Sebastian stood firm his feet placed firmly against the cracked cobble beneath his feet, blood dripped down his forehead slowly as it creased its way around his facial features. Dipping into the creases of his bright green emeralds eye's it dripped down his cheek and eventually to the ground where small puddle was forming at his feet. Harsh winds blew through his chestnut brown hair, its spiky normal features now charred and burned away. He could feel the chill of the cold air against his exposed muscular chest, the very air seemed to freeze the cuts and gashed that littered his body underneath black torn clothing. Turning his head sideways he looked at his left arm, blood was gushing from a large hole in his shoulder, his arm was near limp against his body. Raising his right hand he placed it against his shoulder, gripping it with his fingers he cringed as he concentrated his energy into his hand, their was a green hue under his hand and a loud hiss like water on a hot surface. Clenching his teeth the pain finally subsided as he slowly moved the fingers on his left hand, the numbness in his arm disappeared as he lowered his right hand and clenched his left in a fist, the icy glare of his emerald green eye's flashed back in front of him to the woman who stood in front of him. She stood tall at 6'5" her eye's were black as the night, the black dress she wore was tattered and scarred as her milky white skin shown from the battle inflicted wounds she had received. Her black hair stood on end as the massive amount of black magical energy surged through her body, her entire body was cloaked in what seemed to be black fire. Sebastian closed his eye's, concentrating his magic his body glowed bright white for just a second, however the white outline disappeared as he opened his eye's, he took his breath in ragged gasps as he fell from one knee. His energy was almost taxed and he knew it, he could not even hope to maintain his light energy. Drips of sweat rolled down his cheeks and off his chin as he heard the ugly cackle of the with in front of him, looking up she hovered above the ground as she held out her wand and pointed it towards him, she however did not attack but spoke in her cold unfeeling voice.
"Do you understand now boy? Have I finally shown you that the light can never overcome the darkness? Now that your down on one knee bowing before me, do you finally realize the depth of my hatred and the power it gives me? You and that weak old man have hounded my every step and to what end? To finally face me down and be crushed by my power?"
Sebastian couldn't move as he felt a seering pain shooting through his entire body, he opened his mouth to scream but blood replaced his words as he spat violently across the ground. Falling to his hands and knee's he felt his body being crushed into the ground, the weight was unbearable as his strength failed and he slammed the ground hard enough to crack the stone beneath his body. Sebastian weakly averted his eye's up as Morganthe the Umbra Queen stood above him looking at him with a darkened sneer on here face, her dark red lips creased.
"Oh how lies have fed your legend, imagine just for a second that every victory, every single triumph you ever accomplished was nothing more then a lie to keep you pressing forward. Those worlds you saved Ravenwood, Krokotopia, Marleybone, Grizzleheim, Mooshu, Wysteria, Dragonspyre, Zafaria, Avalon, Celstia, Khrysalis even that weak little world Azteca... oh wait I forgot you never did save Azteca did you? No, No I seem to remember a huge meteorite crashing into and destroying everything."
Morganthe raised her wand as Sebastian felt a tight grip form around his throat, he was lifted from the ground and found himself face to face with Morganthe. Bringing her head forward Sebastian could smell the stench upon her breath as she spoke:
"You saved all those worlds because you were allowed too boy. Do you truly believe that you did all of that because your the chosen child of light? Oh no your not chosen, your not a prophecy your just a little brat whom was humbled, whom I allowed to succeed so that I could make you suffer in the end. If you doubt me then just think about Azteca an how you failed to save its people. Its because I wanted to show you just how weak you were. You knew nothing of pain, and now you are filled with nothing but pain. I can see it in your eye's, its a disease that eats away at you, I can taste your sorrow and your fear and your sadness."
Morganthe flung her wand through the air, the sharped tip slashed Sebastian across the face as he was violently flung away out of the air. Smacking the ground his head smashed stone, sliding to a stop he tried to move his body but he couldn't even manage to move his fingers.
"But it wasn't Azteca that broke you was it Sebastian? No, no, it was a blow but not enough to break you. That's why I had to take the one person who meant the most you and rip their life from them. I watched as she fell into that hole of black fire, watched as you weakly crawled towards her too weak to to do anything else. You reached your hand out and grabbed her, but you couldn't stop her from falling. I felt you break, it was so... delicious, the hero, the child of prophecy, finally broken. You didn't make it this far because you are strong, you made it this far because I wanted to feel your pitiful sorrow before I ended your life."
