The cathedral loomed before them, its spires piercing the gray sky like the claws of some ancient beast. The oppressive weight of dark magic clung to the air, wrapping around their throats and making every breath a struggle. Even before they crossed the threshold, Silas could feel it—the sense of wrongness, like a sickness creeping into his bones.

Venom led the way, her footfalls soft and deliberate as they approached the entrance. Her face was set in a mask of focus, eyes scanning every shadow, every twisted vine that slithered across the decaying stone. Silas, for his part, followed closely, the familiar shuffle of his deck offering little comfort. He'd been struggling since they entered this cursed city, each draw feeling like a betrayal. His cards had failed him, and the doubt gnawed at him like a parasite.

The grand cathedral was unlike anything Silas had ever seen. Once, it must have been a place of reverence, a center of learning and magic. Now it was a tomb. The stone walls were cracked and pitted, vines twisted and blackened like the fingers of the dead, clawing at the decaying facade. Dark energy pulsed through the air, thick and palpable, as if the very building were alive with malevolent intent.

“This is it,” Venom said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. “The source of the magic is here.”

Silas felt a shiver run down his spine. There was no turning back now. They had to face whatever was waiting for them inside.

They stepped through the massive, creaking doors, and the temperature plummeted. Cold, biting air wrapped around them like a death shroud. Silas could see his breath misting in front of him, and every step they took echoed through the hollow halls. The ceiling stretched far above them, supported by arches that seemed on the verge of collapse, cracked and broken by time and neglect. Black vines coiled around the stone pillars, and the air hummed with the faint glow of magic.

At the far end of the cathedral, bathed in the sickly light of flickering torches, stood a figure cloaked in shadow. Her robes shimmered with dark energy, and her eyes burned with a cruel, violet light. The shadows clung to her like living things, writhing and shifting as if they were part of her very being.

“So, the Aegis Guild sends its little pets to die,” the mage said, her voice like ice sliding over glass. “How predictable.”

Venom stepped forward, her posture tense but calm, daggers gleaming in her hands. “We’re not here to die,” she replied coldly. “We’re here to end this.”

The mage smiled, a cruel, twisted thing. “You think you can stop me? You’re already dead. This city belongs to me, and soon, so will your souls.”

Silas felt the oppressive weight of her words, the shadows around them seeming to tighten. His hand hovered over his deck, fingers brushing the edges of the cards, but the memory of his failures in the earlier fight held him back. He hadn’t been able to land a meaningful hit, and now the doubt threatened to paralyze him.

Before he could act, the shadows surged forward.

Venom moved first, her body a blur of motion as she dodged to the side. The tendrils of darkness lashed out like whips, striking where she had just been standing. She rolled, her daggers flashing, and managed to cut through one of the tendrils, though it quickly reformed, slithering back toward her.

Silas, slower to react, was hit square in the chest by one of the shadowy tendrils. The force of the impact knocked the wind out of him, and he was sent crashing into a stone pillar. Pain flared through his body, and for a moment, he lay there gasping, his mind spinning.

“Silas!” Venom shouted, but she couldn’t afford to check on him. Morwen was advancing, her hands raised as more shadows writhed around her like living creatures.

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

“This city feeds me,” Morwen hissed, her voice a poisonous whisper. “Every soul that has perished here makes me stronger. You cannot defeat me.”

Venom’s eyes flashed with resolve. She knew the stakes. She had to keep Morwen occupied while Silas recovered, had to buy them time. With a sharp breath, she launched herself forward, daggers gleaming in the dim light. Her strikes were fast and precise, but the shadows were faster. Each time she slashed through one, two more would rise to take its place.

Silas struggled to his feet, his hand shaking as he reached for his deck. He drew a card—the Three of Spades. His heart sank. It wasn’t enough. The card’s magic sputtered weakly, barely enough to faze the shadows that surrounded Morwen. He threw it anyway, desperation driving him, but the tendrils swallowed it whole, the attack doing nothing to slow their advance.

“I can’t do this,” Silas muttered under his breath, the doubt swelling inside him like a storm. His cards—his one source of strength—had turned against him. How could he fight when even his magic was failing him?

Venom, meanwhile, was faring no better. She moved with deadly grace, her daggers flashing like silver lightning, but it was like fighting the sea. No matter how many times she struck, the shadows kept coming, relentless and overwhelming. Morwen, untouched and unbothered, watched with cruel amusement.

“You’re a fool,” the mage sneered, her voice dripping with malice. “You think your skill matters here? You’re in my domain. The shadows obey me.”

Venom gritted her teeth, sweat pouring down her face as she narrowly dodged another tendril. “We’ve faced worse than you,” she spat back, though even she knew it was becoming harder to keep up.

Silas drew again—Six of Hearts. He cursed under his breath, the card glowing faintly in his hand. He could feel its magic, weak and faltering, as if the cathedral itself was draining it. He threw the card, but it fizzled out before it even reached Morwen.

“Is that the best you can do?” Morwen laughed, the sound echoing through the cavernous hall. “Your magic is useless here.”

Silas’s hands trembled, his mind racing. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. His cards had never failed him like this before. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, a mixture of fear and frustration twisting inside him.

Venom ducked beneath a particularly vicious strike from one of the shadowy tendrils, her breath coming in short, sharp gasps. She was pushing herself to the limit, and Silas could see it. She was keeping Morwen at bay, but she couldn’t keep this up forever. If he didn’t do something soon, she would fall.

“You’re better than this,” Venom’s voice cut through the fog of doubt that clouded his mind. “You have to fight.”

Her words struck something deep inside Silas. He had to pull himself together. Venom was risking everything, and here he was, wallowing in his own weakness. He couldn’t let her carry this alone.

With a shaky breath, Silas drew again. The card that appeared in his hand was the Nine of Spades. He could feel the surge of power in it, faint but there. It was something. Silas clenched his jaw, his grip tightening on the card. He couldn’t afford to hesitate any longer.

He threw the card with all his strength, and it sliced through the air, faster and sharper than any before. The shadows tried to block it, but the card cut through them, striking Morwen square in the chest.

The mage staggered, her eyes widening in shock as the card’s magic pierced her defenses.

Venom seized the moment. With a roar, she lunged forward, her daggers aimed straight for Morwen’s heart. But the shadows surged again, knocking her back before she could land the killing blow. She rolled across the stone floor, panting, her body aching from the effort.

Morwen’s lips twisted into a snarl, her eyes blazing with fury. “You think that’s enough to stop me?” she hissed, her voice dripping with malice. “You are nothing compared to the power of this city!”

The ground beneath them began to tremble, the very walls of the cathedral groaning under the weight of Morwen’s magic. Cracks spread across the floor, and the shadows grew thicker, coiling around Morwen like a living shield.

“We have to end this!” Venom shouted, her voice filled with urgency.

Silas nodded, his hand steady as he reached for another card.

But before he could draw, the entire cathedral shook violently. A deafening roar echoed through the hall, and the ground beneath them split open. From the depths of the earth, a massive shadowy figure began to rise, its form towering above them like a creature from the depths of a nightmare.

Morwen’s laughter echoed through the cathedral, a twisted, mocking sound. “Welcome to the true heart of this city!”

Silas and Venom stood frozen, their eyes wide with horror as the creature loomed above them, its glowing eyes filled with hunger.

The fight was far from over.