Splinters stung Tateyama's hands as he climbed up the tree in the Fog of Nightmares. Rain pouring through the treeline soaked the boy's training suit and made it cling uncomfortably to his skin. It had been a few minutes since he started climbing and he wasn't sure if he was near the top already. All of Mamoru's shouting from below couldn't even be heard. The vegetation grew thick and Tateyama struggled through the leaves and branches until he managed to finally reach what seemed to be the top and broke through the treeline.
Holding onto the tree trunk tightly, the forest went as far as his sharp eyes could see. The thick fog of this forest had seeped away from the rain, allowing him to see the forest going for miles and miles into the darkness as lightning flashed through the dark clouds above. It was like a never-ending world with no way to escape.
No sign of any exit or Takuya and Hideki, Tateyama thought to himself, wiping his sweaty face with the falling rainwater, Mamoru's not going to like this. He went back underneath the treeline and started to slowly climb back down, the sounds of howling in the distance making him feel more nervous than he was to be in this nightmarish place, "Mamoru, can you hear me?!" he shouted back down, "Mamoru!"
No reply. Tateyama must have climbed up too high for him to hear.
Putting his feet on a branch, the thin wood suddenly broke under his weight.
Tateyama inhaled sharply as he fell, branches and foliage cutting his face as he stretched out his hands and quickly he grabbed onto a vine. The friction created from it as it slowed down his fall burnt his hand and he groaned in annoyance.
Dammit. How high is this tree? Sticking out his foot towards the tree to get back his footing again, the vine then snapped and before Tateyama could do anything this time, he had already hit the ground. He felt his arm dislocate from his shoulder and the rest of his body rumbled with pain. Without the increased endurance of a Puerum Magi, Tateyama knew what the fall would have done his body, if not kill him. He winced, ears ringing and back covered in mud as he tried to sit up.
"Tateyama!" he heard Mamoru call him once his hearing returned. The Puerum Magi leader pulled him upright and slowly placed him against the tree trunk. He patted down Tateyama's body for any injuries, "Did you break anything?"
"N-No. Just dislocated my shoulder here," he pointed at his left shoulder, his breathing becoming slightly hoarse, "I saw w-what was up there. Nothing but trees in this p-place," he bit his lip and then held his left arm tight.
"I see... Alright, keep calm. We'll have to treat your injury first," Mamoru stood up and looked for anything he could use as a sling for Tateyama's arm. Noticing the vine that Tateyama grabbed onto lying him on the ground, he picked it up and used it to keep the injured arm immobilized and attached to Tateyama's body. After tightening it, Mamoru carried him to his feet, "Can you walk?"
Tateyama nodded weakly, "Mamoru, I don't think finding an exit will finish Sanbey's test," he said between labored breaths, "Sanbey wanted us to activate our powers. I think he has something planned for us."
"Such as?" Mamoru inquired as he held Tateyama, slowly walking forward in the rain. The white-haired boy suddenly stopped both of them, as from the bushes, they could hear the loud clanking of heavy metal. It could be heard from all directions as they spotted silhouettes moving in the darkness, "Oh, bloody hell," Mamoru uttered.
Tateyama put a hand on his shoulder and urged both of them head back to the tree, the silhouettes coming closer.
Coming out of the vegetation surrounding were a group of animated suits of armor, bearing weapons of blood-stained silver as the rain fell on their armored chassis. Smoke crept out of their helmet's visors and among them was a sleeker, taller knight, its armor black as the sky as it dragged a heavy broadsword behind it. Their movements were uncanny, jerky and zombie-like.
The black knight was the only thing that moved normally. Pointing its heavy blade at the Puerum Magi, it released an ear-piercing roar that echoed through the forest.
Both boys broke for the tree as the suits of armor converged on them with weapons raised, the black knight staying back as if to only watch.
