chapter 5

Melanie stepped confidently toward Storm but was still cautious and kept her tingle sense at bay, knowing that Storm wouldn't go down easily. She had lived in the kingdom for many years, and she knew more about Augurs, their tricks, and what they could do.

All Augurs seem to consider themselves as servants of nature when, in reality, they are nothing but assassins. If you can pay an augur well, they will kill whoever you want to choose, but only if nature approves it.

"I want nothing to do with the kingdom, you Augurs, the councils of the mages, or the king himself. I just want a place where I can live happily with my child; is that too hard to ask?" Melanie complained, frustrated and tired. Not physically tired alone, but tired of all the ordeal she had been going through. "As if killing my husband, your king, was not enough, you massacred his entire bloodline, and now you're seeking to erase his only hope. The only pillar to bear his name, my child. Why?!" She shrieked, unable to control the pain in her voice.

"He was a good man who didn't stop the practice of sorcery; neither did he stop the Augur or dismantle the councils of mages, despite that he came from the divine lineage. He accommodates everyone and he is protective of every being in the Kingdom. And nonetheless, you stabbed him in the back. Why are you so cruel?"

"I have answers to all your questions, but I'll answer only a few of them," Storm said through gritted teeth, the effect of the invincible net still torturing her essence and draining her core. "I'm grateful that your husband, the former king, allowed the combination of the divine magic, the mage's councils, and the Augur temple. But at the same time, he was a fool to trust that everyone would be happy with what he did. The Divine magic bearer has never had any collaboration with the Augurs or Mages from the beginning, especially the Augur. They called us followers of darkness, and they consider the mages to be purer than us—"

"Maybe they were right," Melanie cut her short. "You Augurs are nothing but assassins. Bloody killer. You will just go ahead and kill without thinking twice."

"We were bred to do that. To kill in millions of ways, either painful or not." She said, raising her head with pride despite the pain she was going through. "And for your information, we may be killers, but not assassins. There's a huge difference between the two."

Melanie scoffed, "Which is?"

"Assassins kill for ransom, but we kill for balance," Storm replied, her countenance now starting to change. "If nature approves death, we shall kill whoever it is that's doomed to die, but if not, we won't kill, no matter the offense."

Sensing the change in her tone and seeing how bold she's growing despite the mental net, Melanie took that as a clue to act.

"I don't mean to hurt you, Storm, because we have no quarrel or business together." She said, gripping her blade tightly. "But your people murdered my husband, wiped his entire family from the surface of the earth, and now you're trying to kill the only offspring he has left; that couldn't be allowed."

"Like I said, Nature wants it that way," Storm shrugged without any hint of emotion on her face. "Even now, I can see death hovering around you, meaning that I still have to kill you."

As much as Melanie didn't want confrontation to avoid risking the new life growing within her, she had to defend herself and the child one last time.

She knew Storm wouldn't hesitate to kill her, and the only thing she could do was kill first.

"Hold still," she said to the men behind her, raised her blade, and slashed at Storm.

With a few inches or so left for the blade to reach Storm, Melanie dropped the sword and wailed as labor pain struck her. She kneeled, holding her stomach, groaning, and quickly stepping back from Storm to reach her blade. At the same time, she tried to keep the net holding Storm so she wouldn't break free.

The men behind her, seeing her condition, and a few of them rushed forward to her aid.

"No, hold still!" She yelled amidst the labor pain, but it was too late.

Storm seized the distraction to summon the reserve of essence she sucks from the crew that came with her. She had felt the net growing weak when Melanie labored in pain, but she couldn't break free because the light from the men served as a conductor.

She complimented Melanie. Despite the pain, she still manages to hold her tight with the net. If she was at her full strength, that's without wrapping her power around the baby for protection, Storm doubted she'd defeat her in a straight duel.

When the few men stop directing the light at her to aid their mistress, Storm feels a tiny loophole and sneaks her power inside. She gathered everything the reserved essence could offer into one volley, lashing out at the net like an angry snake with one word, "SHATTER!"

The net shattered, and Storm wasted no second in throwing what was left of the blood magic at the men holding the light. Those with Melanie are confused for now.

They don't know whether to help their mistress fight Storm or to protect their mistress.

Augur Storm, on the other hand, was already moving.

She cut into the mist of the men with a blade that she summoned from her pocket dimension, hacking three men who were suffering from the pain of the blood magic. Storm grabbed a man's blade, using it to kill two more men, just like she told Melanie earlier.

She easily dodged the slashing of a blade, stabbing the man in the gut and dismantling the bowel of another man without even turning.

"Pest," she mumbled, sucking the soul of another man by just staring at him for a second and then throwing confusing thoughts at another man. Two men attacked her with a mage's incision blades in their mind, and she blocked for a second before absorbing the power. She mixed it with her core, turning it into sharper blades, and flung it back at them. The men stared in shock for a second and then collapsed, dead.

Storm moved around the men in a blur, cutting them down as if they were not meant to be there. She massacred some without letting them feel the pain, while for some, she gave a cruel death.

Some were kneeling, wailing in agony as if their souls were being tortured in hell by Lucifer. She went into the minds of some, scattering their thoughts before turning them into a painful one.

And some, she simply created an illusion in the mind, forcing them to imagine what doesn't exist before they started stabbing themselves over and over again.

"Stop!" Melanie yelled, gritting her teeth to suppress the labor pain that came at her again. As much as she didn't want to risk her child, she couldn't stand and watch as innocent men risked their lives for her.

"It's me that you want, then let's settle this."

Storm chuckled, "Yes, I want you, but nature wants them dead, too."

"But—"

"You're too late!" Storm finished what she started with a thought in her mind, and all the men dropped dead. Twirling her blade, which emitted black smoke, and charged at Melanie.

