Chapter 28

On her way, Faye witnessed a horrific scene. Guards’ bodies were laying everywhere, the floor was full of blood and the walls were also covered with reddish liquid. She grabbed the hem of her dress and followed a bloody trail of footsteps. She glanced at the fallen men in terror. She was certain that Nyx was the one responsible for the attack. She remembered how Ron wished for his army to diminish by the time his boss reached Filaria so that only he would remain to fight. She was aware of the assassins’ thirst for violence, but she never thought she would see such a gruesome display. Faye was running desperately, afraid of the worst case scenario. She prayed for the lives of her comrades.

Her fear became a reality bit by bit. She saw a man with three arrows piercing his back, arched protectively over someone else. Faye hurried to his side and gasped in shock when she saw that it was Noah.

“GOODNESS!” she shrieked.

The girl helped him lay on his side, then gasped again when she locked eyes with Blake, whose face was pale due to the shock.

“Blake, what happened here?”

“We heard the guards yelling on the hallway and rushed to the king. I met with Noah and we ran together. Then, a madman who slashed everyone he met used magic and changed his sword into a crossbow. He aimed at me and fired three arrows at once. Noah jumped in front of me and took the hits instead of me. I took his pulse, he’s still alive, but I don’t know for how long he would remain like this. I’m afraid the arrows cut some important arteries or hit one of his organs.”

            “Help me use a healing spell. Hopefully, we can buy him some time before-“

            “Go to Edra… and his Majesty…” Noah whispered between haggard breaths.

            Faye and Blake ignored him and cast a spell to slow down his bleeding.

            “What are we going to do? We can’t leave him like this!”

            “We must find the intruder quick. Otherwise, it will be the end of us.” Blake protested. “The spell should have a strong effect. Let’s hope we will come back in time to take care of him.”

            “Forgive us, Noah…” Faye whispered, patting his cheek.

            “It’s… alright…”

            Blake ran towards the throne room. Just as Faye was about to get up, Noah caught her wrist.

            “Please… take care… of Rishima…” he pleaded.

            “She is in good hands. Focus on not passing out. The spell will prevent you from losing too much blood until we return. We will finish this quickly. I promise on my moon pendant.”

            Noah nodded and Faye went on her way. The rest of her friends were already there in battle stances. Rishima held the madman at gunpoint. Asher shaped the water from his pouch into an octopus. Zev was calculating the intruder’s moves and Edra created tornadoes in her palms. The king drew his sword and pointed it at the stranger, its blade radiating a red light. To their surprise, the invader held a box in his hands. Everyone held their breaths. A mocking laugh caught their attention. Faye’s eyes widened as she recognised who it belonged to.

            “You have no chance against us. It’s seven against one… Nyx.” the weather wielder announced him in a determined voice, saying his name with disgust.

            “If it isn’t the scrawny Filarian girl.” the assassin said derisively, pulling off his hood.

            “Everyone, step back! I’ll handle this for now.”

            “Oh, looks like you ate better in the last couple of months. You speak louder than the first time I met you.”

            Faye didn’t respond to his taunting. She took a deep breath and placed her hand on the gun, but Nyx stopped her. He signaled her to refrain herself from touching her weapons. He assured the girl he wouldn’t use any of his tricks as long as she did what he asked her. The weather wielder agreed. Her friends took a step back, prepared to intervene if something was to happen. Nyx approached her, smirking as he showed her the black box. His steps were full of confidence.

            “It’s been a while since we saw each other. Maybe a small gift would be-“

            “A waste of time.” she completed the sentence. “You have the audacity to storm into the royal palace and kill his Highness’s guards. To make this shorter, it would be better if you would kindly surrender to us. I know this won’t happen, but at least I’m trying to be as polite as you.”

            “Your parents raised you well. They were too nice for their own good. It’s such a pity I sent one of my assassins to kill them.”

            “What in the world…”

            Faye connected all the dots. Everything made sense now. She took a deep breath, doing her best to control herself and not succumb to despair.

            “I’m happy to have helped you.” Nyx laughed. “Consider my confession the first part of my gift.”

            He offered her the box and Faye extended her hands to take it. The man changed his mind and stopped her. He had eavesdropped a part of her conversation with Ron and didn’t need too much time to figure out they were in love with each other. That fact alone, he thought, would be more than enough to shake her to the core. He placed his right hand on top of the lid and proceeded to lift it.

