It was so easy to slip back into the trap. The voices called for him, saying they could help him, that he didn't need to put himself through this.
Again.
Conjure, shape, control. Those were the three steps he made for himself.
Step one. He grew a clump of black crystals, which appeared in his hand.
Step two. He envisioned sharp blades, the kind the Dusks used, dancing through the air. He felt the crystals change shape in his hand, growing longer, thinner, sharper.
Step three. He squinted at the target thirty feet away. He hurled the shard at the target. It flew through the air uncertainly (he was no knife thrower), but then stabilized. It buried itself in the wood with a satisfying shk.
Everything needs to move faster.
He grew a clump, and imagined sharp knives. He sent one flying through the air-
It plunged to the ground.
Sombra peered down at the crystal. It was a knife, yet not quite a knife. Somewhere between the circular clump and the thin blade, as if it was confused. Puzzled at its very identity.
I need to get better at shaping.
So he practiced. Growing clumps. Molding them into various objects. Knives. Crowns. Jewelry. Pens. The objects increased in size. Chairs. Tables.
Things were being formed in rapid succession, and quickly filling up the room. The windows were blocked from the sheer number of creations.
He slumped into one of the chairs panting, but satisfied.
It had been three weeks since the Dusks had broken Celestia out of his prison. He hadn't bothered going after them; Celestia simply wasn't worth the trouble. Besides, he knew exactly why they had taken her.
They want to take Luna away from you, the voices chided in his head. They want to take away your beautiful queen. They want to destroy you.
But she hadn't left him, and she never would.
What makes you so sure about that? The voices taunted, all of them snickering unanimously.
"Shut up!" He screamed.
A sharp crystal grew, and he hurled it into the target, cracks splintering across the top of it. The whole thing shuddered with the movement. He threw another. Relishing the way the target shuddered, as if it feared him.
With one last blade wedged in what remained of the wood, the whole thing cracked and tumbled to the ground.
******
"People are just targets, in a way," he told Luna as they made their way over to a meeting room, three hours later.
"If people are just targets, why do you care so much about me?" She asked coolly, fingering the necklace she wore. He had made it specifically for her, to prevent any magic use, minus basic convenience spells.
"You may be the target, but the arrow that hits it is my heart," Sombra replied, gently taking hold of her hand. I'm horrible at flirting. Why did I say that? She probably thinks I'm an idiot-
He didn't get the chance to hear her reply.
Bang! A deafening explosion shook the castle. Little bits of plaster fell from the wall, and the room quaked from the impact. It must have come from the throne room, which they had been in minutes before.
The ground split open as Sombra rapidly grew a wall of crystal to shield him and Luna.
"It's the Dusks," she said promptly. "They used these bombs during the massacre."
"Who specifically?" He dug deeper as they tread out from behind the wall. He lightly pushed her behind him.
"Specter or Ebony," Luna guessed.
My reaction time just needs to be faster than both of them. Crystals in each hand, ready to be shaped into whatever he needed-
Sure enough, it was Specter Dusk. He seemingly leaped out of nowhere, brandishing a katana and pinning it to Luna's throat. "Move and I'll kill her."
Sombra froze when he saw the thin trail of blood running down Luna's neck. None of his abilities would come in useful. Specter had the advantage of close proximity; his sword would slit Luna's throat before any of Sombra's abilities would touch him.
The vampire prince smirked with amusement. "Who knew it was that easy," he chuckled. "All it takes is one girl to bring you to your knees."
We can help you. The shadows whispered in hushed flurries.
He could very well use dark magic, but the last time he'd done that, he'd hurt Luna. And, he'd be bedridden for days. Anyone could use that as an opportunity to kill him.
Specter drew more blood.
That bastard. How dare he.
An idea came to Sombra's mind. It was risky, but he was running out of time.
Luna's black crystal necklace-the one that stopped her from using magic-fell to the ground. It echoed on the marble floor.
In the short time that Specter's eyes flitted to the necklace, Luna shot a stun spell at him. A thin beam of blue hit the katana next, and it flew into her hand.
She pointed it at the now incapacitated Specter, crumpled awkardly on the ground. Luna turned her head back to look at Sombra.
"We shouldn't kill him. He has information we can use," he decided.
"Isn't this too easy?" Luna asked. "The Dusks aren't stupid."
"It's probably a decoy," Sombra agreed. They waited, back to back. Luna's finger glowing blue, her eyes sharp with focus. He thought she was the most beautiful when she was thinking.
His hands hovered over his chest as he grew a black crystal breastplate. He created a full set of armor for himself. He would make Luna a set too, but it would hinder her magic ability.
A throwing star sliced through the air, nothing but a silver blur. Luna gasped and it froze in the air, suspended by her telekinesis. The throwing star seemed to push back with its own force.
"Nereza! Time manipulation!" Luna barely managed to call out.
Another throwing star flew. Then another. And another.
One. Two. Three. Sombra grew another wall of black crystal from the ground, sighing in relief as all the throwing stars lodged in it.
Out of the corner of his eye, Specter's katana came at him at full speed, before it was stopped by Luna.
Then a peculiar thing happened. The sword jolted forward, the tip close to grazing Sombra's neck.
His body screamed at him to move, to get out of the way, but he was frozen. No matter how much he tried, he couldn't.
Specter Dusk's eyes glowed red with his ability. Mind control, one of the most prized abilities in the Duskan Empire.
The sword jerked back and forth, Luna's telekinesis and Nereza's time manipulation locked in a mental battle. Everything was tense, from his muscles to his breathing to the room's atmosphere.
What broke that tension was a throwing star headed straight for Luna's chest.
It seemed to happen in slow motion. The throwing star was inches away from hitting Luna. She lunged, grabbing him around the waist as the katana cut through the air, taking off strands of Luna's hair.
