Talon slowly opened his eyes, blinking a few times as he began to regain consciousness. His dark green eyes slowly focused as he could feel his body aching in pain, a grunt escaping from his mouth as he tried to move. His shirts were removed and had been replaced with bandages which were wrapped around his waist and shoulder. Talon kept looking up with an unfocused gaze, his mind slowly coming back to its senses. Gradually his awareness accumulated, his eyes staring up at the ceiling of the infirmary room where he had blacked out earlier. Images of the surrounding room flashed before his eyes, the hybrid locating precisely where he was inside the area without having to look around again. He was lying down in the bed nearest the windows, with a blanket around his waist and a pillow under his head. He could feel that his wings were no longer extended out, the unique limbs having retracted during his sleep. His hand twitched slightly, the feeling coming back into his arms as he assessed his physical state with an analytical mind. He could feel the arm that was severely wounded before having bandages wrapped around it, his muscles still sore yet healing at an accelerated rate. His hearing picked up footsteps outside the door, his eyes still remaining unfocused as he kept a blank expression on his face so not to alert anyone else that he was fully conscious. The sound of the door opening was heard as two sets of footsteps walked into the room towards him.
"His eyes are open, he's awake," Rin said nervously.
"I can't believe we're nursing this guy back to health again," Falla muttered. Talon's ears twitched ever so slightly, hearing the voices to his left as the two girls walked up to him. He remembered back to seeing the girls from before he passed out, however was unable to assess how strong or what kind of monsters they were.
"He still seems out of it, should I go get the teachers?" Rin asked curiously.
From in front of Talon's gaze Falla leaned over, looking down at him with discontent.
"Hey, you awake?" she snapped as she shook his bed slightly. Talon kept his eyes unfocused as he remained motionless. Falla scoffed at him and leaned in closer with a narrowed glare.
"Well, you in there?" she demanded. She shook him by the shoulders before he quickly grabbed her hands, the girl gasping in surprise as he turned his full attention to her with focused eyes. Rin trembled with fear as Talon slowly sat up, holding back his grunts of discomfort while Falla watched him with a careful eye.
"Do you mind?" he asked dryly. Falla growled and yanked her hands free, glaring at him with narrowed eyes.
"Alright, I want some answers as to what you're doing here now and why you were here last night. Start talking," she demanded sternly. Talon looked at her with a dull expression then slowly around, seeing that they were all alone. Falla glanced around quickly then back to him while crossing her arms.
"Don't even think about trying to fly out of here. I'm a chronofly; I can stop you in the time it takes you to even begin to blink. Now, start talking," she ordered sternly. Slowly he looked back to her with a dull expression still while Rin watched him with worried eyes.
"Water," he said simply.
"What?" Falla asked.
"I said, water. Do you mind?" Talon asked simply. Falla scoffed at him while Rin looked at the hybrid curiously.
"You're not getting anything until I get some answers out of you. You came here to kill Dark yesterday didn't you? Admit it, that's why you were here last night, wasn't it?" Falla shouted out with anger. Talon just looked at her for a moment then to Rin.
"Would you be so kind to fetch me a glass of water?" he asked. Rin looked to the door then to Falla curiously as the chronofly growled with anger.
"Um… well, is that ok Falla?" Rin asked unsurely.
"No that's not ok! We're not trying to make this bastard feel comfortable here; he's not a welcome guest at the academy!" Falla shouted out.
The door to the room suddenly opened and a girl rushed in, dressed in white shoes and socks along with a light pink nurse's dress and white hat with a red cross on it. Falla and Rin looked over with surprise to see Kyouko quickly scurrying over to Talon's side, a small smile on her face as she held a tray with a bowl of soup from the cafeteria along with a glass of water.
"Hey, glad to see you're awake. Um, I brought you something to eat while you recover; you need to get your strength back after all. Are you feeling any better? Can I get you anything else to help you feel more comfortable?" she asked eagerly. Talon just looked at her with a raised eyebrow then glanced to the other girls.
"Kyouko? What are you doing? And… what are you wearing?" Falla asked bewilderedly. Kyouko laughed nervously and looked up with an embarrassed smile.
"Well, I thought somebody should watch over him while he's recovering, and since there were no active nurses on duty for the day I decided that I would step up and do what I can to help our patient recover from his injuries," she reasoned with a shrug. Falla and Rin just looked at her with disbelief while Talon merely took the glass of water from her tray. He examined it carefully then glanced to Kyouko, the girl smiling timidly at him and nodding.
"It's ok, I personally prepared everything. It's perfectly safe, I assure you," she said gently. Talon looked at her for a moment then drank the water slowly, with Falla walking up to Kyouko while trying to think of what to say. After a moment of silence she shook her head and looked at Kyouko with an accusing stare.
"What the hell is wrong with you? Have you forgotten what this guy's done, or what he was intending to do here with our friends? Why are you being so nice to him when he's clearly-" she started before Kyouko quickly set the tray of food down next to Talon's bed on a small table then smiled at him eagerly.
"So are you feeling better? I wrapped your bandages myself actually, you were really cut up something fierce, I was really worried about you," she said looking over his body. Talon blinked then glanced down as he set the glass down on the table. After a pause he slowly lifted up the sheet and raised an eyebrow in question as all the girls watched him.
"Odd, I don't remember being naked when I lost consciousness," he said flatly as he noticed he wasn't wearing any pants either. Falla and Rin looked to Kyouko curiously as the girl was looking down with a blush and timid smile.
"I had to make sure he was ok from head to toe, didn't I?" she asked innocently. Talon breathed out and glanced to her as he lowered the sheet.
"Where are my clothes?" he asked flatly. Kyouko smiled and glanced to the doorway.
"They were all bloodied and cut apart, so I had to throw them out. Don't worry though, I'll find you something to wear in the meantime while you stay here," she said kindly.
