The Legend of Black Eyes 185 Wanda, The Merciless - Final Par

From each end, thin lines protruded to the side, like branches from a tree trunk. In the middle of the snowflake, a circular line linked all the trunks together from the middle. There was a golden light travelling through it. I recognized it as my own essence, pure and strong.

"What are you?" I mumbled as I effortlessly glided toward the fragment.

In that blank space, my injuries didn't exist. Even my left eye had grown back. I could see everything clearly. I felt amazingly healthy, unlike the battered version of me that lay on the ground. The golden energy that flowed through the Fragment seemed to draw me in. I knew what to do then.

I only needed to clearly picture what I needed to do. The next thing I knew, I was submerged in my own essence. I was floating within the golden energy that travelled through the circular line.

"You are what you believe yourself to be," a deep voice resounded in my head. "Choose the path you want to take. Conquer it, and come back here for more."

With every word spoken, images flashed before my eyes. I saw what I could do with each path. I saw the power I could hold, the things I could do. The path to fully assimilating this Fragment was long, tedious, but I knew its outcome then.

Whenever I turned toward one of the snowflake's pointy ends, I saw a path to power. I only needed to develop my strength, and affinity with the Fragment to reach unprecedented levels of might. Even Wanda wouldn't dream of such power. I indeed held one of the most powerful gifts of power, I just didn't know it.

I knew what I needed to end the fight against Wanda then. I thought of all the possibilities, even those beyond defeating Bodrick's puppet. I needed my energy back. I needed a way to counter her super beams of light, and I found what I was looking for.

"All you need is take the path," the deep voice instructed me. "But beware, the only way back is full conquest. Try to go back… and the consequences shall be dire."

I nodded and glided toward the way I decided to take. Wanda was propably stronger than I was, but if I used my resources well, I'd be able to end this long fight in one hit. I'd worry about developing my abilities later.

The path I've chosen to take was the simplest one to conquer. If I wanted to have unsurpassable powers, I needed to take things slowly and methodically. I also needed a spell that wouldn't require much energy. It wasn't like I could magically recover all my powers after I left the Fragment's space.

I woke up then. Wanda and Beatrix were still engaged in a fierce fight. The dark energy around Beatrix was dissipating at a dangerous rate. Wanda was pushing her back with quick swings from her sword. Beatrix blocked with her functioning arm and retreated. I didn't have much time before another key ally died.

I struggled to my feet and willed the Fragment's energy to flow through my conduits. The other ends of the Fragment were locked. They no longer tried to invade my body. I had entered an agreement with the gift of power I had now. I wouldn't be able to use the time stop spell anymore, but I had access to other spells that would save my life in difficult fights like this one.

I slowly walked toward the fighting duo, carefully observing Wanda's attacks. I made sure to take note of every swing, kick, and dodge she made. What I was attempting to achieve was unbelievable, even to me.

I had underestimated Wanda, but I had also underestimated my own powers. The way she moved seemed predictable to me then. I could take her. My confidence grew with every step I took.

Beatrix was at her limit. Her sword arm was getting heavier. The other was limp to the side, barely held together by her dark energy. She had just blocked an attack at the last possible second. She'd soon make a mistake and her life would be forfeit.

I was ten paces away from them then. I couldn't run. The new burst of energy the Fragment had given me wouldn't heal my injuries. I didn't have the power to regenerate. I had the power to overturn this unfair fight though, and I was willing to end it in one strike.

I observed as Wanda thrust her sword toward Beatrix's belly. The lady of the dark wouldn't be able to jump aside on time, I knew it. I raised my right hand toward Wanda and felt the energy pulsating through my fingertips. I slowly rotated my hand counterclockwise, just as Wanda's sword grazed Beatrix's belly.

Wanda's arm retracted. Beatrix got back into place, right before her cousin struck her. They didn't stop there either. They looked like they were still fighting, only in reverse. Their swords clashed first, then detached themselves from each other. I saw the last block Beatrix had barely made.

My hand started itching then. It was my limit. With the delpleted amount of energy I had, I could only do as much. It was enough though, I could do it. I released the spell and they started fighting again, the same sequence, the same grunting and swinging.

I was in range to attack then. Wanda spotted me with the corner of her eye then kicked Beatrix aside. She turned to me and swung her sword. Her face contorted into an angry grimace. I was certain she was getting more tired than she let on.

She looked exhausted, desperate to bring this long fight to an end. It was the only thing we both agreed on. Her sword flashed past my eye, and I quickly rotated my right hand counterclockwise. Wanda's sword retracted, and Beatrix came back before her. When I released the spell, Wanda and Beatrix were facing each other, exchanging furious swings.

