Hey Guys,

Here it is! Here is the chapter leading up to what I have wanted to do for so long. Something the original manga should have done at one point or another in this kind of way. Something I think it absolutely awesome! Get ready!

But anyways, before I send you off, quick update. I may not be able to write for the next few weeks and well, I have barely been writing at all. And I have HOCO, this Saturday and I am dying of excitement. So, big things coming up and hopefully good things to come.

And so, without further ado, let's check in on our heroes.

xKiha

'It looks like you have done as I have wished. Such a delicate flower you are. So poised and wise, and yet so easy to break with a simple touch. I haven't done such a thing yet, but only because I needed you to serve a purpose rather important to me. And just as I had figured, you fell right into my trap because of your need to know it all. Now look at where you are, just where I allowed you to be, because I knew you would bring friends. I knew you would bring those I find important in this mission. Now, all I need to do, is finish this for you all. I thank you for serving my purpose, but now it is the end for you, my darling. I no longer need you, not now that I have my Purple Gem and Blossom in my clutch. But, it would be rather pointless to simply release you. How about we play a game? A game where you fight to try and keep your sanity before it rips you apart and allows you to become my next weapon.'

Kenja didn't want to hear this, not when walking through the mouth of Xenolith's stone castle, this large mouth being left wide open. It was all the more intimidating if anything, the idea of Xenolith knowing that they were there and wanting them to come inside was mortifying. He bit hard into his lip, trying to keep himself from screaming in anger thanks to this voice. He didn't want to be here anymore, but he had no choice.

"You okay? You're slowing down."

The sickly blond turned to see none other than Setsuna talking to him, the fire bookreader blinking before trying to think of something to say. "Of course I am alright, a little lost in thought." Forcing himself to smile reassuringly.

"You look pale." Setsuna then said, voice a little more harsh now that he stated this.

"Well, I assure you, that I am feeling fine." Kenja replied, continuing to force this smile on his face. On the inside, he was more than aware that Setsuna most likely didn't believe him, but there was nothing more he could do. He didn't want to tell the truth, he couldn't do that to the others.

It was then that his eyes drifted over to Kesai, the kitsune's ears pricked up and alert, but quite a bit of life seeming drained from his eyes. It was almost as if the fire demon was experiencing what he was, which only made Kenja more afraid of what was going to happen. He could feel his heart beating too fast for his own good, but he knew there was no way for it to calm down.

Something was more than a little wrong and this time it wasn't about the castle they were entering. It was about their own sanity, about the will that this duo that had been nothing but a disposable ploy had to survive through such a situation.

'I am afraid that I may not be able to fight against mind control, not when I am in this condition. When I feel that my body could give way at any time and end my life here and now. But if anything, the last thing I would want is for Xenolith to be the one to take my life from this world.'

.

.

.

Kimiko couldn't stop herself from inspecting everything in the room, but in the end this only made her all the more confused. She just didn't understand how this could look so different from what she expected it to be.

This castle wasn't ugly or destroyed, or even all that scary looking.

In fact, it was absolutely beautiful to look at.

The halls were all made of stone that must have been hard to place, judging by the designs and arrangements. The floor also stone, but completely even with beautifully painted red patterns giving it life. The doors all of white marble with garnished silk red curtains protecting the windows. It was a large maze, but the more they walked around, the less intimidated Kimiko felt.

This place was absolutely pleasant to look at.

"Do you think this was part of the plan?" Michael asked, looking around at their surroundings with a lopsided look.

"I doubt it." Flynn replied. "If anything, he probably just decorated it to inflate his ego or something. Didn't you say he was a little bit…foppish, Setsu?"

"Yeah." The ruby eyed teenager replied. Even in Xenolith's castle, he didn't want to talk about the Puppet Master or even really think about anything but him being destroyed. "A sadistic and murderous motherfucking fop."

