Chapter 9: The Shadow Cat’s Final Stand

Luna Lumos Maximos floated above the broken gate, his big body glowing with swirling shadows and light! The hurt mark on his chest – the scar from their last fight – still glowed darkly, the skin around it looking cracked and burnt!

His voice echoed loudly, full of anger and tiredness!

"Why do you still want the Flower, oh Great One? How can anything good grow when the world is so mean?"

Zsolista stepped forward slowly and carefully! Her armor glowed with soft flashes of gold and ice! Baby and Boka floated behind her, making two glowing circles of ready magic!

She smiled softly! "Because being kind, like fire, spreads when you share it! Even in towers ruled by darkness!"

Without another word, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and called upon the Auspicious Azure Dragon Formation – a special magic passed down through shiny families and quiet dreams! The air around her changed, feeling important and like it was meant to be! Sparkly signs lit up under her feet, making glowing spirals on the cracked floor as the magic took shape – old and strong, like thunder wrapped in silk!

Baby changed first – into a beautiful, twisty lightning-dragon that curled around Zsolista’s arms like glowing tattoos!

Boka turned into two shiny blue horns, one on each of her fists, with claws as sharp as unbroken promises!

Zsolista took off her shirt and tied it around her waist!

She stood ready to fight – strong, smooth, and prepared!

Luna roared – a terrible, deep sound that broke the silence like glass – and attacked with the power of a falling star! The air shook with the force, the light got dim, and the stone under their feet trembled like the tower was scared of what was coming!

A shadow spear shot from his tail, trying to cut her! Zsolista ducked and twisted, rolling away gracefully! Then he attacked again – fist, claw, blast! Each hit had two kinds of magic – fire and ice, wind and yucky stuff, light and darkness!

Zsolista met him move for move!

She danced – hitting with her horns, blocking with her claws, letting lightning run through her like music! Baby jumped off her arm mid-spin, biting Luna’s shoulder! Boka shimmered and made the bite even stronger with thunder!

Luna howled, a sound both wild and ghostly, then disappeared in a twisting swirl of smoke – his body turning into steam so fast it looked like the light ate him!

He reappeared behind Zsolista in a flash, quiet as a breath, his mouth wide with shiny teeth!

He bit her hard on the shoulder!

Zsolista screamed – a loud, real cry that echoed through the room like a crack in the sky!

His teeth weren't just sharp – they carried rot! Yucky darkness flowed into her! Black lines of decay spread across her skin, her armor sizzling as it broke! Her collarbone cracked! Her vision got blurry!

She fell to one knee, gasping for air! Pain bloomed like a second heart under her skin!

Breathing was hard!

Time felt broken – each second stretching out slowly, like honey dripping through broken glass! Even the air seemed to wait, shaking with what was going to happen!

Zsolista stared at the glowing black rot spreading on her skin – lines twisting like cursed ink, its meaning old and personal! It was a mark, not of losing, but of something she had to carry! A burden she took willingly!

She narrowed her eyes!

Bravery didn't rise like a wave – it rang like a bell in her soul, echoing through pain and memory until it became something unbreakable!

"This form… your shadow-self…" she whispered, her voice low and steady. "It will become my weapon! Your curse will become my strength!"

She pulled out Ice Fang in one smooth move that shimmered with practice!

Baby floated behind her and made a bright circle of light, pushing away the growing darkness! Boka pressed his tiny, glowing hands to the sword handle, giving it all the strength he had left!

Zsolista’s sword glowed to life – not with fire, but with steam and memories! The steel shimmered with misty thoughts, warm with every battle and every dream!

"I call upon the Rite of the Capturer!" she shouted, the magic words of her soul glowing in her breath! "Tyr’s Blade – Ice Fang, Steamform!"

Flames curled at her feet – Ashenwald’s Fury coming back, not angry, but like a serious promise! Heat met memory! Fire kissed bravery!

Steam exploded around her in a pillar of silver mist, wrapping Zsolista like a cozy blanket of rebirth! Every scar, every loss, every laugh with Boka and Baby blazed inside her sword!

She zoomed forward – faster than thought, steadier than anger – her sword humming with the sounds of a thousand fights and every gentle moment in between!

Luna lunged, his claws glowing with light and rot!

She vanished, slipping through the last tiny bit of time between one heartbeat and the next!

Then reappeared behind him!

Sword drawn silently!

The cut came like a whisper wrapped in thunder!

Time cracked!

The battlefield held its breath!

Then:

Tail cut off!

Ears sliced cleanly, floating down like flower petals!

And the gem – the very soul of Luna Lumos Maximos – cut out in a bright flash, taken cleanly from his body with the grace of kindness meeting the end!

Luna stumbled, the tower’s light breaking around him!

He looked down, and for a moment, smiled – not because he won or was mean, but like he understood!

Then he turned into ash!

Not scattered away! Captured!

The ash swirled, pulled towards Ice Fang’s edge! It wove itself into the sword’s letters like threads of shadow and memory, a final gift sealed in steam-carved writing!

Boka jumped on Zsolista! "OHHHHHH MAHHHHH GAAAAAHHHH! Anyone want tail meat? Boka-Boka!"

Baby clapped softly! "I want the ears! They sparkle! It's-a-Baby!"

Zsolista laughed, wiping sweat and soot from her face!

"Great job, team! Let's bag the core and save the rest – maybe armor or snacks!"

Dark shadows lifted! The stone lost its gloom! Windows reappeared! Light shone down!

This had once been a place for learning and growing – a tower built by a traveling plant doctor, but then made bad by the Daemon Kings! Queen Mother May-or-Zsol had seen it when she was young, never knowing what it would become!

Only one floor left!

The ninth!

Where the Flower of Eternal Compassion waited!

Zsolista turned, Ice Fang now steaming gently at her side!

"Come on," she said softly. "Let's finish this!"

 

                                         Jump to the Next Part:

 

1) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 1

2) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the FLower of Eternal Compassion pt 2

3) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 3

4) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 4

5) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 5

6) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 6

7) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 7

8) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 8

9) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 9

10) The Great Wizard Zsolista and the Flower of Eternal Compassion pt 10

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Holy! One last chapter before adventure one is complete thats so friggen hype!! Its weird but I have told the kids stories  before and usually we dont finish them and I forget the plot but this is the first one we really ever finished and didnt drop.

I am so happy to finish it and now I have finished almost 3 whole stories with them and a mini adventure. I feel like this can only help my writing and make me a stronger story teller. 

So our hopes with these is that AMZ is going to draw the scenes and I will update these post with those drawings. I will also update/expand some of these as I re-read them.

I also plan on making youtube videos of me reading these because I know the kids arent going to want to  read these and are going to want to hear me read it.

Plus sometimes I embellish the story even more when I  say it outloud and that will definitely change/update the story haha.

We have alot of things planned but completing short stories like this and continuing to write as much as possible is the true goal. 

We cant get better if we never start!