Chapter 55

  Scars of the Sky

  Scorched stone craters trailed plumes of smoke where the radiant sorceries had refracted through Shards. The lingering scent of burning rocks mixed with the sharp tang of iron. The acrid smoke dispersed amongst the haze of expended energy from too many techs and the resonant signal of mana to form an ever growing gloom.

  The patterned skyscape of greys and muted colors wove between the towering Shards and cast a shadow over the battleground. The pervasive backdrop left a somber undertone in the suspended battle.

  The only sounds were the tense sounds of silence, and the screaming.

  Blood pooled on the ground around the Ebony sabatons of the thrashing MAW warrior. Shrill noises of fear and rage escaped the mass of writhing darkness, such sounds that no voice should be able to produce.

  The Revenant had grown in size and power since it last showed itself, it's spiritual body more than twice Rex's size as it squeezed into the armored form of it's new potential host. The fearsome aura spreading out from the dark indigo Soul froze all onlookers in place. Even Vero was frozen, despite chuckling in amusement.

  Michael watched as the spiritual mass shrank, and he clenched his teeth. Frustration and rage overtook him for a moment, and he shook off the fear of the foe he faced. “I can’t let this happen!” He exclaimed, and struck the ground to unleash a Dark Blade.

  An armored hand shot out of the shadows to grab from the corpse of Vy. Just before the energy of Michael’s Dark Blade erupted, a blue barrier spilled forth from the wicked weapon Vy had been carrying. The impact Michael had intended was repelled in all directions away from Rex, knocking Vero, Velicio, Fara, Sebastian, and Evan to the ground.

  “That...” Rex’s voice echoed from within the swirling shadows, “Wasn’t very polite.” The blue barrier faded away, and so too did the shadow limbs of the Revenant. In the aftermath of the possession stood the mighty Kuldo warrior in his Ebony Armor, but he had changed.

  From the shoulders, the forearm, the calves, and the head, Rex had grown sharp spiked crystals that broke through pieces of his custom made armor. Though common for a Kuldo, Rex’s crystal armaments seemed far more potent than was typical. The horn on his head, and the six other twisted spikes, were longer and darker than Rex was known for. Dark brown and opaque, as opposed to his transparent tan cut.

  Those that had fallen recovered. Velicio rose in silence as Vero continued to chuckle as he lifted himself from the ground. Sebastian stood and tried to help Fara, who shrugged him off and took a defensive stance. Evan looked at Rex with a mixture of apprehension and aversion as he moved back several steps.

  The broken helmet revealed the face of a man possessed, already his eyes had changed to match those of the Revenants before him. Lifting the sword of Mexizu to examine it, he spoke, “You know, I think a title before my name is preferable after all.” Rex said.

  Michael readied another attack, but Rex moved first. The heavily armored Revenant leapt through the air and brought his claimed sword crashing down with murderous energy. He landed and struck, splitting Evan’s head in half before the sniper realized what happened.

  The lifeless body of his former comrade fell to the ground at his feet as the new Revenant spoke, “I think I prefer... Daemon Rex.” He said, swiping the air to clean the blood off his sword.

  “No!” Fara cried out, rushing forth as Michael’s party looked on in shock. “Evan!” Fara dropped next to the body of Evan and called forth healing energies. Her effort was in vain, punctuated by an outburst of laughter from Vero off to the side.

  “He had it coming,” Daemon Rex said, “The prick.” He spat on the ground and heaved a sigh, “I’ve decided to take your advice, Vero, and live without consequence. This power...” He clenched his fist, “I’m unstoppable.”

  After weaving another spell, which had no visible effect, Fara stood up. “Damnit Rex! You childish hooligan! I’m not letting you get away with this.” She took a combat stance and began to call forth mana.

  “That’s Daemon Rex!” A swift slash to the side stopped Fara in her tracks, cutting into her and launching her against the base of a Shard. The mana she gathered dispersed around Daemon Rex as he finished his attack, a look of disgust on his face. Fara went limp, and didn’t move.

  “HAH HA HA HAA!” Vero chortled, “You’re a riot, Daemon. Welcome to the winning side.” The sorcerer cast a spell that surrounded Daemon Rex with a momentary gale. It left his armor spotless as it dispersed.

  Daemon Rex nodded, “Gotcha. Thanks for the power, and the waxing, Vero.” He looked one more time at the fallen Evan and Fara, “These hangers on would have only gotten in the way anyways.” Then, he looked towards Michael.

  “How... how could you.” Michael snarled, trembling where he stood. Flecks of energy arcing from his fists, Michael’s eyes darkened for a moment. “You killed them, your friends!” For a moment Michael’s eyes seemed to change color, before he snapped them shut and closed off his anger.

  “Friends? You misunderstand, they were pawns to further my ambition. They would not have followed, so they were no longer needed.” Daemon Rex said, “Fools, they were, To trust me.”

  “Unforgivable!” Michael vanished in a cloud of darkness, reappearing before a surprised Daemon Rex and unleashing a violent slashing attack. The horn Daemon had grown atop his head broke, fracturing like a tooth, and caused the large man to fall back.

  Michael looked down at himself in shock, trying to figure out how he had done that, and was punished for his curiosity. Daemon swept Michael’s legs out with his arm and tossed the white haired man. Michael tumbled downhill, bouncing off a few shards of crystal and slamming his head on a rock.

  Yan and Wolf rushed to Michael, while Sebastian thrust his hand towards Daemon Rex. Through the Aero Crystal he held, Sebastian unleashed a barrage of twisting winds that exploded towards Daemon. The initial strike knocked him back, but the rest hit a barrier of earth cast by Vero.

  "No interfering." Vero chided, holding his spell until Sebastian's attack ended.

  Wolf and Yan tried to help Michael, but he hopped to his feet before they could. There was a nasty welt above his left eye, "I'm fine." Michael said, sounding calm. "Don't worry."

  Yan gripped Michael's right hand for a moment, then rejoined the others as Michael stepped forth to fight. She sidled up to Sebastian, "What was that blast? That wasn't Elemancy, was it?"

  "Not as such." Sebastian said, "After attuning to those crystals I applied the principles of Izmodian Magic to channel my Elemancy through them. I also had to tap in with crystal casting, and use a Modern Magic spell that generates an elemental object." Sebastian dug through his bag for some extra cloth as he spoke.

  "I..." Yan said, "Okay...?"

  Michael stood before Daemon Rex and fell into an aggressive stance. "I'm going to end this, Rex. I'll destroy you and the Revenant once and for all."

  “Talk as big as you want.” Daemon Rex said, “I, Daemon Rex, will defeat you.”

  Yan started towards Michael’s side, drawing her kunai, when a wall of flames leapt in front of her. Vero clicked his tongue, wagging his finger back and forth. With a grumble of annoyance Yan called winds around her weapons and readied to throw.

  “Yan, don’t.” Michael said, turning back, “As long as you don’t interfere, neither will they.”

  “What?” Yan balked, “How can you know that?” She held onto her kunai, glancing at the flame wall in contemplation.

  “Because, otherwise he would have already done something.” Michael said, glaring at Vero. The Sorcerer lifted his head, his mask hiding his face but not his arrogance, “Scheming, planning, conniving.” Michael said, “Always up to something. I’m sure even this is one of his traps.” Michael faced Daemon Rex, who was smirking as he waited. “But there is something they don’t know.”

  Standing there with all the confidence in the world, despite being covered in welts, bruises, and smeared with blood, Michael lifted his sword. Daemon Rex frowned, and Vero took a cautious step back as Michael moved his arm through a meditative flow. All at once, Michael’s wounds vanished and he fell into a stance reminiscent of Hyato.

  “Oh sh-” Daemon Rex’s words were cut off as Michael flashed forward, leaving a line of energy through the air. Daemon swiveled to face him, but Michael had already vanished again. He’d leapt above the taller enemy like Yan, then brought down a column of purple flames onto Daemon Rex.

  “Is he really copying us?” Wolf asked, “Since when can he do that?”

  Michael dodged a stray swipe from Daemon and hopped over him again, “I don’t know.” Yan said, “Do you think this counts as teamwork?”

  “If he can make it work.” Sebastian said, “But Rex is well trained.”

  On his third jump Michael’s foot was snatched out of the air. Daemon slammed Michael to the ground and tossed him aside like a rag, “How about a lesson from a former MAW disciple of combat.” Daemon Rex said. He stomped the ground to stagger Michael before he stood up, then kicked him in the chest, “First, find your strength. Second, build your style around it. The training at the academy is second to none.”

  Daemon grabbed Michael’s hair and lifted him up, eliciting a pained groan. “As for me,” Daemon continued, “My strength is Strength. Raw physical power forged on the field of battle and honed in the fires of my forge.” Daemon lifted Michael by his hair bringing him up close. “With the right training, even a brute like me can catch someone who specializes in Adaptability like you.”

  Michael’s pained grimace shifted to a stretched grin, “You think so? But Adaptability isn’t my strength.”

  “Oh yeah?” Daemon inched closer, “So, what is it? Agility, like your little girlfriend there? It’s not Logic, nor Dexterity, nor even Willpower like your friends, is it?” The smug Kuldo murderer laughed.

  “Nope.” Michael said, grabbing Daemon by the shoulders. He bucked his head back, tearing out the strands of hair Daemon still gripped, then slammed forth. Michael’s bare forehead struck the remnants of Daemon Rex’s crystal horn with a resounding thunk!

  The scream of pain Daemon let out was accompanied by the crinkling of crystal as all the hair on his head fractured and fell down. Daemon Rex stumbled back clutching his bleeding forehead as Michael stood up and dusted himself off. “My strength,” Michael said, “Is Endurance.”

  Velicio looked at Vero, “I wonder what my strength is.” She mused.

  “Who cares?” Vero said, “The techniques of Myrrh need not apply to us.” He watched the fight from an ensorcelled floating rock, chin resting on one arm as he half paid attention.

  Folding her arms Velicio muttered, “Well your strength is being a prat.”

  Daemon let out a string of incoherent curses as he clutched his head with one hand and punched the ground with the other, wielding the sword of Mexizu. Michael finished brushing off the attacks Daemon had dealt and shook his head. “Okay, break time is over.” Michael struck the ground and unleashed Dark Blade.

  As Daemon flew upwards Michael gathered the Dark Aura around his sword, and as Daemon fell Michael struck the air to call forth his Aura empowered Dark Wind. The gale obscured the enemy in a tempest of slashes until a dark blue sphere dropped through.

