Summery

Four years after the end of the game Emil and Marta are married and have two kids. With the fall of mana an ancient and terrible evil rises from the past to take revenge and return the peaceful world to the chaos of war. Demons wake to their master's call with the sole purpose of absolute destruction. Forces are set in motion that throw Emil and Marta along with their children against the Demon King himself and his minions. A brother's betrayal, a child's want for power, and a series of dark events that could resurrect an war as old as itself. Will Emil Marta and the rest be able to defeat this new enemy or will they fail and let the world tumble into the chaos of the shadows.

Please enjoy

1/Earth

Several miles outside the city of Altimira there is a medium sized two story stone cottage with mountains to its back a forest to its left and a lake to its right.

On a cliff high in the mountains a swirling porthole of darkness appears and from it steps a man. He is wearing a long black coat black pants a black silk shirt and a sword belt the tip of the ruby pummel protruding from beneath the coat. He had pale skin and mid length shining black hair. He looked to be about eighteen but the hardness in his golden eyes bespoke lifetimes despite his outward appearance.

He gazed down at the house his eyes a mix of amusement and hate. He was draw immediately to the man and woman leaning against a tree smiling and looking fondly at each other. "Emil and Marta Castagnier" he said. Then his eyes fell on the two children Aster and Kratos Emil and Marta's sons.

They were twins both had the blond hair of their father but Aster's was streaked with orange and Kratos had blue eyes where as Aster had green. They were about three the man guess as he watched them play together for several minutes.

"Come my apprentice" the man said his voice low barely a whisper.

Another dark void appeared to the right of the man and someone much shorter in a black hooded coat that mimicked his master's stepped out. He misjudged his leg room and fell from the cliff.

Quick as lightning the man's hand shot out and grabbed the falling boy by the collar. He lifted the child up and sat him beside him. "look where you are before you step out of the porthole" the man said his voice devoid of emotion. His eyes hard as steel as he looked at his seven year old apprentice.

The boy rose dusted himself off and lowered his hood. "Well it's not like I meant to do it besides traveling through both the realms and time isn't as easy for me as it is for you after all I only where the Black" he said.

The man looked into his apprentice's eyes his eyes held a thoughtful searching look that always meant trouble. The green eyes that reminded him of Emil stared back and the man watched as the anger in those eyes died.

"Yes master" the boy said.

"It's alright Aster come and look" the man said.

Aster came and stood beside his master and stared down at the small field. "So this is where it will begin" he asked his master.

"Yes" the man said. "This is where the old ways shall begin again and Light and Darkness shall clash as they were always meant to."

As Aster stared down at the small house and it surroundings a image entered his minded of a small stone room with a work table on it was a square wood frame with silvery strands woven in the shape of a spider web. As quickly as it had come the image was gone.

"Master" Aster said turning to the man.

"Yes" he asked.

"Titian is finished" Aster said.

"Very well let use return" the man said and turned away from the field.

He watched as his apprentice drew out a Black jewel on a golden chain from beneath his shirt. "No you ride with me this time" the man said and drew out his own necklace. It hung on a slim black chain the crest was his own a sword with two dragons intertwined around it. Above the swords where the dragons came together was his own jewel. It was black and pulsed with red light a Blood Jewel the darkest and most powerful jewel in history.

He tapped it and a beam of magic shot out and the dark porthole appeared again. "Go" the man said.

"Yes Master Zar'roc" Aster said and stepped into the darkness followed by Zar'roc.

2/Hell

When Zar'roc and Aster stepped out of the darkness their surroundings had changed completely. They were in a large stone building cut into the stone of the black mountain it rested on. They turned and looked out at the forever twilight of Hell then set off towards their destination.

They walked through several empty halls in silence. Finally Aster asked "where is everyone."

"They're probably at the feast only the Black Widows would be out right now" Zar'roc said.

Aster nodded and was about to say something when they stopped at a door held shut by a lock of shimmering green energy.

Zar'roc snapped his fingers. The lock vanished and the door cracked open. Zar'roc motioned for Aster to stay and Aster leaned against the wall.

As Zar'roc entered and shut the door behind him a Blood lock and Blood sound shield appeared over the door and Aster resigned himself to not knowing what his master was doing and sat.

