Chapter 17

Damon laughed at his brother. "You've always had an overinflated sense of yourself, Miletus. Your hubris is going to be your downfall."

The atmosphere crackled with tension as Damon and Miletus squared off. It was unsettling to see their eyes locked in a silent duel of wills. Damon's muscles tensed beneath the fabric of his shirt and his fists clenched at his sides. In contrast, Miletus' lips curled into a malevolent smirk and his gaze gleamed with malicious intent.

"You're wrong dear brother," Miletus drawled. His voice dripped with disdain as he circled his brother like a predator stalking its prey. "I must admit, I never thought I'd see the day when you had the guts to stand up to me." The demigod acted as if Damon hadn't said a thing. There was no doubt he was trying to unnerve Damon with his bravado. I was buying it. Miletus was far too powerful. That much was clear thus far.

Damon's response was a steely glare. Thankfully, he wasn't deterred by Miletus. Damon's resolve remained unyielding despite everything. "Save your empty threats, Miletus," he retorted, his tone laced with icy determination. "You may think you're stronger, but true strength comes from within. Not from some twisted desire for power."

I exchanged a knowing glance with Eve. A silent acknowledgment passed between us as we prepared for the inevitable clash that was about to unfold. I shook myself back into the fight just in time to miss a Milen's fist coming at me. I was relieved to see the Shadow Weavers hanging back and not attacking Tegan and Faith. They were locked in combat only with Milens. I didn't need to watch them to know their movements were fluid and precise as they danced through the shadows with lethal grace. My stomach roiled again when the scent of sweat and blood wafted up to me. The sound of fighting echoed off the stone walls of the temple, making it seem like an entire army was fighting the Milens. If only that were the truth. It would have been nice to send Hunter a text asking for backup from his shifters. I couldn't risk calling my hunters there. They'd be fuel for Miletus' ritual.

The blades of my kris knives shimmered in the dim light as I slashed at anything close to me. "How does he have so many?" I whined as I kicked one of the assholes in the nuts.

I risked a glance over at the brothers and wished I hadn't. It was clear that Miletus held the upper hand. His dark energy surged like a tempest and each strike landed like a wrecking ball. I watched with a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach as Damon fought valiantly against the onslaught. I had to give it to Damon; his determination was unwavering while he was getting his ass kicked.

"Come on, Damon!" I shouted, my voice ringing out through the chaos of battle as I urged him to keep fighting. But with each passing moment, my heart grew heavier with the realization that he might lose to Miletus. And this was no ordinary confrontation between siblings. It was a battle for the very soul of our world.

Eve's voice cut through the chaos, "I need to perform the Purification Ritual."

A tense hush fell over our group. It was the oddest sensation because I continued fighting to stem the Milens and take more of Miletus' power, but it felt like time stood still when Eve had said that. We all knew what it meant. She wanted to perform a risky, untested version of a powerful spell.

"Great timing, Eve," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Nothing like a high-stakes ritual in the middle of a battlefield."

She shot me a look. The doubt I had about her ability to succeed vanished when I saw the fierce look in her eyes. "It's the only way to weaken Miletus. I can do this, but it needs to be now, or we will lose."

Faith adjusted her grip on her crossbow, her eyes scanning the room. "Good thing you grabbed all those ingredients, Eve. Always prepared, right?" Faith moved to her right while I closed the distance to Eve and Tegan took up a position to my left. We formed a triangle around Eve.

Eve nodded, her hands already moving, gathering what she needed. "Someone has to be. I need you all to cover me."

"Yeah, no pressure," I muttered, twirling my kris knives. "Just protect you while you do your magic thing. Piece of cake."

Damon was still locked in battle with Miletus when he growled, "Just keep those bastards off her. I'll handle him."

I held my breath waiting for Miletus to try and stop Eve. When the demigod remained focused on tearing his brother apart, I breathed a sigh of relief. Wiping sweat from her brow, Tegan looked at me. "What do we do?"

"We stay on high alert," I replied. "Our senses need to be sharper than ever. They're not going to make this easy for us. Although, those Shadow Weavers haven't continued fighting. With luck they'll realize they're on the wrong side and leave."

Faith smirked as she reloaded her crossbow. "Sure. And monkeys will fly out of my butt next."

Eve's magic flared, making the air feel heavier. A surge in oppressive magic rose to stop her. It was like a storm was battering us. Suddenly, we were fighting Milens and whatever wards Miletus had set up in the place. We had to stand our ground and keep Eve right in the eye of it so she could finish her rite.

"Feel that?" I asked, glancing at Tegan. "He's trying to stop her."

She nodded. "Yeah, it's getting stronger. This can't be good."

"No kidding," I said. "We need to be ready for anything."

