Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ A Dragon's Heart ❯ A suspicious encounter ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: obsidianwings 
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 02.01.2006 | Pages: 9 | Words: 15.4K | Visits: 405 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Romance / Angst | Type: Yaoi | Uploaded On: 02.01.2006 | Pages: 9 | Words: 15.4K | Visits: 405 | Status: Work In Progress
Long ago, in a time before the arrival of the shadows, a serene world existed where all of god's creatures co-existed peacefully with one another, watched ever so closely by the seven dragons of Yore. However, as time passed, new and faster means were developed for completing tasks and, with the dragons' guidance, humans were able to create an advanced civilization where all of ones desires could be met. What the dragons had failed to realize however that was by introducing power into an intelligent species, the innate evil that lay embedded within their sub consciousness would awaken, causing extreme amounts of pain and anguish to arise.
Shortly after the civilization was created, its walls began to crumble. The humans that had once been pure beings, untainted by the evil that lay dormant within them, had been tainted. The power that had so-willingly been handed to them had stirred their inner beast, awakening the darkness inside of them while it caused them to yield to the unconditional grasp of greed. It was from this greed that the shadows were born.
Feasting on the darkness that lay embedded within the human soul, the shadow population began to slowly grow. Spreading their grasps to the furthest reaches of the world, the shadows were soon able to consume it, plaguing the sky over in a blanket of darkness.
The Dragons, still in a state of shock from the unfathomed turn of events, slowly came to the realization that something had to be done in order to bring peace to the world once again. Together the dragons formed a plan, a plan that, in its midst, would not only prove to be the Earth's salvation, but humanity's as well.
The dragons were to disappear, vanish without a trace into the corridors of time, never to be seen or heard of again, but not without leaving a few remnants of their shattered existence behind.
Seven stones were to be left, each encasing one of the seven dragon's souls. However, these were no ordinary stones as can be seen from what happened after they had been left in the continuum. The stones had activated, scanning the seemingly endless mass of tainted individuals for a sign of their wielder for, after they had been left, the stones had been designated to choose one, the sole person deemed worthy to unlock their hidden power and, with it, rid the world of the darkness.
After seemingly endless hours of scanning, the stones were somehow able to single out seven individuals from the mass, each possessing a good sense of right and wrong as well as a desire to rid the world of the darkness.
In time, the stones sealed the chosen seven's souls away within their depths, granting them free interaction and bondage with the souls that they already possessed, the souls of the seven dragons of Yore.
As time passed and the bonds between dragon and wielder strengthened, so did the power that resided within each of the stones as well as their wielder's control over it. Eventually the time came when the shadows' presence was threatening to destroy the world and the band, making themselves known as the Draconians, was forced to act.
A great battle was waged between the shadows and the representatives of the fallen Dragons of Yore. A battle which, in its midst, resulted in the deaths of many innocent creatures that had pledged their lives to the Draconians. One of the Draconians, a Draconian by the name of Tetuime, bonded to the ancient dragon Sukuzan, even lost his life in the field of battle when, through his selflessness, he had blocked the attack that a shadow had targeted at his friend's love, a young civilian woman by the name of Kuarkian.
This Kuarkian also happened to be The Light, an ancient manifestation of all light and good in the world and the being needed to end the war. However, in order for the war to end and peace to be returned to the land, Kuarkian had to be sacrificed. This did not play well with Kuarkian's love.
Kuarkian's love and Tentuime's dear friend, Atemuisme, a Draconian bonded to the most ancient and wisest of all the dragons of Yore, Guerialdo, was torn. As a Draconian it was his duty to protect the world but, as a lover, it was his duty to protect his love at all costs. To see his love die in the common interest of others was ludicrous; why should his love, the purest and most beautiful of all beings, die for the sake of a mass of tainted individuals who would continue to be tainted even after the shadows had been sealed away? The idea was ludicrous! The darkness would always exist within mankind, plaguing the heart of every flawed individual while it waited for the right moment to strike; no amount of his love's light would change that. The darkness would never be sealed away for all of eternity, it was a simple truth that many failed to realize.
What Atemuisme failed to realize however was that Kuarkian, being the light that she was, wanted to sacrifice herself if it meant saving the lives of countless many. Her desire remained even after the realization dawned on her that, after she had been sacrificed, these individuals would continue to retain a shred of the darkness clouding their inner mind's eye.
And all of the Draconians, even Atemuisme deep down, knew that Kuarkian would have to be sacrificed if they ever hoped light to return to the world once again. However, when the Draconians tried to approach Atemuisme with this fact, Atemuisme became furious, cursing at their impudence while a mental wall was put up, born out of his furiosity, destroying all odds that the others would be able to reach him.
The Draconians felt helpless. Atemuisme, their dearest friend and mentor, had lost faith in them entirely, causing all their efforts to reach him to end in vain. No matter how much they tried to pierce the thick wall, it was to no avail. So, there was only one thing they could do. A plan had to be constructed.
So, under night's watchful eye, when those of Atemuisme were shut, the Draconians formulated the perfect plan. They expressed various ideas, some good, some great, and some ridiculous, slowly conjuring up a plan that would tip things into the Draconians favor. Finally, after many stressful nights, the fear of what Atemuisme might do to them driving them on, looming over them like a panther ready to strike, the plan was at last complete.
The Draconians, after shortly touching base with Kuarkian, informing her of the recent turn of events as well as getting her approval of the plan, decided to put the plan into action the following day when Atemuisme would be present to obliviously play his role in it. So, when the following day rolled around, the thick silence that had settled between the five Draconians unbearable, the knowledge of what was about to be done creeping up their spines, the Draconians began to get reluctant. Were they really willing to do this? Save the world at the cost of going behind their friend's back, destroying the one he loves, as well as breaking his heart in the process? Were they really willing to do all that?
Despite their unsureness, it had to be done. They were talking about the lives of millions. To sacrifice two lives for the costs of millions was a worthy cost, right? Even if those two lives were the lives of their friends? It was worth it right? Torn, the Draconians decided to listen to their minds, not their hearts and the plan played out as scheduled.
Shortly after a feud began, started when one of the Draconians, the female Taurintia, bonded to the second youngest of the Dragons of Yore, Zambone, threw a ball of magic at a shadow, the plan was put into motion. Atemuisme, just as predicted, was distracted by the overwhelming numbers of shadows that had decided to participate in the battle, sending waves of magic in different directions, destroying the shadows that posed a threat to himself and his other fellow Draconians.
In the meantime, Darhutian, another Draconian, bonded to the youngest of the Dragons of Yore, Inialdo, escorted Kuarkian, hidden in a veil of darkness, deeper into the realm of the shadow. Despite its appearance of darkness, the veil protected Kuarkian from the unforgiving grasps of the shadows, acting as a barrier against the clawing hands that would have otherwise torn her to pieces.
Once they had reached the heart of the shadow realm, Darhutian with a somber look marring his usually easy-going features, began to remove the cloak of darkness from around Kuarkian's shoulders. However, Kuarkian, petrified of what was to happen, used her own magic to fight against Darhutian's, determined for the cloak to stay in its place around her.
