Page 60 of Favored By the Stars

"Wyn!" I gasped as the light around her grew blinding, illuminating the shadows that clung to the walls and the guardian itself.

She screamed something unintelligible, and I barely had time to react as she unleashed a beam of shimmering magic at the guardian. It struck with a deafening crack, sending shards of darkness flying. The creature howled in pain as it staggered backward, dropping its massive weapon with a clang that echoed through the ruins as it skidded across the floor toward us.

A thrill rushed through me. Had Wyn really done that? The guardian's arm hung limply at its side now, a dark, oozing substance that I could only equate to blood dripping from the wound. Thorn pressed his advantage, using his renewed vigor to attack without mercy.

I glanced at my best friend and the feeling of triumph that had surged within me only seconds before was replaced by concern. Wyn swayed on her feet, her face pale and drawn. The sheen of sweat combined with her newly chalky complexion made the initial concern I'd felt turn into full blown fear.

"Wyn!" I called out again, my heart lurching as I watched her struggle to remain upright.

"I... I'm fine," she stammered, but the tremor in her voice betrayed her. She swayed again and fell to one knee, gasping for breath.

Volker stepped forward instinctively, the magic he'd been firing off to help Thorn with the guardian subsiding as he took in Wyn's condition. "Wyn, you need–"

"Don't!" she snapped, cutting him off as she pushed him away with surprising strength for someone so drained. Her expression was almost feral as she snarled, "I can do this!"

The fire in her eyes flared momentarily before flickering out like a dying ember. Volker halted mid step, hurt and something almost like fear flashing across his face before he masked it with resolve.

"Just let me help," he urged gently, hands raised in surrender.

"No! I said I can handle it!" Her voice trembled with defiance, yet cracked under the strain. At least the feral quality it had held a second ago was gone.

With the guardian wounded and momentarily distracted by its injury, my attention darted between them and Thorn still fighting fiercely against the attacks the guardian was still dishing out, even if it was one handed now.

I knew I needed to go to Thorn, to help with the fight, but even now, as the connection that had temporarily been forged between myself and my best friend faded, I was torn. In the remaining dregs of the connection, I could tell that Wyn's power waning dangerously low. She needed support, not arguments or more forceful insistence to keep pushing herself.

The guardian glared at us from behind bloodied claws. Its breathing was heavy and labored, and the worst was that it was filled with fury rather than confidence. Despite Wyn's apparent weakness, our blow against it would not be easily forgotten, at least not by us or the creature, and it showed that we were no longer just prey in this battle for survival.

With a roar, it pivoted from Thorn to our little cluster, its gaze firmly locked onto Wyn, clearly angry at the pain she had caused it. I knew someone had to step up to distract it, and it wasn't going to be Thorn. Without our shield and magic buffing him, he was clearly struggling with exhaustion, and I didn't blame him, especially not after fighting a creature made of darkness that was more than twice his size.

As the guardian turned its fury toward Wyn, I felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through me. I had to act. With determination surging in my veins, I sprinted toward the weapon that had clattered to the ground, a massive blade that gleamed with dark energy. It radiated an unsettling power, like shadows given form.

My fingers wrapped around the hilt, and I could almost taste the corruption oozing from it, sweet and sickening at once. Despite its darkness, it felt oddly familiar in my grip, as if it recognized me. The thing probably weighed as much as Wyn, but I had no other choice. In my gut I knew if I didn't do something we would be facing a battle of attrition and one we wouldn't win.

"Thorn! Give me an opening!" I shouted, as he fought valiantly against the guardian's remaining strength. He glanced at me, confusion flickering across his face when he saw the giant sword in my hand.

"Senara, don't!" he yelled, but my resolve was unyielding.

I raised the sword high, its surface shimmering with shades of midnight. The guardian roared in anger, rushing at Wyn, leaving me with only a moment to act. My heart pounded as I drew on every ounce of strength within me and charged forward, meeting the monster in the middle.

The blade met the guardian's chest with a resounding thud, slicing through darkness and despair like it was mere smoke. The creature shrieked, its form wavering as I pushed deeper into its corrupted essence. With one last surge of energy, I thrust the weapon upward.

A blinding light erupted from the wound as the guardian's body disintegrated into a shadowy mist around us. Relief washed over me for just a moment before fatigue slammed into me like a wave. I staggered back from where the guardian had stood, its dark presence now gone, and dropped to one knee.

Thorn rushed to my side, worry etched across his features as he surveyed my state. "Senara! Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine," I managed to reply even as weariness clung to my bones like a heavy shroud. But even as I spoke those words, something darker settled within me, a gnawing sensation of unease creeping into my thoughts.

Wyn joined us slowly; her face was pale and worn but still determined despite her exhaustion. "Did we…did we do it?"

"We did," Thorn replied softly, but eyed me closely. "But at what cost?"

I looked down at the blade still gripped tightly in my hand; its dark magic pulsated faintly as if alive beneath my fingertips. Though it lay dormant now, a chill danced along my skin where it touched me, an insidious reminder of what we'd faced and what lingered within. I dropped it and the moment I let go, it faded, turning to ash and mist just like its owner.

"I'll be alright," I assured them both while hiding how deeply that corruption had seeped into me already. They didn't need to know, I couldn't let them see my weakness, not now when they needed my strength most.

I staggered to my feet, still shaken from the battle with the guardian. That's when I noticed it, a pulsing light emanating from deeper within the chamber. The Starforged Mirror called to me, its surface rippling like liquid silver beneath a layer of dust and time.

"Look," I whispered, pointing toward the ancient artifact.

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