It had only been a while since Permeus had departed in search of the creature that had razed his guards to shreds, yet it felt like ages to Laura.

  The massive hall of the citadel had fallen into an uncomfortable silence since the Origin of Immortality had taken flight, showing how much the events that had taken place had just left all seven of them dumbfounded.

  The Origins and Laura stood in a loose circle in the middle of the ballroom. Helus had suggested they go there after witnessing the first ever slaughter of titans. Helus said it was for breathing room, but Laura did not have to be a tactical genius to realize that the Origin of Hel simply did not want them to be stuck in a small enclosure.

  Laura could not help but understand the fear behind his reasoning. The only things capable of killing titans were Germaine and the Origins, thus meaning that Raven was as powerful as either of them, and that did not sound possible nor good. She also couldn’t help but observe their faces.

  Every single one etched with concern and suspicion as they paced up and down the empty chamber. The discovery of the dead titans had shaken them all, but Laura soon found their confusion giving way to something more dangerous.

  Aerus was the first to break the silence. The Origin of Wind stepped forward. His usual calm demeanor had evaporated, as had everybody else’s, replaced by rigid tension.

  “I don’t wish to point fingers,” he said, though his tone suggested otherwise, “but I can’t be the only one considering the possibility that this has something to do with Dalia.”

  “I agree,” Golobus seconded as he nodded his head. “The beast was made of shadow. Darkness. It seems... logical.”

  Laura’s eyes widened in both disgust and surprise. Dalia seemed already as nervous as it was just being here to discuss a problem affecting her realm. She could not imagine what she was feeling being accused of such a dastardly act by her own sibling. She at least knew what it made her feel, and she was not afraid to hide it.

  She stepped forward, her silver trident catching the light. She had gotten it from her room after Permeus had left, hoping to use it as a weapon if need be.

  “You can’t be serious!” Laura blurted angrily

  “Dalia has only just joined your council,” the princess reminded them. “Why would she do anything that desecrates it, especially this?”

  “Young lady, I sympathize with your youthful naivety but even you must understand our reasons,” Darkeus argued.

  “Well, your reasons are bogus,” Laura countered

  “She is your sister.” She reminded them once more.

  “Do you believe we are not aware of that?” Darkeus asked sarcastically. “Not every single one of us are as oblivious as Permeus”

  “Sometimes I am not sure,” Laura answered anyway

  “Be quiet, child,” Desia cut in, her voice sharp. “This is a matter for Origins, not its offspring.”

  Laura’s cheeks flushed with indignation, but before she could retort, Helus raised his hand, his crimson eyes surveying the room with authority.

  “How can you think so hideously of our sister?” he asked, his voice echoing in the chamber. “She came to us for help, and this is how we receive her?”

  Darkeus stepped forward. His pale face was set in a grim expression, his dark eyes fixed on Dalia.

  “I know that being courteous is one of your primary functions Helus but even you must understand that it is not without reason.” Darkeus pleaded his case. “Who else controls the shadows but Dalia?”

  “You and Karus control shadows as well,” Helus reminded him

  “Our shadows though remarkable in themselves do not have that aura,” Darkeus defended himself

  “Neither do hers,” Helus countered

  “We can’t be sure,” Darkeus said ominously.

  “What has gotten into you?” Helus demanded, genuinely shocked by Darkeus’ accusation.

  Dalia’s face remained impassive, but her eyes betrayed her hurt.

  “I came here because something is attacking my realm.” She reminded them.

  “It was not my idea to place that monstrosity in the basement of this citadel.” She continued.

  “She is right about that,” Darkeus pointed out, not missing a golden chance to dig at Permeus.

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  “As I was saying,” Dalia began. “If we were given a proper chance at Black Square, I would have had Malivian disintegrate while it was still in my realm “

  “While that is unfortunate, it still does not change the fact that it rose to life after your arrival,” Darkeus countered

  “And why would I raise it?” Dalia asked, clearly frustrated. “That is the very creature that attempted to assassinate me in my home. “

  Desia fidgeted with the sleeve of her elegant purple dress as the rest of them were arguing, taking time to compose herself as she declared her own argument.

  “Perhaps... perhaps it is not intentional.” She avoided meeting Dalia’s gaze. “The woman of light, Aurea, .She warned me of the darkness.

  This would align with what she foretold.”

  “So we’re listening to apparitions now?” Laura interjected, unable to contain herself despite Desia’s earlier rebuke.

  “You’re all so quick to blame Dalia, but have you considered she might be the ‘black night’ that’s supposed to help you? She rules the Nightrealm, after all.”

  “May I remind you that the same realm of hers lies just above the Chasm,” Desia shot back

  “What is that supposed to mean?” Dalia asked

  “You know what that means,” Desia replied

  Dalia’s patience finally broke. Her voice was cold and controlled, but the hurt behind it was clear.

  “I see now that joining your council was a mistake. I came seeking allies, not accusers. If I needed your judgement, I would have stayed home and attended to it myself.”

