Chapter 12 – Descendants
::The Third Bloodlines Chapter::
"Alright, then. Let's do this!"
With that, Garlyle dived towards his opponent, using the power of the Pheonix's wings to dive down towards his opponent.
The Dark Lord swept his hand upwards, and the planks of the executioner's stage lifted, becoming a wall in front of him. Garlyle stopped short, just in time to avoid crashing.
He then felt Kozo's shadow go right over him, as he jumped high into the air, springing over the wall.
"He..." Savarius laughed.
"Hey, idiot!" Kozo cried, as he flew down towards the evil man, his kick seeming to be glowing with black energy.
"What?" Savarius lifted his hands fast, but they still remained cloaked by his long robe. He grabbed at Kozo's feet, catching them.
A burst of black energy shot out of Kozo's feet, sending a shockwave through the man's body, as his magic stopped working. Garlyle could see the collision, then he could see both men going flying, both having used a lot of energy in that single move.
"Kozo... has that kind of power?" Ceres gaped. "Garlyle, with his help, I think we can do this!"
"But..." there was something nagging at Garlyle. This was his past, right?
"Wait, Kozo" Garlyle cried over. "We can't kill him!"
"Why not?" Kozo growled.
"Listen, this is... my... you know... if we kill him, we risk altering history. I might never be born!"
Kozo shifted his glance towards Garlyle, and his eyes were pitch black. Garlyle stepped back, in reflex.
"Are you ignoring me?" Lord Savarius stood up, raising his palms. "Symbols, Restoration!"
He slammed his hand onto his chest, and instantly any damage he had suffered was gone.
He lifted up his fists again, chanting strange words under his breath.
Garlyle recognized the rhyme.
"No! No!" He grabbed Kozo by the back of the neck, pulling him back and up with him. "We have to get out of here!"
"Ex-e-cu-tion!" Savarius raised his palms to face Kozo and Garlyle. "I'll still kill you, demons!"
Garlyle saw them coming, spirits with scythes, death itself, coming for them. One of the most powerful spells known in the entire continent...
Savarius was, after all, the one who had designed it, the only one to have perfected it...
"What the...?" Kozo faced them, growling. "Why are we running?"
"They'll kill us if they touch us!" Garlyle cried, moving as fast as he could through the skies, over the city. He could feel the magic of the Pheonix starting to fade... This was bad!
"Please, Ceres..." Garlyle spoke to himself. "You have to do something!"
"It's my power that's keeping Pheonix going! I can't split off even a fraction of my focus!"
Indeed, even as he was saying it, Garlyle felt the power of the wings fading. He mentally told Ceres not to worry, and they restrengthened somewhat. It was tough, carrying Kozo with him...
"I know they'll kill us..." Kozo smiled, looking grimly at the spectres. "But they can't"
"Why?"
"Just trust me!" Kozo cried out. "Set us down!"
Garlyle shook, but realised that just perhaps Kozo understood. Besides, there was no other option. Quickly, in the middle of a barely crowded street, Garlyle set him down and landed beside him. The street didn't remain crowded for lone, except for a single man who remained watching them, the same one who had spoken before...
"Death spirits, I see you..." Kozo grinned. "Standing there, threateningly, as if you expect you can harm the life of this vessel..."
Garlyle blinked. What had Kozo just said? The spirits froze in mid- motion, floating there, seemingly nervous. There was some kind of strange force behind his words, his voice shifting and ringing in Garlyle's head
"You heard me... You know who I am" it was definitely not Kozo speaking. "Be gone!"
And with a sweep of his hand, the black aura trailing behind his hand, the spirits dissipated.
"Just like that... Kozo..." Garlyle was in shock, and he slowly stepped towards him.
Kozo spun, staring at Garlyle. The younger, smaller boy froze.
His teeth had become fangs, a bloodthirsty dangerous look in his black eyes, the fang symbol upon his arm burning.
"And did you think you would be safe...?" Kozo slowly advanced on Garlyle, who backed up in sync.
"Kozo-dono, you have to stop!" Falcon cried, frantically, from his side. "Don't let it take you over completely again!"
"Ceres, what's going on?" Garlyle backed up quicker.
"Garlyle, this power is so familiar, but I can't name it! I know though, we can't fight it, but maybe Kozo can come back, and quell it... It's not him in control right now, but maybe if we can get him in control again..."
Garlyle nodded. "Kozo, you have to stop!"
"Chikara can't hear you right now..." the voice laughed. "And now that I'm back in con..."
It stopped short. Kozo had responded from inside! His soul was trying to get back in control.
"Get me close, Garlyle! NOW!"
Garlyle was pushed by Ceres' invisible forces, and he ran straight towards Kozo, quickly grabbing onto his shoulders.
