~Any way the wind blows~
A dark laugh echoed around them, rising from beneath the stones, flying on the wind, and twisting into their ears.
Regulus, Prince of Shadows. What a pleasant surprise – it has been too long since you have graced us lesser demons with your presence, the voice, disembodied, was deep, cruel, and mocking. I have spent thousands of years bound to guard a power under your command, my Prince. And forgotten, losing all sense of time, I have had much time to think.
Felix was suddenly jerked into the air, suspended by a bulging, twisting lump in his back pocket. He rose ten feet in the air, face grim, as he tried to reach for his sword and cut the book from him – for he knew that was the pocket he kept the Book of Death in.
And I think that you are not worthy to be my master – I shall destroy you and seize the Stone of Shadows for myself!
Karst nodded at Agatio, and drawing her scythe, ran at him. The bulky Proxian linked his hands together and formed a platform for her to land on, and then, spinning, hurled her at Felix.
Her scythe cut through the button holding his pocket shut, and as the fragments fell to the ground so did Felix, landing on his feet like a cat. Immediately, his gaze swivelled to the air.
The Tomegathericon, glowing with a sickly light, hung suspended in the air above them. It opened of its own accord, pages rippling too fast for the eye to follow. It seemed to find what it was looking for, and locked into place, hovering open like a pair of hands beseeching the skies.
What happened next, none of them would forget.
Reality seemed to blur for a moment as a black and violet insignia burst from the book and expanded – and all seeing it, knew it for a summoning circle.
The next instant, he arrived.
Massive and as thick as a tree trunk, armoured in violet edged with white and golden, an arm roared out of the book and, fingers like sausages, braced itself on an invisible barrier.
Dullahan burst, whole and complete, from the Tomegathericon.
He hung suspended in the air, as all beneath gaped in sheer disbelief. With a dark laugh and a shower of sparks, he drew his sword. Lightning wrapped the length of it and projected a hundred feet further – and Formina Sage fell like a guillotine towards Zhael, Regulus, and Shiro.
"Support Shiro," Zhael said quickly, giving the Bomberman a peck on the cheek before slipping from under his arm and leaping into the air.
Lightning swirled around her as she tapped the Elemental Stone of Lighting – armour coating her body and a eyepiece over one eye. She flung her arm outwards and a staff of lightning formed there, which she swung and locked with Formina Sage.
Time seemed to stop as they locked, dead even, then Zhael glanced upwards, and lightning danced in her eyes. "You picked the wrong day to emerge from your sleep, demon."
She rolled off of his blade and lashed across his chest. Sparks flew, but his other hand was already flying – slamming into Zhael and sending her spiralling through the air. She slammed into the ramp of the ship, and grimaced.
You are all dead, Dullahan vowed, and the sky seemed to darken, the flowers of heaven going out one by one. Darkness gathered around his fist, as the power of True Collide manifested.
But a hail of psynergies slammed into his back, sending him stumbling forward. The roar of a Epicentre filled the air as Dullahan turned with deliberate slowness and beheld the Adepts. They stood arrayed, weapons drawn, and a blend of fear and determination in their eyes.
Felix brushed his hair out of his eyes and raised Acheron's Grief. "We destroyed you once, Dullahan. We will again." He nodded to Isaac, and raised his arm. Already they were slipping back into the mentality of the battlefield, and the mental hum of psynergy filled their minds as their Djinni roused themselves. They felt intricately connected to each other, able to sense each other's thoughts and wishes at a moment. Their Djinni hovered at the edge of their consciousness, and Dullahan still towered, seemingly unfazed before them.
Felix saw the strange newcomers over Dullahan's shoulder, and nodded once. Then turning his attention back to Dullahan, he dropped his arm. "Go."
Baelfael stood, watching the battle with a disinterested eye. The mortals danced circles around Dullahan, forces of all the elements crashing on his armour. Streaks of blue, red, violet and yellow flew instantaneously back and forth between their bodies as they exchanged their little elemental spirits. It was an interesting scientific phenomenon, really. They appeared to form a symbiotic relationship with the low-level spirits, increasing their own power many times over. And exchanging them to alter their own body's elemental chemistry, they granted new abilities.
He watched the battle rage, sparks searing off the monster's armour as the tiny-by-comparison blades sent showers of fire into the air. They fought with innate, wordless cohesion, he noted, the blue-haired girl healing her fallen ally and the burly redhead blocking an attack on her back. The blonde Jupiter warrior dodged a bladed swing, leapt onto the demon's arm and onto his shoulder and then over, bombarding the armoured being with lightning.
A slight smile tugged at Baelfael's features. Perhaps, beyond all reason or scientific expectation, a handful of mortals will be able to vanquish a demon.
