Fractured – Chapter 11

Grabbing his Blue Rose Sword in both hands, Eugeo rushed in for a direct attack against Renly. Using a Horizontal attack, he sliced his blade parallel to the ground, nearly bisecting the boy knight. Renly arched his body back into two backflips, landing quickly on his feet, withdrawing his Twin Wing Blades. Arms extended, he twirled the blades between his fingers. He knew he wasn't supposed to engage in battle against Eugeo, but orders be damned.

Eugeo dropped low in his attack stance, then thrust his sword forward, using a Vorpal Strike. Quickly bringing up his blades, Renly crossed them in front of him in for an effective block. Clang! Sparks flew as the two weapons made contact. The two then leapt away from another, each landing deftly back on their feet.

Renly pulled his arms behind him, readying to throw his daggers, while Eugeo casually swung his sword around with his wrist. The boy Knight sent his daggers flying towards Eugeo, their blades deadly sharp. Eugeo knocked them to either side quickly with a flick of his sword. The blonde then raised his sword back, atop his shoulder, then launched into a Sonic Leap, covering the distance between them instantly. Eugeo brought his sword down with such force, Renly felt his teeth vibrate from the impact. He was hit hard in the shoulder. His armor was tough, but it took some heavy damage. It was fine though as Renly stared smugly up at Eugeo.

The blonde raised a brow, then hissed as Renly's daggers dug themselves into his back. They cut deeply into Eugeo's flesh, embedding themselves in his skin and muscles. He staggered on his feet, coughing out blood.

"I didn't order them to pierce anything vital, as you are to be kept alive," Renly said flatly.

Eugeo wiped at the blood on his lips, then smiled up at Renly, his fangs glinting. "You think that'll stop me?"

Renly stepped back, confusion on his face. Eugeo turned slightly, giving the boy Knight a better view as his precious blades began to be encased in a thick sheet of ice. "Damn it!" sidestepping Eugeo, Renly went to pull at his weapons, barely setting them free before they became permanently frozen.

Once removed, ice covered his wounds, healing Eugeo completely. He stood up to his full height, glowering at Renly.

Renly hopped backwards, then crossed his blades in front of his body. Green circles of sacred power flickered outwards from his daggers. "Fine, we'll try a different approach," he growled. "Release Recollection!" He tossed the two blades forward, the two fusing into one. They spun rapidly, headed towards Eugeo's chest.

Eugeo took his sword and began to twirl it, his fingers acting as a pivot as it spun faster and faster. It was spinning so rapidly; it was as if the sword had turned into a shield of light. Renly's blade hit Eugeo's shield, grinding hard into it. Although it did slow down the attack, Renly's spinning blade soon broke through the shield. Eugeo was able to swiftly deflect the deadly blade over his shoulder, sending it careening into a nearby tree. However, it left a long, deep cut along Eugoe's flesh, blood dripping down his arm. The weapon stuck fast before separating back into its original two pieces. They dropped to ground, dull and cracked.

"You bastard," Renly muttered, fists tightening at his sides. He never let emotions rule him, but he was extremely pissed about his Twin-Wing blades. He took a heavy step towards Eugeo, when he was halted by a cold pressure around his foot. He was startled as ice began crawling its way up his body. It slithered and wrapped itself around Renly's small frame, stopping just short of his head and shoulders. He struggled against the ice, but it was thick, heavy, and very, very cold. His breath came out in labored puffs.

Eugeo stalked up to Renly. As he got closer, his wounds were healed by more ice. Eugeo rolled his shoulder, checking it to make sure it was back to normal.

Approaching Renly, Eugeo raised his sword up against the Knight's throat.

"Kirito wouldn't be too happy if you killed me," Renly deadpanned.

"Kirito?" Eugeo blinked.

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"Cameras feeds are set up on their loops," Yui fluttered around on Asuna's phone. "The STL beds ready to go as well."

Asuna and Alice went to lie down on their STL beds, prepping themselves for their journey.

Sinon crossed her arms, "We were fortunate to sneak past security."

"Please find and help my brother," Sugu clasped onto Asuna's hand.

"I will," Asuna nodded.

"Let us get going," Alice cut in. She was eager to return to her homeland. She missed her golden armor and Osmanthius sword.

