Eclipse of Dusk

By: Hseru

Warnings: Shounen ai 1x2 3x4 5xM

Disclaimer: I own not Gundam Wing, but I do own the world the G-boys traverse. Fear my god power

Chapter 34

A noise, loud as the immediate crack of thunder raked from the heavens as the two titans clashed, grasping for anything that could debase the other. Shinigami's impenetrable scaled hide kept him from getting dangerously injured, and the demon could heal himself as fast as the wounds were created. Their strengths were too close for the comfort of anyone below, despite the dragon's initial haughty words.

Winds hurled madly to earth by the beating of great wings began to continuously kick up dirt and debris, creating a dust storm below the raging two. The onlookers were completely obscured, as was the overhead battle from them. The group huddled together below, unnerved by the thunderous sounds that they could not see.

The two superpowers again collided head on, slashing claws and rending teeth flying hither and about, pushing them apart in the air to allow for ranged attacks. Shinigami let loose a fury of flame, centered and controlled far more than it had been before. Baezrok nimbly avoided it, flying higher into the darkening sky. The blood red hues of before were being covered in clouded darkness, drawn in by the call of the demon.

Shinigami soared after easily, lifted as a feather on the winds that were beginning to build. The demon was summoning a storm to his aid, yet it did not effect Shinigami's flight in the least. Those great leathery pinions pumped air, gaining upwards speed.

The demon suddenly stopped his upward flight, reaching out both pairs of arms, feathered wings spread wide. Shinigami was seconds away from slamming into the demon in attack, when an unnaturally brilliant flash of lightning arched downwards, striking the demon's outstretched limbs like lightning rods. The demon in turn, directed the powerful blast downwards to the black dragon, and struck him head on.

Shinigami let loose a roar, yet continued upwards, and those few seconds which had not allowed him to dodge also kept Baezrok from doing the same, and the dragon blasted fire upwards, catching the demon in the returned blast, as well as slashing razor claws at the temporarily blinded demon.

Shinigami then soared off to the side, angling downwards as if his brains had become addled by the blast, and he needed half a second to recover.

Baezrok also took the slight reprieve, healing himself in a flash of crimson light, then angling piercing yellow eyes down towards the retreating dragon. He then turned in mid air, angling downwards and tucking in his wings for a fierce and silent dive towards the dragon's momentarily unprotected flanks.

Down on the ground, all eyes were once more drawn to the monumental battle being waged overhead. It was amazing to see so much power being exhibited. Both titans had taken a hard hit, and it looked like Baezrok, with his unnatural healing abilities, was the first to recover fully, once more on the attack.

Shinigami wasn't moving fast enough. The black dragon continued to glide downwards, as if he sought to land, a move which would leave him at a disadvantage to his winged enemy. If Shinigami settled, for what ever reason, it was doubted that Baezrok would allow him back into the air.

Quatre was moving before he had even thought his actions through clearly. His mouth moved in silent spell work as he prepared one of the Words of Power, one of the most devastating spells he knew.

He released it upwards, directly in the path of the demon.

There was no sound, no flashing dazzle of lighted explosions, but part of the demon simply ceased to be. One could see the shock on the demon's face as he began to lose control, one of his wings severed completely from the overwhelming spell. Dark fluid gushed from the place where half of the demon's body had been only seconds before.

That shock was mirrored on Quatre's own face.
Since when had his magick become that strong?

Not yet known to him, Quatre's power had increased almost exponentially since the first day he had come in contact with Duo's collar. What with the power constantly being drained, the little mage's magick had grown in order to feed that constant depletion, much like the body's immunity systems will kick into overdrive to beat a disease and often times become stronger afterwards.

Quatre's magick had increased the equivalent of ten years of constant use.

He would not realize this until later, but for now, all he knew and cared to know, was that he wielded a power that could at least make the demon falter, and perhaps give Shinigami an edge in this battle that for the moment, the dragon seemed to be lacking.

Baezrok was thrown horribly off course by the sudden loss of a wing, and he angled away from Shinigami, slamming into the ground and through the stone wall of the opposite side of the courtyard.

