SWNOVELS Chapter 42: Shifting tides
Once done, I glance over just to see a dragon flying towards me. I don’t have enough time to do anything as its maw opens wide to engulf me. Just before it’s about to, a massive pillar of stone erupts from the ground beneath, slamming hard into it.
I look over, seeing Henry grinning as he looks back to me. He’s crouched low with his hands deep into the stone tiling. He then twists his hands, causing the pillar to form spikes, and proceeds to make the pillar actually move around like a whip. It smashes not only into the dragon that tried to eat me, but also into several more.
Standing next to him is Alexis, smiling broadly as she knocks away a few members from Drakthul. I peer up, seeing even more members from the coven. Easy enough to see would be Sarah Wincott, Mr. Eckerts and several more adults. Mom is aided by a few more, seeing Mr. Bigsby attending to wounded people.
I grin, feeling my heart swelling with love and pride to see them here. I summon a small sheet of ice while charging my sword. I press off the sheet and rush to the ground, slamming my sword into it, causing a massive shockwave, sending several enemies into the air. Alexis follows up by hurling wind blades at them, blasting them away while knocking out more with her sonic magic.
I run to them, feeling tears running down my face. I leap into their open arms, hugging them tightly.
“I’ve missed you guys so much,” I tell them.
They each hug me tightly, pressing me against them. “We miss you too, Aria,” says Alexis. “You no real idea how much.”
I look around, hoping to see if more were here. I do see several onyx-colored dragons as they fly up and join with Ddraig and Ashlan. They more than likely are Carol’s family but I don’t see her here.
Henry smiles as he presses his head to mine. “The rest of our crew wanted to come but we were ultimately chosen.”
I nod, still smiling. “It’s all the same that you’re here.”
They smile in turn and watch the adults begin to reinforce our already beleaguered numbers, easily tearing through our enemies. I watch as they fight, noting the sheer experience they have. It’s as though they’ve seen far more combat than I knew.
Sarah smiles as she summons earth and fire golems to charge in. Mr. Eckerts meanwhile casts numerous barriers and shields to defend the wounded under Mr. Bigsby’s care. Jenn’s father even employs tiny nurse golems and automata that appear more like dolls to aid him. Both men are surprised when several wolves appear with wounded. They look to the each other and then nod, lowering the barrier to allow them in.
“Ariko!” I hear Kenji calling out to me as he rushes over.
Henry and Alexis both look to him with the latter smiling. “I wish we could be properly introduced ourselves, but that will have to wait until later,” says Alexis.
My boyfriend looks to my friends, nodding slowly. This should really be good when this is all over. I grin to her, unable to wait for it.
The same feeling of fetid darkness creeps up again as Regulus and Selene finally reach my mother and Arcturus. Both retreat to the third tier, something telling me the final portion of this battle playing out there.
I turn and head up the steps, dodging past several others to watch them fight. I marvel at how much of an equal the four are. I never got to see them fight back in July, but I have fought one of them before. The dual pairs fight each other with incredible prowess, dodging and parrying each other’s attacks, while showing at how powerful they are with very air appearing to quake with every strike.
Selene throws off my mother as I watch her step back. She mutters something that I can’t hear over the roar of the battle. Her porcelain white hands glow a sickly green as she slams them together. A few moments later, the ground shakes as unseen doors begin to open. The insides of the doors seem to be moving as formless faces and hands reach up and gnash. It seems to be alive as I hear groans coming from it.
From within the open gates is a swirl of purples and shadows that move like ooze. I would equate it to when I’m in shadows, but that doesn’t make my skin crawl or my stomach turn. I haven’t felt this bad since Diana made her presence known to me last spring.
Now there is a difference between the scientific necromancy and the more traditional form. The scientific is simply the killing of the body and reanimating it with the use of equipment. It’s the same method Nethune was using here. The more traditional form can summon the souls of the dead and give life to that which has none and yet so much more.
Wights are also incredibly powerful in their connection to the realm of the dead that they can even open the doors to it.