  The barrier protected the Revenant as he landed, and Daemon swiped the sword through the air. “Fine, let’s play with magic swords then.” Michael snarled, feeling a bit of rage surge for a moment before squashing it down. He nodded, and stalked forwards.

  Daemon swiped to test his range, aiming at Michael’s scarred cheek. Michael brought his sword up to parry the blow away and lunged in for a stab. Daemon pivoted on one foot and struck back, a body blow that Michael sidestepped. The two traded strikes, aiming for one another in a sudden exchange of traditional swordplay. Daemon Rex was taller and his sword longer than the Oronbyr, giving him far superior range. On the flipside, Michael was swifter than the ebony armored killer. His empty violet eyes tracked each movement of his opponent as he wove between attacks.

  After matching in strikes for a long moment, neither able to land a direct blow, Daemon grunted, "So you have skill. At least enough to cover for your errors."

  "Enough to match a Myrrhmidon wannabe." Michael agreed. Daemon seethed and swung forth in a fit of rage, an attack that Michael dodged and countered with a swift stroke. The Oronbyr cut through Daemon's ebony bracer and drew blood.

  Daemon hissed and hopped back, but Michael pursued. Before Michael could press the attack the blue barrier sprang to life from Mexizu's sword, deflecting Michael's attack and forcing a temporary stalemate. Daemon looked from the Oronbyr to the sword in his hand. "I've always heard tales of artifact weapons, but they're more complex than I thought."

  "Don't feel too bad, Daemon. It took me days of training to figure out how to use this thing." Michael said, readying the Oronbyr for another attack.

  "That's the difference between us," Daemon said, "One of us actually has talent." Daemon Rex dropped the barrier and swung the sword, causing a jet of blue flames to spill forth from the edge. Michael swiped his sword and formed a surge shield at the last second, but still needed to retreat to avoid being singed.

  "Well, heck." Michael said.

  Daemon moved forth and began using swift strokes of swordplay again, adding waves of blue flames and bursting Surges with some of his attacks. Michael focused on dodging, throwing out the occasional Dark Blade to try and trip up Daemon and gain some distance, but Daemon did not let Michael slip away.

  From the sidelines the others watched in near total silence. Sebastian fiddled with the strings of his makeshift bandolier, where he had strapped the elemental crystals to his chest. Wolf had one fist pressed against his closed mouth, fighting down the urge to summon his Dragon Energy and join.

  Yan tapped her foot and clenched kunai in her hands, looking for a way to break the tension. "This swordplay of theirs, it's pretty good." Yan said, talking just to talk. "Right Hyato?" She looked left, then right, and scanned all around. "Where's Hyato?"

  Sebastian and Wolf looked around at once, their anxiety replaced by a creeping unease. "Something happened." Sebastian said, "Vero must have done something."

  "Unforgivable." Wolf said, borrowing Michael's sentiment, "I can't believe I let this happen."

  Yan ground her teeth and stepped forward, "Well I'm not going to keep standing around. Let's end this!" She brandished four kunai in each hand and surrounded them with wind. She jumped high into the air and threw the eight tethered knives at Daemon.

  Vero hopped up and thrust both hands forth to cast a sorcery, creating a thin translucent wall between Yan and Daemon. The wall seemed to slip apart, forming an empty space in the air. As Yan's kunai struck it the winds from her attack were siphoned away and the eight knives fell to the ground, having lost all momentum.

  "What was that?!" Yan exclaimed as she landed.

  "Interesting, he made a void and interrupt your Wind." Sebastian said, analyzing while rubbing his chin.

  "How?"

  "Heads up!" Wolf said before Sebastian could elaborate.

  Vero shifted closer, maintaining his levitation to look down at them. "Now now, I specifically said no interruptions."

  "Shove it!" Yan shouted, throwing another kunai. This time Vero did not deign to react, he did not need to.

  Velicio intercepted the kunai, knocking it aside with her metal quarterstaff. Without a word she planted herself between Vero and the others, a firm silent message in her defense.

  Wolf rose to the challenge, arming himself with his wide swords and calling the fury of flame and lightning to bear. He rushed forward, shadowed by Yan, to attack Velicio. Wolf clashed with Velicio, creating almost as much explosive force to rival the growing intensity of Daemon Rex pursuing Michael.

  Shaking his head and shrugging, Vero floated out of the splash range of the others' battle. "How drab, it takes two of you to even come close to my Sister's skill."

  "I wouldn't rest just yet, Vero." Sebastian said, already standing in the way of Vero's retreat.

  "How did... You may be able to read my movements, but you cannot overcome my Sorcery, Mage." Vero said with contempt.

  "I prefer Skiller." Sebastian created a gout of flames half the size of a shard in less than a moment, the column erupting from the pyro crystal on his sash. The flames died away seconds after they appeared. Sebastian was not surprised to see a new sorcery warding Vero as the flames dispersed.

  Power gathered around Vero in cords, heated cables sealing away the flames Sebastian summoned, “You are picking a fight you cannot win, pink man. I am a Sorcerer, I wield the supreme art of magic. I can weave new sorceries on a whim, cast them forth without petty trinkets or complex runes. Modern Magic is an imitation of our stability, and Elemancy an imitation of our true elemental freedom.” Vero converted the flames within the cables to buzzing lightning, “Mine is a power you cannot hope to match.”

  “Sure, you’ve got Sorcery.” Sebastian said, “The skill many have craved, but cannot obtain. A power beyond learning for mere scholars, like myself.” He tapped the yellow Terra Crystal on his sash, “I have to use foci, to use runes, to build up my power bit by bit. But you know what? I wouldn’t have it any other way, rather than relying on something like Sorcery.” Sebastian said, a note of disdain to his voice.

  Vero snarled and unleashed his stored spell, sending the cables of lightning at Sebastian. In turn, the tactician unleashed another flow of power, erupting a cloud of dust and stone into life before him. The wave of Earth grounded out the lightning and struck Vero from the sky. “You’d do well to remember our names, Vero.” Sebastian called, “Because we are the ones to bring you down. For Michael’s dreams we fight! Yan, Wolf, Hyato, and even, I, Sebastian, will ensure that!”

  The dust Sebastian summoned cleared away in a pulse of wind, and Vero picked himself up off the ground. “Oh, so you want to go toe to toe with me, then?” Vero asked, flames erupting from his robe, “Well you asked for it, Sebastian!”

  In a sudden flurry of flames, Vero’s robe burned away and he slammed the ground with his fingers. The earth cracked and shook, plates forming and moving up and down in an erratic quake around Sebastian and Vero. The moving earth made Sebastian stumble for a moment, then he summoned wind around his feet to lift himself free of the spell with Elemotion. Using the powers around him, Sebastian took a good look at his opponent.

  Pale violet skin and dark hair gave a strong hint towards Vero’s heritage, that of an Aaphuso. He was skinny, more accustomed to weaving spells than flexing muscle, and he moved like a man who learned to fight to survive. His robes gone, he wore a dark sleeveless shirt and baggy pants that were tied at his ankles to fit into well worn boots. His clothes looked old and worn, but well kept.

  Despite the appearance of an Aaphuso, Vero nor his sister appeared to have a phantom following them. Before Sebastian could muse on this peculiarity, something changed. Vero’s skinny arms seemed to grow muscle before Sebastian’s eyes. White lines appeared on his skin, swirls that emboldened his body as they crawled across them. A violent energy surged from his body, a predatory force that made Sebastian’s skin crawl, something that filled Sebastian with a growing sense of familiarity.

  “Keh heh heh heh heh,” Vero laughed, steam escaping from his teeth as the power from his body took hold, “Are you prepared?” Vero’s hand shot forth and unleashed a beam of light, amplified by the fractal force of his Dragon Energy. Before it struck he converted the light into flames, exploding the Sorcery into a cone of dragonfire.

  Sebastian called forth a wave of water in defense and moved away on a trail of winds. He avoided the sorcery but Vero was not far behind, running towards him in a burst of speed as his body changed into Energy Form. Vero launched himself forth and grew deep purple Kuldo crystals from his hand, stabbing them into Sebastian’s side!

  “What! Is! Happening!?” Sebastian cried, blasting himself and Vero apart with a crystal enhanced blast of wind. The shockwave split them apart and sent a lengthy gale throughout the Shards of the Sky.

  Yan looked over to see the impossible abilities Vero demonstrated, letting out an audible sound of confusion. “Eeeh?” Wolf and Velicio looked as well, pausing in their clash for a moment as Vero prevented crashing by turning into energy, and Sebastian caught himself on a flow of summoned water.

  “Guess the jig’s up.” Velicio said. She snaked her arm around her staff, bending it in a coil like it was boneless using Evari flexibility, and snapped the weapon down with terrifying speed. Wolf took a blow to the shoulder and let out a hiss, backing away from Velicio as white swirling images appeared on her skin, “Time to let loose.”

  Velicio slipped forth and whipped her staff in an abnormal arc, letting her arms bend and flex to strike from unusual angles. Wolf attempted to block or dodge, but only put himself in harm's way each time. After taking six sharp blows from the end of the metal quarterstaff, he unleashed a pained roar and an explosion of lightning!

  The amber electric force arced from Wolf to Velicio, digging into the Knight's flesh and leaving burns before she managed to break the current with a Surge. Velicio leapt up and away, moving with alacrity and distance reminiscent of Sennish agility.

  Questions raced through Yan's mind as she witnessed the actions of Vero and Velicio. Why were the maniacal siblings using powers from other races? Why weren’t they using them before? Was Yan pulling her weight in this battle? Where was Hyato? Would Michael be okay?

  Yan pushed the questions aside and launched herself into the air, rushing after Velicio. She may have these racial abilities, but Yan had years of skill to fall back on. Using Twister Grip around her right hand, Yan shot forth!

  Reality around Velicio shifted as Yan drew near, moving the Ninja off course just enough to matter. Yan tried to recover and make her attack, however as Velicio switched to that psionic power her Sennish Agility ended. Velicio dropped to the ground, landing hard and reeling back.

  "They can only use one at a time." Yan realized, landing on a ledge halfway up a Shard. She took a moment to recover, using a simple meditation.

