Shadows in the Light

Crimson and amber stripes lit up the sky overhead while Kael and Lira walked through the dense forest. The disclosures of the temple had a disturbing effect in the mind of Kael, each advance forward being accompanied by flashes of the vision he had seen. The Starborne, the Fallen Ones, and the Order of the Veil—it all was somehow interwoven in a way that was just too big for him to understand completely.

"You're doing that brooding thing again," Lira said, breaking the silence. Her intonation was light, but Kael sensed the anxiety beneath the joviality.

Kael looked at her, a slight smile played on his lips. "Just thinking."

"About the end of the world, no doubt." Lira rolled her eyes but then softened. "You don't have to carry this alone, you know. That's what I'm here for."

Kael nodded and thanked her more than words could say. "Thanks, Lira. I mean it."

She gave him a playful nudge. "Don't get all sentimental on me, star-child. It's bad for your image."

The woods grew darker the further they went and the branches created long shadows that seemed uncharacteristic. As the air grew cold, a numbness descended and the hairs of his back began to rise endurably. Touching it instinctively, he reached for the hilt of the Starforged Blade, which shone for a moment as if comforting him.

[Alert: Anomalous energy detected. Proximity: 300 meters. Source unknown. Recommendation: Proceed with caution.]

Stranded, Kael brought the car to a stop and then scanned the woods around him. "The system's picking up something up ahead."

Resting the blade at her hip, Lira squeezed the handle until her body formed a poised and defensive stance. "Something good or something deadly?"

Kael's jaw tightened. "It's never good."

They moved very slowly, and the leaves murmured on the soles. The closer they got to the woods, the heavier the air felt, as if the woods are holding its breath. Last they exited the glade and into a miniature glade amidst silvery moonlight. A jagged obelisk, at its core, stood surmounted by runes that emanated a dark, throbbing energy, faintly, that glowed.

[Analysis: Artifact of unknown origin. Energy signature consistent with rift phenomena. Function: Anchor for dimensional instability. Warning: High threat level.]

We found the point of origin," Kael whispered. As if living and responding to the hilt contained within his own hand the Starforged Blade it gave off a searing pain for just a second at a time.

Lira's eyes narrowed as she studied the obelisk. It is creepy because it is always glowing.

Before Kael could speak, the shapes in the corners of the glade began to tremble. Shapeless beings that loomed, opaque, appeared, evolving identity like embers in a sea breeze. Eyes with an unnatural glow emitted strange light as the beings moved.

"I was wondering when they'd show up," Lira muttered, drawing her second dagger. "Let's get this over with."

Kael took up the Starforged Blade, and heavenly energy flowed out from into him. "Stay close."

The first shadow lunged at Kael, its shape distorted and unnatural as it approached. He parried and retaliated with a blade of grace, a blow and the might of the stars cut the creature in half. They cried out at a wail that disappeared within the black mist.

Lira danced around an instant shadow which moved along with crinkling, buzzing sound, and at the same time her blades sang with each penetration into its core. "These things are faster than the last ones!"

Kael did so, his eyes shared between the approaching hordes and the obelisk in the midest of the glade. "We need to destroy that artifact. It's anchoring them here."

Lira parried the impact of a shadow, her movements fluid and precise. "Easier said than done!"

Kael clenched his teeth, and the system's voice played in his mind.

[Recommendation: Overload artifact with celestial energy. Risk of destabilization: High. Proximity required for activation.]

The thing says I gotta blow it out the water," Kael shouted, dropping another pair of shadows. "Cover me!"

"On it!" Lira replied next, blades shimmering in the light while she took two of the monsters at once, however.

Kael ran fast towards the obelisk, all the while darting and ducking in order to prevent the blacks out from hitting him. The Starforged Blade throbbed with power, the more he moved towards the object, the more it shone. He planted his feet by the side of the obelisk, and brought the blade to the top.

[Initiating overload sequence. Warning: Host may experience temporary energy depletion. Proceed?]

"Do it," Kael said through gritted teeth.

The blade hit the obelisk and left a giant spray of some sort of supernatural energy at the impact point. Rune on the artifact throbbed with terrible potency, fissures appeared in its casing as the power overloaded it. Shadows emitted with some unearthly cries, and their shape dissipated bit by bit after one another.

Lira stumbled backwards at the end of the creatures' disappearance, her chest rising and falling. "Remind me never to underestimate your dramatic timing."

Kael swayed, a brutal tidal wave of fatigue washing over him as the obelisk broke apart into shards, its energy spreading upwards into the heavens. Lira caught him just in time that he did not fall, holding him up with happy smile.

"You good, star-child?"

Kael nodded weakly. "Yeah. Just... give me a minute."

She brought him to a nearby tree and there he collapsed, the Starforged Blade faint and unresponsive in his hand. The glade was a sort of quietude, broken by the sound of leaves in the wind.

"Well," Lira said, sliding down to sit beside him. "That was fun. Let's never do it again."

Kael chuckled softly, despite his fatigue. "Deal."

They hugged each other for a few moments in a familiar way and only did it together, and the effect united them in a dramatic manner, as the final end of the fight. But in the back of Kael's mind, the vision of the ancient war loomed large, a constant reminder of the battles yet to come.