Coterie of Darkness

[Sneak Peak]

They thought the fight was over. Everyone sat injured and healed the weak and wounded on the mountain of rubble that sat at the top of the city streets, at least what was left of it. Buildings were leveled and tens of miles of the ground was broken down in chunks, craters sat smokey and blood covered, the red, blue and purple painted everywhere. The bright lights of the city flickered, mega screens that barely hung to the side of buildings shuttered and cracked as they broadcasted the war that lay beneath them, a pointless war. Humans and monsters died for nothing...

"Hey, what's that?" Theador shaken out in exhaustion as he stood and walked over to the edge of the road peering over the ditch, smoke still in the wind failing to conceal the blood shed. Carmen followed and focused on the small lights forming hundreds of meters away from the survivors.

"Marian..." Carmen whispered slightly before stammering down the small pile of rubble at the end of the road looking back at their small group. "Marian, come look at this..." she stood to the side as Marian stood up from her position and hobbled over to the edge to gaze upon the small lights that were slowly growing in size.

"What-What is that?" Lilah had walked up behind them, grabbing onto Marian's arm for balance, and holding onto her hand. Marian was frozen as realization hit her, she had seen lights like this before. This was the light from the origin, a world where such creatures as herself had descended from, a world of pain and sorrow.

"Get back!" Marian commanded, gently grabbing onto Lilah and creating a small barrier of black on the edge of the road. Everyone huddled closer, the weaker ones in the center as a bright light flashed over the top of the barrier, a pulsed wave of heat and wind followed, forming a cloud of smoke through the streets.

The group of mismatched comrades slowly turned towards the chaos as the smoke began to dissipate. Marian stood up slowly and began to climb over the rubble to look past the cracking barrier. Her eyes grew, the exhaustion already in her body spreading into something new making her arms feel numb as she looked back to everyone.

Darius did a double take towards Marian and over to the barrier. He got up and scattered next to her as his smaller body perched at the edge. Darius slumped looking defeated. One by one everyone who was able had walked back to the edge of the road, the same defeated feeling spread through everyone. Marciella began to shake and cry before folding into Theador as he hid her face in his chest, he himself turning them both away from their discovery. Connor broke to his knees, he with the strongest of hearts and boldest of minds cracked at the sight, speechless after already fighting until his clothes were caked in blood and hands worn and shaking in exhaustion.

Jamie held onto Carmen tighter, making their eyes meet in panic, accepting each other's comfort for once. "How are we supposed to fight that?" Carmen sighed out hoping someone would have a solution.

Below them in the craters stood hundreds of beasts, creatures of the original world emerging from multiple light portals, rifts between the two worlds. Some of them dragged cages or chained humans behind them, a source of power they could use as some already began to drain their life force and marched closer to the group.

The silence in the group stayed for too long, the enemies growing closer and their thundering footsteps shook the ground under them. Beasts of all sizes and strengths yelling and growling ready to fight the already tired fighters of the human world.

Lilah grabbed onto Marian and pulled her aside from the others holding onto her hands, heads pressed together as her voice began to shake before speaking up. "You're the only one who can do this Mari..." a tear fell down her face and Marian went to wipe it off, Lilah grabbing her hand to keep it against her cheek.

"It's too late Lih...I'm too weak, even with my power...I..." Marian sighed as she embraced Lilah's shaking body trying to sooth her.

"Take my power..." Lilah's suggestion hung whispered in the air between them before Marian pulled away slightly to look her partner in the eyes, gaze shaky.

"W-what? Why...why would I do that?" Her voice gets quieter with each stutter in disbelief. "You know what it could do to you...I won't risk I-I don't want to lose anyone else."

Lilah shook her head and moved her arms around Marian's head to put them together again and sighing a shaking breath. "If...If you can recharge some energy at least then-"

"N-no I w-" Marian interrupted

"Yes...please..." The girls stood together in silence as quiet understanding was shared. Too much was at stake if Marian didn't take away what was left of her loves power, but also didn't want to risk losing her. "The others could heal and regenerate...we could have a chance to make it through this..."

Marian stayed silent as her mind went to war with itself.

Darius walked over and pulled on Marian's torn and bloodied jacket. "If it means anything...If it means anything, I think I can craft a sort of explosion that can-" He spoke up, shaking and stuttering, waving his hands in the air in front of him as he looked down. "- Disrupt? I don't know, but maybe I could disrupt the magic creating the rifts. I would pull them back into the hole they crawled out from." He finally looked up with a weak smile.

Marian looked down at him then lifted her head towards the others who had noticed their private conversation, pondering his suggestion.

"I could maybe help with that?" Carmen questioned as they walked forward a little and locked eyes with Lilah, then Marian. "An explosion like that would need some kind of counter magic to balance it out" Everyone seemed to be agreeing with this idea, Marian's heart breaking even more.

"But what if...what if I lose you...I- I just got you..." Marian's attention went back to Lilah before nestling her head in her lover's neck in a gentle embrace.

"I promise, you won't..." Lilah's voice is still shaking quietly, her arms around Marian and stroking the small hairs at the top of her neck.

Marian inhaled deep, the smell of blood, sweat and a small scent of apple filling her nostrils trying not to break down. "I love you..." she whispered softly into Lilah's neck.

"I love you too." Lilah reciprocated as their embrace got stronger before they both inhaled deeply.

Marian's arms started to glow as the markings lit up in a vivid purple, her eyes following trend. Lilah's breathing became hoarse and slowed, her already weak and drained body slowly going numb and limp in her partner's arms. She whispered one last 'I love you' before becoming motionless, her breath slowing to the point it was too hard to tell if she was even still alive.

A few moments of silence passed as Marian kept glowing, replenishing her missing energy and once again becoming the powerful demonic user, the one people feared as 'The queen of red'.

Jamie walked over and took Lilah from Marian whilst her wounds slowly recovered and healed over leaving small scars over her body. She stood straighter to her full height and looked among the group, glancing at Lilah's body one last time before walking over to the small rubble pile looking over both groups.

"Alright, Its time"