Chapter 61: Hermes
Lilian Fraser's life after that fateful night became a blur of transient homes, each one a fragile attempt to provide her with stability, love, or even just basic care. Yet none of them lasted. Bellatrix ensured that every attempt to rebuild her life ended in devastation.
The first family to take her in was the Strongs, a kind, middle-aged couple with no children of their own. They lived in a modest house near a bustling market, offering a quiet life filled with patience and affection. For the first time, Lilian had a room to herself, a soft bed, and shelves of books to lose herself in. Mrs. Strong taught her how to bake pies, and Mr. Strong brought her little trinkets from the market. But their kindness, though genuine, was not enough to protect them.
One evening, during a quiet dinner, Mr. Strong accidentally knocked over a lantern, spilling hot oil onto Lilian's hand. The pain was sharp and immediate, and as she recoiled, the familiar terror stirred within her. Her eyes glowed as her body trembled, the prismatic sheen taking over. It wasn't Mr. Strong's mistake that summoned Bellatrix; it was the memory of pain, the fear of punishment. Without hesitation, Bellatrix unleashed her magic. The room filled with shimmering spikes of light that erupted from every surface. By morning, the Strongs were gone, impaled by the deadly projections. The authorities chalked it up to a magical anomaly, a freak accident. Lilian, heartbroken and horrified, moved on.
The next family, the Hemmings, were a stark contrast to the Strongs. They were a large, cheerful family with four children, their home brimming with noise and energy. They welcomed Lilian warmly, assigning her small chores and involving her in family activities. She helped bake bread, played games in the yard, and even began to believe she might have found a home. But the Hemmings' eldest son was a troublemaker. One evening, in a moment of childish cruelty, he teased Lilian, calling her "orphan girl" and tugging on her wild, untamed red hair. She tried to hold back the tears, but the humiliation and anger were too much.
Bellatrix surfaced with a vengeance. The boy's taunts turned to screams as the mirror behind him shattered, the shards twisting into lethal spears that pierced his body. The rest of the family barely had time to react before Bellatrix turned her wrath on them, her magic erupting in an uncontrollable storm of refracted light. Their home was left glowing eerily, the air thick with the lingering traces of Prism Magic. Lilian woke up miles away, trembling and sobbing, haunted by the faces of the Hemmings and the destruction she had caused.
Her next placement was with the Avenalls, an older, wealthier couple who saw Lilian as more of a project than a person. They dressed her in fine clothes, paraded her at social gatherings, and instructed her on etiquette. At first, Lilian tried her best to fit into their world, even though their affection felt cold and performative. But the veneer cracked the day Mrs. Avenall slapped Lilian across the face for dirtying her dress. The sting of the slap was nothing compared to the eruption of rage inside her.
That night, Bellatrix took over. The Avenalls' grand mansion became the epicenter of a dazzling yet deadly display of Prism Magic. The walls fractured into glittering shards, the couple's screams echoing as they were consumed by the kaleidoscope of light. By dawn, the once-imposing estate was nothing more than a smoldering ruin. Lilian wandered the streets, consumed by guilt and fear, her heart heavy with the weight of yet another tragedy.
It was during this aimless wandering in Kikka that Lilian met Dorothy Unsworth. The newly-appointed captain of the Coral Peacocks stood under a violet umbrella, her presence oddly serene despite the chaos surrounding Lilian's life. Dorothy approached her without hesitation, kneeling in front of the trembling girl.
"You've been running for a long time, haven't you?" Dorothy asked, her voice soft yet firm.
Lilian could barely nod, her throat too tight to speak.
"I know what you are," Dorothy continued. "And I know who you are. You're scared, and you're hurt. But you're not alone."
Tears welled up in Lilian's eyes. "I—I can't stop her."
"You don't have to fight alone anymore," Dorothy said with a small, dreamy smile. "Join my squad. I'll help you." There was an unshakable confidence in her words, a promise that cut through the fog of Lilian's despair.
For the first time in years, Lilian felt a glimmer of hope. She nodded, her trembling hand reaching for Dorothy's.
