"You're wasting your time," Xerxes sneered from within its cage. "She won't listen to you."
Cillian didn't reply; instead, he unleashed another bolt of lightning that tore through part of Xerxes' form before dissipating into sparks.
"You're done," Cillian muttered coldly as he prepared for another strike—but before he could move again, Xerxes summoned a massive sphere of darkness that exploded outward in all directions.
The force sent Cillian flying backward across the room, slamming into one of the lower platforms with enough impact to make him wince slightly despite his resilience.
Cillian hit the platform hard, the impact jarring his body, but he rolled with it, landing on one knee as sparks of black lightning crackled around him. His sharp eyes snapped upward, locking onto Xerxes, who hovered above Luxana like a twisted specter. The misty figure's distorted laughter echoed through the room, bouncing off the crystalline walls like a haunting melody.
"You're out of your depth, boy," Xerxes sneered, its voice dripping with malice. "You can't touch me. You can't stop me. And you certainly can't save her."
Cillian wiped a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand, his expression cold and unyielding. "Save her?" he muttered under his breath, his voice low and dangerous. "You think I'm here to save her?"
Without warning, he launched himself into the air again, moving with blinding speed as arcs of black lightning coiled around his body like living serpents. He closed the distance between them in an instant, his fist charged with raw energy as he aimed directly for Xerxes' core.
But just before he could strike, Xerxes dissolved into smoke once more, reappearing behind him with a mocking laugh. "Predictable," it hissed.
Cillian spun mid-air and twisted his body to land on a nearby beam, his boots skidding slightly as he regained balance. He didn't waste time responding to Xerxes' taunts; instead, he raised both hands and unleashed a barrage of lightning bolts that lit up the room like a violent storm.
The attacks tore through the air with deafening cracks of thunder, shattering parts of the platform and sending shards of crystalline debris raining down below. But Xerxes evaded each strike effortlessly, its misty form weaving through the chaos like smoke in a gale.
"Is that all you've got?" Xerxes mocked as it reformed above Luxana once more. Its glowing eyes narrowed as it turned its attention back to her. "Touch the body," it commanded sharply. "Do it now! Don't let this fool distract you."
Luxana remained motionless—her back still turned to Cillian as she stood on the high platform. Her long orange hair cascaded down her back like liquid fire, glowing faintly in the dim light. She didn't flinch or move; she simply stared ahead in eerie silence.
Cillian's gaze flicked to her briefly before snapping back to Xerxes. His chest tightened as frustration mounted within him—he couldn't land a single blow on this damn thing, and Luxana wasn't reacting at all.
"Luxana!" he barked sharply, his voice cutting through the chaos like a blade. "Don't listen to him!"
Xerxes let out an enraged screech that shook the room. "SILENCE!" it roared, its voice reverberating like thunder. "Touch that body now! OR PAY THE CONSEQUENCES!"
Cillian dodged another sphere of Pinyana magic that screamed toward him, leaping onto another beam with cat-like agility. He raised one hand and sent another bolt of lightning hurtling toward Xerxes—but once again, it dissolved into smoke before reappearing further away.
"Damn it," Cillian muttered under his breath as he landed on a lower platform. His mind raced as he tried to anticipate Xerxes' next move while keeping an eye on Luxana above.
Xerxes' voice boomed again: "That body is your salvation! Touch it! Merge with it! Become what you were meant to be!"
Cillian's eyes narrowed dangerously as he shouted back: "That body is soulless! If you touch it, your soul will be trapped inside—and you'll never get out!"
Luxana didn't react—her silence was deafening amidst the chaos.
Xerxes snarled furiously before launching another wave of dark magic toward Cillian—this time summoning jagged spikes from the ground that shot upward in rapid succession. Cillian dodged each one with precision born from years of combat experience, his movements fluid and calculated despite their speed.
"Enough of your bullshit!" Xerxes roared as it reformed above him again. "She will become stronger—unstoppable! You're just afraid of that!"
Cillian unleashed another bolt of lightning that cracked through the air like a whip, narrowly missing Xerxes as it shifted again.
