Lost it all

From being crushed to a paste to her body mass reassembling, I stood there, stupefied and befuddled by what was happening.

My rational mind screamed: She was crushed, unmistakably dead! How could she possibly have resurrected?

As I struggled to comprehend the spectacle, my father's lifeless body suddenly began twitching.

And in an instant, the Luna Spectre darted into his mouth.

After a moment, it emerged; his body ceased convulsing, remaining lifeless as before.

"Sam, that's not Amaeree," Aunty Gloria said, validating my unspoken suspicion.

How could it be her? Amaeree was just an ordinary civet. Resurrection was impossible.

Aunty Gloria's confirmation ignited a raging fire within me.

The thought of Lima exploiting that dark energy to revive my father with the same dark energy now filled me with disgust.

I gazed into Amaeree's once-familiar eyes, but they seemed alien, sending a shiver down my spine.

"Yes… I can see that," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

My gaze locked onto the resurrected form, sorrow, and pain warring within. Amaeree's eyes met mine, but her gaze was cold, foreign. She sauntered towards Lima, radiating contempt and disregard.

Uncle Matthew's solemn, calculating gaze remained fixed on the mages shrouded in the tenebrous cloud.

"This is getting uglier than we anticipated," Aunty Gloria murmured.

Uncle Matthew's voice was low and measured. "Lima, is this the true power of The Great Abyss?"

Lima's grin stretched, his eyes gleaming with eeriness. "This is merely a fraction, a taste of the Great Abyss's power," his raspy, guttural voice sent shivers.

The tenebrous cloud pulsed, as if responding to Lima's words.

"The Great Abyss holds secrets and abilities beyond mortal comprehension," Lima continued.

Aunty Gloria's voice cracked with urgency. "This power will consume you! The cost is too steep!"

Lima's smile grew wider.

"You've made your choice, Lima," Aunty Gloria declared. "No turning back now. We'll fight to the death."

As they spoke, the swirling energies around the mages vanished, transforming into dark motes that burrowed into Lima with an unsettling hiss.

Fear, trepidation, and apprehension etched Uncle Wilfred's face as he watched the scene unfold.

The motes merged, enveloping Lima in a fleeting veil of darkness that reeked of decay. Then, the shadows dissipated, revealing an enormous serpent.

The colossal creature towered above, its body a mesmerising fusion of darkness and twisted beauty.

Scales as black as coal glistened like polished obsidian, each etched with ancient runes pulsing with malevolent energy.

Eerie shadows danced across the dilapidated walls, cast by the runes' ominous glow. The air grew thick with foreboding.

The serpent's head pierced the rooftop, crushing surrounding walls and sending dust, splinters, and debris flying.

Its colossal form, approximately 30 metres long, eclipsed the scorching sun.

Two curved horns protruded from its skull, shining with intense, fiery light. Ember-like eyes fixed onto us, radiating unspeakable malevolence.

As the serpent thrashed, its undulating body distorted the air, struggling to contain the monstrous entity.

The ground trembled beneath its coils, accompanied by thunderous rumblings that shook the house's foundations.

A putrid stench wafted from its scaled flesh, heavy with decay and corruption.

The serpent's maw opened, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth stained with dark, viscous fluid.

Lima's voice, now a deafening roar, echoed through the chamber. "Tsk! The World's Will is still so stubborn. Let's end these fries early."

The serpent's gaze swept across the crevice, its malevolent energy sending chills down my spine.

The overbearing aura suffocated me, my eyelids slowly closing.

But then, I sensed a faint resonance from within the collapsed building – a connection to the Silvery necklace Aunty Gloria gave me during our first meeting.

I focused on the link, feeling the necklace shake intensely. Summoning strength, I pulled it closer until it rested in my hands.

The necklace's calming energy countered the serpent's crushing aura, revitalising me.

Unnoticed by the others, I stood ready. Aunty Gloria grasped a whip and chakram, Uncle Matthew held a rusty blade, while Amaeree faced the Luna Spectre and Uncle Gillette summoned the Wind and Water Elemental Sprite.

With the sun as witness, the four charged at their foes with unwavering seriousness.

Time froze as three clashes erupted simultaneously. Aunty Gloria's whip cracked, unleashing moonlit energy onto the serpent's scales.

Uncle Matthew charged forward, his rusty blade aglow with ethereal light.

The serpent remained unfazed, its tail sweeping across the area with destructive force, obliterating everything in its path.

Our secluded mansion, hidden in Filho's uncharted regions, offered no escape or allies.

We were doomed to a desperate, deadly battle, outnumbered and outmatched from the start.

As the battles raged on, crumbling walls spawned dust and debris, obscuring visibility.

Shielded by the necklace's radiance, I remained distant, witnessing the chaos.

The battles raged on, but my gaze locked onto the serpent's clash with Uncle Matthew and Aunty Gloria.

Anxiety and dread overwhelmed me as I grasped the serpent's enormity of power.

Despite their valiant efforts, they never gained the upper hand. The power disparity was staggering, rendering their collective magical might ineffective.

Uncle Matthew's spatial magic, usually very incisive and lethal, only scratched the serpent's impervious scales, leaving a faint mark.

Then, disaster struck. The serpent's tail slammed Uncle Matthew into the rubble, leaving him motionless.

Worse, the tail coiled around Aunty Gloria, slowly constricting her. The serpent's grip tightened, threatening to crush her into a bloody pulp.

But then, suddenly, her figure flickered, turning into a shadowy body that hastily teleported towards where Uncle Matthew lay.

In that exact moment, the serpent was stunned, its movement momentarily halted.

"It can't be…"

On reaching Uncle Matthew, a huge gash was visible across his chest. His body was carved open, innards threatening to spill out.

Nearby, Amaeree's lifeless form slumped, her fur marred by the brutal clash with the Luna Spectre. The Spectre itself hovered, weakened, its ghostly figure flickering precariously like a dying candle.

Despite its own wounds, the Spectre levitated towards Uncle Matthew, merging with his innards as Aunty Gloria infused her moon energy.

My dread-wrecked eyes snapped back to the serpent, which seemed lost in a strange, contemplative, conflicted state.

The battle between the elemental sprite and Uncle Matthew remained unresolved.

As a wind mage, Uncle Matthew should have had the upper hand, but the prolonged fight hinted at an unusual advantage for the sprite.

However, Uncle Matthew's weapon held a secret: a strange energy coating that was potentially lethal to elemental sprites — and perhaps most living beings.

Aunty Gloria's shadowy form crouched beside Uncle Matthew, channelling moon energy into his wounds.

The Luna Spectre merged with his body, stabilising his life force with its flickering light.

As his wounds began to close, the Spectre ejected from his body, dissipating into tiny motes.

"Thank you, eternal friend," Aunty Gloria whispered, tears streaming down her face.

Uncle Matthew slowly rose to his feet, his gaze fixed on the serpent entwined with Uncle Wilfred.

But, sensing its waning strength and Uncle Wilfred's growing momentum, the elemental sprite made a final, desperate gamble. In an instant, it darted towards the serpent.

Aunty Gloria's face contorted in despair, her spiritual link with the sprite forewarning her of the impending catastrophe.

"No!… No!!" she whispered, her voice barely audible, trembling with anguish.

The serpent remained lost in thought, its pinprick-sized eyes solemn and calculating, when the elemental sprite suddenly appeared before it. Uncle Wilfred followed closely behind.

Without warning, the sprite detonated.

BOOOOOOOM!!!!

The catastrophic explosion obliterated everything within a 4-unit radius.