Nightfall

  The bustling streets of Leviara began to quiet. Vendors were cleaning up their stalls, and the institute’s students were heading back. Shadows stretched along building walls. Veyric stared at the way they mimicked his figure. He used his hands to make a shadow puppet of a dog. Xena was dragging behind him and stopped, watching him make different shadow puppets.

  “Hm, where did you learn how to do that?” Xena asked.

  “When I was younger.” He stopped and faced her.

  “Haha, really? It’s funny to see a dragon hybrid making shadow puppets.” Xena grins.

  “Now that you mention that, yeah—it is.” Veyric adjusted his hands and fingers together to make a bunny.

  “All right, Mr. Shadow Puppet Dragon Man, let’s go check out that house, shall we?” Xena walked past.

  “Right.” Veyric followed behind her.

  “What’s our plan?... Are we just barging in there?” Veyric looked at Xena.

  “... I couldn’t tell you exactly what the plan is, but we just need to apprehend him. And that’s assuming he’s there—if he’s not, we’ll do some digging around.” Xena explained.

  “Got it…” Veyric shrugged his shoulders, straightening his posture.

  “And… What if we have to fight him seriously?” He asked.

  “Try to take him down in the most non-destructive way possible, if it’s an option,” Xena said.

  They walked some more, the shadows stretching to follow their figures. Xena scanned their surroundings. The district had grown vacant and silent. The pale buildings continue to vary in size and color, some with balconies that feature ornaments hanging from them. A popular choice was a black, four-pointed star hanging from a string.

  They entered a dark tunnel that was as grand as the halls of a manor. Scattered across the walls were blue glowing runes. They provided a minimal light source in comparison to the gleaming gold from Veyric’s.

  “We’re almost there. I want you to be on guard from now on.” Xena nudged his shoulder.

  Veyric nodded. After exiting the tunnel, they were met with a split trail of paths. One going left, one going right, and one that went straight. They walked down the left. The passageway seemed to stretch on forever, and the lack of houses on the street made Veyric’s jaw clench—the only one they could see in the distance was an abode tucked away in the corner, trying to be hidden.

  “That’s it.” Xena’s hand found its way to her sword.

  Finally, they reached the front door of the house, and Veyric knocked hard. To no one’s surprise, there wasn’t a response, not even the sound of movement from behind the door.

  “As expected,” Xena said.

  She unsheathed her sword with a metallic hiss, slicing down the door in one quick motion. Xena walked inside, Veyric following behind her.

  “... What the hell?” Xena clutched the handle of her sword tighter.

  Crouched amidst the empty living area was an amalgamation. Its limbs looked borrowed, arms too long, and its legs were as if they’d been put on backwards. An extra set of arms burst out of its back to tear apart a fresh corpse before it. The sound of wet squishing filled the air, blood painting the walls, its white skin dipping into the blood of its corpse, feasting with gluttonous hunger.

  “Beautiful, isn’t she?” Zeta’s voice cut through.

  Veyric and Xena saw him sitting in the corner of the room. He stood up from the chair, walking over to the amalgamation and running his hand through its silky, white-hair.

  “That’s your definition of beautiful?” Veyric’s throat bobbed.

  “Oh, yes… She’s beautiful. But she’s not my masterpiece. The more I learn, the greater I’ll become.” Zeta turned to face them.

  “You’re a madman… How could you create something so sinister and call it beautiful?” Xena said.

  “Sinister? How dare you… You’re a brainless foot-soldier—incapable of thinking for yourself, and you’re incapable of understanding acquisitions as superb as this.” Zeta’s hands clenched at his sides, and he narrowed his eyes, staring at Xena.

  She pointed her blade at him, furrowing her brows and tilting her head.

  “There’s nothing superb about this. I don’t even want to imagine what you’ve done to create this distorted-looking creature.” Xena said.

  “Either you surrender, or we forcibly apprehend you,” Xena added.

  Veyric’s jaw clenched again, his golden gaze glinting.

  “What’s this? You’ve got a dragon hybrid with you, too? Oh, yes, this is great! I haven’t seen one before, but I can see that you’re brimming with mana.” Zeta’s voice filled with glee at the sight of Veyric.

  Veyric’s skin tingled, his body responding to Zeta’s gaze. The lack of morality and the vacancy of humanity’s teachings were as clear as day when staring into his eyes.