Lilian began to rebuild her life with the Coral Peacocks, and for a time, she believed she might have found a place where she truly belonged. But Bellatrix was always there, lurking just beneath the surface. Five years before Lars joined the squad, during a routine training exercise, Lilian's tenuous control finally snapped.
A fellow squadmate accidentally unleashed an explosive spell too close to Lilian, and the trauma came rushing back. Her red hair seemed to glow like fire, her eyes shimmering with violent, prismatic light. Bellatrix emerged, her voice low and cold as she surveyed the squadmates. "They always ruin everything."
The training field became a battleground as Bellatrix's Prism Magic transformed it into a chaotic storm of deadly light. Refracted blades tore through the air, forcing everyone to scatter. The squadmates, though skilled, couldn't keep up with her overwhelming power.
One by one, some of them fell.
Dorothy arrived, her expression calm but resolute. "Enough," she said, her voice cutting through the chaos like a blade.
Bellatrix turned to her, sneering. "You think you can stop me? You're just a dreamer playing games."
Without a word, Dorothy opened her grimoire. Her Dream Magic enveloped the field in an ethereal mist, swallowing Bellatrix's attacks whole. The prismatic storm faltered as Bellatrix found herself moving slower, her magic unraveling in the dreamlike haze.
"You're strong, Bellatrix," Dorothy said, her voice unwavering. "But strength without control is nothing."
Bellatrix lunged, but her movements were sluggish, her power dissipating. Within moments, she collapsed, the prismatic glow fading as Lilian reemerged, sobbing and broken.
Dorothy knelt beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Lilian. I'm here. We'll work through this together."
…
"We'll work through this together," Bellatrix sneered. "What a pathetic fool Dorothy Unsworth is! I am Lilian Fraser given true power, her carnal, truly human, nature given form! Her desire to kill! She cannot escape me! Prism Magic: City of Jerusalem!"
Bellatrix snapped her fingers, and the room darkened as she summoned a dome of shimmering light around them, using highly gyrating prisms that refracted the little light of the cavern. She exhaled, feeling the mana course through her veins faster than before, the rush for battle slowly creeping into her blood, the power flickering in her eyes
"Defeating you will finally give me full control over Lilian," Bellatrix said. "It will break her spirit. Then I'll be free! Free to do whatever I want! Free to kill whoever I want!"
She summoned her prismatic sword, it glowing red with a malevolent hue, and rushed at Ravenna, the former Purple Orca raising her own beautifully crafted sword made out of obsidian to block it. Bellatrix used her free hand to cast another spell, her teeth gleaming in a sadistic grin. "Prism Magic: Prismatic Flare!"
A large, gleaming burst of refracted light erupted from one of the prisms, but the obsidian mage reacted quickly.
"Obsidian Magic: Nyx Wall!"
A wall of obsidian erupted from the ground, cracking under the brunt of the attack but still managing to shield Ravenna from the onslaught. Bellatrix, however, seized this opportunity and swung her sword, aiming for Ravenna's chest. The obsidian mage countered with a backhand swing of her sword, pushing Bellatrix away.
"I'll be free! Free to live my life without that annoying girl pestering me at every turn!"
The prism mage raised her hands, sending another Prismatic Flare at Ravenna, who then countered with her own spell.
"Obsidian Magic: Jagged Stones of the Night!"
The obsidian, this time, completely dissipated the blast, yet Bellatrix followed up by raining a fury of blows upon Ravenna.
"Free to wreak havoc on the world! Free to watch innocents suffer!" Bellatrix said, enunciating each syllable with a swing of her sword. Ravenna was starting to feel the pressure, as she once again used Jagged Stones of the Night, this time aiming to push Bellatrix away.
Russell's expression contorted with horror as Bellatrix's venomous declaration echoed in the prismatic cavern.
"Free to wreak havoc on the world! Free to watch innocents suffer!"
