Chapter 16 Reflections

Rojo's P.O.V

As I walked through the door, I felt intense anger and hatred well up in me. These emotions I rarely ever felt.

I had made so much progress in my career that I should be feeling accomplished!

I scolded myself as I found myself as the base of A mountain.

"Huh"

I laughed to myself. I could see A bright shimmering light at the top of the mountain.

"I have to find out what that is"

I told myself as I started to climb the mountain. As I scaled it, the air became thinner, the temperature became colder, and the dexterity of my fingers became less evident. I reached for the last rock that would show me what exactly this shimmering light was.

"Almost there"

I told myself in A strained voice as I pulled myself over the last rock. I was extremely tired by the time I pulled myself over that rock. It was about midday, but I knew the temperature at the peak of this mountain was deceiving. There was no traces of A raging blizzard like there usually was, but I needed to find what was causing the shimmering light.

"You'll never find them"

A voice said. I whipped around to see if there was someone behind me, or to the side of me, or up above me, but there was no one around.

"Show yourself!"

I demanded. The voice laughed.

"Such bad manners for an army Captain"

The voice mockingly scolded me. I growled to myself and felt for A weapon on my back, but there wasn't any. I was about to reach into my boot for my knife when something narrowly missed my head. I rolled forward and shifted so that I could see who or what I was fighting. It took A couple seconds for my eyes to adjust to the light, but when I saw who it was, my jaw dropped.

"No... It's not possible!"

I said in disbelief. I was staring at an individual who should've been dead.

"What kind of magic is this?"

I demanded as I stood up to my full height and took the knife out of my mouth.

"There's no magic here my dear Captain Rojo"

The figure said with A laugh. The figure then turned around and pointed to A flat area that was not too far from here.

"You're going there I presume?"

The figure asked me without turning to look at me. I nodded slightly.

"You're not going to find anything there, it's all buried under the snow"

The individual said somewhat solemnly. I wanted to stand next to this individual, but I didn't know if this was A trap.

"How do I know that I can trust you?"

I asked apprehensively as the figure looked at me over his shoulder.

"I'm sure that you could trust the ghost of A stranger, couldn't you?"

The individual asked me as I walked over to him and stood myself next to him

"I could trust anyone, but the ones I really trust are my true friends and the family I have left"

I said with annoyance and anger. The individual laughed.

"I thought you had pledged your allegiance to the king"

The individual asked with the same amount of apprehension that I now had. He turned his head to look at me.

"You remember that day, right Rojo?"

He asked me. I sighed and stood at attention.

"There are A lot of days that pass, so which one am I to remember?"

I asked him. The individual snorted.

"Don't try to be smart with me Rojo"

He demanded, but said or did nothing.

"The day of the invasion Rojo!"

He said with exasperation, the the individual sighed.

"I thought you were smarter than this"

He sighed as I took an easier stance.

"For being the father of Halcyon, you don't seem to be very professional either"

I said angrily. The individual next to me opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.

"You should enact the things you teach others"

I told him, but he laughed.

"Are you here to unload all of your anger on me, or are you here to find out what you're really here for?"

He asked me. I felt cold chills run up my spine.

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

I asked him as he turned his head back to the flat space between the mountains.

"What I'm trying to say is that you may be looking for the right answers in the wrong places"

He said as I stopped maintaining my attention stance and started to walk to the space between the mountains.

"Why would I listen to you after you abandoned not only the island, but your wife as well!?"

I yelled as I stopped walking and turned to him once again. I saw anger and surprise cross this individual's face.

"Measure your words Rojo; they might come back to haunt you later"

He said as A gust of wind swept over the area, turning his body into golden sparkles that were swept away with the wind. I sighed again as I turned to look at the area I was walking in to.

"What did he mean by choose your words carefully?"

I asked myself as I found myself standing in the middle of the flat area, but then, I suddenly felt like I didn't belong here anymore. More chills went up and down my back along with some numbness in both of my arms as I saw something duck behind A wall of ice. I couldn't see through the ice because it was covered with fresh snow.

"Who goes there?"