  The tension in the room was palpable, a string pulled too tight and ready to snap. But before anyone could speak again, the massive doors to the chamber burst open.

  A dozen titans entered, but there was something terribly wrong with them. Their silver skin had turned ashen gray, and their movements were jerky and unnatural. Their eyes, once bright blue, now glowed with a sickly red light.

  With a chill, the Origins recognized them as the guards who had been watching over the raven’s carcass,the same guards they had found dead in the basement.

  Darkeus stepped forward, stupefied by the sight.

  “What happened to them?” Aerus asked.

  “Are they not supposed to be dead?” Golobus queried further.

  “While I do admit I am the expert, I am not sure,” Darkeus admitted

  For a moment, there was silence. Then, with shocking speed, one titan raised its hand and launched a ball of immortal flame directly at Darkeus’ face. The Origin of Death barely dodged, but the flame caught the edge of his ear, burning it to a crisp.

  “Darkeus!” Desia cried out, rushing to his side.

  Darkeus touched his ear, his eyes wide with shock and pain.

  “They can hurt us. They shouldn’t be able to,” he said, his voice a horrified whisper. “How is this possible?”

  The feral titans spread out, surrounding the Origins, their bodies crouched in battle positions. A terrible understanding dawned on them. These were no longer their subjects or allies. They were something else entirely.

  “Scatter!” Helus commanded, summoning his crimson helfire. “We fight!”

  Laura instinctively scrambled to higher ground as the chamber erupted into chaos. Her father and mother had given her lots of battle training, but she was still too young to assume her powers, and, to add to that, the creatures she would fight could hurt the Origins.

  She had learnt a long time ago that anything that you can bruise, you can kill. It was terrible to think of when the understanding dawned on her like a flash, but these feral titans could kill the Origins, and there was no way she was ready to face that.

  The Origins unleashed their powers: Helus’ crimson flame, Aerus’ cyclones, Desia’s blinding light, Golobus’ earth manipulation, Darkeus’ and Dalia’s shadows. The titans responded with their immortal flame.

  The battle was fierce and desperate. The titans, though fewer, fought with a feral intensity that made them dangerous opponents. They seemed to feel no pain, continuing to attack even with grievous injuries that would have incapacitated normal ones.

  One lunged straight for Helus, forcing him to sidestep it and attempt to incinerate it. The feral titan itself dodged out of the way and leapt for him, causing him to have to fist it square in the jaw, flinging it across the room.

  He could immediately hear the horrendous sound of its bones cracking, but almost instantly, it rose to its feet ready to attack as if it could feel no pain. It raced straight for him, causing him to blast it with a crimson flame fireball, thus burning it into red ash.

  Darkeus was facing another feral titan across the room. He created shadow tendrils hoping to ensnare it, but the titan simply burnt them away with immortal flame, causing them to dissolve.

  The feral titan fell to the floor and ran towards him. He sidestepped it quickly. He summoned a blade of darkness and stabbed it straight in the hip, causing it to fall at his feet.

  Dalia had to summon two twin blades herself to stab out one, but it kept ducking and dodging. It even got the chance to pound her in the face and kick her in the torso. As it attempted to disarm her, she cut off its hand and then slit its throat. As it backed away; she lunged for it and stabbed it through the heart, causing it to fall to the ground.

  Desia summoned a staff of light and swung and whacked the head of the feral titan. She hit it from the back and the front. Her next move was to strike the torso and then the heel. She then rotated to strike it square in the jaw and hit the butt into the forehead of the titan, causing it to fall to its knees. He then ran the butt through its chest, causing it to die.

  Aerus summoned a tornado and lifted four of the remaining titans into the air. They tried kicking and resisting, but Aerus soon made daggers of wind, blasting them all, letting the corpses fall to the floor.

  But not all the Origins were unscathed. A feral titan had raked its claws across Golobus’ chest, leaving deep gouges that oozed golden ichor and left him paralyzed.

  “Their venom!” Helus called out. “Don’t let them bite you!”

  The remaining Origins thus had to adapt their attacks to avoid close contact as much as possible and being a man down as Golobus stayed on the floor most finished by a feral titan had Aerus not whisked him away with a gust of wind to Laura’s perch.

  After what felt like an eternity but was likely only minutes, the last of the feral titans fell. Laura had probably never felt more relieved about a victory in her life ever.

  The Origins stood among the carnage, panting, their clothes torn and singed. Golobus too eventually healed from his paralysis.

  “We need to find Permeus,” Desia said, wiping blood from a cut on her cheek. “Whatever is happening, he needs to know.”

  “And his family,” Laura added, descending from her perch with the trident clutched tightly in one hand and helping Golobus with the other. “The castle might be in danger too.”

  “Someone has to go to warn him,” Helus realized

  “I’ll do it,” Darkeus offered

  “Are you sure about it?” Helus asked

  “I have the fastest chariot, so it makes sense,” Darkeus insisted

  “Then you should hurry; who knows how much time we have left,” Helus pointed out, but Laura had a feeling that whatever time they had ever had left had just run out.