His knuckles whitened as he tightened his grip on his rapier, anger boiling beneath his calm exterior. "You're a monster," he spat, his voice shaking. "Lilian would never want this! She would never—"
Bellatrix turned her head sharply, a wild, mocking laugh erupting from her lips. Her prismatic eyes gleamed with amusement, her twisted smile dripping with disdain.
"Lilian?" she sneered, her voice dripping with mockery. "That sniveling little girl? She's a nothing, Russell—a weak, useless speck clinging to dreams of love and peace like a child clutching a broken toy. But me?" Bellatrix spread her arms wide, her aura of shimmering light intensifying. "I'm what she's too afraid to embrace. I'm her rage, her desires, her hunger for power! The part of her that knows what it takes to survive in a world that crushes the weak underfoot."
She leapt backward, landing gracefully atop a crystalline pedestal she conjured with a snap of her fingers. The dome above seemed to pulsate with life, refracting deadly beams of light that danced like malevolent spirits.
"She cried herself to sleep every night, too afraid to take control of her own destiny. So I did it for her. While she wallowed in self-pity, I trained in the shadowed corners of her mind." Bellatrix's voice turned low and dangerous, each word a dagger aimed at Russell. "I twisted her pathetic dreams into weapons, fought battles she doesn't even remember. Every ounce of magic I have was forged in the fires of her pain. And now..." She gestured to the storm of refracted light swirling around her. "Now I am perfection. Her better half."
Bellatrix turned her predatory gaze back to Ravenna, who stood firm despite the onslaught of light. "You're strong, obsidian mage, but strength means nothing if you lack the will to destroy."
With a feral grin, Bellatrix lunged, her prismatic sword a blur of radiant light. Ravenna met her attack, their blades clashing in a burst of sparks. Bellatrix pressed forward, forcing Ravenna to retreat step by step, her relentless assault showing no sign of stopping.
"Obsidian Magic: Nyx Wall!" Ravenna shouted, summoning a towering barrier of obsidian. But the wall shattered like glass under Bellatrix's relentless strikes.
"You're slipping!" Bellatrix taunted, her voice sing-song. "Pathetic! Is this all you've got? I expected more from someone with your reputation."
Ravenna's breath came in labored gasps as she scrambled to evade the deadly prismatic beams ricocheting off the walls of the dome. Her once-imposing obsidian defenses were reduced to rubble, and Bellatrix's magic only grew stronger.
"Obsidian Magic: Jagged Stones of the Night!" Ravenna shouted, sending a barrage of razor-sharp obsidian spikes toward her opponent.
Bellatrix smirked, pirouetting gracefully through the storm of shards. "You're slowing down, Ravenna. I could do this all day!"
With a triumphant cry, she slammed her sword into the ground. "Prism Magic: Spectral Annihilation!"
The dome trembled as it began to collapse inward, the refracted beams of light converging into a devastating vortex. Ravenna gritted her teeth, her arms trembling as cuts opened on her skin, blood seeping through her shredded sleeves.
But through the chaos, she smirked, blood dripping from her lip. "You talk too much."
Bellatrix paused mid-step, her twisted grin faltering for a split second. A pang of something unfamiliar coursed through her—a memory of Russell, his steady gaze and quiet encouragement. Her expression darkened as she tried to shake it off.
"Ugh," she growled, frustrated. "This is so... irritating." She turned her head sharply, her voice sharp and commanding. "Russell! Get over here!"
Russell froze in place, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Bellatrix, what—"
"Just do it!" Bellatrix snapped, though there was an edge of desperation in her tone. "Distract her! I need to end this."
Conflicted, Russell hesitated for only a moment before darting forward, his rapier gleaming as he aimed for Ravenna's exposed side.
Ravenna growled, narrowly deflecting his strike with a backhanded swing of her sword while simultaneously sidestepping Bellatrix's follow-up thrust. She grimaced as the strain began to take its toll, her body screaming for relief.
"You think you've won?" Ravenna's voice dropped, calm but deadly. She stepped back, raising her sword and closing her eyes. The obsidian blade began to glow with a sinister, dark energy, and the air around her grew heavy.
Bellatrix narrowed her eyes, lowering her sword slightly. "What are you doing?"