  Lightning erupted from Wolf in all directions, a chaotic web of amber energy that consolidated into four solid arcs into the ground. Once rooted, Wolf set his sights on Velicio while she was still recovering from her drop. Drawing in power from the ground the lightning took on a solid facade, Wolf unleashed his power as a beam of crackling lightning imbued with the concussive force of the Earth.

  The tremendous current of lightning tore up the ground and smashed through boulders and crystals as it flowed towards Velicio. Despite being elemental Lightning, the attack was avoided as Velicio leapt with her Sennish Agility again. "Too slow!" She snapped, dodging the Lightning at the last second.

  As Velicio sailed through the air, Yan gave chase using the jump technique Michael had shown her, mixed with her own. Once more Yan summoned a sharp spiral of winds around her hand to go for an attack. She overcame Velicio with superior speed and struck her belly with Twister Grip.

  Velicio had crossed her arms to block and pushed Yan away with a swing of her staff. The thick rod of metal slammed into Yan's right arm and side with a sharp cracking noise, and Yan was swatted from the air.

  Both warriors fell to the ground. Velicio clutched the bleeding wound on her belly, while Yan hissed and tried not to clutch her side. Her right arm was covered in blood, hanging limp and broken as white hot pain seared her side.

  "And you..." Velicio said, panting a bit as she glared at Yan, "Too weak."

  Yan twitched, looking over at Velicio. “Weak.” She echoed, “Too weak...” Yan braced the ground and bit back her pain as she forced herself to stand. Her right arm was broken, and her shirt stained with blood where she had taken the hit. “Always too weak to keep up.” Yan tied her useless arm to her side with a simple sling. “Can’t match Michael, can’t beat Wolf. Even Mien tried to help me overcome that, my ‘weakness.’ But strength, power, has never been my forte.” Yan made a meditative motion to stop the bleeding, while Velicio watched with a wary stance, “I’ve never been able to win my battles with force.” Yan dropped her kunai and tapped one foot, dropping into a crouch, “No, I don’t think I’m too weak. Not... anymore.”

  Two energy clones appeared behind Yan right before she rocketed through the air towards Velicio. Instead of her usual direct jump she moved with one foot forth, tearing through the air with a flying kick. Velicio blocked with her staff, the contact between kick and metal creating a loud impact that pushed Velicio back a step. The purple knight slapped her weapon at Yan, trailing behind a mote of energy as Yan swapped with a clone that danced out of harm’s way with an effortless pirouette.

  As Yan launched another flying kick with an impressive impact, Wolf clapped and cheered, “Woo! Sonic Socks!” He called, grinning. He watched as Yan traded places with a clone to attack and dodge counters, then blinked as he felt a tap on his shoulder.

  Behind Wolf was the third Yan, the energy clone left out of the fighting, “Wolf, stop her from escaping to the air.” She said, “Together, we can beat her.”

  “Yes Ma’am!” Wolf said with a grin, turning to stretch his arms. “Time to turn up the HEAT!” Flames erupted from the ground all around Wolf, racing across the battlefield to surround Wolf, Yan, and Velicio in a wall of flames. The amber flames burned like a golden barrier of light, flooding the air with it's artificial inferno. As an added deterrent, Wolf shot webs of lightning into the air above Velicio, daring her to make an escape.

  Velicio scoffed and glanced at the elemental cage in a moment between Yan’s assault, considering her options. She shook her head and faced her opponent head on, spinning the staff to build up momentum. As Yan dove in for another kick Velicio slapped the air to unleash a heavy surge. The energy wave rippled through the air, but Yan slipped away with an energy clone and moved in for another attack. Velicio struck again, hitting dead air as Yan slipped in to deliver another powerful kick. The attack connected with Velicio’s shoulder, transferring Yan’s speed into sheer power through the Sonic Socks gifted by Mystia.

  With a frustrated grunt Velicio grabbed at Yan’s foot, missing by inches. “Too slow!” Yan said, swapping places with a clone that was already flying in. Velicio brought up the psionic ward again, shifting the air around her in an invisible defence. Yan bypassed the ward with a surge and landed a blow to Velicio’s wounded chest.

  “Gah!” The purple knight groaned, sweeping around her with a wide range surge. Yan sacrificed a clone to avoid the attack as Velicio leapt up into the air, creating a surge shield to break through Wolf’s lightning. She pierced beyond the web of force, only to be chased!

  Amber flames and sparks struck Velicio in the air and killed her momentum, knocking her back to the ground with a definitive crash. “Too weak!” Wolf called, closing the elements in.

  Velicio rose to her feet, spitting a glob of blood to the side and lifting her staff before her. Bloodied and wounded as she was, Velicio showed no signs of weariness from the lengthy skirmish. “Bruised or bloodied, I will fight. I may fall, but I will rise.” Velicio said, building up energy in her hands, “I may bend, but I’ll never break!”

  “You think so, fine!” Yan yelled, falling into a run, “Clench your teeth!” Yan and her clones spun into a flying leap, exploding with a surge of energy to build up speed. All three descended on Velicio in a staggered volley before the staff wielding warrior could unleash her attack.

  Once, twice, and thrice Yan struck Velicio with successive kicks by swapping places with herself. Each attack was blocked by Velicio, who braced her staff with both arms as she built up power. The attacks pushed the Knight back a few inches each time, the concussive force of Yan’s converted speed making the ground rattle. After the third attack Velicio exhaled and smirked, ready to unleash her finishing move.

  One of Yan’s clones had hopped up into the air after making the initial kick, then Yan swapped places as it reached the pinnacle of it's ascent. Before Velicio made her move Yan came crashing down with a fourth attack, an axe kick from above. Velicio noticed the danger a split second before it happened and lifted her staff to protect her head. With a definitive crack Yan’s heel slammed down onto the metal quarterstaff and transferred her speed with an unstoppable force.

  The shaft of tempered metal snapped in Velicio’s hands, breaking in half as Yan’s heel carried through to hit the warrior woman in the forehead. The ninja woman swapped to safety on the ground and watched as Velicio dropped to one knee and swayed from side to side. “I...” Velicio mumbled. “Never... break.”

  Velicio fell, eyes flickering closed.

  When battles broke out around Michael he wanted to help. Sebastian had begun to fight Vero, then Wolf engaged with Velicio. Then the other battles moved away, but still Daemon Rex did not let up. Forced to put thoughts of the others aside, Michael continued to evade Daemon’s pursuit. Try as he might, Michael did not dissuade Daemon from his dogged thirst for battle. With a sigh of acceptance, Michael turned to face Daemon under the oppressive blanket of the gloom above.

  “Finally ready to fight?” Daemon Rex said, “Or are you going to keep fleeing like a coward?”

  “I’ll fight you, Daemon.” Michael said, nodding once, “I still need to destroy that Soul possessing you.”

  “Possessing? Heh.” Daemon Rex grunted, “I am in control here, this thing inside is just along for the ride!” Daemon swung the malevolent indigo sword in a wide arc, spilling out blue flames from the edge. Dispersed as they were, the wide attack did not reach Michael when he hopped back.

  Michael tilted his head, “Along for the ride, what do you mean?” Daemon slashed again, so Michael parried him, “What do you mean?” He asked again.

  “Enough talk!” Daemon Rex said, “Stop dodging me and fight!” Daemon unleashed another blast of blue flames, this one closer together. Michael parried the blow, but the flames scorched his side with lingering heat.

  “What,” Michael said, conjuring ice to cool the pain, “do you mean, Daemon Rex?”

  “Beat me and I’ll tell you!” Daemon shouted, charging in with a sudden shoulder bash. Michael took the blow in the chest and was knocked back several yards. Using a burst of wind he avoided falling and managed to dodge the jump slash that Daemon followed up with.

  “Fine.” Michael agreed, accepting the terms, “I’ll just beat you then.” He swept the tip of the Oronbyr across the ground in a line, emitting a thin line of energy that formed a temporary barrier between himself and Daemon. It was the same force behind Dark Blade, but did not crawl forth and lasted longer. Long enough for Michael to use a meditative pose to close his wounds. As the Dark Wall faded, Michael fell into a new stance, his right arm pointed forward while his sword arm held the Oronbyr back and at the ready.

  Flames erupted behind Daemon, and caused the two warriors to leap into battle. Daemon Rex aimed for Michael's head with a sharp slash, while Michael slipped in and crouched underneath the attack. Keeping close and holding his right arm down, Michael fired off surges, vibes, and blasts of wind up at Daemon's face. The attacks did little to harm the man, but he seethed and swung his arms down to grapple or punch.

  The spiked guard of the Shadowflare looked sharp enough to gore through steel, Michael avoided being skewered or punched with all his effort. He pivoted and ducked out of the way of Daemon's attacks, taking time to pester him with more jabs of energy and mana.

  Daemon swiped the sword down towards Michael, but stopped short as he flinched away to grab with his other arm. Deceived by the feint, Michael coughed as Daemon gripped the smaller man's neck and squeezed. "Gotcha, stupid little twink."

  "Hee hee hee." Michael giggled, a dopey smile on his face.

  "What's so funny?" Daemon barked, scowling down at the man.

  Instead of choking out words, Michael pointed down. Daemon Rex checked below, and found himself standing on a sheet of ice above a pit. Before he could process how it happened, Michael created a blast of flame from his right arm, which was still pointed towards the ground.

  The ice gave way and Daemon began to fall, but he did not let go of Michael and started to drag him along! In a near panic Michael struck the ground and unleashed Dark Blade.

  Violent dark energy tore through the ground and sent Michael flying, freed from Daemon's grip as the narrow sides of the pit stopped him from being thrown. Daemon was jolted about and sunk to the bottom of the shallow pit, which came up to just above his waist. Enough to wedge him in place, too narrow to pull free with a small effort. Then something heavy landed on his head before clattering to the ground, eliciting a grunt from the immobilized Kuldo.

  In order to land without breaking anything, Michael wove winds around him to cushion his fall. He fell flat on his face, but didn't slam down. Michael hopped up and checked for danger, ready to dodge an opportunistic assault, but he was in the clear for now.

  "Geh heheheh." The low rumbling laugh of Daemon Rex was accompanied by the breaking of stone. "Now you've done it." The huge ebony armored man smashed his way out of the pit, stepping free of the trap before Michael could capitalize on it. As Daemon rose he picked up the item that fell on his head, a straight black sword with numerous crystalline facets. He took a dangerous stance carrying both the Shadowflare, and the Oronbyr.

  "Oh, you've got to be kidding," Michael muttered.

