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Part II: Occult of Evil

Chapter Eleven: Edge of Destiny!

It was nightfall. Blood had been shed. Lives had been lost. One man survived. He stood, atop a bloody hill, unscathed. He almost blended in with the darkness. He was ruthless, and killed coldly, thinking nothing of it. Anything he would do to get what he wants.

He entered the temple that so many had fought to protect. A crystal was floating in the center of the room. He walked over to it, examining its beauty. Its blueness rippled like water. He grabbed it and started to leave the temple. Another man, who had crawled inside the temple, leaving a trail of blood, raised his hand shakily.

"S-Samael. You bastard…" He gritted. Samael looked at him for a moment, showing nothing but coldness.

"Hmph. So I didn't finish you off. I see…" He said, and began to walk past him.

"You don't know what you're getting yourself into!" He croaked. But he was in too much pain to do anything. Samael stopped. He turned around and laughed.

"You're pathetic! You don't know what true power lies in these crystals!" He replied, holding the Water Crystal in front of him.

"You're a fool if you think you can get away with this!" The dying man said. He was breathing his final breaths. Samael stepped toward him as his vision began to blur.

"Let this be known to you, in your final moment. The world you are escaping from will become cloaked in darkness. Consider yourself lucky to be able to die here and now." He heard Samael faintly say. He kept slipping away. He started to see a bright light. But just before he was about to pass on, Samael stabbed him down, ripping away the light.

Samael turned away, as if nothing happened. He thought about what Doran said about him thinking he can get away with this, and laughed. He faded away into the night.

News of this tragedy spread to the nearby towns, striking fear into villagers' hearts. Samael's name started to become known. But they didn't know what he was planning.

Priests went to the wreckage of the Water Temple a few days later, and discovered that the Crystal had disappeared.

"No! How could this happen? The guardians of the Water Temple have failed?" One of the priests said, distressed.

"Who could have done this?" Another said.

"It must have been that Samael, like the rumors say." They sighed.

"Things are going to get much more complicated, if he is planning what I think he is." They nodded in agreement. One of them turned around and faced the rest of the priests.

"We need to find them."

Meanwhile, on Mount Ulhr:

"What were you trying to do?" Vyncent said to a tied-up Wilham. He snorted.

"Like it would concern you lowlifes." He said cruelly.

"How could you possibly think you would have a chance to bust your way into the sacred Temple of Light?" He asked. "It's impossible."

"That's what you think…" He said, smiling evilly. Vyncent nodded, scratching his beard.

"You were doing something odd at the entrance with your sword, I remember that. Some sort of dark scripture, I presume?" Vyncent asked, raising his eyebrow. Wilham stiffened.

"That's beyond your realm of thinking." He said coldly.

"Apparently beyond yours too." Vyncent remarked. Wilham began to struggle inside the ropes that held him down.

"You bastard! I'll kill you!" He shouted. Vyncent just watched as he raged.

"How could someone like you get inside, then? You have no sense of light or purity at all…" Vyncent noted.

"You have no idea what kind of power darkness can bring." He said.

"Then how come we beat you up, dummy?!" Neal laughed. He gritted his teeth.

"You little-!" He was about to scream, but remained calm. "The power of darkness has its weaknesses as well as its strengths. You are lucky you were able to hold on so long…" He said.

"Every attack you made using that power was stronger, but affected you each time." Sevrin said. He was standing there, with his arms crossed, studying the black knight.

"Hmph. Well, enough of these games... " He said. They all looked at him.

"What can you do? You're finished." Vyncent said. He began to laugh hysterically.

"You think you've seen the best of me?! I will never die to the hands of you!" He shouted, as he suddenly disappeared in a cloud of darkness. When it parted, the ropes dropped to the ground, and he was gone.

"What the…?" Neal said, and started to look around. Wilham was nowhere in sight.

"Was he toying with us the whole time?" Wymond asked.

"I don't see this so called 'darkness' a threat. It makes him arrogant, thinking he can handle everything on his own. It'll lead to his downfall." Vyncent said.

"H-Hey wait! What about me?!" Khafka said, who was also tied up, when he noticed Wilham disappearing.