Ravenna smirked, her lips curling into a wicked grin. Her voice took on a reverent, almost ritualistic tone as she began an incantation.
"Rise, Nyx within, and grant me your strength. Shadows of the eternal night, awaken!"
A wave of dark energy erupted from Ravenna, engulfing the room. Her form straightened, her movements more fluid as the shadows wrapped around her like a cloak. Her voice was deeper, layered with an otherworldly cadence.
Bellatrix froze, her prismatic sword hovering in mid-swing. Her eyes widened, the glow in them flickering.
"No... it can't be," Bellatrix whispered, her voice uncharacteristically soft. For the first time, her twisted grin faltered completely.
Ravenna's altered form stepped forward, her aura suffused with power. She tilted her head, her smirk widening. "Oh, Bellatrix. You sweet summer child. It seems you've met your match."
Bellatrix's voice wavered as she whispered, "Nyx... I know you."
The cavern trembled as Nyx's dark power pulsed through the air, pressing down on everything within the shimmering dome of Bellatrix's Prism Magic. The obsidian mage's alter ego exuded raw, suffocating malice, her every step a declaration of dominance. Even the air seemed to grow heavier, thicker, as though Nyx's presence alone was enough to choke the life out of the room.
Bellatrix faltered, uncharacteristically hesitant. She tightened her grip on her prismatic sword, the glow of her magic flickering unevenly. For the first time since her emergence, the self-proclaimed embodiment of perfection felt something alien creeping into her mind: doubt.
"Nyx," Bellatrix hissed, her lips curling into a grimace as she forced herself to stand taller, projecting a confidence she no longer fully felt. "I thought you were sealed away centuries ago."
Nyx tilted her head, her dark eyes gleaming with amusement as a cold, sharp laugh escaped her lips. It echoed in the chamber like a blade scraping against stone. "Oh, I was," she purred, taking another deliberate step forward. "But you and I both know that seals never hold forever, do they, Bellatrix? Or should I call you by your true name?"
Bellatrix's prismatic aura flickered violently, the vibrant colors distorting into jagged, chaotic patterns. Her breath hitched as Nyx's words dug into her like claws, dragging something buried deep within her consciousness to the surface.
"My... true name?" she whispered, her voice faltering for the first time, trembling with uncertainty.
Nyx's obsidian blade twirled gracefully in her hand, the blackened edge catching the fractured light of the dome. She closed the distance between them with predatory ease, her piercing gaze locking onto Bellatrix like a hawk eyeing its prey. "You're not a fragment of Lilian's pathetic little mind, as you so love to claim," she said, her voice soft but laced with venom. "No, you're something much worse—a parasite. A rogue spirit drawn to her anguish, feeding on her pain, her doubt, her desires."
"Shut up!" Bellatrix snapped, her voice rising in fury. Yet the tremor in her tone betrayed her fear, the cracks in her façade widening with every word Nyx spoke.
"Ah," Nyx cooed, her smirk widening as she saw the panic creeping into Bellatrix's expression. "Touched a nerve, have I? You're like me, Bellatrix—an alter ego forged in the crucible of despair, not born from it. But unlike you, I don't need to lie to myself. I embrace what I am."
Bellatrix clenched her teeth, the light of her prismatic sword flaring brighter in her hand. "I said shut up!"
But before she could launch an attack, Nyx raised her free hand, her fingers curling as though grasping something unseen. "Obsidian Magic: Blackened Shards of the Night."
The ground beneath Russell erupted as dozens of razor-sharp obsidian spikes shot upward, their jagged edges gleaming with malice. Russell barely had time to react before the shards pinned him against the cavern wall, their darkened tips pressing dangerously close to his throat. His rapier clattered to the ground, just out of reach.
"Stay out of this, little bird," Nyx snarled, her voice dripping with disdain. "This isn't your fight."
"Russell!" Bellatrix's voice cracked, a flash of desperation breaking through her usual haughty tone. For a fleeting moment, something soft, almost human, flickered in her expression—Lilian's voice breaking through.
