Disclaimer: I don't own Magic: The Gathering, only my OCs.
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CHAPTER 10- Reality Check

No! This cannot be happening! Everything was going along marvelously until now. The black and blue Keepers' friendship is being tested. The bonds between them are in jeopardy and I can only hope that their trust can be re-woven. As well, the red Keeper, in her rage, has severely damaged her relationship with her mate. I hope he can find it in his heart to forgive her for this and that they may further solidify their relationship.

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I couldn't be more delighted with this turn of events. With dissention spreading among the Keepers, they will be severely weakened, making his task all the more easier. They are showing their true colors; the pieces are falling into place. Even the strongest chain will give under the pressure, and as we move closer the pressure can only increase.

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"Is Eva all right?" Khell asked Arrathir as he returned to the waterfall.

Arrathir shot the green Keeper a venomous look before replying in a monotone voice, "She's fine." He glared at Charles who was standing with his back to a tree, but Charles ignored him, not even acknowledging his presence.

"Arrathir, can I speak to you in private?" asked Khell, beckoning to the black Keeper to follow him.

"Whatever," grunted Arrathir, following Khell into the forest.

"OK, what is going on?" demanded Khell once they were out of earshot "You fly off the handle at Charles and now you come back looking like the entire Multiverse is against you!"

"Eva and I had…a disagreement," mumbled Arrathir, stubbornly refusing to look at Khell.

"Where is she?"

"Looking for her stupid whelp," said Arrathir.

"And why aren't you helping her?" asked Khell "You were so worried about her a while ago when you ran off to find her."

"Eva doesn't need me," said Arrathir "She can take care of herself."

It was now clear to Khell that something had gone terrible wrong. Arrathir's sudden attitude change and his new apparent disregard for Eva's safety told him that there was more to this than Arrathir was telling him. However, the green Keeper knew not to probe his friend.

"Well," he said "As soon as Eva gets back, we should get moving. I'm really starting to hate these woods; feels like we're perpetually being watched."

"I hear you," said Arrathir as the two headed back for the waterfall.

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(Stupid Arrathir! Stupid idiot! Stupid, stupid, stupid…)

Eva continued mentally cursing Arrathir while she stomped through the forest, searching for Hosaki. So far, she hadn't even succeeded in locating the whelp's mana signature and this only served to further irritate her. Curiously, she felt no guilt or pain at having ended her relationship with Arrathir.

(What was I thinking, taking him as my mate? He's too weak and would never have been a good mate for me)

(How can you say that with everything you've seen him do for you? He died for you, Eva)

(Yes, but something about him has changed. He's…well, I can't quite place my finger on it, but something is different)

(Are you sure what you did was the right thing?)

(Yes! Why did he force that choice onto me?)

(Standing up to you was probably the bravest thing he's done, Eva. It takes courage to stand up to your enemies, but even more to stand up to those you love)

(What the Hell is his problem? Why'd he go all weird all of a sudden?)

(Face it, Eva: you haven't exactly been the best girlfriend. Multiple fractures are hardly what could be classified as 'a loving touch')

(OK, so maybe I tend to go a little overboard…)

(Often for no reason at all)

(Well, it's not my fault! I just get so angry when he tries to make me do what he wants!)

(Arrathir was merely trying to assert himself. His male instincts are telling him he can no longer allow you to push him around. It is a fact you are going to have to accept if you want to be his mate. Male demons seek dominance)

(Well screw Arrathir! I don't need him! I'm powerful enough to take care of myself. Before, I stuck with him because I had no idea what was going on, but now that I'm a Keeper, I don't need his protection any more!)

(Look within yourself, Eva. You'll see that is not true)

Rolling her eyes, Eva retreated into her Soul Room. When she awoke inside, she immediately noticed the poster of Arrathir had changed from last time. This time it depicted Arrathir facing down an enormous shadow. He was grinning confidently and both his hands were wreathed in black flames. Behind Arrathir stood a young girl clutching onto his leg. She was peeking around his leg at the shadow, her eyes wide with fright. As Eva stared at the girl, she realized it was herself. Deep down inside she was a frightened little girl and Arrathir was her protector; her knight in shining armor.

