Rank 3 - Mel and Eulalia

Eulalia stood at the edge of a swampy forest in Vitalus. She stared into the darkness, reliving the fear and terror she had experienced as a pup wandering in the woods with Mel. Ever since then, she had avoided the dark. Even at night, she always had some sort of light on to keep the shadows and nightmares away. Yet, here she stood, about to willingly go back into the black forest all because Mel decided to do something stupid… again. 

“I really need to rethink this friendship,” Eulalia mumbled to herself as she walked into the mouth of the forest, letting the darkness swallow her. 

Mel had been practicing his magic. He had very little control over it, but he still tried to wield it safely. Except, he wasn’t successful. With all the time he practiced, there was no progress, so he tried to hide himself away from others. If he practiced in a forest or somewhere secluded then no one would be hurt when the magic misfired. In his mind, the dark, swampy forest near their childhood home was the perfect place. 

Mel had been practicing his magic for hours. Green and teal lightning singed the trees around him as the streaks of coloured light whipped out of his control. He sighed, frustrated. He contemplated asking Eulalia for help but shook the thought away because he thought he relied on her too much. Mel took a focused breath before trying to wield his magic, and for a second, he thought he had control until the bolt sliced left and ricocheted into the darkness. 

“Shit,” Mel hissed. He knew what was in this forest, but he hoped the sounds of magic would keep the beast away. 

Eulalia continued wandering deeper and deeper into the forest. Just as she remembered, the crystals’ lights were blotted out by moss and tree roots leaving her very little to use as a guide. She had been walking for so long that she wondered if what Llyr said was even true. Maybe this was a prank, and Mel wasn’t in the zataro’s territory practicing his wild magic. However, another few minutes of walking passed before she could see flickering green lights ahead. The closest she got the more certain she was it was Mel because she could smell the burned wood and hear the lightning crash into rocks, crystals, and trees. 

“Mel?” Eulalia called out.

The only thing she heard in reply was a curse, and then the light from his magic faded. At first, Eulalia thought he was swearing because he had been caught, but the sound of a large animal barreling through the trees made her think otherwise. 

Eulalia was staring into the darkness of the forest, trying to pinpoint where the zataro was coming from, when Mel ran into her. 

“Lia?” Mel stuttered, “What are you doing here?”

“Llyr sent me to get you,” Eulalia replied, still staring in the direction of the noise. 

“We need to get out of here.”

“No kidding. Why did you pick this forest, of all places?”

“Now really isn’t the time, Lia.”

Both vayrons stood alert as the sounds of the zataro stopped. There was a chill in the air that became apparent when the pair’s breath was visible in poofs as they breathed. They pressed close together, not missing the parallels of the first time they ventured into this forest. The only difference was now, they were bigger, and they had a little magic. 

Eulalia tilted her head, trying to get a better idea of how close the zataro was. It was hard to determine if the zataro was walking stealthily. It was like the creature understood they were more of a threat now, too. It couldn’t rush them like it did all those years ago. Mel flicked his ears, trying to listen for the slightest noise. 

Seconds later, all light from the crystals around them was sucked out of the space, and they were plunged into the black darkness. Eulalia activated her magic instance as a reflex she developed in response to dark places like this. Pink tendrils pulled away from her body as they gently weaved around the pair, giving them a little bit of light. Mel watched her magic swirl around them and feared he would need to use his to help them win the incoming fight. 

“Lia,” Mel whispered, “I can’t use my magic.”

Eulalia shook her head, though Mel couldn’t see it, she said, “You can. I’ll be fine.”

Mel swallowed thickly, shaking his head and refusing. 

“Mel, I don’t think you understand.” Eulalia whispered, “It’s more of a you need to use it. My magic has changed; it can’t physically harm anything.”

Mel froze at this new information. He wondered what happened because, as teenagers, Eulalia used her magic all the time to physically drag Mel out of dangerous situations. It was always a physical thread, but if she was saying otherwise, he had to worry how this fight might end. He dreaded the knowledge that his magic would harm everything around him. 

Pale green eyes flashed in the darkness around them, cutting all conversation and thoughts short. The zataro circled them, prowling with quiet steps. Its long tail carefully weaved through the trees, despite its size it never rustled any leaves. The massive creature pinned them with a deadly glare. If there was any wonder as to why the creature came for them, the scorched side of its face gave the answer. A rouge lightning bolt from Mel had hit it. 

Eulalia pushed her magic out and brighter to take away the zataro’s advantage. Mel stepped away from her slightly when the path brightened. He felt his magic buzzing under his skin, begging to be released the more anxious he grew. Eulalia’s pink light let them see the creature pause and crouch. 

“Get ready,” Eulalia urged as she bunched her muscles, preparing to leap out of the way. 

Mel didn’t reply; there wasn’t time. Zataro launched its massive body at them, its white tusks flashing in the pink light. Eulalia dodged out of the way while Mel jumped in the other direction. Eulalia’s expression flashed to show her confusion and worry that he went in another direction, but when his green lightning flickered around his body the reason became clear. He was putting space between them. 

The zataro was now in between the two vayrons, and Mel smiled, hoping that the zataro would block all the magic from reaching Eulalia. The pair hadn’t fought together before, but there was something that naturally clicked for them. Eulalia concentrated her magic to pull zataro’s attention away from Mel. While the zataro was distracted, Mel focused on his magic to create a blast that would nail the monster. In the next second, Mel released his chaotic lightning. The bolts went in every direction, scorching trees, the ground, and zataro. 

The zataro roared out its pain as it turned to attack Mel, except Mel had already moved in the opposite direction. He stood next to Eulalia while he prepared his next attack. They shared a look before Eulalia pulled her pink tendrils closer to her, leaving the space in darkness except where she stood. Eulalia was hiding her pain, but the lightning had hit her, too. She moved as quickly as she could to pull zataro’s attention to her again. Eulalia stepped into the tree line as if she were running away, but it was enough to cause the zataro to roar and give chase. 

Mel focused his magic again, feeling more confident that the creature would take the brunt of the hit. He released another blast of his wild lightning. The sounds of crashing stopped and were shortly followed by the sound of something large falling. The unusual darkness faded away like the threat was gone. The crystals embedded in the trees gave the space some light. Mel smiled brightly that he and Eulalia had managed to take it down. However, it was short-lived when Eulalia stumbled into the dimly lit clearing. 

“We need to get out of here,” Eulalia winced. 

“I…” Mel’s complexion paled, “I hit you.”

“Flesh wound, let’s go.” 

Mel remained silent as the pair left the forest. Once Mel was certain Eulalia was safe and healed, he vanished. Even though the healer repeated what Eulalia said, they were just flesh wounds. They hurt, but they weren’t deep or life threatening. Eulalia sighed; his reaction was right in character. He didn’t think about what hiding would do. He just did it; he’d deal with the consequences later. 

[1430]