The Seventh Spirit

by Adam-Clay Webb

  “Heh! Finish cleaning up here. Old man, take me to--” Azar stuttered as he saw Blade bolt off toward a just-landing enemy, ripping up the ground with unthinkable speed. The black-eyed woman shot off as Blade blasted her with a flying kick, turning mid-air to dismiss two more in like manner. Before landing, the Zakatian slapped away two more shadowballs with his bare hands, accurately using them to kill two enemies that stood behind Azar and his companion. He landed stylishly, a powerful, eager look in his eyes. “Bloody impossible,” Azar awed. For a sip to transform a mere man to this level… Blade looked up to the skies, seeing hundreds of enemies coming down at him.

  “Go, Azar!” Blade shooed him, not wanting to share the enemies, “I feel the power of a god inside me! Hurry up and get outta my way!” The ground cracked and caved beneath the swordsman’s feet as he clenched his fists with an exhilarating thirst for the enemies’ blood. The cloak of faint yellow aura thickened around him.

  ***

  “What am I seeing?” Kizer asked himself, a look of slight confusion and much intrigue on his face.

  ***

  “This feeling…” Catherina contemplated nervously, using a powerful light attack to take out tens of demons without giving them much of her attention.

  Hawthorne, hundreds of miles from her council leader, stood still in sudden ponder. “A massive entity of darkness is headed straight toward the national tower,” she said to herself. “If even I can sense this power, then the other elders are probably there already.” She vanished in a cloud of purple, narrowly escaping a swift shadowball she didn’t even see coming. She appeared where she had sensed the energy approaching.

  “Seems even Hawthorne managed to sense this power,” Catherina said to herself, glancing over at her.

  All seven elders were present, the infamous council of the deadliest sorcerers known to exist in their lifetime. They all looked to the sky. What resembled a black meteor was quickly descending from the heavens. It was approaching too quickly for them to think to attack it before it landed. They stretched their hands out and purple shields of strong mana surrounded each of them. Hawthorn’s shield with three layers, Catherina’s with five and the others’ with four. The earth shook wildly as the thing landed amongst the powerful sorcerers. A pulse of darkness and force raced form the landing point, flattening every building, every tree within a hundred miles, killing probably thousands of people, totally disintegrating the tower. With strong focus and decades of experience, the elite magicians stood their ground firmly. As the pulse of power ended, they deactivated their shields, conserving mana for what they knew would be a serious battle, even for them.

  Standing in the massive crater that even the sorcerers were in was a man made of darkness.

  “With my level of light spells, I might be able to take him,” Catherina considered aloud. “But none of the others stand a chance… All of you, close your eyes!” the woman commanded. They slammed their eyes shut in obedience, thinking she was about to summon one of her infamous light spells, which were known to cause permanent blindness. “The demon will now possess me,” she said to them, their eyes still closed. “I will battle it, but if it somehow overpowers even my spells, be sure that I am already dead and fight to kill it with all your mights!” Without hesitation, the shadowy thing flew off toward Catherina, too fast for her to see, let alone attack. The witch’s body rose up from the ground as her eyes flashed black and purple, creating an eerily frightening picture.

  Hawthorne opened her eyes, and gasped at the sight before her. “Don’t just stand around!” she belted to the others, “We can assist! If we combine our light spells, we can attack the demon from out here without harming Catherina!” They each gave a sharp, single nod in agreement, readying their hands with purple mana instantly. As the woman’s eyes continued to flash more and more rapidly, a black aura surrounded her body, and shadowy streaks shot out from it with rapidity and killing accuracy. Purple clouds appeared as they spaceshifted simultaneously, reappearing to surround the target still. More streaks, even swifter than the first set, strung out toward the sorcerers.

  ***

  Catherina erected another mana shield, defending against a massive shadow shell. “Anam Resal Elit!!” the powerful witch commanded, and a massive beam of bright purple mana jetted out from her left hand toward the eight-winged dragon before her. The dragon opened its mouth and released a similarly thick and fast beam of elemental darkness. The dimension shook as the two powers met in a loud clash. Catherina strained to push against the pressure of the enemy’s darkness. Darkness strong enough to resist light? She braced her right hand against the back of her left palm, seeing how strong the enemy was. The whole place suddenly flashed brightly and the dragon uttered a loud and terrible cry.

