Chapter 13:
Xilef stood standing in the courtyard in the back of the castle's grounds, the sky was full of stars...the last night he'd be seeing them from earth he imagined. He wondered if he really could go to heaven...after all, he was a resident of the shadow world. He had sinned before...but he had never taken a life without cause...violence, dishonesty, lack of honor, war...he hated these things yet they were the foundations that made his world.
Verruckt would attack at dawn...just as he had said, Verruckt may have been the embodiment of the evils of this world, but he was true to his threats nonetheless. Xilef had informed the troops to step up guards and prepare for an attack of great scale...but he knew this wouldn't be enough. His sorcerer with eyes that could see ones death had told him that if the boys and the spirits lived...then his life would end. For some reason...he was glad that they weren't dead, he finally met his light, the part of himself that he had always wanted to see, and he was glad. Krad still had Dark...where as he had lost his dearly beloved.
He walked without a destination through the vast gardens of man made lakes and waterfalls, and tall trees and vast flowers. It was his favorite place to be...it's where he last held his beloved King of Darkness...He'd often reminisce about the past, how much he wished it could have never ended. Warm embraces, soft kisses, and passionate nights...ever since that night...he'd never felt another.
He stopped in front of a pond in the center of the gardens. It was right here where he believed that this world had truly become the world of darkness. Visions and ghosts entered his mind at this spot...at the spot where he had last seen the stars with another.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Xilef...I'm tired of meeting in secrecy..." The young man of dark hair stated.
"Felix...with this war between the kingdoms...this is the only way we can meet..." Xilef replied as he sat on the ground starring aimlessly into the pond in front of him.
"Yes..." The sixteen-year-old Felix Verruckt replied standing beside the young golden haired prince next to him, starring at his reflection in the pond, "I know...one day...at least...this war might end..."
Xilef smiled sweetly and looked over at the dark prince's reflection beside him, "I'd like that...one day this war will end...and when that day comes...we really can be together..." He said with a sigh and leaned back to look at the stars above them, "I wonder what it must be like...a world without wars?"
"Hmph...you're a dreamer Xilef...as long as the blood of humans courses through their veins...wars will be never ending..." Felix replied looking back down at the ground.
"Human blood courses through my veins... and the thought of war makes me sick...Heh, so I guess there is hope for our kind huh?" He asked with a smile.
"...If only the world could think like you Xilef..." The dark prince replied with a laugh and that smile that his lover couldn't survive without. That sweet and sincere smile that made living worth it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xilef brought himself back to the present and chuckled, who knew, that would be the last time he'd ever see that smile on his dark prince. He sighed and looked back up at the stars, "You know...my love for you...has never died..." He said quietly aloud.
He took a deep breath of the cool night air and continued to stare at the sky, "I'll never understand...I'll never understand why you threw that smile away..." He said starring back down at the pond and put his hands in his pockets. The silence surrounded him, and soon that would all he would be hearing. But that didn't matter, death didn't scare him, just...being alone did. Through his eyes, this pond still held that smile that he so loved to look upon, to kiss, and to love...
"You know Felix...your light half reminds me a lot of you back then. When he's not scowling at me...his smile reminds me of yours. I'm glad I got to see it again...for one last time..." He said with a smile, "And there's hope for them...I know it. Heh, and to think those two are sworn enemies...just like us...yet...yet they still care about each other..." He said looking back up at the sky.
"It's been a while since I last came to see you huh?" He asked to the empty pond that held his last image of happiness, "And it will be the last... But I do hope that since we were never meant to be here in this world...maybe...just maybe...I'll see you again in heaven...as you once were...with that smile..." He said with his own smile, "Felix...for whatever is about to happen...I want you to know...that I forgive you...as I hope you forgive me..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dark starred out the window, still holding the sleeping Krad tightly. Something was wrong, the air was to calm and the silence was thick. But as long as he had Krad, he didn't really care.
Dark laughed to himself, thinking about Krad's reaction if he ever woke up and saw him holding him like this. Oh the hell he'd raise! He wished...he'd wake up now, not that he minded to hold him like this, or the fact his arm had fallen asleep due to Krad laying on it, but just so he could hear him scream at him and call him an immature child who'll never grow up, and so he could tease Krad with all of his passive flirts. He never got tired of it, plus he had to pay Krad back for knocking him out earlier and well...since Krad was already knocked out...it kind of defeated the purpose.
