CHAPTER 16: Malrik

The air was thick with the scent of burning wood and the metallic tang of blood as Phoebe emerged from the manor, Emma’s arm slung over her shoulder. Michael trailed behind them, evading debris and the Deviant’s attacks. The once-grand manor rumbled under the weight of its destruction, walls caving in and the ceiling crumbling.

Phoebe eased Emma onto the grass outside, sweat pouring from her face. “Heal yourself,” she muttered.

“Really, I thought I should just leave it like that,” Emma said sarcastically. Phoebe turned and gave her a look that shut her up instantly.

Inside the manor, the Deviant screeched as it burst through the door with a resounding crash, one of its tendrils snaking out to rip the hinges open. Michael managed to do a barrel roll as he emerged from the door. The creature was now visibly damaged, dragging its right foot behind it as it kept twisting and oozing dark blood all over the ground. Its core was glowing ever so weaker.

“Michael, I can heal you!” Emma shouted, her voice barely audible over the noise of the collapsing building.

“No time!” Michael growled, pushing himself to his feet.

Phoebe spun her staff, the lightning-infused weapon sparking dangerously. “We need to hit that core thing again. All at once!”

Emma nodded, stepping back to focus her energy. “I’ll try something. Just keep it busy.”

“Great plan!” Phoebe replied her breath heavy. “When’s the last time you had thirty seconds to yourself?”

“Leave the sarcastic quips to me please,” Emma said going into a meditation pose. “You’re the one who said I should get back, not me,” she thought as she sat cross-legged, her hands glowing as she began to draw intricate runes on the ground.

The Deviant roared, sensing her intent. It lashed out with two tendrils, but Phoebe leaped into action, vaulting over one and slamming her staff into the other. Lightning coursed through the tendril, leaving it smoldering as the creature recoiled.

The creature howled, flinging Phoebe off. It turned, slamming her into the ground with a massive tendril. Michael jumped in with surgical precision, landing blow after blow on the creature’s cracked core. The Deviant swung wildly, forcing him to backflip out of range as another tendril slammed into the earth where he had stood.

Emma’s chanting intensified, her runes pulsing red. She then suddenly extended her palms to the ground, unleashing a focused beam of pure red energy that pierced the creature’s core. The impact cracked it further, causing the creature to convulse violently as cracks spiderwebbed across its body.

Just as it seemed the fight was over, the Deviant released another shockwave, throwing everyone off their feet. The creature stood in front of Emma attempting to strike using its tendrils but Phoebe managed to step in between taking the blow herself. Michael charged his fingers full of lightning and released it onto the creature’s core sustaining it for a while until the Deviant stopped moving. Then, with a sound like shattering glass, it exploded into a cloud of ash.

The team stood in silence, breathing heavily as the ash began to settle.

Emma leaned against a nearby wall, clutching her arm. “I think that’s enough excitement for the day,” she muttered.

“That’s it, right?” Emma continued her voice full of excitement. “It’s over?”

But the ashes did not remain still. They began to swirl unnaturally, drawn toward the ground as if pulled by an invisible force. The earth trembled, and a deep hum resonated through the air.

“You had to ask,” Phoebe said staring at Emma.

The ashes kept sinking beneath the ground making a sound like sand getting sieved through a funnel. As the ashes disappeared, a bright white light emerged from that area and shot skyward, slamming into the dome way above. The once-transparent barrier shimmered, revealing its full, oppressive structure for the first time.

The trio shielded their eyes as the light intensified. From within the glow, a sigil formed that hovered ominously in the air, pulsating with sinister energy.

“Now, what is that?” Emma asked frowning and annoyed.

Before anyone could answer, the sigil tore open a rift in space. Beyond it lay a barren wasteland shrouded in shadows. From the rift, a cloaked figure stepped forward, its presence drowning the air in suffocating darkness. His darkness could literally be touched.

Meanwhile, Adelle and Frank were halfway through fortifying the last barricade when the tremor hit. The ice wall Frank had formed cracked, chunks falling away as the ground shuddered beneath them.

Trystan, perched in one of the upper windows, shouted down. “Guys look up there. Something’s happening. It’s glowing!”

Frank turned to Adelle, his expression grim. “ I'm Guessing that’s a signal they need our help?”

“Yeah. I have a bad feeling about this." Adelle clenched her fists, her flames steadying.

“Adelle, I am not getting anything from Michael and Phoebe,” Veronica echoed through the telepathic link.

“They’re in trouble,” Frank replied, his voice low. “they’re not responding.”

Adelle’s flames flared brighter. “We can’t wait. We’re going.”

“But the gate—” Trystan began.

“Will hold long enough,” Frank interrupted. “You and Kulisevski know what to do. Buy us some time and use the comms in case of anything.”

With that, the two powered through the streets, their combined abilities leaving a trail of frost and fire in their wake.

In the clearing, Michael stepped forward facing the figure. “Who are you?”

The cloaked figure removed its hood, revealing a formless dark face marked with glowing runes. His face was obscured by darkness that shifted with every step he took. He had a certain aura that manifested as he stepped slowly to face them.

“I am Malrik,” the figure said, his voice calm yet dripping with disdain. “Did you children kill my pet?”

Emma stepped forward despite her trembling legs. “First of all, who are you calling a child?”

Malrik turned to face her and she froze in place, unable to move.

Michael’s fists sparked with energy. “What did you do to her?”

Malrik turned to him, a creepy wide smile forming on his formless face. “I am searching for someone—someone who carries a fragment of my essence. My creature was meant to find them but you…interfered.”

“Yeah? We don’t have your essence,” Phoebe snapped, raising her bow.

With a wave of his hand, the area they were in got dissolved into an endless expanse of darkness, dotted with flickers of mixtures of colors. The oppressive weight of the void crushed down on them, driving Michael and Phoebe to their knees.

Malrik’s voice echoed through the void. “Welcome to my domain. Show me the strength that dared challenge my creations.”