He felt Ceres' energy begin to flow through him, connecting with the boy, and slowly the human look returned to Kozo. Finally, Ceres' power returned, and Garlyle backed off, as Kozo's eyes returned to their natural shade.
He stood, shaking for a few moments, before he collapsed backwards.
"Ceres, what was that...? What had my friend?" he cried out to the demon within himself.
"...Garlyle, I can't believe it... but that..."
"What?"
"No, I can't tell you."
"Come on! You have to..."
"If you understood, then you'd tell him, and he can't find out... He can never find out... His not knowing about it is the one thing that's keeping him..."
"...What?"
There was no response. Garlyle just sat in silence, before lifting the boy up. "This kid's thin, but he's pretty heavy..."
"Let me help."
There was that red-armoured man! Garlyle smiled. "Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Lee Wilds" he smiled.
W... Wilds?
Had he just heard that right?
Garlyle forced himself to contain his shock, because he had no idea what that could mean. Might he have just changed his own history? This was his ancestor, the father of...
That clued him in! This man's son, Andrew Wilds was the one who had shown Savarius' true form to Avel, who had unmasked him to be a demon, and created such an uprising in the population that their combined powers completely overwhelmed the Dark Lord, and ever since there had been relative peace among the monarchy of the last human city, Avel.
"Well, are you going to help me, or not?" Lee demanded.
"Ye... Yes!" Garlyle responded quickly, lifting up Kozo's unconscious body by the head, and they carried him towards one of the houses on the streets.
*****
Kozo slowly opened his eyes.
He saw standing above him, holding him, a young red-haired man whom he recognised instantly.
"Acentine!" Kozo reached up and hugged him around the neck, resting his forehead on the man's shoulder. "I was so scared... There were all these... monsters... and demons... and this dark lord... and I felt it again... Acentine..."
Then reality shifted back into view.
"He's delusional..." there was an unfamiliar voice.
Kozo could see that he was, in truth, propped up against the wall, and it was Garlyle whom he had put his hands around. Quickly he retracted them. "Ga... Garlyle!"
"You don't need to say anything, some weird stuff happened..." Garlyle smiled at him. "Don't worry, we're okay now."
"Garlyle... did I hurt you? Please tell me I didn't..."
Garlyle shook his head. "No, it's fine, nobody was hurt, really..."
Kozo smiled a bit, but he hung his head as if in shame. "Don't ever let me do that again..."
"Why?" Garlyle asked.
"I can't tell you, but I think you saw for yourself..." Kozo responded, before looking up at the man behind him. "Where are we now?"
"Still in Avel..." Garlyle bent down. "That man is Lee Wilds..."
Kozo's eyes shifted to check Garlyle's own. "Then he's..."
Garlyle nodded, and put a finger to his lips, signifying silence. Kozo understood very quickly what he meant.
"Umm... thank you..." Kozo smiled up at the man, looking at him.
"No problem," Lee responded. "Stay for a while. Any man who can stand up and fight strong against the powers of Lord Dull Food over there is a good man... or... boy... in my view."
Garlyle smiled. "Thank you... Umm... Lee..."
"Yes?"
"This is going to sound crazy, but you have a son, don't you?"
"Yeah, he's almost your age. Why?"
"I need to meet him" Garlyle responded, looking at him. "This is important."
"Umm... alright" Lee smiled. "I don't think you're a demon or anything, I doubt you'll do anything..."
Garlyle slowly followed Lee, and Kozo walked behind him, silent as usual, as they came into another room of the house.
There, studying a book softly in the light of a candle, was a young boy with snow white hair and the purest eyes that reflected all of the colours of the autumn. He turned to face Garlyle, clad merely in a silken red shirt and blue pants.
Garlyle recognised him immediately, and even though he realised quickly that it would be a mistake, he knelt down on one knee and bowed.
"What...?" all three looked at him.
"You are Andrew Wilds, correct?" Garlyle looked up at him. This was the boy whose name would make the Wilds famous, whose knowledge would make them the most powerful magicians in Avel, the man who was responsible for making them nobility among commoners, who even in the richest man inspired a vision of a better world.
This was the kind of child heroes were grown from.
"Yes... why?" he looked at Garlyle.
"Someday, you will understand, a day when many will bow to you... I wish to help you, boy, because you are the only one who can do what I believe I was sent here to help you do."
"What's that?" the boy asked.
"I'm here to help you understand the powers of magic, and eventually be the one who stands up to and defeats the Dark Lord, in not even a year's time."
Andrew and Lee both exchanged, glances. Lee looked as if he had just heard an insane man speak, but Andrew seemed quite interested. They looked back.
"Interesting..." Andrew hopped off of his chair. "Show me, then, if there is proof to your claims..."
