Chapter 14
The Shattering
Snapping jaws were replaced with whimpers, the monsters that remained from Krysta’s cannon of light recoiling at the sight of her. It was for good reason, Terrill wagered. When she took a single step forward, her body radiating light, those monsters closest to her were turned to dust. Against their master’s command, not a single monster wanted to fight her. The pause in the action allowed Terrill to stand, only for him to grunt and drop to his knee. Pulling up his shirt for a second, he could see the nasty welt, and had a feeling he wouldn’t be helping Krysta with this battle.
“Is it really you?” Floyd asked, unable to stop the grin, even with the possibility of her saying no. Krysta looked back, and Terrill realized that her hair was no longer tied in a ponytail, allowing its blonde sheen to flow and float on the air, carrying an ethereal and terrifying beauty.
“Yes. I hope Torry’s all right, Floyd. I am sorry for taking so long.”
The change off her vernacular was noted, but not enough for Terrill to stop her. She refused to cast him a glance at any rate, her rapier brandished outward. Now that he was recovering from the disorientation of the moment, Terrill could see that gone was the metal weapon she had carried, replaced with a blade of pure light. It was easy a confirmation as Terrill imagined, but he knew a great many things to discuss remained. Instead of holding her up, Terrill nodded, and uttered the words he knew she wished to hear.
“Finish it.”
“I intend to.” She inhaled, drawing her rapier backward while the monsters scurried in attempt to escape her. The ground shook, the sky growing darker as the stars dimmed. When she had finished gathering her light, Krysta thrusted forward with a guttural scream, no incantation required. What started as a lone pinprick of light grew into a cannon that ripped down the stairs and through the monsters. It was more controlled, not damaging a single building or stone, but rendering the monsters to dust.
One brave creature ignored Terrill and Floyd while they crawled to each other, unable to hear much over the howls of light that were pervading Valorda. This monster leapt for Krysta, but she was undeterred, spinning her rapier around to impale it, the ray of light extending just long enough to turn it to smoke. She turned with it, her blade now becoming a chain of light that she whirled around as a propeller, walking up the stairs towards the gates. The soldiers saw this and backed away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.
The whirring light inspired Terrill to stand, and he and Floyd pulled each other up to face the end of the battle. Many monsters ceased their assault on the doors, some trying to spill down into the moat surrounding the castle, but the boys refused to let them. With stones on one side and fire on the other, there was nowhere for the monsters to run, but straight into Krysta’s scythe, churning them away into nothingness. Just a few were left to try and fruitlessly batter the door down, which Krysta left to the soldiers.
She had a different plan, kneeling at the gates of the castle to touch her hand to ground. Terrill could feel it undulating, the root far beneath them trying to heed her muted command. For a brief second, all was silent, until Krysta crunched her fist together.
A beam of light flashed from beneath Valorda, covering the city with a clinking brightness that consumed all of the remaining creatures. The ashes that remained were the sole sign that they had ever been there. Krysta dropped to her knee, her free hand crystallizing up to her pinky tip. It appeared painful, but she grit her teeth through it while the air went still.
No more sounds echoed. The battle was won…for now, at least.
“That will not hold forever,” Krysta assured the two, pulling her sleeve down, trying and failing to hide the crystallization metastasizing on her body. “There is very little connection between myself and the roots as I am. I could only draw on the power of souls for that and… I think you can guess the result.”
Krysta turned her back to the doors, walking down the steps with purpose as she surveyed the calming city. Ignoring his pain, Terrill reached for her, managing to grip her sleeve, the crystal underneath remaining cool to the touch. She stopped walking, her head bowed, though whether in grief, reverence or shame, Terrill couldn’t fathom. The sight of Valorda alone was enough to inspire all three, with smoke rising and many houses destroyed. People were left bewildered in the streets, and though he couldn’t see them, Terrill was certain that a number had perished in the attack. Still, Krysta was the new center of his attention, and he refused to let her go.
He had so many questions he could have asked her, but only one sprang to mind of immediate concern. “Where have you been?”
