A lingering feeling of unease stuck with me since my encounter with Valery. Her abilities alone made me panic, and the helplessness I felt in that situation clung to me like a bitter aftertaste that refused to fade away. I lost a duel even without fighting, but thankfully, she had no intentions of killing me.

My problems were far from over, as her words wrapped me in a shroud of unsettling mystery that deepened the uncertainty surrounding the situation. Her words gave me a lot of thoughts to ponder about, and one thought I couldn’t shake off was the Dark Ones, which she described as a far more dangerous enemy that threatened their existence.

Instinctively, I drew comparisons. If the Dark Ones caused problems for someone like Valery, other Templars, and First Order knights, they must be as strong as them if not stronger.

The creatures appeared, and though I knew they weren’t the dark ones Valery spoke of, they presented an insight to the kind of energy they wielded. It wasn’t mana, I was certain of it. Even worse, it was resistant to mana. Even after Yukina and I killed the creatures, I still couldn’t shake off the expectant feeling that gripped me. I knew something was coming, and I was proven right.

The soldiers around us dropped one after another, an event that the eye would have missed if it blinked. Then, Malloy fell. His head separated from his body much easier than a flower petal tearing from its stem. The perpetrator, a horned feminine being that spoke a language I didn’t understand, and her companion who approached us slowly like a mist rolling in from the sea.

I knew immediately that they were the ones Valery spoke about, even a blind person would see that. My heart was beating so fast, and I could swear it was audible to my ears. I fought the fear as much as I could, forcing a calm expression on my face.

It was all Valery’s fault. She shattered every sense of invulnerability that shielded me with just one action. I thought I had recovered after I killed the serpentine creature, but the feeling of vulnerability reemerged as the Dark Ones appeared.

I had a conflict of thought—my thoughts. Have I been lying to myself all these while? Was the grand goal of seeking the supernatural, just all talk? Was I carried away after defeating a few knights? These questions taunted me, and I felt pitiful; cowering in the face of real danger.

Once again, I blamed Valery. If she didn’t strip my confidence bare, I would have faced these horned beings in a different light. But running was never an option; one thing I wouldn’t do was back out of a fight.

The second lieutenant wielded a spear which I borrowed from her before charging at the one that wore a mask. I wielded swords all my life, but on the account of my recent battles, I couldn’t help but feel that spears were more suited for me. But at that moment, what I thought wasn’t important. The spear was the only weapon available, so I didn’t have any choice than to use it.

Wielding a spear was a bit tricky, but the grey domain compensated my shortcomings. The man was fast even within the constraints of the grey domain, but I had the advantage. It was difficult to predict his moves before he made them. I could predict moves of Casters, Stillbringers, Arcanes, and Azkhans alike, because their flames in the grey domain condensed around the part of their body that initiated an intended action. It was different for the Dark One I faced; the black flames that covered his silhouette were always indifferent.

Just as I had anticipated, I couldn’t conjure any spells around him, but that wasn’t the problem. Even though the grey domain gave me the upper hand, I couldn’t land any hit on him. The flames that covered his silhouette didn’t let anything get past it. I made sure my strikes were swift and deliberate, but his flames acted as an impossible barrier deflecting the spear’s tip every time it came close. I tried to adjust my movements as much as possible, changing angles mid-thrust to by-pass the flames. I wanted to catch him off-guard since I had a speed advantage, in case he was imposing the flames consciously, but it didn’t work either.

His reactions were unnervingly fast. The black flames surrounding his silhouette seemed to wrap the very fabric of the grey domain creating pockets of resistance that made it difficult for me to fully capitalize on the advantages the grey domain offered to me. Unlike the creatures I had fought earlier, his flames had an effect on the grey domain, even though I couldn’t tell how it translated in normal perception.

He countered with a series of slashes with his sword, as the fluidity of the grey domain parted with each slash. Each strike was accompanied by a trail of black energy that distorted the grey domain as they were unleashed.

Though whatever essence he wielded didn’t stop me from perceiving the grey domain, it certainly made him a lot less constrained by it. I couldn’t tell if he was directly exerting his influence on the grey domain, forcing the changes I observed, or if the essence he wielded acted as a shield that prevented me from fully conforming him to it. Either way, his movements and actions weren’t as limited as I had expected. Perhaps both factors contributed; there was no way to tell for certain.

I could still perceive the grey domain, maintaining an edge over him, but he was different from every other person I’d faced in it. One thing was certain; the encounter made me realize how little I understood the grey domain.