"You undressed him?" Falla asked dryly. Kyouko nodded and smiled with a blush.
"I had to clean all the blood off of him and make sure nothing… important was injured or in need of extra… attention," she reasoned with a few hesitations while tapping two fingers together timidly. Falla looked at her with a dull expression then glanced to Talon while Rin was looking at him curiously.
"I'm not even going to bother pointing out that you're not qualified as a real nurse in any way, however I must ask what the HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Falla roared out as she looked back to Kyouko with frustration.
"What are you talking about? I'm just trying to make him more relaxed and feeling better after his ordeal," Kyouko said innocently.
"Stripping me naked doesn't quite help me relax, just so you know," Talon commented dryly while glancing to her.
"Why not? You've got nothing to be ashamed of," Kyouko said, glancing to him while holding a hand to her cheek as she blushed more.
"Would you knock it off Kyouko? Have you forgotten already what he's done in the past, not to mention what he came here to do yesterday?" Falla shouted out. She growled with anger then pointed accusingly to Talon.
"We know all about who you are and what you've done in the past, so don't try to deny any of it, Fairy Tale killer," she said firmly. Talon looked to her with a dull expression and shook his head.
"Although that nickname wasn't from my own choice I will not deny it in the least," he said simply. Kyouko looked at him worriedly then quickly sat down next to him on the bed, leaning close to him as he leaned back slightly.
"Talon, you know Fairy Tale is no more right? They were defeated, completely dissolved and disbanded by my cousin and his friends. They put a stop to that evil group, that war is over," she said hopefully. He shook his head and looked into her eyes, the girl gazing deeply into his.
"Their leaders may be dead, but those that contributed to their evil are still alive. Those that brought forth such evil shall not be allowed to escape from their sins, especially after all the pain and suffering they've caused. This war will not be over until every last one of those that were ever a part of Fairy Tale are dead," he said firmly. Kyouko showed a worried expression and slowly shook her head.
"You… did come here to kill Dark, didn't you?" she asked carefully.
"Agent Dark Kuyumaya, top operative and second only to Kiria Yoshii within the ranks of Fairy Tale. A shadow demon with an A-Class ranking and a penchant for music; he shall not hide from his judgment either," Talon declared coldly. Kyouko watched him with nervous eyes while Falla glared at the hybrid.
"So, you did come here to kill him. I knew it," Falla hissed at him.
"No, but he's not evil Talon, he's a hero. He even helped bring an end to Fairy Tale for good. He's a good monster," Kyouko pleaded.
"Good monsters don't have innocent blood on their hands," Talon scoffed.
"Please Talon, listen to us. You don't have to keep up this crusade, Fairy Tale is dead, you don't have to keep fighting like this anymore," Kyouko pleaded, gently holding his hand with a worried expression. Talon merely looked around the room then back to her with a dull expression.
"Where are my clothes?" he asked. Kyouko shook her head and quickly yet gently pushed him back down onto the bed.
"You can't leave yet, you're not well enough to stand let alone fly. Please, you need to stay and rest," she insisted. She reached over and picked up the bowl of soup from the tray and brought it over, holding out a spoonful to him with a gentle smile.
"I brought you something to eat while you rest, here," she said gently. Talon looked at her with annoyance while she nodded with a hopeful smile.
"It's good, I made it myself," she said bashfully.
"Why are you feeding him? He just admitted he came here to kill Dark!" Falla cried out. Kyouko showed a saddened smile and shook her head slowly.
"He's not evil, he's just angry. He has every right to be after what Fairy Tale did to him, but that doesn't make him a bad person," she reasoned softly. Falla growled and walked around to the other side of the bed, grabbing a small lamp before she geared back to strike at Talon.
"Don't you dare hurt him!" Kyouko cried out at her desperately. Falla looked at her with disbelief while Talon merely raised an eyebrow at Falla.
"You can't be serious!" Falla shouted out.
"I should say the same thing to you. A lamp? Really?" Talon asked flatly.
"He's not evil! He just doesn't see yet, that's all!" Kyouko pleaded. Falla growled then glared at Talon, struggling with the notion of shifting into time and destroying the hybrid with one chrono infused swing.
"If you harm a hair on his head I'll never forgive you!" Kyouko said while shaking her head.
"How can you defend him after all he's done and what he intends to do? He's a real monster Kyouko, he's been killing uncontrollably and taking the lives of innocent monsters and humans," Falla argued.
"Weren't you once like him?" Kyouko asked urgently. Everybody looked to her as she watched Falla with desperation.
"There's blood on your hands too Falla, the blood of many innocent monsters. But it was a mistake in your past; it doesn't mean you're not a good soul. You turned over a new leaf; you became a good person and moved on from your past. You slayed your inner demon, so why can't he?" Kyouko asked.
"That's different Kyouko, I… but he…" Falla said while shaking her head.
"You changed; you learned from your mistake and became a better person because of it. So why can't he change, why does he have to be condemned for merely seeking revenge against those that hurt him so deeply?" Kyouko asked. Talon watched her carefully while Rin tapped her headphones, the siren catching most of what the girls were saying. Kyouko shook her head then looked to Talon with pleading eyes.
"Please, Dark is my friend, he helped save my life and so many others. He knows Fairy Tale was evil; he even rebelled against them and fought alongside my cousin and many others to put a stop to them. Can't you see that not everyone that worked there was truly evil at heart, that they were being used by that group as weapons of war?" she asked hopefully. Falla looked at Talon with a careful eye, slowly setting the lamp down on the table while Talon remained silent. Kyouko leaned closer to him with a gentle gaze.
"Please, I know you're not a bad person, I can feel it. You don't have to keep fighting like this Talon, you've killed enough," she said softly. Talon looked at her for a moment then to Falla, the chronofly crossing her arms with discontent.
