Author's Note: Yes, I'm back, and here all that (melo)dramatic build up is finally worth the wait. It's action time!
Having Fun Yet?
Kento walked behind Sage, a look of concern on his face, since he couldn't get his friend's attention and immediately decided that something was very wrong. He looked into the mirror and saw an eerie glow and strange coloration in the reflection of the white and green costume, but he was really caught by the blonde's eyes. Not to mention the fact that Kento himself was nowhere to be seen in the reflection! 'What was going on here?' He thought, and was about to voice this very question, but never got the chance. Sage was suddenly being pulled towards the mirror by a sucking wind! Kento stretched out his arms to stop his friend, but found no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach the light Ronin! 'Is Sage being pulled away from me, or am I being pulled away from him?!' But before he could answer his own question, Kento found himself alone in a pitch black room. Then things really got weird!-----
Cye opened his eyes slowly, and had to wonder if that had been a good idea. On the one hand, it was good to have a chance to escape when in immediate danger. On the other, it was good to have a chance to escape when in immediate danger! He was flat on his back in a stone hallway, but the roof and upper walls for as far as he could see where completely ablaze with a strange, blue flame! It was almost like dry ice, a burning cold rather than heat. He moved into a crouch, staying well below the flames, to evaluate his options. But his thoughts scattered as a woman's laughter rang sadistically all around him, increasing in pitch as the flames grew larger. "Can this get any weirder? I hope the others are having a better time than I am at this "party"!"
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Sage stared dumbfounded at the mirror as a strange feeling came over him, like a security blanket wrapped around a child about to face the monster in the closet. Something stirred in the back of his mind, nagging at him that he should be doing something, but he didn't have time to ponder it as a rushing sound filled his ears, blocking out all other thoughts. Then the drab colors of his surroundings began to blur and swirl and he was being pulled into the mirror! 'What is going on?!' He mentally yelped.
He was in total darkness. Not a sound was heard, not a movement felt. It seemed as though the very air was gone and he was surrounded by nothing. He was simply suspended. Just there. No time, no space, no color, no light, no hope. A feeling of dread began to swell in him, but he forced it down. His face settled into a battle mask as he took a breath as he called his armor, but he still couldn't speak! Once again calming himself, Sage sat down. Well, as there was nothing solid beneath him, it was more like he crossed his legs while floating instead of letting them dangle. He concentrated first on his surroundings, trying to determine what was going on. No good. He could sense nothing! He turned his attention to himself, calling on his spirit, the inner light that fed the armor. 'Still Nothing.' He thought bitterly. 'Okay. Now it's time to panic!'
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He couldn't really feel his body. This was bad. Rowen tentatively opened his eyes, hoping to discover that the rest of him was still attached. The pain in his head was more than making up for it, though! Even in the oppressing darkness of his strange surroundings, his returning vision caused great pain. He squeezed his eyes shut, then tried once more. "Well, I seem to be all in one piece." He stated to no one in particular. He told his arms to lift him up and they reluctantly obeyed, but dropped him again after only a few seconds. He could feel now why they'd been hesitant, and they throbbed and shook as if to say "We told ya so!" "I have the sinking feeling I've just been turned into one big bruise. Where am I, anyway?" The floor was cold stone, the air hard ice, and the whole place, as much of it as he could see anyway, was as cheerful as an old grave yard. His legs were chained to the floor, too, and the chains were cutting off his circulation. Wait a minute, chained to the floor! "How did that. . ." He started, but was stopped when he saw a movement in the corner. "Cye!?"
Sure enough, he could just make out the outline of his fully armored friend. As a dirty grey light filtered behind him, the water Ronin raised his yari. His eyes were that same pale blue Rowen had remembered from when he'd. . .
"NO! Whatever sick game this is, I'm not playing. I don't know who you are or what you want, but you're not Cye and you won't get away with this!"
The fake Cye began to laugh, but the perfectly imitated voice slowly slipped into a higher pitch, more feminine.
"It hardly matters, little blue jay, whether you know me or not. It won't save you. I've clipped your wings, and talons. Besides, I know many tricks."
Rowen called his armor just in time to be shocked speechless by this Cye/lady/freak's next move. It changed it's form, but he wasn't conscious long enough to really consider the implications.
"Flare Up NOW!"