My ears begin to hear the sounds of marching steps as they approach the doors. To my horror and surprise, I watch as rows upon rows of undead soldiers begin to march through. They are heavily armored, appearing utterly devoid of any remote notion of emotion as they continue. Mixed within their ranks are massive, grotesque golems that seem to be stitched together from dozens of corpses.
This could really be a problem as their new troops begin to march in formation. I look up the skies, seeing our allied dragons hover above.
“Take them out!” I yell to them. Dragon flame along with kitsune-bi is among best way to cleanse and completely destroy the undead.
The few available dragons bank and begin strafing runs on the amassing hordes, instantly incinerating them. Fenris then appears on the tier along with a dozen more wolves and charge in, routing hundreds more. Several of the undead ambush some of the wolves, only to be rescued by others. I won’t be losing any of my wolves today, not ever.
The hundreds that remain begin to slowly overwhelm us as the undead golems start to clash with Sarah’s. I charge in, summoning rings of kitsune-bi and dragon flame between my tails and launch them at the hordes. The rings spin wildly and rain fire bolts upon the formations, destroying them.
I look back to Henry as he joins me. We watch as more and more undead troops pour through the gate.
“Do you have any idea how to close that?” he asks. “Because I don’t have anything like a proton pack.”
I grin, knowing the reference. I stare at the gates, thinking if there is a way. I feel a hand on my shoulder, peering back to see Yukari next to me. My aunt looks to me, smiling. Her face is smothered in dirt and blood.
“Aria-chan, you know what to do,” she says. “We are kitsune, while messengers to the gods, we are also trained in the spiritual arts to combat the dead.”
I stare at the doors, still hearing their wailing cries and nods. I turn to Henry. “You’re going to help shut the doors. In turn I’ll assist you.”
He nods as I stand behind him and pull several tags and begin to chant mantras for sealing away dead spirits and spiritual support. It takes me a minute that seems to last forever as I listen to Yukari doing the same. Henry kneels down and begins to pour magic into the stone, watching as the tiles around the gates begin to rumble.
Yukari and I then complete our chants, with the tags now glowing brightly. We place them onto his wrists which send massive surges of spiritual power into him. His eyes light up as stone pillars erupt from the ground and slam into the doors.
The doors struggle as Henry fights to close them. My aunt and I pour more and more magic into him as he groans, finally closing them shut. Selene stares on in sheer disbelief, and then glares at us. I smirk, knowing she won’t be able to open it again.
Henry leans back, exhausted. I pant heavily, pulling out a couple vials of potion and hands him one. He smiles, downing it as do I.
“Well…that was a rush,” he jokes.
I smirk. “I’m glad you think that, but we still have a battle to fight.”
“And win,” adds my aunt.
I grin, watching as Fenris, and now Athena, rally the wolves and charge in, dragging down enemy dragons with shadowy tendrils and impale with ice.
Henry then stands up after regaining his strength and summons more pillars and sends them crashing down into more undead and even Regulus’ normal forces. He then looks to me, bearing a gleeful grin. “Run.”
I smile, looking to Kenji. He smiles as we charge forward, running along them, and pelting our enemies with foxfire. I also summon forth water from pools that Asha filled for me and hurls it crashing down onto them. As I survey the field, continuing to run along more and more pillars, I am suddenly knocked away from Kenji.
I land hard on the ground. I grunt as I try and right myself. When I look up, I see Selene standing over me. A dark and devilish grin adorns her face, to the slash down with her rapier. I wrap my tails around her waist and fling myself from under her, knocking her to the ground. I flip back onto my feet, redrawing Astraea. I pan over seeing that Mom is still fine, but fending off the undead giants.
She recovers and looks to me, still bearing her smile and holding up her weapon. “I am going to kill you, dear little cousin. And this time, I won’t miss.”
We stare each other down, with me holding my sword at the ready. The wight then lunges at me and we resume our fight from over 400 years ago. We dip and dodge, with blades and sparks flashing through the air. I can still recall our last fight with clarity, her speed, strength, her ability with the sword are all still the same, only now she’s undead with certain physical limitations removed.
As I parry one of her attacks, I suddenly feel something slamming into my stomach. I stagger back a bit, even coughing up a little blood. I pant heavily, peering up at her. Selene merely grins as I watch something float about her. I regain my breath and roll my eyes. Oh great, something new to deal with.
