Chapter 2: A Dark Plan
Footsteps where heard running down the hall and Serena burst across the threshold, her hands flashed with a black fire. "What's going on?!" She screamed as she looked around the room at the bloody mess. Damien just looked passively at his sister and began to walk past them down the hall. Damien did this? She thought, what was he? Andrew turned to Serena and said, "please clean this up, while I speak to your father about the intrusion. No one must know about this, so don't call the housekeepers." He headed for the door after taking one last glance of the room. "Okay." Serena said, she was use to not being told why or how things were done.
Andrew walked down the hall and watched the water elemental struggle with the darkness binding him. He raised a hand and focused and the water elemental vanished in a cloud of darkness. He then walked down the black carpeted stairs into a great hallway, its walls lined with all the old kings of The Moonlit Kingdom. Through another door led him to the throne room where a man with a black hood, its front and back embroidered with black dragons. His magnificent black wood chair gleamed in the sunlight that poured through the great windows. His long black hair could be seen under his hood, a sinister sneer placed on his lips.
"King Arkham, we had intruders, but they've been taken care of." He said giving a short bow. Arkham looked up into his general's eyes. "Intruders? Why am I the last one to know? As king I should have been first." His voice was cold and sharp, like ice. Andrew met his gaze, and immediately broke it. Arkham's eyes were black like his daughter's, but they had none of her warmth, they were cold and empty like dark tunnels, with no light in sight. "I thought you would have known or at least guessed." Andrew said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Arkham's eyes flashed jet black as he barked, "you think I don't know what's going on in my own kingdom, let alone my home?" He then folded his hands in front of his face as if thinking. " Dark soldiers spotted them before they even reached the courtyard. I allowed them to reach the gates because they fit right into the plan."
At those words Andrew raised a hand and the water elemental appeared at Arkham's feet still bound in darkness and unconscious. "I knew you would capture at least one of them. He's just what we need to execute part one of the plan." Arkham got up and knelt down and placed a hand on the elementals forehead. He then closed his eyes and a faint dark glow emitted from his hand. "This is Gedius an elite guard of the water general Umio, he is expected back to the underwater kingdom of Aquarius in two days. He was sent on this mission with his brother Rain, and the mission was to gain possession of Damien's toy. Which King Hydros thinks is the source of my son's power, and if he gets rid of that, he gets rid of the future king." He removed his hand and stood over Gedius.
"Fools. If they only knew the extent Damien's power." He assumed his placed at his throne, and looked down at Andrew. "Lord Arkham, are you suggesting that we began the plan in two days?!" His voice dripped with panic. Arkham leaned forward and said softly, "Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Light, and Darkness. All of these kingdoms have unique abilities, weaknesses, and arts. But, when you mix the power of Darkness with any element, its power increases ten fold. You should know you yourself have a taste of the power of other arts with your own. But, my dream is to have full empowerment and knowledge of all arts, as well as have full scale war between all kingdoms, that's why our plan was for you to sneak into every kingdom and kidnap their princesses. Once they are here in the Moonlit Kingdom, I personally will infuse them with the power of darkness. With my manipulation and the power of darkness, they will become the most powerful soldiers ever to walk this planet." He finished with a ambitious gleam in his eyes.
"But why the princesses? Wouldn't the princes be better candidates? They are to be the future kings after all." Andrew asked. " The answer is simple. When a war is waging, and women are on the battle field, strong soldiers automatically think them as weak and let their guards down. Then there are also some fools who won't even strike a woman period. My soldiers will destroy them without remorse or if I say so, not even cause. And personally in my opinion, the princesses born in this generation are far more powerful than the princes, excluding my Kingdom of course." He added with disappointment in his eyes. He then pointed at Gedius and said, "This is an opportunity that has been handed to us, it is clear that my plan is destiny, and nothing stops destiny." Andrew nodded and thought, so it begins.
Just then voices were heard coming down the hall, " I think some new drapes would look great in the hall your majesty." A woman's voice said. "Sure, I don't really care Jessica." Came another woman's voice full of boredom. Then a woman entered, at first glance she was an older Serena, her long black hair flowed down her back, she was tall, beautiful face. Then when you fully look you got a feeling of dread, like this was a demon wearing a woman as a costume. She walked in black robes lined with gold to her throne beside Arkham's, closely followed by a neatly clothed Jessica. " Good morning Queen Luna, did you sleep well?" Andrew said giving a short bow. Luna sat down next to her husband and looked at Andrew, "it was okay, but I think the Nightmares are breeding again. Maybe you should extend their cages today, they were making such a racket last night." She then turned to Jessica and said. " You should gather the other housekeepers and start breakfast." "At once your majesty." Jessica said disappearing in darkness. " I'll see to it Lady Luna." Andrew said and disappeared in darkness.