Kenja looked over to him, raising an eyebrow at this. Well, did this mean what he thought it did? If so, then Tsumi may have to be afraid for another reason other than the one and this one would probably be the last thing anybody would want. Xenolith probably would make the worst kind of overly attached lover to have, almost making Kenja sick at the mere idea. However, this also made him wonder if Setsuna hated people with those preferences. Not foppish people, but those who pursued the same sex. God he hoped not, the last thing he wanted to do was be hated.

'That's quite a bit of worry for a simple teenager. Don't you think so, darling?'

Goosebumps ran up and down Kenja's body, causing him to draw in a sharp breath and take a step backwards. 'Go away!' He mentally screamed, trying to keep his composure and continue walking forward with the others. 'I do not need you here trying to mentally break me down. It's pathetic to think that you can so simply beat me!'

'Rather harsh for one your age, don't you think? Well, never the mind, I simply wanted to remind you that there is no need worrying about this all. You'll be dead soon enough.'

And that is when he felt the fingernails.

The sickly blond suddenly felt he couldn't breathe, the sensation of fingernails running up and down his throat mortifying him. He could feel every rough brush, but when he put his hands to his neck to remove them quickly, he found nothing there.

This couldn't just be another dream, could it? But this time, it felt so real, causing the blond to begin shaking like a Chihuahua.

"Kenja?"

The entire group had turned around to look at him, but it was Yukio Kincad that had spoken to him. The teacher had an eyebrow raised and a paternal tone in his voice. He didn't like where he was sure this was going, the teacher taking a step closer. "Are you feeling alright? You look sick."

"I am not sick." Kenja growled, Kesai turning to look at his bookreader with his ears flat against his hair. The fire demon knew something was very wrong, reaching up and taking Kenja's hand. "Come on, it's okay. Don't be like that, we have to keep going." The cocky look in the kitsune's eyes somehow managing to bring down this anger and fear in the azure eyes of the sickly blond.

He would trust Kesai no matter what.

But in this moment of weakness and fear, nobody noticed the dark look in Kesai's forest green eyes. Nobody noticed the corruption.

.

.

.

"So, which way do you think we're supposed to go?"

The entire alliance of fourteen had begun walking the long and thick halls littered with multiple doors all leading to what they had discovered were baron rooms. Well, with the exception of one thing.

In the middle of every room, in a vial of what looked like blood, was a single purple rose.

Every time he saw one, Tsumi only wanted to scream. He knew that anything purple was most likely directed at him, which meant that Xenolith was trying to say something to him through this rose in a vial of blood. And whatever the message was, Tsumi was pretty sure he didn't like it.

"I don't think this will be an easy choice." Kyo muttered. The hallway they were now in branched off into a rather large one with multiple different doors leading to god knows where. It would take days to figure out which one was the right path, or at least if they could ever find their ways out of there properly.

"Maybe all but one is full of traps. Pick the wrong one and you'll find yourself torn in half or an arrow through your brain." Aislinn muttered while looking at every one of the doors blankly.

"She's making a joke, right?" Amera asked, her eyes becoming rather wide just at the idea of that being the case.

"I hope to god so." Kyo replied, knowing that he couldn't really tell his demon partner that Aislinn was completely wrong when he knew nothing about what to expect in this area. Nobody did, which made this all the scarier.

"Then how do we pick one?" Michael asked, his eyes also beginning to scan the doors. "It's not like we have enough time to try every single one and hope every time that we made the right choice."

"And splitting up won't be much of an option either." Shura finished. "We don't know what to expect, so going anything alone would be a possibly deadly risk."

Kimiko folded her arms, frowning with uncertainty. "This isn't looking good then, is it?" She wanted a clear answer, not the frightened confusion everybody was now feeling. "But, we've got to do something other than just stand here and hope something jumps out at us."

'It's the center door, of course.'

Kesai flinched, taking a step back and beginning to growl only for him to realize that this was none other than Xenolith speaking through his mind.

