The man’s chilling chuckle filled the room as the door slammed shut behind Ethan, Eliza, and the others. The sound reverberated off the cold stone walls, sending an unnerving shiver down Ethan’s spine.
“I knew you’d come,” the man taunted, the creature in his lap flicking its long tail lazily as it eyed them with a predatory gleam.
Eliza’s blade remained steady in her hand, though the tension in the room was thick. “Who are you?” she demanded, her voice sharp.
The man’s smile grew wider. “The last face you’ll ever see.”
Ethan’s jaw clenched. “You’ve lost,” he said coldly. “Even if you stop us, there are others in this castle. You can’t take us all down.”
The man’s eyes twinkled with amusement. He snapped his fingers, and the door flew open with a thunderous bang. A few seconds later, Gregory and the other two rebellion fighters were tossed into the room, their bodies hitting the floor with sickening thuds. They were unconscious, their bodies limp and unmoving.
“No!” Ethan shouted, his fists clenched.
The man let out a low chuckle, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “So as I was saying, do you still think you can take us all down? Or have you finally understood that you can’t win?”
Ethan’s expression hardened, his voice unwavering. “What do you want?”
The man stood up, his long black coat swirling around him like a dark cloud. “Control,” he said, his voice calm but ominous. “With the crystal in my possession, Eldoria will be just one of the many civilizations that will bow to me.”
“You won’t win,” Eliza retorted, her eyes flashing with defiance.
“But I already have,” the man replied, his grin widening as he turned to his shifter guards. “Finish them off and burn the bodies. I want to forget this whole incident.”
Ethan watched in horror as Gregory and the others began to stir, slowly regaining consciousness. Gregory’s eyes snapped open, his gaze immediately locking onto Ethan’s. Understanding the situation, he groaned and slowly stood up, wincing as he moved.
“This was not part of the plan,” Gregory said grimly, his voice raspy as he walked toward Ethan, his fists clenched.
Ethan and the others immediately fell into a defensive stance, ready for the next wave of combat. As more shifters entered the room, their larger forms casting long shadows, they held massive guns. These weren’t ordinary weapons—these were fueled by the crystal’s magic, capable of unleashing devastating rays of pure energy.
One of the shifters, a hulking figure, cocked his gun with a menacing grin. Without warning, he pulled the trigger, and the shot flew into the ceiling with a deafening roar. The beam ripped through the stone like it was paper, disappearing into the night sky above.
“Are you sure you still want to fight us?” the man asked, his voice calm, almost disinterested.
“Now more than ever,” Ethan snarled. In an instant, two swords of pure energy materialized in his hands, their blades crackling with power.
“Neat trick, bringing swords to a gun fight,” one of the shifters mocked.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed as he locked eyes with the mocking shifter. “Who said anything about swords?” He flung one of the blades forward, and to the shifter’s shock, the sword transformed into a massive boulder in midair, crashing down onto him and pinning him to the ground.
---
The room became chaos. Ethan moved like lightning, his energy swords cutting through the air with lethal precision. Eliza, too, was in her element, her blade flashing in deadly arcs as she danced around the attacking shifters. Gregory fought with relentless determination, but the odds were stacked against them.
More shifters entered the fray, their weapons crackling with the same power that fueled the crystal. Despite their best efforts, the tide began to shift in favor of their enemies. Ethan found himself locked in combat with a massive shifter, their blades clashing with a force that shook the air. His mind raced, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that they were being overwhelmed.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ethan saw the shifter he had pinned with the boulder beginning to stir. With a grunt, the shifter pushed the massive rock off his chest and stood up, his eyes filled with fury. Before Ethan could react, the shifter drew his weapon and aimed it directly at him.
The shot rang out.
“No!” Gregory yelled, his voice a mix of desperation and fury.
Ethan’s eyes widened in shock as the beam tore through the air, its deadly energy aimed straight at him. But before he could even move, Gregory lunged at him, throwing himself in front of the blast.
The beam hit Gregory square in the chest, sending him crashing to the floor with a sickening thud. The energy from the blast seemed to sear through him, the very air around him distorting from the force of the magic.
Ethan screamed, rushing to his side. “Greg! No!”
Ethan immediately threw another spear at the shifter and it went through him and impaled itself in him. The shifter fell down and collapsed on the floor, dead.
Gregory’s body twitched, but there was no immediate healing. He lay there, gasping for breath, his chest rising and falling erratically.
“I… I should start healing now, don't worry.” Gregory muttered, his voice weak.
But as he looked down at his chest, his eyes widened in horror. The wound wasn’t healing. There was a darkness emanating from the blast wound that was spreading across his skin, seeping into his body like poison.
“What’s going on?” Ethan demanded, panic rising in his voice. “Why aren’t you healing?”
“The crystal’s magic is too powerful,” Eliza said with a grim expression, parrying a blow and countering with one of her own. “Even Greg’s immortality isn’t enough to save him.”
Ethan’s heart sank. “What do we do to save him?”
“I’m sorry, Ethan,” Eliza said, her voice thick with sorrow.
Gregory coughed weakly, looking up at Ethan with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Stay with me, Greg,” Ethan pleaded, his voice cracking. “You’re gonna be okay.”
Gregory chuckled softly, though the sound was strained. “It’s fine, really. I’ve wanted this for a long time. At least I’m dying for a good reason.” His voice wavered as the darkness spread further, now covering most of his body. “When you save Eldoria and bring Earth back to how it’s supposed to be… tell my wife that I love her, and that I’m sorry for always using the toilet without flushing.”
“Don’t talk like that. You’re gonna make it, you can tell her yourself.” Ethan said, his voice desperate.
“We both know I won’t,” Gregory replied, his smile bitter as the darkness began to cover his face. “It was nice meeting you, Ethan. Sad our time together didn’t last longer.”
“Greg, stop,” Ethan whispered, his throat tight.
Greg smiled at Ethan before disappearing completely into the air. Ethan knelt down and stared at the place Greg was just at before he vanished. Then he looked up at the remaining shifters, his pupils red, his fangs elongated, his claws detracted and his expression full of anger.
YOU ARE READING
Blood
FantasyEthan, a 16-year-old high school student, has always felt like an outsider in his small town. He's drawn to the mysterious and beautiful Emily, who's just transferred to his school. As they spend more time together, Ethan discovers that Emily is hid...