Darhutian just looked down at her despairingly, his heart telling him one thing, his mind another, as the look of sheer terror shining in her honey orbs as well as her actions encouraged him to listen to his heart's perspective. But he couldn't, he just couldn't. The lives of so many people were at risk and in order for them to survive, this had to be done.
So, with despair shining within their relics, Darhutian's eyes closed, before a startled gasp could be heard as his newly-manifested magic overwhelmed hers, causing the cloak of darkness to dissipate from around her and the shadows to look at her hungrily. Honey orbs widened in horror before turning to look into sapphire pleadingly, desperate.
Darhutian just closed his eyes in despair as he turned away from her, his ebony hair falling into his face, eyes being shadowed over as he bowed his head. He couldn't.
Kuarkian sank down to her knees in disbelief, a look of shock marring her beautiful face. She had been betrayed. She had thought that the Draconians, the people that she had come to cherish over the past months, her friends, would stand by her, believing in her every decision, but now, when she chose not to sacrifice herself, to stay by her love's side, they had abandoned her...even her love...
A whimper escaped her as the last statement played across her mind. Her love, her other, had betrayed her? No, that couldn't be possible, the idea was ridiculous; he loved her, of course he would never do that!
Hardened honey eyes softened as a new question bound into her consciousness.
If her love's loyal friend, the one that he trusted to tell anything, had been the one that had taken her out here, to this forbidding place, deep within the realm of the shadows, could it not be wondered if her love truly had betrayed her? That her love had been the one to ask the other to do this? Could it be true?
Tearing herself from her thoughts, she slowly brought her tear-stained eyes toward the Draconian to her right to look at him more closely. Her eyes widened. His head was bowed; a bowed head was a sure sign that someone was being kept in the dark about something, something that may even prove to hurt someone greatly in the end.
Painful understanding could be seen in honey, before Kuarkian's eyes slipped shut, concealing her pain, as unshed tears began to soundlessly leak passed closed lids. People always bowed their heads when trying to hide something, it was a means to conceal their true thoughts and feelings.
I understand now. Darhutian, by bowing his head, is trying to shield me, like he always does from unnecessary pain, but its different this time. This time he is trying to shield me from the truth...the truth that, his friend, the one I love, my dearest Atemuisme, has grown tired of me, that...More tears leaked passed...he n-no longer l-loves me...
Her head bowed, coming to rest on her chest, as tears began to stream down the contour lines on her face and a sob racked her small form. He n-no l-longer l-l-loves me? B-but how? W-why? Haven't I been a good companion? Haven't I been good to him these past months? Confiding and believing in him in his times of greatest need?
A pair of honey eyes, filled to the brim with tears, shakily raised themselves to peer into the suffocating oblivion where the shadows still lay, greedily licking at their lips as their beady, blood-shot eyes continued to rack over her small form.
"How can he no longer love me when I am so hopelessly in love with him?" Kuarkian whispered, her voice cracking as a few stray tears slipped from her grief-stricken eyes.
"How can he no longer love me when I feel my heart breaking at his absence?" She continued, her body beginning to tremble and her eyes slipping shut.
"How can he no longer love me..." Her voice, with every word spoken, was becoming dangerously low as all uncertainty vanished, being replaced by an air of sick knowing that was dripping with disgust. "...when I am willing to sacrifice all that I am for him" Her eyes opened and her smirk grew as she gazed out at the millions of shadows waiting to tear her to pieces.
"Well" She snorted. "Why don't I just save you the pleasantries" Her eyes slipped shut again and with her smirk still in place, she dove toward the shadows.
Shortly after the civilization was created, its walls began to crumble. The humans that had once been pure beings, untainted by the evil that lay dormant within them, had been tainted. The power that had so-willingly been handed to them had stirred their inner beast, awakening the darkness inside of them while it caused them to yield to the unconditional grasp of greed. It was from this greed that the shadows were born.
Feasting on the darkness that lay embedded within the human soul, the shadow population began to slowly grow. Spreading their grasps to the furthest reaches of the world, the shadows were soon able to consume it, plaguing the sky over in a blanket of darkness.
The Dragons, still in a state of shock from the unfathomed turn of events, slowly came to the realization that something had to be done in order to bring peace to the world once again. Together the dragons formed a plan, a plan that, in its midst, would not only prove to be the Earth's salvation, but humanity's as well.
The dragons were to disappear, vanish without a trace into the corridors of time, never to be seen or heard of again, but not without leaving a few remnants of their shattered existence behind.
Seven stones were to be left, each encasing one of the seven dragon's souls. However, these were no ordinary stones as can be seen from what happened after they had been left in the continuum. The stones had activated, scanning the seemingly endless mass of tainted individuals for a sign of their wielder for, after they had been left, the stones had been designated to choose one, the sole person deemed worthy to unlock their hidden power and, with it, rid the world of the darkness.
After seemingly endless hours of scanning, the stones were somehow able to single out seven individuals from the mass, each possessing a good sense of right and wrong as well as a desire to rid the world of the darkness.
In time, the stones sealed the chosen seven's souls away within their depths, granting them free interaction and bondage with the souls that they already possessed, the souls of the seven dragons of Yore.
As time passed and the bonds between dragon and wielder strengthened, so did the power that resided within each of the stones as well as their wielder's control over it. Eventually the time came when the shadows' presence was threatening to destroy the world and the band, making themselves known as the Draconians, was forced to act.
A great battle was waged between the shadows and the representatives of the fallen Dragons of Yore. A battle which, in its midst, resulted in the deaths of many innocent creatures that had pledged their lives to the Draconians. One of the Draconians, a Draconian by the name of Tetuime, bonded to the ancient dragon Sukuzan, even lost his life in the field of battle when, through his selflessness, he had blocked the attack that a shadow had targeted at his friend's love, a young civilian woman by the name of Kuarkian.
This Kuarkian also happened to be The Light, an ancient manifestation of all light and good in the world and the being needed to end the war. However, in order for the war to end and peace to be returned to the land, Kuarkian had to be sacrificed. This did not play well with Kuarkian's love.
Kuarkian's love and Tentuime's dear friend, Atemuisme, a Draconian bonded to the most ancient and wisest of all the dragons of Yore, Guerialdo, was torn. As a Draconian it was his duty to protect the world but, as a lover, it was his duty to protect his love at all costs. To see his love die in the common interest of others was ludicrous; why should his love, the purest and most beautiful of all beings, die for the sake of a mass of tainted individuals who would continue to be tainted even after the shadows had been sealed away? The idea was ludicrous! The darkness would always exist within mankind, plaguing the heart of every flawed individual while it waited for the right moment to strike; no amount of his love's light would change that. The darkness would never be sealed away for all of eternity, it was a simple truth that many failed to realize.
What Atemuisme failed to realize however was that Kuarkian, being the light that she was, wanted to sacrifice herself if it meant saving the lives of countless many. Her desire remained even after the realization dawned on her that, after she had been sacrificed, these individuals would continue to retain a shred of the darkness clouding their inner mind's eye.
And all of the Draconians, even Atemuisme deep down, knew that Kuarkian would have to be sacrificed if they ever hoped light to return to the world once again. However, when the Draconians tried to approach Atemuisme with this fact, Atemuisme became furious, cursing at their impudence while a mental wall was put up, born out of his furiosity, destroying all odds that the others would be able to reach him.
