Chapter 20: Curtailed
Light burst around Ariel and Rhinne as they appeared in a room deep within the temple. Rhinne fell to the ground as the teleportation spell's distance was greater than she was used to, making her dizzy. Grabbing Rhinne's hand, Ariel picked her back up and led her to the center of the room.
"W-what are you doing?! You said that I was going to be safe with him," she squeaked as Ariel worked quickly, casting a potent spell over the sand glass she had grabbed a moment before.
"I'm sorry, Rhinne, but I had to make him think you would go with him," Ariel answered, finalizing the spell and turning to Rhinne with tears staining your eyes.
"I will ensure you stay safe, as will everyone in Usoria. Please, forgive me, Rhinne." Ariel cried, shoving the Sand Glass onto Rhinne's chest, instantly making her feel sleepy. As the spell weaved around her, she drifted into the air, clutching the sand glass like an infant. When Ariel was sure that the spell had taken effect, she knelt to the ground and used every ounce of her remaining mana to erect a nigh impenetrable barrier around her daughter. As the barrier began forming, Ariel's eyes blazed as thunder clapped around her. Moments later, balls of light rose from Usoria far below and into Rhinne. With one final chant, Ariel finalized the barrier just as Magus Sloe appeared, swatting her away with the back of his hand.
"What have you done to her?" Sloe asked with a torrid tone, walking up to the barrier to bring it down, only to be dismayed when it scorched the flesh on his hand instead.
"I've placed her in a state of eternal slumber," Ariel grunted, reaching back for her leg, which lay at an unnatural angle.
"Then I will simply take her power," Sloe answered, lifting his hand as Black Magic swirled around Rhinne, penetrating the barrier only to be thrown out.
"You've done your work well, Ariel, my love." Sloe smiled, clenching his burned hand and cracking his knuckles.
"So long as she remains asleep, all her power is being used to keep the inhabitants of Usoria safe in a world of her making," Ariel hissed through clenched teeth. Sloe grinned, turning back to the sleeping Rhinne and chuckling to himself.
"You realize this is nothing more than a minor delay, Ariel: your efforts will not save our daughter from what destiny has chosen her for. If I can't wake her here, I will destroy the world created in her dream." Ariel tried to summon the strength to cast another spell, tapping into her infinite life force for power. Light hardened into spears, whining as they gathered power.
"Careful, my love. If you hurl those at me, you just might hit Rhinne. You wouldn't want that, now would you?" Sloe asked, holding his hand to the barrier once more as swirls of black gently flared up his arm. Ariel concentrated on a single spear, hurling hard enough to howl through the winds. Sloe caught the incoming spear and crushed it with ease. Ariel swung her hand as another spear hurled towards him, obliterated in a plume of black violet fire, engulfing Ariel and tossing her back against a column.
Once sure that Ariel would be tamed, at least for the moment, he turned his attention back to Rhinne, pushing power through the barrier surrounding her as she slept. The monks gathered around the mirror all sighed in disbelief, one of them turning the Minerna.
"That's it then? There is nothing you can do?"
"I wish there were, good monk. But as I told the Monks of the Red, worse can and will come if we make an Oblivion known to someone." A monk of the blue took his mask from his face.
"If this is allowed to continue, we will lose the new goddess of time. Ariel herself may become what she once was, and Usoria will once again lose her to depression." The monk of the Green stepped forward, holding out his hand. A spark of light appeared in it, revealing Ariel as she was before meeting Dane.
"This cannot be allowed to happen, my goddess. Usoria will not be able to withstand it; the Darkness would come back even stronger than it is now."
"I am well aware of that, good monks. But the Mirror will only show me a few more years beyond this point. There is nothing after that. I cannot see if the new goddess or Ariel may be lost."
"In the past, seeing nothing meant we failed." The monk of the green said. Minerna chuckled as she nodded, telling how the great Nexus assured her that nothing was part of the current required timeline.
"Yes, but Nexus has assured me this is the timeline we need and that the nothing I see is part of it."
"What if he's wrong?" the monk of the blue asked.