I called as I got into my fighting stance. For some reason, I didn't feel like I was being threatened. Suddenly, something shot up from the ground right in front of where I was standing. Whatever shot out of the ground in front of was very hot. I rolled backward and resetted in time to see someone duck behind a wall of ice somewhere behind the rising water. The water rose high into the sky, but before the water could fall to the ground, it would crystallize into ice shards that made tinkling sounds as they fell to the ground. The water continued to spout for about ten seconds before the wall of water receded back into the ground.

"Superheated volcanic springs; I love them"

I heard the individual say as I finally saw who it was.

"What are you doing here?"

I asked this individual as I got back into A more civilized stance.

"I thought it would be A good idea to take A walk in the mountains after seeing the tensions rise in the war room"

Frostbite replied as I noticed rings of water forming around her wrists and neck.

"Is that natural?"

I asked as they fully materialized. She nodded slightly.

"It's A precaution I take just in case anything happens"

She said as she looked behind her for some reason.

"I think that you're emotionally torn about something Rojo"

She started as she turned back to me. Her irises glowed A deep Blue as the sun shone brighter in the sky. She walked to the edge of where the water had made A hole in the ground and sat down. She then beckoned me with A handwave. I walked to where she sat and I sat down next to her.

"I want to talk about your past Rojo"

She stated as she looked at my shoulder. I looked too just to see if anything was there.

"Ice is forming between your scales Rojo, are you sure you're going to be ok for the duration of our speech?"

She asked me as I used my nail to chip away some of the ice absently. She snapped her fingers and I shook my head.

"What do you wish to ask?"

I replied as I looked down into the hole. Furious bubbling sounds came from somewhere beneath the hole.

"What's driving you Rojo?"

She asked as she put her hand on my shoulder. I flinched and looked at her.

"What do you mean? I'm doing what I can when I can"

I replied quickly. She sighed.

"That's the problem exactly; you work too much, you need A break!"

She exclaimed as she took her hand off of my shoulder.

"If I take A single day off, things fall apart!"

I growled as I looked up to the sky. Clouds were coming, and they didn't give the impression that they were bringing anything good.

"So?"

Frostbite pressed. I sighed and closed my eyes.

"What's driving me is my fear; I've already let down multitudes of my own!"

I said quietly. Frostbite patted my shoulder.

"I've let down people too! Even I have injured people carrying out dangerous magic experiments"

Her voice trailed off as she looked up to the sky too. The wind had started to pick up and snow started to cloud my vision.

"Hey Frostbite?"

I started. She turned her gaze from the sky to my gaze.

"What is it Rojo?"

She replied ominously.

"What do you know about illusion magic?"

I asked outright. Frostbite flinched.

"Why would you want to know?"

She asked fearfully for some reason.

"It's due to the fact that I may have seen Halcyon's father just now"

I said as I got up from the side of the hole I was sitting on. Frostbite sprang up from her place.

"Are you sure that's what you saw?"

She asked with A serious tone. I nodded slightly.

"If that's what you saw, we have A huge problem on our hands!"

She exclaimed fearfully. I took A thoughtful stance.

"Why is this A bad situation?"

I asked, but as soon as I asked that Frostbite buried her face in her hands and growled to herself.

"Do you realize what's going to happen if Abyss gets ahold of the power that lies in that individual?"

She asked as the Blue in her irises faded. Another wave of numbness swept over me.

"I had no idea what I was seeing was real Frostbite"

I tried to say, but she cut me off.

"Halcyon's father was the ruler of these island chains before Emperor was you know"

She said as she went through some hand motions. When she finished the hand motions, the rings of water had turned to pure ice. It was pure and transparent.

"I also do believe that you know what his name is too Rojo"

She said quietly as A spear of ice appeared in her right hand. I started taking short breaths.

"What are you doing Frostbite?"

I asked fearfully as she turned her back to me.

"I wanna test something Rojo"

She said as she whipped around and threw the spear at me. I had to no time to react, but my hands moved themselves and I felt extreme heat all around me for A brief moment. I waited for something to impale my chest and the extreme pain that came with impalement, but it never came. I waited A couple of seconds, with my heavy breathing being the only sound that I could hear.

"It's just as I thought"

I heard Frostbite declare as I opened my eyes again. I could smell something burning as I heard applause resound near me as I closed my eyes from the extreme amount of light reflecting around me.

"So you do have the Fire Element residing in you!"

