Author's Note: OK, I stand corrected. People like Rayen. Mwaha. Good, for
he is the main character and stuff. So yeah.
Yes, Eclipse is cold-blooded and can't think for himself, but that's hardly his fault. The people who cloned him from Shade edited his brain, taking all that stuff out. They designed him to kill, essentially, and he is physically and mentally unable to disobey. He just can't do it. Period.
As for the whole Dragoon army thing, you're exaggerating when you say millions. There's a big difference between a couple hundred and a few million. Every time a Dragon dies, a Spirit is made, right? Well, there have to be quite a few Dragons dying over the history of Endiness, and each of those Spirits have their individual owners. It's really just simple logic. Besides, when you think about two or three hundred Dragoons in perspective with seven billion people, there's only about one Dragoon for every twenty-five million people or something like that. They're still pretty rare, when you put it all in perspective.
Keep in mind that the army is made up of every thing that ever lived in the past twelve thousand years. Rayen and the gang have been fighting the weakest part of the army, like animals and whatnot. The opposition is attempting to wear the Dragoons down with their incredibly superior numbers. Once all the weaker peons are dead, we'll get to see the humans and the Winglies and all them. As for no central leader, every army has got to have a general, doesn't it?
The Dragons are living in their respective lairs. They aren't joining the war because they're trying to repopulate the Dragon race on Endiness.
Meh, a guy takes a break for a few days and gets pushed off the first page. Harumph.
Chapter 59
Nobody paid much attention to him as he made his way through the crowded streets. Although he seemed a little old to be constantly attempting to keep up with modern fashion, nobody was very concerned. Just another person imitating a Dragoon, they judged by his attire. Deningrad had more than its fair share of oddballs. Nothing about him seemed particularly ominous.
Eclipse entered the front gates of the Crystal Palace. There was no real need for stealth here. In fact, some thought he actually was Shade without his mask. Thus, he was able to pass into the actual castle without any difficulty at all. Eclipse felt his pulse race as he moved through the crystalline corridors. Finally, after ten days of journeying across the land and months of being poked, prodded, and examined in that lab, it all came down to this.
Shade was hardly difficult to track. By reaching into the pool of darkness that was his natural element, Eclipse was able to locate all the beings in his immediate vicinity with an abnormal magical output. Naturally, because there were so many Dark Dragoons congregated in Deningrad, he received a great deal of feedback, but there was one that stood out, far greater than the others. That was most obviously his target. With a private smirk, he followed the trail that his prey had unwittingly laid out for him.
Eclipse pushed through the door leading into the meeting room where Shade was located. Taking a brief look inside, he cursed beneath his breath. All eight of the other Dragoons were with him! He had been warned during mission briefing that these comrades might attempt to stop him. He had been hoping to find the Dark Dragoon alone.
Of course, this was only a minor problem. Eclipse doubted the others would interfere if he proposed a duel or something of the sort. He walked slowly and deliberately towards the Dragoons, not wanting to cause unnecessary clamor. The male Eclipse had been told was the leader spotted him first. The reaction was instantaneous. His eyes first opened wide in surprise and shock, then narrowed, and his hands automatically switched positions, his right fleeing to the hilt of the sword on his back, his left reaching into his pocket, obviously for a Dragoon Spirit.
Disturbed by their leader's reaction, the rest of the Dragoons turned to look at the newcomer. Two of the others had much the same reaction as the first; the others looked merely confused. However, they all turned to study Shade's reaction. They saw something that they thought they would never glimpse in their entire lives. The Dark Dragoon's brown eyes were wide in stark uncomprehending disbelief.
Drawing the Violet Dragoon's attention from the shocked Shade and the duplicate that had come to assassinate him, Rayen gestured frantically to Kyra. The middle of the Crystal Palace was hardly the best place for this meeting. The Wingly nodded, and the group was whisked away on the winds of magic. They reappeared on the snowy grasslands of Millie Seaseu, far from the public eye. They would not want this information to get out.
By this point, Shade had regained his composure. He tried to feign indifference, but it was clear the sight of Eclipse had him shaken up. However, his voice remained gruff. "What the hell is this?"
Rayen cleared his throat before answering. "Well, he's a..."
Eclipse's voice throughout the frosty air as he interrupted. "I am capable of speaking for myself. I am your replacement."
Rayen was sure that if Shade's eyebrows were visible, they would be raised.
Eclipse continued. "My creator's experimentation on you was vastly unsuccessful. Therefore, they used some of your unaltered DNA to create me to amend their failure. You are therefore obsolete, so I was sent to kill you and replace you for the benefit of your comrades."
