Just a note to clear up some confusion: Hirotaka Ogata is the father of Hiroaki Ogata (The director of Dark Moon in canon). Hirotaka is the one that created the inhibitors. We have not actually seen his son at all in this story. Now, onward to the drama!
"Kyoko!"
The sound of her name brought the world around her back into focus. The voice was Shin's, but it was laced with an uncharacteristic urgency that got her moving. Carefully hurrying through the rubble she found him and Kanae. Her best friend lay on the ground, eyes closed and blood seeping from several wounds. Shin knelt beside her, his pallor and the way he was swaying said he wasn't too far from passing out himself.
Kyoko hurried over, ignoring the twisted black mess that used to be Naomi. It was smoking slightly, the sent made Kyoko want to choke.
"Kyoko." Called Shin in relief. "Quickly, she was hit multiple times by that accused's poison."
"On it." Said Kyoko, yanking out a drawing ring from Chiori's bag. She glanced at Shin as she pulled it on her finger. "It looks like you were hit as well."
"Kanae first, she's got more of it in her system."
"I'm fine." Muttered Kanae through clenched teeth. It looked like the woman was still conscious, though her eyes were closed. Kyoko ignored the protest. Shin had light magic to help slow down the poison. Kanae did not.
She pressed a finger to the gash on Kanae's arm, then slowly drew it up. Blood and inky black poison followed her finger. Kanae's body tensed up, but she did not cry out in pain.
Kyoko threw the poison aside, and repeated the process on the other two cuts. With each drawing, less poison was removed until little more than a trickle came up. That was all Kyoko could do. She didn't have time to be more thorough. Shin also needed help if he wanted to live.
The man was now swaying where he sat, his wounds turning a sickly greyish color. Then he suddenly began to fall backward. Kyoko reached out, nearly toppling over as she grabbed him just in time to stop him from hitting his head. She carefully laid him down, repeating the same process of drawing out the poison. He had a lot less in his system thankfully.
Kyoko was drawing the last portion out when Kanae managed to sit up. The warrior scooted herself next to Shin, gripping a bleeding arm as she regarded him. Her body was covered in dirt, blood and sweat. Black hair was plastered to her face, but she didn't seem to care about any of that as she leaned over Shin, giving him a small nudge.
"Hey, are you still alive?" said Kanae.
Shin cracked an eye open. He was in a similar state as Kanae, sweat and grime coloring his pale face. He seemed to care even less.
"Course I am." He said. "You promised to give me hell, remember?
Kanae almost smiled. Her lips turned upward from their usual slope, softening her face. "I guess I did."
Kyoko tilted her head in confusion.
That… had sounded different. She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was as if something had passed between the two. Kanae's expression was open, unguarded. Even Shin looked content. The two of them were still looking at each other, an unknown… something between them.
Maybe they were really satisfied they had managed to kill Naomi?
"Kyoko."
Rosa had come over to the group. She was walking through the mess in Ren's form with orange hair and blazing eyes. Kyoko could feel her heart relaxing as the phoenix got closer, bathing them with her presence.
"We managed to pull the queen from the wreckage." Said Rosa. "But she needs medical attention. I did what I could, but we need you to see to her. I'll see to these two."
"What happened to Aunt Julie?" said Shin, pushing himself up to a sitting position. He winced as he did so, what color he'd gained, draining once again. "Is she going to be okay?"
"She is not out of danger yet." Said Rosa. "Quickly Kyoko. She needs your help."
Kyoko nodded, but hesitated before turning to the other two. She wrapped an arm around Kanae and Shin, pulling them into a sudden hug. She heard them both hiss in either pain or surprise. She tried to be careful, conscious of their injuries, but she couldn't help herself.
"I'm glad you're both alright." whispered Kyoko.
Shin patted her comfortingly on the head. Another hand reluctantly returned the hug, this one from Kanae.
Kyoko stood up, hurrying over to where she knew the queen would be. She rounded a large bolder, her eyes falling on the queen.
The sight brought tears to Kyoko's eyes. One of Julie's legs was crushed almost beyond recognition. Bruises were forming under the skin from trapped and ruptured blood vessels. The woman's eyes were closed. Her hair splayed around her, framing her body in golden beauty.
