The master spy or Puss in the boot adventures

Lyra, the Goddess of Dreams 37, Part 167

Colin watched in horror as her mother's lifeless body rose into the air, animated by Odin's dark magic. Shadows swirled around Moira's form, twisting her features into a cruel mockery of the kind, loving woman she had once been. Glowing crimson eyes opened, fixing on Colin with a predatory intensity.

"Yes, my love," Moira purred, her voice a seductive purr tinged with malice. "Come, join us. Together we shall rule over all as king and queen of shadows!"

For a moment, Colin wavered, grief and despair threatening to overwhelm her. To lose both her parents to the darkness in one terrible moment was almost more than she could bear. But then she caught Alric's eye from across the chamber. Though he was still locked in battle with the shadowy creatures Odin had summoned, his gaze held steady on hers - a lifeline of hope amidst the chaos.

In that instant, Colin made her choice. She would not let her mother's sacrifice be in vain. She would honor Moira's memory by being the light in the darkness, no matter the cost.

Steeling herself, Colin turned to face Odin and Moira, a determined glint in her eye. She took a step forward, arms spread wide in supplication.

"Father, Mother," she called out, her voice trembling only slightly. "I see now the power that you wield. The strength of the shadows, the promise of endless dominion. I was a fool to resist for so long."

Odin's cruel smile widened and he beckoned Colin closer with a clawed hand. "Yes, daughter. You understand at last. Come, take your rightful place at our side."

Colin walked forward as if in a trance, each step bringing her closer to the pulsing heart of darkness that was the Shadow Soul. She could feel its insidious whispers clawing at the edges of her mind, tempting her with visions of power beyond imagining.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Alric stagger back from a particularly vicious blow, his sword arm hanging limp at his side. Roku was faring little better, blood streaming from a gash above his eye as he loosed arrow after desperately aimed arrow into the mass of writhing shadows.

They needed her. Now more than ever.

Just as she reached the dais where the Shadow Soul rested, Colin turned to face Odin, a fierce light flaming in her eyes. "You're right, Father. I do understand now," she declared with a sad voice. "I understand why Shadow Soul's power is too great for  one person to bear. "

Odin's eyes narrowed suspiciously, but a triumphant smile curled his lips. "At last, you see reason," he crowed. "Come then, daughter. Take your rightful place at our side and feel the power of the shadows flow through you!"

Colin stepped forward, her heart pounding as she approached the obsidian dais where the Shadow Soul pulsed with malevolent energy. She could feel Alric and Roku's shocked stares boring into her back, but she dared not look at them for fear of giving away her plan.

Colin climbed the dais, each step feeling like a leaden weight, until she stood before the pulsing artifact. Up close, its aura was even more overwhelming, a miasma of despair and corrupted power that threatened to suffocate her very soul. Steeling herself, she reached out with a shaking hand, her fingers hovering just above the Shadow Soul's malevolent surface.

In that instant, time seemed to slow to a crawl. Colin could feel the weight of her friend's disbelieving stares, the palpable shock and betrayal emanating from them in waves. She could sense Odin and Moira's dark eagerness, their hunger to welcome her into their fold of shadows. And beneath it all, the insidious whispers of the Shadow Soul itself, tempting her, goading her to submit to its sibilant promises of power and domination.

But in that frozen moment, Colin's heart blazed with a fierce, unquenchable light - the love she held for her friends, the unbreakable bonds of fellowship that had carried them through untold trials. And in the center of that radiant warmth, the memory of her mother - her true mother, before the darkness had claimed her - shone like a beacon, a guiding star that pierced the shadows shrouding her path.

Moira's sacrifice would not be in vain. Colin would honor her memory by being the light against the darkness, no matter the cost.

As she ascended the dais, Colin extended a trembling hand toward the Shadow Soul, feeling its icy aura wash over her like a frigid tide. Odin and Moira watched with eager anticipation, their faces lit with a hungry light.

Just as her fingers brushed the surface of the artifact, Colin whirled around, snatching it up in one swift motion. "Alric, catch!" she yelled, hurling the Shadow Soul towards him with all her strength.

Alric reacted instantly, leaping forward to snatch the artifact out of the air. As his hands closed around it, he felt a surge of dark power course through him, but he gritted his teeth and held on tight.

"Run!" Colin shouted. "Get to the portal! Save Lyra!"

Colin turned to face Odin, a fierce light blazing in her eyes. "You're right, Father. I do understand now," she declared in a ringing voice. "I understand that the Shadow Soul's power is too great for any one person to bear. Least of all a small-minded tyrant like you!"

"Colin, no!" Moira screamed, her face contorted with rage. "What have you done?"

"What I had to," Colin replied grimly. "I'm sorry Mother, Father. I love you both, but I cannot let you wield this terrible power. It will consume you utterly and doom us all!"

Odin let out a roar of fury, and the shadows around him exploded outward in a maelstrom of dark energy. "Foolish, ungrateful child!" he thundered. "You throw away the chance for infinite power and for what - these pathetic mortals? I will make you suffer for this betrayal!"

The castle shuddered and groaned around them asOdin's dark magic.

"I'm sorry, but I have to stop you, " said with sadness Colin. "You are not my parents that I remember!"

Odin let out a roar of fury, shadows exploding outward from him in a wave of pure rage. "Treacherous whelp!" he bellowed. "You dare betray me? I will flay the flesh from your bones!"

"Really?" smiled Colin. "You forget I'm the daughter of powerful druids. Once upon a time, a pity. Not shadows like now. "

With that, she slammed her staff against the ground, and a blinding flash of radiant energy exploded outward, searing through the shadows like the rays of the rising sun. Odin and Moira recoiled with shrieks of pain, shielding their eyes from the brilliant glare.

"Run!" Colin shouted. "Get to the portal! Save Lyra!"...