"This is what it's like being on that side, buddy. Not even your friends are your friends." Neal said, pointing his sword at him.

Khafka started shaking nervously at all the pairs of eyes on him. He was their target now. "W-what do you want from me? What do you want?!" He screamed.

"Calm down." Neal said, resting his blade on his shoulder.

"I don't know anything! He told me that we would achieve great power if I came with him! That's all!" He said, struggling to escape.

"Wow, you're lame to fall for that." Neal remarked. "You think that guy would fulfill a promise? I know that type of person. All they care about is themself."

"What should we do about this guy?" Sevrin asked the two knights. They thought for a moment, and shrugged, turning around and continuing to go up the mountain.

"Hey! Are you just gonna ignore me?! Hey!" Khafka screamed as everyone left him. Sevrin turned around, and cut the ropes with his knife.

"If you try to pursue us, I'll kill you." Sevrin said coldly. Khafka gritted his teeth.

Those eyes… Khafka thought. Despite most of his face hidden from his mask, his expression was clear as day. He looked menacing...

This kid… He's a little brat, but I sense something inside him. It's cold, but extremely powerful. It's completely overwhelming. He was sweating just from Sevrin's presence. His anger caused his power to well up for a moment. He could only watch as they finally disappeared from his sight.

"A geomancer, huh…" Vyncent said.

"What did he mean when he said he could control nature, Sir Vyncent?" Midahn asked. He was curious about this type of magic that he had never seen before.

"Although rare, they're a type of mage with a special kind of magic. Their magic depends upon the area that they are in. Like we saw, that silly geomancer used his magic to create tremors in the earth, since we are on a mountain. They harness the power of nature around them to attack." Vyncent said.

"That's... odd." Midahn said.

"Yes, indeed. It's different from the black and white magic that we've always seen." He replied.

"Shouldn't that bird thing be close now?" Mirabelle asked. "We're pretty high up, and we passed the cave entrance already."

"You're right." Wymond said. "We should be on our guard. Lady Rhea, you should be a little closer to-" He turned around. "Lady Rhea!" Vyncent turned around.

"Wha-where did she go?!" Wymond shouted as he searched around frantically?

"She was just behind us moments ago!" Vyncent said. "How did you four not see her disappear?! She was in front of you!"

"I dunno." Neal said, shrugging his shoulders. "She must have just vanished instantly or something just now. I just saw her."

"Wait." Vyncent stopped. Everyone stopped in their tracks. His eyes were wide.

"W-what is it?" Mirabelle asked. She started to shiver from seeing the knight suddenly looking frightened.

"That gust of wind that occurred wasn't an ordinary breeze." He said.

"You don't mean-" Wymond started to say. Vyncent nodded. He and Wymond slowly drew their swords. Seeing them being so cautious, Neal and Sevrin did the same.

"Is it the bird?" Sevrin whispered. They started to move forward.

"Listen up. If that monster grabbed Lady Rhea, we must kill it immediately. We shouldn't have allowed her to come along in the first place…" Wymond said. Vyncent gravely nodded.

"His Majesty will have our necks." He said in agreement.

"Let's go!" Neal shouted, completely breaking their stealth. He charged up ahead. Mirabelle, Midahn, and Sevrin sighed, smacking their foreheads.

"That idiot…" Sevrin said.

"Well, you said we need to kill it immediately, so let's do it! Don't waste any more time, unless you don't want to see Rhea again!" Neal shouted back at them.

"He cut's right to the chase. But he's right! Hurry!" Vyncent said. They began to quickly follow Neal. When they caught up to him, they found a giant nest so tall that they couldn't see the inside. Neal had already begun climbing.

"What would," Neal grunted as he grabbed each branch. "Happen, if, we, can't, stop it?" He asked while he climbed up the crude nest. The weight of his sword made it much more difficult, but he's very strong for his age.

"She could," Vyncent shut his eyes at the thought. "Become… food." He still couldn't believe she was taken right in plain sight. He cursed at himself internally for not being a better protector.