"Dark helped put a stop to Fairy Tale as well as Alucard. He's a good monster, I know it for a fact," Falla said with a nod.
"He saved me from being taken back by my old master, and he stood up for me when everybody else was picking on me. He's not bad, he really isn't," Rin added with worried eyes. Talon looked around at them then to Kyouko.
"I know you're angry about them taking away your humanity, I know what happened to you. I'm sorry, I'm sorry it was taken from you like that, but you still have a human heart, you must," Kyouko pleaded. Talon looked at her carefully as she set the bowl of soup down on the table and held his hands hopefully.
"You're still you Talon, that will never change. Please, let your anger go," she said softly. Talon looked at her for a moment then narrowed his eyes, the girl showing a worried expression from his mood change.
"You know nothing about what I lost because of Fairy Tale, you know nothing of my pain," he snapped as he yanked his hands away from hers.
"But I do, we all do. We heard how Fairy Tale took you away, how they changed you into a monster to be used as a weapon of war for them," Kyouko said worriedly.
"And did you hear about how my own family rejected me, how they turned me away because of what I had become?" Talon demanded with anger. Kyouko looked at him with surprise as he growled with fury.
"My mother, father, and sister, all treated me like a monster and cast me away; like I was never their own family, like I was just another abomination in the world!" Talon yelled out. Falla and Rin looked to each other curiously then back to Talon while Kyouko had a stunned expression on her face. Talon looked down with frustration.
"I always knew humans were monsters, I was never blind to seeing their true nature every day. However my family wasn't like that; they were kind, caring, and always there for me. They were everything I ever had, until I was turned into this; then they showed themselves to being just like every other human out there! Nothing but real monsters themselves!" he shouted out with anger. Kyouko looked at him with wonder then down as she remembered his words from before.
"You're fortunate to be on this side of the gateway; after all, humans are the real monsters of the world."
'That's why he said that, his own family turned against him after what he became.'
"Talon…" Kyouko said softly, looking back up to him with remorse.
"Your own family threw you out?" Falla asked in wonder. Talon growled then glared at her.
"My humanity was the only thing that gave me a home, a family, a life. I was never proud of my fellow man, but I knew there were some out there that were good souls, and I was content with living in such a world. But when I turned into this, I had nothing, nothing but pain and being alone, surrounded by real monsters wherever I went," he said with anger. He then looked to Kyouko with a deep glare, her eyes gazing into his deeply.
"Fairy Tale took everything from me, they don't deserve forgiveness or a chance to run away and hide from their sins. They turned me into a weapon of war, and so that's what I am now, nothing but a weapon that will bring about their own end," he declared.
"No, you're not a weapon Talon," Kyouko said softly while shaking her head slowly. She looked down and closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry, for everything that happened to you. It wasn't right of your family to treat you like that, to cast out one of their own just because of how you looked. But, you're not alone Talon, I would never turn you away just because you're a monster. Some of my best friends are monsters, even my cousin is, I don't fear you just because you're different," she said gently. Talon looked at her with a dull expression then over to the window. Kyouko smiled sadly then grabbed the bowl of soup again.
"Please, let me help you get better," she offered as she held a spoonful of the soup out to him. He paused then glanced back to her.
"I may just be a human, but I promise I won't leave your side," she said softly. After a moment he slowly pushed her hand back towards the bowl, the girl watching him with worried eyes. He then reached over and gently wiped a tear away from her cheek with one finger.
"I'm not worth crying over or being cared for, don't waste your kindness on me," he said simply.
"But Talon," Kyouko said softly.
"I'm nothing but a weapon now, my revenge is the only purpose in life left for me," he said before looking over towards the window. Kyouko looked down to the bowl of soup with saddened eyes while Falla and Rin watched her worriedly.
"You don't have to be a weapon Talon, you don't," Kyouko said as she fought back tears. After a while of silence she whimpered and looked down and away. Talon paused for a moment then glanced down.
"Kyouko," he said carefully, as if pronouncing such a name for the first time. Kyouko slowly looked up to him as he glanced back to her.
"That's your name, isn't it?" he asked. She slowly nodded as he kept an eye on her, the hybrid then looking back out the window. He drummed his fingers on his lap for a moment then glanced back to the girl.
"Tell me, about your cousin and friends, the ones that killed Kiria," he requested. Kyouko looked at him with wonder as he turned his gaze back to her, his green eyes staring into hers.
"I want to know exactly how that monster died for his crimes," he said with a cold tone. Kyouko smiled softly and nodded, scooting closer to him. As she started to explain the story about how her cousin put a stop to Fairy Tale, with Talon listening while not showing any reaction to any parts of it, Falla and Rin watched Talon curiously. Falla leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms, watching Kyouko smiling happily while talking to the hybrid. She blinked then glanced next to her at Rin, the siren sitting down on the bed while listening to Kyouko's story with wonder. As she sat there the image of her headphones seemed to drill into Falla's mind again, something about the unique device raising a red flag with her. She wasn't sure why, but for a moment she felt like Rin was more of a threat to her friends than Talon was.
Running down a hallway Dark was carrying Arial in his arms while Sun and Complica were running next to him, all while a monstrous winged demon scrambled after them while destroying the building behind it. Its head and neck tore through the walls and ceiling of the hall while its large body and wings ripped through adjacent rooms as it franticly chased after the silent siren in the group. The monster squawked and kept lunging towards the group as they ran through the hallway, the ceiling above them cracking apart while the floors behind were destroyed from the monster trampling through. Gunfire and shouting was heard behind from the armed guards of Fang Fang, however the monstrous demon didn't seem to be slowing down or taking any damage from them. It didn't even appear to suffer much injury from Dark who had unloaded a full clip from a shotgun into its face earlier. As the monster kept chasing after its prey relentlessly Arial was looking up at Dark with watery eyes.