            “Your parents, your brother, your filthy green-haired comrade… Must be hard to have such a destiny where you lose everyone you care about. Too bad for you that I love torturing others with such things. If you need a helping hand when you break down, there you have it.”

            Nyx opened the box and revealed the appalling souvenir he had brought: somebody’s right hand.

            “Shadow wasn’t able to fulfill my order. Such a shame. He was my right hand.” Nyx chuckled as he made the pun. He took out the hand and showed it so everyone present in the room could see it. “May he not rest in peace. I’m sure he won’t.”

            Faye’s breaths quickened when she saw the pale hand and her eyes flew open. She was shocked just like the rest. Their sworn enemy was gone. Nyx was the only one left.

            “He couldn’t prevent your escape, so he paid the price. He really didn’t learn his lesson after all. Since you’ve been my prisoner for quite some time, I can’t overlook the fact that you ran away. So… you will pay the price, alongside your beloved team.”

            Nyx threw away the box containing the hand and snapped his fingers. More versions of himself appeared in the room.

            “Now it’s fourteen against seven. The table have turned.”

            The battle began. At first, it went well for the Nightfall team, but as they continued to fight, their strength started to diminish. Asher was skillfully maneuvering the water to freeze their enemies. Zev attempted to manipulate their nervous system and turn them into his puppets and attack one another. Blake and Rishima were firing their guns in hopes of wounding them. Edra used her tornadoes to capture the clones fighting her and slam them against the walls and the floor. To their misfortune, they weren’t identical copies of Nyx. They were adapted in such a way that they were almost invincible no matter the damage they suffered. Daivat was slashing his enemies, but they were quick to get on their feet again in spite of the many gashes. Soon, the team and the king changed from the offensive to defensive.

Meanwhile, Faye was dealing with Nyx. She was careful with her gun as to not hurt her comrades. Whenever the assassin used his gun, the girl would cut the bullets with dexterity. In the months she had spent with Ron, she trained with him daily. She made huge progress regarding her fighting abilities, which impressed Nyx. He didn’t expect her to be so fierce in combat. He compared her to her teammates and noticed her much better resistance, a clear sign that she was helped to become like this.

“Sooner or later, you will have to give up. After all, I didn’t come here all the way only for you.”

“Your business is with me!” Faye yelled, launching with her dagger.

With a quick move, Nyx snatched her dagger. Faye retreated and loaded her gun, but the man took his sheathed sword and hit her behind her head with all his might, then changed his location. She fell unconscious.

“FAYE!” Edra screamed as she removed the clones from her way.

As the princess darted towards her friend, Asher tried to block Nyx with his water tentacles. However, the assassin took advantage of an opening and shot the red-haired male in the shoulder. The wielder lost control over his element and the water was all over the place, mixed with a few beads of blood. Edra held Faye in her arms and turned her head to see Asher leaning on the wall, pressing his wound. She placed her hand where the weather wielder was hit and used her healing powers.

“This is it…” Nyx mumbled and threw the dagger in her direction.

Daivat dropped his sword and ran to protect his daughter. He hugged Edra from behind with all his force and groaned as the dagger stabbed him in the back. The battle ceased for a while as the blue-eyed princess screamed in terror:

“DAD!”

The king heard her, but the glimmer in his eyes soon disappeared. Edra took her father’s hand in hers, unable to react. The Moon’s Wolves took both her parents away from her.

“The grass one, the tomato one, the eggplant one, the golden one. Are you made of paper?” Nyx mocked the mourning princess.

Zev observed the clones’ activity and came with an idea. Instead of manipulating them, he would do so with the assassin. He concentrated his mind to make him remain in one place until another teammate would finish him. The strategy worked. Nyx lost control over his clones, which disappeared in thin air one by one. He never encountered someone able to use telekinesis. He became his next target. The man’s magic was far more powerful, although Zev was an opponent to be reckoned with. Blake noticed him eyeing his twin with malicious intention. Nyx freed himself from the effect of Zev’s ability, causing the white-haired male splitting headaches. It was a major downside of the telekinesis, especially when the target managed to regain control over oneself. The man unsheathed his sword and launched at Zev. Edra tried to shot the attacker, but the bullet missed him. Zev was still clutching his head when he saw someone standing in front of him.

“BLAKE!” Edra yelled as the blade slashed him.

“Who would’ve thought you were so easy to take down?” Nyx said with a sadistic smile.

