“But you can’t win,” he whispered.
“There’s always hope,” I argued.
“I can fight in your stead,” Azrael suggested.
“No substitutions,” the Umbral called over. “And while this reunion is touching, my patience is wearing thin. Ready yourself, Lightbringer. This ends now.”
I tightened my grip on the epee, pulling away from the others. Bastien reached for me again, but I brushed him away.
“I’d like for you two to be here,” I said, my voice far calmer than it should have been. “At the end. If it’s not too much to ask.”
Azrael’s nose wrinkled, and he shook his head. “Don’t say that.”
Bastien didn’t answer, his steely gaze trained on me with unfaltering discipline. Would he try to bring me back, once the Umbral had their way with me? I wondered if there would be any essence left to find, out in the Ether.
The tethers between us grew brighter as I embraced them both, pressing them against me with all the strength I could muster. They wrapped their arms around me, Azrael whispering comforts while Bastien remained silent.
“I’m sorry we didn’t have more time,” I said, releasing my hold on them. “Maybe in the next life, should I be so lucky.”
The two men watched as I turned back to face my foe, the blazing tethers shedding their solemn light on my path forward towards the end. Taking my position, I raised my weapon into a stance, giving the Umbral a nod.
“I’m ready.”
“We begin.”
In a moment of selfish cowardice, I longed to close my eyes. To wait for Death’s embrace while envisioning those I was leaving behind one last time. But I had asked for them to stay. To witness the approach of my end firsthand. So, I too had to stare Death down as it charged forward, wearing the face of my oldest friend.
The Umbral was quick, racing to close the distance between us. I wanted to parry the blow, but the epee was suddenly so heavy in my hand, and by the time I got it moving, it was already too late. The Umbral went for the heart, the tip of their blade pointed with practiced dexterity at the exact point my tethers to Bastien and Azrael connected. It was almost an act of mercy, how quickly it would be over.
“Cirian!”
The tip of the blade halted just before it pierced the flesh, the Umbral’s expression shifting quickly from one of smug resolution to bewilderment.
Wrapped around their wrist and waist, two blazing tethers held them in place, stilling their strike and holding them in place.
“What is the meaning of this?” they hissed, eyes darting from me to the two men behind me.
I didn’t waste the opportunity, my blade already in motion to parry, I shifted the direction, catching the Umbral across the arm. The fabric of Sancha’s vestments offered little resistance as my blade found purchase, drawing a spray of black across the sapphire materials.
The Umbral shrieked an inhuman sound as they scuttled backward, the tethers releasing their hold. Their blood dripped heavy and slow down their arm, thick ichor pooling at their feet as they glared at me.
“That point goes to me, I believe.”
“You go against the pact,” the Umbral hissed.
The chains descended once more, hoisting us back into our starting positions before retreating back into the looming cloud. “No punishment. So, obviously, there was no violation. Or perhaps your spellwork isn’t quite up to snuff?”
Their eyes narrowed, darkness expanding over the whites of their eyes. Lifting their weapon into position once more, they took their stance.
Feeling a surge of energy from the turn of the tide, I followed suit, the ache of my trembling arm dulling a bit as I lifted my epee above my head.
“Are you prepared?” I asked.
Another hiss. “I am.”
“Let us begin.”
The Umbral lunged forward with the ferocity of a wounded animal, all teeth and claws and desperation. I spun to avoid their thrust, a second one coming right after. Our blades collided with a deafening screech, showering the ground below with sparks.
