~CELESTIA~
Celestia? Sia? Can you hear me?"
I stirred awake, the immense worry leaking off the familiar voice helped me fight the darkness. I felt weird, juggling between feeling weak and having a sense of renewed strength thrum through me.
I was finally able to open my eyes, glancing up to see Hunter's dark orange ones; relief blossomed on his handsome features.
"Welcome back, Celestia," he greeted.
I gave him a confused look. "Huh? Wait. Why are we in the air? Did I fly during my sleep?" I asked, feeling delirious.
Hunter grinned. "Nope. We're kinda in a tight situation and I can't have you passed out on the ground. Sia did a good job stalling," Hunter replied.
I blinked, remaining silent for at least ten seconds until Sia’s name sunk in.
"SIA! Wait. No. Hold on, time out. Weren't you guys supposed to wake me up? And what do you mean stalling? Stall wh—"
"EERRREEEEEIP."
I flinched, slamming my hands against my ears to block the high-pitched sound. Hunter cringed, flying higher up.
"What the flying fuck is that?" I exclaimed, my hands still on my ears.
"Forsaken. I don't know how it got in here. Every exam area is closed off and scouted multiple times," Hunter grumbled, a scowl on his face.
I looked down to see the hideous monster. My eyes grew wide at the scene; the Forsaken had a dark glow around its sludge-like body, tendrils and tentacles slashing at the ground. I looked to my right to see the remainder of our team avoiding the Forsaken’s attacks, countering them with their own magic spells.
"We have to go help them," I demanded.
"Sia could barely stand when we arrived before she passed out and you’re still pale, Celestia," Hunter accused.
"So? They're gonna get hurt!" I countered.
"And so could you," he replied.
I groaned. "I'll be fine. I'm not some weakling. Let me fight," I argued.
He glared at me, looking unsure as to what decision to make.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Let me down or I'll sprinkle pretty rainbow dust and put you to sleep for the rest of this exam," I threatened.
"You’re not scary with that face, Cutie Pie," Hunter muttered, but he spread his blazing wings.
"Wait till you see pissed off Cutie Pie. Then we’ll see if you think I'm still cute," I argued.
He grinned at my retort, but it vanished the moment we touched the ground. Orion rushed over to us.
"We have to go full out if we want to have a chance against this thing. Celestia, you okay?" he explained before giving me a sympathetic look.
I nodded while Hunter lowered me down so I could stand.
"So much for waking up from a nap," I replied, giving him a playful grin.
"We were all asleep. We all woke up from a loud sound and that's when Hunter showed up saying you were fighting off a Forsaken. We arrived right before you passed out," Orion explained.
"Guys! A little help?" Finn called out, jumping to the side to avoid a tentacle that slammed into the spot where he previously stood.
Hunter and Orion exchanged looks, both of them looked down at me. I rolled my eyes.
"This is NOT the time. Go help Finn, Theo, and Caio! I'll be fine and can defend myself," I retaliated.
They were silent for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
"Be careful." Orion brushed his palm against my cheek.
I gave him a smile. "I'll be fine," I reassured him.
"Lovers," Hunter mumbled, patting my shoulder gently.
"You’re just jealous she likes me more." Orion winked, making his way to help Theo who was using a short blade to slice through the tendrils that attacked him.
"You know, for a guy who's always shy and quiet, you've been all talkative and confident since meeting Celestia," Hunter called out, giving me a final pat before heading to help Finn.
I looked for Caio, but couldn't see his ginger hair. I was debating on how to be most helpful in this situation.
I'd researched a lot about Forsaken over the years thanks to Magnor. He had to know every detail about the beings of chaos and darkness, having helped on a few missions to wipe out a large mass of them a few times when I was younger. I closed my eyes, needing a few moments to recall the conversation I'd had about them with Magnor.
"How do you beat a Forsaken, Magnor?" I asked, lowering the ancient book onto my lap, afraid if I placed it on the ground it would somehow crumble into dust. It was one of the oldest books that talked about the first appearances of the Forsaken and how they grew and attempted to take over our lands for years until they were vanquished.
"You need to engulf them with enough power to reach their core. The strongest element against them is their counterpart, light, but any element can destroy them if it's enough to shatter their core," Magnor explained from his desk, turning the page to the book he was reading.
"If it's as simple as that, why can only a few people achieve it? Or why does it take a group of high-rank magicians and shifters to beat just one?" I questioned.
"Because it has fast rejuvenating properties. The core can be in sight and within a minute the darkness will begin to rebuild around it, shielding it once more. It takes an onslaught of attacks and once the core is exposed, it needs to be submerged in magic. Once shattered, the rejuvenating process cancels out and the Forsaken dies," Magnor finished.
"That sounds tiring," I replied, returning to read my book.
