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Another update!
The title pretty much spoils what happens in the chapter for you so sorry!
I won't talk much so on with it!
Chapter 11
Alice: The final Mistletoes
The allies were walking under the nighttime sky. Creating as little noise as possible, they walked through the seemingly endless purple forest.
Ren was in front since his sense of direction and reflexes were the best among the group.
Behind him stood Ace whose senses were all alert, he was ready for anything that may come.
The twins lagged behind. Alice was getting slow and Masquerade was always there to assist her.
The Mistletoes are the keys to Alice's freedom from the dreaded Mage's curse…
His resolve to become Master Exedra's apprentice became stronger than ever. Now that his sister's life was on the line, he could not afford to lose the one thing that can save her.
The younger twin swayed to and fro.
"Are you alright?" asked Masquerade
Alice didn't reply and merely nodded. But despite her move of affirmation, her face betrayed her answer.
Her eyes were half closed; discomfort was evident on her pained face.
She swayed to one side fully. All strength left her body.
Fortunately, her brother saw this coming and caught her before any more harm befell her.
Ace and Ren stopped walking and turned back.
"This has been happening to her quite often…" Ren stated sounding concerned.
Ace nodded.
"I'm fine…" Alice managed to say albeit somewhat breathlessly.
"No you're not," Masquerade insisted "You're exhausted."
The scolded twin tried to stand up to prove her brother wrong, but her knees always gave way and she would fall back weakly in his arms.
"Stop being so stubborn and get some rest," Ace commanded "We can still spare a few more miles and besides, Masquerade here can sense if that creep Spectra is coming."
Alice still wasn't convinced, "No," she said "We have to go…"
Masquerade sighed and swiftly tapped her nape. Once more, the younger twin fell back into his arms, but this time, unconscious.
"Well, that was convenient…" Ren smirked, impressed.
"She's too stubborn to even listen…" Masquerade sighed as he adjusted Alice to a more comfortable lying position.
"What do you suppose happened to her?" asked the Hermit
The older twin shook his head "I don't know… She may just be exhausted, but she's not using any of her abilities as a Mage…"
"Maybe she is and she's not just telling us," Ace said
Masquerade flinched at Ace's statement.
Ace just shrugged, "We don't know if she found something out while in a trance and it compelled her to use her ability as a Mage…"
Both the Stargazer and the Hermit were surprised by the Mercenary's intelligent deduction.
"What?" asked the unsuspecting gray-eyed one.
"That's the smartest thing you've ever said so far…" Masquerade said
Ren nodded in agreement.
"Are you saying that I'm dumb?" asked the offended Mercenary.
"No." The other two shook their heads in unison.
Ace seemed to be satisfied with that answer. He leaned back against the trunk of the tree and sighed.
"But what could possibly compel her to use her ability?" Ren mused out loud.
Masquerade shrugged. Another thought, more cruel than the one that Ace said, came into his mind.
"Or maybe," Masquerade said in a quiet voice "Maybe her power is already consuming her, slowly and painfully…"
Ren and Ace were silenced. They didn't know what the older twin was talking about, but they felt its unbearable weight. Not one dared to ask what the twin meant.
"Alice once told me that Mages aren't perfectly happy beings of Vestroia," Masquerade started "I didn't understand her then. When Master Exedra spoke something of a curse on her, I became worried. It was only then that Alice told me of a curse that plagues Mages like her…
"The Mage's Curse," Masquerade said with much weight in his tone. "The power of a Mage slowly consumes them as the Mage uses them to acquire knowledge.
"When I found out about it, when I found out that Alice was going to—I knew I had to do something," his voice shook "And that is to become Master Exedra's apprentice.
"Master Exedra told me that I could release my sister from her curse with the power of the Darkus attribute." He smiled bitterly "And I found out that these Mistletoes can release her from her curse too…"
Ace folded his arms and said "So now, you have all the more reason to gain the title for Master Exedra's apprentice."
Ren nodded.
Masquerade nodded "But when I think about what both of you have gone through…"
The Mercenary cut him short "Stop being such a martyr and get the cure for your sister!"
"What has happened to the loving older brother who would do anything for his little sister?" Ren asked
"Stop worrying about us and just get her cured already!"
Masquerade felt like a scolded little child. He never thought that these two people who had recently become his friends would allow him to gain the apprenticeship for his sister.
"Well, between you and that Knight," Ren stated "You are definitely a better choice…"
Masquerade smiled and said "Thank you, Ren and Ace…"
"Just make sure you cure her," Ace said "Her friends will be waiting for her."
