Live Like Legends (LIVING LEGEND #3)

Chapter 46

T he jolt I felt burned, but it was a good burn. It was the kind that made you hesitant at first, like you weren’t expecting it. Then it becomes something that you can handle, something you can settle with and learn to enjoy. Nick’s light flooded in and I watched as Dimitri reared his head back, continuing to press his nails into the back of Natalia’s neck. It was quick the way my light no longer cried out in pain, but seemed to jump for joy over having its companion back. That joy doubled over when a new light forced its way in as well. This one was foreign to me. It wasn’t uncomfortable, but when my light didn’t shy away I didn’t think to question it. My light embraced this new one while my shadows tried to fight back against Dimitri’s own darkness.

My thigh was starting to bleed slowly and I took a deep breath in, letting my mind go numb enough to let both lights stand their ground with my own. I heard Natalia moan in pain as Dimitri dug his nails in deeper.

“You are so cute when you try, pretty girl, but all you can do is try .” Dimitri gripped Natalia’s neck harder and flung her backwards.

I pointed my fingers at my thigh, seeing the light grow bigger than before. It had to work. I had to rely on the light to help me, without my shadows. I had to hope that being vulnerable to it wasn’t wrong and I wasn’t completely fucked. “All you can do is wish you never touched me.”

I let the light fly from my fingers and onto my own skin. It hit my wound, seeping in and I let out a scream at the way it burned. Dimitri pulled back, moving his head from side to side.

“What are you doing!?” he yelled, reaching for me, but then slinking backwards as his shoulders tensed. It looked like whatever I was doing was hurting him from the inside.

I pushed more light into my scars, seering my skin. Shadows flew out of my now open wounds, they snapped at me and shrilled at the way they were pushed out. Dimitri pressed his hand to his skull; he tried to morph back into his old self but the two parts of him kept shifting. I was disrupting his mind.

I bit my own tongue at the way my skin sizzled. The restraints loosened inch by inch and when I was close enough I gave it my all. I pressed my palm firmly to my thigh and Dimitri lunged for me.

“You stupid girl!” he roared, being thrown to his knees by his own destructive mind. His restraints slipped away from me, so I got up hurriedly, feeling the pain in my thigh almost immediately when I put pressure on it. Dimitri looked behind me as he continued to wince. “I will make sure you are never as happy as you could have been!”

He threw his hand out, black and red magic shaped like a web shot out. I glanced over my shoulder to see it slam right into Nick, sending him backwards. Natalia rubbed the back of her neck as she ran past me to aid him.

The feeling of so much light mixed with my freed shadows felt good . It felt like so much power that I didn’t know what to do with. Dimitri tried to get up to his feet, but I stopped him, raising my knee swiftly and connecting it under his chin. He went flying backwards with a grunt. I didn’t notice how dirty and ripped my dress was when I ran up to him, placing my foot at his chest. I let my own shadows grow from the ground and wrap around his wrists and throat. They shined with light as the other half of my power threatened to burn him like nothing he’d ever felt.

“I think you‘ve always underestimated me,” I said, moving my hand towards the shadow demons and guards, letting shadows of my own form into fighters just like them. They grabbed them and began tearing through their chests, slaughtering them. The sky crackled with lightning but the only storm that was brewing was the one inside of myself.

I straddled Dimitri, letting my eyes go black and light simmer at my fingertips. “You think I’m so weak now?” I grazed my hand up his chest and felt the way his heart thumped.

Light struck down from the sky and singed a tree. Another hit the ground, burning through a patch of grass. Shadows whirled around the tree branches and the winds felt rough, pieces of the broken benches being thrown around.

“Am I everything you ever imagined , Dimitri?” I let a maniacal smile form on my face and I let my mix of powers form in my hand before I slammed my fist into his arm, right at his shoulder. His face was back to his normal look, giving me the chance to see how his lips pressed together as if he was holding in a scream. I pulled my arm back to see his arm severed from his body. “Have you had enough ?” I asked, not waiting for an answer. I pressed my hand to his throat and squeezed so hard, I swore I heard something crack and it made my chest swell with pride.

Light started to come down harder, almost like a rain shower. The shadow demons that I had created started to morph and contort into things from nightmares.

“Dani!” I heard Elise. “Dani, stop whatever it is you’re doing!” I hissed at her complaints, seeing that my shadows were charging at her. They were charging at all of them.

They could handle themselves. I had something to do at the moment and he deserved all my attention. That was what he always wanted, wasn’t it?

Zane’s booming voice sounded around me. “Maurice, use your power!” The large Enchanter hustled over to Beetee, tenderly turning her body over.

It was like I could feel Maurice hesitate before he considered blasting his high executive magic at me. The magic came my way, but I quickly constructed a shield over myself. It was housed in my own magic of light and dark. The way the two worked together and fashioned themselves as one was astonishing. There was rumbling on the other side and I felt like something was banging against it.

Axel kept ramming himself into my shield over and over, clawing at the darkened dome I was settled in. He opened his mouth to let fire erupt over my shield, but to no avail. My shadow demons came to subdue him but he wouldn’t relent. I saw Enchanter magic try to push through, a cascade of colorful sparks trying to penetrate.

I focused back on Dimitri, pressing my fingers into his chest. He winced but let out a half-hearted chuckle. “Even without me, you are going to destroy everything. You are a beautiful monster.”

I reared my head back, while I let my fingers burn into his chest, digging inside. He opened his mouth to scream but my shadows snaked around and flew down his throat, choking him. I missed the ease of removing souls like I used to, but this would do. Blood spurted from his chest as I dug deeper.

