Lily grunted as she bound her bleeding arm highly. The bandage did little to stop the blood flow. She signed as the sound of people searching for her faded.
It had been two long days since her fight with Narissa—two long days of running, unable to heal from the constant attacks. The Nightweaver order was more determined than ever to find her, even more so after she attacked one of their own.
Lily sighed again as she rested her head against the wall. The small broom closet she had hidden in gave little comfort. The dust had finally settled again, but the stench of cleaning fluid still stung her nose.
“Was it worth the effort of finding out where Thaddeus was…” She thought. “A pity the informant died before he could tell me more.” Images of the man begging for his life ran through her mind as she remembered the way he had screamed for it to end.
She smiled at the memory. The emotion had disturbed her the first time she had thought about what she had done. But it grew less repulsive each consecutive time after. “I am becoming more like her.” Thought Lily darkly. “Narissa, you damned monster, even after I escaped from you. You still influence me.”
“Ha.” Laughed Lily. “I wonder if Evan would recognise me anymore. I don’t even recognise me. I am certainly not the simple, innocent girl he would remember.”
“Down here… Search everywhere.” Said a voice nearby. The urgency in his voice is evident. “It will be our heads if we don’t find her.”
“Figures they would start searching for me here again.” Sighed Lily. “Hopefully, there isn’t too many this time.”
A loud creak echoed through the hallway as Lily opened the closet door slowly. Cursing the noise, Lily charged out, her arm raised, ready to attack.
“There she is.” Screamed a voice in front of her. “Don’t let her get away.”
“Fulmen.” Muttered Lily as lightning arced away from her outreached hand.
“No.” Commanded a strong voice as Lily watched a white mana shield appear before the front guard. Lily stumbled back a step as shock marred her face. A man dressed in white robes stepped forward, placing his hand on the guard’s shoulder.
“Step back. I will deal with her.” He commanded as he rolled the sleeves of the robe up. Lily stared as the tattoos on his arms came into view.
“Shit.” Cursed Lily inwardly. She knew what the man in front of her was. She knew others would be nearby if they had brought in one of his ilk. “It seems you have me at a disadvantage, monk. Please. Do tell me your name. Even if only to search for your grave once you die here.”
The man shook his head as he calmly stared at her. “You know of my clan. I am surprised. Not many know of us, even less know about our abilities.”
“Ha.” Snorted Lily, hoping to sound more confident than she felt. “You aren’t the first of your kind I have killed, monk. However. You will be the next on that list.”
The monk gives a weak smile as he bows. “I am known as Lucianus of the White Lotus Clan. I look forward to making you beg, young woman…”
Ignoring Lucianus, Lily hurled a lightning bolt towards him before he could finish speaking. Lucianus countered with a swift wave of his hand, summoning a barrier of white mana to deflect the attack. The clash of their magic sent shockwaves rippling through the hallway, cracking the stone walls and sending debris flying.
“Fulgur Ignis!” shouted Lily as a barrage of fireballs shot away from her hand, each aimed with deadly precision. But Lucianus remained unfazed, effortlessly dodging and weaving through the flames as he closed the distance between them.
With a sweeping motion of his arm, Lucianus conjured a powerful gust of wind as he calmly spoke an incantation. “Ventus Tornado!” The swirling wind extinguished Lily’s flames, knocking her off balance. Seizing the opportunity, The monk lunged forward. His fists wreathed in white mana as he delivered a series of rapid strikes.
Lily stumbled backward, her defences crumbling under the relentless assault. “Terra Cadere!” Screamed Lily. Her voice resonated with power as she called upon the earth to rise beneath Lucianus’s feet, attempting to immobilise him. But Lucianus channelled his magic, his body surrounded by a radiant aura as he broke free from Lily’s control.
Lily groaned as she felt her magic fail again, realising she was outmatched. Her memory returned to the last time she had seen a white lotus monk. It had been during her training with Narissa. Someone had cornered one of them, and Lily was informed that she would be expected to help Narissa as she began capturing the monk. It had not gone well. The fight had very nearly killed Narissa.
“Focus.” Shouted Lucianus as he calmly waited for Lily to respond. Startling her out of the memory.
“Why did you not attack.” Demanded Lily. “You could have won.”
“It is not the way to win a fight. It would have disgraced me to win in such a way.” Shrugged Lucianus.