-----
The black haired boy shivered as he heard a low growl. He turned to face his new opponent and found himself face to face with a very intimidating White Blaze. But he was no happier than the tiger at this encounter. Blaze's eyes seemed to have a cold, blue glow, and his body seemed bigger than it should have been, if that was conceivable for the massive feline. Ryo had the curious urge to say "My, what big teeth you have!" but he smelled a rat, not a wolf.
"Blaze, wait. . . what are you?" He wondered aloud as he unsheathed his katanas. He did not want to fight a tiger, as he'd seen what generally happened to people dumb enough to try. But then a new sound came to his ears. 'Good news, bad news time already?' He thought wryly, 'Well, good news is, I won't have to fight a tiger. Bad news is, I'll have to fight five tigers! This place just got better and better.'
"Flare Up NOW!"
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"Okay, that hurt." Kento mused as he painfully regained his feet. "And I'm not talking physical." He added defiantly as he called his armor. "Beaten by a little wind! I think my pride's been mortally wounded." He continued griping as he considered his tiny surroundings. He was sitting in a small, maroon room that he could barely stand up straight in. 'This kind of thing would drive a guy crazy,' he thought, 'If I was gonna stick around long enough to let it.' Kento was stumped as to how he could see, since there was no real light source, and how he got in was completely beyond him, as there was no visible entrance.
"Well, when ya want to get out and you're host's not considerate enough to leave ya a door, it's doing 'em a service to make one, right?" He reasoned to the air as he threw his weight against a nearby wall. Not only did the wall refuse to give, it pushed him back! As he was thrown against the all-too-close opposite wall, the color of the room began to shift to red as the temperature seemed to rise. He tried gently pushing a third wall, but made a helpful discovery. Each time he pushed against a wall, the wall pushed back and the temperature went up as the room became a brighter color. He tried the now orange fourth wall, having no other option, and it began to move the right way! Kento continued to inch it backwards, but discovered another problem. The ceiling lowered as the wall moved out! "What if it collapses before I get out? What kind of psycho would make a puzzle like this?!" Kento's thoughts reflected his growing panic.
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Cye was racing down the corridor, bent over to avoid the flame. He still had no idea how he'd gotten there, where there was, or which way was out. As he'd ran down it, he'd found he was not so much in a hallway, but rather a maze of twists and turns. He knew he should probably stay still rather than get hopelessly lost, but just sitting there waiting to burn to death wasn't exactly a part of his plans for the night. So, he'd started off slow, trusting to instinct and luck to find the right path, but after a while, he didn't see the point in taking his time. The flames were inching down the walls and it was pretty obvious that if he'd chosen the right way, it was also the long way. Not to mention if he hadn't the only way he'd have time to find out and go back was if he moved quickly. So he might as well run. What did he have to lose?
-----
"AHH!" Rowen awoke screaming again. He realized he'd been screaming a lot lately and wished he could stop that as yet another searing pain coursed through him. He couldn't tell if he was really awake or still dreaming. Everything was so confused and painful, he just didn't know anymore. All of his friends had been impersonated and their attacks mixed in every possible combination to the point that he wasn't even sure he remembered who could do what, and his head hurt way too much to try to figure it out now. He'd managed to break the chains at his feet, but more had appeared, trapping his arms and then snaking around his neck. Each time he'd gotten free, more had appeared. He was getting very tired of this game, not to mention constantly being knocked out. Her attacks weren't that strong, it was something else. It was like she could crawl inside his head and turn off his consciousness, then toy with his unconscious. He wasn't sure who or what she was, but he was learning fast how to win her little game. So, she changed her strategy.
"Mother?! Oh, that's just low!"
"Rowen! Is that any way to speak to your mother? I'm hurt! So, then, I'll just have to hurt you. Arrow Shock Wave!"
"That does it." His tone was controlled, but his temper had finally snapped. It was one thing to use his friends. He didn't like it, but he could handle it. It had been done before. But his family?! With his own attack?! No one gets away with that! "Wow. I didn't know my attack hurt so much. No wonder I was able to break Anubis' helmet after the whole space ordeal way back when. Wait. . . this felt like. . . that's it! No, not now. I can't give in now. But I'm so tired!" His thoughts were becoming muddled as another rushing, another cry in his mother's voice bore down upon him. It was all he could do to brace for the impact before. . . "Not again! I don't wanna go to sleep!" He thought ruefully, a little too late.
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Okay, that was fun, right? Stick around. It gets better. Or at least, I like to think so.