"Remember, once you're in the Underworld, you can only log out from a console," said Yui. "I can only sense two, one far up north in Rulid, and the other is at the top of Central Cathedral in Centoria. As for when you first arrive, I'm not sure exactly where you'll both drop in."

"Don't worry, Yui," Asuna reassured the young pixie. "Wherever we end up, it'll be fine."

Closing their eyes, Asuna and Alice's souls were transported into the Underworld.

Sinon looked wary.

"What is it?" Sugu asked her.

"I can't help wondering," Sinon replied, a frown crossing her face, "was this too easy?"

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When they opened their eyes, Asuna and Alice were standing right outside the capital city of Centoria.

"I am so happy to be back," Alice smiled warmly.

Asuna wasn't so sure she felt the same. "Where should we start?" she said anxiously.

"Let's go inside Central Cathedral. Lady Fanatio took over for Bercouli after he passed. If anyone were to know the status of the Star King, it would be her," Alice said. Eyeing the people around her, she couldn't help but detect a layer of wariness and fear that seemed to blanket the streets. "Something is amiss," she murmured. "We need to find out what's been happening." She picked up the pace and they headed towards Central Cathedral.

Alice strode up the front steps with purpose, and pushed open the heavy doors into the main floor of the Cathedral.

"Alice!" Fanatio stood up from her desk.

Alice went to hug her superior, surprise crossing over Fanatio's face.

"This is unexpected," Fanatio murmured. She then glanced up at Asuna, giving a curt nod. "Lady Asuna."

"I've missed this place, its people, everything, so much," Alice whispered. She could feel tears threatening to fall down her cheeks.

Fanatio stroked Alice's hair. "There, there. You're back now."

"Fanatio, where is Kirito?" Asuna asked, her brown eyes wide.

"He is out on a survey mission with Leina and Renly," Fanatio replied.

"Where? I want to go see him now!" Asuna stated impatiently.

"It's not that simple," Fanatio stated. "There's much to fill you both in on."

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Ronye and Tiese were in the great library with Cardinal. They'd been pouring over books for the past two days, trying to find something, anything, that would be helpful in learning about Synthesis Zero.

"There's nothing," Ronye said, disappointed.

"We just have to keep looking," Tiese said determinedly.

Cardinal was researching with them. She'd been through all her programs and administrative rights, but was also turning up with nothing. She sat thoughtfully. Stories were passed down by word of mouth through generations, but they usually were based on some facts. She'd told Kirito and Renly all she knew about Zero's past, the problem was, there seemed to be nothing about stopping him should he ever escape. She sent her mouth into a grim line. There was only one person who had those answers.

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Renly saw Eugeo's eyes turn green and soften, but only for an instant.

Ah, yes, Kirito. The one who lied to you. Used you. Then let you to die.

Eugeo stepped back, his hands gripping the sides of his head. He closed his eyes as emotions of hate, jealousy, anger, envy, and loneliness consumed him. Blue tendrils slithered across his skin, pulsing and glowing. He grit his teeth, his fangs cutting into his lips.

Renly was shocked at the amount of power charging the air. He'd never encountered anything like it. Truthfully, it scared him, but he'd never admit to it. Instead, he chose to focus on what was happening before him. He could clearly see that Eugeo was trying to fight against Synthesis Zero. That was good. The bad part was, he seemed to be losing, and fast. If they wanted to help Eugeo, they were running out of time.

While Eugeo fought with his own demons, literally, Renly began to call on his sacred power. He murmured the commands as his fingers were heating up with fire. Slowly, the ice was beginning to melt around his hand, his fingers slowly regaining feeling. He cautiously flexed them, then readied to call out the attack command. With Eugeo distracted, this was the best chance he'd get. "Flame Tornado!" he called out. A giant whirlwind of fire was sent directly towards Eugeo.

Renly didn't care if his attack actually worked, he just needed a distraction so he could wiggle out of the ice block he was stuck in. After a few bursts of heat elements, and squirming against the ice, it began to crack and shatter. He punched through it, and rolled away from Eugeo. He headed towards where his twin winged blades lie on the ground, and quickly picked them up. He checked their statis windows, alarmed by how low they were. He placed them back in their sheaths at his hips, and decided retreating was probably in his best interest. Before he could get far, he was slammed into the tree behind him.

