Chapter 15:
Finally the city had fallen...the once flourishing city was now in shambles, ashes, and desolate. The fires were subsiding now due to a heavy down pour that began just after Verruckt's triumphant retreat. Though some of the people had retreated from the city to the forests far away...most of the population was reduced to nothing but corpses. No one was sparred...soldiers, guards, men, woman...and even children...all senselessly murdered in this great genocide by Madrian Troops. There was no life to be found anywhere...even as the rain cleansed the raging fires and cleared the smoke...nothing but ashes...everywhere, only ashes.
Back at Adel's Keep, where the only living people in the city resided, Satoshi had explained everything the Zanus had told him earlier to Daisuke. About this being the World of Shadows and that they had come from the World of Light, the painting was the link between the two worlds and because they were both attached to Dark and Krad upon impact with the painting, they were transported here too. But since Dark and Krad were in control at the time, he and Daisuke were brought into this world as spirits instead of living flesh. And since Satoshi and Daisuke had both entered Adel and Zanus's domains, they were now back to being flesh and blood. He explained how Adel and Zanus had planned to kill them both and why, however Adel had then cut in a moment in saying that killing them was something neither he nor Zanus could bring themselves to doing. Then Adel explained that both he and Zanus were guardians of the evil magic that was hidden within this world, and it had manifested itself into being the King of Madria, Verruckt.
"I see...so that's why I can feel again..." Daisuke commented allowed looking down at his hands, "But...what's happened to Dark and Krad?" Daisuke asked curiously.
"They're gone..." Zanus replied and he shut the door behind himself after no one noticed he entered.
"Gone?" Adel asked, "Wait...were they killed?"
Zanus shook his head slowly, refusing to look the red haired sorcerer in the eyes afraid of what they might think of him having failed, "Verruckt took them...they're gone..." He replied defeated.
Adel stood in shock and disbelief, this was their last chance...and now it was gone?
"Wait...what does that mean?" Daisuke asked concerned at the sorcerer's expressions.
Satoshi understood what it meant...it meant that that mad man was going to sacrifice the two to reopen the door between the World of Shadows and the World of Light. "How much time do we have?" Satoshi asked being realistic about the situation.
"Xilef is dead...which means his light half, the one called Krad, is dying...slowly but surely...which doesn't give Verruckt a lot of time to start and finish the ritual...my guess is...about two maybe three hours or so if we're lucky..." Zanus replied leaning back against the door with his head down.
"What...Krad...Krad's going to die?" Daisuke asked in disbelief, "No...No he can't die! He's Krad!" Daisuke shouted.
"And mortal here..." Adel replied sadly, "Which means he has blood like the rest of us..."
"So...so that's it? You're all giving up!" Daisuke demanded.
"There's nothing else we can do." Zanus replied, "We failed in killing you all and we can't send you all back to your world because all four of you have to be together and we can only perform the spell one time!"
"...Then if Dark and Krad can't come to us..." Daisuke said and then stood up glaring at the sorcerer, "We'll go to them!"
Everyone in the room starred at Daisuke in shock, no one could believe what he was saying!
"Go to Madria? That's suicide!" Adel said trying not to even imagine how impossible that was.
"It doesn't matter any way right?" Daisuke demanded turning to Adel, "If this king sacrifices Dark and Krad then it's over right? And if we do nothing then it's over! But if we at least try, then we still have a chance!" He stated firmly.
"No, it's to dangerous! You wouldn't make it past the front gate and it's at least a four day long walk to get there or even with horses!" Zanus yelled trying to reason with Daisuke.
"You're sorcerers aren't you?" Daisuke demanded, "Transport Satoshi and I there and we'll get to Dark and Krad no matter what! Then all you have to do is cast your spell and send us all home! You said we all had to be together, right? And if you guys are truly powerful sorcerers then distance shouldn't matter!"
Satoshi had never seen Daisuke so determined before; his boldness was enough to even convince him that it just might work. He looked up at Daisuke and nodded then stood beside him, "Don't underestimate our abilities because we're younger. Daisuke and I can do things no normal kid can. It'll work, and what have we got to lose right?" Satoshi asked making eye contact with his shadow.
Zanus and Adel stared at the two for a moment, these kids were nuts! But they were right about one thing...what did they have to lose?
Adel smiled and nodded; "Alright then...we'll get you to Madria, but it'll be up to you to get to Dark and Krad on your own. Getting you two there will take quite a bit of magic...and we'll only have enough power left for that one spell that will send you home."
