Chapter Twenty Two: When Two Are One Part Three

"Posinegi Crisis."

The ebony and ivory comets shot downwards, spinning around each other as they weaved through the canyon effortlessly. Nightshade struggled to move but to no avail, his legs and arms were just not on the same page as his mind was. In a burst of energy, the comets demolished the wolf with no recognition of life though the black and violet male stood strong, finally able to move his joints. Sadly, the attack wasn't over for him yet.

"Where the hell is he?"

Darius dropped from the skies and sliced the hero right down his chest as the explosion split into a massive spinning helix of black and white. Lifeless violet eyes gazed at the gray dog before falling down to the floor in a bloody heap. Crimson eyes gazed at the dog, shaking his head slowly before sheathing Shoukyoku.

"Get up, you're stronger than this. If not, then I was sadly mistaken. I survived your Dark Repulsion Vortex but you lose all your fire and drive from that move? Pathetic."

"You always knew how to motivate me and I'm glad you had that gift. Not even, I'm glad you used that gift now of all times," the golden hound whispered, rising to his feet and back to his normal form. " I have to admit that was one killer attack but Nightshade's power gave me the strength to survive luckily. But the time for talk is over."

"I agree. Let's end this once and for all and prove who's truly the stronger brother." the gray hound stated.

"It'll be my pleasure."

From the tips of his fingers, the Angel materialized streamers of static with miniscule Dark Repulsions attached to the ends which met that his brother had ten projectiles to dodge. The Dark Repulsion Streams twisted and slithered away from their controller as if he were a snake charmer. Suddenly, the ten all pounced upon Darius who flipped away from them.

The older Angels sibling withdrew his ebony broadsword to aid him in battle, leaping forward and evading the threads. With the attention of the streamers upon Darius, Damien was left wide open for an attack. The Devil barrel rolled between two streamers before elegantly flipping over an array that shot upwards to strike. Nothing was between the two brothers and thus, the gray hound thrust his sword forward, eliminating his brother's energy copy.

Scarlet eyes gazed behind him to see all ten Dark Repulsion Streams, four of them wrapping around his legs and arms, which left six to strike any of parts of his body. Another foolish mistake on the part of Darius, the streamers zipped forward and exploded in passionate fireworks of light purple and dark ebony. The goldenrod canine charged another Dark Repulsion in his left hand and awaited to see if his brother would rise and continue battling.

"Are we done so soon or do we got some more fight in us?" the hero asked, adjusting his sunglasses and waiting for an answer.

"Don't allow your arrogance to cloud your vision. I'm very much in tact." the villain said, wiping his mouth of his blood and walking out of the smoke.

The brothers looked at one another before dashing at each other, Damien extending his arm forward to strike Darius who shimmied out of the way, countering with a kick to the back as they exchanged places. Flames began to crawl up on the arm of the hero and they merged with the sphere already in his hand, creating a new attack. With no other target in mind, the dog hurled his Dark Repulsion at the biggest target of all.

Darius leaped towards the giant cyan sphere, his Posinegi Balance, and tried to block the attack though it was too late. The meteor like attack cracked the sphere and they began to branch off from there, the advantage of Darius' crumbling to the ground like his chances of winning this battle would. The vermillion dog rushed over and threw a fist only for the silver dog to dodge and counter. Shoukyoku and Sekkyoku unleashed an onslaught of slashes upon the hero before Darius kicked him away.

Quick to recover, Damien transitioned into a spinning top of flames while Darius challenged him, extending his arms out and spinning like his brother did. Claws and blades clashed against one another, vying for control of the battle. In a instant, the golden dog separated himself from the flames and spread them in a circle that shot away from the center. This quickly tripped his brother up and the dog would be quick to take the advantage. He charged up another Dark Repulsion Lightning, the orb sparking and fizzling in his palm.

"I'm going to make sure I hit the mark this time around." Damien stated.

"You're sadly mistaken because the last time you tried, they were just arbitrary shots." Darius murmured, rising to his feet.

