The Soul Keeper

"Should we take a short break?" Mona asked as we met up with the others. Asher seemed hesitant to answer her question. He shot me a glance.

"Can you destroy another pillar soon, Kai?"

I nodded. "Yes, we should go ahead with the plan. It went somewhat smoothly so far, no reason to change things up."

Laura took a breath as if she were about to speak, but then changed her mind.

I stretched my arm and let a rift form before me. It had become so much easier to create these over the course of just a few days – I was finding it hard to believe already.

"Let's go." Alex stepped inside the rift. Lucius followed her, then Mona. Laura and Theresa were right behind them. Rina was a bit hesitant, but she said nothing. Asher waited until everyone else had passed, then glanced at me.

"Are yok ok?" He asked, with worry in his voice. I nodded. "I'm fine enough to get through this. I'll be better when it's over though." I gestured him to pass through. He showed me a faint, worried smile before doing so. I followed right after him.

Now, we were on a tall hill, overlooking the final Divine Pillar the Demon Lord had shown me.

"Well, we might be screwed." Lucius sighed as we looked down on the field where the battle would take place. "That's an army down there."

I clenched my fists. He wasn't wrong. I could see over a hundred silhouettes moving. "Not good." I whispered.

"We need to find the inquisitors first." Asher glanced at Lucius. "Can you see the battlefield clearly?"

The young swordsman shook his head. "No, it's too dark. I can't make out anything more than just the sihouettesç" He squinted, trying to see better but his shoulders dropped soon after. "Sorry."

"I don't feel the power of any Divine." I said after a moment of silence. "That doesn't mean there can't be one hidden there, but I highly doubt it." I glanced at Laura. "Any way you could check on that?"

The blonde woman shook her head. "If I cast a scrying spell, they will know we're here and watching them. I'd rather not take the risk since then they can send for help before we can stop the messengers." Her expression darkened. "We need to get this done," She added with a firm voice. "We've come so far already."

I nodded. We couldn't turn back now. "Asher, Rina." I said as I stepped forward. "One of you needs to handle Alex, Mona, and Lucius' defence while the other one needs to be on the offensive. Laura, stay here with Theresa, make sure every arrow rains death."

They all nodded. "Mona, focus on crowd control, use your magic to slow down the ordinary soldiers." The crimson haired druid nodded. "Alright," She said in a low voice.

"What about you?" Asher asked. "I'm sure there are more inquisitors down there. Are you planning on taking on all of them alone?"

I shrugged. "I'll figure something out. Maybe I'll just keep them occupied with a few spells and destroy the pillar in the meantime."

Asher rolled his eyes. "You know that will only work once, don't you?"

I chuckled. "Don't worry, Asher. I still have a trick or two up my sleeve." I instinctively touched the palm of my left hand. "I'd rather save it, but I can use it in a clutch."

The blonde sorcerer seemed worried still, but he nodded, nonetheless. "Then let's get ready." He glanced towards the battlefield below. "We move out in five."

We all nodded. Laura and Theresa moved to the peak of the hill and as I watched in surprise, set up their offence. A massive war bow, floating in the air on a sigil Laura quickly drew on the rocky surface. Theresa could stand by the bow and aim with ease, while not having to carry the weight of it herself.

Theresa quickly tested it, then nodded. "Go ahead," She said as Laura cast another spell. Circles with distorted air within appeared before the bow, facing towards the field of our upcoming battle. I raised my brows as Theresa looked through them, to the battlefield. "It's perfect." She said with a smile.

"What's that?" I asked as I circled behind her. "Oh!" I exclaimed as I figured it out. "That's brilliant." It worked like binoculars – I could see the battlefield with ease and in great detail here. "So, this is how you were so accurate despite the chaos!"

Theresa chuckled. "It helps a lot, really." She smiled, though it was a bitter smile. "I'll make sure to cover for you guys," She added as her gaze turned on Mona. "So, let's get this done without any issues, ok?"

I nodded. "We'll do our very best." An idea crossed my mind. "Wait, can't we use this to find the inquisitors?" I glanced through the magical circles again.

"No, look." Laura pointed at the figures of the Ereth. "You can't make out anything more than basic shapes because it's so dark." She was right – I couldn't tell if what they were wearing were cloaks or robes and unfortunately, not all Ereth had wings so counting those without wings wasn't an option either.

"Unfortunate," I mumbled. "But this is still an amazing idea," I quickly added, fearing being misunderstood.

Laura smiled and nodded. "We've got this," She said, lightly squeezing Theresa's shoulder. The young archer was quick to nod in agreement as well.

"Time's up!" Asher declared as he took his place right next to Laura, Rina, and Theresa. "Ready?" He asked, glancing at the rest of us.

"As ready as I'll ever be." Alex mumbled. "Let's get this over with." Mona nodded wordlessly and Lucius just turned his back on us and faced the battlefield. Our nerves were stretched to the max, like a bow being drawn. 

I let the heavy silence sink in as everyone watched the field where our battle would take place. A moment of respite, so to speak, before the fighting, the chaos and the death all around us began.

"Remember – survival comes first." I warned them. "So, if it means choosing between killing someone and saving someone, you always choose the latter. Now, let's go."

With that, we left.

I leapt up into the air as Mona, Alex, and Lucius ran downhill.

"Please let this work." I whispered as I folded my wings slightly, gaining more downwards velocity. 

I landed in the middle of the field where our battle would take place, then released my magic without even a moment of hesitation. I didn't need to conserve any of my power for there was no next battle. This was a do or die situation. If we lost here, the Demons' forces would be split up and the Ereth would have a much greater chance of winning this was. And then, Divine Matriarch Aelith would have no trouble finding and killing every single one of us – we couldn't hide forever after all.

I could give my everything for this battle, and so, I did.

As the small army turned towards me with shock and confusion, their expressions immediately turned to hatred and wrath. As far as they were concerned, a demon stood before them. A demon, with a blade as dark as the night in hand. A demon surrounded by black and purple flames.

I raised my sword and pointed its end at them. Behind me, I noticed the others arrive. Mona stood besides me, spear in hand. Lucius and Alex stepped forward, one towering over all with her tall figure, intimidating the Ereth just with her still bloody falchion and bloodthirsty expression. Lucius stood besides her, ready for battle at a moment's notice.

"So, you've come!" A clear, unfamiliar voice sounded as the Ereth ranks drew apart and three robed figures stepped forth. Three inquisitors, hiding behind their masks and the power of the Divine Pillar. "And I see you've dragged some others into your treacherous plans, Demon!" The speaker's gaze fell on Mona, Lucius, and Alex. "Yet you come with such small numbers, do you believe yourself to be the Lord?" Her mocking voice triggered a chuckle from the other two. 

I grinned, showing my sharp fangs. "You speak with such confidence, yet I only see a handful of soldiers, and the three of you." I stepped forward, slowly allowing my flames to spread forward on the grassy field, illuminating our surroundings. "Is that arrogance, I taste?" My voice was but a whisper, but a spell Asher cast from afar made sure it echoed throughout the battlefield.

The inquisitor clenched her fists. "It is yours that is arrogance!" She shouted, raising her hand. As soon as she did so, the Divine Pillar lit up with a blinding golden hue. "I will kill all of you in the name of the Divine Matriarch!"

And thus, this decisive battle began. With an arrow shot from the distance, a flash of lightning descending from the night sky and purple flames, ready to consume everything in their path.