Renly was panting hard, the force of hitting that tree enough to crack a few ribs. It hurt to breathe, each intake of breath felt like a dagger through his lungs. As the steam cleared, he saw Eugeo approaching him. Ice covered his wounds, repairing burnt flesh. The blonde soon loomed over Renly, icy blue eyes narrowing. Eugeo crouched down, then placed his hand over Renly's heart. The chains along his hands began to glow, sacred power sliding from them into Renly. Renly's eyes widened as he felt his body growing cold. Frost began to form along his skin, his blood beginning to crystalize.

"Where is he?" Eugeo threatened softly.

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Leina and I had just approached the gates to Rulid when I heard Selka call out my name.

"Kirito!" She emerged from the nearby woods, and flung herself around me, arms holding me tight.

"Selka?" relief was thick in my voice, knowing she was still alive. I returned her hug with one of my own. We released each other, then looked at the frozen gates, hanging halfway open on their hinges. I couldn't see much of what the inside looked like, but if the doors were any indication, the outlook was pretty grim. Nearby, I could see the icy form of an older man, who I knew to be Gasupht. Try as I might, I couldn't feel much for the guy, knowing that he'd help sell my best friend.

I braced myself for the truth. "Did Eugeo do this?"

"I can't say I blame him," Selka replied quietly.

I crossed my arms. Eugeo never really told me much about his family or his home life. I tried to ask a few times, but he always evaded the questions or shifted topics. I had a good home, other than the fact that I found out my real parents were killed in a car crash days after I was born. My aunt had taken me in, and it was through her that my love of computers and gaming grew. Before my confrontation with Orrick, I had never met Eugeo's parents, or his siblings, and he'd never seen eager to introduce me.

"Selka, do you know where Eugeo is now?" Leina asked, squatting down in front of the younger girl.

"He was headed towards his house," said Selka.

"Did he hurt you?" I asked, my mouth dry.

"Not really," she replied, eyes averted.

There was more, but I wasn't going to push her. "Did you see a Knight come this way?"

"Yes, a young one, he was dressed in green. I tried to stop him from going in, but he insisted."

Damn it Renly. You should've waited for us. "Stay here." I said, then sidestepped her.

"Wait," Selka cried.

I glanced back over my shoulder.

"Don't hurt him," Selka whispered.

I turned towards her, then knelt down. Pulling her close, I kissed the top of her head. "Remember when I promised that me, Eugeo, and your sister would return together? Well, I'm still holding onto that promise."

Selka's cheeks flushed. "Be careful."

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Making our way over the small bridge that led into Rulid, Leina and I slipped inside the gates. We had to move carefully as everything was covered in a thick sheet of ice. Leina reached out to hold my hand, holding onto me tight as we quietly and cautiously made our way through the village. I could hear her soft gasps as we saw people and animals turned into ice statues. People didn't even have time to react as most were forever captured doing their daily tasks.

We could see our breaths coming out in small puffs as we walked. Neither of us said anything, the shock of everything still being absorbed. It was eerily quiet.

"Do you know where Eugeo's house is?" Leina asked me.

"Yeah," I glowered, remembering my encounter with Orrick days earlier. "Come on."

We continued across the town square, the church frozen over. I could see the icy forms of Sister Azalia and other sisters of the sacred arts, frozen like statues outside on the front steps. They were always up early. More townspeople were stuck as well, merchants setting up behind their booths to begin their day, patrons walking along the streets.

"Kirito?" Leina asked hesitantly. "Do you think they'll all…"

I shook my head. I quickened my pace, trying not to make eye contact with all the glassy eyed stares that seemed to be following us, accusing us of being alive while they're…honestly, I didn't know what they were. We continued through the residential part of the village. Homes were covered in ice, gardens, farm animals, pets, people, everything. I placed my hand on a dog's head, frozen, waiting for its master who may never come. I pulled it away quickly. It was so cold.

We soon approached Eugeo's house, or at least, what was left of it. In its place, was now a rubble of ice.

"Do you think his parents were inside?" Leina asked quietly.