Sebastian lay upon the ground, tears were streaming down his cheeks, Morganthes words cut him deep, until now he had tried so hard just to push his failure from his thoughts. Was she truly telling the truth? Was his entire life to this point, everything he accomplished nothing more then a lie just to see him suffer? Was his destiny always to die in this tower alone? Sebastian closed his eye's, he could see Rinny's beautiful sky blue eye's. Her hair shined a chestnut brown in the sunlight, her smile was intoxicating to him. He could see those same eye's afraid, hovering over a pit of black fire trying to pull herself up while he crawled. Memories were flashing through his head a mile a minute, memories of them talking an laughing, laying in an open green field watching the sun set, cuddled beside a roaring fire under a blanket on the coldest of nights. Then he again saw her over the pit, he had reached for her, he grabbed her, but he couldn't save her, he watched her fall into those flames, she was engulfed and just like that she was gone from his life. In that moment as Sebastian saw the flames take Rinny his eye's opened wide, inside his head something had snapped, in that instant his bright emerald eye's turned a sickening black as red swirled from the centers. Black flames suddenly shot from every orifice of his body as he screamed as loud as he could, there was an explosion of black energy as the shock wave blasted the entire tower at once, the roof caved in, old stone cracking and breaking away. Morganthe unsuspecting of the shock wave was smashed with it as she was bodily tossed crashing into the floor. Sebastian felt new strength flow through his body, he floated off the ground and slowly came to his feet. His blackened eye's were filled with immense hatred as they watched Morganthe climb back to her feet shocked from the amount of power he had used.
"What... what has happened?! Where did that power come from?!"
Morganthe hissed the words with anger, it was in that moment when she saw Sebastian eye's, when she saw the blacken red swirls there was a glint of fear in her eye's as she realized what had happened. He had somehow tapped into hatred and the energy he was exerting was shadow magic. As overcome by shock as she was she finally calmed herself and smiled.
"Well, well, it seems the child of light is no more. Your eye's tell me that much, it seems that you have finally fallen, thats good let your hatred overwhelm you and make you powerful! Thats the power you will use to help me finish destroying the spiral!"
Morganthe was beside herself, she had never imagined the child of light would fall, no doubt his hatred was blinding him. Instead of killing him she would just set him loose on the spiral instead. However those thoughts were soon dashed as Sebastian raised his hand, Morganthe felt and immense magical force crush her windpipe as she was wrenched from the ground where she stood. Against her will she was dragged across the ground and found herself face level with Sebastian, his eye's were terrifying even to her.
"You heartless bitch, are you stupid enough to believe that I would ever help you! To ever work beside you! To be your pathetic pawn! No!"
Sebastian raised his hand and slammed Morganthe into the ground. Morganthe felt the blow crush her body as cobble flew into the air before she was raised again and then slammed into the ground again. Morganthe fell blood gurgle up her throat and explode from her mouth.
"I hate you!"
Sebastian brought his other hand forward as he brought Morganthe to him, slamming his fist into her stomach more blood exploded from her mouth as he punched her three more times before releasing her. The final blow blasted her back as she was forced to the ground slamming into the nearby debris. Morganthe was shaky as she reached her long white fingers forward, she lifted herself from the ground and turned her black gaze to Sebastian. She watched as he opened his hands, a small wave of black magic shot from his open hands. This wasn't possible, his power was tremendous and yet he could still maintain his sanity, had this boy dabbled in black magic before? No it wasn't possible that he could control such dark magic so easily.
"Why do you hate what I have done boy!? Who was the one that brought you to Ravenwood and set you on this road to begin with? Who was the one watched you suffer while he sat back and did nothing!? Who was the one who spoon fed you all that crap about destiny and watched you do all the work and then patted himself on the back after a job well done!? Who was the one who knew your beloved Rin was in danger and chose to let me take her instead of trying to defend her..."
Sebastian's body tense up as his eye's widened to the point where they were black spiraling orbs he clenched his fist's as his body shook, maroon blood squished between his fingers as his fingers dug into his own hands. Sebastian then felt a rip go through his head, he fell to his knee's gritting his teeth in pain grabbing his head. Morganthe smiled through bloody teeth when she saw this, he was not in full control of his new found powers after all, it seemed... that he was hanging on by a thread to his sanity. All he needed was one little push then once he lost himself she could take control and send him on Ravenwood. What poetic justice, the child of light destroying all he helped saved and protected.
"He never told you did he? The old man just couldn't bring himself to tell you the truth could he? Knowing just how much it would hurt you, he kept it from you. Even though we walk different paths we are similar, I was not always how I am now, I too once felt like you do. Trying to grip onto the good in this world while the bad constantly destroyed everything around me. The old fool caused me so much pain, and eventually when my pain was great enough I used it and broke my chains. Let go of the good in you Sebastian, it will only cause you more pain. Become the darkness you know in your heart and take down all those who wronged you? Destroyed your life and left you to die many times and over! Join me and break your chains!"