The rain in the Fog of Nightmares intensified and turned the ground into a messy, slippery surface of mud to tread upon. Thunder echoed through the forest as Takuya and Hideki ran from the Chimera hunting them down, illuminating the dark path they were on with their Soul Gems. Despite the impressive running speed of the two Puerum Magi, the Chimera behind them was no slouch. It roared as it sprinted at them, a nightmarish, fire-breathing combination of lion, goat and snake as the boys ran for their lives.
"Keep running, Takuya!" Hideki yelled. Wishing Sanbey hadn't banned them from using their gadgets or weaponry, he tried to remember the tips Sanbey gave them on how to activate their powers. It was the only way they were allowed to get out of this situation. He tried to understand Sanbey's cryptic words, but the situation he was in wouldn't let him concentrate.
"Watch out!" Takuya suddenly tackled him to the ground and held him tight as a torrent of flame blew over their backs and turned a nearby tree into firewood. The fire was hot enough that they could feel the heat from the air alone, "You got any ideas on how to beat this thing?!" Takuya shouted over the noisy thunder, and before Hideki could reply, they heard the Chimera getting dangerously close. They got up to continue running and keep their distance from it.
The beast was less than 8 meters behind them and it didn't seem tired at all, simply breaking through any obstacle or blockade in its path that the boys tried to lead it into to get it off their backs. This only made the monster even angrier and its speed increased the more frustrated it got. All seemed grim, as they did not know how to get out of this predicament while they tired out. But when the boys reached a small cliff-face and spotted a small cave opening, they had a feeling Lady Luck was watching over them.
Takuya managed to get in first, crawling into the small, dark opening and urging his friend to pick up the pace, "Hurry!"
"I'm coming!" Hideki shouted, already feeling the heat of the Chimera's flames at his neck. Its growling was only 2 meters away, and as Hideki dove head-first into the cave opening, flames licked his back and burned him as he tumbled upon landing. The Chimera face-planted into the face of the cliff, shaking its head in pain and roaring in anger as it then clawed at the opening to reach the boys.
They saw it desperately trying to reach them before abruptly stopping. All was quiet, but the Chimera was definitely still out there, only waiting for them to come out.
Takuya and Hideki took this chance to catch their breaths, sitting at the end of the small cave opening as their Soul Gems continued to be their only source of light. Their training suits were soaked to the bone and their bruises were sore. They already lost most of their energy just trying to run away from this persistent demon. Hideki gritted his teeth in pain from the burns on his back and tried not to lie down to make it worse. From here on, the situation could go either way.
Bringing his feet together and holding them tight, Takuya sighed, "What do we do now?"
"We can't do anything while that thing is still out there," Hideki pointed out the obvious, wiping his face and curling his hand into a fist in frustration. Looking at the entrance of the cave opening again, he tried once more to understand Sanbey's cryptic advice on triggering their powers, "Takuya, did you understand what Sanbey meant about Recicio energy? About how we're supposed to activate our abilities?"
"I... think," Takuya shrugged, hugging himself tightly, "We mostly use Recicio passively to toughen our bodies from, right? During training, we only used our gadgets and weapons to attack, but, I think Recicio energy being used in a different way isn't as hard as it sounds - 'Recicio energy can only be generated by the positive emotions of one's mind, and once created, it can be used both defensively and offensively', was what Sanbey said."
Hideki nodded, still frustrated from the problems the Chimera was giving them, "If we're going to escape from that thing outside, we're going to need to learn our powers right here. We have no idea what they are, but Sanbey does and I think he partnered us up like this according to what we can do. You think you can try out yours first?"
"I'll give it a shot," Takuya said, doing his best to give his unwavering, radiant smile again, "Mamoru and Tateyama are waiting for us, and if we can't get past this thing, we don't stand a chance against the Warlocks. Let's beat this thing, together, like we always do."
"That's right," Hideki chuckled as they high-fived, "Something like this isn't going to slow us down that easily. We can do this."