Finally a thought struck him, now that they weren't being chased around by guards, cops, and drunk people at a bar...he thought about Daisuke. Since he'd come to this world...he hadn't really thought about him at all! He guessed that being back in the middle ages without having to live within another's mind brought him back to the days with just him and Krad playing cat and mouse every night. The joy of having your own body again...free of having to use another's body to taste fresh air...personally...it was nice. But he'd been with Daisuke for so long...that he did miss him, he was worried about him! If Daisuke was in trouble, he needed him to back him up. He hoped he was all right...with any luck he wasn't transported to this world too. He could only hope for that.
"Hm..." Dark looked down to see Krad begin to stir, "Hmm..."
"Hey you're alive!" Dark exclaimed.
"Huh? What..." Krad asked and looked up as his vision focused and meet with two large wine colored eyes, "AH!" He started and pushed himself off of Dark and nearly fell off the bed, "DARK!"
"Geez, that's a lovely, 'thanks for caring' good morning..." Dark stated with a look of disappointment. "You know how worried sick I was about you?"
"Where the hell am I..." Krad began then looked down to see he was on a bed, "Oh no...we didn't...do that again...did we..." He asked putting one hand on his forehead cursing at himself inside.
"Well...as much as I would have enjoyed that...and how much I was dying to take advantage of you in your current state...no...but we can if you want to!" Dark said with a grin.
"Oh good...so we didn't do that..." Krad said with a sigh of relief and glared at Dark, "And no...I do not want to sleep with you..." He growled giving Dark a scowl.
"Okay...I'll take that as a rain check this time." Dark said crossing his arms and still grinning.
"Dark, get serious...what the hell happened...oh..." Krad said and fell back down on the bed, "Ouch...what the hell happened to me..."
"Well I really wouldn't know...since you kind of knocked me out for that one...which by the way I plan to pay you back for ten fold..." Dark said with a glare, "But the guy I found in here with you said he had 'a friend' of his drain your magic...but he said not to worry and that you'd be fully recovered soon. This of course was about six hours ago...so I've been in here for six whole hours in this guy's bed watching over you...you should thank me ya know. A kiss will do I guess." Dark said crawling over to Krad who was still laying face down on the bed exhausted and dizzy.
"What!" Krad demanded, "Drained my magic! Who the hell is that guy! And...what was I doing in his bed? Wait...he didn't..." Krad asked concerned.
"Geez, you're paranoid about people taking advantage of you in your sleep!" Dark commented sitting down beside him, "And...no...he said he didn't, and I guess I can take his word for it...he is the king after all..." Dark replied.
"Oh...shut up...my head hurts..." Krad said turning his head away from Dark.
"Wha!" Dark yelled, "Shut up! What, no thank you! What kind of gratitude is that!" Dark demanded as Krad turned around and shoved his hand into his face.
"Please Dark...shut...your...mouth..." Krad asked as nicely as he possibly as he could to Dark Mousy.
Dark glared at him annoyed, "Okay...and you call me immature...yet you're the one with the hand in my face...that's something kids do Krad my dear..."
"Actually, I was trying to blast you in the face with an energy ball..." Krad replied and laid back down on the bed lowing his hand, "Lucky for you, my energy still hasn't returned completely yet..."
Dark felt an interesting mix of hurt and thankfulness, he sighed, "Yep...minus that fact...you're defiantly back to normal..." He said. He smiled at this, he was happy to have Krad back, even in his proud and pissy mood. He wouldn't have it any other way.
Then as the sun was slowly rising in the east, a loud crash could be heard outside.
"What the..." Dark began and jumped off the bed and ran over to the balcony, "Uh...Krad...hey Krad, you might want to wake up..." He said starring out over the balcony.
"I thought I said shut up...what is it?" Krad demanded slowly standing up and turning to Dark's direction.
"Krad this place is under attack!" The before Krad knew it Dark was running towards him, "GET DOWN!" He yelled and tackled Krad to the floor as a large flaming boulder came flying into the room from outside.
