Series: The Mountain: Book 1: The Awakening

Shadow

Tension rippled almost visibly in the air as Olivier stared worriedly at the now possessed Liam's body which emitted an unending, thick wave of black energy. Greatly discomforted by the unknown aura, Olivier floated a bit higher as he prepared another attack, this time with the intention of further testing the new threat's power level. White aura shimmering brilliantly at his fingertips, Olivier summoned a wave of energy, hurling it at Liam and the frightened group sheltering behind him without a hint of hesitation. Terrified by the sheer amount of force emanating from the oncoming attack, both Sylvie and Xavier fell to their knees in fear, cowering as the light neared them. Rather than follow the others in falling into despair, Helen and Alice looked on, eyes brimming with interest more than fear as Liam simply raised a hand at the fast approaching attack. 

Black eyes staring coldly at the light as it approached, Shadow silently muttered, "Absorption!"

Almost instantly, the wave of white energy compressed itself repeatedly before flowing silently into Liam's raised palm. 

"Is that all you have to offer?" Shadow asked, tone somewhat confused as he looked expectantly at the floating man. 

Eyes still trained on Liam's back, both Helen and Alice let out a controlled sigh of relief as they continued their observation of the battle. 

"You seem to be a lot better than I'd previously thought," Olivier said, a whisper of caution laced within his tone, "Let's see how you handle this!"

Raising his palm once more, an almost blinding white light filled the surrounding skies as balls of pulsating energy appeared one after another. With the tiniest trace of a smirk forming on his face, the man motioned towards Liam, who, despite the circumstances, appeared unfazed. 

"Shadow!" Liam shouted from within his own body, slightly panicked at the sheer amount of elemental orbs in the sky.

"It's fine," Shadow replied, clearly unbothered by the absurd quantity before them, "Perhaps it's time I show you just what your current self is capable of."

Confused by the dark entity's words, Liam, rather than speak any further, decided it was best to place his trust in Shadow, especially since he was incapable of controlling his body at that moment. Eyes darting at the various balls of energy now rapidly hurtling towards them, Shadow gathered Liam's aura without any external movement, until it solidified into a dome around both him and the group taking refuge behind.

Laughing maniacally as his balls of energy bombarded the area, Olivier summoned even more, which he kept at bay as he stared intently at the spot where Liam once stood. Unable to see anything through the thick blanket of dust he'd risen during his earlier bombardment, Olivier turned his attention to Isabelle. To his surprise, not only had the woman disappeared, no trace of her aura could be detected within his range of sight.

'Did she already escape?' Olivier thought, worry beckoning at him as the thought of another wasted chance arose, 'No,' he said after a few seconds of briefly organizing his thoughts, 'Even if it's her, it'd be almost impossible for her to have gotten out of range of my divine sense that quickly,' he concluded, scratching his chin her disappearance only served to deepen his confusion, 'Where could she have possibly gone? Did one of my attacks accidentally veer in her direction? No,' he said, once again interrupting his own thoughts, 'Even in her weakened state, power of that level is incapable of killing her, far less for ridding all traces of her aura. If that's the case, where could she be?'

Refocusing his attention in Liam's direction as the dust settled, a wisp of concern intermingled with a few strands of fear tugged at his heart as he witnessed a slightly large dome of black, compact energy amidst the decimated surroundings. Recovering from his momentary lapse in confidence, Olivier licked his lips nervously as he recovered from his initial reaction. Dissolving the barrier-like dome, Liam stared expressionlessly at the floating man as though he was unimpressed by his latest attack.