Before I could respond, we saw a huge tornado of fire just off to our left. We quickly headed towards it, weapons drawn and ready.

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Synthesis Zero could feel himself growing stronger and stronger inside Eugeo. Continuing to twist and amplify his negative emotions was fueling him faster than even he thought possible. His descendant had a lot of personal issues, which benefitted him. It would not be long before he had complete control of Eugeo. Things seemed to be going smoothly, though that annoying Knight was like a cockroach, never wanting to die. He'd used a lot of sacred power with the constant healing from his various attacks. Now, as he stared through Eugeo's eyes, he saw the life quickly fading from the boy Knight in front of him. It'd be another of Pontifex's toys, destroyed. How wonderful.

He felt Eugeo subconsciously scratch at the leather strap around his neck. Scowling, Synthesis Zero's mood darkened quickly. There was always the threat of what that collar could do should someone uncover the truth about it. No matter how strong, everyone had a weakness.

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Tiese looked up from her book and saw Cardinal headed out of the library. "Where's she going?" she thought to herself. Getting up from her chair, she stretched her arms and back. Glancing over, she saw her friend Ronye, engrossed in a book, muttering to herself. Leaving Ronye, Tiese quietly slipped out of the library, following Cardinal at a safe distance.

Cardinal continued down various hallways, zigging and zagging, until she approached a locked door. It was sealed with a strange emblem. She held up her hand, and there was a glow from the door. There was a soft click, and then the door silently opened. Cardinal looked back over her shoulder, glancing to make sure no one was following and hurried into the room.

The door began to close, and without a second thought, Tiese slid inside. She silently slipped into the shadows, flattening herself against the wall. It was dark inside, the only light coming from sort of strange box atop a pedestal. Just what was that?

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At the far end of the village, Leina and I found Renly and Eugeo. Renly's golden eyes were dulled, but they saw us, giving us some hope. Eugeo caught Renly looking towards us, and slowly rose to his feet. He turned to face us, ice swirling in his hand as his Blue Rose Sword materialized into view.

"Eugeo…" I began, my eyes burning with tears. I was overjoyed at seeing my best friend alive. I took a step forward.

"Kirito," Leina warned.

I placed my sword on the ground in a truce, then slowly made my way, as nonthreatening as I could, towards my best friend. He regarded me warily, his own sword lowered at his side. Tendrils of blue swirled around his body, his eyes were icy blue, and were those, fangs? As I got within arm's length, I reached out cautiously, placing my hands against his chest, followed by my face. I could feel how cold he was. My hands formed into fists at the injustice of everything that had happened to my best friend.

"I've missed you so much," I murmured, tears flowing down my cheeks. I couldn't get enough of him. Pulling back slightly, I went to wrap my arms around him in a tight embrace. "All that's happened to you, I swear, I'll fix it."

Eugeo didn't react to me at all, merely standing there, motionless.

I had envisioned a dozen ways how our reunion would go, but the silent treatment was not one of them. "Eugeo, please, say something," I whispered anxiously.

"Don't touch me," said Eugeo, an angry edge to his voice that I had never heard before.

My eyes went wide.

Eugeo roughly removed my hands from around him then shoved me away. Raising his sword, he leveled it at me.

"What are you doing?" I asked in shock.

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Leina meanwhile, slunk around the opposite direction, heading towards Renly. Her eyes darted between me and Eugeo, then back to Renly. Approaching carefully, she crouched down, her hands glowing softly with a heat element. As Renly's body warmed, clarity came back into his eyes, before they widened in a panic. "Shh, it's okay, it's me," said Leina.

"Where's Kirito?" Renly asked anxiously.

"He's over there, with Eugeo," Leina gestured with a quick head tilt.

"He needs to get away from him," Renly urged. He awkwardly got to his feet. He stretched out his limbs in attempt to get the blood flowing again.

"Why did you go ahead of us?" Leina muttered in irritation. "You were nearly killed," she hissed.

"I…" Renly began, then faltered.

"Leina softened, "Later."

Renly nodded stiffly, then looked over to where Kirito and Eugeo were facing each other.