  Indigo flames rushed to life from Daemon's first slash, burning brighter and bigger than before. While Michael guarded with a raised wall of stone, Daemon swung the Oronbyr around a few times to get a feel for it. He smirked after a fifth swing, then watched Michael dive for cover when the earth wall melted to slag.

  "Thanks for the new toy, Michael. I'll be sure to keep it sharp after I put you in the ground." Daemon said.

  "That," Michael said, "Is my sword." He stood up once the indigo flames had faded, and reached his hand toward Daemon.

  "What are you gonna do, tickle me?"

  "Don't tempt me." Michael said. Daemon grimaced and Michael lunged to close the gap, reaching for the Oronbyr. With a swift sweeping motion Daemon unleashed Dark Wind, pushing Michael back a few yards. "That's my technique!" Michael said, "That took me days to learn."

  "Not my fault you're a talentless hack." Daemon said, backing away to increase the distance. He said something else, but the sharp sounds of other battles muddled his words. Michael wondered how people conversed so well in the middle of fighting.

  When Michael tried to close the distance, Daemon unleashed another blast of Dark Wind. This time the attack was stronger, almost up to the level of his own technique. "You're not learning the technique, you're just copying me." Michael said in realization. Of course, Daemon did not hear him as he readied another attack.

  This time Daemon swung the other sword, creating a swirling mass of indigo flames before him like a wall. Before Michael could deduce the reason behind it, Dark Wind exploded towards him. Dark blue flames billowed forth with the wind, morphing into a conflagration like an oncoming storm.

  There was no time to plan, and elemental shielding would not suffice. Michael rushed headlong towards the threat and turned into Light, trusting his resilience to see him through.

  Stone and crystal alike melted into slag beneath the force of Daemon's attack. He looked on with a twisted sense of satisfaction as his power warped the very land. His smug sense of pride shattered when Michael broke through the flames, every inch of him glowing with a dazzling golden radiance. Before Daemon recovered, a wave of force exploded from all around Michael.

  The Arkwave disrupted the rest of Daemon Rex's attack and stunned him where he stood. For a second, all was still.

  In that moment of inaction, Michael grabbed onto Daemon's left hand with both of his, trying to pry back his fingers. The heavy grip of the ebony gauntlet didn't budge.

  Daemon Rex snapped to his senses and tried to push Michael away, but the smaller man couldn't be moved. Despite the size difference, Daemon realized that Michael was almost as strong as he was. Or stronger.

  Incensed at Michael's power, Daemon shook his arm to try and throw Michael off. When that didn't work he punched Michael in the side of the head. Twice he slammed the spiked guard against Michael's ear, then Daemon lurched as he felt a firm foot impact his chest. Michael kicked away, taking the Oronbyr with him.

  "What the fuck," Daemon Rex said, astonished. He watched as Michael landed, having shrugged off blows to the head like they were nothing, "Are you immortal?"

  "Don't be stupid," Michael said, "I'm..." He trailed off and looked past Daemon, eyes widening, "What is that?!"

  "Nice try," Daemon dashed forth and punched Michael in the face, then he grabbed the Oronbyr and kicked him. Michael went flying and landed at the base of a Shard.

  "I've punched a lot of faces," Daemon said, "But only one other person could ignore a hit like that." He looked at the sword guard, which had blood splattered on it, then looked at Michael. His face looked unharmed, but he lay slumped over motionless.

  "Oi, get up." Daemon said, then he frowned, "Oh shit. Did I really kill him? Vero's gonna be pissed." Daemon turned around and froze in his tracks, stunned into silence and stillness.

  Small cyclones of lingering wind swirled around in lazy arcs, weaving between the jutting peaks of the Shards of the Sky. The lingering mana formed a haze like a sea of clouds that the many colored crystals floated in. Standing on two such islands above the fog were a pair of mystical manipulators.

  Sebastian wondered how he ended up all the way up here, never letting Vero out of his sight. “You’re full of surprises, Vero, using all those racial powers. I wonder how many more tricks you’ve got hiding up those sleeves.”

  Vero’s thin lips pulled back into a malicious grin, his mask having been blown away by Sebastian’s earlier wind blast. “All the more for me to know, and you to wonder.”

  “Still, it begs the question.” Sebastian said, running his hand along the crystal bandolier he wore. “Who even are you?”

  The sorcerer’s gaze tracked Sebastian’s movement, cautious of a sneak attack, “Such a vague query. Surely a scholarly graduate of MAW could ask better questions, Sebastian.” Vero said, still grinning like a child given a basket of sweets.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  “You have a point, I should be more direct.” Sebastian said, reaching his left arm behind him into his bag, “You and Velicio, so determined in your pursuit of Michael, in the Revenant. Who are you? Mexizu’s children? What do you plan to do with his Soul?”

  “Keh!” Vero chortled, “Keh heh heh. Such praise you shower upon me. To be children of such a man, such a Legend. No, my Lord never met a woman or man worthy of his attention.” Vero laughed, throwing back his head in a show of amusement and confidence. “Who are we? You who hides his own past to ask such a thing, ridiculous.”

  “I suppose you are right.” Sebastian said, drawing Vero’s gaze once more. With a flourish, Sebastian produced a long red jacket from his pack. He donned the silken robe, it's ornate black trim standing out as it fell around him. “Who am I to hide my past? Such cowardice would besmirch my allies, three of whom cannot even draw from their own pasts.”

  The smirk Vero had worn vanished, replaced by a scowl, “Don’t think for a moment that your military tactics will overcome my Sorcery. I create new spells from imagination alone! You and yours can never hope to best that!” He snarled.

  “Prove it.” Sebastian unleashed a blast of wind, stirring up a gale to knock Vero away. In response the Sorcerer created his own winds, clashing and mixing with Sebastian’s to form a cyclone. Then Vero twisted his spell, converting the wind into stone and cancelling out the entire gust.

  “You’ll have to do better than just elements.” Vero said, “Any Sorcery can be any element I want, or none at all.” Spiked black tendrils shot out from Vero’s outstretched arm, snaking through the air with violent intent.

  Sebastian shook his head and created a wave of water, the blast amplified through his Hydro Crystal to encompass the oncoming tentacles. With a second wave of power through the same foci, the water snapped into ice, freezing the tendrils in place. The frozen sorcery shattered and fell, dispersing into spent mana as it mixed with the ever growing cloud of fog below. “Such folly, Vero.” Sebastian chided, “I expected more from you.”

  “More? I’ll give you more!” Vero shrieked, thrusting his arms forth again to cast. A swarm of bat-like blades spawned from around him to swoop at Sebastian, while a second sorcery called forth a meteor plummeting in from above. Both spells took on a jagged aura of power as white lines appeared on vero’s skin again, along with the Phanokai power of Dragon Energy.

  With one hand Sebastian unleashed an arc of flames, scorching the bats and creating a strong updraft. Then Sebastian formed a pillar of earth and launched it at the comet with a gust of wind, riding the heat created by his blade bat barbecue. With almost lazy effort, and half as much mana, Sebastian cancelled out the attacks.

  “You think you’re so smart, you think you are better than a Sorcerer!” Vero snarled, “Better than me?! You’re not!”

  “Words only carry as much weight as the actions behind them, Vero.” Sebastian explained, “Sorcery may be the most adaptable art of casting, but you wield it like a club.” Vero fumed on the other Shard peak, his pale violet face reddening with anger. Sebastian scanned the area with elesense to find the nearest Shard to escape to if it came down to it. The one he perched upon was too upright to descend, unless he could move like Yan or Michael.

  “How... dare you.” Vero hissed, “High and mighty Myrrhfolk, always putting us down.”

  ‘Us.’ Sebastian thought, ‘Just one more push, I can figure out who they really are.’ The Evari tactician let out a laugh, buying himself a few more seconds to think up a plan. “Can’t stomach a little criticism, Vero? If you took the time to understand yourself, maybe you wouldn’t need to use your Sorcery like a crutch.” Sebastian put on his most annoying grin, “As it is now, even Mexizu would cast you aside. Anyone can see you are useless without your ‘gift,’ as it were.”

  The snap in the floodgates of Vero’s rage was almost visible, and audible as he let out a defiant snarl, “You insolent bastard!” Vero cried, leaping towards Sebastian with a chaotic collection of half formed spells around him. “You think I am someone to be trifled with?! Begone with you!”

  Sebastian made a hasty retreat as Vero obliterated his perch with a chaotic mix of magics. The Evari ran across the air on unsteady winds, jumping to another Shard peak before he lost his balance. The Shards were enormous, so even up here above the haze Sebastian had enough room to feel a little secure. Vero gave chase, held aloft by some levitation sorcery, as he continued his tirade.

  “I am not just some student chasing myths, I am Vero Exus!” The sorcerer proclaimed, punctuating his name with a thunderclap spell that Sebastian was forced to deflect. “As son of Exodus Exus and grandson of Vilra Exus, I am the Prince of Necros!”

  As Vero revealed his identity Sebastian stared in shock. Was this all a ploy by Necros after all? A conspiracy revolving around the Soul of their founding ruler? Questions raced through his mind and spilled off his tongue, “H-how?” Sebastian stuttered, “Necros is sealed, even from your side. Travel... prohibited. You’re isolationists.”

  “Typical.” Vero snorted, landing on the same peak as Sebastian, “You learn where I am from and immediately lump me in with the rest of my Kingdom." He huffed and simmered, then let the anger flow away. "Though you do raise a good point. Perhaps I need to wield my Sorcery with more finesse."

  The myriad half wrought sorceries faded away as Vero took in a deep breath. Sebastian frowned, Daemon Rex could learn a thing or two about letting go of his anger from Vero. What looked like a tantrum burned away in just moments.

  "I should focus on the objective." Vero muttered, looking down at the haze. Sebastian's eyes widened, Vero was about to return to the others. He couldn't let that happen.

  Swathes of soil erupted from the Terra Crystal in a thick wave of near liquid earth. Vero was buried for a brief second, before an explosion of wind knocked the soil in all directions. By the time Vero had freed himself Sebastian had already retreated to another peak.

  "Some elemental mastery," Sebastian goaded, "If my slapped together mix of Elemancy and Crystal Magic can overwhelm you, Sorcery must be flimsier than I thought."

  "Ohhh..." Vero exhaled, a hint of his rage in his voice, "You wanna play with elements?" He turned to face Sebastian, poised to craft spells before him, "I'll blast you back to basic bits!"

