>>Amber
She had all the space for free movent.
Neither Hael nor I had seen her move, and it was as if she had materialized between us. There was no ti to react.
Slash!
I felt a sudden, sharp pain—like lightning striking through my nerves. Her claws had sliced through our hands with a swift, rciless chop. The world seed to slow down as blood spurted out in violent arcs, the warmth of it splashing against my face and neck. The fingers that had been interlocked with Hael’s were no longer there, severed completely.
!!!
I gasped in horror, my mind struggling to comprehend the sight of my own blood and the stinging pain that followed. A scream caught in my throat, and the agony felt like it spread through every nerve in my body.
Pain surged as I clutched my forearm, but there was no ti to wallow. The cruel sound of Persephone’s laughter echoed in my ears.
Her voice ca from right between and Hael
Persephone’s hand rested on my chest, and another on Hael’s.
?!??!
What is she doing!?
I could feel the cold malice in her touch as her clawed fingers pressed down, mocking us both.
"You’re nothing if not together," She whispered, her voice dripping with derision.
And then, boom.
A shockwave of raw energy blasted out from her hands. The air rippled around us as we were thrown apart like rag dolls in two completely opposite directions. My body hurtled backward, uncontrollably fast, and the force of the blow knocked all the air from my lungs. I couldn’t even scream before I slamd into the far wall of the rift.
Crack.
The impact was bone-shattering. Pain radiated up my spine, through my ribs, and into my skull. My vision went white for a mont, my mind unable to process the sheer force of the collision. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Every part of hurt, my bones feeling like fragile twigs snapped under a heavy foot.
For a mont, everything went dark, the world reduced to a void of pain and emptiness.
...
Then, through the haze of agony, a hoarse scream tore from my throat. The sound of my own voice startled back into the present
Every breath I took felt like a dagger stabbing my ribs, the pain sharp and unrelenting. My limbs trembled as I forced them to move, every slight shift sending waves of crucifying agony through my body.
"Ah, hah...." Slowly, reluctantly, I propped myself up, "Hah..." My fingers digging into the ground beneath as I struggled to sit upright, "OW!! ... Hooo..." My entire body scread in protest, and it felt as though my bones might collapse under my weight, but I couldn’t stop now.
I managed to sit upright, then I brought my hands and placed them on my chest and my gut.
"Heal..." I let out a ragged whisper, my voice barely above a breath.
A warm wave rushing over , my Holy Power began to respond. The familiar golden-white glow spread over my body, its warmth filling the cracks and fractures in my bones. Slowly, the searing pain dulled to a throbbing ache, and my labored breathing beca less desperate, more steady.
The healing was gradual, each broken piece of nding itself under the soft glow of my power.
My bones knit back together, the bruises faded, and the sharp sting of cuts dulled as they closed. I could feel life returning to , but I knew—I could tell—I had used up a lot of mana.
I let out a deep breath, "Hooo,"
The glow surrounding my body flickered, then finally faded entirely. I sat for a mont, my head still light from the effort, but at least I could breathe again. The pain was gone, replaced with a dull exhaustion, and I could finally stand.
I had to get to Hael.
Without , his attacks wouldn’t do any damage to Persephone. I staggered to my feet, scanning the surrounding chaos. The thick miasma clouded everything, swirling and choking the air, obscuring my view of the battlefield. I was glad I had kept my body barrier intact, otherwise, the miasma would have seeped in, poisoning from the inside.
I knew Hael had been thrown in the opposite direction, and I had to reach him. I needed to be there by his side if we had any chance of defeating Persephone.
I steadied myself, shaking off the lingering exhaustion. I was about to take my first step, about to run in the direction where I had last seen Hael disappear, when—
Sothing lashed out from within the miasma.
!!!
It was sudden, quick, and terrifyingly strong. Twisted, long arms—grotesque and unnaturally thin—shot out from the swirling clouds. They wrapped around my body in an instant, coiling around my waist and chest like a serpent, squeezing tight enough to force the air from my lungs.
No!
I gasped, my eyes widening in shock as the twisted arms tightened their grip, their jagged nails pressing into my skin. The pressure was unbearable, making it impossible to breathe. My heart pounded in my chest, panic rising as I struggled to free myself, but the more I squird, the tighter the arms constricted.
