Isle of Beasts and Shadows (The Forgotten Isle Saga #1)

Chapter 39

Leaving the surviving Miscreants to confront their own fates, Alikad embarked to uncover the source of the malevolent laughter that had once pierced the air. His brief journey led him to a desolate expanse ravaged by ice, where his gaze fell upon a fierce battle between ice hellions. As Alikad observed the graceful yet deadly movements of one combatant, he realized she was attuned to the ongoing conflict nearby, silently spectating the chaos that enveloped the once tranquil landscape.

“We are not alone,” whispered the shadow from behind Alikad. Father’s physical force was powerful for something that was physically untouchable.

Alikad quickly dodged his attack, jumping back as his boney wings dug deep into the tree behind him. He pulled himself free and gripped to his scythe firmly, ready for the impending confrontation.

“Now what?” Airella turned her attention to Alikad and away from Zol. Her eyes, a piercing bright blue overwhelmed with a hypnotic purple haze, displayed a hint of frost as ice formed on her pale skin.

With calculated precision, she firmly placed her foot on the chest of the male ice hellion below her, a chilling display of dominance. Blood oozed from her victim’s chest, contrasting against the frozen landscape.

As Alikad continued to observe her, a sense of familiarity tugged at the corners of his mind. It was as if he had encountered her before, in a distant memory that teased the edges of recognition. Then, in a sudden rush, the floodgates of remembrance opened, engulfing him in a torrent of past adventures, battles fought, and names—Arii, Jonathan, Duran, Father—echoing through the labyrinth of his mind.

“Airella!” Alikad roared, turning his attention to Father in a blinding rage.

The air crackled with tension as Alikad’s hand shimmered, gradually taking on a transparent quality akin to the shadow looming before him. With an intense surge of power, Alikad seized Father, only to feel his own energy swiftly ebbing away, leaving him weakened and vulnerable. The force of Father’s impact forced Alikad to his knees, his grip faltering as he released his hold on the malevolent figure.

As the ethereal grip dissolved, Alikad’s arm regained its solid form, but a sharp, searing pain shot through him, causing him to cry out in anguish. Alikad’s back forcefully collided with the sturdy trunk of a nearby tree, resulting in the tree being abruptly uprooted. With a swift, fluid motion, Alikad regained his footing, his gaze fixing on Airella, whose expression betrayed a twisted pleasure at the pain she had inflicted upon him.

“What have you done? What have you done to her?” Alikad’s voice reverberated with a mix of fury and desperation as he confronted the shadowy figure clutching the purple stone to his chest.

“Who are you?” Father’s chuckle dripped with malicious delight, provoking Alikad to advance menacingly towards him. In a deft move, the shadowy Miscreant sidled closer to Airella, casting a smug glance at Zol before preparing for a confrontation. Alikad felt the weight of his wings pressing against his back, a silent testament to the impending clash. “Another of your old acquaintances, Zol?” Father taunted the male ice hellion, his words laced with a sinister edge.

“Guess again.” Alikad’s voice reverberated through the air, resonating with a newfound depth and strength that hinted at a concealed power. Feathers cascaded from his cloak, drifting to the ground as he lifted his hand towards the concealing mask that veiled his true identity.

With a swift motion, Alikad swept his hand across his face, causing the mask to dissolve into nothingness, unveiling a pair of piercing yellow eyes that seemed to hold the weight of centuries within their gaze. Amidst the shadowy strands of his now charcoal hair, a few wisps of ashen white stood out, a subtle yet significant detail that sparked a realization within Father.

A blaze ignited within Alikad’s eyes, an inferno of defiance and resolution that burned brightly as he faced his once mentor. “You can’t extinguish the life that has already been stolen, Father.” Alikad’s words cut through the tension, each syllable dripping with a mixture of sorrow and wrath. “You underestimated the consequences of your actions. With every Miscreant that falls, their essence fuels my strength. Consider my words a curse upon you, a wretched seeker of power and shadow.” Pointing an accusatory finger at Father, Alikad’s gaze bore into the very core of his being. “You shall meet your end, Father. I stand by my vow from our encounter aboard the ship. Should you ever bring harm to her, I will pursue you relentlessly, even if it means facing death and resurrection a thousandfold.” Alikad’s emotions boiled over, consumed by an unyielding rage towards the shadow that had once been his guide and tormentor.

