In case you didn't see my previous A/N, we actually aren't dead!
We've just been working on this 8,000-word chapter. And Scarlett has been obsessing over a certain scene...
No spoilers! I have rewrote this thing over 19 times though.
Let's get started before we tell you all our secrets. Sorry for the long wait, but enjoy the third part out of the four-part finale!
Carmen POV
I banged my head against the wall in pure boredom. Was this Equinox's form of torture? Forcing me to entertain myself until she killed me? I had managed to count all the bloodstains, each having it's own name; review all the events that had happened in my life recently; and ponder the meaning of life. Mind you, I'd only been there half an hour. Scarlett's pen didn't seem to work in this cell: It must have been protected against magic. I decided to write a poem instead. Inspiration struck me as I scribbled into the dusty walls:
Roses are red
Violets are blue
I'm soon to be dead
Equinox, f*** you
Normally, I wouldn't have used a curse word. Being trapped in a cell in NYC is not normal.
Happy with my work, I sat back and smiled. At least when my friends found my remains I would leave a lasting memory. I sighed at the thought. Why had I ever accepted Josh's invitation to the dance? I wasn't quite sure if it was Jerome's comment, or my stupid girly side that appealed to the idea of a romantic interest, or even making Mitch jealous. All the girls loved him, and I probably hated it without realizing I did. Emotions are so confusing.
A random demon came by and pushed a cup of water in front of me. "How nice of Equinox to keep my hydrated!" I said sarcastically. He hissed at me and walked away. "Rude."
I began to hum Fallen Kingdom under my breath. I honestly had an obsession with that song. The lyrics gave me power and made me feel like I could actually do this. Then I finished the song and the spell was broken. I was just some pathetic loser who walked straight into enemy hands. 'Carmen, did you really expect that plan to work?' I scolded. I looked at Equinox's servant approaching me and sighed. I was stuck here.
Or maybe not. "Josh!" I called excitedly. "Josh, it's me! Carmella Paige!" I forgot all that he had done to me previously as the spark of hope was lit again. Maybe he felt remorse. Maybe, he was going to escape and could bring me along. Being with him was better than being Equinox's prisoner. "Josh?"
He looked at me with cold, distant eyes. He didn't seem to be mentally here. "You are not the Mistress."
"Josh, what's wrong?" I asked. "I know you got amnesia, but how could you not remember me? I am the girl you obsessed over for five years! You know, the one you drugged, kidnapped, and blackmailed?"
He seemed clueless. "I know nothing of girls except for the Mistress."
I facepalmed. "Are you serious? What did she do, brainwash you?" Wait a second. Did she seriously brainwash him? "Ha!" I laughed. "That's ridiculous! Why would you brainwash someone with amnesia?"
"Brainwash?" He seemed confused. "The Mistress is kind and good. She wouldn't brainwash me."
I stifled a laugh. "You keep on thinking that, Josh. I, on the other hand, am going to write some more works of art." I turned back to my dirty wall and thought for a while. Finally, I came up with a decent poem. I was scribbling it down when I heard footsteps behind me.
"Dead yet?" A familiar voice asked.
I turned around and saw the devil herself, dressed in full armor. "Nope, just spilling my ideas into writing."
She glanced at my original poem and frowned. "Aren't violets violet? I don't understand mortals."
"Thanks." I said sarcastically. "Now, was there a reason for this chat or did you want to taunt me?"
"Well..." She said. "I have list of ways to kill you, and decided having you choose would be fun!" I raised my eyebrows as she handed me a scroll. "See any you like?"
"Being burned at stake sounds delightful." I said. "But my favorite is number two hundred eleven: Let me save my friends and go free."
"C'mon, Carmella, I gave you the option to choose your own death. Don't abuse the opportunity."
"Call me Carmella again and I'll kill you here and now." I warned.
"Whoa, I do the killing here. I'm going to decide how to kill off the others once I get my hands on them. I need something special for that Mitch boy..."
"What do you want with him?" I asked nervously.
She smiled, acting like she knew something I didn't. "I thought you understood. I always thought you were dumb, but honestly. Your little boyfriend is your advantage. But when I play my cards right, he'll become the perfect slave. Imagine, a mortal with the Sight!"
"Why does everyone keep talking about the Sight?"
She covered her mouth with her hands. "Oops! I said took much. Go back to your slow, painful death. I'll be assigning killing methods to all my victims."
I sat onto the dirty floor. "The Sight..." I murmured. Mitch had the Sight, according to Equinox. That wasn't a very valid source, but it was all I had to work off of right now. My token had the Sight as well. I had heard it previously, though. Where?
