The Legend of the Silverend Coven turns her back to me, taking confident strides towards the tavern.

Confident or rigid.

Even though her legs do not shake, even while her hands are relaxed at her side she could be trembling on the inside.

I'd never seen fear in Meika's eyes.

How fascinating.

She truly would do anything for Iridian and Lindon. Throwing away the curses at her back, forging a path through murder and possibly even death for the people who love and protect her. Who guarded her back when her own family left her.

Discarded her like the enemy.

Pivoting to face my own destiny, I look towards the sky.

It's a true mystery to me who's waiting on the roof of that tall building to the north, but it's the most intense Aura I can sense for miles in any direction. Despite my company and my father, there are only a few in this town who can even compare.

My sister, who Iridian threatened for tracking her a few weeks ago could be one of them, though I don't particularly see her crawling back to get her skin handed to her once again.

Then again, I have two other Cousins that often find themselves riding Erebus' coattails. Instead of following whatever mother they had, they enjoyed destroying things with him.

Either way, the fight is sure to be all-encompassing.

I start forward, stepping slowly through the streets that grow more and more empty by the second until even the screams and crying become faint.

Rounding the corner, my breathing deepens as the Mana inside of my warps up through my veins and swirls in my chest. Tendrils of the power snake around my body and transport me to the top of the roof, landing me next to two figures in black gear and steel weapons.

One, the man and my cousin, carries a bow in one hand. His eyes narrow in on me immediately, a sadistic grin pulling at the edges of his mouth.

The other is my sister, with ghostly pale features all the way to her hair. A strange terror lines her eyes, weary not only my arrival but likely the conflict that follows.

"Hello there, Danny boy," my cousin says, the smirk growing even bigger. "Come to enjoy the show?"

"What show, the fact that you're destroying the entire town you yourself took control of and built? Wow, that really is some achievement. I wish I had the gift of demolishing everything I created."

His face turns into a disgusted snarl, a growl rumbling in his throat. "Big talk, Coward. Why did you come home again? Following that red-headed bitch or something?"

My stomach turns but I attempt to keep my reaction tamed, raising a brow. "So what are you doing, Cole? Killing your own citizens?"

"Maybe," Cole laughs, standing up from a kneel behind the roof's ledge. "Maybe I'm protecting them from an assault team, coming in to destroy the city."

I sigh, shrugging. The energy within my chest boils and recedes. Perhaps I'd seen Iridian's antics one too many times but this was boring. These jokes are boring.

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to hurt anyone else for the moment, Cole."

Rolling my shoulders, I mark them both and brace myself. Cole comes to face me now, completely turning his back to the ground below.

"Oh? What are you going to do about it, Daniel?"

"Hopefully incapacitate you until I can get my comrades safely out of here, but I'll kill you if I have to," I say calmly, my sword materializing in my hand. "Dalia, you don't have to participate. However, if you do, this warning is for you as well."

My sister's eyes flare, feathers likely ruffled. Something strange, tired weighs her down. As if the plague could infect immortals, she appeared ill. If only just exhaustion. Perhaps Erebus beat her for her loss with Iridian, though it's not like the results could've gone any other way.

Dalia stands now too, though she's gripping her arm not a weapon. "What you're doing is foolish, Daniel."

"I know you're too weak to fight me, it's okay to flee."

Pure, unfiltered rage burns into her stare. "You know nothing!" she snaps, launching herself at me, the pole of her Scythe extending out from her hand.

Dalia swings full force, blinded by pain and frustration.

I duck away, pivoting just out of reach for her sharp hooking blade. She flies face-first through the air and behind me. Cole does little to nothing to mask the snicker of content at watching her fail.

"Come on, Dal, you're stronger than that," he teases.

I keep my back to her, listening to the impact and her panting against the cement.

Focusing in on Cole, I release a held breath, and a ripple of energy bursts out around me like a force field. Down past him to the people below, down far away from anyone's eyes. The last resort.

