***Tyson***
He followed her into the living area.
"Before we talk, could you…. Maybe wear something?" he asked.
She waved as if it were no concern.
Tyson went back to his room and grabbed clothes.
"Here." He reached his hand out.
She studied the clothes and gave a shallow nod.
Moments later she returned wearing clothes that fit loosely on her, hiding her toned muscles.
"I am not pleased with this." She said as she looked over herself.
Tyson relaxed, letting go of tension he hadn't realized was there.
"First, who are you and why are you here?" he asked.
"I am Oriana, Hand of Death." Tyson thought he could hear something in her voice when she said the last words.
"I am here because of you. You bound my soul to yours." Anger flashed across her face, leaving just as fast.
"I don't understand, how is that possible?" Tyson looked questionably at Malric.
In return, he shrugged back at Tyson.
"It shouldn't be." She said coldly. "Binding another's soul to yours isn't allowed anywhere and this is a dying world, there shouldn't be soulbinders."
"If that's what Tyson is, does that mean the world isn't dying?" Malric chimed in.
She glared at him.
"Who is this pest? I am going to kill him." Her tone was flat. Serious.
"You can't kill him. He's my friend," Tyson retorted.
"Yeah…. His friend." Malric doubled down.
She stared Malric down. Menace radiating from her.
"No wonder you're so weak. You surround yourself with weakness." She spat, still looking at Malric.
Malric's face twisted in anger.
"I am not weak; I was one of the strongest in my kingdom." His eyes darkened, and a light blue glow followed.
He glared at her.
Tyson watched the two stare each other down.
Malric with determination.
Oriana with… 'confusion?'
Tyson was baffled. Was Malric really intimidating her?
Then confusion turned to shock. Now Tyson was confused.
"You're an opal realm user, and you're considered strong?" Her shock faded into disgust.
"You would be no better than a servant on any other world."
***Malric***
Malric had been called a lot of things, but being called no better than a servant was a new one.
He didn't like it.
"Every user has an opal with a rune on it. That's how we use our core."
"Core? Just one? Every user has just one core?" Oriana asked.
Malric looked at her like she was dumb.
'She can use her core; she should know this stuff.'
He nodded slowly.
"I had nine cores." She stated.
Malric looked at Tyson, who in return looked back at him.
Both were in shock.
"That's not possible. We have never seen more than one core, let alone nine." Malric said.
"How does that even wo-." Before he could finish, the front door flew open.
***Oriana***
Oriana had both of her swords drawn and ready.
She looked at the newcomer, meeting his eyes. Daring him to move.
"Who the fuck are you?" Instructor Henderson asked. His eyes turned deep blue.
He stepped into the room, chest high and essence leaking from him like a broken container. Sloppy. Loud. Arrogant. His presence loomed over the room filling the space like frost creeping up a window, but she was unfazed.
She was impressed, if what they told her was true, he was still in the opal realm, but this was the peak of it. If she were anyone else, he would have a chance, but now he has climbed a mountain, not realizing the stars sat so far above him they no longer considered him alive.
She felt the sharp cold reach her feet and work its way up.
His essence pulsed and a thin sharp blade of ice formed in his right hand.
"I asked you a question." He said coldly.
She couldn't help but laugh. It came slow, then maniacal.
She saw the other two watched in horror as she laughed.
"I label you an enemy of the King, therefore you will die." His left hand rose, and a bolt of ice flew toward her. It landed exploding on her chest and freezing the clothing, she had on, but it did little harm to her.
She stepped forward.
"Is that it? Ice magic and delusions?"
Henderson recoils slightly, then launches a flurry of bolts. Each bolt landed and had no effect on Oriana, but her clothes were frozen.
"AHHHH!" Henderson yelled. Frustrated. Angry.
"My turn." The huntress was no longer playing with her prey.
She vanished. Reappearing in front of Henderson.
His eyes flared and ice exploded out. He jumped back.
