Blue flames burst out of the serpent’s throat. They raged towards Lonan, who watched them approach nonchalantly. Their sheer heat turned the fine white sand into glass.
“Willow, no!” Arwen screamed. The protective resonance she cast to try and reach Lonan shifted, and enveloped Willow instead while the other girl slid and fell into the path of coming flames.
Water crashed from above, but it was too slow.
Watching it all unfold before him, Midhir felt as if time had slowed down to a crawl. All he could do was to watch helplessly. He was too far away to reach them, and too drained to cast yet another resonance. So he watched as the blue flames reached Lonan, and the water vaporised before it could touch them.
The historian shouted something, but his voice was lost in the roar of the flames. Something silver glimmered around him a split second before the flames could touch him. Like they had hit a wall, they rose upwards, circling up and around the historian.
A silver barrier, barely visible amidst the raging inferno protected Lonan. The flames roared past him, desperately trying to break through the barrier only to die out as the serpent finally reared its head and closed its mouth.
Lonan remained unharmed, standing on the only patch of sand amidst a plateau of glass.
A moment passed, frozen in time. The serpent’s hate filled gaze remained fixed on the historian, while Lonan brushed his hair back, glaring at the ancient creature they disturbed.
“Back to your-“ his words were cut off by a familiar screech.
The sound of flapping wings echoed around them as a raven flew past Arwen, brushed against the barrier she cast on Willow, and finally flew over Lonan towards the serpent.
A gasp escaped Arwen’s lips as her eyes opened wide. Her knuckles turned white from how much she squeezed her fingers around the shaft of her staff. “No, no…” her stunned voice was but a whisper as she shook her head in denial.
“A bird?” Willow asked as she pushed herself back on her feet.
Lonan seemed just as confused as her. He clenched the pendant hanging from the chain around his neck and staggered backwards. A wind blew his hair in front of his face, covering his eye.
The raven beat its wings, rising higher towards the serpent’s head. It let out another ear-piercing screech before diving down towards its eye.
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It was fighting the serpent. It wasn’t their enemy – not yet anyways. A fire of hope lit up in Midhir’s heart as the serpent’s attention shifted towards the raven.
It bit the air, and slammed its tail trying to catch the bird but to no avail. The bird continued to peck at its remaining eye.
He took a deep breath, summoning what strength he had left. “Alistair, help me out!” he shouted, then kicked the ground. He dashed towards the serpent, keeping an eye on its tail as it slammed the ground again and again, attempting to swat the raven out of the sky.
The ground shook with each slam, threatening to undo his balance as he slid on the glass surface. He saw Alistair out of the corner of his eye as he lifted his spear, the augment embedded into its shaft glowing brightly.
He reached within with his mind and pulled at the thread of power. He released it – all of it – into the sword-spear, knowing full well this was the only chance he was going to get. The blade of his weapon burst into white flames just as he reached the serpent.
Raising the weapon over his shoulder, he slashed downward with all the strength he could muster. The sound of metal hitting the creature’s hardened scales sounded, bringing his weapon to a stop. He staggered back, nearly losing his balance from the force of his attack rebounding. His eyes widened, and despair rose like a black tide as he saw the scales he hit hadn’t even sustained a scratch.
His mind thrust into disarray, he saw Alistair strike the creature’s body with his spear, followed by a large mass of water that mimicked the motions of his spear. His strike shook the creature, immediately drawing its attention.
It hissed, showcasing the row of sharp fangs in is mouth, and its slit tongue that a dark coloured liquid dripped off of. Its tail rose, preparing to strike Alistair as he struck the creature again.
Midhir clenched his fists. It wasn’t enough – they lacked the sheer power to penetrate its scales. He was well aware of what options that left them with.
“Try and it hits mouth!” He shouted at the young Orlein heir. The mouth and the eyes were the only two places not defended by those hardened scales. “Willow, help me-“ his voice trailed off as the raven landed on his shoulders, digging its claws into his flesh.
Before he could protest, or even try to shake the bird off of himself, he felt immense power welling up within him, like something was feeding him power. His eyes shot wide open as the world around him grew more vibrant. His racing heart calmed as his thoughts slowed down.
It felt as if time had slowed down to a crawl. Everything around him was happening so slowly. Even his own body felt sluggish compared to the immense power he was feeling.
It was so sweet, so… nourishing. It was all he could ever want. He needed nothing more than this. He wanted nothing more. He was whole. Nothing was a threat to him anymore. He felt at peace, there was nothing to fear, and nothing to strive for left.
A sharp voice pierced the sweet sensation of sheer power and reached his slowly vanishing mind.
“By the bond of blood and soul, I call upon powers beyond, Awaken!”
Crimson flames burst out of the blade as a sharp pain struck his left eye. A scream escaped his lips as his body moved on its own. He watched as if he was watching through someone else’s eyes as his body raised his arms and struck the serpent.
He watched in awe and shock as the blade cut through the hardened scales like a hot knife through butter. Blood caught fire as the serpent’s head, cut off from the neck, fell to the ground with a loud thud.