Cold Breath

Briar coughed and hacked as the chill lifted from her bones and body. Her eyes widened as the bluish tint receded from her fingers into the ground and disappeared as quickly as it came. On shaky legs Briar stood only to fall heavily on her knees. "It's okay." The words were softer than wind itself. Briar looked and couldn't move.

It was the end. Caia's body was being cradled by Balaal. His shadows were restraining her from moving, even though there wasn't much life in her. Suddenly her body convulsed as her soul was ripped from her body in a shower of otherworldly light. As her soul was devoured by Balaal, the lights vanished into his shadows. A roar of agony echoed in the cavern, Caia's soul tried to kill him from the inside out. The shadows that were Balaal released the empty shell that once held Caia's soul.

Tate roared in fury as Caia's body free fell. The temperature in the cavern spiked as Tate sprinted forward catching Caia's body. The ice melted into puddles, some of the minions followed in suit. The ones that didn't melt were suddenly consumed by shadows. They grew tall and ghoulish. Two minions went for Tate but Dash had him covered as Tate carried Caia's body towards the safety of the group. Two pillars of stone split the minions in half and a wall of stone circled the group as more minions closed in.

"Your little stone wall won't save you now and Caia's soul is nothing more than a shadow dwelling in my shadows," Balaal cackled. His shadowy body swirled and expanded as Balaal through back his arms and head. He expanded until his fist collided with the cavern ceiling.

"What's he trying to do?" Thaddeus yelled as he hurled columns of liquid flames at the shadow minions. They shrieked in pain and fell back to only have two more replace them.

"He's trying to break out!" Jervan answered as he thrust his hands into a minion’s torso. The minion started to thrash as the surrounding spirits ripped the shadows apart.

Part of the ceiling started to fall as Balaal dug at stone. "The sanctuary?!" Briar yelled over the rock slide. Focusing overhead, Briar called forth a cover. The dust swirled around and around creating a metal outcropping. Briar crossed her fingers praying the illusion was real enough to keep them from being crushed. A resounding thud echoed throughout the air as it caught the falling stones. Briar winced as each one hit the barrier, each added weight putting strain on her psyche.

"It will be destroyed," Dash answered. The stone walls suddenly shot up, pushing back all the minions. "We have to get out of here. Brace yourselves!" The stone walls met at the top, closing them into darkness. The silence was deafening. "Stay calm. I'm moving us to the surface."

Briar stumbled, bracing herself against the wall as Dash moved the dome of stone. The darkness was irritating and starting to make Briar panic. "Can we get some light," she bit out.

It took a bit of swearing, but a flame lite up the dome, chasing away the shadows. Tate looked like death warmed over. He held Caia's body close. From there Briar could see Caia's body was nothing but a dead corpse. Alan was busy with a ball of swirling white mass in his hand. He was filtering air into the dome to keep them alive. Thaddeus was near Alan keeping the ball of flame rolling. Jervan stepped forward to move Caia from Tate, but stopped when he got a withering look from Tate.

"You need to let me see her." Jervan tried to touch Caia's shoulder, but Tate jerked her away. "If we are to save her, you need to let me see her." Briar looked away. She couldn't stand to see her brother looking so helpless.

"You can do that?" The hope in his eyes was blinding and painful. Tate was putting his trust in Jervan's hands.

Jervan nodded. "I can try...I can preserve her body but her soul needs to be retrieved. A body with no soul is nothing but a zombie." Jervan put his hands out and waited. Finally Tate relented and released Caia's body into Jervan's care. Briar and Tate watched Jervan intently as he placed one hand in the center of her forehead and the other on her heart. As he breathed Caia's body mimicked his breathing. He muttered words that brought images of blooming flowers to mind. His hands glowed a warm pink color and the glow spread throughout her body. The pink sunk into her skin until her veins glowed pink.

"This will keep her body from decomposing, but like a said without her soul...." Jervan trailed off. They all knew what would happen. The sad fact was in the silence they also knew that her soul was with Balaal.

The stone dome jumped. "We've reached the surface." Dash hesitated. Instead of bringing down the walls he looked over them all with an uneasy expression.

"We have to get her soul, what are you doing just standing there?" Tate's voice was strained. Briar started sweating as the heat peeked.

Dash looked annoyed at Tate's outburst but ignored it. "Brace yourselves. It’s not pretty." Dash lowered his arms.



