DARKNESS CLOSES IN

DARKNESS CLOSES IN
Chapter 176.
Third person's pov.
Claudia was unstoppable, at least this version of her. Her hits were damaging as they were dangerous and not a single expression resonated on her features, just a blank mask of boredom.

Warren noticed this about her as well, despite calling out her name multiple times, she still ignored him, striking anyone who had gotten too close to her, or perhaps looked at her wrongly.

The wolves and witches were stuck, on one end was a barrier that kept mindless wolves out, and now on the inside, one of their men had turned against them.

What they meant to make out of this, was a case of standing between a rock and a hard surface.

Claudia was unforgiving in using her powers, suspending a wolf in the air and sniffing the air out of his lungs while he struggled, his feet dangling while his hands choked the invisible hands that wrapped around his throat.

The wolves and the witch witnessing this horrific scene as well as Warren were about to attack, but Warren stopped them, “She's still one of our own we can't attack her,”

A bloody Kyle raged, “One of ours? She is killing him,” tossing a fireball that circled with speed towards Claudia.

Claudia seemed to anticipate their moves as she swatted the fireball away like a ragged doll. This has definitely caught her attention, shifting it from the man in the air and letting him fall in a heap to the floor.

Her attention focused on Kyle instead.

Kyle sensed the danger and with a demanding and blank stare from Claudia, a sense of fear and a shiver ran down his spine, taking a careful step backward.

Kyle questioned himself why he felt such a sense of terror within him, this was a little girl, one who had only realised the power she had.

“I have been with my powers since I was born,” his thoughts only fueled him as he stood his ground and took the offense.

Hurling balls of red flames towards her in order to push her back, and not giving Claudia a second to respond, at least that was his plan but Claudia didn't break a sweat in swatting away his efforts.

The others didn't just stand either as they began to attack as well, creating a circle around her to try and stop her, while the others focused on keeping the mutants out.

But there were a few people who couldn't stand by and watch such a scene unfold, Claudia's mother whose heart couldn't hold it together and then there was Warren who saw red.

Stepping forward before Lyra could and swaying all of their attacks against Claudia. They didn't want to hurt Warren either, who begged them to stop and that he would take care of Claudia.

Warren didn't know what had gone wrong with her, or what to do about it until he heard Finch from the side say it might be part of the consequences of dark magic.

Claudia set her dark gaze on Warren, the usual warmth she had when she looked at him was long gone, what remained was a cold blank stare like she stared at a stranger rather than the person she loved.

This broke Warren, “Claudia, I know you can hear me, you need to stop,” he stood blocking her path from the others.

“You are attacking innocent people, this isn't right,” he explained, gesturing towards the chaos she was bringing and at the back of his mind, he remembered the prophecy.

Of how the chosen one would either bring light to the world, or bring darkness to it, painting the wolf in crimson blood.

He didn't want her to become the monster she feared all along, knowing fully well that she wouldn't live with  herself when she finally came back to it.

The present Claudia didn't care and attacked Warren without a second thought in a physical fight, Warren had no choice but to go on the defence, making sure not to harm her, at the same time keeping a safe distance not to harm himself.

But that could only go on for so long when Claudia burned him in the abdomen, ready to take his soul just like she had when she first used dark magic.

Warren, staring into those dark orbs and feeling a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach, guessed that was what was about to happen but remained in place within her tight grip.

Finch noticed the feeling as well, he also felt the surge of the dark magic increasing around them like a bubble that is ready to burst.

A dreadful terror set in his heart as he ordered everyone, “We can't let her set it free, we need to contain it and the only way to do that is if we take her out,” the witches were about to link when Warren yelled for them to stop.

“You can't take her out,” he choked out, despite Claudia's hands wrapped around his neck and pressing down, he still defended her.

He stared down at her with so much hurt and pain, “Claudia, I know you are in there,” 

“I know you can hear me,” Warren groaned as Claudia's hands tightened a bit but that didn't stop him from pushing forward, “...and I also know that this is not what you want,”

“There is always a predestined fate for everyone, the future is subjected to change, there are millions of them, and you have the power to choose which you want to go,” 

Warren shook his head, “You can change the future, break the cycle of a predestined fate, one which poses you as the villain of the world,”

“You can do it, I know you,” he whispered, raising a hand and carrying her cheek, “Because I have faith in you,”

“And I love you,”