Chapter 37: Silver Waves and Black Flames
The battlefield was a storm of chaos — ruptured concrete, shattered glass, scorched air, and dancing light clashing with impenetrable shadow. The group had engaged in full force, each person operating with the desperation of knowing failure meant death… or something worse.
Cassandra's spear sang through the air in furious arcs, her soul force flaring bright lavender as she pushed herself harder than ever. Leslie and Marie backed her, coordinating their aura bursts to shield the group's rear from the flanking Veil operatives. Marie's shadow tendrils coiled protectively around Karen as she darted between assaults, unleashing brief flashes of the Shadow Bloom domain to confuse and entrap.
Jim, bruised but breathing hard, moved like a fighter who had tasted fear and overcome it. He stuck close to Joshua, launching ranged strikes to keep pressure on Cirth while dodging bursts of hostile soul energy that lanced through the space around them.
And at the center — Joshua Ikemba, his expression unreadable, held Cirth in a tense and relentless exchange of blows. His strikes were heavy, swift, calculated — each one cracking the air with its force. But Cirth matched him with unsettling ease, that terrifying calm of a High Soulborne who hadn't yet broken a sweat.
Karen watched it all while her lungs burned with effort, her limbs aching but her resolve sharper than ever. Every moment stretched thin.
And then, a ripple of beauty cut across the field.
Sia stepped forward, her form encased in a serene radiance, her calm voice like a clear chime. "It's time," she whispered — to no one in particular.
The air shimmered, and suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.
A burst of translucent silver light spread outward from her feet. The battlefield was overtaken by cascading energy — gentle, flowing like moonlight on water, but with weight behind it. It rolled over allies and enemies alike in pulsing waves.
Silver Waves — her proto domain.
Veil operatives screamed as their movements slowed, as if wading through an unseen tide. The weight of their souls faltered. Their coordination broke. For the first time in the fight, even Cirth blinked, his footwork stuttered by the temporal lag induced by Sia's domain.
The Ikemba secretary turned her head slightly toward Joshua, silver eyes gleaming. "Still holding back?" she asked, her voice devoid of judgment, but edged with expectation. "You haven't used it… the Black Flames."
Joshua didn't immediately answer. His face was tight, gaze locked on Cirth, who was already beginning to adjust, to adapt. His fingers flexed, his soul surged.
"The Black Flames… aren't something I use casually," he said at last, low and tense. "They consume. Everything. Even me, if I'm not careful."
Sia's gaze didn't waver. "We're past the point of careful, Ikemba."
Cirth's aura exploded, breaking the silver sea in places. His laughter rumbled like thunder from deep caverns. "Is this all you've got?" he sneered. "You call yourselves Soulbornes?"
Karen looked to Joshua, her own power flickering with tension. Everyone was reaching their limits. Even Sia's Silver Waves could only buy time.
And the Black Flames... they might be the only thing left that could level this field.