Shadow was kneeling over the queen, tending to the more severe injuries. He didn't look so good himself. There was a wound on his chest, the flesh burned and charred. He had obviously seared the wound to keep it from bleeding rather than waste time stitching it up. He was currently sewing up the femoral artery in Julie's leg.
Kyoko brushed aside her tears, taking her place on the other side of Julie.
"Has she had a blood replenishing potion yet?" said Kyoko.
"She has." Said Shadow. "But we need to stop all the points of bleeding or else it won't do any good."
No. It wouldn't.
Kyoko pulled the needed supplies from the bag, setting everything up to monitor Julie's vitals as they worked on her. It did not look good. Even if Julie managed to survive she probably wouldn't ever walk again.
Kyoko hadn't been working long when Kanae and Shin came around the corner. They were quite the sight. It was difficult to tell who was supporting who as they limped over together. Rosa was with them, now changed to her original form as a phoenix. The demi-god flew over the group, perching above Julies head. A faint glow emanated from the creature, magic seeping into the unconscious woman.
"Aunt Julie." Said Shin, pain twisting his face as he looked at her. Kyoko looked up briefly from her work. It was usually not a good idea to have family members see someone when they were like this. It could cause problems when the family caused a scene or threw themselves at the injured in a panic, desperate to call them back. It wasted time that they did not have. Then again, Kyoko herself had a strong emotional attachment to Julie. The one mother figure in her life that didn't hate her.
The fears were unneeded as Shin did none of those things. He merely helped Kanae take a seat before settling himself beside her.
"How is she?" said Shin solemnly.
"She'll be-"
"Kyoko… please." Said Shin. "I know that tone."
Kyoko carefully removed a fragment of bone from Julie's muscle, careful not to cause more trauma to the surrounding tissue.
"She's lost a lot of blood." Said Kyoko. "There's a lot of internal damage...but she's doing well considering."
She didn't elaborate. Shin didn't ask her to.
"Did you find Chiori?" said Kyoko. "If she's trapped as well we need to get her out as soon as possible."
But it wasn't Shin that answered. It was Shadow.
"Chiori didn't make it."
"What?"
The man continued working, his hands stained red, much like Kyoko's were.
"When the ceiling collapsed." Said Shadow. "She pushed you and the queen out of the way. I found her earlier in the rubble."
Kyoko stopped.
She had to. Her hands were shaking too much. All the pain and shock from everything was catching up to her in one big rush. She had managed to hold it in, to keep it all back until now. Until this moment. Chiroi. Dead. Crushed by the rock that should have killed her and Julie.
I hate this. she thought, eyes burning as tears began leaking out one by one. She hated all of this. Sitting useless until the fight ended, and even then she was useless. Nothing she did could bring the dead back. The dead. Oh Chiroi.
She took a deep shaky breath, calming her hands, and getting back to work. Stray tears occasionally fell as reality pounded on her in waves.
Kuon's knees felt weak. If he hadn't seen the mask fall from Hirotaka's face he wouldn't have believed it. That Archmage Hirotaka had betrayed them. Had become an accursed.
While his heart refused to accept it, his head told him it made sense. It immediately answered how the accursed had gotten past their defenses so easily. How they had known about the second inhibitor. The country's most powerful and talented archmage had defected to the other side.
Someone stepped up next to him.
It was his dad.
Kuu took a few steps forward, his face mirroring Kuon's feelings. No. The shock was worse for his father. Hirotaka had been a good friend, an ally, a support through all of this. The two had a friendship that originated centuries ago. A trust and history that should not have been so easily broken.
"Hirotaka." Said Kuu, disbelieving. "I… don't understand. How? Why?"
"Ah." Said Hirotaka. "Now those are two different questions."
The man began to struggle to his feet.
Kuon instantly raised his blade, readying himself in case the man attacked. He noticed the others in the room doing the same. Dyrus had come over close to Kuu, sword held out at the ready. Only Lory seemed calm in this situation. His face was unreadable as something smoldered in his eyes, staring down at Hirotaka.
"You succumbed to the temptation of power, didn't you?" said Lory softly.
