Chapter 54

Old Darkness

My eyes widened, as I spaced out, remembering that very moment as he took us hostage, and tried to take us over using his shadows. Raleigh, who was currently in my head, laughed heartily, loosening up from the way I react. He also wanted to take over my body for now due to a short time before a match begins. Right after that was said, Ferlaine quickly held her book into both of her hands, and within an instant, the pages began flipping, and a cyclone of wind and fire covered the room, causing almost everyone a terrible fright. The fire that was spread seemed like an illusion, as each speck of ember and flame was felt as a warm sensation, not being like the real fire that burns your skin and slowly burns you away. She began speaking gibberish, with almost nobody probably not understanding a word she was saying.

Lightning struck from the ceiling, the wind was blowing like a hurricane. The humans seemed to have a really hard time trying to get a steady foot onto the ground, and I was also doing the same, as my claws were holding onto broken hinges that was scattered across the red speckled ground. Then with a huge crash, everything looked like a endless void, but then it turned into the same sight again, as they got into the room, with the invading Cyborg walking into the room, with the door open.

"Trying to escape?" He asked. "Or breaking out?"

"No." We all said in unison.

"Then what is with the ashes and the marks of wind blowing everything?" He asked again.

"Sparring." Something slipped out of my mouth that was not at all in my mind.

"Oh, he still talks..." The Cyborg complained. "Just like his obsolete Creator.."

"Did you really just insult my god damn savior?" Raleigh spoke through me.

"That is it, you need to shut up." He angrily said while pointing his machine gun at my head.

"Raleigh.. What are you doing?" I asked him in my mind.

"If anything I learned about half robots and half humans, is that they get too heavily attached to their stronger counterpart. In this case, the robot part of his cyborg body." Raleigh replied.

"Oh. Then, Carry on." I encouraged him.

"What are you doing little one!?" Ferlaine asked.

I looked back at her, and said; "Trust me". She nodded, and Raleigh continued on with his plan. In my mind, he was beginning to count down from three to one, and as he got to two, I felt a sharp pain, and being extremely cold. My sight began darkening, but my other parts and senses were as strong as ever, almost if I grew up in an instant. Raleigh reached one, and suddenly the Cyborg opened fire to my head, but each bullet phased through me as if I was a ghost. His expression began becoming slightly terrified, as he ran up to me and attempted to drive my head through the ground with his multi barreled machine gun.

"Hmph. You really thought you could block my type of Sorcery?" Raleigh spoke through me again.

"How in the hell is that possible!?" The Cyborg panicked.

"Lets see. Well, Basically I am at the power of a Sentient legend, and without the dark stones or memory fragments." "So thou shalt begone from my sight... Or you shall be cursed beyond repair, and beyond saving as well."

Suddenly he backed up, and Raleigh controlled my body to start pursuing him, but he then hesitated, as the Cyborg ran out of the room and grabbed the two soldiers without warning. Raleigh tried to reach out for them, but he was just too far away, and even if his powers could reach them, it would still be pointless as they would get killed. Then Raleigh let me regain the control of my own body once again, as I saw everyone looking at me strange. Even Rak was confused, and he was the most similar counterpart of me.

"Why didn't you tell us before? Now we can actually make sure that all of us can survive and go back home." Ferlaine stated.

"Hey... About that... Vilresaga collapsed." I replied.

"Oh do not worry, we actually come from a different planet besides that one, and the Agnis had to raid our home for the upper rank's entertainment." Ferlaine notified.

"Yes, and that was just crude, and just ultimately sad." One of them said.

"Can you please stop saying sad please?" Ferlaine nicely asked.

"Yes, Lady Ferlaine." He answered back.

"See? Now we have one less to worry about. And we can never see them again if..." Raleigh tried to say.

"If what?" I assumed. "Killing them?"

"No no, no. We do not, but we let the ones that are over them do the dirty work." Raleigh suggested.

"Oh yeah! That is right, their plan was to assassinate the rulers of Agnis!" I remembered.

"Alright, I am in this, but we can probably get all of this fighting out of our hands, if we rat them out. lets start with that Cyborg." I suggested.

"What do you mean, Rat them out?" Ferlaine asked. "Are they doing something?"

"Yes, and this whole crucible was dedicated to distract them enough so that they could steal the life out of them when they were watching us fight." I replied. "It is all just a lie that this was a test. Although there is a possibility that one of us will join if they succeed. We got to help them get out."

"Well then, Rak, tear down all doors and get us into that arena."

