I groan, the only answer I can formulate out loud. It feels like all the bones in my upper body are shattered... Maybe they are. The pain is... of a hellish level. I taste the iron in my blood, filling my mouth, and I spit it out by reflex. Oh, damn... My head is spinning just from the pain. I have a vague impression I'm lying down, but... I'm so numb for a second, I can't feel anything but that pain.
“Hold on, Mara…”
A wave of ice suddenly envelops my body. I can breathe again as it gently caresses me, numbing the pain a bit. I see Nora's white fur in my field of vision, and I can feel her aura, like a white coat over me. It's like a cold shower washing the pain away, and Moon Goddess, that feels so good and relieving. I can move again without everything hurting like hell... I'm a bit sore, but I quickly manage to move and try to get back on my feet. Nora heals me as fast as she can.
"S-sorry..." I grumble.
“Don't apologize; it’s okay... Thank Moon Goddess you survived that hit…”
I just realize what happened, and indeed, I'm not going to take another one like that. I underestimated that golem thing because I thought it would be slow with all those rocks... It's clearly not. As I get back up, still in pain but on a manageable level, I see Selena battling that thing. The cream-white wolf is more like bouncing, jumping, and running all around that stone-reinforced golem. She's making it move all around and run after her without giving it a chance to hit her. I really acknowledge she's one of the best fighters around. She's incredibly fast, quick-witted, and she doesn't give that thing a single chance to catch or hit her. However, she's also stuck; how the hell are we supposed to attack that thing? It's like a mountain between us and Ravena!
Next to me, Nora growls too, but I don't see how we're going to get rid of that thing... The sky above us is growling loudly too, and I feel the air getting more and more humid. I don't like this. If it starts raining, the soil under us will become mud, and it will be even harder to move around and get out of there. I don't even want to imagine the mess it's going to be on the other side. I just hope everyone's holding on...
I prepare a new magic circle, but this time, I prepare it well. I make that thing much more resistant, much more robust so it won't be shattered in one hit. Or at least, I hope so...
Nora and I run back toward Selena. I'm still in pain, but I can manage this much. Nora's power is fantastic, I still feel as if there is some ice numbing the most painful areas, and I think it's still healing me somehow. Her white aura is surrounding my torso and working to heal my broken ribs. Strangely, I also feel... lighter. It's not about the pain, but having that white, calm aura around me makes me feel a lot more relaxed, as if a weight I wasn't aware of had been weighing on me all this time. What is this? Selena's golden halo seems a bit different from before too...
Then I realize.
I didn't pay attention because of the fight, but the dark aura isn't just around Ravena anymore; it’s... everywhere around us. I can't believe I didn't notice it before! It's like a dark fog, so transparent and absolutely everywhere, I have to focus to really see it. It's engulfed everything around us, and me too. When I really look at the two Royals, I can see they are immune. Not just that, but it's as if this dark thing is avoiding them. Their auras are protecting them from that dark fog but... not me. It's even the opposite. It looks like it's almost drawn to me, and melding with my own aura. Darkness attracts darkness, I guess...
“Mara, any plan to get rid of that thing?!” shouts Selena.
Even her inner voice sounds out of breath, and it's understandable with the crazy speed she's been at for a while now. I look at the golem once again. The rocks are gathered so tight around its body, I don't know what could get inside. Even if I tried to burn it, it would take a while for the fire to penetrate... I take a few deep breaths and try to summon the water this time.
Just like before... I try to tame the fire in me and channel the water instead. It's so much harder to do this when I have to focus on that golem attacking us, and the damn ground trying to swallow us wherever we step! Moreover, the area is dry as hell... Moon Goddess, I changed my mind, I wish it'd freaking rain so I could use the water. I’m a total newbie at trying to conjure some! I can't give up, though, or next time, Selena or Nora might be the ones sent flying!
I focus and call out the inner Water Witch in me. I beg my wolf for help, and she's right there with me, focusing as well. There's water... There's always water somewhere. I direct my fingers toward the ground, trying to pull as much as I can. I feel it... I feel the rumbling, the small, minuscule drops getting attracted to my position like magnets. Come on, come here...