"I doubted Nexus, The Light Spirit, and Phanes for eons, and every timeline of my creation led to destruction. I can only trust in the wisdom of Nexus. He is infinitely more ancient than I and can see time far beyond what I could ever hope to see." Minerna sighed, staring hard at the mirror.
"Yet, right before the nothingness, the mirror will show me the image of a young woman with hair of silver and eyes of blue, dressed in purple, escorting a large metal crest." Minerna hummed, waving her hand over the mirror, revealing the woman she described.
"There is something peculiar about this image, though," Minerna said, waving her hand over the mirror again. The monks stepped closer to look at it, squinting their eyes and tilting their heads.
"A duality of spirit?" the Monk of the Blue asked.
"A split Life Force? Twins, perhaps?" The Monk of the Green asked. But to their questions, she had no answer. The three again focused on the mirror, pondering the image. There appeared to be a second woman, this one identical in appearance but dressed in white and blue with gilded hair. What lay ahead of them? And who were these women they saw?
"You are to speak to no one of this," Minerna commanded, waving her hand as the image disappeared. The monks bowed in understanding, putting on their masks and leaving for their assigned tasks. Minerna looked back to the blank mirror and sighed a long breath.
"I'm sorry, Ariel. I hope you can forgive me when the time comes."
"To your left!" Will shouted as he and Tahir flattened to the ground as the Omen swung its large knife-like hand. Putting up her shield, Eleanor stopped it in a shower of sparks, her feet digging into the ground as she held off the brute strength.
"Rhinne! If you're going to do it, now's the time!" She grunted. Rhinne spun her hands around one another, pulling in bright blue energy from her hands into a giant ball of flames. Her hands shot forward with a quick flip of her wrists, a wall of golden flames erupting, charring everything in its path and turning the ground to glass. With only time to look up, the Omen disappeared before it could even scream.
Just as the last of the Omen disappeared, a bright ring of white light burst from where it had stood a moment before. As the blaze of white expanded, the air felt light and calming. Breathing a sigh of relief, the four of them enjoyed the short respite before the Darkness swept back in, weighing them all down.
"There, that's the last of them." Eleanor huffed, sheathing her sword and putting her shield over her back. She, Will, Rhinne, Xenos, and Tahir formed an elite Omen Hunting party with Tahir as their commander.
"Now, tell me again how you became… whatever this is? That Omen cut your explanation short," Will asked, motioning to Eleanor and her heavily armored figure.
"It's something I'm experimenting with. The Clerics and Acolytes are powerful, don't get me wrong. But as dangerous as the Omens have become these last few months, The Order needs something more substantial than mages wielding a staff in robes."
"She has a point, William," Tahir called, cleaning his dagger before shoving it into his belt.
"I told you, Commander, it's WILL, not William. But yes, I see her point. I just don't know what she is trying to be. The closest I can guess would be similar to the Paladins of Orion." Will observed as Rhinne walked over to him and put her chin on his shoulder.
"Those soldiers are nothing more than overly fancy Knights. Eleanor here is a true Paladin." Rhinne chimed as Tahir grunted. Xenos moved to Eleanor, taking her hand and kissing her knuckles as he looked up to her dragon's eyes.
"I, for one, am very proud of her." he grinned, making Eleanor blush and look away, clenching her hand until Xenos began to grunt and moan in pain.
"Xenos! I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"
"No, no love, it's alright. I'm still not used to your grip, is all." he smiled, flexing his hand until Tahir cleared his throat.
"We should get going. We don't want to be here when night falls." He barked, picking up his things and heading back to the temple.
"WHEN night falls? How can you tell? It's constantly night here." Will bleated, gathering his knapsack and taking Rhinne's hand as they trotted after the others. Behind them in the shadows, the man in the black and silver cloak stepped out, black vapors and whispers shrouding him as he neared the center of the battle. Reaching out for where the Omen stood, he quickly reeled, staring at his palm as though having been burnt.
"That girl is hindering progress. It's time we talked." He growled in his throat, whispers dancing on the wind around him. He turned his palm up where swirls of Darkness sprung up within it. The power of the other Clerics and Acolytes destroyed the Omens, leaving behind the most essential parts of them: The Core. This girl could obliterate that core and even the surrounding Darkness. If that girl destroyed the cores, it would set him back years, and he couldn't have that. Not when he was so close to his goal of finally achieving vengeance for his beloved.
