My feet land in soft dirt, and no dizziness crashes down on me. Holding my scythe out, ready for a battle, I spin around, orienting myself with my surroundings.
I’m in the middle of the woods, and lights from a nearby city light up one side of the sky. The air is warm and dry, and the sound of crickets rings out through the night. I hold my breath, inching forward as I reach inside my pocket for the rune.
It’s already glowing bright red by the time I pull it out of my pocket.
The demon is here. I’ve found it.
I’m coming, Kaia, just hang on.
I drop the rune back into my pocket and grip the scythe with two hands. The oppressive energy of the Red Skull weighs heavily down on me the closer I get. The scent of sulfur and brimstone hangs in the air, and a faint golden glow beckons me forward.
I slip through the trees and find the demon in a clearing. Kaia is lying on the ground, eyes wide open, staring unblinkingly at the night sky. The golden light is coming from her, and the demon is sucking it right from her mouth.
It’s devouring her.
Soon, there will be nothing left and Kaia will crumble away to nothing. My heart hammers even faster and I take one last deep breath before lunging forward. My scythe doubles in size, and moonlight glints off the razor-sharp blade.
Letting out a yell, I swing the scythe as hard as I can. The blade slices the air with a sharpwhoosh, and the demon throws out a giant hand, claws dripping with blood. I’ve caught it off guard, taken it completely by surprise and hit it hard.
That blow should have cut off its hand or at least severed a finger, but the small cut on its wrist is no worse than a paper cut.
“How nice of you to bring me another meal,” the demon says in a sinister voice, and stands up. Some of Kaia’s energy drips from the demon, and as it falls, it’s reabsorbed into her body. She blinks and gasps for air.
“I hope you like fast food,” I sneer, and make a mental note to work on my witty comebacks. Assuming I get out of here alive. I jump back, missing the demon’s claws as it thrashes its hand through the air.
“You are no match for me, girl,” the demon growls, and sniffs the air. “You are going to taste as good as you smell, reaper.”
I jump again, propelling myself high into the air. I twist as I sail over the demon, bringing my scythe down once again. As if everything is happening in slow motion, the Red Skull throws out its hand and sends a blast of crackling dark red energy at me.
It hits me in the chest and I fall, crashing hard to the ground. My scythe bounces out of my hand, and whatever the demon hit me with burns, working its way into my body. I scream, feeling as if fire ants are marching through my veins.
The demon laughs, and the deep, guttural sound reverberates through the forest. I twitch, screaming and writhing in pain, and the demon steps right over me, going back to finish Kaia off.
Eluo.
A voice speaks in my head insistently. It’s a spell, though one I’ve yet to learn. My body snaps back hard, head whacking against the gnarled root of a tree. The pain intensifies, and it’s like the ants are making their way up to my eyes. I can’t see anything.
Eluo.
Not caring what it means, I open my mouth and suck in air. “Eluo,” I grunt, and a blast of blue light shoots through me. The fire inside my body is instantly quenched by cool water. Gasping, I lie there stunned for a second before springing back up.
The demon is bent over Kaia again, sucking the rest of her energy right out of her body. I grab my scythe and hope to hit it from behind before it realizes what’s going on.
I don’t even get my scythe raised when it spins, throwing its hand out and forcing me off the ground. I’m suspended several feet in the air, and it flicks its wrist, forcing my fingers to open and drop the scythe.
“Clever girl,” it growls, and moves closer. “I was going to save you for later, but now that you’ve interrupted my meal twice…” It trails off and chuckles.
The demon opens its mouth and golden light gathers inside my chest. My head is forced back and my energy starts to pour out of me.
This is it.
I failed.
I’m going to die and then the demon is going to finish off Kaia.
I’m sorry.
I fight against the demon’s hold to no avail. It’s too strong for me, and I’m weakening by the second. Terrible images of death and destruction flash through my mind, reapers and humans alike screaming in agony. My eyes start to flutter shut, and I just want it to end.
