"Brother!" Sidus's voice rang out, jolting me from the introspective haze I had fallen into. I turned my gaze toward him, my eyes clouded with a mixture of emotions that I struggled to articulate.
"Sidus, I—" I began, my intention to address the situation, to convey my remorse, but my brother's urgency silenced me.
"We have to go! Breta is barely holding them back!" he exclaimed urgently, his words carrying a weight that snapped my attention back to the present. The turmoil of emotions within me churned, threatening to once again consume my rationality.
"They?" I questioned sharply, my senses alert, my anger resurging like a tidal wave. Water mana enveloped me, casting a calming blue glow that started the process of healing my wounds.
"The shadows that followed the Shade," Sidus explained hurriedly, his words sinking in. My mind cleared as the reality of the situation hit me like a bolt of lightning.
"Go? No, you go," I retorted, my voice heavy with a dangerous resolve. How could I let them go after all they had wrought after they had taken my brother from me?
But my protest was abruptly cut short as the space around us warped and twisted, revealing Ynos's sudden appearance beside Sidus. "I managed to shield him from the Shade's attack, Brother," Sidus informed me, with clear urgency in his voice. "But we need to leave now! You defeated that monster, but we have no idea how many of its allies are out there!"
Sidus's urgent words reached my ears, but my attention was momentarily hijacked by Ynos's unexpected presence. My little brother's gaze held a mixture of emotions, and guilt seemed to shadow his eyes. "I do not know what happened. When the Shade attacked, I just felt myself thrown into a shadowy realm, I thought I was done for, but it turned out it was Sidus's spell."
His explanation tugged at my heart, a mix of shock and wonder intertwining within me.
"You—" I began, my voice shaky with a surge of emotion, but words failed me in that moment. The realization that Ynos had managed to survive, that he was standing here before me, ignited a spark of incredulous relief within me.
Gently, my claw found its way to Ynos's shoulder, pulling him close in a brotherly embrace. My voice was a mixture of whispered gratitude and light-hearted jest, "You're alive, you damn muscle head…" Laughter bubbled forth from my mouth, a release of the tension that had gripped me so tightly.
"Of course you're alive! How could you be anything else? Hahahahahahahaha!" The sound of my laughter echoed in the space, a stark contrast to the intense battle that had just transpired moments ago.
Sidus's eyes darted back and forth, a reflection of his nervous energy as he glanced between Ynos and me. His gaze often shifted to the distance where sporadic flashes of light signaled Breta's ongoing struggle against the shadowy adversaries that had accompanied the Shade.
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With a sense of purpose, I turned my attention back to Sidus, drawing him into an embrace that seemed to catch him off guard. His response was hesitant, his words carrying a mix of surprise and uncertainty. "Brother— Uh, we—"
A warm chuckle escaped my lips as I released him, my focus now turning to the ongoing battle that was unfolding before us. A deep sigh of relief accompanied the relaxation of my tense muscles. "Thank you," I said simply, my voice carrying a sincere note of gratitude.
With determination in my eyes, I shifted my gaze toward the distant fight where Breta held her ground against the shadowy assailants. "I'll make it swift," I declared, a sense of resolve emanating from my words as I teleported toward the fray, ready to aid my friend.
As soon as I appeared next to her, Breta frowned and cursed, "About damn time! Did you finish with your little rampage?" The Goddess spoke with a deadpan expression as she used her spear to push back one of the shadowy beings that tried to flank her.
I couldn't help but smirk at her remark. "Oh, don't worry. I've had my fill of rampage for now," I responded with a lighthearted tone, my eyes scanning the situation before us. Breta had been holding her own, but my arrival offered a much-needed reinforcement.
As she continued to engage the shadowy assailants, I seized the opportunity to strike from an unexpected angle. My teleportation brought me behind one of the shadowy beings, catching it off-guard. Swiftly, I lunged forward, my jaws clamping down on its form. The sensation was odd, a mixture of biting through smoke and the peculiar taste of something intangible yet malevolent.
With the lightning mana coursing through my body, and coating my teeth, the shadowy being disintegrated in my grip, its essence attempting to escape. But I wasn't about to let it go so easily. Calling upon my soul space and the elements that resided within, I forcefully drew its essence toward me. It was a battle of wills, the shadowy essence struggling against the pull of my soul space, but in the end, it failed. Inside, the elements rushed, and overwhelmed it, tearing it apart and consuming what remained.
As the echoes of the struggle subsided, I turned to Breta with a nod, "We'll make quick work of these," I said.
Breta didn't answer, her face still as expressionless as always. Her lack of verbal response didn't faze me; I had grown accustomed to her stoic demeanor. Instead, I focused on the battle at hand. While one of the shadowy beings was momentarily distracted by the fate of its companion, Breta seized the opportunity with her characteristic efficiency.
With swift precision, her spear found its mark, driving into the creature's chest. The being tried to escape, but the Goddess was relentless, with one hand gripped tightly on her spear, the other curled around the shadow's back forcing him to stay in place as she slowly stabbed her spear deeper. I watched as she channeled divine energy into her weapon, a ray of powerful light surging forth. It enveloped the creature, disintegrating it completely, leaving nothing but fading echoes in its wake.
'Divine energy, I should ask grandma about it when I have the chance,' I inwardly mumbled before I turned my gaze to the last shadowy being.
A malicious gleam ignited in my eyes as a feral grin spread across my draconic visage. The shadowy being's form visibly quivered, realizing the dire situation it was in. Desperation fueled its attempt to flee, but its efforts were in vain as it inadvertently impaled itself onto the tip of Breta's spear. The Goddess had cunningly appeared behind the creature, her movements silent and graceful. With a deft strike, her weapon found its way deep into the being's chest.
Seizing the moment, I exploited the confusion, teleporting behind the shadowy being in perfect synchronization with Breta's attack. My claws met its neck in a swift, deadly arc, cleanly severing its head. The lifeless body crumbled, its remaining essence absorbed by my soul space.