From the darkness, snarling dryads inch forward one at a time, their eyes lock onto me with those hollow gazes. In the center of this ominous scene stands a tall, wooden throne, seemingly grown from a tree itself and sculpted slowly over time. It must have taken centuries to create such a work of art. The figure of a woman emerges now, her voice sounds like that of a hundred as she speaks, and each one drips with disdain.

  "And who is this?" she asks, her pale iridescent light illuminating her grotesque features.

  Each dryad comes into view now, and at their center is that… that thing, that abomination, that living nightmare… Every time I overheard Ethel telling the older kids about it, I swear I could hear its roots tapping against the window of my room later that night. I’d run out of my room crying, begging for Ethel to come and check for the very same She-Demon that stands before me now.

  To think, all this time she was just one of Death’s creations. Her skin is mottled with patches of sickly gray, while her limbs appear thin, but stretched to uncanny proportions. It was as if flesh and nature itself had managed to merge together through some sick, twisted ritual, and this thing was the outcome.

  Thorn-like claws rest at the ends of her hands, cradling a small dryad with a white handkerchief wrapped around his head.

  The Guardian's hair hangs in tangled, ashen strands, twisted vines and thorns are interwoven throughout her body. Some parts appear to be flesh, but her arms are nothing more than twisted limbs from a tree. "This is your new friend you were telling me about?" Her gaze pierces through me, and I feel my blood run cold.

  Those eyes are her most unsettling feature. They’re the eyes of a predator, and I can feel her bloodlust from here. Two pools of inky darkness stare down at me, devoid of humanity and bereft of light. They don’t reflect light; instead, they seem to soak up any that enters them. I fully understand why something like this could be considered a Denizen of Darkness, nothing about this creature is of this world or the next.

  "I personally don’t see what’s so great about her. Her taste in clothing is terrible," the Guardian sneers, and her laughter echoes throughout the clearing.

  Despite Valoria’s chilling appearance, her demeanor holds an eerie familiarity. It was as if I was standing in front of royalty.

  "W-What are you?..."

  "Ah, manners," she replies mockingly. "You enter our domain, uninvited, might I add and then have the audacity to ask about me? Introduce yourself, child."

  "Clara," I whisper, my heart pounding in my chest.

  "Your surname, your family name. From which clan do you come from?" she demands, her voice as sharp as the thorns that adorn her body.

  I hesitate, but ultimately relent, knowing that I don’t have a choice. "Crowsong. Clara Crowsong."

  "Of course! A vile Crowsong. Your kind have been hunting us for centuries now! See? I told you she is no friend of yours, my beloved Sensia." The small, Withered Dryad in her grasp lowers its head in sadness. It lets out a mournful squeak, to which the Guardian hisses back, "No! You cannot play tag with her anymore."

  "Tell me, girl," the Guardian continues, her gaze falling on me once again. "How does one of Crowsong ilk end up with not one, but two of those accursed marks?..."

  "Guess I pissed off the wrong person."

  "I'd say so," she says, her lips twisting into a crude smile. "Normally I would say this isn't personal, but it very much is. Please die now."

  As soon as the words leave her mouth, a barbed thorn flies past my head. I'm barely able to react, just narrowly avoiding it as it slices my cheek open. A moment later and it would have likely punctured my brain, killing me instantly.

  "Such a shame. I was starting to like you too," the Guardian taunts, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  "Listen, I didn't come here to cause trouble," I respond, anger and fear mixing in my voice. "I just need to find my way out of here, that's all."

  "Is that so?" The Guardian's twisted smile grows wider, her dark eyes boring into me. "Well, it seems we have a little problem, Clara Crowsong. You see, no one leaves this place without my explicit permission."

  "Fine, what do you want then?"

  "Your life, of course."

  Sensia jumps from her arms, squeaking loudly the entire three foot free fall, and he runs to me.

  Sensia's tiny form stands defiantly between me and the Guardian, his leaves quivering with determination.

  "I told you, you can't play tag with her, sweetie. She is not your friend."

  "Meh!" Sensia squeaks, his voice barely audible in the large area as he throws an acorn. It's a pitiful attack, barely reaching its target, but it does manage to hit the Guardian’s foot.

  "Fine, have it your way," the Guardian snaps, her patience wearing thin. Another vine surges forth, aimed at Sensia's small frame.

  I lunge forward, grabbing hold of the dryad. I infuse my arm with as much mana as I can in the brief moment I'm allotted before I get hit.

  The vine runs up the length of my forearm, wrapping around it before it bounces off. My blood boils just beneath the surface, but the thin barrier of mana manages to keep my arm intact, for now.