Masquerade nodded.
"Brother…"
All three turned to the Mage who was starting to wake up.
"Are you alright Alice?" asked her brother.
Alice nodded weakly.
Ace scoffed "We don't need to be geniuses to see that you're most definitely not alright, Silly girl!"
Alice chuckled "Really?"
"This isn't a laughing matter Alice." Masquerade scolded quietly "Tell us the truth, what is happening to you?"
Alice looked away from her brother's unseen and yet powerful eyes.
"Alice…" He called, softer and gentler this time.
She faced her brother this time. His eyes saw through her, even though she could not see them.
"You guessed right…" she surrendered "The power is consuming me…"
Masquerade sighed helplessly.
"Why didn't you just say so?" asked Ace angrily, "Do you know how worried your brother was? Do you know how much he is planning to sacrifice for your sake?"
The Mage bit her lower lip and felt ashamed.
"He was worried sick about you and you didn't even bother telling him!"
Ace continued to throw a fit at Alice. Ren would try to make him stop ever now and then, but the Mercenary's mouth kept on ranting.
The older twin kept silent. He didn't know what to say anymore.
"And what's worse is that you know how much he loves you and yet you still keep things from him!" shouted Ace as Ren tried to keep him back.
"I'm sorry," muttered the younger twin.
Ace cooled down. Ren let the Mercenary go. Masquerade was still silent.
"I knew that he would worry about me, and so I kept it from him," Alice explained "I didn't want him to worry so I didn't tell him, but I ended up making him feel worse."
"You should say those words to your brother, Ms. Alice…" said Ren.
Alice turned to her brother who was still silent and unresponsive. Tears glazed her eyes.
Please stop acting like that…
"Brother…" she called out softly
Masquerade turned to her.
"I'm…"
She was cut short when Masquerade pulled her towards him and wrapped his arms around her small and fragile figure.
"Don't you ever dare keep secrets from me again, Alice." Masquerade said in a gentle and menacing tone.
Alice nodded "I understand… I'm sorry…"
"As long as you stay alive, I won't get angry…" the older twin assured her.
Alice nodded.
"Oh, how touching…"
Their heads jerked upward when they heard that voice boom from all directions.
The younger twin started trembling violently.
"I have to admit, you gave me a hard time looking for you and your friends, Mage…"
"The Knight!" The Stargazer, the Mercenary and the Hermit said in unison.
Alice broke free from her brother's embrace.
"You're quite the shrewd one, aren't you Alice? Do you really think that I would not find you when the Ventus Wind is around you?"
"What is he talking about?" asked Masquerade as he turned to his younger twin.
"I placed a ward around us," explained the terror-stricken Mage "It was the power of Ventus that Shun gave me."
"Why?"
"Why?" echoed the Knight "Did your sister truly not tell you anything, Stargazer?"
Masquerade could not believe his ears.
"Where are you?" asked Ace as he brandished his sword.
The older twin turned to his younger twin and asked "What is he talking about, Alice?"
Alice cringed and said "I wasn't really in a trance… I was talking to Spectra…"
"What?"
"He told me about Ren and he told me about the Mistletoes too…" Alice replied "I'm sorry I didn't tell you…"
More secrets? Will you ever trust me Alice?
All of a sudden Spectra stood in front of them. Behind him was Shadow Prove.
"I never expected you to survive, Ace," Spectra said
"I won't die from a scratch, Knight!" Ace said angrily.
Spectra chuckled and turned to Ren, "So was I right about Princess Fabia?"
Ren didn't reply. He averted his eyes from the Knight who was right all along.
"You're all pathetic…" Spectra said "A Mercenary who's full of himself and even gave his word that he can't keep…"
Ace gritted his teeth.
"You thought that by becoming the apprentice you can prove everyone wrong about how they viewed Mercenaries when all you've ever done is degrading yourself even further…"
"Shut up!"
"Your temper will always be your weak spot…" Spectra smiled slyly.
He chuckled and turned to Ren "A Hermit who has been seeking refuge, but ends up losing what he thought was important to him…
"You thought that someone would finally accept you, but you ended up getting washed out again. Your contentment was nothing more than an illusion…"
Ren didn't respond.
He was right about Princess Fabia… What more could I say to make him dissatisfied?
Spectra turned to Masquerade "The Stargazer who sacrificed everything for the sake of his sister ends up getting betrayed by the one he's trying to save…" He laughed mockingly "Seriously, you were stupid enough to not notice what your sister was hiding! Are you really her twin? Do you really love her? I don't think so…"
"STOP IT!"