As we braced ourselves, Eve began the ritual, her voice rising above the clamor. It didn't take long for the energy to shift. Everything began vibrating with the force of her magic. "Stay sharp," I told everyone. "They'll come at us harder now. We can't let them get to Eve."

Faith's eyes were steely as she took aim. "Oh, goodie. A challenge. I was getting bored."

As we fought, a surge of malevolent energy pulsed through the temple. Molecules thrummed with dark power. The shadows danced and writhed around us, twisting and contorting with sinister intent. But it wasn't the Shadow Weavers. They skulked along the edges of the melee. Their dark forms blended seamlessly with the darkness as they watched. I could feel their eyes upon us. Their gaze was cold and calculating. Were they plotting their next move? Or debating to continue helping? I was hoping for the latter, but as Faith said, our luck wasn't that good.

Eve's voice echoed softly behind us. I caught a word here and there over the din of the battle. The cadence of her words was measured and deliberate. As Eve worked, the air began to crackle with electric energy. The magic reached out like a heat-seeking missile.

We fought in what should have been a serene ritual chamber but was instead the chaotic heart of a battlefield. The acrid stench of fear and blood mixed with the scent of Eve's purifying herbs to create a confusing atmosphere. My mind associated Eve's potion crafting with peace and safety, but I was fighting for our lives.

From the corner of my eye, I noted that Eve opened her bag and pulled out a variety of ingredients. Part of me registered that each object was more bizarre than the last. Sacred herbs, crystals in odd shapes, and symbols of light were arranged around her in a precise circle. She drew a deep breath, her face set with determination. "Time to see if this works," she muttered to herself.

Eve resumed chanting. This time her voice rose above the din of battle. The air around us started to hum with a higher frequency. This one made the hairs on my arms stand up. I spun and slashed at a Milen and saw her hands moving through the air. I remained focused on the Milens trying to kill me and get to Eve. The ground beneath our feet began to pulse in rhythm with her words. It made those in front of me falter and stare at each other with wide eyes. The energy of Eve's ritual was building with each passing second and was indeed working. The Milens facing off against us betrayed that fact allowing their fear to show.

I spun around when I heard liquid hissing behind me. Relief made me dizzy when Eve was sprinkling purifying herbs into a bowl of blessed water. I barely noticed how it bubbled as if it were alive before swiveling and kicking a Milen in the side. I slashed and cut while Eve dipped her fingers into the mixture and began to draw intricate symbols on the ground. Soft, white light built behind me and got closer as the symbols spread and formed a network of light that seemed to reach for the Milens.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Tegan asked, her daggers ready but her eyes wide with awe.

"Yes," Eve replied, her voice strained. "Now shut up so I can finish this."

The network of light moved beyond us toward the Milens. The sight was beautiful. It was a delicate web of purification against a backdrop of darkness. That seemed to be the tipping point for the Shadow Weavers. As one, they vanished when they started pulsing like a strobe light. The rhythm was synchronized with Eve's chanting. It was also growing stronger and more intense as her power built.

Sensing the change, the Milens began to recoil. Faith and I remained in ready stances, not trusting that they wouldn't try to attack again. The color of their skin changed. Was that them flickering between their corrupted state and something purer?

The sounds of their growls and shrieks filled the air, mingling with the hum of the ritual and the clash of the brothers nearby. It was incredibly disorienting. My instincts were torn between which direction to focus. Needing to quell that, I focused on the Milens directly in front of me. Their eyes had once been filled with malevolent glee but now reflected fear and confusion.

"Is it working?" Faith shouted over the din with her crossbow aimed at the nearest Milen.

"It seems to be," I muttered, slashing at a Milen that got too close.

As the light from the symbols reached the edges of the room, it began to envelop the Milens. It wrapped them in a cocoon of purifying energy. The air crackled with the force of the transformation, a mix of ozone and something sweeter, almost like fresh rain. The energy seemed to have a life of its own, crackling and sparking as it worked its way through the darkness.

The Milens writhed and twisted, their faces contorting as the purification took hold. Their dark, shadowy auras began to shimmer. It was startling because I hadn't seen an aura before that moment. The darkness peeled away like old paint to reveal the Apollonian essence underneath. It was like watching a snake shed its skin, both grotesque and mesmerizing. The light grew brighter to the point it was nearly blinding. I could feel the warmth of it against my skin. It was like standing too close to a bonfire.

"Look at that," Tegan said, her voice filled with awe. "It's actually working. "

"Of course it is," Eve replied, though she sounded exhausted. "I'm a genius."

"I never doubted you for a second," I told my best friend.