  Sensia lets out a squeak, his beady little eyes filled with fear.

  "Hold on tight."

  Sensia hugs my leg, and we retreat as a barrage of vines erupts from the ground beneath me. I dance between them as best I can, but one whips at my ankle. It digs deep, it's thorns tearing through my skin. I let out a grunt and slice at the vine with an Aetheric blade.

  I don't need to use my Eyes of Clarity to understand the spell. They're autonomous vines, infused with a large amount of mana. They would continue to attack anyone that gets near them until they're destroyed. No matter how many I destroy, there seems to be no end in sight, despite how much mana each one must cost to create.

  The Guardian watches us with a twisted grin on her lips, unmoving from her spot. It was likely she was just trying to tire me out before going in for the kill.

  Her confidence sickens me, but she was strong, she could afford to be confident. I hurl a volley of Aetheric Needles towards her, and she swats them away dismissively.

  I'd have to catch her off guard if I wanted to deal any substantial damage. I'd use that confidence of hers to my advantage.

  "Ready for another game, Sensia?" I murmur, and I feel him nod against my leg. "We're going to play tug of war, but in reverse. When she pushes me back, you push me towards her, alright?"

  He nods once again.

  Mustering all my courage, I charge forward, darting in and out of the vines that spring out of the ground. I slice through the ones I can't evade, and press on.

  The Guardian's twisted smile fades, giving way to a horrible snarl.

  "You're charging me head on, Crowsong?" she taunts, and holds her arms wide open as if she hopes to embrace me. "You're disappointing me!"

  Everything around me slows to a crawl as I focus on my target. I see multiple openings, and they all dare me to strike.

  I reach for her, a thin, Aetheric blade forming in my hand. I fall just short of running her through as I'm knocked back by a gust of wind slamming into me. Pain explodes in my chest, but I hold my breath and squint through the pain. A moment later, Sensia's grip tightens around my leg, and I can feel his fear as my own.

  Despite his fear, Sensia propels me towards Valoria with his own wind. Initially I gain some ground, but the two winds quickly cancel each other out, and I'm stuck between them.

  I fight against Valoria’s winds, my Aetheric blade grows longer as I infuse it with more mana. I strain myself, and plant my feet in the ground as I lean into the attack. When the blade gets within a foot of her, she simply grabs the end of it with two pointed nails, and it snaps.

  Her winds increase, and I’m thrown back. I hit the ground with a hard thud, and roll several times before I’m able to stop.

  "What was that supposed to be? All that and your weapon had no weight-"

  As Valoria mocks me, I swing my arm downward, as if I’m slicing the air itself. A thin needle high above the Guardian has been swelling into the shape of a hefty guillotine all this time, and I release it. Valoria lets out a pained scream as it slams into her shoulder blade, nearly severing the arm. Black blood, and tree bark are sent flying into the air, but she catches the Aetheric guillotine with her other hand, stopping its freefall.

  It was sneaky, but this wasn’t an opponent I’d be able to defeat with conventional methods. I had to cheat, I had to lower myself, and take any advantage possible.

  I charge forth once more, another needle transforming into the shape of a spear. But the Guardian merely flicks a finger at me, and once more, a powerful gust of wind sends me flying back.

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  "Weh!" Sensia cries out as I throw the Aetheric spear at the Guardian.

  Valoria just manages to throw the guillotine aside when my aetheric spear punctures her other shoulder, black sap begins oozing from the wound. This only causes her to burst out into a fit of laughter though.

  "You’re a sneaky little shit, aren't you?!" she spits, her laughter only growing louder by the moment.

  The ground shakes. Somewhere, a tree had been felled, and crashed into the earth. Terra was finally catching up; my heart swells with relief. If I could just hold on a little while longer...

  As if sensing my thoughts, Valoria unleashes another blast of wind, launching both Sensia and me high into the air. We cling to each other, as we soar higher and higher into the air.

  As we pass the treetops, I draw upon my magic. I create an Aetheric paraglider, akin to what Sensia had used earlier, but it’s quickly punctured by a multitude of vines.

  Instead, I focus on infusing my feet with raw mana. The world seems to slow as I focus on the impending collision, praying that my magic would be enough to save at least my upper half.

  As Sensia and I plummet toward the unforgiving ground, my heart races with fear. But just before we meet our doom, a burst of air cushions our fall.

  Opening my eyes, I see Sensia with his small hands held out in front of him, using his own magic to slow our descent. I can barely manage a smile as we land safely on the ground. My relief is short-lived, however, as Valoria begins to attack wildly. The area is filled to the brim with her magic in every direction. It’s chaotic, and way too much. She should be running out of mana sometime soon, but that simply isn’t happening.

