Chapter 20 Let’s finish what we started

The hateful 15-year-old Lyra powerfully shut her up with a spell and a wave of her hand. She immediately continued to corrupt 18-year-old Lyra to the dark side. "Listen to me, Lyra," she urged. "Accept this power and you can change everything."

Again, 18-year-old Lyra was ready to capitulate, but deep within her, her subconscious fought back. She saw images of her mother, her pet bird, her friends, and her comrades in the Alliance flickering through her mind. She could feel the strength of bonds grown through shared trials. The trust they shared with each other gave her a flicker of hope that continued to grow.

"No," Lyra said firmly. Her voice echoing in the illusion. "I must not give in. I won't give in."

With a frown, Seraphina increased the intensity of her spells. "You do not have a choice, Lyra." she hissed.

As if in response to the prompting of Lyra's deep unconscious and Seraphina's relentless incursion into Lyra's mind, a new memory surfaced. Seraphina's eyes widened because this was not a memory of the past but the current 22-year-old Lyra. This current version that suddenly materialised had a full shoulder-length head of white hair instead of her usual silvery blonde hair. Every atom of her bristled with unbounded power and her magic glowed brightly. Her visage showed a woman of strength and resolve whose magic was not just a tool for healing but also a force for change. 

"I do have a choice! I choose to not be afraid," the reflection said. "I am Lyra - a Heroine of the Planon Alliance. I do not wield magic. I am magic. I am stronger than you know!."

Seraphina was both shocked and afraid at the same time. She had to rally herself. Even though she felt this level of resistance, she intensified her spells and muttered. "We shall see about that, won't we?" Just as she was about to continue to seek a break through into Lyra's defences, Devon burst in and interrupted her once again. 

"The Alliance agents are here," he said in an urgent voice. "They've tracked us to this location. We have to be ready to stop them."

Seraphina growled in frustration and was forced to stop her work. She retrieved the slice of her consciousness that she had inserted into Lyra's mind, leaving her disoriented and more unstable but not broken.

"Then we have to deal with them," Seraphina said. Her eyes gleamed with dark intent. "Come, Let's finish what we started."

We end this now

And so, the stage was set for a final confrontation. Devon, Seraphina, and their dark forces made up of elite Shadow Adepts and Arcane Warriors set out for an ultimate showdown with the Alliance Heroes who were already at the gates. For their part, the Alliance Heroes were keen to rescue Lyra, destroy these dark forces, and leave their path clear to properly seek the sixth fragment.

Kael and his companions were now at the entrance of the Black Crag. "Lyra is here," he said, his voice firm and his face set with determination. "Let's end this now."

To the five of them - Kael, Thorne, Elara, Zephyr, and Milos, it seemed as if the shadows around them had a life of their own. The air was thick with tension and dark magic and it was as if they could slice it with a knife.

"We need to be careful," Thorne said in a low voice. "This place has been heavily fortified with wards and dark magic."

The team of Alliance Heroes therefore approached the gates with more caution. They also held their weapons at the ready. When they drew close, the gates swung open and they could see a contingent of dark warriors and shadow heads. Leading them at the front was Devon. His eyes gleamed with hostile intentions.

"You took long enough to get here." Devon sneered. 

Elara stepped forward, brandishing both daggers which gleamed with light and magic. "Enough nonsense. We're here for Lyra, release her now!" she ordered.

Devon laughed. It was a cold and mirthless laughter that grated on the ears. "You're outnumbered and outmatched. You will not be able to rescue her. Don't worry, we have great uses for young and sweet Lyra."

"We'll see about that, Devon," Kael snarled. Then he took a step forward and attacked the nearest arcane warrior.

Even though Kael's sudden attack was not strictly how they had planned the rescue, the other Alliance Heroes and Milos also initiated their own attacks. The battle commenced in a flurry of steel and magic.

The legacy tokens shined brightly as the Heroes wielded them against the dark forces. Kael bolstered their defence by activating the ring's defence barrier even as he danced about with the Blade of Luptarus. Milos had his back as he complemented his movements to strike with his own sword when the opportunity presented and block openings that left Kael vulnerable. 

Zephyr's lute shimmered as his nimble fingers played a complex tune, weaving a spell of lethargy over the arcane warriors and shadow adepts. It was obvious that Thorne had become more familiar with his bow with continued use. He used his senses to guide his arrows through the chaos. His every strike was therefore very precise and lethal. Elara flitted here and there, using brief phases of shadow walks to penetrate the defences of the dark forces.

In all of this, Kael and the Alliance Heroes did not repeat their earlier mistake. Kael had already delved deep into the ring and activated a powerful defence spell that closed off their immediate area from shadow intrusions. The Shadow Adepts on the other side were therefore unable to take advantage of their deadly shadow-walking skills to deal unexpected blows to the Alliance Heroes. 

However, these were elite Arcane Warriors and Shadow Adepts. Without the presence of Lyra and the use of her staff, the Alliance Heroes were just able to repel the dark magic that sought to consume them. Both sides of the battle gave no quarter but Kael and his companions were able to gradually press forward and reach the inner sanctum of the fortress.

Rescuing Lyra

Within the sanctum, Seraphina continued to weave her spells of darkness over Lyra. The sweat on her brow was an evidence of the difficulty she was facing, trying to overcome the resistance that Lyra's awakened subconscious put up. However, Lyra's mind remained in a state of confusion and pain.

Seraphina used the hateful 15-year-old Id of Lyra to press Lyra once again. "Why don't you give in," Seraphina whispered through the girl in a silky voice. "Accept the dark power, and all your pain will end."

The image of the current 22-year-old Lyra appeared once more as Lyra continued to struggle against the dark influence. One could say that Lyra's memories of her fellow Alliance Heroes helped to give her strength at this time. "No," the image firmly said. Lyra also echoed the response physically. Even though she said it in a weak voice, she said it resolutely. "I will never give in."

Groaning with frustration and with a patience that was wearing thin, Seraphina snarled and hissed. "You will accept the dark power, you just don't know it yet." Then she intensified her spells even though she was growing weak due to the prolonged use of her spells.

The doors to the inner sanctum where Seraphina was working suddenly burst open before she could continue. Kael and Devon were exchanging fierce sword strikes and the other Alliance Heroes were also having individual battles of their own as they all stormed in.

"Get away from Lyra,," Elara demanded, immediately stepping into the shadows and appearing above Seraphina and stretching forward to strike her with her dagger.

But Seraphina had good reflexes. She nimbly stepped back with narrowed eyes. "It's too late." she said in a voice that was dripping with malice. "None of you can save her," 

She had to quickly teleport several paces away as Thorne's arrow zinged past. If she had not escaped, the arrow would have hit her face. "We'll see about that," Thorne said as he stepped forward.

Zephyr seized the opportunity to carry Lyra in a bid to take her away. Unbeknownst to all of them, Lyra's staff that was in Zephyr's hand started emitting a soothing light that penetrated Lyra's consciousness and began to break through Seraphina's dark spells that bound Lyra.

Seraphina saw that they could not gain an advantage here and her eyes blazed with fury. "This isn't over," she spat out and retreated into the shadows.

Devon also tactically retreated as he saw the tide of the battle turning against them. 

"Let us leave this place," Kael suggested, seeing that everyone needed a good rest. They had already defeated the dark forces but they knew they needed to leave the area quickly before Devon and his forces regrouped with new reinforcements. 

And so they quickly left the Black Crag - a place of dread and darkness - and headed for their temporary camp.