Father’s look of shock slowly transformed into pure, maniacal laughter. Airella followed suit, her expression mirroring a mix of surprise and amusement.

“You’re telling me you merged with that wretched boy, Alikad? How disappointing,” Father remarked with a tinge of bitterness. Turning to Airella, he added, “Be a dear and eliminate him for good. He’s bound to exhaust his energy at some point.” With a crazed smile, he gestured towards Alikad.

Airella responded with a nod. She lunged towards the reaper, Dawnbreaker clashing against the hilt of his scythe, creating a shower of sparks. However, Alikad swiftly intercepted, seizing her arm and deftly hurling her aside. Clearly, she wasn’t his focus.

Alikad, now fixated on Father, made a decisive move. His hand reached for the purple gem clutched close to his chest. Despite his impressive speed, Airella matched his pace. Her hand wrapped around his ankle, spinning him around effortlessly. Regaining his balance, Alikad propelled himself skyward with a powerful flap of his wings, morphing his silhouette into that of a shadow.

He dashed at Father once more, desperately reaching for the shard he held. Alikad couldn’t hold this form for long. It drained him of energy much too quickly, leaving him feeling vulnerable. As an unfortunate result, he transformed back to his physical form once again, the strain clear in his weary eyes and trembling hands. He pulled one of his wings forward, the feathers ruffling in the rush of movement, where the tip of his left wing shot for the purple shard, the glint of determination shining in his gaze. With a swift motion, he knocked it away from them both, the shard clattering faintly as it fell to the ground, a sound lost in the moment’s intensity.

Father had lost track of the small gem amidst the chaos of their confrontation. Father took a moment to comprehend what had just happened before he rushed to his search for the stone, his movements agile and purposeful.

Before Alikad could even consider joining the search, his wings swatted Airella from her ambush with a forceful motion, the air stirring around them. However, with a strength that belied her appearance, she managed to take hold of his wing in a sudden twist of events, her grip unyielding as she snapped the bone in two with a resounding crack that echoed through the icy forest.

Alikad winced in excruciating pain as gold blood spurted from his fractured bone, the agony searing through his body. With a desperate lurch to the side, he dislodged his assailant from his wings, only to collapse to the unforgiving ground. Despite the torment gnawing at him, Alikad’s fingers scrabbled towards the glimmering purple shard, a mere breath away from his grasp.

In a cruel twist of fate, Zol’s heavy boot descended upon his outstretched hand, shattering his hopes mercilessly. The chilling gaze of Father met Alikad’s anguished eyes as his muffled voice emanated from his helmet.

“I don’t think so, my boy. Once you relinquish your will to fight, she will dance to my tune as your replacement,” taunted Father, his laughter ringing out as Alikad struggled against the encumbering armor.

Every nerve in Alikad’s body screamed with pain as Airella added to her weight, pressing her boot into his spine and wrenching his arm back. Through gritted teeth, Alikad cast a defiant smile at Zol, a flicker of resilience shining through his suffering. A fleeting chuckle escaped Alikad, though he buried his face in the snow to veil his tumultuous emotions.

“You underestimated Zol. He can never truly be possessed.” Alikad’s voice rang out with a mixture of defiance and triumph, challenging the malevolent spirit that had usurped Zol’s form. As Father, the puppeteer of Zol’s body, kneeled to meet Alikad eye to eye, the tension crackled in the frigid air.

“His stubborn will and extreme hatred for you give him more willpower than anyone else here,” Alikad remarked with a sly grin, observing the fierce struggle unfolding before him. “You’ll be kicked out of his body. He’s a full-blooded demon. It would take something much stronger than you to possess the likes of him.” The ominous threat hung in the air as Father’s agonizing roars filled the clearing, a testament to the intense battle of wills taking place.

