It was one of those days for Anaya where she woke up to the sun up in the sky but the clouds covered it so much that the day seemed very dull and boring. It brought a sense of unease to her mind and she felt the need to find something that could distract her. Something, just anything at all.
Anaya thought about it. What would one do on a day as such? When the sun itself was sulking in a corner, clouded by its own judgement to see that it was supposed to shine.
She decided to call up Xorlali with her brand new phone, carefully dialling her number out, hoping she wouldn’t call some other number this time.

The last time she tried using the Android, it went crazy, the experience wasn’t exactly fair for her, she was a newbie and she was expecting the damn thing to play out well for once so she could contact a normal person as intended but well, the android had its own mind.
Xorlali picked up the call on the third ring, chirping in a bit too enthusiastically for Anaya to match with her current mood, it made her feel even worse. “Well, someone seems to be missing me” Xorlali had replied before singing away lyrics of some song. She could imagine Xorlali baking at that moment, it was the only thing that would put her in such a great mood.
“Don’t flatter yourself, if the day wasn’t so boring, I wouldn’t even have remembered to call you at all. So, now be a good sister and come over with your car. We can at least spend some quality time somewhere out, like the mall, anywhere I wouldn’t have to see this dull sky.” Anaya grumbled.

“For sure, just done with my last batch of blueberry muffins. I would pack some for us even! ” Xorlali exclaimed.

“Cool” was all Anaya could muster up.

“What about Valeria?” Xorlali questioned, ignoring the obvious pissed off mood of Anaya.

It wasn’t like Anaya would leave out her new Lightblood sister from any of their plans. They had an inseparable connection that went beyond and overpowered the strength of any relationship. They were connected and they only felt whole when they were close together. Their hearts would literally seek out for each other when they were anywhere close by.

“Ahh, I don’t remember her number?” Anaya replied, half questioning, half saying it. Xorlali shook her head, she was expecting this. Anaya had refused to accept the android for the amazing invention it was, rather she looked at it as a puzzling mess; unsolvable.

“This is why I told you to save our contacts!” Xorlali exclaimed and Anaya groaned into the call but said nothing in reply. She was just fine with contacting the right person for once, this was more than an accomplishment for one day. Xorlali could have been a bit nicer to her after all Anaya wasn’t exactly in her best mood.
She still couldn’t figure out if it was the dull day acting upon her or her instincts were speaking largely to her now. The feeling of dread and something really off was settling deep inside her stomach.

No matter what she blamed or distracted herself with, the feeling never went. And now, it seemed to have gotten too intense for both of them to even ignore at all.

“You feel it too, don’t you?” Xorlali whispered the silence from the other side answered her question more than anything. Whatever it was, it was serious and it was coming soon, something was wrong and it wasn’t just the usual feeling. It was something big and far more dreading. It was like a huge balance had been tipped off. They had to be ready to face it, and for that, they needed Valeria now more than ever.

Xorlali cut the call, taking the packed muffins and her keys, she rushed to her car driving faster than ever to Anaya’s apartment. On her way there, Xorlali kept ringing Valeria, praying she’d pick up just this time but calls after calls Valeria never received it. Xorlali was dreading the worst-case scenario now, she prayed hard for the safety of her Lightblood sister. She hoped it wasn’t what she was thinking and probably Valeria’s battery had died down.

Anaya restlessly waited on the stairs outside her apartment building, keeping a close watch out for any harm that could come her way. When she saw Xorlali’s car rolling in, she rushed towards it, threw the car door open and sat in. The black tint on the car made it safer from the eyes of any outsider.

Anaya and Xorlali immediately held each other’s hand, took a deep breath before calling out to their Lightblood sister, Valeria. This connection would lead them to the location of their Lightblood sister. It still should have this time but something blocked them from reaching out to her and there was only one thing they thought that could do that, the magick of the Darkbloods.

It was obvious now Valeria was entrapped, the Darkbloods had gotten to her. They both recalled what they read about their previous Lightblood sister, Nia. How she was killed and yet Anaya now lived in the same body. Valeria wouldn’t have to go through the same fate.
It was clear as water and decided, they were going to save her, and Valeria wasn’t at any cost going to get killed by their hands. If anything, the Darkbloods would have to be ready to die.
They both slowly came back into their bodies, Xorlali and Anaya immediately called onto their powers chanting and summoning them close to themselves. It gave them the strength and power they needed, thrumming around and under their nerves.

Xorlali now recalled the app that would help track the location of their contacts. She typed away on her phone friskily, tracking and narrowing down the last location of Valeria and it showed one place, a club. A club that had shut down for years now, the “Wild Street Ale House”.