Lily summoned a mana surge with a cry, casting a blinding light spell to disorient Lucianus. But the monk remained steadfast, shielding his eyes with a flick of his wrist.
“Extinguere Lumina!” Lucianus shouted, his voice resonating with authority as he attempted to snuff out Lily’s light. But she was already moving, her agile movements carrying her out of harm’s way just in time.
Seeing an opportunity, Lily charged forward, her blade materialising in her hand as she swung it towards Lucianus with deadly intent. But the monk was ready, sidestepping the blade with practised skill, countering with a swift kick to Lily’s abdomen.
Gasping for air, Lily stumbled backward, her vision swimming as she struggled to regain her footing. Lucianus wasted no time, pressing his advantage as he launched a barrage of strikes, each infused with glowing mana.
Lily channelled her mana into a powerful shockwave, summoning her remaining strength as she sent Lucianus flying backward with a powerful blast. The stone walls cracked and splintered around the monk where he hit the wall. Dusting himself off, the monk sighed as he stood, his white robes stained with blood and dirt. “You fight well, but your darkness cannot overpower the light,” Lucianus states calmly, his voice unwavering despite his injuries.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Lily ground her teeth. Her thoughts raged like a caged beast. “I can’t beat him as I am. I don’t have the mana or will to fight another as powerful as Narissa so soon. Damn it.”
“I can see your anger. You want to kill me. But you know you can’t. It is twisting you inside. Burning you.” Continued Lucianus as he batted the last of his specks of dust.
Lily grunted as she pulled everything into her. Pulling all the mana around her as she shouted in rage. “You don’t know me, what I’ve been through to have made it this far. I. Do. Not. Have. Darkness. In. Me.”
Lucianus smiled at her as he spread his arms wide. “Oh, you poor confused little bird. I can feel the darkness within you. But do not worry. I will purge it from you. You will beg for forgiveness, and the goddess may grant you peace.”
Lily screamed at Lucianus as she pushed her mana outward. Chanting one of the incantations she had found in the grimoire. “In tenebris, lux non est. In tenebris omnes desperabunt. In tenebris chaos habitat. In tenebris potentia inveniri potest.”
The world lasted all colour as time seemed to stop. Lily looked around her, fear in her eyes. She didn’t know what the line meant as the translation had been torn out of the book. Lily stared at Lucianus. His face was a mask of shock. His arm was stretched out toward her as if he had known what it was she had just cast.
A deep, grinding voice suddenly echoed around Lily, causing her to jump in surprise. “Hmm. A second one. This is quite a surprise. Yes… We rarely have two of the same call for our aid…”
“Who’s there,” said Lily as she spun around, searching for the voice’s owner.
“You called to us, little human. The second of you to do so. Hmm… Yes… The other gave us such a tasty meal. Lucky… What will you give us… For power… What would you give up.” Replied the voice.
“I don’t require anything from you.” Said, Lily. Her hands clutched at her torn shirt repeatedly, fear slowly sinking in.
The voice cut Lily off as it rumbled. “Not true… You called out for aid. We can hear calls for power in your mind. You want revenge. Yes…”
“Yes.” Muttered Lily, defeat in her voice. “I want to make them pay. To kill them all. For what they did to Evan. They must pay.”
“Excellent. A deal. We will give you power, just like the other one. In return, you will send us one person every time you use our power. You will have 24 hours to pay us. If you fail to do this, we will randomly take one from around you. “Said the voice.
“Send you one? How?” Asked Lily.
The voice chuckled deeply. “Kill someone for us. Say the words. I offer you this one in return for power.”
Just as Lily tried to reply, the colour returned to the world as time unfroze. A feeling of new power flooded Lily. The swirling mana within her mixed with her mana, darkening it to almost black. The rage she had been keeping restrained burst forth. Twisting her face into a mask of hatred.
“Stop….” Said Lucianus. But he could see it was too late. The darkness around Lily was growing. The feeling of dread began to grip his heart as he slowly backed away. “Everyone. Run. Run now. I will not be able to stop her.”
Lily laughed as she felt the raw power running through her. Everything seemed clearer to her. Every noise, the sounds of people running below them, the birds on the roof flapping their wings. The heartbeats of the soldiers in front of her.
Turning her head back to where Lucianus was standing. Lily raised her hand. “Leave now, and I won’t kill you, monk.”
