Adrian sat back, his usually calm mind swirling with unease as his screen blipped red. His nanobombs, the ones he’d stealthily implanted in Georgina One, had gone offline. Dead, gone, wiped out. And the kicker? The GPS showed her last-known location was at the Umbrus Pact.
“Nah… ain’t no way.” He muttered, realization hitting him hard. Selene had turned Georgina One, pulling her right under his nose into her undead ranks. It was an unthinkable move, but Adrian had underestimated just how ruthless Selene could get when pushed. Worse yet, his instincts had been ringing since he first sensed Ennuy’s presence. Adrian had always hated killing, despised it, in fact—but every time he thought of Ennuy, a strange rage built up, pure instinct making him want to end the dhampir. And the more he thought about it, the clearer it became: Ennuy’s Sin energy, his miasmic spirit, was affecting them all, twisting their thoughts, warping their own gifts and domains to rebel against them.
His mind flitted to his sister Xyra, who was facing an unfamiliar struggle herself. Xyra was usually rock-solid when it came to manipulating reality. She twisted it at will, bound it like her personal puppet, but lately, her Chains of Fate domain had been… slipping. No matter what she tried, the very fabric of her power rebelled against her when it came to Ennuy. If his sin energy could cause Xyra’s chains to snap and her reality to go rogue, the situation was far more dangerous than Adrian had originally calculated. Maybe she’d come around to his plan once he explained.
When Xyra arrived, Adrian laid out the details, his face tense with the hard truth.
“So, lil’ sis, listen up. Ennuy’s Sin energy ain’t regular darkness—it’s like corruption in spirit form, warping folks on a dimensional level. It’s messing with you, with me—probably got everyone a little hazy.” Adrian’s voice was low, urgent. “I cooked up a little fix, though. Just a pill. Sin immunity, straight science.”
Xyra, arms crossed and eyebrow arched, eyed the small pill Adrian offered. “Sin immunity, huh? And you think this little thing’s gonna wash off all that energy he’s throwing?”
“Real talk, I got it worked down to the science,” Adrian said, his tone sharpening. “Just take it and tell me what you feel.”
Xyra held the pill up to the light, tilting her head thoughtfully. “Guess we’ll see.” She swallowed it, feeling its effect ripple through her immediately, but after a moment, her gaze narrowed, almost… hungry. She smiled, a challenging glint lighting up her eyes. “Still feels the same, bro. If anything, makes me wanna tame him even more.”
Adrian’s eyebrows shot up. “You still feel it? I don’t get it; science should’ve blocked it…”
But she just shrugged, a sly smirk playing on her lips. “Just means my feelings don’t play by your science.”
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
Xyra wasn’t the only one rattled by all this talk of Sin energy. Her younger sister Nyxara had been watching from the sidelines, itching for some action herself. She was sharp, had been honing her powers with Bree, one of the Drakonis Pact’s best Mon-Masters, and had perfected her Monbeasticore, “Scaled Black.” It was a beast of myth and nightmare—armored scales black as coal, sharp enough to cut through steel, with burning red eyes that glowed like coals in the dead of night.
Nyxara smirked, crossing her arms. “Alright, let’s see what you got, sis. I’ll take you on. Let’s make this interesting.”
Xyra’s grin was instant, mischievous as ever. She raised her talisman, her fingers dancing over its surface. “Oh, you think you can keep up with me and Mad-Eyes Pink? You’re on, Nyx.”
Each sister stepped into her Manifestation Circle, talismans glowing like embers in the dim light. Their voices dropped low, resonating with a kind of raw energy, their aura syncing with their Monbeasticores as they chanted in unison.
Xyra held her hands high, her aura shimmering around her as she called forth her beast.
“Mad-Eyes Pink, spirit born and spirit bound, rise from mists that darken sound. With eyes that pierce and claws that rake, let all who challenge quake and break.”
A ripple coursed through the air, and Mad-Eyes Pink emerged—a creature of surreal, nearly alien power. It was sleek and agile, its scales a striking neon pink with an almost liquid glow, and its eyes were vast and swirling, it was a predator cloaked in deceptive beauty. Its gaze could pierce through illusion and spirit, turning reality inside out just by looking at it.
Nyxara responded with her own chant, voice vibrating with authority as she brought forth her beast.
"Dark as night and fierce as flame,
Scaled Black rise, take thy claim!
Bound in power, our souls collide,
Strength in shadow, stand beside!"
And there it was—Scaled Black, towering and fierce. Its scales gleamed like obsidian, each one carved like armor forged in ancient fires. It moved with a crushing weight, its every step making the ground tremble, red eyes glowing with primal hunger.
The sisters squared off, both Monbeasticores growling with tension, their power reverberating through the air. Mad-Eyes Pink moved first, darting in with a blinding speed that left trails of pink light in its wake. Xyra was fast, a master of agility and movement, her Monbeasticore weaving in and out with precise, razor-sharp attacks.
Nyxara, unfazed, directed Scaled Black to meet each move with bone-crushing power. Scaled Black’s tail whipped around, nearly catching Mad-Eyes Pink, but Xyra dodged in time, eyes sparkling with that unbreakable spirit. Her Monbeasticore was relentless, striking with a fierce energy, aiming to wear Nyxara down.
“Come on, sis, you’re slowing down!” Xyra taunted, dodging another massive swipe from Scaled Black.
Nyxara just grinned, unfazed by her sister’s antics. “Girl, you talk too much. Watch this!”
With a snap, Nyxara signaled her Monbeasticore to dive low, sweeping Mad-Eyes Pink off its feet and slamming it into the ground. Dust rose, and for a moment, silence reigned. But as it cleared, Mad-Eyes Pink sprang back up, undeterred.
Xyra chuckled, holding a hand up. “Alright, maybe you got some heat.” She turned as if to leave, throwing Nyxara a sly grin over her shoulder. “But you still didn’t win.”
Nyxara’s eyes narrowed, her smirk turning to a glare. “Don’t be actin’ like I’m the one done here, Xyra. I ain’t falling for your little game.”
Xyra just shrugged, but Nyxara could see it—the hint of smugness in her eyes. This wasn’t over, not by a long shot, and the way Xyra had played her had her blood boiling.