Although he trembled with fear, Lucious locked his gaze on the giant fire apparition as he focused his will to deal with the encroaching danger of been possessed by the monster. “We meet again...My worst nightmare...” Hissed with joyous anticipation, the serpent-like demon stared at Lucious with hunger. Unlike before, Lucious called upon his barrier and several layers of bluish overlapped and separated him from the scorching heat from the fire serpent. Titled its head, the fire apparition observed Lucious with curiosity and interest as the boy initiated the will to resist it, unlike previous encounters. With a probing jab, the demon crashed against Lucious’s barrier before pulling back shortly. The inquisitive jabs lasted a few times before the fire apparition snared with ferocious intent and bore upon Lucious’s barrier.
“Not this time...” Gritting his teeth with effort, Lucious held on his barrier without losing his focus. After going through some battles with the expedition from Jercflosey, the young trainee had grown considerably. Confused by the tenacity of Lucious’s defence, the fire apparition pulled back and observed Lucious with utmost attention. “Lucious!!” Without averting his attention from the demonic apparition, Lucious nodded as Emma joined with his will and entered the fray. There was a brief silence as Emma seemed to be dumbstruck by the presence of the giant fire apparition. “Emma, can you help me?” Sensing Emma’s confusion, Lucious initiated the conversation and asked for her assistance. “...Right, we should deal with it first before anything else.” Quickly recovered herself, Emma focused her attention as the lady Maeist synchronised her Natura flow with Lucious’s and prepared to battle with the fire apparition.
The giant fire apparition squirmed and lowered itself as the demon observed the new arrival cautiously. Both sides stared at each other without making any move with only a barrier separating them. Getting impatient, the fire apparition made its move as it flared with ferocious flame and rushed at the duo. Twisting its body with immense strength, the serpent-like demon crashed against the barrier and instantly crushed a layer of protection. Surprised by the unexpected ferocity, Lucious invested his entire focus to maintain the remaining layers but the second layer had already consumed by the greedy fire. As the second layer was broken, a sickening sensation invaded Lucious’s will. Lucious cried out in fear and despair as a veil of darkness lightly draped on Lucious’s senses and robbing him of his determination and focus.
The fire apparition hissed with laughter as its poison seeped into Lucious’s Natura as it sank its fangs on his barrier. Realising too late, Lucious became weaker as the barrier cranking against immense pressure and almost becoming unravelled. “Lucious!!” An alarmed voice reached Lucious as the darkness that covering his senses became lighter. Taking his chance, Lucious regained his concentration on the barrier. A sniffled cry was heard. Lucious probed on Emma’s will and found that the lady Maeist had taken upon half of the darkening poison. Shaking weakly, Emma maintained her concentration and assisted Lucious to maintain his barrier.
“Emma!!” With his knuckles tightened into fists, Lucious felt a surge of adrenaline. They had come so far relying on and helping each other to combat and survive the Abyss’s threat, and even pushed the Grimkeeper to a corner. It could not end here. “Yes...I want to go to Jercflosey...with them...” Cherishing his earnest desire in his heart, Lucious renewed his will to emerge victorious in this struggle. “Emma!!” With his newfound determination, Lucious forced his will to stand against the clouding darkness. Gathered his focus, Lucious recalled the ray of light taught by Floki and Julian. The light of determination that comes from the heart. “...Shine, lumen cordis mei.” Calling forth a soft illumination, the darkness that enshrouded Lucious’s will was gone. Channelling his light, Lucious spread the light toward Emma. “...Thanks, Lucious.” “No, I thank you.” Exchanged simple words, Emma took Lucious’s light and circling across her will before spreading it to the barrier.
The fire apparition abandoned its attack immediately as the holy light permeated through the barrier and made its way into the demonic being. Hissed in a high pitch shriek, the fire apparition syphoned the raw power gained from the Grimkeeper’s attack and invoked its ominous flame to an intensity that it rid of the lingering light inside and prepared for another attack. “Lucious, it’s getting stronger...” Nodded with acknowledgement, Lucious calmed his will and reached out to Emma. “...Emma, I need your help. Can you...?” “Hard, but nothing we can’t handle.” Emma nodded with understanding as Lucious outlined his plan briefly and asked for her thought. Tucked at Emma’s will in appreciation, Lucious began to chant for his barrier while Emma initiated her role in the battle. With a fierce snare, the serpent-like fire apparition lunged for another attack. Lucious spread his barrier in front and braced for the impact. The fire demon collided and sank its fangs into Lucious’s barrier. Lucious was prepared this time as he quickly beckoned forth a soft ray of light and spread it across his Natura which weaved his barrier. However, the fire apparition became much stronger as it managed to keep the light at bay. Lucious and the demon were forced into a stalemate as both sides keeping up with each other yet unable to make a deciding blow.
Unknown to the giant serpent-like fire demon, Lucious had expected this situation and decided to make this stalemate a chance to deal with the demonic presence once and for all. While concentrating on the slugging fest of light and darkness against the fire apparition, Lucious made a brief glimpse on Emma. Chanting with a gentle yet firm and resonating voice, Emma’s will broke into a simple dance. Swaying her hands and body slightly which becoming quicker with every cycle, the dance was enveloped in a soft yet persistent rhythm. Returned to his confrontation with the fire demon, Lucious began to push forcefully while waiting for Emma’s signal. Sensing the change in Lucious’s Natura flow, the fire apparition hissed with apprehension and delight as it rose to the challenge with its flaming body flared brighter.
