I sat on Clary’s bed, my armor altered to be clothing once more. My items were strewn across the bed next to me.

There was some… thought… floating in my head. Something about time running out, and a key. I needed to check something, and soon, or else I wouldn’t be able to fix my problem. I concentrated fiercely, but the thought escaped my grasp, so I stopped concentrating fiercely and relaxed on the bed.

These things really are soft, much softer than the ground. I might want to start sleeping in one regularly. I snickered to myself at a sudden thought. I suspect I’m going to be spending a lot of time in this bed from now on.

While that train of thought was entertaining, it wasn’t particularly useful. I picked up the book I’d gotten from the dungeon, in the hopes it would mention a key, or anything useful to my quest to become Champion.

Blah blah blah, ripping thoughts with ease, blah blah, risks to sanity. Wisps… hmm, I could probably set up some experiments with those things. The notes in this book would be useful for that. Blah blah blah, and… and some notes on altering terrain but nothing actually useful. Brilliant.

I threw the book to the side and sighed.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a strange glint in the mirror, and on a whim I picked it up. There was something strange, a new rune on the left side that was flashing bright. I touched it, and the mirror shimmered to show me a view I hadn’t seen before, though I recognized where it was.

Night’s Bastion, a fortress-city constructed to defend one of the three portals to Warfield from Nyx. It was arguably the most important portal, being the closest to enemy forces. On the other side were the ruins of a fort, which Darkness had slowly been trying to repair since it was destroyed by Light.

The mirror’s view went through the portal, emerging in the ruined fort.

It was under attack.

A small army of Light warriors was attacking the fort. There were only a few builders and soldiers stationed at the fort, perhaps because everyone was in Raven’s Shade for the announcement of the new Champion. The few still in the fort were being slaughtered en masse by the invaders, who were led by a tall man in heavy armor… the Champion of Light, according to the mirror’s display.

No.

No!

This is not good.

If the Light forces get through… no, when they get through, they’re going to find Night’s Bastion practically deserted thanks to our soldiers being stretched thin and now all meeting Drake. That army is going to overrun the city in hours, maybe minutes, and from there they can assault all of Nyx. They’ll crush our army. They’ll conquer this world. It would be over before it had even begun.

I will not allow this!

I grabbed my gear and practically flew down the stairs, yelling, “CLARY! MALK! INVASION!” Malk stumbled down the stairs after me, and Clary stood up. Wabbit hopped over the sofa. “Get your weapons, and fast.” They scrambled to do so and I ignored their questions, opening a portal to Raven’s Shade.

I ran through it and emerged in the midst of a gathering, as Fitzdonald and the Council appointed Drake Champion, while most of the army looked on. “Light just sent a small army to attack Night’s Bastion! We need to get there now!” I flung open another portal, this time to Night’s Bastion, and a quick look behind me confirmed that Clary, Malk, and Wabbit were following.

I rushed out of the portal and into Night’s Bastion, a city already under siege. In the distance I could see simple battlements, while within the walls were grandiose castles and towers. Both, however, were now marred by energy blasts from the invading force of Light.

The soldiers of Darkness still in the city were dying left and right, unable to stop the onslaught of the Light soldiers, clad in their stupid shiny armor and their yellow and white cloaks. Shadows were obliterated by flashes of light, and in the distance I saw a massive explosion.

Well, goodie. More enemies to slaughter.

I leapt into action, summoning shadows that swept over the battlefield and stabbed at nearby warriors of Light. The surviving Dark soldiers fought harder, and I summoned tendrils of darkness to give them rally points. I raced towards the explosion I’d seen and flung bolts of darkness as I went at random enemy soldiers, not caring what my allies did.

In the distance, I saw Drake rush out of a building with soldiers behind him, rushing into the fight against the Light forces. That must be the building with the portal to Raven’s Shade. I sensed something about Drake, a heightened power. The boost they give the Champion. I gave him a short wave and went back to my charge through the Light soldiers.

A gang of four moved to block my path, weapons at the ready, and I laughed at their pathetic nature. With a wave of my hand, a small legion of sharpened tentacles appeared and rushed forward, stabbing through their armor and quickly killing them all.

An officer attacked me, swinging an axe. Confidence was plan on his face, but I easily sidestepped his attack and sent a bolt of darkness straight at him. He fell to the side to escape it, and a second officer sent a ray of light at me, which I blocked by simply holding up my hand and channeling a bit of darkness.

I stabbed the first officer’s chest with Whisperdeath, and stole his energy, channeling it into a blast of darkness that weakened and disoriented the second officer, who then died a second later to a tendril. I’m not here for a few pathetic officers. I’m here for your Champion.

I continued on, and in under a minute I reached the site of the explosion: a completely destroyed tower that still bore fresh wounds from the Light attack, the stone of the tower stained white and yellow and glowing bright. Only a few meters away fought the heavily armored figure and a few other soldiers of Light, finishing off several Dark slayers.

I grinned. “Hey, Champion! Time for you to see the light.” I sent a blast of light energy at him, and followed up with a few beams, tearing apart his squad. He stared at me in shock before recovering and raising a shield. “Knave, you wield powers belonging only to one of the Light, but no soldier of our kind would turn traitor! I know not what strange power of Darkness this is, but you are truly a unique opponent. You will die this day, as a worthy opponent!”

He charged, light wreathed around him, sword glowing. He moved fast, but I jumped over him and shoved his back, sending him tumbling forward even as he tried to slice at me. The second he recovered, he sent a blast of light at me, which I blocked with a quick shield of darkness.

