The Soul Keeper

Screams sounded, and quakes shook the earth as the battle in the sky continued. Soon, bodies of the fallen began dropping down, wetting the earth with blood. 

Amongst the chaos, I reached the inquisitors. I didn't hesitate as I raised the blade of my scythe and brought it down upon them. Layers upon layers of golden barriers formed between us. My scythe cut through the first layer, shattering it. 

Behind me, I heard the beat of large, leathery wings fast approaching. Tightly grasping the shaft of my scythe, I turned around, only to see a massive claymore descending upon me.

"No!" Someone shouted in demonic. A whip of purple flames wrapped itself around the deadly blade of the claymore, yanking it away from the hands of the Ereth wielding it. "I will be your opponent!" Vixia shouted, her voice drowning out all other sounds. She walked forward, her whip in hand and her expression filled with disgust.

The Ereth chased after his claymore that had fallen to the ground not too far. 

"Keep going, Kai." Vixia called out to me. She cracked her whip, and that sound echoed throughout the battlefield. Deciding she probably didn't need any help to deal with one guy with a claymore, I nodded and turned my attention on the inquisitors once more.

They had recreated the broken and cracked barriers already, and I could feel the bright golden magic gathering around us. Before I could even guess what spell they began to cast, they all raised their hands in the air simultaneously. 

I froze for a split second as I saw the few dozen spears of light that formed in the sky. As they brought down their hands, the spears of crackling light rushed down upon us. 

My flames rose, roaring as they formed a barrier to protect me from the deadly light. Darkness covered Mother and Fetheion, and Vixia quickly stepped though a rift to safety. I firmly planted my feet on the ground, striking the earth with my scythe and pouring whatever strength I had into my flames. 

"Kai!" Someone shouted. I couldn't tell who it was, as the crackling sounds of golden thunder and the raining spears of light proved to be too loud. I somehow stood my ground as the lightning strikes hammered away at my barrier of flames. I took a deep breath and gathered what strength I had, then stepper forward, closer to the inquisitors.

I felt my barrier slowly weaken as the spears of light and thunder didn't give me any room to reinforce it. I gritted my teeth – what was everyone else doing? Why wasn't I getting any more help?

I flinched as something touched my feet. I glanced down to the ground just in time to see darkness rise up to completely envelop me. I felt dizzy for a split second, then the constant pounding of the inquisitor's attacks came to a stop. The darkness disappeared as quickly as it appeared, revealing the worried expression of Mother.

"What?" I mumbled, looking around. "Wait, why did you bring me here? I was right next to them!" I frantically shouted as I gestured towards the group of inquisitors. 

"You are not immortal!" Mother shouted back. "And I'm not letting you die here."

"There was no way you were breaking their barriers anyways." Fetheion added. "You just need to buy some time for your mother, ok? She'll take care of them." 

I hesitated as I shot a surprised glance at Mother. "What do you mean?" 

"I'm not a Divine for nothing." Was all she cared to say as she walked a few steps back and raised her hand. As I watched with confusion, a staff appeared in her hands. It almost didn't look manmade save for the single silver crystal at it's top. It reminded me of tree branches that wrapped around themselves and intertwined, creating this oddly eerie looking staff.

Without even a second of hesitation, she thrust it into the ground. "I will clear them, but you must protect me." 

As she finished her words, her staff began to emit a soft, silver glow.

As soon as she did so, I felt mana begin to gather at two ends of the battlefield. On one side, Mother had begun casting her spell. On the other, I could feel something slowly forming beneath the ground, just below the inquisitors' feet.

"We can't let them notice it." I said as I tightly grasped the shaft of my scythe. Fetheion nodded. "Vixia, cover for my sister!" He shouted before gesturing me to go ahead.

I took a deep breath, then dashed ahead with Fetheion right besides me. Our steps swiftly carried us across the battlefield. We sidestepped what spells they threw at us, and I bombarded them with dark bolts to keep them distracted. 

"That's close enough!" A familiar, over the top voice announced as the same claymore wielding Ereth as before blocked our path. Fetheion drew a sharp breath, and his weapon shifted into a claymore itself. "I'll handle him! You go ahead."

I shook my head. "No, let's get rid of him together." My wings sprouted from my back as I spoke. I leapt into the air as I extended my hand towards the claymore wielding Ereth. Flames erupted from my hand like a flamethrower, forcing the Ereth to step back. 

A golden hue covered him as the inquisitors fed him with more strength. 

Fetheion didn't hesitate as he ran through my flames. He swung his blade, and the sound of metal hitting metal sounded. The Ereth grinned as he stretched his wings wide. The leathery wings emitted a golden glow, and Fetheion's dark power rose to respond. Darkness and golden light clashed as their blades remained locked.

Knowing this was my best chance, I flew down and swung my scythe, aiming for the Ereth's head. A golden barrier blocked my attack, but I shattered it with ease. At that moment, Fetheion's blade melted, changing into a scythe. The Ereth's eyes widened as the blade of the oversized scythe quickly approached his throat. He kicked my uncle in the stomach and leapt back with a beat of his wings.

I was quick to follow him as Fetheion stumbled back. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I noticed the descending claymore. I raised my scythe and blocked the thick, heavy blade with my its shaft. My muscles ached with his abnormal strength. 

My flames dimmed as I used my mana to strengthen my own body. The pain in my muscles faded and I began to straighten my legs.

An odd grin appeared on the Ereth's face. Pushed his blade down with all of his strength as he stretched his wings wide. Then, he brought them down upon me. It was then that I noticed the razor-sharp claws at the top of his wings.

My feathery, fragile wings couldn't protect me from them!