by Shakyra Dunn
“Your Highness.” Some of them spoke in different tones and afflictions, but every single undead denizen bowed their heads and lowered their bodies to greet her. It left Leilana unsure of how to react, and she began clinging to cloak’s hood for some garnered comfort, her face reddening a bit.
Lancett smirked playfully at the girl’s anxiety over the spike of attention. “Seems you’ve earned yourself a few fans on the other side. Must be challenging to be a warrior princess, huh?”
“Certainly dangerous,” she mumbled before turning her attention to the crowd. “Great citizens of Linmus. I’ve come to set you free from captivity. I would like all of you to get as far away from the castle grounds as you can. My friend Lancett Lune is here to guide you from the impending battle. I implore that you are all dutiful enough to heed his orders.”
“Lord Lancett, we will serve you,” the undead spoke, turning to bow to the man in question, which took him by surprise.
“Oh wow, a promotion. You’re too kind,” Lancett joked.
“No time left, Lancett. You should get going too. I’m sure that Erya has his hands full, and you wouldn’t want to keep him waiting long either.”
Lancett took another look at the crowd, slowly pointing his index finger at them, his eyes never leaving Leilana’s. “Are you sure that they’re going to listen to me?”
“I have a hunch that Solus is the one keeping them under control, even if he doesn’t realize how easily he’s doing it. They shouldn’t do you harm if they know that you’re a friend to him rather than a foe. That’s probably why they’re so lenient towards me.”
“Oh, your love story,” Lancett feigned a winded sigh. “Well, at least it plays out. I’ll do my best to make sure that my end goes swimmingly too.” He laid a hand atop Leilana’s head. “You better come back alive, you hear me?”
Leilana forced herself to smile and tried to think on the brighter side of the ordeal, but rather than offer up any promises or false hope, she merely told him, “I’ll do my best.”
She watched him leave through the back hall of the castle with the undead in tow, hoping that they would avoid conflict involving Hinju. She flexed her fingers, watching the moon slip from the sky, the remnants of light kissing the clouds like flower petals in the wind. She lowered her head and sighed. Now she was going to have to muster up her might to end things swiftly.
She covered her face with the hood and started down the hall, her footsteps left in the wake of a new chance to defy fate.
Solus swallowed when he noticed that the moon was no longer present in the crimson sky. The final moment of truth was upon them. In mere hours, Adrylis would know of its true fate. Hinju ignored the sensation and pointed his staff up at the young prince, casting a levitation spell upon him. Solus went adrift before he could process what was occurring, flailing slightly in a futile attempt to free himself from the binding hold. Hinju’s magic differed from his own and had far fewer limitations. But he couldn’t just submit.
“You will never learn.”
Kinaju shook his head to clear his vision, glaring up at Hinju, firing an arrow at him once he’d gotten a clear shot. The arrow plunged into Hinju’s right shoulder, his focus shattering. Solus began plummeting back to solid ground, but took a grip on the balcony rails, his hands burning from the swift contact against the metallic texture.
“Kinaju,” Hinju snarled, his crystal staff emanating a crimson shade. A miniscule fireball burst from his weapon, igniting into an inferno when Kinaju attempted to dodge the attack, leaving the younger man with fierce burns on his arms and legs. Kinaju started to rise, taking up his sword again, panting heavily. His reanimated corpse was beginning to dry up and crack under the pressures of the flames, chipping onto the ground.
He didn’t stand a chance. Kinaju knew it. But that didn’t mean he was going to allow Hinju to willingly have his way and steal the kingdom.
Solus worked at pulling himself up, pressing his right foot against one of the bars only for it to continuously slide down before he could succeed. With a frustrated grunt, he glanced down in Hinju and Kinaju’s direction. He held steady.
“Father!” Solus shouted, barely catching Hinju’s attention. “It is me that you seek!”
Hinju was a man of opportunity, unpredictable and unstable, even with all the power that he possessed. But Solus was no different, always looking to chance. There were many spells that Hinju wielded with ease, and each one could wound or kill him if used adequately. But in opportunity lied revelation, understanding… and unraveling.
