Chapter 10 “Burning Fury, Frozen Blade”
Now clear of the thrashing limbs and razor sharp leaves of the trees, Tharne rushed toward Ivy and her doppelgänger as they struggled still for control of the orange tree scepter. struggling over the rough ground of dark earth and stone now furrowed with deep troughs and rises as the great Floral beast and the dark insidious trees battled across the expanse of the room, leaving newly upturned tiles erupting like jagged teeth from between the severed and sometimes still twitching branches and the black soils soaked with clear water. sluggishly, his reactions slowed by some infernal intoxication, as though a cloud of toxic vapor was resting perilously close to his mind, he crested the final rise and finally rushed forth towards the entwined shapes so similar yet so different in their forms.
The Ivy, the impostor, whom he had spent so much time with seemed now a pale comparison when viewed next to the real thing. where Ivy herself projected Radiance and light, the other emitted a grey, almost two dimensional glow. Where the true Ivy felt like a powerful sun, soft and sweet on his skin, yet never
ending in its powerful force, the other felt like a sickly syrup of faded warmth and suffocating flows.
When had this new Ivy taken residence in their group? How long had she been leading them astray?
What had she gleaned from them to help the shadows to track and hunt them?
Was the Ivy he had known even real in the first place?
Fear interrupted his thoughts as the Pale Ivy slashed across Ivy with its now, elongated and twisted claws, cutting a shallow yet dark wound along her delicate arm, her vicious teeth reflecting the darkening eyes of pure black staring from lifeless sockets in her fierce face as they snapped closer and closer to Ivy.
Casting his doubts aside, Tharne leapt forward, buffeting the creature with a huge force from his powerful staff. The beast flew back, Its body clinging to the wall high above them, defying gravity as it clutched the wall and began to move animalistically toward the ground again. The Orange tree sceptre flew and
dropped to the soft ground nearby as Ivy fell backwards, her small arms clasping for some hold as Tharne, leaping to catch her, caught her in his.
The beast, moving in dark and stuttering patterns reached the floor opposite them and with a dreadful snarling smile, lunged forth at the Sceptre. Scrambling upwards, Ivy and Tharne leapt forward together, reaching desperately for the last hope of defeating this abomination, and the final doom of them all if they failed. The pale bestial Ivy was too quick and it bent slowly over the powerful weapon, its smile baring jagged teeth as its clutching talons stretched for the Sceptre.
Suddenly a burst of light flashed from the right and the beast turned just as an arrow, streaking at amazing speed burst across its face in a shower or searing cherry blossoms. Staggering the creature attempted to recover as another arrow leapt forth and cracked like a whip across its chest, scattering glorious colours across its now fading form.
Looking on with amazement, Thane and Ivy turned and saw their closest friend Nima, Standing atop the hulking mass of the flower beast which had spawned around their savior, plucking arrows of pure silken blossoms and woven petals as they sprouted from its back. Loosing another volley, the arrow shattered into hundreds of spinning glass like flowers, scattering across the Dark Ivy and sending it reeling back towards the ground.
Moving together now, Tharne shielded Ivy as she dove forward and seized her Sceptre, rising behind him, he felt her glowing presence burn back into the calm fury he knew so well.
The sounds of battle continued from behind them as the others were locked in combat against the seemingly inexhaustible army of trees. cries and commands came from Blake as he redirected the battle and focused their friends against the many foes.
However, Tharne and Ivy now focused on their own battle. The creature, once Ivy was now a mockery of its
former self, Teeth bared in a rictus snarl under a faded robe of tattered threads, billowing softly as if blown by an unknown void wind, the now faceless creature was focused with an obvious murderous intent.
launching with incredible speed, The Faceless horror lashed out at them, parrying its attacks, Tharne was forced backwards again and again as Ivy fired beams from her sceptre targeting the beastly thing as it drifted almost spectrally around their attacks.
As Ivys beams fired again and again, Tharne felt the hopelessness of the situation they were in. Pinned from both sides, their group split between an ever growing army of trees and a shadowy figure with more power than any they had faced before, both exits from the room closed to them by their enemies. They needed a way out.
Searching inside himself, he found his immense power, yet it seemed not enough to battle this dark entity, How had Nima been able to battle it so effectively?
Then, eyes wide, he began to see.
“Ivy” he cried out, “Move to the front, I will protect you I promise!”
and without hesitation, the small form of Ivy ducked and wove around him to stand close at his chest, as his shield retracted around them.
The beast, now sensing the retreat, let out a horrible cackling laugh and lunged forward.
Time seemed to slow around them as Ivy’s White and pure beam shot out toward the crystal blues of his shield in front of them. However, instead of allowing it to penetrate through, he moulded around it, slowed it, shaped it with his force. pulling small threads to each side and, concentrating, Forged his plan.
The beast leapt backwards, howling in pain as one of its arms spiralled to the ground beside it, disintegrating to dust and disappearing into oblivion. Its black eyes searching, it stared in disbelief at Ivy and Tharne as they
stood resolute together.
Ivy’s scepter of orange blossom and living tree now sprouted a resplendent sword of pure white light, encased in liquid blue crystal. The heat and power of which seemed to drink the very darkness around them. and Tharne stood beside her, wielding a huge shield of sapphire blue, bound with great strapping of encased white metallic rods, it felt and sung its unbreakable name into the void of silence around them.
Wielding the sword with a fury unseen in this world, Ivy engaged the Evil thing. blow for blow, the beast could not match her incredible zeal. Working in tandem, Tharne buffeted back the creature’s attacks, the shield moving as though with a will of its own to cleave the air and deflect the slashing beasts onslaught.
Dancing continuously, the three figures seemed as a fluid mist of vapor, maneuvering with grace and fanaticism with such beautiful and horrible motions counter reflecting each other into the universe.
The dance and music of the heated battle built to a crescendo peak as Ivy feigned a thrust and moved past the creatures diving form to swing with light trailing speed, severing the neck of the horrible Demonic Ivy and sending it to rot to dust even before it touched the ground.
The sudden deafening silence echoed louder than the previous battles ever could.
The trees, their great piercing barbs and branches stilled in mid swing now were silent. Blake, Mia, Ryan, Nima and the newcomer all slowly and cautiously moved between the stabbing thorns and back to stand with Ivy and Tharne. The sword and shield, now slowly faded back into the air around them, leaving a warm afterglow and a feeling like a beautiful sigh on an early morning.
Shedding flowers dropped from the great flowered beasts back, hundreds in form and colour, they fell to the ground as a trail of petals and grew into a path of delicate wildflowers where they landed. Their saviour,
now standing tall in their midst, her cloak of scarves billowing again in the wind, crouched down to inspect the dust of the fallen creature, now billowing across the strewn earth.
“Thank you” said Tharne. “Without you, we were truly lost”
Shattered Cosmos 
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