Eight years ago

It was a disaster. Cassius was watching helplessly as the Ritual transformed into something that he had no words to describe. The Mages were screaming in agony, unable to do anything to stop the inevitable. The light accumulated in the very centre of the square was blinding. But all around them, the reality was wavering. Dark shadowy creatures were lurking there and shrieking. The air itself was glimmering, showing glimpses of some other place. Dark, cold, and unfamiliar. It felt like the whole world was coming apart around him.

'Inquisitors! Protect the Mages!' he barked the order. At the exact moment, one of the Shadows separated from the coiling darkness and jumped at the immobilised Mage with an otherworldly shriek that sent creeps down Cassius' spine. The Mage became limp, and his skin instantly turned ashen while the creature devoured his Light and grew bigger and darker. The knight rushed at it, but their swords made the beast no harm.

Cassius watched, terrified as more and more creatures were slipping into his world and latching into the Mages like leeches, feeding on their inner Light. And they could do nothing to stop it. Cassius growled and unsheathed his sword. He'd be damned if he goes down without a fight. But how can you beat the monster immune to steel?

One of the Shadows jumped at him, but before it could reach him, he was pierced by the arrow made of light. The creature shrieked and turned to dust. Cassius looked surprised at a young Mage who stood nearby. Not all of them took part in this cursed Ritual.

'Seneschal!' the Mage shouted over the screams of dying and ungodly howls of monsters. 'Use the fire! Only light and fire might hurt them!'

Cassius nodded. 'Gather all remaining Mages and keep the monsters away as long as you can! Inquisitors! Form the wall and grab the torches! Make sure none of those things leaves the perimeter!'

The fight was tedious and brutal. Before they managed to get the situation under control, most of the Mages taking part in the ritual were dead already. They set nearby buildings on fire to keep the Shadows from spreading towards the rest of the city.

Cassius was bone tired. All his muscles shook from exhaustion and fighting all day long. He ventured to one of the alleyways leading toward the rest of the city to make sure no Shadows were lurking there. But instead of the otherworldly creatures, he found the Grand Inquisitor sitting on the street and leaning heavily on the wall of the building. His breath was rasped, and half of his body was blue and covered with frost. That's what happened when the Shadow touched you but haven't managed to suck out your soul completely.

Cassius kneeled beside his superior. 'Grand Inquisitor.'

The man opened his eyes with visible effort. 'Seneschal. Good to see you. I thought it was my end for sure. I need a medic, swiftly.'

Cassius has not moved. He was only looking at the other man, his grey eyes cold and calculating. 'This is all your fault, you know.'

'What?' the Grand Inquisitor's brows shot up. 'What are you babbling about, boy? I need a medic, right now!'

Cassius gestured to the burning ruins all around them. 'This. The Ritual, the massacre that followed. The burned city. All of it.'

'Cassius...' the older man rasped, fear showing for the first time in his bloodshot eyes.

'You are weak. You should have stood your ground on that council. You should have never let this damn thing happen!'

'I told you, there was nothing we could do....'

'No, you're wrong. It's because of the weak people like you, we are in this mess now. And if you keep leading the Inquisition, we will never survive what's coming.' Cassius unsheathed the dagger from his belt.

Grand Inquisitor's eyes went wide. He tried to crawl away, but he had no strength. 'Cassius, you can't! Would you betray our oath and kill me to take over my position?!' his voice was shaking and high pitched. 'If you think you can get away with it, you are wrong. You will be trialled and executed as a traitor you are!'

'No, I won't,' Cassius said calmly, his face impassive. 'After today's massacre, no one is going to question one more victim. Not when I was the one fighting out there and shouting orders while you were cowering somewhere in the back alleys.'

'Cassius, please, I beg you....' cried the Grand Inquisitor. 'I'll step down for you. I'll willingly hand you all the power. Please, spare me. Then you can use the power however you want!'

'You are a cowardly fool until the end,' growled Cassius raising his dagger. 'I'm not killing you for the sake of your position.'

'Then why?'

'Because I'm the only one who can clean up this mess,' Cassius said and plunged the blade into Grand Inquisitor's chest with one swift movement.

***

The following two days they spent stepping between the realms, testing the limits and restrictions of Iris' abilities. She has confidence in her skill now, and it took only a little light to trigger her gift. They all agreed that they should make an expedition to the Shadow Realm to find Kara's husband. It was not only a matter of knowledge he could provide them with after spending so much time on the other side. But they could not leave a person out there helpless, knowing they could venture there without much trouble. No one said it, but they all felt it.

