Resonance of the Stars: Bleak Horizon

Arkon and Nephilum flew in past gun towers and the basic fortifications with a simple ease. using their power to re designate the targets to turrets to harm the enemy instead of his teammates. But he knew this was the easy part. If only they could just take out the bastard out here it would be far easier, but they couldn't do that without killing their captured teammate. For better or worse it was the hard road they were to take. Getting as close as he could he landed in his designated area, levitating down safely to the ground of the outside of his part of the building before nephilum took its place inside of him and he walked into the building.

As Arkon got in the building he used the link to convey his success thus far "alright, I got to my area just fine." but oddly enough silence was all that came as he felt a ringing in his head. He knew this feeling. It was the same feeling he had during that cage match with kyuba. The place was built to keep the resonark pilots in a disadvantage. No link to the team. No psychic powers either. So it was down to him and his sword, Togari. admittedly not an ideal situation but he was far from helpless even without his telekinesis. He did notice another thing. His mind was quiet. The psychic jammer must block the resonarks completely cause for once in the last two decades, he couldn't hear neither the angel nor the demon. His head was his own. A blessing and a curse. He couldn't take their advice, but he could keep his head clear and take his own ideas. With the situation as analyzed as it could be, he continued down his path. "alright, well looks like this is gunna be a fun little party we're crashing. So i guess i shouldn't keep the host waiting. I'm sure he is eager to be given his present." he said to himself sarcastically, already missing the other voices in his head.

Darkness closed in around him as Kyuba stalked further into the castle. Suddenly he sensed that the walls expanded around him, as a strange familiar musk pervaded his nose. The air became thick with a wet heat and Kyuba's eyes narrowed in the darkness. The nostalgia he faced was mixed with disgust and loathing. He hated jungles...and if his nose was not mistaken the particular flora in the room was one he had wished to never encounter again. A chill shot up his spine as he jumped and slashed where his feet were, his suspicions were confirmed as a thick ichor spewed across his face from the severed tentacles of the enemy he could not see. "How did Noir get a hold of these I wonder?" Kyuba closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around him. It had been a while since he fought blind but he had faced this foe before...it failed to kill him then and it most certainly would now. He slowly began to stalk through the forest cutting his way through vine after deadly vine. 

As he cut his way deeper and deeper he could not shake the feeling that he had forgotten something. In an instant he remembered as a cold voice called out to him. "Kyuba...I knew i would find you again...It is now time for you to repay me for the life I gave you..." Kyuba froze in astonishment and could utter but a single word as the vines closed in around him. "Felizi?"

Four eyes watched as Arkon entered the room. Four eyes turned to each other and each was met with a smile. "We have him now Yerry" "Yes Harry" "Let us have some fun Terry" "I do like fun Harry". The four eyes and two mouths faded into the darkness with a silent laugh. Unbeknownst to him Arkon's shadow began to changed and shrink into him. It wrapped itself around his legs and arms pinning him as a shadow blade came rushing at his neck. 

Lucas entered into a room that reminded him of old terrestrial combat training. Mounds, ditches and barriers filled the room providing ample cover for those who knew how to use it. Little known to him he was not alone in the room. From a high point another watched with eager anticipation for him to step further into the room. "That's it little mouse...come get the cheese..." She aimed down the sights and pulled the trigger.

Arkon stopped as he saw two eyes. Normal people couldn't see them, not in this level of darkness. But Arkon could. He came from a planet that had no sun so his eyes were perticularly acute in darkness. 

He saw his shadow start to shrink in on him and he moved quick enough to move his blade up to block the shadow blade rushing to his neck and ducking out of its way for good measure. "Umbrakinesis, Not the first time i've come across it. To be honest, you really picked the wrong person to fight out of my group. but two on one should at least make this  interesting." he smirked. and poised himself, keeping eyes on his opponents. He rushed one with a quick stab to the mid-section of his body and immediately burst into a flurry of slashes. not giving the one he was attacking much room to do little else but dodge, while being mindful of the mans partner ready to counter at any moment.

