20. Luce

20

LUCE

A blinding flash erupted from beneath the water's surface. I shielded my face with my arm as an ethereal glow illuminated Rissa's submerged form.

Her body convulsed as the power slammed into her like a tidal wave. Rissa's back arched, arms flung out to the sides. The water churned violently around her, forming frothy waves that lapped against the side of the boat.

I scrambled onto the boat and gripped the railing, knuckles white, heart pounding in worry as I watched. Was she in pain?

Rissa rose from the depths, ascending through the frothing water as if being pulled up by an invisible string. Rivulets streamed off her skin and clothes, which were remarkably dry despite being submerged moments before. Her head jerked back, raven hair whipping in an unseen wind.

It had grown more than a foot in a moment, hanging to her waist.

As she broke the surface, Rissa hovered above the waves, suspended in midair. Her arms remained outstretched, palms facing the sky. An aura of pure energy pulsed around her—shimmering tendrils of light that seemed to originate from within.

I stared, slack-jawed and unblinking. Rissa looked like what she was, a goddess. Resplendent. Powerful. Utterly breathtaking.

Gazing upon the divine made flesh silenced me for a moment, beholding Rissa in her truest, most magnificent form.

Then I yelled, "Rissa, are you okay?"

She didn't respond, still hovering above the waves. The glow around her intensified, pulsing like a living thing. I couldn't tear my gaze away, even as panic clawed at my insides.

What if this sudden infusion of power was too much for her? What if it consumed her, leaving nothing behind but an empty shell? I couldn't bear the thought of losing her.

Oh no. I…cared for her.

I gripped the railing, my mind racing with possibilities, each more terrifying than the last. But then, a realization hit me like a bolt of lightning. These were Rissa's powers. They were a part of her, not some foreign entity. She would be fine. She had to be.

As if in response to my thoughts, Rissa began to float toward the boat, her movements graceful and fluid. She landed on the deck with the elegance of a dancer, her eyes fluttering open as if waking from a deep slumber.

I stared at her, transfixed. Rissa had always been beautiful, but now there was something ethereal about her. The power that radiated from her was intoxicating, like a heady perfume that I couldn't get enough of.

But the power was an enhancement of the desire I felt for the woman. Her fierce intelligence, her biting wit, her unshakable loyalty, those drew me to her. This power was just icing on the cake, a delicious bonus.

I wanted to sidle up to her, to bask in the warmth of her power, to let it wash over me like a comforting blanket. It was a sensation I'd never experienced before, a craving that went beyond the physical.

"Rissa," I breathed, taking a step towards her. "You're... incredible."

She looked at me, her green eyes sparkling with mischief. "You ain't seen nothing yet."

Her lips curved into a regal smile and the breeze caught her hair, fanning it in a perfect cloud around her.

Clapping sounded behind me. I glanced back and saw Rey applauding furiously. He waved a napkin with a number 5 written on it.

Rissa flicked her fingers and the napkin shredded into tiny fragments.

I chuckled, shaking my head in amazement. Even during this overwhelming display of power, Rissa was still Rissa. Sharp-tongued, quick-witted, and utterly irresistible.

Rissa turned and fixed her gaze on Jeanette standing by Rey. Her face darkened, her skin beginning to glow with an otherworldly light. She pointed an accusatory finger at Jeanette.

"Formless one!" Rissa hissed.

I stared at Jeanette in shock. "What?"

My mind reeled. How could Jeanette, my sister and loyal friend for centuries, be one of the creatures we hunted?

Jeanette's delicate features contorted into a mask of fear and confusion. "I don't understand. What is she talking about?"

I shook my head, unable to process the revelation. Rissa's power was undeniable, her ability to sense the formless ones unquestionable. But Jeanette? It couldn't be.

"There must be some mistake," I said, my voice thin with shock. "Jeanette's not one of them."

Rissa's eyes narrowed, the glow of her skin intensifying. "You think I'd make a mistake about something like this? I can see it, Luce. The darkness inside her, the shapeless void that defines the formless ones."

I looked at Jeanette, searching her face for any hint of deception. But all I saw was the same soul I'd always known.

"Jeanette, tell me it's not true," I pleaded, my heart sinking.

