He was no longer a man.
Dark magic can do that, you know.
It corrupts the soul until there is only a shell of what it once was.
This beast was no different. A fallen elf who needed to be put down, just like that god during the third and final Dark War. Retractable claws that could slice through rock dug into the ground, leaving gashes longer than her hand as it prowled along the edge of the forest. Its muscles rippled with menace each time it moved closer to the deer. Hunched over on all four, the beast sprang, jaw clamping down over the deer’s head, and thrashed back and forth until the corpse fell to the ground. Blood pooled around the deer, mirroring the blood moon high in the sky.
To her surprise, it pushed off the ground and roared into the night sky. Pain or anger, she could not tell. The wind shifted, flooding her nose with the taste of blood, sweat and a magical residue only an elf could detect.
Her husband stood to her left; his ever-vigilant gaze was quite evident.
He asked, “Are you sure?”
She grasped his hand, and their eyes met.
“I’ve got this.”
_________
He was no longer a friend.
Betrayal can do that, you know.
It erodes the heart until there is only a shell of what it once was.
This elf was the worst. A dark mage who needed to be put down just like his god in the third Dark War. Cunning silver eyes that could cut through a man’s soul, exposing their deepest, darkest secrets. Waves of dark energy rippled through the air from his fingertips. His laughter dripped with menace. Her father, the training instructor for the expedition, slammed into the ground from silver eyes surprise attack. Blood pooled around her father’s body, mirroring the blood moon high in the sky.
To her astonishment, silver eyes pushed off the ground into the trees and roared into the night sky. The wind shifted, flooding her nose with her father’s blood mixed with the sweat and magical residue only an elf could detect.
Her best friend stood to her left; his ever-vigilant gaze burning with rage.
She gripped his shoulder and shook her head.
He asked, “Are you certain?”
She let go and smiled.
“I can handle it.”
_______
The forest had been sparse, with only a handful of wildlife that called its wooden borders’ home. But she wasn’t out here for the deer grazing or the rabbit speeding from bush to bush dodging a world that wanted to kill and eat it.
Walking into the clearing, she stared at the monster’s den. A pit of bones carved into the earth. A place where death came to play. She thought, I danced with death before, but I didn’t have a choice. The question was, who would play the last tune this time?
Black and twisted trees warped over the den, creating a canopy. Bones snapped under its weight as it dragged the deer deeper inside. She reached down and placed her hand over the footprint, sinking her fingers into the holes left by its extended claws. How long were they? She knew what it could do if she didn’t keep her distance.
O, if only she had its strength.
If she had, it wouldn’t stand a chance.
She wanted it to know fear when the monster took its last breath.
Her training and instincts drove her forward one step at a time. Her breath became heavier, anticipation mixed with fear. A butterfly flew past her, landing on a red flower. Was that blood or its true color? Hand stretched out, the butterfly flew over and landed on her finger. When it flew away, specks of blood remained. It roared from deep within, bringing her to her knees.
“I can do this. I must do this.”
Sighing, she stood up and grasped the necklace he gave her on their wedding day. Hand shaking, she held it tight. With a force of effort, her feet moved. Power swelled all around her. Her magic or the monsters, she could no longer tell the difference.
The desire to kill was unbearable. Hands crackling with raw energy transformed into a ball of wind begging to be released. With a final breath of air, she exhaled and stepped into the monster’s den.
She’d never been so afraid.
Never once in the last seventy years.
“Well shit…,” she breathed.
___________
The forest erupted into chaos, the younger trainees doing their best to dodge the attacks from the recruits the dark mage converted. But she didn't focus her attention on those weaklings. Her best friend ranked second in the class would handle them.
Walking onto the battlefield, she stared at the two forces. Bones snapped from concussive blasts of energy. She reached out and deflected fireballs and spears of ice with a flick of her wrist. Another charged in, dagger in hand, and she strengthened her fingers before sinking them through his chest, ignoring the blade and crushing his heart. Dagger forgotten; his body fell to the ground. Why do they even bother? She had no doubts about the outcome of any who stood in her way.
O, if only they had strength.
If they had, they might have lasted longer.
She wanted them to live long enough to fear her before breathing their last.
Her best friend weaved around her, opening a clear path forward. His breath became heavier, sadness mixed with loyalty. He hated violence, and she loved him for it. Was she a monster? Hand stretched out, she let out a torrent of flames, clearing a path toward the dark mage.
“I can do this. I must do this.”
Sighing, she walked through the burning debris from her spell. Hand shaking, the dark mage held his amulet and stepped forward. Power swelled all around her. Her magic or the dark mage, she could no longer tell the difference.