"That body is contaminated!" Cillian shouted back, his voice sharp and commanding despite the chaos around him. "It's been touched by countless dead souls—souls that have perished in agony! If you enter it—you'll become their new host!"
Xerxes let out a distorted laugh that sent chills down Cillian's spine. "And what if she does?" it sneered mockingly. "What if she becomes something greater than she ever was?"
"CUT THE CRAP!" Cillian snapped as he dodged another attack and countered with a sweeping arc of lightning that tore through part of the platform above him. His eyes burned with intensity as he continued: "All you want from her, is for her lose herself—and when she does—you'll take her body for yourself!"
The room fell silent for half a second before Xerxes let out an enraged scream that shook the very foundation of this strange world.
"You know nothing!" Xerxes bellowed furiously before launching a massive sphere of darkness toward Cillian—a devastating attack that seemed to consume all light around it.
Cillian braced himself and leapt into action again, dodging just in time as the sphere exploded against one of the beams behind him, sending shards of debris flying in every direction.
The fight raged on relentlessly—each attack more desperate than the last—but neither side could gain an advantage. Cillian's strikes were powerful but precise; every bolt of lightning carried enough force to destroy most opponents outright. But Xerxes was unlike anything he'd faced before—it was slippery and unpredictable, its attacks fueled by an ancient darkness that seemed to grow stronger with every passing second.
Above them all, Luxana remained still—a silent observer amidst the chaos unfolding below her.
Cillian's chest rose and fell heavily as he stood on one of the lower platforms, his gaze locked onto Xerxes' misty form above him. His mind raced as he calculated his next move—but deep down, he knew this fight wasn't going to end easily.
The fight had reached its boiling point. Cillian stood on a fractured platform, his body battered but unyielding, sparks of black lightning crackling around him like a storm barely contained. His sharp eyes locked onto Xerxes, who hovered above him like a dark specter, its misty form twisting and writhing in the air. Every strike Cillian had thrown had been evaded, every counterattack from Xerxes had pushed him closer to the edge—but he wasn't done yet.
Xerxes let out another distorted laugh, its voice echoing through the room like nails scraping against glass. "You're finished," it sneered, its glowing eyes narrowing dangerously. "You're just a faliure. Just another fool clinging to hope."
Cillian's jaw tightened as he steadied himself, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. His mind raced as he calculated his next move—he didn't have much left in him, but he wasn't about to let this thing win.
"You talk too much," Cillian muttered coldly under his breath, his voice low but razor-sharp.
Without warning, Xerxes launched another sphere of dark magic toward him—a massive orb that screamed through the air with raw malice. Cillian dodged it with a sharp pivot to the side, letting it explode against the ground behind him in a burst of black flames. The heat grazed him, but he didn't flinch; his focus remained locked on Xerxes.
The misty figure reformed above Luxana now, hovering near her platform like a predator eyeing its prey. Its distorted voice boomed through the room again: "Touch the body!" it commanded sharply.
Luxana remained silent—her posture rigid and unmoving.
Cillian's gaze flicked to her briefly before snapping back to Xerxes with renewed intensity. His chest tightened as frustration mounted within him—he couldn't land a single blow on this damn thing, and Luxana wasn't reacting at all.
"Enough," Cillian growled under his breath as he raised both hands slowly, summoning every ounce of power left in him. Black lightning coiled around his arms like living serpents, crackling and hissing as they grew brighter and more intense.
Xerxes let out another mocking laugh as it launched another barrage of dark magic toward him—jagged spikes that shot upward from the ground in rapid succession. Cillian dodged each one with fluid precision, his movements sharp and calculated despite their speed.
"You're wasting your time, KID." Xerxes sneered as it reformed nearby once more. "You can't win."
Cillian ignored the taunt entirely; instead, he focused all his energy into one final attack—a desperate move that could either end this fight or destroy him entirely.
He raised both hands high above his head, summoning a massive surge of black flames that erupted around him like a tidal wave of fire. The heat was suffocating, pressing against his skin like molten iron as the flames coiled and twisted into an enormous sphere of raw energy.
Xerxes' glowing eyes widened slightly as it realized what was happening—but before it could react, Cillian hurled the sphere directly at its core.