The fire wielder fell in his brother’s arms, coughing up blood. Zev ignored the excruciating pain and embraced his brother. His laceration was too deep. Blake grabbed his shoulder and looked at him with regret. In his dying moments, he thought about everything wrong he did in life, especially to Faye. His attitude had cost him a lot and now he couldn’t do anything to change. The siblings glanced at one another. They were twins, yet their bond was frail. They didn’t exchange a word. Zev did his best to comfort his brother. He nodded slightly and held his hand, until he drew his last breath.

“Another one down… Pity.” Nyx’s voice echoed.

Thanks to Edra’s healing power, Faye regained her consciousness. She saw Zev bent over Blake, pulling him closer. She looked outside the enormous windows and noticed that a storm was coming. Her rage was its fuel. She was determined to make Nyx pay for every life he had taken alongside his organization. He was the only one left, which would have meant the end of the threat once and for all. The assassin didn’t waste time and wounded her almost in the same way he did with Blake. Edra was fast enough to pull her back and the blade didn’t injure her fatally. Faye was cut across the abdomen. In spite of all the pain she was in, she unleashed one of the most violent storms the kingdom of Filaria had ever seen. She directed a lightning towards Nyx, this time hitting its target. The windows were smashed and the throne room was engulfed in darkness after the wind blew out all the torches. All the exhaustion overtook Edra, who fell with a loud thud. Faye smiled proudly and collapsed, pressing her wound. Her gaze fell on her dead comrade.

“Blake…” she called the fire wielder and used her elbow to raise.

“He’s gone.” Zev gave her the tragic news. “So is the king.”

            Asher wobbled his way up and checked on Edra to see if she suffered other injuries. Zev picked Faye up, careful not to make any sudden movements and increase her suffering. The raging rain entered the throne room, carried by the strong gusts of wind. The weather wielder shuddered and nuzzled her face in the telekinetic’s shirt. He closed his eyes and kissed her forehead with all the affection he could summon.

            “You have no idea how proud I am of you.”

            Zev turned his head towards Asher and said:

            “Are you sure your shoulder will be alright?”

            “I’m very lucky that scumbag didn’t target my heart, otherwise I would’ve been dead.”

            “First and foremost, we have to take our friends to the infirmary.” Rishima said. “Then… we shall make funeral arrangements.”

            The earth wielder noticed that Asher’s shoulder was bleeding more heavily, so she took Edra on her back. Just before stepping out of the throne room, she remembered that Noah was missing.

            “Guys, where’s Noah?”

            “No idea.” Asher said, clutching his wounded shoulder.

            “Let’s just hope he’s not part of the casualties.” Zev prayed.

            The three friends made their way through the deadly quiet hallways among the fallen guards. They examined the bodies and after some time, they saw three arrows sticking through someone’s back. When Rishima saw the victim’s green hair, her legs almost lost their strength.

            “N-Noah…” she stammered.

            Asher threw him on his uninjured shoulder and rushed to the infirmary. Rishima and Zev followed him suit and begged the doctors to save their friends. After they took out the arrows from Noah’s back, the physicians gave the good news. They explained that if not for the spell that prevented the hemorrhage, the air wielder would have lost his life. Rishima sighed in relief. The doctors took care of Faye’s wound, then took out the bullet from Asher’s shoulder and bandaged it. In the meantime, Zev told them all about the Nyx’s massacre of the soldiers and the battle which resulted in the king’s and his brother’s death. His voice was devoid of emotion and it was clear he was making great efforts not to break down.

            “I'll take a walk in the garden for a while. Don't mind me.” the telekinetic said as he felt the infirmary.

            Zev didn’t mind the storm that was still unbridling. That night, he lost his entire family. A part of him died when Blake breathed for the last time. He lost the one he looked up to as a father. He almost lost his friends and the girl he fell in love with. During his life, loss was all he knew. The question he addressed Daivat that same day popped in his mind.

            “Do you think I will be truly happy one day?"

            Zev kept walking, taking the same route as he did the previous time. He stared at Faye’s balcony and was reminded of how much grief her gaze was carrying when she was looking at the Forest of Venom. No matter how heavy her burden was, she managed to deliver the final blow to their most feared enemies.

            “Your Majesty, do you think we will truly be happy one day?” he asked out loud, continuing his stroll, not caring about the cold and the heavy rain. 

The young man raised his head to look at the sky. He closed his eyes and felt the raindrops run down his face in lieu of the tears he couldn’t find.