BRISINGR.

I can't see.

Darkness encroached Eragon's vision. He could discern only slight things- fast movements, if that. Everything else was a chaos of black, a nightmare fueled by horrifying sounds that buffeted his ears.

Above Absolearet's cries, Saphira's voice broke within Eragon's mind.

That creature must be some sort of hexer. Alauinel.. she's trying to disorientate us.

Eragon inadvertently smiled despite his panic. He felt himself swirling in the air, between Saphira's wings.

Well, he replied- It's certainly working.

The creature cooed again.

"Huuh..? Huh..?"

Eragon felt the same sensations again- the pop and hiss in the air. The heat that slapped across his face.

I can't even use your vision. This is beyond just a hex.

Eragon forced his eyelids to widen, only to be greeted by an even deeper sea of black.

Despite Saphira's joining, panic again slipped across Eragon's shoulders.

He felt Saphira's magic attempt to cleanse him, but to no avail.

The wind around his ears screamed in circling, whipping fumbles.

Eragon and Saphira knifed downwards, Saphira's stomach nearly scraping itself upon Gillendel's brutalized stone roads.

Saphira grimaced, sharp teeth grinding into one another. Eragon's fear was beginning to affect her too.

Haunting wails rode cold winds.

Eragon felt a shivering reprisal from Absolearet, a blood curdling scream that dripped into his eardrums. Thorn was causing the beast unspeakable pain-

But it wasn't enough.

"Huuh..?"

The air popped.

Heat again roughly licked across his nose.

The Rider wanted to scream, wanted to slash his ancient blade at the air blindly-

No.

Eragon hissed, steeling his breath as a cool stream of mana licked from between his teeth.

Saphira instantly understood.

She replicated the makeshift spell, a fine, sparkling mist spreading from around them.

Eragon's mana exploded in manufactured light. He was able to pinpoint where the creature was as their field of mana grafted onto the being, giving Eragon a crude facsimile of sight.

But it was enough.

They sped upwards as the creature vanished from view.

It's-

They both knew before the creature reappeared.

As the being vortexed into midair, Eragon threw his sword. He directed his blade through the air with the current of his mana, aiming for the creature's chest. Saphira dipped swiftly to the right, cutting through a cloud of low-flying black smog.

Eragon's sword chased the being as it sped above crumbling rooftops, unable to escape their sea of magic.

Finally, it disappeared.

Eragon smirked.

Found you.

Eragon struck out his hand, words of destruction escaping lips a millisecond before that telltale hiss creased the air.

As the creature emerged from its portal, an arrowhead of white-blue flame slashed across the being's torso, rending it in two.

It was as if someone peeled bandages too quickly from your face after weeks of blackness.

Eragon's eyes exploded in light and pain, colors danced across reverberating vision, causing bile to rise from his stomach.

He swallowed, head throbbing, and set his eyes forward, catching his sword as it spun into a waiting palm.

Eragon, Saphira began.

Before them, the tower stood.

Rethulianel.

But that wasn't all.

Arya.

Even at this distance, he could see her. No, not just that.

He could feel her.

At the top of Rethulianel's circular spire, Arya fought a Raz'ac the likes of which Eragon had never seen.

No, was it even a Raz'ac? He couldn't sense anything from it. Yet, from the way it moved, the way it swung its shining sword that cackled between black smoke..

It wasn't possible.

The Shade within him...

It seemed to be screaming, seemed to be-

Fighting Arya?

It was then truth dawned like an unseen wound that had begun to bleed.

That was no Raz'ac.

It was Durza.

Morzan remained silent. Osorion listened intently for any movement, any lick of spellcraft.

But the Dark Mage simply remained to the catacombic shadows, body wrapped across pointed rock.

His eyes, however, glowed intently. Osorion could tell Morzan wasn't even focusing on Alauinel.

Because he knows.

Osorion bit his tongue.

He wanted to scream.

Morzan was wary, of course. Alauinel, as she was now, was an indescribable power. And by all rights, so was Osorion.

Even though the dragon wasn't foolish enough to assume Morzan was allowing all of his strength to be detected, this was the first time Osorion felt his power ever so slightly beat against Morzan's own.

But this made no difference. Morzan was no fool, quite on the extreme end of the opposite in fact-

Osorion knew Morzan discerned Alauinel was not capable of coherent thought. What's more..

Osorion's gaze shadowed.

He knows I can't control this power. He knows if I try to use borrowed strength I'm not acclimated to, I'll destroy myself.

It was even possible that it was unsafe for Osorion to even use simple spellcraft. He could feel strength thrumming through his bones, but it was a dangerous and subtle flow that threatened to violently break free if misapplied for even a second.

Osorion narrowed his eyes.

"You've always been coy, Morzan."

Osorion began moving further across the stone path, past Morzan. Ahead, it continued into a marble-like bridge, and even further in the distance, a massive tree sprouted from the craggy depths.

White leaves straightened themselves as a slight wind began to blow across Osorion's skin, though he could not discern the source.

Alauinel seems to only defend either me or herself. I just need to keep her moving. Either Morzan doesn't stop us and let's her find whatever we're here for, or he attempts to fight her and dies as she protects me.

Osorion had to hide a pessimistic grin.