Hirotaka was upright now. He stabbed his staff into the ground, leaning heavily against the black rod. The wound Kuon had inflicted was bleeding, staining his robes red. It was so odd to Kuon. To see a man he had known for most of his life so changed, yet still the same. He was still an enigmatic, twitchy older man. But he now exuded a strange aura. One of suppressed frenzy and darkness.
"It wasn't so much the power." Said Hirotaka offhandedly. "But the knowledge. The ability to understand everything and anything."
"And so you betrayed us!" said Kuu, his voice laced with emotion. "You attacked the arcane syndicate for the sake of your knowledge."
"I told you, that was an accident!" snapped Hirotaka, his anger sudden. Flecks of magic sparked from his relic at the outburst. "I had just created my own relic. The power. It was all too much to take in. I was trying to understand. I didn't want to destroy all my hard work! My research. Everything ruined in seconds."
The sparks from the rod intensified, popping and falling to the ground. The man appeared to have momentarily forgotten them. He was too busy lamenting the records and items that had been destroyed in his study.
"But no matter, they promised to compensate me. To recover it all. Yes, I will get back everything I lost and more." Hirotaka was almost giddy as he spoke, the madness visible in his eyes. "You don't understand Kuu. How incredible this power is. The wonders it can create. We've been so blind to the Djinn's might. If you just had a glimpse of its majesty you could understand."
Kuon felt sick. He had always admired Hirotaka for his dedication to the pursuit of knowledge. To always be learning and seeking answers to the unanswerable. But the Djinn had managed to take a good thing and twist it. Pervert it for the sake of his dark purposes.
It was almost pitiful.
I can see myself in him. Thought Kuon. He knew to some degree the changes that had gone through Hirotaka. How that one emotion or wish had chased out everything else, leaving a shell of the man that had been there before. This, right here would have been Kuon's fate, had Rosa not bonded with him to save his soul.
This could have been him, standing in dark glory, causing the hurt in his fathers eyes. Maybe it still could be.
The dark figure of the djinn was still there, present despite the warming power of the inhibitor trembling through the room. It was his illusion. The representation of the contract that was so close to finishing.
"I think I've heard enough." Said Lory. "Kuu, this thing is no longer the Hirotaka you once knew."
"No." said Kuu, his voice quiet. Tired. Drained of emotions. "He's not."
Lory's gaze lingered on Kuu's for a moment. Then he turned away and began walking towards Hirotaka. The accursed didn't appear frightened. Mostly disappointed.
"I thought you might have understood me." Said Hirotaka sadly. "After all, I now know how to break the contract on Prince Kuon."
Lory stopped. Kuon saw the man glanced back at him before looking again towards Hirotaka.
Kuon wasn't sure what his face looked like. If it showed the shock and hope, or the distrust he currently felt all at once. Hirotaka knew how to get rid of his curse? He couldn't help hoping that it was true. Almost forgetting to wonder if Hirotaka was playing with them. Lying to stall or manipulate them into letting him live. All he could register was that there was a way to remove the curse, and the man before them knew how.
Hirotaka began to laugh, a giddy chuckle that made him gasp of air. "Y-your faces!" he chortled. "See. Now you're interested! Now you understand how much there is to gain from this magic. You condemn me for choosing this path until it suits your needs. Then it's alright."
How ironic that his voice was what brought Kuon out of his daydream. That reminded him how he had gotten cursed in the first place. Kuon caught his father's eye. Saw the desire in Kuu's eye for a cure. It wasn't controlling his decision, but it could make him hesitate. Question what he wanted to do. Kuon could see it in his father's face. It made him sad to see it.
It was a pure desire. The wish of a father wanting to help relieve the burdens upon his son. But the price that would be paid for a wish, even a pure one, would not be worth it.
"No." said Kuon quietly, eyes on his father even as he spoke to Hirotaka. "It is not alright. What you've sacrificed for obtaining your wish was not worth the price. Do not pretend that it was for me or anyone else that you chose to fall."
Hirotaka paused. "I see." He said, eyes fully of pity. "Then you will fall as well Prince."
Not today I won't.
The king appeared to come out of his revere. He broke his attention from Kuon, a small wistful smile on his lips. He opened his mouth to speak.