Tuning into every sense, I feel the slight gusts of wind against my skin and the heat rising with every second. Listening intensely to the sound of Dalia's blade scraping against the ground as she tries to drag herself to her knees. The smell of distress and discontent from the people fleeing their homes and lives, the only place they've ever known to be safe in this awful time of apocalyptic hell.

My teeth grind together and I move without thought, blurring time and space to puncture holes into every pressure point Cole finds useful in his body.

Blood leaks out into his pants, shirt, and down across his cheeks and throat. Holes appear in the fabric, the veins inside his body imploding simultaneously. Cole collapses to the ground when I step back, spitting up everywhere.

I don't have time for this.

I don't have time to babysit these two when Iridian is dying somewhere underneath all of this earth.

While Meika is tearing apart all of the rules her coven follows just to get us all out of here alive.

There is no time to toy with them like prey.

Kicking Cole's head into the ground, I throw my hand back to catch Dalia's scythe as it comes down towards my head, maneuvering it to ark back and slash her across the stomach.

Seizing the weapon, I punch the butt of the staff into her sternum and send her flying backward.

Cole moans on the ground, leaving bloodstains everywhere.

"What's your plan now?" He rasps. He attempts to use an arm for support and collapses again. "Kill me?"

"Do I need to get you a dictionary?" I sigh, pinning him down with my boot, planting him straight into the ground between his shoulder blades. "I said that I was going to incapacitate you, then, if you didn't give up I'd kill you. So I suppose if you die is up to you."

Cole rolls his eyes and shoves himself onto his back and with that, me away from him.

"I'm not backing down so easily."

Dalia gets back to her feet and limps towards me, holding up the Scythe in a defensive position. "I don't want to kill you, either, Daniel... But you know what he'll do to me if I don't."

"I know," I agree, nodding calmly and sparing another glance to Cole for just a moment. "I hold nothing against you Dalia, but I will not let you win."

Her irises flicker with sadness and remorse, Dalia's arms shaking as if she were resisting herself.

My heart tightens for a moment.

Long enough to feel a blade pressing against my neck and another stabbing me deep in the hip. I grunt a little, coughing and elbowing the idiot in the face. Cole chokes, falling on his ass. He launches himself back up but I lift my hand towards the sky and pull all of the energy straight back.

Every last bit of Mana I'd released over the last month.

From the traces in the desert and the hospital, all the way to the shoreline and back from the sidewalk.

An inverted weapon, a trajectory arrow piercing back through the sky.

The blue fire slices a hole straight through Coles's chest, imploding upon impact and leaving a burnt corpse.

"He trains you by torture," I mutter. "He torments you until you learn how to survive. There was a time where either of you stood a chance against me, but that time doesn't exist any longer."

Dalia drops her weapon to the ground and falls to her knees.

"Kill me..." She whispers. "Please just... Kill me..."

Iron swells in my throat and I look away from her quickly. Even with my eyes burning, I manage to shake my head and clear my throat. "You'll figure out someday that you are not bound to him, you only think that you are. It feels like it in the depths of your soul. I hope that one day you will choose to leave, but I won't kill you, Dalia. I have enough blood on my hands."

A tiny whimper breaks out from her lips, but there's nothing left to be said.

The world is about to end.

There is no time.

Absorbing my sword, I tear off my blood-stained jacket and toss it back at her.

Jumping up on the ledge, I give her one last look, frowning ever so slightly. Dalia stares at the jacket in confusion, touching the tears and running her fingers over the blood.

The only emotion I can gauge from her is shock.

"Find what makes you strong, Dalia."

With that, I jump off the ledge and look for the Witch.

HAPPY 15K EVERYONE!!!

Oh my god, this is such a big and important milestone for me. Seriously, this is only the second time I've made it this far and the first was because I left a finished story abandoned on my account during my hiatus! We're not even finished yet!

That is a huge first for me! Thank you all so much for supporting me this far and joining me on this fantastic journey! I'm crying, this is such a wonderful, special experience...

So for this beautiful experience, please share your favorite scene from this story below! I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Have a wonderful day everyone!