Spirit's Wrath (Book 2 of Spirit's Calling)

Nothing Else to Lose

A/n: TW for injury & suffocation

Enjoy the long chapter!

"NO!"

Somehow the cry escaped despite the lack of air making its way into Y/n's lungs. She clawed desperately at the Preeminent's tendril, but it had a thick skin and was slightly slimy, making it impossible to get a grip on it. Her lungs burned for air.

More tendrils escaped the portal, some way thicker than others. The blue light in the room grew blinding.

Y/n closed her eyes and keeled over, seconds from losing consciousness.

But then the bind around her neck disappeared and she could breathe. She gulped in air like there was no tomorrow, hands flying to her neck, coughing harshly. The Preeminent howled.

Someone pulled Y/n out of the building and onto a nearby dock. Her body shuddered as she tried to breathe. Distantly, she heard someone saying her name.

Her candle flickered and became weaker.

Lloyd...

"Y/n, get up!" She could finally register words. Wearily, the elemental pulled herself to her feet. Cole stopped her from falling. "You good?"

She didn't answer. How could she be? She was no longer choking her life away, but Lloyd was gone, and the Preeminent was coming.

A groan drew her attention to the giant figure rising above Stiix. The Preeminent's mouth kept opening and closing, releasing a ghost each time. Six claw-like spikes surrounded it like hooks keeping it in place. Dozens of tentacles whipped around the air, the largest ones keeping her massive form raised off the ground. She gave off a ghostly glow, the air around her slightly colder and mist seeping from her skin.

"The Preeminent!" Jay shrieked.

"The physical manifestation of the entire Cursed Realm," Zane breathed.

Cole shuddered. "She ain't pretty, that's for sure."

Y/n's fingers curled into a fist. "Call your mechs!" She told them. "We're gonna need 'em."

A tentacle slammed downwards towards them. Y/n leaped out of the way, but a high-powered blast of water cut off the appendage before it could make contact. The Preeminent shrieked, reeling back; but at the sight of the wound, two more arms took its place.

"It's like a hydra!" Y/n yelped, vaulting out of the way as the two tendrils smacked the ground. Another snuck up behind her and shoved her to the ground, but she kicked up and rolled to a stand. She sent a blast of her powers at the beast's body, and the other Ninja did the same.

The Cursed Realm didn't even flinch, her attention drawn away from them for a moment.

"Deepstone!" Cole called. "Try your amulet!"

Y/n's eyes widened and she dug out the device Borg gave her. She needed to break it for it to work. Without really thinking, she charged head-on.

If anyone called for her, she didn't hear over the sound of the Preeminent and her own heartbeat.

Using tentacles like stepping stones, Y/n leap-frogged her way closer to the Preeminent's mouth. She used airjitzu to cross the larger distances. Her regular spinjitzu cut her way through any ghosts that tried to stop her.

She sprang up at the last arm, flying straight over the Cursed Realm. She cracked open the amulet and threw it downward.

The deepstone dust sprinkled into the Preeminent's mouth. The two ghosts that tried to escape during that time immediately dissolved. But the Realm herself only hissed in annoyance.