Clasping his hands together, Takuya exhaled and closed his eyes shut. Focus, he thought, pushing out all the sounds he could hear out of his head and clearing his mind of every doubt he had in his body. The sounds of the falling rain outside, the water on their soaked suits dripping to the dirt, and the eerie hiss of a snake at the cave entrance, they were all nothing but distractions to him. I can do this...
The bronze light coming from Takuya's Soul Gem flickered.
Within seconds, Recicio energy sparked at his fingertips. The electric-like energy channeled through his body in currents of bright light and brought a smile to Hideki's face.
Focus...
As the Recicio continued to spark wildly, Hideki felt the pain coming from bruises and burns on his body suddenly wither. The flame burns on his back dulled, and he even felt them with a hand to be sure. Looking at the cuts on his arms, they slowly began to regenerate at a slow but steady pace, "Takuya... look at this."
He opened his eyes and saw the work his Recicio powers were doing to Hideki's wounds. Curious, he separated his sparkling hands and placed them on Hideki's chest. They gasped as the regeneration sped up, the electric-like energy coming from his hands healing all of Hideki's wounds as it coursed through his body with an odd sensation of warmth. Even the damage on his training suit started to repair themselves. Pulling away his hands, Hideki had made a full recovery within seconds, "W-Woah," Takuya whispered.
"Try it on yourself," Hideki advised, rubbing his now-healed arm as the warmth he felt from Takuya's powers felt amazing.
Takuya pressed his hands on his own body, but to no effect. He tried again, and still, his own wounds would not heal, "It's not working. Did I do something wrong?"
"Here," Hideki said, tearing off a small piece of his training suit and handing to the brunette, "Let's see if if your magic isn't just what we think it is. Try and use your powers on this."
"R-Right," he took the piece of latex and channeled his magic into the hand he held it in. Opening his hand, the piece of latex then flew out of his palm and reattached itself into Hideki's training suit where it was torn from. It looked like it wasn't even ripped out in the first place, "Is this what I think it is?"
"Seems like it. I don't know why your powers won't work on yourself, but it looks like you can 'restore' whatever you touch," Hideki scratched his chin, trying to explain Takuya's powers with what he just saw, "It can heal wounds and repair stuff... but how is it going to get us out of here?" he sighed and then looked at his open palm, "Alright. My turn. Let's see if I can get us out-"
A furious bellow cuts Hideki off as the Chimera suddenly continued to savagely rip into the cave opening, tearing chunks of rock with its bare claws as it had lost all patience it had for the boys. Backed up with an intense intent to kill, the Chimera gave them no more time to relax and proceeded to forcibly burrow its way into the hole.
"Shit!" Hideki cursed, "We're out of time!"
Takuya thought the opposite in his mind, as he knew he had to buy some more time for his friend to activate his own powers. Taking the initiative, he planted his hands on the wall and conducted his Recicio energy into it, "I'll slow it down! Try to use your powers to get us out of this, will ya?!" with his restoration magic, the rocks that were clawed out by the Chimera shook on the floor from Takuya's magic and were magically pulled to the entrance of the cave opening. There, they fused together and formed a barrier to seal off the Chimera, protecting the two, but also trapping them at the same time. The same happened to any piece of rock clawed out by the Chimera.
Hideki was inspired by his friend's creativity with his powers, but knowing it was not the time to gawk, he clasped his hands together and closed his eyes to meditate.
The Chimera's bloodthirsty roars were slowly being muffled out, but just how long would the barrier stay up before the Chimera clawed the rocks out faster than they could fuse back together was anyone's guess. Beads of sweat appeared on Takuya's face as the brunette fought the pain coming from his body's bruises and the strength seeping away from him.
Meanwhile, in the other side of the Fog of Nightmares, Tateyama and Mamoru's ordeal had just begun. As they climbed up the giant tree to escape their pursuers, the animated suits of armor chasing them rushed up the tree they were on, clanking, life-less suits of metal that dug into the tree trunk with their sharp hands. The rain didn't hinder them like it did the boys and the higher they climbed, the thinner the branches of the tree became. What also made Mamoru worried was that the black knight had not appeared in a while.