She shook her head vehemently. "I swear, I have no idea what she's talking about. I'm not a formless one. I couldn't be!"

The air crackled with tension. The power emanating from Rissa clashed with the aura of fear surrounding Jeanette.

I stood between them, torn and confused. I wanted to believe Jeanette, to trust in the bond we'd forged over centuries. But Rissa's confidence left no room for uncertainty.

"Rissa," I said carefully, "are you absolutely sure about this? Is there any chance you could be mistaken?"

Rissa's gaze snapped to me, her green eyes blazing. "You doubt me? After everything we've been through, everything I've shown you?"

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly dry. "No, I don't doubt you. But Jeanette... she's my sister. I need to be sure."

Rissa's expression softened slightly, a flicker of understanding passing over her face. "I know it's hard to accept. But I'm not wrong about this. Jeanette has a formless one inside her, and we need to deal with it accordingly."

I looked at Jeanette again, my heart aching at the thought of what we might have to do. She met my gaze, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Luce, please," she whispered. "You know me. You know I could never be one of them."

Rissa made a sudden grabbing motion with her hand, as if snatching an invisible shirt collar. Jeanette's arms and head jerked back violently, her chest yanked forward toward Rissa like a puppet on strings.

Cathy grabbed Rey's arm as he took a step forward.

Jeanette stumbled toward Rissa across the gleaming teak deck, her feet dragging and catching on the polished wood. She had no control over her own movements. I watched in horrified fascination as Jeanette's toes scrabbled uselessly, unable to find purchase.

I started forward instinctively, unsure what I would do, but Rissa's other hand shot up in a commanding "stop" gesture. Jeanette froze mid-stumble, suspended in an unnatural position like a puppet whose strings were slack.

Jeanette's body convulsed grotesquely, limbs twitching and shuddering as if seized by an invisible force.

Rey breathed, "Rissa, don't go too hard now." His hazel eyes were grim.

Beside him, Cathy wrung her hands, her face a mask of conflicting emotions, revulsion warring with a fierce acceptance. She remained silent, unwilling or unable to intervene.

I felt like I was being torn in two, caught between the woman I had grown to care for and the sister I had sworn to protect. The very air pulsed with the force of Rissa's power, the deck beneath my feet vibrating with each twitch rippling through Jeanette's body.

Rissa's hand clenched into a tighter fist, and Jeanette's form went rigid, suspended in mid-air like a grotesque puppet.

My mind raced, desperate for a solution, a way to reach the woman beneath the terrifying display of might. I took a step forward, my hand outstretched, words forming on my lips?—

But before I could utter a sound, Rissa's fingers twitched, and she made a pinching motion. Jeanette collapsed on the deck while Rissa relaxed. "It's dead. Jeanette will be fine after a bit of rest. She may need a therapist."

"All you had to do was pinch it?" I rasped, my gaze darting between Rissa's glowing eyes and the crumpled form of my sister on the deck.

Rissa shrugged. "I told you I had a lot of power. I just had to force it outside her body to keep from injuring her."

I shook my head. If she'd saved Jeanette from that awful fate… "I don't... I can't..."

"Hold my beer," Rissa said with a wry grin, her hands glowing with an even more intense otherworldly light. "I've got work to do."

Before I could even process her words, a shockwave of pure energy exploded outwards from her, slamming into me like a physical blow. I was thrown off my feet, my senses overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the power she had unleashed.

I hit the deck hard, the breath knocked from my lungs. Around me, the others groaned, their bodies thumping against the polished wood. But I couldn't focus on them, couldn't tear my gaze away from the sight of Rissa, her form wreathed in a blinding aura of light.

She was floating now, her feet hovering inches above the deck. Her eyes were closed, her face a mask of concentration. The air around her crackled with energy, the very fabric of reality seeming to warp and twist in her presence.

I struggled to my feet, my legs shaking beneath me. Before I could take a single step, a sound like the rending of metal tore through the air.

I whipped around, my heart pounding in my chest. And there, floating in a semicircle around the boat, were seven figures I had hoped never to see again.

The Council of Daemons.

They looked different than I remembered, their forms more ethereal, less substantial. But there was no mistaking the rage radiating from them, the palpable sense of danger that set my nerves on edge.