::The Third Bloodlines Chapter::
"Alright, then. Let's do this!"
With that, Garlyle dived towards his opponent, using the power of the Pheonix's wings to dive down towards his opponent.
The Dark Lord swept his hand upwards, and the planks of the executioner's stage lifted, becoming a wall in front of him. Garlyle stopped short, just in time to avoid crashing.
He then felt Kozo's shadow go right over him, as he jumped high into the air, springing over the wall.
"He..." Savarius laughed.
"Hey, idiot!" Kozo cried, as he flew down towards the evil man, his kick seeming to be glowing with black energy.
"What?" Savarius lifted his hands fast, but they still remained cloaked by his long robe. He grabbed at Kozo's feet, catching them.
A burst of black energy shot out of Kozo's feet, sending a shockwave through the man's body, as his magic stopped working. Garlyle could see the collision, then he could see both men going flying, both having used a lot of energy in that single move.
"Kozo... has that kind of power?" Ceres gaped. "Garlyle, with his help, I think we can do this!"
"But..." there was something nagging at Garlyle. This was his past, right?
"Wait, Kozo" Garlyle cried over. "We can't kill him!"
"Why not?" Kozo growled.
"Listen, this is... my... you know... if we kill him, we risk altering history. I might never be born!"
Kozo shifted his glance towards Garlyle, and his eyes were pitch black. Garlyle stepped back, in reflex.
"Are you ignoring me?" Lord Savarius stood up, raising his palms. "Symbols, Restoration!"
He slammed his hand onto his chest, and instantly any damage he had suffered was gone.
He lifted up his fists again, chanting strange words under his breath.
Garlyle recognized the rhyme.
"No! No!" He grabbed Kozo by the back of the neck, pulling him back and up with him. "We have to get out of here!"
"Ex-e-cu-tion!" Savarius raised his palms to face Kozo and Garlyle. "I'll still kill you, demons!"
Garlyle saw them coming, spirits with scythes, death itself, coming for them. One of the most powerful spells known in the entire continent...
Savarius was, after all, the one who had designed it, the only one to have perfected it...
"What the...?" Kozo faced them, growling. "Why are we running?"
"They'll kill us if they touch us!" Garlyle cried, moving as fast as he could through the skies, over the city. He could feel the magic of the Pheonix starting to fade... This was bad!
"Please, Ceres..." Garlyle spoke to himself. "You have to do something!"
"It's my power that's keeping Pheonix going! I can't split off even a fraction of my focus!"
Indeed, even as he was saying it, Garlyle felt the power of the wings fading. He mentally told Ceres not to worry, and they restrengthened somewhat. It was tough, carrying Kozo with him...
"I know they'll kill us..." Kozo smiled, looking grimly at the spectres. "But they can't"
"Why?"
"Just trust me!" Kozo cried out. "Set us down!"
Garlyle shook, but realised that just perhaps Kozo understood. Besides, there was no other option. Quickly, in the middle of a barely crowded street, Garlyle set him down and landed beside him. The street didn't remain crowded for lone, except for a single man who remained watching them, the same one who had spoken before...
"Death spirits, I see you..." Kozo grinned. "Standing there, threateningly, as if you expect you can harm the life of this vessel..."
Garlyle blinked. What had Kozo just said? The spirits froze in mid- motion, floating there, seemingly nervous. There was some kind of strange force behind his words, his voice shifting and ringing in Garlyle's head
"You heard me... You know who I am" it was definitely not Kozo speaking. "Be gone!"
And with a sweep of his hand, the black aura trailing behind his hand, the spirits dissipated.
"Just like that... Kozo..." Garlyle was in shock, and he slowly stepped towards him.
Kozo spun, staring at Garlyle. The younger, smaller boy froze.
His teeth had become fangs, a bloodthirsty dangerous look in his black eyes, the fang symbol upon his arm burning.
"And did you think you would be safe...?" Kozo slowly advanced on Garlyle, who backed up in sync.
"Kozo-dono, you have to stop!" Falcon cried, frantically, from his side. "Don't let it take you over completely again!"
"Ceres, what's going on?" Garlyle backed up quicker.
"Garlyle, this power is so familiar, but I can't name it! I know though, we can't fight it, but maybe Kozo can come back, and quell it... It's not him in control right now, but maybe if we can get him in control again..."
Garlyle nodded. "Kozo, you have to stop!"
"Chikara can't hear you right now..." the voice laughed. "And now that I'm back in con..."
It stopped short. Kozo had responded from inside! His soul was trying to get back in control.
"Get me close, Garlyle! NOW!"
Garlyle was pushed by Ceres' invisible forces, and he ran straight towards Kozo, quickly grabbing onto his shoulders.