Tateyama's dislocated shoulder slowed his climb, so Mamoru was at least a few steps below him to protect the injured boy, "Keep climbing!" Tateyama would always hear from below as he could see Mamoru attempting to fight off the suits of armor all by himself. The Puerum Magi had snagged some weapons from one of their attackers to give him an edge over them, but the numerical advantage they posed over Mamoru made him worried.
"Tateyama! Try and use your abilities!" Mamoru shouted from below, ducking below a blade strike and axing his attacker in the chest, "If our powers are the only thing that can get out us of this like what Sanbey said, so be it! I'll cover you!" he pulled the axe out of knight's body and kicked it off the tree, where it fell as pieces of smoking armor and joined the rest of the defeated living armor piling below.
Fighting on the ground was one thing, but fighting among tree branches that varied in thickness and density was another thing entirely. Not even the giant tree in their main training ground was this unstable. Thick vines would blocks one's view and the falling rain made everything else slippery. Tateyama continued to climb, breathing steadily to try and let the Recicio energy in his body flow properly. If what Sanbey said was true, then one of the only ways to trigger his powers was to control his emotions.
Control your fear, Tateyama, he thought to himself, climbing up another branch whilst groaning from the pain in his dislocated shoulder, Control your fear. No weapons, a dislocated shoulder and now pushed into a corner, he knew this wasn't going to be easy. His injured shoulder had made him near dead-weight. But he knew he had to try, at least. It was better than nothing and right below him, Mamoru was risking his own hide to protect him.
Twirling a stolen axe in one hand and a wielding small shield in the other, Mamoru held up his shield and blocked an arrow coming from an archer standing on one of the opposite trees. He then flung his weapon at the suit of armor, the axe spinning wildly in the air before hitting it square in the chest. But the boy had no time to grin, as the leader of the pursuing knights finally came, announced by the ear-piercing roar howling through the fores. A suit of black armor powered by the magic of this place, Mamoru kept his back to the tree as the knight landed on the far side of the thick branch he stood on.
Thunder booming in the skies, the shine from the lightning illuminated the red engravings on the black suit of armor standing before Mamoru. It had left its gigantic sword on the ground in favor of two lighter blades in its hands. The enemy was definitely smarter than they looked, the black knight's subordinates even stopping their advance to let their leader fight Mamoru in a one-on-one duel. The archers on the tree tops also lowered their arms.
"About bloody time you came," Mamoru muttered under his breath before he raised his shield up in defense. He had no weapon to protect him now, and his back was to the tree. The black knight, seemingly knowing this, tossed one of its swords to Mamoru, who didn't know if he was take this as sign of mockery or honor. He still smirked at this choice of action, unexpected from something meant to train him through a life and death situation, "Giving me a handicap, huh?" he quipped before clashing blades with the black knight.
The sounds of fighting became further and further as Tateyama climbed. Looking back down, he saw Mamoru engaging with the leader of the knights, whom possessed quick and sleek movements rivaling even Hideki. Their blades parried each other constantly, but as Mamoru had little experience with a sword compared to what he had with an axe, the tide of the fight turned to the black knight. Each swing from it had the force of a warhammer, battering Mamoru's scavanged shield and cracking the steel of Mamoru's blade. It was quickly becoming one-sided battle.
Tateyama gasped when a quick slash from the black knight sliced the straps of Mamoru's shield and removed his only form of defense. The round piece of metal fell to the ground as the black knight then pinned Mamoru to the tree trunk, sparks flying as their blades were locked, "Mamoru!"
"I'm fine!" Mamoru shouted in a breathy voice as the blade of the black knight was leering dangerously close to his face. He could even see his reflection on the blade's wet surface, "Keep concentrating!"