“Fight me!” Solus challenged, praying that his gesture wasn’t in vain.
“Foolish is the man that steps into a battle he cannot win,” Hinju responded.
It took him some time to build power into his staff, but once he had completed the sequence, a gale split the skies. Solus allowed his hands to slip from the balcony rails and pushed forward, his feet touching base on the windy trail for a mere second, more than enough to help him regain his balance. The gale pierced the balcony, cutting the railings in half. Solus rode the sweeps of the gale’s essence no longer garnered by any spell-keeper, and as he fell, he felt unhinged. Hinju was already rushing to stop him in his tracks, the lack of proper flow from the turning point of the world holding heavy interference.
“Don’t ignore me!” Kinaju roared, an arrow leaving his grasp. Hinju smashed his weapon against the arrow, splitting it in half, his eyes snapping back over to his older son, the crystal burning brighter as the next spell reached its completion.
Solus landed on the grass, drawing his sword, charging towards his father. Streaks of fire spewed from the crystalline staff, charring the grass. Solus stepped to the right to try and avoid the blaze, but it continued to follow him frivolously. He closed the distance between him and Hinju, bringing up his sword to strike. Hinju underhanded his staff, about to strike Solus across the face when a barrier emerged between the two, encasing the Warlord. Solus backpedaled, keeping his blade at the ready in case the man tried to make an escape. Kinaju’s eyes went wide, the skin underneath his eyelids cracking more.
Leilana stepped forward, both hands extended to keep the barrier intact. “Hinju,” she said simply. “It was high time that we came face-to-face again.”
Hinju observed the girl’s handiwork and took a seat inside of his captive prison, folding his hands. “Princess Leilana, a pleasure as always.”
“Did you free them?” Solus asked.
“Lancett has everyone on the move.”
Hinju sighed, reaching out his hand to press against the barrier. “This was your plan? Not entirely fool-proof, even for such skilled mages.” Leilana forcefully shoved the barrier from her distance, knocking the man’s hand away. Hinju observed the princess’s incriminating glare, and he nearly laughed. “How charming to be acknowledged this way. I’ve had enemies in the past, but they’ve never outright challenged me in the manner that you all have today.”
“Well, sorry to say that nothing lasts forever,” Kinaju spoke up.
Hinju drummed his fingers against the barrier’s hold underneath him, each tap eliciting a surge of energy through his body. He peered over at Leilana and caught a glimpse of her left eye, a shade of violet rather than the cerulean she was born with. He couldn’t wipe away his smirk. He pressed his palm on the undersurface and dispelled the mystic barrier with ease, causing Leilana to falter from the sudden loss of energy. When Kinaju realized that Hinju’s target had shifted to Leilana, he lined up an arrow to fire only for his arm to suddenly ache, throwing his shot off the mark. Solus raced towards Hinju while Leilana drew her metal staff to block an onset of his powerful strikes.
Hinju conjured a gale in his right hand while defending himself from Leilana’s counterstrikes, sending it off in Solus’s direction. Solus used his sword to fend off most of the powerful gusts, cutting through the wind. Leilana took the opportunity to strike Hinju’s right hand, knocking his staff out of his grasp. She couldn’t get a handle on it before
Hinju snagged a large portion of her hair in his hand and shoved her aside, leaving the girl momentarily reeling from the agony of strands being ripped from her scalp under the pressure.
Hinju cast a ring of fire around Leilana, trapping her behind the burning walls, but she didn’t allow the building flames to deter her. She sat down, sweat dripping down her forehead, and folded her hands, listening to Solus and Kinaju’s swords clash against Hinju’s staff. Vividly, she pictured the determination on their faces, each of the boys she cared for coming close to their individual goals. There was much that she had yet to awaken to as a proper Sage and sitting back to set it free was becoming meticulous. She would have to push past her limitations.
Her fingertips grazed the scorching flames, her nerves tingling for a few winded seconds before the pain faded altogether. She lengthened the gap between her hands and watched the fire bend to her will, opening a large hole for her to squeeze through, space and essence bound to the power concealed within her budding strength. The Orb of Concord was working with her rather than against her for the first time, blessing her with renewed conviction.
