Subjugation (2)

OLAMILEKAN:

The wind rushed around me as I plummeted toward the ruins of New Dakar, the city reduced to rubble and weeds after several weeks of beast infestations. At about the level of a five-story building, I halted in mid-fall, with the magic within me like liquid fire. My fingers twitched, and swords of shimmering light materialized around me, their golden glow illuminating the darkened city landscape. But this time, there was something else—tendrils of darkness along the edges of the blades, crackling with raw energy.

With a flick of my fingers, the swords sliced down like meteors, striking the mutated creatures that lurked below. Screaming and guttural roars filled the air as the monsters were pinned, their deformed forms contorting before thudding to the ground dead. Within seconds, everything within a radius of fifty meters had been silenced.

I descended gently as the others leaped from the jet, their descent softened by Leila's gravity magic. The moment their feet touched the ground, Dorian whistled softly, his gaze on me.

"Just how many powers do you have?" he asked, wonder in his voice.

"I was wondering the same thing," Amira added, brushing a lock of curly black hair behind her ear. "I saw that darkness mixed in with your light magic just now. Does that mean you have two attributes?"

Joshua shrugged, his lips tugging up in a small smile. "Yeah, I never even thought about it, but good question."

I sighed. "I don't know. I've only ever been able to cast light magic, but the darkness mixes in with it. When I try casting the darkness by itself, nothing occurs."

Dorian chuckled. "Still pretty awesome. And you can fly. I've never heard of a mage who could fly—not even the top mages in the world."

"I do wonder about that too," I muttered.

Before we might proceed, there came a shuddering growl from the depths of the streets. A horde of deformed creatures poured out of the ruined houses, drawn by the earlier light magic. Their deformed bodies—some with additional limbs, others with maw-like mouths full of teeth—attacked us, their red eyes blazing with hunger.

We immediately got into formation. I took the east, Joshua the south, Dorian the north, Leila the west, while Amira remained at the center as our healer.

Joshua unsheathed both swords, crouching in a stance of deadly precision. Dorian clasped his fists together, his mana-infused body radiating with a soft halo of energy as it coated his skin. Leila's violet eyes blazed as she reached out with a hand, and in an instant, the gravity within her zone of the battlefield was multiplied tenfold, and the monsters in her zone came crashing down, unable to even move.

I charged ahead, my seven floating swords spinning in orbit around me before firing off into a forward charge. They pierced into the beasts, slaying some before they even realized what was happening. Raising my left hand, I released a concentrated beam of light, burning a hole through the incoming horde, sending their burnt corpses flying.

I leapt over their corpses and ended up standing in their midst. My blade sliced through bone and flesh with each fast, efficient thrust. A beast approached from behind me, but before it could tear my back to ribbons with its claws, one of my thin blades batted away mid-flight, splitting it clean through the skull.

Joshua was a blur of motion, his twin swords flashing as he cut down enemies with practiced ease. He spun, his blades cutting through thick hides as if through paper, his strikes savage yet smooth. Dorian charged through his space, his fists delivering shockwaves that sent the beasts flying. One rushed towards him, its jaws unhinging comically wide to swallow him whole, but he caught it in mid-rush and slammed it into the ground, splintering its spine.

Leila moved effortlessly, her fingers controlling the laws of gravity itself. She squished some animals beneath immense burdens, others she lightened into smaller masses and sent them helpless into the air before completing them with calculated dagger stabs. Amira, safely in the center, recited a spell, her green magic constructing barriers around us, healing instantly each wound we incurred.

The battle continued for hours, waves and waves of beasts overwhelming us. At nightfall, we came out victorious, our bodies smeared with cuts and dirt but otherwise unharmed.

We found shelter in a half-ruined building, lighting a small fire as we take our rest.

"That was insane," Dorian groaned, stretching out his sore limbs. "I think I broke my knuckles on one of those bastards."

Joshua grinned. "Your fault for not reinforcing your fists well enough."

Amira rolled her eyes and placed her hands over his fists, her emerald magic seeping into his flesh, healing the bruising. "At least you lasted a bit longer than I expected you to."

Dorian let out a gentle laugh. "I'll take that as a compliment."

I sat back against a wall, looking up at the sky. "We should take turns sleeping.".

They concurred, and we alternated standing watch. During my shift, I stood guard at the destroyed entrance of the building, my sword leaning against my shoulder.

Then it occurred.

A roar unlike anything I'd ever heard resounded through the streets. It wasn't merely loud—it was suffocating. The air itself was heavy, weighed down by a monstrous presence.

Dorian, who had just finished his shift and was about to lie down, staggered before dropping to his knees, vomiting violently. His body trembled as if his very soul had been shaken.

The others shot up, alarmed.

I drew my blade instinctively, a golden aura about my body as I turned in the direction of the sound. The sheer pressure of the presence made my muscles tense, and for the first time in a long while, a sliver of unease crept up my spine.

I glanced back at the others, my fingers tightening on my sword.

"There's something incredibly bad and hazardous here," I breathed, my voice steady but soft.

The silence that followed was stifling.

And at that moment, we all realized—this wasn't a class six beast.

This was something far worse.