The air was thick with tension as Mary faced Nethra. The trees groaned in the aftermath of the destruction that had been wrought. The once serene forest had become a battleground—a place where the darkness of the world clashed with the fragile hope of its defenders. But even in the face of his malevolent grin, something inside Mary burned brightly. She couldn't let him win.
"Your power is growing," Nethra sneered, his violet eyes gleaming. He stepped forward, slowly, deliberately, the energy around him swirling like a storm waiting to be unleashed. "But it's not enough, Mary. It's never enough."
Mary's teeth clenched, her breath coming in controlled bursts as she steadied herself. The shard still pulsed within her, thrumming with raw, untamed energy. It felt like it was becoming a part of her, settling deep into her bones, and yet it was still a stranger—something she couldn't fully understand, much less control. But she had no choice. She had to harness it, or it would consume her completely.
"You're wrong," she said, her voice low, but filled with a newfound resolve. "I don't need more power. I just need to focus."
Nethra's grin widened. "Focus? How quaint. Focus is useless against fate, Mary. You can't escape it."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them trembled again. The trees swayed as a tremor of dark energy rippled through the forest. Mary could feel it—Nethra was preparing for something bigger. Her mind raced, trying to assess the situation, trying to figure out her next move. But everything was happening so fast, and the shard inside her pulsed like a heartbeat, drawing on her emotions, amplifying them.
The moment stretched. It felt like the world itself was holding its breath.
Then, without warning, Nethra raised his hand to the sky, summoning an orb of dark energy. It swirled above his palm, crackling with an eerie, purple light. The orb hummed with power—dark, ancient power. Mary's heart skipped a beat as she realized what he was doing.
"This is the end of you, Mary," Nethra said, his voice cold as ice. "You've made a mistake by trying to fight me. And now, you'll see what true darkness feels like."
He hurled the orb toward her with a twisted snarl, the energy within it radiating with destructive intent. It hurtled toward her at breakneck speed, leaving a trail of black smoke in its wake.
Time slowed for Mary. She saw the orb coming, the force behind it, the death it promised. Her instincts screamed at her to dodge, to run, but there was nowhere to go. She was trapped in this moment, cornered by the very force she had tried to resist.
The shard inside her flared.
Without thinking, Mary thrust out her hands, summoning every ounce of her strength. The air around her shimmered with energy as she forced the power to form a protective shield—a glowing dome of light that shimmered like liquid silver. The orb collided with the shield, and for a moment, the world seemed to explode with a blinding flash of light.
The impact was deafening. Mary's knees buckled as the force of the collision knocked her off balance. The shield flared, struggling to hold back the onslaught, but it was weakening. The orb's energy battered at the edges, sending ripples of dark power into her body. It felt like fire coursing through her veins, like every cell in her body was being torn apart and remade in the image of the very darkness Nethra wielded.
"Focus, Mary!" Lela's voice broke through the haze of pain. "You can do this! Don't let him win!"
Mary's heart raced, her breath coming in short gasps. She couldn't let the shard control her. She couldn't let the darkness consume her. The words of her friends, the weight of their trust, settled over her like a comforting mantle. She wasn't alone. She couldn't afford to lose herself now.
With a primal scream, she willed the shard to act—not as a weapon, but as a defender. The shield shimmered brighter, its edges burning with an intensity that rivaled the orb itself. The dome grew larger, stronger, pushing back against the dark energy that had once felt so overpowering.
Nethra's expression faltered for just a fraction of a second. His eyes widened in disbelief as the power he had unleashed was forced back by Mary's resolve. His orb cracked, splintering under the pressure, the energy inside it swirling chaotically. The shield held—just long enough.
And then, with a violent explosion of light, the orb shattered completely, disintegrating into nothingness. The shockwave sent Nethra stumbling back, his concentration broken. But Mary didn't waste a second. She surged forward, propelled by the shard's energy, and launched herself at him with a speed she had never thought possible.
The moment was too fast for him to react. Mary's fist collided with his chest, the force of her attack sending him crashing to the ground. For a moment, there was silence—an almost eerie stillness in the aftermath of the battle.
But Nethra wasn't finished. He shot up to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury. He wiped blood from his mouth, a wicked smile curling on his lips. "Impressive, Mary. But not enough."
Before she could react, he swung his arm wide, summoning another dark wave of energy. It rushed toward her with unstoppable force, but Mary was already moving. She ducked low, using the momentum of her earlier strike to propel herself out of the way. The energy crashed into the trees behind her, shattering them into splinters.
She couldn't let him control the pace of the battle. She had to be faster, smarter. Her eyes scanned the area—looking for any advantage, anything she could use to tip the scales.
Lela and Loosie were still recovering from the earlier shockwave, but they were close. She couldn't let Nethra's power overpower them again. She had to end this now.
In a flash, Mary summoned the full force of the shard, channeling its power into a single, concentrated beam. She didn't wait for the darkness to surround her again. With a determined shout, she hurled the beam toward Nethra, its brilliance cutting through the air like a sword of light.
The beam collided with him, hitting him square in the chest. For a moment, Nethra froze, his eyes wide with shock as the light enveloped him. The force of the impact tore through him, sending him flying back into the darkness, his body shuddering in the wake of the blast.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Mary stood there, her chest heaving as she watched the spot where Nethra had fallen. She couldn't see him anymore—the forest was still, the trees unnervingly silent. Her heart pounded, her breath shaky as she scanned the clearing. Was he gone? Had she really done it?
Suddenly, a soft whisper of wind stirred the air.
Mary's eyes snapped open as she felt the presence again—faint but unmistakable. It was him.
"Is that all you have, Mary?" His voice echoed from the shadows, cruel and mocking.
Mary's heart dropped as she realized that the fight wasn't over. It had just begun.