Amidst the chaos, Alikad chuckled tauntingly, a glint of mischief in his eyes, as Father writhed in pain from the internal conflict. Suddenly, a shadow shot forth from Zol’s form, revealing the true Zol as he turned to face the unfolding drama. With a swift motion, he retrieved the shimmering purple gem and tossed it to Alikad, a silent exchange loaded with unspoken significance.

Airella, consumed by a fiery rage, launched herself at Zol once more, her fury palpable as she pinned him against a gnarled tree, her clenched fist connecting with his obsidian helmet in a resounding impact that echoed through the forest.

“I need you back,” Alikad declared solemnly, his voice tinged with urgency as he pressed the gem to his lips, a mysterious ritual about to unfold.

The gem’s ethereal glow dispersed, revealing a pulsating core of energy within, which he deftly extracted and hurled towards Airella, a shimmering cascade of light merging with her being. In a moment of stunned realization, Airella faltered, allowing Alikad to swiftly crush the now lifeless shard beneath his heel, a decisive action that sealed the fate of the fallen gem.

As the dust settled, Alikad moved with practiced ease, gathering Airella in a protective embrace, her form slumping with exhaustion. Yet, amid this fragile equilibrium, a new threat emerged, as Father’s sinister laughter reverberated through the clearing, a dark purple shard pulsating with malevolent energy clutched in his outstretched hand.

Alikad’s gem, a harbinger of unknown perils yet to come, cast a foreboding shadow over the unfolding saga of light and darkness.

“You still have that?” Alikad yelled as he gently laid Airella down alongside Zol. His heart raced with a mixture of shock and confusion, memories flooding back to the day he thought it was gone forever. “But I watched you break it. You shattered it out of frustration years ago because you weren’t able to control me with it.”

“Calm, Alikad. No need to be that way,” Father replied, his voice soothing yet tinged with a hint of sinister satisfaction.

With a mysterious air, he whispered into the purple shard, the words barely audible to anyone else present. The shard emitted a strange energy that surrounded Alikad, providing him with a cloak of tranquility that he found both comforting and disconcerting simultaneously. As if under a spell, Alikad involuntarily dropped to his knees, his mind clouded with conflicting emotions.

“Yes, I shattered the shard, but after my recent time spent on the mainland, I was able to grow immensely in power thanks to the countless human souls I had access to,” Father continued, reveling in the unfolding drama. “Thanks to this, I was able to create these new shards. With this stronger power of mine that I’m able to channel through these human souls, I will control anyone and anything now. Including you. Destroy the shard, and you’d have a free will to do as you pleased. I may not have the half-breed anymore, but I will always have you,” Father declared, his words laced with a chilling sense of control. With a commanding presence, he forced Alikad to meet his gaze, a subtle yet powerful manipulation that sent a shiver down Alikad’s spine.

Alikad felt a strange sensation creeping over him, his eyes widening in disbelief as the world around him seemed to blur. His gaze locked with Father’s, and in that moment, something shifted within him. His eyes, which were once a piercing yellow, transformed into an ethereal shade of shifting purple, mirroring Airella’s own enchanting gaze when she became ensnared by the same mysterious power.

Struggling to find his voice amidst the turmoil of emotions and revelations, Alikad lifted his head, his voice barely a whisper as he stammered, “No… How?” The weight of the truth bore down on him, and he grappled with the realization that the past was not what it seemed. He also realized that his fate was intricately entwined with forces beyond his control.

“Oh, Alikad. I know what it’s like to live in eternal isolation. Why not have something that is practically immortal, just like yourself?” The shadow’s voice was filled with a mix of longing and desperation. “This way, I will never be alone again. As for the half-breed, she is still mortal. She is capable of death. You, however, are death. You control everything that dies! You resemble him so much...” As Father raised his hands into the air, a chill ran down Alikad’s spine, his mind racing with questions and uncertainties.

Him? Alikad thought, his thoughts a jumble of confusion. Who was Father talking about?

“You could be the most powerful Miscreant on the isle, Alikad. Remember all those years ago, when you were all but a boy? You pledged yourself to me, remember? You never disobeyed me. You were loyal to me until you got old enough to ask questions.” Father’s words carried a weight of authority, mingled with a tinge of malice.

