Chapter 19

The Final Elite

Corey, Derek, and Liz all ran quickly through the labyrinth of caves underneath Darkine's Lair. It was easy enough to navigate; Dia had left a trail of demon corpses for them to follow.

"He certainly is relentless," Liz said.

"He's revenge mad," said Derek, "Trust me. I know the feeling,"

"Let's just hurry," Corey said, "As much as I hate Dia, he'll probably need help against the last Elite,"

Another ten minutes passed, but there still seemed to be no end to the cave labyrinth.

"Do we know anything about the Captain?" Corey asked, glancing around the caves.

Liz shook her head. "No. For better or worse, no one has actually seen him before,"

"Just like Stephen…great," Corey rolled his eyes and continued to run with his two friends.

Finally, after another ten minutes or so, they could hear the clashing of swords, and the screaming of falling soldiers.

"Ten bucks say I know whose causing that," Corey said dryly and the three picked up the pace. They ran down a corner and spotted Dia finishing off the final guard to a large set of doors.

"Well, well. You decided to join me," said Dia without turning to look at the three.

"I decided peeling your dead ass off the floor would be too much trouble," said Corey, "So we figured to help you out, instead,"

Dia laughed in a mocking tone, "I already told you, human. I won't need your help with this. You'd probably just get in the way,"

Corey growled, but Derek put a hand on his shoulder, and then spoke to Dia. "Dia. We should fight together. With the four of us combined, the Elite and Darkine will be no match,"

Dia smirked. "I already told you, Maison. I don't need help," He turned to the door and held out his right hand. With a few swift slashes in the air, Dia cut through the dimensions and the doors fell to the ground in six pieces.

Without a word to the others, Dia walked forward, his katana in hand.

Corey, Derek, and Liz looked at one another and followed after.

The first real room of Darkine's Keep was actually more like the front of a giant mansion. The door had led them to a large open area, with a long set of steps that lead to another set of doors. The cavern was over two hundred feet up, and about a quarter of a mile from the entrance to the stairs that led to the door to Darkine's Keep. Dia was already walking to the stairs.

"Everyone. Stay close. The Elite could be anywhere," Liz said, glancing around, her daggers out.

The three followed after Dia, looking around the cavern for any signs of enemy activity. There seemed to be no one in this cavern except for them.

"This is way too quiet," Corey said, his sword resting on his shoulder.

"Agreed," Derek replied, keeping a tight hold on his katana. His eye twitched,

"Look out!"

"Look out!" Derek repeated the Black Dragon's warning, and the three friends barely missed getting scorched by a blast of fire. Dia turned around to watch, readying his katana.

"Damn!" Corey shouted, landing on the ground after his jump to the side, "Where the hell did that come from?!"

"Above!" Liz shouted, holding her daggers at ready and opening her Territory.

Corey and Derek looked up, seeing the Elite Captain. He was draped in red breastplate armor, with tanned pants and black boots. His hands were covered by a pair of black gloves, and under the red armor was a long sleeved black shirt. His face was covered in a Japanese Oni mask. His long black hair was braded down to his shoulders. In his hand was a katana, still in the red sheath.

"We meet at last," the Elite said, his voice muffled from the mask.

Liz frowned. "The armor…it must have concealed his demonic energy!"

"So you're the last Elite. Why don't you come on down and play fair?" Corey asked, pointing the tip of his sword at him.

"You are obviously Corey Kartana: 21 years old, thrown into the future by Lord Darkine. You favor a mixed fighting style of street fighting, basic martial arts, and swordplay. Your parents died when you were in the time warp. Current spiritual power of 534,357. Impressive for a human." the Elite said, sounding as though he was reading a profile of Corey.

"What the--?" Corey asked, obviously surprised.

"How do you know all of this?" Liz asked, staring up at the Elite.

He turned his head and looked down at her, "Elizabeth Rain: 36 years old. General of the Rebel Army and a Psychic user of Territory, extensive training in Tae Kwon Doe, but favored mostly by your ability to manipulate blades in battle. Your parents have been dead since Lord Darkine's passing into power, Current Spiritual Power: 189,987, Not as impressive as Corey Kartana, but you are a Territory user, so the use of Spirit Energy isn't as needed,"

"You sure like to talk," Corey say sourly. He looked at Derek, "Let's just get this guy, already…Derek?"

Derek had not stopped staring up at the Elite Captain since he appeared. His eyes were focused on the Elite's katana.

"Derek? Are you alright?" Liz asked.

"If you won't attack, Maison, I will!!" shouted Dia, who leaped into the air with his katana at ready. The Elite Captain didn't even flinch until Dia was five feet away, then only partly drew his katana to parry the attack.