All were silenced by the voice.
"No one…" the younger twin panted "No one… No one insults my brother!"
She stood up, shakily, but she managed.
"And we come to the Mage," Spectra muttered "The one who tries everything on her own… A self-righteous one who doesn't care about the worries of everyone around her…"
"I've been selfish," Alice nodded "I won't deny that I've been selfish all this time. I thought that keeping it to me would make my brother stop from worrying about me, but I only made it worse… Even so, my brother still cares for me… And no matter what, no matter who it may be, I won't forgive anyone who insults him!"
Alice summoned her staff, her strength was back. She pointed her staff to her brother and her other two companions and a cube of soft yellow light enclosed them.
"How?" Spectra was bewildered
"Surprised?" smirked Alice "Do you really think I was reckless enough to use my abilities without thinking? I knew I was getting weak, and there was no way I could fight if you suddenly appeared… I reserved some of my strength, just in case…"
"But how long can you keep it up?" Spectra smirked
Alice smirked "As long as the other realms exist, I have a reserve."
"What?"
"My friends, Runo, Julie, Dan, Marucho and even Shun have been helping me since we started." Alice proudly and confidently said "When the time comes that my powers consume me, they will help me with the best that they can… It's an oath that we all swore on."
She twirled her staff "Fight fair, Knight."
Spectra ordered Shadow to stay back, to which Shadow complied. He drew out his sword and on the handle were the three Mistletoes he had acquired.
Alice followed his example and tied her Mistletoe and her brother's on the body of her staff.
"A fair fight it is…" Spectra nodded
Alice planted her staff on the ground. She opened her palm and a small teal tornado emerged from it. She closed her palm and threw it to Spectra.
The Knight was caught off-guard. Before he knew it, a teal tornado, the same one that Alice had on her palm, but more massive in size was headed for him.
He raised his sword and effortlessly cut through the tornado in the middle He smirked, but was sent flying when three blasts of water hit him on his ribs.
He recoiled. Two of his ribs were broken, but he could still manage.
"Impressive…" he muttered "You are well-versed in this aspect…"
From within the cube, Ace and Ren were baffled. "Your sister is strong," muttered the awestruck Mercenary.
"You haven't seen anything yet," Masquerade said proudly.
"This is not her true strength then?" inquired Ren
Masquerade nodded as he smiled "She has complete control over all six attributes. She can summon the other five while Master Hydranoid's power allows her to control the Darkus attribute."
"I can see why Spectra should want her out of his way…" Ace said "No doubt, Master Exedra will choose her as his apprentice."
Ren nodded "I agree…"
Alice…
Spectra tried attacking with his sword, but he couldn't get near the Mage. A shield was around her in every corner.
By this time, Alice resorted to Pyrus and Subterra attacks. She mixed the fiery furnace with the strong rocks to make a deadly combination.
Her accuracy is superb, and her control is flawless… Does she have a weak spot?
Spectra desperately looked for a probable weak spot as he avoided and dodged all of Alice's deadly attacks.
A molten rock met him head on; he sliced it in half with his sword. With the power of the Mistletoe, he cut the rock with ease and without damaging his sword.
But his mask got burned in the process.
He recoiled, shouting in shock and fear. He scrambled to get his mask out of his face.
Alice merely watched.
What could have compelled him to do such bad things?
The mask came off his face. Ace muttered, "Keith Clay…"
Ren's golden eyes widened. "Are you saying that he's Keith Clay?" asked the Hermit
Ace nodded "He's Mira's brother."
"Who is he?" asked Masquerade
"Why, I am one of the candidates for Master Apollonir's apprenticeship," replied Spectra as he rubbed his eyes "Just as that foolish Mercenary there found out, I am Mira's brother, Keith Clay."
He raised his eyes. Alice was taken aback by his sky blue eyes that resembled Mira's in many ways.
"But Master Apollonir gave his power to a weakling like Daniel Kuso…" Spectra bitterly said "He denied me of what was supposed to be mine! So I, with the help of various experiments, transported myself to the Darkus realm. I got Master Exedra's trust and became the Darkus Knight.
"I have waited for this moment all my life and now it has finally come…" Spectra said with frenzy in his voice "And I will not allow anyone to get in my way! Once I acquire the other Mistletoes in your possession I'll show them!"
The Knight's voice was suddenly synchronized with Helios' voice "I'll show them how frightening I can really be! I'll show them that the power of the Pyrus attribute should have been mine!"