The Draconians felt helpless. Atemuisme, their dearest friend and mentor, had lost faith in them entirely, causing all their efforts to reach him to end in vain. No matter how much they tried to pierce the thick wall, it was to no avail. So, there was only one thing they could do. A plan had to be constructed.
So, under night's watchful eye, when those of Atemuisme were shut, the Draconians formulated the perfect plan. They expressed various ideas, some good, some great, and some ridiculous, slowly conjuring up a plan that would tip things into the Draconians favor. Finally, after many stressful nights, the fear of what Atemuisme might do to them driving them on, looming over them like a panther ready to strike, the plan was at last complete.
The Draconians, after shortly touching base with Kuarkian, informing her of the recent turn of events as well as getting her approval of the plan, decided to put the plan into action the following day when Atemuisme would be present to obliviously play his role in it. So, when the following day rolled around, the thick silence that had settled between the five Draconians unbearable, the knowledge of what was about to be done creeping up their spines, the Draconians began to get reluctant. Were they really willing to do this? Save the world at the cost of going behind their friend's back, destroying the one he loves, as well as breaking his heart in the process? Were they really willing to do all that?
Despite their unsureness, it had to be done. They were talking about the lives of millions. To sacrifice two lives for the costs of millions was a worthy cost, right? Even if those two lives were the lives of their friends? It was worth it right? Torn, the Draconians decided to listen to their minds, not their hearts and the plan played out as scheduled.
Shortly after a feud began, started when one of the Draconians, the female Taurintia, bonded to the second youngest of the Dragons of Yore, Zambone, threw a ball of magic at a shadow, the plan was put into motion. Atemuisme, just as predicted, was distracted by the overwhelming numbers of shadows that had decided to participate in the battle, sending waves of magic in different directions, destroying the shadows that posed a threat to himself and his other fellow Draconians.
In the meantime, Darhutian, another Draconian, bonded to the youngest of the Dragons of Yore, Inialdo, escorted Kuarkian, hidden in a veil of darkness, deeper into the realm of the shadow. Despite its appearance of darkness, the veil protected Kuarkian from the unforgiving grasps of the shadows, acting as a barrier against the clawing hands that would have otherwise torn her to pieces.
Once they had reached the heart of the shadow realm, Darhutian with a somber look marring his usually easy-going features, began to remove the cloak of darkness from around Kuarkian's shoulders. However, Kuarkian, petrified of what was to happen, used her own magic to fight against Darhutian's, determined for the cloak to stay in its place around her.
Darhutian just looked down at her despairingly, his heart telling him one thing, his mind another, as the look of sheer terror shining in her honey orbs as well as her actions encouraged him to listen to his heart's perspective. But he couldn't, he just couldn't. The lives of so many people were at risk and in order for them to survive, this had to be done.
So, with despair shining within their relics, Darhutian's eyes closed, before a startled gasp could be heard as his newly-manifested magic overwhelmed hers, causing the cloak of darkness to dissipate from around her and the shadows to look at her hungrily. Honey orbs widened in horror before turning to look into sapphire pleadingly, desperate.
Darhutian just closed his eyes in despair as he turned away from her, his ebony hair falling into his face, eyes being shadowed over as he bowed his head. He couldn't.
Kuarkian sank down to her knees in disbelief, a look of shock marring her beautiful face. She had been betrayed. She had thought that the Draconians, the people that she had come to cherish over the past months, her friends, would stand by her, believing in her every decision, but now, when she chose not to sacrifice herself, to stay by her love's side, they had abandoned her...even her love...
A whimper escaped her as the last statement played across her mind. Her love, her other, had betrayed her? No, that couldn't be possible, the idea was ridiculous; he loved her, of course he would never do that!
Hardened honey eyes softened as a new question bound into her consciousness.
If her love's loyal friend, the one that he trusted to tell anything, had been the one that had taken her out here, to this forbidding place, deep within the realm of the shadows, could it not be wondered if her love truly had betrayed her? That her love had been the one to ask the other to do this? Could it be true?
Tearing herself from her thoughts, she slowly brought her tear-stained eyes toward the Draconian to her right to look at him more closely. Her eyes widened. His head was bowed; a bowed head was a sure sign that someone was being kept in the dark about something, something that may even prove to hurt someone greatly in the end.
Painful understanding could be seen in honey, before Kuarkian's eyes slipped shut, concealing her pain, as unshed tears began to soundlessly leak passed closed lids. People always bowed their heads when trying to hide something, it was a means to conceal their true thoughts and feelings.
I understand now. Darhutian, by bowing his head, is trying to shield me, like he always does from unnecessary pain, but its different this time. This time he is trying to shield me from the truth...the truth that, his friend, the one I love, my dearest Atemuisme, has grown tired of me, that...More tears leaked passed...he n-no longer l-loves me...
Her head bowed, coming to rest on her chest, as tears began to stream down the contour lines on her face and a sob racked her small form. He n-no l-longer l-l-loves me? B-but how? W-why? Haven't I been a good companion? Haven't I been good to him these past months? Confiding and believing in him in his times of greatest need?
A pair of honey eyes, filled to the brim with tears, shakily raised themselves to peer into the suffocating oblivion where the shadows still lay, greedily licking at their lips as their beady, blood-shot eyes continued to rack over her small form.
"How can he no longer love me when I am so hopelessly in love with him?" Kuarkian whispered, her voice cracking as a few stray tears slipped from her grief-stricken eyes.
"How can he no longer love me when I feel my heart breaking at his absence?" She continued, her body beginning to tremble and her eyes slipping shut.
"How can he no longer love me..." Her voice, with every word spoken, was becoming dangerously low as all uncertainty vanished, being replaced by an air of sick knowing that was dripping with disgust. "...when I am willing to sacrifice all that I am for him" Her eyes opened and her smirk grew as she gazed out at the millions of shadows waiting to tear her to pieces.
"Well" She snorted. "Why don't I just save you the pleasantries" Her eyes slipped shut again and with her smirk still in place, she dove toward the shadows.
“Kuarkian, No!” Darhutian cried, running toward Kuarkian with an outstretched hand, but it was too late. Kuarkian had already dived toward the shadows and there was nothing he could do…
Or was there?
With flaming determination, Darhutian's eyes snappedopen, and widened at the sight of millions of shadows blindly lunging towardKuarkian's vulnerable form.
Darhutian's eyes narrowed and his features hardened. Not again, never again; he was never going to betray a friend's trust ever again.
With a mighty beatof his sapphire wings, Darhutian lifted off the ground and took flight, gaining altitude at an alarming rate.
It didn't take long to reach sufficient altitude and at fifteen meters above ground level, Darhutian began to summon the powers of his crystal.
Kuarkian stood, petrified, as she watched the millions of shadowsflittingthrough the darknessat incredible speed, beady eyes gleamingwith unquenchedhunger, lips curledininsane grins, as they continued to make their way toward her, driven by the intoxicating scent of fresh blood.
She raised her hands to shield herself, as the one in front let out a piercing, un-earthly cry as it lunged toward her, mere meters away.
