Chapter 20: A Close Call
When they arrived at the source of the scream, the sight before them was enough to freeze their blood. The world around them seemed to slow, their breath catching in their throats as they took in the gruesome scene.
A man lay before them, his body hacked into pieces, blood spattered across the ground and staining the Shrouded One's clothes. The image was so horrific that it almost felt unreal, like something out of a nightmare.
But there was no time to process the shock. The Shrouded One, unbothered by the violence he'd just caused, raised his machete once again, aiming for the mother and her children. It was as though he didn't even see the life he'd just taken, as though it meant nothing to him.
In that moment, the girls snapped out of their shock, their instincts kicking in. They couldn't let him continue to destroy lives, leaving a bloody trail behind him. They had to stop him.
They rushed forward, but the Shrouded One, sensing their approach, halted. His gaze shifted toward them with a chilling smirk. The family, in that instant, found a fleeting chance to escape, running as fast as they could.
"You little girls are like cockroaches," the Shrouded One sneered, his voice low and dangerous. "You don't die easily, do you? You escaped my wind, and now you even came up from where I buried you. Tell me, how do you do that?"
Ariella's fists clenched in anger, but it was Elara who spoke, her voice cutting through the tension. "If it was that easy to get rid of us, we wouldn't have appeared in front of you at all. Let alone constantly try to stop your evil actions." Her defiance was clear in her words, her eyes glowing with a determination that matched her fiery spirit.
The Shrouded One chuckled darkly. "You sure speak big for a girl your age," he taunted, snapping his fingers, a flicker of dark energy swirling around him.
But this time, the girls were prepared. They closed their eyes, concentrating, drawing on their power as they had done before. A bright blue and white light enveloped them, their eyes glowing to match the colors of their stones.
The Shrouded One faltered, taken aback by the strength of their energy. He had never seen power like this—not even from the Queens themselves. For a moment, he was speechless, staring at the girls in stunned disbelief.
His beasts, sensing the shift in power, began to scramble, knocking into one another in a desperate attempt to flee. But it was too late. The Shrouded One tried to snap his fingers to escape, but his efforts were in vain.
Frustrated, he opened his mouth and unleashed a stream of fire, aiming to engulf the girls. But the force of his own attack was too much. The fire, swirling around the girls, rebounded and struck him instead. The flames consumed him in an instant.
Realization hit him hard—he might truly lose his life here. And as the fire burned, one thought echoed through his mind: Run.
Without another word, he vanished, his body flickering out of existence, leaving behind only silence and the smoke of his failed attempt.