I charged again, this time using the full might of my stillbring. At first, I used the shaft of my spear to swing at him. The shaft, though made of metal, couldn’t handle the force of the impact, and it broke apart. The Dark One was unfazed, and his flames remained calm even though it just absorbed the impact. Since the fight started, I’d been the one pressing, unleashing strike after strike. He took all the hits, yet he remained unscathed. And whenever an opening presented itself, he took his chance. So far, I managed to avoid his blade. He didn’t conjure any spell, none that I’d seen, but those flames of his were more than enough to keep me occupied.

I had no weapon, worsening my already dire situation, but I had no choice than to keep on going. Reinforcing myself with my stillbring, I landed blow after blow at him, avoiding his blade in the process. I knew the blows would have no effect on him, but I had no choice. I couldn’t get creative because my options were limited.

So far, I knew I’d fought flawlessly—he wasn’t even able to land a half-assed hit on me. But the essence he wielded was the perfect antidote against a person like me.

We were locked in a stalemate, and the battle dragged on. After an unending passage of time, I began to lose momentum. My movements, once fluid and precise, began to grow sluggish. It was evident that the mana in my nexus was drained considerably. But the dark one, on the other hand, showed no sign of tiring as his attacks remained relentless.

My frustration grew further, realizing I made no progress even after expending almost all my mana. No matter how hard I pushed, the results remained the same. I fought till exhaustion. I could still perceive the grey domain, but I couldn’t channel my stillbring anymore.

He noticed the shift in momentum, and came at me even harder. Though my eyes were able to keep up with his movements, my body couldn’t. He slashed in my direction but I managed to catch his hand. My stillbring was gone, and the impact shook my body. He swung his other arm at me almost immediately, and I tried to move backwards in order to avoid it, but he followed up immediately. I was still recovering from the initial impact so I couldn’t move quickly; fatigue, coupled with the fact that I couldn’t trigger my stillbring also played a part in my sluggish response.

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Before I could react further, he drove his blade into my chest. As the cold metal of his blade lodged deep inside me, the warmth of my blood spread rapidly. For a moment, time slowed. My breath was caught in my throat and my vision blurred, forcing me out of the grey domain.

I couldn’t heal myself even though I wanted to, and the world around me dimmed. Sounds faded, and before they disappeared completely, I heard Yukina scream.

“She is alive at least,” I voiced inwardly.

The man leaned closer, and muttered something. His voice was barely audible over the ringing in my ears.

I tried to speak, but blood spewed from my mouth instead of words, yet I persisted.

“If you kill my sister, I will kill you,” I said exhaustingly, before collapsing to the ground.

***

“Get up, get up Svan, we don’t have much time,”Darya called.

Her voice was faint at first, and it kept calling until I was fully conscious.

I shot up immediately,

“Tell me, I am not dead, right?” I asked Darya who was standing in front of me, in a panicked voice.

“No, you are not. I made sure of it,” she replied.

I sighed in relief which didn’t last long as I remembered that the battle wasn’t over.

“Yukina…Yukina is in danger now. I have to save her. Take me back,” I said to her.

“Svan…Hey, Svan, look at me. You will save your sister, so calm down and listen to me.”

I looked at her, and for the first time since I’d known her, there was an urgency in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“You are right. I’ve been lying to you all this time. I could have explained everything to you but I don’t have much time left. What you are seeing is just a part of me, a part of my existential force. But I’ve just used that force to save your life. So, it’s going to fade away very soon. Your memories will open gradually, then you will learn the truth. The one that just tried to kill you wields an essence called naethrium. I wish I could explain it to you now. But don’t worry. The aether you now possess should be able to overwhelm him.”

Darya began to fade away. The expression in her face was one of sadness and regret.

“Your body will struggle to manage, but I know you will find a way. I love you so much my sweet child, I will…”

She didn’t get to finish speaking before completely fading away, with no traces left. A wave of sadness washed over me, and before I could ponder on her words, I woke up.

My eyes were heavy with tears. I couldn’t understand why I was overwhelmed with such a profound feeling of sadness. My body was still fatigued, and I struggled to stand.

Yukina was on her knees, fatigued, battered, injured, and bleeding from non-healing cuts that scarred her entire body. The female among the Dark Ones was acting like a child throwing tantrums as she kicked Yukina several times before pulling her hair to lift her face up. Anger swelled within me, forcing me to react.

The words,

“The aether you now possess should be able to overwhelm him,” resonated in my head, as I triggered Realm Slip. Materializing beside her, I snatched one of her blades, and slashed at her before she could even react. Her guard was down; she probably believed she had no reason to be worried, convinced that everyone, save for her companion, was dead. Although she was able to react, quickly manifesting her flames, it was too late—my blade struck true.

