Chapter 55

Crovell had no idea what he was thinking, in all honesty he wasn't even sure he was thinking at all. Everything in his mind was filled with frustration and rage. How could anyone believe his Daiosen was dead? How could anyone try to make him believe it was true? It didn't make any sense. There was no logic to it. No reasoning. That's why it had to be Ni's fault. That's what had driven him down here. What fuelled his anger. What continually built up his rage. What pented his frustration. The thought, the very idea Ni would want to hurt him like this, by trying to convince him his Daiosen was dead.

But even as he was working out his train of thoughts they faded away again. All he really knew for sure was that he was angry and somehow it was Ni's fault. As the path of his destruction grew, he spotted Ni and an army of strange looking demons making their way towards him. In his head this was all the confirmation he needed that Ni was just trying to hurt him. And with it his anger grew.

In near blind rage he began directing his assault against the army, but to no avail. No matter how many times he struck them down they would just reappear a few moments later no worse for having been hit than before they left. The size of the army remained constant. No matter what he did he could not get the numbers down, but at the same time the army never grew in size either. It was like its numbers had been locked into an exact specification and nothing anyone could do would change that.

This, however, just increased his rage. Blinding him to all thoughts other than one. The thought Ni had to be responsible for his rage and no one would be able to convince him otherwise. It didn't even register to him the army never actually attack; that all it was really doing was providing a shield for the citizens of hell. He didn't notice how static they remained or how they'd sacrifice themselves for anyone, other than their own kind, who got in the path of one of his attacks. All Crovell could see was Ni at the head of an army and that army had to pay.

Crovell was just in the middle of summoning up yet another of his destructive attacks when a figure appeared in the skyline before him. A figure which hovered at the exact same level above the city as he did. A figure who shouldn't have been able to be there, but in doing so instantly brought about a ceasefire in Crovell's rain of terror. For a few long moments Crovell just hovered motionlessly as the sky above him cleared and the army slowly retreated from the frontline. Then, when it was just him and the figure left, he slowly started making his way towards it, his mouth too dry with disbelief to get out the words he was thinking.

'It's okay Crovell,' the figure's voice was calm and soothing, 'I know…'

Before the figure could finish what it was saying, Crovell had rushed up to it and thrown his arms around them in sheer joy.

'I knew you weren't dead,' the words burst out of him. 'I knew it. I knew they had to have gotten it wrong somehow. That it had to be some kind of trick. I never believed even for a second you were dead Duke, I swear.'

'Duke…' he could hear the confusion in his voice, but figuring it was probably a left over effect from the Teen, Crovell ignored it.

'We have to go show the others you're alive,' Crovell pulled away from him, his eyes filled with all the excitement he was feeling. 'They're going to be so amazed I know. You see, they fell for the trick because they aren't connected to you like I am. But I knew, I knew it wasn't true. That you couldn't be dead Duke, because I would have felt that.'

'Wow just… just calm down a minute Crovell,' Duke was clearly more than a little baffled, 'I think you've made a mistake here. I'm not Duke.'

'Yes you are,' he stared at him, trying to convey the truth of the matter. 'You are Duke, you're just a little confused right now, probably because of the Teen's effect on you. But its alright, you'll recover from that.'

'I can't recover from something that's inapplicable,' he shook his head slowly, clearly growing more and more confused, 'and you can't decide to make me someone I'm not.'

'But you are Duke.'

'No I'm not, I'm SK.'

'No,' Crovell shook his head, suddenly wondering why people were insisting on confusing those he loved, 'you are Duke.'

'Do I look like Duke?'

'Yes.'

'Then how do you explain me floating above the city like this,' he met and held his gaze, 'Duke didn't have these kinds of powers.'

'You do,' Crovell remained calm, although his brain edged with feverish thoughts, 'you've just never known how to use them until now. I guess you sensed I was in trouble and that's what finally unlocked them.'

'What do you mean he's always had these powers?'

'You've had them since you were the Pseudo Mistress, at least that's when they were awakened. I made sure you kept them in case we needed them again someday. I always knew the day would come when you would worked it out and somehow managed to unlock them,' he wrapt his arms tightly around Duke again. 'I'm so glad today was that day.'

'Crovell, I'm not Duke.'

'Yes you are.'

'Crovell I'm not Duke, I'm SK.'

'You're just confused right now,' he insisted, 'you are Duke.'

'Isn't there anything I can do to convince you otherwise?'

'Why would you want to do that,' Crovell felt more than a little hurt. 'Why would you want to convince me you're someone I know you're not? I love you,' he whimpered, 'stop trying so hard to leave me.'

As he spoke the sky above them began to darken again and his rage against Ni re-grew.

'I'm not…' Duke hesitated, 'I'm not trying to leave you; I guess things are a little more confused right now than I thought.'

'See,' he beamed up at him, the sky instantly clearing again, 'you do remember, right? You know who you are.'

'Right,' Duke nodded, as he smiled weakly back at him, 'I know exactly who I am.'

'See? See I knew you'd remember,' his excitement returned, 'and now we have to go tell the others you're still alive, before they make plans to bury you. Well, at least that fake you.'

'Right,' he swallowed visibly hard, 'and there's no time like the present, right?'

'Exactly,' pulling himself away, he took hold of Duke's hand and prepared to Jump. 'Everyone's going to be so happy to see you're alive Duke, I just know it.'

'I hope so,' Duke sounded nervous, 'but I doubt somehow they'll be as happy as you are.'

'Of course they won't be as happy as I am,' Crovell laughed, 'because they don't love you like I do.'