A flash of movement appeared behind the king.
It was too fast. Kuon didn't eve have time to cry out.
The king stopped, his mouth open in shock as he looked down at the point of a sword sticking out of his chest.
"Dad!"
Kuon couldn't move. He couldn't think. His heart was denying what he saw, telling him it couldn't be. That he didn't just see his father stabbed in the back. He could hear shouts from the others in the room. His eyes were transfixed on the piece of metal poking out of his father.
Then it was yanked out.
Kuu fell to the floor, revealing the person that stood behind him. Dyrus pointed the bloodied weapon at Kuu's neck.
"Move, and I'll slit his throat."
Kuon stopped, not noticing he had moved forward.
This could not be happening.
Kuon's heart was hammering, adrenaline rushing through him with nowhere to go. Stuck, unable to do anything. He was panicking, watching his father bleed out on the floor. Kuu was conscious, hand pressed hard against his wound. There was magic coming from him to the help stem the flow, keep him alive. But for how long?
"Dyrus!" yelled Lory, jolting Kuon from his daze. "What the hell is this!?"
Dyrus turned his gaze to Lory, the expression wrong. Everything in fact was wrong. His aura… it didn't feel like it belonged to him. Something was being pulled back and Kuon was able to fully understand who stood before them.
"You're not him." Said Kuon.
The man wearing Dyrus's appearance gave Kuon an appreciative nod. "No Nephew, I am not." Then he wavered. His entire appearance shimmered and transformed into someone else. Someone they all but knew had betrayed them. Masato, Kuu's brother.
Lory's sword was out, magic shimmering around him in a haze of might and power. The air crackled with his fury.
"Masato." He said, voice low with a tremor that promised retribution. "Remove yourself from the king this instant."
Masato raised a brow in response, pressing the blade closer to Kuu's throat. The king drew a sharp breath, a new line of blood trailing from the pressure. The message was clear: Lower your weapon and magic, or he will die.
The venom in Lory's expression could have killed. The magic and sword vanished around him, but the dangerous aura around the man did not. The aura that promised Masato's death the second he saw an opportunity.
Masato didn't seem to care about the group of men in the room, each poised to strike. He merely bent down beside the king and pulled from Kuu's robes the ornamental oil lamp. The vessel of the phoenix.
"No." the king rasped. Blood sputtered from his mouth at the gasp, squeezing Kuon's heart in terror.
"I believe this belongs to me." Said Masato, "Thank you brother. For so kindly leading me to it."
A pool of darkness appeared beside the man. It drew itself up, taking the form of a hooded cloak of darkness. The Dark Djinn.
The light in the area dimmed, overpowered by the presence of the dark create. Each heart felt the change. The darkness was seeping into Kuon, his panic slowly building.
"Excellent work Masato." The Djinn said. "Now, destroy the vessel, and rid the world of the phoenix once and for all."
Kuon's grip tightened around his sword. If the vessel was destroyed, then the phoenix would lose the thing that tethered herself to the world. She would vanish. Cease to exist on earth. For the sake of the kingdom, he couldn't let the vessel be destroyed. But he couldn't charge ahead either. Not with Masato's sword pressed to his father's neck.
Kuon's soul cried at the situation. At the choice he was suddenly face with. His father, or the phoenix? Lory did not know about the vessel. Only he understood the situation.
And he had no idea what to do.
Blessedly, Masato hadn't done anything yet. The man was gazing at the lamp with a strange reverence.
"It is disappointing." He commented. "That such a frail thing can be the vessel of such a powerful creature."
The king struggled at Masato's feet, trying to move despite his injury. "Why brother?" he said. "I don't understand. Why do you wish to destroy Ashuron?"
"Destroy?"
Masato lowered the vessel, his attention now on his brother. The frustrations that was so often hidden broke through the surface, appearing unhindered on Masato's face.
"It is you who are destroying Ashuron." He said, teeth clenched. "You, who are too soft and foolish to do anything. I have told you time and time again brother, that you are weak, and today just shows you how right I was. The accursed easily infiltrated the kingdom and have killed hundreds of your citizens. All on your watch. Well, I don't plan on letting that happen again."