Tateyama could already feel the Recicio energy flowing wildly in his body, but he had no idea just what his powers were. Mamoru was close to losing in his fight and he only had a few seconds to try and save him. I need to help, he thought, climbing back down, never wanting to gave that feeling of helplessness ever again after the death of his parents. But his actions only attracted the attention of the black knight, who noticed the white-haired Puerum Magi attempting to rescue his ally.
Amused and as if he had lost interest in Mamoru, the black knight backed away from the Puerum Magi leader and pinned his shoulder into the tree trunk with its sword. It then looked at Tateyama and leap towards him, climbing up the branches at a shocking speed. Mamoru was left bleeding on the branch as he couldn't stop the black knight from approaching his friend, "Tateyama, watch out!" he shouted, moaning in pain. He saw more of the living armors coming from below and attempted to pull the blade out of his shoulder.
Tateyama already saw the knight approaching before he even heard Mamoru's call. The black knight was eager to target him, finding an injured, desperate target more interesting than one that was fighting back. It took out another blade that was sheathed on its back and bellowed excitedly at his new foe like a mad dog. But instead of panicking, Tateyama kept his calm and stopped moving. He felt the Recicio energy readily stored in his body activating as sparks crackled at his fingertips. Praying that his would work, he shut his eyes tight.
"Tateyama!"
The blade of the black knight thrusted torwards Tateyama's chest... only to shatter on impact and break into a hundred pieces. Shards flying in through the air, the white-haired Magi was suddenly encased in an intense protective field of focused Recicio energy, bright enough to make Mamoru turn away. The black knight, perplexed, was taken aback as how its blade didn't kill him and hopped back to take another approach. It unsheathed out a small dagger and jumped again at Tateyama to thrust it into his head this time, only for the same results to happen as the protective field shattered the dagger's steel - and its wielder's hand - on impact. It was like an unmovable object that couldn't be pierced by anything fought off all attacks that came.
The black knight staggered, its arm and weapons falling down to the forest floor in pieces as it backed away. It tried to make its retreat, only for Mamoru to throw its own blade at the black knight's exposed back and impale the living suit of armor through the chest. With a defiant roar, the black knight slowly reeled back in pain, the magic that kept its body together pouring out of every seam in its armor. It then fell back onto the tree branch, no longer moving as the sinister glow from its helmet visor finally died out.
Back in the cave opening Takuya and Hideki hid in, the Chimera had almost reached the two trapped Puerum Magi, clawing faster than their barrier could regenerate as it was eager to finally catch its prey. Takuya was nearly out of breath, the amount of energy he was generating slowly taking its toll on his body. He could already feel the heat of the Chimera's flaming breath and felt like it was only seconds away from finding them.
Looking back at the meditating Hideki, he was still channeling the Recicio energy around his body. But time was running short, and in one desperate attempt to give him more time, Takuya placed his hands on the ground and created a smaller and thicker barrier between him and Hideki.
"What are you doing?!" Hideki's muffled voice protested from the other side.
"The barrier isn't going to last any longer!" Takuya yelled and continued to focus on the barrier in front of him again. He doubled his energy output, eventually lighting the entire cave with the shine of his Recicio energy that surrounded his body like electricity, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" he assured him, but he knew Hideki didn't believe him. It only was part of his personality to make sure his friends did not worry about him.
A hole cracked open in the wall and Takuya froze as through it, he could see the Chimera opening its mouth to charge its flames. He planted his face into the dirt as fire poured into the hole grazed his back, mildly roasting him before he could seal up the hole again, "You're not getting past me!" he shouted in defiance as he grimaced from the scalding pains. Planting his back on the barrier behind him, he couldn't feel his legs anymore. His arms were turning numb and his body ached from exhaustion. He wouldn't be able to fight off the Chimera if it got to him, but he could at least slow it down before he it could take Hideki.
The barrier in front started to crack up and he knew it was already here. It collapsed and and the shards of rock fell apart on the floor as pieces. The small opening before was now a cave entrance large enough for the Chimera to fit in. The snake it had for a tail hissed at the tired boy and its goat head arising from its back just stared at him with blank eyes. Its lion head licked its teeth and eagerly, the Chimera pounced at Takuya, who just closed his eyes and smiled.
