Hashana within her new form was faster and more powerful, wielding power over more than one element. I had used Larana’s power to deal sufficient damage, only for her to heal the wounds I had inflicted but was missing one of the heads.

Knowing now exactly what it was I needed to do, I would have to fight more strategically, I didn’t want to use all my power before this fight ended, it would leave me at a disadvantage and trying to keep the others safe and darkness from escaping would slowly eat away at my energy too.

“You can’t keep protecting everything, Fang,” snarled Hashana. She had stopped attacking and slowly began circling around me. “Shame your barriers are too powerful for me to escape or even harm those within this room, but the weaker you become so does your barriers, how long will you last.”

“As long as I need too,” I answered.

“Spoken like a true descendent of that insufferable pest,” said Hashana.

“Knew him well then,” I commented, having to remind myself that it was not Hashana speaking but a form of the eternal dragon passed down through the condensed dark crystal.

“I am sure you already know our history,” she responded.

“Yeah, of how many times you lost to him,” I taunted hoping to enrage him, but it seemed to have no effect.

“Shall we continue our little game.” Hashana growled, lowing her body posture ready to pounce.

“This is no game,” I responded as Hashana released short burst of elemental power, fire, water, lightning, wind, shadow and darkness. I thought the strength of her attacks would be the same as before, but they were stronger, how when one head was already gone; didn’t the heads symbolise how much power she wielded in this form, obviously not.

I sent out waves of power from swiping Raziel and Arata, negating her attacks. I expected the attacks to end but it did not, a few of her attacks slip through catching me on my right arm, but so had mine, scorching her fur.

Hashana wasn’t letting up, waiting for me to weaken as compared to her, I was swinging a pair of swords, I could feel my muscle tensing from the swinging motion. I quickly made the decision to up the power, fusing together all my elements to boost the strength with the use of less energy. Fire and lightning blasted through her attacks to then cause a massive hit to her body.

“Seems you still have a lot of power within, but how long will you last,” snarled Hashana as I watched the head capable of water disappear and the wound just inflicted vanished.

Hashana pounced towards me, fangs bared, I dodge to the right, to be met by gnashing teeth, trying this again.

I dodged only slightly to avoid being hit but took this opening as an opportunity to strike back, she was almost making this too easy, she may have become more powerful, but she was still the same Hashana, making mistakes.

I supercharged Arata’s blade, then struck her straight through the chest, the overflow of energy sparked around us both and off into multiple direction. I could feel my power penetrating within her, then I pulled back, giving it all with over charging Raziel’s power next; again, the power from the winged lion of fire sparked out across the room, drastically increasing the temperature in the room.

Moving around Hashana’s body collapsed to the ground, but I knew this would not be over until I had taken out all the heads.

I heard laughing. “You wield so much of his power, yet you hardly know it at all.” Another head disappeared, the head of wind; the wounds vanished and Hashana stood once more, this time the body had taken a change also, it had shrunken slightly, more slender. Why was I getting the feeling this is what they wanted to happen, were the heads simply holding back Hashana’s true power, if so, I would have trouble finishing this off, but all the heads needed to go if I was to end this.

Hashana’s form continued to change slightly, leaning more backwards on her hind legs, she began to stand, claws on the front becoming sharper, each one like razor daggers, a mane growing thicker around her neck, her dark essence thickening, this was where the true challenge would lie.

Stolen novel; please report.

“What are you doing to her?” I suddenly found myself asking.

“Now she is unrestrained, I have taken many forms but nothing as ferocious as the werewolf.” She arched back, head pointing upwards as she released a deafening howl. I quickly lifted my hands to defend from it, quickly realising it was an attack of some sort, having an instant effect of my senses, my hearing dulled, the room made darker, her scent vanished, what kind of move was that.

Hashana took one step after the other towards me and I found myself stepping backwards, her speed quickened as she came right at me. I needed to attack to, forcing myself forwards, swiping as she swiped, only to be met with thin air.

I glanced around the room, now she was using her shadow abilities, wait did he call himself a werewolf, what the heck was one of those, it was a word I had not heard of before.

I felt my mind becoming rushed, struggling to steady my breathing, was this panic rising within me caused by the howl. I needed to stay focused, if I lost it now it would cost me my life.

“Getting slow.” I shivered as the voice came from behind me. I turned to see Raziel and Arata attacking thin air.

“Damn,” cursed Arata glancing over at me. “Don’t let his fear get to you, it’ll destroy you.”

“Master breathe,” said Raziel. “One of his greatest abilities was to strike fear into those he faced, very few could resist, but you can.”

“I can,” I repeated, flinching at a sound across the room.

“If your heartrate continues to increase our power will be disrupted,” said Larana. I could already feel my control slipping.

Raziel pounced again at the moving shadows, he could see Hashana, I couldn’t my vision had been inflicted, I needed to calm down.

“Scared are you, Fang.” I swung Raziel at what I thought was Hashana in front of me but there was nothing but a smog of darkness.

“Why can’t I?” My breath quickened; I couldn’t calm down. “I can’t see her.”

“You’ll only see what I want you to see.” I felt a hand upon my back. I jumped away, twisting, sending out a blaze of fire across the room, almost catching Arata in the heat.

“You’re still an idiot,” he commented. “Do not be afraid of the darkness.”

“The darkness doesn’t scare me,” I argued back.

“The darkness is all she is, you are light,” said Raziel.

“I am light, light,” I said the word twice, I needed light. I calmed my breath releasing what light I held, spreading it out across the room, brining calmness to myself and the room, wiping away some of the darkness and revealing Hashana at the heart of the room.

Hashana was standing there, seeming to be surprised that I had lifted some of the darkness from the room. I took this opportunity to strike her while she was open.

I switched fused armours Larana’s armour replaced by that of Mila’s. Raziel and Arata’s forms fused together into their trident form, letting off sparks of fire and lightning as I posed and threw it towards Hashana, she began to move, but it was too late as my trident flew as fast as a lightning strike, impaling her through the chest, two heads to go, I cheered.

I froze as I felt a presence behind me and then fangs of three mouth digging into my right shoulder and both my arms.

“Agh!” I cried out in pain.

“Delicious.” I heard her as she grabbed me with her claws to. I tried to struggle but it only caused me more pain. “You’ve faced the darkness many time, but have you actually felt what it feels like to be infected with it.”

“I can’t I am a fang,” I responded gritting my teeth.

“Is that what you think,” she laughed as I felt my body pulsate. What was happening? I dropped both the lion swords, clanging as they hit the floor.

“Master.” Raziel pounced over biting and clawing into Hashana and Arata did the same, but she did not shift, only bit down harder.

A heaviness began coming over my body, my power of light fading, this darkness she was infecting me was like poison. My fused armour vanished; my power disrupted; the lions form fluctuated for a moment.

“No, you don’t!” roared Raziel as the temperature of the room increased; this power he was using was not from me, it was his own, unlike other talisman the twin lions seemed to be able to use their own power without my help and without jeopardising their life force.

“You dark beasts need to learn your place,” snarled Arata.

Both fire and lightning energy filling the room. Hashana’s grip loosen as she stumbled away struggling to remove the two-winged lions from upon her back.

I turned to watch as I saw them in a different light, their whole bodies glowing with power, a golden hue around them, their own light was far more powerful than mine. Raziel’s mane looked more like a burning fire and Arata’s like a lightning storm, this was what their true power looked like, and they’d used it to save me.