'U!' I thought. He had said something about my advantage being the Sight. So it wasn't just something one person convinced me of, it had to be real. But what is it? I thought back to the token. When I touched it, it showed me things otherwise hidden by magic. Did it give me the vision of a magical being? That could make sense. But how did Mitch "have" the Sight? Maybe it meant that he didn't need a token to see magical things. He did see that old lady's store when I didn't. Was that protected by magic?
It was too much to process. I lowered my back to the dusty floor and sighed, staring at the cobwebs above me. It gave me comfort knowing that Mitch had my amulet. As long as he didn't do anything stupid, Equinox couldn't get him.
Mitch not doing something stupid was a lot to pray for.
Equinox POV
Carmella Paige must have been one of the most clueless beings to walk the Earth. And I've lived through the Earth's entire existence.
How could it have been more obvious? Of course her boyfriend had the Sight. As soon as I knew, I had to play my cards right. Besides, I knew a mortal's true weakness: Love. I remembered when I used to feel love so many years ago. Though I no longer felt it, I knew that Mitch loved Carmella. He would do anything to save her, and I could get my hands on him and win this. I wasn't worried.
Well, maybe a bit. I wasn't sure if they knew MY weakness. My life was currently in the hands of Josh. If he died, I would go back to hell. Granted, I doubted Carmella would be able to actually kill a being, but she was pretty mad at him. One little mistake could end with me gone. I had to be careful. If I hid him away, my plan was foolproof.
As much as I hated to admit it, Carmella wasn't entirely dumb. Clueless, yes, but I had seen how she dealt with Josh. She was cunning young girl. She wouldn't stand a chance just fighting against me, but she found loopholes in every other situation. Either that or her friends saved her. They couldn't defeat my demon army, though. I would win this and continue my plan.
As I walked down the corridor, I realized that I had so many advantages. I had a large army, the best fighting skills, and overall I was better. All they had were around ten inexperienced mortals. I had nothing to worry about. Why did I feel the need to reassure myself? It was probably because I was used to real war, not this child's play. I was expecting a challenging opponent who would not charge in here stupidly without backup. Someone who would use a distraction to attack me from behind. But this teenager couldn't do that. If she was expecting this to be as easy as fighting Josh, she was sadly mistaken.
I took out my list and looked at the ways I could kill them all. Mitch was a priority, he would use any chance he got to save Carmella. Her two other friends, I believed their names were Annette and Jerome, needed to go as well. I could make all three of them my slaves, leaving three others. I realized Jason used to be with Taylor, so he would probably try to save her. That left Megan and Adam. They were probably the toughest of the group, but would prove no challenge for me. I decided making all of them slaves would probably be the best way to go. Happy with my choice, I began planting traps until I heard a voice. One which I hadn't heard for one hundred and fifty years.
My brother.
Solstice POV
"Jewels, care to join me? I said, stepping towards the gathered slayers. She nodded, and stepped up to where I was. I held my hands up to my face, the mask formed, and I cleared my throat and muttered "enchantia volcalos".
"ALL SLAYERS, SILCENCE!"
My magically amplified voice rang loud and clear, audible for miles around. Meaning somebody in New York just got extremely confused.
"I do not know if you are all aware of why you have been called here, nor of all the most likely impossible rumors that have been spread."
At this, there were some coughs, and a couple of loud smacks were audible.
"I am indeed Solstice, your supreme commander and founder of the ancient order of the demon slayers. I have called us all to war for the first time in three centuries! This indeed means all of your weapons and armor will now essentially nullify any demons attacks, or kill most demons on contact, for I have released our full power. But do not take this lightly… this just boosts everything! It draws from my own strength, and is extremely taxing.
"So now, I tell you of the threat we face today. Today, we face down the largest threat since the devil himself attempted rebellion against god. For the black Equinox mask, one of the most feared and well-known names in today's magical community, has defied her punishment through a contract! She has gathered the largest demon army in history, and today, we lay waste upon her and her army!"
At this, my sword in hand, I activated it and swung it around before holding it all cheered, activated their weapons, and caused a uproar.
"I am indeed sorry, for most of you are very clueless on what exactly is going on. But know this! Today, we save the world, for this ancient order exists to slay the beings behind us! We start…"
I grabbed a white and gold canister from my jacket, and tossed it in the air. It hovered in the air for a moment before falling back down into my hands as a bow. Holding it up in the air, I pulled back the string and a blue energy arrow appeared. Aiming, I fired an arrow at a panicking demon in black robes atop the castles walls. It hit the demon straight in the head, which immediately gave off a large splatter of black blood as his head turned to ash.
"Now!"