Sebastian gripped his head tighter as her words seem to cause him more pain, he was so tired, so damn tired of the fighting and losing everything. Just so others could live a happy life with the ones they love while he stands by with nothing! He never wanted this life, never wanted to make his entire life about saving everyone else. An no matter how much good he did there was always more bad to follow. How could one person stand against such terrible evil and ever find anyway to live life?
"Don't ever let go Seb..."
Sebastian opened his eye's as he stood in a bright clearing made of golden light, he heard the voice but saw no one around him. He knew the voice, he had not heard it in so long, he had forgotten what an angel truly sounded like.
"Don't let go Seb, don't lose who you are because of me."
Sebastian looked around but he did not see Rinny anywhere it was just here voice and it seemed to echo all around him.
"How can I not lose myself Rin? How can I go on if your not with me? You were the only good thing I had in my life and I will never get that back."
Sebastian spoke as his voice cracked looking ahead of himself an image appeared, the image was of him looking at himself he saw the black spirals red eye's as a chill ran down his spine. Was that truly himself?
"This is not who you are Seb, that is not the boy I fell in love with or the man you have become. You have allowed the hatred seething within you to surface and it will destroy you. I know that your suffering so. If you allow this hatred to control who you are then you will become no better then Morganthe or even Malistaire whom would of destroyed the spiral to see his love returned to him. There is life Sebastian even now for you to live, it won't be easy but you are the chosen one, you are the child of light, and no matter what Morganthe says you are a Hero. You are the one I love, show Morganthe not the hate but your love, show her that no matter what happens that you will not succumb to evil for even if you kill her she will still win."
Sebastian felt an invisible light touch on his cheek, as for just the briefest of moments he saw Rin before his eye's.
"Remember Seb there will always be darkness, but there will also always be light, and even the darkest nights must turn to morning. Be the light and this time never let it go out."
Sebastian closed his eye's as he felt a gentle kiss on his lips and a soft whisper in his ear. Sebastian opened his eye's again as the tower slowly came back into view. Looking down his hands were glowing gold, the pain in his head was gone now, concentrating his energy Sebastian's body glowed out with a bright intensity as he could feel new power within him. Averting his eye's to Morganthe she had a rather sour scowl on her face now, unaware that the evil black spirals of red had returned to a vibrant emerald green. Looking at his hand again a vibrant gold orb appeared in his palm as he glared at Morganthe an spoke:
"You failed Morganthe... you failed. I refuse to let the darkness take me, or let my hatred control me. I am the light the spiral needs, and you are the darkness that is fading, nothing more then a shadow disappearing in the suns vibrant rays. I almost forgot who I was, but in that moment someone reminded me. This is where our story ends, and where the new one begins, light VS dark.. love vs hate."
Morganthe scowled angrily, how had he suddenly suppressed his own hatred and turned it into light!? It wasn't possible for someone to overcome such intense hatred!
"I won't die here boy! I refuse to let you win, I will never let you destroy what I have created! The Spiral will burn and everyone will burn with it! Now die!"
Morganthe put his wand hand back, combining it with her free hand she concentrated her energy into one big final blast of shadow energy. Bringing her hands forward a huge wave of black energy shot from his hands. Sebastian slowly raised his own hand, clasping it around the orb in his palm he concentrated his own energy and in one big blast a ray of furious light Sebastian brought his hands forward gold light erupted forth and smashed directly into the shadow energy. A huge shockwave hit the crumbling tower as the ground started to shake violently beneath their feet. Chunks began to loose from the floor and crumble below. As the shockwave hit the tower Morganthe gritted her teeth, his blast was exactly the same power of hers, it just wasn't possible for some boy to have as much power as her!
"You have no chance!"
Sebastian grunted as Morganthe intensified her stream of energy, his legs buckled slightly but he held his hands out and held as the black stream came closer to him.
"Your not the first to say that to me... and you won't be the last!"
Sebastian intensified his own energy as the light blasted the darkness back quickly. The light was nearly licking at Morganthes face now as she was showing real fear for the first time in her life. She could feel her magic slipping and she had nothing left now to push back. If she was going to win she would have to take her shadow form to intensify her own attack but it was dangerous, she could lose her own mind if she did. No! She couldn't let this brat win, at any cost she would win. Morganthe started to glow a deep hue of purple, as she concentrated her lower body slowly started to transform. Sebastian looked on as Morganthes body begin to shape shift, her entire lower body began to sprout legs, four on each side, her entire lower half became and abdomen as Morganthe took the form of a human spider. Two more arms sprouted on her upper body, reaching the new arms forward she cupped them together on the beam. With one huge boost the energy beam intensified and flashed across the room and nearly overcame Sebastians light, the black magic licked his arm as the skin turned dark black.