Upon returning to the temple, Tahir reported what they found and defeated during their patrol to Mars in the knowledge depository. Once acknowledged, Eleanor and Xenos left for her specially created training grounds as Tahir went to his room for some much-needed rest.
"I suppose that leaves us," Rhinne sighed, taking Will's hand. "What should we do then?" She asked while pulling his hand around her shoulders and beginning to walk to the front of the Temple.
"There are some creatures within the Forest I would like to study. They don't seem affected by Darkness as much as the Omens we've been fighting. Would you care to come along?" Rhinne sighed heavily, hoping that Will would put aside his studies so they might do something other than study creatures or fight Omens for a while. Will had drawn her heart when she first laid eyes on him when she cleaned the Darkness eating his body. Now that she was staying at the temple more permanently, she perused his companionship more seriously, though it still felt like he wasn't as invested.
"I would, but could we do something else?" Rhinne answered, pulling an interested hum from Will as he raised his eyebrows.
"Oh? What did you have in mind?"
"I've been studying the maps, and to the southeast, not far from here, there is a beach with trees bearing a fruit called Goldychee. I've seen this beach from the temple's highest spires, but I would love to see it in person with you. If we leave now, we might even be able to see the sunset." Nodding to her proposal, Will reached into his coat and pulled a leather-bound book from it, flipping pages until he found what he was looking for.
"I know what beach you are talking about, and I have a transport spell with enough range to get us there. However, I don't think your father or Mars would allow something like that." With a growl and a huff, Rhinne pulled away, walking to a window.
"I've been here for nearly a year; these walls and most of the Forest of Peace are all I've seen. I know how being a Demi-Deity can lead to issues here in Usoria, but I want to see this world beyond the trees and rivers, even if it's only a small part. I want to know what kind of a world I'm supposed to be saving."
"Weren't you able to see it from the Temple of Time while you stayed with your mother?" Will asked, putting his book away before walking to the same window and leaning against it.
"To see it, yes. I could see the entire planet from the temple, but I still couldn't see it. There is so much out there: golden deserts, snow-topped mountains, lush valleys, grand cities. I can see them all, but to walk on the ground and experience them; that is what I want more than anything." Nodding his understanding, Will leaned against the wall to think. He knew what Master Dane would say if he were to ask him for this outing. Even convincing Master Dane to allow Rhinne to be part of the elite force of Omen Hunters within the Forest of Peace took nearly three days. All the same, he wanted to go places beyond this forest with Rhinne.
"Please, Will, just a for a couple of hours, and we'll be back before the evening meal," begged Rhinne quietly. "My father won't even know we were gone. He hardly knows what happens in this Temple anyway, being locked in his lab constantly." Will tilted his head, cracking his neck as he thought.
"Wait here." He muttered, walking to the temple's living quarters. Turning to the window, Rhinne sighed and watched her reflection in the darkened glass. Minutes passed in a slog of cold molasses as she waited for Will to return. Boredom soon overcame her as she tried to watch the tiny squiggles in her vision. As Rhinne stared, faint whispers began to hiss all around her, almost calling to her. A touch on her shoulder woke her from the trance, and she saw Will returning with two other acolytes.
"Rhinne, this is Sean and Terri. Sean has been studying the use of light to change one's appearance. With this, he and Terri will take our place here at the Temple." With a joyful smile, Rhinne agreed as Sean weaved the intricate spell over both Terri and Rhinne. Once completed, Rhinne had to shake her head to not confuse herself: the disguise was perfect. Sean then did the same for himself.
"Please return before three hours have passed; I cannot make the spell last any longer than that," Sean asked. Will chuckled as he agreed, amused that such a deep voice was coming from what appeared to be his mouth. Taking Rhinne's hand, he opened his book and recited the transportation spell, disappearing in a burst of light.
Tossing his cloak to the side, Dane quickly reached for a potion on one of the shelves of his Lab, drinking it down in one swallow. Exhaustion overtook him, holding himself upright against his desk while the potion took effect and strength returned to his limbs.
"Master, there you are. I was beginning to wonder when you would return." Mars said, slipping through the door.
