Duel With Destiny 6
Max ran as fast as he could away from the gothic-like castle that Rayne lives in.
Max ran and ran, but something inside him keeps on telling him to stop. But Max didn't listen, as he was too startled and everything happened so suddenly that his mind can't handle this much pressure…
Until, when Max regained his composure, he stopped then looked at the road…there he noticed a large crack at the farther side of the road, and if he continued to run, he knew he would've fallen to his inevitable death.
He decided to go to other ways and hopefully, try to find a clearing…he chose to go left…but all he saw was a void…then he went right…still he found a canyon…finally…after seeing nothing…he listened for a flute and went in that direction.
He can already see the tower of the castle when something blue shined in front of him.
What is going on? He thought to himself as the blue light grew bigger and brighter…
Finally, it became too bright for Max to look at…after a short while…it died down…and out came…Monica.
………….Meanwhile, on Rayne's side of the story
Rayne was about to play her flute again, when suddenly, her hand shook, violently, so violent that it split the flute in two.
"How did she…how could she…my dragon could have taken care of anyone that dared to enter…no matter…I'll take care of her, personally! I'm not going to let her, her of all people, foil my plans!"
She left the place from where she stood and headed to the piano room…and there she played Arcadia once more.
Max, come back to the castle this instant! Leave her.
Max could hear Rayne's voice filling his head, telling him to leave Monica.
"Is she communicating with me telepathically?" I'm sorry, but I'm going with Monica.
Monica noticed that Max was spaced out so she shouted, "Hey Max, are you with me?"
Max was startled for a moment, but pretty soon he answered, "Yeah, I'm fine. Listen Monica, you won't believe me when I tell you this but…"
"But? But what?"
Max suddenly disappeared in thin air, leaving Monica in question about what Max was about to say, and giving Monica another problem…where is he now?
Max was teleported back to his former prison cell, but this time, he was placed in a torture rack instead of a crystal cage.
Max opened his eyes, seeing nothing but himself tied to a torture rack.
(A psychic talk-) (Italicized-Max) (Italicized w/ Bold-Rayne)
Rayne, I know you can hear me…please let me go!
After the way you have disobeyed me…I don't think so!
Monica is my friend you can trust her, after all, we can't actually escape here you know.
What? Do you actually think that I let you in here for a visit?
Well yeah, you're not harming me or anything so I don't think you're evil.
You are too naïve boy! Okay, I think you leave me no choice but to tell you what I'm going to do to you…because it frustrates me to see people smiling even when they're about to be killed. I'm going to conjure a ritual called "Ritual of Sacred Passage". And, as every ritual goes, it needs a sacrifice…and I that's you!
Okay…now you're starting to scare me, so please let me go…
(End Psychic Talk)
Unknown to Rayne, Monica has already made her way inside the castle.
With Rayne still inside the music room, telecommunicating with Max…
Monica is already nearing the torture chamber, Max was being held at, while silently killing every monster that stood guard.
Unfortunately for Monica, the music room is near the torture chamber, and Rayne had already felt Monica's presence eversince she entered the castle.
"If you think that you can run away from me…you thought wrong…you'll regret ever facing death itself!"
Monica saw Max mentally absent as he was tied to the torture chamber; she tried shouting to Max, but Max was too spaced out to say anything…so Monica just ran to him and tried taking of the shackles that bounded Max.
"Max…wake up…I know you can hear my voice! Hey…Max…"
Monica tried to wake Max up…but when she saw Max's eyes turn blank…she knew it was no use.
Suddenly…Monica heard footsteps…coming from the back. She turned her head to see who it was…she went down from the torture rack and readied her sword, thinking that she was prepared for the unexpected, or so she thought.
She saw a strange, hooded figure nearing her, at a fast pace…
Monica blindly charged towards the hooded figure…but when the stranger removed her hood…Monica was suddenly brought to a halt.
"Surprised to see me, Monica?"
"Yo-you couldn't be…"
"That's right Monica…I'm your mother…the mother whom you thought dead!"
Monica was so shocked that she didn't move an inch…but the enemy on the other hand continued to walk towards her…Monica felt her heart beat faster every time she gets closer to her…until the stranger stopped near Monica's position…Monica looked at her and she looked at Monica…and then…the stranger slapped her…she slapped her so hard that Monica was thrown away at a pretty long distance.
Monica crashed on the wall, and made a hole on it as well…she fell back to the ground, her eyes nearly closed, shortly, it began to form tears before she completely passed out.