"Dark… please say it back… please…" she begged softly. Dark kept his eyes locked ahead, his arms holding the snow angel securely while she held onto his shirt.
"I love you… I love you Dark, please," she wept as she clung to his chest. Dark showed a strained expression for a moment before darting down a hall to the side, with Sun and Complica quickly following after. They ran towards a large double door entrance and barged in, finding themselves in the dining hall from the night before. It was mostly vacant, with only a few small tables set up around the small pond centerpiece. Dark looked around quickly then handed Arial over to Sun.
"Take those two out of here now, I'll hold it off and buy you time," he commanded before looking back towards the doorway where loud squawks were heard coming from.
"No, put me down, I'm not leaving your side Dark! I'm not leaving here you like this!" Arial yelled out as she thrashed around in Sun's arms. She quickly stopped when Dark took hold of her hand, the snow angel then looking at him with worried eyes as he showed a blank expression toward her still.
"You need to go Arial; I won't let you be erased from existence. You're getting out of here, that's final," he ordered.
"No! Please Dark; I won't leave your side, no matter what I'll stay with you now and forever! I love you!" Arial pleaded. Dark paused for a moment then slowly let go of her hand. The roars from the winged demon were heard nearby as Dark glanced over to the doors briefly before looking back to Arial.
"Dark…" Arial whimpered with teary eyes. Dark remained silent while the roars of the nearby winged demon echoed out, his expression blank while he just stared at the snow angel.
"Please, I love you Dark," Arial said softly. Dark didn't say anything; instead he looked down with closed eyes. His hand flinched slightly as he showed a strained expression for a moment, with Arial watching him worriedly.
"Dark?" she asked quietly. Dark growled then looked to Sun with a harsh glare while a black wisp flowed around his feet.
"Get those two out of here, now!" he yelled out. Sun jumped then nodded quickly while Complica nodded nervously. Dark walked past them towards the doorway, his aura flaring up around him as dark clouds flowed about at his feet. As he passed by he glanced to Arial while she watched him with saddened eyes. He shook his head then looked back towards the doors, his expression being hidden as he walked away from the girls.
"Why did you save me Arial… why did you save me only to kill me…" he said softly.
Arial's eyes widened as her jaw dropped, staring with a stunned expression before Sun carried her off with Complica running alongside her, the three leaving the large hall as Dark faced the approaching monster with a focused glare. The entire hall started to turn darker as he unleashed his aura, his sheer anger pushing his power to its limit. From the doorway the large monster crashed through, squawking as it tore through the neighboring rooms and stumbled into the larger hall. Dark closed his eyes as his power raged around him, the cold and evil aura of his spreading throughout the room as the monster roared before turning its sights to him.
"Why… why am I here… WHY AM I HERE?" he yelled out with anger, looking to the monster with a furious glare. The giant monster screeched before lunging down towards him with its beak as the room faded into total darkness. The monster's red eyes glowed in the dark before one was gouged out; right before the beast's head was pulled down and slammed into the ground by its mandible. Loud crashes and screeches were heard before a tearing and crunching sound echoed out inside the room, followed by a painful howl from the winged monster.
From the adjacent hall the monster crashed through the wall, with one of its mandibles having been removed forcibly and jammed into its head. Red blood poured out of its wounds as it screeched hoarsely while its wings and tail tore apart the walls and ceiling above it. From in front of the monster Dark appeared from a black wisp, his hands covered in the beast's blood while his darkened aura flowed around him.
"What the hell have I been fighting for? What's the reason for me living?" Dark yelled out before the giant monster roared and trampled towards him. Dark ran back down the hall before vanishing into a black wisp, with the monster charging through the hall and annihilating the walls and ceiling in its frenzy. The large monster crashed through the hallway until it reached the end near the windows, from which it barreled through the wall and trampled outside into the daylight. The monster dropped down two stories and crashed into a small building near a large garden, its wings and tail thrashing about before it stumbled back onto its feet. Up in the large hole in the building Dark appeared as he took aim with a rifle he found from a recently trampled guard, the demon firing at the monster with a cold glare in his eyes. The monster howled and turned to face him, the bullets striking its body yet not seeming to cause any real damage. Dark emptied the clip and stared at the monster with frustration as it howled at him while spreading out its wings.
"Going to need a bigger gun," Dark growled as he dropped the weapon.
The monster screeched at him before a blinding light etched around underneath it, the giant demon looking down to seeing strange patterns lighting up in a circular formation along the ground. Suddenly a wave of dark light shot up from the side of the pattern, ripping through the monster's wing and dissolving the flesh and bone along the edge and through the limb. The monster howled as its wing struggled to flap, having been reduced to tatters before another wave of dark light shot up in a wave against its other wing, the limb being partially dissolved and crippled as its flesh and bone were destroyed. Dark looked at the demon carefully as it screeched in pain, unable to fly now with its wings being crippled, then over to seeing Ceal holding his hand out towards the monster with a focused expression. The catalyst mage had his reptilian hand out while his normal hand was holding onto his arm, his cold blue eyes focused on the winged demon while his demonic hand glowed with a blackish hue. Next to him Fang Fang was looking at the winged demon with discontent while his hands were at his sides, the two standing there while a few guards were behind them with their rifles aimed at the monster.
"Interesting trick, just what was it that you did anyway?" Fang Fang asked glancing to Ceal with a raised eyebrow.
"Transferring flesh and bone is my specialty, remember?" Ceal said simply.
"Yes, but… transferred to… where?" Fang Fang asked looking back to the monster. Ceal held out his reptilian hand to the side, the glowing rings from around the winged demon vanishing while a few showed up next to the mage. Suddenly clumps of mangled flesh, bone, and sinew dropped down onto the ground from above the rings, the transferred matter seeming to appear from waves of dark light.
"Wherever I want," Ceal said with a shrug. The winged demon screeched before it looked over to them with its red eyes. Fang Fang nodded then stepped forth as he held his hands out.