Eve merely smiled and continued to work her magic. The Apollonians surrounding us stumbled away from us. When they vacated the immediate area, I saw there were still some in the process. It took another couple of minutes but when the last of the Milens transformed back into Apollonians, the energy in the room shifted.

Miletus, who had been fighting Damon, staggered. His strength was visibly waning. The oppressive dark magic that had filled the room was replaced by a sense of peace and light, but there was still an undercurrent of danger.

"We did it," Faith whispered as if she was afraid of tipping things off again.

Miletus let out a roar of fury then and a dark spell exploded out of him. Everyone dropped to the floor. Damon jumped up far too fast for my liking and I reached for him. When he lunged for his brother, I noted how much weaker he looked. Leaving him to battle his brother, I got to my feet and assessed the newly-purified Apollonians. They stood in stunned silence; their expressions ranged from confusion, fear, anger, and relief. I had no idea what to make of what had happened to them and neither did they.

Damon was streaked in blood from head to toe as he fought his brother. The roles had clearly been reversed. Miletus swung a sword at his brother but not with as much force as before. Damon easily countered the strike. The weapons clashed in a symphony of metal that was familiar.

"You think you can defeat me, Damon?" Miletus sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. There was a flicker of uncertainty in his eyes that wasn't there before. "You've always been weak... always second-best."

Damon's response was a defiant snarl as he pressed his attack, his every movement calculated and precise. "Evil never wins, Miletus," he shot back, his voice laced with determination. "True friendship and love are far more powerful than your darkness."

Miletus ignored him and swung his sword. Damon and Miletus continued to fight like titans. Miletus might be weaker now, but he was by no means an easy target. Each blow sent shockwaves through the room. Damon was hurting Miletus now. Blood was dripping from countless cuts on Miletus' face and body much like his brother.

"We need to make sure they don't revert back to their old ways," Eve said with a jerk of her chin in the direction of the Apollonians. "We should talk to them to see where their heads are at."

I nodded in agreement, her gaze shifting to the trembling forms of the Apollonians. "We can't let them go out and steal a soul to become Milen again," I added.

Every step felt like a delicate balance on a tightrope as we approached the former Milens. I muttered under my breath, "Time for some diplomacy."

Eve tried to lighten the mood. "We just need to make them understand."

"Good luck with that," I replied, rolling my eyes. "They're probably not thrilled about losing their dark powers."

"This is not what I wanted!" one of the former Milens spat before we managed to reach them. His voice was filled with venom, and he clenched his fists, looking like he was ready to attack.

"Yeah, well, life's full of disappointments," Faith shot back, crossing her arms. "Welcome to the club."

I scanned the faces in front of me. Some were upset while others seemed relieved, almost grateful to be free from their dark past. One woman, her eyes wide with disbelief, said, "Thank you. I never thought I'd feel... normal again."

I gave her a curt nod. "You're welcome. Just remember, going back to the Milen life is not an option. If you try, you'll be hunted down. We won't allow you to steal souls to prolong your lives."

Eve stepped forward with a kind smile. "You won't be left to find your own way though. There is a place for Apollonians who follow the light. Harmonia Grove can be a fresh start for all of you. A place where you can live without the darkness. But you have to choose to stay on the right path."

Faith nodded as she pulled her crossbow over her shoulder. "We're offering you a chance to rebuild your lives. You'd be stupid to waste it."

Amidst the discussions, I kept an eye on Tegan. She held the soul crystal containing Shannon's essence. That crystal was our priority, and I wasn't about to let my guard down. Of course, my thoughts tempted fate because chaos erupted. One of the newly-transformed Apollonians made a sudden move toward Tegan. His eyes were locked on her front pocket. "What the hell is he doing?" I shouted, lunging forward.

"Stop him!" Faith yelled, lifting her crossbow.

With lightning reflexes, I intercepted his advance, my kris knives flashing as I sliced his hand off in the middle of his forearm and blocked his path. "Not today, buddy," I snarled, pushing him back. He was staring at me wide-eyed and clutching his arm to his chest.

Faith was right beside me, her crossbow aimed at his heart. "Step away from our friend," she commanded. Her voice was cold and steely.

The man had tears streaming down his face and was panting. He was in obvious pain. "You don't understand," he gasped through his discomfort. "I need it."

"Need it for what?" I snapped. "It's not yours."

He stumbled forward a step before stopping and collecting himself. Something came over him that I couldn't understand. I dropped my knives when he turned to walk away. My gaze moved to Eve when she shouted, and I heard the twang of Faith's crossbow.

"What the hell?" I gasped.

"He was trying to take it again," Tegan replied, making me look her way. She was staring down at the former Milen lying in a growing pool of blood at her feet.

"That was stupid," I replied, keeping my eyes on the room, ready for any other surprises.

