Blood Will Tell

XX

Shadows flooded the field with full force, and there seemed to be no stopping them: the water wielders couldn't freeze them, the shield summoners couldn't crush them with force fields, and hardly anyone else was putting up a fight. Whatever solid weapon they hurled at the beasts phased through their intangible bodies. Only shadow magicians like Fallon seemed to stand a chance, but even they were having a hard time—their shadow creatures were small and scarce compared to the silhouettes they were fighting.

Edin stood paralyzed as his gaze lingered on the darkness. A memory forced itself into his mind; it all flooded back to him: wickedness swirling around him like ink in water, cold air around him sucking out all heat from his body, a sky so dark that it dissolved all moonlight. Past Edin widened his eyes in fear—he could not see anything, let alone his enemies!

So he did the only thing he could think of: set the world alight.

Past Edin spread fire everywhere and tossed lightning bolts left and right. The shadows shrunk into nothingness as he battled them, even if they didn't get hit—a blaze bright enough could burn them to oblivion with its mere rays.

Rays... Light... Light! Of course!

Edin jumped back into the present with a spark in his eyes. Sapphire flames arose from his palms and enwreathed his sword. He charged into the battlefield. A wave of black rolled towards him as he closed in on the sea of silhouettes.

He swung his sword.

Fwoosh!

Whitish-blue fire blazed through the beasts, leaving a valley in the expanse of darkness.

"It's light!" Edin shouted, his eyes searching for the guardians. "Light expels darkness!"

He stared back at the sea of black. Some beasts were already fleeing from him. He wouldn't let them.

Edin sucked in air, then set the world on fire.

The sound of ashes and screeches pierced the scorched air as his flames swallowed up the shadows.

Edin only burned brighter, swaying his sword to spread his flames. Violent azure hounded darkness and devoured it with delight.

The next moments were a passing blur—fire swelling, engulfing swathes of obsidian, seas of searing blue drowning out cold black. The shadows' harsh cries fueled Edin's flames and his desire to purge, purge, purge! His blade and obedient blaze showed no mercy.

When it seemed that all the shadows had vanished, Edin lowered his blade and called the flames back into his body. Darkness enveloped the world once more, except this time, it was a more familiar kind, one that clothed the night with a warm tenderness.

Edin paused to take a long glimpse of the battlefield. The emergency shield was yet to be taken down, and his fellow gifteds were staring at him with mouths agape. He glanced at the ground. All the soil around him had been charred to a coal-like resemblance, and he could not see a single blade of grass left intact even in the distance. How far did his fire reach?

"Edin?"

He cocked his head to the left. Fallon was jogging to his side, her face still half-paralyzed with shock.

"Fallon, are you alright?"

"I'm alright," she said. "It's just that I... I... you took an entire army down singlehandedly."

"I did?"

"Yeah. You got here and started burning everything, and you didn't need our help, so"—her voice lowered at this point—"we just stopped."

Edin fidgeted. "Uh, how's Rowan doing?"

"He's healing the others. I can take you to him."

She turned her back and marched. Edin followed her. The emergency shield faded away while they paced toward the post, and as they neared it, the reality of the damage he caused sunk further into his mind. The only areas spared from his ravenous fire lay near where the shield was. Edin focused his gaze on the post. A handful of guardians lay on makeshift beds, their clothes torn like Rowan's, as healers mended their bodies. The rest were already driving off.