"I was the one who killed Lord Velimir." Koray stated.
All eyes turned to him with a mixture of shock and confusion. They didn't understand why he would choose that moment of all times to confess. It didn't seem as though he was trying to turn his friends against him, but it was such a serious offense that the other Generals could do nothing but hate him. Even Athanasios was stared curiously, wondering why Koray seemed to be playing right into his hands.
"YOU BASTARD!" Archelaus screamed out, having regained consciousness in time to hear Koray's confession. "YOU SICKEN ME! ALL THOSE YEARS WE SPENT TRYING TO TRACK DOWN LORD VELIMIR'S KILLER... AND THE WHOLE TIME IT WAS YOU? HOW THE HELL CAN YOU LIVE WITH YOURSELF?" Koray stared at him with a blank expression while Yusuke and Kuwabara tried to keep Archelaus from moving around too much, for fear of making his injuries worse. "LORD VELIMIR WAS LIKE A FATHER TO YOU! I SWEAR IF I COULD SEE, I'D KILL YOU!"
"I'm sorry." Koray said quietly.
"That's all you have to say for yourself?" Reuel said as he stood up. "If you're really sorry, then why don't I see any regret in your eyes?"
"I came to terms with what I did to Lord Velimir a long time ago." Koray replied.
"Is that so..." Reuel sighed.
"Ha... You Generals are so gullible." Athanasios said with a smirk. "Koray isn't sorry about anything. He only does whatever it takes to get what he wants, without any regard to who gets hurt or killed in the process. He never cared about the Island of Wind, or any of you for that matter. Koray is a heartless monster, just like I am."
"You're wrong, I'm not like you." Koray said as hatred filled his eyes.
"You're in denial. How sweet." Athanasios mocked.
"Screw you!" Koray exclaimed as he sent a large attack of flames at Athanasios.
Athanasios, surrounded by black aura, was completely unaffected by the attack. Suddenly, many spears of black aura emerged from Athanasios' body; targeting Koray. Each caused a large explosion as they hit the ground. However, Koray appeared behind Athanasios, unscathed, and attacked him with black fire. Athanasios blocked Koray's attack with the aura that made up his right arm, and the two canceled each other out.
"Was that the darkness flame?" Yusuke shouted out.
"I didn't know he could do that!" Kuwabara exclaimed.
"Evidentally he can. And I'm nearly positive he can use the dragon of the darkness flame as well." Hiei said. "He once stopped me when I was in the middle of summoning it, and absorbed all the energy."
"I've never seen him use black fire..." Reuel muttered.
"That's not surprising. Although, it makes sense that he would be able to use the darkness flame." Kurama stated. "But if you look closely, the black aura and the darkness flame seem to be the same kind of attack." The others remained silent as they processed what Kurama said and watched the fight.
More black aura had gathered to replace Athanasios' missing right arm, but this time is was much larger and took the forrm of a giant claw. He lunged forward and attacked Koray relentlessly, matching the fire demon's incredible speed. Koray dodged as much as he could and blocked using black fire, which constantly canceled out both abilities. However, no matter how much the two canceled each other out, Athanasios' aura always came back easily. Eventually, Athanasios managed to get in an attack through Koray's defense, delivering a deep gash to the fire demon's face.
"What's this, Koray? Running out of energy already?" Athanasios said with a wide smirk. "Surely Serafin gave you more power than that!" Koray remained silent as more of Athanasios's attacked managed to get to him, although with his intense pain tolerance, he didn't seem to notice. "You know, I just realized that what you said before was true. You aren't like me. You're a coward who doesn't have the guts to stand up against the demon kings!"
"Not this again..." Koray muttered as he fended off more of Athanasios' attacks. "How long are you going to stay stuck in the past? The world's changed since 3000 years ago when you were actually a human being. Accept that fact, and accept the fate that you've chosen for yourself!"
"I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE FATE SERAFIN HAS LAID OUT FOR ME!" Athanasios screamed as the aura that made up his right arm intensified. He delivered a swift, angry attack onto Koray that cut through the fire demon's arms and made large, deep slahses across his torso. Koray made no sound as his body was cut up, however his eyes widened as he witnessed the pieces of his arms falling to the ground and the blood gushing out of his wounds.
"Father!" Yukina exclaimed, as she moved to run to him.
"Don't go over there! That guy'll kill you!" Kuwabara exclaimed as he held the ice maiden back.
Tears began to fill Yukina's eyes as she stared at her severly wounded father. "But he needs help..."
"We'll go!" Yusuke and Hiei exclaimed in unison.
