Echoes of Twilight - The Riftwalker Chronicles

Chapter 5: Echoes of Darkness

The final countdown snaps me back to reality, and the surge of adrenaline takes over. I launch myself forward, my muscles moving with practiced precision as I engage with the holographic opponents that materialize before me. They move with fluid grace, their movements mirroring my own as they close in on me from all sides.

With each passing moment, the intensity of the battle grows, the holographic opponents adapting their tactics in real-time to exploit my weaknesses and test my resolve. I fend off their attacks with all the skill and determination I can muster, pushing myself to the limits of my abilities in a desperate bid to emerge victorious.

Each blow from the holograph is blocked by my conjured shield, allowing me to continue through the courtyard and to the doors of the academy. But as the minutes tick by and the battle rages on, I find myself struggling to keep up with the relentless onslaught of enemies. My muscles ache with fatigue, and my breath comes in ragged gasps as I fight to stay on my feet.

I quickly step into the doorway and scan over the holographic civilians. They glow with an aura of gold and yellow, each being slightly distorted by the winds flowing through the theatre. I know they're not real, just projections from the Illuminators' memories, but their faces. I truly can feel their fear.

Only a moment passes before I reach in and guide the small group out of the doorway. Fighting for breath, I shield each of the terrified holographs from blows coming from all sides, until the last one is making it across the courtyard.

I step through the doorway and make my way through the flow of attacks, only my sheer determination guiding me now. Before I knew it, I felt something hit me from behind and I fell to the hard ground, the shallow breaths being stolen from my lungs.

I instinctively roll to my back to block the next coming attack, I have to get up, I tell myself. Being here on the ground is the most vulnerable place a defender can be.

My eyes focus hard on the tip of the light blade just inches from the tip of my nose. I shudder, thinking of how easily the Guardian could push that blade right through my chest.

Before I can fully process the danger before me, a sudden shift in the holographic opponents catches my attention. The once-fluid movements of the Guardians become erratic and disjointed, their forms flickering and distorting as if caught in the grip of some unseen force.

A sense of unease washes over me and I watch the holographs contort and twist, their movements taking on a sinister quality that sets my heart racing with fear. It's as if they can sense something within me, something I don't.

I try to shake off the feeling of dread that grips me, focusing instead on the task at hand. But as the holographs draw closer, their blades glinting in the now dim sunlight, I can't shake the feeling I'm being targeted, singled out for some unknown reason.

Without warning, the holographs launch themselves at me with renewed ferocity, their attacks coming fast and furious from all sides. I barely have time to react as I fend off blow after blow, my movements growing more frantic with each passing moment.

No matter how hard I try, I can't stop them from surrounding me, blocking me into a corner of the holographic courtyard. They seem to anticipate my every move, their attacks growing more coordinated and relentless with each passing moment.

I miss a strike coming from my left and feel a searing pain in my shoulder. My hand races towards the pain only to pull away and see my hand covered in blood. My blood. It's as if time slows, the confusion I'm feeling mixes with the fear and pain radiating up my arm.

They shouldn't be able to hurt me, what is happening? I turn frantic as my back becomes one with the wall behind me, stopping me from escaping any further. And then, just as I begin to falter under the onslaught, I feel it - a cold, creeping sensation seeping into my bones, chilling me to my core.

Suddenly, I no longer feel the burn of the gaping wound on my shoulder. It's as if the shadows themselves have come to life, reaching out to claim me as their own.

I try to push back against the darkness, to drive it away with the light that burns within me. But it's no use - the shadows are too strong, too relentless in their pursuit of my destruction. As the holographs close in around me, their blades gleaming with deadly intent, my vision begins to blacken.

Anger, something I don't feel often starts to rise through me, my hands starting to burn and my eyes staring right at the Guardian standing closest to me.

Before I know what I'm doing, I raise my hand and release what feels like a sheet of ice in their direction. The dark purple colour of the beam emanating through my palm is a stark contrast to the golden holograph that surrounds me. The beam strikes true, hitting the Guardian right through the chest, until it disintegrates into tiny glowing particles, falling to the ground and joining the rest of the holograph.

I can still feel the cold burn in my chest, the anger still present, as the surrounding holograph begins to fade. Then, as quickly as the anger came, it passed, and I found myself lying amidst the fading remnants of the holograph. I take a shaky breath, my mind reeling from the revelation of what I've just done.

As the power courses through me, its dark energy contrasts with the purity of the light. And yet, despite the danger it poses, I can't deny the thrill of its raw power. But as I glance around the theatre, I realize that I'm not the only one who witnessed what just happened. The professor's eyes bore into me with a mixture of shock and suspicion, his gaze lingering on me for a moment before stepping forward.

His eyes move from mine to my shoulder, which the pain is now returning to. He let out a stressed sigh and placed a small bandage on my shoulder, "Leora," he began, his voice low and measured, "what you just did... I don't know."