A rather optimistic appraisal- something Alauinel would say, followed by a curt, dismissive laugh.

A streak of dark.

Morzan's body slingshotted into view, slapping across pale, white stone in a collapsing wave of black water.

Alauinel, who had walked ahead of Osorion, jumped backward, onyx flames around her waist and legs growing in agitation. Her eyes widened in dull anger, black hair softly floating behind her angelic face.

Morzan's pool zipped forth-

It rose like a viper, whipping for Osorion as he hid behind Alauinel's shoulder.

The Mute God raised her palm. Morzan's spear of water shattered as if hitting a shock trooper's shield..

Only for black tendrils to again whip around Osorion and Alauinel. An unseen force led by Alauinel's Hand seemed to hold Morzan at bay, but now the water no longer broke upon contact.

In fact..

It was constricting them within Alauinel's own barrier.

He's adapting. He's deconstructing Alauinel's magic. Decoding how it works.

Against Alauinel's barren mind, it would be a simple thing for a genius of magic to counter mana that was brimming with never-seen-before power, but directed by brainless arithmetic.

"Alauinel! Release us!" Osorion spoke with hurried panic. Morzan's water grew larger and larger, until it was a swirling vortex before them, tentacles of liquid whipping about like the limbs of a giant monster of the sea.

Within that bleak chaos Osorion could see snippets of Morzan's body form, arm outstretched with fingers closed into a fist.

Alauinel's barrier was beginning to crush them.

Morzan slid backwards, effortlessly passing between the black bars of his watery prison. Osorion desperately tried to follow the Dark Lord's movements-

But he could not. The pain was nearly unbearable- Alauinel's mana began to burn his skin.

It was then she moved.

It was as if time stopped. One moment, she was beside Osorion.

The next, she was before Morzan. The Dark Lord's attack immediately subsided, redirecting his water for Alauinel. Osorion watched as he fell to the ground.

Alauinel ducked, clambering onto the ground on all fours as Morzan's water speared for her back. The wizard twirled his arms outward, spinning further down the marble path as a wall of black water vortexed in defense, while simultaneously swatting at Alauinel.

Osorion rose. His breath was haggard, and his skin still smoked from Alauinel's magic. The dragon rose his head, following the movements of his Rider with tired eyes.

Alauinel jumped, narrowly avoiding a pillar of water that crashed right beside her. She turned, only for the splashes of water to harden and form a wall of spears that moved for her exposed stomach.

Alauinel somersaulted backwards, leaping from hanging towers of stone as she circled Morzan's black pool.

Osorion began to turn, feeling something at his back.

The sound of Morzan's sword cut the air.

Behind..?!

Osorion fell.

Osorion was afraid. He couldn't retaliate- he could only think.

Morzan traveled underneath the pathway. When he surrounded himself in water- that's when he did it.

Osorion's thoughts disintegrated as he watched a sorcerer's fiery blade fall upon him. He felt as if he should close his eyes-

"C-Ceryani.."

Osorion smiled as Morzan's sword stopped. The Dark Lord turned in seconds. There was a clang- a loud and unholy sound as two wicked blades crossed.

"Y-you're here. As she said you would be. Him.."

Morzan remained silent, but even Osorion could sense his unease. Behind, Osorion heard Morzan's watery typhoon dissolve in a quiet hiss.

In seconds, Alauinel was beside Osorion once more.

Morzan disengaged, jumping away from Vizcelia as she strode closer.

In this from, she was almost Alauinel- it seemed Vizcelia had succeeded in securing not only Islanzadi's body, but also the mana required to come here.

Osorion warmly adopted a healthy grin.

"You know what this means, don't you?"

He said aloud.

Morzan was at the center of them.

His sword was pointed downwards, but by the cut of his eyes Osorion could tell Morzan was fully alert-

And now on the defensive.

Osorion continued.

"Alauinel created this homunculus for the purpose of redirecting the runes Islanzadi foolishly attempted to bequeath to Arya- using that magic instead to come here."

Morzan remained silent.

"You should be flattered, Morzan."

Osorion spoke with kind intonations.

"Alauinel went through all of this for you. Before even Galbatorix, you were

the one who could compromise everything."

Morzan's eyes hardened.

Osorion stepped forward, borrowed power filling him with confidence so typically alien to the Dragon.

"it doesn't matter that you're here now. What mattered was getting you away from Gillendel."

Vizcelia began singing, a strange sound that put even Osorion on edge. Despite this, he continued to speak in bold but somber tones.

"She will join with that body soon. I will be truthful, Morzan. not even She told me what this tomb entails. But I'm sure you feel it now, don't you? that familiar pull of the white oak. Our fate lies just a few steps away."

Osorion chuckled.

There's anothing thing, too, Osorion thought.

Vizcelia was created specifically to defeat you, or at least to slow you down. And if she's here, then that means Alauinel is nearly upon Rethulianel.

His Rider turned, and continued walking down the path, towards the tree.

Osorion followed.

He heard the air crack as Morzan moved to pursue.

However, Osorion didn't even flinch as Vizcelia held the Dark Lord back, a broken rider's blade catching Morzan's sword in an explosion of mana and air.

Osorion continued, humming peacefully as the sound of violence filled pointed ears.