"Takuya!"
He waited for the end to come, until a flaring fist punched through the barrier behind him and crashed into the Chimera's lion head, sending it flying out of the cave and into a tree which it snapped in half upon impact. The fist beside Takuya's head then dug away the barrier between him and Hideki, shimmering brightly with Recicio energy that flickered like flames as he fell into Hideki's caring arms, both of his them covered with burning, fiery Recicio energy. Looking up, Hideki looked as determined as ever, which made Takuya overjoyed to see him.
"Stay here," Hideki said to him, placing him down in a lying position and slowly walking out of the cave with gleaming fists. In the rainy, dark forest that was the Fog of Nightmares, he was like a ferocious fire that wouldn't die down, "I'll take care of this," Hideki stated, standing at the cave entrance and cracking his knuckles. Hideki could feel it. The power in his arms. They felt like they had spiked to levels of power he had never felt before. From just desiring to protect Takuya, his friends, and keep the promise that they had made with Homura, his powers had came to his aid and gave him the strength to fight.
The Chimera got up, its lion head oozing blood as it growled in frustration. With a roar, it dashed straight at him and quickly swiped its claw at Hideki. But he was faster. Avoiding the deadly swipe of its paw, he got underneath the Chimera and slammed his powered fists straight into its stomach just as thunder crackled in the background. The Chimera vomitted blood as it crashed into the dirt and howled from the thundering pain.
"What's wrong, little kitty?" Hideki taunted the Chimera, sporting a cocky grin, "I was only getting started."
Like a bolt of lightning, Hideki would dodge left and right when it attacked, jabbing back at all of the Chimera's heads with enough force to easily break its bones. The punches were doing a number on its battered face, and when he saw an opening, Hideki leap into the air and pounded the Chimera's back right into the ground, forming a jutting crater as he made the Chimera pay for hurting his friend. He pinned it to the ground, his punches bearing the force of a high-speed truck as the ground shook beneath his very feet. To finish it off, Hideki grabbed the Chimera's lion mane with one hand and pumped back the other, pouring all his strength into this last attack.
His right hand glistened with Recicio energy, its burning grip shining like a star in the night sky as Hideki curled his fingers into a fist. The Chimera whimpered, and with a loud battlecry, Hideki's fist shot forward and the impact on the beast created a shockwave that blew back the thick trees in the Fog of Nightmares, even toppling some that were closest to the epicenter as the ring of dust and Recicio blew outwards from the crater.
Rain continued to pour as Hideki climbed out of the crater, his final blow having created a small radius of toppled, flattened trees. Falling to the mud on his knees, Takuya came and held him up as the blue-haired boy panted heavily while uttering, "Did... Did I win...?"
The Recicio energy in his arms fading way quietly as glowing specks, Takuya gave him a congratulatory pat on the back as Takuya held up his hands that had casued all the destruction around them, "Guess there's a time limie to this, huh?" before he felt Takuya picking him up to his feet.
After taking down the black knight, the suits of armor continued in their relentless assault, now rushing in a disorganized manner powered by bloodlust. Mamoru clenched his bleeding shoulder and tried to stop the bleeding as he climbed up to where Tateyama was. Blood oozed from every cut and orifice on his body, but he was determined to make it out alive. To help him, Tateyama had tied a vine to the black knight's corpse by the neck armor to use it as a weight and threw down the vine to Mamoru. They both held onto it tight and prayed it would not snap from the weight it was enduring.
Mamoru panted, stepping up the branches one by one as exhaustion slowly seeped into him.
