Chapter 13 – Clash in the Dark
Light flared — and the night exploded.
The shadow struck first, vanishing from sight, then reappearing in front of Laura with a streak of motion.
She twisted aside just as a blade of energy sliced through the air where her head had been.
Sparks scattered.
The ground split.
Then — silence.
Two blurs danced in the darkness, vanishing and reappearing with every impact. Each clash released a sharp crack of energy that rippled through the village air.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
The midwife staggered backward, shielding Joshua with her body as shockwaves rippled across the street.
For a moment, all she could see were flashes — light and shadow intertwining, blades striking faster than her eyes could follow.
Laura moved like a storm.
Even weakened, her every motion was sharp, deliberate — precise. Her body twisted with effortless grace as she parried another strike, her counter cutting through the air like lightning.
She was faster.
She was stronger.
Her cloak fluttered as she appeared behind her assailant, her blade glowing faintly with golden light. She swung — a clean, perfect arc.
The shadow barely blocked it in time, sliding back across the dirt.
Laura landed lightly, her breath even despite her wounds.
The midwife's eyes widened, trembling as she whispered to herself:
> "If she's this strong even after giving birth… and losing that much enery…"
"Then how powerful is she really?"
The battle raged on.
Each strike left the air trembling. Each movement shattered the earth beneath them.
The night was alive with flashes — vanish, appear, clash, vanish again.
Laura's eyes burned with fury. Her instincts were pure, lethal focus — her exhaustion buried beneath layers of raw will.
She sidestepped a strike, twisted, and drove her knee into the attacker's chest.
The impact cracked the air.
The shadow staggered, coughing as black mist leaked from its hood.
Laura didn't hesitate.
She raised her blade, the edge shimmering with faint golden energy.
"This ends now."
She lunged forward ready to end the fight with that strike
But before her strike could land, the air behind her rippled.
Two more figures appeared — dark silhouettes with glowing eyes.
They moved as one.
A pulse of energy burst outward — BOOM! — striking her squarely in the side.
Laura gasped, thrown off her feet.
Her body crashed through a fence, rolling across the dirt before slamming to a stop near the midwife's feet.
> "Laura!" the midwife screamed.
Laura groaned, struggling to her knees. Blood dripped from her lip, but her eyes — fierce and defiant — lifted to the three figures now standing before her.
Joshua whimpered softly in the midwife's arms.
Laura wiped the blood from her mouth, her grip tightening around her blade.
Her voice came low — steady, deadly calm.
> "So… there were three of you all along."
The shadows didn't respond.
But the air around them began to twist and hum with rising energy.
Laura rose to her feet — trembling, bloodied, but unbroken.
The fight wasn't over.
Not yet.
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