Shade visibly flinched at the harsh words, but retained at least the outward appearance of calm. He turned to Rayen and the others. "Did you know about this?"
Sean moved forward to speak. "Well, we were going to tell..."
Rayen cut him off. He did not feel there was a need for excuses. "We wanted you to your mind on fighting."
Shade nodded, seeming to accept that answer. It was only part of the truth, and Rayen was sure Shade knew that, but it made no difference. Eclipse drew his blades, poising to strike, but Shade folded his arms and made no move. "I will not fight."
Rayen growled and drew his own sword. "Fine. Then I will."
"No."
Rayen looked backwards at Shade, puzzled. "What?"
"Don't fight him."
"Well then what the hell do you suggest we do about him? He's not just going to stand there picking posies!"
Shade readied his weapons in response, and both Dark Dragoons reached for their Spirits. Phil looked on in confusion. "Wait a second, I thought he said he wasn't fighting. What's he transforming for?"
Rayen shrugged. "When I finally figure Shade out, I'll make sure to let you know."
As soon as his transformation completed, Eclipse lunged, blades flashing. Shade met them with his own weapons, but did not counter. He dodged the next blow, staying out of reach. Eclipse fired a bolt of dark magic, but Shade merely ducked beneath it. Every time Eclipse attacked, Shade avoided. Despite all his obvious opportunities, Shade never fought back.
Rayen watched the battle with interest. He realized what Shade was doing. He was wearing Eclipse down. He was expending very little energy by parrying and dodging Eclipse, while his opponent was hurling himself at Shade to no avail. But if he wasn't fighting back, what was the point?
Eclipse pulled back. Damn it, he thought. This wasn't supposed to happen. Because Shade was not fighting back, Eclipse had no opportunity to gain the upper hand. He sliced downwards with his serrated blade, but Shade sidestepped the stroke. Thrusting in with his longer blade, he cursed inwardly as Shade's weapons blocked his sword.
Eclipse withdrew his blades, circling around his foe. Panting, he considered his options. There was really no choice but continue fighting and hope Shade would slip up, giving him a chance to finish him off once and for all. He lunged inwards, his swords flashing above his head. Finally, Shade saw what he was waiting for. Ducking beneath the weapons, his gloved hand shot up and seized hold of Eclipse's forehead, and Shade reached deep into the shadowy corners of his tortured past.
Eclipse let out a harsh bellow and grabbed hold of Shade's hand, trying to pry the Dark Dragoon's fingers loose. At first, Rayen thought Shade was attacking Eclipse's mind magically, but the way Shade closed his eyes, and the haunted look on Eclipse's face, erased that possibility. Rayen saw Shade's free hand clench, as if it pained him as well. Finally, Rayen realized what was happening. Shade was transferring his mind to Eclipse. Shade was giving back all the memories, thoughts, and emotions that Eclipse's creators had taken from him.
Rayen seriously doubted it was a pleasant experience.
Eclipse yelled in agony once again as images flooded his mind. He saw villages pillaged and burnt; charred bodies flung every which way amid the chaos. He watched as pitifully malnourished children covered in dust starved as they waited for their parents who would never return. He observed as prisoners were brutally tortured for paltry information. Then, finally, he looked on as his own body was destroyed, twisted and damaged beyond repair in the name of 'science'. These hellish visions shifted and merged before his eyes, until he thought he would explode from the sheer anguish of it all.
Then the pain receded. Opening his eyes, he saw Shade's hand leaving his temples. The pain was gone, yes, but the images were not. They lingered on, accompanied by a sort of dull ache. Eclipse knew they would never leave, no matter how hard he tried to erase them. Slowly, with hands that convulsed and shook, Eclipse scooped up his weapons and his Spirit, returning them to their proper places.
He remained on his knees, shuddering. New things surged in his mind, fear, sorrow, and anger. But with those feelings came free will. He was no longer shackled to the whims of those that had made him. Eclipse glanced up once more at Shade, who stood there, his eyes filled with some indescribable emotion. Then he scrambled off into the snowy grass, stumbling on all fours like some sort of half-crazed animal.
Shade's Dragoon armor faded, and he returned his swords to their respective sheaths. He said nothing for a very long time afterwards.
Rayen watched Eclipse go, his eyes filled with an overwhelming sorrow. Shade hadn't killed Eclipse. He had cursed him with humanity.
Author's Note: A somewhat creative way to deal with Eclipse, needless to say. Trust Shade to do something like that. Meh. Anyway, sorry that took so long. But I did it. Give me credit for that.