She then turned to her husband and asked, " is there anything I can do to help your plans? Please, I want to help, as your wife I want to see your dreams reality." Arkham looked her in her eyes and said, " nothing, my plan doesn't involve you. At least not yet. So please, don't question me." She was really bothering me about this lately, and it doesn't concern her, he thought angrily to himself. "Very well." she said with tears in her eyes. All I want is to show him that I can be of use, he makes me feel so useless. She thought silently.
Meanwhile Serena focused on the bloody mess before her, making the last bit of it disappear in darkness. She turned in her brothers room and looked down at the mangled body. What am I to do with this? She thought. "Wait," she said to herself, "this is the perfect opportunity to try out my manipulation!" She got excited as she said, "I'll see exactly what Damien did to this guy." She placed a shaky palm on Rain's bloody forehead and cried: "Dark Arts: Manipulation!" She then focused as a dark light emitted from her hand.
Then it hit her, it was like she fell asleep and she was dreaming. She opened her eyes and she was running down the same hall she had come down. For the first time in her life she felt what it was like in a Water Elementals mind. She liked it, it was poised, alert, and ready for combat. She didn't feel much stronger physically, but mentally she was fully prepared for any attack. As she ran to Damien's room, she felt graceful and balanced, like she could hold her composure standing on anything. Rain slowly crossed Damien's threshold focusing gathering water in the air in case of attack. He had to crack a smile as his eyes landed on the kid he was suppose to assassinate. "This will be quick." He said, as he raised both hands.
"Forgive me child, for it is not your fault you were born you." He screamed: "Water Arts: Drowning Force!" Water rapped its way around Damien, teddy bear and all. It covered him until he was completely submerged in a bubble of water. Rain watched as Damien struggled with the water making bubbles appear, and focused bringing more water pressure. A few seconds later, Damien stopped struggling and let go of his bear, which started floating away from his body. Rain stop focusing and the water evaporated back into the air and Damien's body splashed onto the ground lifeless next to his bear. "I'm sorry, I just followed orders." Rain said standing over his victim. "No, I'm sorry." A voice said calmly. "What?!" Rain said looking around frantically. Then his eyes fell on his victim which was not Damien at all, where his victim had been there was a cold lifeless doll. He immediately began to focus and gather more water in the air, but before he could launch another attack, he was side swiped by something out of no where.
"Aaah…" Serena/Rain felt the bloody graze across his face. Rain looked up and saw his foe at last. "Look what you've done to my face!" Serena felt Rain grow angry as he glared at Damien. Damien simply started to focus as he said calmly, "whoops, I missed. I guess I won't get any bonus score for an instant kill." "Die you little bastard!" Rain said focusing as well. But before he could even speak words, something rushed toward him and he managed to step right to avoid it, but he felt staggering pain as it sliced through his shoulder. As he began to bleed profusely from it, he had to think to himself, this kid is no novice to the dark arts. If it wasn't for whatever attacked him disrupting the water he was gathering, it would have surely decapitated him. "Damn it!" He said, as he looked up at Damien, he was starting to get a little blurry. He was losing a lot of blood. "Okay," Damien said raising his right hand, " your very lucky, you've survived the Shadow Claw and the Shadow Blade, but now I grow tired of this boring game." As he spoke these words two shadows floated from his body and began to take shape.
The first shadow formed into a man-shaped monster, its fingers were like knives long and sharp. Its entire body was rapped in darkness and its eyes gleamed red. The second shadow was also shaped like a man, but in its hand it carried a long, black sword, which still dripped with blood. It wore the darkness like armor. It had a helmet, shin guards, and full chain mail. Damien focused and whispered, "Dark Arts: Swooping Scythe." With his right arm hurt, all Rain could do was focus and try to freeze the water into an ice shield. A third shadow rose from Damien and began to take shape. This shadow had a long flowing robe of darkness which continuously flowed and moved around him.
He had a hood over his head and all Rain could see was his cold, merciless red eyes gleaming down at him. It was then that Rain noticed its weapon, a large scythe. Its blade was covered in dark spikes, its owner gripped it tightly with black shadows. Then without another word he felt the shadow claw rip through his side, which started bleeding immediately. "Aargh!" He felt himself yell as the pain shot through his body. With effort he managed to jump right and avoid the shadow blade, which had come down with a helm splitter. He put his arm up as the shadow claw slashed across it, ripping through his clothes leaving bloody streaks. He ducked as he heard the swooping scythe swing its blade, as he rolled left to avoid a slash from the dark blade, he looked around the room. He spotted his hair in which he parted with avoiding the swooping scythe's attack, he noticed he was leaving a trail of blood wherever he went, and his quarry was simply watching as he fought for his life. Where the hell is Gedius? He's the one who does the water healing arts! Rain thought as Serena started to lose her grip on his mind. "Game over." Damien said as all three shadows rushed in.
Coming up in Chapter 3, Arkham tells Damien and Serena their place in his plans. Andrew prepares for his journey to Aquarius. The dreadful nightmares are introduced, and of course more fighting!
