Lights Out (Book 2 of the "Living Nightmare" series)

Chapter 1

Blood splattered the ground. Black darkness spilled from the wounds on Shadow's body and ir breathed heavily as it stared Ceris down. She and Gwendolyn circled around it, Endermen forming walls on all sides. It was surrounded—and Ceris could tell it knew.

"You are a monster turned to darkness and death," Gwendolyn took a step forward, gripping her staff tightly. "You came from a breed that was good. But you have had your mind poisoned. You've turned against your own creator—the man to whom your DNA is bound!"

Ceris sent Gwendolyn a confused look as the arch-enchantress continued. "But I know how this happened. You and your owner share some of the DNA. Because they're related!"

Apparently Shadow had heard enough. It let out an ear-splitting roar, forcing everyone to clap their hands over their ears. It then bolted through the Endermen and disappeared.

Rain turned to Gwen. "Wait, wait. Care to explain half of what you just said?"

She sighed. "There are two types of Shadow Wraths—Alapani and Laverno. Alapani are lethal and Laverno are passive. Many don't know this, but Lance actually has a love for science. He's spend hours in his lab- experimenting-crossing sciene with magic. Sometimes I would help him. I was there the day he gave life to the first Laverno Shadow Wrath."

Stella blinked. "Wait, he made them?"

"Yes. He's created many creatures, the Shadow Wraths being the most powerful," Gwen paused. "Well, that and his Man-Dragons. He bound both to him by binding his DNA into their's. It was to keep them from turning on him."

"Then how come Shadow keeps attacking him?" Vordus asked.

"Because Hellknight and Lance share DNA—and that has been used against him."

"Wait, Lance hasn't come back yet!" Ceris looked around. "I've got to find him!"

"Ceris, wait! Gwendolyn couldn't do anything, however, before Ceris teleported away.

Rain's voice caught her attention. "Lady Gwendolyn! I think Shadow broke into the cave earlier!"

She grasped her staff and bolted in. Endermen huddled in one corner, Ciara bent over Kane in the other—who wasn't moving. Before anyone could do anything, Ciara spoke, "Kane is dead."

Stella gasped. "What? But how?!"

"Yeah, how?" Rain agreed. "He's Undead. Undead don't die."

"That's what I thought." Was the quiet reply.

Silence settled over the cave. But that silence was broken by a gasp.

<>

Lance was in a puddle of blood. He tried to get up but was too weak to move, in too much pain to do anything. It felt like every single ounce of life was being drained out of him.

"Lance?" Ceris came into his shaky line of vision, her stopping dead when she saw him. "Lance! Oh my gods, what on earth happened to you?!"

"H-Hellknight threw a b-bomb at E-Echo," he stuttered out. "I d-don't know what happened to her. T-then he st-stabbed me."

"Oh no...this is really bad." Ceris knelt next to him, and he nodded weakly.

"Ceris, I...I don't think I'm going to make it."

"Oh no, you don't," she looked him directly in the eye. "Don't you dare start talking like that. There has to be something we can do."

"I don't think there is."

"But—"

"Ceris." He interrupted. "Find Echo. Hellknight won't stop until he has her and we both know it's because of our combined powers in her blood. Allthough I won't get to see her become a true part of the End, I'm glad I got to meet her. Our daughter."

"Lance, you're saying goodbye," Ceris closed her eyes. "Please don't do that. I can't lose you again."

He smiled gently and lifted the hand that wasn't clutching his wound to her cheek. "I love you, Ceris. Even if I didn't always act like it, I've always loved you and always will."

"Lance—"

"Shh." He pulled her mask down and leaned up just enough to press his lips against hers. It was a taste neither of them had known for 200 years. Lance let more desperation than he wanted slip in as his vision went black.

Ceris stared at him as his eyes fluttered closed and his fell back.

But he was still breathing.

She knew he wasn't gone yet. And she had no intentions of letting him go.

Gwendolyn came bursting through the trees. "Ceris, we—good Lord, what happned to him?!"

"Hellknight happened," Ceris slid her arms under Lance's limp body, a determined set to her face. "Now help me carry him. He's still alive and we to get him out of here. Now. Then I need to find Echo."

<>

Hogsworth and Lyria were stuffed up in the concealing branches of a spruce tree, and the branch Hogsworth was on was a little to thin for his comfort. But he didn't dare move due to the activity of the Nether forces below them.

"Okay," he said at length. "It doesn't appear to be too large of a force. I'd say there can be no more than a thousand of them."

"It still doesn't make sense," Lyria replied, fiddling with the end of her ponytail. "There's literally nothing out here. Why would they even care about this place?"

Hogsworth had to think about that. "Honestly, I don't know."

Lyria opened her mouth to reply when Hogsworth clapped a hand over it. A hooded figure was approaching the nearby soldiers. The duo in the tree leaned forward to listen.

"Hello, soldiers," the hooded man said. "I need you to send a message to Kralos."

The pigman soldier nodded and pulled out a piece of paper. "What would you like me to say, Hellknight?"

"Who's Hellknight?" Lyria mouthed. Hogsworth shrugged.

"'Kralos'," Hellknight dictated. "'My first attack on the Ender Watchers did not go as planned. BUT Shadow has revealed to me their exact hiding place. We must strike as soon as possible to succeed. Hellknight'."

The pigman sealed the letter and quickly left.

"Who's Shadow? Do you know?" Lyria whispered.

Hogsworth shook his head. "I have no idea. But it doesn't matter. We know why they're here. The Ender Watchers are somewhere in the Epic Mountain."

Her eyes widened. "The Ender Watchers? Are you sure?"

"Positive. That's the only reason they'd be here, especially if they're under Kralos' command."

"So what do we do?"

A serious look came over his face. "We warn the Ender Watchers."

A/N: Finally! I got a new chapter done after revamping the plot line. I'm very excited to share the improved story with you and i hope you'll enjoy it!

1000 words