Converging Destinies: Part 1

Chapter 102

       Cedric acted first. Muttering under his breath he pointed at the giant man. A point of emerald light appeared near the man's chest. The flesh around it began to blacken, and the man groaned in pain.

       Eris hurled their dagger at the man, and it implanted itself into the man's arm.

       Ella charged towards the man with her greatsword, laughing. A fluid barrage of swings, arcs, and slashes bombarded the creature. By the end of it, the man was shaking with pain.

       Ara' Sei pointed her finger at the man and let a beacon build within her fingertips. The power built, illuminating the room with light. Then, she released it. The beacon slammed into the man's chest, sending him reeling back.

       Zerai pointed his blade at the man. But, the man evaded the radiant flames as he flew upwards. The man raised his hands and began muttering. Where he once was, fire began to form the vague outline of a human form. It wasn't unlike what the group had already faced in the prior room.

       The new figure opened its glowing eyes of pure firelight. It moved through Ella, setting her ablaze, and moved through Eris as well. The creature moved with such speed that it even caught Zerai in its path. It turned around and silently roared at Zerai.

       Cedric clapped his hands together and spoke an incantation, and dark storm clouds formed along the ceiling of the room. They crackled with blue electricity, primed to strike. Then, the man was struck by a bolt of lightning. The man screamed as he was struck by it, struggling to stay airborne.

       Eris attempted to chase down the flaming figure, but they weren't able to fully catch up. Additionally, one of their daggers was embedded in the man's arm. They didn't want to expend their last one.

       Ella also attempted to charge after the figure, but she wasn't as fast as Eris. And even Eris wasn't fast enough to fully catch up to it.

       Ara' Sei's eyes tracked the flaming figure, but she was more concerned about the man above them. A possibility entered her mind, an extreme one, but a possibility nevertheless.

       "Alright Ara' Sei, you've got this." She whispered to herself. She extended her hand forward towards the man. She let light flow down her arm to her arm. Her eyes began to glow. Her hair began to glow and flail about. Her hand became brighter than the sun as she continued to channel her power to it. She felt pain, searing pain, but she wasn't ready just yet.

       "Now." She whispered.

       The whole room turned white. A roar echoing so loud that it shook the earth and rock around them. A beam of pure, white light had emerged from Ara' Sei's hand. The man's scream was silent in comparison to the roar.

       When the man was truly gone, the room was left in darkness. The figure he had summoned had vanished. Ara' Sei generated a light.

       "Is everyone okay?" She asked.

       "Well... He isn't." Ella said, looking up at where the man had flown just a moment previous.

       "Ara' Sei, what was that?" Zerai asked.

       "That was... the most powerful thing I'm capable as of yet." She said. She had no idea she could do that. Whenever new power came to her, she could never tell how. She had always simply done it before she could truly consider it.

      "I've only heard stories of such magic." Cedric said.

        "Really?" Ara' Sei asked.

       "Stories of mages who could incinerate their foes, teleport across the realms, and bend reality with ease." Cedric explained.

        "That's our girl!" Ella said, patting Ara' Sei on the back.

       "Thanks. But, that's not important. We've been traveling for many hours now. I know there's no such thing as night down here, but we should find a way to get shelter. Vara said that the monsters had attacked the people who went down here. This means that there are things that likely prowl this temple and around it." She said.

       "Which means we've lucked out." Zerai said.

        "Exactly. Just in case, I think we should set up some form of shelter. Cedric, are you able to?" She asked. Cedric nodded. With that, Cedric placed his hand upon one of the walls and bent the stone within it. He bent it so that there was a little room that was out of view of everything else.

       As the group went to sleep, occasional beacons of firelight passed through the chamber. Undoubtedly, Ara' Sei was right. Cedric could tell that more of the infernal figures prowled the grounds of the temple. But that begged the question, where were they coming from?