"What?"
Masato swung his sword around. The gleaming tip was now pointing at the Djinn. The monster gave a shrill sound that sounded like a hiss. Masato smiled at the noise.
What was going on?
"Masato, what is this?" said the Djinn.
"Did you think, monster, that I would go along with your plan?" said Masato. "Your elaborate scheme to destroy my kingdom? Why else do you think I wished to obtain the vessel of the phoenix?"
Lory stepped forward, and Masato's eyes flickered back to them. Magic sprung around him, dark runes of sickening blackness. They hovered around Kuu, threatening and promising death if activated. Lory stopped, cautious.
"I see now." Said Kuu, his voice sad. He was getting weaker with every moment, his breaths slowing. "You still wished to be king, even after all this time."
"I deserve to be king!" snapped Masato. "Not you. I would have built up the kingdom, made it stronger. Not this frail shadow of what it once was. Our father built a mighty kingdom, and you with your peace and your lay over and playing dead! You've dishonored his memory! But I understand what is needed. I know what must be done."
"And what is that?" said Kuu.
"To accept both shadow and light." Said Masato, holding up the vessel. "I will be the first king to command both the phoenix and the Dark Djinn."
Impossible. Thought Kuon, watching Masato. Light and dark were opposites. They could not coexist in the same space. He was a testament to that fact. He could feel the dark in his swirling more prominently now, recognizing the horror before him, snuffing out the light.
The Djinn remained quiet as it floated beside Masato, watching everything from its hooded cloak
"Brother, stop this madness." Said Kuu desperately. "The people would never accept you. Not after what happened today with the accursed."
"They will." Said Masato. "For I will be the one to subdue the attack. I will show my power and might. They will praise me as the hero that saved the people and captured the dark Djinn. Then I will promise them revenge on those that did this." his face twisted into a smile. "I believe Aquiteris had a small fleet of soldiers here that could have carried out this nefarious scheme."
Kuon's dread grew. He instantly recognized Masato's plan. He was going to blame the attack on the Aquiteris kingdom. Distract Ashuron's anger by diverting it to another enemy. One they could fight. One they had fought years ago and once ruled over. And no one would be able to stop him. Not with the power of both creatures in his possession.
Except the last part wasn't possible.
And suddenly Kuon was angry. Angrier than he had been in years. It surged through his veins making his whole-body tremble with suppressed rage.
"A man like you has no right to be king!" spat Kuon. "You've killed and destroyed so much because of your pride. Your lust for power. That is why Rosa will never choose you. That is why she chose Kuu to become King instead of you. Because he truly understands what it means to be strong."
Masato sneered at Kuon, eyes narrowing with hate. "We shall see about that, Nephew."
Masato raised the vessel overhead.
"I, Masato Hizuri, bind myself to the light!-"
Power rushed out of the vessel. It blew through the area like a hurricane, pushing everyone back. Kuon staggered, trying to stay upright.
Something within him cracked.
Kuon gasped, falling to his knees. His head felt like it was full of cotton. It expanded, muffling the world around him as he tried to fight through it. Tried to focus. It was futile. He was slipping away.
"-to walk in the path of the light."
The rope snapped, and the floodgates of darkness descended upon him.
The second Masato had started bonding with the vessel, Lory shot forward. He threw up spells around him, carefully scooping the king's body in his arms as he dashed away. Once he was a safe distance, he set the king down to immediately administer emergency aid.
With a calm that came from years in the field, Lory assessed the king's condition, keeping his anger at bay. The sword had missed the king's spine, but his liver hadn't been so lucky. Kuu was barely conscious, his eye fluttering.
"Lory…" he said. "My brother…"
Lory looked back towards Masato. The man wasn't paying attention to them, too concerned with what he was doing. Magic was swirling around him in a protective bubble. Light and darkness were colliding in the air, trying and failing to mix, like oil with water. They repelled one another, clashing with one branch of darkness only to collide with another in a deadly swirl of destruction.
And Masato seemed completely blind to it all.
Lory wasn't sure where the vessel was, but he had a good guess. He hoped he was wrong.