"I see, well done. Now I believe it is my turn to handle this unruly houseguest," he declared before a bright glow came from his hands, followed by large circles of strange letterings appearing on the ground before him. The rings expanded out as the winged demon roared at them, with Fang Fang's guards remaining on alert but not firing just yet. From in front of the yasha waves of bright and soft light rose up from the rings while circling around, collapsing into the center and then rising up from the sides again. The winged demon howled at them before a bright light erupted from the center of the casting spell, followed by a giant winged being of light seeming to slowly fly up through the ground. As it rose up into the air it took shape, with bright orange and yellow feathers covering its body while its large wingspan extended out. It had a few extremely long red feathers for the tail while its beak was slender and smooth, sticking out in front of its golden colored eyes. As it rose up into the air its feathers seemed to give off a bright blaze, igniting all at once while it let out a screech of its own. Ceal merely watched the monster rise up into the air with a raised eyebrow, not seeming to be impressed, while Fang Fang watched it with adoring eyes as he smiled lovingly at his summoned beast.
"That's my girl, come on up, that's it," he cooed gently.
From a window of the nearby grand building Sun and Complica were watching the new summoned monster with wonder while Arial was looking down at the ground next to them, the snow angel on the verge of tears while she held her arms around her body.
"Wow, what is that?" Complica asked curiously. Sun watched the new flyer take off just above the courtyard with wonder.
'That's a phoenix, how did he ever learn to summon one of the legendary birds of the elements?'
"A phoenix," Dark said quietly to himself, seeing the mighty summoned beast flapping its wings above the courtyard. The winged demon below screeched at it while Fang Fang leapt with a joyous hop.
"That's my beauty, always so graceful and elegant, so powerful and well-reserved! That is perfection itself with a summoned entity!" he cheered. Ceal merely looked up at the phoenix with a dull expression then glanced to Fang Fang.
"Let me get this straight, I ground the demon from flying, and you summon a phoenix to fight it?" he asked flatly. Fang Fang stopped in place and blinked, then glanced to him while still holding his blissful smile.
"Um… what's wrong with that? A phoenix is a very powerful creature to summon and wield you know, one of the strongest really. Not to mention it's one of the most lovely and enchanting beings to summon, one of my personal favorites actually," he admitted before looking back up to his summoned bird with adoring eyes. His guards behind him cheered and saluted the flying bird of legend while Dark watched it with a puzzled expression.
"What the hell is he thinking?" Dark asked shaking his head.
Ceal rolled his eyes then pointed to the winged demon that was watching the phoenix in the air above it.
"That monster is wounded, grounded, and in case you haven't noticed, in very close proximity to the building where those two angels from heaven are currently hiding," he pointed out expectantly. Fang Fang looked at him curiously, then to the winged demon, then to his phoenix, then to the building nearby, then to Ceal, then to his phoenix, then to the winged demon, then to Ceal again, then back to the building.
"Um…" he said slowly.
Sun backed up from the window slowly while taking Complica and Arial's hands, the two looking up to her as she had a nervous expression.
"Sun? What's wrong?" Complica asked. Arial looked at her with teary eyes then back down again, not having seen what was outside through the window as her mind was still focused on what Dark had said to her. Sun slowly shook her head as she watched the phoenix flying in the air nearby.
'Is he crazy? That thing has to be the most fire intensive being besides a dragon, and he summons it to fight right in his own backyard?'
Fang Fang looked up at his summoned pet then to Ceal questioningly. Ceal growled a bit then grabbed and shook the yasha by the shirt.
"If that thing uses any of its fire here it will incinerate the entire compound. I don't give a damn about your home yasha, but Complica is still inside along with a snow angel!" he yelled out. Fang Fang jumped a bit then looked up to his phoenix as it howled at the winged demon below.
"Um… oh, right," he said weakly.
The winged demon screeched back at the phoenix as it leapt over and clung to the side of the building, with Dark backing up from the opening as he watched it with frustration. The phoenix in the air screeched as waves of fire started to ripple across its back and wings while a torrent of flame swirled around its beak. Ceal looked up to it with frustration while inside the building Sun took off down the hall while pulling Arial and Complica, the two girls stumbling a bit as the siren made haste for as far away from the phoenix's target as possible.
"Wait, where are we going Sun?" Complica called out.
"No, don't fire! Don't fire!" Fang Fang cried out. The phoenix screeched then let out a powerful cry, letting loose a large torrent of bright red flames that shot down towards the winged demon. The courtyard and side of the building became blanketed in bright orange and red light as Dark bolted away from the winged demon down the hall. The winged demon roared before a massive wall of fire slammed into it, along with the side of the building. The waves of flame washed across the building wildly, with windows shattering as fire flowed through the rooms and halls like an unstoppable wave. Dark ran as fast as he could before jumping down through a destroyed floor, landing down on the lower level just as a torrent of fire flew by overhead. He let out a loud yell as he rolled to the side of the corridor, the hallway instantly becoming scorched and lighting ablaze while his skin burned across his left arm and leg as his clothing singed and burned in some areas from the extreme heat. The hall above him became engulfed in flames, the walls and ceiling turning to ash and charred rubble in mere seconds.
"No!" Ceal yelled out as the group outside watched as the massive stream of fire annihilated the winged demon, along with the entire courtyard below it and side of the building it had struck against. Everything below the impact zone was charred and destroyed while a few floors above the strike collapsed down into fires and ash.
Inside the building Sun and the two angels looked back to seeing the entire hallway behind them lighting up before exploding into flames violently, with a wave of fire swirling through the hall towards them. Complica screamed as Arial stared with horror, seeing the wall of deadly fire closing in on them. Sun stared with fright then quickly threw the two young angels to the side towards a doorway, the two tumbling through and down a small stairway into a large library.