The ice shattered around her.
"Pitiful." she said, unfazed.
Henderson charged, a ball of ice forming around his fist, he punched.
Oriana was gone, in her place was black mist.
His fist went through the mist, and he let out a guttural roar.
"AARRRGGGG!" He pulled hand out of the mist and his flesh was decaying, his hand was nothing but bone. No blood. No meat. Just bone.
She stood behind him.
"Let me help you." Her blade flashed and his injured arm fell to the ground with a thud, his scream following it.
Henderson didn't wait; he formed an ice fang at the end of the stump. His face was painted with pain. She could see it.
His eyes blazed and essence poured from him.
"Enough!" He yelled. The essence expanded and the entire room froze.
"you're dead now." He grinned menacingly.
Hundreds of spikes shot out from the frozen wall, floor, and ceiling.
They landed. She felt the icy essence enter her body as hundreds of spikes pierced her.
She let her essence enter the spikes, fighting off the ice and replacing it with death. She released a pulse of death, and the death essence corrupted the very existence of the spikes, twisting them mid-flight into jagged claws of soul seeking daggers. They pierced the air, seeking blood, but met with a rising glacier wall.
"Coward." She sneered.
Her eyes lit up and she shot like an arrow. She smashed through the ice wall and tackled Henderson. She could feel her one core depleting fast.
She used too much essence there. Being stuck with one core was going to take some getting used to. She resorted back to her blades, already infused with death, they were more than enough.
She straddled Henderson, who tried to fight back, but he couldn't.
"It's not too late to tell me who you are and we can lower the punishment."
She responded with a fist crashing down on his head.
"I'm going to kill you!" He spat. Blood coming out of his mouth from the punch. His eyes flared once more and sent out a shockwave of ice. The force sent Oriana flying, she twisted in the air and landed on her feet, the ice on the floor shattering.
"That was unexpected." She said. "I'm done with you."
She vanished once more and when she appeared, both blades were embedded in Henderson's chest.
***Henderson***
'How?'
He looked down at the blades buried in his chest. He couldn't feel his legs. He could barely breathe.
He was supposed to be stronger than this. All those years of training. Fighting. He had power.
It wasn't enough.
Not for this fight.
Not for her.
He looked up and met her gaze.
No rage. No hatred.
Just death.
'She's not a user… she's a weapon. A reaper.'
She slowly pulled the blades out, every bit of agony felt.
He gasped, blood leaking from his lips. His essence moved and his core drained completely. His eyes lit with blue fire. One last time. Not for pride. Not for honor.
For spite.
"I'll take you with me…"
He smiled through the blood.
And activated his final ability, Winter's Last Dance. A curse. A bomb. A legacy. Most important death.
***Oriana***
"What are you doing?" she felt it before he could release it.
She used the final drop of essence.
'reap thy soul'
This was her art. One of her most powerful abilities.
Black and blue smoke covered her hand, coating it. Death's presence filled the room, and she heard the two men drop to their knees, vomit followed.
She shoved her coated hand into Henderson's chest and penetrated his core.
Her sword moved, one fluid motion and a thud.
Blood spurt from his now headless body, she sent a pulse of pure death through her hand and the core erupted, his body exploding.
The ice essence died. Taking his last effort to kill her with it.
She was covered in gore, breathing heavily, her core spent.
She felt exhilarated.
She missed killing.
***Tyson***
The cold finally fell away.
His vision was blurred, and he couldn't feel his body.
He tried to watch the fight, but he and Malric spent more time fighting to stay conscious than anything else. And that aura….
He didn't have words for it.
It wasn't just power, it was presence. Like the air itself had bent to her will. Like the God of Death had stepped into the room and asked who needed to die.
The thought made his stomach twist.
He forced himself to look up.
Henderson was gone.
Now there was a room soaked in gore.
'That wasn't a fight.
That was annihilation.'