Chapter 21
The Beast Within
-Altayous-
"We are almost- There..." Altayous said becoming exhausted. " Just one more... We can do it guys."
"Why are you so tired Altayous? You were properly prepared for this. You just saved our butts two tests ago." Akaz asked with some energy orbiting around him.
"The gas remember?" Altayous answered.
"Oh yeah. Well you know whats next?" Littlefoot interrupted while no longer laying low.
"Equinox." Altayous said.
"Wait? My mom?" Akaz confusingly asked.
"Not exactly yours. More like the bad side of her.." Altayous nervously added.
"Oh? what is she like?" Topsy asked.
"Like, I see you, I wipe you from existence. She is bound by some sentries so that she may not return to the good side, so that both of them combined can wreak havoc." Altayous explained.
Akaz gulped at that sentence hoping that his mom was not really leading a double life. The blessings of equinox restored us, before we faced our final trial. I prepared by sniper rifles for something that with the Lunarian's help we beat. With the bright room and the door right in front of us, we knew that it was do or die. Now we got Topps, with almost his horn breaking off, but was fixed by the blessing, Littlefoot who's body was almost incinerated, me getting pulverized, leaving Akaz with the broken leg and wing, forcing him to carry me while he had a disadvantage. The good part about this was this was more of a team battle than a test, but the bad news is, she is stronger than every one of us combined.
With the thought in mind I mindlessly pushed open the door with my gauntlets. We entered with no idea where she was, although I felt a bit warm, with the darkness and all this was not so bad to deal with. I could practically feel my hands start shaking with anticipation. Although it seemed to have a mind of its own. It turned it against me, getting my weapon out and aiming. I was satisfied at first, until it began turning, and it did it quick, as in a few seconds, I saw inside the barrel within my black spindle. I tried to resist the temptation to pull the trigger, but the control was somehow stronger than me. She began laughing with a dark tone, glowing like the sun. She risen with darkness surrounding her, and light orbs spiraling around her hand. With one orb she opened a portal to another dimension and made a laser come through it, shooting directly at us. The control was broken from her to my hand, but still the thought that she can manipulate someone as easily as that was ultimately shocking.
She closed the portal, as she began summoning random symbols, unique to her kind. Akaz seemed afraid to try and attack her, with her being his family and things, but then she taunted him. "Give it All you got! NO REGRET!" She yelled. Akaz began to lose the reason why he was being so reluctant, and began ramming her with his horns, and knocked her back a little. She seemed to have nothing that proved that the hit was actually effective although. She slapped Akaz across the face so hard that it flung him back to the wall. Topps tried the same thing, but ended up being force back with a unimaginable force, making the impact feel like he just broke his spine. Littlefoot whipped her legs with his tail, but it did not make her trip, it only served as more of a reason to kill them. He tried again only this time, she knew exactly where it was going, to her head. So she placed it in that location and grabbed the tail, and roundhouse him until he was fast enough, and he was released into the wall. Littlefoot rubbed his head, thinking that it cracked his skull.
"I do not get it. How the hell is she taking us down so easily!?" Akaz asked loudly.
"It's your Mother, and she is a answer to Legend! What do you freaking expect!?" I yelled back.
"I do not know! I thought she was just her, not two!" Akaz answered.
The corrupted Equinox then began emitting a screech so loud that it almost made Akaz's ears bleed. It flustered all of them, and she took the chance to suppress them easily. She took two ends of a portal and made it swallow the whole team. Within it, the gasses that made them become desperate to make it was spreading inside the portal. It then spit them out as it felt like it was enough for them. They were all packed in a tight pile, leg over leg. I felt like I was just about to throw up something, and the dreadnought was not as horrible as the gas here. I could barely breathe, but I stood up, as I aimed for her head while she was casting a spell with the symbols circling around her waist. She had her eyes closed, which meant that it could actually affect her. Altayous quickly shot her with the black spindle in hand, and it hit her. She got staggered for a second, but then the darkness around her became a variety of weapons of the old. Bows, swords, spears, and others. They all then combined into one large ranged bow, that had bayonets at each edge, and a string that turned the arrows into light. She quickly drew an arrow, and released the arrow with quick and deadly precision. It then hit me in the arm, and I noticed it actually pierced me through my armor. I felt life slipping through my grasps, but it quickly came back, to seek vengeance. I summoned my hammers, while Akaz got back up and tried to assist me in using them. I felt my flames getting stronger, and with more life.
I threw the hammers quickly, hoping that she would weaken from the sunspots that were being leftover from the impacts. She then nullified all of it, and levitated me and Akaz to her face.
"Helping a arsonist AKAZ!? It is time that you faced what you have deserved a long time ago!" She yelled.
