Vivian jumped down the hole. Her spear formed in her hand she excitedly made her way to the beast.

“Vivian!”

I cried, but it was too late, the eager girl was already on her way as she brought out her spear and plunged it into the beast. The massive snake-like monster began to shake. The humming stopped, and the spectrum coming from the hole ceased in an instant as the beast began to attempt to move around. The world began to shake with it as it wooshed about.

 

 

“You fucking idiot!”

Eve ridiculed Vivian as she kicked the wall next to her. A tremor ensued as it attempted to free itself from the hole it was in.

“I’m on my way; hang in there, Vivian!”

I yelled, jumping down next. When I reached the next level, I landed on a pile of rubble. In this larger dome, I could see how massive this beast was. Its fur was ash and had bright golden eyes all around its body. It didn't have arms, just a rounded head that was full of purple sharp spikes. Each eye had purple pus coming from it. Vivian was on top of its body, still stabbing away at it.

“Vivian, get over here right now!”

She turned to me.

“I have it just where I want it, Feodora.”

The fur on its body turned a strange purple color. It was mixed with green making it look like high grass.

“It’s using wind spectrum! Feodora, get her out of there before she gets herself killed!”

At her command, I jumped on the beast's back. It felt like I was journeying through bushes as I ran at full speed to Vivian. The creature's golden eyes watched me as I passed through its large blade-like purple spikes. When I finally reached Vivian, she was lifting her spear for another strike.

“Get over here!”

I scolded her. I wrapped my arm around her waist. I could feel an electrifying current come from below me. The sky above began to darken as clouds started to swirl over the crater.

“Shit. Don’t die down there you two!”

Eve yelled as she took cover in the next room. With all my might, I jumped to the darkest spot of the room. A bright light gathered from above and below as thunder shot from heaven and hell. They connected to the beast creating a thunder shockwave to spread, electrifying everything in the dome below. I appeared next to Eve, still holding Vivian in my arms.

“Ah… that was close.”

I screamed as my legs were trembling. The spectrum level that beast had was dangerous.

“Someone must have been feeding that beast for weeks. It’s too dangerous to let it go.”

Eve kicked the wall.

“And you had to be stupid and wake it up, didn’t you Vivian?!”

“A soldier of good wouldn’t allow a beast like that to roam free!”

She stood up, pushed her shoulders up to Eve, and defended her actions.

“A soldier of good?! This isn’t one of your comic books! You put Feodora and your own life in danger.”

She clicked her tongue.

“Ah… maybe you can use your phone thingy and call Jade?”

I questioned a tad warily.

“That won’t work, there’s no signal down here. We’re going to have to take it down ourselves.”

I took to my feet and brought out my katana.

“Alright, Vivian, you need to stop going off of impulse and follow orders.”

I chided her. Instead of giving me sass like Eve, she put her head down and nodded like a puppy in trouble.

“Right.”

The beast was still struggling to get out of its hole. Taking its immobility to our advantage, we jumped down and found a spot on the rubble to keep in battle formation. The hundreds of eyes on its body looked at the three of us.

“What’s the plan, Eve?”

I asked as I filtered the spectrum into my blade.

"We need to find its weak spot first off."

Eve commanded as she turned to us.

“When I stabbed it, it didn’t seem to do anything. The beast didn’t even flinch.”

Vivian said as her shoulders dropped.

Eve nodded as she pointed at the beast.

“I’ll provide support from the back. Feodora, Vivian, move to the beast and see if you can find a promising strike point. If it begins using another spectrum, make your way back to me.”

“Right!”

We both cried. In a marvelous light, Vivian sped to the left and I shadow walked to the right. Eve started focusing as her body went a blue color, mirroring the waves of the ocean.

I moved along the shadows of the cave. Appearing behind it, I struck its back, exploding one of the purple puss spears on its body. Strangely enough, it didn't react but instead, moved its large body to push me off of it. I avoided it by melting back into the shadows.

“Nothing is working!”

Vivian cried. She thrust her spear into one of its golden eyes. However, like a diamond, it didn't go through but slipped to the side. The cave began to shake, and the wind began to form around it.

“Eh!”

Eve screamed, causing her voice to echo in the dark space. She fired off her water spectrum, causing a rushing river of water to cut the foe from the top. Blue clouds formed from above as they rained sharp water. Its pus spears began to break apart, but the creature continued channeling the wind around it.