"Sun!" Complica cried out as she and Arial looked back to seeing Sun looking back down the hall as it became engulfed in red light. In a flash the waves of fire crashed past the doorway, destroying the hallway as streaks of fire erupted from the walls through a few bookshelves. Fiery pages and ashes flew around in the air before a powerful blast of fire shot out through the wall, annihilating the side of the library as the two angels scrambled towards the far side away from the flames. Arial screamed as she kept low while running alongside Complica, holding her hands over her head as she saw fiery bits of wood and debris flying past them. Complica pushed her friend over behind a bookshelf along with herself, the two dropping down low before the shelf toppled over and crashed into another over them. The girls screamed as the shelf fell and crashed down, coming to a quick stop against the other shelf at an angle with books dropping down onto the two girls and covering them. After a while the rumbling subsided as the flames flared around the destroyed wall and ceiling above the library. From the pile of books Arial and Complica scrambled out, looking around quickly as fiery bits of rubble and paper were dropping around them.
"Sun! SUN!" Complica cried out as she looked back over towards the inferno that was once the hallway. Arial looked over to seeing the flames burning then up, watching the ceiling of the library burning ablaze.
"Complica!" she shrieked out, the two looking up to seeing the ceiling burning brightly before crashing down into a fiery rubble. The girls quickly ran away from the shelves as the flaming debris crashed behind them, the girls rushing toward another doorway out into a hallway that wasn't on fire. They bolted out and looked over to seeing the adjacent hall burning brightly while Sun and Ran were standing nearby. Sun was staring at Ran with wide eyes as the blue haired siren watched the flames roar past them, the girl then looking over to Sun through a new set of rounded glasses.
"That was too close, are you alright?" she asked. Sun slowly nodded as Arial and Complica ran over to them.
"Sun, you're ok!" Arial cheered out.
"Ran, did you save her?" Complica asked with amazement. Ran nodded and smiled gently at Sun.
"I saw you risk your life to save those two, that was very brave of you. I wasn't sure before, but now I know for certain; anyone willing to risk their life for two young souls like that couldn't have been my family's killer," she said thankfully. Sun smiled gently and nodded as Arial and Complica watched the flames burn brightly nearby.
"We were worried Sun was incinerated there, that was a close one," Complica said with relief. Ran nodded then looked over to the blaze.
"It's fortunate I found a new pair of glasses that worked for me, otherwise I wouldn't have seen her in time," she commented.
Outside near the courtyard Fang Fang and Ceal were staring at the scorched and destroyed side of the building with stunned expressions, while the corpse of the winged demon smoked before dropping down onto the ground with a thud. It was fried from head to toe and smoking still as it had been cooked to a crisp by the phoenix's fire. The airborne phoenix let out a screech before gently flying down and landing on the ground which was also scorched completely. The entire side of the building it had struck was on fire and burning ablaze while all of Fang Fang's guards were watching with a sweat drop forming on the back of their heads.
"Oh… dear…" Fang Fang said weakly. Ceal reached over and grabbed him by the neck with his reptilian hand, his cold blue eyes slowly glancing over to him as he growled with anger.
"If Complica did not survive that, then no amount of gold will save you yasha," he threatened with malice. Fang Fang trembled then looked to his phoenix with a flustered expression.
"What were you thinking phoenix? That's my home, and my friends are still inside of there! That's a bad phoenix! Bad, bad phoenix!" he scolded with a frustrated expression. The bird squawked and tilted its head curiously while Fang Fang shook his fist at it.
"I never gave you the order to attack it like that! What's come over you?" he yelled out.
"You summoned it here to fight, what else was it supposed to do?" Ceal yelled out at him. Fang Fang looked at him worriedly then over to his giant bird of fire.
"I… um… well…" he said unsurely. Ceal shook his head then ran towards the building while Fang Fang's guards watched with weak expressions as the yasha continued to scold his summoned bird who kept looking at its master with a puzzled expression.
Inside the building Dark was slowly making his way through a smoky and charred hallway, slumping against the wall as he struggled to move. He was holding his arm which was burned and smoking slightly as he had a strained expression on his face.
"Why… am I here… what's the… reason for me living…" he grunted as he slowly limped through the hall. He got to an intersection near some stairs and dropped down, coughing as he struggled to move. From the stairs Sun and her group ran down, seeing Dark as he dropped down onto his back.
"DARK!" Arial shrieked as she ran over to him.
"Oh my god, it looks like he got hit by that fire wave," Ran said with wide eyes.
"Dark! Dark, speak to me!" Arial cried as she tried budging him by the shoulders. She saw his arm and leg smoking as the skin was burnt, tears forming in her eyes as she shakily shook her head. Quickly she held out her hand a chilled wind blew across his body, slightly cooling off his skin as he had a strained expression still. He slowly looked over to seeing her looking down at him with watery eyes.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you Dark. Are you going to be ok?" she asked worriedly. He slowly began to sit up, with Ran and Sun quickly helping him up by an arm each.
"You'd be surprised what I go through on a daily basis," he grunted as he got back onto his feet. Complica then looked over to see Ceal running towards them through the hall.
"Big brother!" Complica cried out before she ran towards him, quickly embracing him around his waist as he looked her over carefully.
"Are you alright?" he asked as she held onto him. She nodded then looked up to him with worried eyes.
"I'm fine and Arial's fine although she almost wasn't fine a big firestorm almost incinerated her but Sun saved her and then she was almost killed but then Ran saved her at the last moment and then me and Arial had to run for our lives from the fire that kept falling down around us but we made it out ok I was so scared but I'm alright thank you so much for coming after me but Dark's hurt he got hurt by that big firestorm that came by what was that anyway where did it come from is that other monster gone now did it cause this what's going on?" she cried out as she held onto him tightly. Ceal just stared at her for a moment then smiled slightly.