“Terrill…” she breathed, something different in the way she said it. There was a fondness, perhaps one she had never managed to express or feel before, and Terrill walked closer, taking her uncrystallized hand in his. She squeezed against it by instinct, and her mouth opened to spill forth what she must have been holding in all this time. “I had to act. After the Shadow, after I knew who the enemy was, I could not stand by and watch as everything just faded away. I wanted to be with all of you, but…”
“But the world’s in danger. Is that the gist of it?” Floyd asked. He looked just as bad as Terrill felt, and when Krysta settled her soft eyes on him, her instinct to run disappeared, replaced with the concern he had always known her to have.
“You’re both injured.” Her cold exterior finally dropped, the woman taking both Terrill and Floyd to pull them close to her. In seconds, Terrill could feel the relief and warmth wash over his wounds, the light at her fingertips mending the damage done, while another finger crystallized. Terrill flinched, but was grateful that his body was back in fighting shape. Krysta sighed. “This wasn’t what I intended. Any of this.”
“Geez, Krysta, you’re acting like this is your fault,” Floyd said. He stowed his daggers away and, not giving her a chance to escape, tossed his arm around her shoulder. “Don’t tell me you’re still thinkin’ that way.”
“I let things get out of hand.”
“And I started a war. It’s nothing!” Terrill rolled his eyes at Floyd’s good humor, but not finding the time for it. Krysta, at least, cracked a smile, acting a little better about the situation than he had expected. The redhead, however, soon turned serious. “That said, you are the Lifeblood of Light, aren’t you?”
“Wow, Floyd. Straight for the hard-hitting stuff.”
“You’re the one who says we don’t have time to sit around, Terrill.” Folding his arms, Terrill didn’t want to admit that Floyd had a point, but the boy continued as if he did, anyway. “I mean, you use light powers, and have a connection to the lines of the Lifebloods, so…”
“Yes.” The blunt reply was unexpected by Floyd, who pulled himself back from her, both of them facing Krysta as she looked down. At the top of the stairs, the surviving soldiers were regrouping, some of them staring down at the trio, but not daring to interfere in their conversation. “I am the Lifeblood of Light, my soul placed in a vessel that has cut me off from the Blessings I once conferred.”
“And that vessel is…breaking down?”
“A human soul isn’t compatible with a vessel made of shards of crystal. The Lifebloods, we Lifebloods, are special entities, each of us using magic from the Old World that permitted us to serve as pillars. Our souls were encased in a crystalline structure made up of the flow of souls, keeping us protected.” Krysta’s foot traced back and forth on the ground, leaving imprints in the ash that had settled there. Terrill couldn’t find any source to comfort her, trying too hard to make sense of what she was explaining, and how it could help them. “Only…my soul was removed and placed into a different vessel. For years, it protected me, but if I use my powers as a Lifeblood, the result is the crystallization of my body.”
“How?” Terrill asked, keeping his arms folded. Krysta looked up to him, his imploring causing her to swallow and shake her head. She didn’t know. “And your body? How long would that last for?”
“Indefinitely, if I stopped using my powers and relied solely on my Soul Magic,” Krysta explained, now tapping her fingers together. “But…right now that’s not an option. I survived for five years without issue, but once you broke the barrier and ended up in Adversa-”
“Got stranded, you mean.”
“Er, yes, stranded. I knew I needed to act, so I started bouncing between, keeping an eye on you. For that, I’m very sorry, Terrill.” She bowed her head, the solemn act causing him no end of embarrassment while Floyd snickered a little. Behind them, the screeching of the castle doors echoed around the city, but Krysta had no thoughts for them. “I have lied to you, and so many others, all to try and protect myself and the Lifebloods. But I fear all my lies have done is make things worse. I want to change that.”
“You have a plan?” Floyd asked, and Krysta straightened.