Cover, hiding locations everywhere. Those alone were a trigger for Lucas to stay on his guard. This was a perfect den for a soldier, plenty of places to try and get a lay of the land. This would have been his ideal setup, a place to get an overview, plan out, prepare for a strike, and then act on it. However, here Lucas was alone, he had no team, no support to call on. It was him, alone, against whatever may have been present with him. He was no fool, he was a tactician, and he knew a smart commander would have placed an ambush of some kind. The question was, what to expect in this environment, and how best to combat it.

Lucas was never the best fighter, he'd always known combat was the weaker of his skills in comparison to the rest of the trainees around him, and when he was given Alpha Squad, he was meant to be a tactician, not a warrior. However, that did not mean he was without capabilities to defend himself. He was a soldier, and a soldier is never without a means to complete their mission. A hand dangled to his side, covering over not only his tattered cloak, but the service pistol that was hidden beneath it. Though his eyesight was not perfect, Lucas' weapon of choice was a firearm, and he had taken as much time as he possibly could to improve those skills, to make sure that should he be caught in a situation such as this, he would not be unprepared. Not vulnerable or defenseless.

And he wasn't.

He took stock of the room, a quick scan, first to his left, then the right, then once more sweeping back to the left. The sounds of violence and destruction barely making more than a passing echo through the massive halls. Anarchy reigned outside of this building, and the silence in this room eerily befit it, a bizarre reversal, a silhouette of what was to come.

Pulling the pistol from his thigh holster, he took to a crouching position, slowly working his way into the room, taking one small step and scanning the area, before shooting off into the cover of a nearby girder that looked as though it had crashed to the ground decades ago. If something were to come, he would be prepared for it. He made damn sure of that.

Terry immediately retreated blocking each strike with practiced ease. "This is fun Harry. He is quite skilled." The barrage and blocking went on for some time as Terry began to visibly slow until one of Arkon's strikes pierced through his defenses and his blade sank deep into nothing. "Your Turn Harry", Terry said as he faded away. Caught for an instant by the lack of substance at the end of his blade Arkon opened himself and received a swift kick in the back. 'HAHAHA TERRY HE THINKS HE CAN HARM US! HAHAHA DIE DIE DIE!" Harry pushed the offensive from all angles turning his body into a constantly shifting and expanding pin cushion. 

The telltale whistle and clank of a canister landing behind him forced Lucas out of cover as explosions rang out behind him filling the room with a cacophonous echo that made it incredibly hard to concentrate. "Yes little mouse....keep moving...deeper into my TRAP!" She pressed a button on the console next to her and four men in combat gear burst into the room and began to dodge in and out of cover attempting to surround Lucas. Pressing another button her voice rang out across the room. "I want to see you dance little mouse..."

"Yes Kyuba...it is I...or should I say WE. We who you betrayed...who you left behind on that planet. Or do you even remember?" The vines around Kyuba began to glow blue then burst into flames releasing him. He quickly dodged into the darkness and crouched down in a defensive position ears straining to hear the world around him. He did indeed remember Felizi and he remembered what he had done to him. Child initiates of the church are often dropped on dangerous planets where everything is designed to be fatal. Only the strongest survive and that was a lesson that was enforced quickly in the initiates who wished to survive. Shortly after Kyuba awoke on the planet lost and confused he had the poor luck to stumble upon the very plant which had trapped him only moments before. He had no time to struggle before the poison it injected took effect and his world was filled with a burning pain the intensity of a thousand flames. When he woke it was in a make shift bed. He was being attended by none other than Felizi who had taken pity on him and had probably sought to use Kyuba as pawn. Under Felizi's guidance Kyuba quickly learned how to survive and when he learned all he could he sacrificed Felizi to the very plant he had been saved from. To this day he could still hear the screams and curses of his former comrade as he was slowly devoured by the plant. Or so Kyuba thought. 

"You left me for dead Kyuba...but that is alright. The plant didn't kill me...COULDN'T kill me. Instead it fused itself with me and my will prevailed. Now I AM it and it is me...and WE shall finish what we started Kyuba...and you shall soon become ONE with US.