  Xena rushed forward, thrusting her blade towards Zeta’s chest.

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  Zeta reacted as fast as she moved, eyes flaring as he side-stepped.

  “I’ve made up my mind, there is no saving or reasoning with you. You’re a lost cause.” Xena swung her blade at his throat.

  Zeta evaded once more, backing himself up against the wall. The swing nearly clipped the front of his throat.

  Xena recovered quickly, thrusting out a stab towards his forehead.

  Zeta managed to dodge the stab, slipping past her.

  Before Zeta could do anything else, Veyric tackled him to the ground, pinning him there.

  “Do anything stupid, and I’ll light this entire place on fire,” Veyric growled out.

  Xena pulled her blade out of the wall, looking over at the two. Her heart sank as she turned about face, realizing the creature was gone. It had torn through the corpse like nothing, and the space grew tense.

  Zeta grinned and leaned his head closer to Veyric.

  “I think you should look up.” He whispered.

  Veyric’s head turned up at the ceiling, seeing the creature clinging there with drool escaping its oversized mouth.

  He stared at it with a tense focus, trying to assess and anticipate it.

  Zeta broke out into cackling laughter.

  One of the creature’s arms zipped down at Veyric, grabbing him and launching him straight through the walls of the house.

  “Veyric!” Xena shouted

  The creature landed on all fours from the roof, lunging towards Xena.

  “Damn it…!” Xena front-kicked it in the face, staggering it for a moment.

  It quickly retaliated, using one of its four arms to grab her by the ankle and launch her at the walls as well.

  Xena crashed outside into the streets from the house. She quickly rolled up to her feet, taking a deep breath.

  “What the hell’s its problem with throwing?” Veyric was slowly getting up.

  All four of its arms gripped outside the hole in the house, pulling itself out, then climbing towards the roof.

  Its giant, pitch black eyes locked onto them, leaping into the air and then descending towards them in a falling arc.

  Xena and Veyric dashed away from each other, the creature slamming its limbs into the ground, causing slight ruptures in it. The anomaly unleashed a deafening screech, winds blasting in the area like a cyclone. While standing upright, it was somewhere around eight feet tall.

  “What’s the plan now?!” Veyric shouted over, covering his ears.

  “Hit it hard, and hit it fast! Its limbs are too big for its body!” Xena shouted over.

  Veyric led the assault, flames gathering in his palm before he struck it against the creature’s ribs.

  It roared in pain before swinging all four of its arms at Veyric.

  He raised his arms to block.

  Xena dashed in front of Veyric, deflecting each of the creature’s limbs with precise movements.

  “Don’t just stand there!” Xena shouted at Veyric.

  Veyric ran out from behind Xena’s guard, circling behind the creature and driving his fist deep into its back, flames of gold blasting off his knuckles.

  The creature swayed toward Xena.

  She took her palm and dragged it along the blunt side of her blade.

  “By the order of the great star, I call upon this blessing to eradicate evil.” Xena chanted.

  Red runes ignited along her blade, coating it in a scarlet energy. She darted forward, taking off two of its arms in one slash. Before the first traces of blood escaped, Xena flickered around to its rear in a sweeping arc, dismembering the extra pair of arms in another big cleave. Now at its rear, she pierced her blade from its back and through the other side.

  Another deafening roar escaped the anomaly, heaping amounts of blood pouring out from its body, while its dismembered limbs hit the floor with synchronized, fleshy thuds.

  Xena yanked her blade out, then slashed deep into its hamstrings, immobilizing it as soon as it recognized critical damage to its body. The creature fell to its knees, screaming up at the sky.

  Xena slowly circled to the front of its body, decapitating it with a final slash, cutting its final scream short. Its head rolled along the ground, leaving a trail of blood in its path.

  “When I said hit it hard and hit it fast, that’s what I meant. Whatever, it’s dead now.” Xena stabbed her sword into the ground

  “Looks like I still have a lot to learn, then.” Veyric sighs

  “Yes, you do. Oh, what to do with this, now…?” Xena put a hand on her hip.

  “What about Zeta?” Veyric asks.

  “He’d be a fool to still be in that house. I’ll signal some backup to us—we’re far from done here.” Xena tore her blade out of the ground, sparks flying for a brief moment.