Evan, who was walking towards Luminous and the others with Aran screamed
in horror as the dead figure of Angela collapsed onto the floor, the life
bleeding out of her. Mercedes leapt back, and Phantom looked horrified, but his
expression seemed to say something else; it seemed like he recognized the
attacker, just by gazing at her attack. Luminous pursed his lips and hugged
Lania to his chest, forbidding her to see the grisly sight. Blood pooled around
the dead girl, her white robe stained red.
A Black Wing commander leaped out of the shadows, her black cape
fluttering as she touched down onto the ground. Mercedes’s eyes widened,
recognizing the commander all too well. Phantom scowled and held his side, the
pool of blood beside him rapidly forming into a huge puddle. He needed help
FAST. The Black Wing commander was a young woman that seemed her early
twenties. Her hair was silvery-blonde and tied into two bunches by the sides of
her head. A black wing cap shrouded her head and her left eye from view, and
her violet eyes gazed at the room mockingly.
“O-Orchid!” Mercedes muttered, stepping
back. “What are you doing here?”
“Why? Oh, it is simple, dear
mother,” with that, Orchid slammed her wand hard onto Mercedes’s cheek. She
stumbled back, tripping over her feet and crashing to the floor, holding her
swollen cheek. She gazed at the commander in disbelief. Aran leapt up and
slammed the axe down on Orchid, but she just teleported away and Maha’s blade
cracked the marble floor.
Orchid appeared behind her, waving the wand in Aran’s direction. An ugly
red laser shot out from the glowing tip of the wand and Aran jerked out of the
way just in time, but the laser just barely grazed her right arm, scorching
Aran’s dark skin. She winced and landed back onto the ground, her fingers
cupping the small wound on her arm while glaring at the commander fiercely.
“Ah, how much you all have weakened!” Orchid sang, and laughed
mockingly. “How pathetic. I expected more of a battle.” Her head turned to Evan,
who was sneaking up behind her to land a blast of fire breath with Mir. The
human and dragon froze as they realized they had been caught. “Don’t even try, little farm boy. You think you’re
special because of that dragon, but you both are equally WEAK.”
“Don’t you DARE say something like that to Mir!” Evan shouted bravely,
patting his dragon defensively on the head. Orchid laughed and whacked Evan
hard on the head with the tip of her wand. Evan yelped and fell to the ground,
droplets of blood falling from the wound the sharp tip inflicted on him. Mir
roared in anger and a burst of hot red flame shot out of his mouth. The
commander teleported away and landed on the dragon’s scaly back and landed a
laser on him. Mir roared in pain and flapped his wings frantically, but the
pain was too much for the young dragon he was and he crashed to the ground, his
head digging into the cold marble.
Orchid leapt off the dragon as he descended from flight. Lania whimpered
and hid behind her father’s back, peering up at his expression. His red eye was
glowing the vibrant red again, and he was biting his lower lip, fighting off
the darkness. Lania gripped onto his shirt tightly, pleading in her mind that
her father would pull through. Orchid calmly walked towards the man, stooping
down so she was level with his face. “Darkness is a wonderful element,” Orchid
said, and Luminous’s hands balled up into fists. “I don’t get why you would
want to hold it back.”
“G-go away,” Lania muttered, trying her best to sound brave. Orchid
cocked an eyebrow at her and, with lightning speed, grabbed her by the throat
and lifted her off the ground. Lania shrieked in horror and Orchid laughed,
squeezing her throat gently. Lania gasped.
In seconds, Luminous was on his feet and had
driven his staff to the wall, bringing Orchid with it. The tip of the staff was
at her throat, the sharp tip glinting in the light. If she dared move, the
sharp tip would puncture her throat. She couldn’t even move a single muscle to
activate her teleport. But Orchid just seemed…..amused. Especially since
Luminous’s red eye was glowing profusely and his hands shook trying to keep off
the darkness. It was a wonder how he had managed to keep it off for so long.
Lania dropped to the floor, gasping, massaging her throat.
“See how powerful you are when you try?” Orchid mused, her fingers
reaching out and closing around the staff, trying to push it off her neck but
the strength of the mage surprised her and he kept it firmly in place. Orchid
looked up at him, enjoying the agonized expression on his face. It took him all
he could to fight off insanity, which he was dangerously close to. Lania felt
the steady beat at the back of her mind again, and this time in was close to
excruciating. He couldn’t hold on much longer.
“This is the reason I came,” Orchid said calmly, pushing off the staff
with all her might. It moved an inch. Luminous cocked an eyebrow at her,
confused. What did she come here for? Orchid grinned, amused. “We have been
watching you for quite some time, Light mage. Your dark powers are more than WE
could ever hope for. You have no life here, with the heroes…..the more you
stay, the more the risk someone gets
hurt, or even loses a life. So….we are giving you a chance to stay with us.”