The golden eyes weren't affected by Eve's attack. But there was a bright red spot that faded away as the water continued to fall on its body.

"What was that?"

I questioned.

“Tsk, you’re durable.”

In this isolated space, the wind began to cycle. The rocks and large debris began spinning like they were in a blender. I shadow walked my way back to Eve as Vivian appeared from above as she jumped off the beast and landed next to us.

“Everyone, get in my shield.”

Vivian yelled. When we got together, she pushed her feet apart. Her ponytail began to flap in the wind as she channeled her spectrum to her body. She chanted, creating a large bright barrier to appear around us.

 

 

The world was beginning to spark a green color. There was no doubt about it, the spectrum this beast was using was going to be as massive as the one before. Large objects crashed into the bright barrier, causing Vivian to flinch. The light was dimming down as she was losing concentration.

“I’m not sure if I can withstand this attack, Eve!”

The white bunny cried as her legs shook from the pressure.

“Figures…”

Eve scorned as she began charging another spectrum alongside her. Suddenly, rocks and gusts of wind began assaulting the shield at a higher rate. Hopelessly I watched, unable to do anything about it. Eve brought up her shield that covered us under Vivian's. Thankfully too, because the light around us broke, causing the petite girl to fall on her knees.

 

“That was too strong for me.”

Vivian bashed her hands into the ground.

“I won’t be able to hold this formation. We need to figure something out soon.”

Eve cried as she looked about the room. I closed my eyes… something had to be done else we will have to take the brunt of this spectrum… and we might not live through it.

“Wait a minute…”

I spoke unconsciously.

I recalled the bright red spot on its back. How it closed when Eve used her water spectrum… yet every other eye stayed open.

“I think I know what to do.”

I mumbled.

“Oh? hurry up and tell us then!”

Eve scorned. I blew hot hair, calming myself down.

“On its back was there was one red eye that I couldn’t get to. Maybe if you shot it, Eve…”

“Okay, but right now, I’m a little busy keeping us alive!”

Her spectrum was dying out too as the assault was getting stronger. The beast’s spectrum was destroying the infrastructure as it continued.

“If I get us up there, we can do a coordinated attack on that spot.”

I suggested.

“How are you going to do that?”

Eve chided. I sighed, slightly frustrated.

"Let me figure that out. I just need the two of you to be ready to strike its red eye when I get us there."

“You do know, Feodora, that if this doesn’t work, we’re going to be dead from this spectrum, right?! No shield, all pain.”

The psycho complained as she kicked the ground.

“It’s either we die here, or we die up there, I don't know what else to say, Eve. But I won't die without a fight!"

I had to be firm about it. That's what Maxwell beat into me. Do everything to live a little longer. Even if you do die, at least you went out doing your best to live.

“I believe in you, Feodora!”

My heartbeat was a little too fast because of Vivian's cute words. I calmed down to concentrate and searched the area. With the natural light beaming right on the beast, I wouldn't be able to shadow walk us all up there. The next best place would be…

“Alright, my shield is breaking, so let’s do this, Feodora!”

Eve warned.

I closed my eyes, bleed all my thoughts into the darkness around us. Vivian brought out her spear and readied up. I walked over, grabbed both of them by the hips, and pulled them close to me.

 

 

"Eh, what are you doing, trying to cop a feel, Feodora?"

Annoyed, Eve complained.

I glared at Eve, but her bright eyes caught me off guard. I closed my eyes, trying my best to ignore her. This was much harder than I thought it would be. Just recently, I shadow walked with Vivian, but I had to push it and add a third. The constraints of their body heat also took me by surprise. Vivian's was warm like the sun but Eve's was colder, like a living ice sculpture. I focused all my thoughts away from them and back to the darkest spot in the ruin. Suddenly, we melted away just as her shield broke.

“What the?!”

Eve cried out as we appeared to the upper left of the beast under the shadow of the sun. At an angle, we could see its pulsing red eye. However, Eve was taken aback by how quick it was.

“Shoot, Eve! Vivian, toss your spear at it too!”

She spun her body around and aimed.

Eve shouted.

“Ha!”