I pan up, seeing Silvi and Tanith still flying and fighting together, but I notice fewer and fewer of our dragons in the air. I look down, seeing the bodies of those belonging to House Titalos and Myl’thai. We’re losing allies and fast. Even with the reinforcements from our coven, this isn’t looking too good.
I hear the sounds of mighty roars as Ddraig and Ashlan both summon numerous magical circles and begin launch enormous streams of fire and lightning, striking down smaller dragons and a few on the ground. Their assault is halted when the largest of the enemy clans appear and battles them. I watch as titanic dragons bite, claw and spew flames at one another.
My ears flick just as the shing of a blade whirls right past my face. I bat away the sword and turn to see Selene smiling at me. Our blades continue to clash as more sparks fly. I am then pelted again by whatever is that’s hovering over her.
As I parry yet another strike, she grins. “I’ve been waiting to do this to you for centuries,” she says. “Long have I desired vengeance for the humiliation you suffered onto me here on this very spot.”
I feel another series of blows striking me yet my eyes have now fully adjusted to whatever’s been hitting me. I focus, seeing two sets of hands, phased just enough out of the mortal realm.
I charge my sword with kitsune-bi, causing the blade to glow bright blue. I slow my breathing and watch as her hands begin to launch at me. I calmly dodge and twist through the air, slashing at them, slicing the hands away, and watching the stumps burn and crackle.
Selene reels back as the final hand burns off. She looks to me with awe yet still filled with disgust. I know I’ve struck yet another nerve with her, not that I really care.
I pant heavily, feeling my sides and abdomen burning from her barrage. I stare at her, “Why were so interested in me?” It’s a question I’ve asked her once before yet never really got an answer.
She sighs as I strangely watch her blood-red eyes soften. That’s really odd right now given everything that’s happened. She looks to me, “I wanted a child to mold, to make as my own. At the time I didn’t know you truly were of Shyair, thinking you were an orphan Serasfall had taken in.”
She lowers her blade if only slightly. “When we first met, I saw a spark of myself within you. The spark of ambition, hence why I suggested my brother try and persuade you from Shyair.”
I cringe, that actually explains his interest in me and his eager attempt. Would have Selene allowed me to die that day? I really don’t want to think about it.
She smiles, now seemingly genuine. “You could have become like me if given the chance. Your truest ambitions could be been realized under my care.” She then sighs, “However that may no longer be possible.”
Her gaze then intensifies resuming its dark deviousness. “In your place I have Diana, who is what you could have become. Powerful, remorseless, yet a place at my side.”
“I have a family, both here and in the past,” I scoff at her. “There was no way I would have ever joined you.”
She smirks, twisting the point of her sword on the ground. “True, it was a pity that my plans were for you derailed that day. Oh how I would have reveled in loving and nurturing you as my own.”
I cringe again. Just the mere idea of her raising me still makes me want to puke. In the end she wanted to be a thief, to try and claim something that wasn’t her own.
My ears flick as I hear the battle song changing again as I listen to the cries of several wolves in pain. I look over to see several captured and even a couple impaled. Even Nelly has been caught by a chain trap, the same one she used to capture Fenris and Athena. Leto runs over and tries to free her but is unable to.
I turn the try and help only to be intercepted Selene. She grins, “I am going to take great pleasure in you watching as your precious wolves being slaughtered.”
I stare helplessly for moment as my wolf siblings struggle as more and more people come closer to them. No wanting to see it happen I let out a loud whistle, hearing it echoing over the other cries.
I then watch as Fenris appears and frees Nelly, shattering the trap with ice and shadow. The trio nod and rush off, aiding the injured wolves and rallying more to them.
I look to her, “None of my family will be dying today.” Never again, not here, not ever!
Selene merely grins, “Death comes for us all little one. Then again, it can be cheated of its prize.”
I think she’s referring to me. I have cheated death on numerous occasions, either through happenstance or being rescued at the last moment. I still remember Titania telling me that death’s shadow has always hovered close yet dared not touch me. So something has been protecting me through all of this, maybe it really has been Serasfall. God I love that woman.