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Eugeo narrowed his eyes at me, his pupils dilating into mere slits. Swinging his sword, he slashed it at me. I barely dodged in time, his sword leaving a deep gash along my cheek. I rose my hand slowly up to it, my fingers touching the hot blood that started to trickle down. I was stunned. We'd never drawn blood from each other before. Looking at Eugeo, I could see the only words we'd exchange moving forward would be though our swords. I carefully stepped back from my best friend, back to where my own sword lay on the ground. Eugeo watched me like a hawk.

"Now!" Renly shouted to my right.

Leina leapt up, her back arching as she started the combo for an ally attack. While I was in front of Eugeo, Leina was to his left, and Renly to his right. Each of us would take a turn and attack him consecutively, without giving Eugeo a chance to retaliate. Leina struck Eugeo first with her High Norika style attack. Her sword swung downwards, striking him with brute force through a single cut, slashing deep into Eugeo. Renly was up next, flipping backwards, then throwing his twin winged blades forcefully, their dangerously sharp blades cutting into Eugeo with even more aggression. I was to go last, my body caught up in the movement of the system and finishing the combo. As I rose up into the air, I could see the damage counter for Eugeo escalating. It seemed that our combined attack could actually do some real damage. I didn't know what his life points consisted of, but I couldn't take the chance. I swung my sword, my will intentionally low, barely shaving off any life points.

Eugeo staggered backwards, blood flowing from the heavy damage he'd sustained from my partners attacks. I had to admit, they were a force to be reckoned with. Eugeo's eyes flashed icy blue. "This was merely a warmup. The main event will be in Centoria." A freezing wind kicked up around him, knocking the three of us backwards. Within seconds, he was just…gone.

I stood staring blankly at where my best friend had been, my mind trying to process everything that had happened. That is, until Renly punched me in the face.

"You missed on purpose." Renly growled. He waited for a snappy comeback, but I was too shocked to reply. "He's not your friend anymore," Renly spat. "Look at what he's done."

"…"

"Even so," Leina cut in, "We need you to attack with us, Kirito. We all could see his damage counter during our ally attack. His healing abilities were having a tough time keeping up. Though he did seem to be half-heartedly trying to do so," she finished thoughtfully.

"Wait a minute, do you think he wanted us to try and finish him off?" Renly placed a hand on his hip.

"I don't know," Leina placed a hand on her chin. "We need to regroup. Let's get back to Centoria and share with Fanatio what we learned in the field. Maybe the girls will have discovered something in their research too. Renly, can you go get Selka? We'll take her back with us."

Renly nodded curtly, then narrowed his eyes at me. I matched his glower with one of my own. He headed back towards the front gates.

After he left, I sank to my hands and knees, then hit the ground with my fist. Hot, angry tears fell, dampening the ground beneath me. I curled in on myself, so many emotions flooding through me. Leina sat down next to me, doing her best to console me. I had never felt so lost, hurt, confused, and rejected.

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Asuna was trying to keep herself busy with paperwork for the Human Counsel but was failing miserably. She could not wait for Kirito to get back. She needed to see him, know that he was alright.

Meanwhile, Alice was pacing back and forth on the other side of the room, deep in her thoughts. She was also eager to talk with Kirito. Although her memories of Eugeo were practically non-existent, she could never imagine him causing such harm and destruction to the Human Realm. If he was such a problem, it was her job to take care of it.

Fanatio didn't want them leaving to go after Kirito. She had ordered them to remain in the Cathedral, until they came back from Rulid. Neither girl liked it, but they had no choice.

"Grr…this is impossible," Asuna slapped her papers on her desk. "I can't stand doing nothing while Kirito is out there. We're supposed to be a team."

"I can assure you both Renly and Leina are capable of being Kirito's teammates," Alice said briskly. "He doesn't need you specifically."

"Let me remind you that he's my boyfriend, and we're going to be engaged soon," Asuna said through gritted teeth.

"Maybe he should reconsider," Alice shrugged.

"Are you challenging me?" Asuna stood up quickly, knocking her chair back.

"Ladies, please," Fanatio strode into the room. "Fighting amongst ourselves is rather counterproductive. I have just received word from Renly that they are on their way back from Rulid and should arrive within a weeks time. Until then, we prep the city and its people without causing a panic. For it seems like Eugeo, or rather, Synthesis Zero, has a vendetta against the capital."

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End chapter 11