Chapter 28 Hollowed Sky

Chapter 28 Hollowed Sky
Back with Tsukia, she attempted to manifest her power unassisted, wanting to see if she could do it without her sword this time.

She steeled herself, taking a deep breath as she concentrated. Placing both palms over her heart, she began the process, a dark aura swirling around her.

“Keep going,” Nightshade instructed, watching and ready to use his absolute undo if she lost control.

Deep within the secluded forest, hidden behind the rushing river and lost among the countless, towering trees, she stood perfectly still, eyes closed, as if listening to a silent command.

Black veins pulsed on her wrists, a flash of terrifying, volatile power. A chaotic orb of violet and blue energy erupted, swirling between her clawed hands, a jagged, dark energy distorting the air itself. Her face was a mask of cold, terrifying finality.

Opening her eyes, she gazed at the power she controlled, a smile of success gracing her lips as she glanced at Nightshade, who nodded in approval.

But as she tried to close her palms and extinguish the energy, she struggled, as if an opposing force prevented her from doing so and panic began to set in, and the energy flickered erratically.

“No, no, don’t panic. It will only make it worse,” Nightshade said, his words intended to calm her.

Following his advice, she exhaled deeply, relaxed her hands, and regained her composure, finally managing to close her palms.

“See?” Nightshade said, patting her head. “Your powers seem to be linked to your emotions. If you panic, so does your power.”

“It’s best to remain calm when using it and understand how it works both ways,” he added. Tsukia nodded, accepting the bottle of water Nightshade offered. She gulped it down, sighing in relief.

“Now, I want to try releasing it,” Tsukia requested.

Nightshade nodded and moved a short distance away.

“Be careful,” he murmured, and she nodded in response.

Nightshade crossed his arms and watched Tsukia intently as she embraced herself, grounding herself firmly.

A gentle breeze caressed her face, her hair dancing in the air, the sounds of the wind, birds, and river filled the air.

Tsukia inhaled again, slow and deliberate, but this time she kept her eyes open, hungry to see the power she had felt finally take shape between her hands.

Her breath fogged in the cool forest air as she watched, every muscle tuned to a single point of expectation.

She drew her palms inward, cupping them toward one another as if cradling something fragile. Dark, vein-like lines crept up from her wrists, pulsing under the skin as a shadowy aura began to shimmer and coil around her fingers.

A soft, almost metallic hum rose from her chest and into the space between her hands.

The air grew colder, leaves trembled and a few brittle twigs skittered across the forest floor as the breeze answered her summons.

Black light licked at her fingertips, fractal and alive, flickering in rhythm with her pulse. Tsukia tightened her focus, feeling the electric prickle travel up her arms and settle in the hollow between her palms.

She willed the current to steady, to form not merely to be sensed but to manifest and the tendrils of shadow thickened and swirled, coalescing into something that promised tangible power.

Farther through the trees, on the opposite rim of the wood, Jasmia and Lori felt the change in an instant.

The wind shifted against their faces with an odd, directed force, carrying with it a cold that wasn’t natural. Both women froze, eyes narrowing as they exchanged a sharp, knowing look.

The usual chorus of birds and insects fell away into a hush, even the branches seemed to hold their breath.

Jasmia reached for Lori’s arm, steadying herself on the unexpected pull in the air, and without a word they both turned toward the place where Tsukia stood, alert to whatever had just awakened in the heart of the forest.

“Let’s check on Nightshade and Tsukia.” Lori announced abruptly, ceasing his sparring with Jasmia as he noticed the trees swaying strangely to the left.

As they walked towards the disturbance, the wind intensified. They spotted Nightshade first, standing to the side, watching Tsukia, Lori placed a hand on Nightshade’s shoulder to signal their arrival.

They observed Tsukia’s unwavering determination to unleash her inner power, her focus unwavering.

A massive black aura enveloped her body as her breathing grew heavy.

A chaotic orb of violet and blue energy swirled between her clawed hands, a jagged, dark energy distorting the very air around her.

Again, she attempted to expand her palms, amplifying the power, struggling but remaining resolute and blood started trickling from her nose.

Nightshade noticed but hesitated to intervene, witnessing her effort and desire to succeed. He remained vigilant, ready to nullify her powers instantly if necessary.

The violet and blue orb flickering between Tsukia’s palms and it wasn’t just an ordinary energy orb, it was a physical weight, a disaster that can kill millions of people if it’s released.

As it expanded, the air around her turned into a vacuum, pulling the oxygen from her lungs.

The winds reached its peak roar, snapping thick branches like dry tinder and sending flocks of birds shrieking into the sky.

Tsukia’s boots skidded backward, carving furrows into the dirt as the raw kinetic energy pushed against her chest, threatening to crush her ribs before the blast even triggered, Her muscles seized. Veins traced angry, dark lines down her neck.

Her vision blurring into a haze of static. With a guttural, raw-throated scream that tore through the howling gale, she shoved her hands upward, The energy didn’t just leave her, it erupted.

A pillar of shimmering heat and light punched through the atmosphere, a violent redirection that spared the scorched world beneath her feet.

Tsukia hit the ground hard, her knees cracking against the ground.

She stayed there for a moment, head hanging, watching the rhythmic drip of blood from her nose hit the dry grass. Her lungs burned with every shallow breath.

Nightshade immediately ran towards tsukia to check on her, his hand surprisingly steady as he patted her tangled hair with a smirk that didn’t quite hide his relief.

“That was cool, little disaster.” He praised her.

They both looked up, and the world they knew was gone, the sky looked wounded, a deep, sickly cobalt that seemed to be hemorrhaging into a suffocating, bruised crimson.

It wasn’t a sunset, it was an atmospheric scar. High above, the sanguine energy orb pulsed like a dying heart. Around it, the heavens reacted in a frenzy.

Colossal red sprites, crimson filaments of pure electricity clawed upward from the clouds, reaching for the orb like a million desperate, jagged lightnings.

The sun was still up there somewhere, but its light couldn’t pierce the veil. Noon had been smothered into a false, terrifying midnight.

“What the hell have you done, Tsukia...” Lori whispered, staring up at the sky.