The complimentary soul

The complimentary soul
Melissa’s POV

From within Damon and me, a golden, bright light burst forth. It pushed the darkness aside as it rushed outward. The Void flinched for the first time.

I gasped as I sensed our strength entwined, our spirits united. My brightness became Damon's, and his power became mine. We were invincible together.

The Void screamed, its dark shape contorting. "Not possible! You can't disobey me!

Damon grinned. "It appears that we just did."

As the darkness faded, the pack behind us cheered, their spirits rising. Hope flashed for a minute.

The Void, however, altered its strategy.

Rather than attacking us, it turned to our fighters. The gang stumbled abruptly as a dark pulse sped across the air. Their eyes grew wide with agony.

I let out a gasp. "What's going on?"

Eldric clutched his skull and yelled. "Our link is being attacked by the Void! It is cutting off our relationship with one another!

Damon's face grew serious. "No. It is attempting to separate us from the group.

I felt the connection between me and my troops eroding as I made an effort to connect. They dwindled in my mind, one by one.

"No!" I balled my fists up. "I refuse to allow this to occur!"

The Void's voice slithered across my mind as it laughed. You are nothing if you are not with your pack. You are weak without your bond.

I tried to fight back by gritting my teeth. Then—a voice reverberated throughout me.

"Listen, Melissa."

I went cold. I had never heard that voice before, but it seemed familiar.

There were more voices, steady, powerful murmurs of the past. The predecessors.

Damon saw how stunned I was. Melissa?

I closed my eyes and concentrated. The voices became more distinct. "Your strength is more than simply light. There is more to it than that. Examine yourself.

I felt a surge of warmth, and all of a sudden, I realized.

I looked across at Damon. "I have something hiding inside of me. I sense it.

He gave a nod. "Then put it to use."

I inhaled deeply, prepared to use this newly discovered strength—

However, the shadows of the Void encircled us and dragged us into the dark before I could.

The battlefield vanished. The voices were gone. The light dimmed.

I woke up to find Damon and I imprisoned in an odd, never-ending emptiness. Our pack's psychic connection vanished.

I was enveloped by a thick silence. It was all dark. Chilly. Empty.

"Damon?" My voice reverberated.

"I'm present." His hand touched mine. "Where are we?"

I took a look around. There was only a whirling emptiness of shadows, neither earth nor sky.

"We were trapped by the Void," I muttered. "It disconnected us."

Damon's hand tightened. "Then we struggle to get out."

There was a deep snarl. The shadows moved, creating hideous forms with red eyes that glowed.

Damon muttered an expletive. "I detest this location."

Something sprang at me. I rolled sideways, barely avoiding it. They appeared in greater numbers, encircling us.

Damon called forth his force, and his luminous blades cut through the darkness. "Make use of your power, Melissa!"

I tried, but something stopped me. A profound apprehension. Definitely.

In my ears, the shadows murmured. "You're weak. You have no control over your inner self.

I shuddered. My light wavered.

Damon saw. "Don't listen to them, Melissa! You are more powerful than this!

What if I wasn't, though? What if I had no control over the power within me?

The voices of the ancestors suddenly came back. "You have to accept both brightness and gloom, Melissa. They are a part of you, not your adversaries.

I let out a gasp. Darkness and light... together?

I had always struggled with my inner darkness. What if I didn't have to, though?

Damon looked across to me. "Believe whatever you're hearing, Melissa. Have faith in yourself.

His remarks had a profound effect.

I inhaled deeply. I let my fear go.

My power then changed.

Around me, darkness and light merged rather than clashed. My veins were filled with a new vitality, something strong and well-balanced.

Sensing the shift, the creatures of the Void let out a shriek.

The Void's hold grew more firm as the force within me awoke. We wouldn't be allowed to go without a battle.

There was anarchy on the battlefield. Despite the warriors' best efforts, the Void's armies were unrelenting. Like a never-ending tide, shadows swarmed the pack as they clawed through the air.

Eldric was in the middle, looking around the battlefield. He had a somber face. "We're falling behind."

Marcus slashed his blade at a shadow beast, blood streaming from his brow. "Where is Melissa? We require her!

Eldric gripped his staff more tightly. She and Damon are trapped by the Void. We are unable to contact them.

Fear began to seep into the warriors' hearts as they paused. What chance did they have to win without Melissa and Damon?

Eldric resisted the urge to give up. He looked toward the adjacent old temple's remains. "There must be an alternative."

His eyes fell upon an ancient, deserted altar, partially buried behind the debris. From behind the stone flashed a faint radiance.

His heart thumped. Is it possible?

He shoved the dust aside and hurried forward. Powerful symbols flared under his fingertips. It was a relic, older than any of them, and this was no ordinary altar.

He whispered, "Maybe this will help Melissa."

Marcus moved to stand next to him. "What is it?"

"A remnant of equilibrium." There was amazement in Eldric's voice. "If we activate it, Melissa's power could be amplified."

Marcus watched the shadows approach. "What are we waiting for, then?"

Eldric paused. It calls for a risky ritual. Failure could lead to our demise.

The ground rocked with a guttural roar. Their scheme has been detected by the Void.

Out of the shadows sprang a hideous shadow beast, bigger than anything they had ever seen. It charged directly at them, its eyes glowing red.

The beast lunged, directly toward the relic, before Eldric had even raised his hands.

A surge of vitality swept through me. I let out a gasp as something inside of me woke up. It was a new kind of force, neither pure darkness nor pure light. Something in balance.

The Void screamed forth. It is aware of my alteration.

Damon spoke urgently. "Melissa, keep doing whatever you just did."

I concentrated, allowing the energy to flow. I felt stronger and lighter. For the first time, I was accepting my inner darkness rather than resisting it.

The shadows of the Void twisted and swung forth. A golden-black energy surged from me as I raised my hands. The darkness faded away.

Damon smiled. "That's what I'm talking about right now."

The Void shuddered, changing shape. It growled, "You are an abomination." "Your existence was never intended."

I moved forward a step. "That's where you're incorrect."

With a howl, the Void gathered its strength for one last assault. The whole realm trembled. We wouldn't be able to get away if I didn't end it immediately.

My eyes met Damon's. "We work together to accomplish this."

I gave a nod. Our hands clasped together as we stretched for one another.

The air suddenly became heated. The artifact.

Even from inside the Void's trap, I could feel its might. It had been turned on by someone.

The Void let forth a roar. "No!"

A glare of light pierced the shadows. The realm's walls shattered like glass as they fractured.

We had freedom.

Before us, the battlefield reappeared. The pack, still engaged in combat. Eldric, barely standing, grasping the artifact. The hideous shadow beast was rushing directly at him.

Damon and I took immediate action. Together, we unleashed our power—darkness and light in perfect balance.

The shadow beast was hit just before it got to Eldric. The ground shook with a thunderous explosion.

The beast broke apart. There was silence on the battlefield.

Breathing heavily, I turned to the Void. It no longer appeared unbeatable. It appe
ared terrified.

As the Void started to change, its actual form became apparent: a godlike, hideous creature that was bigger and stronger than anything we had ever encountered.