The Sword, The Cloak, and The Spear

---Indigo---

I was frozen in place. My mind was screaming that Aaron was going to be ripped into shreds right before my eyes, and I couldn't tear my eyes away. I could only watch in horror as the daggers of darkness reached Aaron's cloak, about to pierce Aaron through—only for there to be a great burst of golden light so bright I had to squeeze my eyes shut momentarily. When I heard Katherine shout in surprise, I opened my eyes to a stunning scene.

A whitish-yellow colored dome had formed and was protecting all three of us. All Evils that touched the sides were blasted back; some turned into dust immediately. The daggers of darkness that Lord Victor sent to us battered the dome, but they all dissipated into smoky tendrils upon touching the side of the dome. Aaron's cloak, once belonging to the great swordsman Augustus, was glowing the same whitish-yellow color as the dome. I looked into the wide eyes of Aaron, who was clearly shocked that he wasn't dead yet.

"What—what's going on?" I asked haltingly. "How did you manage to do this?"

"I don't know," Aaron confessed, looking behind himself to see his glowing cloak. "All I did was say 'praesidio'—you know, the simple protection spell—because I wasn't sure I could shield both of you from all of Lord Victor's attack. I honestly thought I would die. I don't know what's going on."

"'The second dons the cloak of great might.' Aaron, Augustus's cloak must be one of the magical items from the prophecy!" Katherine exclaimed. The three of us looked at each other in surprise. It made sense.

"But how come it never worked before?" Aaron wondered. "Was it really the protection spell that activated it?"

"I don't think so." I shook my head. I looked past Aaron to see Lord Victor increasing the frequency and size of his attacks on us. The magic dome held firm. We had a few minutes to discuss. "At least, it can't be just the protection spell. You've used the spell before while wearing the cloak, but it has never glowed or shown its magical properties. Something else is different. This will be key in unlocking the magical potential of the other two items: the sword of destiny and spear of light. Katherine, I think Retribution is the sword of destiny."

"You think so? It hasn't shown its potential so far." Katherine looked at the sword in her hand, and then at my spear. "I meant to ask earlier, Indigo, but is that the spear of light?"

"I believe so. I found it in Lord Victor's storage room." I told my friends briefly about how I found the spear and why I believed it to be the spear of light. "I've tried to find its magical properties, but didn't have much luck."

"What's different with Aaron's cloak?" Katherine touched a finger to the glowing cloak. "It doesn't look any different, besides being a lot dirtier and covered with Aaron's blood."

I mused over Katherine's words. 'Aaron's blood.' An idea struck me like lightning. "Remember how the Elders said we had magic in our blood? Could it be that we have to use our blood to 'activate' our weapons?"

Katherine furrowed her brow in thought. "Perhaps. I mean, I've never gotten my own blood on Retribution, so it's worth a try." Holding her sword with her left hand, Katherine used her right hand to wipe her bloody left shoulder. Then she carefully smeared her blood onto the rosestone that was inlaid on the rainguard of her sword. As we all held our breaths in anticipation, the rosestone glowed blue. We watched with astonishment as glowing azure symbols appeared down the length of the blade, their light making it seem like the entire sword was glowing blue. Katherine looked at me with excitement in her eyes.

"Indigo, it worked!"

Since I didn't have a fresh wound like Katherine, I sliced my palm across the spearhead. Blood appeared instantly, and I wiped the crimson droplets across the engravings near the spearhead, painting the name 'Phoebus' red. Almost immediately, the inscriptions began to shine and the entire shaft glowed gold just like when I first discovered it. My excitement and joy were reflected in Aaron's and Katherine's eyes.

"I can feel the magic coursing through the spear," I said, holding the spear in awe. "I feel…rejuvenated."

"Me too. I can feel the magic running through me as well," Katherine commented, raising her sword to be eye level with the rosestone. "I haven't felt this energized in a long time."

Still standing in front of his throne, Lord Victor lowered his arms. The attacks stopped. The Evils gave us a wide berth. Aaron turned around, his cloak swishing behind him. The magic dome shimmered away. Katherine and I stood on either side of Aaron, our weapons drawn and humming with magic. The three of us faced Lord Victor, with only about fifty meters of the walkway separating us. Lord Victor didn't look as haughty as before.

"The cloak of might, the sword of destiny, and the spear of light," he hissed as he looked at the glowing weapons in our hands. "You've…activated them."

"It's all thanks to you, Lord Victor," Aaron grinned. "If it wasn't for your sneak attack on Indigo and Katherine, I wouldn't have discovered my cloak's magical ability, and we wouldn't have figured out how to activate the sword and the spear. So, I guess we should thank you."

Lord Victor looked furious. "No matter. Even with your little weapons, you cannot defeat me!"

"Is that so? You clearly haven't seen what we're truly capable of." Aaron glanced to either side, making eye contact with Katherine and me. We nodded as understanding passed through our gazes. Aaron's gaze flicked to stare at Lord Victor again. "Why don't you fight us yourself, instead of hiding behind your little monsters? Or are you too afraid to?"

"I have never feared anyone. Not when I was fighting Kendric, and certainly not now against three puny kids." Lord Victor raised his chin disdainfully and looked down at us from where he stood. "If the three of you want to die a gruesome, painful death that badly, I shall grant you your wish."

With a wave of his hand, all the Evils retreated into the corners of the room, still hissing and growling. The portals around the room disappeared. The orb hovering above Lord Victor's head bathed him in a bloody red glow. His gaze was bloodthirsty. "Are you ready to die, chosen ones?"

"Let's show him what we're capable of, shall we?" Aaron brandished his sword.

"Yes, let's show him." I readied my spear.

"Right after you, Aaron." Katherine nodded as her gaze locked on Lord Victor.

We charged.