Tarous, стр. 40
I thought there would be a welcoming party or something. The moment we arrived we were dropped into the middle of a battle between monsters and witches. No matter where we looked there was fighting everywhere. Fireballs flew through the air but every time one came close to Nyxra they would poof out of existence.
“Chaz, now!” screamed Nyxra.
About thirty witches began chanting. Instead of the portals closing they began to merge, forming one large portal. It steadily grew larger and larger.
“Chaz, what are you doing? You are supposed to be closing the portals!” yelled Nyxra.
We both dismounted the horse.
“Sorry my dear, but I have other plans,” replied Chaz.
A giant pentagram appeared, glowing with red lines of power, pulsing. In the middle of the pentagram was a giant hole that was growing larger instead of smaller.
“My dear Nyxra, I plan to bring your mother back. Please don’t interfere.”
I was so lost. What was going on? What did this pentagram have to do with bringing back Nyxra’s mother? Where was she currently at?
The horse we had been riding became spooked, reared onto its hind legs, and then ran away.
“The fabric between worlds has been weakened more than ever. This is the opportunity I have been waiting for. The only reason I even accepted a job here was be near the summoning grounds for when I decided to enact my plan. Today is that day!”
“Nyxra, where is your mother?” I asked in a solemn voice. For some reason I already had a good idea what she was about to say. Despite all the chaos that was going on around us, her words came to my ears clearly. It was almost like the entire world moved around us but was unable to affect us.
“She’s dead Tarous. She’s been dead for a very long time.”
Like a wave reality came crashing back. I suddenly felt a pain blaze through my head that caused me to fall to my knees.
“Tarous!” screamed Nyxra.
The scythe on my head had reappeared. I couldn’t see it, but I knew what this feeling meant. I knew who he was summoning. The sky darkened and the wind blew harder. Soon the wind was whipping the tops of all nearby trees back and forth. Everything went from gloomy to sinister as the sky became even darker and soon the wind was howling around us.
In the middle of the pentagram appeared the grim reaper in all of his glory. Robe darker than night, standing at over thirty feet tall. I had never seem him appear so fearsome. The sky quickly turned completely black. The wind caused the reaper’s black robes to whip around him. The wind’s howling scream was like a soul escaping hell. The pressure in the air was heavy and it was hard to breathe.
The grim reaper gave off an aura of death and loss. I had never seen this side of the grim reaper. I had only ever seen his kinder side. Now he stood before me in all his frightening glory.
Chains of magic shot out of the corners of the pentagram and wrapped around the grim reaper. Spinning and twisting, wrapping him in a cocoon of chains.
I tried running to help him, but the tyrannical energy of the pentagram knocked me backwards. Red beams of light tore through the ground from the pentagram leaving trenches behind.
“Tarous!” yelled Nyxra.
Another beam of red light shot out of the pentagram and struck a tree, cutting it in half.
“What is going on?” I asked her, still laying in the dirt. I noticed another beam of light starting to form and I pulled her down onto the ground with me.
“My father has been obsessed with the grim reaper ever since my mother died. In the past he has made deals with demons to gather forbidden knowledge. I think he is trying to steal the reaper’s powers.”
“Why?”
“The reaper is a position. It is a physical manifestation of a power of the universe given a medium. When someone becomes the grim reaper, that person is essentially giving their life to serve the universe. The universe has to be in balance so when a person gives up their life to become the grim reaper, one person of the new grim reaper’s choosing is allowed to return to life,” she explained.
“To become the reaper you must give up your mortal life. There must be balance so in compensation one person is allowed to come back to life,” I reiterated to make sure I was understanding what she was saying.
“Yes.”
He planned to kill death, so he could become death. When he became death he could bring one person back from death.
That was freaking insane.
I had to stop him. The reaper was my friend and I knew he was the reason I was still alive. I stood and ran towards the pentagram again. I punched, kicked, and even tried running through the pentagram, but it was useless. I still had the cube from before. Two short swords appeared in my hands. The flames of my withering fist spread to my swords and my body. I stabbed the barrier repeatedly, but it appeared to be having no effect.
Nyxra walked up beside me.
“I’m sorry about your mother, but he is my friend. Killing him is wrong. He is a good person.”
She paused in thought. A ball of red and black energy began to swirl in front of her face. I just knew she was about to blast me. The energy took off towards my head, but missed it by several inches and slammed into the pentagram instead. Her attack seemed to have a better effect than mine as the whole thing flared red.
“What my father is doing is wrong, despite the reasons he is doing it. I will help you to stop him.”
I felt bad for Nyxra as I knew what kind