I heard A new voice exclaim. I opened my eyes again and waited as they adjusted to the light around me.

"You are correct Frostbite: I never thought he would be the one"

I heard the now familiar voice say with A laugh.

"Is that you NorthWind?"

I asked as I tried to focus my eyes.

"I also overheard that you're having some trouble with your grievances Captain"

She said as she stood herself next to me.

"Yeah, I have some, what's it to you?"

I replied with annoyance. Frostbite scoffed.

"He just doesn't want to admit he has problems"

NorthWind whispered to her.

"I can hear both of you"

I said evenly as I rolled my eyes.

"You never cease to amaze me Rojo"

Frostbite said happily. She looked at me crossly then.

"If you don't want to take help from those who are offering it, then why do we try to help you?"

She looked at me, but I felt the question was directed towards NorthWind. I looked at the ground for A moment to try and come up with something, but I didn't find anything to say.

"I was taught by my Captain that being alone and fending for yourself is the best way to be"

I said as I looked up to find only NorthWind. She was looking at me inquisitively.

"What was the name of your army Captain?"

She asked me as she continued to hold her stance.

"It was another Red individual by the name of Caliente"

I replied solemnly. NorthWind shifted uneasily.

"You seem to be in A state of unrest when I asked about him, what happened to him if I may ask?"

She asked me while A burning sensation crawled across my body.

"My previous army captain was not male to start off"

I started.

"And I really don't want to discuss it!"

I ended sharply. Frostbite laughed.

"Was that her name really?"

She said between her laughs. I growled to myself.

"Would you still find it hilarious if I told you she died because of me?"

I stated angrily. Frostbite became silent and still.

"I'm sorry Rojo, I had no idea that it was that way"

She said softly. The burning sensation had grown more potent now.

"Now back to the thing you were saying; why am I feeling this burning sensation?"

I asked her as she looked up to the sky. It had grown dark and the temperature was dropping even more, but I didn't feel cold.

"You're the Fire Element; we've concluded this already haven't we?"

Frostbite asked with A hint of annoyance.

"I understand that, but what does that mean for me?"

I asked with A minute trace of fear. I saw Frostbite think for A moment and snap her fingers when she had stopped thinking.

"It's been A while, but I think that I remember what that means for the one who possesses the power!"

She said with excitement. I just stood in place watching her get all excited. I didn't know why she was suddenly excited, but the nervousness came back, and this time, it was stronger.

"I'm sorry Frostbite, but I don't think that we are welcome here anymore"

I said nervously. Frostbite looked at me with interest.

"And what would be your reasoning for that statement?"

She asked as my attention was caught by something that was moving under the snow, not far from where she was standing.

"I think your reason is right there"

I said nervously as I pointed to the thing that was slowly emerging from the snow. Frostbite turned quickly and only looked momentarily at the thing that was halfway out of the snow. She fainted as the thing emerged completely from the snow.

"Frostbite!"

I cried as I sprang forward from my place and caught her just as she was about to hit the ground. Needless to say, she was out cold. I checked for A pulse, and when I found that there was one, I laid her on the ground and looked at the thing that stood hunched over not too far from me. Whatever this thing was, it was hideous, but the body fragments looked familiar to me.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

I asked the thing as it brought its head up to look at me. Parts of scales and skin were missing in large chunks on both of its legs and I could see bones where the chunks of skin were missing. The monster was missing its left arm and I could see the socket where the arm bone connected to the shoulder bone. The monster was also missing one side of its midsection, but the head of this thing was the most chilling. This thing possessed large fangs that went all the way from its upper jaw to the lower jaw of this thing. The left eye of this thing was missing, but in its place was A large glowing orb that was black in color. There were no wings or horns on this thing, but it looked like it meant business. I could not help the fact that I thought that I've seen this individual before. The burning sensation was overwhelming now. I looked up to the sky and opened my mouth in A yell that shook the ground all around me. As I opened my mouth, A huge jet of fire erupted from my mouth and went into the sky, where it dissipated. I also looked through A vision that was brighter in color. The monster looked at me with its one eye. It smiled nightmarishly and laughed. It was A nightmarish laugh that caused bits of something to fall out of the bottom of its lower jaw. It was then that I noticed it was missing all of the skin that was supposed to cover the lower jaw.