Max was still in a trance…his eyes remained as blank as ever…then Rayne (stranger to Monica) lifted Max by the chin and said
"Now I have to kill her as well…I don't need an audience to witness this…although, it would bring me much pleasure to kill her, why? Because we share the same blood, she was born from me…how I despise her!"
Though Max couldn't hear what Rayne was saying…Monica was bit awake…and she heard everything Rayne said to Max. Every word that Rayne uttered about her was like a knife to her heart, hearing that from the person, whom she considered her inspiration, hurts her the most.
Then Rayne released Max from the torture rack…and torture rack was transformed into a portal and next to it was a violet crystal…
"Now, all I need, is the blood of the Child of Time poured into this crystal and after that, I only need to offer the Child of Time's soul as a sacrifice as well as a drop of my blood to complete the ritual. After this, my curse will be lifted…and those ancient fools will pay for what they have done to me!"
Rayne took out a knife and made a cut in her arm…then she dropped the blood, which was stained in the knife, into the portal, making it change color.
Then Rayne held out Max's arm, then she took her knife…but when she was about to stab Max with it…a sword, from out of nowhere, hit Rayne's arm, causing it to drop the knife and Max as well. She hissed in pain as she saw the sword that hit her, she picked it up and smirked menacingly.
"The Holy Daedalus eh…I never thought that Raybrandt would actually fall in battle, hah, this is too much entertainment in one day! So Monica, you have your father's sword, but did you actually think that this piece of junk will win you the battle?"
Monica was the one who threw the sword…she stood up just in time to save Max from the ritual…
"I don't know what happened mother, but I will defeat you!"
Rayne just laughed and said, "You're just as arrogant as your father…very well, if you want to go first then it'll be my pleasure!"
Rayne rushed to Monica's side with the Holy Daedalus sword in her hand, Monica, on the other hand, took out some scrolls that were left after her journey in the woods.
Rayne swung her sword sideways, Monica jumped high to evade, then she threw a fire scroll plus a volley of flames right at Rayne…Rayne used the Holy Daedalus to absorb the magic and threw it right back at Monica.
Monica expected the counter-attack and countered it with a swing of another sword she held in her hand.
"I see you mastered the Fire Blade…your father spent years just trying to create it."
"I didn't master it, Father did…he just placed it in a scroll and told me to use it whenever it was most necessary…though it takes up a lot of energy just to conjure it." Monica replied as droplets of blood can be seen pouring from both of her arms.
"You're making this fight a bit interesting, but I have no time to deal with a cretin like you. Now prepare yourself!" Rayne replied as she struck the ground with the Holy Daedalus and began forming weird hand signals, as well as chant words beyond anything Monica has ever heard.
Monica knew she was planning on a magic attack so she dispelled the Fire Blade, closed her eyes and chanted a magic of her own.
Unknown to Monica, Rayne was only pretending to cast a spell, so as Monica was chanting, she slowly removed the Holy Daedalus from the ground and stabbed Monica in the stomach…
Monica was taken by surprise by what Rayne did, it happened all so suddenly, but the pain of the sword digging deeper into her stomach…the pain was all too much…
"Wh-wh-why mo-mother…why are you do-doing this? I used to look up to you…"
Tears filled Monica's eyes as she spoke.
"I've been always wanting…wanting to see you, mother. Of course, I knew it was impossible…but whenever I look at your picture…I always imagined you, beside me."
Rayne laughed, feeling unaffected by what Monica said.
"Humph, you've grown to be too soft, Monica. But it doesn't matter; I abandoned you a long time ago…I never did accept you as my child in the first place…."
"But let me tell you a little secret…you know the Dark Element right? As well as the Dark Genie right? Those two creatures…they were just my pawns of darkness. I created them to get the Atlamilias back…for I was part of its creation."
(Flashback- Ancient Times) (Italicized-other mages) (Italicized w/ bold-Rayne/Naomi)
Lady Naomi, why would want to add something like a Nega force inside the Atlamilias?
A Nega force is a type of energy that can destroy even the depths of time and space itself!
Although its evil aura makes it hard to master…but that doesn't matter now…even if I sell my soul to devil, I will gladly do so…just to make myself stronger!
Naomi wanted to create the Atlamilias for the sole purpose of making herself stronger…but the other mages wouldn't allow it…so Naomi killed everyone involved in the creation of the Atlamilias…until, the Head Sage heard of the monstrosity that Naomi had created…he himself personally gave Naomi her punishment.
Your devotion to the Dark Arts is way beyond reason…and it had caused so much trouble for many…You must be punished!
From this moment on, the Necromancer known as Naomi will have an immortal life, here on earth…and here you will rot and all of your loved ones will die, but you will not...
You will suffer Eternal Damnation!
