CHAPTER 181
Chapter 181: Colors Bright, Shadow's
Fight
The corrupted Jenna, the beam of pure shadow aimed at Salome and Johnson, and the chilling hiss, "Your love is my power now," made the clearing feel like a twisted mirror of their deepest fears.
Johnson, holding Salome close, felt a surge of protective desperation. He had to save his daughter."Jenna, no!" he cried, his voice echoing through the twisted trees.
"That's not you! Fight it!"Salome, her face pale but her eyes blazing with a fierce love, reached out to touch Jenna, her hand trembling.
"Jenna, baby," she whispered, her voice pleading. "Please, it's us. It's Mommy and Daddy. We love you."But Jenna only laughed, a high-pitched, mocking sound that sent shivers down their spines.
"Love?" she hissed, her voice a distorted echo. "Love is a weakness! And I am strong now.
Stronger than both of you."She fired the beam of shadow, and Johnson and Salome braced themselves for the impact, their love a fragile shield against the encroaching darkness.But the beam never hit them.
Instead, it struck the ground behind them, creating a fissure of darkness that snaked through the clearing, twisting the trees and corrupting the earth.Jenna gasped, her eyes widening slightly, her control over the corrupted crystal wavering for a moment.
Johnson, sensing an opportunity, stepped forward, his voice gentle but firm. "Jenna," he said, "remember your art. Remember the colors, the light, the beauty you create.
That's the real you. That's the strength you have."Salome nodded, her eyes shining with tears. "He's right, baby," she said, her voice soft. "Your art is a gift. It's a part of you.
And it's beautiful."Jenna hesitated, her grip on the corrupted crystal loosening slightly. A flicker of her old self, her bright, vibrant self, shone through the darkness in her eyes."My art?"
she whispered, her voice a distorted echo, but with a hint of confusion.Johnson smiled, a small, fragile smile.
"Yes, Jenna," he said. "Remember the art competition? The one you were so excited about?"Jenna's eyes widened. "The competition!" she exclaimed, her voice sounding a little more like her own.
A memory flashed through Johnson's mind: Jenna, her face beaming, her rainbow crystal glowing brightly, working on her painting for the school art competition.
She had been so proud of her creation, a vibrant, swirling landscape filled with rainbow colors and sparkling light."You were so brave," Salome added, her voice filled with a mother's pride.
"You wanted to show everyone your art, to share your light with the world. That's the Jenna we know and love."Jenna's grip on the corrupted crystal loosened further, and the dark energy surrounding her began to dissipate.
Her eyes cleared, the malevolent green fading, replaced by a glimmer of her natural rainbow hues."I… I remember," she whispered, her voice sounding more like her own.
"I wanted to show everyone my colors."Suddenly, the monstrous form roared, its voice a deep, ancient growl. "Enough of this sentimental nonsense!" it boomed.
"The crystal is mine! The darkness will prevail!"It lunged forward, its shadow reaching out to reclaim Jenna and the corrupted crystal.
Johnson and Salome, their hearts pounding, stood protectively in front of Jenna, their love a shield against the encroaching darkness.But Jenna, her eyes filled with a newfound determination, stepped forward, her small form radiating a growing light."No," she said, her voice clear and strong.
"I won't let you have my colors. I won't let you take my light."She raised her hands, and a surge of rainbow energy erupted from her, a wave of light and color that pushed back the monstrous shadow and shattered the corrupted crystal into a thousand shimmering shards.
The clearing was bathed in a brilliant, rainbow light, and the monstrous form recoiled, its power weakening.
Jenna, her face radiant, her rainbow crystal glowing brightly, had reclaimed her light. She had proven that she was strong, that she was creative, that she was just as powerful as her mother.But as the light faded, a new, horrifying detail emerged.
The shards of the corrupted crystal didn't disappear. Instead, they began to swirl and coalesce, forming a new shape, a shape that was both familiar and terrifyingly distorted.
It was a monstrous paintbrush, dripping with dark, viscous ink, and it was aimed directly at Jenna, ready to paint her world in darkness.