"It is. But with a team, it's easier than on your own," Magnor concluded.
I opened my eyes, analyzing where everyone was.
"Guys! We have to aim our magic all at once to break down the dark sludge around it. Once it's broken down we need to attack its core," I yelled.
"How are we going to do that with these damn tendrils?" Hunter asked, letting go of an arrow that sliced through three of said tendrils that had tried to attack Orion who was casting various spells.
I was tempted to watch the different magic circles that formed beneath him, waves of fire, water and ice fighting off multiple tendrils and tentacles left and right, but we didn't have much time. I could tell the guys were tired and we needed as much combined energy as possible.
"I'll take care of them! Just regroup and start reserving as much magic as you can!" I instructed. They nodded in agreement, jumping off the ground to avoid the current set of attacks and making their way to where I stood.
I pulled out my dual swords, making a silent plea for their assistance. In seconds, they began to glow; the rune markings began to light a vibrant gold. I steadied my breathing and allowed the wind to begin to pool around my feet.
"Holy shit. Celestia knows how to sword dance?" Theo asked, sounding impressed.
"Is that the term? She used it earlier on a group of Rhinroys," Hunter revealed.
I tuned them out, needing a few moments of concentration. I could hear the slams of tendrils, but I assumed the guys had created some type of shield to protect us from harm.
Again, I envisioned the Forsaken and all the tendrils and tentacles. The magic pulsed into my swords, and I felt the increased heat and power surround me.
"Wow," I heard a few of the guys say in hushed tones.
I had no idea how I currently looked, but from the power that continued to pool into the swords, I knew I was ready to give this a shot. I opened my eyes, darting forward. I let the power take control, slashing through each tendril and tentacle with ease. The Forsaken's cries were louder than before, but they didn't affect me. I was in a trance of power and I wouldn't allow anything to distract me.
I could sense Arielle nearby, noticing incoming fireballs that took down tendrils that tried to attack me. Slash— Dodge— Upward Slash— Twirling Slice.
I kept going, everything a blur as I moved faster. The tendrils and tentacles had been conquered, but the power that pulsed through me was not satisfied. It wanted more. It deserved to destroy the being that dared disturb its master.
I didn't stop till I heard Arielle's loud screeches. I jumped a few feet back, scanning the damage I had caused. I gawked at the sparkling cube shape diamond that twirled above what used to be the Forsaken’s top half.
The guys didn't need me to instruct them; they shot out heavy blasts of magic. Hunter sent out waves of fire, Finn was shooting various vines and wind attacks and Orion easily sent shards of ice from one hand while the other shot bolts of electricity.
I quickly returned my swords to their scabbards, using what little magic I had left to send a stream of light magic directly at the core. Arielle flew above, blasting a stream of blue fire.
The core began to crack, little by little from the attacks that came from all sides.
"Just a bit more," I whispered, feeling dizzy. I bit my lip to help myself focus. We heard a loud crack; the diamond core shattered into little black pieces. The remainder of the body began to fade and the rejuvenating tendrils and tentacles dropped to the floor.
None of us moved, waiting for something to happen.
"Is it over?" Finn asked weakly.
They all looked exhausted, especially Finn and Hunter. Theo was hunched over, trying to catch his breath while Orion was out of breath, but looked the least affected otherwise. Arielle landed on my shoulder, reverting to her smaller form. I sighed, falling to my knees. Ugh, I feel like shit.
"Shit. Celestia you—" Theo began, but was cut off; the ground shook and tendrils shot out from the crumbled floor. They intertwined with one another, arching through the air and coming straight at me.
"CELESTIA!" The guys yelled.
I raised my hands up, casting a shield. The impact was far too strong and sent me flying. I crashed straight into a tree, gasping in pain from the air being knocked out of me. I fell to the ground, struggling to move. Ow. Didn't we kill it?
I lifted my head, narrowing my eyes to focus my blurred vision. The guys were running toward me, but the joined tendrils slammed into the ground before them, blocking the path.
"Arielle?" I called out. I could sense she was in pain and that only spiked my anxiety and fear for my familiar.
"Bru. Bru," she whimpered.
"Sorry, Arielle. I know you don't like when I unsummon you, but I can't afford for you to get seriously hurt," I called out.
At this rate, I knew I'd need to shift sooner or later, especially if this Forsaken was still alive and kicking.
"Bru..." she replied.
I could sense the fear of leaving me grow, leaving my heart in turmoil, but I couldn't lose Arielle. Unsummoning her would send her to where I kept her medallion in my luggage.
At least, if I died here, Magnor would be able to free her and she'd have a chance at life. I wouldn't let her die because of me.
"I love you, Arielle. If I make it out of this, I'll resummon you, alright? If...not, Magnor will find you. Make sure he's not lonely without me, okay?" I choked, blinking back tears.