I snort, readjusting my grip. “Where’s Axana,” I ask her. “When Celes and I found your poor nephew’s body, she wasn’t there.”
The wight sighs, looking away slightly. “My sister was planning to attack the Shyair residence after dealing with those Lesser houses who rose up against us. However, she never returned prior to our battle.”
I stare at her, seeing a slight sense of loss and regret, which is really strange in the middle of a battle. Hell, so is the fact that we’re having this conversation at all is also strange. It’s almost cordial, like speaking with an old friend. Yet I can still feel her burning hatred through her blade as we fight.
That being said, I wonder if Axana made it out or was caught up when the seal finally took effect. This…is probably what happened to Tyrion and the others. They were simply removed from the world without the protection of the pods.
I glance over, seeing the loud clacking of claws as Athena rallies together her unit and charges headlong back into the fray. She looks radiant, glowing brightly as I know what she carries within her.
Another pair of dragons swoops down, having somehow gotten past Tanith, Silvi and the others. They barrel down upon the wolves, mouths glowing as flames spew outward. I then see a dark blur as Fenris emerges from a shadow and wraps them both in shadowy tendrils with ice shooting out from them and impaling their captives. My wolf father howls as he flips in the air and drags them crashing into the ground.
Athena stands in front the downed pair. A torrential icy wind then bursts from her as she rears up and slams her front paws into the ground, causing ice to erupt and further skewer the dragons, killing them. Fenris then lands near her as his own unit arrives and the pair race towards the battle together. I smile, amazed at how powerful my wolves are.
I then shift my attention as I see Henry and Alexis fight back dozens of people. Rocky golems bash through opponents while shards of rock fire from the ground, with Henry fighting hand to hand with rocks covering his hands and feet, and summoning a few pillars at random opponents.
When he is knocked from behind, he near-instinctively summons a pillar of crystal from the ground which impales one of his opponents. The earth mage marvels at it for a moment and then grins, no doubt feeling his connection to the crystals which lie buried deep underground. He then begins to summon new golems, now incorporating the crystals into them for greater strength and durability.
Alexis on the other hand begins snapping her fingers as if in rhythm to a song. She smiles, now dancing to some unheard music. Her snaps send little sonic blasts at her targets, either injuring them or causing them to hallucinate. I watch as wind even begins to swirl around her hands as she hurls it at several more.
I smile at her, incredibly amazed at how much more powerful and attuned she is than when I faced her in the tournament last summer. In fact both of them are amazing. Granted, we are of the same coven which is only natural for us.
My eyes then catch Diana charging in on Orobas. Behind her I see the burning pyres of some nameless victims. Alexis turns just in time and claps her hands together, creating a sonic boom that knocks the girl off her bonded.
Diana bounces on the ground a couple times before recovering. She then begins to launch herself at my friend, fighting her with flame and fist. Alexis of course blocks from attacks with wind magic, and starts to show clear advantage in terms of battle experience.
She slowly begins to overwhelm Diana, only for the girl to blast a stream of felfire, knocking Alexis off her rhythm. The resurrected daughter of Nethune continues her barrage while also starting to talk to Alexis. Even over the roars of battle, I can clearly hear them, with Diana spewing venom in her words.
“You wretched little girl,” shouts Diana. “How dare you get in my way.”
Alexis smirks, parrying another blast of necroflame. “I heard all about you from Aria, who you once were and even about your little horsey. I should pay you back for all the pain you caused her, both physically and mentally.”
Diana growls, “Why is it that no one cares about what she used to be?”
Alexis grabs Diana’s hand and reels her in and knees the girl in the face. Blood spews from the girl’s nose as she starts to hold it. “Aria is, and ever shall be, the little girl we know today. She is our sister, friend and forever is who she is. We don’t care about who she used to be, to us, she’s always been Aria, the girl we love.”
Diana growls as greenish hell fire erupts from her, directing Orobas to charge at her again. “I am going to kill you, you little brat. I am also going to make Aria watch as it happens.”
As the nightmare charges at Alexis, its fiery hooves impact into the stone floors, with fire coming from its nostrils. Alexis smirks again, summoning balls of swirling wind in her hands and claps them one more time, causing a massive shockwave at the horse and then to the girl, disorienting them.
