Apocalypse Baby

Ella's mind raced.

Light?

How was that supposed to help?

She tilted her head slightly, confused and curious, but Freya didn't explain. She just kept grinning, her sharp eyes locked onto the Veilborns.

Watching. Studying.

She's got a plan, Ella realized. But what is it?

Freya's grip on her weapon tightened.

If her theory was correct, then this idea might work.

Most likely.

…But she wasn't completely sure.

She inhaled deeply, steadying herself.

The details clicked together in her mind.

The Veilborns didn't have shadows.

That didn't make sense.

The moonlight was shining down on them, so why weren't they casting any?

Unless...

Freya's eyes widened.

Because they are shadows.

It made too much sense.

They moved without sound.

They were immune to physical attacks.

They were living darkness.

And if that was true… then there was one thing they couldn't stand.

Freya knew she was taking a gamble.

Sure, the Veilborns could be something else entirely. There were plenty of other possibilities.

But she was willing to bet everything on her suspicion.

That these creatures were shadows.

And what was the best way to destroy a shadow?

Light.

That was why she had asked Ella the question.

Of course, she wasn't completely sure. This was all just a theory.

The worst-case scenario?

They weren't shadows at all… and both of them would die.

Freya swallowed hard but didn't back down.

Better to take a risk than to run aimlessly into another trap.

Her eyes never left the Veilborns.

She took a deep breath.

"Alright, Ella," she said, voice steady. "Let's do this."

Ella hesitated for a fraction of a second before pushing herself to her feet.

She had no idea what Freya was planning, but at this point, she didn't care.

If it meant survival, she was willing to try anything.

Tightening her grip on her staff, she raised it high.

A faint glow flickered at the tip.

Then, she began to conjure a ball of light.

A soft glow flickered to life at the tip of Ella's staff.

The magic swirled, gathering into a small, pulsing ball of light.

Then there was movement.

The Veilborns flinched.

Their reaction was eerie, unnatural.

They didn't stumble or lurch like normal creatures.

Instead, they jerked backward in quick, precise steps, then froze in place, bodies contorted in odd, twisted positions.@@novelbin@@

Like a glitch in reality.

Freya's breath caught in her throat.

Ella's eyes widened in disbelief.

"They're… moving away," she whispered.

Her heart pounded.

It was working.

It was actually working.

A wave of relief crashed over her.

"It worked," she exhaled, barely believing it herself.

"Of course it did," Freya replied, trying to sound confident.

But inside?

Her legs were shaking.

She had gambled everything on this theory.

And it had paid off.

She forced herself to stand tall, keeping her gaze locked on the Veilborns.

"Can you make it brighter?" she asked.

Ella nodded eagerly.

She tightened her grip on her staff, pouring more energy into the spell.

The ball of light expanded—growing bigger, brighter, stronger.

The Veilborn recoiled even further, their eerie retreat almost hypnotic.

Their movements were unnatural—gliding back in sharp, jerky steps before freezing mid-motion.

Ella, heart pounding, felt a rush of courage.

She took a step forward.

The glowing orb of light hovered above her staff as she cautiously guided it toward the Veilborn.

They shrank away, slipping backward like shadows fading from sunlight.

The more she advanced, the more they retreated.

Freya watched closely, her body still tense. Experience exclusive tales on My Virtual Library Empire

The creatures were moving away, but she didn't dare relax yet.

Ella continued her slow, deliberate march forward.

The Veilborns drifted back until—they vanished around a corner at an intersection.

Gone.

Ella exhaled a shaky breath, sweat clinging to her skin.

She left the glowing orb floating in the middle of the intersection, ensuring the Veilborn wouldn't be able to return through that path.

Only then did she finally clutch her chest, feeling the rapid thud-thud-thud of her heartbeat.

She turned to Freya, who met her gaze with a triumphant grin.

Without thinking, Ella threw her arms around Freya in a tight hug.

"Thank you, ma'am… You saved me."

Freya stiffened.

"Ma'am?!" she exclaimed. "I'm not that old!"

Ella trembled, her relief spilling over into sobs.

"I… I thought I was going to die…" sob sob "…Thank you…"

Freya stiffened at the sudden embrace, caught off guard by the wave of emotions crashing into her.

Ella clung to her tightly, shoulders trembling, tears dampening Freya's sleeve.

For a moment, Freya hesitated.

Then, with a small smile, she let out a sigh and gently patted the back of the girl's head.

"It's no problem," she murmured.

As she held Ella, she took a closer look.

Now that she wasn't just seeing her as a burden or a liability, she realized she had been mistaken.

Maybe it was the way she dressed, or the fear that had made her seem older before.

But Ella was younger than she had thought.

A teenager, probably.

Freya cleared her throat, shaking off the sentimental moment.

"Hmm... let's not stay here too long," she said firmly. "This is a death maze. Relaxing isn't a good idea."

Ella wiped her eyes, nodding quickly.

"Right," she said, her voice still a little shaky but determined.

She stepped back, finally releasing Freya, and the two turned to move forward.

They walked in silence.

Neither of them spoke about Jeremy.

Freya and Ella moved cautiously, their footsteps light against the cold stone floor. Every step was deliberate, their eyes scanning for hidden traps. The last thing they needed was to trigger some deadly mechanism.

As they turned a corner, a sickening crunch echoed through the passage.

They froze.

Up ahead, hunched over a mangled corpse, was a creature unlike anything they'd seen before.

A ram.

But not just any ram.

Its jagged horn looked like it had been chipped away by battle, rough and uneven. Veins of molten light pulsed along its cracked skull, giving off an eerie glow. Its eyes burned a deep, molten gold, flickering like living flames.

[Shard Ram]

Freya stiffened.

A ram? Eating a corpse?

She had always thought rams were herbivores. Clearly, this thing didn't get the memo.

Her eyes flicked to the glowing text above its head. Unlike the Veilborns, whose names had shone a threatening red, this creature's name glowed green.

That was interesting.

Freya was starting to piece something together.

Red meant the monster was far beyond their level—a death sentence if they tried to fight.

Yellow probably meant tough, but not impossible.

Green?

Green meant they had a chance.

Freya tightened her grip on her blades, her stance steady.

The Shard Ram looked dangerous, but she was confident she could take it down.

The creature scraped one hoof against the ground, its jagged horn beginning to glow with a fierce golden light. A low, guttural growl rumbled from its throat before—

Boom!

The ram charged.

Fast.

Too fast.

Freya braced herself, ready to strike—

But before she could move, Ella stepped in front of her.

Freya's eyes widened.

"Whatare doing?!"