Aldin emerged from the swirling vortex of the portal; his figure momentarily silhouetted against the dimming twilight that seeped through the windows. The room, vast and shadowy, seemed to stretch endlessly before him. Luna hastened out after him, her breaths coming in short, sharp gasps, her eyes darting around as she took in their surroundings.
“Why’s it so dark?” Aldin’s voice, firm yet tinged with unease, pierced the stillness that hung like a shroud over the room.
“Mom?” Luna’s voice, laced with a mix of hope and fear, rose into the air, only to be devoured by the thickening darkness, leaving no echo in its wake.
“Where is everyone?” Aldin’s query lingered unanswered, adding to the growing tension that filled the space between the sparse furnishings.
A sudden creak, loud and ominous, reverberated from the wooden floor beneath them, causing Luna to startle and instinctively seek the reassurance of Aldin’s proximity.
“Who’s there?” Her inquiry quivered in the air, betraying a hint of her inner trepidation.
From the upper landing, a shape materialized, its contours vague and indistinct, framed by the scant light that outlined the doorway. A chilling sound, reminiscent of nails dragging across a hard surface, resonated from the shadows above. Positioned back-to-back, Aldin and Luna surveyed the chamber with heightened vigilance, their senses alert to any sign of movement.
Abruptly, illumination flooded the room as the lights flared on, banishing the darkness and unveiling a gathering of strangers encircling them. Their expressions ranged from curiosity to malice, their intentions unreadable.
“What the…” Luna’s exclamation hung suspended; her astonishment evident as she took in the sea of unfamiliar faces.
“Welcome home,” intoned one of the figures, his voice smooth and mocking as he advanced. “We’ve been waiting. Not much company, but we entertained ourselves.”
“What do you want?” Aldin’s demand cut through the air, his stance defensive, his senses on high alert for any sign of hostility.
“Ah, to the point. Good.” The man’s eyes sparkled with a predatory light as he closed the distance between them. “We’re here for you. These people,” he waved dismissively, “can’t unlock your potential. But my master can. He regrets the… misunderstanding and extends his offer of assistance.”
Aldin’s thoughts raced, his mind grappling with the implications. “Why would I accept help from someone who tried to kill me?”
“You don’t have a choice,” the man’s voice turned icy, his demeanor shifting to one of veiled threats. “You’ll meet the master, and he’ll decide…”
A whisper, soft and insistent, brushed against Aldin’s consciousness, a symbol materializing in his mind’s eye. Breathe, draw the symbol, release. Tell Luna to duck.
“…if you’re worth keeping,” the man finished with a sneer.
“No thanks,” Aldin responded, his voice steady, betraying none of the adrenaline coursing through him. He drew a deep breath, sketched the arcane symbol in the air with a practiced motion, and exhaled sharply. “Get down, Luna.”
At his command, Luna dropped to the floor, an instant before a dazzling radiance erupted, sweeping across the room like a tidal wave. The strangers’ cries of terror and agony filled the air as they were engulfed by the light, their forms disintegrating into mere wisps of ash. When the light receded, Aldin and Luna remained, the sole survivors amidst the devastation.
Luna’s gaze was wide, her breath hitched in the newfound silence that enveloped the room.
“Unbelievable,” she murmured, her voice a fragile whisper in the aftermath of the chaos.
“How did you manage…?” Her question faded into the stillness as another moan, this one laden with anguish, resonated through the empty corridors.
“I… I just knew the symbol,” Aldin confessed, his bewilderment a mirror of Luna’s own.
“That’s… incredible,” Luna began, but her words were cut short by another groan, this one nearer, more agonized, as if the very walls themselves were lamenting their fate.
“What on earth was that?” Aldin’s muscles tensed, ready to spring into action, as his gaze swept across the room, cutting through the shadows like a blade.
“I’m not sure. Let’s go see,” Luna whispered back, her voice steady but low. They moved together, each step deliberate, the old floorboards creaking under their weight, echoing the tension in the air.
As they stepped into the kitchen, the groaning sound grew louder, more desperate, vibrating through the air and setting their nerves on edge.
“Is anyone there?” Luna called into the darkness; her voice steady but tinged with concern.
“You’re here. Are you both okay?” It was Melissa’s voice, filled with both relief and fear.
Her hands were streaked with blood, the bright red a stark contrast against her pale skin. On the floor, a young man lay still, his face contorted in pain. Melissa was beside him, her hands glowing faintly green as she murmured spells, trying to heal him.
“What’s going on?” Luna asked, urgency in her voice.