Shaking his head, the dog threw his sphere into the sky and watched the sphere separate in particles, the sky cackling with dark energy. Literally in a flash and spark, a concentrated beam of electricity ripped through the heavens and struck Darius, the attack almost burning him like a crisp though he managed to get out of the range of this variant. Damien nodded slowly and looked at how much damage he was able to do. It was safe to say that if he kept attacks like that up, he would surely become a force to reckon with. Darius shook the blow off, momentarily switching to his Moonlight form to avoid the brute force of the attack.

The golden character leaped through the air and tried to kick the dog in the face only to be sidestepped and countered. Darius struck with Shoukyoku and then Sekkyoku, finishing his Posinegi Combo with both blades as Damien rolled out of the attack in a confused mess.

Shit, that wasn't pretty but I'm guessing that we're reaching the final stretch here. There's not much else we can do from the point. Time to bring back an old friend.

The dog recovered and dashed away from his brother who gave chase, the platinum hound quickly gaining on the weaker brother. He grabbed a stalactite and swung around it, kicking his brother in the face and kicking him up into the sky.

"Time to bring back an old favorite. Angelic Combo!"

He leaped into the air after him, overshadowing his brother as he stomped upon his body like walking up a flight of stairs. Clasping his hands together to make a hammer shape, he smashed it down upon his brother who crash landed onto the ground. He extended his foot and flipped while on his descent, slamming the heel of his foot down on what should have been his brother's face. Unfortunately, Darius brought his swords up to block the initial finisher and forced his brother away.

The dog gracefully landed and tried to summon some voltage in his hands only to get nothing, it seemed that his powers had lost a bit of battery. His opponent was quick to notice and dashed over, swinging his sword which Damien ducked and grabbed his leg, spinning him around like they were trying to about to break a piñata. His brother got dizzy and it allowed Damien to strike him with a dirty uppercut before backing away. The hero leaped above the villain, grabbing his head and hurling him away.

"Oh damn, even with the lights off, I still kick some serious ass and glow." Damien smirked.

The Devil rose to his feet and jumped up a few times to make sure his legs were in tact. His brother quickly approached, sliding underneath his feet while dropping the gray hound on his face. The Angel attempted to get on top of his brother and barrage him with fists however the older Angels sibling wasn't having that. The blade wielder brought his feet up and flipped the dog overhead. With a thud, Damien landed on his back and arced his body upwards to express the pain of that. He got up and charged forward, kicking up some dirt from the ground, the moonlight being hidden by a fluffy cloud overhead thus the affects of the canyon weren't in play anymore.

Darius stabbed his swords forward though it seemed that Damien had taken fighting classes from Sonic the Hedgehog himself, rolling into a ball and dodging the attack before uncurling, slamming his foot in the torso of his brother. He looked above the battlefield and saw that G.U.N had set up their men upstairs if Damien won the battle, guns pointing directly at him. This slight distraction allowed the other combatant to grasp his weaker and foolish family member by the throat, slowly restricting the flow of air. The dog choked out, trying to free himself from the grasp, fidgeting his body and moving his arms and legs.

"It seems that we've hit the end of the road Damien, time to go night-night." the dog whispered.

"That's what you think!"

The melee fighter kicked his brother in the chest and moved away from him, checking to see if he access his powers now. His feet sparked with electricity as the friction beneath his feet felt non-existent and in his hands were dual Dark Repulsions. It was time to end, madly dashing towards his brother and leaping into the air with hand extended forward. His eyes widened at what would happen next. Darius changed back into Moonlight form in an instant and with precise slices, he eradicated Damien's offense like a paper shredder did to its mortal enemy.

"Game over." Darius whispered, suddenly right in front of his brother.

He stabbed his swords into the dog's stomach though Damien changed into Nightshade to give himself a chance. Two lights illuminated under the hero and he looked down to see that Darius was charging his signature technique. Without further ado, the Posinegi Burst erupted throughout the half demon's body and he fell to the floor, normal, bloody and limp. There was no one in the world that could have survived such a deadly attack as that. That would rip and incinerate organs like nothing but it seemed that the hero was finally dead.