Suddenly Sombra had hit the ground, the left side of his body in pain from where he fell.
Luna dragged him to his feet, and he handed her her sword.
Nereza came at him this time. The clump of crystals in his hand grew wider, smoother, until it somewhat resembled a shield. It caught one throwing star, then another.
He quickly glanced to his left to see where Specter and Luna were-
And within that second, Nereza had appeared behind him, whirled him around, and delivered an elbow to his forehead.
Blood gushed into his eyes and down his neck, blocking his vision. A bout of nausea nearly overtook him. Instinctively, he created a crystal dome around himself. He ripped off a piece of his shirt, hastily wiping the blood away from his face and tying the fabric around his forehead.
Outside, he could hear bangs on the crystal. And swearing. Lots of swearing.
A series of noises came from his far right, and all the sounds were from Luna: the rip of her dress, the clash of her sword against Specter's-
She was trying to reveal her location to him! Specter was surely nearby, dueling her in close proximity. Checkmate.
Sombra gritted his teeth, closing his eyes in concentration.
The crystal dome burst apart, black shards burying itself in various parts of the room. Nereza, who was flying six feet above, had the crystals around her poised in midair. Luna had conjured a magic shield that gave the room a ghastly blue glow.
Though both were bleeding from various places, Specter was by far the worst. For all the power that he had, his ability had rendered him useless.
Sombra sent a special wave of black crystals flying towards Specter's dominant hand, where magic was channeled from.
The roar that erupted from him was not unlike that of an animal. His eyes glowed scarlet, but they sputtered helplessly; a light about to go out.
Specter tried fruitlessly to activate his ability, with no success. The vampire prince scowled at him, his eyes screaming that he would pay.
The shadows around him praised him. Good, good. We think you can take it farther, don't you agree?
Sombra drove the crystals deeper, deeper, deeper. Specter's howls seemed to satisfy him in a way nothing else ever had before.
Part of his consciousness was screaming at him to stop. But it felt so good. Remember how the war they waged killed your brother? Remember how they hurt Luna? Remember how they destroyed you?
Nereza's eyes were glowing, Luna was yelling something at him. He was deaf to both as he focused on Specter's anguished screams.
We've taken you to the top. You like the feeling, don't you?
And he nodded. He loved the feeling of how powerless everyone else was. No one could defeat him. Not even Luna. He controlled love, not the other way around.
"You're-a-monster," Specter wheezed.
"You're the one that created me," Sombra growled, before smiling sadistically."You're right. I am a monster. The difference between you and me is..." Deeper, deeper. "I embrace it."
"How does it feel?" He asked mockingly, driving another crystal through Specter's hand. The tip stuck out of his palm.
"You'll pay for this," Specter forced out. "You'll pay for it with the blood of your queen. Just you wait."
And with that, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.
Sombra stumbled back, drained from his outburst of magic. The black crystals in the air clattered to the ground.
What have I done?
Nereza's eyes were glowing red. Her fangs seemed to sharpen, and she let out a dangerous hiss.
"HOW COULD YOU?! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO MY BROTHER?" She demanded. There were traces of hurt in her eyes.
Fangs bared, she leapt at him with a force he had never seen before. Hands locked around his throat, she tackled him brutally to the floor.
Animal Mode, the most dangerous state to find a vampire in. He remembered reading.
Luna shot a stun spell at Nereza, but her ability froze it and sent it ricocheting back. With a swift motion, Luna raised her black crystal sword, which absorbed the spell.
Nereza was already well-muscled, and Animal Mode seemed to amplify her strength. Sombra could already feel the side effects of using so much magic affecting his body; he felt so weak, so tired. His attempts to fend off her attacks were lackluster.
She slashed, hit, kicked. It was obvious she wanted to drag it out.
Luna knew enough not to get close to the vampire princess. Please, Luna. Hurry up! He thought, gritting his teeth against the pain. She gave him a nod, mouthing "close your eyes!"
Sombra winced as white-hot pain exploded from his temples. Through squinted eyes, he saw that the room was glowing so bright he couldn't see Nereza.
A pained shriek followed, and the weight on him lessened. Vampires are very sensitive to bright light.
He scrambled to his feet, wiping blood out of his face. The light faded. All three of them were weak and injured to various degrees.
We can take her down. He thought, but all he could manage was a small crystal shard. It shattered to pieces before it even hit Nereza.
Luna was bent over and clutching her side, blood seeping out of a wound. Her breathing was ragged. Nereza lay on the ground in a fetal position, her hands covering her head. It was as if she was permanently stuck in the moment the light spell was cast.
He himself felt worn out and weary, like he hadn't slept in ages.
Nereza raised her head and gave one last feral hiss at him. Her eyes darted back to Specter, as if hoping to take him too. But she shook her head weakly, wiped away a tear, and flew out a broken window.
His vision grew dimmer and dimmer. He thought he saw Luna spread her wings and follow Nereza, but he couldn't be sure.
****
Hours later, Sombra felt much better. He had bathed, eaten, and started healing his wounds. Most importantly, Specter was locked up securely in the dungeons.
Sombra entered the throne room. The servants had cleaned up nicely. An icy draft still blew through the shattered window, which was not yet fixed.
Despite that annoyance, the room was exquisite. An elaborate red carpet. Dark obsidian floors and walls. A tall throne carved from black crystal, furnished with blood-red garnets and silver.
He stared longingly at the one next to it. It was slightly smaller, but also black. Embellished with rare blue and silver gems, he had had it made just for Luna. The Nightmare Queen, they now called her. He had never been more proud.
Don't leave me. I can't do this without you.
There was nothing more he needed to do. So in the meanwhile, he sat on his throne, awaiting his queen's return.
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