  Elemental power sprang to life around Vero, enormous spheres of sorcery that broiled with different forces. A ball of orange flame, one of silvery winds, another of indigo ice, and a mass of yellow stone. Each grew from the size of a fist to boulders capable of enveloping Wolf.

  Vero did not launch the massive spheres like Sebastian expected. Instead he began casting new sorceries from them, bolts infused with elemental power swerving towards Sebastian from many angles. In response, Sebastian launched out orbs of elemental force to engulf the oncoming bolts. He matched each element to its opposite, striking flames with water or winds with earth, to cancel out the attacks.

  Each of Sebastian's well placed elemental spheres glowed sky blue with the force of his will. As they struck the incoming sorceries they enveloped and destroyed them with power to spare. He attacked as fast as he could, but could not judge and react fast enough to match the sheer volume of Vero's attacks. Bolts of elemental force wove through Sebastian’s desperate defense and found their mark!

  Flame lanced into Sebastian’s arm, followed by a blast of wind to the chest. He felt the sting of ice strike his leg, and managed to dodge the next two attacks with a roll to one side. He came very near the precipice of the peak, and felt a woozy sense of vertigo as he glanced at the gloom below. Falling at this point would be almost certain death.

  Sebastian needed time to think, even just a moment. He called forth his power again, feeling a hollow pit in his stomach from all the mana use, and created a spinning dome of elemental force around him. Water and wind should be enough to shield him for now, he already heard the impacts of Vero’s sorcery beating down upon it.

  Within his dome Sebastian closed his eyes and tried to focus, going over the details of the battle in his head. He could hear Vero’s cackle outside as the Sorcerer attacked his barrier, but now wasn’t the time for such things. There must be something here that Sebastian could use, he just needed the right leverage.

  “He wants to go back, so he has no need to beat me.” Sebastian mumbled, “His pride... I was able to get him into this fight but it won't last long. There’s no way I can outdo his Sorcery head on, he is too strong. Those huge spheres of his...” Sebastian looked out at his foe. Vero stood upon his own peak, surrounded by those massive spheres of elemental force. Each was vivid through the sky blue barrier, giving off their elemental color with a strong vibrance.

  “Their color...” Sebastian blinked, looking at his barrier. The wind and water he had summoned was sky blue, even his flames and earth magic had been that way. Sebastian’s personal color, his magical aura, was sky blue. Michael’s was violet, Yan’s emerald. Vero, on the other hand, always seemed to have a deep purple or maroon.

  The barrier Sebastian summoned was holding up, enough to absorb all the bolts and disperse them, despite being just two elements. Flame should have unraveled this, yet it held. Sebastian hopped to his feet and swiped his hand through the air, sending a massive wave of water through his crystal foci.

  The torrential force of Sebastian’s attack destroyed his barrier and all the bolts Vero had been launching, causing the Sorcerer to backpedal a few steps. “It’s over, Vero.” Sebastian said, his tone now serious.

  “Hmph.” Vero scoffed, “Wiping out my volley won’t be enough to win, little Evari boy.” The mad sorcerer reached out a hand and drew in the enormous sphere of flame. “Let’s see if that flimsy barrier can handle this.”

  “Don’t kid yourself.” Sebastian said, “It’s all become clear to me now, you picked a losing battle.”

  “Oh really?” Vero sneered, a smug sense of victory apparent on his face. He readied the fire ball, preparing a sorcery to launch it at Sebastian, but decided to slake his curiosity first. “What revelation did you learn, then?”

  “Your fire is orange.” Sebastian said, and created a ball of flame in his hand. “Mine is blue.”

  Vero’s smirk faltered, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “It’s simple.” Sebastian grabbed his Hydro Crystal, “A stronger attunement means more of the element will appear in your color. I am well attuned, I have been studying the Channels of mana for years. Your connection to the elements is so weak that your color does not even appear.”

  “What are you yammering about?” Vero howled, launching his fireball with as much force as he could muster, “Conjuring elements is childsplay, anyone can do it!”

  Concentrated force shot out of the Hydro Crystal, a tempered stream of cyan water that soared through the air like a lightning bolt. Sebastian’s attack pierced the massive ball of flames, and bored through the earth and ice spheres too. For a moment the orbs of power froze, then they exploded! The ruptured elements dispersed their concentrated forces, filling the sky with flames, ice, and rocky debris.

  The dust settled into the gloom, reverting to mana and adding to the ever growing fog cloud that separated Sebastian from the rest of the ongoing battles. Vero had pulled the sphere of wind around him as a shield, but not before taking several heavy blows from the fallout of his other sorceries. Panting, the Sorcerer glared at Sebastian with utter contempt.

  “Give it up, Vero. You can’t best me in a battle of the elements.” Sebastian said.

  “Oh... yeah?” Vero panted, spreading his arms. “Try me.”

  “Very well.” Sebastian focused, channeling his energies through the four crystal foci one at a time. This method of casting he used was still new and unexplored, something stitched together from his studies over the years. Sebastian relied on Izmodian magic in his casting, a form of geometric manipulation of plants. The concepts applied well enough to the elements, but the power of crystals and the power of elements did not mesh with the power to manipulate living organisms. Perhaps it was time to alter his new casting a little. Sebastian reached into the depths of his studies to an art called Gaiamancy.

  Gaiamancy was an artful skill, the manipulation of nature. It was a slow skill, needing several hours to be cast, and was used to alter terrain features. Almost all Gaiamancers used their skill to create aesthetics and do landscaping. Palace gardens around the world had been shaped by Gaiamancy, creating stunning vistas and relaxing locales. Such a skill was not suited for battle, in this form.

  Far to the east across the seas was the continent of Raniza. Within the region of Ulnymnia on that continent there was a country called Jagdep. There they practiced a casting art called Jagdepian Gaiamancy. Though the primary art of Gaiamancy did not originate there, the people of Jagdep altered it to be a combat skill. By sacrificing the appearance and stability of the original skill, they created a skill that allowed them to move terrain features on the fly. Soldiers supported by a Jagdepian Gaiamancer could slide along the ground and mobilize in dozens of unique ways. Sebastian called back to the two weeks he spent drinking with a Jagdepian Gaiamancer in Fiorne. The principles he learned could be applied here, he was sure of it.

  Above himself Sebastian formed four pillars of elemental power. Water, Earth, Fire, and Air. Each pillar seared the eyes with a sky blue radiance, brimming with elemental force. “By manipulating Izmodian magic with the principles of Jagdepian Gaiamancy...” Sebastian muttered, “Come alive!”

  The pillars shifted, coiling on themselves until they each became a flowing torus. Then they condensed into the rough shape of a person, before sprouting a pair of brilliant wings and weapons. “I bring you forth, Elementals!” Sebastian cried.

  His summoned familiars bowed, then brandished their arms. Though their bodies were sky blue, each elemental had vivid wings and weaponry in the colors of its element. The water elemental sported deep blue wings and an almost translucent spear. For fire it was a pair of red wings and an orange sword. The wind elemental shot forth without further pretense, soaring on it's green wings to attack at Vero with a silvery axe.

  The other elementals joined in the Wind elemental's assault. Each was able to launch enormous blasts of power alongside melee attacks. As the Fire elemental swung its sword, it also unleashed a scorching cone of fire. When the Earth elemental attacked with a massive green mace, it also shot stone fists from it's wide yellow wings.

  Water being the strongest element Sebastian had, the elemental of that force was able to strike with whipping waves and spinning icicles while circling around. The onslaught against Vero seemed endless.

  Each attack Vero faced was met with an elemental blast of sorcerous might. The first few attacks sent his way resulted in giant displays of power to overwhelm and destroy. Vero's attacks were impressive as ever, but could not catch the slippery elementals. His explosive displays of power stopped the cutting winds and scorching flames with power to spare, but all that extra effort was wasted. As the summoned warriors continued their barrage, Vero realized his giant spells were wasteful and sluggish. Several strikes made their mark, battering Vero from all sides.

  After taking a moment to recover, Sebastian decided to join the fray. He could not stand back and let his creations fight alone. "It's time to end this." Sebastian said. He called forth his power once more to cast a supporting strike. Sebastian launched out a winged comet of power through his Hydro Crystal, an attack that soared through the sky like a phoenix in flight.

  Amidst the brutal barrage of attacks, Vero cast something new. Thin lines of power trailed out in all directions from Vero, small cables that did not sunder when struck by stray strikes. They extended into the air without providing any offence or defense for Vero, several of the elemental's attacks hit Vero as he concentrated. Despite his wounds, the Sorcerer maintained his focus to complete his esoteric cast.

  Just as Sebastian's attacks began to converge, Vero unleashed his latest sorcery. Deep purple energy unfurled from the tendrils to coat Vero and the entire area around his peak with a tinted haze. It filled the air like a gas, encompassing Sebastian's comet and the elementals along with everything around them. Sebastian stepped back, but the haze did not reach him.

  Before the comet crashed, and before the elementals could continue their barrage, force filled the space around them. The summoned warriors froze in place and spasmed as if struck by lightning. Even the comet was petrified in the air, along with the other elemental debris scattered about. After a moment of stunned stillness, the brilliant sky blue of Sebastian's attacks began to shift hues.

  It took Sebastian time to understand what happened, but it was already too late to stop. Before his eyes the Water Elemental shifted to a blazing red Fire, then again to a deep green Earth. Each and every elemental force within the purple haze cycled through the elements in rapid random uncontrollable succession. The force of power, the mana that held them together, was spent as they changed. Sebastian launched a new blast of flames at Vero, but it suffered the same fate as those already within the spell.

  The elementals died out, expending themselves until nothing was left. No trace remained, not even fragments of spent mana to join the gloom. "Goodbye..." Sebastian whispered.

  "Pitiful, really." Vero said, drawing the purple haze around him into a tight spherical barrier. "All your efforts for naught."

  When Sebastian did not respond, Vero continued, "Elemental power is too simple. Before my Sorcery, it cannot help but be unraveled. It matters not how much stronger it is, the elements will bow to my supreme power." He chuckled, a smirk still smeared across his face.

  "It's a shame," Sebastian said, "And here I thought I'd pulled off a miracle."

  "Any miracle of modern magic pales before the sheer power of sorcery." Vero proclaimed. "You'd best forfeit this challenge of yours, before it's too late."