"Go apprehend the criminal men and check to see if he's alive." Mario stated from above as his agents descended into Crescent Canyon with guns and medical wing agents.

Darius quickly grabbed his blades from Damien's battered body and ascended the canyon with leaps, reaching the side where Mario and his men could be found. The two allies shook hands and looked at one another.

"Good job, you really took care of him but you seriously didn't hold anything back with that final move." Mario stated, nodding.

"Well he's a criminal and my brother, I didn't intend to hold back anything even if he's my flesh and blood. If that's all you must say, I'll be on my way." the gray hound said, sheathing his blades and dashing off into the distance with any other word.

The vermillion and black hedgehog walked over to meet his fallen comrade, putting two fingers to his neck to check for a pulse and surprisingly, there was still one. He motioned for his men to operate on his friend and they followed his command, taking Damien into a helicopter and beginning to recover the dog from his brutal battle. Mario hopped into another chopper and sat down, looking at the golden male and closing his eyes.

This isn't over Damien. If Darius wasn't able to kill you, then G.U.N's top commanders will. It's safe to say that they'll sentence you to…death.


The golden dog woke up his conscious once again and looked at his other self, the golden dog sighing and motioning for the real dog to come forward. Damien sat down next to his doppelganger and tried to speak however he was hushed.

"It was disappointing to see you lose the battle but you almost got yourself killed. Luckily for you, I was able keep your organs in tact with some of your clan's dark magic but I can't say that you'll live. The force of that blast would have killed any normal guy." the replica spoke.

"I'm sorry." the dog whispered.

His replica shook his head and smacked the dog in the face, the golden hound putting his hand to his face and rubbing it softly.

"Don't be sorry. It's my fault for not preparing you enough to use Nightshade and your powers more. Your powers fizzled on you when you really needed them. It seems that G.U.N's trying to bring you back to life."

"So what if I live? I'm in G.U.N's custody and Darius escaped from the site most likely."

The fake shook his head and shrugged.

Damien looked down at the ground, curling into a ball and falling to sleep.

He hoped he would live.


Inside the G.U.N headquarters, some time after Damien's defeat and capture, Phoenix Wilson the Hawk waited outside the office of the G.U.N Commander himself. She tapped her foot and looked inside to see the commander on the phone, most likely with an important member of the organization.

"So I've heard that you're one of the best bounty hunters in the world. Though I rather not have to resort to people like you, I need someone of skill to handle a job such as this." the commander murmured.

"It's no problem at all mister. I have an upstanding sense of justice though I just prefer to work separate from the police and military. After all, my father was killed while on the unorganized and shitty thing you call the police." the speaker on the phone exclaimed.

"Well I'm sorry to hear that. So can I trust you with this mission?"

"Of course, I aim to please. Just give me the target's name and I'll make sure he or she's taken down."

The Commander chuckled slightly to ease the mood of the conversation.

"His name is Darius Angels. He worked with us on Project: Angel, a mission to terminate Damien Angels. You may have heard of him." the man stated.

"Don't worry, I've heard of him once or twice. I'll do my research and then give you an update within a few months. With what he apparently did to his brother, he's probably gone into hiding for a while. When I finish the job though, I'm making sure you don't back stab me like you're about to do to him." the speaker, a female, replied.

"Good then. I expect you to keep in touch. Salutation, Scarlet Ebony."

With that, the phone was placed down and the human motioned for the hawk to walk inside his office, Phoenix quickly walking in and taking a seat. She brushed her hair back and tapped her hands on her lap.

"I heard we took down Damien Angels! I'm glad we were able to accomplish our mission sir!" the hawk said with a half smile.

"So am I but I'm not here to talk about such matters. I've been aware of your few failed missions and I simply can't have such mistakes made in my organization." the male replied.

"So I guess you're going to send me back to training camp or office work until I'm trusted again?" the female asked.

The Commander stood up and placed his hands on his desk, his voice becoming a bit croaky.