Luminous tensed, his hands gripping so tightly onto his staff his
knuckles turned white. Aran gasped, and Mercedes glared at the commander.
Phantom scowled, but he too was shocked. Lania was aware her eyes had widened
to the point they probably were the size of pizzas. Did the commander just say
Luminous – one of the five HEROES that sealed away the BLACK MAGE – could
become a BLACK WING? Not like he would accept……but this whole thing seemed
unreal.
“What are you waiting for?” Orchid laughed, and Luminous bit his lip,
considering something. “You said yourself; you are now like a TIME BOMB. It is
better if you come with us, little light mage, so what do you say?”
“As if!” Phantom scowled, narrowing his eyes at her. The whole room
turned to look at the thief. “Sure, I NEVER liked him, but that does not mean I
am blind to his flaws and his good points. And he is a GENUINE hero, even more
than I. His darkness is something he cannot HELP, and so, if you even THINK he
would come with you, you are being FOOLISH,” Phantom grinned slightly. “Because
he…..he….is my comrade.”
The whole room was washed in
silence. Everyone was shocked to silence, and even Orchid’s remarks seemed to
have been cut short. Phantom, someone who NEVER liked Luminous, now stood up
for him, and even admitted that he was a comrade, a friend. Luminous bit his
lip and looked away, obviously not knowing how to respond to THAT. Soon enough,
the smug smile resumed on Orchid’s face. “Sweet, really sweet. The famous
master thief who annoyed the world…..now holds the power of FRIENDSHIP? How
remarkable…..but that doesn’t change anything, DOES IT, Light Mage?”
“Well, I…uh...I…” Luminous stuttered,
his hands shaking.
“Cut the crap, Orchid,” Phantom scowled, groaning as he got up. The
blood had dried around his wound, but blood still flowed non-stop from it. “As
everyone says, ‘finders keepers, loser’s weepers’, and if I recall, WE found
him FIRST, and we’re NOT leaving without ‘im.”
“Interesting way to put it…..” Orchid
laughed, and Luminous loosened his grip on the staff for a moment. In a flash,
Orchid pushed the staff away, zipped around the mage towards the thief and had
stabbed her wand deep into his stomach. Phantom spurted out blood and crashed
to the floor, coughing up blood that stained the floor. Orchid leapt out of the
way as Mercedes’s arrows headed towards her, wedging into the floor where she
used to stand. Aran flung Maha towards her, and as she wasn’t THAT prepared, it
grazed her arm, ripping through the soft black fabric of her clothes. Orchid
winced, but that small wound wasn’t much for her.
But what she REALLY wasn’t prepared for was Luminous, who had ran behind
her and flung his staff – which now had
a dark aura around it – hard onto her head. Her hat ripped in half and blood
now oozed from the giant scar on her head. She fell to her knees, choking up
blood. She looked up at him and grinned. Her attack on Phantom had done it; his
cursed eye now glowed vibrantly, and a wicked smile stretched across his face.
Lania wanted to faint as the beating on the back of her mind was just too MUCH,
but she had to keep watching. She was the only one who could still fight.
“You think you’re strong, but you’re
PITIFUL, you know that?” Luminous mused.
“Maybe in your eyes, Luminous,” Orchid
said, her forehead covered in blood.
Luminous’s smile disappeared and he looked away, biting on his lip. The
red eye blinked off and on, and Lania could see that the ‘light’ still in him was
fighting off the darkness, and Lania was grateful to it. His gripped onto his
staff so tightly it looked like he might split it in half. Orchid hacked blood
onto the floor, and Mercedes rushed to Phantom’s side, trying to heal him
AGAIN. Evan lay unconscious on top of Mir, his head injury too much for a young
boy like him to handle. Lania stood up on her wobbly legs and walked towards
Evan, making sure he was alright.
“Come on, now,” Orchid said, extending
out her hand. “Come with us.”
Everyone looked at the two, wondering about Luminous’s reaction. Even
Phantom, who was in agony on the floor, was watching in hope. Lania hoped the
light managed to break through, but her hope dissipated when Luminous took her
extended hand. But then, he did something she did not expect.
“No,” Luminous scowled, and squashed
her hand. Lania heard something go crack.
Orchid yelped as Luminous let go of her
now broken hand, letting it fall limply at her side. Mercedes helped Phantom
off the floor so he could see the happenings, and he ended up coughing up blood
when he wanted to laugh at the pathetic sight of Orchid. Orchid cradled her
broken hand to her chest, but even though her forehead was covered in a thick
coating of dried blood, a scar jagged across the top of her head and her hand
was broken, she did not lose her arrogant expression. She still knew that, sooner
or later, Luminous would pull through.
