SWNOVELS Chapter 78
Fenris approached, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “He made his choice,” he said gently. “Now we need to make sure it wasn’t in vain.”
Aelindra nodded, her expression grim but determined. “The nexus point awaits. We have a world to save.”
Taking a deep breath, Lyra squared her shoulders and faced the portal. With a final look at her companions, she stepped forward into the unknown, the fate of their world hanging in the balance.
***
The nexus point pulsed with an otherworldly energy, casting an eerie glow over Lyra, Fenris, and Aelindra as they stepped through the shimmering portal. The air crackled with magic, thick and oppressive, making each breath a laborious task.
They found themselves in a vast, cavernous space that seemed to defy the laws of physics. Floating islands of rock hung suspended in a void of swirling shadows and pulsing light. Streams of pure magical energy flowed between the islands, forming an intricate network of power.
“By the ancient spirits,” Aelindra breathed, her eyes wide with wonder and fear. “What is this place?”
Lyra’s grip tightened on her staff as she scanned their surroundings. “The heart of the nexus, I’d imagine. The place where all realities intersect.”
Fenris growled low in his throat, his hackles raised. “I don’t like this. There’s too much power here, too much potential for things to go wrong.”
As if in response to his words, the shadows around them began to writhe and coalesce. Dark tendrils snaked across the ground, reaching out towards the trio with malevolent intent.
“Look out!” Lyra shouted, throwing up a barrier of light magic just as the shadows struck. The two forces collided in a spectacular display of power, sending shockwaves through the cavern.
Aelindra loosed a volley of arrows, each shaft glowing with elven enchantments. They pierced the writhing mass of shadows, eliciting unearthly shrieks of pain.
“We need to find the source of these portals and shut them down,” Lyra called out, her voice strained as she maintained the protective barrier. “Fenris, can you scout ahead? Your senses might pick up something we can’t see.”
The werewolf nodded, shifting into his lupine form with fluid grace. He bounded forward, weaving between the attacks of the shadow creatures with supernatural agility. As Fenris disappeared into the twisting landscape of the nexus, Lyra and Aelindra fought to hold their ground. The onslaught of shadows seemed endless, each tendril they destroyed replaced by two more.
“This isn’t working,” Aelindra grunted, her quiver rapidly emptying. “We’re just reacting, not making any progress.”
Lyra’s mind raced, searching for a solution. Her eyes fell on one of the streams of magical energy flowing between the floating islands. “Those energy streams,” she said, a plan forming. “If we can redirect them, maybe we can use them against the shadows.”
Understanding dawned in Aelindra’s eyes. “Like a river changing course. But how do we-”
Her words were cut off by a bone-chilling howl that echoed through the cavern. Lyra’s heart clenched with fear. “Fenris,” she whispered.
Without hesitation, Lyra dropped the barrier and sprinted in the direction of the howl, Aelindra close on her heels. They leapt from island to island, dodging shadow tendrils and navigating the ever-shifting landscape of the nexus.
They found Fenris locked in combat with a monstrous shadow beast, easily twice the size of any they’d encountered before. The werewolf’s fur was matted with blood, both his own and the inky black ichor of his opponent.
Lyra raised her staff, ready to unleash a blast of light magic, but Aelindra caught her arm. “Wait,” the elf cautioned, her keen eyes narrowed. “Look closer.”
Forcing herself to pause, Lyra studied the scene before her. The shadow beast’s form was fluctuating, sometimes appearing solid and monstrous, other times fading into a vaguely humanoid shape. And at its core, barely visible through the writhing darkness, was a familiar face.
“Veridian,” Lyra gasped, her blood running cold. “But how? We saw him sacrifice himself…”
“The nexus must have transformed him,” Aelindra theorized, her voice grim. “Corrupted him with shadow essence.”
Before they could formulate a plan, Fenris was thrown backward by a powerful blow. He hit the ground hard, reverting to his human form with a pained groan.
The shadow beast that had once been Veridian turned its attention to Lyra and Aelindra. When it spoke, its voice was a horrifying blend of Veridian’s familiar tones and something altogether alien.
“Lyra, my dear apprentice,” it purred, the sound sending shivers down her spine. “How kind of you to join us. Have you come to embrace the true power of the shadow realm at last?”
Lyra stepped forward, her staff raised defensively. “Veridian, what happened to you? This isn’t what you wanted!”
The creature laughed, a sound like shattering glass. “Oh, but it is. I’ve transcended the limitations of mortal flesh. I am become shadow itself, and soon, all of Aether will join me in glorious darkness.”
As it spoke, tendrils of shadow shot out, wrapping around Fenris before he could fully regain his feet. The werewolf snarled in pain as the darkness began to seep into his skin.
“No!” Lyra cried out, unleashing a burst of light magic. It struck the shadow tendrils, severing their connection to the main mass, but the damage had already been done. Fenris collapsed to the ground, his body wracked with convulsions as shadow and light warred within him.
Aelindra engaged the shadow beast, her enchanted arrows keeping it at bay while Lyra rushed to Fenris’s side. She cradled his head in her lap, her heart pounding with fear.
“Fenris, stay with me,” she pleaded, pouring healing magic into him. But the shadow corruption resisted her efforts, spreading through his veins like poison.