>>Amber
Hael and Deus were the first ones to action.
The air was thick with miasma, choking and cold, and the limited light from the orb barely cut through the oppressive gloom. Hael and Deus didn’t hesitate. With a single glance at each other, they sprang into action
I watched Hael move first, his usual confidence evident in every step. But even as the flas ignited in his hands, I knew—we all knew—that fire wouldn’t stop these creatures.
And Hael knew it too, so why was he attacking first?
He didn’t waste ti trying to burn them. His flas roared to life, spreading across the ground, not as an attack, but as a guide. He flung his fire toward the bonewraiths, lighting their bodies up
Oh!
It was not to destroy them, but to light them up, to make sure we could see them clearly in this oppressive gloom. The fire clung to the bonewraiths, illuminating their grotesque forms, casting flickering shadows that made them look even more terrifying.
The bonewraiths didn’t flinch, but they did react to the flas that licked at their skin.
But that also didn’t stop them from moving towards us. The flas had turned the creatures into beacons, their hollow eyes glowing brighter against the firelight.
Deus was next, his eyes narrowing as he saw the bonewraiths lit up by Hael’s fire. He didn’t hesitate, launching his magic with precision, aiming to disrupt and disorient the creature that was ahead of its peers. His earth-shaking strikes made the bonewraith stagger, setting it up perfectly for the real attack.
"Knights, get your weapons and magic ready!" Lyal’s voice cut through the tension. The knights didn’t need any further instructions. They raised their swords, light magic crackling along the blades, the air humming with the energy they were summoning.
Lyal led the charge, his sword glowing with intense, blinding light. The knights followed suit, their weapons gleaming as they unleashed their thunderbolts. The light magic struck the bonewraiths with deadly accuracy, tearing through their burning forms.
I stood there, encased in my holy shield, watching it all unfold. Hael’s quick thinking had turned the tide of the battle. His flas made sure the knights and Deus had clear targets, their light magic cutting through the darkness with precision. I felt a swell of admiration for Hael, for all of them—but also a deep frustration.
I was useless. Just standing here, protected by my shield, while they fought for our lives. What good was I if all I could do was watch?
My heart raced, a mix of fear and determination surging through . Hael moved with swift precision, floating above, making sure to keep the fire blazing.
After the fight had started, he turned to look at who stood there alone. Then he chose to co back, his body speedily descending from the sky. He entered my barrier and ca to stand beside
I could feel the warmth of his flas even through the barrier of my holy shield. When he stood beside , his eyes locked onto mine, a flicker of concern crossing his features.
"Is sothing bothering you?" He asked
"We’re doing everything we can, but this isn’t enough," I confessed, my voice trembling slightly. "Rosie told ... she told that the bonewraiths have their core in the thick part of their neck. If I can just—" I hesitated, uncertainty gnawing at .
"Yes, you told ," Hael’s gaze softened, and he nodded, understanding dawning in his eyes. "You want to try using your holy power?" He said, finishing my thought.
"Yes, but I’ve never done anything like this before," I admitted. "What if I miss? What if—"
"You won’t," Hael interrupted, his voice steady and reassuring. He took a step closer, his body now re inches from mine. The heat from his flas seed to pulse in ti with my racing heart. "You’ve trained for this. May and Loid have prepared you, didn’t they?"
The sound of his voice, so close and full of confidence, sent a warm shiver down my spine.
"Yes," I gulped, "I was thinking of shooting an arrow..."
Loid and May had actually taught how to manipulate Holy Power, I learned a lot from them in the magic room but now that the real thing was happening, I wasn’t so confident in myself.
My gaze wandered around on the ground.
Hael reached out, his hand brushing lightly against my arm, sending a jolt of electricity through . "Here," He said gently, guiding my hands into position. "Let help you."
I felt the warmth of his touch as he adjusted my grip, "Summon your power." He said, "You know you have to have a solid image in your mind."
I nodded, His fingers were sure and steady as they moved over mine, and for a mont, the world around us seed to blur. The battle, the darkness, the bonewraiths—all of it faded away, leaving just the two of us standing there in the heart of the storm.
"Close your eyes," Hael murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "Focus on the light within you. You’ve done this before. You know what to do."
I obeyed, closing my eyes and concentrating on the warmth that pulsed deep within . I could feel Hael’s presence, strong and unwavering, grounding as I reached for that familiar spark of holy power. It responded to my call, glowing brightly in my mind’s eye, and I could feel it begin to take shape in my hands..
"Now, breathe," Hael instructed, his voice calm and soothing. "Let the light flow through you, into the arrow. Picture the target in your mind, see the core in the bonewraith’s neck. You can do this."
I drew in a deep breath, feeling the holy power surge through , filling with a sense of purpose and strength. With Hael’s hands guiding mine, the arrow of light ford, its sharp point glowing with a brilliant, pure light. I could feel its energy humming between us, a living force waiting to be released.
"Are you ready?" Hael asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"Yes," I whispered back, my voice filled with a newfound resolve.
Hael’s hands remained on mine as I drew the bowstring back, the arrow of light shimring in the darkness.
I opened my eyes, focusing on the bonewraith that was still burning nearby. The thick part of its neck, where Rosie had said the core would be, stood out clearly in the firelight.
As if by instinct, the monster turned its body in my direction
!!!
The creature’s hollow eyes seed to stare directly at , as if sensing the threat I posed.