His desire for death was palpable. Dark energy crackled with the desire for release. With a final breath of air, she exhaled and slammed her foot into the ground, sending a shockwave that knocked him on his ass.
She’d never seen a man so afraid.
Never once in the last seventy years.
“Well shit…,” he breathed.
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________
Without warning, she fired off her ball of deadly wind toward the monster preoccupied with its meal, or so she thought. It leaped up, dodging the attack that impacted the dead deer, showering the den in blood and pieces of bone. If only that was her only concern. The monster landed in front of her and swiped. A shield of concentrated air erected in haste; the force of the blow sent her flying back.
Dazed, she drew breath and there was pain. This beast just might be the death of her. The monster stalked closer, black tongue hanging out. Hands outstretched together, she let out a torrent of flame when it was too close to dodge. “Burn and return to the dark with your dead master!” It screamed, backing away from the pain and the heat.
Was this how it would end?
Was this the best it could do?
A black force erupted from the monster, sending a concussive blast out from it which caused her to fly backward, peppered with debris from the den that was no longer there.
“Get up and finish this!”
But she was so tired, weak from the continuous flow of magic and the dark energy blast. She gasped, chest sending bolts of pain as she took a breath. No one would be there to save her, and she wanted no one to. One of them would die tonight and she had a family to return to.
She stood up and held out her hand, a ball of water stretching out into the form of a sword, freezing solid. Her remaining energy went to her feet, increasing her agility. The monster charged, claws raking the air where her head had been a moment before. What she lacked in physical prowess, she made up for in pure ingenuity. Flowing between its attacks, she noticed a slight limp in its left leg. She risked it all and slid between it and sliced into the injured leg from behind, forcing the creature down on all fours.
She leaped on its back and sunk her ice blade into its neck to the hilt. It collapsed, and she let the ice melt back into the water, amazed at the transformation as the beast became an elf once more. If you can still call it an elf. Let the elders worry about such idle thoughts.
“Kill me.”
She said nothing. Staring at the dying monster in an elf’s body.
“Please.”
“You’re already dead.”
She walked away; confident it would soon die.
_______
The traitor gritted his teeth and stood up. Eyes blazing with hatred. Her hands shot out and pelted the area with shards of ice. He leaped out of the way and sent a ball of dark energy blasting into her air shield, knocking her to the ground. He took his time as he stalked closer.
“You always had to be the best. Year after year. Decade after decade. I’m tired of being in your shadow. It’s time for you to enter mine.”
She reached out with both hands and forced the surrounding air until a cloud of debris closed them off from the outside. A smirk on her face, she stood up and thrust all the debris aimed at the dark mage from all sides. The fool curled into a ball and whimpered.
“I’ll make you pay for killing my father, you traitor.”
Was this how it would end?
Was this the best he could do?
Dark flames exploded from the curled-up mage, sending her flying back much further than before, disrupting her spell. Her best friend, bloody from protecting her, offered his hand, and said, “Get up and finish this.” Holding her side, she took his hand and swayed on her feet. He wouldn’t save her; she wouldn’t let him. Death would embrace one more elf this night.
But who?
Two balls of water transformed into twin curved blades and froze to a razor-sharp edge. What little energy she had left diverted toward enhancing her speed. Balls of black death were hurled toward her from the desperate man. She danced between the devastating spells, slicing through them with her ice swords just to prove she could. He raised his hands for another large spell. What she lacked in physical prowess, she made up for in pure ingenuity.
She hurled one of her ice swords at his chest and charged. It cracked his shield, lodged in place, but did not break through. She jumped and slammed her foot into the pummel, shattering his barrier and impaled him. The force sent him backward till he was stuck up against a tree. The blade melted and the dark mage slumped to the ground.
“Kill me.”
She said nothing to the former third rank, now a traitor.
“Please.”
She kneeled and grinned, stabbing two ice daggers through his kneecaps, and walked away, listening to him scream. Her best friend shook his head and asked, “Is that necessary?” Turning around with an ice spear, she aimed for the mage's left eye and threw it with all her might.
“Happy?”
______
Her hands shook, from her nerves or excessive use of magic, she couldn’t tell. The wet gritty, metallic taste in her mouth was the least of her worries after she looked down at the mess the battle did to her outfit. Was this from the deer or the beast? A shiver went down her spine at the thought.
“If it’s one thing I have learned since becoming a mother, it’s how to clean dirty boys. That child is always finding new ways to make my life difficult and I know his father is only encouraging him.”