Faith waved the tip of her crossbow around the Apollonians who were watching us. "That will happen to everyone who chooses to continue along this path. If any of you think about going back to being Milens, we'll come for you. We won't let you hurt innocent people again."

Eve took a deep breath and looked at the group. "You have a chance to build a life at Harmonia Grove. It won't be easy, but it's better than living in darkness. Take it or leave it."

One of the men, who looked to be in his mid-forties and weary, nodded slowly. "I... I think I can make that work. It sounds better than the alternative." He gestured to his fallen comrade.

"Good choice," I said, giving him a small, encouraging smile. "You all have a chance now. Don't blow it like that asshole."

There was a shuffle in the back, and I watched as several Apollonians took off. I moved to chase them down. Eve shook her head and grabbed my arm. "Let them go," she said. "There aren't enough of them left to pose a threat."

And with that, we watched as the defeated Apollonians fled into the night, their ranks diminished, and their spirits broken. But though their numbers may have dwindled, the victory we had achieved was no less sweet.

A loud growl from behind us drew everyone's eyes. The battle between Damon and Miletus had reached a fever pitch, the air around them crackling with energy. Every clash of their blades sent sparks flying. It lit up the dim, oppressive room with bursts of blinding light. And the walls trembled under the weight of their power. Even the ground beneath their feet cracked and splintered with each thunderous step.

Damon was relentless, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and resolve. "This ends now, Miletus!" he roared, his voice echoing off the stone walls.

Miletus sneered, parrying Damon's strike with a snarl. "You always were the weaker one, Damon. You can't win." His bravado was completely gone and replaced by more than a little fear.

Damon continued pounding Miletus. With each strike, he forced Miletus back and his blows grew more precise and powerful. The sounds of their battle filled the room with grunts of exertion, the clang of metal, and the occasional roar of pain.

"You're wrong, Miletus," Damon growled. He blocked a vicious slash and countered with a powerful swing that nearly knocked Miletus off balance. "I've found strength in my friends and in doing what's right. Something you'll never understand."

Miletus' eyes flickered with doubt for just a moment before he renewed his assault, but it was clear that Damon had gained the upper hand. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the fight as Damon dodged a vicious swipe and spun around, delivering a powerful kick to Miletus' midsection. Miletus staggered back, his face a mask of fury and pain. Damon didn't let up—he surged forward, blade slicing through the air with deadly precision. One of the swings cut through Miletus' neck.

Miletus' eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he stumbled and then crashed to the ground in a thunderous explosion of dust and debris. The impact sent a shockwave through the room, knocking everyone off their feet. I didn't realize the severity of the blow until I looked down and saw Miletus' head hanging by a small flap of skin.

As the dust settled and the echoes of battle faded, I approached Damon. He was panting and bleeding as he stood over his fallen brother. His expression was a mix of sorrow and relief. "You were never stronger, Miletus. You just didn't understand that true strength comes from love and loyalty, not fear and power," he whispered.

The chamber fell into a stunned silence as we gathered around Damon. The air was heavy with the weight of our recent battles. The flickering torchlight cast dancing shadows across the worn stone walls, emphasizing the exhaustion etched into each of our faces.

Damon's shoulders slumped with fatigue. His victory over Miletus was hard-won, and the toll it had taken was evident in every line of his weary form. His gaze moved to those around us for the first time. "How?"

Eve smiled up at him. "My Purification Rite worked. We lost a few, but most are here and eager to make new lives among the Apollonians. You did good, Damon. We couldn't have won this war without you."

Tegan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, thanks, Damon. You fought bravely. It was awe-inspiring."

Damon offered a tired smile, gratitude shining in his eyes as he nodded in acknowledgment of their words. "That fight was a long time coming. I'm glad it's finally over."

Eve placed a gentle hand on his arm. "I'm just glad we were able to stop Miletus. I know that must have been hard for you. He was your brother."

Damon shook his head. "Killing him was difficult. It needed to be done."

Faith was quick to lighten the mood with her sarcasm. She gave us a wry grin. "Now that we've saved the world again, I suppose it's time to return Shannon's soul and start planning Nishi's fae sunrise wedding."

I chuckled at Faith's comment, though the thought of wedding planning amidst the chaos of our recent battles seemed surreal. "That's right," I replied, rolling my eyes playfully. "Just what I've always dreamed of. Well, the man is, so I guess that's all that matters. "

Faith beamed at me. "Damn right. Finding the person of your dreams is priceless."

As we began to make our way out of the temple, a sense of relief washed over me. It was mingled with gratitude for the unwavering support of my friends. Despite the trials we had faced, we had emerged victorious, ready to face whatever challenges awaited us in the future.