The latter parried with her blade, which glowed golden, holding Storm as the two of them entangled each other in a fierce mental battle. Instantly, the air became thick with tension as they faced each other, their eyes locked in a fierce, unyielding stare.

The runes on Melanie's armor glowed, igniting her skin with an unnatural golden light. Her aura was one of raw, untamed power—necromancy woven into every fiber of her being. She seems to have mastered the forbidden arts of death and life ever since she fled from the kingdom, and her mind seemed like a fortress of relentless force.

However, Augur Storm was an enigma—her mind magic far more intricate than any mere spell, a compliment to years of training from the priest. She stood still, calm on the outside as if nothing was happening. She seems to be enjoying this. After all, challenges are all she loves.

She could see everything—the twists and turns of the battle unfolding in the most profound corners of space and time, just like she was able to see the depth of the jagged rocks. Her eyes were glowing with an otherworldly light, and as she locked eyes with Melanie, her mind reached out like an ethereal tendril, piercing through the fabric of an inexistent space.

Melanie lashed out first, sending a tidal wave of blood magic crashing toward Augur Storm. The force of it was so violent that the air seemed to warp, and the ocean sand beneath their feet trembled. Invincible blood-red tendrils erupted from the ground, aiming to pierce Augur Storm's heart.

Augur Storm was already one step ahead, her mental tendrils wrapping around the attack and twisting it, redirecting it back toward Melanie.

"Childish Magic," Augur Storm muttered, her voice so dangerous like her look.

Melanie recoiled, feeling the attack slamming against her core and forcing her into a defense mode. She needs to attack and defend at the same time while also reserving some strength for her baby. Such a stressful job.

Her eyes flickered brightly as she began to summon the invincible power of the dead men around her. The very air around them grew cold; shadows twisted and writhed, forming into skeletal hands with sharp pain like a grotesque army. They dived toward Augur Storm, a tidal force of death, ready to crush her existence.

But Augur Storm was not shaken. Her mind reached deep into the arcane, tapping into powers older than death itself. NATURE. She summoned power from nature to push back against the shadows, bending them with a sheer force of will. The invincible bones splintered, shattering into nothingness and dissipating into the air like dust.

Her voice rang out like a thunderclap in Melanie's ear, "Your protection for your baby is making you weak against me, Melanie."

Melanie's power surged once more—a bright pulse of divine energy engulfed her, pouring out of her very soul. The very fabric of time seemed to ripple and stretch as she tried to break through Storm's defense for the last time.

Unfortunately, Storm had something Melanie did not: the power of foresight. Her connection to nature gives her the pattern and sign she needs to anticipate every move Melanie makes before it even happens.

Augur Storm reached deep within her blood, calling upon her inner strength, letting the mind's magic flow through her like an unstoppable torrent. And then, with a final, devastating twist, Augur Storm saw the weakness. She realized that Melanie's power was not just driven by ambition—it was fueled by desperation. Not just desperation to win, but also desperation to protect her pregnancy—the child growing within her—was the crux of her power, but also the source of her vulnerability.

Augur Storm seized on this realization.

With a swift motion of her hand, Augur Storm turned the tides, reaching into Melanie's thoughts with her mind.

She whispered into the depths of Melanie's consciousness, "You can't protect everyone at once." Her words weren't just spoken—they were felt, like a chilling breeze sweeping through the very core of Melanie's being. Her thoughts began to unravel, her desperation growing as Augur Storm manipulated the very emotions that tied her to her unborn child.

Melanie hesitated, a split second of weakness.

That was all Augur Storm needed. At that moment, Augur Storm sent a surge of mental energy, a precise strike aimed directly at Melanie's consciousness. It was not a physical blow, but a mental one—a blow that crushed her focus and left her disoriented.

Melanie staggered back, her breath coming in sharp gasps. The power she had summoned flickered and wavered. She felt pain unlike any she had ever felt in her life, and she couldn't help the screaming that escaped from her mouth.

She kneeled and vomited blood while struggling to reserve the strength left for her baby.

"You should have surrendered earlier," Storm said. "This pain wouldn't have come. It would have been easy and painless."

Melanie forced out a smile, a dying one by the look of it. "I ain't scared of dying, but my baby will live."

She looked past Storm and yelled, "Now!"

Before Storm could move, something sharp pierced her rib from behind, penetrating deep and rendering her useless.

She attempted to summon her healing magic and even tried to suck Melanie's soul, but none worked.

"This is for my crew and Thane!" The voice of Captain Salazar rang in her ear before she felt the sharp object piercing her again.

"You may be invincible and unstoppable when it comes to magic," Melanie chuckled weakly, "but you underestimate the will of humans and the damage the obsidian knife can cause when held by a man with pure vengeance running in his blood. You're so proud that you think yourself to be a god, and you forgot that everything that exists has its weakness."

The few men left rushed to meet Melanie as Storm dropped down, her body vaporizing slowly with a shocking look on her face.

"We need to leave now," The leading man said. "News will soon spread about what happened and the full force of the kingdom will be coming after us."

"My ship has a few lifeboats," Captain Salazar quickly came to their aid. "If you allow me to join you, I can lead us to a safe village. A place where no one will ever find you."

"I won't be able to go because I'm dying," Melanie said, trying to stay conscious and control her screaming as the labor pain struck again. Yet, she couldn't help. She screamed hard, feeling intense pain more than she had ever felt in her life. "Save my baby, Captain…"

Her voice started trailing away.

Knowing she would not survive the ordeal, she gathered every power, will, magic, and strength left in her body to push the baby out.

The sound of a faint soul crying was the last thing she heard as darkness consumed her.