"I told you that I would return in a while, Mars," Dane growled, pulling back his shoulders and cracking his back one vertebra at a time.
"Yes, but three days is not simply a little while. And what of the Omens? Have you heard what the Clerics and Acolytes have found?" Panic ran thick in Mars's voice, becoming thicker with each word he spoke.
"I have heard," Dane replied dryly, standing to his full height and walking to a nearby shelf containing dozens of vials of Darkness and one large bottle, which he reached for.
"How long are you going to let this go on? These Omens are becoming worse than before. Who's to say that eventually, the entirety of the Darkness will rise?" demanded Mars. Pulling the stopper from the bottle, Dane held his hand over it. A small sphere seeped out from his palm, dropping into the bottle, followed by almost a dozen more, then jammed the stopper back in once the last sphere had fallen.
"You want the Darkness to continue this way, don't you?"
"NO!" snapped Dane, turning back to Mars with wide eyes. A shadow rose behind him, almost like a majorly distorted version of Dane. Mars readied to attack until Dane sighed, seeming to calm himself.
"No, I would never want the Darkness to build that much. It is becoming worse; I can feel it. But I am so close to the final goal." Turning the bottle end over end and shaking it for a few moments, Dane unstopped it and poured a vile lump of darkness into his palm. Thick sludge dripped from around it through his fingers but disappeared into ash before it hit the ground. He set up a few rows of smaller vials with his other hand, pinching off bits from the larger mass and putting them in the vials.
"But my daughter is beginning to hinder progress as she learns more about the power of Light. Combined with the Ultimate Light she has cultivated with Will, she is becoming all the more powerful," sneered Dane, guiding the lump back into the bottle and capping it and the vials.
"Master, isn't that what you wanted? For Rhinne to find her Ultimate Light?" asked Mars. Dane grabbed the twenty vials and shook them violently, turning the once small lump into dark vapors and setting them on a nearby desk.
"Her power is key to destroying the Darkness and improving the world. But that power is destroying the Omens, leaving nothing for me to use. I need their cores, Mars!" Dane growled, looking back with an almost rage-induced snarl.
"But if Rhinne continues as she has, I will never complete the Ultimate Darkness, and the world will fall. The Aurora must continue to defeat the Omens, leaving the enriched cores for me to collect."
"Should we then restrict Rhinne from leaving the Temple? Her heart is becoming more restless as the months pass."
"A trait of her youth that will pass with time. For now, we simply leave the Omen hunting to the other Clerics and Acolytes." Gathering up the vials, he walked to the back door, hurling each vial in a different direction, hearing them break against the stones within the forest. Whispers howled in the air after the sound of breaking glass, followed by a shape growing in the dark, sprouting glowing eyes near the tops.
"I am so close; to be held back now would be tragic."
"But if you continue to enrich Omen cores, Rhinne will only further her study of Light and grow in power to match them. In time, she will be the only one capable of facing them. It could lead to her death! Or worse, her corruption! You are creating the very thing you are trying to eliminate!" Exclaimed Mars, cursing himself for becoming so loud since anyone outside with mind enough to listen would have heard him.
"I know, but I must have the Ultimate Darkness. It is a necessary evil, Mars. Without it, we are all doomed." A haunting whisper echoed around Dane as he tossed the last vial.
"Don't let the light we created… die… with me. Promise me…"
"I'm almost there, Menodora. I nearly have the Ultimate Light."
Within seconds, the two of them were standing on soft sands, met by the darkened waters of the ocean as the sun set in the far west.
"Aw, we missed it!" Rhinne complained as the last of the sun's rays dipped below the horizon, darkening the sands further. Will chuckled, reaching into his sleeve and pulling a glowing lamp from it, igniting the sands around them with a golden light rivaling the sunset in color.
"I brought a Twilight Lamp just in case." he soothed, taking the blanket from under his arm and laying it out. Rhinne grinned, sitting beside Will as he set the lamp before them.
"We should come back here when the sun is still up so we can see the sunset," Will suggested, wrapping his arm and another blanket around Rhinne, pulling her close to him in the cooling salty air.
"I'll ask my mother to teach me some Time Manipulation so that I can extend out moments like this," Rhinne said, scooting closer to Will and laying her head on his shoulder.