She felt a warmth brush over her as a soft, sapphire light radiated through her closed lids and into her line of vision.
Her breath hitched at the sight of it; it was the most beautiful thing she had even seen and she yearned to see where it had come from.
Slowly, she lowered her hands, and just before she opened her eyes, a case of paranoia struck her. What if this is a trap? What if this was employed by the shadows as a means to get to me? But the fact that the shadows could easily overwhelm her without any such trap, as well as the realization that something so ugly could not possibly generate something so beautiful was the mace that decided her decision. So, after another brush of the warmth whispered across her cheek, Kuarkian's eyes snapped open and instantly regretted it.
Before her, the shadow had stopped dead in its tracks. Its head was tilted slightly upwards with its jaw slacken as a thick, dark fluidslowly oozed fromits empty sockets, flowing down the shadows body, and collecting in the puddle that had begun to format its base.
Kuarkian watched in horroras the shadow's insides continued to be drained away, as a beautiful, ethereal light cascaded down through the darkness onto its vulnerable form.
Eventually, all that was left of the shadow was a dark puddle of nothing on the ground, and Kuarkian was free to look up and seewhat had saved her.
Her honey gaze met the loving one of Darhutian, who was gazing down at her with a soft smile.
She felt a small smile creep over her features and tears of happiness suddenly sprang to her eyes. Her friend had saved her. He had not forgotten about her. He had remembered and saved her when she needed him the most.
She was about to make her way toward him whenshe felt a ghostly hand plunged into her, holding her in place as small beads of darkness were released that began to latchonto various places and suckthe lightfrom her spirit.
“KUARKIAN, NOOOOOOOO!!!!!”
Darhutian's head snapped around and he gasped. There was Atemuisme, hovering in mid-air, features a blind mix of sorrow, shock, and confusion as he gazed down at his passed love, limp in a shadow's arms, as it hungrily drained her of what little light remained.
“Atemuisme, I…”
Violet eyes brimming with tears turned to Sapphire. “Darhutian, how…how could you?” he choked out.
“I…” Sapphire eyes shut helplessly, as a mop of ebonyhair fell inhis face. “I didn't know what to do…which is logical with the world being on the brink of destruction…” his tone changed to weak amusement as a small smile crept across his face, before vanishing “so many liveswere at stake and the logical way to savethemwas to sacrifice the one for the many, but you and that one fell in love” Darhutian's head raised and he looked at Atemuisme in despair. “it would mean my betraying you to do it, my betraying you to save them.”
He sighed inaudibly, his eyes slipping shut as his head began to shake back and forth. “I was torn, I didn't know what to do…betray my friend or betray the people I swore to protect…” he choked out, his voice betraying his sadness and despair “It was a mistake, I'm very sorry…but I tried to save her, I really did, there were just too many…” His voice had died down to a whisper by the end.
Atemuisme slowly tore his eyes away from Darhutian to sadly gaze down at his lost love. Forgetting the other, he slowly drifted down to her side, gathering her in his arms. He hugged her limp body tightlyas the tears began to freely fall.
“Kuarkian” He choked out, his voice cracking “please don't go, please don't leave...” Hebegged as heclutched her body closerto his, holding itas if it were a life line as his body began to shake “I need you, I'm nothing without you, don't go” He swallowed, clutching her body ever so closer “I love you…” He managed to whisper out before breaking down completely.
Darhutianjust gazed down helplesslyas his friend continued to weep over his fallen love and the life he would lead without her byhis side.
`The events of this day are to unfold once again in the future' a foreboding voicewhispered heavily into Darhutian's ear, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end as he whirled around, assuming a defensive stance.
His stance wavered than fell as he found himself to be entirely alone in the darkening abyss, save for Atemuisme and the dead-form of Kuarkian.
`What was that?' Darhutian mused, recalling the words that he had heard only mere moments ago.
`The events of this day are doomed to repeat themselves again in the future'
Darhutian was about to ponder the words' meaningwhen a blood-curdling scream erupted through the deafening silence.
Darhutian's breath hitched, his body going rigid as his eyes widened in fear. It was happening. The light from Kuarkian's soul was ripping the shadows to pieces and if he and Atemuisme did notleave soon, the darkness would crush them.
His gaze shakily lowered to Atemuisme and the sight which greeted him made his eyes widen further, the urgency of the matter causing all irrational thoughts to be driven from his mind.
Atemuisme was still there, meters below, with the dead remains of Kuarkianembraced tightly his arms. Tears were silently rolling down his cheeks as he desperately begged foreher to come back to him, choked out whispers that were barely audible as the color slowly drained away from Kuarkian's face.
Darhutian felt a pang of guilt over what he was about to do, but he had no choice…the fate of the world rested in his decision.
Knowing very well that he was about to betray his friends trust yet again, mere minutes after he had apologized, torewhat little self respect he had to pieces.
It was enough to make him vomit.
As he lightly hovered in midair, gazing down sadly at the scene before him another nerve-racking screech shattered the silence.
Darhutian heaved a sad sigh before he closed his eyes. It had to be done…
Ignoring the pangs of guilt he could feel gnawing their way through his subconscious, Darhutian's eyes snapped open, a newly-found determination shinning in them, snuffing out all hesitance as he quickly dove to his best friend's side.
“Atemuisme,” He whispered, clutching his friend's shoulder lightly before gently shaking it. “We have to go now…”
“Kuarkian, please,” he whispered brokenly as a few stray tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. He had not even noticed the other's presence.
“Atemuisme,” he said softly as he rested each of his hands on the other's shoulders, gently turning him to face him. Seeing the other's head was lowered, Darhutiantenderly placed a finger under his chin before slowly drawing the other's head up to make eye contact.
Sapphire eyes widened in shock at the unbelievable amounts of pain, anguish, and despair swirling in those violet depths which greeted him. Reminiscence of the past few months washed all shock away, as a small smile graced Darhutian's features. “I know she meant a lot to you…she meant a lot to all of us, but its time to go now…”
“Kuarkian,” he whispered brokenly, as his eyes slipped shut and another sob racked his form.
“It's time to go now”
Atemuisme clutched Kuarkian impossible tighter, as he buried his face into the crook of his neck, his body trembling as a trail of moisture slowly trickled its way down her neck.
“Atemuisme, we have to go now or it will be too late…and,” He sighed “We must leave Kuarkian behind…it is the only way for the shadows to be truly destroyed…”
Violet eyes snapped up to his unbelievingly, but seeing the grave look on the other's face, new tears sprang to Atemuisme's eyes before closing as his form began to shake uncontrollably, clutching the limp body of his dead love ever so closely.
Catching the unbelieving expression on the other's face before his head lowered and new sobs racked the other's body, Darhutian heaved another sad, helpless sigh before returning his gaze to his friend. “Atemuisme, you know it's what must be done. In order for the shadows to be destroyed thoroughly, all of Kuarkian must be sacrificed and that means her body too” the last few words were a whisper as Darhutian's gaze lowered to the ground, unable to look at his friend any longer.
“I know” was the whispered reply, slightly muffled as Atemuisme still had his head significantly lodged in the crook of Kuarkian's neck. “I just don't know how I am ever going to live on…I have nothing else to live for; Kuarkian's gone,” the last words were in a jumbled rush, Atemuisme's voice cracking, as a fresh onslaught of sobs boiled up and racked their way through his body.