Shinigami was even then coming to a slow landing in the courtyard, heedless to anyone in his way. There was obviously something wrong, for the dragon tossed his head from side to side, as if trying to rid himself of some plaguing fly that would not leave him be. His tail lashed angrily about, knocking mightily into some of the remains of the tower, sending huge chunks of masonry flying about as the standing stones took the last plunge, sending up a cloud of dust and smoke from the charred skeletal structure. The dust clouded the air further as the crashing tower remains fell over the outer wall of the fortress, bringing it down with a loud rending of stone, and the low vibrating rumble of masonry hitting the earth of the courtyard.

Dust and smoke now thickly choked the air, making it difficult for the four to see anything, much less breathe without inhaling the filth.

Tears streamed down Quatre's face as his watering eyes struggled to make out what was happening through the thick smoke-screen of dust. A sudden roar was loosed from Shinigami, and the thundering boom of his wings striking the air blew a great gout of dust over them, immediately to be followed by the horrible sound of scale grinding against stone.

The dust was then quickly swept away by the continued thunderous movements of the great dragon. The sight that met their eyes when they were once more able to see, was of Shinigami's ebon form crashing into and through yet another of the courtyard's great stone walls, leaving ruin in his wake. However, there was no immediate sign of the demon. He could not have tossed the great dragon so, and it was soon guessable as to what had happened, for Shinigami picked himself up from the debris, shaking his great horned head back and forth with such violence that he sent monstrous chunks of stone flying everywhere. It was becoming all too evident that being anywhere within the general vicinity of the dragon would be life threatening, for the ebon limbs were being tossed about with such recklessness considering the smaller beings still alive in the area.

Letting loose a horrible roar that seemed to have somehow grown even more thunderous, Shinigami's eyes suddenly blazed a violent amethyst, and the next roar held a mental double that streaked through the minds of everyone present like a bolt of lightning.

Quatre jerked at the mental addition, for it had held something … else.

…

Hell.

An inferno if pain, searing heat, and endless wailing of tortured souls.
The inner depths of a demon's void.

A single soul, filled with something stronger than the average mortal, slowly became aware.

Mind bending, this place. Madness lingered on the edges, whispering nothingness into the very center of being. It was like being in perpetual solitude, and knowing that your mind spoke to you, just to tell you how hopeless life had been. Giggling darkness pressed all around, obscuring, and furthering the dementia.

Fire and brimstone, in the most basic of descriptions.

Wait….

Fire.

…

Shinigami launched himself at Baezrok, as if nothing had happened, his renewed exuberance a sign that something may indeed have occurred, though it would have been anyone's guess at to what, exactly. Before the demon had time to react, the dragon was upon him, shredding through the dark, rangy fur that protected his tough hide and deep into the flesh beneath, Baezrok let forth a howl of pain and rage, and got his hind legs under Shinigami's belly, fully intending to rip out the dragon's underside with a single powerful kick. Shinigami was quick to see it though, and letting forth a blast of flame directly into the demon's face, he reared back, pulling his scaled forearms from the double-grasp of Baezrok's four clawed hands.

Back winging with a thunderous clap of displaced air, Shinigami gathered a breath, and rained down upon the demon a new kind of fire.
This was not solely dragon-fire; it was a mix of dragon-fire, and mage-fire.
Quatre was the only one who could tell the difference, or exactly what that meant. Something had changed in Shinigami again, and this time, it looked like it might be able to do the job.

There was still only one thing that could tip this fight. So far, Shinigami had sustained no serious injury during the monstrous fight, but Baezrok's ability to almost instantly heal himself with no real ill effects, might eventually wear down his challenger.

They would have to kill him with a single attack for it to work at all. Otherwise, they were simply wasting time hurting a being that couldn't be hurt long enough for it to matter.

Quatre moved over to where Trowa sat leaning up against a broken chunk of the wall, and kneeled next to the injured elf. Trowa's emerald eyes held a question, and Quatre held out his hand in answer.

"Please, give me what you can…" He murmured, an uncharacteristically fierce look in the little mage's aquamarine eyes. Trowa paused for only a moment before extending his own hand, and grasping his angel's in a tight but gentle grip.

Power poured through the connection, bringing a gasp from the mage. He had known that elves were magick, as dragons are magick; it was twined into their very being. However, he'd never imagined what power a single willing elf could provide.