The inner battle of will became intensified as Lucious raised the bar and lured the fire apparition to a final showdown. Bearing the demon’s full attention, Lucious keep a vague check on Emma as the lady Maeist prepared her incantation. The reckless clash pushed Lucious to a dangerous corner as his burden accumulated into an increasingly flashing throb of migraine and he could sense the fatigue of his body. His limit was near, but Lucious must go on with his plan and he did force the fire apparition into his stratagem. Biting his teeth, Lucious forced to keep up with the serpent-like demon as it grew stronger with each second due to its syphoning of the Grimkeeper’s attack.
Abruptly, Emma’s presence expanded into Lucious’s will as if a gentle yet powerful wave crashed against the shore. Nodded in acknowledgement, Lucious reached into his deepest part. He was avoiding the darkness that loomed within his psyche ever since that day. Lucious knew the darkness as it visited him almost every night and instilled despair and dark rage. It was his greatest nightmare. Lucious opened his mind and welcomed his recurring nightmare to unfold once again. Trainees were running. Teachers were dying. Daelous was dying. Forcefully torn his eyes away, Lucious steeled himself with the calming breath of Natura and closed his attention on the tragedy. His purpose lied ahead.
As usual, a gigantic serpent-like inferno appeared and desecrated everything Lucious held in his heart, but this time the trainee came prepared. As the demonic flame taunted and bore his heat on Lucious, the trainee charged swiftly at the approaching flame. Extending his right arms, Lucious thrust his hand into the surprised flame and quickly invoked his barrier. As the giant flame crashed against his barrier, a familiar sense of doom invaded Lucious as it worked into his will to engulf the trainee. Lucious opened his mind for a brief fraction of second and captured a fraction of dark essence that entered his will. Caging it with illumination, Lucious freed himself from the lingering nightmare and overlooked silently as it crushed his barrier and blew the Lucious from more than a month ago into the oblivion. Cast his bleak feeling aside, Lucious resurfaced into his battle with the fire apparition.
Upon his return, only a fraction of a second unfolded. Lucious could not think of another way except to neutralise the malignant properties from the power extracted from his nightmare. Released the control he imposed on the captured dark essence, Lucious directed the dark essence with the guidance of his light. He felt the terrifying foreboding of pain, agony, and despair that hinted in the faint dark power before mingled it with his light. Instantly, a massive explosion of pure energy erupted across Lucious’s will. The trainee quickly dived into the explosion and expanded his senses. Lucious felt the unusual nature of the energy which was unheard of. It did not possess any affinity and relation to any element that existed in the world. Urgently, the trainee channelled the pure energy into his barrier and watched as the barrier softened to envelop the fire apparition and absorbed the impact from the attack. Held his fist in the triumph of his correct hunch, Lucious waited for the frantic reaction of the fire apparition before unfolding his barrier to the next stage.
Alarmed, the fire apparition hissed with frustration as the squishy-like barrier absorbed its attack and even tried to absorb it. Lucious waited for the moment as the fire apparition started to pull back. With a flash of will, he withdrew the energy extracted from the clash of his light and darkness from his barrier. Instantly, his barrier returned to its rigidity and repelled the energy and attack that it has absorbed. Caught unguarded by the rebound of its own attack, the fire apparition recoiled from the impact of its own strength. “Emma!!” Stunning the fire apparition, Lucious dispelled his barrier and called for the lady Maeist.
Circled by several flows of crystal clear water, Emma twirled her body around with her right arm extended and pointed to the fire apparition. The flows of water travelled from Emma and converged into a giant stream of water that would gush away any impurity. “Noah’s Sigh!!” By giving it a name, Emma assigned such role to the summoned elemental as it spilt from Emma’s arm toward the reeling fire apparition. Snared with urgency, the giant serpent-like demon invoked its ominous fire of destruction to engage the incoming stream of water. Mustered every ouch of its strength received from the Grimkeeper, the fire apparition covered itself with terrifying scorch of flame that it evaporated the approaching water and kept Emma’s massive elemental attack at bay.
“No, you don’t!” Taking the opportunity, Lucious started to gather the raw energy he made from mixing his light and nightmare. Covered by the steam produced by the clash of Emma and the fire apparition, Lucious approached Emma and weaved his will into the raw energy before channelled it to the lady Maeist. Suddenly, the cleansing stream of water shone as if the sun had ascended and imbued it with a mesmerising gleam that signified the flow of life. The fire apparition snared with fear and anger before gathering its scorching flame and blasted it toward the shining stream of water. The clash between both opposing elements ended in an instant. Lucious and Emma were thrown aside by the massive gush of steam and recoil from the elementals which devoured each other into nothingness.
Jumped up with quick feet, Lucious gathered the remainder of his Natura and braced for the second engagement. The steam subsided and the fire apparition appeared from the aftermath of their battle. Taking a breath and cast his barrier, Lucious locked his eyes on the demonic being and confused by what he saw. On contrary to its previous aggressiveness, the fire apparition eyed Lucious with a slick but calm gaze. Squirmed his eyes, Lucious realised the flame that covered the fire apparition was dimmed. “Emma!” The lady Maeist nodded with acknowledgement and heeded to Lucious’s decision. With his companion, Lucious prepared to rush at the weakened demon when a voice interrupted him.
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