A desolate fog hung over Dullahan's mind like a funeral pall as he silently brooded, his body reacting under battle-honed instinct to fight. He spun his sword and slashed, was blocked by the blond and the brunet swordsmen, by Sol and Acheron's blades, then with his other hand flung them away like gnats.
Too many children, far too young to know what this world is. He grabbed a searing Plasma bolt in his hand and ground it to dust, turned his back to a Prism, and sheathing his sword in an instant slammed his open palms over Sol and Acheron, who were trying to sneak back and attack. He leaned forward, wrapped steel fingers around them and lifted them into the air.
Thousands of years in dark isolation… can you imagine it? Can you feel my pain? He flung them through the air into the charging Mars Adept and Lumerian, the fog deepening. His demonic vision, not colours like normal mortals but rather auras, began to take on hues of devilust – bright, fierce colours, slashed by darker black.
He leapt high into the air with the clanking of metal plates, watching the web of Djinni exchange below him, leaping high beyond to where their psynergies could not reach.
Can you imagine the pain of being bound, for thousands of years, to guard a power that is the very antithesis of your being? Can you imagine, faithfully taking the order from your master and serving well, only to be betrayed and forgotten, left to rot! Can you imagine being destroyed at the last and then sealed in a new prison by a herd of mortals?
His hands clapped together before him, and a brilliance of rainbow shone at their impact.
You cannot… but soon, you will.
Djinn Storm!
The Knights shielded their eyes against the sudden flare of spectral light, a whirlpool of sheer energy that enveloped the Weyardians.
"Man, we didn't even get to party together," Behemos said, shaking his head.
And then as suddenly as it came, the storm died away – and to their surprise, they saw the heroes still standing, totally unhurt… but something seemed wrong. Their wounds all suddenly sprung anew, seeming more drastic, and fear was palpable in their eyes.
Above, Dullahan raised his hand coldly. Boatsman of the river Styx, come forth and carry these souls to hell.
He extended a finger and began drawing glyph in the air, glimmering darkness tracing ancient runes.
Agatio and Karst took a running leap and, with the draconian strength that only the Proxians possess, leaped high into the air to meet Dullahan.
His finger moved in a blur, leaving sigils, characters, ancient script and hieroglyphs.
Karst raised her blade, preparing Death Scythe.
Agatio's body tensed as he prepared Stun Muscle.
They reached out to shatter his glyph, Mars psynergy curling around their weapons.
Dullahan's finger made the last stroke and completed, the glyph glowed.
Agatio and Karst were blasted downwards in a rippling pool of darkness as a red-cloaked, skeletal figure appeared above, hovering above the heroes. He waved his hand, and suddenly everything turned dark.
The world was a small shell, ending just ten feet around them in a seething, rippling mass of bleak. The sun was blotted out, and all was in darkness. They felt their body's energy begin to drain, stolen away by Charon's power. They felt the life begin to drain out of them… and strangely enough, it showed no signs of abating, unlike their previous battle with Dullahan.
"It's… different this time," Felix said quietly.
"Like Mars it is," Jenna growled, helping her husband to his feet and punching the bulky Proxian in the arm. "We've gotten through this before okay, there's no reason to say it'll be any different."
But her hand dropped and held Agatio's, his callused hand gripping back just as tightly. His normally fiery eyes were a little dim, but he was as unphased as ever. He put his other hand in the small of her back and pulling her in, kissing her roughly.
Felix rolled his eyes, but paused when he felt a tap on his back.
"Hey." The voice said casually behind him and there stood Karst, hair glorious despite the dirt recently ground into it, her scythe tightly gripped. She looked a little roughened from her encounter, but a half-smile tugged at her lips. "You about ready to make things interesting, lover?" she pushed him lightly on the shoulder. "What? You thought we were giving up?"
She turned around and nodded to Agatio. "You all let your Djinni rest a little more… we'll try to bust out of here."
"Charon, here we come!" she yelled, dress fluttering as fire wrapped around her and erupted from her hands, multiple explosions slamming against the Lunatic barrier as she castSupernova.
Agatio set Jenna down despite her pout, and raised his hand to the sky. A roaring dragon of flame erupted from his fist and tore through the barrier – which faltered, scored, but did not fall.
And then suddenly, Zoniha stood in their midst… and snapped one feminine arm in the air, extending a whip of light in a flash. She finished the work that Agatio and Karst began, and shattered the darkness like a cracked eggshell. She glanced down back at them from behind rose-coloured eyes, lilac hair seeming to shimmer with power. "Sorry I'm late… you know how men are. You have to prod them to do anything." Her eyes rolled upwards.
