Next Mage
58.Darkness-2

But I wasn't.

In fact, I felt the exact opposite of afraid.

Brave.

The Ragnarok's eye widened as fire exploded from my body, the beast giving one final roar before it disappeared into the heat.

I let out one last shriek of triumph, light exploding in my eyes as I felt the fire consume me, too.

Everything was white...and then everything went black.

~Marilla's POV

Heat rushed towards us, the light becoming blinding, like we had just gazed too directly into the sun. Black sand blasted out of the growing ball of fire, the Ragnarok and Emma lost somewhere in the middle. "Emma!" I shouted, but my voice was lost as the ball of fire exploded in all directions. I felt Oliver's warm arms encase me in a protective hug.

I squeezed my eyes shut as sand sprayed across my face, hearing two screams over the roaring sound of the raging fire:

One from the Ragnarok, and one from Emma.

And then everything went silent.

My eyes took a while to open again, my eyelids having seemed to be sealed shut after that blinding experience.

I immediately regretted opening them.

The beach was chaos.

Branches lay on the scattered sand like black, spiky bones. Rocks seemed to have been blown apart into a million tiny pieces, shiny black shards lying everywhere.

Then I noticed the Ragnarok.

Or rather, what was left of the Ragnarok.

It was gruesome.

Parts of the Ragnarok's bony tail were lying next to a decapitated head, black blood oozing from the hideous skull and seeping into the dark-colored sand like ink dripping onto paper. A strange, stinging odor wafted into the air, burning my nostrils.

Everything else that was left of the wicked creature had been reduced to ashes.

Someone gagged behind me.

The Ragnarok was dead.

A feeling of triumph overcame me, mixed emotions running through my head:

Joy, fear, worry, revulsion, elation.

Oliver pinched his nose with his fingers, looking away from the Ragnarok's corpse in disgust. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed his bright blue eyes widening.

My stomach dropped.

Emma.

Oliver tugged on my sleeve too late.

I was already running, tears stinging my eyes, my throat closing up in fear as I tried to run faster.

"Emma!" I choked, falling to my knees and cradling Emma's head in my arms.

Half of her face was covered in burns, parts of her hair burnt off and showing raw, bloody patches of her skull underneath. The soft skin on her cheeks was oozing blood and pus, her legs and arms dotted with blisters and boils. "Oh, Emma..." I whispered, stroking the soft tufts of fiery-red hair that was left on her head ever-so-gently, hot tears dripping down my nose. "Your face...your limbs....your hair...your beautiful hair..."

Feeling like I could no longer talk, no longer speak, I simply sat there dumbly, silent tears rolling down my face.

~Oliver's POV

I watched as Marilla collapsed next to Emma's limp body.

Gesturing for everyone to follow me, we rushed to where Marilla had crouched.

I reached out towards Marilla to comfort her, but my mother pulled me back.

"She needs some space," she whispered hoarsely, and I could tell that she was trying to hold back tears. I bit my lip, taking a step back reluctantly. Marilla put two shaking fingers against Emma's neck, feeling for a pulse. For a few moments, her body froze, her limbs becoming tense and her eyes going wide as more tears began to flood them--

And then her body relaxed with relief. Turning to look at us with her beautiful hazel eyes, she grinned weakly.

"Sh-she's alive," she gasped, rubbing away tears, only to replace them with tears of joy. "Just unconscious." She then turned to look at the Ragnarok's corpse. "And the Ragnarok's dead."

There was a stunned silence, as not everyone had realized it due to the shock of the explosion.

Then all of the mages began to cheer.

"I did it!"

"She did it!"

"No, they did it!"

"Oh, we all did it," I muttered, a grin spreading across my face as Marilla turned to gaze at me, her expression rapt.

Joy bubbled in my chest as I ran towards Marilla, sweeping her into a tight hug and placing my lips on hers in a brief kiss as she squealed with delight.

We had done it.

We had won.

We had overcome the darkness.