"All of you just stay back!" Koray exclaimed. "Don't worry about me, I'm fi-" Koray was cut off as he suddenly lost his balance. The others gasped, as they just barely saw Athanasios tear apart Koray's right leg.
Before he could fall to the ground, Athanasios reached out and grabbed Koray by the neck. "You're pathetic. If you had done what I did, you wouldn't be in this state!" Athanasios then turned to Hiei. "Hiei, look at this man! Is this how you want to be? I thought you wanted power!"
"I do want power." Hiei stated simply. "But like I've already said, I have no interest in anything you have to offer."
"I see." Athanasios said. "In that case, don't expect to leave here alive."
"Athanasios, I have something I would like to ask you." Kurama said. "Earlier, Koray mentioned that you were once human. If that's the case, then how did you become an immortal, and for what reason?"
For a while Athanasios' face remained blank as he processed Kurama's request. "Yes... I used to be human. And I was also a weak coward." A slight smile spread across his face, and a reminiscent expression clouded his glowing red eyes. "That was a long time ago..."
Over 3000 years ago, the demons of the underworld had decided to enter into the mortal world. Somehow they had discovered that eating human beings gave them great energy, and they craved it like a drug. Once in a while the demon kings allowed them to indulge in this desire, when the human population was surging. After a couple hundred years it became normal for demons to consume mortals. They lived in fear, wondering when the demons would rise to the surface, bringing with them earthquakes, tidal waves, tornados and fires. For the demons, tormenting humans in this manner was fun. The best fun they had in their long, immortal lives. But it made humans miserable. And I was one of them.
"Run, Thanatos! Get out of here!" My mother called out. We could see the large flames consuming the forest where we lived, and hear the footsteps. We knew the demons had come. The people of our small village had scattered when the attack began, and my mom, my dad and I were left to fend for ourselves. My mom was pregnant, and therefore unable to run very fast, if at all.
"Listen to your mother, and run!" My dad ordered, as he helped my mother.
I had meant to do as they said, but the demons finally caught up to us. I had never seen one before, and the meer sight of them left me frozen with awe and fear. Standing before me were two huge dragons. Compared to them, I was the size of one of their teeth. They shot fire out of their mouths, which burned the forest around us and illuminated their black scales. Their glowing red eyes stared at me for several minutes as if they were savouring the fear that I felt. My parents continued to scream for me to run away, but all that served was to attract the demons' attention. Without an ounce of hesitation they bent down, and ate my parents whole.
My mind was exploding. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out if my mouth. I could feel my body trembling uncontrolably as the demons approached me, and slowly brought their faces close to mine as they prepared to eat me too. However, they suddenly became distracted by something in the distance.
"It's time for us to leave..." One of them said.
"What a pity. Count yourself lucky, boy." The other said as the two of them spread their wings and flew away.
I didn't feel lucky. I was left alone in the world, unsure of what I was supposed to do with myself. For years, that day was the only thing I could think of and it made me very angry. I hated the demons who did this to me and many others. I hated humans, who just let this happen. But more than anything, I hated myself for being so weak and scared.
I decided that the only thing left to do was to find a way to be the strongest being in the world; strong enough to challenge the demons. I obsessively studied anything to do with the demons, even if it was just legends or speculations. But the closer I got to competely understanding demons, the older I became. I realized that in my lifetime, I would never be able to change anything.
Through a stroke of miracle, I stumbled upon a way to contact one of the demon kings. At this point I was an old man on the brink of death, so with nothing to loose I used the spell. I felt an intense, overwhelming pressence surround me, although I couldn't see what it looked like. And then a voice sounded out,
"I am Serafin, king of fire demons. Identify yourself, mortal."
"I am Thanatos." I said shakily.
"I commend you, for being the first mortal to successfully contact me like this. For all your efforts, you must want something. To satisfy us both, I will hear you out."
This was the opportunity of a lifetime. I knew what I wanted; I wanted to take vengance for my parents, and all the other lives that had been destroyed. But I couldn't just say that to him. The first step was to get more time. "I want immortality."
"Interesting." Serafin said. "I can grant you immortality, but for a price."
"What is it?" I asked eagerly, ready to take the offer.
"In order to become immortal, you must give me your human soul. Is that a problem?"
"No! It's not a problem at all!" I exclaimed.
"I see. Then I shall grant your desire, but heed one warning: An immortal can be destroyed by the power of another immortal. If that happens, you will cease to exist competely, and I will not be held responsible."