I aid carefully, my breath steady as I locked onto the target. Ti seed to slow, the world narrowing to just the two of us and the deadly creature before us.
"Now," Hael whispered, and I released the arrow.
It flew straight and true, cutting through the darkness with a brilliant flash of light. The arrow struck the bonewraith’s neck with a powerful impact, sinking deep into the thickened area where its core was hidden. The creature shuddered, its body convulsing as the holy light spread through it like wildfire.
!!!
WOW
I watched in awe as the light consud the bonewraith, burning away its dark core. The monster couldn’t scream, it had no mouth to do that, but as the core got destroyed, it stomped on the ground furiously, then fell.
Deus took advantage of the chaos the monster was in and sent his magic towards it. Shaped like a sharp boorang, the light cut through the neck. From downwards, it went up, slashing the neck off the beast
!!!
A rush of relief and triumph surged through , and I turned to Hael, my heart still racing from the intensity of the mont. His eyes t mine, a proud smile playing at the corners of his lips. "You did it," He said softly
The bonewraith convulsed as the light consud it, and for a brief instant, I dared to hope that the tide had turned in our favor and smiled. But that hope was short-lived.
Around us, the battle continued to rage, and the bonewraiths—despite the flas that illuminated their grotesque forms—fought back with terrifying ferocity. Their movents were unnaturally fast, like lightning strikes in the darkness. Each ti they moved, it was as if they vanished and reappeared, their clawed appendages slicing through the air with deadly precision. The knights, despite their training and the light magic they wielded, struggled to keep up.
Like I had done, they were all aiming at their core. Destroying their core was the only way to slow them down but it wasn’t easy.
And I realized as I watched them all that I had gotten lucky with my shot.
I could only watch in horror as one of the bonewraiths lunged at a knight, its jagged claws tearing through the soldier’s light barrier as if it were made of paper. The knight barely had ti to cry out before the creature’s claws ripped through him, leaving a spray of blood in the air.
He fell, his light flickering out as his body crumpled to the ground.
The sight of it—so sudden, so brutal—made my breath catch in my throat and I froze.
I had never witnessed a murder, especially not like this.
The fear rattled my bones.
But the bonewraiths were relentless, and their speed made them nearly impossible to track. Another knight was struck down before he could even raise his weapon, his body tossed aside like a rag doll by the monstrous creature. It was a massacre, and the bonewraiths were gaining ground.
We had only managed to take two down
Amidst the chaos, there were two who stood firm: Deus and Lyal. The two of them moved with a precision and speed that matched the bonewraiths, their magic cutting through the darkness with brilliant flashes of light. Deus wielded his magic with an effortless grace, his attacks precise and deadly. His light magic blades carved through the bonewraiths’ defenses, forcing them back, even as they tried to surround him.
Lyal, on the other hand, commanded the battlefield with authority. He shouted orders to the remaining knights, rallying them to hold their ground. With a sweeping motion of his hand, he summoned a bolt of light magic that crackled with energy, arcing through the air like a lightning bolt. The thunderous impact struck one of the bonewraiths squarely in the chest, sending it reeling back, its bones cracking under the force of the blow.
That’s when the other knights attacked. Six of them had to strike at once, their blades slicing off the four legs, while two attacked to get the neck off.
It required too much manpower and only then we managed to get one more but then the other wraiths swung to attack, killing the knights who had barely managed to finish off the monster.
The soldiers fought valiantly, but the darkness and miasma made it impossible to see more than a few feet ahead, and the oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on all of us.
Hael, who had been by my side, turned his attention back to the battle, his face a mask of grim determination. He knew, as well as I did, that his fire magic wouldn’t harm the bonewraiths, but it could still serve a purpose. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a wave of flas roaring across the battlefield, igniting the remaining bonewraiths once again and bathing them in an eerie, flickering light, consuming them whole
"Now!" Lyal shouted, his voice cutting through the din of battle. "Take them down while they’re distracted!"
Lyal and Deus didn’t hesitate. With the bonewraiths illuminated, they renewed their assault with a ferocity that matched the creatures’ own. Lyal’s thunderous bolts of light magic crashed into the bonewraiths, each strike sending shockwaves through the ground. Deus, moving like a blur, sliced through the bonewraiths’ ranks, his light-infused blades cutting through bone and darkness alike.
Yet, even with the renewed vigor, the bonewraiths fought back viciously. One of the creatures lunged at Deus, its claws aiming for his throat, but he sidestepped just in ti, countering with a quick slash that severed its arm. Another bonewraith darted toward Lyal, its claws clashing against his light shield with a force that made him stagger, but he quickly regained his footing, striking back with a bolt of magic that shattered the creature’s chest.
I stood frozen, my holy shield still shimring around , but the sense of helplessness weighed on heavily. Despite the success of my holy arrow, the battle was far from over.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I clenched my fists, struggling to push back the rising tide of fear.
What could I do? I had trained, I had practiced, but nothing could have prepared for this. I wasn’t a warrior like Deus, or Hael or Lyal.
I turned to look at Hael, "It’s four down," He said, then paused for a split second, then shot his head back.
I followed his eyes, and what I saw made my blood run cold. In the darkness beyond our imdiate area, a line of glowing hollow eyes erged, watching us with an unblinking, malevolent gaze.
My heart sank to the pit of my stomach as my blood ran cold.
One... two... seven... twelve...
Fifteen more bonewraiths had appeared, their ghastly forms erging from the miasma, their hollow eyes glowing ominously.
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