Quinn's eyes were glued to Emilia, unable to fully understand what he was seeing. What was going on? He thought, his hands trembling lightly over the sensation that he felt. Emilia's head tilted slightly to the side, her black eyes staring intensely into Quinn's. Bulging veins pulsed with dark blood on her temples, outlining the features of her possession.
She smirked, her lips curling, revealing razor sharp sharps. Quinn's heart pounded in his chest, his mind drowning in fear. He took a step back, his eyes still glued to her, his breath catching in his throat.
«[ New Quest: Defeat The Darkling ]»
The interface floated in his eyes, but it wasn't enough to motivate him. His finger remained pointed at her, at what had just become the transformation of a lifetime.
"Quinn!" Ares, growled bitterly, clearly disturbed by seeing Quinn not paying attention. There was a shift in the air, and he felt it, forcing him to look at where Quinn was pointing.
His insides tightened, his grip on his sword firm the moment he noticed what that was. Emilia, or it wasn't. He wasn't sure. Her once pink hair, now turning black, bulging veins on her features and that, horrible smirk that showcased fangs. He knew exactly what that was. A Darkling.
But how did something so cunning end up in the school grounds? Unless..... No, it can't be.
*
Emilia vanished from where she was standing, only to reappear in front of Quinn. She extended her hand, her fingers closing in on his throat like a vice. Quinn dodged to the side, barely avoiding her grasp. He stumbled, almost falling, but managed to regain his balance. The other students gasped in shock, their eyes fixed on Emilia's twisted form.
"What the heck...!" Ares trailed off, his eyes wide with surprise. Emilia suddenly burst with magical aura, a pillar of purple light erupting from her body. The aura was so intense that it left cracks on the ground, throwing people off balance. Emilia started laughing, her voice echoing through the hall. "I've never felt so alive!" she exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with malevolent intent. "This is beautiful!!!!!"
The hall erupted into chaos as Emilia's aura continued to build. She moved with incredible speed, appearing behind Azra in the blink of an eye. Her hand closed around his throat like a vice, and with a swift motion, she threw him halfway across the hall. Azra crashed into a table, sending chairs and debris flying everywhere.
Emilia's free hand pointed at Lilith, and bolts of purple lightning gathered in her palm, before they shot towards her. Lilith, however, simply smirked as the bolts hurtled towards her face. Just as they were about to strike, a shimmering shard of glass appeared in front of her, absorbing the impact. The shard glowed with a faint blue light before unleashing the energy back at Emilia, but doubled.
Emilia tried to dodge, but the bolt struck her with incredible force. She was thrown into the wall, the stone cracking beneath the impact. Blood splattered. Emilia slid to the ground, her eyes burning with excitement as she struggled to get back to her feet.
Ares sighed, walking over to one of the chairs that had been knocked over in the chaos. He picked it up, placed it down, and sat on it, his chin resting on his palm. He looked bored, clearly uninterested in the mayhem. When his eyes met Quinn, who was panting and staring at Emilia with widened eyes, Ares raised an eyebrow.
"Hey Winter," he said, his voice lazy. "Aren't you tired of staring at this wicked showdown?"
Quinn looked up at Ares. "Aren't you going to help?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.
Ares shook his head. "No... that'd be a drag." He sounded uninterested. "Ever wondered why my bloody parents named me after a fucking god of war?"
Quinn's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"
Ares sighed, his eyes never leaving Quinn's face. "I was hoping now would be a good time for you to show off what you're capable of. Wanna see you test out your skills." He sounded casual, but his eyes gleamed with intensity. "I could interfere, but that'd mean y'all would just be caught in the crossfire and I'd enjoy it...at the expense of losing my job."
Quinn's face scrunched up in confusion. "What?"
Ares's expression turned serious. "If you're not going to fight, why don't you come and sit down with me? It'd be fun to watch the show."
But this wasn't a show.
*
'If it isn't dear little Emilia...' Lilith smirked, her footsteps ringing in the hall as she cleared the distance between her and Emilia. Her eyes traced down the blood that stained the wall she had crushed in, and the mere sight left her heart dancing with delight. The sight of it was beautiful, especially when it was coming from someone she thought was a threat.
"I'd stay down if I were you..." Lilith said. "... it's pretty clear that you don't stand a chance." Lilith stepped closer to Emilia, her grin widening as she spoke, "You think you can take me on in this state? You're nothing but a fading ember in the shadows of my brilliance."
Emilia lifted her chin, her voice steady despite the mayhem surrounding them. "And you, dear old Lilith, are merely a reflection of your own darkness. But don't get too cocky, I'll show you what true power looks like."
Lilith's laughter rang through the hall, a chilling sound that made Quinn shudder. "Oh, how delightful! You're so confident, it's almost tragic. Let's see if you can keep that bravado when I unleash my full power." With a flick of her wrist, shards of glass materialized around her, glimmering dangerously in the light. Emilia narrowed her eyes, feeling the surge of Lilith's magic burning through the air. "You'll need more than shards to take me down, Lilith."
With a swift motion, Lilith launched the shards at Emilia. They pierced through the air with a whistling sound, but Emilia was faster, more stronger than just mere glass. And she knew it. The Darkling knew it. With a simple snap of its fingers, crackling bolts of lightning illuminated the Hall, as they shattered the shards into a fragment, sending sparks lighting up the air.
Fueled by adrenaline, the Darkling unleashed waves of fire, creating a barrier that pushed back the shards. "You can't hide behind your illusions forever!" it shouted.
Lilith danced around the flames, her laughter mingling with the crackling magic in the air. "This is just so amazing!"
The Darkling conjured a tempest of lightning that bolted towards Lilith, but with a flick of her hand, Lilith deflected the attack, sending shards spiraling back toward Emilia like arrows fired from a bow. However, the Darkling miscalculated the trajectory of the shards. One struck its side, sending it crashing into the ground with a sickening thud.
"No!" Quinn cried out.
Lilith stood tall, her eyes gleaming with sadistic glee as she approached the fallen Emilia. "Look at you now—broken and defeated. How does it feel to know you've lost?" She leaned down, her voice low and mocking. "This is the end for you, I guess. I'll enjoy watching you fade into nothing."
A shard of glass appeared, shaped like a sword, and bolted towards the Darkling's neck. But just as it was about to strike, a sound echoed through the hall, like the rustling of leaves. A fox made of fire suddenly materialized, colliding with the glass sword and sending it clanging to the ground.
The sound of footsteps rang through the hall, growing louder with each passing moment. A voice shouted, "Demon Lantern!"
«[ -120 mana ]»
Lilith's head snapped towards the sound, her eyes widening in surprise. She stared at Quinn, who was standing tall. Two large foxes made of flames stood by his side, their growls echoing through the hall.
The ground beneath Quinn's feet began to crack, darkness pooling like ink. Lilith's eyes darted towards the darkness, her mind racing with the possibility that something was emerging from the shadows, something ancient and powerful.
A faint whisper seemed to ring from the darkness, a voice that sent shivers down Lilith's spine. "The Demon Lantern has been lit," the voice whispered. "The darkness will consume you."
Lilith's eyes snapped back to Quinn, her expression twisted with a mixture of fear and fascination. "What have you done, Quinn?" she whispered, her voice barely audible over the growling of the foxes.