An ambush. Of course an ambush had been planned. Taking stock of the area as he crouched low, Lucas grit his teeth, trying to roll his way into cover. He needed a second to catch his breath, to plan. he was expecting an attack, he had known the setup was too conducive to such an attempt, too ideal, but now, now he was being pinned. The explosion he'd had to avoid before was only the beginning, he was sure whoever this was would only have more "surprises".

Time. Clarity. A moment's breath is what he needed, now more than ever. And it wasn't likely he'd get more than five seconds to think.

Closing his eyes and taking a slow breath, he began to run through what he'd already seen in the room around him. Debris, some hastily formed constructs that acted as cover. High ground. Whoever designed this had the high ground, and they could see him from almost anywhere in the room, especially given the trajectory of the explosive sent his way.

Entrances. There were four guards who entered the room, and they had to come from somewhere. Entrances could double as exits, and if they were narrow enough they could act as funneling points.

Targets. Four guards, armed, and whoever was the architect of this little "game". All had their sights set on him, and more than likely were bearing down on him as he thought. It was time to move, time to act.

Pulling a smoke bomb from a pouch on his belt, he dropped it by his side, placing a pair of goggles over his face as the thick fog began to fill his area. He needed to hide, to view the area, and to see just what his targets were capable of. The thick, black smog began to fill the air, almost creating a bubble around him. Stealth gave him an advantage, it gave him a chance to plan, and while Lucas was a soldier, he was a tactician first. Plans were strength, preparation was advantage. And Advantages were victory. Moving over from his original position as he pulled a second pistol from his other thigh, he peered over the mound he was hiding behind, looking to get a lay of the land as his eyes quickly began to adjust to the dense fog blanket. One soldier, fifty feet at most, moving into the area. This was when the fight would REALLY begin.

Arkon stumbled back at the hit he took due to his opening. He couldn't understand it. The man was right there in front of him. then suddenly he was still there, but its as if he cut nothing but air. Going on the defensive just to stay alive Arkon tried to calm down. There was one thing Arkon couldnt understand. Arkon's own power, his telekinesis and his resonark basically didn't exist in the building, but for some reason the same was not true for the two terrors he fought now. They too had powers like him, but unlike him their powers remained unaffected by the power negation.

As Arkon was thinking, trying to figure out just what was going on, he had gotten quiet a few slashes due to his distraction. He put some distance between himself and the enemies, being sure to keep both of them in his line of sight. Then he had a thought. What if he could use his powers just like them, its just harder in this building. With out his powers, like it or not, he could not win this fight. He was out numbered, out gunned and apparently out crazied as well.

So, with nothing to lose but his life, he tried his hardest to manifest his telekinesis. He focused and forced and pushed his brain as far as it could go. Soon the strain of it all became physical as he began to bleed through his nose and eyes as he tried to link to the power he had become too reliant on. A power that in this building might as well not even exist. In a matter of seconds Arkon was rendered unconscious due to the excessive strain on his mind. That would be when he began laughing. As if he suddenly regained consciousness he began moving but his movements where different then before.

"That idiot is gunna get us killed. Lucky for him I don't want us to die just yet and especially not to a pair of low class fighters with no real skill. You two are no different then the boy. Too reliant on both you powers and each other. But lets see what happens when you fight a being who's power far exceeds your own!" With that, the Demon, now in full control of Arkons body raised his hand and suddenly a blast of dark matter shot forth in a barrage at both the enemies with an evil glint in his eyes

"Let me explain a little something to both of you before you die. I'm more then just an aspect of that fools resonark. I'm as much a part of him now as his own flesh and bone are. Due to the experiments done on him that lead to my creation, I exist where ever he does, and unlike his telekinesis or his bond with Angel, I am not bound by psionic powers, nor are any of my abilities. I am, for all intense and purposes, a completely deferent person with different skills that just happen to share the same body as the boy. And since my powers are not psionic, I am just as free to use my power as you are to use yours!" with that the demon rushed the two sword in one hand while firing dark matter bolts in the other, forcing them to dodge where he wants them to. "I was bred for battle! I have no equal and you two will soon be burning in hell."