But Nyx was already turning back to her true target. She surged forward with blistering speed, her obsidian blade colliding with Bellatrix's prismatic sword in a clash that sent a shockwave rippling through the cavern. The force of the blow sent Bellatrix staggering back, her footing unsteady as her sword's glow flickered erratically.
"Is that all?" Nyx mocked, her lips curling into a smirk. She pressed her advantage, her blade slashing through Bellatrix's defenses with ruthless precision. One swing landed a devastating blow across Bellatrix's shoulder, splitting her armor and drawing a spray of crimson.
Bellatrix cried out, stumbling as she pressed a trembling hand to the wound. Her fingers came away slick with blood, the bright red staining her pristine white gloves. She stared at it, wide-eyed, as though unable to comprehend the sight.
Pain.
Real, unrelenting pain.
In all her battles, all her victories, she had never experienced anything like this. She had always been untouchable, a predator toying with her prey. She had never considered that she, too, could bleed.
But Nyx was different. Nyx was a hunter, and Bellatrix was her prey.
The obsidian mage delivered a crushing kick to Bellatrix's ribs, the force of it sending her sprawling across the cavern floor. Another slash followed, this one carving deep into her thigh. Bellatrix screamed, the sound echoing with agony and disbelief.
This can't be happening. I'm Bellatrix. I'm invincible. I'm perfect.
Nyx loomed over her, her dark aura suffocating. "What's wrong, Bellatrix?" she taunted, her tone dripping with mockery. "You're not looking so perfect anymore."
With a roar of defiance, Bellatrix summoned what little strength she had left, raising her trembling hand to cast another spell.
"Prism Magic: Spectral Annihil—"
Nyx silenced her with a brutal punch to the jaw, the impact snapping Bellatrix's head to the side. Blood sprayed from her mouth as she crumpled under the force of the blow. The pain was overwhelming, a tidal wave that drowned out every thought, every shred of confidence she had left.
Her vision blurred, the prismatic glow around her flickering like a dying flame. The dome of light fractured, shards of magic raining down like shattered glass. Bellatrix's form wavered, the malevolence draining from her features.
And then, with a shuddering gasp, she was gone.
Lilian lay on the ground where Bellatrix had been, bloodied and trembling, her eyes fluttering open with confusion and pain. "Russell..." she whispered weakly, her voice barely audible.
Nyx raised her obsidian blade high, her expression cold and unyielding. "No more games," she said. "This ends now."
The blade descended, aimed to sever Lilian's life with a single, merciless stroke.
"No!" Russell roared, breaking free from the obsidian shards with a surge of mana. His rapier flew to his hand as he leapt between Nyx and Lilian, the glowing blade intercepting the executioner's strike.
Nyx's dark eyes narrowed as she regarded him with disdain. "Foolish boy. Do you think you can stop me?"
Russell didn't flinch, his rapier steady despite the weight of Nyx's blade pressing down on it. He glanced over his shoulder at Lilian, his voice soft but firm. "Rest now, Lilian. You've suffered enough."
Turning back to Nyx, his eyes blazed with determination. "I swear on my honor as a Coral Peacock, as a Magic Knight, and as the one who loves you, I will defeat this monster!"
Lilian fell unconscious from the pain ebbing through her body, although a small smile formed at her lips.
A/N: I wrote this part with Todo's theme, so like, you can listen to that while reading if you feel like it.
"You see," Russell began, stabbing at Nyx with calm fury, his voice sounding more malicious by the second, "that girl is the kindest, sweetest, yet fiercely compassionate human being I've ever met."
The obsidian mage dodged his flurry of stabs. "I grow tired of your pitiful talk," she said, her voice grating as she pushed Russell back, raising her sword. Russell, anticipating this, countered quickly.
He raised his hand. "Dust Magic: Tempest of Ruin!"
A violent storm of dust converged around his hand, gathering from every place in the room, even himself, with one purpose.
Defeating that witch.
He hurled it at Nyx with vigour, the obsidian mage forming Mana Skin around herself to block the oncoming assault.
