stance unmistakable. Roderick, the real Roderick, squinted into the dim room, his eyes darting over the mess of cracked walls, the kid's father huddled in the corner, and finally, me—bruised, dust-covered, and staring back at him with a mixture of shock and relief.
"Well, hell," he muttered, his gaze drifting over to Lavael, who still hung suspended by his axe, struggling feebly. "I get out of bed for one second, and I find my own sister trying to fight me?"
I let out a breath, letting a grin slip through. "Good to see you finally made it to the party, brother," I shot back, my voice laced with mock irritation. "Hope you had a good night's sleep."
"Oh, fantastic. Right up until your spell yanked me awake and dragged me here." He strolled over to where I was standing, dusting his hands as if this was the most casual thing in the world. "Mind telling me why I was needed?"
I almost laughed. Leave it to Roderick to forget the spell I'd put on us. Years ago, when we first started our work, I'd crafted a charm on both of us, a subtle spell that would activate if one of us sensed mortal danger. It was a backup plan, something I'd thought he'd appreciate, even though he'd probably long since forgotten it existed. I hadn't even been sure it would work—it had never activated before tonight.
Apparently, the charm had stirred him from sleep, brought him here in a half-daze, and propelled him—axe in hand—through the city and into the fight. Only Roderick would arrive so abruptly, weapon first.
Katsuro, now back on his feet and steadying himself, stared at Roderick in mild disbelief, a faint grin breaking through the grimace of his injuries. I could tell he was trying to piece together just how my brother had materialized in time to impale a demon with an axe.
Roderick raised an eyebrow at Lavael, who hung from the wall, still pinned by his axe, her face twisted in fury as she struggled to pull herself free. "So, mind explaining why there's another me here?" he asked, giving me a sidelong glance. "Or do I just accept that this is what you do for fun?"
I shrugged, still feeling the adrenaline pumping through my veins. "Long story short? That's Lavael, a demon with a taste for envy and shapeshifting. Decided to wear your face. Hope you don't mind."
Roderick let out a low chuckle, his expression turning serious as he watched her writhing in place. "You know, I never thought I'd see the day when someone wore my face better than me." He turned to me, eyes sharp with a fierce, familiar determination. "You ready to finish this, Sis?"
Then he blinked, his expression faltering slightly as he glanced back at Lavael, pinned to the wall and thrashing like a fish on a hook. "Actually… scratch that, I seem to be at a bit of a disadvantage without my axe. Bit awkward, really."
I stifled a grin, rolling my eyes. "Guess you'll have to finish this one with your bare hands, then?"
"Oh, don't tempt me," he replied, his tone dry but tinged with amusement. Lavael's furious screams grew louder, her form beginning to shift again, her body contorting as she clawed at the wall, fingers scraping and twisting into grotesque shapes.
As we watched, her appearance began to change. Gone was Roderick's familiar face, and in its place was something more sinister, something far more monstrous and unfamiliar. Her greenish skin grew darker, glistening as though coated in oil, and her limbs elongated, becoming gaunt and angular, the joints bending at unnatural angles. Her face took on an inhuman quality, stretched and sharp, with hollow eyes that seemed to sink into an endless, swirling black void.
But what stood out most was the cloak of scales that covered her skin—deep emerald green, shimmering like glass in the dim light, shifting with an eerie beauty that was both mesmerizing and deeply unsettling. She had no mouth; instead, rows of slits appeared along her cheeks, like the gills of a sea creature, emitting a low, hissing growl as she turned her gaze on us. Small, clawed hands unfurled from her arms, each finger jointed twice over, bending in strange, unnerving directions as she regained her balance.
Lavael's hollow eyes burned with fury as she pulled herself from the wall, the axe still embedded in her chest, her twisted form standing tall as she took a halting step forward.
Just then, Roderick's axe jerked from her chest and shot back toward him, nearly knocking him off balance as he caught it. He blinked, looking down at the axe with wide-eyed wonder, clearly pleased with himself. "Well, look at that," he said, grinning. "Knew this axe was something special. Chose me, clearly."
I barely held back a laugh, crossing my arms as I shot him a look. "Roderick, it's a spell I cast. But sure, let's go with 'destiny.'"