At this, the two giants slowly lumbered towards the castle each grabbed one side of the castles door. With a loud creak, the pulled down the doors, creating a loud uproar as I watched a few packs of red raptor-like demons charge through. They began nipping at the giants feet, breathing fire, and spitting acid. A few engaged slayers in the front lines, but they were taken out from a angel above. I watched as the giants simply crushed the vexorian raptors, and a few broke off and ran towards us. One of the screamed as the demon, within a few feet of us, roared. Its two mouths were open, full of yellowed slobbery teeth, its bottemmost one dripping acid which dissolved the ground beneath us. I swung my sword in a arc, and its second roar was cut off when it beheaded the beast.
"You guys may want to back up."
They backed up, and some demon slayers opened up so they could walk between them.
"I need to speak to the commanding officers!" I shouted, and walked towards a few white tents which were being set up. Upon seeing me, they panicked for a moment, straightened up, and saluted before walking away. I entered the only complete tent, which already had a large table set up inside.
Carmen POV
I shivered against the February air. This castle really needed central heating. My thin jacket and jeans were no help as another gust of wind flew past me. I looked up and noticed my problem: The windows were iron bars, not glass. I rolled my eyes and climbed onto a bench near the window. The ocean churned off to my side. Why did she have to put her castle on water?
I scanned the horizon, looking for the sun. I saw it slowly rising in the distance. It looked as though it was about 3:30 in the morning. I yawned, thinking about how early it was. I really needed sleep, but I had to stay on my toes. My possible killer could be right around the corner.
My head turned to the left. I saw a group of people lit up by what looked to be lanterns. I could hear voices but I couldn't tell what they were saying. I assumed they were demons doing as Equinox had asked. I pitied them having to stay up late and freeze. At least I was allowed to sleep. Sleep would be nice right now...
"Get up, mortal!"
I jolted awake at the scream. Did I fall asleep? I noticed my cell was lighter than before. Yup, I must of slept through sunrise. Typical me.
"Carmella, get up, are you deaf?"
I raised my head and came face-to-face with Equinox. "Good morning to you, too." I said sarcastically. I looked over her expression. She seemed weakened. Her eyes showed a glimmer of worry. It quickly disappeared when I angered her.
"You're coming with me. I have a new location for you."
"Are you letting me go?" I asked hopefully.
"Of course not." She scoffed. "I have just found a better place to keep you."
"Please tell me it has heating. That cell is freezing!" She ignored my comment and dragged me through the hallway. I didn't bother trying to run. I had no idea where to go anyway.
We entered a room full of gold and demons. I remembered it to be her throne room. She took me to a giant metal cage next to her throne. "Get in."
I looked at her, pleading with my eyes. "Is this cage going to be suspended?"
She shoved me into it. I fell onto the bottom, scraping my palms. "Yes." She slammed the door.
I ran to the front of the cage, my hands wrapping around the cool metal bars. "I'm afraid of heights!"
"I know." She laughed. "Just be glad I didn't make you ice skate."
How did she know my fears? I watched in horror as the cage lifted me higher and higher until I couldn't look anymore. I was sure the fall could kill me if this chain broke. I tried to push thoughts like that out of my head. 'Come on, Carmen. You were going to die anyway.'
'Not helping!' I yelled to myself. U seemed to have abandoned me. I was sad mostly because I had to fight myself now. It was so much nicer being mad at someone else.
The cage rattled and I tensed up. I saw a tiny black dot below me that must have been Equinox. "Have fun, mortal! Don't anger me or I release this chain!"
I shook in fear, my knees pressed against my chest. Any sudden movement could send this thing to the ground. I turned my attention towards the sky. I felt close enough to reach the stars, but they faded away into the morning sun. The sky turned from purple to orange to pink. Soon it was blue, just like it was supposed to be. I closed my eyes and dreamed of living in the sky, carefree and safe.
Solstice POV
"… And Eaurl, what have your troops discovered since the giants destroyed the door?" I said, the twelve high commanders sitting at the table, Jewels at the end opposite of me.
"All we've done so far is confirm that the troops who initially entered were overwhelmed by numbers before a level ten barrier was placed around the castle's entrances. It might've been Equinox herself who placed it."