"What?! There's no way I'll let that happen!" Neal shouted, and climbed even faster. He reached the top, and climbed over into the nest. He disappeared from the others' sights.

Ooooh, that Neal! He has some nerve! Mirabelle thought angrily. Just to charge in all by himself like that. He could get himself killed!

When the rest climbed into the nest, they saw Neal, guarding himself with his sword in front of him. He was looking up. In front of him, was a giant griffin. It was perched on the other side of the nest, just watching them.

Mirabelle looked around, and noticed several corpses, and even some bones that looked human.

This… thing… eats people only?! She thought. She began to quiver.

"Don't worry, Mirabelle. We're gonna take it down for the count." He said, not losing his focus on the giant bird. She suddenly noticed Rhea lying there, near other people who all looked unconscious.

"It looks like this thing is good at snatching up people quickly, without anyone even noticing." Neal remarked. "It also seems like we made it just in time. It was just about to have its meal."

"We will slay you for taking innocent people, including our princess!" Vyncent pointed his sword at the giant bird.

"That's definitely Garuda, as the rumors say." Wymond noted, gripping his shield tighter.

"So that's its name, huh. It's known for eating people?" Sevrin said. He nodded.

The griffin screeched at them, and took flight. It started to circle around the nest, with its eyes on Neal and the others. Its only thoughts were more food were entering her nest. Each time it flapped its wings, huge bursts of wind gushed around them. The entire nest rustled.

Suddenly, it started to dive toward them. "Get ready!" Vyncent shouted. They braced themselves, and engaged into battle with the giant bird.

Garuda flapped its wings forward, sending a tornado onto them. Branches detached and flung toward them, knocking them all back against the side of the nest. The powerful wind caused the branches to cut them all over their bodies.

"Agh!" Neal grunted in pain, taking in the most of it. He rushed in front of everyone to protect them. He was bleeding everywhere, and fell to his knees.

Rhea slowly opened her eyes. Everything was so blurry, but she could hear lots of commotion everywhere around her. The last thing she could remember was suddenly being swept away at such a high speed that she fell unconscious. She raised her head up, and saw Neal. He was caked in blood. She could hardly see his face. Her heart started racing, and she became frightened, and in dismay from all of his blood.

"Hold on! Don't worry! Cure!" Mirabelle shouted, and light fell upon each one of them, including herself. Neal's wounds instantly began to lessen, leaving only minor scratches.

"Neal! You shouldn't have taken the brute end of that! We have full body armor. Let us take the front!" Wymond said.

"Okay, Sir Wymond, and Sir Vyncent!" He agreed, and jumped back alongside his friends. Sevrin smacked him with the back of his hand.

"Ouch! What was that for, Sev?" Neal asked.

"Don't be so reckless, man!" He said. He sounded almost troubled, or pained. Seeing his best friend all bloody just moments ago probably shook him up.

"Sorry, guys." Neal replied. He shook his head at his own carelessness.

Vyncent dashed forward and swung at the griffin. He aimed for its front legs, which are the weaker ones. It only became angrier.

"Prepare for another attack!" Vyncent said. Wymond raised his shield, and everyone ran behind him in a line. Mirabelle ran up behind Neal and placed her arms around his waist. He turned, and placed his arm around her protectively.

"Don't go anywhere. I'm not done fixing you up." She said, sniffling. He looked at her, and smiled.

"Wh-what are you smiling at?" She said, becoming flustered and embarrassed.

"It's just a great feeling. Having someone care about you." He said, still smiling. "We've been together for a little while now, but I care a lot about you guys." He understood what the Visionaries meant by the bond that would be created. Even though everyone is so different, and that they've only met not too long ago, he knew that his friends would always have his back, and would be there for him.

Sevrin understood what he was thinking, and put his hand on Neal's shoulder. Midahn rushed up and hugged Mirabelle from behind. Vyncent and Wymond stood firm, ready to defend the four children from the second savage wind attack. The four Warriors braced themselves behind the two royal knights as the wind came. They all closed their eyes tightly, and the wind rushed through their hair. The nest was very shaky again, but they held their position.