"What!" Zanus demanded glaring at Adel, "You're actually going along with this?" He demanded then his anger melted away into submissiveness as soon as Adel gave him that confident and sweet smile he had, and looked him directly in the eyes.
"Yes, what have we got to lose?" Adel replied walking over to Zanus and standing beside him, "Verruckt has more to lose from this, so it could only work to our advantage to try...and succeed."
Zanus sighed and looked back over at Satoshi and Daisuke, the silence hung in the air a moment, "Are you sure you want to go through with this? Because even teleporting you there...our magic could only take you as far as the castle gates..." He replied to the two boys.
"Don't worry. We're not backing down from this." Daisuke said with a smile.
Zanus was finally convinced and smiled with a chuckle, "Very well then...we're counting on you two...show us what you've got."
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Sometime after they had arrived in Madria, Dark had blacked out. His body ached all over, that fall had taken quite a toll, more so then he had expected, but he was sure that there had to be another factor to this. He'd fallen from higher heights and still been able to fend off Krad, so this couldn't be the only factor in his weakness. Dark tried to move his arms, but he couldn't! He knew that his right arm could be broken...but why wasn't his left arm working? Cold? Something cold and metal was wrapped around his wrists holding his down...or up? He was lying against something flat and cold and his wrists were bound above his head. Even his wings were bound down, what the hell?
His amethyst eyes opened to reveal that he was correct, he was bound to a large flat tablet of what appeared to be some kind of stone with weird symbols all over it. His ankles were also bound to the stone by shackles without a lock of chain! They were directly pinned to the stone, Dark had never seen this type of bound before...he couldn't see anywhere to pick it from, and his hand restraints were the same.
"About...time you woke up..." Krad said from Dark's left. Dark looked over at him to see him in pretty much the same state, bound to some kind of stone tablet with weird markings on it. Though it had appeared that Krad had been coughing up a bit of blood, and it ran from the sides of his mouth slightly. Krad looked in really bad shape.
"Hey Krad...are you okay?" Dark asked hating to see him in such pain.
"I've been better..." Krad replied and coughed a bit again.
"Uh...how long was I out?" Dark asked.
"I don't know...I woke up a..." Krad began then cringed in pain again and clamped his teeth down to bear it, "I...I've only been awake for a short while..."
Dark looked at the white angel with concern, he'd never seen Krad suffer from so much pain before. It really worried him, and was killing him inside.
He looked up at his restraints and tried to struggle against them but they wouldn't budge, "Damn it! What the hell are these things made of?" Dark asked getting frustrated with the thought of being in bonds that he couldn't break out of.
"Magic, they're made of magic." Verruckt answered from just below the two angels, he was standing beside and alter that separated the two tablets and placing the blooded sword he had held to Dark's throat earlier on it, "And completely impossible to get out of without stronger magic then the one who caste them, which would mean stronger magic then mine, and in your conditions...no amount of struggling will break them."
Dark recognize those eyes, the last thing he remembered seeing before he blacked out were those blood red eyes, "You're that guy I saw after we fell...what was your name?" Dark asked thinking, "Fredrick wasn't it?" He asked with an eyebrow raised.
Verruckt laughed and looked back up with Dark wearing a smirk, "Not quite...you can call me Verruckt. Not that it will matter soon what you call me..." He replied looking over at Krad who was glaring at the man with a combination of shock (at his resemblance to Dark) and anger at the fact it was he who put him in this horrid place and strapped to this uncomfortable tablet.
"You really do look like Xilef..." Verruckt said walking over to Krad and brought his face only an inch away from the gold's, this caused Dark to become extremely upset and angered, "And I'd imagine you're in a lot of pain...well since your other half is now dead...it won't be long before you die as well." Verruckt said and Krad looked at him with confusion and discomfort, something was wrong with this guy, and Krad didn't like it.
Suddenly a thought struck Dark, this guy claimed that Dark was his other half...and they looked almost exactly alike...that king...the King of Galseran looked exactly liked Krad! Wait...was that who this freak was referring to when Dark asked whom he had killed, "You killed Xilef Rein?" Dark demanded.
Verruckt looked over at Dark and smiled, "So...you figured out my little secret?" Verruckt said with a completely guiltless look, "A very tragic event indeed..."
"Yeah you look real shuck up about it..." Dark replied with a growl.