“You are already lost.” Said Lucianus sadly. “You have given yourself to the darkness. I will ask for your forgiveness by the goddess. But I can not let you live. This power was never meant to be welded by humans.”
Lily laughed as she cast a fireball at the monk. The flames burned black as the spell shot towards Lucianus. He raised his arm, a white mana shield appearing before the black fire could reach him.
Lucianus gasped as he watched the black flames burn through the shield. He was jumping to the side just as they broke through. He watched in horror as the fire struck the man who had been behind him, His screams echoing out as he collapsed. Lucianus knew the soldier was dead before he hit the ground.
Turning to Face Lily. Lucianus’s face was no longer calm. A dark rage filled his features now. “What have you done?”
Lily stared at the burning body of the soldier before turning to the monk. An evil grin married her face. “Such power. Haha. I can feel the raw power begging to be unleashed. I will make everyone bow before me. I will have my revenge. I will kill them all.”
Lucianus’s eyes widened in disbelief as Lily’s hand ascended toward the ceiling. The air around her crackled with dark energy as she unleashed her power. Black flames erupted from her palm, impacting the ancient stonework above her, their sinister glow casting eerie shadows across the hallway. The intense heat radiating from the fire caused beads of sweat to form on Lucianus’s forehead, his heart pounding with fear and awe.
The flames consumed the stone, transforming the solid material into a molten substance. Lucianus watched in astonishment as the once sturdy ceiling and walls began to liquefy, dripping and oozing like blackened tar. The very fabric of the hallway seemed to groan in protest, unable to withstand the devastating power unleashed by Lily.
“You will not stop me now!” Lily’s voice reverberated through the chaos, her words dripping with defiance as she continued to channel her dark magic. With each passing moment, the cracks in the stonework multiplied, spreading out like sinister spiderwebs, threatening to collapse the entire structure upon them.
Despite his training and experience, Lucianus found himself at a loss, struggling to comprehend the extent of Lily’s abilities. He realised he was facing a force of darkness far beyond anything he had encountered. Desperation gnawed at his resolve as he braced himself.
The very foundation of the building trembled under the strain of their clash. Each blow they exchanged sent shockwaves rippling through the halls, cracking stone and splintering wood as their powers collided with explosive force.
Lily’s eyes blazed with fury as she unleashed wave after wave of dark energy, her every movement fuelled by the seething hatred that consumed her soul. With each blast of her black flames, the building groaned in agony, its walls buckling under the relentless onslaught.
Lucianus refused to yield, his unwavering resolve standing firm against the overwhelming tide of darkness. He called upon the sacred teachings of his clan, channelling the pure essence of light to push back against the encroaching shadows.
The air crackled with arcane energy as Lily and Lucianus clashed with unmatched ferocity, their powers colliding in a dazzling display of light and darkness. The air seemed to vibrate with the intensity of their battle, the echoes of their struggle reverberating through the corridors like a thunderous symphony of destruction.
With a primal roar, Lily unleashed her final, devastating attack, pouring every ounce of her dark power into a cataclysmic explosion that tore through the heart of the building. The walls trembled and shuddered as the building began to collapse around them, the ground shaking beneath their feet as if protesting the devastation wrought by their conflict.
In the chaos of the collapsing fortress, Lucianus fought with all his strength to hold back the tide of destruction, his every movement guided by the unwavering determination to protect those in harm’s way. But as the walls crumbled and the ceiling began to cave in, he knew his efforts were in vain.
With a heavy heart, Lucianus braced himself for the inevitable as the debris rained upon him like a torrential downpour. Amid the chaos, his eyes met Lily’s one final time, a silent acknowledgment passing between them amidst the turmoil.
And then, in an instant, it was over. The dust settled, the echoes of battle fading into silence as the stone building lay in ruins around them. In the aftermath of the devastation, only one figure stood amidst the wreckage, her form shrouded in darkness as she surveyed the destruction she had wrought.
With a triumphant smirk, Lily turned away from the crumbling ruins, her victory assured. But as she disappeared into the shadows, a sense of emptiness lingered in her wake, a stark reminder of the cost of her newfound power and the darkness that now consumed her soul.
“I’m coming for you, Thaddeus. Your brother Kairos and Drakon next. I will kill them all.” Laughed Lily.