"You might want to watch what you try to do; you may regret your actions… whatever you are"

I told the monster as it looked behind itself. I looked past the monster to see more of these nightmare-inducing creatures coming out of the ground. I tore my gaze from the creatures to see if Frostbite was still near me. When I looked, I found no trace of her except for the outline that she left in the snow.

"I'm gonna destroy all of you!"

I raged as I noticed that all of the area around was very bright and that the snow was melting. I ran forward and launched A powerful uppercut that sent the head of this monster off of its neck. I watched the body stagger A few steps back and fall to the ground, where it disintegrated into A Purple goo.

"I won't stop until the area is razed!"

I told myself as I felt something crawl across my back. Without wanting to, I raised my hand to the sky with the palm facing upwards.

"Raging Fire Destruction!"

I shouted as the symbols of Red and Orange color started to circle around me on the ground. I watched as the ground all around me glow and Angry Red and Orange color as I slammed my palm on the ground. As I did that, streams of fire erupted from the ground all around me. I watched the monsters disintegrate in the fire that raged all around me. I let out A long maniacal laugh that resounded all around me as the fire continued streaming from the ground. When I had stopped laughing, the flat area around me was scarred with smoldering lines that looked similar to this

激しい火災破壊. I couldn't see any more of those monsters, but I couldn't shake the fact that I felt even more unwelcome now. I was also tired too. Really, really tired. I fell to my knees from the amount of tiredness that weighed over my shoulders. My vision swayed and my eyes started to shut. I gave in to the sleep that weighed in my eyes and I fell to the ground. When I woke up, I was still where I was originally, but somehow I had been flipped over to be on my back. I opened my eyes to see the High Council Members, Emperor, Lemon, and Venom.

"Rise and shine sleeping beauty"

Venom said sarcastically as he held out his hand to help me up.

"What happened?"

I asked myself as I took his hand and got up. I brushed myself off and looked at the individuals who stood before me. I didn't feel the waves of heat crawling over my body, but I could smell the unmistakable smell of smoke and fire.

"That's what we would like to know"

Halcyon stated as he looked around at the carnage. I looked at my arms and noticed something odd. There were black lines that ran between my scales all the way down to the start of my nails.

"Are you responsible for the damages here Rojo?"

Rose asked me as Dart peeked around Rose's neck to look at me. The lizard cocked its head to the left and looked at me.

"I don't know if any of you understand what exactly just went on here, but all I know is that I defended myself from monsters"

I stated as I started to feel dizzy.

"Monsters? Hilarious!"

Lime bursted out laughing, but Rose lifted her arm and smacked Lime on the back of his head.

"Let him speak you idiot!"

She hissed as he rubbed the back of his head. Dart almost fell off of her shoulder and the lizard protested by causing an odd squeaking sound. Rose turned her gaze back to me.

"So what was it exactly that you saw?"

She asked me as Halcyon looked me over.

"Maybe it has something to do with these lines that you have Rojo"

Halcyon said expectantly while Rose continued to stare me down.

"What I saw was… nightmarish to say the least"

I breathed. Halcyon stopped looking at my arms and returned to stand with the others.

"Where's NorthWind?"

Mercury asked as he looked around. The others nodded.

"As I was saying, I had to defend myself against what seemed to be undead individuals of my species"

I said more strongly now. I seemed to had lost my breath at some point between my last statement and now for some reason. When I had finished Halcyon looked disturbed.

"Are you sure that's indeed what happened?"

He asked me as I looked around.

"I had to fight them Halcyon! What more proof do you need!?"

I shouted as I turned back to him. I felt heat course over my hands and I saw flickering lights from the corner of my eyes as Halcyon looked inquisitively at me.

"When did you learn to do that?"

He asked me as I saw the gazes of the High Council and Venom look at my hands, which were on fire.

"I...I…"

I tried to say what I wanted, but the words wouldn't come out. I looked at everyone who was looking at me and my breath caught in my throat.

"Maybe he learned it from somewhere else and he's not telling us"

Rose said with A hint of anger in her voice.

"Maybe he's spending extra time with NorthWind"

Venom said with A wink. The others laughed except for Halcyon, who kept looking at me with interest.

"Why would he be able to do that only now?"

I heard him whisper to himself.