“I do, but I cannot guarantee that it will work as intended. I may have been the first Lifeblood, but even I do not know their secrets.” Krysta sighed, turning away from her friends to run a hand through her hair, mussing up its length. Terrill’s eyes flicked over to the city, the winds now died down from the attack, indicating that Winifred had departed. He had a feeling he’d be seeing her much sooner than later, and put his focus on Krysta, particularly when she spoke. “What I do know is this: the greatest present threat to this world is Golbrucht. He started the war fifteen years ago, and the countless infusion of souls to the cycle wore at all of us, until I had to act and I rashly sacrificed Eric North to do it, all to use my lines and create a barrier of light around Golbrucht.”
“So, it’s true,” Terrill said, “he really is tied to the Lifeblood of Darkness?”
“It is the conduit between worlds that permits him to reincarnate time and time again. Gives him strength.” Krysta blew out, the wind picking up and showing the guilt within her gray eyes. Had she been weaker, she might have broken down and cried, but Terrill knew she was finding a different path. One that she had helped him cut out of the Shadow. “I’m going to destroy it.”
The wild notion widened Terrill’s eyes, and he had so many questions in an instant, he could not think of what to ask first.
Someone else did, with a sharp, “Now, what’s this you’re mentioning about the war, miss?”
The trio turned, each falling down a step at who had deigned to join them. Soldiers were hurrying after the man, and some of his council were huffing and puffing after him while he leaned curiously at the three. Just as he had been in Adversa, Phillip carried the wisdom in his eyes that did not jump to conclusion, and inspired his fellow countrymen to do the same. It was swiftly evidenced by the councilmen and general of the army.
“Your Majesty, I understand you want to take a survey, but we must be careful. Monsters could still be lurking.”
“And I’m sure our esteemed soldiers can protect me if that’s the case,” Phillip said in a show of faith. “However, I want more than protection. I want answers. And this young lady seems to have some of them.”
Krysta pursed her lips, the minute movements of her body showing a deliberation inside her. She sighed out. “They’re not answers you may want to hear, Your Majesty.”
“Miss, I’ve seen fortresses rise from the ground without warning and monsters just attacked my people as they did fifteen years ago. Not to mention that some soldiers have reported seeing the dead in the city. I do believe I can handle most.” Phillip was resolute, his kingly attire showing his authority, and nearly compelling Terrill to speak in Krysta’s stead. Instead, he and Floyd turned to their companion.
“He doesn’t remember you guys?” Floyd asked in a harsh whisper that Terrill was fairly sure the king could hear, but remained patient through.
“Of course not,” Krysta snapped. “He’s not a Blessed, like you. And I can’t access the lines to make him so.”
“But if you could, would it be possible to fix the imbalance between worlds?” Terrill asked, not bothering to whisper, but keeping his voice low all the same.
“I could help in restoring the flow of souls, but it would do nothing to solve the Golbrucht problem. If Adversa starts to be destroyed and the Lifebloods give out, we’d still need to shatter the Lifeblood of Darkness.”
“Wouldn’t that just make the situation worse?”
“Mm, as confusing as your conversation is, I do believe you owe me some form of answer.” Phillip was suddenly closer than Terrill had thought, trying to get in on the conversation that confused even the brightest scholars Terrill knew. The young man cleared his throat, offering a quick bow to Phillip. “Who are you three?”
“They helped defeat the monsters, sir!” a soldier piped up without fear. Phillip blinked, surprised at the notion, and it reminded Terrill of the version he had met in Adversa. This one was just as trustworthy.
“Not for money, or anything,” Terrill insisted, stepping forward to engage the king. Only the general, unfamiliar with him, was alarmed by the close proximity. “Your Majesty, how much do you know about Sayn?”
“The country to the east? Very little. We tend to not sail that far out.”
“Well, I’m from Sayn, and since as long as I’ve been alive, we’ve fought against Golbrucht, King of the Dark.” Phillip nodded, listening intently with his usual open mind. “It’s him who creates the monsters, and him who caused them to attack here. It was him who started the war fifteen years ago.”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
“You’d have been a child then…”
“And I know the loss from it just as much as an adult.” Terrill stood taller, offering no more time to a reverent bow. Phillip understood, his eyes expressing their condolences before sharpening. “That war ended because he was contained, but now he’s free, and he wants a further freedom. He’ll rip this country, and any other, apart to do it.”
