Prologue:
Fog blanketed the ground, concealing the advancing army. Alexis stood in front of the gates of the Academy of Mage. She stood tall and radiated the power of her heritage. Her eyes were a deep blue, burning like cobalt flames. On her back perched two red and black wings. She stood with an army behind her, preparing to rid the world of one of two most powerful mages of the current century. She had a staff strapped to black cloak that sported her symbol, a half human and half demonic. Her fingers curled, tightly around the lock on the magically fortified gates and yanked hard, shattering it. She let it fall, thinking, satisfied, ‘It’s time you’ve paid for your crimes, Allen Quing.’
With that signal, the battle began. With a silent look to Izuzu, she motioned the fighters to follow on her march. She swung the iron gates open and roared, “For the Freedom of the Halflings!!!!!”
With eyes blazing she took to the air and swooped into the school. She took the route to the Headmaster’s office. She could hear the shouts of her comrades behind her as she skidded and turned left, her left hand pulling free her staff. She could feel her magic pushing, fighting to be unleashed.
As she reached the door to the headmaster’s office a gust of wind sent her flying back. Crashing to the ground, she saw Allen standing there. He held his own staff, his eyes a bright red. The look of hatred and greed in them disgusted her as he hissed, “I will gain my immortality!! All I need is you!”
Alexis stood up, her eyes flaming as she silently sealed the room from others, before she hissed, “Fat chance, Allen! I will beat you.”
He grinned, avariciously, “Your soul will become mine! I will have it!” With that he lunged, sending a wave of vines at her. She quickly dodged them and sent her own attack back.
The two continued this elegant dance of attacks back and forth, dodging and striking. The rhythm was set, neither of them really landing a good hit. Soon however things began to get heated. Alexis unleashed her power and the castle began to shake, with a lunge she attacked. The staff sliced Allen’s arm, leaving a large gash from his elbow to his wrist. With a roar of rage, his magic reacted, slamming into her head, sending her crashing to the floor once more. She laid there dazed, the blow knocking all the air out of her lungs.
As she struggled to breath, he took out a knife, driving it deep in her stomach. With a startled gasp of pain, she kicked him hard in the face, desperately to get away. Yanking the knife out, with a cry of pain, she tossed it away, lodging it into the cracked stone walls.
The two lunged at once, their magic finally fully unleashed. The pressure of the magic sent the castle crumbling.As they two fought the hallway began to crack and fall around them. The ground caught fire and the soldiers all stopped. They watched the fight, in awe. Soon however their courage came back and they fought once more. Swords and staffs clashed. The two paid no heed, continuing attacking and dodging.They were lost in their own struggle for power. Alexis hands gripped the red oak staff of Allen’s, tightly in her grasp. Her fingers dug into the wood as she yanked it out of his hands; causing two things to happen. Alexis tossed the staff behind her somewhere amongst the rubble of the now fallen castle. He stumbled toward her, causing her to yank him to her face by the neck of his cloak.
She grinned, as he tried to flee. Speaking viciously, her eyes burning with the flames of hatred and anger, “I wouldn’t try fleeing, or I will make my revenge all the more sweeter.”
She grinned, impishly at his terrified look, inwardly thinking, ‘Finally the battle is over.’ She gripped her staff and focused on his life source. With a painful scream, he slid to the floor, as she snuffed out the flames of his soul. He laid on the ground, lifeless. She felt the world spinning as she swayed, her fear growing as she whispered, “Forgive me, Mother, Father....you didn’t wish for a daughter who plotted revenge.”
The once proud castle now lay in shambles at her feet. The towers had crumbled, the walls lay in ruins. The shrubbery in the courtyard was burned and broken; nothing was left standing. Hot coals and ashes floated around on gentle tufts of wind. The walls were cracked, stray fires licked around their ruins. The Entrance Hall was now the only structure still standing, at least somewhat. It lay in ruins because of her and the clash between her and her enemy. She stared down at the once great mage, and let out a quiet sigh of remorse. Soon however, her remorse faded as she remembered what he had done... what he had done to her family. Anger washed over her in great waves, enveloping her entirely. She had nowhere to go.
She looked around, broken bodies of those who had fought with her and against her lay everywhere. Her eyes watched closely for something, anything. She could detect subtle signs of life amongst the fallen. She saw several struggling, their chests rising and falling. She looked for her staff. She spotting it several yards away, laying beside a fallen but still alive mage. Her mind finally taking in what she had done, she had finished off one of the people manipulating her.
As she moved towards it, she heard a familiar voice shout, “Alexis!” She ignored it in favor of picking up her staff.
As she knelt, she could see the radiant power just rolling off of it, her power. Her fingers absently traced the elegant runes engraved all along the smooth red body. As she picked it up, she felt comforted by having it close by, the instrument of her capability. She held it in my hands, lovingly, for a few moments before placing back in its rightful place. Strapping it to the back of her black cloak, She finally acknowledged her love, Izuzu.
“Yes?” she asked, her fingers brushed, trembling, against the forehead of a fallen Element Mage. His eyes were closed, his breathing come out in short gasps. She could tell that a rib was broken and had punctured one of his lungs.
Her hands began to a soft red as she closed her eyes. She felt doubts cloud her mind. 'What will I be able to make a live out of nothing? Will I be able to save the injured? Is Hope ok?' She thought almost losing control of the magic, which would kill the man. She could see what was wrong with him in her mind as her hands carefully probed and wandered his rib cage. She thought solely on repairing his ribs and lung. She blocked every thought, every emotion, every single distraction out of her mind and watched in her mind as it slowly began to slide back to its place. A gold light soon covered her mind and she knew he would be alright.
Izuzu rested her hands on Alexis's shoulders, her eyes bright with concern. Alexis smiled up at her, saying, “It’s finally over. Forgive me, Izuzu.” She fell sideways to the ground, the wound to the stomach finally taking over her.
As she fought between consciousness and darkness she could hear Izuzu scream, “Hurry up, Hope!! She’s relapsing!!”
Vaguely,she remembered how this all began, praying to whatever god out there that she would wake again.
‘Please, let me come back. I have to come back for her, my love.’ She thought as darkness took her away from the pain in her stomach that was spreading. She could feel the poison and the bad cells moving, and felt her heart give in.
youre a great writer.