"Bru! Bru-Reeee," she cried.
I closed my eyes, saying the incantation to unsummon her. Her little whimpers faded. I sighed, struggling to my hands and knees.
I looked back at the scene before me; Theo was on top of a tendril slashing its exterior with his hand blade while Finn had his hands outstretched, calling for more vines to hold it down. Hunter was shooting flaming arrows that arched in the air and exploded upon impact and Orion was shooting thunderbolts at the spots Hunter's arrows missed.
I have to help them.
I began to crawl my way out of the forest, re-entering the clearing. Orion's eyes locked on mine; his purple eyes widened with fear. Oh god, please don't tell me there's something else.
"GAREEEEEEE."
"Great. Just fucking great. The universe fucking hates me!" I complained, turning my head to the sound that came from my left. One Rhinroy stood a few feet away from me, stomping its foot over and over as it prepared to charge. Fuck!
It charged forward. I heard Orion call my name, but I couldn't pull my eyes away from the charging beast, its sharp horns ready to pierce through me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for my death. I'm sorry, Magnor.
"ROAR!"
My eyes snapped open in time to see a large white tiger tackle the Rhinroy, sending it flying. The white tiger ran back to me, stopping only inches from me. I trembled in fear, unsure if it was going to attack me. Its bright blue eyes stared at me curiously. It took three cautious steps, its face right above mine.
I closed my eyes, tears rolling down my cheeks. I survive Rhinroys, a Forsaken, but get eaten by a tiger?
I felt something lick my cheek, prompting me to open my eyes. The tiger continued to lick my cheek, before moving to the other one. It took me a second to realize he was trying to wipe my tears away.
"You’re good?" I asked.
It nodded its head and pressed it against mine. I smiled, raising my hand to pet him. He sat in front of me protectively staring at the Rhinroy that struggled to get up.
"I can't fight. You need to go," I told the animal that upon closer inspection looked like a snow tiger. I sat on my knees, trying to push the animal away. I didn't know if this was a shifter or an actual animal, but I couldn't let an innocent animal sacrifice itself for me.
He didn't move away, rising up on his paws and growling in the direction of the Rhinroy; the black strips on his white fur began to glow a turquoise blue.
I looked over at the guys who were still fighting the oversized tendril, but they looked relieved to see the tiger. Is this Caio?
The Rhinroy began to charge again, its movement was slower than before, but a blurred image crashed into it, knocking it even farther than the snow tiger had. I gawked at the flying Rhinroy that crashed into the forest; the surrounding trees toppled over. I stared as it struggled to get out from beneath the layer of trees, but it eventually stilled.
I returned my gaze to see a Siberian tiger, its orange and white fur and glowing amber strips. It walked over to the snow tiger shifter that had stopped growling.
The orange tiger reached us, standing in front of where I knelt. It lifted its paw up, patting my head ever so gently. Huh?
I stared directly into the tiger's eyes, now noticing the slight gold tinge in his left eye versus his right eye that was a light orange.
"Caio?" I asked. The tiger nodded its head, licking my cheek and nuzzling against the right side of my face. I laughed, wrapping my arms around him to hug him.
"Where did you go? I'm so glad you're okay," I exclaimed, letting him go to look at the white tiger that sat quietly next to me, staring at the battle that was still going on.
"Grr," he replied, butting his head into the white tiger.
The snow tiger turned to stare at me, lifting his paw to pat my head like Caio did. I grinned, reaching out my arms for a hug.
It walked into my embrace, allowing me to hug him. I knew we were in the midst of battle, but if I was gonna die, I might as well enjoy hugging two tigers. I could add it to my small list of accomplishments achieved in the hour before my death.
I took a few calming breaths and turned to face the guys. The tendril was almost gone, Orion lifted his arms in the sky, creating a large sphere of what looked to be fire, electricity, and light magic. His lips were moving, but from this distance, I couldn't hear the incantation. The others moved back and hid behind him. Both tigers stood in front of me; their stripes glowed and a combined shield formed in front of us.
Orion threw the orb of magic toward the tendril; a massive explosion erupted from the impact, shaking the earth below and sending a giant burst of wind everywhere.
We waited in silence, the smoke that clouded our vision began to fade. The tendril was gone, its remnants of darkness faded into nothing.
I sighed, letting my eyes close. I just needed five seconds to relax, maybe ten...or a whole damn day. Fur brushed against my face, forcing me to open my eyes. The white tiger sat in front of me, turning his head to stare at the guys who were sitting on the ground, looking just as spent as me.
"Can I use you as a pillow, Caio's friend?" I asked.
It nodded its head in approval. I laid on his body, feeling bad for making his pure white coat dirty from all the dust and probably blood from my wounds, but his soft fur looked so inviting.