“How?”
“That is a lot more difficult to explain,” Krysta interjected, taking over the flow of conversation and demanding the king’s attention. “Suffice to say, I think it can be explained in time, but not now, and not as you are.”
“As I am?”
“Just know this: the monsters are stopped for now, but it’s temporary, and will not hold. We need to cut off the source of this Golbrucht’s power, or worse things could happen.”
It was too much information for the soldiers to take in, many looking to each other with shrugged shoulders or distractions. Some attempted to keep up, like the general, but only Phillip maintained the full grasp of it all. Or as much as he could.
“So…another war against monsters…” he sighed out, rubbing his temples before he looked out at his beloved city and country. “I will not suffer it again. Tell me, since you seem so knowledgeable, how will you contend with this?”
“By striking at his very source and killing all of the monsters.”
“And if Valorda were to ask how to help?”
“Your Majesty!” the general warned, but the earnest request was already put forth. Terrill stepped forward, and Phillip looked to him as the leader of the group, sharing the same trust they had built in Adversa, even though they could not know each other.
Terrill spoke. “Protect everyone you can.”
“Yes. Golbrucht wants to hurt this world by killing as many people as possible. The more you protect, the slower he will be, and the greater our chance.”
Krysta’s statement gave Phillip a goal, one he muttered quickly in his decision on what to do. It was something the general could not interrupt on, trusting his king to make whatever decision was necessary. The trio waited, and Terrill began to feel the weight of those minutes, and the difference they might make, but Phillip did not deliberate for long.
“Then protect my people, I shall. General, move the citizens to the aqueduct, but ask those who can fight to take up arms. Should another storm come this way, I will not see us suffer another war. Not on my watch. And soldiers, I need to see the square where you claim to have seen Lady Lyten.” Finished with interrogating them, the king swept forth with his guard, down the steps of his castle towards town. Terrill watched him go with a raised brow, but froze when the king turned back to them. “One last question, since you seem so knowledgeable…and so familiar… Who exactly are you?”
It was a question that could be answered any number of ways, but Floyd and Krysta sat back, leaving it up to him, giving him only two words as answer. “I’m a friend. And I’m a Guardian.”
“Guardian, hm? I’ll remember that.” He took his leave, some dozen of confused soldiers rushing after him.
Terrill believed it was time they took their leave, as well.
“Destroying the Lifeblood?” he put forth. “Won’t that wreck the balance between worlds? Cause them to fuse?”
“It won’t destroy my lines, and I’m safe, for the moment.”
“Yeah, but you’re lacking power, right? Use too much and your body will get all crystally.” Floyd brought up a good point, but Terrill could see Krysta wasn’t going to treat with an argument.
“For that, I have a backup. I just need to go where my part of the flow begins.”
“Priscus,” the boys echoed.
“But right now, I will only do that if the situation grows beyond what I can do now. In this form. Because if I need to lose this form, then we will be facing the end of this world, Dimidia and Adversa both.”
“I won’t let that happen,” Terrill assured her, reaching to take her hands. The juxtaposition of cold and warm caused her to pull back, but she nodded vigorously. “But the fact you seem to have a back-up plan is good enough for me.”
“I don’t want to resort to it, because it will mean taking my place in that flow, but…this is a start. Let’s defeat Golbrucht.”
“So, Lifeblood of Darkness it is, then,” Floyd said, smirking at the both of them. “How are we getting there?”
The answer was clear by Krysta’s fist tightening. Terrill provided the answer for her. “One last ride. Let’s hope it doesn’t break the world off its hinges.”
“It will be unstable regardless. I’m removing the source of a major element by breaking its container and setting its soul free. I can only do it because my soul is in direct opposition. We don’t know what will happen next.” Terrill took her hand once more, this time refusing to let go, while Floyd took her other. The trio felt united once more, their goal in mind. Only one objective began to remain.
“Let’s see what happens then. One last rumble.”
“Heroes versus Fiends. You ready?”
