Samuel Ash

Chapter 37

Called Blood Bond

CHAPTER 37

The battleground shimmered with residual energy, a testament to the clash between light and dark. Dad lay unconscious, mercifully free of the tendril's grasp. Relief washed over me, quickly replaced by a gnawing fear. The entity's words echoed in my mind: "Embrace the darkness, child. It is your birthright!"

A horrifying possibility bloomed in my gut. Could the entity be right? Was there a darkness within me, a connection to this very enemy that had just ravaged the clearing? The thought made my skin crawl.

Elias, his face streaked with dirt and sweat, cautiously approached my father. "He's alive," he reported, relief lacing his gruff voice. "But drained. We need to get him back to town."

As we helped Dad to his feet, a tremor shook the clearing, sending a ripple of unease through us. Zoey gasped, pointing frantically to the shattered remnants of the red moon. A single shard, pulsing with an ominous red glow, detached itself and began plummeting towards the earth.

"It's heading for the town!" Leo cried, his voice tinged with panic.

My heart hammered against my ribs. The red moon held the power to empower the darkness, and that shard, falling right into the heart of Avalora City, could be catastrophic. We couldn't let it reach the town.

"We have to stop it!" I declared, already formulating a plan. "Leo, you can use the shard's darkness to deflect it. But be careful, don't let it consume you."

He nodded grimly, the desperation in his eyes mirroring my own. Together, we sprinted towards town, leaving Elias and Zoey to tend to my father.

Reaching the outskirts of Avalora City, we witnessed a scene of growing chaos. The townspeople, sensing the shift in energy, had taken to the streets, their faces etched with terror. The falling shard streaked across the night sky, a harbinger of doom.

Leo raised his hand, the pulsating scar on his palm growing brighter. He focused, channeling the shard's darkness to create a swirling vortex in the sky. The shard, drawn to the similar energy, changed course, hurtling towards Leo's vortex.

The air crackled with raw power as the shard collided with the vortex. A blinding flash erupted, throwing us both back several meters. Smoke and debris filled the air, obscuring the fate of the shard.

As the smoke cleared, a hush fell over the town. We held our breaths, staring upwards. Then, a collective sigh of relief rippled through the crowd. The shard was gone, vaporized by the clash of opposing energies.

We had won...again. But the victory felt tinged with a bitter aftertaste. Dad's possession, the entity's chilling words, the red moon's shard – all pointed to a deeper, more personal connection between me and the darkness.

As we rejoined Zoey and Elias, who had brought Dad to safety, a new question gnawed at me. Was I truly one of the guardians, or a potential pawn for the enemy to manipulate? The fight for Avalora City was far from over, and the most dangerous battle, it seemed, might be fought within myself.

The following morning, Dad lay in his bed, pale and weak. The residual darkness clinging to him had left him with fragmented memories – unsettling whispers, chilling visions. He spoke of a voice, powerful and seductive, promising him power beyond imagination. It was a chilling confirmation of our worst fears.

The townspeople, initially relieved by our victory, grew increasingly uneasy with the news of Dad's possession. Whispers of "tainted blood" and "harbinger of darkness" began to circulate. The once-adoring hero was now an ostracized figure, a walking reminder of the ever-present threat.

We, the guardians, became outcasts alongside him. The accusations stung, but we knew the truth: the darkness wouldn't discriminate. It would latch onto anyone with enough potential, and Dad's heroic past made him a prime target.

Zoey, ever the researcher, delved deeper into the Keepers' texts. Days turned into weeks, the only light emanating from the flickering candle beside her overflowing stack of scrolls. Finally, exhaustion etched onto her face, she emerged with a single, brittle page.

"It's called the Blood Bond," she rasped, her voice hoarse from disuse. "A rare connection some individuals with powerful anima can have with entities of darkness."

The revelation sent a shiver down my spine. Did that mean the entity was right? Was there a darkness within me, a dormant link waiting to be exploited?

The page offered a glimmer of hope. The bond, it claimed, could be severed – but at a terrible cost. The ritual required a conduit, an object imbued with the wielder's anima and the entity's essence. The problem: acquiring the essence without succumbing to its corrupting influence.

Our eyes fell on the shard Leo still clutched, a constant reminder of his own struggle. It held a fragment of the entity's power, a dangerous yet necessary ingredient. Leo, ever stoic, agreed to participate, his voice unwavering despite the tremor in his hand.

The ritual, detailed on the ancient page, was a chilling mix of incantations and intricate hand gestures. It required immense focus and a unwavering will. As we gathered around Dad, the air crackled with a nervous energy.

The ritual began. Zoey chanted, her voice a steady counterpoint to the growing darkness emanating from the shard. Leo, sweat beading on his forehead, fought to contain the shard's influence. I channeled my anima, its light a beacon amidst the swirling shadows.

Dad's body convulsed, a scream tearing from his throat. The entity, sensing its hold weakening, fought back with renewed vigor. Visions assaulted my mind, whispers promising power and control. I gritted my teeth, focusing on the love I felt for my father, the image of his kind smile fueling my resolve.

The struggle was agonizing. Time seemed to stretch and distort as we battled the entity's influence. Just as exhaustion threatened to overwhelm us, a blinding light erupted from the shard. The entity shrieked, a sound of pure agony.

The light subsided, revealing a drained but conscious Dad. The darkness was gone, replaced by a weary confusion. Relief washed over me, sweet and potent. We had succeeded, but at a cost. The shard, once pulsating with malevolent energy, lay inert, its power spent. Leo collapsed, the ordeal taking its toll.

Looking at my father, free but weakened, I knew our fight wasn't over. We had severed the Blood Bond, but the entity still lurked in the shadows, its whispers echoing in my mind. The prophecy of the red moon and the connection it hinted at remained a chilling mystery.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the land, I knew the darkness wouldn't stay dormant forever. We had won a battle, but the war was far from over. And this time, the next attack might not be so easily deflected. The question gnawed at me: was I strong enough to resist the darkness within, or would it eventually claim me, turning me into the very enemy I swore to fight?