The Endless Promise

38. Shadow And Fear

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"Burn." Weiyan uttered, with her palm to the demon's chest, and white flames exploded, swallowing the demon whole.

The cave shook as the fire surged, scorching the Eye-eater. His agonized shrieks filled the air, his body twisting in pain, and he thrashed violently, his limbs elongating into grotesque forms as he tried to escape.

But Weiyan did not spare him, and with her free hand, she directed the swords with two fingers, sending them to stab through the demon, with one stabbing right into the demon's head.

"You-!" The demon staggered back, his form flickering between his true faceless self and several other appearances.

Weiyan leapt away, calling the sword back as the demon fell to its knees. "This was not... how it was supposed to go!" He rasped, his voice cracking. "I was supposed to devour you...!"

But he fell to the ground, crumpling into a dark, tattered mass, and his aura vanished.

Weiyan blew out a breath, getting her flames back under control, and they died away, sending the cave back into the dim moonlit darkness.

But as she turned to release the others, the cave suddenly pulsed, and a deep, heavy presence suddenly filled the air.

A cold chuckle echoed around, and the eye-eater's tattered form surged with dark energy, his wounds sealing as his body swelled with unnatural power.

"You forgot one thing, little girl," He hissed, his voice filled with malevolence. "I don't have a form!"

Black tendrils instantly darted across the walls and floors like shadows, and they latched onto Weiyan, wrapping around her.

Weiyan's body froze, her limbs locking up. The pressure was immense, far worse than anything she had experienced before, and she felt like her bones might snap at any moment.

"I should have killed you once you returned!" The Eye-eater hissed. "You just destroyed my original form!"

Weiyan tried to move, but her body refused to obey.

The dark tendrils around her were now squeezing tight, crushing the life out of her, and her eyes were fluttering shut, as she began to lose consciousness...

Just then, something fell on her shoulder, and her eyes snapped open as a powerful surge of qi rushed into her body, cutting through the shadowy tendrils. Their suffocating hold shattered, and Weiyan drew in a deep, reviving breathe.

She turned sharply, and her heart raced at the sight.

Luoyin stood behind her, his palm resting on her shoulder. His robes blew about him, and the front clumps of his hair had turned pure white.

A cold smirk sat on his face. "I was hoping for a little more time, but I can't exactly let anything happen to you."

Earlier, he had deliberately fallen over, because Weiyan's shadow could partially hide him from sight. Then with the little qi he had managed to release, he cast an aura seal, so no one would sense anything.

And he finally summoned the Starlight furnace to begin his most daring technique yet...

But a suddenly desperate tug on his heart had pulled him from his concentration.

Meanwhile, Weiyan's own heart raced even faster, threatening to burst out of her chest as Luoyin stepped in front of her.

He seemed calm, but the air around him was anything but calm, as he faced the eye-eater, who had assumed a shapeless, shadowy mass.

"Yo... I should thank you for running your mouth so much. How else would I have had enough time to prepare?"

The cave suddenly trembled, and the air seemed to warp around Luoyin, drawing in qi with a terrifying force.