Awaken (Hermitcraft Fanfiction)

XXV. Climactic Collapse

TW: fighting, injuries, abused, blood, mentions of death

Pearl glared at all seven of the remaining council. Her resentful scowl deepened as she shifted her sword in her fingers, finding the perfect grip. Their smug, impassive, and indifferent faces were yet another source of rage as she opened her wings slightly. Morpheus chuckled, and she spun to face them, sword raised.

"Yes," they said, "I have full confidence in this stage."

Xalyn cleared their throat, vaulting over the desk into the pit. Their regal robes flapped in the wind as they beat their coal-black wings, making them seem like a shadow emerging from the wall. They drew a long, obsidian broadsword, the hilt long enough for a double-handed grasp.

"If a fight is what you desire, a fight is what you shall receive." They noticed the dagger sheathed at her belt. "I look forward to slaying you as I have slain Zeroc. You share his foolishness; I am surprised you have survived this far in your reckless decisions."

"Shall we?" Pearl growled, the intensity of energy swelling until it was devoid of light, completely under her control.

Xalyn smiled joylessly, amused by her rash bravery. "We shall."

A shadow took over the room. Pearl dipped into the magic, forcing it to show Xalyn's location. She ducked, feeling the wind from the blade as it whistled through the air by her right shoulder. She struck blindly, unsure of their position. Their blades glanced against each other as Xalyn deflected her easily. They ran behind her silently, dragging a bone-cold finger down her neck. She jabbed her sword backward, catching their voluminous cloak and tearing through it like butter.

Fear began to dig its claws into her as she recognized she was completely blind to both hearing and sight. She had no source of orientation save for gravity and the subtle wisps of wind caused by Xalyn's sweeping cloak and moving wings. She jammed her sword into the ground, summoning an army of spikes to fly through the air and tear into any matter they could find. She heard Xalyn hiss and yanked her sword out of the ground.

Her blade found their flesh, weakening their mental control and allowing her to lock on to their energy. She used her newfound greyscale sight to deal a convoluted combination on her opponent. They blocked her smoothly, allowing her to waste her energy before countering. A pulse of black magic ended her combination, throwing her against the wall.

Xalyn paced like a lion watching its prey. The shadow receded as they allowed the council to view her humiliation. They enjoyed the return of their plaything, a perfect toy to bait, play with, and destroy. Her tricks bounced off their centuries of experience like players off slime, shooting back in calculated arcs designed for damage. She had yet to take a physical hit, but the insult that she was being portrayed as a fool tore her remaining emotions to shreds.

Pearl felt nothing but roaring anger. Anger that roared at the skies, begging to be released from the corked bottle in her chest. It burned, scalding hot as it boiled over. She hated being a mere piece in Xalyn's game of chess, moving in response to their checks and pins. Her final pieces, her friends, were gone. She was the queen set on revenge, ready to throw herself at the opposition. She had to ensure her king and mentor was avenged.

Pearl flooded the room. The shadow blocked and absorbed every ray of light, plunging them into darkness. She latched onto Xalyn's energy signature and refused to relinquish her grip. Energy erupted as she twisted the magic into spires, sending them plunging into her opponent. They disappeared like a drop of water into a pond: undetectable.

She erased the shadow, scanning the area for them. She knew they would not perish without a true battle to the death, one where both parties stood on more-or-less equal grounds.