Roderick shrugged, holding the axe up with an exaggerated smirk. "Hey, let me have some fun, okay?"
The ground shook as Lavael took a step toward us, her voice dripping with fury. "You think a little spell or a weapon makes you invincible?" Her form shifted slightly, the scales rippling as she spoke. "You think you can stand against me? I am a Demon!"
Lavael tilted her head back and let out a piercing scream, so shrill and intense it felt like my skull was splitting open. The walls shook, dust and loose stones raining from the ceiling as the sound echoed, bouncing off every surface until it was all-consuming. I clamped my hands over my ears, squeezing my eyes shut, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw Roderick do the same, his face twisted in pain.
But then, in a blur of movement, Katsuro charged forward, his face set with fierce determination. He launched himself at her, moving faster than I'd ever seen him, his blade flashing as he aimed a vicious strike at Lavael's head. At the last second, she raised her arm to block, letting his sword slice clean through it with a sickening tear, her severed limb dropping to the ground. But it had served its purpose—she had protected her head.
The scream stopped, replaced by Lavael's low, guttural growl, her hollow, dark eyes locking onto Katsuro with seething rage. But Katsuro didn't flinch. He pressed forward, his blade a swift arc as he struck again, forcing her to step back. Every strike was precise, relentless, his movements calculated, each step forward pushing her closer to the wall.
Lavael's form shimmered, her skin rippling with a sinister, unnatural glow, and in an instant, another set of arms sprouted from her shoulders, new limbs unfurling with long, clawed fingers. She sneered, her expression twisted with fury and amusement as she parried Katsuro's next blow, her newly formed arms moving with unsettling agility, blocking his strikes with an ease that made my stomach drop.
Katsuro's face was a mask of focus, his blade flashing as he aimed for her core, cutting through her scaled skin with each strike. But Lavael barely seemed to register the wounds. Her body healed almost as fast as he injured it, her wounds closing over with sickening speed, her slits of a mouth widening into something resembling a grin.
She caught his next strike with one of her clawed hands, holding the blade in a grip of steel, her second set of arms reaching around to strike. Katsuro twisted his blade free, ducking just in time, narrowly avoiding her claws as he backed up, his stance tightening, bracing himself.
But Lavael was quicker. She feinted, and as Katsuro adjusted to counter her, she twisted her body and drove her clawed hand forward, stabbing him right in the chest.
I gasped, my heart lurching as I saw her claws sink into his armor, piercing through the protective layer and tearing into his flesh. If it weren't for the protective spell I'd cast earlier, that would have been the end. As it was, the magic held, and instead of tearing him apart, the blow sent him flying back, his body slamming against the wall with a brutal thud.
Katsuro slumped to the ground, his breathing ragged, his hand clutching his chest, but he was alive. I felt a wave of relief, but a surge of anger quickly followed it as I turned my gaze back to Lavael, who was already grinning, savoring her apparent victory.
Roderick gave me a quick nod, his gaze shifting from Katsuro, who was struggling to catch his breath, back to Lavael. Without missing a beat, he stepped in front of me, his axe raised, his stance as familiar as breathing. I tightened my grip on my staff, feeling the pulse of magic building at my fingertips.
We'd fought side by side for nearly our whole lives. We knew each other's moves, each other's strengths and weaknesses, the rhythm of a battle that we didn't even have to think about anymore. I was grateful to Katsuro—his bravery and skill had bought us precious time—but this was different. Roderick was my brother, and there was a ferocity in us when we fought together that no one else could match.
Without a word, we launched into the fight.
Roderick moved in first, his axe sweeping through the air in wide, forceful arcs that kept Lavael at a distance, each swing brutal and precise. She snarled, her claws snapping up to block his strikes, but he pressed on relentlessly, driving her back step by step, each swing of his axe forcing her closer to the wall.
As he kept her occupied, I raised my staff and muttered a quick incantation, focusing on her feet. Tendrils of energy curled out from the ground, wrapping around her ankles like ghostly chains and anchoring her in place. Roderick took advantage of her hesitation, delivering a crushing blow that struck her shoulder, splitting her scaled skin with a sickening crunch.