“Shhhhhh,” Darhutian soothed, placing a hand on Atemuisme's back before rubbing softly, trying to calm his distressed friend. “I know that loosing Kuarkian was a great loss for you, but she wanted to go and she is probably in a much better place right now, devoid of any darkness”
He mentally kicked himself for that one, but his mental musings were not betrayed by his expression as he continued to look at his friend with a reassuring smile on his face.
New-found hope rose out of the depths of pain, despair, and anguish, as Atemuisme turned his head up and gazed into Darhutian's sapphire orbs, features contorting with happiness.
Darhutian mentally winced, as he felt the pangs of gilt stabbing relentlessly into his subconscious. He had done it again, betrayed his friend by lying to him when he expected the truth. Now, just seeing Atemuisme's eyes shinning with a hope for a fact that not even Darhutian believed was possible was enough to drive him mad.
Tearing his eyes away from Atemuisme, Darhutian turned his back on the other and sighed. “Come on Atemuisme. Let's go.”
Taking his eyes away from the retreating form of the other, Atemuisme instead settled his gaze on the limp girl in his arms. A sob escaped him as he took in the state of his once beautiful and lively love.
Her flowing, snowy locks, once so full of body, were reduced to hanging limply around her beautiful, paling face. Lines of unrest marred her beautiful features, as beads of dried sweat lingered over some areas of her rapidly cooling skin. Atemuisme's sorrowful gaze landed last on Kuarkian's closed eyelids and he was struck with the sudden urge to see Kuarkian's beautiful, honey eyes one last time before they would be separated forever, he pushed it aside, gently shaking his head sadly before opening his eyes for his gaze to settle on Kuarkian's petal-soft lips.
Atemuisme leaned down and planted a gentle kiss on Kuarkian's soft lips, holding the sides of her face in place, as he drank the kiss in, his eyes closing tightly before a sob escaping his throat ruined it and he was forced to retract, whispering a rushed “I love you, Kuarkian,” quickly laying her down on the ground, before taking off after Darhutian.
Once he had caught up to his friend, on the order between the shadow world and the real world, Darhutian turned to him grimly, features not betraying anything of his inner thoughts. “Kuarkian didn't want to be sacrificed,” he murmured lowly before turning away again, not able to bear looking at the expression he knew his friend was bearing.
“What?” Atemuisme began, his voice clearly how distraught he was. The other remained silent.
Atemuisme's eyes widened “Kuarkian!” he shouted as he whirled around, intent on going back and saving his lost love's body. However, the sight and sound which greeted him made him freeze in his tracks.
The darkness was imploding, slowly crushing all shadows which resided there as they let out their final cries, the light Kuarkian's soul had infected them with sweeping through their beings like a plague.
Unbelievable sorrow filled Atemuisme's violet eyes as he watched in a state of shocked denial at the scene unfolding before him.
“Kuarkian,” he whispered as his knees gave way under him, suddenly feeling extremely weak. He unconsciously put out a hand to break his fall as he continued to stare in disbelief out into the darkness.
“Atemuisme,” he felt a hand fall lightly on his shoulder. The touch momentarily snapping him back into reality, Atemuisme shakily brought his gaze up to look detachedly into the somber face of
Darhutian.
Darhutian.
“We have to go”
Slowly tearing his eyes away from the other, Atemuisme gazed out one last time into the darkness, before he felt to strong arms lifting him to his feet.
Leading his friend away, Darhutian looked back into the darkness and the place where he felt that eerie voice whisper those words that still had him puzzled.
`The events of this day are doomed to play out again in the future'
Shaking the foreboding feeling that the repeated words brought with them off, Darhutian turned his head back around and wrapped a wing securely around the other's shaking form, pressing Atemuisme closer to himself, as he ensured that all view of what was happening behind them was hidden from Atemuisme's view.
He would ponder the words' meanings later.
With the plans successful completion, came the end to the time of the seven Draconians, the bearers of the seven stones settling back into everyday society as their stones were locked away.
As the generations past, the stones were past down, their secrets being revealed to the most worthy of all their offspring as the tale of their existence past into myth and piece reigned over the world once again.
This was the caseuntil five centurieslater, withthe tale of the great battle of the shadow having
been told time and time again, when creatures greatly resembling those of the prophesized shadows had begun emerging across the globe, disturbing the peace and arousing the Draconians into action. The Draconians now numbering within the hundreds, all save the seven true Draconians whosesouls continued to stay bonded to those of the seven Dragons of Yore, were bonded to the souls of the numerous offspring of Huarta, the only female Dragon of Yore. Now, in a time of rising suspicions,the Draconians, led by the descendent of Atemuisme, face a bout that will not only cascade the prince down a road that will have him wondering if their truly is a heaven on Earth, but whose result will hold the fate of the world in its balance...
************************************************************* *************************
A creature of dragon and shadow lay veiled atop a parapet, hidden within night's protective embrace, as he crouched low and observed the scene unraveling before him. Down below, within the depths of the alleyway, shadows were slowly emerging. Thick, soulless beings, manifesting themselves at the base of the opposite wall, before steadily making their way up the tall structure and swallowing it whole.
A low growl pierced the deafening silence.
The Iorta have some nerve showing their vile faces here.
Crimson eyes narrowed as the shadows continued their feast, foolishly expanding their grasps across the alleyway, completely ignorant towards the fact of their being watched.
You would have thought they'd have learned from our last encounter ...
Turning his attention back, just as the shadows reached the furthest reaches of the alley, crimson eyes flared, only to die down seconds later when a smirk became placed across his features.
Hmmm....Apparently it is time for me to refresh their memory on what happens when one defiesmy wishes...
Task realized, the creature arose from his crouch, rising to his full height, looking down upon the Iorta as they continued to blindly feed their way to the street, with deep ruby eyes.
Beams of moonlight danced across a pair of outstretched wings which bore an air of menace as the light of the moon fell across them. The light hit at odd angles, bouncing off their leather surface and causing the scarlet surface of the scales to shine with an intense brilliance.
Challenging the rough texture of the creature's wings was the leather which bound him.
Leather clung possessively to the creature's legs, highlighting their accents as they steadily roamed up them, only to end at the creature's waist, where a few belts hung half-hazardly.
Harmlessly dangling from these belts' depths were two golden-clad sheaths. Sheaths that held something much more lethal, as the pair of golden-rimmed sabers they held proved, glinting mischievously as rogue beams of moonlight penetrated their shiny surfaces, cascading them back into the night, broken shards of a lost power.
The creature's torso was clad in a material between that of leather and dragon hide, stretching up around his waist line, where his prime defenses lay, up over his taunt stomach, only to arrive at his breast, where the material changed from that of a leather-dragon mixture, to that of pure dragon hide. Resting atop this area, hanging from a delicate string, lay a crystalline stone, shining with all the intrepid brilliance a dragon's flame had to offer.
Crimson orbs peaked out from under a crown of black, blond, and ebony, eyes shimmering with a wisdom reaching far beyond the creature's years, as he continued to gaze down upon the beings of shadow snaking their way onto the street, slithering around any light sources that barricaded their path.