The energy swelled until it filled him to brimming, and he released Trowa's hand with a slight jerk back, as if any more would burn him through the physical connection they'd made. His skin practically glowed with power as he stood, a brief smile of thanks aimed towards the elf who now leaned quite heavily against the wall, a small shadow of a smile attempting to hide the worry on his face.

"Be careful…" Was his only goodbye warning.

…

Shinigami's fire blackened the demon's rangy fur yet again as the mix of mage and dragon flame scorched Baezrok far too easily for the demon's liking. A power-dive took him once more out of the path of the incoming flames, and into range for a clawed swipe at the black dragon. A howl of triumph escaped as his claws snagged the only delicate part of the great dragon, his wing membranes. Shinigami let loose a blast of fiery rage, striking the demon squarely with it, and slipping his injured wing from the demon's grasp, using his momentum to roll under Baezrok and deliver a mighty crack of a hit to the demon's chest with his spiked tail-knob, barely dodging the return swing of the demon's scythe-tipped tail. Ribs broke with an audible snap, and the long spines on the ebon tail buried themselves deep within the demon's rank flesh.

Baezrok scrabbled for a hold on the slick scales to pull the spikes from him, but the need was nullified as Shinigami's further forward momentum ripped the spines free, dripping gore as he soared downwards, then snapped his wings down for a quick upwards burst of speed. He'd gotten lucky in that Baezrok hadn't badly pierced the membranous fibers of his wing. It was just enough to be named a close call.

Baezrok was healing himself as Shinigami attacked again, too quick for him to fully heal the gaping rip in his chest. It began to exhaust his strength as the ebon dragon grabbed him from behind, sinking in those scythe-like claws, searching for vulnerable places even as bone-crushing jaws closed around the base of one of his grimy-feathered wings. A crunching rip echoed through the air, and Baezrok shrieked as Shinigami ripped through muscle, tendon, and bone with a vicious tug and twist of his monstrous angular head, completely ripping off the offending pinion and letting it plummet the several hundred feet to hit the ground with a low thud that sent up a cloud of dust and settled debris. The demon reached back as far as he could with his lower set f arms, seeking a hold on the creatures tearing him apart from behind, actually scoring a hit on Shinigami's underside, the only place vulnerable enough to be pierced by the demon's scythe claws.

Without releasing his hold, Shinigami angled downwards with a single beat of his great wings , tucking them close to his scaled hide for a power-dive that carried the demon with him, their tails and Baezrok's one useless wing trailing after in a flurry of motion. The demon continued to try and strike the dragon behind him, thought the effort was lost in the ebon dragon's mighty downwards plunge.

The air screamed around them as they plummeted towards the ground, cutting through the wind resistance, and nearing the earth below in mere moments.

Seconds from crashing into the ground, Shinigami kicked upwards off the demon's body, tearing a long gash with his hind legs in passing, and unfurled his wings with a sound like thunder as they filled instantly, halting the dragon's downward freefall with a snap that sent the tendons in his wings to popping from the strain. It was visible from here the damage the demon had wrought, dark blood welling from a double line of deep slices.

Baezrok was unable to stop himself in the least as he was released, and slammed into the ground with all the force of their downward momentum behind him, shaking the very ground with his impact, and sending up yet another cloud of debris in his wake.

Shinigami hovered overhead, great wing beats serving to quickly disperse with the obscuring cloud, revealing a broken form that staggered to its feet in the crater his own body's impact had made. New, healthy flesh was covering the wounds, and even then, a wing began to grow, bones first, slowly covering with muscle and sinew, then sprouting feathers and skin.

It was here, that Quatre saw his chance.

The spell he'd prepared with the energy Trowa had bestowed upon him was one he'd only actually used once, and that had only been in practice. It was darker magick, feeding upon both the caster and his intended victim as it would wind its way through the subject. It worked best against magickally inclined creatures, causing their magick to, in essence, rebel against them.

Placing the last seals with his hands, the little mage threw the spell at the unsuspecting demon's back with all his might, before he could have second thoughts, and Baezrok was fully hale again.

The spell hit, and it was like all sound was suddenly sucked from the air as the spell carved its way into the demons back, a soundless roar leaving his maw. Pitching forward, darkness began to gather around the demon's twisted form as he fought the powerful spell. Quatre's eyes were locked on the demon, and he felt the drain, too similar to what he'd experienced from the collar to worry him yet.
Suddenly, in this void of sound, a voice rang through the minds of all present, a medley of many voices all chorusing together.