Lavael let out a furious shriek, tearing herself free of the binding spell, but the damage had already been done. I kept my focus steady, readying another spell as Roderick moved to her right. As his axe came down in a diagonal swing, I flicked my staff and cast a subtle air spell, pushing against the side of his axe just enough to alter the angle of his strike.
The blade hit harder than she'd expected, cleaving through her forearm and drawing a roar of pain as her severed limb fell to the ground. Lavael stumbled back, her mouth twisting in rage, but Roderick and I were already closing in.
With her balance thrown off, I seized the chance to cast another spell, one that laced the ground beneath her feet with frost. The spell wouldn't be enough to immobilize her for long, but it was just enough to make her footing treacherous. Roderick's axe came down in a brutal arc, and Lavael tried to dodge, but her feet slid on the ice, and she missed her step. The axe caught her along her ribs, and a sickening crack echoed through the room as she crashed to the floor.
Lavael hissed, the slits on her face widening as she let out a growl, but Roderick didn't give her a second to recover. He lunged forward, raising his axe high for another strike. I whispered another incantation, this time a small burst of wind that propelled him forward, adding momentum to his attack as he brought the axe down with a force that rattled the walls.
She barely managed to dodge, rolling to the side with inhuman agility, but I was already ready with a follow-up. I cast a simple but disorienting flash of light, sending a blinding burst directly into her face. Lavael shrieked, momentarily blinded, and Roderick's next strike caught her across the chest, slicing through her scaled skin in a line of dark blood.
She staggered, her movements slowing, her usual fluidity beginning to falter. She attempted to heal, but her speed was no match for the constant blows and my spells, each one disrupting her attempts to recover.
"Nice aim," Roderick grunted, parrying her swipe with the blunt end of his axe. He was breathing hard, but there was a glint of fierce satisfaction in his eyes.
"I'm here to keep you from getting killed, remember?" I replied, casting a quick spell that lashed out like a whip, striking her legs and forcing her to stumble.
Lavael snarled, her eyes blazing as she tried to lunge forward, but Roderick's next swing intercepted her. With each step, each precise spell, we drove her back, our attacks relentless and perfectly timed, a rhythm we had built over years of fighting together. Her healing slowed, the cracks in her scaled skin widening as her energy began to drain.
In that moment, as we pushed her back once more, her balance wavering, I could feel it—our combined strength, our practiced skill. This time, we weren't just holding our own. We were winning.
Suddenly, mid-swing, Lavael's form twisted, her shoulders expanding grotesquely as four new arms burst forth, each as long and sinewy as her main limbs but bulging with an unnatural strength. Each of her massive hands shot up, two gripping Roderick's axe in a vice-like hold, halting his swing as if he were striking solid stone. The other two clawed arms reached forward, bracing against his shoulders, pinning him in place.
A wicked grin spread across her face, her eyes gleaming with a sinister pleasure as she held him there, his powerful swing stopped dead in the air. I caught the flicker of shock in Roderick's eyes, his muscles straining as he tried to wrench the axe free, but she held fast.
"Oh," she purred, her voice dripping with mockery, cold and twisted with malice. "Did you really think brute force would be enough? You let your guard down." Her laughter bubbled up, echoing off the basement walls as her eyes gleamed with cruel satisfaction.
"No," I said, my voice steady and cutting through the tension. "You let your guard down."
For the first time, I saw her confidence waver. She froze, her grip still tight on Roderick's axe, as she tried to turn her head toward me. Her eyes widened with sudden fear as she saw the point of my staff directly aimed toward her head.
With a single word, I unleashed the spell, and from the tip of my staff, a blade of wind shot forward—Windslash. The concentrated burst of air sliced through the room, faster than her reflexes could respond, and in an instant, it cut clean through her neck.
For a heartbeat, everything was still. Lavael's grip loosened, her wide-eyed expression frozen in shock. Slowly, her head separated from her body, dropping to the ground with a heavy thud, followed closely by her lifeless form as it crumpled, her twisted grin wiped away at last.
Roderick let out a long breath, his hands loosening on the axe as he glanced back at me, a mixture of awe and relief in his eyes. I met his gaze, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle over me, but a fierce satisfaction flickered through the fatigue. Together, we had finished her.
To be continued...