"Dia Jaganshi: age 38. You once possessed the power to wield the Black Dragon, but lost it when you attempted to gain true mastery. Now you rely solely on the gift given to you by your mother, Mukuro; the ability to cut through dimensions. Current demonic power level: 608,544. I believe both of your parents were killed by Lord Darkine, were they not?" asked the Elite.

Dia's energy flared and his Jagan eye turned red, but then his eyes suddenly grew wide. As if something had completely changed his motivation, Dia merely fell back to the ground and walked towards the stairs.

"Dia! What the hell?!" Corey shouted, but Dia merely ignored him,

"I leave this to you," Dia said with his back turned, and rushed up the stairs, cutting them open with his dimensional powers, and ran through.

"That bastard," Corey said, and then turned to Derek, who had stopped staring now, "You ready to fight yet?"

Derek nodded slowly and looked at Liz, then at Corey, "Corey…I want you to follow Dia,"

"Say what?!" Corey yelled, stepped toward him, "I thought we decided to face the Elite together!"

Liz nodded, "He's right, Derek. We need to do this together to conserve strength--" Derek held up a hand to stop her,

"I remember the plan, Liz…but think about this. We need our soldiers alive, and last I checked, outside we were still outnumbered. They are going to need their head general to guide them, and that's you, Liz," Derek said.

"Well, yeah, but--"

"Just do that for me, Liz," Derek turned back to Corey, "And Corey…I know how much you hate him, but Dia is going to need help in there. I'll stop this Elite; I know I can, but Dia will be slaughtered if he fights Darkine alone. Just hold him off until I get there, and we'll finish this together,"

Corey glared at Derek, "I don't like this idea, bro. What's going on with you?"

"Corey…he has a point," said Liz, "Our soldiers are going to need someone to guide them, and let's face it," She smiled, "I wouldn't be much help against Darkine, and neither will Dia if we leave him alone," She looked at Derek, "I believe in you, Derek,"

Derek blinked a few times and smiled, "Thank you, Liz,"

Corey grit his teeth for a second and sighed, "Fine. Go take the glory for kicking this guy's ass, see if I care," He smirked, "But don't get pissed at me if I've already beaten Darkine by the time you get there,"

Derek nodded, "Deal. Good luck, both of you,"

"You too, pal," said Corey.

"Both of you be careful. I'll send Kurama in as soon as I find him," said Liz.

"Good idea," Derek said, and with that nodded. Liz took off back through the entrance of the cavern, and Corey ran up the steps to the Keep.

He stopped at the very top and took one last look at his friend before running through the destroyed doors that Dia made.

Finally, it was just Derek and the Elite.

"I assume you understand now, Derek Maison," the Elite said, coming down to the ground about thirty feet away from Derek.

"Aren't you going to say my profile?" Derek asked.

"I know the most about you. Age 37, you started the Rebel Army with your wife, Jade, and your friend, Elizabeth Rain. Your wife recently passed away, did she not?" Derek winced, "And you lost control of your darker self, killing Jonathan Wolfe in the process. Had it not been for your best friend, Corey Kartana, you'd still be mad with loss.

"You two then took a trip to fix Corey's sword, in which you destroyed. Once back, you reclaimed Spirit World for your side, and undertook a trial to gain control over the power of the Black Dragon and succeeded. You're current power level, combined with that of the Black Dragon's, is 767,359. I'm proud,"

Derek didn't react for a moment, then walked forward, "Why don't you take that mask off. There's no need to hide your face anymore,"

The Elite chuckled, "Yes, I suppose not. It would seem as Dia Jaganshi managed to figure it out with his Jagan Eye, but your friends did not. Why didn't you tell them?" He reached up to take off his mask, just as Derek replied,

"And have them find out my father is Darkine's Elite Captain?"

With the mask off and strapped to his waist, the Elite Captain smiled. He looked like a spitting image of Derek. His green eyes stared at his son.

"You aged well, old man," Derek said quietly.

"What was your first clue it was me?" Derek's father asked.

"The tsuba of your katana," said Derek, and held up his own blade, "You made my sword, and they're identical. I know your craftsmanship, Daniel Maison,"

Daniel laughed, "What? Too big to call your old man 'dad'?"

"You abandoned me and my mother in the Human World over thirty years ago. You're no father of mine…and you working for Darkine is the final straw,"

"I suppose the Black Dragon warned you about me, did he?" Daniel asked.

