I dn't know exactly what happened, but for a while I couldn't update due to some kind of problem with my account. And it wasn't like I had done something wrong, more like some kind of information that never came, not allowing me to update. I sent after help from some of my readers, I have no idea if you were the ones who helped me get everything back to normal, I am just relieved the the site works again. Another delay came that my Intrenet was shut down this Saturday, and why is another question...

So, some could probably guess the answer... (laughs, evil author humour) Yet there were words this came unexpected. Can you guess how hard it was to keep hidden? I wanted to spill it out loads of times, all though that would spoil all the fun.

And it seems like the last introduction wasn't that confusing for you... but if someone don't know what the endless amount of creatures that has been told of this story, Hellhounds and such can be found on http/ sorry for the lack of some Takouji scenes lately. It is just, things are getting really hot around here, the finals are coming and I am so freaked out with ideas I hardly know where to put things. Yes, for once no hard time just writing.

Chapter 15

The Demon Lord

Brothers... Brothers are something special. Two brothers in a family is gold for the family. In many cultures, yet not all, boys are considered better then girls. Likewise boys or males are considered as fortune for the families. Take Dragons for example. Almost only males has received honour in their history... a few selected girls are mentioned, but not often. Mainly boys stands for everything good.

In History as well, or more preferably, legend, many tales tell of spectacular events with different brothers journeying together finding treasures never before seen. Boys return with honour beyond honour.

A boy also tries to become better then his father, girls don't often need to since girls has a basic thought of looking after the house/cave/mansion etc. and the kids. Some few creatures, for example witches, elves, mermaids, dryads, sirens and Aquilas don't count since they are female dominant. Witches for example prefer to keep their wizards under strict rules, and their kids has a special system they go through, with a lot of apprenticeships. Elves has no strong rules since elves normally consider each other equals. Mermaids are only one kind, there actually doesn't exist mermen even if humans seems to think so. As for Aquilas, you've heard before.

Dryads and sirens keep to themselves. Many are yet still not sure what exactly drives them or what their purpose is.

Brothers themselves has a special purpose. One son is a bringer of a bright future. Two brothers shares a certain fate. Whatever the fate is, no one will be able to know until the day they die.

Takuya felt tears sting in his eyes. He couldn't believe it, he didn't want to believe it.

"Shinya... why?"

Shinya laughed, an evil cackle came from his mouth. He was dressed in black suit, velvet, and brown boots. A golden belt, gold chain around his neck. He looked much older then he had before, hair spiked, now coloured to red. Nails painted black as well. A symbol was embroided onto the suit, a snake eating on a dragon.

Around him smaller demons crawled, in the shape of snakes and spiders. The Four remaining terrors assembled around him, bowing. The six Warriors gasped. They couldn't believe their eyes. The demon was human, or as three of them would put it, Takuya's brother.

Now they wondered, how was this possible? How could a human enter this world, born demon or not? Still, Takuya had managed to come here, but so with Kouji and Kouichi's help. But it wasn't the same. And what would happen to Nemorisa if more humans came to this world?

Takuya stared blankly at his brother. He wanted to go over and hear that nothing of this was really sure. Even if Shinya was his brother, an evil brother to add, he still loved him as any brother would love, well a more normal boy. But this was too much for him, the dragon fell to his knees and cried.

Izumi and Kouichi, sensing something was very wrong went over to attack. But they never got anywhere near him. Dark wisps of smoke blew them back. A huge power drained from Shinya's body, not affecting him, but everyone who wasn't of his kind.

Kouji wrapped his arms around Takuya, protecting him. The sword, which Takuya kept with him, started to heat feeling the darkness around. It vibrated violently, wanting to cleanse this rudeness. Takuya knew he couldn't do it. The sword slowly died down, and became cold once more.

The other Terrors came up to them, all hungering after blood and souls. Tomoki flinched seeing Schakal and Kouji growled seeing Umbra as well. Even Kouichi shared some deep hatred with his brother, hating this sight and the brother of darkness longed for revenge. Another sight that greatly made him disgusted was Trix, who truly did insult the darkness. Junpei kept glaring at Bohemus, who had to be five times bigger then him. Izumi tried to do her best holding back Tomoki, who made seconds later made attempts to go strangle that evil ghost. While at it, Schakal put some cruel insults at her, with a classical addition that no one of them would last much longer since they would all die soon. But while the others eyes the Four Terrors, Takuya managed to fight his way through Kouji's arms and run over to his brother. Shinya backed, a black whip appeared from his hand. It slashed the brunette on the shoulders, paralysing him of bewilderment.

