Borne

Chapter 8

A storm was brewing on the bayou that fateful night, and not one conjured by mortal hands. Amina and the Lord of Night faced off amid the ruins of the fallen cult, magic surging in answer to their wills.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as they began to circle one another warily, each assessing their opponent. The Lord of Night smiled thinly, sizing up his prey like a predator. "You've danced well so far, girl, but this is where the music ends."

"We shall see about that," Amina replied calmly. She had long steeled herself for this reckoning and would not be caught unprepared.

Without further warning, the dark lord struck - shadows coalesced into grasping talons that shot for Amina's heart. But she was ready, phasing halfway into the spirit realm so they passed harmlessly through. Her answering force blades sliced the air with sonic booms, seeking his flesh.

He dodged with inhuman grace, darkness swirling around him as a living shroud. Black flames formed a whip in his hand, lashing out to envelop Amina - but she conjured a wall of water drawn from the swamp, extinguishing the flames' hungry thirst.

Their battle became a blur of mystic arts as primal forces were unleashed. Lightning arced between their fingertips to char the earth, while summoned creatures of tooth and claw swarmed the fray at their command. The very island seemed to shudder under the dueling titans' wrath.

Amina pressed her attack relentlessly, cognizant this foe would show no mercy if given chance to regroup. She hurled conjured cyclones and missiles of pure force, battling his shadows blow for blow. A gash opened on her arm from a grazing talon, welling black beneath the moonlight.

The Lord of Night laughed as her blood smoked and sizzled upon the earth. "Foolish girl! You never stood a chance against my power. Now I think I'll take my time rending your soul before ending your wretched life."

Darkness coalesced around one clawed hand into a midnight blade crackling with eldritch energies. He lunged to gut Amina from throat to groin with a single stroke. But she was far from beaten.

At the last instant, Amina whispered a word and her corporeal form dissolved into myriad wisps that reformed behind her foe. Before he could react, she closed the distance, pressing an obsidian athame to his throat. Raw magic coursed through the blade, sizzling his ashen flesh.

"Yield, demon," Amina growled, eyes twin emerald fires. "Or I'll send you screaming back to the Abyss piece by piece."

The Lord of Night went very still, sensing his life force hung by a thread. His eyes, when they met hers, glinted with newfound respect and malice in equal measure.

"You've bested me for now, witch...but this is far from over. Mark my words - I will have your soul, and this realm with it. We shall meet again..."

With that oath, the dark lord dissolved into shadows that were swallowed by the encroaching storm. Amina stood alone amid the carnage, blood pounding in her ears. She had won a great victory this night, yet some instinct warned the true war had only just begun.

The battle for bayou and beyond would be decided another day. For now, Amina glided back into the primordial swampland as thunder rumbled and lightning limned the roiling clouds. Her legend was only beginning...