(All my anger, my random busts of violence towards him; they were just an act to hide how scared I really was and because I didn't want to admit how much I needed Arrathir)

Eva fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes, guilt racking her body as she recalled what a bitch she'd been to Arrathir. She had hurt him, both physically and emotionally over and over again.

(Any other guy would haven given up on me, but not Arrathir. No matter what I did or how badly I hurt him, he just kept coming back. Being the bitch I am, I took him for granted. I'll bet he hates me now. What I did back there was probably the most hurtful thing I've ever done to him, because he really didn't deserve that. He was just looking out for me, as always)

(I did warn you)

Eva looked up to see Chiruu standing beside her.

"What can I do?" Eva asked "I don't want to lose Arrathir, but I just keep hurting him because I can't control my anger."

"Nobody said this relationship would be easy, Eva. What with your explosive temper and his clumsiness it is expected you'll meet quite a few bumps on the road."

"Is there any way to control my anger?" asked Eva.

"You're a shi (red summoner)," said Chiruu "Your g'imu naturally makes you emotional. What you need to do is find a way to channel your anger so as not to keep taking it out on Arrathir. Right now, what is more important is that you talk with Arrathir. Apologize for your actions and hope he can find it in his heart to forgive you…again."

"Do you think he will?"

"Arrathir seems to have a large amount of forgiveness in store for you. However, this time you may have gone too far."

"Yes, I know," said Eva miserably "I wouldn't blame him if he didn't forgive me."

"Be brave," said Chiruu "You know Arrathir loves you. It might take a long time to gain his forgiveness, but he can't hate you forever."

"Right," said Eva, wiping her eyes with her sleeve "Thanks, Chiruu."

"I had problems in my relationship with Chikuro," said the spirit "I know what it is like."

Awakening in the real world, Eva set out to make amends with Arrathir when she remembered what had brought her out here in the first place.

(Hosaki…)

(Eva, now's not the time to go looking for your whelp. The longer you wait to apologize, the more Arrathir's animosity towards you will grow)

(I can't just leave her out here!)

(It's up to you, Eva. What is more important to you: Arrathir or Hosaki?)

(I can't make that choice! Either way, I'm losing someone who is precious to me)

(Life is full of difficult choices, Eva. Ultimately, the outcomes of these choices can have a great impact on our future or, conversely, none at all. Which of your current options do you think will shape your future?)

Eva looked longingly ahead of her. Maybe Hosaki was just over the next hill, or behind the next tree. If she just kept walking a bit longer, she could find her. However, she knew this mindset was deceptive. If she continued going 'just a bit farther,' she would eventually end up lost somewhere in the woods and if she wandered into another patch of those vines, Arrathir wouldn't be around to save her this time. Crushed, Eva listened to her reason and turned tail, heading back for the waterfall.

(I'm sorry, Hosaki…)

Suddenly, she heard a branch snap somewhere behind her. Spinning around, she scanned the woods: nothing. She knew she'd heard something. Perhaps it had just been a critter, but Eva's nose told her otherwise. She could smell humans nearby, at least six of them. They were spread in a horseshoe pattern around Eva and were closing in on her, obviously aiming to trap her.

Eva mentally debated if she should make a run for it or stay put and fight. Attempting to escape could allow the enemies to track her to the other Keepers, but they'd stand more of a chance as a group. She had no idea what she was against, so it was best to retreat and regroup.

The humans were closer now; they'd managed to maneuver around her, cutting off her escape route. Eva gulped nervously as she realized her only option was to fight her way out. She flexed her claws, trying to determine where the first attack would come from. Sweat beaded on her forehead as the tension grew. Her nose was suddenly assaulted with the putrid stench of rotting flesh. She reeled, overwhelmed by the disgusting odor. She began to feel her knees shaking, though it wasn't from the smell. Her mana seemed to be leaving her body, just as it had when the vines had attacked her.