The darkness became light, and the light became dark, and it shone all around Akaz, rendering him useless to resist. The blight began closing on him, and then it exploded in a crimson wave, with the corrupted Equinox redirecting it all to his head. Soon, the others tried and restrain the corrupted side of her, but only resulted with The whole top of the tower to become a smoldering mass of ruins. By the time I blacked out, Nothing has really changed, except the tower being blown to bits.
When I woke up, I saw Topsy looking over my body to make sure that I was okay before I got up. Littlefoot was apparently around the general area. I noticed all the weapons I had were taken away from me, and was replaced with my own fists and armor. I got up, knowing that the whole team was together, but I did not notice what exactly happened to Akaz. He was sleeping safe and sound, but his breathing was abnormal. Something about that crimson wave just did not seem right. Then I heard her voice inside the room. This time she was completely merged, and she was looking kind of ashamed, but of whom? The thought disappeared and gone straight back to what Akaz was doing. Suddenly he was breathing faster and he began smelling around, trying to find where we were. "Akaz, What are you doing?" I asked. He then raised his head, knowing my voice and ran towards me, with a aggressive roar. He had his teeth showing, ready to tear me to nothing but flesh. I dodged his lunge and slowly backed away. The strange part about this was that I never knew him as this. He is better than that, we all know it. His eyes were not opening, but then he slammed his front claws onto his snout, and tried to ease a headache that became worse as time progressed. He finally stopped, but then being almost paralyzed for a second.
"You alright there buddy?" Altayous said, getting down to his eye level.
"Why? What is wrong?" Akaz said while being concerned.
"You just tried to devour him. Just like Red Claw." Littlefoot explained.
"Wait... Did we actually win?" Topps asked.
"If it was not for the rule break, then we would've been sent away from here to probably seven systems away." Altayous answered back.
"You did pass, but what is about to happen is going to be devastating." Equinox said.
"What is going to happen?" Littlefoot asked.
"My other self cast a spell that makes him go back to his old ways, at the same time torturing him for the rest of his life." Equinox briefed. "According to the scrolls, there was no way. Usually they would die off, or end up like an assassin. There will be no getting around to him. Although, there is an exception to that. We had one rare case that the victim could know the person, and at least he will not be so aggressive towards."
Shock came to me, as we knew him, it was about to be taken away, all just because I used. Guilt began dragging me down a ton for now, imagining what it would be like if I was sentenced to never knowing myself again or being changed forever. Each step I took in circles made the guilt deepen into my thoughts, almost to the point where I would literally be saying them out loud. Equinox then let the orbs of light come around the team and I, and it made the area white.
"You may go home now. Akaz, make sure you do not lose your mind, its the only thing keeping you from destroying the world." Equinox pleaded.
Cera was released from the cage she was in and she ran towards Topsy, which was her father. He thought that we wouldn't make it, but we managed. It was a good thing that we are finally through it now. It has already been too many near death experiences for me. I know that they will be together, fine for the rest of their days, but what about his? This Dragon has already been through enough and now he is going to go through a painful, plus a sorrowful life? Maybe it would be minor? I do not know. I saw the two triceratops collide and they affectionately nudged each other without saying a word.
"Can't you fix it?" Akaz asked.
"No. I tried for many decades, centuries, and millions of years, still with no luck. I doubt that I could even do it today. Hopefully trying one step at a time can let it calm down." Equinox answered. "Good luck."
We were all teleported away, and I found myself sitting at the chair again, just having a day to relax from all of this nonsense.
-Akaz-
I teleported back to where I came from, which was the ship. I could not move at all, thanks to the other side of Equinox. I saw Elise, trying to keep the egg warm by putting light pressure on it, whilst tightly grasping it in this cold winter night. I know what that demon in my mind just said to me, warning me about even trying to resist. I only could obey his one request, saying to act like what I am. I know I am going to have the worst time ever, and that flash of fire and metal would soon come back to me, restraining me from even controlling myself.
"Where were you?" Elise questioned.
"Deep trouble." I replied. "Listen, It is me if I change a lot, please accept me. In a few moments from now I could possibly lose control. I have no telling what this demon wants."
"Well okay. Cmon. we got to find somewhere for this kid to start his or her life." Elise said.
-Equinox-
I saw what I secretly extracted from him, an AI. I know this can restore his memory easily, but something has to implant it deep into his mind. With the spell cast over him, telling by the way he viciously attacked Altayous, he is going to be one of those assassins, and the worst part is that its a sentient, meaning that it can lead to devastating results.
I could see a very similar looking piece of metal, resembling most of the dragons foreheads. I picked it up, and it began intruding my sleeve, and working right into my mind. I rejected it by my corrupted side, and tried to find a way to communicate with it.
"Hello. I... WANT... YOUR... POWER..." The strange piece of metal demanded.
