Umbra Rising

Blood stained the floor.

Drake could barely breathe, his small hands gripping the doorframe as he watched his mother collapse.

"Mother?" His voice was barely a whisper.

The air was thick with magic. Not the warm, golden glow of his father's healing light, nor the steady strength of a Fire mage's flame. This was wrong—cold, suffocating, an unnatural presence that slithered through the air like living shadows.

A man stood over her. No, not a man. A mage. His dark robes billowed, caught in an unseen current of power. Shadows pulsed around him, writhing like serpents, licking at the air as if eager to consume what little light remained in the room.

"You should have stayed out of this," the Dark mage murmured, voice calm, almost indifferent.

Drake's father, Lord Solaris, stood rigid, his golden eyes ablaze with fury. The glow of his Light magic flared around him, casting long, sharp shadows across the chamber.

"You will not leave this place alive," his father growled.

The Dark mage tilted his head. "Brave words from a dying man."

Then, the room exploded into motion.

Solaris moved first, his Light magic surging to life. Blinding spears of golden energy erupted from his outstretched palm, streaking across the chamber like divine arrows. The force of his attack shattered the nearby windows, sending glass raining down like tiny, glimmering stars.

But the Dark mage was faster.

The shadows surged forward, alive, twisting unnaturally as they swallowed the golden light before it could strike him. The spears of radiance fizzled out, devoured by the darkness itself.

Then the shadows struck back.

From the blackened corners of the room, tendrils lashed out—serpentine, writhing, their edges razor-sharp. Solaris barely had time to conjure a shield of light before the shadows collided against it, slamming into his barrier with a force that sent him skidding backward across the marble floor. A grimace flickered across his face—a momentary crack in his usually unwavering confidence.

Drake flinched as the impact shook the walls of their home.

His father gritted his teeth, his stance unwavering. He would not lose.

Raising both hands, Solaris unleashed a radiant pulse, a wave of golden energy that expanded outward, obliterating the encroaching darkness in a flash of brilliance. The Dark mage was forced to retreat, vanishing into the shifting shadows like a phantom.

Solaris didn't hesitate. He lunged forward, light gathering in his hands like burning suns. With a single motion, he slashed his arm outward, and a blade of pure light materialized in his grasp.

A weapon of divine magic. A sword of the Solaris lineage.

Drake's heart pounded. He had never seen his father wield it before.

The Dark mage reappeared at the edge of the chamber, his voice laced with amusement. "Impressive," he mused, flicking a hand. The shadows at his feet twisted, rising up into the shape of a jagged, ethereal scythe. "Let's see if you can truly shine in the dark."

Then, they clashed.

Light and shadow collided, their strikes sending shockwaves rippling through the air. Solaris moved with precision, each slash of his radiant sword cutting through the gloom, but the Dark mage was relentless. He flowed through the battlefield like liquid night, his scythe carving through space with unnatural grace.

Drake couldn't breathe. His fists clenched at his sides, his nails digging into his palms. He wanted to scream, to do something—anything—but his legs felt like stone. He was frozen, powerless, forced to watch as his father struggled against the darkness.

His father was losing ground.

A sudden twist—a feint—and the Dark mage was behind him. His scythe arced through the air, slicing downward toward Solaris's exposed back.

No!

At the last second, Solaris spun, but he was too slow. The blade of shadows cut deep.

A strangled gasp escaped Solaris's lips, his body stiffening as searing pain ripped through him. The golden aura around him sputtered, flickering like a dying flame.

Solaris staggered, blood splattering across the floor. His sword flickered. His golden aura dimmed.

The Dark mage exhaled, stepping back. "A shame," he murmured. "I expected more."

Solaris roared in fury, summoning the last of his strength. He raised a hand of pure light, preparing one final attack—

But the Dark mage was already gone.

The shadows swallowed him whole. In an instant, he disappeared into the void, leaving only silence in his wake.

Drake stumbled forward, his father's blood still pooling on the floor. His breath hitched, the sharp metallic scent burning in his nose. He had always thought his father was unbreakable—but now, he looked so small, so human.

Then, Solaris fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

Drake had never seen his father look so... defeated.

The realization crashed over him like a tidal wave.

His mother was dead.

His father had lost.

And even after the Dark mage was gone, the air still felt wrong.

Drake didn't know why, but deep inside, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed.

I thought the nightmare had ended that night. But as I looked at my father—broken, bleeding, and silent—I realized the darkness hadn't left. It had simply found a new place to wait.