I drove my sword through Wanda's neck, and heard her gasp. She turned to look at me, her eyes wide in disbelief.

"You…" she said, her mouth filled with her blood. "How did you…"

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" I said, grinning.

I retraced my sword then swung it as hard as I could. It wasn't a clean strike, but it did the trick. I didn't want her to die easy either. Her head dangled to the side, held to her neck by meaty threads. Blood furiously gushed out and showered my tattered clothes.

Beatrix gasped then fell to the ground, bleeding heavily. The dark aura that enveloped her vanished. Wanda fell beside my feet, lifeless. It was finally over. My side reminded me of the heavy injuries I had sustained. There was no time to waste.

I shot a fleeting glance at Nag's body then at Beatrix. There was nothing I could do for my friend, but I could save Beatrix. I needed her for what was to come. I needed to get to Elsa's estate. I had no mount though, and the baroness's manor was on the other side of town, at least three hours' ride if the mare was fast enough.

My head started throbbing. I could barely open my eye. The quick boost the Fragment had given me was wearing off. I had to move fast or bleed to death here. I tore a piece of cloth from my clothes and tightly wrapped it around Beatrix's arm. I had to stop the bleeding before she died too.

I looked around, trying to find a safe place for us to hide, recollect our strength.

'They must have left their horses somewhere,' Eva intervened. 'They only decided to sneak in here to surprise you. They couldn't have gotten to your hideout so fast on foot.'

Eva had a point. Wanda and her men must have been mounted. If I could find their horses, I'd have a chance at riding to Elsa's estate. I stretched my senses outwards, looking for the hidden mounts. Somewhere east of where I stood, I sensed multiple lifesources, twenty to be exact.

I turned to Beatrix and held her up.

"Can you walk?" I asked.

She groaned and shot me a dark look. "Took you long enough to finish it…" she said.

I chuckled. "Don't talk," I said. "Can you walk? We can take their horses. I know a place where we can heal. Your father's sure to come looking if Wanda fails to show up. We can't stay here."

Beatrix nodded. I helped her to her feet and we both limped toward the horses. I kept my senses activated all along. I didn't want to lose track of our only way out of here. We were getting closer, but my body protested with every step I took. Beatrix was no better. She groaned and complained every time we had to climb the smallest slope.

The horses must have been twenty feet away when we heard more hooves and neighing in the distance. Bodrick's men were here. We hurried behind some bushes and hid there. Two seconds later, a party of more than twenty men arrived. They were all heavily armed. I recognized Franz as the leader, and I cursed inwardly.

"They must be around here," he yelled at the others. "Find her. Keep two men stationed here. If any survivors try to escape, they'll try to steal our horses."

The search party dispersed toward our fighting ground. A few seconds later, we heard gasps and loud curses. We got out of there in the nick of time.

"There's a trail of blood here!" one of the men screamed. "You were right Franz, there are survivors, two by the looks of it."   

Beatrix started wheezing in laughter beside me. "I can't fight anymore Zedd," she whispered. "Leave me here. Father wouldn't kill me, not after I took his only option to get to the Wars away."

"No," I hissed at her. "There are only two guards, we can take them."

"Then what?" she said. "We'll pass out on our horses. They'll quickly catch up with us."

"I don't know about you," I said. "But I don't want to be someone else's prisoner anymore. There's still some fight left in me. Can you create one of your dark zones?"

She shook her head. "I can barely stand," she said. "It's over Zedd."

She started sobbing then. She realized the end was nigh, and in the most frustrating possible way. She was cursing, saying things I couldn't hear. I was more focused on what was happening in front of us. Something had just flashed past us. Nag's body lay in front of me, unconscious, still dead.

'How did he?' I thought. The next thing I saw explained things… at least to some extent.

"Do you see that?" I asked Beatrix, who was still sobbing in my arms, complaining about how I caused all of this.

"What?" she asked.

She raised her head to look at the spot I was fixating. At that exact same moment, the fields lit up. A white light engulfed the place. Beatrix gasped and hid her eyes. I fought the urge to do the same. We, Beatrix, Nag and I, were in a blank space, eerily similar to the space I used to communicate with Dif and my Fragment.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I screamed. "What do you want from me?"

I couldn't ask the next question, nor could I go on with the tirade I had prepared in my head. The light disappeared as quickly as it appeared. The next thing I knew, I was in the pool in which the Aether spring was. Nag was lying beside us. Beatrix had just finished gasping then opened her eyes.

"Wha–?" she blabbered. "Where are we?"

Chapter end