Suddenly, an explosion suddenly in the distance and Tateyama was the first to notice, "Hold on tight!" he shouted, as Mamoru looked back to see a large shockwave coming towards them. Grasping the tree trunk and vine for his life, the shockwave blew pass them like a hurricane and nearly threw Tateyama off his feet. It was a powerful gust of wind with bits of flickering electrity in it, throwing most of the two's pursuers off the three and into the forest floor below. Those that managed to stay on, though, only grew more agitated and faster in their climb towards the boys.
Their increase in speed motivated Mamoru to do the same. He felt the adrenaline in his blood and ignored the pain coming from every part in his body. Tateyama continued to pull him up, and soon, Mamoru reached him. He stretched out his arm and Tateyama grabbed his hand, pulling him up to his side and then laying him against the tree trunk. It was an odd reversal of their roles when they were at the base of the tree.
Mamoru glared at the unmoving black knight beside Tateyama, wiping away the blood at the edge of his mouth, "Bloody bastard did a number on me," he remarked and was about to throw away the vine he held until Tateyama suddenly stopped him, "What is it?"
"Look," Tateyama said, as they both drew their attention to the Recicio energy dimly flashing at Mamoru's fingertips as he held the vine that was connected to the black knight's body. The Recicio energy from Mamoru's hand was slowly flowing into the vine, and each current of energy made the black knight's body jerk and move slightly. They both realized it was all coming from the unknown power Mamoru possessed, "Mamoru, try and focus," Tateyama insisted, "If your power can get take out the rest of those knights, we'll be free of this nightmare."
They gazed into each other's eyes, and Mamoru nodded in affirmation.
"It's my time to shine, isn't it?" Mamoru's chuckled lightly as he wrapped the vine securely around his arm like a puppeteer's string and made sure the connection with the black knight's body wasn't tangled. Closing his eyes and breathing slowly, he remembered Sanbey's tips and focused on clearing his mind of all thoughts. With this, the dim currents of Recicio transmitting into the vine grew stronger, pouring larger and more powerful currents into the black knight's body in hopes that Mamoru's powers were what they suspected it to be.
The black knight's visor lit up with life once more with a green color to it instead and its body rattled with Recicio energy. With mere mental commands from the Puerum Magi leader, the black knight arose from its position and slowly pulled out the blade Mamoru had previously plunged into its chest to kill it. Tateyama watched in awe as it acted like a doll under Mamoru's command, wielding the blade with both hands as Mamoru continued to grin. As they waited for the suits of armor to get closer as to not sever the connection with their new weapon, Mamoru practiced his control over the black knight, like a puppeteer getting used to a new toy.
The knights drew in close, and with a dramatic flick of his wrist, Mamoru whispered his next order, "Black knight, exterminate them all."
The black knight's visor shined in response and it jumped down from the branch with its blade raised over its head. Now under the control of a new master, the black knight tore into its former allies like a blitzkrieg, chopping down the first few that were unprepared for its assault in a flash and turning them all ino pieces of scrap metal. It swung its blade with deadly speed like a steel hurricane, dancing among the tree branches as it severed and cut apart all that tried to fight it. When a few archers fired a hail of arrows at Mamoru and Tateyama, the black knight jumped in front of them and skillfully parried the arrows with its blade, reflecting them back towards the ones that fired them.
It was a spectacle to watch as Mamoru commandeered the black knight with his Recicio energy, the energy currents sending his commands to his doll within seconds during battle. As the black knight shoved its sword into the faceplate of the 2nd last knight, an below archer took aim at the black knight's exposed back. It fired an arrow at the vine to sever the connection between it and its master, but the Mamoru saw this and commanded the black knight to grab the projectile mid-air and snap it in half. Almost nonchalantly, the black knight threw its sword at the archer, striking it dead in the chest and taking care of the last one.
The fight had ended, finally, and Tateyama blinked as he felt the weights on his shoulders just disappear. The rain had also stopped pouring and the black knight puppet now stood unmoving once more, "We did it?" he whispered, unable to believe that they had survived their trial. He shared a smile with Mamoru, who relaxed against the tree trunk and laughed.