"How scary Terry" "Positively frightening Harry" The twins dodged back and forth taunting Arkon as they went. His beams continued to pass through them as if they were truly made of shadow. In unison the twins began to talk as they dodged maintaining the hauntingly mocking tone. "He grasps at the shadows. What a fool this one is...He will never figure out....what lies beyond" The brothers closed in on Arkon and began to meld back and forth between each other like two dimensional beings. "Four eyes Three eyes...quake in fear, cause thy death is looming near..." At the middle point of each meld a beam fired from the combined middle eye striking Arkon repeatedly as they went. 

The soldiers charged into the smoky area to no avail, Lucas had already moved. "STAY ALERT YOU FOOLS!" The mysterious woman cursed to herself as she watched her soldiers flounder about like guppies out of water. "This one is going to be tougher than I thought....I haven;t felt a thrill like this in years..." Donning her helmet she pressed a button and the room filled with a thick smokey fog that dulled the senses. Opening the speaker in the room her voice rang out. "Who will find who first my little rodent?" She melded into the fog and began to stalk her prey.

Kyuba's vision blurred as he was forced into a fit of coughing. "What's wrong Kyuba? You still haven't gotten over that WEAKNESS of yours?" He knew better than to be goaded into an answer but he seethed with rage at the insinuation that HE, the all mighty KYUBA, had a weakness. It only served to anger him further that Felizi was in fact correct. Due to reasons unknown Kyuba could not call upon the more arcane teachings of the church without falling into fits of coughing and extreme blood loss. As if in answer to this reflection he began to cough again this time covering his hands in his own blood. A vine slipped around his foot and he was instantly jerked backwards and was slammed into the wall with a force that made the very stones shake. "FUCK...FELIZI I WILL..", was all he could say as the air was knocked out of him. The vines began to slam him back and forth between the walls of the room. "Poor Kyuba...take away brute force and you are simply nothing...you are WEAK when you cannot crush your enemy...but fear not...there is a way out of this...you just have to do what even the most basic of church initiates can do...But you can't...because you are nothing Kyuba...It should have been ME that was chosen by the Goddess...and now I will take back my rightful place by killing you and assuming your title. Your skull will fit nicely upon my shoulders. All Kyuba could do was scream in rage and pain.

Quietly he moved through the smog, keeping his eyes moving and scanning through each of the attackers. All Lucas needed now was some sort of cover, a high ground. Somewhere to look, to plan. Lifting the bandana around his neck to his mouth like a mask, he crept into the shadows, taking aim. He needed to start somewhere, and to take one of them out....That was as good a place as any. It wasn't the most sound plan, but for some reason...he felt that it would suffice. At least for now.

One soldier, moving closer, gun aimed into the smog, moving slowly.

Every so slowly through the haze....

One second...Two seconds....The tick of the clock weighing down like hours with each passing second.

Taking a deep breath through his makeshift gas mask, he steadied his hand....

The soldier dropped. No scream, no pain. Just a bang, and a hole in the head.

And like that, he'd vanished into the darkness once more.

The Demon dodged constantly, seething in anger as his beams seemed to pass right through them. All he was accomplishing was destroying the room they were in, which while that would normally please him purely for the chaos it would bring, this time all it managed to do was taunt him. He could destroy everything in here, except the two victims he was hunting. To make matters worse he could feel Arkon stirring inside their shared mind as he began to gain more control over his emotions, which meant the Demons time on the outside was counting down. There had to be something he was missing, but thinking and planing was never his strong suit. He was always the bomb of the three personalities, if he could be aimed at a target rest assured it would be destroyed, but planing that attack? That was up to Arkon and the Angel. 

With a roar of rage and frustration the Demon quickly lost what freedom he had as Arkon crumpled to the ground holding his head with his free hand. He looked up Just in time to see the twin enemies begin to merge into each other and at their joined sides emerged a beam. Thats when it hit Arkon. They could only attack when they occupy the same space like now, Which meant they should also be susceptible to his attacks at that same exact moment.