He didn't like this voice at all, ears flat against his head as he drew in a breath. The Puppet Master wanted them to be there to fight him, which meant he was probably getting the directions he wanted. "Guys, it's the center door." His voice meek and almost empty of all life.

"And what makes you say that?" Tsumi turning around to look at his friend, a little put off by the look of the mentally beaten kitsune.

He needed to say something that sounded real enough, drawing in a quivering breath before his hands went up to cover his nose. "Well, for one thing, I'm breathing in the rotten smell of some demons and it's coming from the center door. "

Various people began to exchange looks, Cheshire smiling gently. "Then we are going through the center door." The snow leopard knowing that Kesai's sense of smell was virtually flawless. But after seeing a demon take down another with his eyes closed because all he needed to do was trace her scent to see her, you'd have faith in the nose of that creature to.

"Are you both sure?" Kimiko asked, walking forward and placing her hands on the center door's knob.

"Of course."

"One hundred percent positive, Kimi."

The brunette didn't want to go against the both of them, pulling the polished gold knob down and opening the door. Eyes peering inside only to be met with what seemed to be just another hallway. It wasn't all too exciting, but since it didn't seem to be trapped either, nobody had anything to really gripe over. Safety would always be above all else and this place was no exception.

"I guess we'll be going this way then." Kyo shrugged, looking over all the other unsure others and taking the first step forward into the hall while Kimiko held the door open for all the others who soon followed after.

'Maybe I'll keep it open, just in case.' Kimiko entering the hall, taking one last look at the many doors and halls they had just gone through to get to this point. A deep paranoia filling every inch of her body before she took in a breath. 'Yeah, I'll leave it open just in case.' The girl beginning to follow the others.

However, after a few steps, everybody was startled by a slamming, causing Kimiko to yelp in shock. She turned around only to find the door completely shut. It couldn't have done that on its own, that just wouldn't be possible, the girl trying to regain her calamity while rushing to be closer to the others.

She couldn't think about all of the worst things possible right now, no, she had to keep fighting. She had to make sure she made it out of here along with the rest of her friends. This was all that really mattered, well that and destroying Xenolith.

However, right as the girl got over the idea of the door somehow slamming without the interference of any human, the lights suddenly went out. Kimiko covering her mouth to keep herself from screaming at the sudden darkness only for a thumping sound to ring out.

'And now, you will fulfill the purpose you originally had. You will destroy everything in your path, because you're mine!'

The lights snapped back on, everybody seeing that Kenja had fallen down and was now laying on the ground with eyes shut. Setsuna frowning as he noticed this, walking over. "Are you okay? Did you slip or something?"

'You will burn all of the books except that of my Purple Gem. You may beat him, but do not destroy or kill him.'

"Kenja?" Yukio now beside Setsuna, bending down to try and figure out what was happening to the ill freshmen and why he was suddenly unresponsive. "Can you hear us? If so, I need you to respond to my voice."

'Now then, I believe we should awake soon. Now that your will to kill has grown into something rather impressive.'

"Kesai, are you watching this?" Tsumi's voice getting desperate as he turned to the kitsune, who had his head lowered and eyes looking at the ground. "Kesai!?" The poison demon's hands now on the fire demon's shoulders as he began to shake him rapidly.

'Now awake my perfect puppets, it's time to play with our friends in a very special way. Anything is allowed, darlings, as long as you remember not to destroy the gem that means quite a bit to me. Now, it's play time.'

"Kenja?" Yukio placing his hand on the sickly blond's chest, feeling his heart beginning to pound rather fast as he frowned. The teacher's hand not leaving the teen's chest while he turned to look at the others. "Something is very wrong, his pulse is too fast for somebody who is unconscious."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Kimiko asked, frowning.

And then, Kenja opened his eyes.

Everybody was greeted with an empty azure, all signs of life once in his eyes completely gone. He didn't do anything for a moment but breathe, but then turned to Yukio and Setsuna and smirking in a dark way that nobody understood. It was completely empty and yet, this smirk seemed to be hateful even with this lack of emotion.