“I’m not the one who’s meant to face you,” she says, waving at Diana before running off.
Diana recovers and give chase before being stopped by Regulus. “Save your strength, and not for that coward.” She groans as the pair withdraw for the moment.
My ears then hear the massive clanging of a sword mixed with several little explosions. I peer over to see Almarec and Eneius fight against Arcturus and Mom respectively.
I watch as sword and spell clash on an epic scale with Almarec swinging a sword similar in size to Orga’s. Arcturus’ weapon is significantly smaller but its wielder is far more relaxed and calm with his movements. My soon-to-be father parries and strikes with such strength and grace it’s near enrapturing.
His opponent swings around his own weapon with such incredible ease its unreal. I can see where Lana got her training from. Almarec’s attacks appear wild, yet are highly control as though it were a normal-sized long sword. Sparks fly as both swordsmen seem to equal yet Almarec is clearly the superior in terms of raw strength, slowly beating back Arcturus.
Mom fends off Eneius; each launching spells that counter and counter-counters the other. Mom twirls her staff, firing innumerous spells of every type while inching closer to her opponent, while also shielding herself from Laevatain’s leader.
Eneius on the other hand seems to summon little balls of magic that surround my mother, pelting her in a similar way to my Orbs. He’s also able to control them midflight, like Bits from Gundam. Mom is rocked by the torrent, yet is unfazed as they slam her. She in turn slams her staff into the ground, causing the balls to stop. She then holds out her hand, summoning them to it, and fires them back at their creator.
Eneius is shocked as they pelt and knock him from side to side.
I smile as it watch them both, seeing their magic and swordplay reminding me of Serasfall. It simply leaves me in awe of them both.
I then see Kayle leaping in to help fend off Almarec. Her armor is similar to Kateryna’s only lighter in appearance with a clear emphasis on mobility for its user. The spearwoman twirls and jabs her weapon at Drakthul’s patriarch, beating him back.
“You Drakthul are all the same,” she scoffs. “While indeed powerful, you still are no different than those I faced in the past. Full of greed and arrogance, decrying your strength yet leaving little for empathy.”
Almarec sneers at her. “You are nothing more than a relic much like the rest of the knights here, all serving a nearly dead house that should have remained lost and forgotten.” He then shifts around, taking a few steps as he stares at her. “How can you blindly serve a child who knows nothing of this city or its history?”
She smiles, peering over at me for moment then back to her opponent. “She knows more than you ever could. She is Dewlouran, as such as those whom serve her.”
Almarec glares at her than roars, charging at the back. The battle resumes with him pushing back Arcturus and the knight. Lana even joins in, trying to aid her father, but is easily knocked away by Kayle.
The trio trail off with Lana trying to reach her father only to be stopped by Alexis. Lana is enraged and vicious with her assault, lashing her chain sword, whipping it fiercely, slashing deep gashes into the stone floors.
She screams in anger, “Ugh, yet another from that little gutter trash’s coven intervenes.”
Alexis smiles, dodging her attacks, and even flicking away one of them. “Our coven is family little girl,” she says. “I really wish, hell a lot of us do, that I was there the night you attacked our Aria. I’ve been wanting to give the both of you a spanking for going after her.”
Her eyes then narrow as her magic swells, “No one messes with Colburn.”
Lana seethes with anger as she attacks, resuming her attacks which now resemble a whip. Alexis merely smirks, parrying her attacks with wind and comes in close, sending a sonic pulse into the girl, sending her back a few yards and runs after her.
Mom continues her fight with Eneius, again matching spell for spell. She remains ever clam in her fight, never once letting herself get trapped when her opponent tries to spring traps on her. I even watch her twirl her staff around, actually summoning my Orbs and fires them at him. She even taps her staff on the ground, sending out a sheet of ice to trip him.
He snarls, attempting to dodge the Orbs, pivoting on his heels to send a wave of magic to block and divert the ice. Eneius then summons a storm from above, in clear defiance of a ryujin as she flies through the air, and hurls lightning bolts at my mother.