Krysta gave a sharp inhale, and squeezed them both. A dark rumbling shook Valorda, and beneath their feet, Terrill felt one of the lines opening up, the crawling monsters within waiting to chew them up, but fearful of Krysta’s light. They would have to act fast. “Ready.”
A dark fire plumed upwards, and Terrill felt his body sucked into the abyss. Like a tight tube, his body felt compressed, yet weightless, borne on a flow of souls for their next destination. The only difference now was that he understood it. The tunnel shook, threatening a damage beyond repair, but Krysta kept hold of them, her eyes trained on the back end of the flow, where their target and friends awaited.
Where Golbrucht was.
Terrill readied his blade, and a bright light assailed his eyes. He did not recoil, and soon felt his body becoming corporeal again, the journey of souls ended and a vision on the other end becoming clear. It wasn’t a pretty one, and before the journey could conclude, Terrill and Floyd were leaping forth at the man with the axe, their blades colliding and knocking the skeleton away from Torry and Lumen before they skidded to a stop, Krysta right behind them.
“Krysta!” Torry’s cheer was offset by the sudden quaking that caused dust to fall from the ceiling and the glow of the Lifeblood to be interrupted. Terrill and Floyd’s attacks slipped off, Clay unfettered by the tremors, yet waiting for them to end. It was as clear a sign as any of the energy they had stolen from the Lifebloods for their trip there, but when Terrill straightened and saw Atrum in front of the Lifeblood, he knew they had made the only right choice.
“So, Little Miss Light has joined the party.” Golbrucht’s voice was cold, but Terrill could hear how rattled he was beneath his exterior. “A light far too uninteresting to me. You slayed my monsters. I’ll want you removed from the board.”
“You have tried,” Krysta spoke, beams of light creating the rapier in her still-flesh hand. Already, Terrill could see the joints of crystal were locking up, making it harder for her to move. “I stopped you.”
“By sacrificing a quite noble soul. How lucky the Blessed must be. Yet it is irrelevant. The system you have maintained will break, and with it, the flow of souls that determines our fate. Only the Fiends shall remain, a forced merging where no one is Blessed.”
“So, you want the whole world to pay for your own problems?” Terrill asked, swiping his sword out. Clay watched him, not attacking, and giving their allies a chance to recover. Walter and Charles were the fastest to move, propping each other up, setting aside the animosity that existed if just to make sure they could stand. Terrill took a few steps forward, his commanding presence forcing Golbrucht’s eyes on him.
“Didn’t you, too, say you wanted to break the cycle, Terrill Jacobs? Wouldn’t you be damning the world?” Amused by his own rhetoric, Golbrucht threw his head back and laughed, a booming call that resounded across the halls of the Abyssal Palace. It provided the reprieve for Torry to stand and pull Lumen up. “The Lifebloods don’t have the energy left to return the world to its original state. And you? You can’t change that any more than you have! You’re not special, Terrill Jacobs! You’re not a Chosen One, barely even a hero. You’re just someone who happened to be Blessed at the right time!”
Terrill exhaled, blowing at his bangs before shaking his head with pity. “It’s sad, if that’s how you view everything, Golbrucht. But I guess it means I’m starting to understand you. You and every other Fiend. How desperately you all want to feel free, and think you need to break the world to do it. But in the end, you’re shackling yourself to it, believing in its flow and its prophecies as the be-all and end-all.”
“You’ve seen proof of it. Little corrections don’t mean a thing. The Lifebloods must break, and usher in a new world where there is no flow.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. All of you!” Terrill turned his body, ready for the attack, and Golbrucht knew it. Krysta’s fingers twitched on her rapier, sensing his intent. “There may be a flow running through this world connecting me to you, and you to others. You may even think destroying that flow will free you, but you’re forgetting something: that flow isn’t what chooses who’s special day in and day out. That’s our choices. The ones we make every day. The ones to stand. The ones to learn. The ones to forgive. The ones to move on.
“The ones to live.”
“Live?”
