The darkness closed in on all sides, the twisted creatures who lurked within crouching just at the edges of the light emanating from Zaria’s blade, inky black eyes shining as they gazed hungrily at her.
But they didn’t dare come any closer, not while she held a source of light in her hands.
“Your companions have all succumbed to the power of the Dark; it is time for you to do the same.” The raspy voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once, its source unclear, “Lay down the blade; you fight a battle you cannot hope to win. Give into the darkness.”
With that last part, a wave of hopelessness suddenly washed over her. There was no denying the truth in the voice’s words; she was the last of the force who had arrived to drive the darkness off. What was the point in her resisting? What could she possibly achieve here on her own? There was no escaping this.
Zaria found herself lowering her sword.
“Give in.”
Her grip on her sword began to slacken.
“Give in.”
No! she thought suddenly, discovering the shadow magic filling her with despair as what it was at the last second before her blade slipped from her hands. Growling, she shook herself and raised her sword again.
She may have been the last one left, but that did nothing to change her mission. She’d come to drive the Dark back, and now it was solely up to her to see the deed carried out.
She’d fulfill her mission, or she’d die trying. There was no alternative.
As if they could sense her newfound determination, it was then that the creatures around her sprang forward, roaring and hissing in rage over being denied, hundreds of bodies leaping towards her, fangs and claws bared.
But Zaria held firm despite the odds. When the first of the creatures reached her, her blade rushed to meet it, cleaving through its body with ease and flashing with yellow light that caused the nearest monsters to hiss and jerk back, blinded. Zaria cut them down as well, even as she felt the claws of the creatures behind her dig into her back, easily getting through her armor.
She whirled around and swept her blade out, cutting more than one of them in half as she did so.
More came on.
And Zaria stood against them until her wounds became too much and the last breath left her lungs.
She took the last of the monsters with her.
Thank you for reading! I wrote this story as part of the Storytelling Collective’s Flash Fiction February 2023 challenge, so a huge thanks to them for inspiring me to give it a shot.