There was no sign of Charon – and Dullahan was moving swiftly in the air, pursued by a figure in dark violet armour, a black visor over his eyes. Black gravity claws swiped at Dullahan as he blocked with Formina Sage, and the smaller figure disappeared as an explosion of subzero ice broke across Dullahan's chest, frost spreading instantly across his armour and hindering his movement. They turned to the side and saw at the ramp of the ship a mammoth man, ice coating his body together with plates of steel, and what looked like a pleated dress hanging from his waist.
"Regulus," Zoniha said, tossing her hand upwards, then to the side. "Behemos." She grinned. "And don't worry your pretty little heads… we're the Elemental Knights. We won't let anything happen to you." And so saying she flew in the air, light bursting from her body as golden gloves and boots formed, the light washing away her casual clothing and replacing it with a revealing suit of gold armour.
Isaac whirled around, as if suddenly realizing something. "Where are the children?"
Horrified expressions broke their faces until Ivan stepped forward. "Feizhi's taking care of them… I didn't want them to feel too unsafe."
Felix pulled away from his embrace with Karst, keeping a hand loose around her waist. His eyes glanced upwards, then back down. "It seems as if we're being given a period of grace," he rumbled, then grinned when he saw how uneasy Ivan was. "Ivan, if you want to go make sure Feizhi's safe, feel free."
Ivan laughed sheepishly. "I wouldn't mind," he said, tossing a careless salute over his shoulder as he turned and sped into the poignant darkness that was Vale, waiting with bated breath to see the demon battle their heroes… with help from some strange visitors.
Felix turned slowly and meaningful back to the others, and the earth seemed to respond glowingly to his unheard request for power. "Everyone's Djinni set and ready?"
He looked up, and smiled. "Show them, then."
Regulus was blocking Dullahan's blade, watching the bladed tips of the demon's 'cape', as well. Somewhere during the battle, the monster had abandoned pretension and its cape had become a pair of daemon wings, keeping it aloft – two more weapons to account for.
He twisted past a wingtip slice when suddenly, Dullahan was consumed in a storm of fire, ice, and stone. Blades of energy and dragons of fire pierced the demon's body and suddenly it was gone, leaving his armour scorched and blistered.
Regulus smiled, his gravity claws twirling together now to form a long, vicious spike from each of his wrists. "Hail, archdemon. It seems as if you've overestimated your own powers… shall I simply leave you for these mortals? You almost are not worthy of my attentions."
Dullahan seemed to smile… and suddenly disappeared.
Reappearing suddenly inches from him, and with one mailed fist smashing Regulus to the earth.
"That idiot!" Zhael grimaced, standing still beside Shiro, protecting him while tossing in the odd lightning bolt. Regulus hurtled from the sky, Dullahan close behind, his katana raised to finish the job. "He knew better than that!" she cried, and flattening her palms together then spreading them outward, added a blistering storm of lightning to the energy crashing against Dullahan's chest… slowing him down.
"Get a load of this!" Shiro said with effort, and as Zhael glanced over she saw him cultivating a superbomb in his pyrotechnic hands, fire swirling around it in clouds and entering it, the bomb growing larger and larger.
"You idiot!" Zhael said, and elbowed Shiro in the side. Hard – he let out a wheezing oomph, and the bomb dissipated in his hands. "You're too old to be straining yourself like that! Come on, we're going back to the ship!" She grabbed him by the collar and began dragging him off, despite his protests.
"But Zhael, I can help…" his voice trailed away into the depths of the ship.
Behemos grinned and raised his arm-cannon to the sky. "She's got him whipped, eh Baelfael?"
His eyes glanced to the sky at the Knight of Fire… who stood there motionless, emotionlessly watching the battle unfold.
But it seemed to Behemos that, his friend's eyes fell lightly on the female wielder of water… and as he looked at her, he felt a pang in his own heart. The resemblance was remarkable.
Moira.
Glancing at Baelfael, he saw a tear in the corner of his friend's eye.
Regulus felt iron fingers wrap around his body as they hurtled earthwards, Dullahan driving him forward with a stiff arm, preparing to grind him into the dust. He glared darkly at Dullahan from beneath his visor, and glancing to the side, saw the brave mortals standing nearby, weapons at the ready.
The ground was a mere ten feet before them.
He sensed a surge in energy right beside him, then a wrist locked around his, and he felt his body break into a million pieces… and somehow he felt one with the wind, and swirled around Dullahan's body like vapour… to reassemble behind his back.
And found himself eye to eye with a beautiful blonde, hair green eyes remarkably calm.
"Hello, friends of Ashtarth. I'm his wife; he'll be along shortly." And with a light push, she brushed herself away and disappeared in a swirl of sparkles.