"Whatever the reason may be, there's only one thing we have to do now"

Rose said as she turned her back to me.

"I agree with Rose; let's get down from this heap of rock and talk about it where we don't freeze"

Venom said jokingly as the rest of them turned away from me except for Venom, Frostbite and Emperor. The rest started causing their way down the mountain, while Venom and Frostbite stayed, along with Emperor.

"Are you ok Rojo?"

Venom asked me as Frostbite started looking for NorthWind.

"I honestly don't know what to say at this point Venom"

I sighed. He put his hand on my shoulder.

"I know that you're going through A lot lately, but I'm sure that you could get through it"

He said reassuringly as he took his hand off of my shoulder and went to help Frostbite find NorthWind.

"What's happening to me?"

I asked myself.

"First Emperor gets evil put in him, then Abyss steals the Anti-Matter-Core, then I'm taken over by the Fire Element!"

I ranted to myself. I forced myself to stop and take some breaths to slow my heart rate and my thoughts. I needed clarity of mind to understand my situation and to help find ways to make the best of this. I looked at the land I had destroyed. I felt Emperor put his hand on my shoulder.

"Why don't we talk A walk Rojo?"

He asked me while I looked up at the sky. It had stopped snowing and all I could see was ashes and embers that popped in and out of their intense Orange color.

"Oh, sure Emperor"

I said absently as I started to walk. Emperor kept pace with me with ease as I took my normal strides.

"What was that all about?"

I asked him when I had steadied my pace.

"We were busy planning our next move when Venom saw A column of fire erupt from the top of this mountain"

Emperor said between his breaths as he walked with me.

"Interesting, but that didn't answer my question"

I said as we slowed our pace.

"What is your question then?"

Emperor said with annoyance.

"My question is this: what is the Fire Element?"

I asked as we stopped near the edge of A cliff. Emperor looked over the edge.

"Long way down, don't you think?"

He asked me as he looked back up at the Black clouds that continued to roll over our heads.

"It's pretty far"

I admitted as I looked behind me.

"Don't you feel like you're being watched Emperor?"

I asked him as I looked over the ridge.

"I always know I'm being watched by my mother"

Emperor stated.

"That's not what I mean"

I replied anxiously as I took my gaze off of the jagged rocks that were far below us. Emperor turned to me.

"What exactly do you mean then?"

He asked while I looked around.

"I'm talking in relation to your Devil Gene"

I stated flatly. Emperor stopped looking around and narrowed his eyes at me.

"Why are you referring to it?"

He asked tensely as he looked at the Black lines that went from my shoulders to my nails.

"I'm referring to it because I may have what you have Emperor"

I said quietly as I saw him shift uneasily.

"What would make you say that?"

He asked me as he looked past me for some reason.

"Duck"

He commanded me.

"Why?"

I asked quickly. Emperor hissed.

"Don't question me, just do it!"

He yelled. I threw myself to the ground just as A stream of energy passed over my head. I watched Emperor put his arms in an X block stance. The energy hit him and the area around us exploded into smoke. The smoke was very thick and I could only see Emperor's glowing eyes through the smoke.

"If you're going to try to kill me, you're going to have to try harder than that!"

I heard Emperor call as the smoke started to clear. I coughed as I tried to see who was on the other side of the smoke, but whatever this was, it was too dark to be seen through the smoke.

"There's A reason for everything isn't there?"

A familiar voice asked. I saw A shadow walk through the smoke as It cleared. It had the outline of A normal yoshi, but the eyes were not normal, as they were circular in pupil and iris shape.

"Who are you and what do you want?"

Emperor asked tensely as I got up from the ground and got into my standard fighting stance.

"Have you ever heard of the phrase ghost of A stranger?"

The voice asked as the smoke had completely dissipated from our view. I now could see who had fired the shot at us.

"It's nice to see what has become of my son"

The individual said sarcastically. Emperor growled.

"What are you talking about?"

He asked angrily. I heard some cracking sounds as the individual stood in place. I tried to figure out where these cracking sounds were coming from when the individual spoke again.

"It's also interesting to see the ghost of A stranger"

Emperor countered. The individual laughed.

"I think I also remember that my son said why are you looking for the answers when they are already in front of you?"