“I expected nothing more of a hero,” Orchid said, spitting blood onto
the cool marble floor. With shaky hands, she got onto her feet, blood still
oozing from her head injury. Luminous gripped his staff tightly as she got up,
considering attacking her again, but with the state she was in, he doubted she
was much of harm. “But we have all agreed that you would make an EXCELLENT
black wing,” Orchid spluttered, blood running down her chin. “And I volunteered
to fetch you from this hellhole. I have NEVER failed a task I have been
given…..and I will NOT begin NOW!”
With that, she stood up completely straight, extended one wobbly hand
into the air and snapped her fingers. All the monks and knights that roamed the
Temple turned to look at the woman, and they slowly started shuffling towards
her. The heroes tensed, except for Phantom, which had fallen unconscious
somewhere in between. Lania swallowed anxiously and rushed to her father’s
side, clutching onto his arm. He gently stroked her at the back of her head.
“Beasts and souls of the Temple of Time,” Orchid chanted, her voice
booming across the marble hall. The monks shuffled closer and the knights –
which were lost souls that faded in time inside blank armor – floated towards
the lady, who had wiped blood off her chin and was now focusing all her energy
to the tip of her wand, which shone a brilliant white. “I now give you a
mission – I wish you to WIPE OUT all existence until you have me that man. I
shall expect NO breaks in between. Now, go and do my bidding!!”
As soon as she finished her last line, the brilliant white light erupted
through the huge hallway, and she teleported away. The monks and knights – and
even the bosses of the Temple, Dodo, Lyka and Lilinouch – that glanced at the
light – which was ALL OF THEM – let out roars and bloats of fury and started to
march towards them – or more likely, Luminous. The mage shuffled back, extended
his hand to push his foster daughter back with him. Lania didn’t hesitate to
move backward – she had NEVER felt so afraid in all her life. Mir walked
towards them, Evan lying on top of him on his belly. His brunette hair was
stained red from his wound, but it had dried and other than a faint throb of
pain, he felt fine.
Mir had lost a few scales after being shot by a laser, but his scales
were thick and hard, and blocked off the most of it. Aran jogged towards them
as the monsters marched closer, her forehead beaded with sweat. She had Maha
slung over a shoulder and Mercedes nodded to her, signifying they had to go.
NOW. Aran turned to face Evan. “You okay?”
“Uh….yeah, I guess,” Evan said, his
hand self-consciously going to his head.
“That’s good,” Aran said, and Evan smiled briefly, his cheek leaning
against Mir’s glossy black scales. Mercedes heaved the unconscious Phantom off
the floor and lay him on the back of the dragon. They had little time left to
run – soon, the monsters would be upon them, and their existence would be wiped
out. The elfin woman turned to the dragon. “Mir, can you get us out of here?”
“Yes, I can,” Mir said, his voice steady and even. “I may be slightly
injured, but I can still get us all out of here. My strength is still
sufficient to get us all a good distance away.” Mercedes nodded gratefully and
slowly got onto the dragon, then nodding to the others to follow. Aran turned to
Lania. “You get on first, Lania. I shall be the last to get on Mir.”
Lania nodded, then tugged at her father’s sleeve. “Let’s go, Lumi,” she
told him gently, but he shook his head. Aran, Mercedes and Lania cocked an
eyebrow at him. “Luminous, we have limited time to get out of here. Whatever
you are thinking, think of it later. For now, escape is the top priority.”
“That’s not what I meant, Mercedes,” Luminous said, sighing. “It….it’s
me that they want, and I running away will put all of existence in danger. As a
hero, I cannot allow it.” Mercedes looked at the mage as though he was mad.
“Luminous, you cannot POSSIBLY join the black wings; it shall put even MORE
lives at risk. Get on, and we shall discuss this when we get back. Right now,
our time for escape is insufficient; I suggest you get on RIGHT NOW.”
But Luminous wouldn’t. He seemed to have something planned, and no matter
how many times Lania pleaded for him to get on, he just WOULDN’T. Even Lania
felt slightly annoyed; WHY must her father ALWAYS be so STUBBORN? The monsters
were creeping closer, and the more they dilly-dallied, the more at risk their
lives would become. Why couldn’t he SEE THAT? Suddenly, Luminous spoke up:
“Mercedes…..you all go. I shall remain here, and do what I can to eradicate the
monsters.”
Lania’s heart stopped. What was her father THINKING? He was planning on
leaving her? Again? She glanced desperately at Mercedes, who thankfully looked
like Luminous like he was crazy. “Luminous, are you insane? I admit that you
are very powerful indeed, but even YOU cannot HANDLE this many monsters!
Staying here is SUICIDE.”
“Maybe I cannot kill them,” Luminous said, a wicked grin spreading
through his face. He shoved the hair from his right eye, its crimson red color
glowing vibrantly. “But HE can.”