Derek shook his head, "Not exactly, but now that I think about his words, it makes sense. Looking at you makes me sick,"

"And yet you still keep that memento of your old man," said Daniel, referring to Derek's katana.

The two were merely feet away from each other now, both their swords sheathed,

"I see you're still honoring the code of the samurai, Bushido," Derek said with a half smile, "Otherwise I'm sure that your attack earlier would have made contact,"

Daniel chuckled again. "Yes. It isn't Lord Darkine's style, but I've followed that code my entire life,"

"Does the code involve you abandoning your family?"

"Things were…complicated, son,"

"Don't call me that. Let's just do this," Derek said, frowning.

The two warriors grabbed the sheaths of their katana with one hand and the hilt with the other.

A quick draw.

Derek and Daniel stared at one another for what seemed like an eternity. Derek's mind was clouded. This was his father. His flesh and blood.

And he had to kill him.

"Focus, Derek Maison," the Black Dragon said, "You chose to fight like this, and you must win. He is not as powerful as Stephen, but I believe he is far superior in strategic ability than any other Elite,"

As if a bell was rung, the two warriors drew their blades simultaneously; the metals clashing into one another.

Slash. Counter. Attack. Swipe.

Derek and Daniel swung their blades at one another like a dance. Neither had the upper hand in the fight, and neither budged from their spot. They were equals in swordsmanship.

After one minute, each jumped back and held their sword at ready.

"You've improved!" said Daniel, a smile on his lips, "When you were a boy you couldn't last more than a few seconds with me!"

"Thirty years is a long time," Derek said coolly.

"Indeed it is," said Daniel, his smile fading, "I wish you would reconsider this. I do not wish to stain my hands with your blood,"

Derek glared at his father, "You left me, Daniel! You left without a word to me or mother!"

Daniel sighed, "That isn't true, Derek,"

"What?"

"I told your mother I was leaving,"

"You're lying! She said you hadn't!"

Daniel shook his head, "That's because I told her not to tell you. It's complicated, son,"

Derek shook his head, "Don't talk to me about complicated! Try living a life without a father! Try watching your mother die from a disease that you could do nothing about! What was so goddamn important that you had to ditch us?!"

Daniel gave Derek a sad smile, "Defeat me, and I will tell you,"

Furious, Derek rushed his father, his blade igniting with black fire. Daniel lit his own sword and blocked the attack. The two flames mixed together in a rush of power.

Derek jumped back, and started swinging his sword in every direction possible with amazing accuracy, but Daniel was able to block each attack, but never countered.

"Fight back, damn you!" Derek shouted, swinging once again.

This time, Daniel ducked under the blade, and thrusted his katana towards Derek's chest, who barely moved out of the way in time to save his life. The blade sliced Derek's side, singeing his skin slightly. Instinctively, Derek held his wound with his open hand.

"You're fighting in anger, Derek," Daniel said calmly, "I know I taught you better than that,"

"Shut up," Derek said, but knew he was right. So did the Black Dragon,

"If you're going to win, Derek Maison, you must calm yourself. Do not get consumed by hate again. Remember, you and I are one now, but to use my power correctly, you have to remain calm,"

Derek was breathing heavily, but took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Memories flushed into his mind. Memories of a different time; a different place.

******

It was a quiet day. The clouds passed slowly in the blue sky. A five year old Derek Maison laid on the grass with his father, staring up.

"Look, daddy! That one's an airplane!" Derek shouted, a huge smile on his face.

"So it is," Daniel replied, smiling.

"Hey, daddy?" Derek sat up and looked at his father, "How come we live in Human World?"

Daniel blinked, "Do you not like it here, son?"

Derek shook his head, "It's not that, I'm just wondering. You said humans live in Human World, and demons in Demon World,"

"That's true, in most cases," Daniel said, "But sometimes demons come to Human World to live,"

"But why?"

"Sometimes to see new places…or sometimes to just get away from other demons,"

"Oh," Derek then jumped up and tugged on his father's sleeve, "Come on, daddy! I wanna train more!"

Daniel laughed, "But we've trained all day!"

Derek pouted, "That's not true! We've only done it for an hour! Come on, daddy!"

"Why do you want to train so much, Derek?" Daniel asked, standing up.

Derek grinned, "Cause I wanna be like you!"

******

I did want to be like you, father, Derek thought, But that was a long time ago,

"Derek Maison…are you ready now?" asked the Black Dragon.

"Yes!"

A blaze of black fire surrounded Derek, and after a few moments the Black Dragon Armor appeared around his body. Derek pointed his sword at Daniel,

"I did want to be like you once," said Derek, "But now I want something else,"

"And what is that, son?" Daniel asked, fire beginning to roar around his body.