And with that, his pressence disappeared. In a few moments, I felt my body changing. I could no longer feel the pains of old age, and my body began to regress to a younger state. I felt free for the first time since I encountered the demons. But I wasn't myself. I was different from before, but it didn't matter. I now had all the time in the world to gain as much power as I wanted.
I changed my name from Thanatos (meaning death) to Athanasios (meaning immortality) and since then I have continued to seek out more power.
"So you see, my immortality was a great gift from the demon king Serafin. Since then I havn't spoken to him once, but I have continued to build up a great rebellion against him and the other kings. The first step is making the mortal world mine." Athanasios smirked.
"You're crazy..." Yusuke and Kuwabara muttered, while Hiei and Kurama stared, lost in their own thought.
"That stuff about the demon kings... I thought it was all legend." Archelaus said.
"But according to the legends, demons abused their priviledge and the kings decalred that demons of the underworld were forbidden to enter into the mortal world under any circumstance." Reuel explained. "Then they sent some of their obedient subjects to the mortal world in human form in order to live with humans and create peace between the two races. Those demons were given a mortal life, and could reproduce the same way as humans, but when they died they returned to the underworld. That's the way it's been for centuries."
"In other words, Athanasios' grudge is out-dated." Kurama said.
"It's like I said before; you're living in the past." Koray said weakly through Athanasios' grasp on his throat.
"You've got no business criticizing me, Koray!" Athanasios shouted at the badly wounded fire demon. "Aren't you the one who's been constantly obsessing over a woman who's been dead for years? You're the one who's really stuck in the past!" And with that, Athanasios' free hand transformed into a long blade, which he used to pierce Koray's heart.
As the blade cut through his body, Koray felt no pain. He could only tell that his life was slowly being bled out, and he became lightheaded and tired. He could faintly hear his name being called out by people who were supposed to be his friends and his children. And then he heard a loud, powerful voice inside his head,
"Do not let it end like this, Koray. If you die now, our deal is off. You have to finish what I have asked you to do."
Athanasios dropped Koray to the ground as he removed his arm from the fire demon's chest. Everyone else thought for sure that Koray was dead, and readied themselves to face Athanathios. However, black flames suddenly filled the hole in Koray's chest, and covered his wounds. The flames then gathered where his missing arms and leg were, creating new limbs and allowing Koray to stand up and continue fighting.
"You're using the black fire to prolong your life just long enough to kill me..." Athanasios muttered, looking very unamused. "I don't understand you. You support Serafin, and work so hard to do whatever he tells you... but for what? What has he promised you? Or do you think that by doing all this, you'll finally gain Hiei's approval?"
"No... I know that Hiei will never acknowlege me as his father. It's hard to accept, but that's the price I have to pay for wasting so much time." Koray said. Although he was smiling, the only thing that filled his eyes was sadness. "If you must know, Serafin and I made a deal together many years ago that's still in effect. In exchange for my loyalty, Serafin will use his power as a king of the underworld to send me to Spirit World when I die. Where Hina is."
Shock spread across the faces of everyone listening. Even Athanasios was staring at Koray with disbelief.
Then Hiei stepped forward. "So you're saying that all the lies, betrayls, and odd behaviour were done in order to ensure that you could see my mother again?"
"That's right." Koray replied.
"Ridiculous. When someone dies, they're dead. That's it." Hiei said. "Don't you even realize the two of you were never supposed to be together in the first place?"
"I'm sorry you feel that way." Koray said. "But despite what was supposed to happen, we both made our choice that day. And I don't regret anything." Koray then dodged a large blast of aura that came from Athanasios.
"So, in exchange for destroying me you get to be reunited with your loved one for the rest of eternity. How boring." Athanasios muttered as he approached Koray, and began attacking him.
"That's right. In fact, the only reason I joined the Black Knights at all was because Serain told me to. So that I could get close to you." Koray managed to dodge Athanasios' assult easier this time around, and the two became engaged in a close-combat battle.
"Damn, this whole situation's making my head hurt..." Yusuke whined.
"Yeah! I mean, how is Koray supposed to kill Athanasios? I thought he was immortal!" Kuwabara exclaimed.
"Clearly, they both know something we don't." Kurama said.
"Tch! Clearly." Hiei muttered, as he continued to be frustrated by his father's lack of honesty.
Suddenly, Hiei's eyes widened as his body went limb and he fell to the ground. Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara and Yukina tried to wake him or find out what was wrong, but he seemed perfectly fine...
Hiei was surrounded by nothing but darkness. He felt a little light-headed, and it was almost as if he was floating. Suddenly, a man appeared. He was tall, with long black hair and wore elegant black and red armor. His glowing crimson eyes were intense, and seemed to pierce right through Hiei.
