Blade institute: the unseen prophecy

44

The battle was over, but the scars it left would last a lifetime. Evangeline had tapped into a darkness she never knew she had, and though she had managed to pull herself back from the brink, she knew she would never be the same. She had saved her friends, but at what cost? As she sat there, holding Sam and grieving for Ethan, she couldn't help but wonder if the person she had become was someone she could ever truly accept.

And somewhere in the distance, in the shadows that lingered just out of sight, the echoes of Liam's laughter still haunted her.

Moments passed in a haze of anguish and exhaustion, the world around them eerily quiet after the chaos of the battle. Evangeline knelt beside Sam, her mind reeling from the events that had just unfolded. Ethan's lifeless body lay still on the cold ground, and the weight of what had just happened threatened to crush her. But before she could fully process the grief, something within her began to shift.

A deep, primal force surged through her, the shadows that had momentarily receded now returning with a vengeance. They clawed their way back into her consciousness, dark tendrils wrapping around her heart and mind, whispering insidious promises of power and release from her pain. Evangeline felt her control slipping, the darkness she had just fought so hard to harness now threatening to consume her entirely. She tried to resist, tried to focus on the faces of her friends, on the memories of their shared laughter and struggles, but the shadows were relentless.

Suddenly, without warning, she was wrenched from the ground as if an invisible hand had grabbed hold of her. Evangeline was thrown into the air, her body twisting and turning helplessly as she was engulfed by the shadows. They swirled around her in a chaotic vortex, blotting out the light and filling her vision until all she could see was darkness. Panic surged through her as she realized she had no control over what was happening. The power she had thought she could control was now controlling her, and it was terrifying.

"Rian!" Evangeline managed to scream, her voice barely audible over the roar of the shadows. But before she could say anything more, the darkness filled her eyes, swallowing her words and thoughts. She felt herself slipping away, lost in a void of shadow and despair. It was as if she were being pulled apart, her very essence dissolving into the darkness that surrounded her.

Below her, Rian watched in horror as Evangeline was consumed by the shadows. His heart pounded in his chest, and a cold dread gripped him as he realized what was happening. He could see the shadows taking her, could see the way they twisted around her like a living thing, hungry and insatiable. And he knew that if he didn't do something, he would lose her forever.

"No!" Rian screamed, his voice breaking with desperation. He ran forward, reaching out as if he could somehow pull her back from the brink. "Evangeline, please! Don't let them take you! Fight it! Please, fight it!" His voice was raw with emotion, tears streaming down his face as he begged her to hold on. But no matter how loudly he screamed, he could see that she was slipping further and further away.

"Evangeline, don't go!" Rian's voice cracked with grief, the sight of her being overtaken by the shadows ripping through him like a blade. He had already lost so much—his brother, his friends—and now he was about to lose Evangeline too. The pain was unbearable, but he refused to give up on her. He couldn't.

Summoning every ounce of strength he had left, Rian channeled his own magic, trying to reach her through the darkness. He focused on the connection they shared, on the bond that had grown between them, and willed her to hear him. "You're stronger than this, Evangeline!" he shouted, his voice filled with a desperate hope. "You're not alone! We're here with you! I'm here with you!"

For a brief moment, it seemed as though his words had reached her. The shadows flickered, their grip on her loosening ever so slightly. But then, with a final surge of power, they tightened their hold, dragging her further into the abyss. Evangeline's body went limp, her eyes now fully engulfed in darkness as the shadows consumed her.

Rian's scream of anguish echoed through the night, filled with the raw pain of a heart breaking. He fell to his knees, his outstretched hand trembling as he watched the last vestiges of light disappear from Evangeline's form. The person he knew, the girl who had fought so bravely and loved so fiercely, was gone, swallowed by the darkness that had been lurking within her all along.

But even in his despair, Rian refused to give up. "I won't let you go!" he shouted, his voice filled with a fierce determination. "I'll find a way to bring you back! I promise you, Evangeline, I won't stop fighting for you!"

But as the shadows enveloped her completely, Rian was left watching in silent horror, his heart shattered as he realized the battle had only just begun—this time, not against Liam or the demons, but against the darkness that had claimed Evangeline.