  The sound of another tree falling fills my ears, signaling that Terra is near. I can feel his presence growing stronger, by the second. And then, like a fierce gale, he breaches the final piece of the treeline and enters the clearing.

  "And who is this? A friend of yours? Another of your ilk it seems…"

  "Kill her, now!" I shout to Terra, desperation clawing at my chest. He wastes no time, charging towards the Guardian without question. For a brief moment, my heart swells with gratitude.

  Launching himself at the Twisted Guardian, Terra summons a shimmering blade of ice, and in his other he holds the Blade of the Shadewell.

  But in a horrifying instant, everything goes wrong.

  Dozens of seeds shoot out from the Guardian's hand. Terra is able to avoid many, and those that he can’t, he deflects. One manages to slip through his defenses though. It takes root and grows in an instant. A red mist fills my vision, and Terra leaves my sight.

  All that’s left of Terra is a few bits and pieces of flesh, along with strips of skin that cling to the tree that had sprouted from within his body.

  My body grows numb at the sight, yet I can’t bring myself to tear my gaze away from it. In all of my lives, never had I witnessed such an end. It was instant…

  It didn’t make any sense. I can’t even see his soul anymore, no matter where I look for it.

  "Such a pity… But now it's your turn, little Crowsong."

  I force myself to steady my breathing, but then my knees buckle out from underneath me. I cling to the one thing that has always given me solace. My magic. Though it may not be enough, I would make do.

  I grit my teeth, my gaze flickering between Valoria, Terra’s remains, and the small dryad at my side. "W-We keep fighting," I manage to say, though my own voice falters.

  "How wonderful!," Valoria announces, clapping her hands together excitedly. "You'll all get to die then!"

  I can’t believe what I’m looking at. All the damage I had dealt to her thus far was seemingly negated. Valoria’s body is whole. No longer does her arm hang on by a mere thread. It’s been reattached by some magic.

  "But how?..."

  The moment the words leave my mouth, Sensia is ripped from my side. He’s dragged away by a cruel gust of wind. More dryads emerge from the shadows, and they’re all pointing at him.

  Panic claws at my chest as I’m lifted into the air, once more. The last thing I see is Sensia rooted to the ground below, unable to escape his brethren. The ground becomes a distant memory now.

  And then I fall.

  As I plummet back toward the earth, my thoughts race like wildfire.

  This couldn't be the end, not like this. The forest floor rushes up to meet me, and I squeeze my eyes shut. I will myself to survive, to find a way, to persevere and overcome.

  But… this doesn’t happen.

  Of every way I’ve died, this is the one I hate the most. Falling.

  If only I could soar through the wind like a dryad. I wouldn’t have to be so scared of heights anymore. If I could fly? Everything would have been completely different back then.

  If only I were so lucky…

  "And why can't you be so lucky?" A stray thought whispers to me.

  Just before impact, a burst of wind erupts from my body. My eyes snap open in disbelief as traces of mana swirl around my hands.

  "What?..."

  "Luck can be made!"

  I turn, trying to find the source of the voice, but another snaps at me instead.

  "So you were hiding something like that, were you? I’m learning a lot about you…" the Guardian growls, her expression contorted with fury. She points both her hands at Sensia, unleashing a torrent of vines, and seeds at him.

  I had already seen what those seeds were capable of first hand. Diving in front of Sensia, I summon an array of Needles, and they take on the shape of a small shield. Crouching behind the shield, I deflect every spell that comes our way, my arms trembling from the effort.

  "Is this all you've got?" I shout at the Guardian, desperation making me bold. The small shield shatters under the onslaught of attacks, a vine narrowly missing my neck.

  "Aetheric Greatshield!" I yell, infusing more mana into these Needles. A large, dark blue kiteshield materializes before me. It’s wide, and strong as steel.

  The Guardian's barrage doesn’t cease, but neither does my resolve. Glancing back at Sensia, I see the fear etched into his face. "It's okay, I just need some time to think."

  As if in response, part of the shield chips away, and the force sends my arm reeling, A single seed embeds itself within my arm. For a moment, I’m certain it’s all over until a small plant sprouts from my flesh, climbing painfully up my limb. Thankfully this seemed to be a different type of seed than the one that hit Terra. Fighting through the agony, I push on.

  "Aetheric Pavise!" I cry, summoning the sturdiest shield I can imagine. I root it into the ground and press my body weight against it for support.