"Wouldn't that warp the flow of time?" Will asked.
"No. At least, I don't think it would. My mother told me how she used that power to extend a moment in time for my father a long time ago. And it doesn't seem to have affected time in any way." Will nodded, pulling out his small notebook and writing a note, setting it beside them in the sand. For a while, the two of them sat silently, enjoying the salty breeze from over the ocean's water. After an hour, Rhinne's eyes became heavier and heavier as the cooling breeze kept her close to Will.
But as the skies darkened, a new chill permeated the air around them. It wasn't a chill like the ones felt in winter; this was a chill that spread through your soul and dampened your spirit. It was the chill of Darkness.
Rhinne held her fist tightly between them as a spell hummed to life in her hand. Will picked up his spell book, turning the pages until he found a potent sealing spell. Will had learned much about Mana-based magic, but his mana reserves were still too low to be of any use. Throwing off the blanket, they began casting at a presence behind them. No sooner had Will started reciting the runes than the presence reached out bony hands and gripped their wrists hard. They collapsed to the ground in agony as their wrists popped under his grip, whispers hissing around them.
"Ah, there you are. I wish to have a word with you, young lady." said the man smoothly. He tossed Will aside with little effort, bouncing across the sand until he collided with a large tree half-buried in the sand.
"WILL!" Rhinne shrieked.
"Don't worry, young lady, he will be fine. For now, I wish your attention drawn on…" Golden light buzzed to life in her hand, slamming into the cloaked man and hurling him into the sand. Rhinne sprinted to Will when spear-tipped chains shot out around her, constricting her arms, legs, and neck. Searing pain erupted wherever the chains touched her skin, ash rising from each of the wounds.
"Now, as I said, I would like a word with you." Said the man, speaking as though he struggled to contain his rage. The chains pulled Rhinne back to a kneeling position, holding her down hard within the sand.
Rhinne fought against the grip of the chains making them coil tighter, digging further into her skin. The man crouched before her, grabbing her chin.
"Let me go!" Struggling Rhinne fought against the grip of the chains only made them coil tighter, digging further into her skin. The man crouched before her, grabbing her chin.
"You've been destroying work that is valuable to me. You are to stop and let those you call comrades deal with them. Your power keeps destroying what I need from the Omens for my work." He sneered, the shadow of his cloak covering most of his face.
"The Aurora was created to fight against the Omens. I was born to rid the world of its Darkness! Your work is not important!" shouted Rhinne, finding a momentary swell in power, breaking free of the chains in a burst of light. The man reeled, falling to the ground as she darted for Will. Molten pain shot through her as a chain spear burrowed through her calf, ripping it from under her and pulling her to the ground hard. The robed figure knelt next to her, his voice quivering with contained rage.
"This is not a request. Cease your destruction of the Omens."
"I will ensure the world's safety! I will protect the world my beloved Will lives in!" She bellowed in return, tending to her leg when the chain dissipated.
"Is that so," The man sneered as chains sprouted around Will. Clinking slowly, they wrapped around his body, pulling him into the air above them. Another chain slithered from the sand, coiling links behind the spearhead aimed for his chest.
"Cease your destruction of Omens; I need their essence to complete my work." The man demanded, raising his hand to face Will as he hung in the grip of the chains.
"Put him down. If you so much as scratch him, not even Minerna herself can undo what I do to you." The malice in Rhinne's voice drew his attention back to her, lowering himself to her position as she healed the last of her ashen wounds with her golden light.
"Cease your destruction." Throwing her hand forward, an orb of light shot at the man, only to be deflected into the ocean. Rhinne tried several more times only to have her light deflected into the sea. A burst of sand hung in the air as she teleported away, slamming her palms together and concentrating light where they met. As she gathered energy, the man shook his head and let out a long sigh.
"If you won't do it on your own, then a broken spirit will do it for you." The man threw his hand towards Will, launching the chain spear into motion. Rhinne turned the attention of her light to the chain but missed. The spear hit something metal, bouncing off course and slicing the side of Will's chest, instantly waking him. Rhinne didn't wait to find out what had happened, swinging her hand through the chains holding him and disappearing in a cloud of sand. The man turned to see Ariel standing before him, giant axe in hand.