"What the hell is going on!" Krad demanded as Dark quickly stood up and grabbed Krad's arm.
"My guess is as good as yours! Come on!" He said and ran towards the door only to have it busted open by soldiers dressed head to toe in black armor, "Damn they're fast!" Dark commented skidding to a stop.
"That's them! His majesty wants them alive!" One of the soldiers commented with a cross bow in hand. "Get them!"
"Wants us?" Krad asked confused.
"Let's not find out!" Dark said as he and Krad backed up towards the balcony as the soldiers approached.
"Damn this..." Krad growled, "My magic still hasn't returned...we can't blast our way through..."
"Hey Krad? Still have enough energy to fly?" Dark asked as Dark hit the railing and couldn't back up any more.
"Yeah why?" Krad asked not realizing where they were.
"Good!" Dark said and grabbed Krad by the coat and threw him off the balcony without warning.
"WOAH!" Krad yelled in surprise as he plummeted towards the ground barely catching enough lift in time.
"Damn that felt good..." Dark said smiling, "Well gentlemen, ta-ta!" Dark said and leapt from the balcony and flew away after Krad.
"What the...SHOOT THEM!" The captain shrieked and the company fired arrows at the two but all to out of range.
"Hahaha! Man that was fun!" Dark commented laughing, "We should do that again some time!"
"Yeah," Krad growled and grabbed Dark by his collar, "And next time I get to throw you off the balcony after I tear your wings off!" He growled.
"So, is that a date?" Dark asked with a grin.
Krad shoved him aside realizing this wasn't the best time to take Dark up on a date, "I'll deal with you later..." He growled and flew up towards the top of the large castle with Dark following and dodging arrows in the process.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"My lord...my lord! They've broken through our defenses! We didn't see them coming!" A soldier said shaking horribly and kneeling before his King who now stood in the large throne room still in his normal clothes without armor.
"Hmph...so Verruckt's power is growing...he can now cloak his armies..." Xilef replied. Suddenly the large mahogany doors guarding the throne room were being rammed at with large force. "Quickly, everyone evacuate this room! Save the towns people that you can and escape Galseran!" He commanded all of the subjects in the room.
"But...but my lord...what about you?" The soldier asked.
"I'll buy you all some time...don't worry about me. Now go!" He said sternly.
With much protest and pain the soldier did as his king commanded and everyone escaped from the through a back door. Now only he stood alone in the large marble and majestic throne room. He knew that whether he ran, or whether he stayed made no difference, his fate was sealed, and he was going to accept that, by meeting Verruckt's blade with his own.
Finally the great doors gave way and they came crashing down to the ground. The room suddenly filled with soldiers that parted to make way for their king. Verruckt entered wearing his black armor and cape, he was a truly powerful man, his aura was ten times stronger then the one Xilef had felt before, but he stood adamant and firm.
Verruckt stopped about five feet from Xilef and smiled his wicked grin, "Hello Xilef...miss me?" He asked starring into his former lover's eyes with malice and lust.
Those eyes were no longer real, if Xilef hoped to take his once reason for living down to the grave with him, he have to remember that. "Hello Felix...can't say I have..."
Verruckt looked Xilef over top to bottom, he wasn't wearing any sort of armor or a shield, he only stood with his Holy Sword that his father had given to him before he died years ago, "Did I wake you? Or did you just forget where you put your armor?" He asked with a laugh.
"Hmph, it slows me down...and I prefer to fight without it." He replied.
"I see...so then you've accepted your doom?" Verruckt asked holding his own sword in hand.
"I plan to finish this once and for all Felix..." Xilef replied firmly raising his sword, "And if I die, then so be it, but I'll be drawing your blood first!"
"Hmph..." Verruckt smirked, "You can't beat me...but if this is how you wish to meet your end..." He said nodding to a soldier to his left, and the soldiers began to leave the room, "The I'll be happy to fulfill your death wish."
Xilef raised his blade and charged at Verruckt who blocked by pulling his blade into a horizontal block.