"Glad to see you're still alright Complica," he said softly. She nodded then held onto him tightly again, the mage holding her with one arm before looking towards the others.
"Can you please heal Dark? He got hurt really badly," Arial whimpered. Ceal glanced to Dark's injuries then around with a reluctant expression.
"I'm getting tired of being the medic around here," he pointed out dryly.
"I'll be fine on my own, I don't need your help," Dark snapped as he kept looking down, his expression of frustration and straining himself to stand. Ceal rolled his eyes then looked down the hall with a blank expression.
"Of course not, you just prefer to have two girls carry you everywhere you go. Get him outside, the smoke in here can't be doing wonders for him," he said flatly. Sun and Ran helped Dark through the hall while Arial followed close by, watching Dark with worried eyes as he avoided eye contact with everyone. Complica watched them go then looked up to Ceal.
"What happened?" she asked. Ceal took hold of her hand and led her down the hall after the others with a dull expression.
"I made the mistake of letting that yasha live, something I'm considering rectifying very shortly," he said flatly.
Driving towards the compound an SUV was racing down the road through the forest, with Razico at the wheel while Rason was sitting in the front seat. He was carrying the demonic wings that had once been attached to his girlfriend, holding back his tears as he looked back to seeing Kurumu lying on the backseat in a state of shock. She was twitching while making hoarse gasping sounds, her back covered in blood from where the wings had been ripped out of her while her stomach had a large puncture wound that was still bleeding. Ruby, Ahakon, and Yukari were focusing their magic to try to heal the girl's wounds, all of them watching with worried eyes as she trembled and struggled to remain conscious.
"Please hurry Razico, she needs extensive healing and fast or else she'll die," Ruby urged quickly.
"I'm going as fast as I can, we're almost there," Razico said as they exited the forest around the nearby villa. Smoke was seen billowing up from the compound and forming a black cloud in the air while the main building had a large portion of it on fire.
"What the… what happened?" Razico said in surprise. The others looked ahead and gasped as they approached the compound's walls.
"Oh my word, it's a warzone," Ruby said with disbelief.
"Do you think that other demon got Sun? What if he captured her too?" Ahakon asked with worry.
"If he did then we're very much screwed right now," Yukari said shaking her head.
The SUV raced into the front courtyard and came to a quick stop, with guards and other people running around in a panic inside. The group quickly got out, with Rason holding onto Kurumu's wings while Razico lifted the wounded succubus up into his arms.
"We need to find Ceal right away, Kurumu's in critical condition," Rason said looking around quickly.
"C'mon, we'll check the main building first," Razico called out as he took off. The others quickly followed after, all seeing guards putting out fires and tending to the wounded around the area. They ran over to the main building, finding out that the front of it was demolished and completely in ruin, then started to run around the side of it towards the courtyard nearby. As they did they saw the winged demon from before, torched to a crisp and lying motionless amidst a giant scorch mark against the ground and side of the building which was still on fire in some areas.
"Whoa, looks like they killed it after all," Yukari said with surprise.
"What did this though? It looks like the entire area over here was lit up in a firestorm," Ahakon asked looking around.
"Yeah, that was my bad unfortunately," Fang Fang said from nearby. The group looked over to see Fang Fang watching his servants and guards working to clean up the mess and chaos with a troubled expression.
"I'm afraid I may have overdone it with trying to defend everybody, and summoned something that wasn't quite suitable for combat in my own home," he admitted with a sigh. He looked over to the group then jumped with a gasp as he saw Kurumu in Razico's arms.
"Oh my word, what happened to her?" he cried out.
"We need Ceal right away, where is he?" Rason asked urgently.
"Oh my god, Kurumu!" Ran called out from nearby. The group looked over to seeing Ceal and the others approaching, with the girls looking at Kurumu with surprise. Complica screamed and pointed to the wings in Rason's arms.
"Her wings!" she cried out.
"Dark, what happened to you?" Ahakon asked as the other group saw Dark standing there wounded and being helped up by Ran and Sun. Rason looked to Kurumu then back to Ceal with urgency.
"Please, you have to help her!" he cried out.
"What happened to her wings?" Ran asked with a hand over her mouth.
"Something big tore them right off, it severely wounded her even when she was using all of her demonic strength," Razico explained as he looked down to the girl in his arms.
"Please Ceal, we only managed to slow her bleeding down, she's dying. We're begging you, help her," Ruby pleaded. The group looked to Ceal who was still staring at Kurumu with a dull expression. After a moment he merely raised an eyebrow.
"How the hell did you people even survive before you met me?" he asked flatly.
High above the human city the gigantic colossus let out a deafening screech, hovering around the city as a dark rift was seen above the clouds far above the towering skyscrapers from the metropolis. Down in the streets Gabriel was holding Luna in his arms, the chronofly still in a state of shock while she was naked with her eyes being half open. The angel however was looking up at the dark rift with furious eyes, his anger for what the dark world did to Luna rising by the second. Apoch and Astreal flew over and landed down inside a building next to Akasha and Felucia, the two looking up at the colossus that was slowly circling above them.
"We must go quickly, we… who is this?" Astreal asked as she looked to Akasha. Felucia glanced to her then looked back up.
"Akasha Bloodriver, Moka's mother," she explained. Apoch and Astreal looked to her then to Akasha with bewildered expressions.
"Ms. Moka's… mother?" Apoch asked confusedly.
"But… I thought… she was…" Astreal questioned while shaking her head.
"Tell you what girls, how about we have a nice little chat about me being here after we deal with our little problem at hand," Akasha suggested as she gripped her blade in her hand, watching the colossus in the air roar again with a focused gaze.
Driving into the city a car weaved around traffic and rescue workers, with all the passengers looking up at the colossus with concern.
"I've never seen anything that big before," Leon said shaking his head.
"I have once, though it wasn't flying," Moka added.
