Chapter 6

The Misery Knight

An unholy screech bounced off the walls, the deafening sound filling me with despair. I had no magic. I had no spirits. I only had a complete stranger whose true motive was still in the dark.

"Whatever you do, do not look in its eyes," Dusk whispered to me.

I stared at him with horror, what on earth did he mean?

"Misery Knights are called that for a reason. Its eyes are the source of their power, and if you look directly into one, such dread and despair will fill you, you'll basically ask for the knight to kill you," he continued.

I shuddered. I whispered a quick prayer; to who, I had no idea.

A single foot revealed itself around the corner. It was enough for me to lose my balance, the sheer terror I felt completely catching me off guard. I had never felt this terrified. Not when I faced any of the dark guilds, not when I became the sacrifice for the Infinity Clock, the concentrated terror was almost too much. A strong arm grasped me.

"Lucy. Listen to me. This knight will pray on every negative emotion you contain in your small, insignificant body. If you want to live, you must trust me, completely," Dusk stated.

That just made me angry.

"Trust!? You threw me out of a bloody train! You threatened my life! I don't even know who the hell you are!" I exclaimed back, my anger taking over briefly.

"Lucy. Trust me, if you want to survive, you must," Dusk affirmed.

I was taken aback by the authority in his voice.

"Okay, fine," I muttered back.

The knight stumbled completely into view. The figure was clad in black, red and purple armour. A large red broadsword was held firmly but the knight, a shield with three large spikes protruding out of it being held in the other. Two blazing green eyes stared at them, filled with malicious hate. I averted my gaze.

"Abyss Lock!" Dusk shouted.

Dark purple bars burst out of the ground, completely blocking the path of the knight. The creature briefly stopped, eying the new structure that was preventing it from reaching its pray. With one swipe of its gigantic sword, the spell broke, and its path clear again. Dusk swore. Summoning another one, he attempted to make it stronger by focusing more magic energy on the lock, however it was to no avail. The Misery Knight annihilated the next abyss lock with ease, as it slowly made its way towards us. I shivered.

"Abyss Chains!" Dusk chanted.

Black chains exploded from the walls, wrapping themselves around the knight, constricting its movements. The being screamed directly at us, cracking the walls and completely destroying parts of the ceiling and floors. I covered my ears, but the intensity of the sound still pierced my ears like a hot knife, causing me great pain. I fell to my knees.

"Shit, it's breaking free. We don't have much time," Dusk breathed.

I looked up at him, and then to the unholy monster. He was right. The chains were pulling on the wall, which looked just about to break. I gave up. There was no way we were making this out alive.

"Lucy, I'm about to do something," Dusk murmured.

I stared back at him, confused.

"Well, I hope so. We're about to die," I responded, freaked out.

Out of the hidden pouch strapped to his leg, he pulled out a knife. The blade was black as a moonless sky, while the hilt was white as unblemished snow; the perfect contrast.

"Dusk...?" I questioned anxiously.

"I'm sorry, Lucy. This needs to happen," Dusk stared deep into my eyes. Nothing.

Shifting finally to survival mode, I kicked his hand, the knife sliding onto the floor and onto the path of the coming Misery Knight. He jerked back in shock.

"Lucy! What did you just do?" He yelled in horror.

I turned to the wall behind me and started to kick the wall. Maybe it would be miraculously thin enough for me to destroy and escape.

"Stop Lucy!" He shouted at me, as he went to reclaim the knife.

"No! I refuse to die here. I refuse. I have too much to do," I screamed hysterically back.

"Lucy! I asked you to trust me!" Dusk exclaimed back, the knife now securely back in his grip.

"I was! Until you unsheathed a knife and attempted to stab me!" I yelled. This man was insane. Why I chose to come here with him in the first place was beyond me.

The sudden screech of chains breaking reminded us of our current predicament, as the Misery Knight continued its onslaught.

"Lucy, please! We don't have time. This knife will stab you, yes, but it won't hurt you," Dusk attempted to reassure me.

I looked at him exasperatingly.

Dusk rolled his eyes. "Okay, it will hurt. But it won't kill you, probably. Please. It's called The Knife of Unveil. I can't explain what it does. I can't do anything to this knight, but you can. But only if you let me stab you!"

"You're insane!" I cried.

"Oh well," Dusk sighed.

In a flash, he was next to me, his left hand firmly latched onto my shoulder, the knife held tightly in his right. He stabbed me.