As they sat on the tree, the Fog of Nightmares slowly disappeared. The dark skies were replaced once more with the bright, blue skies their training ground always had and the chirping of birds could be heard again in the distance. The sunlight poked through the treelines once more and lit up the forest's hidden beauty, also reflecting off the armor of still black knight.
Mamoru let out a sigh of relief and threw away the vine, letting the black knight fall to the ground with the rest of the defeated suits of armor as he was done with it. Clutching his bleeding shoulder, he sat up and placed a hand on Tateyama's shoulder, "Now we find Takuya and Hideki. That shockwave just could have been made by-"
"Tateyama! Mamoru! Where are you?!" Takuya's voice suddenly echoed from below, making Mamoru suddenly smile. They could also hear Hideki calling for them, which gave them both a sensation of relief knowing that their friends had also survived their test.
"We're up here!" Mamoru shouted to them below, "Tateyama and I are injured, hurry up and get up here!" In a flash, Hideki, who was carrying Takuya by the waist under his arm, suddenly jumped into their view. Hideki landed on a parallel tree branch and let Takuya down as his legs were encased in a fiery form of Recicio energy, "F-Fascinating," was all Mamoru could say as Tateyama was speechless.
"Did I just jump all the way from down there? Yeah. Yeah, I just did," Hideki boasted with a cocky grin.
"Mamoru!" Takuya jumped at the green-haired bow and glomped him tightly, making the boy's face turn red with rare embarassment.
"O-Ouch! Takuya, I-I'm injured here!" Mamoru stammeringly protested, getting a laugh out of Hideki who seemed to be enjoying their moment. He shared a look with Tateyama before he jumped to his side and bumped fists with the white-haired boy as a quiet form of camaraderie.
"Oh, sorry!" Takuya said, taking a seat between Tateyama and Mamoru, "But don't worry, I'll fix you both right away!" putting his hands on their injured shoulders, his hands shone with Recicio energy and sent a wave of healing energy into their bodies. They were both amazed as Tateyama's shoulder no longer ached and Mamoru's sword wounds completely regenerated in a just few seconds, "Presto! Good as new!" he said with a cheeky smile and hugged both of them tightly, "We did it, guys! We passed the test!"
"That's right," Hideki agreed, "When we're together, I guess nothing can stop us from winning."
Tateyama nodded in agreement and Mamoru's smug grin returned, despite his face still red from embarassment, "Hmph. Since when were never unstoppable? Under my command, we never faltered nor failed," his boasting was as proud as ever, making Hideki stifle a laugh.
"Yeah, yeah, keep talkin'," he said in a low voice.
"I heard that. But I shall let that pass," Mamoru said with a wave of a hand, "For now."
"Can we get down from here now?" Tateyama asked, uncomfortably looking at the long drop below them.
Suddenly, Sanbey's disambodied voice rang through the forest with a tone of happiness, gaining the attention of all four boys,"Congratulations, Puerum Magi! With this final test and those before it, not only you all have proven your worth as a Puerum Magi, but you all are now worthy of becoming the protectors of this town against the Warlock threat. Your displays of bravery, creativity and inability to give up has shown me that you all truly are the ones meant to be Puerum Magi, and as it is, you have taken your first step into a much larger world. Thank you, all of you, for enduring everything I have done to train you."
"No, thank you, Sanbey!" Takuya beamed, still hugging Tateyama and Mamoru, "If wasn't for this training, I don't think we would be even able to fight the Warlocks!"
"Would anyone care for a celebratory dinner later?" Mamoru spoke up, "I can ask Narita to excuse us early, and I know a great place in the city to eat."
"As long as you're paying!" Hideki laughed.
"Can we get down now?" Tateyama asked once more, before his question was eventually drowned out by Takuya's cheering and an arising banter between Hideki and Mamoru. Knowing this will take a while, Tateyama just sighed and and let them shoot verbal jabs at each other, looking at the flock of birds flying pass them as the sun shone brightly in Sanbey's training ground.