  Sebastian rubbed his chin in silent contemplation. The dark aura around Vero yet remained, able to unravel any elemental attacks it touched. Sebastian knew many other styles of attack, but none he was proficient enough in to bring to bear against Vero. If he was to win here, it would need to be with the power of elements.

  The crystals Sebastian wore all gave off soft glows from their cloth holsters. The power these crystals could unleash was leaps and bounds beyond what Sebastian could manage on his own. Through them his elemental power had swelled, even just in this battle his attunement seemed to have grown. "There is one element that cannot be countered." Sebastian said, fixing his gaze on his opponent.

  Vero tilted his head, a pensive look on his face. Then his eyes widened in alarm, "No! There's no way you are that strong."

  "Perhaps," Sebastian said, lifting all four crystals before him, "Then again, I have been studying the elements for years. Many years."

  "I refuse..." Vero hissed, "To believe... That you can conjure Elio."

  "I suppose we'll see." Sebastian channelled his power into all four crystals, holding the sash of them up with his right arm. He concentrated with everything he had, left hand before his face in a gesture of focus as he closed his eyes.

  It was risky to stand there and focus, ignoring Vero with no defenses in place, but his endeavor required absolute effort. Sebastian attempted to channel the powers of the four elements into a single point, drawing the strengths of all four without the forces interfering in each other. This was not a simple matter of mixing them, nor using all four in a concurrent mesh. What Sebastian reached for, what made Vero watch with wary anticipation, was a legendary force beyond the classical elements.

  A simultaneous symphony of shining force erupted from the sash of crystals. Something was happening, some power was being brought forth above Sebastian. Whether that fragile flicker of force was the fabled Elio remained to be seen. For Sebastian it was a sign that his efforts were not in vain, he latched onto the feeling that brought out that power and gave it all the energy he had left.

  For Vero, this spark was another signal, a dire warning. The Sorcerer sucked in a breath to replenish himself, then began casting a spell of his own. He did not dare approach, in case Sebastian's gambit had succeeded, but he needed to put a stop to it now. There would not be a second chance.

  As the mass of darkening force started to grow above Sebastian, Vero launched a missile of force at the peak Sebastian stood upon. The sorcerous missile tore through the air, building speed as it prepared to detonate an explosive ordinance. In the blink of an eye the missile struck, exploding the peak, the gloom, and the very air with a growing cloud of force.

  Cracks spread and split the peak, causing chunks of crystal to be knocked loose as the end of the Shard began to plummet. Then the fragments of crystal slowed, and even the blooming explosion seemed to come to a crawl, as if time itself had grown sluggish. Vero looked on in a mixture of shock and awe, then watched the explosion and debris begin to move around in a wide arc. Everything near the Shard coalesced in a spiral around a single point, shrinking down around the space Sebastian had been. Then, the fog too was absorbed.

  All that remained was a sphere. Dark like a mass of shadow, yet glowing like a vibrant star. The air around it warped out of shape, colors shifted to abnormal hues. Sebastian was not present, nor were there any remnants of the destroyed peak. Was he gone? Vero checked all around, wondering what trick was in store.

  The elemental mass began to expand, absorbing the gloom of expended energy and darkening the sky with an ominous rumbling. The growing mass cracked and absorbed chunks of the Shard below it, reducing the teal fragments to dust. Vero felt a pull, a heavy gravity from the warped space, like being drawn into a strong current. There was no more time to act, Vero launched himself away with as much force as he could muster, dropping down towards the now visible battle below to escape.

  The heavy gloom above the battlefield pulled back to reveal a sky stained red. The harsh lighting accentuated the enormous black mass blotting out the sunlight like an eclipse. The void of power had already consumed a large portion of one of the Shards, and seemed to be growing.

  In the middle of a field of molten ground that was already cooling, Daemon stood in stunned silence at the sight of the void above. This must be what Michael saw moments earlier, so it wasn’t a trick after all. As he watched in utter awe, Daemon saw something approaching.

  Vero soared through the air with a look of panic, landing next to Daemon Rex. “Where’s Velicio?” He asked in a panic.

  “Not sure.” Daemon said, unable to look away from the enormous orb of power in the sky. “What is that thing?”

  “Not the time for questions.” Vero whipped his head around the battlefield, noting the various signs of battle in a quick search. He spotted his sister near bits of dying flames, collapsed on her side and bleeding from the head. Her staff was snapped in half and her eyes were closed, but she was breathing.

  “Damnit,” Vero said, “Daemon Rex, you need to help me cast a spell.”

  “What? I’m not a spellcaster, I only know a few spells I was required to learn.” Daemon protested, managing to pull away his gaze at last.

  “Don’t get your panties in a twist, you're just going to be the battery.” Vero said, “Now follow my instructions to the letter, and act fast. I’m going to seal that thing before it absorbs us all.” Vero began spouting instructions, which Daemon began to follow after a moment’s hesitation. Making the big man take on a peculiar pose, Vero placed a hand on his forehead to form a connection as he started casting.

  From the shadows nearby Yan wondered what kind of strange sorcery Vero would use next. She narrowed her gaze and considered her next move. Should she interfere, or was it better to let the caster deal with the strange sky blot? Where were the others?

  A tap on the shoulder signalled Yan to turn to Wolf, who was hiding next to her. Staying silent, the Phanokai pointed at something, trying to lead her gaze. Yan inspected what he pointed at.

  The base of one of the large Shards was not far away, and underneath the shadow of a towering crystal monolith were two forms. On the ground Michael lay motionless, and above him was the crouching form of a small woman with a tail, Fara. The Sennish woman had her hands on Michael’s chest, a glow of mana around them as she worked some form of magic.

  Yan arrived moments later, so swift and silent that Wolf did a double take when he realized she was already there. Yan brandished a kunai at Fara’s throat and whispered, “Stop what you’re doing to him.”

  Fara froze without flinching, imitating the total stillness of a Kuldo. “I’m... healing him.” She said, careful not to speak too fast.

  “What? Why?” Yan questioned, “You tried to hunt us down.”

  “I was working for Rex.” Fara said, “He wasn’t who I thought he was, I was wrong.” Yan didn’t respond, so Fara kept talking, “You saw what he did to Evan, just because he was annoyed.”

  “I saw him kill you too.” Yan said. She let up the pressure of her knife, pulling back a little.

  “He tried.” Fara agreed, feeling more confident, “I prepared my emergency healing.”

  Wolf arrived and looked at the situation, then arched an eyebrow at Yan. The ninja relented, stepping away from Fara and Michael. “I’m sorry,” Yan said, “I jumped to conclusions.”

  “Apology accepted.” Fara said, and began pressing her hands along Michael again, weaving an unfamiliar force through them. She was using a bit of the Meditation healing, but there were other aspects of her skill that Yan and Wolf didn’t recognize.

  While Fara worked, Yan kept an eye out. Vero and Daemon Rex had done something, there were enormous rings of glowing runes surrounding the giant black sphere in the sky. The thing seemed to have stopped growing, but the sky was still painted red. The sorcerer did not seem satisfied, and was already weaving another ring of runes while Daemon crouched beside him.

  “Now we just need to find Sebastian and Hyato.” Wolf said, “And get out of this place.”

  “You want to just leave?” Yan asked, “What about the Revenant, and Vero?”

  “Live to fight another day,” Wolf said, “We can’t risk dying here.”

  Yan shook her head, “No, we need to end this here. We won’t get another chance. We don’t know their plans, where they will go next. And if they keep destroying towns things will only get worse.”

  Wolf chewed on his thumb as he mulled it over. Then he nodded, “Okay. I agree, we should end this now.” He took in a deep breath, steadying himself, “We should find Hyato and Sebastian first, if we can.”

  “Hyato is the Valon Swordsman, right?” Fara asked.

  “Yes.” Wolf said.

  “Why?” Yan asked.

  “I...” Fara started, “I kind of trapped him in a cage earlier.” She paused in her healing to face the others.

  “What? Where? I’ll go free him.” Wolf said, drawing his swords.

  “You don’t need to,” Fara said, “Well, you can’t.” She looked over to a spot in the battlefield where the pink cage rested, hidden from view by glamour. Hyato was no longer slamming against the cage walls, and was instead resting in a tranquil meditation. “It will take me a moment to undo the lock.”

  “Then undo it.” Yan said, “Please.”

  Fara nodded and moved away from the others towards the cage. She went fast, but tried to remain silent as well. She needn’t have bothered, but still approached the cage with a stealthy step. The Sennish woman felt a pang of apprehension as she neared. She could have opened this cage at any time, but something held her back.

  Fear.

  This pink cage, invisible to the eyes of others, was a testament to her failure. Her greatest mistake today, something that had cost the life of a friend. It was time to put it right, even if it meant unleashing a man capable of ending her in a moment. With a focused effort of will and a spoken keyword, the cage vanished.

  Hyato’s eyes snapped open and he rose to his feet. The red coat he wore looked dark against the crimson sky, or perhaps that was just Fara’s mind playing tricks. As the stoic man looked down at her, she felt her heart racing. She had wronged this man, and was responsible for this whole mess. If she hadn’t sealed him, could he have stopped Rex from being possessed? Fara was not some teen to be cowed by the glare of a man anymore, but under the piercing gaze of Hyato she averted her eyes. In her heart she knew she deserved his rage, but she did not want to face it.

  A weight on her shoulder made her jolt, and Fara looked to see Hyato crouched beside her, patting her with a gentle touch. “Thank you, Fara.” He said, “Please ensure that no one else dies, I’ll take it from here.”

  It took a moment for Fara to speak, but Hyato waited. “You... you’re not angry?”

  The man shook his head, “No. What happened back then, it happened. I have no reason to be upset over something I couldn’t change.” He stood up.

  “Wow. You process things fast,” Fara said.

  The stoic swordsman chuckled, “Not as fast as you think. Please, go to the others and ensure there are no more deaths today. I will do what I need to.” He waited for Fara to nod and start returning, then Hyato steeled himself for battle.

  The most open portion of the battlefield was the flat clearing where Daemon had melted the ground. The molten earth had cooled into a solid slab, an arena clear of obstacles or cover, and this is where Daemon and Vero stood. The Sorcerer seemed spent, while the Warrior stood idle.

  “Do you think I should add more?” Vero asked, looking up at the gluttonous void. Twelve solid rings of runes surrounded the mass of force, having stopped its growth and descent.