"Give me a moment to assess the situation." I replied, and went over what we'd learned. Shortly after the pack of vexorian raptors had been released, and the giants crushed them like bugs, we'd discovered they weren't placed there awaiting the doors to open but had been chained to the door hinges, and had been released once we had torn them down. The angels, draconians, and other flight-capable slayers were unable to attack from the air because they same field had been placed above the castle walls for miles in the air. Demons had been placed on the walls, and had shot down three angels before they were all ordered to the ground and shelter. Two wyverns were flying around the castles keep, were Equinox most likely was, and according to reports from the draconians, they had solisticated large numbers of troops to both the front gate, where a small chaos drakon was also standing guard against us, the east walls, and Equinox's keep. There was apparently a massive source of energy unlike most others concealed by a power-dampening metallic dome in-between the keep and inner wall. It was bad news if Equinox had gained help from a fire-lord ranked demon of so much power I could feel it from here. The best option for a plan of attack was direct assault, with sneakier hit squads moving in behind the large attack forces in order to cause distractions and hit them in crucial places- the barracks, pantries, towers, crucial spots, maybe sneak in a few slayers through the water, which led a small stream though her castle in order to provide her fresh water, but she'd have century's worth of it stored up, and with the force field placed around all entrances, direct assault was going to be impossible. Unless…
"Eaurl, is there any trace of the barrier in the actual walls?" At this question, a few of my commanders' faces showed clear confusion, especially Gelan, whose mustache had somehow covered his mouth and was in a position similar to a frown. But a few had an expression showing they had a clear understanding of why I had asked that question. However, Eaurl was one of the commanders that were clearly confused by the question.
"No, but I don't see how…" He trailed off as he realized what I had planned.
"Jewels, if you would?" I asked, and she nodded, taking out an emerald pyramid. She slid it across the table, and it stopped dead center before shining and displaying a green model of the castle. I pulled out a red crystal, and pointed at multiple points, which grew red before exploding in a way that made large holes in the walls.
"We simply blow up the walls. Troops will lead in here in large numbers in large numbers for direct assault-take out key points in the castle and eradicate their forces, with smaller and stealthier troops moving in from behind after all attention is on them, in order to take the castles key points-barrack, pantries, storage, etc. Eradicate any demons you see. Give the orders to the troops and commanders to locate statues. We all know about Equinox's love of gorgon powder, and her tendency to turn those of an importance to stone and use them as statues to ruin confidences. So we need a few people to look out for that. Meanwhile, me and Jewels will take a few…um…never mind about that part… to fight Equinox."
As I talked, Jewels was altering the castle hologram, making tiny version of troops move in, attacking simulations of enemies we have seen, and other smaller ones moving in, following exactly what I said as I did so.
"You have the plan, so go give the order to the sub-commanders, and initiate it!" I shouted, causing them all to stand up, causing a few chairs to fall over. They saluted and ran or teleported outside. Within moments, there was shouting and a issuing of commands from outside, and I heard a loud explosions. Loud marching and the sounds of battle were heard. Jewels, the only one who remained after I told the high commanders to issue orders, walked over to me, and I waved my hand, causing the table and chair to vanish, and Mitch, Jerome, Blaze, Annette, Megan, Adam, Jason, and Olivia appeared in place of the table.
Mitch POV
I blinked at the sudden change of scene, trying to figure out where I was. It appeared to be some type of conference room. Solstice and Jewels were standing in front of us. "Listen up!" Solstice called. "We need to explain the plan."
"Demon slayers have already infiltrated the base!" Jewels announced. "They have directly attacked Equinox's forces."
"We, on the other hand, will not be taking the direct approach. Most, if not all, of you are not able to hold your own in head-to-head combat-"
"Hey!" Jerome said.
"-so you will be joining us as we set off to take care of Equinox." He finished.
"We'll save Taylor, right?" Jason said hopefully.
"And Carmen." Annette added.
I saw a glimmer of doubt in his eyes. "If we win, we will do everything in our power to save them." I saw Jason's spirits fall.
"Anyways..." Jewels said after a long silence.
"We must also see what Equinox is hiding in that dome. I have my own suspicions... But I could be wrong. Are you guys ready?"
"Absolutely!" Many of them answered. I stayed silent.
"Let's go, then!"
Solstice POV
"Stand back!" I whispered, ushering them backyards. Clapping my hands together, I pulled them together and then apart in a X shape.
"X-Degradation!" I whispered, watching as the wall started to glow a bit before crumbling to dust and tiny stones. Pulling my bow off my back, I quickly notched a energy arrow and shot two demons as they were about to call for help. Waving my hand to signal them forward, I waited until they were all safely within the inner wall before repeating the hand motion and mutter "X-reverse!" The wall instantly started to repair itself, the dust and tiny stones floating up, and as they did so reforming into the wall. Turning around, I frowned. Everyone but Mitch and Jewels had frozen in place. I walked up to investigate and saw they all had terror-stricken expressions etched on their faces.
"W-what's wrong with us?" Whispered Mitch, his face devoid of color as he trembled in fear. You could hear in his voice that he had no idea what was wrong, but I suddenly noticed the ominous feeling of dread and power was much stronger in here. In fact, there was a underlying feel of magic, a faint tingling like electricity was running through your body or a foot when it "fell asleep".
