The Chosen

Chapter Ten (Fight)

MAYA STERLING

The front door slammed open, crashing against the wall as Wilder stormed in, his expression intense and urgent. Nyxie was right behind him, her presence commanding and shrouded in an air of mystery. Shadows flickered at her feet, moving as if alive, reacting to the tension in the room. Wilder's voice was low but fierce, cutting through the brief moment of stunned silence.

"We don't have much time," he warned, his eyes darting around. "The Stone Circle is on their way. We barely got here ahead of them."

Nyxie nodded, stepping forward with an air of unshakable confidence. Her violet eyes scanned each of us quickly, assessing. "They're planning a full assault. We need to be ready, and we need to be fast. They're not holding back this time."

Felix's expression hardened, revealing a side of him I hadn't seen before. He nodded at Matilda, and the two of them began to move, their calm demeanours shifting into a focused resolve. Matilda's eyes met mine, a silent understanding passing between us: this wasn't just another fight. This was the beginning.

Before any more words could be exchanged, the walls seemed to vibrate, a low hum building into a violent crash as the Stone Circle operatives burst in, powers blazing. The room erupted into chaos. Zayne was the first to react, a blazing torrent of fire erupting from his hands. Flames shot across the room, controlled and precise, forcing the first wave of attackers to scatter.

Beside him, Bowie spun her hands in a fluid motion, the air bending to her will as sharp, slicing gusts formed a barrier around us. She directed the wind like a conductor, sending the attackers reeling with blasts that whipped and cut through the air with lethal precision.

Emerson joined in, electricity crackling around him. Lightning arced from his fingertips, striking the Stone Circle members with a deafening crack. The light from his strikes was blinding, forcing our enemies to shield their eyes or be momentarily stunned, which gave Zayne and Bowie the opening they needed to press the attack.

Felix, now fully in his element, summoned forth a series of spells, his hands weaving intricate patterns in the air. Pulses of magic shot forth, crashing into the enemy lines with explosive force. Matilda, fluid and graceful, manipulated the water in the room—condensing it from the air and shaping it into sharp, whipping tendrils that lashed out like whips, slicing through the chaos.

I stepped into the fray, pulling water from the very air and using it like a weapon. With every move, I could feel my connection to my element growing stronger. I wasn't just controlling the water—I was commanding it, bending it to my will with a force that felt raw and untamed compared to Matilda's precision. I directed the water in powerful bursts, knocking enemies off their feet and trapping them in suffocating currents.

Wilder, meanwhile, commanded the earth beneath us. He thrust his hands forward, and the ground responded, shifting and buckling to his will. Stone and dirt erupted, forming barriers and traps that tripped up the Stone Circle operatives. His movements were grounded and unyielding, mirroring his power, and his actions dovetailed with Zayne's flames in a dance of fire and earth that spoke of a reluctant but undeniable alliance.

Nyxie was a whirlwind of darkness and light, her shadows lashing out like living creatures, ensnaring enemies in a shroud of darkness. She moved with an almost ethereal grace, her powers a seamless blend of blinding light and impenetrable shadow that disoriented and overwhelmed the Stone Circle members. She fought with precision, her tendrils of darkness acting like extensions of herself, striking with deadly accuracy. At one point, she caught my eye and gave a slight nod, a silent assurance that I wasn't alone.

In the midst of all this, Elara and Ollie had taken up a position near the kitchen, arming themselves with whatever they could find. Elara hurled kitchen utensils with surprising force, her frustration translating into a barrage of forks and spatulas that flew with unexpected velocity.

Ollie, ever the jokester, was right beside her, grabbing whatever came to hand—a frying pan, a rolling pin, even a box of cereal. "Heads up!" he yelled, chucking the frying pan with an almost comical accuracy that caught one of the operatives off guard. "Extra points if we hit them in the head!" He ducked behind the counter, a gleeful grin on his face. "Damn, we're like Hawkeye and Black Widow, but, you know, way less cool and without the budget."

Elara rolled her eyes but laughed despite herself, ducking just in time to avoid a blast of energy. "Just keep throwing stuff, Ollie! We're running out of dishes!"

The room was a battleground of elements, each of us fighting with everything we had. I watched as Wilder and Zayne moved in sync, their powers complementing each other in an unspoken truce. Wilder's stone walls would redirect Zayne's flames, creating an impenetrable barrier that funneled the attackers into a narrow, defenseless space. Despite the history between them, there was a silent understanding—a shared determination that made them a formidable force.

Nyxie moved like a shadow, her darkness engulfing enemies and leaving them disoriented in its wake. Light flared briefly, blinding the attackers before they were dragged back into the dark. She was relentless, a mix of grace and lethal precision that was almost hypnotic to watch. She worked her way to my side, her shadows swirling protectively around us.

As the last of the Stone Circle operatives were driven back, I could feel the energy in the room shift from chaotic to tense. The attackers retreated, leaving us breathless but standing. Wilder and Zayne locked eyes, a flicker of old grudges still simmering beneath the surface, but in this moment, they had fought as allies.

Nyxie stepped forward, her presence both commanding and calm, as if she had been waiting for this moment. Her eyes, a mix of light and shadow, met mine, and she extended a hand. "Nyxie Aquino," she said, her voice steady but carrying the weight of everything we had just endured. "Darkness and light elemental manipulation. I fight for balance, for Eldermoor, and now, for you too."

I grasped her hand, the alliance feeling as solid as the ground beneath us. As the adrenaline began to fade, I looked around at the faces of those who had fought beside me. Wilder, Zayne, Bowie, Emerson, Ollie, Felix, Elara, Matilda, and now Nyxie. We weren't just a group of people thrown together by circumstance—we were becoming something more. Whatever Eldermoor had in store, whatever secrets it still held, we would face it together, as allies, as friends, as a team.