But even she, who had lived for hundreds of years, couldn't block a storm of that ferocity.
She screamed in pain as the dust tore through her skin, cuts and tears in her clothes appearing everywhere, from head to toe. With renewed anger through the pain, she charged at Russell, her obsidian blade glinting menacingly.
Russell stood tall, his eyes ablaze with fury as the storm of dust raged around him, shredding through Nyx's Mana Skin. His rapier gleamed like a beacon amidst the swirling tempest, its edge crackling with raw mana.
Nyx growled, her obsidian blade glowing with dark energy. "Impressive," she admitted, her tone laced with mockery. "But storms die, boy. And so will you."
Russell's voice was sharp as steel, unwavering as he raised his weapon. "The difference between us, Nyx, is that I build from ruin—you only destroy." He charged forward, his movements swift and deliberate. "Dust Magic: Tectonic Bind!"
The swirling dust shifted violently, condensing into chains that erupted from the ground and wrapped around Nyx's limbs. She snarled, slashing at the bindings with her obsidian blade, but the dust regenerated faster than she could sever it, tightening with every movement.
"I've fought people worse than you," Russell spat, driving his rapier forward. "And unlike you, I don't hide behind the pain of others."
Nyx shattered the chains with a burst of obsidian shards, her expression twisted with fury. "You think you can lecture me, you insolent child?" She launched forward, her blade cutting through the air in a deadly arc.
Russell met her attack head-on, parrying her strike with a resounding clang that reverberated through the cavern. "Dust Magic: Hermes Flight!" he roared, and the dust around him erupted into shimmering wings and winged boots.
With a single powerful beat, he soared into the air, his speed doubling as he circled Nyx like a hawk. His strikes came fast and precise, each one grazing her defenses and forcing her to retreat.
"Did you think the weight of dust slowed me down?" Russell taunted, his voice cutting through the din of the battle. "Dust doesn't weigh me down—it lifts me higher!"
He darted forward with incredible speed, slamming his blade into Nyx's. The sheer force sent her skidding back, cracks forming beneath her feet. Her eyes flickered with something that looked perilously close to uncertainty.
"Enough!" she shrieked, slamming her free hand into the ground. "Obsidian Magic: Midnight Abyss!"
The cavern shook violently as spikes of jagged black glass erupted in all directions, the air thick with lethal intent. Russell weaved through the storm of obsidian, his wings propelling him with breathtaking agility. One shard nicked his arm, drawing blood, but his focus didn't waver.
"You're predictable," Russell said coldly, his voice carrying over the chaos. "And predictable people lose." He raised his rapier, the storm of dust swirling into a compact sphere at its tip. His eyes locked on Nyx, his determination unshakable.
Russell stood in the aftermath of his spell's furious onslaught, the shimmering wings of his Hermes Flight spell glowing faintly in the dim light of the cavern. Dust motes danced in the air like embers, a fleeting calm settling after the storm. Yet his eyes burned with unrelenting determination, fixed on the obsidian mage as she staggered to her feet.
Nyx, battered and bloodied, clutched at her shattered Mana Skin, wisps of her dark aura flickering like dying embers. Her obsidian blade trembled in her grasp, the once-unstoppable force now brought to the brink of collapse. But even so, her lips curled into a mocking smirk, her pride refusing to bow.
"You think this is over, boy?" she rasped, her voice like the scraping of steel against stone. "I've endured centuries of agony. Do you think you can end me with a storm of sand?"
Russell didn't flinch. He straightened, his golden rapier gleaming as he flourished it with precision. His wings extended, and the dust around him swirled anew, as if alive and answering his unspoken call. "I don't think I can," he said, his voice calm but cutting. "I know I will."
Nyx snarled, summoning what remained of her strength. "Obsidian Magic: Nightpiercer Barrage!"
Dozens of jagged obsidian lances erupted from the ground, each one launching toward Russell like blackened arrows. The cavern trembled under the force of her attack, the sheer speed of the shards threatening to overwhelm him.
