Between The Realms

Eighteen

                         Atticus

   

    Demise Of The General Of Malice.

I wrapped my shadow around Malakk's ankles, momentarily immobilizing him. "You think your insignificant shadow magic is enough to keep me from plunging my blade through your heart?" He roared, using his energy to slice through the shadows. 

Suddenly there was a bright golden light to my left where I'd seen Sera in battle with an equally terrifying female demon with a giant scythe. Our battle momentarily forgotten, Malakk and I stared blankly at the light until it faded leaving a 13-foot dragon of pure golden light before us. 

There was a fear in Malakk's eyes that wasn't there before. A fear so at odds with his current appearance that he could've fooled me. I knew better of course. I took advantage of Sera's distraction and used it to my advantage. I stepped into my shadows, a skill I'd recently picked up during training with Sera.

The empty murky darkness was another realm entirely different from the comforting darkness of the Junar Empire. I had dubbed it the 'Shadow Realm'. Of course, my new ability did need a name after all. How this ability worked was to move from one place to another I had to imagine my destination and pour magic power into it. A massive hole appeared, inside was a way into the real world.

I jumped through and materialized behind Malakk, his gaze still on the golden dragon. Which meant he didn't notice me shadow travel. I summoned all my magic powers into Argentum, wreathing the blade in my darkest and coldest shadows, shadows that promised a quick but gruesome end. I plunged my blade into his back, cutting through his armor like butter. I twisted and pulled sending black blood splattering across the battlefield.

Malakk roared in pain as black blood poured from the gaping wound. When I'd first manifested my powers I had zero control and sent my deadliest shadows across the castle canceling out the fairy lights and plunging the entire castle into thick darkness. I hadn't yet developed the inborn ability to see in the dark so I had tripped over something in my room and it broke.

I had tried to clean it up but with my eyesight momentarily impaired I cut myself. The cold dark black and blue shadows had found their way into my tiny wounds and it felt like my hands were freezing from the inside out. That's when I knew I had to control both my emotions and my powers. So I know to a certain extent the pain Malakk is going through right now. But a deep and sinister part of me relished in his agony and I loathed myself for it.

"Y...you dare wound me! When I recover I'll crush you like the v...vermin you are!" He said stammering through the pain. Suddenly there was a burst of white and gold energy and I turned to look. Where the bug-like demon stood was a smoldering pile of golden ash. I turned back to Malakk, smiled, and said in the most cold and lifeless voice I could muster "You come to my kingdom threaten my people and destroy my walls, and have the nerve, the audacity to think you're leaving with your life. For a demon you sure are stupid." 

I took Argentum wreathing it in shadow and recited the carving on the blade,
'By the power of the moon demons shall wither to dust.' The blade glowed silver and blue combining with my shadow energy, and I shoved my blade through his disgusting demonic heart with a sickening squelch. Malakk screamed for a split second before it died in his throat as his entire body crumbled to dust and the cool midnight air whisked it away. I grinned to myself sheathing my blade.

Without the power of the general to keep them alive all the demons that had appeared with Malakk crumbled as well leaving a sickly sweet scent. I looked at Sera, her white and silver downy wigs tucked neatly against her back. She stared back, an eyebrow slowly raised. " You ok." She asked, her gray eyes searching mine. I nodded and gave her a wink. "I'm not sure how Father's going rebuild this wall though. By the way, how'd you summon that dragon earlier?" I ask, noticing how much shorter she was than me considering her awakening should've given her at least a few more inches on me.

She tapped the dragon tattoo on her neck its body curling beneath her shirt. I wondered if It encompassed her entire back. "Ohh, I remember reading about the signet of the Lightbearer race. How they can summon hard light projections into the physical world."I said, rubbing the tiny scars from the shadow accident during my early childhood.

"My signet ability wasn't the usual Shadow Weaver ability. Instead of an animal or monster, I'd developed the ability called the shadows of death where the angrier I am the colder my shadows. It was later in life when I realized I was the only one who had both the shadows and the ability to travel inside the Shadow Realm." I explained the memory bringing up the first time I stumbled into the Shadow Realm and the months I spent learning how to travel through it. Sera just nodded her expression solemn.