"Why is it so important to follow your demands that you would resort to attacking my daughter or murdering her beloved, sir," Ariel asked with heat in her words.
"You would know best of all, Ariel, my love." His voice smiled. Ariel lowered her brow.
"Who are you to call me 'my love.' Only one man may call me by such a title." With purposeful leisure, the man reached to the hood of his cloak, pulling it back and revealing his white hair and gaunt features. Ariel's eyes widened as recognition came fast, gasping for breath as her chest tightened.
"And I am that one, my love."
Bursting into existence, Rhinne and Will appeared back at the Temple. The minute they did, Will collapsed to the ground beside her. The Acolytes practicing in the yard quickly helped them into the infirmary, where Rhinne and Tasia began assessing his wound. Removing his robe revealed the full seriousness of it; a long gash spanning the length of his side oozed blackened blood. The skin around the wound had begun to turn black, spreading as far as Rhinne's hand, and the flesh within the wound puffed ash from it.
"Curse this Dark magic and all its forms." Rhinne hissed. Tasia began to cut away the dying flesh while Rhinne healed the wound close behind her precise cuts.
"Can you slow down a little? I can't see what I'm doing." Tasia commanded as Rhinne relaxed and allowed her to work.
"Sorry, I'm just-"
"It's alright. I care about him too, you know," Taisa grinned, cutting away the last of the dead flesh and stepping away so Rhinne could heal the last bit.
"Rhinne? Is that you?" Will groaned.
"Yes, I'm here. Just lie still. I'll get this wound healed." She whispered, carefully dragging her fingers the length of the wound, golden light burning away the ashen flesh and closing the skin. Tasia reached for a vial of tonic, splashing it on a towel and wiping it over the wound as she cut away the last of the necrotic flesh. As she finished, Tahir came in with a silent rage playing across his face.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm fine, Commander," Will grunted as Rhinng gave a quick explanation of the events and the mysterious second person who saved Will's life.
"Whoever that other person was saved him from what could have been much worse," Tahir muttered as he thought, crossing his arms over his chest and taking on a much more grounded stance.
"Tell me everything, both of you," Tahir commanded. With as much clarity as they could, Will and Rhinne recounted the events of the evening. Mentioning the man in black robes kept his attention fixed: there was always a feeling near Dane and his lab that something wasn't right. He almost made himself believe that Dane's work with Omens and Darkness gave him the feeling. But with his obsessive behavior, locking himself within his lab for weeks at a time, the increasing frequency in the appearance of stronger Omens, and now the appearance of this black-cloaked figure, the identity of that man was becoming more concrete.
"Tell me something, Rhinne. Did you get a good look at this cloaked man's face?" Asked Tahir. Rhinne shook her head after giving the question deep thought.
"What are you thinking, commander?" Will asked, sitting up in his bed but clutching his side.
"The Omens haven't been increasing in number because the Darkness is getting worse. Someone is creating Omens." Tahir said solemnly. Will's eyes became wide as his face lost its color.
"No… it couldn't be…"
"What?! What are you thinking?!" shouted Rhinne.
"'The ultimate light can only be found in ultimate darkness.' That's what he meant! I think your father is the one making the Omens and strengthening them! I don't know how he's doing it, but I think the Commander is right! Your father is creating these stronger Omens!" Exclaimed Will.
"Are you sure? That sounds a little farfetched." Rhinne asked.
"I'm with Rhinne. Master Dane creating Omens is a little hard to believe," Tasia added. Will adjusted his hexagonal-rimmed glasses, readying to reply when a hot stab of pain stopped him. Something wasn't right; his freshly healed wound was beginning to hurt again. When Will didn't continue, Tahir took up the answer.
"Think about it. Before you started going out on hunting missions with us, the only way we defeated them was to blow them away using the light of the clerics. You've been here only a few months and can destroy the Omens entirely, even making the Darkness retreat. And now this cloaked man who nearly killed Will demands that Rhinne stop what she was doing. How can you not see it?" Rhinne was about to speak when a blinding light filled the room as the doorway to the infirmary revealed a woman with great white wings stepping from it.