"Magical fear." Jewels stated, and I nearly smacked myself for not recognizing it earlier. Of course it was him…. No one else could radiate an artificial fear so strong that a magic-dampening dome and anti-magic walls wouldn't do much more than weaken it to an extent. Reaching into my jacket, I pulled out a bunch of tangled up golden amulets that were rectangular in shape. On each a circle was engraved dead-center with the Japanese symbol for hope inside of it, and on its edges angelic symbols meaning hope, repel fear, anti-evil, light, despair-free, don't think about it, you are you, and forget. .. Sometimes angels have weird senses of humor.
I tossed one to Jewels, whom put it on Mitch's neck, and the color returned to his face as he gasped for air, grabbing his chest, slumping down and began panting for a moment before he straightened, his face reddened. I put the amulets on the rest of Mitch's friends, and every time I did so, they acted exactly as he did; only it lasted longer for them.
"Let's keep moving before something happens." I said, not giving them a moment longer to regain their composure. I didn't want any of my slayers to be fighting any longer than needed, and I WOULDN'T LET EQUINOX ROAM FREELY FOR ANOTHER MOMENT. It was too important, and she was too powerful.
"Wait! What the hell just happened?" cried Olivia as she ran to get ahead of me and Jewels.
"First off, don't mention that place in a castle that has millions of demon in it-to some of them, it is their home, but to most it's their prison and punishment for their ancestors defying god in the great war. It's a place, not some curse word or location from some religion. And second, that was magic fear. Now let's keep moving!" I shout-whispered, trying to sound angry without bringing attention. After that, conversation was at a low, leaving me to think about what I had to do. My sister… why did it have to come to this? I knew it was inevitable six centuries ago, when she tried to murder me, and had become a demon. I knew she had been growing restless with the world, and with the constant evil we had to face, but I hadn't expected her to become a psychopathic demon with a blood-lust and urge for revenge. This had all started a little while after she had found Garthrial's mask… She had won a war, destroying most of Garthrial's army with a few strikes, ripping a dragon in half, saving the forces of the northern kingdom from destruction, and becoming the only thing Garthrial feared-until I killed him three years after.
I was snapped back to reality by the sound of charging footsteps. "Crap." I muttered, and Jewels and I grabbed everyone except Olivia, whom slipped away by accident.
"Not good." Jewels said, voicing my thoughts as the rest of us hid. The footsteps suddenly stopped, and we heard a snarling.
"What are you doing unarmed and armorless, demi-demon? We're in the middle of a war!" A voice said, and we watched as Olivia shook around, trying to find an answer.
"Um… I got lost?"
"Yes, most do get lost from time to time, ignore my brother. Take a right, and you'll find the barracks straight ahead, just take a left at the lava baths."
"Ya, Bro is Craaaaazy…"
"No, I am not!"
"Yes, you are"
The three voices were identical in all but tone, and seemed to come from the same figure. It couldn't be…he was dead! I had left his crushed head in a bloody mess, cracked open, with a scared eye!
"T-thank you… um... who are you?" Olivia asked as she tried to back away.
"You, my dear, young, hot lady….Are acting awfully…SPYYYYYYYYY!"
"Damnit, it is him!" I muttered, looking towards Jewels, who had glowing purple hands. We nodded at each other, and I activated my sword, before charging out from the hiding place. Screw not being seen… I was going to kill that bastard. I charged out, Olivia was knocked out being carried away by two demons, and other whom turned their attention to me at once. However, the two carrying Olivia away were quickly killed by large purple snakes made from amethyst, which sunk into the ground, leaving behind black blood and a hand. A few others were killed this same way, but before they could react, I had sprinted through them all. They turned around in shock, the last emotion on their faces, as I held up my blood-drencehd sword.
"Good-bye."
They all fell down to the ground, a bleeding mess, as they had been cut in half or stabbed, and started to rapidly dissolve into a light-blue light.
"Hope to never see you again."
My sword laying forgotten on the ground, I whirled around to face Cerbarium, whom had started backing away.
"S-solstice… heh heh… I...Um... Remember our good times together? Like when you utterly destroyed one of my heads?"
"I don't know how you lived, you bastardous prick…" I said, notching an arrow not at Cerbarium, but a space of hallway near him."… but you have three seconds to run." He got up, his heavy armor weighing him down, and he began running in such a way revealing the kinks in his armor. I let the arrow fly, and it broke his armor in the weak spot where it hit, going clean through him. He fell down and started choking blood as his body dissolved. I didn't care. He was dead after two centuries.
"Three." I said, turning around, where everyone had crowded around Olivia.