She was wounded from my blade slashing across her torso. She managed to put some distance between us, her flames healing her wound. Her companion readied himself to come at me again, his flames seething with intensity. Yet, I could still wield my spells. I didn’t know what changed or why, but I didn’t care. I just wanted to kill both of them in the worst way possible.

I could have ended the battle instantly with Negation, but it was going to be an easy death for them. I wanted them to suffer, I wanted them to feel pain, and I wanted to see fear in their eyes before I erased them from existence. I switched to the grey domain as I watched them come at me. I used attraction to pull the male closer to me before smashing him to the ground. I knew his flames would cushion the impact but I wasn’t bothered.

The mana flow within me was wild; maybe it wasn’t even mana, maybe it was the aether Darya spoke about. Whichever one it was, its effect was overwhelming.

At my intent, the grey domain surrounding him broke free from the effects of his flames. Following up immediately, I ran him through his back with my blade. His companion swung at me, aiming for my head, but her sword swung into the emptiness of the Hollow Shield. She stumbled a bit, and before she could recover, both of her hands were gone.

I didn’t cut her hands—my blade was still buried in the back of her companion. I had a feeling that I could execute Negation on a precise target. Though it was a spontaneous and wild thought, I was able to execute it with perfection.

I drew out my blade from the body of the Dark One I’d just stabbed, and drove it back in. I repeated the action again, and again, and again, in a mad frenzy until I lost count of how many times I’d stabbed him. I dragged him up, unsure of what to do to him, I sent him crashing on a wall.

Yukina’s presence was fading gradually, so I quickly switched out of the grey domain, and ran towards her. Her position and posture remained the same; kneeling, completely exhausted. Beside her, was the headless body of the second lieutenant lying lifelessly; In the end, what she feared, chanced.

“Hey, hey,” I called, tapping her back.

She forced a chuckle before slurring through her words.

“Look who’s back…Don’t scare me like that again…I-I thought you were dead.”

I forced a smile on my face,

“I won’t, I promise.”

“I feel sleepy, Svan. I want to sleep.”

“No...No, no, no,” I replied in a panicked voice.

“Please Yukina, please.”

“You know, when he stabbed you, I went at him even though I knew my chances were slim, but I managed to keep him a bit…”

She wanted to say something again, but she coughed, spilling blood. My voice broke, Yukina was dying and it was painfully clear. She basically saved my life. I wondered why the Dark One I fought didn’t separate my head from my body after he’d stabbed me. Thankfully, Yukina drew his attention away from me.

Yukina wasn’t healing; it was evident that the mana in her nexus was completely drained. The troubling reality was that she could bleed out before she replenishes it.

“Hollow Shield. Yes, Hollow Shield,” I voiced with excitement, wiping the tears in my eyes.

I thought of how to stop the bleeding, just to buy enough time to take her to a healer, and Hollow Shield crossed my mind. It was able to trap spells, and when the spells were released, they neither gained, nor lost momentum. My guess was that the passage of time in it was different, or maybe it was just somewhere unaffected by natural elements. Either way, it was my best shot at saving Yukina.

I manifested Hollow Shield, gently placing her inside. Though I wasn’t able to see her after I was done, I could still feel her presence, reassuring me that she was still alive.

The Dark Ones recovered, but it took them quite some time to do so. My understanding was that they could indeed run out of the essence they wielded. I would have loved to pick them apart bit by bit, but I didn’t have that luxury anymore.

They didn’t charge at me, they knew the tables had turned, and it was best for them to approach cautiously. But in the end, it didn’t matter.

I manifested Attraction and Repulsion at the same time in the space around them. Negation came alive, and I watched them disintegrate into nothingness. It felt surreal. Earlier, I was helpless, and nothing seemed to go my way. Then, just like that, they were gone.

The darkness of the night slowly dissolved into twilight, which blended beautifully with the red ambience, casting a warm glow over the landscape. I never thought something sinister could appear beautiful, and even the destruction that wrecked everywhere looked like a beautiful painting on a canvas.

The battle had ended, but my chest was heavy. I fought my tears, as grief overwhelmed me once again.

“Darya?” I called, but there was no response. I knew she was gone, I couldn’t even feel her presence anymore. I sobbed even louder, as new memories flooded my mind. The revelation was overwhelming, and I couldn’t tell what was real anymore.

I looked at my hands, and I noticed dark lines etching themselves across my skin. The sight made me realize that I manifested Negation twice, yet I didn’t pass out. But It didn’t come without a cost, and just like I was warned, the essence I wielded was beginning to take a toll on me.

“I will worry about it later,” I said, leaving in order to get Yukina help.

Darya wasn’t dead; I knew, because the new memories that opened brought me clarity on a lot of things.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me, Darya….Mother.”