"Sadly, I must let you go Phoenix. This was such an important mission but you failed me countless times, spent numerous resources like firearms, men, armor and money. That's just simply not acceptable" the agent said.

The hawk slammed her hands on his desk and made a fear stricken face. Unfortunately, her superior's face was serious and apparently, it seemed there was nothing she could do.

"No, I need this job sir! I'm one of your best agents! I can't go back to that damn circus. I'd have nowhere to go and I'll be miserable and die." the hawk exclaimed only to have the man move back.

Phoenix quickly pulled out a handgun on the Commander who pulled out his own, the two agents glaring at each other. Suddenly some soldiers passed by and knocked the door down, quickly bringing the bird of prey down. She began to struggle and cry, trying to free herself as the superior sighed of relief. He motioned for his men to take her away while a new character ran over to stop them.

The new character was a green female hawk with crimson streaks running down her arms in the form of slash like patterns. Her hair was a mixture of green, red and orange which she puts in three individual ponytails. She had two bangs, one of green color and one of orange and red that brush along the sides of her face. Her eyes were a piercing hazel color and she had an hourglass figure for her young age.

As for clothing, she wore a black shirt under a red vest. Her cargo pants were a medium green color as the same for her sneakers. Around her neck is a black bandana with a giant smiley on it. The final touch were the two crossbows attached to her wrists, the left was a green and black color while the right was a mixture of red and orange.

"What the hell is going on? Where are you taking my sister?" the hawk spoke.

"This girl tried to kill me Emerald and as a G.U.N agent, you know that's an offense to our organization so it must be met with swift punishment." the commander screamed.

Emerald looked at her sister, then the commander and back to her sister. Without any more words, she ran out the room, tears dripping down her face and a scowl upon her face while the leader sat down and shook his head in disappointment.


Carnage walked with his men back to their camp, his Desert Sun claymore helping him stand as they walked through the desert. In the distance, he saw the camp and smiled, he knew his men would be happy to see him. Sadly, scowls and grim faces looked upon as he walked through the village, his face one of confusion.

"What the hell happened while I was gone from my home?" the coyote asked himself.

"Easy, you left us so we decided to nominate a new leader, one that could defeat Lia and lead us to our ultimate victory. After you left, the Redclaws banded together and swiftly defeated us, taking their land back all because you weren't here to lead us. But when we heard you were defeated by Lia, we decided to make a change." a male scorpion in a cloak exclaimed.

"Well I'm sorry but you weren't the one who made the rules around here you weaklings!" the Desert Phoenix roared.

Unfortunately for the canine, it didn't seem that way as his tribe all readied their weapons and the scorpion in the cloak put a crown upon his head. Carnage growled and readied his own weapon and looked at the few men he still had left.

"Taking advantage of me when I have yet to recover my full strength? Very dirty and dishonorable but if that's how you want to do this," the beige monster screamed. " Then let's brawl."

Sadly, the men he thought would fight for him aimed their weapons at him and charged as the coyote howled, his weapon spinning through the air as his newest battle commenced.


A cloaked figure dashed down into Crescent Canyon and came to a halt. The newest figure walked over and looked at the debris and aftermath of the battle between the two brothers, letting out a sigh. They walked over and examined the dried blood, the footprints and the craters. The person shook their head and looked into the dark night sky.

"Two days late huh?" the figure, a female asked herself.

She began to dash away from the scene.

"Time to pay my old friend Damien a visit."

Fin…


A/N: And that's the end of the story and we have finally finished the prequel to the entire series with the defeat of Damien by Darius, the betrayal of Carnage's entire tribe, the hire of Scarlet and some more juicy storylines which give us a sense of what to look for in the next two stories.

From this point, we will skip a year ahead from this point and start Shades of Night II which will be pretty epic I should say and more characters will be introduced in the series as it moves along. I will get more creative in time and you'll love the little changes I will make, thanks to my teacher Dark Maelstrom. :D

Anyway, I'm not going to bore with all the final thoughts talk anymore. Review with all your comments, questions and theories! Thanks for reading! Salutations readers and reviewers.

Signed, DJ-SlashMusika21