"Oh God, no." Kimiko whispered as Kenja stood up, removing his orange book from his bag. "No, no, no, no! Not now, not when we're here of all places!"

"Kesai?"

The hazel eyes of Kimiko then turned to look at Kesai, the kitsune lifting his own head while Tsumi released a gasp of horror. "Not you too!"

Just like Kenja, Kesai's forest green eyes were completely empty. He looked just like every enemy they had been forced to take down before. The kitsune leaping up over the stunned demons and teenagers only to land on his feet beside Kenja. The eyes of both completely empty but seeming to almost glare at the other twelve members of the alliance.

"You have got to be kidding me." Aislinn muttered. "He's going crazy here of all places. We have a lot of more important things to worry about, but now they're choosing to go crazy."

"I don't think they're choosing to do this." Kyo said, taking a step back. "I have a feeling that they had no other choice."

The orange spellbook was glowing while Kenja braced his body to call out a spell. But this time, he was facing the people that he called his friends. The people he looked to with affections and cared about. This just wasn't right, but the blankness in Kenja's eyes told the story that even if the blond was there, he was completely helpless to stop what he was about to do.

"Hi-Ken!"

Kesai lept forward, flames leaving the open palms of the kitsune in a fast and heavy stream while Kimiko pulled her own book out. "Rerano!"

Right away their purple shield appeared and began spinning around the alliance, the flames being absorbed by the poison weapon quickly and efficiently. And soon enough, the fire was spit back out, this time mixed with a poison aura and singe to it.

Kesai was quick to dodge, having at least this much knowledge to himself. However, it seemed that Kenja wasn't given anything to do as he just stood there, blankly staring at the teenagers facing him. The flames blowing at him and burning off his pants from the knees down, causing his skin to take a ghastly shade of red thanks to the heat and poison.

"Oh god, Kenja." Setsuna watching in a bit of shock. He didn't know why, but he found himself caring about this quite a lot. He suddenly felt so helpless, watching this happen to Kenja and Kesai. One second here and the next minute, completely gone.

Just like Nora.

The teenager then shook his head, rubbing his temples in pain. He didn't want to think about that. No, he couldn't think about that. Not here and now when he should be focusing on the destruction of Xenolith instead.

"I can't do this." Kimiko whispered, shaking in her shoes. "I can't fight Kenja, let alone burn Kesai's book. They're our friends! It's wrong to do something like that, there just has to be another way to do this!"

"Kimi, there might not be any other choice."

The brunette turned to look at her partner, Tsumi having a very mature look in his eyes as he looked back at his bookreader. "We can't just let them suffer, because we both know that Xenolith will make them fight until they die of wounds or exhaustion. And we can't let that happen."

"I know," The poison bookreader replied, voice a little broken. "But, there's got to be another way that doesn't include burning their boo-"

"And what if there isn't another way?" Tsumi then asked, his maturity flowing. "What if they just keep on fighting until their bodies give out? Can we just let them suffer because they're our friends and it would be cruel to burn their book? Or would it be crueler to leave them to fight until death?"

"I-I can't burn their book, Tsumi. I can't."

"You might just have to."

Kimiko bit into her lip hard, turning and looking at the others who only gave her a serious and understanding look. They knew that she may have to do something like this and they understood.

"If there isn't anything else we can do, then we're going to have to face facts and fight." Kyo said softly, approaching the brunette and placing his hand on her shoulder. "And I know that of all people, you will be able to handle this like nobody else."

Kimiko bit into her lip, trying to keep herself from beginning to cry in fear of looking weak. "I understand."

She then held her book out in front of her body, sniffling as tears made themselves known on her thin cheeks. "I am so sorry, Kenja. It never should have come to something like this."

Tsumi nodded, bracing himself for the next spell they would have to unleash on those they knew as their friends. "We can only do this quickly and pray for the best."

"I know," Kimiko whispered, wiping her tears. "I know."

"Hi-Ken!"

"Rokuryo!"