Rift Monster

The vague descriptions our scouts had given of the Rift monsters were a serious understatement. Makes sense. They were enough to give anyone Lightmares. My shadows stirred around me as I looked at the creature. It was like a large cat, on all fours with sharp claws and teeth that were likely sharper than my blade. It was the size of a horse, its tail long and raised, pointing up to display the dagger-like objects sticking out of it that could cut me in half.

Then there was its colour. It was a war. Black and white, fighting and shifting all over the creature's body. I shadowstep behind the creature, teleporting through one shadow to another. I then draw my blade, enchanted with shadow magic. The shadows around the creature jump up and bind it down. It was a useful ability, that would render a human unable to move.

Because of that, I'm surprised when the creature shakes the shadowbinds right off and pounces. I send a cut out to defend, pushing its large body away. A bloodlike substance is sprayed all over me, except it's the same black and white war with the colours on the blood pushing and fighting. But when it recovers, I watch the wound close itself up.

Immortal. That's what the scouts said. AKA, we're dead. It pounces again, and I stab it through the chest. But it just hangs on the blade. Then the wound closes itself with the sword still in it. I try pulling the sword out, but its stuck. Well shit. Now I'm REALLY dead.

I let the sword go, scrambling from under the creature. I narrowly roll out of the way of its claw before it cuts me open. I see Alara out of the corner of my eye, just watching. What a help, having a Lumina with me. A Lumina that's going to let me die.

I feel energy at my fingertips. Dark energy, the signature of shadow mages. It takes on many forms. Sometimes a black fire, other times like a lightning bolt, and particularly skilled people like me can create swords out of it. I shape a bolt of pure dark energy, feeling the power coursing through my veins and being let out my fingertips producing a bolt.

As the Rift monster prepares for a lunge that would pin me down and finalize my fate, I hurl the bolt at it. The dark energy explodes and burns, a brilliant blaze of black. But the creature is once again unfazed.

Ok, this is getting annoying. There are supposedly hordes of these. Even if I somehow survive this, which I won't since its preparing to pounce, I won't make it through a horde of these bastards.

It pounces. Time seems to slow. Memorises flash through my head. I see my father on those snowy days. I see my uncles teaching me how to control the shadows properly. My mother hugging me. Hugging me the day before it happened. Before the day we both lost everything. Two days before she killed herself from grief.

The creatures lands on me, raising its claws. My shadows shoot up by instinct, trying once again to bind the creature. Then I'm blinded by a flash of light. The creature is blasted away, off of me. I knew that flash of light. It was light energy. I look at Alara.

"Took you awhile," I shoot her a glare. She scowls.

"Saved your life in the end. Don't make me regret it," she replies curtly. I look back at the creature. It's bleeding out, the same black and white blood. But the wound doesn't close back up. Interesting. I bind it down with shadows then form a bolt of dark energy in my hands. I see Alara forming a bolt of light energy next to me. Light seems to be bent from the sun, focusing on the creature. The monster seems to hiss from the shadows binding it and light being shined on it.

At the exact same moment, both me and Alara throw our bolts. They erupt when they hit, exploding. The light is more focused and concentrated while the dark energy is volatile and heavier.

And when the air clears, the body of the Rift monster is bleeding out on the ground. The dead body of the invincible Rift monster.

I should've let him die. I'd considered it. It's why I let him fight the monster on his own at first. Part of me was testing him, seeing if this person I had to work with would pull his own weight. The other part of me was simply reluctant not to let him die.

I'm not exactly sure why I saved him, why I let the bolt of light knock the monster off of him. Just for the mission, I tell myself. Just because we need light and dark together to close the Rift.

What intrigued me most was the look in the two storms that were his eyes. First it was determination. Determination to kill the monster and save himself. Then acceptance. Acceptance of death. Not fear.

Perhaps when you're used to coldly killing hundreds of people, that makes you fine with dying yourself.

I look at Kael. His tanned skin is now covered in the black and white blood, it colours fighting and shifting locations. A representation of the war between the Lumina and Umbra.

Yet balance, not battle, binds the tear

Of light and dark, a joining rare

Two as one, at the Rift's core,

Shall seal the wound and end its growth

The prophecy echoes in my mind. Light and dark together are what close the Rift...

"We both need to use our powers to kill them," I think out loud. He narrows his stormy eyes. "When you tried killing it-"

"-While you stood by and watched-"

"-you couldn't do any damage. Same as our scouts. Same as the Umbra scouts. But when I attacked it while you bound it, it did do damage. As the prophecy said, light and dark must join together."

He is silent for a moment. Then, he speaks," I guess so. We need to attack them together, just as when we go to the Rift we need to close it together." Silence for another moment. "Working with a Lumina, the daughter of Liora Solwyn nonetheless, to kill Rift monsters. What a lightmare."

I scowl. "A lightmare?"

"I'm a shadow mage. You think we view the night as something to fear?" I shake my head in response.

"Umbra are insane. Changing basic terms to fit your taste. That isn't individuality, its stupidity."

"You're arguing about a different term? Is that how stuck up you Lumina are, perfect little light angels? Nobody can even have a different name for something than you without you complaining."

"I'm not arguing about the term, I'm arguing about the meaning. That you make everything about yourselves. No structure or order or law. Your society is self serving and chaotic," I shoot back. Guess this would be the first of many arguments.

"And Lumina are just obedient little slaves to a system made by corrupt arrogant elites," he begins spouting dark mage nonsense. "Your leaders are intolerant of even the slightest insubordination. You talk of our ruthlessness, but what about those you kill? How many have been killed to preserve your perfect culture?"

"We value order and justice, and we kill those who oppose it to keep the order. And our elite are far from corrupt. Umbra elites are self-serving bastards who care about nothing but themselves. It is your culture to care only about personal power, so much so you can't even trust your own family members." I'd heard of Umbra who'd killed siblings for power. His eyes flicker with pain when I say that. I hit a nerve.

"You use righteousness and justice as excuses to kill. We're ruthless, but we don't hide that fact. Ruthlessness is the only thing that's saved me these past few years. And we aren't self-serving. We're just ambitious and actually value each person's freedom and encourage people to pursue power while you suppress the lower classes from rising."

I opened my mouth to start on another response, but multiple loud screeches interrupted me. I snapped my head to the side. Four more Rift monsters.