"I was always the better swordsman my sweet king, face it...you'll never lay a hand on me..." Verruckt laughed and slashed the blade across pushing Xilef backwards but the king of light never dropped his defense. "And even if by some miracle you did hit me...it would be useless. My body is invincible from harm now...nothing can hurt me..."
"We'll see!" Xilef replied and came in with a low right cross swipe with his sword and Verruckt pulled left narrowly dodging the one hundred and eighty cross.
"You're to slow, my dear." Verruckt smirked and brought his blade up Xilef's left side and missed as he hit the side of Xilef's blade.
Xilef, after the right cross, brought his blade up to his side for a block knowing that that's what Verruckt's move would be, "You should consider changing your fighting style." Xilef said with a smirk.
"Hmph, so I see you haven't lost your touch...not bad." Verruckt said and jumped back away from Xilef who turned to face Verruckt blade in hand. "You know...we haven't spared like this in a long time Xilef...it's quite exciting..." He said with his grin returning. "Only this time, one of us won't be walking away from it..."
"Or both of us..." Xilef added and smiled, "Remember Felix...that promise you made...that if one of us should go to the grave...it wouldn't be long before the other followed...such is the pact we made as lovers."
"Hmph, still stuck in the past...well, I've got my sights set on the future...sights that don't include being trapped within this miserable world any longer...it's a shame you won't be joining me. I must say...my nights have gotten rather lonely without you my dear..." Verruckt commented with a smile, "Tell me my love...have you had any others besides me since then?" He asked.
Xilef smirked, "No, I guess my nights have been just as lonely as yours." Xilef replied not dropping his guard. "Let's end this..." He said glaring at Verruckt.
"My thoughts exactly, though I did enjoy chatting with you...farewell..." The Dark King replied and charged at the King of Light and the two locked blades in a shower of sparks and slashes.
Their blades moved fast, almost invisible! Yet the two knew each others moves well and predicted what the other would do and countered only to be blocked every time. The fight seemed to be going nowhere fast until Verruckt dropped his guard for one instant and Xilef came in and stuck through his armor and slide the blade across his right side. But Verruckt had veered down and left at the last second, and even though Xilef's blade held true and did indeed strike him...this left the King of Light's defenses down, and then he struck back.
Verruckt's blade had come up and had driven right through Xilef's gut. Verruckt had put enough power into that one thrust to penetrate right through the doomed king's body. His blood covered the floor and ran out of him like water. Verruckt kept the blade within Xilef for a moment and then stood tall and pulled in straight out of his dying foe.
Xilef had fallen to his knees, supporting himself with one hand on the ground and the other covering the fatal wound in his stomach.
Verruckt looked down at his own wound in his side, Xilef's Holy Sword had damaged him...it actually broke through his skin, and since the sword was indeed a holy blade...dark magic could not heal it. But no matter...this king would never be able to wield the holy sword again.
"Tell me Xilef..." Verruckt asked as he bent down and picked up the dying King's Sword, "Do you remember what you said to me the other day? About...how the day you would beg me for mercy...would be the day you fell by your own sword?" He said kneeling down in front of him.
"Heh...yeah..." Xilef answered, his breathing becoming labored and a smile on his face, "I may be dying...but my memory hasn't...failed me yet..."
Verruckt pulled Xilef's face up to his gently with one hand under his chin and looked at him with an expression not of gloating victory, but with that smile...that smile that Xilef had believed to be gone forever...was right there in front of him...and suddenly...dying didn't hurt so much any more...
"You know...even after all of these years...my love for you has never died...so please...don't take this the wrong way..." Verruckt asked lovingly and kissed Xilef sweetly on the lips. Though it was only for a moment...to Xilef...it lasted forever.
Slowly Verruckt pulled away and stood up over Xilef and raised the Holy Sword over his dying lover, and then ended his suffering once...and for all.
Notes From The Author:
Wow...now this was a very tragic ending to a chapter...sniffles and now we know the story behind the two kings! I hope this answered some of your questions, and you all got to see Dark and Krad again, AND THEY'RE ALIVE!! Yay! Well I hope to post the next chapter soon, but not today...fingers hurt! To much typing Thank you for reading and your comments! And forgive me to all of the fans of the King of Light...personally...I really liked Krad's other half too...TT I hope you all continue to read! Till then! bows