Magica Index: The Dark Rising (Completed)

Chapter 16: Cataclysm

Teseele slowly woke up from her injuries. Her entire body felt like it was crushed beneath a boulder from Tipon's Point. It seemingly hurt to even raise an arm or even her head. Looked down at herself, seeing her entire body from her neck down was still stuck in a healing process. She couldn't believe that one punch from Ereldra did that to her body. She rested her head back, feeling helpless and weak. Gazing over to her right, there she saw Malanie in her healing. Her injury was much more severe. From her position, she could see exactly how much blood the high elf had lost. The mana force surrounding her body was working overtime to heal and patch up what had happened to her. Tessele felt a tear come down her cheek and began to doubt her own power.

    "I'm sorry sister." she inhaled sharply, her voice trembling. "I'm so sorry."
    "You're awake. Thank goodness, everyone was worried about you" turning back in front of her, the archmage saw Harfen there with a small textbook in his hand. The title read 'The Healing Process', which made Tessele a bit more optimistic about the situation. "How do you feel?"

    "I feel powerless. I was taken down so easily and I couldn't protect her." Tessele looked back over to Malanie, sobbing gently. "I failed as an Archmage." 

    "Tessele..." Harfen didn't know what to say in this situation. He simply walked over and sat down in the chair that was positioned by her bed. The scholar watched as Tessele's eyes didn't leave Malanie's face. As much as she wanted her lifelong friend to open her eyes, it seemed that her hopes were broken.
    "What if she never wakes up?" she questioned. Tessele then turned over to Harfen who placed a comforting hand over hers.
    "She'll come to. She is an Archmage like you after all. I heard stories that other archmages suffered far worse and easily healed and back on their feet. All you both need is rest." Harfen watched Tessele turn back to Malanie, nodding softly in response. She took a deep breath and looked down at herself again.
    "How long have I been sleeping?" she looked to him for an answer.
    "Three, four hours tops." Harfen said, opening the book to a specific page in the textbook. "They told me to keep an eye on you, hopefully, you'll recover in the amount of time they said you would."
    "Let me guess, Astra and her sister gave you a quick run down?" she joked. Harfen chuckled lightly, glad to see she was getting better by the second.
    "Yeah, but things are still tough out there. Lina, she's changed into something amazing." Tessele's eyes lit up.
    "Wait, Lina is fighting Ereldra?" the wounded archmage was in disbelief. Harfen looked over to her and nodded.
    "Yes, even as we speak. You can feel her even without having to focus." Tessele looked out of the nearby window just by Harfen's head. She began to feel a certain flow in the air. It was Lina, but at the same time different. Her eyes enlarged again from what she was sensing.

                                                                    *****

The two massive energies clashed together, a small shockwave erupting around them. Lina and Ereldra kept their blade on one another, pressing down as hard as they could to force an error, They pushed off of each other before Ereldra pointed her finger at the round right underneath Lina. A red and orange spot formed and was beginning to heat up immensely. Lina quickly jumped out of the way before an explosion happened, causing a hole in the ground twice the size. Ereldra continued with the explosions, keeping Lina at a distance so she couldn't come anywhere near her. Lina landed, finding herself in a small enclosed circle from the explosions. The tiefling grinned and snapped her fingers, making all of them erupt together, a mushroom cloud rising into the air. The explosion shook the ground and nearby deserted villages. Hollowed buildings began to crumble away from the intensity of the fight. The pillar of fire was soon disrupted when a full-circle wave of power shot out. Lina stood amidst the crater, seemingly unscathed by Ereldra's spell. Ereldra blocked her attack back but took on more damage than she realised. She put her guard down, panting. Lina slowly walked out of the crater, glaring daggers at the tiefling.

    "I told you to leave us alone. You wanted souls to make more demons for this world. If you won't leave nicely, I'll make you leave by force!" she exclaimed, a burst of energy expelled from her. Her eyes glowed intensely before she appeared in front of Ereldra.

The tiefling could barely manage to avoid the attack. The blade scratched her face followed by an increased burning sensation that made it feel as if her face was falling off. She stumbled back, holding a hand over her face before growling in ire. Her sword began to leak a black ooze from it. Dripping onto the ground, the leaves and small plants instantly decayed. Lina kept her eyes steady on the one before, knowing she took her eyes away even for a second, it could be the death of her.

    "I am Ereldra of the great Lotharian Order. You will fall and I will raze your precious land into a barren waste zone. Since you intend to kill me here, I'll honor you and do the same." the tiefling held her hand out and began to summon a sphere of black magic. Lina stared daggers and ran forward, holding her weapon behind her back. She focused on her charging attack, making sure when exactly to dodge the attack. Ereldra snarled before launching the attack. Lina grimaced and slid her feet into the dirt, spinning her body around counter-clockwise and sent a whip-like beam towards her foe. "You think you can conjure energy that will nullify mines? You're obviously in over your head!"

Before she could get another word in, Lina pulled the whip back and entrapped the black sphere that Ereldra sent. She pulled tighter and made it implode. The explosion roared over the lands, knocking down trees and creating a destructive shockwave that reached out all the way to Vertash. Those at the Slyborne House felt the entire building rumble. Bookshelves and other fragile objects began to shatter on impact on the floor. A bright white light eclipsed everything for a few seconds before it all dimmed down. Dust slowly settled down, revealing both Ereldra and Lina dazed on the ground from the blast. The half-elf stood up, albeit a bit dreary. Ereldra stood up soon after, looking at the one who caused her such troubles over her conquest.

    "This is impossible. You are not this strong. I refuse to let anyone stop me!" she expelled a small burst of energy out.
    "You...are not getting anymore from us. Get ready, I'm stopping you here and now!" Lina took a stance, baring her teeth.