“I’m living, because it’s my choice, and that will never be decided by fate, souls or you!” Terrill’s sword invited the next challenge, and Golbrucht braced for what was to come. Behind, Clay laughed, his skeletal echo finding amusement in Terrill’s refuting statements. “We’ll be heroes because we choose to, and no other reason. And we’ll start by breaking your hold over fate ourselves!”
“You child!” They were the only two words he could get out before Terrill had closed the gap, their swords ringing against each other. A wave of darkness spilled out, allowing Golbrucht to put pressure on Terrill’s blade, but with his wounds healed, the Guardian stood fast. “I’ll not be subject to the naivete that believes everyone should be saved. I’ve lived in damnation of the endless cycle for centuries. You will not deny me this freedom.”
“Yeah, I won’t. I’ll free you, and put an end to your madness!” Terrill whipped around, landing a kick on Golbrucht’s side that sent him sliding back. His own sword cut the surface of the stone, where snakes of darkness lunged forward, only to be cut aside by Terrill’s spell snapping earthen jaws atop it. “Krysta, we came here for a reason! Go!”
“Terrill, behind you!” Lumen’s shout was pained, still winded from whatever had occurred before their group arrived here. The Guardian smirked, having an idea of what Lumen was warning about, but never taking his eyes off Golbrucht as he moved to attack him. The ground began to move in waves, and the killing intent behind him was made plain. From his periphery, Terrill could see Clay on the attack, but not for him.
“I don’t think so, buddy!” Floyd sailed in, his foot wreathed in flame. He struck upon Clay’s face, driving him back before landing on the ground and holding his daggers in defense. Terrill reached Golbrucht and swung, wrenching the stone up to pummel his foe in the chest, driving him further away from the Lifeblood. Krysta made a beeline straight for it. “You guys want to take Krysta out, you’ll have to kill all of us.”
“Amusing, boy,” Clay said. He spun in an arc, his axe striking against the blades. Floyd was almost carried off his feet, but produced fire beneath them to propel him with enough force against the Fiend’s weapon. Terrill continued his own attack, forcing Golbrucht on the defensive. “I thought you the type to run.”
“I’m done running, making people clean up my messes. I’m going to stand and fight, just like Terrill said. It’s my choice.” The flames increased further, giving Floyd just enough pressure to force the blade upwards and allow him to shoot a quick fireball at the Fiend’s exposed ribs. It exploded on contact, but was not enough to stop the axe swinging down. That was impeded by a block of ice, Torry joining her boyfriend. “Last time, you stood in my way. This time, I’m standing in yours.”
“Is that supposed to be some advocacy of change in the flow? It is impossible!” Clay’s axe broke free, just as Golbrucht and Terrill’s blades disconnected. Instead of their steel clashing, both punched for one another, striking the other across the face, while Krysta ran for the Lifeblood. “And yet, watching you struggle, it reminds me of myself, desperately challenging the King you wish to destroy, only to find myself bound to him.”
“An indictment against all that has perpetuated this moment. All the old man will hold fast to.”
“Just shut up!” Terrill’s haymaker finally caught Golbrucht in the face, this time with the earth backing him up. He was pushed into part of the Lifeblood’s crystalline structure, his eyes widening at seeing Krysta approach. An orb of darkness was created in his hand, but Terrill stopped him by grabbing his arms and kneeing him until the wind left his lungs. “You’ve spent all this time in Atrum’s body, and still you’re not seeing any other way. He’s fighting you, and we will, too. We’ll prove it can end and you can be free, by taking away the very thing binding you to it!”
“You’d cast away the world for a chance to save your friend?!” Golbrucht’s head knocked forth, bashing into Terrill’s and driving him off. His sword flew from his hand, clattering to the ground near Krysta. She looked over just in time to watch Terrill and Golbrucht bring their magics together in a collision that resulted in knocking them both back, the Lifeblood cracking along its seams. Golbrucht was panicked. “It is folly! You will only ensure there is nothing left to save the people you hold precious!”
“You think so?” Terrill challenged. “I’ll take those odds. No more deaths. Not by your hands. Not ever. I’ll set this world free from you!”