Xorlali didn’t think twice about the location, she shifted her gears, about to drive down to the club when a knock on her car window interrupted her. She saw an aged lady standing and rolled down her window for her.
“Remember, three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth...” She said pointing towards the sun still hidden behind the clouds and leaving them abruptly. They both looked at each other in confusion, it didn’t make sense why the lady would say that to them.
“I remember reading it in the book that was given to me,” Anaya whispered as Xorlali launched her car forward.
“Me too,” Xorlali said.

▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️▫️▪️

The whole building looked like it would collapse any minute, its doors creaked and window hung astray, whistling as the wind passed through them. The paint was chipping off and bricks and cement missed here and there. The building in all its sense left no hint of anyone being present at all. There was a desolate silence ringing all around it. It was like the Darkbloods had put a spell to avoid any intrusion or idea that something could be happening here.

Xorlali and Anaya were worried even more when they couldn’t feel her even being so near to her. There was definitely a spell around the building guarding it against the outsiders and blocking anything from going in or out.

They watched from their car parked at a safe distance from the building, hoping for any movement at all but the feeling of unease grew stronger than ever before, twisting their insides in pain this time. They both groaned in agony holding onto their stomach, they had to start moving. They may not be able to feel the connection but they knew where this pain was coming from. Valeria was being hurt and they had to do something fast.

They both climbed out of the car, dunking and shielding themselves from plain sight. Anaya murmured a spell to hide their power from being felt by the Darkbloods. If they did they would, none of them would be alive by now.
As Xorlali and Anaya neared the building in their transparent self, they sensed the magick the Darkbloods had wielded and it was too strong, thick as fog in the air and there weren’t just one or two Darkbloods in there, there were many and they felt their overpowering presence.

They both knew that there was no way they could defeat them without the power of the three combined, without the help of Valeria.
There had to be someway, Anaya thought, something. She searched through her memories and through the pages of the book passed to her. Helplessness was beginning to settle, they had to find a way to bring not just Valeria out, but they had to survive themselves so they could fight against them.

“Guard your heart and open your mind to the truth. Search deep within you for answers and never close the door to your instincts.”
The sentence repeated itself in her mind and she caught on to one thing.
Instinct.

What was her instinct telling her? Anaya thought searching deep within her. She felt her soul detach from her body and carefully take her over to the roof of the building avoiding the spell barrier before speedily descending lower into walls after walls and stopping in one dark corner. Anaya saw Valeria there, and she saw the Darkbloods try the same ritual as her Lightblood ancestors did years ago to bind the power of the three most powerful Lightbloods, to become powerful and unbeatable.

What terrified Anaya was the sacrifice, it was Valeria. She was laid unconscious with a knife hanging just above her stomach. She saw the power of her Lightblood preventing the knife from touching her body and protecting her even when she was unconscious. Valeria must have put on a protective spell when she first sensed danger or it was her guardian who was protecting her from afar.

Whoever it was, she knew it wouldn’t last long, the Darkbloods would easily break through the light barrier with the number that was present here. She wondered why wasn’t Valeria harmed or defeated yet but it was a good thing she was safe.

Anaya was about to leave when all of a sudden every single darkblood fell to their knees.
“Why haven’t they come yet? ” A loud voice boomed through the hall sending chills down Anaya’s spine. She had to remind herself they couldn’t see her and she was transparent and a soul at that moment.

A Darkblood stood up slowly, his eyes on the floor.

“Darklord, they’ve been spotted leaving their own homes. However, my Darklord...” the guy paused before continuing “The spell around this building wouldn’t allow them any near to us or even near the building” A Darkblood responded.

“What are you suggesting Jafari?” The Darklord asked in a surprisingly feminine voice this time, coming out of the shadows. Anaya’s eyes followed the short person covered head to toe in a black cloak that had a red interior to it.
“My Darklord, I wanted to put forth a suggestion to erase the spell barrier until they’ve entered in, this will allow them in but they won’t be able to leave.”

“Brilliant suggestion! Brilliant suggestion!” She exclaimed, applauding him.
“Dembe, make it happen!” She said.
“Anything for my Darklord” Another Darkblood, Dembe said giving a respectful bow and everyone dissolved and started working on their own.

Anaya took this as her queue to leave and inform Xorlali, but her soul was frozen in the corner as the eyes of the Darklord now stared in her direction, directly at her.

Was she able to sense me? Could she see me? Anaya panicked when the Darklord started moving speedily in her direction, she couldn’t move. Anaya held in a scream as the Darkload passed right through her opening a door behind her and shutting herself in. Anaya let out a sigh of relief, trying to calm herself. She felt the barrier dissolve now and her soul when straight past the walls before descending into her body back.

“Have you lost your own mind?” Was the first thing Anaya heard when she woke up from Xorlali. They were now in an alley than previously when they were standing in front of the building.

