War of shadows

The battlefield was chaos.

Yna barely had time to breathe, much less think. Selene’s creatures, the shapeless morphing creatures of shadow flowed like liquid, dodging attacks that should have killed them. Yna’s magic attacks reshaped them; Marcus or Leo’s physical blows could not penetrate the shadows.

Selene watched from the ruins above, arms crossed, amused.

Yna growled and struck another creature with her energy bolt. It shrieked and staggered but did not fall.

“They’re not dying! ” Liora cried, cutting at one. The blade went through, but the creature shook only slightly.

"They can't die, " Selene called down, smiling. "Not the way you mean. "

Yna’s pulse thundered.

She sharply faced Marcus, 'We must stop fighting them head-on!'

Marcus shifted back, panting. “Then what do you suggest?”

Yna clenched her fists.

Selene wasn’t playing fair.

So neither would she.

Yna closed her eyes, and felt the power flowing through her, the raw power of the shattered crystal, burning hot and alive. It was more than energy; it was information. 

And she knew exactly what she had to do.

She opened her eyes. “Liora, Leo cover me.”

Liora paused then nodded and stood up. Leo, bleeding and bruised, sighed. ‘Get your plans together quickly. ’

Yna went down on one knee, her palm flat on the ground.

She pulled.

Magic swelled from her and from the land. Ruins shook, creatures stumbled, shadows glowed.

Selene’s smile faded.

Yna picked it up deep below ground at the source, where Selene's magic met the battlefield, and creatures rose up.

She ripped it open.

An earthquake ripped through the battlefield, sending creatures screaming as their bodies dissolved into nothing.

Selene’s expression turned cold. “Clever.”

The ruins crumbled further. The sky darkened.

But Yna wasn’t done.

She lifted her hand and unleashed hell.

The Turning Point

The magic flowed toward Selene, and the stone beneath her feet splintered.

Selene just barely avoided the blast, then leapt gracefully to the field, her red cloak flapping as she landed.

The amusement in her eyes was gone.

“You’ve been holding back,” she mused.

Yna didn’t respond.

Selene lifted her hand and said, ‘Let's see what happens when I decide to stop holding back.’

The ground exploded.

Yna was thrown back, hard landing in the dirt. Marcus caught her before she rolled off the edge.

Selene descended on them.

Her attack was quick, sharp and she was no longer playing. She struck with almost supernatural speed, hitting Marcus first, knocking him back before he could shift.

Yna just barely blocked, and Selene's magic wrapped around her throat.

It was like being burned from the inside.

“Powerful,” Selene murmured. But undisciplined.

Yna gasped, struggling against the invisible force.

Marcus lunged, Selene snapped her fingers.

Marcus froze mid-air, suspended like a broken puppet.

Leo and Liora drew in to flank her but Selene flicked her wrist and they crashed backward into the ruined walls.

Selene refocused on Yna and said, You are a child playing with fire.

Yna gritted her teeth.

The shadows tightened.

Pain.

Then, Something snapped inside her.

Selene’s grip faltered for half a second.

And it was enough.

Yna pushed.

Magic exploded outward.

Selene staggered, caught off guard.

Yna sprang forward and swung her blade. Magic clashed between them, fierce and raw.

Selene’s expression shifted just for a second.

Then she laughed.

“You’re getting stronger,” she admitted, blocking another strike.

Yna panted. “And you’re getting desperate.”

Selene’s eyes flashed.

The sky split open.

The Arrival of the Forgotten Ones

A new force entered the battlefield.

Lightning crackled as they appeared.

Not warlocks. Not wolves.

Something older.

Silver-flamed forms stepped from the shattered ruins, eyes like stars.

Selene hissed. “You dare interfere?”

One, taller than the rest, spoke: ‘Selene, your time is done. ’

Yna barely understood what was happening.

But she felt it, a shift in the balance.

Selene snarled, shadows rising like a storm around her.

Marcus grabbed Yna’s arm. “We need to move now.”

Yna hesitated. “Who are they?”

Those who had fought the Blood Coven before, Liora whispered, the ones who disappeared.

The Forgotten Ones.

Selene turned back to Yna one last time, her red cloak flapping in the wind. "This isn't over. "

She vanished into the darkness.

And the Forgotten Ones turned their gaze to Yna.

“You’re not ready, ” said the tallest, “but you’ll be. ”

The battlefield fell silent.

And Yna knew—

This was just the beginning.

Deep in the ruins, far below the battlefield, a locked door shook.

Something old stirred beneath the surface.

And it was waking up.