  “Finally got one in!” Hawthorne rejoiced, spaceshifting to avoid another of the humbugging streaks.

  Catherina’s beam finally cut through the thick ray of elemental darkness and blasted the dragon. “Suck on this, you son of a bitch!” the old woman shouted with a witchy laugh. The dragon hit the ground many meters off and rolled a little, then suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a black mist that quickly made itself into a man-like form. “What?!” Catherina blasted, summoning up more purple mana. “Edaner--”

  WHAM!

  The black figure reached up to Catherina too fast for her eyes to perceive, not giving her a chance to finish her light spell. It smote her with a fist powered by the element of death. In rapid succession, the demon forged and sent massive and swift shadowballs at the backward-hurling Catherina. Still flying back, she held both hands forward. Two thick purple shields came around her, absorbing the impacts of the powerful spheres. The skilful woman landed on her feet, still moving back on the smooth white floor.

  The place flashed brightly again and the demon cried out in agony. Black mist rose from its body and it fell to its knees. Purple mana buzzed about the woman’s hands like lightning as she forged a dense, blinding-bright purple sphere. “Anam Resalrepus!” the woman commanded. A massive surge of bright purple mana moved toward the downed demon. She laughed wildly, certain it was over. “What?!” She looked up at the dragon above her, a shadow shell ready in its mouth.

  The place suffered another drastic blast, but all the dark attack caught was the waste mana left behind from the mage’s spaceshifting.

  “Recilsanam!” Catherina ran straight up toward the massive dragon with her swords made of bright mana. The relentless beast sent another sphere at the woman, but super-quick spaceshifting was one of her many specialties. She reappeared just over the dragon’s head. With clenched teeth and a roar of desperate victory, she descended upon it with swords far more powerful than those of iron or steel. The dragon became a black mist, which quickly moved over meters and formed again the man of darkness. Catherina landed, her swords sinking into the cracked-up floor. Annoyed and impressed with the enemy, she pulled her swords out of the ground.

  ***

  “Oga, what is this delay I see at Notherland? Don’t tell me you’re being slack on them because they are your legacy.”

  “Far from it, my Lord,” Oga answered, his eyes closed. “The council’s leader is posing a challenge to the demon. She is impressively strong for a magician of this era, wielding sixth grade mana at its maximum strength.”

  “I don’t care for the details. Just finish up the possession quickly.” Kizer sounded impatient and annoyed.

  ***

  The man of darkness stretched both hands toward the steady witch, who had a lot more mana at her disposal.

  Hmmm… Not even my level of suspension spells will work against an enemy like this. His evasive action so far is flawless… I’ll have to time my attacks perfectly with these flashes the others are providing from outside. Suddenly, at speeds imaginations would struggle to process, the enemy sent a barrage of shadowballs at Catherina, each being produced and pushed off at the demon’s palms at an unthinkable rate. Like I’ll waste my mana shifting around. The woman blas
ted away each quickly approaching ball with her swords. With the speed and sharpness and calculations of Blade himself, the eighty year-old moved closer to the demon by the second, rapidly dismissing its attacks.

  ***

  Lex, follow my lead! Maximo’s voice echoed in the boy’s head. A large mass of power landed nearby! Leave the sage to handle this petty fight!

  “Let’s move fast, then! Give me wings!”

  With the little energy I just regenerated?!

  “Don’t be so stingy!”

  Fine! Lex’s eyes turned black instantly. He clenched his teeth in pain as he grew new body parts in a second. Zen stared at Lex in amazement. She suddenly jumped up on his back.

  “Zen, you shouldn’t--”

  “You should hurry! We can talk later!”

  Take her.

  Lex hissed, then took off in the air like an eagle, following Maximo’s directions.

  ***

  Another purple cloud appeared. The prince’s personal shifter moved him to Star, Clover and Kyle.

  “Azar!” Kyle greeted, glad to see him.

  “You all look wasted,” Azar greeted, a flask in his hand.

  “Looks like you plan on getting wasted too,” Kyle said, eying the flask.

