Page 67 of Midnight Reign
The beast charges, its massive form shaking the ground with each step. We scatter, narrowly avoiding its initial attack.
“Ignatius!” I shout. “Light it up!”
“Way ahead of you, mate!” A stream of fire erupts from his hands, illuminating the chamber and momentarily blinding the creature. It roars in pain and fury, thrashing wildly.
Zaiah’s eyes glow brighter as he reaches out with his djinn magick, trying to manipulate the space around the beast. “I can’t hold it for long!” he grunts, sweat beading on his forehead.
Zephyr’s shadows dart forward, wrapping around the creature’s legs, trying to slow it down. But it’s strong, breaking free with a mighty heave.
“Stop,” Adelaide commands, her voice ringing with authority.
To my utter amazement, the creature halts mid-charge. It’s struggling against some invisible force, its eyes fixed on Addy.
“We’re not here to fight,” Addy continues, her voice steady despite the strain evident on her face. “We seek knowledge to save MistHallow.”
The beast regards her for a long moment, its gaze seeming to pierce right through her. Then, slowly, it begins to change. Its form shifts and shrinks, the shadows melting away to reveal a book.
A very old, very powerful-looking book.
“Whoa,” I mutter, as Addy steps forward to pick it up.
“It was a test,” Zaiah says, his voice filled with awe.
Addy nods, running her fingers over the book’s worn cover. “And I think we passed.”
As if in response to her words, the shelves around us glow. Books float down, arranging themselves on a large table that materialises in the centre of the chamber.
“These must contain the information we need,” Zephyr says, approaching the table cautiously.
I nod, still on guard. “Alright, let’s get to work. We need to find out everything we can about the merging of realms, our roles in it, and how to control it.”
We each grab a book and settle in to read. The texts are dense, filled with arcane knowledge and complex magickal theories. All shit that is way above my pay grade.
I look up from my book with a huff. The information is fascinating but incredibly dense. I’m reading about the nature of the barriers between realms, how they’ve weakened over time, and the potential consequences of their complete dissolution.
“Anyone else’s head feels like it’s about to explode?” Ignatius groans, pushing his book away.
“Join the club,” Zephyr mutters.
Zaiah, however, seems completely absorbed in his reading, his eyes darting back and forth across the pages at an inhuman speed. Sometimes, I forget just how much knowledge a djinn can process.
Addy looks up from her own book. “I think I’m starting to understand some of this,” she says slowly. “The merging of realms. It’s notrealmsas we know it. It’s me and her.”
“So, the NetherRealm is her, and you are the Earthly Realm?”
“Something like that.”
I nod, piecing together what I’ve learned with her insights. “And our roles are not meant to stop it or control it. We’re meant to guide it, to ensure that the merging happens in a way that doesn’t destroy everything in the process.”
“Yeah.”
“But how?” Zephyr asks, frustrated. “How are we supposed to guide something that could potentially kill Adelaide?”
“I think,” Zaiah says, “it has to do with our individual abilities. Each of us represents a different aspect of reality, a different type of magick. Together, we form a sort of balance.”
Ignatius snaps his fingers, a small flame dancing between them as he thinks. “Right, like how I represent transformation and purification.”
“And my shadow magick,” Zephyr adds, catching on, “it’s about balance between light and dark.”