  “I don’t know, not my job to know this stuff.” Daemon Rex said.

  Vero gave Daemon a pitious look, “You need to expand your focus of study.” Daemon shrugged.

  Red energy sliced through the air at incredible speed, appearing in sight for just long enough to be visible before it struck. The slashing surge hit the rings around the void, shattering most of them into bits, leaving just four behind. As Hyato completed his attack he shouted, “Looks like you need to add more rings, eh Vero?”

  The sorcerer looked at the remnants of his seal in horror, then faced Hyato with a look of fury. He took a step forth, but Hyato lifted his sword, “You’d better hurry, Vero, or I’ll break the rest.”

  “You condemn us all to oblivion?” Vero scoffed, “Nobly sacrifice yourself and your friends, just to stop me?”

  Hyato shook his head, “I know the truth behind that power. If you don’t want to see Sebastian’s gambit bear fruit, you’d better get moving. Look, it’s already eating more of the Shard.”

  “How do you...?” Vero started, then frowned. “Bah! Daemon, you can take care of this rabble.” The Sorcerer stalked away towards his still fallen Sister, leaving Daemon and Hyato staring one another down.

  The swordsman stepped into the cleared space, his coat trailing over bits of rubble here and there, and took position ten yards from Daemon. He held his sword in a relaxed grip, waiting for Daemon Rex to act.

  Daemon’s grip on the two swords he carried tightened, “You fool. You cannot overcome my power.”

  “Hit me, then you can boast.” Hyato said, beckoning Daemon forth.

  Blue Fire and Dark Wind came to life in an inferno as Daemon swung the swords with a viscious growl. The same attack that had melted the ground into a slab now hurtled a mere ten yards towards Hyato. A foolish endeavor.

  With a single upwards stroke of his sword Hyato diverted the attack, unleashing enough energy to cancel it out at the source. The gale created by the Red swordsman was enough to make the Ebony warrior stagger back a step. “Whu-” Daemon gasped.

  Energy petered out and ended Hyato’s simple counter, and Daemon looked shaken. “Since when were you this powerful?”

  “You have a skewed sense of power, Daemon. It’s not as simple as you always thought.” Hyato said. He walked forth as a red energy coiled around his sword, “Sometimes power comes in strange forms, you should know. How about we test your Luck.” Hyato slashed his sword at Daemon’s temple. The moment before it struck, a rock Daemon stood on gave way and the man lowered a few inches, ducking the death blow by sheer coincedence.

  Terror and amazement was written on Daemon’s face, “How?”

  “You know how.” Hyato swung down to split the man’s head in half, but a stray bit of falling crystal hit the tip of his blade and sent him off course. Hyato’s sword dug into Daemon’s pauldron before he pulled it away. It left a cut in the armor.

  “How do you know?” Daemon Rex asked, pulling his left arm back a bit as he retreated. “What are you trying to accomplish here?”

  “Don’t you always boast about the Ring of Luck you stole from the corpse of a Mistborn? If you didn’t rely on such trinkets, perhaps you would be stronger.” Hyato said.

  Annoyance and rage worked their way into Daemon’s expression and he brandished his swords, “You know too much, cocky bastard. And you know you can’t kill me, but I can kill you.”

  “I’m only here for another minute or so,” Hyato the Red said, “But you won’t land a single blow.”

  Daemon rushed forth to attack, swinging both swords in together for a heavy smash. Hyato stepped out of the way and snapped his sword against Daemon’s side, leaving a shallow cut. Bristling with anger, Daemon moved into a Myrrhmidon stance and aimed with more care. Each sword stroke was swift and followed up by the next sword in an endless barrage. Hyato parried each blow before they reached him, yawning a little in the process.

  This time the taunt did not enrage Daemon further, instead he tightened his focus and began unleashing surge slashes with his attacks. The ranged cuts launched out and should not be so easy to divert, yet Hyato’s energy coiled sword destroyed each one at the merest contact.

  “My turn.” Hyato said, changing to offence. He gathered tension in his arms, then began to swing his sword with impossible speed. Daemon balked at first, then began parrying the blows coming his way. He was able to fend off a few, but Hyato was slashing faster with his one sword than Daemon could react to with both swords he held. Try as he might, Hyato got through and landed several hits, slicing bits of armor away. Daemon Rex lost his pauldrons, his fauld, and what remained of his gauntlets to Hyato’s onslaught. The ground seemed to tremble a bit.

  The eyes of the Revenant shone from Daemon’s for a moment and a brilliant barrier came to life around him, stopping Hyato’s attack short and forcing the swordsman back a step. “Finally learning,” Hyato said, “Or perhaps just relying on those stolen swords.”

  A growl erupted from Daemon’s throat, echoed by a rumble in the ground. “A sword belongs to the one that wields it.” Daemon Rex proclaimed, “It’s just a tool for battle.”

  “You still have so much to learn.” Hyato said, glancing at his wrist. “You failed, you could not land a blow, and my time is about up.”

  “Nonsense.” Daemon said, dismissing the barrier and recovering his poise, “I’ll keep fighting until I kill you, scum.”

  “I think you’ll find you have bigger problems,” Hyato said, pointing down. The tremor lasted only a moment, like the world itself had a heartbeat. Thump. Daemon looked down at this, narrowing his eyes to deduce the source of the rumble.

  Hyato walked over to the edge of the arena, near the base of a blue Shard, and looked over to where his friends were. Yan called out to him, “Hyato! Something’s happening!” Thump! The world rumbled.

  “Get away from there!” Hyato called, “Leave him!”

  “But-” Yan started.

  Thump. Thump.

  “Hurry! There’s no time!” Hyato insisted. Then he blinked and looked around, wondering where he was.

  Thump! The ground shook, a throbbing tremor echoed by the land itself. As it ended it began again, a steady heartbeat that built up pace. Thump! Th-thump! Yan, Wolf, and Fara rushed over to where Hyato stood, all looking shaken by something. Daemon Rex had remained in the center of his battleground, and frowned when he saw Fara. Thump! The world continued to quake, shivering in fear for what came next.

  Thump thump thump!

  Vero stood over his sister, casting a continuous sorcery to prevent the void mass Sebastian had created from falling any further. He felt the tremors and looked around in time to see it, along with everyone else.

  With a crashing Kathump! that echoed throughout the Hidden Kingdom, the heartbeat ceased. Michael’s limp body lifted into the air, suspended in a subconscious twister of elemanced wind. His light skin turned an ashy gray, the scars on his face, as well as the blood on his arms and clothes, changing to a brilliant white. When his white hair turned dark, red eyes snapped open.

  “That...” Dark Michael said, his malicious voice echoing throughout the Shards of the Sky, “is MY SWORD!” He extended his left arm and closed his fist around the Oronbyr, using Arm Return to summon it to his hand. Daemon blinked and looked at his empty hand, then back at Dark Michael with a scowl.

  Shadows surrounded Dark Michael and he rushed across the battlefield like the slash of a sword, cutting through stone and crystal alike in a mad dash towards Daemon Rex. He arrived with a shockwave, clashing the Oronbyr against a last second barrier summoned by the Shadowflare.

  “Did you know this would happen?” Fara asked Hyato as they watched Dark Michael fume.

  “I don’t know... what’s going on?” Hyato asked. “Did I miss something important?”

  Fara tilted her head, but Yan responded, “You fought Daemon Rex to buy time.” Yan said, “Probably so Dark Michael could awaken.”

  “Dark Michael?” Fara said, “Really?” Dark Michael had begun swinging his sword while Daemon Rex backed away from him. Michael’s counterpart seemed as angry as ever, seething like an avatar of hatred.

  “It’s been a while since we saw him,” Wolf mused, “Wait, not that long I suppose.”

  “Is... him being Dark Michael a good thing?” Fara asked. The others grimaced a bit, which did not fill the Sennish healer with confidence.

  Shadows erupted from the Oronbyr as Dark Michael lashed out. “For so long, for too long I’ve been kept down.” He unleashed a wave of energy that split open a crack in the ground, “Struggling just to move, forced to fight to even act. But now...” Dark Michael trembled with excitement and began chuckling, “Now, I am in control!”

  With a berserk grin on his face Dark Michael unleashed his power. Blades of darkness erupted from the ground around him, Dark Wind tore through the air above, and he covered his body in shadowy force pulled from the black crystal godsword. Erratic waves of power lashed out at random, launching solid black slashes stronger than any surge slash Michael had used in the past. He was aiming at no one, but the others in the area were forced to dodge his rampage.

  “For eras he sealed me away,” Dark Michael screamed, “Torture and nightmares injected into my very blood! He will not get away with His arrogance, I will have my revenge!” He continued to lash out in all directions. “Bring him to me!”

  Waves of darkness continued to spread through the battlefield in a growing chaos, cracking the ground as Dark Michael’s tantrum intensified. Yan and the others had moved thrice already in search of safety, unable to conjure a barrier strong enough to block the attacks. “Who? Who did this to you?” Yan cried out, yelling to try and drown out the din of raging techniques. Her voice went unheard.

  Daemon retreated to Vero, maintaining the barrier of blue force as he went. It was enough to deflect the attacks that neared him, stopping even the vents of power that cracked the ground. Daemon positioned himself in front of Vero, who was still standing above the unconscious Velicio. “Is this part of your plan?” Daemon asked.

  “There are always unexpected variables.” Vero said, still focused on holding back the elemental power that stained the sky. “I need time to think.”

  “We should just leave.” Daemon said.

  “We still have business to attend to here.” Vero spat, “Besides, the seed hasn’t been planted. And they won't fall for the same trick twice.”

  “What trick?” Daemon asked. Vero told him, and for a moment both men stood in silent thought. Then Daemon Rex nodded, “Leave it to me, I’ll play the role of the idiot.”

  “Wait for the right time.” Vero said, “He can’t rage on forever. Sooner or later his grudge will die out.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure.” Daemon Rex said, looking at the epicenter of the chaos, “Some men can really hold on to their anger.”

  Through the echoing waves of his rampage Dark Michael looked to the crimson sky, his upper lip twitching with fury. “There you are.” He said, locking his gaze on the mass of elemental power, “That has to be you. Darkness and crimson, as ever.” Dark Michael held out his sword and took on a tactless stance, abandoning all forms of aggression or defense in order to gather power. The Dark Aura he drew around the Oronbyr seemed to extend the edges of the blade by three inches on both sides, rippling with serrations. “I’ll borrow your technique this time, Michael.”

