Nitiri was staring at her, mouth hanging open, and Terrin felt the same way. He glanced over and was relieved to see his sword still a few feet away. He scooped it off the ground, and a purple glow illuminated the area around him. The closest Demon turned when it noticed the light, but it was too late. Terrin sliced through to the inner layer of it and gave a command. His sword emitted a short burst of bright light. The Demon’s screech filled the small room and tore through Terrin’s mind as it died. He stepped beside Elurra, and in one fluid motion, retrieved an opaque white cube, thought a command, and jammed it onto the hilt of Elurra’s sword, making her jump. Immediately, the tip of her sword made strange whirring noises as an opening the size of a button appeared.
“What is—”
“The command is ‘yavea.’ Point it at the Demon core and say it. I’ve got your back, Snow.”
She gave him a quick smile but didn’t have time to reply. Lesser Demons moved in front of Tiberius to block their commander from harm.
Tiberius’s eyes narrowed as he glared at the two defenders. “Kill them all.”
“Nitiri! Do what you can,” Terrin commanded. “Any light you can produce would be helpful. Also, the Demons’ gas is poisonous. Don’t breathe it!”
Nitiri nodded and said a quick command. The swirling fog of enemies advanced toward them like the tide, and he clenched his jaw as he anticipated their onslaught.
“Ŗevlik generati ńai,”[i] Terrin and Elurra whispered in unison. Their swords responded immediately and created individual force fields around them.
Remember your training. Do not breathe when inside a Demon. Watch out for false attacks.
He launched himself at the most vulnerable Demon near him. He could see its core through its outer layer. It obviously hadn’t eaten in a while. He heard Elurra grunt as she engaged a Demon and took on its defenses. Terrin spun his sword before him to swipe away the Demon’s weak attacks as he plunged into the beast. He immediately felt the icy cold accompanying its weak point and thought the command for the final kill. He closed his eyes as a flash lit the intense darkness, and the Demon disintegrated. His mind was only partially on the battle around him. Anchor’s grim words also echoed through his mind.
“When the fight with the Demons starts, you must die.”
Two more monsters took the place of the last. A blinding burst of light cut through the room to his right, but he didn’t get to see the aftermath. The Demon attacking him lashed out with smoky claws while the other swung at him with some type of large tail. He sliced through the first attack while dodging the second, then dove into the first attacker. Seconds later, its eyes turned to ash. He didn’t have time to celebrate. Terrin dodged another attack as the second Demon swung at him again with its spiky tail of shadow.
“The one you love will ask you to make one final sacrifice.”
Terrin caught a brief glimpse of Elurra’s blonde hair as she fended off another Demon. She was having a harder time fighting because she didn’t want to move too far from Nitiri. Her aunt refused to be helpless, though. Balls of flame tore through the Demon, giving Elurra enough of a distraction to finish the foe. With another burst of light, it vanished. Another Demon tried to attack Terrin from behind, but his shielding protected him from the blow. Two more attacked him from the side, obscuring his view of Elurra. Swirling smoke and darkness surrounded him. Attacks bounced off his shield, and each sword swipe met multiple attacks. He was fighting the darkness itself. Differentiating enemies became impossible as they swirled together is a solid mass of deadly strikes. With dread, he realized he couldn’t win. He was going to die. Elurra and Nitiri were going to die. Rowan, Plague, Snore, Tristen, and everyone in the Rhai Cudd were going to die. Terrin sliced through another Demon and killed it with a burst of light, but two more took its place. Another one of the beasts emerged from the void and joined the battle.
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I can’t die yet! I finally understand who I am. I have so much I want to see and do, he thought desperately.
“You must sacrifice yourself for those you love. In the darkest hour, when all hope seems lost, the time will come. Salvation is near, but you will never see it. Take heart and know your end will not be in vain. The Prath will come, and your death will bring rebirth,” Anchor whispered in his mind.
Terrin turned in time to see a Demon with a thicker outer layer swing at him with too many tentacles to count. The beast’s attack connected, and the power behind it jarred the bones in Terrin’s arms and forced his sword from his hand. The purple glow sputtered out as it left his grasp, and the force field fizzled away around him. As his weapon skittered across the floor into the swirling darkness, a sudden peace came over him. He barely felt the Demon’s murky claws shredding his arm. He knew his time was up.
This is something I cannot stop.
Terrin squared his jaw and closed his eyes. The Demons took advantage of his weakness. He gritted his teeth as their attacks sliced his skin, but he refused to cry out. He put himself back into stasis to numb his nerves. He reached out to Elurra telepathically, hoping he had enough time to say his final goodbye.
“This is the last time I can protect you, Snow, but I hope it will be the last time you need protection,” he thought. “I don’t know how my death will stop the world’s end, but if I can save you, that’s all I need to know.”
“What? Terrin? What are you talking about?” she asked, her desperation washing over him in waves. “I am almost to you. Please hang on!”
“It’s alright, Snow. I’m not the boy I was when you first met me. Even though I’ve met living nightmares and gone through hell and back, I’d never change the decision I made to come with you on this grand adventure,” Terrin thought as the Demons flayed him alive.
One engulfed him, and the flashing red warnings in his mind informed him his internal temperature was dropping. The Demon tried to enter his mind, but Terrin put up a wall of iron around his thoughts as he finished his speech. He could distantly hear Elurra shrieking his name, but she sounded so far away.
“I found myself on this journey. I discovered powers I never knew I had and learned the truth about my heritage. I know I’m technically a child, but I don’t feel like one anymore. I was confused for so long, but I finally know why you cause me so much pain and torment. I love you. I don’t know why after all the crazy things you’ve put me through, but I do. My only regret is I can’t spend the rest of my life with you.”
“No! Stay with me! Please don’t leave me alone!” she yelled aloud.
Elurra’s sobs tore at his heart, and he knew she must’ve reached his body, although she was much too late. His willpower was slipping away, but he managed to pull himself out of stasis in the hopes of seeing her face one more time. Agony engulfed him, and he croaked out a pitiful sob. There was too much poison in his system; his senses were fading quickly. He could barely see her tear-streaked face through the darkness closing in. As his sight faded, he saw something emerge from the rift, but it wasn’t a Demon.
It was a Guardian.
Terrin tried to smile as the golden figure dove into the nearest Demon, and it exploded into a burst of light.
Elurra will be safe.
He couldn’t breathe anymore. Blood filled his lungs. The flashing warnings across his vision overwhelmed him as his organs shut down one by one.
Then the darkness consumed him.