The attack tore through the air with deafening force, shattering part of the room's structure as it collided with Xerxes' form. The misty figure let out a distorted screech that echoed through the room like a dying wail as the flames consumed it entirely.
The fire roared louder and brighter until there was nothing left—no smoke, no shadow—just silence.
Cillian fell to one knee on the fractured platform, his body trembling from exhaustion but still upright. Sparks of black lightning crackled faintly around him as he steadied himself, his sharp eyes scanning the room for any sign of Xerxes.
It was gone—burnt alive by his final strike.
He let out a heavy breath as he rose slowly to his feet, his gaze flicking upward toward Luxana once more. She remained still on her platform above him, her long orange hair cascading down her back like liquid fire. She hadn't moved or reacted throughout the entire fight—her silence was unnerving amidst the chaos that had just unfolded.
Cillian slipped his hand into his coat pocket and pulled out a knife—a simple yet deadly blade that gleamed faintly in the dim light. Without hesitation, he hurled it toward Luxana once more.
The blade spun through the air with deadly precision, gleaming faintly in the dim light before embedding itself into the crystalline floor near her feet with a sharp clang.
Luxana turned slowly, her movements deliberate, her long orange hair cascading like liquid fire as she faced the knife. Her back was now fully visible to Cillian, her posture unnervingly calm amidst the chaos. She didn't speak or react immediately; she simply stared at the blade as if weighing its presence.
Cillian's voice cut through the tense silence, rough and strained from exertion. "Kill it," he commanded, his breathing heavy but his tone unwavering. "End this."
For a moment, nothing happened. Then Luxana spun on her heel to face him, her expression as unreadable as ever. Her zircon-blue eyes locked onto his for a fleeting second before she lifted her arm with an eerie grace.
BOOM.
A massive blaze erupted from her hand—a roaring inferno that surged horizontally across the room like a tidal wave of fire. The flames illuminated everything in their path with a hellish glow, casting jagged shadows that danced wildly across the walls. The heat was suffocating, pressing against Cillian's skin like molten iron.
Cillian froze in place as the fire roared past him, his eyes widening in shock. He felt its searing heat graze him but didn't flinch—his focus was locked on Luxana's figure above him. When the blaze finally subsided, leaving behind a trail of scorched air and silence, he turned sharply to see what she had done.
His breath hitched at the sight before him.
Behind him lay a charred mass—twisted forms writhing in their final moments of agony before collapsing into stillness. The Souls of Omeen had been there all along, hidden in Xerxes' shadow like parasites waiting for their moment to strike. Their translucent forms shimmered faintly even in death, their faces contorted into expressions of hatred and pain.
Their bodies were burnt beyond recognition, their ethereal essence dissipating into thin wisps of smoke that curled upward like dying embers. These were no ordinary souls—they were conspirators who had aligned themselves with Xerxes to drag Cillian down into Omeen's realm alongside them.
Cillian stood frozen for a moment, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. The realization hit him like a blow to the chest—Luxana had saved him. Whether intentionally or not, her fire had obliterated those who sought to destroy him.
The sound of metal scraping against crystal jolted him back to reality.
He turned quickly toward Luxana and saw her kneeling before the cage that housed the Veiled Horror. Her slender fingers gripped the handle of the knife he had thrown moments ago. She held it firmly yet delicately, her posture poised as if caught between hesitation and resolve.
The girl behind the bars—the Veiled Horror—watched Luxana intently from within her prison. Her bright orange ponytails framed a face eerily similar to Luxana's own; only her zircon-blue eyes were darker, eclipsed by swirling shadows that seemed alive.
Cillian leapt forward without hesitation, landing beside Luxana with a soft thud that barely disturbed her focus.
"You must be…" Luxana began softly as she lifted her gaze toward the girl in the cage. Her voice was calm yet carried an edge of curiosity that cut through the tension like a blade. "One of the lost residents of Lirania—a state in Kior…right?"
The girl didn't respond immediately; instead, she reached out slowly through the bars of her cage. Her delicate hands grasped Luxana's firmly—their touch almost reverent—as she guided Luxana's hand holding the knife inside.
To be Continued...