Tiger: Ladies and gentlemen, and anyone I forgot, we are pleased to present the third installment of this fic.

Chapter 3: A blighted memory

"W-who are you?" Sheena asked, her hear beating rapidly.

He didn't get a chance to respond though, since as soon as he landed on the ground, Shadow charged at him. The spirit turned his arm into a blade, and aimed it for the strangers face. The mysterious swordsman easily parried the attack. "I see you remember me, but it seems you've forgotten my power," the stranger said as blue runes appeared under the both of them. Out of the runes, a bright light burst forth, consuming the spirit. Before he could even attempt to get away, the light had destroyed him.

Sheena cried out in pain as the spirit disappeared. Raine ran to the summoner and began searching for the source of her pain. "It's Shadow," the ninja said weakly, "He draws his power from me, so if he's defeated like that…"

"Calm down, you need to rest," the professor said as she began casting her healing magic.

"I won't let you get away with that," Lloyd yelled as he charged at the stranger. He drew his blades of fire and ice and unleashed a fury of slashes with them. The steel of the twin swordsman was deflected with deft blade work of the enemy.

"You could be as annoying as that little blond brat," the mysterious swordsman said as he slashed across Lloyd's chest, sending him back several feet.

Zelos charged and slashed across the fiend's armor, but it didn't do any damage. The chosen jumped back in shock and blocked the counter attack before it could remove his head. "You're pretty good," the red head said as the two stood with their swords crossed.

"We have to help them," one of the students said.

"But how?" another complained, "We're nothing compared to the heroes."

"Yea, but if we combine our most powerful magic attacks, maybe we can do something."

The other students agreed and the half-elves began charging a variety of spells. After a few seconds, Zelos had started to falter to his enemy's superior strength, but the students launched their attacks at the fiend. "Is that the best you can do?" he scoffed as he prepared his unleashed his own spell. Black runes appeared below him and he smirked as he unleashed his attack. "Obliterate!" Powerful dark magic filled the air and went out, canceling the students' attacks and continued heading right for them.

Raine saw the danger they faced so she leapt from healing her friends' wounds and jumped into the line of fire. "Light, be thy substance and destroy the enemy, Sacred Shine!" Raine let loose her might light magic, which collided with the stranger's magic. The forces of light and darkness clashed in the air, neither of which bending to the other's might.

"Now's our chance!" Zelos said as he and Lloyd charged at the occupied enemy.

With the swordsmen charging at him, the stranger was forced to release control of his dark magic in order to parry the slashes and thrusts of his foes.

The dark swordsman leapt into the air to get away from the blades of his enemy. However, he did not notice Raine's attack breaking through his dark magic until it collided into him, sending him into the wall

"You people are quite the pest," the stranger said as got up, brushing the shards of the wall of his armor. He was annoyed that these random people had actually been able to hurt him. He'd make these fools pay with their lives.

"Who are you?" Lloyd demanded.

"My name is Xylek, but all you need to know is that I will be the one to kill you."

"You may not have noticed, but you are heavily outnumbered here," Raine added.

"You might have a point," he said, gazing around to judge his next move. "It doesn't help that I haven't regained my full power."

"Your full power?" Lloyd asked, wondering what kind of power this foe possessed.

Raine was overcome with a desire to dissect this strange being, but she knew that would have to wait until her friends and students were out of danger. "We must be careful," the professor instructed.

"While I'd very much like to show you what I'm capable of, I have friends I must settle business with," Xylek said as he ran toward the stairs leading out of the temple. Lloyd charged at him, but the enemy fired several shards of ice from his blade, which struck the swordsman, sending him flying and into another wall. Zelos dawned his golden wings and flew after the mysterious swordsman, but he too was stopped with Xylek's dark sphere.

None of the others were able to reach Xylek before he reached the stairs and began escaping the darkness.

The mana in the temple began swirling and while the heroes were distracted by the stranger escaping, they didn't notice Shadow reforming on his alter. The spirit of darkness knew something had to be done, so he leapt through the air after Xylek. The magic swordsman knew the attack was coming and turned, once again using his sword to block. "You are a stubborn little pest, aren't you?"

After Xylek parried a number of blows, he saw an opening and thrust his blade through Shadow's body. His sword began glowing, and the spirit of darkness could not pull himself away from the attack. "Your power is mine now," Xylek said yanking his blade out of the spirit. Once the power he desired was his, he continued out of the temple.

Shadow fell back from the attack and his body began disintegrating once it collided with the ground. His body didn't completely fade, but he was much less intimidating than before.

"What an unusual specimen," Raine commented.

"Yea, it's kind of like the fragments we had to find when we first came here," Lloyd said.

"Aw, it's so cute," Zelos said trying to pet it, "It's like a chibi-Shadow."

*Chomp*

"Sheena! Did you tell him to attack me like that?"

"Shadow, spit that out, you don't know where it's been!" the spirit complied and then looked seriously at the others.

"Efreet…help…" he said before fading once again.

"Is he okay?" Lloyd asked.

"Yea, he just returned to the world of the summon spirits. He seemed to be hurt pretty badly, so we should just him rest for a while," Sheena explained.

"My poor finger," Zelos whined, "He better not have rabies."

"We should probably go to the temple of fire to see what's going on with Efreet," Raine suggested.

"Good plan," Lloyd said as he and the rest of the adventures climbed the seemingly endless steps out of the temple.

"My poor finger," Zelos complained again. Sheena quickly silenced though with a smack across the back of the head.

Xylek: Yes, this really is a self insert.

Tiger: That's true, he really goes around school wearing a full suit of armor and carrying sword.

Both: Please review…or else…