After recovering from her overuse of magic during the fight, she held out her hands and generated a ball of swirling air and water, combined them, added heat for comfort, and stepped into it after enlarging the area of effect. Finished attacking all the blood, dirt, and pieces of bone she stepped out and let the spell fade. A cocoon of warm air enveloped her until she felt dry.
Staring up at the blood moon, she said, “Someone always dies when the moon turns red.”
“Someone always dies, regardless. I took care of the elf, by the way. You shouldn’t leave their kind alive. The darkness thrives off the suffering of others.”
Ice daggers formed in her hands as she whipped around toward the sound of the mysterious woman in the shadow of a tree.
“Are you one of them? You here to kill me? I won’t go down without a fight.”
She feared more for her family than herself, but she had to try. She defeated death once already that night. What was one more?
“Why would I? The blood moon already claimed its victim. You took care of it before I could.”
The stranger's actions ripped her attention away from him and back toward the direction of her home. In response, she let the ice dagger fly, piercing a rabbit mid-flight. She turned back, but the woman was gone. Her curiosity had died along with the rabbit. Satisfied that her family would be safe, she followed her footsteps back home.
_______
“Are you?”
She looked at her best friend, and asked, “Am I what? Happy that he killed my father? Are you serious!?”
The surviving members of their training expedition huddled near the tree where her father landed and talked frantically to themselves. One of them turned to her and shouted, “He’s alive!”
What have I done? I spent all that time making that traitor pay instead of checking to see if my father was still alive. Am I becoming a monster? Her best friend grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look into his eyes.
“Whatever you're thinking right now, you're wrong. I believe in you, and so does everyone else. Now go, your father needs you.”
Clearing a path with a controlled gust of wind, she hurried to his side. She found him lying on the ground, his head resting on the lap of a fellow trainee. Falling on one knee into the blood-soaked earth, she held his hand. His chest rose and fell to the rhythm of a wounded deer with an arrow through its lung. What could she do…what could any of them do for him?
He squeezed her hand, bringing her back into the moment. She stared into those knowing eyes that could see through to her very being, shattering any hope of hiding what she truly felt.
“Father?”
“Lyra, my dear. You made me so proud today. No, not just today. Ever since you began your training five decades ago, you have proven why our family represents the future.” His fingers dug into her palm as he coughed up blood. “It’s up to you to protect them now.” He looked up at his daughter's best friend. “Keep Lyra safe, Ryo. That’s an order.”
“Yes, sir.”
A bolt of dark energy thundered toward Lyra from up in the tree canopy. She let go of her father's hand and deflected the attack with a shield of condensed air. Lyra stood, envisioning a bow made of pure energy, and pulled back the light string aimed at the traitor hidden in the trees. It launched into the air, a bolt of pure white light slicing through the darkness, piercing the heart that turned against them.
Her heart fell with the body when she noticed her father’s chest no longer moved. Ryo held her from behind and she cried. After Lyra had ensured that there were no more enemies and she had secured her father's body, she followed her footsteps back home.
_______
She left the shelter of the forest and stared out at the open expanse filled with tall grass, flowers, and soft rolling hills. A gentle breeze carried an alluring lavender scent that made her smile. Bending over, she picked one and held it in her hand. After reaching the last hill before her home came into view, she found her husband sitting next to their son, looking up at the blood moon. On closer inspection, it was clear her son was leaning against his father's sleeping.
“I’m home.” She smiled and sat next to her son, laying his head down on her lap.
“Welcome back, Lyra.”
“Thank you, Ryo. Did Airdan enjoy himself while I was away?” Lyra brushed a stray hair behind his ear and grinned at Ryo.
“He did. Fell asleep asking when you would come home.” Ryo cupped her cheek with his hand and pulled Lyra in for a kiss. “I missed you too, my love.”
Lyra’s expression went cold before she asked, “Do you remember the last words my father, Daylor, said to you?”
Ryo nodded and looked back up at the night sky. “How could I not? I respected your father, just like everyone else under his instruction.” Glancing back at Lyra, he asked, “What made you think of that night?”
With a deep breath, Lyra met her husband’s eyes and said, “I couldn’t help but think about the night he died. It’s a blood moon, after all. Someone always dies during a blood moon. I had to make sure it wouldn’t be us.”
Ryo stood up and took their son into his arms. “I never had any doubts. It’s getting late and I need to get Airdan off to bed. Are you coming?”
Shaking her head, Lyra let her gaze roam back to the blood moon. She could hear Ryo’s footsteps as he walked through the grass back towards their home.
“Ryo, I have a question for you.”
He stopped and tilted his head back toward Lyra. “Yes?”
“What if death wasn’t the end?”