Betrayal and Trust Part II (different writer) - AU fanfic

Unleashed.

Then he was hit by a blast of what felt like real lightning. Varian groaned and flinched, but didn't let go of the rock. With effort, he opened his eyes to meet Cassandra's death glare.

She had stood up again, and her murderous eyes were completely glazed over with a bright blue light. The moonstone was pulsating rapidly, in sync with her heartbeat.

The war in her head was over.

The physical war was about to begin.

Just like she had always done before attacking, Cassandra raised her hands and focused on building up power inside her. Power to strike. Power, to kill.

But she couldn't.

Was it a shred of compassion that stopped her? Did she still want to spare the boy?

No.

The voice in Cassandra's head was clear. If the boy won't join you, get rid of him. And so she did. Or rather, tried.

Instead of the feeling she was used to, the wild power coursing through her veins that she told herself she could completely control, it was emptiness that filled her.

The energy wasn't coming, it was leaving her, strengthening Varian! Choosing a small child over her, over the skilled warrior who had fought for this and possessed the moonstone! Cassandra was second-best once again, despite her best efforts.

Enraged, Cassandra attempted to summon the black rocks with all the force she had left. She directed them all towards Varian.

The glowing rocks sprouted up all around her, but instantly turned black and froze in place. Panting, Cass fell to her knees. The effort was draining her, but she wouldn't give up.

Meanwhile, Varian was struggling to keep control. Whenever Cassandra attacked him, the power she unleashed upon him left her, and came to him. Like he was a magnet. When he saw her fall to the ground, he shouted: "Cassandra! Please, stop fighting! I... I can't stop this! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

This only earned Varian a vicious glare. "NEVER!" She growled.

Time to end this.

With all vigour and cruelty she could muster, Cassandra directed her murderous thoughts on one rock, that was already there.

She only needed to make it grow five inches.

Unable to move, Varian was still kneeling in the same position. His eyes went wide as he realized what Cass was doing.

The rock he was holding started to shake, and then slowly began to grow again.

It was an uneven battle.

Though Varian had an immense power at his disposal, he had no clue how to wield it. And his fear was no match for the vicious willpower Cassandra displayed when she commanded that one rock to grow, to end this.

To pierce a heart that, apparently, still wasn't broken enough yet to see the truth.

Varian could only watch in terror as the rock suddenly shot up...

Tore his shirt...

Touched the skin beneath it...

And then he suddenly regained control of his muscles. He let go.

This time, the resulting shock wave was so big it almost caused another landslide. Huge boulders came crashing down from the rock walls around them, luckily not hitting anyone.