'Just as I thought...vile' the creature mused, his lip curing, as the smirk covering his face grew in intensity.
Just then, a high-pitched cry erupted from the depths of the night. Resonating through the deserted alleyways and streets of the city, the strangled sound tore the peaceful atmosphere that had existed before to pieces, as it slowly died away to leave a tense atmosphere in its wake.
The Draconian froze, all color draining from his face, as the final chords of the sound died away completely. Something had happened.
His ruby eyes slowly filled with dread, as they tentatively tore themselves away from the now stationary shadows and instead in the direction from which the cry had originated. He gasped.
There, in a garbage dumpster, was a young girl, sprawled across the many garbage bags, severely bleeding.
Realizing the urgency in the matter, the Draconian forgot the mass of shadows and ran along the parapet, swooping down beside the dumpster to study the figure more thoroughly.
She was only a couple of years younger than himself, seventeen by the looks of it. Her tousled auburn hair was a tangled mess caked with dry blood and perspiration. New blood seeped into her hair from a stream flowing freely from an open gash over her right eyebrow.
Numerous other bruises plagued her vulnerable form, clearly visible through the tattered remains of what had once been her baby blue dress.
The Draconian's eyes filled with sorrow as they took in the poor girl's beaten form, finally drifting up to her face that was contorted in pain as her chest shakily rose and fell with each ragged breath.
"Funny how my shadows work"
The Draconian whirled around, his features hardening, as he peered through the darkness and saw a figure leisurely leaning against the wall behind him, his arms folded across his chest, as one of his feet rested upon the back wall while the other propped him up from its resting place on the ground.
The Draconian assumed a defensive stance. He had had many run-ins with the leader of the shadows and he wasn't about to let his guard down even if the other had.
"I mean really. One moment they are harmlessly manifesting themselves in the alleyway behind me" He jerked his thumb backwards toward the shadowed alleyway. "And the next, some leave without your knowledge, teleporting themselves into the bodies of some local thugs and beating up a poor, innocent girl" The figure raised an outstretched hand toward the crumpled girl in the dumpster.
The figure pushed himself up off the wall and slowly began making his way toward the alert Draconian, lilac eyes gleaming through the darkness.
Stepping out from the buildings shadow and into the flood of light coming from a nearby streetlamp, the figure shifted his weight to his right leg, resting a hand on his jutted out hip, as he regarded the other's defensive stance with a smirk.
"What exactly are you trying to pull Draconian? We already know what the result would be of an all out assault" His smirk widened. "I would reign victorious once again, after kicking your sorry ass to Kingdom Come.
The Draconian growled lowly in his throat as he glared daggers at the other, holding himself back from doing anything rash; he had to get the girl medical help and fast.
The figure slowly began to approach the Draconian, his hands clasped behind his back, as his lilac eyes roamed up and down the other, studying his stiff form with a smug look on his face.
Lilac locked with crimson. "What's the matter?" He drawled. "To much of a coward to stand up and face me?" His eyes gleamed sadistically, as the Draconian's eyes burned with fury.
He smirked "I guess so" The figure turned around, showing the Draconian his back as he slowly began to make his way back to the alleyway. A spark across his senses, informed him of an incoming energy ball, and he spun around, quickly raising a hand to intercept it, stopping the ball in its tracks.
"I don't think so" He sneered before hurtling the ball back towards the Draconian with a swift motion of his hand.
A creature of dragon and shadow lay veiled atop a parapet, hidden within night's protective embrace, as he crouched low and observed the scene unraveling before him. Down below, within the depths of the alleyway, shadows were slowly emerging. Thick, soulless beings, manifesting themselves at the base of the opposite wall, before steadily making their way up the tall structure and swallowing it whole.
A low growl pierced the deafening silence.
The Iorta have some nerve showing their vile faces here.
Crimson eyes narrowed as the shadows continued their feast, foolishly expanding their grasps across the alleyway, completely ignorant towards the fact of their being watched.
You would have thought they'd have learned from our last encounter ...
Turning his attention back, just as the shadows reached the furthest reaches of the alley, crimson eyes flared, only to die down seconds later when a smirk became placed across his features.
Hmmm....Apparently it is time for me to refresh their memory on what happens when one defiesmy wishes...
Task realized, the creature arose from his crouch, rising to his full height, looking down upon the Iorta as they continued to blindly feed their way to the street, with deep ruby eyes.
Beams of moonlight danced across a pair of outstretched wings which bore an air of menace as the light of the moon fell across them. The light hit at odd angles, bouncing off their leather surface and causing the scarlet surface of the scales to shine with an intense brilliance.
Challenging the rough texture of the creature's wings was the leather which bound him.
Leather clung possessively to the creature's legs, highlighting their accents as they steadily roamed up them, only to end at the creature's waist, where a few belts hung half-hazardly.
Harmlessly dangling from these belts' depths were two golden-clad sheaths. Sheaths that held something much more lethal, as the pair of golden-rimmed sabers they held proved, glinting mischievously as rogue beams of moonlight penetrated their shiny surfaces, cascading them back into the night, broken shards of a lost power.
The creature's torso was clad in a material between that of leather and dragon hide, stretching up around his waist line, where his prime defenses lay, up over his taunt stomach, only to arrive at his breast, where the material changed from that of a leather-dragon mixture, to that of pure dragon hide. Resting atop this area, hanging from a delicate string, lay a crystalline stone, shining with all the intrepid brilliance a dragon's flame had to offer.
Crimson orbs peaked out from under a crown of black, blond, and ebony, eyes shimmering with a wisdom reaching far beyond the creature's years, as he continued to gaze down upon the beings of shadow snaking their way onto the street, slithering around any light sources that barricaded their path.
'Just as I thought...vile' the creature mused, his lip curing, as the smirk covering his face grew in intensity.
Just then, a high-pitched cry erupted from the depths of the night. Resonating through the deserted alleyways and streets of the city, the strangled sound tore the peaceful atmosphere that had existed before to pieces, as it slowly died away to leave a tense atmosphere in its wake.
The Draconian froze, all color draining from his face, as the final chords of the sound died away completely. Something had happened.
His ruby eyes slowly filled with dread, as they tentatively tore themselves away from the now stationary shadows and instead in the direction from which the cry had originated. He gasped.
There, in a garbage dumpster, was a young girl, sprawled across the many garbage bags, severely bleeding.
Realizing the urgency in the matter, the Draconian forgot the mass of shadows and ran along the parapet, swooping down beside the dumpster to study the figure more thoroughly.
She was only a couple of years younger than himself, seventeen by the looks of it. Her tousled auburn hair was a tangled mess caked with dry blood and perspiration. New blood seeped into her hair from a stream flowing freely from an open gash over her right eyebrow.
Numerous other bruises plagued her vulnerable form, clearly visible through the tattered remains of what had once been her baby blue dress.
The Draconian's eyes filled with sorrow as they took in the poor girl's beaten form, finally drifting up to her face that was contorted in pain as her chest shakily rose and fell with each ragged breath.