The miasma thickened around , obscuring my vision further, and I couldn’t see what had grabbed —only felt its cold, malevolent presence, as though it were draining the life from my body.
What is this!?
My hands flew to the arms trying to crush , trying to pry them off, but they were like steel—unyielding, brutal.
!?!?!
There I heard sothing eerily familiar and my eyes went wide.
"Pe...n..." My skin stood up as I shot my head around and looked at King Valenor.
***
>>Hael
Persephone stood before , her massive form now reduced to eight ters.
She pretended that nothing had happened, that our last attacks hadn’t hurt her at all, but I could see through her façade. The slight twitch in her fingers, the faint tension in her muscles. And of course, her reduced form.
I assu it’s like shedding skin. All of her that we burned, she had to leave behind
There is no way our attacks didn’t damage her. She may have been pretending that her legs were bound but her hands getting trapped in our shield provided us with a real chain.
We glared at each other
I could feel the raw energy of fire coiling in my veins, ready to be unleashed, but I had to be careful. My mana reserves were running low, and Persephone seed immune to almost everything. Still, I couldn’t let up—not now. I summoned a fireball in my hand, its heat swirling with intensity, and hurled it at her. The flas roared as they shot forward, but Persephone barely moved. She batted the fire away like it was nothing, her claws slicing through the air with a sharpness that made my blood run cold.
I let out a soft frustrated sigh. It was a wise move on her part to separate from Amber. I glanced around. And then she threw into the miasma. I can’t use the holy flas on her. The leftover of Amber’s holy power in , I can’t use it in my attacks. I need it in my body barrier otherwise the miasma will consu ,
I barely had ti to dodge as Persephone lunged at , her massive claws aid right at my chest. Rolling to the side, I conjured a barrier of wind, hoping it would slow her down, but she cut through it with ease.
I have to do sothing!
Every spell I cast felt like throwing pebbles at a mountain. My fire was cast away like nothing. So I used a slasher spell, my wind slashes couldn’t penetrate her skin.
Shit
She jumped at and I blinked out of the way and then threw mucous poison at her. It hit her back, even disintegrated her dress from there but her skin got no damage. "What was that?" She turned her head back at , "Was that a mosquito?"
All of it was futile.
Damn it!
She was too fast. Too strong. It was hard to even keep up. She ran towards again, and each swipe of her claws sent shockwaves through the air. I could feel the impact of her strikes even when they missed by inches. Her claws grazed my side, tearing through my clothes and cutting deep into my flesh.
"Gah!" I staggered back, clutching my side. Blood seeped through my fingers, and the pain shot through like lightning. But there was no ti to focus on it. I had to keep moving, had to keep fighting.
I threw up a wall of fire between us, hoping to create so distance. The flas crackled and hissed, but Persephone didn’t even hesitate. She strode through the fire like it was nothing, her eyes locked on mine. There was a cruel smile playing on her lips, like she was enjoying this. Enjoying watching struggle.
"You’re not even a challenge," She taunted, her voice like a haunting lody that sent shivers down my spine. "Where’s your little saint? Without her, your magic is just... pathetic."
I filled my hand with poison again and began to step back without a word. It ticked her off and she jumped towards . The fingers on her face opened, revealing her eyes and that’s when I took a chance.
I threw the poison in her eyes and blinked out of her way once again. She hissed and stopped mid-sprint.
She began to wipe it off, "What is this?!" I could tell it didn’t hurt her at all but it did at least blind her for a mont.
I gritted my teeth, pushing past the pain. I couldn’t let her get to . I had to find Amber. Without her, my attacks wouldn’t even scratch Persephone. I glanced in the direction where Amber had been thrown, then I glanced back and summoned forth my magic.
Illusion magic
I summoned a great bit of my doppelgangers and then sprinted out of there.
I moved into the miasma which imdiately concealed . For all the downsides it had, at least it worked in my favor.
I heard the sounds of fighting but I didn’t stop. I need to get to Amber! I began to blink ahead but out of nowhere suddenly as I blinked out, a big hand ca at my throat.
!!!
I barely dodged it
"Not so fast," Persephone blocked my path, stepping in front of with terrifying speed.
She startled . How is she already here?!
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