“The protective spells broke… we were attacked. The house was overrun. I sent the kids and others to safety. Evan stood up for me,” Melissa’s voice broke, “and now he’s hurt. He’s losing blood fast, and my magic isn’t working.”
Aldin’s eyes met Evan’s, seeing the life draining from him.
“Wait,” Aldin said, his voice strong with resolve. “Press here. I might have something that can help.”
He reached out silently for any sign of help, but the room remained silent. His hands hovered over the wound, shaking as he tried to summon the magic within him, but it was like reaching into an empty well.
“Hang in there.”
He tried again, more urgently, remembering the feeling of magic flowing through him, gathering and then bursting forth. But now, there was only emptiness.
Melissa started to speak, “Aldin, maybe you shouldn’t—”
“I’ve got this,” Aldin said firmly, his eyes intense. He focused, and a mist began to form, swirling around Evan in a ghostly halo. Above him, a pentagram appeared, ominous and waiting.
Evan was suddenly surrounded by a bright light that grew until it filled the room. His body lifted, a scream escaping him that sounded like it came from another world. The light peaked, blinding them, and then Evan collapsed back down. When the mist cleared, they saw him sitting up, unharmed, looking just as surprised as they felt.
“What happened?”
Melissa let out a breath she’d been holding. “You’re safe now. You protected me while I got the kids out. My healing didn’t work, but then you two showed up and…” She looked at Aldin, her eyes full of thanks.
Evan stood up, still a bit shaky, and faced Aldin. “How can I ever repay you?”
“No need. I’m just glad you’re alright,” Aldin said, brushing it off like it was nothing.
“Luna, check the house,” Melissa commanded, her voice leaving no room for debate.
Luna snapped to attention with a playful salute. “On it, General.” Her tone shifted to solemnity as she performed an intricate hand sign and whispered, “Plenar Exempra.”
In an instant, the shadows were torn by a brilliant cascade of light, and from its radiant heart emerged five spectral duplicates of Luna, each a mirror image with an otherworldly luminescence. They dashed away along separate paths that wove through the fabric of the room. Amidst this dance of light and shadow, the true Luna remained motionless, an anchor in the storm, her concentration an unbreakable fortress against the chaos.
“Coast is clear,” she declared shortly after. She opened her eyes and her stance eased.
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Evan, touching his stomach where the wound had been, asked, “What do we do now?”
“Don’t worry,” Melissa reassured, showing a hidden switch on her necklace. “This alerts every coven. Each leader has a beacon and a panic button like this one.”
Luna raised an eyebrow. “But you’ve always been against working with the other covens.”
Melissa sighed. “Times have changed, Luna. It’s not just about us anymore. We have children to protect, and that means sometimes reaching out to those we don’t trust.”
Aldin mulled over this revelation. His mother wasn’t the only one wary of the other covens.
“Hope I’m not interrupting,” came a voice as a woman stepped through a newly formed portal, her smile wide and inviting. Her hair, touched with gray, was neatly tied back, and she wore a striking red shawl, leaning on what seemed to be a staff.
“Delphine, good to see you,” Melissa greeted, her smile tight.
“Likewise. I came as soon as I got your signal, and…”
Before she could finish, another voice cut in, “Looks like I’m not the first here.”
“Anise, welcome. Luna, take Aldin and the rest to the living room. We need to talk privately,” Melissa instructed.
Luna rolled her eyes. “Sure, because I wouldn’t want to miss out on any fun,” she said sarcastically before leading the way. Aldin, Evan, and the teens followed her into the living room.
Once there, Luna told the teens to stay put and gestured for Aldin and Evan to come with her to the foyer.
Aldin's eyes flicked nervously to the newcomers. "Are they with us?" he asked, his voice tight with tension.
"They're coven leaders, but not our allies," she responded quietly, her voice tinged with caution. "Delphine heads Inferno, and Anise leads Gaia. They're not to be underestimated."
Evan's confusion was evident. "What made those vamps attack us?"
"It's you they want, Aldin. They seem desperate to take you," she said, her voice dropping to a whisper.
"Because I'm the sorcerer?" The weight of his role hung heavily in the air.
"It's strange, right? They could've easily taken you from your home. And how did they even know you made it out alive after that vampire threw you away?" She seemed to be speaking more to herself, her eyes shadowed with thought.
Aldin felt a cold realization dawning on him. "I've been thinking... maybe the vampire's bite linked us somehow. Could that be how they found me?"
Luna's disbelief was clear. "None of this makes sense."
