In Shadows of Night

Cataclysm

Warning: Graphic Content

Cataclysm

Cora

It was like I was on cruise control, except I couldn't seem to turn it off. My heart raced, thundering in my chest, as waves of heat just radiated from me. I felt like I was on fire, but without getting burned. As soon as the ground began to shake, I saw Urlo. His eyes were filled with fear, my guilt bled quickly into disdain, however, and I completely surrendered to the siren-like call of Virtue's power.

Virtue

I can feel Cora's humanity calling, but I ignore it. No human can stomach what must be done to cleanse the world of Urlo and send him to his sentencing. To his hell. Fire rains from the sky like the wailing rains in the forest. This time, however, the only cries came from the burned and wounded. More of Urlo's men, trembling as they may, began to secure their shields. I snap my head to the right and see a young boy, no older than 17, loading his crossbow. My hand clenched and his bow crumbled. I caught myself staring at his eyes, full of fear, and pause. My eyes glance around and notice most of Urlo's army are children. None of them older than 19, none of them even remotely aware of their actions. Ready and willing to die for a cause they know nothing about.

"You wish to see hell on earth? This is what Hell looks like." My voice calls like an alarm before the rivers of water, flowing through the crevices, turn to lava, errupting with heat. "Earth calls for balance, children. This is not the way."

"Hush, demon!" Urlo calls before turning to his followers. "We've been forced to live in the cover of night for centuries, forced to hide our features and gifts. Forced to serve humans like slaves. It ends today." He rallied his troops, most of them banging their shields with weapons and ammunition.

"OOOOOHHH" They called, slamming their shields to their steel armor, banging their chests like primates. Their cry, deep and unsettling, was rabid, animalistic in its own way.

"As you wish, Urlo." I move toward him, I can feel Cora trembling, see Urlo's fear evident in his eyes, and hear Cora pleading for the lives of the children. I give her a moment, listening to her cries as she pleads to my lack of humanity. I will do this for her, in gratitude for her service. I give them a way out.

"If you wish to leave, do so and live. Never speak of this again. If you wish to stay, you wish to die." Young men and women scattered, less than 20 remain, steadfast and strong. My head snaps to Urlo and my eyes pierce through him, radiating heat through his body, into his armor and sword. He reaches for his, his sword now red-hot, seering his hands, melting his flesh. Instinctively, he drops it, shaking his hand in pain, before his eyes snap to me and he reaches for a blade. The vibrant green catches my eye.

"I hear emerald is your favorite stone, Virtue." I freeze. My eyes frozen on the blade. "I think it would look quite beautiful with your eyes." He patronized.

"Fuck you, hasbeen." Cora's voice escaped. I see my ancestors chose her wisely. I continued to step back, keeping myself out of his reach. The blood moon is almost high, I just needed more time.

"I see you like my blade. Your ancestors buried it here centuries ago. I stumbled upon it long ago, when I banished Theos' mother and sister here." Urlo starts. "As you can see, you're in a predicament.If you get too close, and touch this blade, you'll die. Without being able to touch me, you can't perform the cleanse, no cleanse, no balance. No balance, no Virtue. No Virtue, I win." He seethed. I don't need to touch him for this part. Cora will have to pull her weight, after all.

"I can still rip out your heart, king. Try me." I demand, attempting to agitate him. He reached forward, attempting to run, when my hands opened at my side, palms wide and fingers reaching, channeling the energy within the fire. There, Urlo was frozen where he stood. I called Cora.

"Cora, I need your help. I cannot touch the Emerald blade, it will kill me." I begged.

"I know, Virtue. I know." She separates herself from me in a blur, and floats next to me. "I know what I have to do."

Cora

My eyes connected with Virtue. She looked beautiful, in her pure form. I see so much of me, yet so little. Her eyes are bright and her hair wisps with the wind from the fire. I can feel her warmth. Her humanity.

"Cora, we do not have much time. He cannot be frozen for the ritual, it won't work. You have to get the blade from him.

"It's personal, Virtue. I want his heart. I'll grab the emerald blade from his hands and kill him. You can do the rest." She nodded at me and began to count. "On three, Virtue, I will use the emerald blade to pierce his heart. I want to watch life leave his body. This is my balance. This is my closure. From there, he's all yours." My voice was powerful, much like hers. With a gust of energy, I dove directly to him, my arms extended. I wrap my legs around his arms, catching him by surprise and holding him tightly, one hand gouging one of his eyes. My free hand dove into his chest, reaching for his heart with the blade and twisting before pulling the blade from his ribcage and stabbing him again, watching as the breath escaped his lungs one final time. I stood, spitting on his body before turning and moving back into Virtue, blending us as one again.

Virtue

The blood moon was ready. I reached my hand into his chest and pulled his heart from his body, holding it to the blood moon as a sacrifice to restore balance. Urlo's soldiers fell to their knees, whimpering in fear. Not enough. The rivers of fire erupted again, consuming them in their flames, along with Urlo's body. I thanked the blood moon, as I dropped his heart into the river's flow and folded my hands to seal the earth again, closing the fire below as it completed the final cleanse. I lifted my chin to the blood moon and thanked her for her spirit before a dark sky bled out of the red, a beautiful, clear moon and stars shined brightly in the night sky. Immediately, the waters and rains subsided. Calm flooded over the earth, and my vision tunneled to black. My job is done, for now, and Cora and I can rest.