Luna's heart hammered like a drum in her chest as she stood between Elowen and Vivian. The underground room felt smaller now, filled with tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Dust from the collapsed ceiling swirled around them, making everything look hazy and dreamlike.
Vivian, with her wild black hair and eyes that seemed to burn with dark fire, took a step forward. Her movements were smooth, like a cat stalking its prey.
"Oh, Luna," she purred, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "Did you really think you could hide from me?"
Luna gulped, trying to find her voice. She glanced at Elowen, whose face was set in a hard mask of determination. The older woman's tattoos writhed on her skin, as if they were getting ready for a fight.
"Nobody's hiding," Luna said, surprised at how steady her voice sounded. "We're right here, Vivian. What do you want?"
Vivian's laugh was like ice cracking. "What do I want? Oh, you silly girl. I want what's rightfully mine. The power that flows through your veins."
As she spoke, inky tendrils began to seep from Vivian's skin, twisting in the air like smoky snakes. Luna felt her own tattoos tingle in response, as if they recognized a kindred power.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash from upstairs, followed by a familiar voice bellowing, "Luna! Where are you?"
Luna's heart leapt. It was Bear! And if he was still fighting, that meant the others were too. They hadn't abandoned her.
Vivian's eyes narrowed. "Looks like we have some uninvited guests. How annoying."
With a flick of her wrist, she sent a wave of inky darkness towards the hole in the ceiling. It solidified into a barrier, cutting off any hope of rescue from above.
"Now," Vivian said, turning back to Luna and Elowen, "where were we?"
Elowen stepped forward, placing herself between Luna and Vivian. "You were just leaving, Vivian," she said, her voice cold and hard. "You're not welcome here."
Vivian's eyes widened in mock surprise. "Not welcome? But teacher, I learned everything from you. Don't you want to see how far I've come?"
Elowen's face twisted with regret. "I've made many mistakes in my life. You were one of them."
Vivian's face darkened with anger. "Mistake? You called me your star pupil once. Said I had potential like no other."
"That was before you started stealing power from other mages," Elowen shot back. "Before you lost yourself to the darkness."
As they argued, Luna's mind raced. The ritual book still lay open on the pedestal, its pages glowing faintly. Maybe there was a way to end this without anyone dying. She just needed to buy some time.
"Wait!" Luna shouted, startling both Vivian and Elowen. "Before anyone does anything crazy, can we just talk about this? There has to be a better way."
Vivian laughed, but there was no humor in it. "Talk? Oh, you are adorable. There's nothing to talk about. I'm going to take your power, and then I'm going to reshape this world in my image."
As she spoke, more inky tendrils rose from her skin, reaching towards Luna. Luna felt her tattoos burn in response, as if they were trying to leap off her skin to defend her.
Suddenly, there was a crackling sound, and the air filled with the smell of ozone. A bolt of electricity shot through the inky barrier above, shattering it. Through the hole dropped a familiar figure with messy dark curls and fierce green eyes.
"Declan!" Luna cried out, relief flooding through her.
Declan landed in a crouch, electricity dancing around his fists. His clothes were torn and singed, and there was a cut above his eye, but his gaze was steady as he took in the scene.
"Step away from her, Vivian," he growled, moving to stand beside Luna.
Vivian's eyes glittered with amusement. "Well, well. The prodigal son returns. Come to join the family reunion, Declan?"
Luna looked between them, confused. "Family? What's she talking about?"
Declan's jaw tightened. "She's my cousin, Luna. My mother's sister's daughter."
Luna felt like her head was spinning. It seemed like everyone in this room was connected somehow, leaving her feeling like an outsider in her own story.
"Enough of this," Vivian snapped, her patience clearly wearing thin. "I came here for power, and I'm not leaving without it."
She thrust her hands forward, and a wave of inky darkness surged towards Luna. Without thinking, Luna raised her own hands, willing her tattoos to protect her.
To everyone's surprise, including Luna's, her tattoos responded. They peeled off her skin in a swirl of color and light, forming a shimmering barrier that met Vivian's attack head-on.
The two forces clashed in the middle of the room, sending out shockwaves that made the walls tremble. Luna gritted her teeth, feeling the strain of holding back Vivian's power.
"Impossible," Vivian hissed, her eyes wide with shock and... was that fear?
Declan placed his hand on Luna's shoulder, and she felt a surge of warmth and strength flow through her. "You can do this, Luna," he said softly. "I believe in you."
With renewed determination, Luna pushed back against Vivian's attack. Her tattoos swirled faster, forming shapes she'd never seen before - dragons and phoenixes, wolves and bears, all battling against Vivian's dark ink.
Elowen watched in awe, her own tattoos pulsing in response to the display of power. "It's true," she murmured. "She's the one we've been waiting for."
As Luna and Vivian's powers clashed, the room began to shake more violently. Books fell from shelves, and cracks appeared in the walls.
The ancient ritual book on the pedestal started to glow brighter, its pages flipping as if caught in a strong wind.
"We need to end this!" Elowen shouted over the noise. "The magical backlash could bring the whole house down!"
But neither Luna nor Vivian seemed able to break away from their magical duel. Their powers were locked together, neither able to overcome the other.
Suddenly, a new voice cut through the chaos. "Hey, ink-faces! Catch!"
A small, glowing object arced through the air, landing between Luna and Vivian. Charlie's face appeared in the hologram projected from the device, grinning despite a nasty bruise on his cheek.
"Little gift from your friendly neighborhood tech wizard," he said with a wink. "Might want to shield your eyes."
Before anyone could react, the device exploded in a blinding flash of light and a pulse of energy that sent everyone stumbling backwards.
When Luna's vision cleared, she saw that Vivian had been thrown against the far wall. The dark-haired woman struggled to her feet, her ink magic swirling erratically around her.
"This isn't over," Vivian snarled, her eyes blazing with hatred. "I will have your power, Luna. One way or another."
With a gesture, she summoned a swirl of ink that enveloped her. When it dissipated, she was gone.
For a moment, there was silence in the room. Then Luna's knees gave out, and she would have fallen if Declan hadn't caught her.
"I've got you," he murmured, his arms strong and steady around her. Luna leaned into him, suddenly exhausted.
Elowen approached them, her face a mix of emotions - pride, worry, and something Luna couldn't quite name. "You did well, Luna," she said softly. "But I'm afraid this is only the beginning."
As if to punctuate her words, there was another crash from upstairs, followed by Bear's booming voice. "Little Inky! You down there? We've got a situation up here!"
Declan helped Luna to her feet, but kept an arm around her waist. The simple touch sent a flutter through her stomach, despite the chaos around them.
"What now?" Luna asked, looking between Declan and Elowen.
Elowen's eyes were grim as she picked up the ancient ritual book. "Now, we prepare. Vivian will be back, and next time, she won't be alone."
"What do you mean?" Declan asked, his brow furrowed with concern.
Before Elowen could answer, the room shook again. Dust and small pieces of debris rained down from the damaged ceiling.
"No time to explain here," Elowen said urgently. "We need to leave. Now."
As they hurried towards the stairs, Luna couldn't shake the feeling that they were running out of time. Vivian was still out there, growing stronger.
The Collectors were hot on their heels. And there were still so many unanswered questions.
Who was she really? Why was her power so different? And what was the sacrifice Elowen had mentioned earlier?