The brunette was lost. His mind couldn't absorb the fact that his own brother was the worst terror, the worst mistake in Universe. He was the cause of all the sadness that came across in Nemorisa and upon Earth. The negative forces around him were choking the life out of your body, and his hunger for power could never be filled enough. Takuya could no longer hear his friends calling his name. He could only hear the harsh wind and the memory of lightning.

Back in time, back in another world. Back, in a memory of a brother one day during a storm. When their parents had been gone.

Memory

The thunder kept tearing the trees apart. Somewhere the forest had started to burn, but Takuya wasn't affected by that. A much younger version of Takuya Kanbara sat on his bed, thinking about life. He was around eight, and so far his life was pretty horrible, and yet he could cope with it.

His parents were out, and he had been strictly told to watch his brother. At the moment Shinya was downstairs watching TV, his favourite programs. When this ended the calmness ended.

Suddenly the lights went out, everything became dark. Takuya fished under his pillow for a torchlight he his there in emergencies. The lightning flashed outside, and while he kept listening he could swear he heard someone crying. He walked out from his room, lighting the way. Walking towards the stairs, walking down the staircase to the couch. The crying got louder and he ran over to the sofa, where the young Shinya sat crying.

"B-brother, I'm scared!" Shinya said trembling. Takuya, feeling slightly unsure of what to do did the only thing he could think of. He sat down beside his brother, holding him close letting him cry to sleep. Shinya wrapped his arms around his brother, his tears soon disappearing and they were replaced by a soft breathing. Takuya couldn't help it, but he felt drowsy. He closed his eyes and fell asleep as well.

He woke up hours later with a blanket put over him. Shinya was gone, but dinner was placed before him. A tray with sandwiches and some juice. It was one of the few times his brother did anything nice for him. For as he sat up straight he could see his brother smiling, winking at him before walking up the stairs to his room.

End memory

New Memory

His next memory appeared a few years later. Like always when his mother yelled at him and the door was unlocked he had escaped from the house. He was eleven, and Kouichi had agreed following him to the park. The ghost floated before him, only showing himself to him and no one else. The ghost did weird faces and scared the hell out of people by making picnic baskets fly stealing the blankets with all the food. It was his way of receiving the meal and Takuya did not stop him. How else would he survive, even though he felt kind of sorry for everyone involved. But the food itself was delicious.

How could he complain?

Takuya and Kouichi sat down at a hill by some trees, happily munching on their well deserved earns. Takuya was right about to munch into a red apple when he saw none other then his brother walk up to him. Shinya stopped suddenly and Takuya was sure he was dead.

"Who's your friend?" his brother asked.

Takuya saw Kouichi stumble before quickly ceased to exist, even from Takuya's vision. His brother walked away, shaking his head at his weird brother.

Perhaps Shinya had been able to see Kouichi, because he too like Takuya didn't come from a normal world?

Who knew?

End Memory

Memory

Takuya could remember something else. It all began after Shinya's birth, or really after the news about his mother going to have another child. Perhaps the darkness around his brother truly was strong or perhaps it was a dark fate. It was a vision from the future, a vision that that he only now could understand. Back then he did not believe in that ghosts and such existed, back then he didn't know about Nemorisa. He didn't know about himself. In that vision, he had seen fire, and darkness in a death on death battle. But the details remained weak, and all he could remember seeing, as this image flickered the more the years went pass, darkness and fire being equal in strength. The something happening to the darkness, as it grew stronger surrounding the fire.

Then it all went black...

End Memory

It was dawn, the storm had continued to another place. But with the morning sun reality hit them like a bomb. The trees around them still smoked, dead foxes lay in heaps, many of them had returned to a beast like form, like the one they were born in. The surviving foxes buried their friends in the forest, a memorial place to become. Many would give their lives, for the things that would soon happen.

The six warriors had retreated to their own corner, licking their wounds. Izumi's elfstone was a good help, but still not enough to heal their broken pride. Kouichi was unusually silent and very grey. Izumi had folded her wings around her, shielding herself from their eyes. She felt so hopeless. Tomoki lay on the burned grass, looking at what remained of a huge tree. Kouji was feeding himself on birds and squirrels, not caring what the others thought about. But really, his insides were burning out of rage.

But the person who suffered the most was of course, Takuya, who still couldn't understand what had happened. But the longer time went past, the more the puzzle started to be solved and tears trickled down his saddened face. Junpei was the only one who didn't feel completely saddened. Indeed he was the only one who didn't blame himself for what had happened.

So, now you all wonder what truly did happen. We said everything went black, and yes it did. A black cloud came sweeping the Evils with it. A dark mind, a Shadowed prophecy came whispering declaring the demon as its tool. Dark thunder hit the ground, eroding the earth and cracking the lands. Dark souls came to quench the living, and the trees died before their very eyes. Corpses were piled over each other, both elves and foxes. History and legend would describe this day as, the day without hope.