Rhea could only watch as she saw her friends and guards go through such pain, all just to save her. She was sad that she was so helpless, and could never do anything to protect herself, causing everyone to go through so much.

Finally, it was over. The wind subsided. The giant griffin looked to see if its prey was finally defeated. Everyone stood back up, checking to see if they were all okay.

"Sir Vyncent! Sir Wymond!" They said.

"Don't worry, children. We are fine. Are you all okay?" Vyncent replied.

"Yeah, but how long can we keep this up?" Neal asked.

"It seems physical attacks won't do much!" Wymond said. Garuda flew in and clawed at him, but he blocked it with his large shield. The force of it knocked him back a bit.

"Then magic will do it?" Midahn asked, brightening up. "Let me give it a shot!"

"But what element is it weak to?" Vyncent wondered. "Since it takes to the skies, possibly thunder…"

"Agh… Midahn doesn't know that yet though." Mirabelle said. Midahn giggled. "Huh? What is it, Midahn?"

"I know thunder!" He exclaimed. Neal, Sevrin, and Mirabelle tilted their heads.

"Since when, buddy?" Neal asked doubtfully. He grinned.

"Since we first came to Rothguard. On the first night, when we arrived, you ran off. Remember, Neal?" He said excitedly. "You went on your date with Rhea!"

"You did what?" Vyncent asked. Neal began to sweat.

"Eh... nothing…" He raised his hands in protest.

"Well while you were doing that, I went to the magic shop! I got the spellbook for thunder! I learned it!" Midahn continued.

"I don't mean to interrupt," Wymond said as he blocked another attack from the griffin. "But we've got an angry bird here that won't stop lunging at us." He grunted as he blocked each time. It kept trying to attack the others, since it couldn't get through Wymond, but he kept jumping side to side, defending everyone.

"Time to test it out, then!" Midahn said.

"You… haven't even casted it yet?" Sevrin asked. He shook his head. He prepared for something to go wrong, but remembered that Midahn is a natural at black magic. He had casted blizzard without even learning it properly.

Midahn raised his staff, and casted thunder upon the giant bird. A small jolt of lightning landed directly onto it, causing its wings to stutter, and sending it crashing down into the nest.

"Now's our chance." Neal said, gripping his sword tightly as he dashed toward the fallen griffin.

"Guard Breaker!" He shouted, striking it with all of his might. He cut it deep, all the way across its neck. They had defeated Garuda. It began to dissolve into thin air. When it disappeared completely, they could see all of its victims up ahead.

"Lady Rhea!" Vyncent shouted.

"Rhea!" Neal said. They rushed over to her.

"E-everyone." She said.

"Just take it easy for a moment, Mirabelle will help." Neal said calmly. Mirabelle healed her, making her feel much better.

"Thank you all for saving me." She said.

"But of course, Lady Rhea. This was our mission from the beginning, but that monster took you from us before we could reach it." Wymond said.

"A-are you alright, Neal?" She asked. She remembered earlier when he was hurt badly from the griffin's initial attack.

"Yeah! Never better!" He grinned. "Mirabelle's a real life saver!" He turned to her. "I don't know what I'd do without you." He said, and laughed.

"You wouldn't last ten seconds, that's for sure!" She exclaimed. Rhea smiled.

"Right. Now that we have slayed the griffin, let's see if anyone here is still alive and get out of here." Vyncent said. He wanted to return as soon as possible. Each day during their mission, he became more and more worried about the kingdom and how long Rhea was missing to them. He knew that he and Wymond were in for it when they return.

Unfortunately, the few people in the nest that were still whole had died. They had been in the nest longer than Rhea was, so they didn't make it. They buried them, and departed the mountain. Along the way down, they noticed that Khafka was gone as well.

It was only a matter of time before they would hear the news about the Water Crystal...


Author's Note: Thanks for reading! This is the beginning of the next part of the story (Reminder: there will be four parts, ten chapters each). Part II is going to take a turn in the story. It's going to get a lot darker, and there will be more internal conflicts as well. Now you've seen a little bit of the main villain. I'm sure you know what he's going to do. But will they stop him? Who knows?