A Sunless Dream

The reshaped battlefield was cast in eerie twilight, the sky above obscured by the swirling of storm clouds. Effie stood before Orion, their eyes locked with each other none willing to give an inch of space and making sure to display their dominance.

Shadows swirled around Orion as he gazed upon the woman before him, Effie's golden armour gleamed faintly in the dim light as her spear rested against her field, the tip of her spear glinted like molten fire.

Orion's piercing gaze never relaxed for even a second as a faint smile began tugging at his lips "Golden armour? I've always wanted to see what gold looked like when melted." His voice was smooth but mocking as he gazed up at the silent woman before him.

Suddenly, a scowl appeared across his face as his eyes shifted to a look of disdain "The weak don't get to look down upon me." Effie acted first, surging forward with her shield raised.

Her spear struck like lightning, aiming directly for his chest. Orion sidestepped with divine speed, his blade raising to meet her strike. A sharp clang of steel echoed as their weapons collided, neither of them gave ground despite enduring the combined force of the others blow.

Effie pressed forward, her strikes fast and unrelenting forcing Orion to take a step back. But then, as if bored, Orion shifted. His sword melted into shadows reforming into a spear identical to her own.

He mimicked her stance perfectly, his movements fluid and precise. "It's a rough copy but it'll do" he jeered. Effie faltered for a split second as she observed him mirror her movements with near flawless accuracy.

She growled, spinning her shield to deflect the oncoming spear as a grin appeared on her face "Copying me? Even the lord of shadows appreciates my talents" although her words appeared in the form of a compliment, the mocking undertone could not be ignored as Orion lunged forward.

"Originality is for weaklings," he quipped, parrying her strike. Twisting his shadow forged spear, his attacks matched hers in both speed and strength. Each time she tried to gain the upper hand he countered flawlessly.

It felt like he could see her future.

The clash of spears sent sparks flying, Sunny and Nephis looked on at the battle with baited breathes. Turning to him, Nephis remarked "I thought it took him five minutes to copy" Sunny sighed slowly, never taking his eyes off the battlefield "His copy isn't perfect yet, he's mocking Effie."

Effie pushed harder; her strength undeniable as she slammed her shield into Orion's side. Orion moved back slightly before beginning to push forward, attempting to defeat Effie in the area she prided herself in most. Her strength.

Stumbling back slightly, Effie spun her spear in a wide arc that nearly caught Orion off guard. He ducked low, allowing the spear to skim over his head and retaliated with a brutal upwards thrust.

Luckily, Effie managed to avoid a hole in her arm by raising her shield to block the blow. The force however drove her back several steps, "You're strong," Orion admitted, his smirk widening "If it had been Morgan, she would have been halfway across the field because of that blow."

Effie snarled, charging forward once more. She feinted a thrust before bashing his spear aside with her shield once more. Her golden armour glowed faintly; her sheer power forced him to retreat momentarily. For a moment, it seemed as though she might gain an upper hand.

But then, Orion laughed—a low, dark sound that sent chills down her spine. The shadow-spear dissolved in his hands reforming into a massive scythe reminiscent of the one wielded by Jet. He swung it in a wide arc, the blade cutting through the air with terrifying speed.

A loud bang emerged as his blade sliced through the sound barrier once more, a murderous grin appearing on his face as his scythe closed in on Effie. Effie raised her shield just in time, but the impact sent her staggering.

Before she could recover, Orion lashed out at her sending two quick punches directly at her armoured midsection. The force of impact caused the armour to dent inwards as he swung his scythe at her once more.

A whirlwind of shadow and steel was all that could be seen as he collided with Effie's shield continuously, so much so he was leaving afterimages of himself behind as he moved. His movements, now erratic and unpredictable contrasted the disciplined style he had replicated from Effie with utter perfection.

Effie gritted her teeth, blocking blow after blow. Soon enough, her shield was going to shatter under the force of his punches, kicks, and slashes of his scythe. Orion's slashes came faster, harder, and more ruthless as he continued to slam himself into her defence.

His scythe sliced through the air with brutal precision as he slammed into her shield arm with earthshaking force. Any of the remaining mountains left had crumbled under the shockwave of his blow as Effie's shield arm buckled.

She barely had any time to recover as Orion appeared behind her, driving his scythe's handle into her spine. The blow sent her sprawling to the ground as Orion looked down on her with a mocking grin settling upon his face.

"There we are, now I'm looking down on you." Taking a breathe, Orion wiped non existent sweat off his brow as he continued "Get up, I know you're stronger than this. If you don't get up, I will kill your son, husband, and everyone you love. Get, up!"

His voice shook the ground as Effie slowly pushed herself off the floor. Her breathing was laboured, her shield was dented on the verge of shattering and her golden armour was dented, caving in on her own body in violent angles.

Effie steadied her breath and tightened the grip of her spear as she lunged forward, roaring as she aimed for his heart. Orion dodged; however, she anticipated his counter, twisting midair to slash at his side.

Usually, such an attack would have been ineffective however his weakened state allowed her to graze his side, drawing a thin line of blood across his ribs. Orion glanced the wound, touching it before bringing his hand to his face.

Chuckling softly, he continued to stare at his bloodied palm. "Finally, did it really take this much to scratch me?" he jeered. Dropping his scythe, he allowed it to reform into a sword as his grip on it tightened.

His movements became sharper, more precise, his speed increased tenfold as he continued to lay in strings of attacks that seemed to have no end upon Effie's shield. Effie could only grit her teeth as she placed both arms on her shield, gliding backwards in the soil and praying the shield would endure.

A silent prayer for her son and husband escaped her lips as her shield shattered before her eyes. The spell announced the destruction of her memory as Orion glared at her, his hands cocked backwards as he swung down intending to decapitate her.

Sunny blurred across the field; he needed to get there before Orion killed her. Praying, hoping, begging for the speed to save at least one of his friends Sunny moved faster than he ever had before.

However, prayer's didn't win fights. The sword was brought down in one clean motion, removing Effie's head from her body. Orion stared at her corpse indifferently before glancing back at his oncoming opponent.

"Sorry for the mess."