Zar'roc entered the small room and stared at the other occupant who was bent over a table and chanting softly.

He cleared his throat and the woman's head snapped up as the web in front of her dissolved. "Why you" she said and turned to him a ball of green fire hovering over her palm. When she saw Zar'roc the fire went out and she paled then straightened. "Highlord" she said bowing.

"Sister Titian" Zar'roc said inclining his head his eyes never leaving the Green Jewel in her ring that pulsed with a soft light.

He had always hated asking for help from someone with a jewel so much lighter than his but Titian was the best at weaving webs of dreams and besides he had always liked Titian they had been friends even before he had become the High Lord of Hell. His eyes went from the jewel to the deep slash through her throat.

Titian was Dea al Mon. The dead who had the power to remain they along with the demons and shadows were the denizens of Hell and his subjects.

"Are they finished" he asked her.

"Yes and they are some of my best work" she said and turned back to the table. She rummaged through the objects on the counter and a moment later produced two wood frames each wrapped in a Green bubble shield. She handed them to him as he gave them a appraising look. Shrugging he wrapped each in a Blood shield put them on the table and sat in a chair across from Titian.

"There was something else" he asked.

"Yes" Titian said. "I thought you might want to know what I saw in my web of visions."

"Go on" Zar'roc said as he fixed her with the raptor like gaze that was typical of his family.

"They are gathering my lord." She said. "The Summon Spirits, the monsters, all of them the sense your coming and wish to protect the boy" she said nodding her head towards the door and Aster.

Zar'roc laughed "you think I care. those pitiful fools won't be enough the boy was born for the darkness just as his brother was born for the light. I am simply supplying the nudge to push him over the edge" he said. Then with all the air of the king that he was he rose picked up the shielded webs and walked out.

"As you say Highlord" Titian said to herself.

Two hours later Aster and Zar'roc sat in Zar'rocs work room. Aster reading from a small blue book studying the lessons Zar'roc had given him. And Zar'rocs attention was focused on the seven wood frames on the table in front of him.

Each was wrapped in a Blood shield and each containing a Black Widow's tangled web.

He set aside the two from Titian as he marked them with green tags.

Returning his attention to the others he stared at them. Each bore a different tag one red, one gray, one a darker gray, one black, and another without a tag.

He took out a small carved oval stone and placed it on the table. The stone shone faintly in Hell's twilight as he wove the first layer of spells around it. Then he placed the web marked black over the stone and staked the all the others except the unmarked one on top of it by order of rank from darkest to lightest.

With a word and a gesture the rock rose into the air passing cleanly through the centers of the webs. He watched as the stone hovered there and the silvery strands twined around it as it slowly shifted from white to black.

Zar'roc nodded to himself then floated the stone over to the last web. Carefully he lowered it through the center and watched as the strands of the Blood web wrapped around the others and held them in place with its unbreakable power.

With a contented sigh Zar'roc wrapped it in a shield and set the stone aside as he cleared away the now empty wood frames. He set Titian's webs in front of him as a thought occurred to him.

"Tell me Aster" he said to his apprentice speaking for the first time since they had entered the room. "You know how to release a Widow's web correct."

"Yes" Aster said looking up from the book.

"Then tell me" Zar'roc said.

"First the web is placed in a shield after being severed from the frame. Then it is tossed at the target. You break the shield right before contact allowing the web to do its work" Aster said pleased with himself for remembering that.

"Good" Zar'roc said and returned to his work.

He looked down at his right hand and flexed his index finger. There was a soft click and a black claw slid out. With his left hand he created two dark sheets of Ebon-gray magic and laid them on the table. Then he lowered the shields around Titian's webs and with the claw cut the strands that held them to the frame. With all the care of a surgeon he transported them to the sheets one to each and muttered something. The sheets became Ebon-gray bubble shields the webs now anchored to its sides.

He placed those with the stone and rose from his chair. "Come Aster we must sleep tomorrow it all begins" Zar'roc said and left Aster close behind him.

The next day they woke ate in the dining hall. After that they armed themselves for the task ahead before they set of to the unshielded area of the castle where they could use the portholes.

When they arrived Zar'roc said "here" and handed Aster the two Ebon-gray wrapped webs.

Aster took them and asked "why."