Fear suddenly seized the ones within the cube, but all the more to Masquerade. His sister was all alone on the battlefield and he was unable to do anything for her.
"Alice!"
"She's in danger!" Ren shouted as Helios' silhouette appeared behind Spectra and gave him a menacing look.
"We have to get out of here!" Ace hit the walls with his sword, but to his surprise nothing happened.
"Stop!" the older twin shouted "Don't damage the cube!"
"Why?" asked Ace "Weren't we going to help her?"
"This cube depends on Alice's strength," explained her twin "Damage it and you damage her. And you know I won't let that happen…"
Ace gave up, "What will we do then?"
I don't know… I just don't know…
Alice took a few steps backwards as Spectra and the terrorizing silhouette behind him advanced on her.
"Scared little one?" mocked Shadow "You should be… You're dealing with the boss now…"
Spectra chuckled "What shall you do now?"
Alice planted her staff on the ground and smirked "Do you think you're to be feared?"
Her voice was in sync with three other different voices "You're nothing but trash…"
All were awestruck as a three-headed silhouette appeared behind Alice.
"Alpha… Hydranoid…" muttered her twin.
"Enough games…" Alice said "Let's see how you fare with the power of a Darkus Hydra!"
She grabbed her staff which was pulsating with a purple aura.
Spectra took out his sword as well.
He had three Mistletoes.
She had two.
Whoever loses gains all of the Mistletoes…
And whoever wins finishes the test…
Letting out an incoherent cry accompanied by a thundering roar, Spectra leapt towards the frail Mage.
Alice watched him with anticipation before she sidestepped. The sword missed her by mere inches.
In her field of view, it was like he was moving in slow motion. She reached out to get the Mistletoe tied around the jeweled hilt of his sword, but he too became faster.
He moved away from her and kept the Mistletoe away from her reach.
"Shrewd are you not?" smirked the Knight "Tell me what do you plan to do with the Mistletoes once you get them?"
Alice relaxed, but kept a defensive stance as she replied "I don't know…"
"Won't you use it to gain power?"
"No…" she shook her head "But I do know that there will be disastrous effects on Vestroia if you become the apprentice!"
She attacked him once again. This time, the Knight was pushed to the offensive.
Just where is she getting her strength? It's not even possible!
His sword locked with her staff. A sly smile painted the Mage's face.
"Why?" Spectra asked with exasperation "Why do you fight? You have no desire whatsoever; you have no goal, why are you striving to keep me from doing what I want?"
"Because it's wrong," the red headed Mage simply replied "All I want is to be with my brother again…"
"I can give you that," Spectra said while struggling "I can let you live with your brother forever and ever in peace, you won't have to worry about anything anymore… Just give me the Mistletoes!"
"NO!" the Mage shouted.
A radiant purple light pulsated fro Alice and sent Spectra flying to the tree behind him.
Shadow's eyes widened at the sight of the beat up Knight he saw before him.
Spectra smirked and in an instant was in front of Alice.
He brought his hand to her cheek and said "How feisty…"
"BASTARD!" shouted her twin "TAKE YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HER!"
The Stargazer's blood was literally boiling.
Alice took steps backwards as Helios' silhouette appeared behind him again.
She fixed her eyes on him, he was unstable and therefore he was more predictable.
This is the last…
She sent the Knight backward with a sudden gust of wind. While he staggered, she went ahead of him and climbed the tree vertically.
She did an unbelievable flip in the air and her staff penetrated the strange miasma-like silhouette that surrounded the Knight.
With a short incoherent cry, Alice hit the crown of his head with the upper end of her staff.
"I do not want to get on her nerves…" said the Mercenary while he shivered.
Ren nodded, but was still astounded.
Masquerade smiled "At least she's safe…"
The Mage fell on her knees, exhausted beyond compare.
The cube dissolved and the ones inside rushed to the tired Mage. Of course her younger twin was more concerned and therefore was by her side in an instant.
"Are you alright?" he asked
"Just tired…" replied the younger twin
"Where's that Fool?" asked Ace
Ren looked around "He left without a trace…"
"Whatever," Ace muttered "We finally got the last Mistletoes…"
Ren smiled and nodded "You fought well, Ms. Alice…"
Alice smiled back. She opened her palm to reveal a single Mistletoe on her hand.
"The test is now over!" a powerful and surreal voice exclaimed.
That's a wrap!
Thanks to all the comments and criticism (courtesy of Starless Skyline) I received!
I never thought it would reach more than twenty REVIEWS!
So you know the routine…
See you!
chquine_harvinellisse