The Great Shadow Feast and the Power of the Wao

  Yana’s rage burst forth. As Amber and Alisha moved to escape, DD, Tasha, Jasmine, and Mag surged forward alongside the Shadow Snake and his legions.

  Her fury fueled them all. Tasha and Jasmine reigned above. Jasmine wove her dimensional web, ensnaring Pars shadows by the hundreds. Tasha's dark magic moved through the room; the unnatural became natural as shadows became solid streams of light, frozen in place only to crack and shatter as Mag’s flames swarmed over them. What Mag didn’t devour, Jasmine’s webs absorbed, feeding the essence directly into the dimensional wraith.

  DD used [Shadow Kill] and [Void Rip]. The room seemed to fracture, and the void poured in even as shadows dissipated into pools of black shade. As Yana’s familiars and pets engaged in total destruction, the Shadow Snake and Yana’s shadows claimed whatever was missed, allowing Yana’s [Shadow Create] and [Shadow Manipulate] to add the fallen to her own ranks.

  None of it satisfied her. Her mind swam as memories pushed to the surface—memories of growing up in the Sho Dimension, feared and hated in equal measure.

  Yana had been considered an abomination. Her mother had been killed for allowing her to come into the world, never knowing the true power her child held until the final moments of her life. Protecting Yana, she had died in the process.

  In those moments, Yana’s eyes—once as black as any Sho shadow—had turned the brick-red of the Wao. Her small form had ignited in black and red shadow flame. She was only six cycles old then, and she had acted too late. She watched her mother die, and then her mother’s shadow form was quickly absorbed into Yana’s own.

  She had felt triumphant and appalled at the same time. She had seen the pride and awe on her mother’s face as she perished, feeling her mother’s essence integrate into the shadows Yana could manipulate.

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  Now, here she stood. Her familiars, pets, and shadows were destroying those who had always judged her, and she felt nothing. No satisfaction, no relief, and no joy. Her shadow weapon formed in her hand—her scythe—streaming with black power. As more Pars moved into the space, her blade reached out and shredded them.

  Yana flipped through the air, tearing through more enemies before landing in a crouch, a dark smile slowly spreading across her face. Words flashed across her vision, but she ignored them until Almawa’s voice forced its way in.

  [Pet Evolution Detected]

  ? Dimensional Wraith (Jasmine): Evolving to Adept Level.

  o [Shadow Embrace] and [Web Weave] have evolved into [Shadow Web Trace].

  ? Shadow Spark (Mag): Evolving to Advanced Level.

  o [Shadow Embrace] has evolved into [Shadow Flame Storm].

  Yana felt Jasmine and Mag changing as her scythe fell on another group. She called them back to her soul sea to complete their evolutions, and the Shadow Snake and his legions moved forward to fill the gap. She began to fight the more intelligent Pars as they tried to call in reinforcements, and Almawa spoke again.

  [Familiar Evolution Detected]

  ? Marked Demon (DD): Evolving to Advanced Level.

  o New Ability Acquired: [Void Stall].

  ? Dark Fae (Tasha): Dark Magic has evolved to Adept Level.

  DD and Tasha evolved almost instantly. Their magic pulsed through the complex, making the foundations of the buildings tremble. [Void Stall] stuttered through the room; everything seemed to glitch, as if time itself had become confused. [Void Rip] added more breaks into the void while the Stall effect kept the space fractured. Yana’s Shadow Snake and shadow legion moved through the chaos as if immune. Above them all, Tasha transformed into something even more dark and terrible, her magic moving through the room like a cold wind over a vast desert.

  Yana frowned even as more Pars fell—she sensed someone powerful approaching.

  ‘To me!’

  The command was absolute. All who obeyed were pulled to Yana’s side instantly. The remaining Pars milled about, confused. DD and Tasha delivered random hits to keep the enemy at bay. Yana moved forward, her shadow scythe transforming into an amorphous shadow at her side.

  Before her, three Wao Shadows rose from the pools of disintegrated enemies. Their power flooded the room, their eyes narrowing when they saw that their bravado did not impress the group.

  Tasha scoffed. “Let us destroy them for you, Mistress.” The Shadow Snake rose up beside her, and Tasha smiled. “DD, Snakey, and I can handle them.”

  Yana stepped back and gave them room.