  “Prince Azar, this is no time for drinking!” Star scolded.

  “Couldn’t be a better time, milady!” He grabbed her and put the bottle in her mouth. Star grabbed the flask quickly. “Hurry, drink a mouthful of this elixir!”

  “Wha--”

  “It will revive you and give you more mana than you can handle.” Star turned the bottle to her head. “Alright!!” Azar blasted, grabbing it from her. “You took too much! Share that amongst all of you! Waste not a drop of it!” With that, Azar grabbed his sorcerer and they vanished in a purple cloud. Clover, Kyle and Karukia stared at Star with strange expressions, Kyle with a slight smirk he tried to conceal.

  Azar appeared in a purple cloud where Lex and Zen had just landed. The mist the black wings turned to hadn’t even disappeared yet. Azar stared along with them at the toddler a few yards away, who they had the strange feeling was not there to play and cry and shit around. His eyes were black as Lex’s, and a dense, black aura surrounded him. Stones rose up around him and were crushed to dust by his aura. The boy’s aura whipped up a strong wind.

  “Azar,” Lex greeted, still looking forward at the black-haired little boy.

  “Two massive amounts of energy have just landed on the continent – one is right there before you and the other just appeared by the Leaf Sage,” Azar told him.

  “I know. Another’s in Notherland as well. Maxie’s keeping me posted.”

  “Good. Your friends are still breathing. We’re all counting on you to take this one down as quickly as possible. You too, little girl,” he told Zen, grabbing the top of her head lightly. Zen nodded sharply, still on Lex’s back. “Drink a bit of this,” Azar offered, giving him the flask. “It’s the water from the Waiting Room, except stronger. You only need take a little.” Lex took a small sip and gave Zen the flask. She took a sip as well, then handed it back to Azar quickly, grabbing on to Lex tightly, shivering.

  ***

  “This Magmalian Prince is certainly an interesting character,” Kizer said to himself in intrigue. “That potion he is giving his allies must be the elixir that rains down from the skies of the bridge-world between life and death… He is quite familiar with it, which means he has escaped the clutches of death… My, my… I will almost regret watching you die… the world’s last elemental mage.”

  ***

  Azar appeared in the conference room of the Herculean government. Prime Minister Ki and the few officials that were present stood quickly. “Sit down, sit down!” the frustrated leader told them, motioning wildly with his hands. Azar and the old smelly man walked up to the Prime Minister.

  “What’s the status on your battle fronts?” Azar asked, skipping all formality.

  “Dismal, Azar!” the man answered with a look of stress and frustration on his face.

  “I can imagine,” Azar said, and turned to the old wizard, handing him the near empty flask. “Your turn for a sip.” The old man laughed and eagerly grabbed the bottle, gulping down a mouthful. “Idiot!” Azar snapped, grabbing the bottle from him. A wild look came upon the sorcerer’s face and a powerful purple aura came over his body.

  “What is this?!” the frightened Ki blasted, thinking suddenly that Azar was plotting to kill him and his men.

  “My gift to Hercule,” Azar answered.

  “What?!”

  “He is my most powerful magician. Hercule and Magma Town have a history I wish I could alter. Consider this gift the first step in forming a new bond of friendship and alliance that will be made strong as steel when I sit on my throne. Pray both nations survive this war.” With that, Azar grabbed the old man firmly. “Take me back to point C and return here, and do as they command,” he told the man, then they vanished.

  ***

  “Winter!” Eden called out, seeing something like a meteor descending on her. There was an earth-quaking blast, the force of which tore down every tree in Eden’s forest and sent everyone flying away. Winter raised herself from the newly formed crater. Her eyes, for a moment, flashed black and green, then the green died, leaving behind only the dark, deathly glow. “Winter… Winter!” the sage called out to his daughter, running toward her.

  “Father, get back!” Spring called out to him as a shadowy streak jetted off toward him from Winter’s cloak of power. Vines wrapped themselves around the man and pulled him out of the way hastily. He got up quickly. Spring grabbed on to him. “That’s not Winter, father,” she said, her eyes moist.

  The girl uttered a screeching cry, and two massive shadowballs appeared in her palms. As Winter ran toward Eden with the dense, deadly spheres, his mind went back to the perfect little babe he had held in his arms, the child that rescued him from insanity when his sister had died quite many centuries ago.