"That is your job for this mission" Zar'roc said. "Well I distract them you are too use the webs on Emil and Marta."

"As you wish master" Aster said and followed Zar'roc into the darkness as the porthole appeared.

3/Earth

Emil and Marta sat against the large tree in their yard and watched Aster and Kratos playing tossing a ball back and forth.

"You know" Emil said. "I don't think things could have turned out better."

"I agree" Marta said and leaned against him.

All of a sudden Kratos ran up to them he looked terrified. "What's wrong" Marta asked hugging him gently as Aster came up to see what was wrong.

"Something's here" Kratos sniveled. "Something bad and scary."

Emil looked around "there's nothing here" he said and stopped as the sound of someone clapping came from nowhere.

"You can see me well done you are indeed your father's son" Zar'roc said as he dropped the sight shield.

All of them except Kratos stared at him in shock. "It's been a long time my dear brother" he said to Emil.

"Brother" Emil said confused and felt something tug at his mind.

"Ratatosk" Emil said in his mind.

"Yes" the Summon Spirit answered. "Now quickly give me control you and your family are in danger" Ratatosk said.

"Alright" Emil thought back and relinquished control to Ratatosk. his eyes turned red and he rose to his feet stepping forward to protect Marta and his sons.

"Why have you come here brother" Ratatosk said making the last word a curse.

"What I can't visit my older brother when we haven't spoken in over three thousand years" Zar'roc said. "And besides I have a gift" he said lowering his voice and giving them a sinister smile as he glanced towards the two kids.

Ratatosk followed his gaze "leave them out of this" he said glaring at Zar'roc who only laughed a harsh inhuman laugh.

"Well you've changed out of all of us you were the last I expected to turn human and pick the light as your calling" he said.

"That's because I found something to protect" Ratatosk said quietly.

Zar'roc started to say something but stopped as Marta asked "who are you."

He turned to her and smiled a serpent's smile. "I am the second child of Luce and Umbra, I am the High Lord of Hell, Keeper of the Hourglass, Prince of the Darkness, and so much more but you lady Marta may call me by my true name. I am Zar'roc Alastor Zicronium and I have come here to deliver a gift to the one who shall be my apprentice" Zar'roc said. Then quick as lightning a ball of Blood power appeared in his hand and was sent hurtling towards Marta and the kids.

Ratatosk shouted something and with a flash of red light a Red shield appeared around them. As the orb met the shield there was a pop and both the Red shield and the Blood shield shattered as the black stone fell to the ground. Waves of dark power rolled off it and for a moment all they could do was stare at it. Returning to his senses and the fight at hand Ratatosk's hand went for a sword that wasn't there.

"Damn it Emil where's your sword" he thought to his other half.

"It's in the house" Emil answered.

"Great too far to get to without a distraction" he thought to himself. He spun as he heard a sound and looked up.

Marta was wreathed in the light of magic and spectral swords had started to appear around Zar'roc. "Emil" she shouted to him. "Go get your sword I'll keep him busy." Ratatosk nodded and ran towards the house.

Zar'roc smiled at Marta then looked at the swords. "You really think these will stop me" he said.

"No but they might wound you" Marta thought to herself. Then watched in horror as Zar'roc raised a hand light flashed from the ring he wore and his second Blood jewel.

All light faded from the swords and was replaced with dark power. As she lost control the swords turned on her but stopped inches from her Aster and Kratos. Marta looked at Zar'roc who gave her a mocking smile and held up a thin strand of magic and she knew if it broke they would die.

Zar'roc motioned and a small metal spike rose from the ground. he tied the string of power to it and turned as he heard a door slam. Ratatosk rushed at him sword drawn. He looked over saw Marta and slid to a stop. "You" he said his voice venomous. "You leave them out of this. This is between me and you" he shouted.

Zar'roc gave him the raptor glare "and why should I give them that chance" he asked. "You didn't do it for her" he shouted.

"They're innocent" Ratatosk said.

"I don't recall you ever sparing someone because they were innocent or not" Zar'roc said. "Or did you kill her simply out of spite."

