The Crack

It was still morning, the clouds obscured the brightness of the day, as they turned an unpleasant grey, thunder rolling within the firmaments above.

It would seem a storm was well on its way, but not just any storm. The balance of the veil had been tipped, malicious creatures and people alike would gnaw at the seals which held them to their realms.

Meanwhile, Angelo whizzed around in blind anger, oblivious to the imminent danger surrounding him. His shoulder-length hair whipped and danced around with the growing wind, his boots picking up wet dirt as droplets of water began pouring from the darkened skies.

The ground became mushy and unfit for running, as unknown forces pried their way around the veil. The smell of mud and danger-filled the veil with streaks of lightning occasionally snaking along the sky.

Without warning, Angelo's body was thrown backward as if hit by a powerful force, and he fell hard to the ground. As he slowly stood up, he felt a crease form between his brows as he squinted at the space in front of him, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

"What?" He muttered, stretching out a hand cautiously as he inched closer to the invisible wall.

As he pressed his hand against the wall, it seemed to ripple like the surface of a pond disturbed by a magical force.

"How…?" With curiosity getting the better of him, Angelo poked and prodded at the surface of the wall, as it bounced and wobbled unnaturally at his shoves.

Angelo's ear twitched at the sound of screams, and his eyes darted around in search of their origin. The screams grew louder, but also more distorted, seeming to waft to and fro, as if playing tricks on his hearing.

The consistent rain mixed with a palpable sense of danger, leaving Angelo turning first clockwise, then counterclockwise, trying to get a sense of where exactly the screams were coming from.

"Angelo!" Khione's screams barely reached their target, her boots splashing against the damp ground. Kiera ran along her, squinting at Angelo's restless figure.

As time slowed to a crawl, the invisible wall before him began to crack open, an eerie and unclean energy bursting forth from the opening, making his skin crawl.

"I don't think he should be there!" Kiera yelled over the sound of the rain to his sister, his body slowing, shivers traveling up his spine at the strange power in the air.

A peal of malicious laughter traveled through the air, as the crack widened even more.

Angelo cocked his head slightly, watching as sinister-looking black claws emerged, gripping the transparent walls, and widening the opening further.

Black tendrils wafted from the darkness within, snaking themselves around Angelo's arm. "Get off!" He lashed against the unknown force, tugging it forcefully.

With a roar, Angelo gave the gnawing tendril one last powerful tug. "Aarghhhh!" He screamed in agony as the tendril came off along with half his arm. "SHIT! Arghhh!" Angelo collapsed to the wet ground, blood and mud surrounding his body.

"ANGELO!" Khione shouted, panic painting her features as she scrambled beside him, the crack expelling more black creepers. "No, no, no, NO!" With her final utterance, an angry glow seeped into her eyes, and the air around her crackled with power. Circular ripples of energy pulsed outward, slamming into the forthcoming tendrils with an unearthly force that shook the very earth beneath her.

Her screams continued, a mixture of fear and anger that echoed through the air. With each cry, more powerful ripples of energy flew from her mouth, sizzling with raw power.

"Khione get him out of here!" Kiera caught up, his hands coming up as his eyes gained a fierce light. His palms rolled into fists, drawing energy from the sounds all around him and welding them into whips. He lashed one after the other at the snakes of black energy, each strike hitting with a crackling force that sent the tendrils reeling back.

Khione dragged a writhing Angelo, her muscles straining as she fell in exhaustion, mud and blood wetting her hair. With tears in her eyes, she spoke. "Heal, Angelo! Heal!"

Angelo's eyes became alight as he clasped the remains of his arm. With a painful roar, tendrils of silver shrouded the missing part, regenerating it before Khione's relieved eyes. Angelo let out heavy breaths as he ignored her, his brows furrowing as he charged for the oval-shaped crack.

With a supernatural strength that seemed to come from deep within him, Angelo's arms doubled in size as he grabbed both sides of the opening. His muscles bulged as he exerted an incredible force, veins popping and his body shaking with the effort.

"NO! Stop!" Kiera protested, as a black whip angrily sliced at his chest, blood splashing out as he fell helplessly.

"Brother!" Khione raced to her brother's falling form, her eyes fixed on his bleeding chest, before finding a badly battered Angelo. She rushed to Kiera's side, her heart racing as she took in the extent of his wound.

Angelo screamed in pain and anger as the creepers latched onto his body, tearing past his skin and into his flesh.

Khione screamed, her eyes darting back and forth between her brother and Angelo.

Galadriel materialized out of the blue, specs of unnatural power surrounding her. Eyes glinting with a mystical power she surveyed the scene, her presence commanding as ever. With a calm demeanor, Galadriel watched as the malicious tendrils dug into Angelo's skin, pulling him into the darkness.

"GUARDIAN! Do something! Please!" Khione screamed at the unmoved elf, her fists clenching. "Help him!"

Yet again, the world seemed to slow to a creep. Droplets of water fell on the lashes of the unblinking elf, while the wind drowned out the frenzied pleas of the distraught Vanrei. Khione watched helplessly as Galadriel stood motionless, her eyes fixed on the void where Angelo was being dragged into.

With a thunderous zit, the crack closed itself around a pale, dismembered Angelo, as the skies cleared and the guardian nodded solemnly to herself. "It is done."