Vivian cried as she brought her body back and speared her weapon alongside Eve's bright ray. They both hit the bright red eye directly. The beast cried for the first time. Its red eye opened wider. However, the wind spectrum grew stronger as we all began to be tossed around like debris in a windstorm.

“No, you don’t!”

I cried as I took out my sword. With all the dark spectrum I could muster inside of it, I speared it towards the darkest spot in the cave. It vanished as our bodies were spinning in the storm, but I had to wait for the right moment to release it… Eve and Vivian were crying in pain, and I was no different. If something wasn’t done soon, we were going to die. But then my chance came when a large enough object hovered over, casting a large dark shadow over the beast.

“Now!”

I cried; the sword appeared from its shadow, aiming downwards. The blade pierced the monster's red eye as the beast cried out in pain. With all the dark spectrum gathered within, its eye pulsed a horrible purple. Darkness recked havoc in its body causing the red eye on the beast to shatter like glass. The wind spectrum stopped, and the beast fell to the ground. We all toppled to the ground, too, as its body melted away into white dust. The excessive powder flew into the atmosphere. In an instant... it was gone.

“Oh my gosh, we’re alive!”

Vivian rushed over to me. I sat up, and she wrapped her arms around me. Excitedly, she wrapped her legs around my waist and pulled me back and forth. My body hurt, and I was all bloody from the scratches on my face, but she smacked her cheeks right on mine.

“That was soooo cool, Feodora! You were like a superhero! A real-life superhero!”

 

 

Her small but perky chest pushed up against me, and her petite body fell on my lap. She wasn’t letting go as she kept pulling me excitedly.  Even Eve was smiling, likely relieved from being alive.

“Okay, I get it.”

I tried to calm her down, but she kept pulling and tugging on me.

“I’m going to tell this story to everyone! That was so cool! So cool!”

Her grip was too tight; I couldn’t breathe.

“Argg… help!”

I felt as though I was about to cough up blood.

“Get off her already, Vivian. Can’t you see she’s in pain?”

Noticing my agony, Vivian snapped out of it.

“Pain? My apologies, Feodora!”

We faced one another now…my ribs hurting all the more.

“Everyone is bleeding. Come close to me so I can heal our wounds.”

She walked over to us and raised her hand. A tender mist captured my body, and my cuts and bruises began to stop hurting as much. The pain from the debris smashing into my body began to die down. It wasn't all gone, but it was much better.

“Come on, you guys; we need to investigate more.”

Eve walked over to the hole where the beast used to live. She jumped down further, looked around, and brought something up.

“Hey, look at this.”

In her hand was a white robe.

“Hey, I know that robe!”

Vivian raced over and took hold of it. She scanned it as if printing it into her mind.

“What is it?”

I looked from above. Eve turned to me and put her hand on her hip.

“It’s a robe given to the members of the religious group, The Barons.”

Her eyes shined that creepy bright blue. It seemed she was excited about her find.

“Seems they are more involved with this than we suspected.”

So, the Baron Group, a popular religious group that seemed to be associated with this in some way.

“Dang it…”

I heard a faint voice in the distance. It seemed we found something that our stalker didn’t like. They were on the move, and we would lose them if we didn’t go to apprehend them soon.

“Eve, Vivian!”

I called out to them. Immediately, Eve and Vivian ran to my side.

"Follow me! Move fast. Our stalker is on the move."

I began running in the direction of the culprit. I couldn't shadow walk because I would lose Eve and Vivian right behind me, but we were getting closer and closer.

"Where are they, Feodora?"

I turned the corner and felt their presence hiding within the shadows nearby.

“Close, get ready for combat.”

They were planning a surprise attack as they lingered in wait. The three of us made our way to a vast room. I gripped my blade and spun horizontally.

The culprit broke out of their shadow walking and aimed to slice my head off with a sideways attack. We clashed with darkness sparking from our blades. It was a woman with orange hair and a black uniform dress. Her arms had black armor that went up to her elbows. It was clear that she was part of some kind of organization by how she dressed.

 

 

 

“Ha!”

I swung my blade against hers, causing her to fall to the side.

“You fucked up!”

The psycho cackled as she put up a barrier around the room, locking the dark vessel inside the room with us. Vivian held up her spear as she charged at the culprit.

 

 

“Get out of my way!”