Mom holds up her staff and twirls it, deflecting the bolt and even redirecting some back at Eneius. He grunts at her, as the pair becomes locked with the lightning arcing and flailing about them.
Mom stares at him, stepping ever closer to her opponent. He groans, summoning more and more lightning to him, causing as surge within his side, attempting to throw her off. The lightning bulges as it races to her, only for Mom to pivot her staff to the side, deflecting the blast away from her. She then uses that brief moment to close to the gap and slam her staff into him, sending him into the ground.
Selene and I continue our fight, having resumed during all of this. The speed of battle grows faster and faster with each passing moment. We would often clash and pass each other only to turn and block and parry each other’s attacks, turning and pivoting as our swords fly through the air.
I watch as her attacks become swifter and more accurate, again far more than they were in the past. I dip and roll under her as our blades collide, striking with each turn of the heel. I often switch between the reverse grip and normal just to keep her guessing. I then twirl and leap through the air the flash her with my tails as her blade then suddenly slices through them, just barely missing a pair.
I land low, reversing my grip and slash upward, even bringing up a string of ice along. Selene covers her sword in felfire and slashes at me, beating me away. I twirl again in the air, kicking at her and summoning kitsune-bi and launch them at her.
Selene easily knocks them away, “You continue to use the same tired tricks my dear.”
I smirk as several of the fireballs then transform into clones of me. The half dozen or so begin to attack her, causing the wight to struggle. She grunts, fending our dozens of attacks but slowly is able to defeat them. A couple however then erupts into dragon flame and showers her in deep, crimson flame.
She cleaves through some on it, with the rest bashing into her. She writhes in pain yet as the fire burns, greenish flames begin to overtake the crimson until they finally cancel each other out.
Selene growls at me, yet smiles, seemingly impressed. I snort at her, not really sure if I should accept it or not. I peer over again to see Marron and Piotr fighting, smiling as they seem more and more in sync. They flow perfectly together, with Marron reeling in her darts and strum her fingers along the threads, causing all those pierced by the darts to explode. Piotr shields her as a few are closer than she thought.
The feel of the battle has changed yet again. It’s lighter, as though leaving the deepest part of it. I watch at hundreds of magical bolts rain down from Norick’s bow, with Marie sniping the last of the big undead golems and other war machines our enemies may have brought. Lyra and Abigale join up with the pair, beating back a few would-be assassins. I smile that them all, happy to see them alive.
Overhead I see Tanith and Silvi flying together, with Asha a little higher, raining down hail and wind while having several of the larger dragons coiled tightly within her body. Ddraig and Ashlan finally burst through the defenses of the enemy clan leaders and engulf them in flame and lightning. The onyx dragons from my coven corral several more along with Tulther and Isolde.
Some of the coven adults start to crash into more and more people, yet it starts to feel yet again that battle is waning. Mr. Bigsby is still treating more and more wounded with Sarah and Mr. Eckerts now aiding him. Even Yukari and Kenji have fallen back to aid anyone they can find will House Titalos and Myl’thai.
I smile, peering to Selene. “This battle is over.”
I then hear the ground erupt as pillars of stone and crystal shoot upwards. I peer over as Henry directs them at Mistral. The girl is slammed and pelted, finally thrown to the ground. She coughs up blood as she glares daggers at him.
“How dare you strike at nobility you peasant,” she scowls.
He grins, leaping like a boxer and lands, getting into a stance. “The only ‘noble’ thing here is fighting with my friends and family. Besides, our Aria is way nobler than you. No one will ever get close to the Fox Princess of Colburn.”
Mistral growls, summoning ice from the water still on the ground and fires it at him. Henry slams his rock-covered hands together and summons a wall of stone to intercept them. He then punches it, causing to fall on to her.
Mistral naturally leaps back to dodge. Henry smirks, stomping his foot on the ground and causes crystals to emerge from the ground to form into a pyramid-like cage, trapping her inside. She lashes out, trying to escape only for Alexis to appear and throws Lana into the cage as well, with Henry closing it shut.
Alexis smirks, “Did you two know that certain crystals resonate well with sound, much like tuning forks?” The pair watches as she summons magic into palms and then claps, sending sound waves into the cage. It echoes and reverberates, causing Lana and Mistral to scream and yell until they collapse.