But Russell's wings beat once, propelling him upward in an explosion of speed. His movements were elegant and effortless, his form a blur as he wove through the storm of lances with precision. "Is that all you've got?" he taunted, his voice carrying over the chaos.
He raised his free hand, the dust in the air responding to his call. "Dust Magic: Eternal Latch!"
Nyx's body froze mid-attack, her limbs suddenly weighed down as if bound by chains. Her eyes widened in fury as she struggled against the invisible force, the dust clinging to her every movement like a second skin. "What is this?" she hissed, thrashing against the binding.
Russell landed lightly on the ground, his boots kicking up a gentle cloud of dust. His smirk was razor-sharp. "Dust is everywhere, Nyx," he said, his tone both matter-of-fact and mocking. "It doesn't just surround you. It's on your blade. Your armor. Your skin. And now, it's mine to command."
He stepped forward, his wings folding behind him as he raised his blade. "You've used the suffering of others to fuel your power for centuries. But now, you're the one who's helpless."
Nyx roared, her dark aura flaring as she attempted to summon her remaining mana. "I won't lose to you!" she spat, unleashing a desperate surge of obsidian shards in every direction.
Russell's wings flared once more as he took to the air, effortlessly avoiding the chaotic assault. "You already have," he said coldly. "Your magic is impressive, Nyx, but it was never enough. Strength without purpose is just destruction."
He hovered above her, his eyes glowing with resolve. The dust around him began to coalesce, the particles vibrating with intensity. "It's time to end this. Dust Magic: Dust Storm Fury!"
The motes of dust swirled faster and faster, gathering into a luminous sphere that pulsed with raw energy. Nyx's eyes widened in realization, her defiance faltering for the first time.
The sphere exploded outward in a dazzling storm of razor-sharp particles, each one slashing with the precision of a blade. The storm engulfed Nyx entirely, the cutting force tearing through her defenses and carving deep gashes into her form. Her screams echoed through the cavern, the sound filled with rage, pain, and fear.
As the storm subsided, Russell descended, his wings folding gracefully as he landed in front of her. Nyx knelt on the ground, her obsidian blade shattered, her once-dominant aura reduced to a flicker. She glared up at him, her gaze filled with hatred even as her strength failed her.
"You… will… regret this…" she whispered, her voice trembling as her body began to fade into shadow.
Russell raised his rapier one final time, its edge gleaming with radiant energy. His voice was calm, almost sorrowful. "I don't regret protecting those I care about."
"Dust Magic: One Million Particle Scatter!"
He lunged forward, his blade, reinforced by dust particles, slicing cleanly through her form in a single, decisive motion.
Nyx let out a final gasp, her body dissolving into a cascade of dark particles that scattered into the air, leaving nothing but silence in her wake. The black particles now reformed, and Ravenna's broken form lay there, the obsidian mage sliced in half.
Russell stood still for a moment, his rapier lowering as the weight of the battle settled over him. He turned, his wings fading as he rushed to Lilian's side.
She lay crumpled on the ground, her body trembling and bloodied but alive. Her eyes fluttered open as Russell knelt beside her, his hands shaking as he carefully lifted her into his arms.
"Russell…" she whispered weakly, her voice barely audible.
He held her close, his arms wrapped protectively around her fragile form. "It's over," he murmured, his voice thick with emotion. "You're safe now. I've got you."
Lilian's lips curled into the faintest of smiles before she slipped into unconsciousness, her body finally succumbing to exhaustion.
Russell held her tightly, his head bowing as relief and exhaustion washed over him. For a moment, the world around them was still, the dust settling like a gentle veil, a stark contrast to the chaos that had come before.
In the quiet aftermath, he whispered, more to himself than anyone else, "I'll always protect you, no matter what."
Lilian's eyes fluttered closed, and Russell held her to him, her fragile form still in his arms. He wasn't sure if it was relief, exhaustion, or something else entirely, but at that moment, he knew one thing for sure.
He would never let her go.
A/N: I love chapters with a focus on Lilian - they're quite fun to write
And Russell is just a chad in general