Before anyone could acknowledge her presence, Leilana took up her staff again and slammed it across Hinju’s back with as much force as she could put behind her attack, throwing him face-first onto the grass. She slammed the bottom of the staff into his spine, causing him to howl in pain, and when he finally mustered up an opportunity to react, she bashed his head with the staff one good time, knocking him unconscious. Solus and Kinaju stared at her in disbelief, and Leilana lightly shrugged a response, smiling at the two.
Hinju’s body became engulfed in a blinding aura, and his hand flew forward, wrapping tightly around Leilana’s neck. She yelled, kicked and screamed, but couldn’t break from his grip. She clasped her hands around his arm, choking out, “Velanius Kiria (Cursed Shadow)!”
Slowly, Hinju’s veins began to turn black, and his arm soon followed, but he didn’t falter from the new development. Rather, he slammed Leilana’s body against the ground, keeping her pinned by her neck. Leilana was coughing and gasping for air, spit rolling down the right side of her mouth. Solus was about to pursue Hinju when Kinaju laid a hand against his older brother’s chest and went diving into battle in his place, slamming the hilt of his broadsword against the man’s face only for a barrier to propel him back, leaving Kinaju stunned. He winced at the sound of his body chipping away steadily, glancing down to find that the skin on his right hand was practically white. One more swift effort and he would be nothing more than dust. He had been expending too much energy as a weapon for his brother.
“You grimy little Sage,” Hinju snarled, which caught Leilana’s attention. “I’ll eradicate you.” Leilana kicked him in the knee, knocking him off balance, and scrambled away from him, holding her throat and trying to catch her breath. Solus swarmed in after her, taking her free hand to pull her to her feet, extending his sword in front of them.
“He’s becoming even more powerful,” Kinaju warned. “Father doesn’t often become aroused during a battle, so I wouldn’t take him lightly.”
“Like we were planning to anyways,” Solus scoffed.
“What are we supposed to do now?” Leilana asked softly. “His aura is becoming dire to endure. I can feel the excess energy seeping out of him. It’s almost as though he’s changed into a completely different person.”
“It’s not just him that’s evolving,” Solus admitted, laying a hand on Leilana’s. “You’ve continued to all of this time. You were given a gift, Leilana. You can end this.”
Hinju let out a frustrated growl, pointing his staff at the three, snagging their attention again. “If you are done rambling, I’ve had more than enough of your silly little games.”
Kinaju watched the crimson sky shift to the west, the hours ticking by. They were at the peak of the night, and soon enough, time wouldn’t be on their side anymore. Hinju was reaching a deadly state, and they were running on limitations. Leilana could only go so far with the Orb of Concord’s binding aide, and Solus’s Necromancy did nothing against a walking, breathing man. His own expectancy was short, for his body was crumbling like dust.
Solus kept his gaze trained on Hinju as the man set himself up to cast a spell, snagging his focus on the crystal powering the staff. He was aware of some people siphoning their energy from trinkets or at the very least keeping them contained in a certain force, and Hinju appeared to be no different from other Warlords in that regard. Solus gave Kinaju a knowing look, and a single glance was enough for Kinaju to link with his captor’s thoughts. He steadied his hands, gripping to his bow. Hinju’s spell was nearly charged to completion, but neither Solus nor Leilana turned their backs on him. Right as a lightning bolt surged from the staff, Kinaju shot an arrow through the stream, the electricity twinging off of the arrowhead before connecting with the staff, slicing the upper half of the wood in half.
The crystal fell to the ground, shattering into several shards, and Hinju remained as still as a statue for a few seconds before straightening his back, sighing. Leilana stepped closer to Hinju, her own staff in hand, prepared to strike if needed.
“You’re finished, Hinju. It’s over.”
Hinju kneeled to reclaim one of the splintered shards, watching it shimmer under the crimson light hovering above them. This world was tinted with malice, and there would be only a solitary end to the ordeal. Someone was going to perish.
