LAILAH #2
It formed into a black exoskeletal humanoid creature, showing every bone that made up its form.
The creature glowed with an aura of black flames, as if they were drawn to the creature like a black hole.
The face was a hybrid of bat and human, sharp cheekbones and pointed ears.
Where there should have been eyes in the sockets, there was only darkness so deep it pulled you in like an undertow.
The top of its skull was shaped like a crown of black bone, flaring up with sharp points.
There weren't any lips on its face, so silver razor-sharp teeth were in clear view. Its forked snake-like tongue flicked out towards me, brushing against my skin. I let out a squeak but couldn’t pull away.
My reaction must have amused it, because it let out a husky laugh, sounding as if it had smoked way too many cigarettes in its life.
A claw-like hand, tipped with long, black, deadly points, reached out to me.
One sharp tip caressed my cheek, being careful not to scratch me.
I tried to fight its pull, but as tipsy as I was, I didn’t have the mental strength to free myself.
The feeling of my mind being clouded swallowed me up.
Desperately, I tried to fight against it, and pulling myself to the surface sent me into a hysterical panic.
Trapped under his hold, the world around me froze, leaving me helpless with this demon standing in front of me.
“Synergy, we meet at last,” it said with a deep, gravelly voice that made chills run down my spine.
Opening my mouth, I wanted to ask who he was, but no matter how hard I tried, I was so deep under his control my voice refused to work. A small exhale of air was all I managed as he stepped closer. I could feel the heat of the flames wrapped around him against my skin.
“Little Synergy, you know who I am,” he chided, reading my thoughts.
“You can feel it in your bones. After all, you hold a part of me inside you,” he taunted, cupping my face with both his boney hands gripping tight enough I could feel each of his claws prick into my skin.
If I moved, I would be dead. “My hold on you is stronger than you realize. These boys play at being warriors, but they are not worthy of the power you hold.”
Visions of the boys fighting against a legion of demons floated up before my eyes.
I saw them scream as they fell one by one, demons feasting on their flesh.
Then I saw myself wrapped in a cloak of darkness, leading the horde as we scorched the Earth as we know it.
The Dark Lord was right; the boys were nothing but fuck-ups unable to work together and do what was needed to be done.
They had Synergy, the most powerful weapon in the world, but they kept me locked away, treating me like an inconvenience.
The Dark Lord knew I was something to be used, shown off, and valued.
With my help, I could give him everything he craved just as easily as I could crush him.
“Yes, my little Synergy, you are a goddess among these pitiful humans. Grow, become stronger, learn all you can from them; their time is limited. My plans are in motion, and when the time is right, I will send for you. Those loyal to me are growing and slipping in the cracks. The Elementi have become careless, little Synergy,” the Dark Lord said.
“Follow what your heart really wants. I will show you what only true power can achieve.”
Then he leaned in as if he was going to place a kiss on my forehead, but my golden energy exploded from me.
The shockwave of power tossed the Dark Lord back, freeing me from his grasp on my mind.
Understanding what had almost happened, I leaped to my feet, my whole body shaking with anger.
My power heeded my call and burst out, battling with the Dark Lord’s fire and keeping it at bay.
“You better stay the FUCK away from me!” I screamed, my golden power whirling around me like a cyclone as I stalked over to him.
“I will never be your Synergy! Those boys may have a lot to learn, but I was made for them, not you. Together, we will defeat you and your demons. All you have done here is show me how I would rather kill myself than be used by you.”
The Dark Lord just chuckled at me, and the sound of it was like nails on a chalkboard, setting me on edge.
“The fire and vengeance in you burn so bright, even you cannot see how you are more like me than them. I did not put that scene in your head; no, that came from within you,” he hissed, pointing a claw at me.
“I will be back to ask you one final time, Little Synergy. If you throw my offer in my face again, you will not live to regret your choice, and neither will they.”
Before I could offer my retort, in a swirl of flames, he vanished, but not before setting the room on fire and freeing it from its frozen state.
I was trapped in the middle of the living room, surrounded on all sides by a raging fire.
The walls of blue-purple flame flicked out at me as if it was teasing me before it killed me.
I couldn’t see anything through the blaze to know where Micah was.
Was he safe? Did the Dark Lord attack him as well?
Cupping my hands around my mouth, I yelled as loud as I could. “Micah.”
I never knew that fire could be so noisy, but the crackling and popping sounds made it hard to hear if he was responding.
Sweat began to roll down my back as the heat began to climb, smoke swirling above my head along the ceiling of the room.
There was no way out of this. I didn’t have the feeling I had during the avalanche, the one that told me that my shield would work against this.
Was demon fire different? I could feel tears streaming down my face as I came to the realization that I might not survive this.
Apparently, the Dark Lord wasn’t going to give me a second chance.
“Lailah, where are you?” Micah bellowed.
A cry escaped out of me as a glimmer of hope blossomed. Micah was alive.
“Over here. Near the hall to the kitchen,” I yelled, hoping he could hear me.
I kept my eyes moving to catch any sign of movement, but then I noticed that the fire around me was changing color.
It was no longer blue, but was slowly shifting into a bright red-orange color.
Then, as if someone had pulled the plug on a drain, the fire around me flowed towards the direction I had heard Micah yelling.
Tongues of flames wrapped around me, but this time, it was warm, welcoming, gentle and caressing.
It reminded me of when Micah was burning off the excess power I had on the plane ride.
Lost in the wild swirling glow of the fire, I didn’t notice when Micah was standing in front of me. His hair was loose and flowed around his head, his eyes wild with his power as he absorbed the flames. Shocked, I gasped and reached out to him, needing to make sure he was alright.
“Don’t touch me. With this much wild power, I might hurt you,” Micah said, his voice rough with his struggle.
Abruptly, my power surged up, showing me what I needed to do—how I could help him. He didn’t need to fight this alone; I could help him just as he once helped me.
“I trust you,” I whispered as I wrapped my arms around him, melding the two of us together.
A crack sounded, much like lightning hitting the ground when it was too close to where you were.
The ground rumbled at the impact of our combined energy.
I let my power mingle with his, blending together seamlessly until it became a bright orange color.
I could feel the damage that the demon fire had done to the house and the evil that permeated through the air.
“Lailah, what are you doing? You're making it worse. This much power is going to destroy the house and us along with it,” Micah growled, fighting my hold on him.
Gripping him tighter, I nestled my face against his neck, right under his ear so he could hear me.
“Micah, stop fighting your power like it’s the enemy.
Yes, fire can destroy and burn the world down around us, but fire is also pure.
Your flames can purify what has been tainted, but you need to believe it can. ”
I felt him stiffen against my hold as he absorbed the words I was saying. Now that he wasn’t fighting me, I pulled one hand back so I could place it on his heart. “Trust me once more, and I can show you another way.”
He didn’t need to use words to give me his answer.
Slowly, he wrapped his arms around me and rested his head against my shoulder, surrendering to me.
I wanted to weep with the joy I felt as our powers flowed through each other.
Taking that pure emotion, I tossed our power out through the house, burning away any evidence of the Dark Lord's presence.
That which was destroyed and broken was brought back and revived.
Once it was done with that, it continued on and flowed out into the yard and down the mountain, purifying any trace of demon activity.
This land was now sacred and blessed; no evil could survive while we were both here to keep it maintained.
“How are you doing this?” Micah murmured.
“Not me, us. This is the power of Synergy; this is the power of an Elementi Warrior. Too long have you hidden from what your calling is. We will purify the world and send the Dark Lord running; he will not survive us,” I said, feeling that same angelic power overtake me, talking through me.