“They are doing the ritual, and we three Lightbloods are their planned sacrifice” Was all Anaya said, surprise and shock were evident on Xorlali’s face.

“Similar to ours?” Xorlali questioned and Anaya nodded.

“Valeria is safe?”

“She is unconscious and laid in the middle of the star, has a knife hanging over her, but they haven’t really harmed her because they need us all three.”

“We must now try and connect to her Li, they’ve brought down the barrier. We must try and revive her to consciousness, or else we won’t be able to defeat or save anyone. ” Anaya said letting her instincts guide her. It was time, it was now or never.

They both focused on their elements drawing out small balls of energy before combining it and disguising it as small pollen. With the help of wind and magick, they let the pollen be guided right onto Valeria. When Valeria would breathe in this pollen the energy would themselves transfuse into her body and she would gain consciousness eventually.

“Its time,” Anaya said from beside her. They both made sure none of their powers went intense or noticeable as they walked in their transparent forms into the building, silent and light as a soul. They saw the huge circle made on the dance floor of the club and Valeria laid in the middle of it. Xorlali felt anger upon seeing her like that, she wanted nothing but to save her and erase away the Darkbloods at their best. What she didn’t realise was the power she had exposed with her intense feelings.

The dark bloods had sensed the power of light right away, they figured out right then that Anaya and Xorlali were inside and amidst themselves. They began to put the barrier up now, chanting in unison and Anaya and Xorlali could feel their energy-draining quickly. Their power was overwhelming them and they had to reach Valeria now. By any means before their spell broke apart.

Xorlali and Anaya held onto each other’s hand whispering their own spell to ward off the effect the Darkbloods’ were sending onto them. They climbed on the dance floor and into the circle but could barely breathe, they buckled over as the pain got intense, sweat fell off their brows and body. Their power was weakening too fast, and their limbs were shaking. They looked at each other and the distance between Valeria. It was eight good steps and one spell had to be given up if they wanted to reach her. They decided to expose themselves but keep the other spell to lessen the effect of the Darkbloods’ spell.

It was decided but it was also when Valeria woke up, her eyes stared right at them, she saw the condition they were in and she did the first thing that came to her mind. Valeria closed her eyes and pushed her protective barrier further onto the circle as much as she could so she could protect them in. The Darkbloods saw the now visible barrier and conscious Valeria. Their aim and spell now focused on weakening the protective barrier and Valeria.

Anaya and Xorlali forced their weakened bodies to move forward quickly and into Valeria’s barrier. Upon entering the barrier all their spells erased and the Darkbloods could now see all three Lightbloods in the same place and in the circle. Xorlali and Anaya felt the strength pour and regenerate their spirits again. Valeria decimated the whole knife to powder in a flick before standing up and reaching to hold the hands of her Lightblood sisters.

They were together now and they could feel the power between them getting larger and powerful. They all smiled at each other, feeling their strength thrumming powerfully around them. It danced dangerously around them. The atmosphere and wind in the club picked its own speed getting denser in minutes. They saw a few weak Darkbloods trembles and burn to blisters. The scenario created chaos and confusion in the club as the will of the other Darkbloods started to falter.

After all, when did loyalty lie in Darkbloods? they were built on nothing but corrupted vices. Fake and for the sake of one’s own profit.
It was their time now, they turned to each other holding their hands and brought the already made circle to their advantage. They started chanting the spell to activate the circle but the Darklord had other plans for them, she brought out her dark webs attacking the barrier powerfully, trying to melt it down.

The three of them didn’t know that a single Darkblood like her could have so much power, it was affecting all three of them. They were forced to collapse onto their knees from the force of her magick but they didn’t stop.
They continued to murmur and willed their powers to merge and become one, their eyes soon shone white blinding the whole area and a huge ball of immense power started building between as they separated, standing independently but close to each other.

The bright ball of power rose above them, and the objects in the whole club flew and distorted with the harsh air, chairs and glass pieces flung at the Darkbloods. The barrier outside the building slowly transformed and evolved into a light barrier, the stronger Darkbloods were now burning to ashes with the overbearing amount of light radiating off the huge ball and the light barrier.

Anaya, Xorlali and Valeria were no more on their knees but floating inches above the ground, rising up higher in minutes time. It was time to end the Darkbloods and their disgraceful race and they did just that. The huge ball of light magick exploded with such momentum, that the effect reverberated and hit thousands of times over, peeling the Darklord skin by skin and flesh by the flesh to the bone until she was no more until the Darkbloods were no more. The building collapsed to rumbles whilst the Lightbloods were still in the air.

Slowly all three of them lowered to the ground, the sun now shone at its brightest giving out a white light as if celebrating their victory, they smiled at each other, it was the victory of the Lightbloods.

By S. A. Khan
(liveChic792 – Wattpad,
@a_meraki.s_quill_ - Instagram)