  "It'll be okay, don't worry! Everything's okay…"

  My arms feel like they’re on the verge of shattering, but I press them into the shield regardless. The Guardian's relentless magic ricochets off the pavise and past us, obscuring my vision in all directions

  Why wasn't she running out of mana? There had to be some limit, but what if there wasn’t? She had been alive as long as my clan had been. Deep down, I expected this outcome.

  A vine pierces the pavise, skewering my chest and leaving a gruesome wound. Blood bubbles up in my throat and I cough it up onto the back of the shield, keeling over from the excruciating pain.

  The Guardian's voice reaches me through the sound of my own heart, and her constant attacks. "Oh? Did I hit something important? That felt like it hurt!"

  Summoning a dagger, I shakily cut the vine. It slowly withers and falls away as the gaping wound begins to bleed profusely. I feel cold, but my blood is warm on my fingertips. I hold my breath, and ready another spell.

  Placing a trembling hand over the wound, electricity dances at the tips of my fingers.

  "Zap…" I zap my chest once, and I convulse aggressively. Then a second time, and then a third. Each jolt fills the air with the nauseating scent of burning flesh. My vision blurs at the edges and I fight to stay conscious. Puke mixes with the blood in my mouth, and I cough it out weakly. The wound has been cauterized, but just barely.

  Sensia waddles up to me. His eyes quiver in their sockets as he stares on, helpless to do anything for me other than offer his presence.

  By now, the pavise is all but gone. A mere sliver remains as I lay flat on my back, Valoria’s magic crashing down overhead like a hailstorm.

  Gasping for air, I manage to choke out, "If you apologize, she may still forgive you. You don't need to die here too. It’s okay if you do…"

  But Sensia shakes his head, leaves rustling softly as he hugs my battered frame. I hug him back, my voice barely a whisper.

  "...I get it. It's not too bad dying with someone by your side. There are worse ways to go."

  There's a bittersweet determination in me, born from Sensia’s refusal to leave.

  As the pavise finally gives way and the killing blow nears, Sensia releases another gust of wind, dragging us both out of harm's way once more. My body rolls weakly across the forest floor, a pained chuckle escaping my lips. The dryad pulls at my ponytails as if intending to drag me to safety. Despite it all, his tenacity brings a faint smile to my face.

  "You still want to fight, huh?" I say, my voice wavering. "It's okay, I've got one last shield. One that never falters, no matter what’s thrown at it. This shield is unbreakable, and unyielding in the face of danger…"

  I can’t move my arms anymore, but my hands still work. With a weak flick of my wrist, Needles begin to appear, and they take on the form of a man. A tall man, with broad shoulders. A man who would always protect those dear to him, no matter the cost.

  "Aetheric Gabriel," I pray, and the image of my older brother materializes before us, our final line of defense.

  Despite the agony coursing through my body, I can’t help but smile up at him. I had always wanted to see him again, I just wish it was under different circumstances.

  If only fate had allowed it, maybe this life would have ended differently.

  "What, you're dying and you summon another of your ilk? How vile…"

  As Valoria continues her relentless barrage, I cling to the hope that Aetheric Gabriel could withstand it. He begins to march forward, weapon in hand, but he lacks a soul. He lacks the willpower that the real Gabriel has.

  Even my strongest shield eventually succumbs, shattering into nothing more than fragments as he’s overwhelmed by Valoria’s magic.

  At some point during the chaos, Sensia was punctured by a stray vine. He writhes in my arms briefly before he stops moving entirely.

  My vision grows narrow as I inch closer and closer to death

  "Is this it?..."

  The brutal assault finally stops as the last bit of my shield falls. The Twisted Guardian glides towards me, her feet barely touching the fallen leaves that wrap around her like some kind of cloak.

  Her eyes meet mine, and they’re filled with cruel delight.

  "That's much better! You're as you should be… in pain, on the ground, covered in your own blood, and dying. Doesn't that just feel great?"

  I struggle to breathe, each ragged gasp for air burns my lungs.

  Valoria steps closer, her bare foot rising from the leaves as she pushes it into my chest. It’s so heavy, it feels like she could cave my sternum in right now if she so desired.

  This is how I die? My vision darkens at the edges, and I grab a hold of Valoria’s ankle. I dig my nails in as deep as I can, but all they do is break on her skin.

  "That look fits you really well! That expression you’re making right now? Such grit… Till the bitter end, huh? I wish we could play more, but I'm a busy woman, you know."

  With this, Valoria extends a hand to me, and a single, black claw pierces my throat.

  Panic and pain mix together as blood fills my lungs. I begin to suffocate, but I can’t stop it.

  I try to fight it, I try to keep my eyes open, but my body betrays me and my consciousness fades away.

  I...I wish I could have done more this last life.

  The darkness swallows me whole, and I await death.