The dark vessel screamed as she brought up her blade. It channeled the dark element as she slammed it down. Vivian evaded to the side as a wave of darkness collided with Eve’s barrier. It shattered, giving her an opening to escape.

“No, you don't!"

I rushed towards her. She clicked her tongue and swirled her great sword my way. We clashed again, and I knew this art style from that stance.

“You know… the Shadow Crafts?”

Our eyes met. They were purple, which showed me that this dark vessel was using her next level. This woman has become one with the shadows, and that mode is dangerous if used for long periods.

"Strange, you know of Maxwell's shadow crafts too."

She laughed as we clashed blades time and time again. Darkness began to pull towards us as we fought one another.

“Feodora!”

Vivian aided me as she rushed in. She shined holy spectrum into her spear as we simultaneously attacked this mysterious woman together. Eve began channeling a sleep spell in an attempt to capture her.

"I don't know how you learned the shadow crafts, but that doesn't matter right now."

Darkness began to channel into her body. Her blade extended as she spun around like a top. Vivian and I were forced to back up from her to not get caught up in her spell. With a massive dark spectrum gathered in her blade, she speared it towards Eve.

“Tsk.”

She clicked her tongue, canceled her spell, and dodged the devastating blow. What that woman used was a dark spell mixed with the chaos element. She attempted to take Eve down using a destructive craft. The devastation of the attack shook the room as the dark space amplified its power. Eve's barrier was gone entirely, and she took this chance to shadow walk, fleeing the fight.

“I’m going after her!”

I didn't wait for a reply as I dashed into the shadows. I chased the dark vessel as we turned corners in the underground. She was the key to my freedom, and I wouldn't let her get away that easily. Before she could reach the exit, I channeled darkness into my blade.

“Stop right there!”

 

 

I released a dark spell above her. Shadows formed in front of the door, creating a wall. The culprit broke out of her shadow walk and turned to face me. She was trapped at the exit and wasn’t going anywhere unless she broke my spell. So, instead of breaking it, she lowered her blade to her side and reached out her hand.

“You’re a dark vessel who trained under Maxwell. Why are we fighting?”

I pointed my katana at her. I wasn’t letting my guard down in the slightest.

"I don't know why you share my shadow crafts, but what I do know is that you're using the subjection spell on innocent people. That's against the laws of humanity, and Maxwell commanded not to use those spells… in that manner."

“Pff… what that hell are you saying?!”

In a blink of an eye, she appeared in front of me. Her greatsword was behind her back.

“We do what we must for the sake of our goals!”

We clashed again, causing an eruption of darkness to explode around us. The underground was beginning to collapse around us. I brought back my blade, channeled the destructive craft in my next attack, and swung at her in a downwards stroke.

Darkness erupted from under her, catching the culprit off guard. Her body flew in the air, and I took this chance to cast another spell.

“What the?”

I gasped.

A large gust of wind barreled through the battlefield. I canceled my spell and rolled to the side, barely dodging a massive wind spell. A tornado pushed through, breaking my shadow wall, which was preventing the culprit from leaving.

I got up only to witness my stalker escaping through the exit.

“That wasn’t her spell… someone else was here!”

I clicked my tongue in frustration. I should have caught wind of a second person here with her, but they well masked their presence. Because of that mistake, I wasn't able to capture her sooner… ending this investigation on the first day.

“W-Who are you?!”

I cried out.

That formation style. I knew it well, and so did that woman. That woman knew… the 13 shadow crafts. There was no doubt about it; she was trained by Maxwell.

“Feodora! Where are you?!”

Vivian’s innocent voice filtered through the walls.

“Feodora, I was worried! Are you okay?”

Vivian slammed her body into my back. I almost fell over, but I caught myself.

“Yeah, I’m fine… but she got away. I couldn’t even get a name out of her.”

Eve approached and took out her… phone thingy.

"No worries, Feodora. We all got a good look at her. We can give Jade a description of this mysterious dark vessel."

I closed my eyes and thought about the warrior I had just faced. Someone taught by Maxwell… and would use the symbols in such a horrific way. Something wasn't right… I couldn't believe that Maxwell would teach someone to use possession in this offensive manner.

 

I had to find her to know the truth.

Who was that woman, and how close was she to my father, Maxwell?