Evan spoke up, his voice edged with fear. "If there's a link, what's stopping that vampire from coming here? He's got your magic in him now."
Aldin felt a chill at the prospect. If that vampire returned, he'd be defenseless.
Not completely, a distant voice whispered to him.
What do you mean? Aldin reached out with his mind, but the voice was gone, leaving a haunting silence.
Melissa walked in, her face etched with displeasure. "So?" Luna demanded; her gaze sharp.
"They've backed off for now. We need to fix the wards and check on the kids. Aldin, can you—" Her command was abruptly interrupted by the sinister sound of breaking glass, sending a shudder of dread through the room.
The glass crunched under their feet, a glittering trail leading into the abyss of the night. Outside, three figures stood ominously, their outlines a dark omen. Desmodus, the nightmare from Aldin’s past, stood center stage, his followers casting long shadows beside him.
“Listen well, inhabitants of this cursed abode,” Desmodus’s voice slithered through the darkness, “I am merely a messenger for my master, the man behind your recent troubles. He acknowledges his misjudgment of your strength. Hand over the boy, Aldin, and I promise your coven’s safety. Resist, and I’ll dismantle this haven, piece by piece, soul by soul,” his grin twisted with malice.
Melissa’s voice cut through the tension, unwavering. “And why should we trust your word?”
Aldin’s heart raced. Was she considering this sinister offer?
Desmodus’s answer wound its way through the night, “What other choice is there? My word is the only thing with value other than that boy.”
A cold dread spread over Aldin, a premonition of doom. He glanced around, the house now transparent, a fragile barrier against the looming threat.
They were ensnared, surrounded by a ring of shadows, their dark intentions as visible as the spells they were ready to unleash.
“We’re trapped,” Aldin murmured to Melissa, “They’re poised to attack.”
“Shall we make a deal?” Desmodus’s voice dripped with false charm.
Luna’s voice shook, “Mom, what’s our move?"
Evan’s voice was heavy with defeat, “We’re dead.”
Aldin faced a dire choice: surrender or stand and fight. But he wouldn’t let fear decide his fate.
Aldin’s heart pounded as he stood and faced Desmodus, the air crackling with tension. With a newfound power surging within him, he lunged forward, an ancient symbol blazing in his mind’s eye. He sprinted, closing the distance with supernatural speed. His fist, glowing with a strange aura, struck Desmodus squarely, sending the vampire hurtling into the shadows.
The minions, frozen in shock, could only watch as Aldin, still mastering his burgeoning abilities, seized them. Their skulls met with a sickening crunch, and he tossed them aside like rag dolls.
Desmodus, his pride wounded, rose with a bestial snarl and charged. The earth trembled beneath their feet as they clashed, a maelstrom of untamed energy.
“You cannot best me, boy,” Desmodus bellowed, his body warping into a monstrous form, “I am reborn, a titan of ruin, fueled by the very essence of your blood.” His figure was a nightmarish tableau of swollen sinew and malice. Talons, sharp as daggers, lashed out, slicing into Aldin’s flesh as he fought to hold back the onslaught. Boils and pustules marred Desmodus’s skin, oozing a vile miasma.
The vampire’s grasp constricted, his fangs exposed, dripping with venom that sizzled as it neared Aldin’s skin. Pain wracked Aldin’s body, yet his will remained ironclad. He stood and kicked Desmodus away, a beacon of light against the encroaching dark.
Desmodus slid to a stop a few yards away and unleashed a roar, a gale of wrath, “You will not beat me, child! I refuse to allow it!”
Aldin’s retort matched the vampire’s ferocity, “It’s not your choice to make! I will protect them, all of them. My fate as the Sorcerer is unclear, but it begins with your end!” Summoning his nascent power, he hurled himself at Desmodus, the air parting before him. They collided with a thunderous impact, a testament to Aldin’s determination.
The conflict between them intensified, each clash more frenzied and critical than the one before. Aldin, still acclimating to the surge of power within him, faltered as Desmodus slammed his clawed fist into the ground. It rippled with cracks and furrows. Aldin, his footing unsure on the treacherous terrain, stumbled slightly before straightening and lunging with inhuman speed at desmodus. His strikes, though potent with raw energy, were unrefined and wild, betraying his inexperience.
Desmodus, with centuries of darkness honing his abilities, seized upon each of Aldin’s errors with predatory precision. His movements were a symphony of malevolence, each step and turn synchronized with the sinister rhythms of the night. He lashed out and cut deep furrows into Aldin’s flesh. The moon above bathed the scene in an eerie glow, casting long, twisted shadows that danced around them like specters cheering the impending doom.