Regulus nodded silently, and turned, slashed across Dullahan's exposed back, smashing him into the dust, which rose around them like a veil.
Dullahan, armour plates grinding against each other, staggered to his feet… he almost stumbled once, twice, and bracing himself on massive fingers, glared hatefully to the side.
And perceiving the only enemy to have not attacked yet, and guessing weakness, moved faster than lightning and seized him, and with his tiny body in hand flew to the sky.
Baelfael felt the fingers close like iron around his body before he was even aware of Dullahan having moved. The ground sped away as wind whistled in his ears, carried higher and higher in the mercy of Dullahan's fist. And just as suddenly, Dullahan stopped and looked far below.
He will be my first consumption, my last tribute to darkness… and so too while all you be consumed.
With deliberate slowness, he lifted Baelfael over his body and began dropping him towards the gaping hole of his armour. The gate to all death – for Dullahan the bringer of death, for years countless.
Baelfael stared expressional into the void before him, a darkness is that seemed to swell up and into his vision. Reflected there he saw dying galaxies, twisting embers of fire and last vestiges of souls that screamed even as they fell to ash… a hundred thousand deaths before him that would come again and again for all eternity in the hell that was inside the Dullahan – as the keeper of souls.
He had read of the Dullahan – how he brings absolute pain and numbing nihilism to those he imprisons, how none have ever escaped his prison.
For a moment, he considered allowing Dullahan to draw him in.
Life was meaningless without Moira. This was a fact he concluded long ago, on the moment where he knelt beside her bedside and felt her cold lifeless wrist in his. A wrist wrinkled with time, but that short hours before had been beating, still happy, with life. With love.
And his heart died with hers.
So why not? Why not just surrender, and welcome the blackness? Eternal pain, torture everlasting… there was really not much difference between that and life without Moira.
He felt the edge of darkness begin to nip at his dangling legs. Sucking. Hungry.
He closed his eyes… and on the backs of his eyelids, he saw his lab. The android, suspended, nigh finished… the likeness of Moira, eternally young, and potentially eternally alive… and the Tomegathericon, the key to it all, he saw now.
Would he be faithful if he allowed himself escape while she could still live?
His eyes snapped open.
No. he knew, and the darkness wrapped itself around his legs. It was unspeakably cold down there… but suddenly, he felt an inferno of hope inside.
"I cannot die whilst still I love," he murmured, and clapped his hands to the arm that held him.
Flare.
The nanotattoos along his arms burned and then burst into flames as a red haze filled the air, the localized temperature erupting to five hundred to five thousand to ten thousand K. The armour glowed white hot beneath his fingertips, but he felt none of the immense heat he summoned now.
The glow of his nanotattoos raced down to his fingertips, and he flexed.
And felt the solid steel beneath his fingers grow soft like wax and then melt away, like liquid.
And flying, he broke away from the shadow and twisted away, while Dullahan's disembodied scream filled all their minds. He spun, molten armour spraying droplets through the air like a shower of flames, his arm gone to his shoulder, a ragged unformed hole all that remained.
Ugh… you Knights, you mortals. Hatred seethed in his voice like a bubbling poison. One day, as you sleep, you will find death waiting in your dreams, and standing over you as you awaken. He held his one hand over his injured shoulder as he lifted into the air and began to fly gingerly away, darkness going with him.
They watched him go silently. Emotionlessly.
There was only the sound of injured wings beating the air, and the ragged breath that still filled all their minds.
Dullahan sensed, rather than saw, the presence before him.
And reaching out, registered him. No-
Ashtarth smirked, his body coated in green and azure armour, his hair raised into three ridges. "Going somewhere?"
The wind surged behind him like a raging beast.
NO! Dullahan barked as the wind tore him from the sky and flung him back the way he came, shredding his wings with razor breaths and eroding his armour, the millennia of harsh winds expressed in a few moments. He tumbled end over end and waiting, was Regulus.
Executing a perfect swan dive, he made his body linear and then twisting, dove into the hole at the top of Dullahan's armour.
Then, the wind died down, and Dullahan righted himself.
And began to laugh.
The fool must've been too tired of life! My, what a perfect bunch of- GRAKH
That was the moment the pair of claws erupted from his chest.
Dullahan's one arm trailed towards the claws, as if in disbelief.
Then the claws each twisted, facing outwards.
And Regulus ripped Dullahan in half.
Regulus hung suspended in the air as the darkness around him dissipated, and the two lifeless halves of armour fell in slow motion to the sides… and then crumpling on themselves, crushed smaller and smaller until they were invisible.
A dark miasma of smoke wreathed around Regulus… and seemed to be absorbed into him.
For a moment, his eyes darkly glowed.