The Soul Keeper

A whip snapped right by my side, the sound as it hit the ground almost deafened me. The ground trembled, and Vixia's power poured from the spot hit by the whip like a fountain, forming a large umbrella above us.

"It won't last long!" Vixia's voice sounded. I shot her a quick glance, only to see her clash with a few Ereth soldiers. Despite being outnumbered three to one, she was masterfully navigating the battle, keeping them quite far from both her and Mother.

"Go!" Fetheion shouted, pointing at the inquisitors. "I'm right behind you!" 

I didn't hesitate. I stretched my wings wide, and as soon as I found an opening through the barrage of spells, I leapt into the air.

Above me, the fighting continued without any signs of slowing down, and below me, I could see Fetheion hook an arrow and shoot. My large, feathery wings carried me to the inquisitors, though as soon as they noticed me, I became the target of their spells.

I weaved my way through the spears of golden light. A few of them narrowly missed me, while some of them went wide. After a very short minute of struggling to reach the inquisitors, I landed right in front of them, and with a single swing of my scythe, destroyed the first layer of barriers they erected.

A wicked grin formed on my lips as I released my magic. Flames burst out of the ground all around us. I swung my scythe again, shattering the second layer of barriers, along with what little composure the inquisitors had left.

The ones closest to me took a few steps back in fear, while those in the back focused on cast spells. Knowing full well that I had no time to lose whatsoever, I swung my scythe again, empowered with Death's Scythe and Fallen Grace. Leaving black flames in its wake, the crystalline blade struck the third and final layer of golden barriers protecting the Inquisitors.

A satisfying crack sounded, then the large barrier shattered to a thousand pieces. Almost as if he knew the barrier would shatter, Fetheion's arrow flew through the pieces before they even faded and buried itself into the chest of one of the inquisitors.

Screams sounded as the inquisitor's lifeless body fell on the ground. Another arrow flew past me, killing another one of the Ereth. I followed up on Fetheion's barrage with a wide, fast swing of my scythe. 

They died, I didn't count how many, but I knew this was far from being over. The inquisitors in the back had almost finished their spells, and I knew full well I couldn't afford to be hit by any of these. I gritted my teeth, continuing to swing my scythe. 

Golden barrier formed and shattered before me as I relentlessly attacked the inquisitors.

"Kai, retreat!" Fetheion shouted. I hesitated for s split second, my gaze fixed on the last remaining five or so masked Ereth. They were stronger than the other inquisitors, I could feel the golden power pulsing within them. I wanted to greed, I wanted to deash forward and cut them in pieces. 

I beat my wings and leapt in the air. I turned around and flew towards Fetheion. Too much was at stake to take such a huge gamble. I wasn't going to let my own greed destroy this chance to defeat Aelith once and for all.

Spears of light once again rained down from the sky, but to my surprise, they weren't aiming for me, or for Fetheion. Instead, it was the ordinary demon soldiers fighting high up in the skies that began falling. Bodies impaled and charred plummeted to the ground below. Screams echoed as the demons quickly dwindled in numbers, and the Ereth forces quickly began overwhelming them.

A golden light shone upon them, strengthening their bodies, protecting them from harm and healing their wounds. I paused mid air and glanced at Fetheion. His expression wasn't much different from mine or Vixia's. Horror and hatred, mixed with disgust and sadness.

"We have to do something!" Vixia finally shouted. Her voice just barely reached my ears over the sounds of battle. I nodded, if the battle above was lost, we wouldn't be just facing a few extra soldiers. We would be facing a few extra solders, enhanced by the light of the Divine Pillar, and empowered by the power of the inquisitors. 

"Uncle!" I shouted as I began ascending. "Protect Mom!" Without waiting for a reply, I beat my wings and flew up, towards the battle. Leaving a trail of black and purple flames behind me, I tightened my grasp on the cool metal shaft of my scythe.

The Ereth were unaware of me. As soon as I was in range, I swung my scythe from below, sending a wave of fire to the sky. Black and purple flames roared as they ascended higher, consuming whatever they found on their path. I followed in their wake, breaking through the Ereth forces and scattering them.

"Now, attack!" I shouted. The Demons seemed hesitant for a moment, but a clear, bewitching voice quickly rose to back me up. "Follow the Keeper's Apostle!" 

Vixia's words were enough to convince the Demons. They shouted something and followed me to battle. I heard the snap of a whip I faced the foremost Ereth soldier. As soon as his blade clashed with mine, a whip made of purple flames wrapped itself around his neck. Hearing that audible crack as his neck broke was enough to make me shudder.

"I've got your back." Her low voice reached my ears. Her magic tickled my cheek before disappearing. I rolled my eyes, then with a powerful beat of my wings, lunged into battle once more.

Each kill was a struggle, each death was a huge setback as the inquisitors below made this fight a living nightmare. Despite having killed most of them, the remaining five showed no sign of fear. They used the power of the Divine Pillar almost perfectly, hindering us at every step.

And amidst all of this chaos, I could feel the tension in the air continue to rise. Whatever was going on with the fight between Aelith and the Demon Lord had begun affecting the broader battlefield.