Centrum Mundi was in chaos. The woodlands district was in flames. They were darkened with shadows from hell. They consumed the trees, gardens and buildings with hell fire. The air smelled of brimstone and sulfur.

The air was filled with screams and moans of agony; the people of Centrum Mundi were being consumed. Once their souls were ripped out, their bodies were consumed by hell spawns. Their bodies morphed and shifted and were no longer recognizable as they turned to minions of Balaal. As each body was consumed Balaal grew in size from every soul he took.

It was a blood bath. The council were fighting side by side with the citizens, but it was useless. The shadows were overwhelming and gaining in number. Balaal roared into the air and doubled in size. Darkness exploded for his mouth blocking out the sun and covering the city in darkness.

"Tate! Dash!" Knox and Adelita shouted as they bust through the shadows in a flash of blinding light. Adelita was in full seer swing. Her eyes were alight and was seemingly dodging ever attack and preventing ever attack on Knox.

"How did this happen?" Knox came up and touched Briar's shoulder. Knox was in bad condition. Two of his eyes were swollen shut, bruises and lacerations covered his body. He looked worse than Briar.

"Balaal got Caia's soul. His power exploded after that." Briar nodded to the city.

"What's going on? We thought you had the city under control?" Jervan spoke up before Briar could open her mouth.

"We don't have time for this." Adelita walked up to Tate and hauled him up by his under arms. Briar watched as Adelita leaned forward and whispered something to Tate. Tate’s eyes widened he went to grab for Adelita, but she'd already moved away. "Balaal's trying to open a hole to his realm of hell. That's why he had seven points of attack. The city is going to be the entry point. We have to stop him now!"

Adelita moved from the group and rushed Balaal. Her seer light was glowing all around her pushing at the shadows.

"What's she doing?!" Thaddeus yelled as Adelita was swallowed by the shadows. The shadows shrieked as her light shredded them to pieces. Balaal roared in pain and turned his attention towards them.

"She's sacrificing herself for us!" Dash shouted as he called forth stone and dirt.

It covered him and compressed into a dense armor. The Earth rumbled and groaned as it shifted by Dash's will. Slowly the Earth swallowed groups of minions, but it didn't make a dent.

Thaddeus raised his hand to the sky, pulling rays of light from the sun. He weaved them through the darkness blanketing the city, trying to weaken the shadow minions.

"You think your little parlor tricks can stop me!? You're wrong!" Balaal yelled to the sky. Shadows burst forward headed straight towards the group.

Briar stepped forward. Thoughts of a better time swirled in her mind. The dust swirl in front of her. "Briar move!" Tate yelled, but Briar ignored him. The sound of splintering glass rattled the air.

Briar was flung back as the shadows hit a glass force. As it splintered under the pressure of the shadows, the glass took on a web of light, making the shadows shriek and back away. "Briar!" Tate shouted and was right next to her, shaking her shoulder. "Briar!"

"I'm fine." Briar winced at her own voice and pushed Tate away. "How do we stop this?" Briar looked away. It was hopeless. Everything they flung at it did nothing to stop it. Briar watched as Jervan stepped up calling spirits to add in the fight. Alan was whispering words, making wisps of light fire at Balaal. It only seemed to anger him more.

"Lux Solis..." it was a breath. “Thank you dad." Briar snapped her head towards Tate as he pulled out a pouch. He pulled the strings and a pure light shined out.

Tate leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I love you. Sorry I wasn't always there for you." With a spark of heat. Tate rushed Balaal with the Lux Solis in his hand. Balaal tried to flee, but it was too late.

Briar couldn't lose her brother, he was her only blood. She pushed herself up ignoring the throbbing in her head. She forced the shadows away as she chased after her brother. The shadows closed in around them. The darkness was closing in. In the last second as the darkness consumed them Tate pulled Briar close and hugged her. Briar screamed as the Lux Solis make a soft humming nose that turned into a dragons roar. The light exploded and consumed the shadows.

It seemed like forever, but it only lasted a few seconds. Briar found herself on the ground with Tate next to her. Tate was unconscious and Briar could feel the pull of sleep trying to drag her down.

The sun was shining and the darkness was being pulled into the Lux Solis, turning it black with its essence. Spheres of light, souls, dissipated into the air. Except for one, Caia's soul. It was a soft pink and it lazily drifted back to Caia's body. Briar felt like some peace settled over her and let sleep take her.