At first, nothing happened. Then came the pain, just like one would imagine after being stabbed in the stomach. However, then came something completely unexpected. A white-hot flush exploded throughout my body. I shook uncontrollably. Looking down at my burning skin, I realised I was literally shining. Several bursts of light were being thrown off my body like fireworks. I then noticed a distinct lack of clanking of armour. Glancing towards the knight, I realised it had completely stopped. It was shielding it's eyes, shuddering in pain.

"Isjhura, Namo, Daeq," Dusk started to chant, his grip on the knife stronger than ever.

The Misery Knight shrieked, recognising what was happening.

"Isjhura, Namo, Daeq," Dusk repeated.

My vision started to fade. The colours of the environment started to blur and combine together.

"Loke!" I screamed, desperate.

Everything became nothing. White oblivion surrounded me. I stepped forward slightly, curious about this new environment. I felt numb.

"Lucy," a familiar voice behind me spoke.

I turned around. No one was there. I spun around again, disappointed by the lack of a certain lion spirit. However, when I looked back upwards, I audibly gasped. Leo the lion stood in front of me. I ran forward, attempting to hug him. My Loke, here again. Returned to me. I missed him dearly. However, I ran straight through him. He wasn't there. Just another cruel reminder of what I had lost.

"Lucy, colour me impressed. I knew you were strong, but manifesting me through sheer force of will, now that's something else," he chuckled.

I looked at him, confused. Apparently my most prominent emotion, lately.

"Lucy, I do not exist. However, you still managed to create a visual image of me through your memories, which makes me believe all hope is not gone yet," he continued.

I stood there, my mind racing. What was he talking about?

"You are in a current state of overwhelming power, that is completely out of your control. That is what the knife does. It severs all constraints that your body has made in order to release all your magic at once. It's incredibly dangerous, but Dusk believed it to be your only hope so he did it. Don't be too hard on him, his heart is in the right place," Leo explained.

I rolled my eyes. Stupid man. Careless man. How dare he endanger MY life without asking me for permission.

Loke chuckled. "Even in your subconscious, you're incredibly sassy,"

I gave him a smug look.

"This vision will end soon, Lucy," he continued, growing serious again. "When you awake, you will have one attempt to kill the Misery Knight and escape. You will know what do when the time comes, but there is something you must remember. Celestial Magic is more than just gate keys. If you ever home to defeat the growing evil that is inevitably going to destroy us all, you must learn it. Please Lucy, for yourself and everyone else's sake. Do not accept any offer the Decay will give you. You are doomed to fall to temptation Lucy, but I put my trust in you. I know you won't let us down."

Loke faded away. I shouted after him, but my screams were met with unparalleled silence. An unwelcome tear slid down my cheek. He was gone, once again.

"Lucy!?" A voice screamed. "This wasn't supposed to happen. You were supposed to kill it! Why didn't it work! Just how strong is it! It worked back with Sigem… damn that man, keeping this thing in his bloody house. We should have killed it when we had the chance," the voice continued to swear.

I sat up, looking forward. Several more abyss locks and abyss chains were holding the creature back, but all were almost at breaking point. He was only delaying the inevitable. I felt strangely calm. Loke was right, I knew exactly what to do. Standing up, I cracked my neck.

"What the bloody hell…" Dusk breathed.

"The opposite of misery; it is happiness Everything you once stood for, the knight has been corrupted by the forces of Decay. I refuse to let that happen any longer!" I chanted. My will had ben completely taken over by this new confidence and knowledge bestowed upon me.

"Astral Origin: Purify!" I continued.

Out of the magic circle that was summoned, a burst of light shot out. The deafening screams of dying evil echoed throughout the manor. The chains and locks broke, and the knight fell to its knees, covered in a black aura that pulsated upwards. The evil was leaving the suit of armour. The red rimming of the armour changed to a sky blue. The darkest black, turned into the purest white, while the purple patterns on the chest plate and chest plate transformed in to the most delicate of green. Moss now covered the entire suit of armour, and it's eyes shone yellow like a sunny day.

"Okay, so like, what in the bloody hell just happened," Dusk exclaimed.

I walked up to him and gave him a hard slap on the face.

(A/N): Hello, friends! I am very bad at uploading. Oh well, I felt motivated due to a lovely review so I decided to write a chapter. This one was very fun to write, cause I sorta just went with it and it flowed nicely. Enjoy.

- StingIsNotHere