"Who are you?" Hiei asked.
"We already know each other." Hiei recognized the voice as Serafin's. "But this isn't what I actually look like. My true demon form is something more... grand."
"Right..." Hiei said. "So what do you want, anyway?"
"You know what I want." Serafin said with a smirk. "I want Athanasios dead."
"Yeah, and what does it have to with me? Don't you have my father to take care of that?" Hiei said impatiently.
"Yes... But I have my doubts as to whether or not he'll be able to defeat Athanasios on his own."
"Why's that?" Hiei asked. "They seemed to have equal strength last I checked."
"The problem, however, is that Koray is not an immortal." Serafin sighed as Hiei's expression showed he didn't completely understand. "I may as well explain everything... You see, once Athanasios became a genuine threat to the mortal world the other three kings became angry that I gave him immortality in the first place. As such, he bacame my mess to clean up. Unfortunately, since the problems that occured 3000 years ago, demons of the underworld were absolutely forbidden from entering into the mortal world. The alternate solution was to grant a mortal demon the powers of an immortal, in the hopes that he could defeat Athanasios."
"What do you mean by 'powers of an immortal'?" Hiei questioned.
"The black aura, and black flames. You call it the darkness flame... It is an ability unique to immortals that has two main purposes; the first being that it is the only technique that can kill another immortal. The second is that when used by a demon in human form, it gives a preview of what that person's true demonic form looks like." Serafin explained. "When your father was concieved, I granted him the ability to use the darkness flame, and it passed on to you. That's why both of you have black hair; it's proof that you possess a power that is not of the mortal world."
"Alright, I follow you so far." Hiei said. "But what's the problem? Why do you doubt that my father can defeat Athanasios?"
"Simply because he's mortal. You've seen the wounds inflicted upon him; they're fatal. His life is just barely hanging on by the power of the darkness flame. He only has one chance to use the full potential of the black flames to defeat Athanasios, who has mastered his black aura during his immortal life."
"I get it now. You want me to use my dragon of the darkness flame to help him out." Hiei said with a sigh.
"That is correct. However, there is something you should know; Using the dragon of the darkness flame is a one-shot technique for mortals. Once you use it at its full power, your mortal life ends."
"That's ridiculous! I've used the dragon of the darkness flame several times!" Hiei exclaimed.
"Oh please... Those attempts were hardly the true power of the darkness flame. You didn't even understand what you were doing." Serafin said with a chuckle. "But I will tell you, that for every attempt you made, your life was shortened several years."
"Great..." Hiei muttered sarcastically. "Your going to sacrifice not only my father's life, but mine too in order to clean up a mess you made in the first place."
"No, I'm not going to force you to give up your life to help my cause. It's your choice whether you want to help me or not." Serafin said as his intense eyes met Hiei's. "Now, I've told you the truth about what I want... So it's time for you to tell me what you want."
"Excuse me?" Hiei said, as he eyed Serafin curiously.
"Why did you leave your world to come to this one? What did you want to get out of going along with what your father wanted?"
Hiei was taken aback by the unexpected prying, and stared at Serfin with wide eyes as he thought about how he would answer. "Why do you need me to tell you? Can't you read my mind?"
"You don't get it. The point of asking isn't so much for my knowlege, but for yours." Serafin explained with a slight grin. "You are very good at convincing yourself that you make decisions for reasons that are not the truth. For instance, when you lied to your sister about who you are. It wasn't because you didn't think she would accept you; it was because you were a coward."
"That's not true..." Hiei muttered in a feeble attempt at denial.
"And I'm sure you're going to try and tell me that the only reason you left in the first place was because your father pressured you, which is also more lies. Before you decide whether or not your going to help me, you have to figure out where your place is in the world. In either worlds, I should say."
"I guess I never really had a place in the world..." Hiei admitted. "No matter what I did or where I went, something always seemed off and I wasn't happy. You want me to say that I came here to find a place where I could just be myself."
Serafin nodded. "Did you find what you were looking for?"
"I think you already know the answer to that." Hiei said as he looked Serafin in the eye.
"Then it's time for you to make your choice."
Hey guys, author speaking. Just wanted to say sorry for taking so long with the update, I've been crazy busy lately. And thanks to those who have been reviewing, I REALLY appreciate the support.
I was hoping to make this the final chapter, but there was waaaay too much to cram into one chapter so there's gonna be one more (hopefully it'll be done in only one more chapter). And I realize that this chapter could get a little confusing at times, so if there was anything you didn't understand just say so in your review and i shall reply :)
Good luck at school (for those of you going back)