  As Eden’s mind returned to the present, he looked at a scene that nearly cost him his sanity. A hand gripping a vibrating shadowball was extended through Spring, whose back was turned to him. Vines were already wrapped around the darkened Winter by her others siblings. Winter pulled her hand back through Summer’s chest and flung the corpse aside casually, a massive hole in it where a beating heart once was. The Vinebenders stared at Winter and Spring with damped eyes.

  “Trium,” Eden whispered, staring deep into the darkness in his daughter’s eyes. “You shall taste my wrath… the wrath of the Leaf Sage!!”

  He flung his arms forward with fury marking his face, and hundreds of vines from behind and beside him headed toward his possessed daughter. Winter somehow, with quick motion, freed herself from the vines that were already around her and moved upwards with black wings on her back, with speed close to that of teleportation. Eden motioned his hands, directing the vines at the airborne host.

  With the speed of a flash, the black-eyed Winter flew over Eden’s head and landed behind him, turning around to face the Vinebenders as she skated back. Eden spun quickly, staring at the massive shadow shell the girl held above her head. With a dark cry, she pelted the sphere at Eden. The Sage motioned his hands quickly, bringing his fingers across his chest. A massive pyramid of thick hardwood rose up from the ground to cover him. The shadow shell shattered the shield with an earth-digging blast and sent the Vinebenders away.

  With another demonic bellow, the aura of darkness thickened around the girl, and about a hundred deadly streaks shot out toward the Vinebenders. Also, with swift and perfect gesticulations, vines coated with black glows came from seemingly everywhere. Probably not even the original Leaf Sage could have guarded effectively against such an attack… Probably.

  In an instant, around thirty holes were bored into the great Sage of the Leaf, the leader of the Vine. Blood gushed from every part of him, and his eyes pulped. He managed to glance around at his children. They were all strung up and punctured
all over. One of them had vines running even through her head. The greatest Vinebenders alive were put to rest by one enemy, with a single attack. With untraceable speed, the black-eyed Winter reached up to Eden.

  Suddenly, the darkness vanished from within her eyes.

  “…”

  Before she could speak, the demon inside regained control, blackening her eyes again. Eden closed his eyes, somewhat satisfied. He got to see his first and most precious daughter one more time.

  ***

  Catherina skated backward, grabbing on to the floor with her hands. She panted heavily, and her look of poise and her feeling of thrill were lost. She coughed up blood on the white floor. A few meters before her was the menacing black dragon. The two had made a good match-up, the most powerful witch in the world – at least on the charts and bingo books – and an entire third of Trium’s second wave. Nonetheless, the final moves were about to be made and the winner decided. A slight smirk appeared on Catherine’s face, blood dripping down from it. Her mana was down to a quarter of her maximum, still more mana than most sorcerers had at their disposal at full strength.

  “With all I have left… I will make one final move… Oga… Give me strength…” The woman’s body flared with a sudden burst of purple mana. She clasped her hands abruptly, then slammed them down on the ground before her. “Forbidden Art! Ultimate Attack! Black Sword Army!!” Suddenly, the mana that enveloped her turned black as she forced her magical power to undergo a spontaneous and momentary evolution. A black, translucent screen swiftly rose up from the ground before the witch, a mile wide and a mile high, an attack made to exterminate a mass of enemies in a single move. The dragon flew off toward Catherina, toward the black screen that she had summoned.

  Hundreds of thousands of blades, swords of all lengths, shapes and classes, each clothed with black mana, shot out from the film of black light at the speed of sound. The dragon could not, even with its super speed, evade all of the approaching blades. It flew head on toward the witch as mighty. Enchanted blades jammed into it, many boring quickly through its wings. A black mist of damage tailed the crying beast as the blades penetrated its defensive cloak of darkness. The dragon did not attempt to dodge though – it moved forward still. With a cry of agony, the dragon reached up to the crouching woman, boring through the screen of black mana. It swooped and grabbed up the woman in its mouth. Unable to go any further in flight, the dragon crashed down and skidded on the ground, grinding the woman with its illogically sharp teeth.