Rise and be released! They cried, familiar and yet not, as the single owner could not be placed. It simply seemed to come from the demon himself.

Shinigami then roared a torrent of flame down on the crouched form of the demon, covering him in flames that burned all too readily. Cutting off the spew, the flames surrounding Baezrok did not die, but grew, brighter and higher until the demon was completely obscured in the glowing mass of heat.

Quatre's spell increased tenfold then, and the mage fell to his knees as it snatched at his life force before he could block it with a wall of magick.

The dark flames surrounding the demon slowly turned crimson and gold as the fury of the flames changed.

Out of the flames, a clarion call sounded, and as if singing victory to the world, the shape rose, and took form. Wings wreathed in crimson flame rose high, higher, until they reached to encompass the entire sky. The head rose, golden slitted eyes burning brightly over the gleaming silver beak. The body of the fire-spirit held the demon within, burning him, charring the muscle and skin that tried to form fast enough.

Shinigami's crest rose once more, and he rained down one last blast of his own mixed fire, blending with that of the firebird's until the two combined into a flaming tower of unholy retribution, Baezrok at the center.

Muscle, skin, fur and feathers all melted away under that unrestrained onslaught. Bones burned, charred, and finally turned to so much ash. A mind full of evil gave its all to survive, but in the end, burned out and died away, nothing left of the High Demon after all was done. Even ash was reduced to nothingness in that inferno.

Such heat would have easily killed anything within the radius of the keep, but other than a tolerable, if uncomfortable heat, those around the glory of the flaming creature did not suffer the same fate as the demon.

The crimson wreathed creature then began to die back, shrinking downwards until it hovered only over the field of battle, eyeing the black dragon as it came to rest in the courtyard with such delicate ease for something so large. Those slitted golden eyes peered into Shinigami's crystalline amethyst orbs, and the two great creatures came to an understanding without a single movement or sign from either. The fiery bird then died further, sinking in on itself, and slowly becoming nothing more than regular fire that had caught at some of the wood debris that littered the area.

Quatre, who had collapsed completely as the duration of his spell ended, was now coming to, and found himself the target of Shinigami's great dark gaze. The ebon dragon began to stalk closer to the little mage, taking cat-like steps on padded paws whose claws were now sheathed once more.

The mage then blinked, for the great form of Shinigami began to become transparent and fade, melting away as if he'd never been. The slinking dragon's four footed steps became two legged, as another form emerged from the darkened shadow that was even then dispersing into the evening air like so much dark fog, closing the distance between itself and the mage in another mere seconds, and stopping to stand before the blonde youth. A pale hand reached down, and it was a second before Quatre could bring himself to move, much less take the proffered hand. When he finally did though, he was pulled unsteadily to his feet, and supported by a person he never thought he'd see again.

"Hey.. thanks for your help back there…" Duo murmured with the same voice they'd all come to know and love. A look into his amethyst eyes, however, showed just how much he had changed. For Duo's eyes now held the same quality as Phenris'.
One could sit, and gaze back into the thousands of years this youth…this dragon… had lived.

...

Oh my… I had so much fun writing this chapter!

By all that's holy, it sure took me long enough, and starting twice to finally figure out how I wished it to work, but I finished it! I do believe, that one more chapter should wrap this up nicely. Of course, I said that about four chapters ago, didn't I?

Oh well.

I do hope that this chapter has pleased everyone. I would suggest not asking questions such as how what why or when right now, as the next chapter will be wrapping up several explanations. However, if you really think it is important, and I may have missed it (I've already missed a few things ) then by all means, do inform me at once.

Other than that, I may be working on a sequel to Eclipse of Dusk. Don't know why I'd embark on such a mad, mad quest, but an idea popped up that I couldn't ignore. What I want, is a show of hands on people who would enjoy seeing a sequel. Of course, I guess I could leave that until after the last chapter's up, and see what you all think. Either way, I need to know. T'would be much appreciated.

Ciao, and much thanks on everyone who continued to review and read, even after such a long time of non-updates.

-Hseru