Page 224 of Spring Guardians & Songbirds

Reluctantly, I obeyed. Bolting at the outskirts of the village so my lightning didn’t attract the Foglings to the city. The whistle of Nimbus hiding up in the mountains ran once and then twice before the Amur skies slowly began crawling with dark, angry clouds and the city disappeared under a thick layer of fog.

My Aura were quick, but not quick enough because the dark creatures poured out like ants from behind the closing curtains of clouds.

Electricity gathered around me, and I sent a bolt upward to the skies. Like moths to flame, the dark creatures screeched and changed direction, gathering in a vortex above me.

“Damned hells,” I muttered to myself when I saw the number of Foglings circling above and downpour on me like autumn rain.

My soldiers began running toward me, but I lifted a hand, stopping them. “Get the city under clouds. Go!”

“But—”

“If any of them get to the city, I will kill you all myself.”

Reluctantly, they all pulled away and as did Memphis who hovered the skies, attempting to stay away from the lingering beasts overhead.

The rock I stood on blistered with ice that crawled all around me and pierced upward onto a Fogling body. Ice was easier to control, my aim more precise but from the way the creatures had surrounded me, it was no task of precision. They were crowded around and above me in such a way that I couldn’t see at all. It was almost becoming as dark as night.

Finally, I decided to drag every inch of electricity I could control and blast it around us. Over and Over. Yet the more I killed, the more showed up, attracted by the bright lightning.

The mountain blistered with my magic that clung to every rock and atom of air. The height rumbled and heat scorched anything that was alive where I stepped. With each breath I took, the sputtering lightning dressing my libs expanded. And then I felt the gates of mana ram open. I stopped and drew my sword. If my seal opened I was more dangerous to Amur than the Fogling. It had to be done the good old way.

The skies cried heavily as I swung my brother’s sword back and forth, impaling one Fogling after another. When I killed one, two more showed up. They were multiplying by the moment, and I was running out of energy to keep myself upright. But bolting was all it would take for my seal to break. And I wasn’t sure if I’d make it to Visha on time.

The rain soaking my leathers was heavy and held up my punches. Or perhaps it was the tremble of exhaust that did it.

One by one, they dropped to the ground, clawing the stone in my direction, their mouths hungry and their swirling dark stare mad. Once, these creatures were an Olympian—at least the dark part of the soul remaining from them.

I looked up at the pouring skies, breathing quicker than what my lungs allowed. “You really don’t want me up there. I swear, you don’t want me in either heaven or hells.” My throat burned and my pulse was erratic as I pushed my sword through body after body. “You really don’t want me up there.”

My grip gave up, loosening from the shake permeating me and the sword dropped to the hard rock with a clatter. I frowned looking down at my dishevelled state. My spirit would be mocked and dragged to bits by fellow spirits.

Sigh.

What a fucking terrible way to die.

The surrounding air grew heavy with magic and all of a sudden, tentacles of dark rose from the ground, enveloping the surroundings and rising to the sky, turning day to night. The creatures screeched in anguish and I felt a trickle of blood dripping from my ears.

Before I crashed to the ground, a strong pair of arms hoisted me up. If I was tired enough to not recognise that touch, I could never be tired enough to recognise that sweet scent of his.

“I’ve got you.”

When I cracked my eyes open, he stood there, looking down at me. The inky black air that touched me was warm, but the moment the creatures enveloped in it they turned to ash.

Soon, it got so dark I could see nothing.

So dark that I had to clutch Kilian hard to feel like I wasn’t slipping in it. Perhaps he didn’t want me to see. But he didn’t know…that I was no longer afraid of the dark.

“You’re safe, my love.” He rested his forehead on mine and I got to breathe him in.

“I've always wanted to be saved,” I murmured, my tongue loose from fatigue or perhaps from how safe it felt to say it. “At least once, I prayed to be saved. Have you come to save me?” I sighed again onto him, my body melting to his as though every fibre of mine wanted to feel his. “How is it so much easier to say things in the dark?”

“Because they stay in it. Whatever happens in the dark stays in the dark.”

I lifted my head up, presuming I was looking at him because I couldn't see anything.

“You’re staring at my nose,” he said with some amusement.

“I wanted to stare at your mouth.” I reached a hand to cup his face, slowly guiding my fingers to find his lips. “Whatever happens in the dark stays in the dark, right?”