Tales of chronicles

Lost in the throes of battle, Flare smiled wider as she continued her ruthless and efficient onslaught of Seraphis's forces. She relished every moment; this was her arena—her true nature.

But Seraphis was not finished. Screaming with fury, she sent forth a massive wave of dark energy that forced Flare into a momentary retreat. 

"You won't win!"

Seraphis hissed, her eyes blazing with hatred.

"I will annihilate the Valliere family, starting with that girl." 

Flare's eyes darted toward Lita for but a fleeting moment, a softness flickering in her gaze, just for a heartbeat. A heartbeat was all it took to stiffen and turn back toward Seraphis, a newfound resolve shining in her feature: the smile had turned into something much more serious by then. 

"Touch her, and I will kill you,"

Flare said coldly, her voice sinking to a deadly whisper.

"No one will touch Lita while I live." 

With that, Flare charged again, her sword glinting as she cut through the remaining shadows. Her eyes bore no amusement this time, only fierce protectiveness.

Seraphis felt the shift in Flare and sought to retaliate with another spell, but Flare was quicker. She delivered a crushing blow to Seraphis's defenses, with the point of her blade hovering just inches from Seraphis's throat.

Silence enveloped the room, and the shadows were gone. Seraphis stood frozen, her mouth agape in shock.

Flare leaned closer, her voice icy.

"Next time, I won't miss."

For the first time, uncertainty creased Seraphis's brow, although hatred still clenched her heart toward the Valliere clan.

"This isn't over,"

she hissed, evaporating into the growing shadows and retreating deeper into the temple. 

Flare sheathed her sword and sighed as tension left her shoulders with the end of fighting. Yet the slope of her lips suggested satisfaction was far from her mind—rather, there was darkness: a hint of the assassin she had once been.

Lita moved forward, hesitantly.

"Flare...are you okay?"

Flare turned to her, the coldness replaced by warmth for Lita.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

But Lita knew that was not all there was to it. That battle had roused something inside Flare, a long-dormant trait. 

After Seraphis had faded into the shadows, tensions filled the chamber. Flare stood in one place for a while, breathing heavily, her expression unreadable. Lita felt as if she were in a dream, her heart pounding after all she had just witnessed. 

"What now?"

Lita whispered, her voice quavering slightly.

Flare regarded her, becoming somewhat gentler.

"We leave,"

she stated decisively.

"We have done enough here."

But the moment they thought to move, the ground shook beneath them. A deep, foreboding rumble shook the temple, and Lita saw the walls vibrating under the pressure. Her eyes opened wide as cracks started forming in the stone floor, dark energy pouring from the fissures.

"Flare...what's going on?"

Lita asked, fear creeping into her voice.

Flare's face grew dark.

"Seraphis isn't just retreating-she's trying to collapse the temple."

The rumbling grew louder, and the floor began shaking violently. Shadows swirled around them as they gathered strength from the temple's magic. Dark energy used to fuel the trials was now working against them, and the entire temple seemed strangely alive with dark intent.

"We need to get out of here now!"

yelled Flare as she seized Lita by the arm and dragged her toward the exit.

The two scrambled through the crumbling corridors, dodging huge chunks of falling stone, avoiding the twisting and dark rings of the labyrinthine passages that seemed to be ushering them toward an unmarked tomb. The air thick with the scent of dark magic imprisoned them, and every step weighted more under the Temple's energy pressing down on them.

A gigantic block of stone fell from above as they arrived in the main hall, nearly crushing them. Flare had an instant reaction, throwing Lita away from the danger just in the nick of time to avoid the deadly impact.

"This place is breaking apart faster than I thought,"

Flare muttered under her breath, her voice bright with strain.

Lita struggled to keep up, racing through a mind that could barely focus. How deep was Seraphis's hatred? Lita thought. How dangerous was she? If Seraphis could command the temple, what other might she possess?

Just when they were close to the exit, a shadowy figure appeared before them-Seraphis flickering with dark energy. She stood in their path, her eyes ablaze with fury.

"So you think you can escape?"

she hissed, venom dripping from her words.

"This temple will be your grave."

Flare instantly stepped in front of Lita with her blade drawn.

"You just never know when to quit, do you?"

she hissed.

Seraphis smiled darkly, narrowing her eyes.

"It's not about quitting. It's about revenge. Your time is up, Valliere." 

In an instant, Seraphis fired a barrage of shadow magic, the dark energy crashing toward them like a tidal wave. Flare pushed Lita behind her, taking the brunt of the attack head-on.

Instead of being overwhelmed, however, the fullness of the attack only spurred Flare to stand resolute with her eyes burning with fierce determination. The blade in her hands flew higher to decimate the shadows in a single, mighty stroke. The magic dissipated, and Flare stood tall, her eyes trained upon Seraphis.

"That was a mistake,"

Flare said in a most chilling tone.

"You should have fled when you had the chance."

Flare sprung forward. She sprinted toward Seraphis; the blades met in a storm of dancing sparks. Two warriors fought with volatile precision, darkness and light swirling around them, landing blow after devastating blow.

Lita watched in awe, but trepidation seized her heart. She had seen Flare fight before, but this was different. Seraphis was far superior, almost too much for even Flare to compete with. Seraphis was becoming more powerful with every second, fueled by the dark magic of the temple.

Just as Flare was getting the upper hand, Seraphis unleashed a final desperate measure. An enormous blast of dark energy erupted from her, sending Flare hurtling backward. She landed hard, skidding some distance along the ground with her blade.

"Flare!"

Lita screamed, rushing toward her.

Flare was groaning, barely managing to sit up.

"I'm...fine,"

she muttered weakly.

Breathing heavily, Seraphis staggered closer, her triumph written all over her face.

"You are finished,"

she spat, raising a hand for one final blow.

But the temple had other ideas: shadows burst from the ground, wrapping around Seraphis's body like chains. Utter shock came to her eyes as the dark energy she had summoned turned against her.

"No...this can't be..."

Seraphis gasped, fighting against the shadows.

The temple-convulsing with the weight of its own destruction- seemed to be reclaiming her, drawing Seraphis downward into its very depths. A blood-curdling scream erupted from her as shadows engulfed her, pulling her down, down, down until she'd disappeared entirely from sight.

Lita had forgotten to breathe, her heart racing.

"Is...is she...gone?" 

Flare inhaled deeply, still on the ground.

"For now," she said, grimacing as she struggled to get to her feet. "But Seraphis is like a disease; she will find a way back."