Yes, Eclipse is cold-blooded and can't think for himself, but that's hardly his fault. The people who cloned him from Shade edited his brain, taking all that stuff out. They designed him to kill, essentially, and he is physically and mentally unable to disobey. He just can't do it. Period.
As for the whole Dragoon army thing, you're exaggerating when you say millions. There's a big difference between a couple hundred and a few million. Every time a Dragon dies, a Spirit is made, right? Well, there have to be quite a few Dragons dying over the history of Endiness, and each of those Spirits have their individual owners. It's really just simple logic. Besides, when you think about two or three hundred Dragoons in perspective with seven billion people, there's only about one Dragoon for every twenty-five million people or something like that. They're still pretty rare, when you put it all in perspective.
Keep in mind that the army is made up of every thing that ever lived in the past twelve thousand years. Rayen and the gang have been fighting the weakest part of the army, like animals and whatnot. The opposition is attempting to wear the Dragoons down with their incredibly superior numbers. Once all the weaker peons are dead, we'll get to see the humans and the Winglies and all them. As for no central leader, every army has got to have a general, doesn't it?
The Dragons are living in their respective lairs. They aren't joining the war because they're trying to repopulate the Dragon race on Endiness.
Meh, a guy takes a break for a few days and gets pushed off the first page. Harumph.
Chapter 59
Nobody paid much attention to him as he made his way through the crowded streets. Although he seemed a little old to be constantly attempting to keep up with modern fashion, nobody was very concerned. Just another person imitating a Dragoon, they judged by his attire. Deningrad had more than its fair share of oddballs. Nothing about him seemed particularly ominous.
Eclipse entered the front gates of the Crystal Palace. There was no real need for stealth here. In fact, some thought he actually was Shade without his mask. Thus, he was able to pass into the actual castle without any difficulty at all. Eclipse felt his pulse race as he moved through the crystalline corridors. Finally, after ten days of journeying across the land and months of being poked, prodded, and examined in that lab, it all came down to this.
Shade was hardly difficult to track. By reaching into the pool of darkness that was his natural element, Eclipse was able to locate all the beings in his immediate vicinity with an abnormal magical output. Naturally, because there were so many Dark Dragoons congregated in Deningrad, he received a great deal of feedback, but there was one that stood out, far greater than the others. That was most obviously his target. With a private smirk, he followed the trail that his prey had unwittingly laid out for him.
Eclipse pushed through the door leading into the meeting room where Shade was located. Taking a brief look inside, he cursed beneath his breath. All eight of the other Dragoons were with him! He had been warned during mission briefing that these comrades might attempt to stop him. He had been hoping to find the Dark Dragoon alone.
Of course, this was only a minor problem. Eclipse doubted the others would interfere if he proposed a duel or something of the sort. He walked slowly and deliberately towards the Dragoons, not wanting to cause unnecessary clamor. The male Eclipse had been told was the leader spotted him first. The reaction was instantaneous. His eyes first opened wide in surprise and shock, then narrowed, and his hands automatically switched positions, his right fleeing to the hilt of the sword on his back, his left reaching into his pocket, obviously for a Dragoon Spirit.
Disturbed by their leader's reaction, the rest of the Dragoons turned to look at the newcomer. Two of the others had much the same reaction as the first; the others looked merely confused. However, they all turned to study Shade's reaction. They saw something that they thought they would never glimpse in their entire lives. The Dark Dragoon's brown eyes were wide in stark uncomprehending disbelief.
Drawing the Violet Dragoon's attention from the shocked Shade and the duplicate that had come to assassinate him, Rayen gestured frantically to Kyra. The middle of the Crystal Palace was hardly the best place for this meeting. The Wingly nodded, and the group was whisked away on the winds of magic. They reappeared on the snowy grasslands of Millie Seaseu, far from the public eye. They would not want this information to get out.
By this point, Shade had regained his composure. He tried to feign indifference, but it was clear the sight of Eclipse had him shaken up. However, his voice remained gruff. "What the hell is this?"
Rayen cleared his throat before answering. "Well, he's a..."
Eclipse's voice throughout the frosty air as he interrupted. "I am capable of speaking for myself. I am your replacement."
Rayen was sure that if Shade's eyebrows were visible, they would be raised.
Eclipse continued. "My creator's experimentation on you was vastly unsuccessful. Therefore, they used some of your unaltered DNA to create me to amend their failure. You are therefore obsolete, so I was sent to kill you and replace you for the benefit of your comrades."