"It should be over soon." Said Lory,
Magic was racing up Masato's arms. Cracks appeared, showing the swirl of darkness underneath. With grim satisfaction, Lory watched Masato's expression shift into surprise and then anger. He had finally noticed that something was wrong.
"Vaith!" Masato cried out. "What is this!?"
The Djinn laughed, mixing with the rush circulating the air. "Did you really think I didn't know of your true desire?" said the monster. "Your wish to control both of us is impossible. And now you will die."
Masato's roar was devoured in the strain of magic around him. Darkness scabbed over his body as it crawled up his legs. Masato reached for the dark creature even as the cracks overtook him. Covering him in a stone prison. For a moment, Masato was frozen in place, nothing but a dark statue. Then it flashed with translucent light and shattered.
Lory threw a hand over his eyes, thousands of shards clinking across the floor and thudding softly against him. It stopped a second later.
Lory lowered his arm, expression grim as he stared at the smoking remains of Masato.
The Dark Djinn was still there.
Lory tensed, body covering Kuu protectively. But the Djinn didn't seem interested in finishing off the king.
"And so the kingdom of Ashuron falls." Said the Djinn, his hand raising to the sky. "Its leaders have failed. Darkness has won, and the phoenix is no more."
"Ashuron has not fallen yet!" growled Lory, his magic stirring around him. "I will fight you Vaith."
The Djinn's hand lowered.
"It is not I you must fight." Said the Djinn. "It's him."
Lory looked, and his heart sank. Dark slick rock was slinking up Kuon's body, quickly covering him in gleaming black armor. The vambrace on his right arm was emanating power, curving into a black relic.
Kuon had fallen to the curse.
Kyoko tied the last suture, sitting back on her heels to take a moment's rest. Julie had come along way. There was still more to be done to help her recover, but she was out of the initial danger zone. Kyoko couldn't have done it without the assistance of both Shadow, and Shin's light magic.
A cry like thousands of bells shrieking rang through the hall. It instantly ripped at Kyoko's heart, tearing at every feeling of sadness inside of her. From the sky, she witnesses the form of a fiery red being crumble, falling towards the earth.
"Rosa!"
It was Kyoko's turn to cry out, the others around her giving similar shouts of astonishment. She forced herself to her feet, stumbling to where the now fallen phoenix lay. She was shifting between dozens of different forms of men, women, and children, before finally stopping on her appearance as the phoenix.
Kyoko carefully cradled the creature in her arms, searching for what had caused her to fall. She felt Shin fall into place beside her, looking equally as terrified. She gingerly stroked the feathers of the majestic creature, praying that she was alright.
"Rosa." Kyoko's voice was shaking, unable to stop her panic. "What's wrong? Were you hurt? Please tell me."
Something was very wrong. Kyoko could feel it. Something terrible had happened to Rosa. Nothing else could have caused such a heartbreaking cry to come from the demi-god. Kyoko fought down tears of worry, trying to concentrate on what she could do. There had to be something.
The phoenix opened a beady eye, focusing it on Kyoko. Her body began to glow softly, puffs of light obscuring her from Kyoko's vision.
"Save him." She said simply. "He needs you."
The glow intensified, forcing Kyoko to shut her eyes. Then the weight on her legs vanished.
Slowly, terrified of what she wouldn't see, Kyoko opened her eyes.
The phoenix was gone.
Kyoko was frozen, unable to move. She felt strange. As if her body didn't belong to her. Like what was happening couldn't possibly be happening because of how horrifying it was. How impossibly heart wrenching.
Kyoko pushed herself to her feet, legs wobbling as she walked, numb towards the exit. She had no idea what Rosa was talking about. She had no idea what she was supposed to do. All she knew was that something else was happening, and if she didn't go, something would happen to Kuon. She had just witnessed another loved one die, and she wasn't going to let it happen again.
She stumbled out of the room, picking up speed as she raced through the corridors without a glance back.
I'm coming, Kuon.
Thanks for reading!
Look forward to next week's chapter. Hey guess what! It's only in a week, but if I do something dumb and can't update, my profile will tell you why.
Love you all, I promise!
-Blushweaver
My heart smiles darkly at the intensity of this cliffhanger.
-Imouto