Solace and Nox: A New Light

Chapter 14

Raiden never felt stronger. When the light surrounded him, he felt such great power surging through him, making him stronger, faster, and more agile. His senses became more alert. He could see the assassin's dark residue as she used her dark powers. He was more aware of his surroundings, even though he was focused on his target.

When the assassin sprinted off the balcony, she practically flew out of the castle. Raiden didn't have time to recover from her sudden move, so he left his sword and chased her. Without thinking, he launched himself off the balcony like she had done before. He didn't consider the consequences of his actions. He was focused on catching the woman and getting answers. If she was working for Moldark, he wanted to know everything she knew.

Raiden was surprised to find that he, too, practically flew out of the castle, and even cleared the castle wall. He landed, not gracefully, but safely and continued after her. She was quick, but the remainder of his light pumped through his body. He pushed harder and harder, although it was draining, he was catching up with her.

Up ahead, the assassin stopped to catch her breath. Big mistake. She saw him coming, but then again, who wouldn't? He appeared to be shining brighter than the sun in the dark environment. The second she saw him coming, she bolted again. Raiden pushed harder.

She, in a single bound, flew over the city walls and into the rural part of Shodon. Raiden mimicked her every move. She seemed to be running toward the cemetery, but Raiden couldn't be sure. She could make an unexpected turn at any moment.

He chased her for what seemed like an eternity. The farther they got, the slower Raiden became. He didn't know how the assassin was still going as fast as she was. Something kept her going. Raiden was losing his light by the second.

The assassin suddenly disappeared inside a vertical pyramid-like building. The tip of the building was gone, and there appeared to be a hole going straight down into the building. Raiden had never seen anything like it. They weren't that far from Shodon, were they?

He followed her inside, and she was gone. He stood at the center of the building, walking in a circle. He was breathing heavily, but he was still alert. The building was very old, covered in cobwebs, and had clear dust particles floating around. The building looked like it hadn't been touched in years.

There was a small breeze that passed by behind him. He spun around and then was slammed to the ground from behind. This assassin was quick. There was an oddity to the way she moved, and there had to be some magic behind her enhanced reflexes. She almost moved the same way Raiden did. It was terrifying.

Raiden, with the little bit of power he had left, rolled to get her off his back. She held on furiously. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck. He tried to rip them away, but she seemed to be growing stronger. He could feel the dark aura surrounding her, slowly snuffing out the small amount of light inside of him.

The tighter her grip became, the harder Raiden fought back. Just moments before he passed out, he burst with a bright energy. Raiden used the small amount of moonlight that peeked into the building to fight back. The flash of light was enough to get her to loosen her grip slightly. he ripped free from her grasp and pinned her to the floor.

Almost instantaneously, she kicked him back, and he broke through the ceiling and onto the second floor. It took him a second to recover, which is the second the assassin needed to pin him down. Raiden was about to fight back, but she held the jagged black blade against his throat. He froze. The darkness that radiated from her body also radiated from the blade. It was as if they acted as one.

The assassin's cloak covered most of his body. It dragged behind her when she walked, and the hood was too big for her, but Raiden assumed that was because she wanted to hide her face. While pinning him down, her hood was off, giving Raiden a perfect view of the assassin.