Chapter 85: Light Beyond the Shadow
The broken seals were restored, but peace didn't last long. In the cold silence of the mountain ridge where shadows curled like snakes through the air, Laxman stood alone, facing a presence far more terrifying than any beast.
"You let them reseal it," the Shadow hissed from behind the veil of darkness. Its form flickered like fire trapped in oil—distorted, ancient, furious. "Do you realize what you've done?"
"I tried—" Laxman began, but the Shadow's voice cracked through him.
"Tried? Tried? That seal was not just a lock—it was part of our grand design! You've failed me , Laxman. And you know what happens to failures."
Before Laxman could respond, the ground beneath him vanished. He plunged into darkness.
Suddenly, he was back in that place.
A realm of unending torment, where grotesque creatures with melting eyes and skeletal fingers gnawed at his flesh, endlessly, hungrily. He was covered in filth, his body raw, his throat hoarse from the screams that merged with countless others in the air. The atmosphere was thick with the stench of death and hopelessness.
He struggled to breathe. Around him, others suffered too—twisted souls, sobbing, moaning, pleading. A hand reached out from the darkness and clawed at his leg. Another latched onto his arm. The agony was unbearable.
"No!" he cried, collapsing. "I won't go back! I won't!"
And just like that, he was yanked back to the present. Kneeling by the riverbank, drenched, shaking, Laxman gasped for air. The vision had passed, but the terror remained.
He looked at his reflection in the water. "I will not return to that place," he whispered to himself. "I was promised eternity here. To be the Shadow's right hand. I will not fail again."
With resolve burning in his eyes, Laxman submerged himself in the river, letting the freezing water cleanse the fear from his body. Then he rose, dripping, fierce, ready. His mission was clear.
---
Back in the village, the skies remained dull, but inside Ariella's home, a storm brewed quietly.
She hadn't spoken in days.
Visitors came with apologies—people who once mocked her mother, now ashamed. Ariella turned each of them away.
"If you truly seek forgiveness," she said coldly, "then go to her grave and kowtow there. Not to me."
Her father and grandmother stayed by her side, trying to comfort her, but her grief had become a shield—one no words could pierce.
Then it happened.
As her grandmother held her hand, Ariella tensed. A strange heat surged through her veins. The skin on her arms pulsed. Blue veins bulged, lighting up unnaturally.
"I—I don't feel right," she whispered.
She let out a scream that shook the walls and collapsed.
Her unconscious mind drifted into a void, and in that dark space, two radiant figures appeared—the Blue and White Queens. They looked upon her with solemn eyes.
"You did not lose your powers, child," one said.
"No," the other continued. "You sacrificed... and in doing so, you evolved. What was once yours alone is now something greater. You've awakened a new bond."
Ariella's eyes flew open.
She was lying on the floor, her father and grandmother hovering beside her, their hands gripped tightly around hers.
"Are you alright?" her father asked, panic etched across his face.
She nodded slowly, then stood. "I have to find Elara."
---
Elara was near the edge of the forest, collecting herbs absentmindedly when she felt Ariella approach.
The two embraced tightly, and Ariella quickly explained her vision, the transformation, and the message from the Queens.
"I think something inside me has changed," she said softly. "Something stronger."
"Then let's test it," Elara replied with a sly smile.
They each lifted their palms. The glowing marks shimmered as they connected, and the light that burst forth was like nothing they'd seen before.
A massive, swirling fusion of sapphire and white light erupted, stretching above the trees, dancing across the sky.
The entire village saw it—villagers gasped and pointed from their homes.
Even the clouds seemed to part in awe.
Moments later, Percy sprinted toward them, panting. "Are you both okay? I saw that light—I thought someone attacked you!"
But they weren't alone.
Far away, submerged in the river's depths, Laxman saw the glow pierce the sky. His lips curled into a smirk.
"That's it," he muttered. "Let's finish this."
He emerged from the water and, with a flick of his wrist, transformed. His soaked robes vanished, replaced by an outfit of dark silver threads lined with symbols—like tattoos woven into fabric. He summoned a staff carved from black crystal and stepped into a portal of swirling shadows.
---
A gust of icy wind struck the trio.
Laxman appeared before them, hovering a few inches above the ground, hair slicked back, eyes burning red.
"Touching little display," he sneered. "Pity it ends here."
Without warning, he launched forward. The girls moved to defend, and Percy charged at Laxman with a cry.
But Laxman was faster.
He spun, and with a sickening crack, struck Percy hard across the skull with his staff.
Percy's body crumpled.
"No!" Elara screamed, catching his limp form.
He didn't move. Blood pooled beneath him.
Rage filled the girls' eyes, but Laxman grinned, emboldened.
"Now," he said, "just you two."
He raised his hands, and dark chains of magic wrapped around the girls, trapping them in place.
But Ariella didn't panic.
Instead, she smirked.
"You think we're the same girls you fought before?" she asked.
With a slow twirl of her fingers, strange fire erupted—blue and white, wild and fierce. The flames didn't burn the grass or trees, but they danced and swirled, targeting Laxman with precise fury.
He screamed as the fire engulfed him. The chains snapped. The ground cracked beneath him.
For a moment, it seemed he might fall.
But then he snarled and reached into his robe, pulling out a dark amulet. With a flash of crimson light, he vanished—teleported away.
Silence followed.
Elara dropped to Percy's side, hands trembling.
"Is he…?" she whispered.
Ariella didn't answer. She stared at the scorched ground where Laxman had stood, her fists clenched.
"He's not done," she muttered. "But neither are we."