"You know I had nothing to do with that." Ratatosk shouted,

"You were there. The others followed you and you could have stopped them with a word" Zar'roc said his tone laced with venom and old grief "but you didn't you just sat back and watched the slaughter" he said as a cold cruel smile came across his face and he raised his hand. "it would be so easy" he said. "A simple word and I can take everything from you." Power pulsed from his ring and the swords moved an inch closer

"Stop" Ratatosk shouted. "What is it you want from me."

"Beg" Zar'roc said "beg for my forgiveness. Beg for me not to destroy the only thing you've ever cared for. Beg like I did all those millennia" Zar'roc said.

"I will never beg you for anything" Ratatosk said as he ran at Zar'roc.

Zar'roc stepped between him and the spike as he drew his own sword.

The blade was midnight black with veins of red spiderwebing over its surface the hilt was the same and the guard was adorned with gold demonic flames and two silver dragons.

"Fool" he thought as he wrapped a shield around Marta and the boys to prevent them from being touched and dropped into a ready stance. Ratatosk came at him and was thrown back by a wave of power. "Your move" Zar'roc said and watched as Ratatosk charged him.

With a seemingly careless move Zar'roc blocked Ratatosk's strike and locked their blades together. Then he wheeled into a high kick for his brother's head but was stopped as Ratatosk broke the lock and blocked Zar'rocs foot with the flat of his sword.

Pushing off the sword Zar'roc flexed his finger and the claw was out with the motion he slashed for Ratatosk's chest and cut cloth only. Ratatosk recognized the threat and retreated slightly. "Damn when did he get a Snakefang" he thought to himself and watched as the claw slid back into Zar'rocs finger.

They stared into each other's eyes red to gold and Ratatosk saw something change in Zar'roc as he shrugged and sheathed his sword.

"Not bad" Zar'roc said turning away. "Well I have to be going" he said and broke the shield around Marta and the boys as he walked past the spike.

"Wait" Ratatosk said.

"Yes" Zar'roc said looking over his shoulder his gold eyes glowing with malevolence.

"Release them" Ratatosk said gritting his teeth and biting back his anger. "Please."

"Very well" Zar'roc said. Something flashed from his hand and the thread snapped. "No" Ratatosk cried out but stopped confused when all he heard was the thud of something hitting the tree and the clink of metal on the ground. He looked at Marta, Aster, and Kratos and they were fine.

"Two presents for you brother" Zar'roc said quietly.

As Ratatosk rushed to Marta's side he flicked a thought towards the tree. "Now." He received a mental nod and heard two soft pops barely audible. He watched as the webs gently floated down each landing on one of the parent's heads.

Zar'roc gave a nod of approval and said "see you soon." With that he embraced the darkness and vanished.

4/Earth

For a long time after Zar'roc had disappeared no one moved they only stared at the spot where he had been. Then Zar'rocs last words came back to them. "Two presents for you brother" Ratatosk remembered.

He looked down in front of him and cold dread gripped his heart as he saw what Zar'roc had left. At his feet was a black chain and on it hung three gold rings each held a jewel one Purple, one Green, and one Gray.

"No" Ratatosk gasped as he saw the rings but was snapped out of his sadness when he felt a pulse of dark power.

He looked to his right and saw the black stone. Rage flashed through him and he took the stone and threw it into the lake.

He heard something behind him turned and saw the stone. He glared at it and a thought came to him. "It can't be destroyed and the one it is meant for will have it all you can do is lock it away" the voice in his mind said.

Grumbling he picked up the stone and stomped towards the house slamming open the door just as Marta and the boys got up to follow him.

They followed him down to the basement and watched as he tossed the rock into a chest and locked it. Then with a pulse of light several Red shields and locks appeared around the chest. He looked at them "No one goes near this understand" he said his voice laced with fury. Marta Aster and Kratos nodded.

Satisfied Ratatosk released his hold on Emil and his body dropped exhausted.

After putting Emil upstairs and the boys to bed Marta went back out to the tree and picked up the chain with the rings on it. "What are these and why would he act like that after seeing them" Marta said quietly to herself. But was snapped out of her daze when she heard she heard something fall.

She looked around and saw nothing. Sighing she went back to the house closed the door and went up to bed. Not knowing that the whole time she was being followed by a small gold spider with ruby eyes.

If you have any questions about things mentioned here pm me or if it's about the jewels look at my profile

I'll be updating every one to two weeks

Please read and review this does have anonymous review