"I want my son to be proud of his father and live in a world without Darkine!"

A blaze of black and red fire rushed towards one another and collided in the center of the cavern with a clash of metal. The two tried to push the other back.

"It seems you have the upper hand, son," Daniel said, still as calm as ever.

"Oh yeah? Then why do you seem so confident?" Derek asked, gritting his teeth.

"Because…I am not as I once was," and Daniel leapt into the air, grabbing his mask as he did.

Derek watched as Daniel muttered something as he put the mask back over his face, and suddenly Derek felt his father's demonic energy start to change.

The mask itself seemed to expand around Daniel's whole body, until his form was now that of the Oni samurai warrior.

"This has Darkine written all over it," Derek said quietly as Daniel landed.

"Indeed," Daniel said, "Lord Darkine has infused me with this power. It was thanks to that that I became an Elite Captain. Like father, like son,"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Derek yelled.

"You rely on the power of the Black Dragon, do you not?"

"That's different. I earned this power,"

"Is that right?"

"It is!" Derek rushed at his father again, but Daniel's new form was much faster than before. Daniel side-stepped out of the way of Derek's thrust, but Derek snapped the Black Dragon's tail at Daniel, who blocked it his sword.

Derek attempted to coil the tail around Daniel's body, but he wasn't fast enough. Daniel jumped into the air and opened the mouth of the Oni, and flames rained out of it. It wasn't to harm Derek, for the power of the Black Dragon Armor easily blocked any sort of fire technique, but to distract him. Once back on the ground, Daniel bolted into Derek with a swing of his blade, making direct contact with the armor, scraping it.

"Damn!" Derek shouted, swinging his sword down at Daniel, but he had rolled out of the way. With his free hand wrapped in the Black Dragon Claw, Derek unleashed the fiery blast of the Dragon of the Darkness Flame right where his father had rolled to.

Daniel raised his own free hand up from the ground and to the ceiling, making a flaming wall to shield him from the blast. The two fires connected, causing an explosion of demonic energy which threw both fighters back and into the ground.

Derek slowly brought himself up again, spitting out a bit of blood. He didn't imagine that his father would have the ability to counter the Dragon of the Darkness Flame.

"You need to finish this, Derek Maison," The Black Dragon warned, "I fear if you continue on like this, you won't have the strength to defeat Darkine,"

"I know," Derek muttered, and stood up. Daniel was up, as well, and waiting for Derek.

"Let's finish this!" Derek shouted.

"As you wish," Daniel said.

Both fighters energies exploded around them, and bolted towards one another; their swords ready to swing.

One second later, their backs were to each other, ten feet away.

"Shit," Derek mumbled, gripping his left side. A new deep wound was there; the Black Dragon Armor had shattered on impact.

"You fought well, son," said Daniel. Derek turned around and saw that his father, back to his normal form, was down on his knees. Derek's katana had slashed through his armor, as well, and into his chest.

Derek walked over to him and knelt down, "Father,"

Daniel chuckled lightly, but began coughing up blood, "So…you decided to call me…dad after all,"

"Why did you join Darkine? I have to know," said Derek, suppressing his emotions.

Daniel smiled, "My…code,"

"What?"

"There was…a man, long ago," Daniel stuttered out, "I…pledged my allegiance to him…before you were born. He had promised…to help bring the Human…and Demon world…together. He said…to wait for his call…

"That was fifty years before I met your mother," Daniel began to cough harder, "I had forgotten all about him until thirty years ago; the day I left,"

Derek stared in disbelief, "It was Darkine,"

Daniel nodded, "Yes…after working with him for so long…I started to believe what he was doing…was right…I'm sorry, my son. We come from a long line of evil demons. I succumbed to the darkness…you must not. Not again. Do not let…the Maison name…be scorned into history…with hatred,"

Derek gently helped his father down to a laying position. He could barely breathe at this point, but he smiled up at Derek,

"Tell me…about my grandson," He requested.

Derek closed his eyes, "He's…he's a good boy, father. He has his mother's eyes, my…and your hair. He'll be strong, dad, and have his mother's heart,"

When Derek reopened his eyes, his father was already dead with a smile on his face.

Derek choked back tears and stepped back. With a snap of his fingers, his father's body caught on fire and burned quickly to ash. He picked up his father's sword and stabbed it into the ground next to the ashes and sheath.

"Goodbye, father. I will fulfill your last request, but to do that," He turned to the stairway, "I have to beat Darkine,"

Derek left his father's blade and ran up the stairs to catch up with Corey and face Darkine, once and for all.