Bear Trap

Lucian and Althea felt their power growing rather than waning during this battle as their minds became more and more stable despite the growing fatigue.

The could feel their connection between their mind and body coalesce to form a union they hadn't ever experienced as new possibilities for their abilities came into their minds like enlightenment.

From their eyes it was as if the world had slowed down to allow them to come to a complete understanding of themselves as the energy they emitted became stronger and more stable.

Still this didn't cause the beast to falter their sure still wasn't equal to that of their master, and in the beast leaders presence they would fight until either they or their leader had fallen, it was the beast territory after all.

The remaining panthers rushed together before a loud roar from their leader stopped them in their tracks. They slowly began to back away as they faded into the shadows of the night and the leader of the panthers stepped forward accepting the challenge.

Seeing this Lucian looked in the direction Althea had been before, he could still detect her there but it was like she was fading into nothingness.

"I will go first back me up!" He shouted to her to which he received no response but he understood how sound could reveal her location so he moved before the beast could take the advantage.

His movements undoubtedly faster and more decided than before as he disappeared with a grey glow around him as he reappeared behind the panthers back right leg delivering a powerful kick.

The panther leader was still in a league of its own as it immediately shrunk its size to half of what it was increasing its own speed almost twofold.

With his currently slowed perception he could see the beast dash away from his attack as he felt the recoil in his muscles from the failed attack.

Still the beast hadn't moved far before it sensed danger from behind it again it raised its massive paw this time covered in the black deathly mist swiping down with monstrous force slamming into the ground causing a crater to form and the trees in its line of attack to wither.

In the same moment it had attacked a cry could be heard as Althea fell to a knee on the ground coughing up blood from the backlash of her other double being destroyed in battle.

This pushed the fatigue even faster as their minds still somehow remained calm as they analyzed their physical state.

"Survive!" Lucian shouted as their bodies were now approaching their physical limits.

The beast didn't give them a breath, in almost an instant it appeared before Lucian with the same deathly aura somehow intensified as it wanted to snuff the life out of the insect that had slain his children.

With tremendous force the panther slammed his paw down on Lucian's location, but before the paw connected a white hole opened in the air above Lucian that the panthers paw and the deathly aura slammed into, and just as the paw fell into the white. Hole, it began to close around the beast paw.

The panther leader howled in pain as his paw had been trapped in a different space like a bear trap causing the panther to be stuck in its place.

Lucian used his strength to jump into the air as he shouted "BE STILL!" Launching a fist covered in white light at the jewel on the beast forehead.

The panther struggled violently attempting to free his paw from the seperate space, causing it to notice Lucian's follow up attack too late.

It let out a monstrous roar causing the entire area they were in to have tremors and forcing Lucian to grit his teeth feeling the power of the roar in his bones.

He pushed through the pain as his glowing fist connected with the jewel on the beast head causing it to break and small shards of it to fly out.

The beast movements began to slow down dramatically as the white aura that had surrounded Lucian's fist began to envelop the panther until it was completly motionless within the aura.

Lucian quickly appeared next to Althea as he fell to one knee having his muscle tears amplied by the beast final roar.

"Can you stand?" He asked Althea who was looking at the beast with hatred in her eyes.

"Yes." Althea said as she stood up shakily before attempting to pick up Lucian on her back, but before she could it felt as the world began spinning many times faster as their surroundings immediately changed as they found themselves appearing back in the carraige.

As soon as they recognized their lives were no longer in danger the clarity of mind they had dissipated and was replaced with darkness as they passed out.

"I didn't expect you two to fight so ferociously, I left those panthers a gift of gratitude in raising you two." Adela said as she picked the youths up and lying them on seperate couches allowing them to rest.