Plugging her nose, Eva looked up to see a man stepping out from behind a tree. He was clad in a simple loincloth and wore an iron helmet that covered his entire head, save for a t-shaped slot in the front and he was armed with a short metal scimitar. What really shocked Eva was the rest of his body. He was fairly muscular, but there were large sores all over his body, most of them oozing with pus. The man glared hatefully at her and bellowed something in an incomprehensible language. This was obviously the signal to attack, as several other warriors sprung from the woods, charging towards Eva.

Eva tried calling upon her mana to unleash her Blistering Firecat at the men, but she felt so weary she was unable to focus sufficiently to gather the necessary mana, let alone summon the creature. It was evident that her mana was too low for summoning.

Eva bolted, rushing towards the warriors. As she approached them, she could feel herself becoming weaker as more mana left her body.

(Somehow, they can drain mana…)

In a supreme effort, Eva leapt over the men, landing heavily on the ground. She stumbled; her legs giving out from her fatigue, but was soon back up and hightailing it back towards the Keepers. The warriors weren't about to give up so easily however and they pursued her, moving surprisingly quickly despite their wounds.

A sharp pain shot through Eva's right shoulder. She cried out as her shoulder suddenly became numb and cold. Turning her head, she saw an arrow had embedded itself in her collarbone. Growling, she went to tear it out, but the shaft broke off, leaving the arrowhead embedded in her flesh. The coldness and numbness were gradually traveling down her arm, soon making her unable to move her right arm from the elbow up.

(The arrows must be poisoned. Let's hope Khell has some good antidotes.

Eva was aware the warriors were catching up to her. She tried speeding up, but fatigue seemed to be catching up with her. Her feet felt like lead and she had trouble keeping her eyes open. The poison seemed to be spreading and her right arm was now completely numb. Despite her demon healing factor, the wound in her shoulder was still bleeding profusely. This worried her: who were these warriors? If this island was so inhospitable for summoners, why had they been sent here? More arrows whizzed past her head, urging her to speed up.

She finally came upon the river and followed it back to the waterfall. She was now extremely tired and stumbled her way along, her eyes half-closed in fatigue. Breaking through the trees, she fell to the ground and began lazily crawling towards the Keepers.

"Eva!" said Arrathir as she came in view. He rushed to her side, the anger he'd felt towards her immediately replaced by concern. "What happened?"

"Hunters…" muttered Eva "Tired…"

"Her mana is extremely low!" said Khell, arriving at Eva's side "Hang on, what's this?" he added, noticing the wound on her shoulder.

"Arrow…" said Eva.

Khell placed his hands over the wound and immediately yelped out in pain, pulling back as if he'd been burnt. "Whatever is in there is absorbing her mana!" he said "We need to remove it! Eva, this is probably going to hurt. Forgive me, but if we don't get the arrowhead out, you're going to die."

Eva muttered a vague response.

"We're losing her!" said Arrathir "Do it!"

"I have to get my dagger," said Khell "The arrowhead is deeply embedded. I'm going to need to cut through the skin."

"She's fucking dying!" yelled Arrathir "I'll do it!" With that, he plunged a claw into the wound, digging around in the flesh for the arrowhead. Eva gave a small gasp of pain as she felt Arrathir cutting through her flesh, but she was too tired to really care. "Hang on, hang on," said Arrathir, still digging around "Don't die on me, Eva! Wait, I got it!" he announced, pulling out a bloodied triangular rock. It was glowing a dull yellow and he immediately dropped it, yelling in pain as Khell had done. "What the fuck is that thing? It felt like it was draining the mana from my hand."

"Amazing," said Khell, bending over to examine the stone "This stone absorbs and stores mana within its core."

"You can obsess over the stone later!" said Arrathir "Heal Eva!"

"Oh, of course," said Khell, casting a Stream of Life on Eva "Her mana has stabilized, but it isn't regenerating," he frowned.

"Is she going to be all right?" asked Arrathir.

"I can't say for sure," said Khell "I don't like the fact her mana is not returning. I have no idea what is causing this, seeing as we removed the arrowhead. If we can't figure out what is keeping her mana from returning, I can't guarantee she'll make it."

