Breaking The Balance

Breaking The Balance - The End Of All Things

Ianita stood in the centre of the room, her sword in one hand and a ball of purple magic in the other. Her expression was cold and full of unbridled rage, each scar on her body clearly visible as she stood against the one who caused so much pain to her and those she loved. She didn't look like a child at that moment, her hair streaked with crimson blood and her clothes torn in several places. She stood as if she had been fighting all her life, on the balls of her feet, every muscle wound up and ready to strike. Her tattered shirt only emphasised the muscles Ianita had gained over the months of training with Caitlin, making her an incredibly imposing enemy when you took the time to properly look her over.

The Shadows turned from Jordan's limp form to see the young goddess, an expression of confusion on their face. All the wounds that they had inflicted onto Ianita were gone, along with the fear that she had been living with since she was kidnapped. This wasn't the same little girl that they had taken all those weeks ago. Cautiously, it moved from Jordan's side and walked into the centre of the room – standing directly opposite her and circling around, with Ianita matching it step by step. It was a game of cat and mouse, with both of them waiting for the opportune moment to make the first blow. The Shadows wouldn't toy with her like it did with the others; it knew what was at stake at this point. This was a fight to the death. A bloody, agonising death.

No words were exchanged. No taunts or cruel jibes, both of them knowing that one wrong move would result in a fatal wound along with everything they've worked towards being shredded into pieces. If you didn't understand the context of what was happening then their movements were almost rhythmic, elegant and measured steps carrying them around the room. If the spectators squinted, they could see an eerie glow emanating from the two combatants, a fierce purple struggling to outshine a soulless blackness. As the two of them prepared to fight, their auras and their magic began to emerge – purple mist circling Ianita's hands whilst shadowy blades hovered behind The Shadows shoulder.

As suddenly as their confrontation had begun, they launched themselves at one another. The Shadows dived towards Ianita, attempting to rake its shadow claws down her side but she swiftly moved to the side, spinning out of range. Crouching, she began to launch small projectiles at The Shadows – tiny purple arrows raining down from the ceiling. The Shadows moved unnaturally, dancing across the floor with a smug expression on its face as it flawlessly dodged every arrow that Ianita threw at it. It looked around the room, making a direct run to where Ianita was crouched but just before it got to her, it feinted to the side and swept its arm into the air – launching Ianita into the wall at the far end of the room.

Ianita barely flinched. Absorbing the impact and landing flawlessly on her feet, she moved forward – keeping a wary eye on what direction The Shadow's arms were moving, just in case it tried to pull the same trick again. She muttered something under her breath before launching her knife across the room at the creature, running the other direction around the room. The air surrounded her feet, boosting her into the air and allowing her to run across the wall, grabbing the knife out of the air and slicing it across the creature's shoulder. The creature howled in agony, slashing out at Ianita's flying form and achieving a deep cut across Ianita's arm. Their blood intermingled in the floor, the crimson blood standing out against the darkness.

Landing firmly on her feet, Ianita twirled the knife between her fingers – keeping it constantly moving, not allowing The Shadows to see whether she was going to hold it or throw it. The Shadows grinned menacingly, raising its arms and allowing the mist to rise. The room became cold and eerie, causing everyone to have to squint to see the action between Ianita and The Shadows. The Shadows stalked around the room, slinking from one patch of darkness to another in an attempt to sneak up on Ianita. Ianita merely stood where she had landed, with her eyes closed and her face blank as she concentrated.