Celestial Guardians: Uniting Dimensions (Celestial Guardians Series, #1)

Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Jamaica's POV

The air was still as I landed on the rooftop. A tall figure stood before me, his cloak billowing in an unseen wind. Moonlight gleamed off his dark hood, obscuring his face.

"Ah, the young Guardian," the figure said, his voice smooth and chilling. "I've been waiting for you."

"Who are you?" I demanded, keeping my wings wide, ready to attack or defend.

The figure didn't answer. Instead, he raised a gloved hand, and the rooftop seemed to tremble beneath us. A circle of glowing red runes appeared at our feet, pulsating with dark energy.

"I've come to deliver a message," he said, reverberating unnaturally.

"A message?" I spat. "Sending monsters to attack us wasn't enough?"

"That was merely a taste of what's to come," the figure replied. "The Destroyer grows impatient. He's tired of waiting for you Guardians to realize your place in this battle."

I stepped closer, my fists clenched. "If he's so eager, why doesn't he face us himself?"

The figure laughed, making me feel uneasy. "The Destroyer doesn't have to get involved—he has me to do his work."

Before I could answer, the figure raised his other hand, and a wave of energy shot at me. I quickly reacted, jumping into the air and deflecting it with my blast. The force of the collision shook the rooftop, breaking the tiles around us.

"You're not going to intimidate me," I said, narrowing my eyes.

"Intimidation isn't my goal," the figure said, his tone laced with amusement. "It's survival."

He quickly moved his wrist, and the circle of runes lit up. The air around us shimmered. Suddenly, shadows appeared from the glowing runes—twisted, monstrous beasts with blood-red eyes that glowed like the figure's magic.

There were too many creatures to count, and their snarls echoed in the night. I dodged into the sky as one of them lunged at me. Another one jumped, its claws barely brushing my wing.

"Is this the best you've got?" I taunted, throwing a bolt of energy at the nearest beast. It disintegrated on impact, but more appeared to take its place.

"You don't realize my strength," the figure said calmly as he stepped closer to the roof's edge. "And you don't see the power of the Destroyer."

I tightened my jaw and fought against the shadows with all my strength. Each burst of my energy only gave me a brief break before another wave of creatures attacked.

"Enough!" I yelled, slamming my fists together. A shockwave of light erupted from my body, illuminating the entire rooftop. The shadows shrieked and dissolved, leaving only the cloaked figure behind.

The light faded, and I landed before him, breathing hard. "You've lost."

But the figure merely laughed. "Have I? This was never about winning. It was about sending a warning. If I were you, I have to stop now. There's no more hope."

Before I could respond, he vanished, dissolving into a wisp of shadow. The runes disappeared with him, leaving me alone on the shattered rooftop.

I glanced down at the street below, where Damien's apartment was barely visible in the darkness. My chest tightened. I had to get back.

The atmosphere inside Damien's apartment was tense when I returned. The window huddled Kevin and Nel, their faces pale. Damien and his sister sat on the couch, both looking shaken.