He snarled, and sheathed his sword and shield. He raised his hands over his head, and I tilted my own quizzically, curious at what he was attempting. Then I cried out as a column of light appeared and scorched my flesh. Though my spell blocked the pain, I still felt the shock of it. OW! FUCK! Okay, that’s a new trick. That one is new. Ow. That probably hurts. Everywhere. Pain everlasting. I am so glad I can block pain.

I stumbled away and leaned against a wall to catch my breath. The Champion gestured a second time, but my wards had adapted and they deflected the damage. He tried again, to similar results, and scowled. I grinned. “No pain, no gain. And I guess I just got immunity to one of your most powerful attacks. Nice try.”

“I’m just getting started!” he yelled out. He brought his sword out again and shot a beam of light from it, which I narrowly dodged. He repeated the maneuver and this time I was just a little bit too slow, and it went straight through my leg, leaving a hole. I fell to the side, and raised my wards in time to block the next attack while I healed my leg.

I stood up, and smiled. “Pathetic.”

He looked at my uninjured form and glared. “You must be the new Champion of Darkness then. You may be strong, but believe me… I am stronger!” He thrust both hands forward, and there was a massive explosion of light all around me, searing light that tore at the very ground and buildings and obscured everything.

When it cleared, I was standing unharmed, having absorbed it.

His mouth gaped in shock, and I laughed. With a furious howl, he charged again, sword raised high. I smirked, and as his sword descended, seemingly in slow motion, I reached out and grabbed the blade, stopping him in place.

“My turn.”

I exercised my will, and lightning surged down the length of the sword and through the Champion. He fell back, screaming in pain, and I called the darkness to me, letting it wash over the Champion and tear apart his armor. He tried to call an aura of light around him to protect himself, but I tore the magic away from him and unleashed a bout of fire. He started to crawl, desperate to escape me, and I gestured once more, and the ground became a prison, wrapping around his arms and legs. I leisurely strolled over to the Champion’s struggling body, and crouched down by his head.

Then, I tore his knowledge from his mind.

-towering cities and shining armor-

-soldiers marching in formation-

-a discussion around a campfire-

-laughter-

-sorrow-

-confrontations-

-plans to conquer Nyx-

-breaking of alliances-

-the walls of the Dark fort-

His body turned to bone and fading light.   

I reached out, and I called the energy to me. It flowed upwards, across my body, and in through my mouth and eyes. I could feel it, surging, coursing, healing, empowering. I rose triumphant.

Now.

I flew.

No.

I ascended into the air above the fortress-city, seeing the carnage, the warfare, the destruction. I reveled in it.

And then I ended it.

With a single breath, I unleashed the full extent of my newfound power upon the city. The sky turned black. Shadows lengthened. Darkness reigned. And every soldier of Light was consumed by that darkness. I took their lives, their energy, and it restored all that I had spent to cast the spell, with excess.

It was glorious.

I flew down to the ground by Clary and said, “Handle negotiations with the Council. I’m the new Champion. I have business to take care of first.”

Without giving her time to reply, I flew through the city until I found the portal to Warfield. I looked back at Nyx, at my world, at all the soldiers I’d just killed, and I laughed.

I stepped through.

Power in my veins. A sky of infinite color. Terrain that could be called only a blasted heath. Warfield.

At long last.

An army of Light soldiers stood amid dead soldiers of Darkness, many noticing me quite quickly. The walls of the portal compound were all broken, and the entire place had been devastated. It seemed that Light had gone all out in this attack. They wanted to end Dark once and for all perhaps. Whatever. I didn’t care.

As the nearest soldier rushed toward me, time seemed to slow down, and I grinned. They had no idea how powerful I was. With a thought, shadows flew from my hand and where they touched the soldier, she became dust.

Like a whirlwind of death I twirled around and let loose with more tendrils, watching the darkness flood across the encampment and disintegrate more of the soldiers. The smart and the fast threw up shields of crackling light, while the stupid and slow died by the dozens. With a wicked laugh I flew up into the air and called down fire from the sky, setting the entire compound alight. The soldiers of Light screamed and scattered, shocked and terrified, and once more my laugh rang out over the camp, echoing darkly.

One soldier, probably an officer or something, called out and raised a new shield, and other soldiers flocked to him, adding their strength to the shield and rallying for some ineffectual tactic or whatever soldiers did. I smirked at them and flew over them, gathering the darkness about me.

And as they braced for my next attack, I dropped out of the sky fist-first pointed towards the ground. The shield shattered and I passed right through out, slamming into the ground and sending out a shockwave of disturbed earth and shadowy blades that tore the remaining soldiers to pieces in seconds.

I rose to my feet, and stretched out a bit, healing a few scratches from my explosive landing. I breathed in deeply, and got a great whiff of energy ripe for the taking, which I did so with glee. More energy, more power, more ascension. Taking a quick survey of the battlefield to check that no soldier remained un-drained or un-killed, I was satisfied with what I found and began working on my next task: protecting this outpost.

With an effort of will and some words from that wonderful book of secrets, I began raising a shield of energy that would be self-sustaining, to guard the outpost and portal from future attacks. Another gesture, a seal, and the shield was in place, crackling purple.

I looked at my work. At the corpses. The shield. My power. I looked at how far I had come. And I looked to what I had left to do. Only one thing, really.

Now for the final chapter.