Rak nodded and proceeded to the door. He held his sharp bladed arms in the air, and then quickly sliced it vertically while cutting the horizontal direction as well. The strike shown a mark as Rak turned back at us and walked away from the door. We all saw it, and I could not determine whether Rak gave up or succeeded. Ferlaine gone towards it, and she pushed it over like it was a tall stick that was lightly attached to the ground. The pieces of the slashed door broke, and let us go through it without any backup security measures. It seemed like a Casonat could really be the destroyers of entire towns, and also the weapons of conquerors as well, with those natural weapons of theirs. Then I realized that there was a sizzle coming from the broken door, as there was acid at the edges. Ferlaine grabbed me by the torso with both hands and let Rak do the breaking of the barriers. The free ride was appreciated, but I think it was more of an reason for the whole team to move side by side, as we may have a huge task afterwards. After several different doors that gone with traps and a few turrets, we made it into the entrance of the arena as we watched both soldiers fighting it out in a one versus one battle. The audience was roaring, and I think that the Cyborg was the game decider. Our squad noticed that they were purposely missing, making it look good and at the same time trying not to kill each other. Time is still running out, they are getting to be at the point where they could not use their guns and instead, have to go fist to fist. We decided to go towards the entrance as we entered the triangular dome that looked like a Pyramid. We looked like some kind of group of Nomads at that time, just barging into the fight unannounced.

The rule decider was confused, as he thought that we were going to do a free for all, so he sat back against the wall, and waited. Someone next to be silently counted three to one, as the last number was the signal to call him out. Although then we stopped and Raleigh made my body go through the floor, and all I could hear was the whooshing of the underground and the confusion of the ground. Once we managed to go through the ground on the floor that the audience was standing on, we snuck up to the throne for the guests of honor, who were targeted for assassination. We got up there, and saw the gaurds point their spears at us.

"State your business. NOW."

"I need to tell the guests of honor what they are up against and why I am coming up here in the first place."

"And Why are you coming here?"

"Telling them the truth about the ones who hosted this event."

"I will relay the message." "So, can you explain further Erilian?"

"The ones who made this crucible had one plan, and one plan only, to kill the ones who ruled over them. We were all captured by them, and now we have to stand here and kill our friends and our people, even though that I am the only Erilian that is here within the group of contestants." "They need to watch out!"

"That's enough. I will notify them right away, but make sure you get back down there before they see you."

Raleigh made me phase through the floor once again, this time reappearing in the group. I tapped my claws onto the stone surface as I waited for the judgement of our captors. Ferlaine hopped onto Rak and quickly made the floor underneath us turn into many projectiles that were purposed for escaping. Then the time came, as the ruler spoke out; "ERGO!" and the Cyborg stood up behind us, and we leaned against the wall.

"You do realize that there are prisoners that could be executed here, and you waste time just to find others..." the Monarch said. "All just to get away with Murder!"

"I never did or wanted to." Ergo tried to deny the fact.

"Well, the messenger came to me and told me about your little plan." the Monarch said while pointing his staff at him.

"All lies." Ergo countered.

"Assume your place. Free the ones who are here today." the Monarch commanded.

"How about YOU!" He said while quickly drawing his gun and shooting one bullet that aimed dead center for his head. Ferlaine commanded Rak to kill the Cyborg, and so her gone up to him as he was trying to kill the king for a last attempt at survival, and Rak sliced his head off with his sharp blade. The one who watched all of us with a keen eye successfully survived the onslaught of bullets that shot at him, and he returned to his previous position. Something then triggered a kind of rippling heartbeat within my body.

"Get ready, these powers that I passed on to you, is about to be ripped out, all to save you. Right before the time they execute you." Raleigh warned. Suddenly, the ripple stopped and a black mist surrounded me, without rising at all, sticking to the ground. "Why do you have to remove the gift?" I asked within my mind. There was no answer however, only the sound of silence and eerie winds. I looked up, and saw the messenger start whispering to him, being very discreet about it. He then walked away as the Monarch nodded. Soon, without a word, all the ones who contributed to all of us being here, was then slammed down to the ground in front of us, while the executioner readied his frenzied swing. A bell deeply rang through the arena, as it was constantly rang for each second, making the time draw near for our friends to be the sixth and final ring, the axe swung and sharply severed each of their necks with one swing, splattering blood all over the stone ground. The Monarch clapped slowly, but we never heard it, all we could see was him putting both of his hands together.

"If he was correct... Then I got saved by... AN ERILIAN!?" the Monarch questioned loudly.

"Okay, dont do anything, I got this." Raleigh said while materializing in front of me as a very dark knight with a cruel curved blade, and all of his armor expelled light, and took in darkness. The black fog made him almost practically invisible, but then he took all of the mist in, and was now fully visible, pointing his sword at the Monarch. He then held it down, making the sword stand on the tip of its jagged blade, and he held it down tightly.

"Your relayed message was too simple." Raleigh explained. "I was the one who told it to him, and he found it in his heart to let you live! I would've made sure your remains were never created, and your soul become one of mine."

"Are you serious.. Nobody can do that, not even Nesc." the Monarch chuckled. "You are trying to make me back down eh?"

"I am not bluffing. If I could destroy Equinox's universe, then I can conquer all of you with ease." Raleigh threatened. "It is in your best interest that you let us all go, now. Erilian or not."