"Will she be alright?" Asked Megan, and I simply had to laugh.
"Of course she is, she was just knocked out, not stabbed. Now let's go."
-..-..-..-..—
The long, winding hallway was lit by purple torches which left faint patches of darkness in between the plain wooden doors, each with stone brick arches around its entrance, and symbols above them. They started walking forward, but I stopped them.
"Why are you stopping us?" asked Jerome, looking around to see if some demon lay in wait. Jewels handed me a small round rock which I rolled on the floor. As it rolled, It triggered multiple traps: Dragon breath, poison darts, a trap door, giant axes, black holes, spikes, and forms of torture which shouldn't exist that are too horrible for me to look at. Finally it stopped at the large double oak-wood doors, touching them, before disintegrating into dust as a loud alarm sounded.
"That's why." Jerome said bluntly. But to me, that didn't matter. Nothing but my sister, whom I had to kill, who layed sitting in a throne behind this door.
"Solstice, are you sure you can-"
"Yes, Jewels, I'm sure." I said, turning around to face her. My expression was grim and must've been horrifying to them.
"My sister must die. I know this. Equinox isn't the same person she was hundreds of years ago. She isn't a cute little angel girl I had to take care of anymore; she isn't my smart intelligent sister whom hated demons with a passion, who strived to rid herself of her title of "angel of darkness" and the terrified people whom saw her when she wasn't hiding her wings, believing she was an angel of darkness. She is the biggest threat anyone has ever had to face."
"Wait, she's your SISTER?" Everyone conscious exclaimed before asking shocked questions. I ignored them.
I stormed forward, bursting the doors open to face my sister.
She was all that mattered.
She wasn't my sister anymore.
She was a monster, a demon.
She was a threat to all.
And I had to slay her.
3rd person POV
"EQUINOX!" Roared Solstice as the doors opened.
Carmen was in a cage hanging in the center of the room, and Equinox was standing below her, holding a scimitar made of black steel with a red hilt. She was wearing Blood-red armor with black outlines. The armor covered her neckdown, leaving her face clearly exposed. Hanging from a chain attached near her face, a horrifying black mask hung, with crack lines clearly visible.
"Hello, Brother." She hissed, her voice full of malice as she twirled the sword around, her eyes filled with pure hatred and her body tense.
"Equinox, enough. I don't know what-"
"SILENCE!" She roared, clenching her teeth together and making a horrible grinding sound. Solstice was also tensed up, in a battle ready position, his sword held with both hands trembling slightly from the amount of pressure he was applying. He was ready to attack, as he thought one thing: She must not be allowed to live.
"I don't know WHAT YOU THOUGHT, brother, but it isn't true. I spent a long, long, very painful two centuries banished in hell, forced to wander a blank, dark, grey, stony PRISON, Wearing this armor…and a dirty rag that I used as a cloak… killing anything..Sharpening my skills… waiting... WAITING... For a chance to KILL YOU!" She shouted, her voice trembling with anger, as she grew dangerously close to insanity. They each took a few steps toward each other, tensed in a battle ready state, and they began circling each other.
"Every day, every year, for so long I lost count of how many scars I'd gained…wounds I'd acquired… demons and beast the likes of which take away a mere mortal's sanity, but none of it mattered to me…" She said, choking on her anger for a moment, bloodshot eyes suddenly focusing on Solstice's jacket.
"Constantly, always growing stronger…waiting… imagining how satisfying it would be to splatter your blood at my feet…" She trailed off and started laughing maniacally, completely abandoning her sanity.
"And now, brother, your careless behavior is your downfall! You just carried the last piece of my heart straight to me, completely unprotected by any magical means beyond your physical power!"
She began chanting, and Solstice's jacket suddenly glowed, before it faded. Instead a red glow had dispersed before Equinox, who had dropped her sword as Solstice could only watch helplessly as she regained her heart, her sword, and destroyed her banishment.
Inside the red glow, as Equinox chanted, a jagged piece of rock hovered, as above and below it shattered pieces of a sword appeared before lowering and raising themselves onto the rock. With a flash of red light, the sword had repaired itself, and Equinox removed from the air her sword and heart, the legendary Hell Razor.
"Now then, brother, why don't we drop these … mortal forms? My heart is repaired! The masks power can now be controlled, and I can resume my demon form, for I am whole again!"
"Let's, dear sister Katherine."
At this, Equinox hissed at her real name being used. Behind them, you could hear Jerome and the others snickering a bit.
"ENOUGH! Let the final battle commence!" Roared Equinox, as flames slowly flickered around her.
"A demon's might
With my power unbound,
Relinquish this mortal body
And show my true form!"