"Funny how my shadows work"
The Draconian whirled around, his features hardening, as he peered through the darkness and saw a figure leisurely leaning against the wall behind him, his arms folded across his chest, as one of his feet rested upon the back wall while the other propped him up from its resting place on the ground.
The Draconian assumed a defensive stance. He had had many run-ins with the leader of the shadows and he wasn't about to let his guard down even if the other had.
"I mean really. One moment they are harmlessly manifesting themselves in the alleyway behind me" He jerked his thumb backwards toward the shadowed alleyway. "And the next, some leave without your knowledge, teleporting themselves into the bodies of some local thugs and beating up a poor, innocent girl" The figure raised an outstretched hand toward the crumpled girl in the dumpster.
The figure pushed himself up off the wall and slowly began making his way toward the alert Draconian, lilac eyes gleaming through the darkness.
Stepping out from the buildings shadow and into the flood of light coming from a nearby streetlamp, the figure shifted his weight to his right leg, resting a hand on his jutted out hip, as he regarded the other's defensive stance with a smirk.
"What exactly are you trying to pull Draconian? We already know what the result would be of an all out assault" His smirk widened. "I would reign victorious once again, after kicking your sorry ass to Kingdom Come.
The Draconian growled lowly in his throat as he glared daggers at the other, holding himself back from doing anything rash; he had to get the girl medical help and fast.
The figure slowly began to approach the Draconian, his hands clasped behind his back, as his lilac eyes roamed up and down the other, studying his stiff form with a smug look on his face.
Lilac locked with crimson. "What's the matter?" He drawled. "To much of a coward to stand up and face me?" His eyes gleamed sadistically, as the Draconian's eyes burned with fury.
He smirked "I guess so" The figure turned around, showing the Draconian his back as he slowly began to make his way back to the alleyway. A spark across his senses, informed him of an incoming energy ball, and he spun around, quickly raising a hand to intercept it, stopping the ball in its tracks.
"I don't think so" He sneered before hurtling the ball back towards the Draconian with a swift motion of his hand.
The Draconian growled as he saw the ball winding its way back toward him. This was not what he had expected to happen, the ball was supposed to hit the other and shut his face up, not be redirected at him.
Still growling, his features hardened further and he quickly jumped atop the parapet of the building behind him to avoid the blast. Out of the line of fire, the Draconian gracefully sank to a kneel and looked back over his shoulder at the other.
He growled lowly in his throat. The other was looking at him smugly, his lip set in a knowing smirk as he stood there in the threshold of the alley with his right hip jutted out and his arms folded neatly across his chest.
`What's the matter Draconian?' he taunted, `too fast for you?' he finished, his lip curling further.
The Draconian bit himself back. He couldn't let the other get the better of him; if he let his anger out now, the bastard would just use it to his advantage and that was a price he was not willing to make, especially with the injured girl still in the dumpster.
Keeping one eye glued warily to the other, he stole a quick glance down into the dumpster at the frail figure that still occupied it. The girl was still breathing, though raggedly. Her chest was slowly rising and falling, shakily inhaling the much-needed air that was needed in able to support her system.
His gaze softened as he looked down at her, the rage flaming in his crimson pools simmering down to mere embers, as he sorrowfully looked down at her battered form. The more his eyes took in, the harder he found it to look at her. The knowledge that people had done this to her, people of the same species that he had willingly vowed to protect, was unbearable. The knowledge cut deep into his being, piercing deeper than any man-made object ever could, as it reduced his faith in mankind to dust. The sorrow of it gripped his heart.
Freeing his eyes from their lingering spot on her face where pain had caused lines of stress to mar her beautiful features, he slowly let his gaze fall to her right hand where something gold could just be seen, glimmering in the wash of light which emanated from the street light.
About to descend to her level, a snide voice cut through his senses and brought him back to reality. Embers exploding into life, he hastily rose from his kneel, and spun around to face the other, his eyes shooting from the girl in the dumpster to the figure that stood in the threshold of the alley.
“Beautiful, isn't she?” the figure asked, his eyes shinning maniacally, as he gestured toward the girl with a smooth swipe of his hand. “A worthy addition she will make to my list of victims,” he added with a sneer.
Eyes narrowing considerably, the Draconian glared at the other, a low, deadly growl escaping that was just tangible over the girl's incessant wheezing.
“I would like to see you try,” he challenged, his words coming out in a hiss, as he stood in the sky's darkened silhouette, shaking in rage.
The figure shifted his weight to his left leg, his hip jutting out, as he brandished the Draconian with a defiant smirk. “That's a challenge I will willingly accept.”
And with a malicious glint in his eyes, the figure abandoned his standstill and began sprinting at the wall where the Draconian stood. Seeing the other's obvious path, the Draconian quickly jumped up and became air-born with a mighty flap of his leathery wings. Knowing perfectly well the other's intentions, he began sending multitudes of crimson-ringed, dark matter balls thwarting at the other, which to his great annoyance, vainly swirled through the air, before exploding in the place where the other had been mere moments earlier before teleporting.
Growling, he watched as the other disappeared randomly, reappearing in a spot two meters to the right of left of where the ball had destructed mere moments later, with a knowing smirk plastered to his features. Getting sick of the arrogant bastard's antics, he let out a deadly growl, before sending a ball tearing at the other. Seeing the glint of sick amusement shinning in the other's eyes, he drew his two sabers in one swift motion, and pointed each of their tips at a spot two meters to the left and right of where the ball was going to hit, before bringing them back into his chest, and swiping them in a fierce motion back out to his sides.
Four balls were sent hurtling through the air at their aimed spots where the other, proving the Draconian right, had teleported himself a mere second later. Seeing the other's smirk wiped clean as he looked wide eyed at the balls that were tearing toward him, the Draconian smirked.
Tearing his eyes away from the balls heading straight for him to look back at the Draconian, he snarled at seeing his smirk.
It only broadened, as the Draconian looked over at him smugly, before he disappeared into a cloud of dust, as the balls finished winding in between each other to strike him, two at either side.
The Draconian slowly drifted back down to the ledge, keeping his eyes glued to the other's unmoving form sprawled across the ground. After his feet at gently connected with the ground, he flapped his wings gently, before folding them neatly behind him.
A frown stole across his features, as he silently continued to look at his adversary's unmoving form.
`He couldn't possible have fallen unconscious after a small blow like that'
Deciding to check it out, the Draconian tore his crimson eyes away from the other to look down at the small, fire-colored jewel that was resting against his chest. He timidly brought an armored hand, flagged by dragon-hide, up to finger the small jewel. Slowly bringing up his other hand, he firmly held the top of the jewel, before he delicately twisted the crystal in its holder two rotations to the left and watched as his leathery wings faded away to leave his appearance equal to that of a human, minus the exterior.
Checking fully that his wings had dissolved away by looking quickly over his left and right shoulders, the Draconian returned his gaze to the figure sprawled across the ground below him, before gracefully walking along the building's edge until he was directly above the dumpster and jumping down and landing atop the dumpster's edge skillfully.
Rising up smoothly while keeping an air of caution, the Draconian kept his eyes glued to the other, before he launched off the dumpster and turned gracefully over in the air, landing in a crouch with his eyes set forward at the man in front of him.