Four of the warriors sighed at the same time. Junpei sat by a pile of sand, drawing something. It looked very much like a drawing of mountains, for his mind was lost to his homeland, or home-mountain. The Raiki Mountains in the South, the cave he lived in and all his friends. It wasn't really a coincident for him that he had bumped into these guys, since after all... he was on a mission for the Chief of his tribe. Like many of the others, he had known about his ancient powers, yet unlike them not used it. He was happy just to be himself and at first he didn't want anything to do with it. Until that day a messenger came to the Mountain, clad in a pitch black cloak.

"My Master bids thee about help to defeat though Warriors in a upcoming war." he said formally. Junpei heard exactly what was spoken. He was a close friend to the young Chief and had come for a visit, all though not expecting this.

"And what does your Master want from us?" The Chief asked.

"That thou help my Master kill the six Warriors and bring their power to Him."

"And how do we find these Warriors?" the Chief asked, starting to get pretty interested in the conversation. The Messenger had brought a lot of gold with him, which sickened Junpei at the mere sight of it. And he was afraid as well, as he knew that he was one of the warriors and even though his comrades didn't know about it, yet, he knew he couldn't stay for long. Unless he could get his friend to change his mind.

"What do you think, Junpei?" the Chief asked.

Junpei took a deep breath. "I think we shouldn't trust him. He is from the darkness, and the only darkness we can trust are ghosts and ghouls. There is something fishy about it, and I don't mean a plain fish. More like a shark before he attacks, circling his prey."

The Chief simply shrugged. "Whatever you say my friend. We will talk about this later." he told the Messenger.

"As you wish." the Messenger said and left. Yet, as he passed Junpei something happened. His powers suddenly emerged, going after the messenger grilling him. The Messenger screamed in pain as he died and Junpei. He was in pure shock. Everyone was quiet.

It ended with him leaving. He could not risk it happening again. As that thing had passed him, anger flared so deeply it emerged in the shape of full power. Even though his friends wanted him to stay, he had to leave. He went to the witches, whom he knew, knew more about magic. And after this, you know the rest.

Five of them would not remember much of the events happening during the following days, and if they had, they would have been really surprised. As they all soon felt better, many thanks to the elves Juri who kept them under her safe magic, many wounds healed. Within a few days they all started to use their heads again instead of blaming their problems on other things. The only one who still couldn't solve his problems was Takuya, but who would after such an event?

Yet time heals the wounds and you figure out sometimes time has to pass on and even though the past is not forgotten, you start living with it. Laughter came back to them, joy as well. They were getting close to their goal. Behind the mountains at the end of the Elven Woods lay the Dragon Valley they had so long searched for. It had taken a long time to get there, and as they did their best to cross the mountains, Harana passed into Livia and around them water sprang to life. Their roads also got more crowded as it seemed more kinds of creatures had travelled from all around Nemorisa to get to the Dragon's Homeland. Werewolves travelled in groups, growling at them passing by. They saw wizards soar by and it is not a myth that witches use brooms. However it is mainly witches who masters the art. So the wizards just have to hang on and pray for his life.

Many old faces swooped by, all keeping an eye for them. They saw Ruki and Ryo passing, poor Ryo looking quite pale over Ruki's mad flying techniques. Miyako stopped to say hello, flying together with a few other fellow Aquilas and Izumi of course was overwhelmed to see her. Takato passed looking for Jenrya, and seemed to be a bit lost. The Shapeshifter travelled through rivers and often got lost. Other familiar faces Mimi, dragging a furious Iori with her. (It looked as if the wizards had decided to leave their apprentice home this time, something he refused.) Hirokazu, who frightened the hell out of Kouichi once he stopped by. And some very old faces, Ai and Mako who came to report that Kouji and Kouichi's castle had almost been crushed into ruins because of the search.

Yet none of their friends stayed too long. Everyone was in a hurry, hoping to get away before the new storm. Reports came that another Terror was on its way and all sane creatures scattered before that happened. The Warriors however decided to stay behind. A sudden rage kept building up in their chests because of these things, something they could no longer control. Like an animal instinct over a prey. So far the rumours described this as moving rock of destruction.

An agreement had erupted between them. Even though they lost one battle, they would try their best on the next. What was the point of continuing if you knew you couldn't survive such a thing? They were said they had legendary powers and they all wanted to believe that. It was outside the borders to the dragon territory that the rumour caught up with them and what they could see, running after them was what looked at first like a rock boulder. But at a closer look it was not.

Fire and Light... Ice and Wind... Darkness and Thunder... in a sudden rush all the elements awoke.

And do you know who will be round 2 for them to face? Oh no, can't be, can it? Bohemus, the demonic rock, a Moving Mountain...

TBC

Thanks to everyone for support!