I could see the anger in their eyes, the barely restrained fury that threatened to boil over at any moment. But there was something else there too, an emotion I had never seen on their faces before.

Terror.

They were afraid of Rissa. Terrified . Afraid of the power she wielded, the threat she posed to their very existence.

Numir floated at the center of the semicircle, his once immaculate suit now tattered and torn. His dark hair whipped around his face in the otherworldly breeze, his features contorted in a snarl of rage and fear. Beside him, Ishtar cowered, her blonde curls tangled and matted, her pastel dress stained with soot and ash. Her wide eyes darted back and forth, like a cornered animal searching for escape.

I felt a sudden surge of anger, hot and fierce, rising within me. These were the beings who had tried to destroy everything I held dear, who had thrown the world into chaos and ruin. And now, faced with the consequences of their actions, they had the audacity to look afraid?

To seek compassion?

Rissa's gaze was fixed on Ishtar, her expression one of pure, unadulterated hatred. I knew the history between them, knew the role Ishtar had played in banishing the old gods, in forcing Rissa into hiding. The air around Rissa shimmered with barely contained power, her fists clenched at her sides.

"You." Rissa's voice tolled in the air like a giant bell, as divorced from emotion as the chimes in a cathedral. "You're the one who started all of this. You're the reason my family is gone."

Ishtar flinched back as if struck, her lips trembling. "I didn't have a choice," she stammered, her voice high and thin. "The Council...they made me do it. I never wanted to hurt anyone."

Rissa barked out a harsh laugh. "Spare me." The sheer power of her voice rolled over me, flattening me back down to the deck. "You knew exactly what you were doing. You condemned us all to an eternity of banishment from the world that created us, and for what? Power? Control?"

I looked back and forth between them, my mind racing. I had known these daemons all my life, had even considered some of them allies. But now, after experiencing how they treated those they considered useful tools, I felt nothing but disgust.

They had made their choices, had willingly sacrificed countless lives in pursuit of their own desires. Now they would face the consequences.

Numir's face contorted with rage as he thrust his hands forward, a bolt of crackling energy erupting from his fingertips. It hurtled towards Rissa, the air sizzling in its wake.

But Rissa didn't flinch. She lazily raised a single hand and the magic dissipated like smoke in the wind. It was like watching a toddler try to slap an elephant. Utterly futile.

Numir's eyes widened, his mouth falling open in shock. "That's...that's impossible," he breathed, his voice shaking. "No god is that powerful."

Rissa smirked, her green eyes glittering with amusement. "Oh, Numir," she purred, "you have no idea what I'm capable of."

With a flick of her wrist, a swirling vortex appeared behind the Council members, its edges shimmering with a painful light. Before they could react, Rissa hurled their bodies through the air like ragdolls.

I watched in stunned silence as they vanished into the portal, their screams of terror echoing in my ears. Rissa stood perfectly still, her hand outstretched, her face a mask of grim determination.

And then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the portal winked out of existence, leaving nothing but empty air in its wake. The Council was gone, banished to some unknown realm, and Rissa had done it with barely any effort at all.

I cleared my throat, trying to regain some semblance of composure. "Can I ask where you just sent them?"

Rissa shrugged. "I created a dimension just for them. It has no exits. It will support life. More than they did for my family."

No exits. Good. The Council members were trapped, imprisoned in a realm of Rissa's making, with no hope of escape. No longer on my list of things I needed to worry about.

Rissa walked to the center of the deck and sat down, crossing her legs beneath her. She closed her eyes, her brow furrowing in concentration. "Give me a few minutes to wrangle up all of the formless ones. They're a little bit harder to find than the Council was."

I frowned, recalling our earlier conversations about the formless ones. "I thought you didn't know how to find them?"

Rissa cracked one eye open, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. "That was before I became whole again. Now it feels like child's play."

Just a few short hours ago, we had been desperately searching for a way to defeat the formless ones, and now Rissa was treating it like a game.

I sat down beside her, careful not to disturb her concentration. The yacht rocked gently beneath us, the soft lapping of the waves against the hull lulling me into a sense of calm. For the first time since we hit open air, I allowed myself to hope that everything might turn out alright.

So long as Rissa was still Rissa when all of this was done.