Chapter 11: Fighting For Dear Life

The moon hung high in the sky as shadows danced among the trees, concealing Ephraim and Carl's escape route from view. But with each passing moment, Absalom and his father were closing in on them, driven by a relentless desire for retribution and control over their chaotic world.

About 10 miles ahead, Ephraim stopped, causing Carl, who was barely tagging along, to stop. Ephraim turned towards Carl and said, "I need to remove the cursed pill from my body or else, they could kill me with just a thought."

"Then why haven't they done so already?" Carl questioned.

Ephraim responded as he sat in a cross-legged position, "From the very moment I decided to save you, I enveloped the curse pill with my shadow. In the meantime, so in the meantime, I am being protected by my Shadow. Nevertheless, it is better to be safe than sorry."

Ephraim utilized his shadow ability to remove the cursed pill from his body by connecting tendrils of shadow that formed in his palm to his stomach through his opened mouth. The tendrils moved into his stomach and connected with a mass of shadow that enclosed the cursed pill, creating a protective barrier against the cursed pill's influence. With focused intent, he grasped the pill using the shadow's tendrils, carefully extracting it without causing harm.

Ephraim's shadow ability interacted with the cursed pill's properties by exploiting its inherent darkness and negative energy. The shadows he commanded could resonate with the curse, allowing him to identify and isolate the pill within his body. As he manipulated the shadows, they absorbed the cursed energy, weakening its hold on him. This synergy enabled Ephraim to safely extract the pill without exacerbating its effects. Furthermore, his shadows acted as a barrier, preventing the curse from spreading during the removal process.

During this time, Carl removed some pills from his pocket. These were pills Ephraim had given him in the dungeon. He had plundered them from the hooded guard he had subdued earlier in his room. The two pills were energy recovery pills.

Carl instinctively tried using the wind to clear a place to rest, but his failure reminded him of the fact that he had lost his magic. He felt a profound sense of despair and emptiness. The absence of his powers left him vulnerable, igniting a deep fear of inadequacy and isolation. Memories of past triumphs flooded his mind, amplifying his frustration and sadness. He grappled with feelings of betrayal by his own abilities, questioning his identity and purpose. This loss not only affected him emotionally but also challenged his belief in himself, pushing him to confront the daunting reality of a life without the magic that once defined him.

After a brief moment of silence, he decided to still do his best and ingested the pills. Then Carl tried again and again to use his abilities but failed each time. He tried reaching out into his innermost depth for his ability, his brow creased in concentration, he felt the faint familiar tingle, a faint echo of the magic that once flowed through him. With each breath, he focused on the memories of his power, visualizing the energy swirling within him. After several attempts, he still failed. But the faint familiar tingle he felt gave him the feeling that his powers were only suppressed but not really gone. Carl raised his head to the sky with certainty, "His power was never truly gone."

He was disrupted from his thoughts as Ephraim stood up slowly, a black oval-shaped shadow flickering ominously in his right hand. With a swift motion, he hurled it into the distance, the shadowy object disappearing into the night. "Let's get going," he urged, urgency lacing his voice.

Before they could take a single step forward, a voice echoed from behind them, dripping with malice. "Why are you in a hurry?"

Carl spun around just in time to see a dagger hurtling toward his face. Instinct kicked in; he tilted his head sharply, feeling the rush of air as the blade struck the trunk of a nearby tree. The handle protruded ominously, a stark reminder of his perilous situation.

"How could they have caught up to us so soon?" Carl shouted in exasperation, his heart racing as he turned to face his assailant. The hooded guard advanced menacingly, shrouded in darkness and intent on violence. In that instant, Ephraim acted decisively; tendrils of shadow erupted from the ground, wrapping around the guard's legs and causing him to trip and fall.

Seizing the opportunity, Carl lunged forward, determination fueling his movements. He plunged a dagger into the fallen guard's side, rolling to the side just in time to feel something whiz past his head—a close call that sent adrenaline surging through him. Though Carl had lost his magical abilities, his combat expertise remained sharp. He quickly retrieved another dagger from his belt and hurled it toward the source of the attack.

A gurgling sound echoed through the night, followed by a dull thud—another adversary killed. But there was no time to celebrate; Carl felt an ominous shift in the air and instinctively somersaulted across the ground. He narrowly avoided a green stream of light that shot past him like a comet.

The night was Ephraim's ally; shadows danced around him, amplifying his powers and granting him an edge over his foes. With each movement, he wielded darkness like an extension of himself, summoning tendrils that lashed out at the guards with lethal precision. One by one, they fell—overwhelmed by Ephraim's shadowy prowess.

The first guard succumbed to a swift strike that severed his connection to life. The second met a similar fate as Ephraim's shadows ensnared him, rendering him helpless against the onslaught. The third guard attempted to summon a barrier of magical energy, but Ephraim's shadows climbed it effortlessly and killed him.

With four hooded guards dispatched in rapid succession, Carl felt a surge of relief mixed with exhilaration. They had fought bravely against overwhelming odds. But even as victory seemed within grasp, he knew they had to keep moving; danger lurked just beyond their immediate surroundings.

Before Ephraim could move, he could see more coming. Ephraim stood, shadows swirling around him as three hooded guards approached, their eyes glowing with magical energy. The first guard wielded fire magic, flames flickering at his fingertips; the second commanded ice, sharp shards forming in the air; the third manipulated wind, creating a swirling vortex.

As they closed in, Ephraim summoned shadowy tendrils that snaked across the ground, grasping at the guards' ankles. The fire-hooded guard retaliated, launching a fireball that singed the tendrils, but not before Ephraim yanked him off balance. The ice guard retaliated with a barrage of icy spikes, but Ephraim melded into the shadows, evading the attack effortlessly.

Ephraim countered by sending tendrils to ensnare the ice user, pulling him into the darkness. The wind-hooded guard attempted to create a barrier, but Ephraim's shadows enveloped him, strangling him to death. In a swift motion, he dispatched the ice user with a precise strike from a shadowy blade.

The fire user, now enraged, unleashed a torrent of flames. Ephraim danced through the inferno, shadows shielding him as he closed in. With a powerful thrust of his hand, he sent tendrils spiraling toward the fire user, extinguishing his flames and securing his defeat. He controlled a huge black shadow as if it was an extension of his arm. He formed a fist and aimed it at the fire-hooded guard's face.

The guard raised his two arms to block the attack, but Ephraim changed direction and destroyed the man's balls. The fire-hooded guard screamed at the top of his lungs and fell to the floor restless, still screaming in pain. Carl suddenly appeared before the guard and pierced his heart.

Finally, only the wind guard remained. He summoned a fierce gale to push Ephraim back, but Ephraim grounded himself in the shadows, drawing strength from them. With one final surge of power, he lashed out with multiple tendrils, overwhelming the wind guard and bringing him to his knees.

Breathing heavily but victorious, Ephraim turned to Carl—his companion. Together, they sunk into Ephraim's shadows, escaping through shadow travel as reinforcements arrived.