(End Flashback)
Monica couldn't believe what she just said…
"But what about father, how did you find out that he had it with him fifteen years ago? And why at this time period?"
"I needed the Child of Time, and as he is the chosen one, he is bound to have a guardian…and your family, Monica, was chosen as the Child of Time's guardian. You are nothing more than Max's watchdog."
Monica was shocked…all this time…her mother never really loved her… her whole family was used just for someone's selfish wishes…and the destiny that burdened her, she already failed her duty to protect Max…
Rayne noticed that Monica was completely shocked after all of the things she said, so she made use of this opportunity to take the Holy Daedalus off Monica's body and swung it vertically, over Monica's head…
"Die!"
……Monica was hit, but thankfully, Rayne missed Monica's head, but she was hit badly in her left shoulder, almost hitting her heart.
Rayne was so furious, so she just kicked Monica to the direction of the wall, crashing onto it once again.
"Now that I'm through with you…the Child of Time is next!"
She went to the direction where she last placed Max, but by the time she got there Max was already gone.
"Where have you gone now?"
Rayne looked around the room, finding nothing. She decided to check outside…when she heard someone running inside the room. There she saw Max running towards Monica's direction.
"Oh no you don't!" And with a flick of her hand, a dark monster appeared from out of nowhere and blocked Max's way.
"I have to save Monica! Let me go!"
"Oh you will…right after you die as well!"
"No, I won't believe you, Monica isn't dead yet!"
"Believe what you must, what matter's now is that I have you and no one will stop me!"
"That is, if you can catch me." And with that, Max ran as far as he can, away from Rayne.
Rayne summoned two more creatures from the dark to help her catch Max.
Very soon, Max was cornered by three dark monsters and Rayne as well.
"Now, this game of Tag is over!" Rayne took out her knife once again started to create a cut on Max's arm.
Monica really was still alive even after Rayne crashed her to the wall…
"Sh-she said something about the blood of Max being placed in that portal thing…(groans)…if I was able to place my blood inside that portal…it would mean that the ritual would go haywire…"
Monica slowly stood up, even with her injuries; it mustn't be a hindrance to keep her from defeating her enemy…even if the enemy was her own mother.
She took the Holy Daedalus out of her shoulder and used it as a crutch to slowly limp her way over the portal.
"Ouch!" Max's cry can be heard from across the room…his arm had a long cut, still pouring with blood because of the slash that Rayne gave him.
"Finally, everything is almost ready for the ritual!" then she pointed to her three monsters and said, "You three, take the boy and follow me."
But when she got there, she saw Monica, with her hand filled with blood, placed her hand near the portal.
"No, you wouldn't!"
"Yes, I will!"
"But Monica…I'm your mother…will you choose Max over your own mother?"
"…I…I have no mother…"
And with that, Monica placed her own blood inside the portal…then…everything went silent…then the whole room glowed white…except for the portal, which glowed with a violent shade of purple as it shook violently, causing the whole room to shake as well.
"Look at what you have done! All my life's work…I worked on it for the past thirty-thousand years…and I won't let you destroy it…"
The portal suddenly disappeared in thin air, but not before trashing the whole castle because of the violent shakes it kept on making.
Monica opened her eyes, when she saw that Rayne was still affected by the light, she took this opportunity to grab Max's hand and quietly escaped the castle…unknown to them…Rayne already had a backup plan…
"If you think you cretins can escape…well think again…I've already sent someone to destroy Palm Brinks in a matter of seconds…and I have another way to get the Child of Time…"
Max and Monica were finally out of the castle…very soon, the castle collapsed and everything inside it was buried six feet under…
Monica let out a huge sigh, "It's finally over."
"Yeah…but Monica…how can we get out of here?"
"Don't worry…there's a time key around that we can use to get out of here, it's in a shape of a golden book."
Max and Monica decided to split up so that they can find the time key easier…
After a while Max found it in his part of the woods…but when he wanted to tell it to Monica…that became his problem…
"How can I tell Monica about it? Hmmm….I got it!" Then he took some branches, then lit fire and used its smoke as a signal for Monica to follow."
Monica saw the signal and ran towards the direction of the smoke.
"Monica, I found the golden book thingy! Now how do I use it?"
"Let me handle that for you."
Monica held Max's hand, then her other hand held the book…suddenly…they just disappeared in thin air.
Author's note and Spoiler
Only one chapter left!
Please tell me what you liked (or hated) about this chapter ok?
And please tell me if you want me to continue it…of course, if you liked it…I will definitely update. Please R&R ok?
Spoiler:
(None this time, sorry!)
P.S.- I do not own Dark Cloud 2!