Verruckt shrugged and returned his attention back to Krad who looked paler then he normally did, "It was a shame to lose something so precious and beautiful..." He said and placed his right hand on the side of Krad's face gently, but he looked at Krad with not concern, but lust. His touch was cold and uncomfortable...it made Krad pull away from it, but being bound he could only move so far. "And it will be a shame to lose that again...won't it?" He asked moving his gaze over to Dark who looked ready to jump off of that rock and bash his face in.
"Let me off this thing and I'll shame you ..."Dark growled clenching his fists.
"Hmm...you don't seem to like me that much do you?" Verruckt asked with a sarcastically hurt look.
"What was your first clue?" Dark asked, "Now leave Krad alone..." He warned.
Verruckt looked back at Krad his smirk returning, "But how can I resist? You obviously can't either..." He replied.
Krad felt extremely uncomfortable around this guy, a feeling Krad was not accustomed to...the pain in his body though kept him from threatening the king to back off. He was just in too much pain to really do anything! It was like someone taking his insides and twisting them with hands of fire. It was killing him from the inside out.
Then Verruckt began to twirl Krad's hair around his finger, Dark was getting more ticked of by the second, but there was little he could do being bound to this damn rock!
"Hmm...soft, just like Xilef's..." Verruckt said grinning at Krad and moved his head over to Krad's ear, "I wonder what else about you is just like him?" He whispered.
Krad glared at him with his golden eyes that had been known to shake even the toughest of humans, yet it had no effect on this one, "Get away from me..." He growled in a low tone.
Verruckt grinned and didn't back off an inch. In fact he went so far as the move closer! Something not even Dark dared when Krad was this angry. He moved his right hand down Krad's face, neck, chest, and side, slowly and intimately. Dark was astounded and appalled by this action and pulled against his restraints with all the strength he had in him.
Verruckt could see Dark's anger and frustration out of the corner of his eye and, decided to push it farther. He began to trail soft and gentle kisses down the side of Krad's face and neck, he even went so bold as to nibble a bit and draw a small amount of blood from his neck, and lightly suck on it a bit to taste Krad's sweetly cold blood. "Mmm...you even taste like him..." He said and looked over at Krad's face with a small amount of his blood on his lips.
"Grrr...you're sick..." Krad growled as the new wound on his neck began to sting slightly, only adding to his pain.
"Maybe...but then again...I'm no the one who's about to die now am I...?" Verruckt answered and pulled away from Krad and lightly whipped the blood from his mouth with his thumb. "I thoroughly enjoyed that...so I plan to put you out of your misery earlier then planned...I shall return in a moment..." He said with a short bow, "Do pardon my absents..." He said and left the room through a wooden door that was locked behind him.
"Grrr...bastard!" Dark growled.
Krad hated to feel unclean, and right now, he felt down right dirty. He cringed as other wave of pain came over him, but his anger kept him from screaming out, "I'll kill him..." He growled and whipped the side of his neck with his shoulder, his blood staining his white coat.
"Yeah, well get in line..." Dark said and looked back up at the restraints, "I can't break these things open with any of my tricks!" he roared in frustration, "DAMN IT!"
"Don't lose your head thief and think!" Krad yelled to him, "Every trap Satoshi or anyone has ever put you in you've gotten out of...so just calm down and think how to get out of this one!"
"However flattered I am at that comment Krad..." Dark said and then lowered his head to hide his hopelessness from Krad, "I don't see a way out of this one no matter which way I turn..."
"So that's it?" Krad demanded, "We just sit here and wait to die!"
"..." Dark hung silently for a while and then closed his eyes, "I'm sorry..."
What? Dark...apologizing to him? Why? He didn't do anything wrong...none of this was his fault at least...he couldn't blame him...though earlier he could and was in fact. But now...now there was just no point in being angry with him...for once, he held no malice towards the great phantom thief, in fact he thought...if he was going to die...he was glad it wasn't alone.
"...I'm sorry too..."
Notes From the Author:
Okay...if anyone wants to join me in a Lynching Mob to kill Verruckt, grab your torch and pitchfork! BASTARD! He touched Krad! growls and hisses As you can see this isn't the end of the story yet! Hopefully... TT Looks like it's up to Daisuke, Satoshi, and their shadows, but will they make it in time? Gasps THEY HAD BETTER!! I don't want Dark and Krad to die!! Bows Once again thank you for reading and commenting! Huggles you all Meow!