"Well, what's our plan for attacking this thing when none of us can fly?" Mizore asked.
"We'd better think of something, we have to get Luna and Felucia back before they're taken to that other world, and fast," Kokoa said worriedly.
From in front of them they saw Gin leap down from a building nearby, the large werewolf running and hopping along the cars on the road as people around the area were staring up in shock at seeing the colossus. Gin jumped up onto a parked semi-truck and scanned ahead of them down the street, then waved to the group. The car came to a halt as people around the area slowly looked over and stared in shock at seeing a werewolf standing on the truck.
"What is it Gin?" Moka called out.
"Up ahead, I think I see Gabriel," Gin said pointing down the street. The car and wolf raced down the road to seeing Gabriel standing on top of a small truck further down the street, holding Luna in his arms.
"Luna! He got her!" Moka called out with a smile forming.
"Oh thank god, but what happened to Felucia?" Kokoa asked looking around. Mizore looked around the area quickly then back up to seeing Gabriel holding Luna as the car came to a stop next to the truck. The group quickly got out as Gin raced over, with Gabriel gently flying up then landing down next to them.
"Luna!" Moka cried out as the group rushed over to her.
"Is she ok?" Leon asked quickly.
"Luna? Luna, it's us, Luna? Hey, are you ok?" Kokoa asked as she tried budging Luna.
"What's wrong with her?" Mizore asked worriedly as the group saw Luna completely unresponsive to their calls. Gabriel shook his head as he looked down at the girl with remorseful eyes.
"I don't know, she's been like this the entire time she was in that monster's grasp," he said with a pained voice. Mizore looked her over then around the area carefully.
"What about Felucia? Where is she?" she asked. Gabriel looked up towards the nearby towering building.
"She's up there, somebody else saved her, though I know not who," he said softly. The group looked up towards the building then back to Luna.
"Oh god, Luna," Moka said with watery eyes.
"We need to get her out of here, now," Gin said looking up to the airborne colossus. The giant monster squawked into the air as the group looked up at it, the large flyer slowly circling around as the sky above started to grow dark and crackle with lightning.
"What's happening, what is that thing up there in the clouds?" Kokoa asked cautiously.
"It's the rift into the other world, that thing was about to fly up there with Luna before we got her away from it," Gabriel said with anger.
"Gabriel, get Luna out of here, take her back to the others. We'll keep that thing from following after you," Moka said as she narrowed her eyes at the colossus.
A thunderous boom echoed out above, followed by several streaks of dark lightning that crackled out of the rift. The group looked up to seeing several figures dropping down through the rift towards the city below.
"What's happening?" Apoch asked as she and Astreal tensed up.
"Reinforcements," Akasha said as she narrowed her eyes.
The figures raced down towards the city streets, with two striking through tall buildings and annihilating them as they crashed down through the floors. People screamed and started to run around in a panic again while the colossus above roared as it circled around in the air, the monster starting to descend slightly as it kept Luna in its sights. The group watched as three of the figures landed down nearby in an intersection, the force of the impact knocking cars and people away to the sides. Two large behemoths stood up from their landing, the four legged and winged demons that resembled the ones that chased Felucia before standing upright while a man with black wings stood between them. Nearby a large scaled spider demon crashed out of a building that it had fallen though, the giant monster flying out and landing down on the street, crushing in a few cars as it screeched at the group. Its eight red eyes glowed softly while it had large mandibles extended out that dripped with a green liquid. Next to it a large humanoid figure dropped down from the sky, slamming onto the pavement on its knee as it braced from the impact. It slowly stood up, the dark skinned brute having dull obsidian armor on its waist and shoulders while having a large broadsword held over its shoulder with one hand as it towered over nearby people, being as tall as a streetlamp. Another figure crashed out of a building further away, dropping down into the street where more screams were heard echoing out from nearby humans. Moka and her group looked around then over to the winged man as he slowly walked up towards them with his two behemoth escorts.
"Now then, I'll make this simple for you lesser beings to comprehend," Rathieal started as he glared at the group. He stopped and pointed to Luna as the behemoths next to him growled while readying to charge at a moment's notice.
"Hand over that chronofly and bow to your new king of existence, or die right here and now like the worms that you are," he ordered. Moka and her group tensed up before Gabriel handed her Luna, the angel then turning to face Rathieal with eyes that slowly began to glow just as his wings did.
"What did you do to Luna?" he demanded loudly. Rathieal smirked and tilted his head slightly as the group watched him closely.
"Why, I didn't do anything to her at all. However she is missed by her harem inside of her new home, the ones that are dying to continue breeding with such a perfect specimen. I'm sure she misses the loving attention she was receiving before being taken away from them," he said with a bite. Gabriel's eyes widened as the group looked to Luna with shock.
"No… dear lord no," Moka breathed out.
"You can't mean… that she… was…" Kokoa said as she stared at Luna with horror.
"Oh god, Luna," Mizore said with a pained voice.
"You bastards… you bastards raped her!" Gin roared as the group looked back to the dark being with fury. Gabriel growled furiously as he looked back to Rathieal, his eyes and wings now glowing brightly from his rage. The dark being chuckled and crossed his arms before him.
"It's her place in life now. Now then, hand her over, or I'll take her after I crush the life out of you all," he declared. Gabriel bared his teeth as he clenched his fists, glaring at Rathieal with unbridled anger. His wings arched out behind him as the group looked around at seeing the other dark monsters from the other world watching them closely. Rathieal chuckled and smiled coldly at Gabriel.
"Oh? Are you seriously going to try to fight me?" he laughed. Gabriel growled loudly as his wings gave off a bright light, his anger pushed beyond his limits from Luna's abuse.
"No… I'm not going to fight you…" he growled with rage. He then roared out in anger and flew towards Rathieal, his eyes and wings giving off a bright glow as he raced towards his foe.
"I'm going to kill you!"