Aspiration to the Heavens: Becoming the Supreme Mage Vol 2- Descent of Darkness

Episode 23: The Abyss

*Boukyaku*

On our search for Lei, a raging pillar of darkness shot out of the mountain side. A white haired man stepped out of the darkness and flashed a pearly white smile at us. "Hello," he said, stepping toward us as shadowy wisps flew out of his body. He held a hand out and pointed toward Lucette. "I'm here for her."

Haroun and I step in front of her and summon our wands. "Like we'll let you take her," Haroun said, glaring at him.

"Right. First you'll need to kill us if you want her!" I yelled, running at him, transforming my wand into its katana form.

The man summons a black wand with a lunar crescent, blocking me and sending me rolling. "I didn't ask you for your permission. Girl, come with me if you desire to live."

Lucette stepped back as she manifested her wand and transformed it into a pink rapier. "I won't be going with you! I don't even know who you are or what you want with me."

The man snickered. "I was hoping that you'd be a meeker person. Alas, seems that is not the case." The man's wand transformed into a black and silver bow. "Now you leave me no choice." Shadowy bird-like creatures emerged from the portal under his feet and ran toward us.

"Fulgur Draco!" Vita yelled, gathering white electrical energy in the palm of his her hands. A white dragon flew out of her cupped hands and destroys the creature, including its core, with ease.

Mayu charges in with vines dancing around her. "Arbl Draco." The trees around us gathered together into a ten-foot-tall draconic beast with ten-foot-tall branches as wings. The beast sent creatures flying back, the man however jumped on top of it and shot it in the head with multiple rounds of arrows, sending it crashing into the forest floor a few feet away from us.

"Seems that this battle might take longer than expected," the man said, laughing as he leapt out of the dragon and into the air. While in mid-air he shot three arrows at once toward Lucette, Haroun, and I.

Mayu tackled Haroun and me to the ground while Lucette casted a barrier out of light.

"Dodge!" I yelled as the arrows started to spin rapidly, creating powerful gales behind them. Lucette jumped back but the arrows turned upward and continued on their path. "Damn!" I got up and ran toward her. "Fox of Flames!"

A fiery fox emerged from my mouth and covered the arrows but they come out of the flames unharmed. Lucette glanced back as she ran toward the untouched forest.

Several of the shadowy birds jumped out of the foliage with their talons bared, leaping on top of the barrier. She uses the light making up the barrier to burn them away, leaving not even their cores behind.

The man flew over to her, but not before glancing over to flash us what I could only interpret as a victorious grin. Suddenly, black tendrils shoot out of the portal that he once stood and locked their sights on Lucette.

"Lucette!" I yelled. I reached my hand out for her but someone pulls me back, Mayu.

"Save yourself," Lucette said as the shadowy tendrils enveloped her and everything else around her. She tried to burn them away with her barrier but they didn't vanish. She smiled. "I wish you the best... my prince." The tendrils completely enveloped the barrier and dragged her into the portal of swirling darkness.

"No, don't take her!" I yelled, trashing around. "Let me go of me, Mayu! I got to save her! Lucette! Hold on, I'll save you!"

"I won't let go. Didn't you hear her? She told you to save yourselves. There's nothing we can do to save her now."