Magica Index: The Dark Rising (Completed)

Chapter 10: One Single Strike

The movement was very spastic at the Slyborne House. Injury reports were coming in almost every other minute. Astra was in the main meeting room as The Council was no longer responsive. This made a lot of people very worried with some even losing hope that they would ever walk out alive. Alongside Harfen and her sister Dyana, Astra was trying her very best to keep everything and everyone in order.

    "This ordeal has gone on for far too long. I can feel one of their allies has fallen to Malanie and Tessele." Astra said, several other workers were in the room doing their tasks.
    "I can feel them. Their power is incredible." Dyana breathed out. "This is what a semblance is."
    "Not only that, but that other heavy presence has disappeared entirely. They must've defeated the demon those invaders brought with us. We have been saved." Astra stated with a quiet sigh.
    "I wouldn't be so restful yet, sister. They did come for souls, did they not?" Dyana looked down at the one in charge. "How do you not know they have accumulated enough to spawn a second one? A more stronger one."

Astra and Harfen fell silent, both of them peering out the nearby window that faced the battlefield. Astra hoped in her mind that her sister wasn't right, and yet there was a sinking feeling that she couldn't escape.

                                    *****

Malanie and Tessele stared down the members of the opposing order, all of them unblinking in a tension-filled moment that weighed heavier than any war hammer constructed. Ereldra slowly stood up from her position, retching at the thought of not having completed her second demonic transformation. 

    "How unfortunate. You managed to find us before I could give you your second gift. A pity." she whipped her tail around her leg. "Do you ladies like what we done to the place? I must say, it does look better than it was before. So boring and dull."
    "Cut the shit, tiefling." Tessele words were filled with malice. "How many people have you slaughtered? How many souls have you reaped?"
    "Oh, I did nothing but stand by and watch. My lovely followers on the other hand have reduced your number to a fraction of what it once was. All your lowly mages have fallen to my superior legion and are now gone forever. Their souls are mine and I will create more demons of ever-increasing power to restore Ciandra to what it always should have been!" Ereldra yelled into the night sky, both Tessele and Malanie angered by her ambitions and goals. "And I will go through anyone that stands in my way."

In a flash, the ground underneath both of the archmages lit up in a wild explosion of lava and fire from Ereldra's summoning. Together, Malanie and Tessele landed a few feet away, the pillar of destruction separating both parties. The fire show died down shortly with Tessele quickly appearing in front of the tiefling with an astral constructed blade aimed right for Ereldra's heart. The dark mistress grabbed a hold of the blade right before it connected and stopped Tessele's momentum. Tairis came to attack Tessele while Ereldra held her in place. Tairs's large claymore came down hard between the two female powerhouses. Each of them took a step back as the blade shattered the astral projection that Tessele had created. Alongside Tairis was Nimruil who pushed the archmage back even further with a powerful force. A new duo now stood between the Sisters of Fate, another battle was beginning to stir up the ground.

                              *****

In their battle across town, Lina, Mathias, and Nakiasha were still fighting hard against them. Lina and Arthur were locked in another battle, their powers clashing with each other on equal terms before they pushed off each other. With the both of them winded, it seemed that a similar mindset crossed their paths. They both got into a stance before dashing forward at each other. Keeping their weapons steady, one final move would determine the winner of this battle. Their swords were charged to their absolute limits and dealt the final strike to their enemies with one well-placed slash. They stopped in their tracks after passing each other. Mathias, Nakiasha, and Velrissa all watched from their battle as they seemed to have been frozen in time. Lina's scimitar returned to normal, her aura dying down before she collapsed on one knee. Arthur fell to both of his knees, his sword cracked beyond repair and shattered into tiny pieces.

    "Arthur!!" Velrissa called out to him and flew to him in a hurry.
    "Heh, I-It was a good...match." he passed out with a smile before the succubus scooped him into her arms and flew off into the sky.
    "Lina! Are you alright? Can you stand?" Mathias and Nakiasha huddled to the half-elf's side. She was visibly injured and tired.
    "I-I think I can. I think I may have pushed myself too much." she panted and coughed a bit. "W-Where's Lelli?"
    "Right here." The three turned to the owner of the voice, which was Colton and Elizar, holding Lelli in their hands. "She was still by the water fountain, a good distance away from the battle you all were having."
    "Lina!" the fair flew out Colton's hands and around the half-elf's neck, hugging her as tightly as she could with tears streaming down her cheeks. "Don't ever leave me again." Lina held the fairy close to her chest, gently moving her fingers to comfort the scared girl.
    "I promise Lelli."
    "We must return to Astra and the others so you may heal." Elizar and Colton helped the half-elf up. Even the slightest move brought pain to her aching body. "Yeah, she's beyond her limits." Elizar said with a worried look. "She won't be able to fight for a while."

Mathias offered to carry her while Colton, Elizar, and Nakiasha were on their toes to defend the injured warrior. Together, they all took off for the Slyborne House.

                        *****

In a nearby alleyway, Velrissa was weeping over Arthur's unconscious body. Her mind was racing at the thought that he could never wake up again. Her hand gently ran through his black hair while her tear-filled eyes never left his calm face.

    "Please Arthur, I need you by my side. Please wake up." she talked through her moment, choking back several times. Soon, he coughed multiple times with air going back into his lungs. Velrissa stopped her tears and held her hands up, scared she might hurt him even further.
    "Vel...rissa?" Arthur asked, his entire body and energy spent from the battle. "W-Where-"
    "Please, save the rest of your power. I brought you to safety before you died." she explained before staring longingly into his eyes. "I...I was so scared that you might've left me."

Arthur sighed and rested his head back on her lap. The grim thoughts that invaded her mind left as soon as they came. She wiped her tears away and smiled brightly. At this moment, she didn't care about Ereldra, the order, or even herself. As long as the swordsman in her lap was alive, that's all matter.