He growled menacingly, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light. “Fortunately for me, this gem is intricately linked to your very will. Now you’re going to be loyal to me for eternity.”

With a swift motion, he raised the shard up to his shadowy lips, whispering incantations that sent shivers down Alikad’s spine. He writhed in agony as the dark magic took hold, a battle raging within him as he struggled against Father’s insidious influence.

With desperation etched on his face, Alikad fought against the invisible chains that bound him, each movement met with a searing pain that threatened to consume him. As his mind clouded with confusion, Father kneeled beside him, a twisted smile playing on his lips.

“Why fight it, Alikad?” he taunted, his voice a mixture of cruelty and persuasion. “You’re mine, and yet you resist. What do you cling to with such determination? There is nothing left to save, Alikad. Your companions have met their fates, and your resolve only weakens you further.”

With each word, Father’s influence seemed to tighten its grip, a web of manipulation encircling Alikad’s wavering thoughts. “I am your sole ally, Alikad,” he whispered, his tone a blend of false comfort and domination. “All you require is me, and nothing more.”

Alikad hesitated, his hand trembling as he tried to grasp the purple gem tightly held by Father. The weight of his decision bore down on him. Destroying the gem meant freedom, yet the thought left him paralyzed. As he struggled with his inner turmoil, his grip on his will weakened, slipping away like sand through his fingers.

Finally, unable to bear the weight of his choice any longer, Alikad collapsed to the ground, his body surrendering to exhaustion. The commanding presence looming over him demanded his obedience, and with great effort, he rose to his feet. In the background, Airella’s soft groans filled the air, a reminder of the turmoil surrounding them.

The manipulated and demonic appearance within her had vanished alongside the gem’s destruction and the physical exhaustion. She no longer bore the two spiraled horns or the silver hair. In her place stood the familiar blonde girl whom he’d grown to care for, stripped of the mysterious aura that once shrouded her. Her eyes were back to their multi-colored state, one green, and the other an icy blue. Alikad realized that the hellion within her was not a creation of the gem but an inherent part of her being, a revelation that dawned upon him with newfound clarity.

“Alikad?” Airella’s shocked voice broke the silence, her gaze fixated on his presence. The once familiar features were now obscured by a cloak of feathers, his eyes ablaze with a deep purple hue. Her horror mirrored in her expression, a mix of fear and disbelief at the unexpected turn of events.

“Sirius? Where is Sirius?” Airella was in a state of confusion and had no awareness of all that had just occurred. She was oblivious to the danger he had yet to bring. Zol’s hand then grabbed her ankle, keeping her from getting any closer.

“Sirius is no more, girl. They merged. Now, Alikad. Kill her,” Father ordered, raising the gem, which forced Alikad into action.

Without question, he picked his scythe up from the ground. He slowly turned to Airella as he popped his broken wing back into place. He took a few deliberate steps toward her, his eyes fixed on her, calculating his move. With a sudden burst of speed, he dashed towards her, the scythe cutting through the air as it sailed towards her. Airella’s instincts kicked in, and she swiftly dove out of harm’s way, narrowly avoiding the deadly weapon.

Before she could fully process the unfolding events, Airella found herself suddenly face-to-face with her attacker. The intense shade of purple cast an eerie glow in his eyes, hinting at the danger she was in. As he extended his hands menacingly towards her throat, a surge of inhuman strength surged within her, a power she had always possessed but rarely needed to call upon. With a swift and forceful motion, she pushed him away, using the nearby tree for support as she regained her footing.

The entire encounter had taken its toll on her, leaving her feeling physically drained and weaker than she had ever been before. Coughing up blood into her trembling hand, Airella’s gaze met Alikad’s, who had stumbled but quickly recovered his composure. In a blur of movement, he closed the distance to retrieve his scythe, fixing her with a chilling glare that sent a shiver down her spine.

As a tear trickled down Alikad’s stern and stoic face, he uttered a single word.

“Run.”