“Luminous, are you ABSURD? No, you may
NOT stay here; I FORBID IT,” Mercedes replied, losing her cool.
Luminous took her by the shoulders, silencing her. “Mercedes, being a
hero means that you must put your lives in the line for others. I am a hero,
and now, I am fully prepared to do so.”
“Yes, but-”
“Which is why you must trust me,” he said, and Mercedes bit her lip for
a moment, then sighed. “If….if that is what you wish. I’ll have you know
it…..it was a…privilege to have known you, Luminous.” Luminous nodded, fully
oblivious to the horrid expression on Lania and Evan’s face. How could Mercedes
agree to THAT? There was NO WAY Luminous could survive this, even survive
another dark outburst. He turned to Aran and they shook hands, and Aran petted
him on the shoulder. “Take care, Luminous.”
Finally, Aran climbed aboard the dragon’s back, and Luminous turned to
face his precious little girl. Lania stood there, hands balled up into fists by
her side, tears springing up in her eyes. Luminous knelt down and tilted her
face so that it met his. “Lania…..you be a good girl, okay?” Lania choked,
tears falling down her cheeks. Luminous wiped them away gently with his finger.
Lania looked up at him, choking on her words: “N-no, I will NOT allow you to
leave me again.”
“Lania-”
“You told me you never mean to leave me!” Lania shrieked in desperation
at him, her cheeks moistened by her tears. Luminous bit his lip at her words;
this was his hardest decision yet. The heroes on top Mir’s back waiting
patiently for Lania’s arrival. She wiped away her tears and stared up at her
father; tears were going down his eyes too – but sadly, only his blue one. His
cursed eye remained expressionless, and Lania hated it for it. She threw her
hands around her father’s waist. “Y-yet you plan on leaving me again…..why,
Lumi, why?”
“Lania, I don’t-”
“I’m staying with you,” Lania choked, sobbing. “I go where you go, and I
will NOT let ANYTHING split us apart again. Do you know how much I missed you,
staying in my little house in the woods? Do you know how LONG I waited for you
to return…..only to feel heartbroken when I realized you never were going to?
HOW MANY TIMES do you plan on leaving me, knowing that….just because of….of
THAT -” she pointed to his red eye. “-we can NEVER be together as a family?
I’ve ALWAYS thought of you as a father……but have you thought the same
about….me?”
“Lania!” Luminous shouted, and Lania reeled back, shocked and
heartbroken. Her father had never shouted at her before; NEVER. Tears streamed
down the girl’s face, and it seemed Luminous was crying, as well. He grabbed
the girl by the shoulders and hugged her tightly to him. Lania was shocked at
first, but then hugged him back, her arms wrapping around his neck. “Lania….I
have ALWAYS thought of you as family…..but, this is something I HAVE to do.
People will lose LIVES because of me…….innocent children; maybe…..maybe even
you.”
“But….Lumi…” Lania sobbed.
“Which is why I have to do this,” Luminous said, pushing her away from
him. “I am a nuisance to you….to EVERYONE….and this is what’s best for you and
me. For everyone. So Lania, I love you very much, like my own DAUGHTER, but I
must go. I just wanted to tell you….if I didn’t have this problem….I would give
ANYTHING to be with you, so….” He brushed her fringe out of her forehead and
gave her a quick kiss, which Lania strangely felt some buzzing when he did.
“….goodbye.”
With that, he stepped back and nodded to Aran, which heaved the girl
onto the dragon and held her in place so she wouldn’t run off. Lania was
frantic; kicking and screaming, trying to pry herself from the warrior lady’s
grasp. Luminous nodded to them, and took a step back. The dragon slowly flapped
his wings, and as he did so, Luminous closed his eyes and allowed the darkness
to take over. Shadows extended from where he stood, and slowly, a dark aura
enveloped him. Having put NO effort in trying to push it away, the darkness did
what it always wanted; to FULLY take over. When he opened his eyes again, his
red eye glowed without interruptions, and a wicked grin spread across his face.
Even his single blue eye had flashes of red.
Lania’s heart broke in two upon seeing him like that. She fought with
Aran, but her grasp left her firmly planted to place. Evan gave her a
reassuring squeeze, but she hardly felt it. She could only stare in horror,
knowing she could do NOTHING. The whole hall darkened, the flickering candles
on the sides slowly spluttering out. Black chains and tentacles tore out from
where he stood, and he lifted his staff in the air, and charged full front onto
the monsters. Before he did so, he snuck a glance at the dragon, which was
already in the air, turning its direction to fly away.
Before Lania couldn’t see anymore, Luminous’s dark gaze rested on her.
He smiled at her, a genuine smile, and mouthed something to her that she
couldn’t get.
There was a bang, and the Temple exploded into rubble.
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