Transformers Prime: Shrouded Truth (#4) [Completed]

Chapter 19

Unicron smiled, his eyes narrowing. I fought to control my breathing, to keep it steady in the face of death. He was right there, the one who had hurt me. The one that I was supposed to defeat. No, I couldn't do it here, not now. He was too powerful.

"You've grown bold since the last time we met," Unicron said, slowly stalking forward. I moved backwards, maintaining the distance between us. My eyes darted around. I needed a way out. Now. What had I been thinking? Why had I been so stupid and gone for the amulet? What was I doing? "Trying to obtain the amulet of death directly." Unicron clicked his tongue. "I would call that foolishness."

"Isn't that what you tried to do when you were in my amulet?" I finally found my voice. "Trying to take it from me?" It was weak, pathetic sounding. I only inforced Unicron's belief of humanity's weakness.

"I was trying to get its power."

"Is that all you wanted?" My back hit a wall and I started to panic. Unicron could see it. His pace slowed. He knew I was cornered. I was his prey, and now he was toying with me. I needed out. Now.

"I wanted to destroy it."

My eyes looked around, looking for anything that could help me. There was no chance of me getting around Unicorn, he was too fast. 

"You can't destroy it, not without destroying your own amulet," I said. Distract him, that was the plan, while I figured something out. Unicorn was moving slowly, like he had all the time he needed, which probably wasn't wrong.

"Oh, so you figured out the purpose of your amulet." He chuckled. "Between you and me, Primus was desperate for power."

"He wanted balance," I said. I moved over, shuffling my feet. Around him? Maybe that would work.

Unicron rolled his purple eyes. "If he wanted balance, he wouldn't have created the thirteen."

A spike of dark energon plunged into the ground in front of me. I staggered back, another shard plunging into the ground behind me. I could feel the evil coming off of them, and I felt trapped between them. I let my staff disperse; it wouldn't do anything, only hinder me. I lunged forward, only for another shard to slam into the ground at my feet. I felt the wind on my face, and the sharp bite of the crystal against my skin. It grazed my arm, only a small scratch. I wasn't going to be that lucky again. Unicron was done playing.

Unicron towered over me, his sharp gaze cutting into me. I cowered, looking up at him. No doubt he could see my fear in my eyes, in my posture, and the reek of it all over me. I need out. Before it was too late.

"This is my realm," he sneered. "I control what happens in here."

The dark energon crystals sparked to life. Purple lightning snaked around me, reaching out to me.

A shield popped up around me. The lightning bounced off, sparking against it. I stood in the middle, arms over my head.  The lightning snaked against it, look for a way to get to me. I could feel my strength fading, along with the amulet's. I wasn't going to make it. Unicron was going to win, right here, right now.

"Lora. Breathe. Push the fear back, concentrate on a single sense."

I listened to the soft voice, focusing on it. I pulled in a breath. The air was musty, and I could smell ozone in the mix. "Ignore the world. Focus on anything but the fear." I listened. I felt fabric beneath my fingers, the weightlessness of space. I could feel something wrapped around me. The scent of must and ozone dropped away, changing to neutral air, the kind that I couldn't describe. I focused harder. I could hear... voices calling out orders and insults. Blaster shots were being fired. I could hear the release of fire.