Alert, silver eyes scanned the expanse before her. Silent as ever, the assassin prowled through the foliage in search of her mark. She spotted the shadowy figure at the edge of the forest, facing an empty clearing. Leaping off of the branch, she landed in a crouch, soundlessly rising to her feet.
He turned around, as if he sensed her, but all she saw was darkness where his face should have been.
That's certainly the weirdest thing I've seen today.
He wore no clothes besides a tattered cloak. She couldn't make out any defined limbs, nor presence of a human body. All that it seemed to be made of was smoke and mirrors.
He's not real... Let's test that.
Silver eyes shone in the moonlight, and her daggers gleamed with the call of blood. They moved forward at the same time. Darting on her feet, she avoided his blow to her ribs, dancing away gracefully. She shifted her weight to her heels, coming off as curious to see how he would react.
Her head tilted demurely, the innocent action contrasting against the cold, calculating look in her eyes.
Suppressed fury was rolling off of him in waves, and although she didn't know why, she didn't need a reason. The long blade strapped to his back was reason enough.
You're mine.
The ring of steel being drawn made her blood turn to ice, but she coiled her body automatically, springing at him without hesitation. Broadsword and twin daggers clashed loudly, sending shockwaves blowing leaves off of the trees around them due to the force. They traded blow after blow, until she was pushed to the edge of the clearing due to his surreal strength.
It wasn't said out loud, but she knew if she stepped out of the makeshift arena, he would cut off her head.
Knowing she couldn't beat him by force alone, she tried to shove him off of her, mouth opening in a silent gasp as her hand went right through his body. She ducked underneath his arm the second he raised it up to deliver the final blow, rolling on her side with the impact, jumping up to her feet to process what just happened.
She didn't get a chance as he lunged for her again. Spinning away from his hand, she stayed low to the ground, but miscalculated how many steps she had taken.
Tipping back, she resisted the urge to scream as he grabbed her hair, reaching up to stab his arm in order to alleviate the pressure but her hand went right through him again. She shrieked as he dragged her into the center of the field, dropping her mercilessly on the dirt.
Calista scrambled away from him as he advanced, crying out in pain as he sliced her ankle while embedding his sword into the ground, keeping her pinned there.
Come on, come on, come on!! She chanted over and over in her head, desperately yanking at her pant leg, working to free herself when wind suddenly whipped harshly around her.
He was surrounded in a matter of moments on all sides. Warriors of black, yellow, green, white and blue brandished their weapons menacingly, simultaneously circling around him and separating the two at the same time.
Calista controlled her breathing, keeping it even despite how much her lungs burned from the exertion of fighting. The material gave out, ripping with the assistance of the sharpened metal and her jaw locked. She staggered to her feet on her own, refusing to show weakness as she glared at him through hardened steel eyes.
He matched her intensity with deadly accuracy.
The dragons and her brother moved at the same time, with a power that astounded her.
Jae-ha's normally pleasant features were contorted with barely concealed rage as he fell from the sky, passing right through the shadow. That didn't stop him as he glided forward gracefully, winding back to send three glinting knives soaring through the air.
But the blades didn't draw any blood.
Kija's expression was one she had never seen before. Full of hatred and malice, he rushed at his target, giving him all he had but it had no effect. Every strike was either countered or ignored, and the latter became much more often as the white dragon grew more and more frustrated.
He let his guard drop and in that split second he was pinned down, just as she was moments ago.
Recognizing it with alarm, she rushed toward him only to crumple to the ground as sharp pains shot up her ankle.
She didn't need to worry, though. Hak took her place, only his usually lightning quick reflexes were somehow slow and the sweat that dripped down his forehead showed just how much effort he was putting in. He was able to get the shadow to release Kija, and as the figure's sword swung at his head, it was blocked by another.
Shin-ah had engaged him, fighting with a fervor she had only seen one other time.
Back in Awa, right after he rescued her.
His jaw was clenched, white fur streaming out behind him as he pushed the figure to the edge of the clearing. One foot in front of another, he parried all of his attempts at inflicting harm, coming back at him with a strength that sent the shadow reeling. His consecutive strikes were fury-fueled and he wasn't letting up any time soon.
But that wasn't good. Even from far away she could see the adrenaline wearing off, and his arms trembled with the effort to keep up the brutal pace. But he was tiring.
Badly.
Calista's eyes widened for a split second as she spotted movement in the treetops and her body stiffened as she saw Yona go tumbling to the ground. Unaware of what had just happened, she sprinted over, not risking calling her name out in the open.
What is going on?!
Luckily, Yoon and Zeno had caught her, lowering her to the ground carefully with hushed whispers and frantic eyes from the youngest.
By now, the dragons were starting to show signs of unusually high fatigue.
This was a terrible idea. Why did I agree to help them with this? Why did I go along with this? Why didn't I try harder to stop them?
Calista only felt dread fill the pit of her stomach as the realization knocked the wind right out of her. The clumsy swings, the miscalculated attacks, the clear desire to protect her.
The fight was too emotionally charged. They were all going to get killed.
No.
She wouldn't allow it.
Zipping in front of Zeno's path, she grimaced as the hit intended for him hit her instead. She saw his blue eyes widen for a fraction of a second before they became tinged with resolve.
No. She mouthed, eyes going wide with fear. Don't.
But she knew he wasn't going to listen to her.
Before he could move and before she even had a chance to stop him, the sound of a skillet colliding with a skull split the heavy silence and they spun around to see Yoon, holding his pan that he had armed himself with before they left, over the shadow's head.
The shadow screeched in pain and in that moment, it clicked.
The shock of what he had just done, and that fact that it seemed to work stunned the group for a second too long.
He was heading straight for Yoon.
Calista flew forward at a speed that rivaled Hak's, letting out a battle cry as she dug her blades directly into the shadow's heart in a last ditch attempt to rid of him forever.
It screamed, the sound piercing the night air and shattering any semblance of peace that was left. Then, it burst into dust, tendrils of wispy smoke floating up into the sky as the abandoned cloak fluttered to the forest floor.
Hak and Jae-ha were leaning on each other for support, both noticeably winded, facial expressions etched in exhaustion. Yona was being tended to by Yoon and Kija was right behind him, cradling the burns on his right hand. Shin-ah tripped over his feet and his sword fell to the ground, discarded carelessly in his haste to get to Calista, who had collapsed to the ground. Zeno's baby blue eyes were contemplative, and deeply concerned.
As they caught their breath, worn hearts and bewildered eyes met hers and she shrugged helplessly, putting as much pressure on her wound as she could manage without passing out from the pain.
Her chest heaved, no longer hiding how much that battle had taken out of her now that the threat was gone and her silver eyes held nothing but baffled disbelief.
"I have absolutely no idea what just happened."