The creature slowly moved closer and closer to the base of the tree, evidently oblivious of the crimson light much less its unseen mistress. It just mindlessly continued towards my limp body. The earth shook with each of it steps and I began to lose confidence, but the voice continued to reassure me.

"Markus it cannot harm you, I will make sure of that but you have to help me help you!"

"Anything!"

"Then stand up!"

"Ok I'll try." Slowly I began to stand. I braced myself against a tree and pulled myself to my feet, but I slipped.

"The beast is almost upon you!"

I repositioned myself to stand and slowly with all my pains screaming, and although body protested I stood. Just as a stood the creature loomed over me and opened its mouth wide in a horrible roar. I shuddered, but the voice spoke.

"Markus you cannot doubt yourself, look at it face to face!"

I turned to face the beast and my courage rose. The creature raised its hand for a final blow but I did not look away. Then the creature let its fist fly. Without my consent my hand rose to block the massive hand. With a loud thud my open palm and the creatures closed fist met. But my hand held, and the creature looked as surprised as I did. Then the crimson light surrounded me and the aura grew stronger. Then my hand closed over the creature's fist, it howled in pain but the force controlling my body would not let me let go.

Smoke drifted up from between my hand and the creatures, then fire slowly crept up the beasts arm, the fire then spread into a wide arc of fire. The intense inferno completely consumed the beast. The creature's howls of pain turned to shrill screams. After the flame and smoke dissipated I saw that the creature had stumbled backwards clinching its horribly burned arms. The creature tilted back and forth in its pain. What ever possessed control of my body forced me to stand there looking at the creature. "What is going on?" I began to doubt myself. I was going to die this can't be happening. As soon as doubt entered my mind I began to feel my pain and weakness return. My legs buckled and I started to fall. The female voice spoke and soothed some of my pain.

"Markus stop I can only help you if you have the will to fight, believe or I'll lose control."

"Wait your doing this? What are you?" The creature began to recover and began a charge. Its scorched arm must have been numbed by there pain because the creature aloud it to drag by the way side. Without the mistress empowering me my body couldn't move. I knew what I had to do.

"Ok who ever you are no more doubt. We will win!"

I suddenly lost all feeling, then I felt as though I could never lose. All fear left me, just as the beast approached. Once more I felt the presents of the red light. Now with my unseen savor in control my body acted and did an amazing jump to the right of the creature just in the nick of time. In mid jump my hand was held out with an open palm and a fire ball shoot forth at the creature. The beast didn't even have time to scream as its body skidded across the park. In the trench its body created the creature laid on its side and moaned. I began to run forward and I held my fist high above my head, as I did fire engulfed my hand.

As I approached the creature roared and struggled in the trench it created. Finally I was upon the beast and my flaming fist struck the creature hard skin. The creature's body shivered in pain but it quickly countered and grabbed my arm with its huge hand. The beast stood up and held me above the ground. In my free hand I created a fire ball and slammed it against the creature's forearm. The creature dropped me and when it did a vortex of fire enveloped the creature. The spinning flames trapped the beast. I clinched my fist and the fire vortex closed in on the beast, then an explosion went off on the beast as an attempt to finish it.My body began to shiver. I collapsed on to one knee. I was breathing heavily and my weakness began to drift in.

"What is going on?" After a gasping breath I continued, "I'm not scared we can fight. We're winning!"

"I can't keep this up I have to finish this."

"Wait it's not dead?" The earth shook as the beast ran in a reckless charge. The creature's skin was hanging off its body and one of its eyes was lost in the fire but it continued forward. Its guttural roar sent out a shock wave that hurled me backwards. My body acted alone and tried to slow itself and jump out of the way but the movements were slow and stiff so the roar carried me to the edge of the pound. In a flash the creature was over me and it pounded it fist on to me I screamed but not in my voice. I raised a hand and as I did some of the remaining fire reacted to attempt and shield me. The fire licked at the beast but it did nothing to delay his attack.

The creatures head trusted through the flames with it's mouth open wide, its long fangs bared. I rolled out of the way just before the creatures head crushed down. Smoke began to flare up out of nowhere. I felt myself began to stand and limp out of the smoke.

"Your body has reached its limits I can no longer force you to fight; we must run while I'm still in control."

"What? No we can't that thing could kill who knows how many people! We have to stop it!" My body continued to limp away from the creature within the black smog. "Stop!" With all my willpower I fought to regain control. My body's movement once more became stiff and slowed until finally it stopped.

"Markus please, you will die if we don't leave now!" I felt her trying to regain control but I would not let her. Who ever she was could not make me run anymore. The smoke began to lift and the creature seemed to be reestablishing sight. "Markus…" The smoke was now completely gone and the beast looked my direction. "It seems I have chosen well…"

"What?" At that moment the red aura from before manifested around my body once more, but this time I felt its power not just its comfort. I felt a fire building inside, a fire that nothing could ever extinguish.

"Markus I promise you if we survive this I will tell you every thing." Suddenly fires form all around the battle ground rose up in a blaze. "I will use everything, we will win! But this time we fight as one!" For the first time in the entire encounter I raised my hand. No longer was this unseen mistress controlling me, she was still inside but she guided me with a gentle touch.