“I think it’s just begun.” Hinju casually tossed the shard at Leilana, and when it bounced off her left arm, the limb became coated in ice, reaching her shoulder. She glanced over at Hinju in shock, watching him levitate the crystal shards around his personal bubble, grinning sheepishly. He shifted his hand to the left, and the shards followed suit. He spun his hand, causing them to encircle him. “Surely you didn’t believe taking away my staff would deter me?”
“I didn’t anticipate this,” Solus mumbled. Leilana ran her fingers along the coat of ice, grunting in pain as the Orb of Concord worked to disengage the spell, water eventually dripping off her clothes.
“Would you like to try again?” Hinju asked.
Hinju swung out his hand, the crystal shards seizing his three young opponents. Kinaju fired several arrows to break the shards before they reached him. Solus merely dodged the strikes, and Leilana conjured up a barrier to shield herself from the shards. The crystal remains that went untouched returned to Hinju, emanating a sharp glow.
“He’s preparing to start again,” Kinaju implied. “Any plans?”
Leilana flexed her fingers. “I have one.”
Leilana waited for Hinju to send his ‘minions’ off again before eliciting a beam of conserved energy directly at the man. Hinju sacrificed some of the crystal shards to shield him from a frontal blast, but the impact was still enough to send him back a few steps. Leilana conjured a second beam, cutting through his defenses before he could summon forth more shards. Solus brushed past Leilana as Hinju was beginning to recover from the strike, jabbing him in the chest with the hilt of his blade, knocking him further off balance. Hinju managed to snake his hands around Solus’s neck and slam him to the ground, stabbing his stomach with the splintered end of his broken staff. Kinaju fired an arrow, which shakily grazed Hinju’s right shoulder. His fingers ached, and his withering body was beginning to fail him, but stopping now would certainly bring his allies closer to demise at the hands of his father.
Leilana extended her hands, vehemently pushing Hinju away from Solus. The unfathomable force was enough of a distraction for Solus to crawl from the man, clutching his bleeding wound. Hinju stood his ground, a crystal shard plunging into Leilana’s left shoulder, igniting a small flame around her. She managed to dispel it by patting the fire away with her hand before it could completely incinerate her clothes, but not before a second crystal pierced her chest, electricity surging through her body, causing her to let out a painful shriek.
The region became engulfed in shadow, and time came to a halt. Leilana
slowly moved her hands away from her ears, peering around the land to find that her allies and opponent were frozen. Her wounds were on the mend, and her head was no longer clouded. The surge of realization came too late, for time came to a winding start again seconds later.
Leilana whirled around to find Hinju’s hand extending towards her, and she quickly slapped it down, pressing her own hand to his face. “Vinticious Kiria (Blessed Shadow)!” Vines circled around Hinju’s body, leaving him pinned down, the crystal shards falling at his side.
She wished that her spells would hold. But she knew deeply that they would never be able to outdo him. The Orb of Concord still hadn’t reached its full potential, and she was unsure of how to properly access it. It was a blind game of trial and error, and there was no time left to truly awaken it without running the risks of burning out or being killed.
She attempted to conjure a barrier to seal the man away again, but before she could succeed, he snaked his right hand free from the vines and plunged them into the barrier, cutting through them like daggers before they struck against her chest repeatedly, knocking her to the ground. Solus’s eyes went wide, and he ran to Leilana’s side, holding her close to him, calmly shushing her when she tried to muster up the words to apologize to him. Kinaju approached Hinju, sword in hand, cutting through the man’s chest with as much strength as he could ascertain. The blow was sustainable, but not nearly fatal enough. Kinaju inhaled sharply, his limbs growing numb.
“Kinaju!” Solus cried out. Hinju launched a shard into Kinaju’s body, setting him ablaze. Kinaju could barely contain his screams, the flames too intense for him to handle due to his already weakened form. Kinaju shakily outstretched his hand, but just as Solus forced himself to race forward and reach for him, Kinaju’s body crumbled away with the wind. Solus clasped his hand shut and lowered his head, stumbling backward. Twice now, he had lost his brother.