I leaned in, whispering, “I want to know if you have a heart after all.”

The inside of his chest felt warm as I searched around. The beating organ felt foreign in my hands, since I had always assumed Dimitri was damn near hollow on the inside. I pulled it out, letting my shadows flow deeper into his throat and watched as his eyes rolled back into his head. I let light move out of my other hand into the open space in his chest, burning him.

I held his heart out in front of me and his words wrapped around me like a vice.

You are a beautiful monster

I blinked, pushing away from his body.

I remembered back to what Daya had said when this whole thing had all started.

The energy in the hybrids was always fighting with itself, never knowing which one was more in charge, so when it was time for their powers to release, it could be a massacre.

I wasn't fighting with myself, I knew what I was. I understood my balance of power. Light showers hit my shield and I heard the grunts and huffs of fighting on the outside.

I shook my head, holding Dimitri’s heart tight in my grip. Nick’s voice fought its way to the forefront of my mind.

You aren’t the villain in this story, remember that.

My own thoughts fought against it.

I couldn’t even be my own hero, Nick!

I don’t want to be weak; I can’t. That’s not who I am!

I held my chest, dropping Dimitri’s heart. Nick’s voice forced its way in one more time.

Oh, baby, you are something to be afraid of. You are something to admire.

I shuddered feeling all the power I’d let loose reel itself back in. The shield I’d conjured disappeared and I saw what losing myself to so much power had done. I motioned towards my raging shadow demons and they dissolved as if they were never there in the first place. I could be something to be afraid of but I didn’t have to ruin the realm around me to do it.

Revenge was sweet, but not at the expense of those that tried to make my revenge possible in some way shape or form.

I felt hands on my arms, shaking me. “Do you understand that you literally tried to kill all of us, huh!?” Elise shouted.

“I didn’t…” I shook my head, gathering my thoughts. “I didn’t mean to.”

I felt the burn in my leg and looked down seeing the amount of burnt flesh looking back at me.

“She needs help now!” I heard Zane yell, letting Reese huddle close to Beetee, whose eyes were flickering from open to closed.

Piercing wailing was coming from Leah and, oh god….Garrett. Maurice knelt down next to her, rubbing her back as she was hunched over where I assumed her husband's body was. Maurice’s head flew upward when Natalia called for him.

Axel’s large body that was covered in cut marks and dirt, crowded around Natalia. I narrowed my eyes at where she was, feeling a pull in that direction for some odd reason. The pain in my leg grew heavier when I saw what had her so concerned. Elise followed me, grabbing my arm when I fell onto my knees next to Nick’s body.

His chest rose and fell, letting me know he was alive, but something was off .

Nick’s body would jolt every now and then and his skin was hot.

“I can’t wake him up,” Natalia admitted. “I’ve tried most of the things I know, but without Xander or really any certified healer, I don’t know what else to try.”

Maurice laid his hands on his son, pushing his light into him. Nick calmed from his jolting fit, but his eyes didn’t open. I scanned his body, trying to think.

“Before…everything, Dimitri threw something at him, it looked like a web or a…”

Elise let out a short breath as if she was realizing something. “An alarum net.”

“A what?” I pressed.

“They don’t always work depending on the prey and they are strictly a Hell born weapon. He throws the alarum net at Nick, it absorbs into his being, trapping him and his mind. He’s eternally stuck in this net of distress and harm of his own mind. It’s a pretty last minute move, but it’s smart, especially with everything he knows about him.”

Maurice cleared his throat. “Eternally?”

We all jumped at Leah’s cries and Natalia nodded. “I’ll send Zane to fetch the healers. We will need them. I’m sorry, I have to…” She looked over her shoulder at where one of her fellow Enchanters needed her. Nick may be unconscious but he was at least alive. That was something I could attempt to hold onto.

I grabbed Nick’s hand. “He’ll wake up.”

Nick jolted again as if his mind was fighting against him, torturing him.

Axel let out whimpers as he started to shrink in size. He padded over to Nick and licked his cheek, nuzzling his nose against him. I looked over at Elise who gave me a hesitant look as if she didn’t want to say what she was really thinking.

I moved in closer to him, pushing his hair back from his face. “You don’t go down like this. We don’t go down like this,” I whispered into his hand.

A portal flashed causing us to all move our heads in that direction. Morgan stepped out and I wanted to combust, but then behind her came Xander and a few other Enchanters I remembered from my time in the The Skies infirmary after our time in Purgatory.

Xander looked around, a grim expression on his face. “Oh.” He glanced over at Morgan, who was biting her bottom lip. “This is not what I thought we were walking into.”

She gave a small shrug, placing her hand over her heart when she saw Nick. “I didn’t either, but can you help or not?”

The healing Enchanter took in a sharp breath and nodded. He turned towards his fellow Enchanters. “A few of you head towards Zane, some of you stay here with Maurice and see what he needs and the rest of you follow me to the High Priestess. We are moving everyone inside and to the infirmary.” The Enchanters followed his lead without question or doubt.

Morgan fiddled with her fingers as she took in her surroundings again. She settled her dark eyes on me, adjusting her glasses. “I may not know how to fight as well as you, but I know how to get help.”

I hummed, not giving her my attention anymore, but focusing on Nick. “Thank you.” She sniffed, seeming to take my gratitude as a reason to come closer. I put my hand up, letting my shadows push her back. “You come near him though and I’ll ruin you.”