“Mara, watch out!”
I jump to the side out of reflex, barely avoiding a new throw of stones. Damn it, I'm trying to focus here! However, that wretched thing isn't going to wait for me to finish. The sky loudly thunders above us, and this time, the dark clouds gathering above us are definitely real... Wait.
I may be wrong or crazy, but... I try to ignite my inner fire again. I know how to balance the two now, don't I? I roll on the ground to get away from the golem, letting Nora jump over me, fangs out, and I glance up at the sky. It's full of hot air up there; that storm is right above us. I take deep breaths. I'm not a science nerd, but the inner witch in me knows...
"Selena, get ready to jump as fast as you can out of there when I tell you!"
“What? Mara, what are you planning?!”
"Trust me! Just... please keep that thing busy, and get ready when I tell you to run! Get as far away from that thing as possible!"
I'm not even sure myself this is going to work, but... it's definitely worth a try... I think. Moon Goddess, for a crazy witch, this might be my craziest idea yet...
I let the two wolves run toward the golem to distract it while I prepare myself. This might hurt me a lot, now that I think about it, but... Oh, what the hell, I'll see to that later if I survive it. I glance toward the dark, dark sky, my heart thumping like crazy. The rumbling, again. I hear the howls and growls of dozens of wolves behind us. They are all waiting for me to end this fight and trying to survive in the meantime. I have to stop that thing...
I close my eyes and focus. The ground beneath me slowly tries to swallow my feet, but I ignore it. I have to focus on what's happening above, not below. I gently call out my inner fire, and tame that water flow inside of me. That's right, a perfect balance. I can control both if I stay in that quiet, calm balance inside. I ignore everything else. I'm a witch of two elements, and I can master both at the same time. I know I can. My wolf is there, helping me, sharing her inner strength with me to make this work. Her quiet but powerful stance helps me, like a strong backup I can rely on. That's right, girl. We are two, but also one.
Fire and water. I got this. I smile, my breathing getting more intense. I take a deep breath, and once I feel like I've channeled both elements, I slowly raise my hands toward the sky. I'm buried down to my ankles now, but I don't care. That damn golem is about to get meanly stoned...
I feel the hot air above, and I focus on this. The heat is my thing. My palms toward the sky, I feel it until I'm strong enough to control it. I got this. I make that heat mine. I focus even more, until I can feel it like invisible strings channeled to my fingers... The rumbling in the sky answers me. I take another deep breath, and while still holding this mass of hot air, I find the water stocked above. If there are clouds, there has to be some... Yes, I can feel it. I don't need to control these, I just need to make it cooler... and cooler... It's exhausting, exhilarating. I feel the power of both worlds, both elements, channeled through my hands, and yet it's all happening in the sky. I'm controlling so much of what's going on above our heads, I've never felt so powerful. A shot of adrenaline runs through my body, delicious hot and cold chills as if to motivate me even more.
"Now!" I shout.
Both wolves jump out of the way, running as fast as they can away from the golem, as instructed.
Left alone, that stone giant seems to look my way, and advances forward, aiming right at me. The thunder resonates in the distance, and I smile. I prepare to channel all that energy, and suddenly, guided by my fingers, the air starts crackling and sparking between us. The golem takes another step, and I make my move; A gigantic lightning bolt rips the sky apart and violently strikes that thing down.
It's amazing and terrifying. I feel the electric current literally bursting through me, the sparks running on my skin. It's... electrifying. Literally. The power blast travels throughout my body. I feel as if I'm about to explode, but I keep my arms like antennas directed at the golem. I'm absolutely frying that thing. It's just a matter of seconds, as long as I can hold it. The golem vibrates, a bright light coming from all the gaps between the rocks. It's working! Suddenly, that thing implodes from the inside, wrecked apart by my lightning bolt. I let go at the last second to protect my eyes. Mud flies everywhere, spilling on us and all around, but so do the rocks. Several of them hit me, but I barely feel them. I'm still high from the strength of that lightning bolt, and my whole body is kind of numb too...