On instinct he ducked out of the way of the beam and raised his arm towards them, as if to use his telekinesis, as he was still a little out of it from his mental check out the last time he tried that. To his surprise though, what shot from his hands was not his psychic power but the Demons dark matter blast. As he fired it he could almost swear he heard the Demon mutter "That is the one time I help you for free, and only cause I can't stand those smug assholes"

The brothers screamed in unison as the blast ripped through them. Falling to the floor the illusion shattered, where there was once two brothers there now lay a writhing mass of shadowed darkness with three red eyes. "ENOUGH! WE SHALL END THIS!"  The shadow rose from the floor, "You have seen our true form and must die...we shall consume you..." Seven smaller masses of shadow broke off from the main core and began to fire bright red beams wildly. The beams seemed to disintegrate everything they hit while the shadow seemed to grow with every strike. 


The woman jumped down into the fray reveling in the hunt. With each man Lucas brought down her anticipation grew. The hunt was what she lived for, yearned for.  As she rounded a corner she knew she had found her prey. She dropped to one knee aimed and fired. "Got you now...little mouse"



Felizi was right Kyuba WAS nothing without brute force, it was something that his instructors had always tried to beat into him but always failed. Kyuba was a master at combat, tactics and warfare but was utterly incompetent in the final field of Shiiraite magic. Whenever he tried to manifest magick it always resulted in severe blood loss, under orders of the church doctors he stayed away from it as much as possible to avoid the deadly complications. Kyuba felt the vines tighten around him as the poison began to course through his veins. Damn it...I'm going to die if I don't get out of this...Shiira...lend me strength. Summoning all his will, blue flames erupted from Kyuba burning the vines and releasing him. With every step more of the plant was burned away as Felizi screamed in pain. "DAMN YOU KYUBA THIS IS GOING TO KILL YOU!" "If I die...I will take you to the goddess myself Felizi...you have been from her embrace far too long..."

The darkness called to him, beckoned him, as he watched with wary and cautious eyes. Who knew what this team was capable of, where they could be stalking, what they could be planning....And just as he thought as much...

Bang.

Stars shot out in front of his eyes in a blinding white hot fury. His side burned something fierce, and as he placed a hand to it, he grunted, not sure what to expect. Quickly rolling behind cover as he took several blind shots at his assailant, Lucas pulled his hand away, relieved to see no blood. He'd been fortunate, the shot hit his armored vest. It still hurt something awful, but adrenaline would keep that pain at bay, at least for a little bit longer.

"Who are you?!" He cried out, taking several small steps away from the corner of his cover as he did so, preparing to move once again as he kept his eyes moving, looking for any further surprises that may be in store for him. How could he function in such a place? He had no high ground to work with, his supplies would run out if he didn't drop their numbers faster, and he couldn't delay, he needed to find his team, make his way through this ridiculous maze and hope they all met up again at the end of the road.

Arkon stumbled to his feet watching the darkness engulf more and more of the room. Now that he had figured out the truth about his enemy he knew he could hit them, now it was a matter of hitting them with his dark matter blast before it engulfed the whole room and disintegrate him and every thing else.

He sheathed his blade to free his left hand, then proceeded to launch dark blasts at the shadowed creature, using his blasts to cancel out the red blast of his opponent. he fired and fired and fired upon it. 

"if Kyuuba couldn't kill me, and he is the avatar of his goddess of death, what makes you think you stand even a fraction of a chance! I am the prince of a world of darkness, your shadows do nothing but play at true darkness. Let me show you what real darkness is capable of. you see, your blast just destroys what it hits, my dark matter blasts however, make what ever they hit cease to exist. it makes its targets nothing. Which is what you are going to be!"

The huntress chuckled to herself. "little mouse... I am the Cat...and you are my prey...my mouse. But you may call me Lilianas." Triggering a key command on her belt Lilianas backed into a corner as the battlefield began to clear. The smoke was fanned from the room and the corpses and obstacles sank into the floor. For but a moment Lucas and Lilianas could see each other clearly. The moment felt as if an eternity was passing as both studied each other clearly for the first time. Just as soon as it began the moment ended as walls rose up between and around each combatant. "Little mouse...welcome to the final stage of the hunt. From this point forward it is you and I, hunter vs hunted, predator vs prey....find me if you can within this labyrinth of death...or wait where you are like a scared little rodent. Either way...this ends in your death!"