Roaming his eyes once over the other, he realized he still hadn't stirred, and cautiously began to set forward, his forearms reaching forward and dragging him along, along with his knees, as his hips swayed gracefully behind him.
Once he was a few meters away and had figured he had reached a safe distance, the Draconian pushed himself up, centering his weight onto his knees, before he stood and his gaze returned to the person in front of him.
Seeing no change, the Draconian cautiously began to creep forward. Once he had reached the other's side, he warily brought one of his feet forward and gingerly nudged the other's side. Seeing no change, he nudged the other a bit harder.
Still no change.
Even if the other appeared to be unconscious he was not going to let his guard down; he knew exactly how cunning the leader of the shadows could be. Keeping a wary eye on him, he quickly brought his foot under the other, and rapidly turned him over, before jumping back with his sabers drawn.
His hardened features were immediately washed away as a startled one graced them. The figure in front of him was still motionless, his eyes closed and his features relaxed, as his mouth was set in a small `o.'
His sabers lowered, as he looked at the other disbelievingly.
`It can't be…he couldn't possibly have fallen after something like that'
Eyes roaming over the figure, he continued to stand in disbelievingly, only meters away.
`How could he have fallen so easily?' the Draconian subconsciously asked himself as he continued to survey the other. `He never has before'
Taking one last look over the figure, the Draconian brushed it off
`Well I'm not going to question it now,' he mused, as he returned his sabers back into his belt. `Whatever it was that weakened him, I'm grateful'
And with one last glance at the other, he turned and began to make his way back toward the dumpster and the girl that still occupied it.
He didn't notice however the figure slowly creeping up behind him, brandishing a large knife. That was until a flash across his senses informed him and sent him whirling around just in time for him to jump aside to miss a large knife that needless to say would currently have been lodged in his back if he hadn't seen it.
Looking at the knife, terrified, he rapidly brought a knee up to strike his adversary's knifed hand, successfully causing the other to release the knife as he brought his other hand up and clutched his wrist where the Draconian had struck him, hissing.
Getting over the shock of the other fooling him so successfully, the Draconian let himself fall down to the ground, before swiping a leg around and bringing the other down onto the ground beside him.
Using his vulnerable state to his advantage, the Draconian drew his sabers and jumped up only to cover the few meters separating him and the other, dropping over him as soon as he was reached. With one knee on either side of him, the Draconian brought his sabers up quickly, and crossed them lethally across the other's throat as he glared daggers down at him.
He just simply laughed before smirking up at him.
"Are you really going to kill me?" the other asked, his disbelief shinning in every word spoken.
Seeing the other's glare harden as well as feel the other's grip tighten on the sabers as they gently dug into the sides of his throat, his smirk broadened.
"I didn't think so," he sneered. "You're harmless when it comes to that. You couldn't bring yourself to harm a hair on my head, especially after I tell you the truth and the knowledge that accompanies it”
“Knowledge?” the Draconian asked himself, his features softening momentarily before hardening again, as he increased the pressure on the other's throat. “What knowledge?!” he demanded.
The other just chuckled dryly before continuing. “That if you kill me, I will descend into darkness. That if you kill me, my shadows will fuel me and supply me with infinite power. That if you kill me,” he smirked “I will come back, stronger than ever, and you will never be able to save the countless disgusting humans that you have vowed to protect,” his eyes shifted to the girl in the dumpster “including that one over there.” His gaze shifted back onto the Draconian who had gone starkly pale. “It's your choice, but if you kill me, I will make sure that all of your attempts to save her will fail.”
Slowly, the Draconian drew his sabers away from the other's throat, looking down disbelievingly at him as he shook his head from side to side.
`He wouldn't…would he?'
Looking down at the figure below him and the seriousness that was marred in his features, the Draconian's eyes widened before he slowly got up and began backing away from the other, shaking his head with every step.
The figure simply jumped up onto his heels, before rising to his full height, once again assuming his arrogant stance with his hip jutted out, as he smirked at him.
“What's the matter?” he drawled. “I thought you would be happy.”
His smirk grew before he gestured around with a simple wave of his hand, as he started to walk toward the Draconian. “It was apparent to me that you have selfishly been quenching your thirst to satisfy your need to reimburse your lost pride by battling me here instead of saving her,” he motioned toward the dumpster. “Have you not?”
The Draconian only continued to shake his head disbelievingly, as he backed away from the other, severely unnerved by the other's recent attitude.
Feeling his back hit the edge of the dumpster, the Draconian quickly glanced back into the dumpster only to see that the girl had fallen unconscious, thankfully, still breathing.
Looking back in front of him, he unhappily saw that his adversary was only ten meters away and closing, walking toward him at a comfortable pace with his hips swaying gently and a smug smirk plastered to his features.
His eyes never leaving the other, his mind began to whirl in the effort of formulating a plan that would ensure his, as well as the girl's departure. Eyes scanning the various ideas that flitted across his minds inner eye, the Draconian unconsciously reached behind himself with both hands and tightly began to grasp the edge of the dumpster behind him.
Unconsciously registering the other's nearness, the Draconian's sights fell on the one idea that would ensure his and the girl's safety, and the fogginess that had clouded over his eyes cleared as he glanced behind him to see his hand's position on the dumpster.
Deciding to use this to his advantage, he tightened his hold on the dumpster, before kicking up off the ground and letting his body sail over his hands backwards as he used them to ground him. Skillfully letting go at the precise moment, the Draconian gracefully sunk to a kneel on the back edge of the dumpster, as he used his right hand to steady himself.
“Quick thinking,” the other praised, the effects of it washing away through a sneer. “I always thought Draconians weren't quick on their feet,” he looked at him maniacally as his sneer broadened into an insane grin.
“Stay back,” the Draconian warned as he slowly stooped down to gather the girl into his arms, his eyes not leaving the other for an instant. “Or I will be forced to hurt you.”
“You wouldn't hurt me,” he sneered. “If you hurt me, I will come back and hurt her as well.” His fierce lilac eyes turned momentarily to the girl in his arms, before returning to the Draconian. A maddening glint entered them, as he saw that the little bit of color that had entered the Draconians face had drained away completely.
“Or maybe,” he pondered, his lip curling into an insane grin, “I will just put her out of her misery right now.” He lengthened his stride and continued to make his way toward the frozen Draconian and the limp girl hanging in his arms. “Yes, I think I'll do that,” he stated as he broke into a light jog.
The Draconian, not knowing what else to do, spun around and leaned over so he could reach the small crystal dangling off his neck. Quickly reaching up with his right hand, he caught the crystal around the middle, and brought his other hand up to clasp the top. Without hesitation, he quickly snapped the crystal back to rotations to the right.
Not waiting for his wings to fully materialize, he quickly tossed the girl over his shoulder, and began to scale the wall. Once he had reached the top, he briskly pulled himself and the girl up, and thrust off the edge, as he spread his wings.
A maniacal laugh followed them, as the Draconian desperately beat his wings to get as far away from his adversary as possible. “It won't work Draconian, where ever you go, I will find you.”
And without looking back, the Draconian continued to beat his wings, sailing through the peaceful night air with the limp girl clutched close to him, as he flew over the darkened silhouettes of the buildings under him into the horizon.