Aldin’s punch sliced through the air, a purple arc in the night, but Desmodus was no longer there—his form a blur, shifting with the deceptive speed of a creature born of shadow and fear. Suddenly behind Aldin he smacked his hand down and sliced into his back. The vampire’s counterattacks were ruthless, a series of strikes aimed not just to wound, but to unnerve, to dismantle the very resolve that fueled Aldin’s resistance.
With each passing moment, the young sorcerer’s senses sharpened, his connection to the arcane energies around him growing more profound as if he had battled for centuries. He began to anticipate Desmodus’s movements, his own attacks becoming more deliberate, more dangerous. An unperceivable punch caught Desmodus in the gut sending him lurching away. Yet, for every step forward, a misjudgment sent Aldin reeling back, the taste of blood and dust a harsh reminder of his ignorance and need to learn about his abilities.
The battle was not merely a physical contest, but a war of wills. Desmodus’s laughter, a chilling sound that echoed through the neighborhood, sought to erode Aldin’s spirit. But the young sorcerer’s heart, alight with the fire of purpose, would not be quenched. With every blow he endured, every wound he suffered, his determination only solidified.
As the duel wore on, the line between hunter and hunted blurred. Aldin, embracing the chaos of combat, found clarity in the heat of battle. His body moved with a grace born of necessity, each strike a testament to his unyielding courage. The purple aura of his power whipped around him as he struck out against his foe. Desmodus, sensing the shift in the tide, unleashed his full might, a tempest of dark power that threatened to engulf all in its path. They were two titans locked in combat, their struggle a dance of chaos and resolve. Blow for blow, they traded might and magic, neither yielding an inch.
In the final, climactic moment, Aldin’s resolve crystallized. With a defiant cry, he summoned a surge of purple arcane energy, channeling it into one decisive blow that caught Desmodus by surprise. Desmodus, caught off guard by the sheer force, faltered falling to one knee. Aldin pressed on, his spirit unyielding.
With a last, monumental effort, Aldin’s power crested, and he delivered a crushing strike. Desmodus, overwhelmed, crumbled beneath the weight of Aldin’s power. As dawn’s first light broke the horizon, Aldin stood, battered but unbowed, holding Desmodus in the air by the throat.
“Will you leave us in peace?” Aldin demanded, his grip firm on Desmodus.
Desmodus let out a bitter laugh, blood oozing from his mouth as he shifted back to human form. “It’s not an option for me.”
Aldin, puzzled and angry, pressed on, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I never wanted to chase after you. I thought you were dead after that night… but my master, he insisted on searching. And here you are,” Desmodus coughed up more blood, his voice weak.
“Your master?”
“He wouldn’t let me refuse the hunt, even when I thought it pointless. But then we found you again, as if by fate. I thought I had ended the great sorcerer, but my master knew better—you were still out there, a threat to him.”
“So, you won’t surrender?”
“No,” Desmodus admitted, a tone of defeat in his voice. “It doesn’t matter. My fate is sealed, by your hand or his. The dark coven has many more like me to send after you. You’ve opened Pandora’s box, and the end is coming for…”
His threat was cut short as Evan stepped forward, now back in human form.
“You!” Desmodus pointed, but Evan transformed again, his clawed hand wrapping around Desmodus’s throat.
“Evan, stop! We need information,” Aldin tried to intervene.
“Quiet!” Evan barked. “This is your fault! If you were so powerful, why is he still here? Look at the destruction! I’ll do what you couldn’t—I’ll end this.” And with that, he tore out the vampire's throat. Desmodus’s shocked expression mirrored Aldin’s as he choked on his own blood, dying in his true monstrous form.
“Evan!” Aldin shouted, appalled. He struck Evan, sending him flying into the foyer.
Evan got up and charged at Aldin, who was ready for him. Evan leaped, claws outstretched, but was suddenly frozen in mid-air, inches from Aldin. Melissa stood behind, her hand raised, struggling to catch her breath.
“Stop this now. We can’t turn on each other. Evan, deal with any vampires left. Aldin, take a breath. You’ve done what’s necessary,” she ordered, letting Evan go. “I think it goes without saying but, you don’t seem to need our help getting a grip on your abilities Aldin. That seal on your power is waning. However, you will still need to…”
“He deserved to die,” Evan interrupted, steam evaporating off him as he turned back into a human and walked off. He stopped halfway to the house and looked back. “Just between us, I don’t think you have what it takes for this fight.”