"The lords of heaven and earth
Man and angel, separate and the same
Undo the work, and reveal my power
In My true form!"
There was a deep rumbling, felt across time and space, as crimson flames formed a circle around Equinox, and cobalt flames around Solstice. They shot up, whirling around in tornados of multi-colored fire, as the very earth trembled in fear at the epic powers at work. The room was bathed in light, as the tornados flashed with light, blinding everyone, before they couldn't see a thing as the room was shrouded in unimaginable darkness and despair. When their sight had been regained, all could see the tornados were slowly decreasing down to the ground, revealing Solstice and Equinox.
Solstice had large white wings sprouting from his back that flapped as his entire body glowed with a white light, radiating hope and purity, as he slowly levitated off the ground, his sword, the legendary Heaven's Grace, glowed a shade of blue so bright it was blinding. His blue eyes glowed, and his entire body crackled with lightning as the air was filled with magic.
Equinox's face had been drained with all color, her brown eyes replaced with red eyes that glowed, her lifeless stare cold and horrible. She was flying in the air, her massive bat-like wings flapping behind her, as she held her sword, the legendary glowing red energy scimitar drawing the happiness and light out of the air even more so than equinox herself did as her long brown hair wavered in the self-created breeze, fear radiating from every inch of her body.
"One final dance, brother dearest?" Equinox asked, her voice dipped in fake kindness.
"Let's." Solstice said, a cold expression on his face.
And much to everyone's surprise, they began to sing.
"Weeee are the eternal siblings
The ones whom install fear and dread
The ones the world clings to
We, the ones who protect the world
Light and darkness,
Working together we are strong,
One but never together…"
As they sung, they fought. They vanished from the spots they were in with a blur of motion, leaving behind streaks of blue or red light, sparks appearing in the air mysteriously. They would appear for seconds as their blades connected, at different locations. Equinox blocking, then striking before they vanished…Solstice hitting Equinox with a rapid flurry of slashes, and then vanish…Solstice's wings curled up defensively, blocking a slash before he ,descending from his wings sudden stop, flew upwards a sudden slash with plenty of force brought to Equinox, but vanish… This process, repeating, each time appearing further away in random and erotic patterns, as they fought, blades connecting or being blocked, quick attacks, large slashes which projected energy slashes which traveled across the room…and as they did so, bleeding wounds would appear not visible the previous time they had appeared, before they both landed, their song still going strong.
"I am the hero,
The hero of light
My strength shall not fade,
Nor my courage, nor my legacy
All shall rejoice, for their savoir has arrived
Cheer and rejoice, all those pure of heart
Your savior is here…"
Equinox took the mask on the chain, and placing it on her face, a large explosion occurred, causing Solstice to wave away the smoke and cough as Equinox flew at him, and he just barely avoided her attack by jumping backwards. He trusted his sword forward, landing a hit on Equinox that was altogether ineffective as it just sparked against her armor. They then initiated in hand-to-hand combat, punching and Equinox in the jaw, stunning her, allowing him to thrust his hand against her armor, which crackled as a large laser blast emanated from his hand, launching Equinox away from him in a loud explosion. He was forced backwards from the blast, and Equinox was blasted to her throne, which promptly exploded in an aftereffect of the attack, causing the area to be covered in dust. However, twelve feet above the ground, glowing red serpentine eyes appeared, and the dust cloud ignited. Solstice's body was surrounded by a whirlwind that died down, leaving him in white armor that could barely be distinguishable in size from his demon slayer clothes. He still wore his mask, and his sword was replaced with a blue energy staff a meter and a half long.
"All who have sinned
All those impure of heart
Shall drop their weapon and run,
For the savoir is here
I am here to save the day
All those who are cursed,
Shall rejoice
For their saving grace has arrived…"
From the dying flames, multiple fireballs came out, aimed at Solstice, who jumped into the air, the fireballs missing him but hitting the ground, leaving large scorch marks. As he jumped, another fireball came from the firecloud, hitting him dead-center in the chest, launching him backwards, where he hit the wall just above the entrance, causing Jewels and everyone else to scatter. Solstice was laying on the floor, but he got up, grabbing his weapon which had fallen next to him, and tensed up ready for Equinox's next, the entire fire cloud suddenly dispersed, revealing a large black draconian wearing Equinox's armor- A large hulking body with rippling black scales, a spiked tail, a black mask covering the eye section of its dragon face with glowing red eyes, and glowing twin energy scimitars.