“And this world won’t die!” Krysta agreed. Crystal veins were stretching up her remaining arm, all the way to her face, her gray eyes turning a bright white. For the first time, Golbrucht showed as much panic as he had since Terrill cut through the Shadow. He ceased his attack, dodging Terrill’s blow to aim a shadowy attack for the Lifeblood. “I’ve seen it all, and we know it’s stronger. I will ensure that your plan never comes to pass. Your millennia ends now, Golbrucht, King of the Dark!”
Golbrucht’s spell was released, its sharp tendrils aiming for Krysta, but for the shield of light that blocked the way, Lumen skidding into place. He affixed the Fiend with a glare of defiance, one that made the boy recoil. Terrill rolled forward, covering the distance to grab his sword as pillars of red stone tossed Floyd and Torry back into the waiting arms of Charles and Walter. Once steel met his palm, Terrill spun upwards for a slash, with Golbrucht barely managing to block. Terrill kicked, carrying the earth with him, and his opponent moved to intercept, only for his body to freeze, just as it had on the skyship.
“Terr…ill…” he said, his eyes flickering, the red fading away for a second to show Atrum underneath. “Let’s all…be Chosen Ones… Let’s…end this!”
“Yes. Stone Pummel!” More columns appeared, some of them sharper than others, and Golbrucht could not suppress Atrum in time to avoid the earth battering upon his body, cutting at his sides and making him bleed. Lumen grunted, dropping to his knees, while Krysta looked down at him. He waved her off, watching as Golbrucht was tossed across the room with a cry.
Terrill scoffed seconds later when he landed in a set of arms coming from a manifesting flame.
The Fiends were here, and Golbrucht knew it. His snarl raised the volume of his voice, Atrum’s eyes flashing red, and the air in the room became tighter, the strings tautening. “Do not let them destroy it!”
“With pleasure!” Blaise said, smacking his lips. His draconic wings sprouted, but little else, and he flew for Krysta. At his side was Winifred, her blue eyes turned to red. Only Warren remained behind to protect his king, while from behind, Clay sent a line of racing spikes for where the two Lifebloods stood. Lumen would not be enough.
“Gaian Wall!” Terrill knew he wasn’t alone, Torry recovering enough to join her magic with his, creating a wall that attempted to rise to the ceiling. Blaise slammed into it, while Winifred spun, creating a windy drill that broke through, only to run into another of Lumen’s shields. Clay’s attack broke the rest of it up, crumbling the wall and causing Krysta to stumble. Terrill regained himself and ran for her, propping her up by the back, trusting in the others to hold the rest of the Fiends off. “Don’t give up, Krysta. This is what we came here for! You said you wanted to break the cycle between Dimidia and Adversa? Now’s that time! Free everything!”
Free me.
The words whispered around them in an echo, some hearing them, and others oblivious, but Terrill knew from where they had come: the very Lifeblood in front of them. Krysta closed her eyes.
“Yes, brother, you were right. I will let you rest now. Leave the remaining burden to me.”
There was a pause, one in which part of Krysta’s neck crystallized and her light shined to an apex. Then, a response was given. Thank you, sister.
Terrill pushed at Krysta’s back, the force of her own spell threatening to spill over and send her flying. Lumen joined him, the two holding her in place as light clashed against darkness, covering the whole room. The seams along the Lifeblood began to split, the strings attempting to hold it tight, but snapping one by one.
In the final moments of the howl, Krysta whispered. “Goodbye.”
Then her spell fired, the crystallization on her neck showing her veins as she fell back. The light, containing much of her sealed power, jabbed into the Lifeblood, coming all the way out the other end. A spiderweb of cracks resulted from the impact, trailing up and worsening each imperfection into a fissure that grew and grew. The light inside the Lifeblood went haywire, sensing the end of its container, but with no vessel to remove it to. Yet it was at peace.
The cracks traveled all along, and with a horrendous sound, one like a low metal screech, the crystal cracked and shattered.
The Lifeblood of Darkness had been destroyed.