“Tch,” sounds Selene. “This isn’t over yet little girl, you will be joining your precious Serasfall soon enough.”
I stare at her, “You won’t escape death again.”
I know that one day I will, but not today. As I grip Astraea, I can still hear Serasfall’s warning about the other meaning behind my sword’s name, being that it belongs to the Greek goddess of justice. She warned that I shouldn’t become an avenger, seeking to right wrongs, be they personal or otherwise.
I glance over and Regulus finally remerges and resumes his fight with my mother. The pair are vicious, holding little back as if they are continuing their battle from the summer. Mom fends off his attacks and slowly begins to maneuver him around while Selene and I fight.
Regulus lashes out at Mom, seemingly enraged from how the battle has turned against him, possibly wishing to take her with him. Mom continues to blast him with magic, twirling her staff around, even smashing him the back of the back.
He growls, grabbing her head and tries to bring it to his knee. She however strikes him the gut with her fist, and follows up with another strike to the chin with her staff. With the brief distraction, Mom looks over to me and nods.
I nod and turn back to Selene as I flip away from her as she slashes with her rapier. I land and skid a bit to a halt. I stare at her, summoning huge torrents of ice and flame, far greater than in the start of the battle. I then flair out my tails, concentrating the torrents at each of the tips. I slow my breathing, using my sword as a focal point while the magic continue to coalesce. This is going to need one powerful bit of magic to succeed, to finish a fight started centuries ago.
I take one final breath and then Rush to her, the orbs orbit around me as I fly. I then fire the orbs at her. Each attack actually begins to lift her off of the ground and into the air. By the fifth and sixth attack, she’s hovering easily over thirty feet in the air. I then Rush into the air as the seventh attack hits her. I form sheets of ice around her as she hovers as the eighth and ninth finally strike her.
I appear above her and dive, plunging my sword deep into her chest, using another Rush slam her into the ground. As we make contact, I feel something like glass shattering.
She growls and grunts in pain. However…it all fades away as she smiles to me. “You truly are a daughter of Shyair. You bested me twice my little dear.” Her chest then ignites from the wound as the rest of her body starts to burn way.
“However,” she continues, “I still despise you, and this day shall not be yours.”
Her voice trails off as her body then completely turns to ash and blows away with the wind. I sigh softly, part of me is sad that she’s actually gone. If she hadn’t been as hateful and conniving as her family, would we have been something else? I really don’t know.
I pull out my sword and peer up just in time to see Regulus throw off my mother. His face filled with rage and loss as must’ve seen me deal with his beloved. He races towards me, sword raised and wrapped with felfire, burning hotter and darker than ever before.
Yet just before he reaches me, his foot steps onto a certain stone, one where I placed several of my tags under. Spiritual chains then erupt from the ground and ensnare him, slowly tightening their grip.
Mom then rushes over to restrain him as he struggles to free himself. Regulus growls and groans, viciously backhanding my mother as he breaks loose of one of the chains and fires a lance of pure, black magic at me.
I sit transfixed, simply staring at it. I really don’t know why I’m not moving to get out of the way. Maybe it’s because of how sudden it’s all happening or I just can’t move at all.
“Aria!!” I hear Marron scream. I feel her pushing me out of the way. As I twirl to the ground, I watch in slow motion as the lance pierces Marron. My eyes slowly grow wide as it happens, only for time to speed back up to normal and for Marron to be sent flying away.
“Marron!!!” I scream as I finally get up and rush to her.
Regulus snarls, “Damn, even when I have her within inches of death, I am yet again cheated.” He then grins darkly, “Yet now I will have at least have the satisfaction of granting her despair at the loss of yet another loved one.”
Mom snarls, eyes glowing bright purple as a magic circle forms around him. “You will never take anyone from her ever again you bastard.”
The circle glows a deep and bright red as sparks fly from the incantations held within. She then slams her staff onto the circle, engulfing him and massive pyre of flame. Regulus screams as his body is consumed, leaving nothing, not even a stain of ash on the stone.
My mother stands there for a moment, watching as the circle fades away before turning and rushing over.