"Fuck!" cursed Arrathir, clenching his fists. He punched a nearby tree in frustration, his fist leaving an indentation in the bark. Breathing heavily to control himself, he suddenly picked up a strange scent. "Humans coming from the west," he said "They smell strange."

"Charles!" called Khell. The blue Keeper shifted his gaze from the waterfall to look at the other Keepers. "Can you manage another Teleport?"

"I doubt it," said Charles "That last one wore me out."

"How about an illusion to make it look like we're not here?"

"I'm spent," said Charles "Any more and you'll have two comatose Keepers on your hands."

"You won't have much of a choice!" said Arrathir "Here they come!"

With an inhuman roar, the warriors burst into view, charging at the Keepers. Arrathir caught an arrow that buzzed past his head. As he felt a burning sensation in his hand, he felt his blood boil. These were the bastards who'd shot Eva. Flexing his claws, Arrathir grinned: he would make them pay dearly.

As Arrathir ran at the hunters, Khell quickly cast a Fog, the area becoming engulfed in a thick grey blanket. Confused cries sprung from everywhere as the hunters suddenly found themselves fighting an invisible enemy.

"The fog will benefit Arrathir," Khell muttered "With his demon senses he can strike before the hunters see him."

Arrathir stood in the mist, his eyes closed as he focused his senses. This was the first time he was relying solely on his hearing and sense of smell to fight. All around him, he could hear the hunters moving about, cursing in their native language as they sought to get out of the fog. He quivered in anticipation as he heard one coming from his left. As the hunter passed by Arrathir, the Keeper lashed out with his claws, ripping through the hunter's leg. He went down, screaming in pain. Arrathir's nose was full of the smell of blood. He breathed deeply, taking in the rich scent before ending the man's suffering with a swipe through his jugular.

Curiously, he felt no remorse over killing the man. After all, the hunters had made their intentions clear when they attacked Eva, so it was kill or be killed. Arrathir had experienced death twice already and he didn't think fate would be so generous on the third time. As well, he had sworn to protect Eva and he would uphold this oath, even if they were no longer a couple. What as the point of having all this power and not using it to protect the one he loved?

Suddenly, Arrathir felt weak, as if a wave of fatigue had just washed through his body. Falling to his knees he noticed something odd about the hunter's bloody leg: There were several stones embedded in the flesh of the thigh. Reaching over, he touched one, feeling the same sensation of mana draining from his body as with the arrowhead he'd extracted from Eva.

What the fuck is wrong with this place?

The effects of the stones were already kicking in. His mind was taken over by a fog thicker than the one that surrounded the area. As Arrathir struggled to make sense of what was going on, he heard something behind him. Before he could turn around, his head exploded in pain as he was violently struck on the back of the skull.

Khell continued to feed mana into the patch fog until he felt his mana reaching dangerously low levels. Upon severing the mana ties, the fog began to dissipate, revealing the battlefield hidden within it. Khell watched, breathless, as details came into view. Two figures emerged from the fog. As they came closer, Khell saw, to his horror, that it was one of the hunters holding Arrathir's inert body in front of him. The hunter had his scimitar to Arrathir's throat and shouted out something that Khell did not comprehend. The hunter pointed his scimitar at Khell, and then at the ground. He made a slicing motion across Arrathir's throat. When Khell still didn't comprehend, he repeated the procedure.

"What does he want?" wondered Khell.

"He wants us to surrender or he'll kill Arrathir," said Charles, who'd been watching "If they wanted to kill us, they wouldn't have bothered taking him hostage."

"I don't think we have a choice," said Khell "These people may know how to help Eva. My mana is too low to do anything and you're in no shape to summon. I say we throw in the towel and wait for our mana to return while trying to find out what is going on with this island."

Nodding, Charles placed his hands on his head to indicate his surrender and Khell imitated him. More hunters appeared from the mist, surrounding the Keepers. Khell and Charles suddenly felt fatigue take over their bodies as two hunters approached, each holding a glowing yellow stone in their hands. The two Keepers fell to the ground, their already low mana further reduced by the power of the stones.

The hunters each picked up one of the inert bodies and slunk off into the forest.

To be continued…

Author's Note: Wohoo! First university update!