Page 49 of The Light Within

HELLO, SHADOW

How had Julien almost forgotten they were about to be devoured by three lethal beings from another realm? Apparently, they’d remembered how to talk.

Cinn stepped forward. “Hello.”

Alarmed at the unmistakable note of confidence in Cinn’s voice, Julien blocked him. “What are you doing? Don’t engage,” Julien hissed.

Ignoring him, Cinn moved around Julien. “I’m here. What do you want?” he hollered up at them.

“What the fuck, dude!” Elliot threw out his arms, as if ready to defend against any retort from the umbraphages.

Julien yanked on Cinn’s shoulder. “Have you gone quite mad? Don’t provoke them!”

Cinn spun, piercing him with his glare.

His black-eyed glare.

His gorgeous golden orbs were gone, now replaced with obsidian depths that reflected Julien’s stunned face. Only a tiny sliver of white remained. Behind Cinn, his shadow reared up, twisting like a dark serpent preparing to strike.

Julien’s hand fell away.

“Well?” Cinn screamed at them, with a stamp of his foot. “You want me? Come and get me then!”

Yes, indeed, Cinn had gone quite mad. Certifiably insane.

The umbrages erupted in response: their amorphous forms writhed and contorted violently, tendrils lashing out in every direction with chaotic fury.

YOU ARE SHADOW

What?

Julien was out of time to talk Cinn down. Before he could react further, Cinn—and his shadow—surged forward, charging towards the umbraphages with an alarming ferocity. As he tore down the bridge, his shadow widened,deepened,darkened impossibly.

The three foes rose, merging as one to become a singular, colossal entity.

The air crackled, a volatile energy that charged the swirling foggy mist.

Then, it struck at Cinn.

A dark tendril whipped out from the umbraphages, racing towards Cinn’s tiny body, standing alone in the middle of the wide bridge. As fast as the lightning flashes above them, Cinn’s shadow expanded, its form shifting and morphing with a life of its own, to counter the strike with a swift, fluid movement.

The sight was mesmerising. Really, Julien ought to be screaming after him, terrified for his safety. Instead, he stood back, watching on in stunned awe.

Cinn threw his hands out in a position identical to the one young moteblessed channellers were encouraged to adopt when they first began. Julien could hear it now:Arms out, chest forward, eyes closed,feelthe motes. Let them come to you.

The umbraphages hissed and recoiled, their countless shadowy tentacles flailing wildly—in shock?—before once again attempting to overpower the sentient darkness that was Cinn’s shadow.

With a sweeping gesture, his shadow morphed into a massive, clawed appendage, swiping at the umbraphages with a force that sent them reeling. The creatures retaliated, lashing out with their own tendrils, but Cinn’s shadow somehow managed to absorb the blows, its form rippling like water.

The two creatures of darkness clashed again and again, the umbraphages twisting and coiling their malleable limbs to avoid and deflect Cinn’s attacks.

Knees bent, Cinn’s legs were visibly shaking as he clearly pushed his body far over its limit. Julien ran to him. His eyes, now even deeper pits of blackness, looked straight through Julien, unseeing.

“Cinn!” Julien lightly slapped his cheeks.

“Leave him!” Elliot snapped.

“Non! It’s too much!”

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