"Celestia! You okay?" Hunter called out.
I was tired, my body ached and I almost died at least five times today, but I guess I could safely say I was ‘okay.’ I raised my hand up, giving him a thumbs up and dropping it back down. Moving hurt and breathing was becoming a little difficult.
I wished Magnor was here to make me feel a better. He'd pat my head and give me an energy boost. Then he'd complain about how silly I was for always getting into an unbalanced state and giving me a lecture while helping me to my room. He'd put me to bed and wait till he thought I was asleep before kissing me on the forehead. I missed his kindness and it was thanks to him and my new team of guys that I'd made it this far.
I was on the edge of sleep, opening my eyes slightly to stare at Caio who was nestled next to his friend and me. He lifted his head and began to growl, rising up on all fours while his orange and white hairs flared up.
I noticed the ground began to shake, growing stronger and stronger with each passing second. I fought to lift my head, looking at the others who had various expressions of fear and panic.
I followed their gaze to my left, moving away from the white tiger so he could prepare for whatever was approaching us. The sound of snapping trees echoed through the sky, while the ground continued to shake.
My eyes grew wide and my jaw went slack, as I looked up to the twenty foot Forsaken that exited the forest. It roared into the night sky; its sludge-like body was wide compared to the previous one and its exterior looked thicker.
"We can't do this," I whispered in defeat.
The Forsaken turned what looked to be its head to the guys; red glowing orbs emerged from the darkness.
"RUN!" I cried out to them, but I knew they couldn't. All of them were just as exhausted as I was. The two tigers charged forward; their stripes began to glow. The Forsaken turned its gaze to them, screeching in their direction. The force of the vibration blew them off their feet and back toward me. I outstretched my hand.
"AIRANDORALA!" I ordered, summoning two circles of wind to catch them before they crashed into the ground. I was hit with a wave of dizziness and I tried not to vomit. I couldn't use any more magic in this form, but if I shifted, there would be serious consequences if I couldn't get help after.
I hadn't shifted in months, and when I did the aftermath wasn't pretty. But if we even had a five percent chance of survival, it seemed shifting to my unicorn form was the only option.
The tigers were submerged in bright light which made me close my eyes for a second. When the magic dimmed I opened my eyes to see two Caios. I blinked, my eyes trailing down their naked bodies. They turned around, giving me a front row seat to the best sets of abs I'd ever seen in real life. My eyes trailed lower and I swallowed, my face felt flushed. Damn...guess I can cross see naked men off my list.
"Either I hit my head really hard or there's two of you? And as impressive as this view is, I would think neither of you wants to die naked," I pointed out, my eyes unable to choose which cock deserved more attention.
"Twins, Dearest. And we'd rather not die, period," Caio's twin suggested, a grin on his exhausted face.
"I'm glad you're enjoying the view, Celestia, but we need to run for it," Caio pointed out, snapping his fingers. Clothes materialized on his body; his twin also snapped his fingers to cloak his body with pants and jeans, matching his brother.
"Right. Forsaken ready to kill us, run, too bad I can't walk," I pointed out, glancing at my legs. They were bruised up and I must have broken something cause all I could do was crawl.
"GAREEEE!"
We flinched, returning our attention to the Forsaken that had given us a moment. Black orbs began to materialize in the sky, hovering over the entire clearing. SHIT!
"GUYS! Go help the others. Hurry!" I ordered.
Caio was already moving toward Theo. Hunter and Orion had Finn, who looked barely conscious. Twin Two didn't budge, standing in front of me.
"Sorry, Dearest. Not leaving you," he replied.
"Ugh. I'm going to shift! You can't be near me," I argued.
He looked over his shoulder to eye me carefully. His eyes widened. "Unicorn?" he asked.
"How the— Oh fuck it. Seven-inches, get your ass over there and help your brother!" I snarled.
He blinked, his cheeks grew red but he listened, running toward the guys.
"You better not die, Dearest, and it's Cairus!" he called out.
Cairus? Great, two hot twins in the mix and I may die from this stupid Forsaken shit. Hope this doesn't go horribly wrong.
I took a final look at the guys, the Forsaken already aiming his orbs at the group.
"HEY FORSAKEN! Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. It turned its head in my direction, its illuminated red orbs narrowed on my tiny frame. I side-glanced at the others; Caio and Cairus were helping Theo into the forest.
I took a deep breath, standing up straight.
This is my moment to prove myself. To prove that unicorns are real and we are far from kind to those who threaten the people we care about.
I let go of my magic, closing my eyes to find the lock that secured the holy being within. I could envision the gold key unlocking the pink metallic lock to the small chest that sheltered the remainder of my unicorn essence. I allowed the shift to take over; my body was immersed in light.
I will defeat this being of darkness. Only I can destroy it.