"The moment you think you’re safe is often when the shadows strike hardest."
Notty gasped for breath as she pressed her back against the place’s shifting walls. The glowing threads around her flickered erratically, the once-beautiful patterns now tangled and chaotic. The entity’s dark magic had corrupted everything it touched, leaving the air thick with dread.
“We can’t keep running,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Her hands trembled as she clutched at a thread of light, trying to steady herself. “It’s just going to keep coming.”
Ludikrousz crouched beside her, his usual sharp wit replaced by grim determination. His face was pale, a thin line of blood tracing down his temple from where the shadows had grazed him. “I don’t see us winning a head-on fight, Notty. Not unless you’ve got some miracle magic you’ve been hiding.”
She shook her head, her chest tightening. “My powers… they’re barely holding on. Whatever it did to me, it’s like it drained the life out of my magic.”
Ludikrousz exhaled sharply, his eyes darting to the shifting darkness in the distance. “Then we need a new plan... something clever, preferably something that won't harm us.”
Notty almost laughed at the absurdity of it all—facing an ancient malevolent entity with nothing but scraps of magic and a snarky art dealer for backup. But as ridiculous as it was, she couldn’t ignore the surge of warmth that came with Ludikrousz’s unwavering presence. He could have left her to fend for herself a hundred times over, but here he was, bloodied and bruised, still standing beside her.
Her fingers brushed the glowing thread in her hand, and an idea began to form. “We don’t have to do something so dangerous,” she said suddenly. “We just have to survive and get through it.”
Ludikrousz frowned. “Survive? How?”
“This place is tied to me,” she explained, her voice gaining strength. “If I can weave a barrier, something strong enough to block the entity’s magic, we might be able to get away. At least long enough to figure out our next move.”
He hesitated, then nodded. “Alright. What do you need?”
She glanced at the tangled threads around them, her mind racing. “I need time. And a distraction.”
Ludikrousz smirked, the glint of mischief returning to his eyes. “A distraction, huh? Lucky for you, I’m great at being annoying.”
Despite everything, Notty felt a flicker of hope. “Just… be careful, okay?”
He gave her a lopsided grin. “I’ll try. No promises.”
As Ludikrousz sprinted toward the shadows, shouting taunts that ranged from clever to outright ridiculous, Notty focused on the threads around her. Her hands moved instinctively, weaving light and magic into a protective barrier. The threads resisted at first, their energy unstable, but she poured every ounce of her will into the task.
“Come on,” she muttered under her breath. “Hold together. Just a little longer.”
The hum of magic grew louder, the barrier taking shape around her. She could feel the threads responding to her touch, their light pushing back against the encroaching darkness. But the effort was draining, each stitch pulling more from her already-weakened reserves.
A shout from Ludikrousz snapped her focus. She looked up just in time to see him dodging a tendril of shadow, his movements quick but desperate.
“Do you call that an attack?” he yelled, his voice strained but defiant. “I’ve seen angrier kittens!”
Notty almost smiled, but the sight of the shadows closing in wiped away any hint of amusement. She worked faster, the threads in her hands glowing brighter as the barrier grew stronger.
“I’ve got it!” she called, her voice cracking from the strain. “Ludikrousz, get back here!”
He turned, his eyes locking with hers for a split second—and that was when the shadow struck. The tendril moved too fast for him to dodge, wrapping around his leg and pulling him off his feet. Notty’s heart stopped as she saw him hit the ground, the shadows dragging him toward the entity that loomed just beyond the barrier.
“Ludikrousz!” she screamed, abandoning her work and running toward him.
“Stay back!” he shouted, struggling against the tendrils. “Finish the barrier, Notty! Don’t let it get to you!”
But she couldn’t just stand there and watch him be taken. She reached for the threads, trying to weave a tether that would pull him back, but her magic faltered, the light flickering weakly in her hands.
“Come on,” she whispered desperately. “Not now. Please, not now.”
The entity stepped closer, its form shifting and undefined but radiating an aura of overwhelming malice. Its gaze—or what she assumed was its gaze—fixed on her, and a cold voice echoed through the area.
“You cannot save him,” it said, its tone as dark and empty as the void itself. “You cannot even save yourself.”
Notty’s entire body trembled, fear threatening to stop her. But as she looked at Ludikrousz, his face twisted in pain yet still defiant, something inside her snapped.
“You’re wrong,” she said, her voice shaking but resolute. “I will save him. And I will stop you.”
The entity’s laughter was a low, bone-chilling rumble. “Foolish Dreamweaver. You are already broken.”
With a wave of its hand, the shadows tightened around Ludikrousz, pulling him into the darkness. His eyes met hers one last time, a silent plea and a promise in his gaze.
“Notty,” he said, his voice hoarse but steady. “Don’t let it win.”
And then he was gone.
The place fell deathly silent, the absence of Ludikrousz’s presence leaving a gaping void in Notty’s chest. She collapsed to her knees, her hands clutching the frayed threads of her barrier. Her magic flickered weakly, barely holding together, but she forced herself to keep going.
“Do you want me?” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Then come and get me.”
The entity didn’t move, its form shifting as if mocking her. “Soon, Dreamweaver,” it said, its voice fading into the shadows. “You cannot hide forever.”
As the darkness receded, the place began to stabilize, the threads regaining some of their light. Notty sat there for a long moment, her body trembling with exhaustion and grief.
She wasn’t broken, but not whole.
“I’ll find you, Ludikrousz,” she said, her voice quiet but filled with determination. “I’ll bring you back.”