The twins screamed in pain and anger as each blast ripped into them literally tearing bits of them out of existence. In an act of desperation the twins consolidated into one extreme mass and began to charge at Arkon. "THIS IS IT....OUR FINAL ATTACK...WE WILL TAKE YOU TO HELL WITH US HAHAHAHAHAHA" Upon reaching him the shadowed mass that was the twins spread and engulfed Arkon. The mass chuckled as it began to constrict around him. " Be absorbed with us and DIE!"

Felizi backpedaled frantically as he launched vine after vine at Kyuba in an attempt to slow him down. He knew it was a waiting game, Kyuba's body wouldn't be able to handle the large amounts of magic energy that ripped through his body, if he could keep him distracted long enough, he would win. "What's wrong Felizi? Do you fear the Goddess's Kiss? Drawing his scythe he channeled the flames of wrath along it's blade. Swinging it in front of him with reckless abandon Kyuba cut large swaths into the jungle around him laughing as he went. "Damnit Kyuba....I should have been the goddess's chosen...IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME!" Felizi screamed in agony as Kyuba's scythe bit into his arm ripping it from his body, disintegrating into ash before it could even hit the floor.

He watched as the twins screamed in pain, growing more desperate with each passing second. he could tell the twins ran out of tricks to use. He watched as the two merged into one large mass heading straight for him, trying to engulf him to take him down in one last go. 


"That's it? you're final attempt to kill us is to become an even larger target? I guess you must have succumbed to your insanity after all."

the dark mass began to engulf him in an attempt to absorb him. His nose began to bleed again as he telekinetically blasted the mass away from him to free himself. then with blinding speed his sword charged with a coating of the dark matter all along the blade as he held it upside down. he slashed it forward at blinding speed, sending the charged up darkmatter slices at the twins slicing them into tiny peices, then before the pieces could hit the ground he held his free hand up to the pieces to emit one last dark matter blast to destroy the last remaining pieces of the twins. 


"now then, i can't keep wasting time here, after all the show has just started. besides, no doubt this ass hat has some more fun planned for me right?" and with that he sheath's his blade and continues heading down his path

Lucas' eyes narrowed as he watched the terrain change once again, sidestepping a rising wall. He crouched down, taking a deep, steadying breath, and tightened his grip on his gun. This...Lilianas, as she called herself, was clearly playing the arrogant, antagonistic game, hoping to catch him off guard or coax him into making a mistake.

That was something he couldn't allow.

He didn't bother responding to her taunts, what point would there being in doing so when all she would do is throw more? Besides, if he kept silent, maybe it would even the field a bit more. He may not know where she was...but she might not have known where he was either. Maybe he could use that.

Rounding a corner, he pulled a demolition charge out of his pack and placed it on the wall. He needed to keep track of where he'd been, and where he was headed. And without Xander there, he'd need all his focus directed on keeping his bearings in this maze. A proximity mine would at the very least create a diversion, and at best, possibly help him pinpoint his attacker's location.

"Let her come to you....as long as you keep moving and stay silent, you have the advantage." He told himself. Keeping his gun trained ahead of him and his eyes looking at every stone he passed, slowly beginning to work his way through the maze, Lucas ventured into the darkness.

Lilianas began to grow impatient as her taunts fell on deaf ears. He is good....but I am better... Her thoughts were cut short as a chill ran up her spine. Smoke and bricks exploded around her as she hit the ground in a roll. Righting herself she crouched to catch her breath and take stock of what happened. DAMN HIM DAMN HIM TO HELL! "LITTLE MOUSE...IT'S TIME TO DIE!" The huntress pressed another button on her belt and a groaning grinding noise rang out throughout the room. Spikes jutted from the walls and the room slowly began to shrink. "You are trapped. Now come and find me or be impaled you little punk! The only way to survive is to stop my heart!"