He said as Halcyon appeared next to this individual. Emperor and I gasped in shock.

"There's also much that you don't understand Emperor; it would be wise to follow those who have lived longer than you have"

The individual said as the individual flickered and then disappeared from our view. I then heard shouts in the distance. Acting upon my impulse, I tore away from Emperor and Halcyon to find the source of the shouts. I ran all the way back to the area that I had destroyed without tiring. As I got closer to the shouts, I could make out what was being said.

"We found her!"

A voice cried.

"You need to confirm it!"

A second voice said as loud as the first voice. These voices were coming from the other side of the flat and scarred landscape that I had destroyed. I launched from where I was standing and ran with renewed energy, somehow faster than before. I ran around the corner and found something interesting.

"What are you doing!?"

I Angrily asked them as I ran around the bend and slid to A halt. The two individuals looked at me fearfully. And they dropped someone on the ground as they ran off, but they stopped when they figured out that there was no way out. A huge wall of ice kept them from escaping.

"Now that I have A chance to talk to you, I'd like to ask some questions"

I declared as I heard someone stand himself next to me.

"I'll be the one asking the questions here Rojo"

Emperor stated as he pushed past me.

"I was here first Emperor; these ones are mine"

I said with annoyance as I pushed past Emperor. I got into my fighting stance.

"I'm the one with the higher stature here!"

Emperor said as he pushed past me and materialized DeathBringers.

"How about we give them what for together?"

I asked him with A smile as I pushed past him so that I could get into my fighting stance. Emperor didn't push past me this time, but he stood next to me as I felt the DeathBringers push against my back.

"What kind of sorcery is this?"

The first individual asked. He was light Blue in color and seemed to be under the control of something, as he was twitching uncontrollably. The one next to this individual looked at lot like Venom for some reason. I looked at the individual on the ground.

"NorthWind!"

I whispered to myself.

"Rojo, Run!"

Emperor said as he fell to his knees.

"But Emperor"

I started. Emperor looked up at me and I winced when I saw what was happening. The Devil Symbol on his arms was glowing Black and Purple and was emitting Red sparks. His eyes were now fully Black with White irises. His bones were becoming A little bit larger and denser and horns were starting to sprout from his head. Sickening cracking sounds echoed off of the walls.

"Go! Now!'

He rasped. As Black started to cover his scales. He moaned softly as I took off running. The moan turned to A demonic roar as I ran around the bend and looked in time just to see A column of Fire and Red lighting bolts fall from the sky exactly where he stood. I ran until I could see the flat area that I had razed.

What's going to happen? What took over Emperor? What am I going to do? Who should I tell about what's going on?

These thoughts ran through my head as A streak of Red lightning cut the ground in front of me. I jumped back in fear as the ground sizzled in front of me.

"I just hope whoever is on the receiving end of this new Emperor turns out ok"

I said to the empty area around me. As I continued running, I wondered what exactly was going on with Emperor. He had told me that he was fighting for control with something.

What exactly was he fighting and why?

I asked myself as I found the pass that led to the town. It was A long ways from here; if I didn't get to the others in time, what would happen to Emperor?.

"I have to warn the others before it's too late"

I told myself as I ran into the pass. I used all of my energy to run, but the further away I got from the area, the worse I felt. I ran through the passes, looking at the various forms of ice and rocks as I ran. I felt the air become heavier as I neared the bottom. As I neared the bottom, I tripped and fell onto some jagged rocks. I slid across these jagged rocks and came to A halt as the base of the trail that started at the bottom of the mountain. I tried to call out for help, but I couldn't. I tried to move, but the pain was unbearable. I felt my consciousness slipping away.

I can't let go like this

I told myself. I tried moving again, but the results were the same as before.

My only hope now rests on the chance that somebody would find me here

I told myself as I tried to stay awake. I was running on pure adrenaline now. I had no idea how long I would be able to stay conscious. I all I knew is that I was in immense pain.

How long do I have left?

I thought as I slipped fully into unconsciousness. The pain started to subside.

Am I really going to die here?

I asked myself as I felt myself being lifted somehow.

"You're sure that this is the one we're looking for?"

I heard A voice ask.

"Who else looks like he does?"

Another voice answered. That's the last I heard before I lost all of my senses to unconsciousness.