"You will not win boy!"
Morganthes voice was altered now and sounded like a demons as Sebastian held the beam of light but barely. Sebastian closed his eye's as he felt the strain on his arms, this was the final fight and he couldn't lose, he knew that, if he died then the Spiral world be destroyed. His entire destiny lead directly to this point. He would win even if he had to die, concentrating he started to draw energy directly from his life force. It was a last ditch effort in any wizards case, and would most certainly cause the user to perish, but Sebastian was ready to die now, he was ready.
"Rinny I am coming, you were right, I would rather die being who I am then win losing everything I was."
Sebastian slowly raised his hands higher and changed the positions of his fingers, putting the tips of his pointer and index finger together he folded his middle fingers down against each other connecting his hands fully at the thumb and pinky. Pointing his fingers forward under the weight of the attack Sebastian heard the cracks of his bones breaking. Cringing he forced his life energy, in one huge burst the beam of light exploded furiously as gold spirals circled the entire beam, the light broke through the shadow beam. Morganthe was shocked when the beam came straight for her, putting all the rest of her strength into her own attack she managed to stop the attack. The golden light seered and burned her body as she struggled to hold the attack. The tower around crumbled piece by piece and shook even more violently. Gritting her teeth Morganthe held the beam but only just, looking across she saw Sebastian glowing green, she finally understood where this last bit of power came from, he is draining his only life force, he intended to die to take her down. Morganthe strained under the weight as she attempted to push forward, if she couldn't beat him then she would knock him off the tower, pushed with all her might Sebastian slid back towards the broken chunk of wall behind him. Sebastian felt himself pushing backwards, opening his eye's he glared at Morganthe as he stopped her from moving him any further, his heels were just barely at the edge of the tower.
"Just die boy!"
"You might be stronger then me Morganthe... but its not just my life on the line... its everyone's and I won't... let... you... WIN!"
Sebastian pressed his hands forward as the blast intensified one last time, the light spiraled straight through the remainder of Morganthes beam of shadow the light impaled her body straight through. Sebastian took his hands as he pulled them apart, the beam of light suddenly exploded as Morganthe was caught in the explosion. The floor beneath them finally gave away completely as it crumbled from the blast, both Sebastian and Morganthe fell through the floor. Sebastian with his last bit of strength shielded his body as both him and Morganthe smacked the rubble below. The entire area suddenly became still as the last of the floor smacked to the ground below, the golden light around Sebastian slowly disappeared as he lay upon the ground. Across the way Morganthe lay still he shadow form gone, her eye's looked up at the darkened skys above where the floor once was, she was dead. Sebastian slowly moved himself, dragging himself across the floor he brought himself to a large chunk of rubble, placing his back against it he looked at the remains of the Shadow Queen, his breathing was slow and sparse now as he could feel what was left of his life slipping fast.
"It doesn't matter now... Morganthe... but you were wrong... I did know about the Headmaster... letting my Rin...be taken... and I forgave him... even... if my heart... couldn't. Rin... I know your watching... I don't know if we... will be able to be together wherever... I am going... but I hope... your... proud of... me."
Sebastian weakly reached into his torn shirt and removed a picture of himself and Rin together. Even after death she shielded him. Protected him. Gave him the chance to turn from hatred. At long last Sebastian could die and have no regrets. Sebastian's eye's slowly closed as he arm fell limp, the picture fell to the ground.
"Good...bye..."
An so it was, the child of prophecy fulfilled his destiny and slain the evil Shadow Queen stopping her terror once and for all. The battle that shook the very earth ended with the Shadow Queen dead, and the child of light mortally wounded and dieing. The spiral once again knew what peace felt like, an so as it was told so has it happened. Sebastian who so valiantly sacrificed everything for the people he loved was spared death for his victory. In the years to follow the Spiral rebuilt itself after the wrath of Morganthe, Sebastian returned to the Wizard City of Ravenwood and was hailed as a Hero. It has been ten years since the fall of Morganthe, Sebastian is in his late twenties and is now a beloved teacher back at Ravenwood Academy and spends his days training the new up and coming wizards. But as it always has Evil is once again growing out of sight within the Spiral. A time is coming when a new Hero shall arise to once again save the Spiral from destruction. An old Hero and one Anew shall become one, and the darkness shall once again clash with the light. This is the story of that heroic pair. Where one story ended, another began. An so as it always was, it shall always be.