"Felizi, you poor demented misguided fool. You were never anything more than food for me. Now I will consume you like I should have all those years ago!" His voice reached a fevered pitch bordering on hysteria as he carved large chunks from his old friend's body. Flensing the flesh from his bones.  Blood sprayed across his face and body with each stroke, sizzling and popping in the heat of the magical flames. A gurgle escaped his lips, cutting the laughter short, as a vine pierced through his chest. Laughter quickly resumed but this time it was Felizi spilling over with mirth. "YOU FOOL! I WIN, THE VINES WILL SUCK YOU DRY AND I SHALL TAKE YOUR PLACE AT THE GODDESSES SIDE!" Wet flecks of blood spurted from Kyuba's mouth as he convulsed. "Are...are you laughing? YOU MAD STUPID FREAK YOU ARE DEAD JUST ACCEPT IT" Coughing in between each word, every breath a chore Kyuba managed to smile as he replied. "This...is why you will never be her chosen. You fear death Felizi. I AM DEATH!" As if on cue the vines in his chest began to wither and crumple into black dust. Fear washed over him as a warm liquid filled his pants. Felizi crumpled to the floor, trying to crawl from the cloud of death that seemed to be growing out of Kyuba, withering everything is touched. "STAY AWAY...STAY AWAY!" The last sound her heard before darkness hit him was a wheezing laughter and the buzzing of insects. 

Everything was quiet, darkness surrounded him, cradled him in its warmth. Slowly the realization came to him as his fears came rushing back like a flood. It wasnt the darkness that warmed him, but the urine he has spilled in fear. He whimpered as the pain washed over him reminding him of the horrible thing that was somewhere out there in the darkness. In answer to these thoughts, a skull appeared before him, illuminated in a strange glow. Gentle hands caressed his face as a hauntingly beautiful song rang out seemingly from nowhere. A women's voice called to him from within the skull. "Hush now my son. You wish to be my chosen? I have a task that only you can complete." The pain seemed to numb as the voice filled his ears. "Yes my Lady, whatever your wish is it is my will!" The women's voice was replaced by a familiar male's, the skull fading, in its place, pale white skin, silver hair, and crimson eyes. "Good! Become a part of me Felizi, make me whole..." Felizi laughed as he watched Kyuba's hands reach up to his eyes, his laughter continued long after sight left him. Kyuba shook his head in amusement as he pressed his fingers into his enemy's eyes savoring the pop and squish. The two men began to glow as Kyuba broke into a low chant. Bright light filled the room as the two became one. Kyuba stood, his wounds closing as he absorbed the life force of Felizi. Strength and energy rushed through him as the song of the Goddess flowed from his lips. He extended one arm slowly, as if discovering its use for the first time. Blue flame curled from his hand and up his arm wreathing him in blue light. "Now I am complete..."

The shadowy corridor seemed to go on forever winding and twisting, threatening to swallow Archon and never let him go. Until a sharp white light blasted through the darkness, illuminating the path before him, and revealing a familiar Silhouette.

Arkon ran through the corridor as fast as his feet would carry him. He would be lying if he were to say he wasn't drained after that fight. It took too long for him to figure out the enemies gimmick and it cost him dearly. His nose was now dripping with blood constantly and his right eye had popped blood vessels from the strain of the fight. Now that the adrenaline of the fight was fading he was starting to feel the fatigue set in but he had no interest in ending things now. He was just getting to the good part

"I can feel something Arkon. It seems Kyuba is finally becoming the vessel his goddess desires him to be. His power is overflowing. truly it is sure to bring so much death to so many people. It's sure to be a beautiful sight" the demon said as he sensed his power rising.


"Do I even want to know how you know that or why you sound so familiar with that concept?" Arkon asked 


"I am sure you do not but I fear all will come to fruition in due time." The angelus said matter of factly


Arkon shook his head. He didn't have time to worry about that. He had to get to where he was going. He could ask Kyuba later to see just what happened with him. Then there was Lucas to think about. He wasn't the strongest of them but he was the smartest. He hoped death had not claimed him either in this tower. It seemed this mission would be more tricky to complete then normal. 


"No matter, I just hope there is more fun to be had here. I haven't had enough fighting for my liking. besides, if my kill count stays at 2 Kyuba might just try to kill me himself." he said, as he rushed forward into a white expanse. He saw the outline of a familiar person upon entering.