Shade visibly flinched at the harsh words, but retained at least the outward appearance of calm. He turned to Rayen and the others. "Did you know about this?"
Sean moved forward to speak. "Well, we were going to tell..."
Rayen cut him off. He did not feel there was a need for excuses. "We wanted you to your mind on fighting."
Shade nodded, seeming to accept that answer. It was only part of the truth, and Rayen was sure Shade knew that, but it made no difference. Eclipse drew his blades, poising to strike, but Shade folded his arms and made no move. "I will not fight."
Rayen growled and drew his own sword. "Fine. Then I will."
"No."
Rayen looked backwards at Shade, puzzled. "What?"
"Don't fight him."
"Well then what the hell do you suggest we do about him? He's not just going to stand there picking posies!"
Shade readied his weapons in response, and both Dark Dragoons reached for their Spirits. Phil looked on in confusion. "Wait a second, I thought he said he wasn't fighting. What's he transforming for?"
Rayen shrugged. "When I finally figure Shade out, I'll make sure to let you know."
As soon as his transformation completed, Eclipse lunged, blades flashing. Shade met them with his own weapons, but did not counter. He dodged the next blow, staying out of reach. Eclipse fired a bolt of dark magic, but Shade merely ducked beneath it. Every time Eclipse attacked, Shade avoided. Despite all his obvious opportunities, Shade never fought back.
Rayen watched the battle with interest. He realized what Shade was doing. He was wearing Eclipse down. He was expending very little energy by parrying and dodging Eclipse, while his opponent was hurling himself at Shade to no avail. But if he wasn't fighting back, what was the point?
Eclipse pulled back. Damn it, he thought. This wasn't supposed to happen. Because Shade was not fighting back, Eclipse had no opportunity to gain the upper hand. He sliced downwards with his serrated blade, but Shade sidestepped the stroke. Thrusting in with his longer blade, he cursed inwardly as Shade's weapons blocked his sword.
Eclipse withdrew his blades, circling around his foe. Panting, he considered his options. There was really no choice but continue fighting and hope Shade would slip up, giving him a chance to finish him off once and for all. He lunged inwards, his swords flashing above his head. Finally, Shade saw what he was waiting for. Ducking beneath the weapons, his gloved hand shot up and seized hold of Eclipse's forehead, and Shade reached deep into the shadowy corners of his tortured past.
Eclipse let out a harsh bellow and grabbed hold of Shade's hand, trying to pry the Dark Dragoon's fingers loose. At first, Rayen thought Shade was attacking Eclipse's mind magically, but the way Shade closed his eyes, and the haunted look on Eclipse's face, erased that possibility. Rayen saw Shade's free hand clench, as if it pained him as well. Finally, Rayen realized what was happening. Shade was transferring his mind to Eclipse. Shade was giving back all the memories, thoughts, and emotions that Eclipse's creators had taken from him.
Rayen seriously doubted it was a pleasant experience.
Eclipse yelled in agony once again as images flooded his mind. He saw villages pillaged and burnt; charred bodies flung every which way amid the chaos. He watched as pitifully malnourished children covered in dust starved as they waited for their parents who would never return. He observed as prisoners were brutally tortured for paltry information. Then, finally, he looked on as his own body was destroyed, twisted and damaged beyond repair in the name of 'science'. These hellish visions shifted and merged before his eyes, until he thought he would explode from the sheer anguish of it all.
Then the pain receded. Opening his eyes, he saw Shade's hand leaving his temples. The pain was gone, yes, but the images were not. They lingered on, accompanied by a sort of dull ache. Eclipse knew they would never leave, no matter how hard he tried to erase them. Slowly, with hands that convulsed and shook, Eclipse scooped up his weapons and his Spirit, returning them to their proper places.
He remained on his knees, shuddering. New things surged in his mind, fear, sorrow, and anger. But with those feelings came free will. He was no longer shackled to the whims of those that had made him. Eclipse glanced up once more at Shade, who stood there, his eyes filled with some indescribable emotion. Then he scrambled off into the snowy grass, stumbling on all fours like some sort of half-crazed animal.
Shade's Dragoon armor faded, and he returned his swords to their respective sheaths. He said nothing for a very long time afterwards.
Rayen watched Eclipse go, his eyes filled with an overwhelming sorrow. Shade hadn't killed Eclipse. He had cursed him with humanity.
Author's Note: A somewhat creative way to deal with Eclipse, needless to say. Trust Shade to do something like that. Meh. Anyway, sorry that took so long. But I did it. Give me credit for that.