The Art of Rebellion

The Raven's Rebellion

As I reach the place where the fighting is happening, I see En is down on the ground, bleeding. Leo is beside her. Drusilla and Mr Shimura are staring down Kinvara, who appears to have freed herself.

"Lilith!" I yell, knowing she'll be able to help En, then run toward the three who are about to fight.

"How long was I out?"

"Only about a day," Drusilla replies. "This could've ended much more badly for us. Your incompetent allies seem to have let her escape."

"Those are the name of my children you are dragging through the mud," the boss says. "I'd like to point out that it was, indeed, your seal that failed us, Mrs Drusilla."

"Oh, and you were such big help, weren't you, you old fart?" she hisses.

"There is no need for us to trade insults, my dear," the old man replies slowly. "I rather like to think of us as adults."

"What is it with people getting into conversations while fighting me?" Kinvara sighs, then smirks. I must be feeling what she's feeling, because I glance at Drusilla, who is now attacking the boss. Her eyes, usually full of life, are now empty and glassy. It's like I'm looking at a doll. No - a puppet.

And then the realization dawns on me; She's under the same spell she tried to cast on me. Not good. I probably can't take my mother alone, and the boss will need to focus on Drusilla entirely if he plans to survive. An array of shadows flies toward him, but he merely holds up his hand, and a golden barrier materializes around him, emitting a warm, golden glow.

"So, let's recap the situation," Kinvara starts, and I turn back to her. "While she was in Nazreth, Aro cast the Shadow Puppet spell on Drusilla. Now your two stronger sorcerers are gonna be at each other's throats, leaving four of you to deal with me. Now, one of you is already too injured to fight," she gestures toward En and Lilith, who is summoning plants from the ground ", one of you is merely a healer, and the third one has an ability that's useless against me." Her fists become enveloped by the blue light, showing she's about to use time magic. "This leaves us back where we started, Kol. How about I show you just how much I was holding back before."

She swings both arms at me, and two waves of blue magic hit the shadow shield I'm holding, which I bring out just in time to avoid a direct hit. I take a few steps back from recoil, then aim a whip at the redhead. Each time an attack is about to connect, she vanishes in a flash, then reappears a few steps to the side. This isn't getting me anywhere. I'm just wasting my energy. At this rate, I'll be dead tired against within minutes, and I'll have done nothing to her. The only way I'll be able to injure her is to use all my power at once. Hey, Shishi, come out.

'Yes, master?'

Can we pull off that resonance again? I don't mention the slip he just made. Must be all that Drusilling that's been going on lately.

'Here, in this world?' he replies. 'Perhaps, but it will only last for a short amount of time.'

Will it give me the same power it did in the dreams?

'Most certainly-' His words are interrupted by the ceiling, which is tumbling down. I jump to the side to avoid being crushed, then realize Kinvara's eyes are glowing.

"You - You're aging the entire hideout?" It can't be. This thing is huge.

She smirks at me. "Afraid so, Kol. I've entertained your nonsense for long enough. You'll be coming with me, and your friends will be dying right here. I'll put a stop to this rebellion single-handedly." She says a bunch of other stuff, too, but I choose to ignore it. It's time to strike.

Now, Shishi.

'Yes, Kol.'

And just like that, my power increases to new heights, and two wings appear on my back. Instantly, I fly toward my mother, determined to strike her down before she really does kill everyone. I focus every single bit of my magic power into a single weapon, and a scythe made of shadows forms in my hands. I swing it at the woman, but she disappears before it can hit her. Still, a few drops of blood hit the ground beneath me, meaning I landed the hit at least partially. I whirl around the room, trying to see where she is. In the process, I see how the battle against Drusilla is going; She is fighting clumsily - no doubt as a result of not being in control of her own body, mind and magic - so she's losing what might have normally been an even battle. The boss is firing blast after blast of light at her, slowly eating away at her shadows. I see Leo withdrawing into the ground, taking En and Lilith with him. I wonder where Mad is right now.