That's why Myr led them back toward the old campsite. To the lake, where Kara was meeting with her husband.

'Are we sure it is safe getting back there?' asked Jayden, his brow furrowed.

'The Inquisition left,' said Myrica looking over her shoulder. 'The creatures of the forest say they left right after their raid. They have what they wanted now, so they do not bother to leave their soldiers behind.'

'The Grand Inquisitor is far too proud,' said Marcus, his face sour. 'After capturing most of the Mages, he doesn't see us as a threat anymore.'

'Well, he's not wrong,' sighed Jayden. 'If I were in his position, I would be cocky too. It's not like our odds are high right now.'

Marcus stopped, turning to face the young man and put a hand on his shoulder. 'As long as we fight, there is still hope, Jayden. I know it's rough, and it seems that everything was lost the moment our camp was discovered. But I can promise you that as long as there is life in these old bones of mine, I will not stop fighting. I will not rest until the Grand Inquisitor and his atrocious Shadow Magic is banished from this world.'

'I'm sorry, Master,' stuttered Jayden, his cheeks suddenly red. 'I didn't mean to complain, I just....'

'I know, boy,' replied Marcus with a sigh and squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. 'It's not easy to keep up high spirit all the time. But we are all in this together.'

'Plus, now we have Iris and can step between the realms,' added Arlo with a wide grin and patted Iris' back with enough force to make her stumble. 'That is the advantage we needed. He won't even see us coming!'

'Well, that's an oversimplification, but Arlo does have a point,' said Marcus. 'First, we need to find Sam and get him out of the Shadow Realm. Then we can plot the actual scheme to bring down the Grand Inquisitor.'

'So, less talking and more walking,' said Kara sternly, ushering them to move.

They reached the lake in the evening, and despite Kara's protests, they decided to proceed with the realm crossing in the morning. Iris felt guilty looking at her friend's annoyance. She knew how restless these past few days were for Kara. They were now so close to finally reaching her lost husband, but they kept delaying. Myr and Marcus were adamant. They didn't know what was waiting for them on the other side or how long the search will take. They need to be well-rested and prepared—especially Iris, as so much was depending on her.

Iris took two cups of herbal brew from Myrica and walk over to Kara, who was pacing at the lakeshore. Her whole body was tense, her movements rapid and hasty, just like a wild animal caught in a cage.

'Kara?' Iris asked shyly.

The woman stopped and looked at her. 'What now?' she asked. Her face was grim and distant like her thoughts were miles away.

'Here, you should drink this.' Iris handed her the cup. 'Myr says it helps to calm the nerves. Why don't you come and sit by the fire with the rest of us?'

'I can't,' she said, although she accepted the brew. 'I'm sorry, but I can't just sit around and wait. We are so close now! What if something happens to him at night? What if we go in the morning and it would be already too late? What if...'

'Kara,' said Iris gently and put her hand on her friend's arm. 'Your husband survived all this time in the Shadow Realm. I don't think one night will make a difference to him.'

'You can't know that!' she protested, her voice angry, the knuckles of the hand holding the cup turned white.

'You're right. I can't. But I know, I'm dead tired after walking through the forest all day. I guess for you, it was probably nothing, but I'm still new to all this, and I'm not that strong,' Iris said and felt her face flushed red. It was not easy to admit it, not while surrounded by all those capable and driven people. 'I'm aware that I'm slowing you all down....'

'Iris, I didn't mean...' said Kara, her anger replaced by sorrow.

Iris waved her hand dismissively. 'It's fine, Kara. What I also know is that I can do something no one else can. I want to help you, I do. But at the same time, I can't pretend I can go on for hours without rest and then jump into the Shadow Realm for the rescue mission. Because if I would, I'm fairly sure we could all get stranded out there, and that is not what we are trying to accomplish here.'

'I know it,' said Kara quietly and looked over the lake. 'My mind knows it, by my heart still urge me to move, to do something. Right now. It's because I feel useless. I have no magic on my own. I can't do anything to help Sam. I've waited for so many years...' her blue eyes glazed over with tears while her voice started to shake.

Iris took her free hand and squeezed it gently. 'You are not useless, Kara. We need someone to protect us while we are in the Shadow Realm. Light Magic doesn't work there. We all need to work together if we want to have any chance to succeed.'

'You're right, I'm sorry,' Kara said with a sigh. 'Let's get back to the campfire. We need to be ready for tomorrow.'

'Kara, I promise, I'll do everything I can to find him,' said Iris.

'Thank you.'

Picture by Yaka Bagus from Pexel