  Dark Michael hurled the sword into the air, sending it into a spin as he unleashed Dark Chakram. The disc of power grew several times larger than Dark Michael’s height as it picked up speed and tore through the air. “Stop him!” Vero cried out in desperation, causing Daemon to flinch and rush forward. Michael’s technique, enhanced by the power Dark Michael brought to bear, destroyed the sorcerous seal around the void in the sky and cut a sliver from the elemental mass.

  Daemon Rex reached the arena again and swung forth a swathe of Blue Flames, but Dark Michael deflected the blow with the Oronbyr. Neither was pushed back in the clash, and both possessed warriors brought their swords forth with the intention to kill. Their powers clashed together, each fighting for dominance against the others’ energy. Dark Michael wanted to kill, to maim, to end all that came before him. For Daemon the struggle was made with the intention of stopping Dark Michael’s rampage, but the damage was already done.

  Now unleashed from the sorcerous bindings, the elemental mass of force consumed the Shard beneath itself and plummeted towards the ground. What size it lost in Dark Michael’s attack had already been replenished as it consumed the crystal to feed the gathered magical force. Crystal was one of the sources of magic, if this void consumed enough of the Shards there was no telling how much it would expand.

  The looming threat of oblivion sent Vero into a frenzy, “If we don’t stop that thing now, everyone will die!” He howled, glowing white lines appearing on his skin as he channeled Dragon Energy. Vero unleashed his beam sorcery, launching a blazing red pillar of light to attack the void.

  “He’s right.” Fara said, “We need to help too.”

  Yan rubbed her arm, feeling the renewed skin after Fara finished healing her, “Okay, but how are we supposed to fight that thing? Won’t it just consume our energy?”

  “No, Dark Michael was able to cut out a chunk.” Wolf said, “Which means it can be stopped.”

  “Then let’s stop it.” Hyato said, swinging his sword. He fired off a ranged slashing technique, a pale green airwave of concentrated energy that hit the void with an unsatisfying fizzle.

  “Not strong enough to use that red energy of yours?” Wolf asked, “Or are you just not trying hard enough?” Wolf unleashed lightning, to no effect, so switched to energy techniques.

  “Haven’t figured that out yet,” Hyato said, launching more attacks despite their apparent ineffectiveness. “I guess I need to train more.”

  “We’ll figure that out later, just do all you can for now boys.” Yan used her wide ranged cone of petals to attack the void. It was still falling towards the ground and consuming crystal, but the combined attacks seemed to slow it some.

  Two angry warriors ignored the looming threat, clashing against each other with howls of fury. Dark Michael would mix in techniques with his attacks, Dark Blade or Dark Slashes to overcome his opponent. Daemon Rex blocked each attack with his barrier, then continued to unleash Blue Flames. The battle seemed like a stalemate, but the tireless stamina of Michael’s body was becoming more and more noticeable.

  In a rush of force, Dark Michael slipped behind Daemon along a shadow of energy and struck from behind. It was the same technique he had used to open the battle earlier, the same one Michael had used on accident when Daemon first appeared. Daemon was knocked to the ground by the back-attack, and Dark Michael laughed, “Your imitation of skill is pitiful.” He said with scorn, “You’d be better off fighting with a club, barbarian.”

  “I trained...” Daemon said, “In the greatest academy of war there ever was.” He stood up, taking on another combat stance he’d learned from MAW.

  Dark Michael’s amusement faded and he gave Daemon a serious look, “There is no greater teacher than combat. You know nothing of war, child. Even your Broken Times paled in comparison to the fires that raged when I was alive.” Power surged around Dark Michael like a thick curtain.

  “Wh-what?” Daemon said, stepping back in sudden fear, “Who... are you?”

  “I WAS THE GREATEST WARRIOR THAT EVER LIVED!” Dark Michael shouted, his words booming across the hidden kingdom for all to hear, “Forged by the Gods themselves, honed in the endless battles that consumed all of Iagorothi in bloodshed! I faced down the Godai, the Farlanders, the Fiends, and even Du Mar himself!” Shadowy power erupted around Dark Michael and made the very sky tremble, “To face me was to face flood and thunderstorm alike! Mountains moved and Ialands shattered before my power. Whether Annoph or Eassenni, I destroyed all that opposed me! The other Ancients cowered when I fought, unable to imagine their victory!” The voice that rose in him grew with hatred as he lifted into the air on a wave of Dark Flight.

  “I.” Dark Michael thrust his sword to the side and gathered all his power into a dense Aura around the Oronbyr, “AM.” He raised his sword skyward, condensing an erratic wind around himself as he readied his attack, “MISTAN!” He swung his sword towards Daemon, unleashing a cacophony of Dark Wind and Lightning as a concussive slash bigger than any Shard. The ultimate concentration of his force destroyed all in its path, launching webs of energy that cracked the ground in all directions as it rushed forth like a tempest.

  Daemon Rex darted to the side while bringing up the Blue barrier conjured by the Sword of Mexizu. All his effort was focused on escaping the imminent demise that the incarnation of hatred launched. He managed to move out of the center of the attack before it struck, but once it hit his barrier he was stunned still from the attack. For a moment Daemon could feel the sturdy power straining against the power of the attack, then the defense conjured by Mexizu’s sword shattered. Pain overtook Daemon’s senses, too much for him to even make a sound.

  The power Dark Michael unleashed traveled past Daemon, splitting apart the world itself in a furious storm of force. The tremendous wave of darkness looked as if it could travel to the ends of Iagorothi in a wave of devastation. Had they not been isolated in a Hidden Kingdom, perhaps it would have. A chasm was left in the wake of the attack, extending out from the point where Dark Michael stood panting, but the attack soon met with a target not found anywhere else in the world.

  The bystanders of the battle witnessed the trajectory of Dark Michael’s hatred, watching as the wave of devastation reached the enormous Void of elemental might. On instinct, Hyato and Vero summoned meteor shields in the hopes of survival. When the two forces collided, the sky itself exploded!

  Chaotic waves of power expanded across the Shards of the Sky, like an Arkpulse emitted by a thousand Delvers at once. The force knocked Dark Michael to his knees, and made even Daemon Rex fall to the ground. Beneath the protection of the world, Hyato and the others trembled at the energies bearing down upon them. Even the Meteor Shield could not withstand the fallout of the two attacks. A quake rocked the sky and land, causing several small crystals and boulders to crumble away and add to the horrendous sounds of disaster.

  What felt like an eternity of chaos only lasted a few dozen seconds, then the energies unleashed died away. The sky cleared, no longer stained by a diffusion of light, and a being was left floating towards the ground where the mass of elemental power had once been. Dark Michael rushed forth towards them, the first to recover from the tremendous clash of forces.

  Having been knocked off course by the impact, the being from within the void landed near the base of the same blue Shard that Yan, Hyato, Wolf, and Fara resided near. The Shards, it seemed, were too durable to break from something as weak as the clash of two enormous forces. Dark Michael arrived at the same time that those in the Meteor Shields recovered from the attack.

  Laying on the ground between Dark Michael and the others was a tall Evari man who was just reaching the years of full adulthood. He looked tranquil as he slept, but his clothes were tattered. From the elbow of his right arm all the way to the tips of his fingers were rough facets of crystal fused into his flesh. The telltale shine of the Aero Crystal embedded in his forearm dimmed out as Sebastian rested on the ground in safety.

  “You?” Dark Michael said, confused, “It was you all along?”

  “Sebastian!” Yan said, darting forth to her friend’s side, “Can you hear us?”

  Fara stepped forward as well, placing a hand on the tactician’s chest. “He’s asleep, but he is hurt. Let me heal him.”

  “This cannot be...” Dark Michael looked to the sky again, “Where is he?” His confusion was replaced by rage as he ground his teeth and looked back down. “This is ridiculous!” He lifted his sword.

  “Stop it!” Yan moved in front of Dark Michael and spread her arms, “Don’t you dare attack us.”

  Power gathered around the Oronbyr, “Don’t get in my way, woman. I do not share Michael’s feelings for you.” Dark Michael spat.

  “Don’t!” Yan said, “Please, Mistan.”

  Dark Michael froze, taking a step back. He grimaced, then shook his head, “Don’t treat me like a person. It’s too late for that.”

  “It’s never too late.” Yan said, her emerald eyes glimmering with determination. Dark Michael glowered, trembling with rage and hatred, looking at the pitiful beings before him. None of them were worth his time, his effort. Weaklings.

  With a grunt, Dark Michael lowered his sword and turned away, “You scum aren’t worth killing.” Yan breathed a sigh of relief, and turned back to the others.

  “Scum...” Said a hoarse voice, empty of emotion as it neared. Daemon Rex staggered over the crest of a small incline, looming over the party with a pained look on his face. His left arm was gone, missing at the shoulder as he dripped blood, and there were cuts and wounds opened on the rest of his left side, even his face. “You arrogant little monster.” Daemon said, “So high and mighty as you piss on us from your tower.”

  Power began to gather around Dark Michael as he glared up at Daemon, but the Kuldo warrior continued his speech. “You think your power is above the rest of us, but you are just a relic of history. Your name and deeds forgotten to all but the nerds who study the ancient past.” Daemon Rex brandished the wicked indigo sword before him, “With this Sword and this Soul, I am going with Vero to the Draixnoth, where we shall resurrect Iagorothi’s true greatest warrior. And when Maximus once more walks this world, all shall fall before him.”

  “I’d like to see you try,” Dark Michael sneered, gathering Dark Aura around the Oronbyr, “Your skill is no match for anyone here.”

  “My Skill, maybe.” Daemon Rex said, dropping the sword to the ground behind him, “But no one...” He clenched his fist, “Can match my power!” Daemon slammed his fist into the ground with an explosive surge of energy, causing a quake that matched the might of the impact of the Void moments earlier. The cracked ground split and broke with resounding snaps, and the force of Daemon’s strength reached the blue Shard behind them. With a sharp thundercrack of tension, the Shard of the Sky broke from the power of Daemon Rex.

  The ground gave way beneath the party as the Shard fell in on them, opening up into a chasm that swallowed them whole. Yan, Hyato, Wolf, Fara, Sebastian, and Dark Michael plummeted into the ground as Daemon Rex slipped away from the chaos. Panic and fear overtook the party as they scrambled to act, but the ground swallowed them away and darkness enveloped them.