"I, the champion of the darkness
The harshness of the world,
And evil incarnate
All who see my weep and run
For terror is in my essence
I am here to overpower,
Here to cause despair
Yet I am here to save the day…"
Equinox, in her beastial demon form, the draconian, used her wings as a push to attack solstice than the human eye could see, only stopping her attack when Solstice stopped both scimitars with his staff, before pushing them away, causing Equinox to stumble backwards. Kicking her, she was barely moved by the attack before he thrusted his staff at her head, hitting dead center, causing her body to smoke where it came into contact, before he rapidly hit her, knocking her around and causing her body to smoke when it came into contact with her scales. She sweeped her tail around, knocking Solstice off his feet, where she stabbed him with one of her scimitars, holding it with him impaled on it as she discarded her other sword and punched him with a flaming hand, launching him a few feet, painfully dragging his body out. Solstice just stood up again, growling, as his body glowed, wounds healing, his wings vanishing, as his entire body became blue and transparent. His sword had vanished, but his right hand was wispy before slowly forming into a blade. Blinking behind Equinox, he stabbed his hand-sword into the ground, causing a large energy shockwave to occur, starting at Equinox's feet. Equinox roared, standing up and fire blasts hitting Solstice, going through his body, but nevertheless harming him, as he winced in pain.
"The world shall burn before me,
Eternally wrapped in my shadowy protection
Light cannot be without darkness
But darkness can be without light
The two heroes, brother and sister
Me and solstice
The eternal angels,
Forever condemned to our fates…"
Equinox began to tear at Solstice, whom dodged all of her attacks creating a blue energy slash that flew at Equinox, burning her up. Regardless of the pain she was in, equinox turned to face the battle-worn solstice, covered in his and equinoxes blood, with torn armor, as he had left his previous form and returned to his angel state, with armor and his sword. His body glowed purple as an amethyst gem appeared in the center of his armor, and it slowly turned to a brighter more silver color, and it slowly coated his body, becoming something that might remind one of a dragon. A silver dragon helmet appeared, shrouding his face in shadows, except for his glowing eyes, which were now glowing a purple color His wings now resembled metallic dragon wings, and he had sprouted a silver dragon tail. His entire body glowed a faint purple light as purple lightning crackled between his fingers, which now resembled silver dragon claws, with seamless metallic perfection, for he had taken on the second most powerful form he possessed, silver dragon therantium, whom rarely had to actually use the sword to end a battle.
"Weeeee are the eternal siblings,
Light and darkness
Eternally at war,
Yet together as one
We are the eternal ones,
Chosen champions of light and dark
Good and evil, chaos and order
For eternity we fight with each other
And for eternity against each other
Eternally at war yet together,
Brother and sister,
Good and evil,
Fighting for our lord,
Fighting to change the world,
For better or worst…"
Equinox, changing her form once again to resemble a red-scaled 20 foot tall beast with three tails, three horns on her head, 3 pairs of eyes,6 arms, each with a different magical spell of total destruction in it, the tails tipped with black spikes that could pierce the strongest metals,
"We know our fates
Yet we continue to fight,
Knowing what will happen
Knowing that we will win, or we will loose..."
Unleashing his sword, Solstice slashed at Equinox, causing a large splash of black acidic blood as he hit, barely missing her heart…
"I still fight,
I the eternal light know my fate…
I refuse to stop fighting,
I the eternal darkness know my fate…"
The three tails all swung onto Solstice, hitting him in the vital points of an angel, the spells being unleashed upon him, destroying his armor as he returned to his natural angel form, the tails slowly being pulled out from his body, blue blood slowly dripping onto the floor as equinox returned to her demon form, smirking as she watched her brother slump down onto the floor bleeding…
"We accept our fates,
We still fight,but try to defy it
In the end… it is INEVITABLE!"
Equinox laughed as she finished her song, believing her foolish brother to finally be dead after the millennia he'd spent alive. But it wasn't over –both Solstice's life and the song.
"And sometimes…
We just..
DEFY FATE!"
Solstice shouted, finally finishing the song as he pulled out a gem that fit into his hand, which glowed a intense blue light that engulfed everyone in the room- Solstice and Equinox, Jewels and Mitch and everyone else, even Carmen. They were temporarily blinded, and felt as though they were being suck by a strong force, like their bodies were being compressed, felt a loud popping as pressure was exerted onto their bodies. They had been teleported to…
...A magical world full of rainbows and unicorns. Just kidding!
We'll tell you next time, and hopefully it'll be updated within a week.
As for now, we have a challenge for you. When this series ends, we weary to do a question and answer.
We need you guys to leave us questions in the reviews or PM us. Ask the characters or even us! They can be normal or crazy. For example: How many PM's have been exchanged since we first starting taking to each other?
*cough* 789 *cough* Anyways, thanks for reading this extremely long chapter. See you guys soon!