"Mother! What are you doing here?" squeaked Rhinne in surprise. Ariel held up her hand, her eyes wide and some of her hair tangled as if she had been in a battle.
"There is no time to explain; you must return to the Temple immediately. Once you are safe, I will tell you everything." Turning back, Rhinne noticed Will doubled over in pain, holding up one hand to shield his eyes and the other clutching at his chest. When Rhinne hesitated, Ariel turned back.
"What is the matter, Rhinne? We need to leave now." Ariel commanded. Rhinne walked to Will, standing between him and her mother as she took his hand away from his eyes.
"Will, what's wrong?"
"I'm not sure; my chest still hurts, and it's getting worse." Pulling his hand away revealed a large bruise on the side of his chest, some of the skin swelling in black pustules.
"What is…"
"Rhinne, we have no more time. We must leave now!"
"Not before I find out what's wrong with Will. He may mean nothing to you but means quite a lot to me." Taisa immediately came over to see what was wrong, her eyes going wide as she grabbed a nearby scalpel, carefully cutting into one of the pustules. No sooner had the blade punctured the skin than a stream of black ooze jetted from the puncture, tearing open the rest of the bubble and billowing a cloud of ash. Rhinne and Tasia jumped back to avoid it, watching as the bruise continued to spread up to his shoulder and bicep.
"Can you get ahead of it like before?" Rhinne asked, holding up a healing spell that seemed to slow its progress.
"Not at this rate," Tasia answered, grabbing a nearby matrix and laying it over his chest, allowing her to see inside his body.
"I don't know what this is, but his internal organs are beginning to liquefy. If we can't stop it, his entire side will evaporate!"
"I can try to use my light again like I did when he first came here!" Rhinne suggested when Ariel stepped beside her, looking over Will with wide eyes.
"Not with your power; not this time. I know this magic but haven't seen it in some time. It's called Anti Magic and is hard to remove, even for a goddess like me."
"But you can remove it, right?" Rhinne begged. Ariel turned Will to face her, sighing heavily.
"Will, I can remove this. It is called Anti-magic. Combined with the Darkness you have infecting you…" Ariel closed her eyes and sighed with a long breath.
"it is challenging to remove. But to remove it, you must endure a dangerous level of my power that could kill you." Will looked at Rhinne and her lonely eyes, clenching his jaw as he locked gazes with the goddess.
"It's for Rhinne. I will withstand it," he stated. Sighing, Ariel laid him down on the medical cot, turning her palm to the wound as power gently flared.
"That's another good thing my daughter inherited from you humans: your tenacious refusal to accept dire circumstances." She smiled, beginning to apply her power.
"Rhinne, Will needs your power as well. You will surround his life force and protect it from me."
"But how do I-"
"Follow your heart. You will know how." Ariel smiled as Rhinne held her palms to Will, a gentle golden light hovering over his chest. Minutes passed as hours, each second more and more power flowing from Ariel's hand as the wound healed. Will started to grunt in pain, clenching his jaw hard enough that his teeth creaked. Grabbing a leather belt, Rhinne folded it and put it in his mouth. Still, the power increased; the world around them began to shift and warp, and still, the power and pain rose. Rhinne could hear Will's screams over Ariel's power as his whole body writhed and twisted, trying to ease the pain to no avail.
Just when Rhinne was about to stop her mother, Ariel ceased, and Will fell to the bed as still as stone. Tasia uncovered her face, walked over to Will, and touched his neck. Rhinne looked from Will to Tahir and back to Will, waiting for him to say something.
"Is he…" Tahir reached for his neck, feeling his pulse as he and Tasia breathed in relief.
"He's still here. He's just asleep." Tasia breathed. Tahir looked to the goddess and Rhinne.
"Go, I'll watch over him until he wakes. In the meantime, I will see if Dane is the one-"
"He is, Mercenary." Ariel Interrupted. Tahir breathed long and hard, nodding his understanding.
"Then I will do what I can to stop him." He promised as the door once again became sunrise-bright.
"Be careful, Mercenary. Darkness is ugly, and it has begun to twist him beyond saving." Warned Ariel, escorting Rhinne through the door before closing it off, leaving them in silence.