He felt Ceres' energy begin to flow through him, connecting with the boy, and slowly the human look returned to Kozo. Finally, Ceres' power returned, and Garlyle backed off, as Kozo's eyes returned to their natural shade.
He stood, shaking for a few moments, before he collapsed backwards.
"Ceres, what was that...? What had my friend?" he cried out to the demon within himself.
"...Garlyle, I can't believe it... but that..."
"What?"
"No, I can't tell you."
"Come on! You have to..."
"If you understood, then you'd tell him, and he can't find out... He can never find out... His not knowing about it is the one thing that's keeping him..."
"...What?"
There was no response. Garlyle just sat in silence, before lifting the boy up. "This kid's thin, but he's pretty heavy..."
"Let me help."
There was that red-armoured man! Garlyle smiled. "Who are you?" he asked.
"My name is Lee Wilds" he smiled.
W... Wilds?
Had he just heard that right?
Garlyle forced himself to contain his shock, because he had no idea what that could mean. Might he have just changed his own history? This was his ancestor, the father of...
That clued him in! This man's son, Andrew Wilds was the one who had shown Savarius' true form to Avel, who had unmasked him to be a demon, and created such an uprising in the population that their combined powers completely overwhelmed the Dark Lord, and ever since there had been relative peace among the monarchy of the last human city, Avel.
"Well, are you going to help me, or not?" Lee demanded.
"Ye... Yes!" Garlyle responded quickly, lifting up Kozo's unconscious body by the head, and they carried him towards one of the houses on the streets.
*****
Kozo slowly opened his eyes.
He saw standing above him, holding him, a young red-haired man whom he recognised instantly.
"Acentine!" Kozo reached up and hugged him around the neck, resting his forehead on the man's shoulder. "I was so scared... There were all these... monsters... and demons... and this dark lord... and I felt it again... Acentine..."
Then reality shifted back into view.
"He's delusional..." there was an unfamiliar voice.
Kozo could see that he was, in truth, propped up against the wall, and it was Garlyle whom he had put his hands around. Quickly he retracted them. "Ga... Garlyle!"
"You don't need to say anything, some weird stuff happened..." Garlyle smiled at him. "Don't worry, we're okay now."
"Garlyle... did I hurt you? Please tell me I didn't..."
Garlyle shook his head. "No, it's fine, nobody was hurt, really..."
Kozo smiled a bit, but he hung his head as if in shame. "Don't ever let me do that again..."
"Why?" Garlyle asked.
"I can't tell you, but I think you saw for yourself..." Kozo responded, before looking up at the man behind him. "Where are we now?"
"Still in Avel..." Garlyle bent down. "That man is Lee Wilds..."
Kozo's eyes shifted to check Garlyle's own. "Then he's..."
Garlyle nodded, and put a finger to his lips, signifying silence. Kozo understood very quickly what he meant.
"Umm... thank you..." Kozo smiled up at the man, looking at him.
"No problem," Lee responded. "Stay for a while. Any man who can stand up and fight strong against the powers of Lord Dull Food over there is a good man... or... boy... in my view."
Garlyle smiled. "Thank you... Umm... Lee..."
"Yes?"
"This is going to sound crazy, but you have a son, don't you?"
"Yeah, he's almost your age. Why?"
"I need to meet him" Garlyle responded, looking at him. "This is important."
"Umm... alright" Lee smiled. "I don't think you're a demon or anything, I doubt you'll do anything..."
Garlyle slowly followed Lee, and Kozo walked behind him, silent as usual, as they came into another room of the house.
There, studying a book softly in the light of a candle, was a young boy with snow white hair and the purest eyes that reflected all of the colours of the autumn. He turned to face Garlyle, clad merely in a silken red shirt and blue pants.
Garlyle recognised him immediately, and even though he realised quickly that it would be a mistake, he knelt down on one knee and bowed.
"What...?" all three looked at him.
"You are Andrew Wilds, correct?" Garlyle looked up at him. This was the boy whose name would make the Wilds famous, whose knowledge would make them the most powerful magicians in Avel, the man who was responsible for making them nobility among commoners, who even in the richest man inspired a vision of a better world.
This was the kind of child heroes were grown from.
"Yes... why?" he looked at Garlyle.
"Someday, you will understand, a day when many will bow to you... I wish to help you, boy, because you are the only one who can do what I believe I was sent here to help you do."
"What's that?" the boy asked.
"I'm here to help you understand the powers of magic, and eventually be the one who stands up to and defeats the Dark Lord, in not even a year's time."
Andrew and Lee both exchanged, glances. Lee looked as if he had just heard an insane man speak, but Andrew seemed quite interested. They looked back.
"Interesting..." Andrew hopped off of his chair. "Show me, then, if there is proof to your claims..."