Gabriel stood in the doorway like a statue, his impeccable suit accentuating his piercing red eyes that glowed ominously. Lucia felt her heart drop as fear washed over her, causing her to back away slowly until her back hit the far wall. As she stood there, paralyzed with fear, Michael bravely stepped forward to shield his friends from Gabriel's sinister presence.
But Gabriel had other things in mind. His mocking tone cut through the tense silence like a knife. "My, isn't this charming," he sneered, taking pleasure in their obvious fear of him. "I bet you thought this day would never come, didn't you Michael?"
Before Michael could react, Gabriel flew at him with incomprehensible speed, delivering a brutal blow that sent him to his knees and left him gasping for air. Louis tried to intervene, but Gabriel put him down with a single blow to the back of his head.
Seeing her friends incapacitated, Lucia gathered her courage and lunged at Gabriel with a piece of debris. Her attack shattered into pieces as it made contact with Gabriel's body, which remained unaffected. Enraged, he unleashed multiple shots on her until her body could no longer endure the torture.
What no one realized was that as Gabriel pummeled her, the clock struck midnight, triggering the activation of the piece of Unities soul within her body. It was molding and changing Lucia's body, making it stronger, and faster.
As Gabriel moved closer to the statue, a sudden kick came out of nowhere and sent him careening through the temple entrance and down the mountain.
As Michael watched Gabriel tumble down the mountain, his anger and determination boiled over. Without a moment's hesitation, he raced out of the temple in pursuit of his enemy. Fueled by a burning desire to avenge his friends, Michael unleashed a barrage of attacks on Gabriel. But despite his best efforts, every strike missed its mark as Gabriel gracefully dodged each one with ease. His face twisted into a cocky smirk as he toyed with Michael, taunting him with his superior speed and skill.
Minutes passed, and Michael's frustration grew as Gabriel continued to evade every blow. But just as he was about to give up, Gabriel's expression suddenly changed. In an instant, he unleashed a devastating attack that sent Michael flying backward, his body hitting the ground with a thunderous impact that left a crater in its wake.
As Michael lay there, gasping for air, he watched as Gabriel strode purposefully toward him, intent on finishing what he had started. But just as he was about to strike, a massive pillar of dark energy erupted from the temple, its height reaching high above the clouds.
Lucia jolted awake, her body feeling like it had been hit by a freight train. As she struggled to get to her feet, memories of what had transpired flooded her mind. She remembered the urgency of the situation and scrambled to rush out and aid Michael. But, before she could make a move, an ominous purple glow caught her attention. The source was emanating from the center of the room.
As she approached the glow, she could just make out a figure shrouded in black mist. The image slowly became clearer, revealing the once lifeless statue now imbued with an ominous aura. Lucia was both curious and fearful, with her body tense. She reached out to touch it, but as her hand neared the statue, sudden fear gripped her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a pained yell that echoed from outside the temple. The sound was all too familiar - it was Michael's voice. Lucia drew back her hand, battling with herself over what to do. With trembling fingers, she summoned the courage to place her hand on the statue.
What happened next caught her entirely off guard. The aura exploded outward in a colossal beam of dark energy, shaking the entire mountain. Lucia was powerless to stop it as blinding, suffocating smoke engulfed the area.
As the smoke began to clear, Lucia saw a figure slowly emerging from the haze.
The energy dissipated and Gabriel spun around, his eyes fixed on Michael. With a singular focus, he lifted his hands, conjuring a massive fireball above his head. He was ready to wipe out this pest once and for all. But just as he was about to hurl the deadly weapon, a beam of energy slammed into him with enough force to fling him across the clearing.
As Gabriel's body skidded to a halt, he lifted his head and saw what lay before him. His eyes grew wide in shock.
The figure stood at the center of the ruined temple, bewildered by the chaos that surrounded them. Trying to make sense of it all, they felt a low rumbling in their chest. Suddenly, laughter broke out, startling the figure. They slowly made their way towards the edge, peering down at the battlefield below. That's when they spotted Gabriel, summoning a menacing ball of flames, apparently hell-bent on winning this fight once and for all.
In a burst of power, the figure aimed a blast of dark energy straight at Gabriel, sending him spiraling across the field. They took off down the mountain, racing towards Gabriel as he struggled to get back on his feet. Standing just a few feet away, the figure bore witness to the look of disbelief in Gabriel's eyes.
Michael's eyes blinked open just in time to see Gabriel, his sworn enemy and rival, standing above him. The glow of the fireball in Gabriel's hand was all too familiar, and Michael knew he only had a moment to act. But before he could think, a sudden blast of energy hit Gabriel, sending him flying across the field.
Stunned, Michael turned his head in the direction of the blast. His eyes widened in amazement as he saw the figure racing down the mountain with lightning speed, her fiery red hair shining in the moonlight like a beacon. Michael's heart swelled with hope as he recognized his lover's emerald green eyes sparkling with newfound bravery and determination.
Finally, his beloved was free.
Mariah faced off against Gabriel with a fierce determination. As Gabriel charged at her, she braced herself for a crushing blow, but she was ready for him this time.
Before Gabriel's fist could connect with her jaw, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest and was launched backwards across the field once again. Confused and disoriented, Gabriel looked around to see what had happened, but Mariah had moved too fast for anyone to detect. She emerged from the shadows, smirking with satisfaction, as she began to rain blows down on Gabriel with a fierce intensity.
The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed across the field as Mariah pummeled Gabriel until he was drenched in his own blood. As she stood over him, watching him writhe in agony, she knew that her victory was imminent. There was nothing that could save Gabriel - this was the end. And now, as he lay broken at her feet, she realized that all her hard work had paid off.
But something didn't feel right. The last time she had faced Gabriel, he had been almost untouchable. She could barely land a blow on him, let alone take him down completely. So how had she gone from struggling to defeat him to demolishing him so easily?
As Mariah stood on the battlefield, she tried to make sense of what had just happened. She looked around, trying to see if there was something she had missed, some trick or tactic that Gabriel had used that she hadn't noticed.
But as she thought back over the battle, she realized that there was something else at play. Something that had made it all too easy for her to defeat Gabriel. And then it hit her.
Mariah felt her heart sink as she realized what had happened. Gabriel had fooled her, had lured her in with a false version of himself, and when she thought she had finally defeated him, he had simply evaporated into thin air.
Mariah was fuming, her anger mounting as Michael's words sunk in. She couldn't believe how much time had passed since she last saw him. In a show of frustration, she punched a nearby boulder, sending it flying into smithereens. As she made her way towards Michael, her heart soared at the sight of him. He stood there, unchanged, his warm smile welcoming her back to the present.
But her joy was short-lived as a question gnawed at her. "How long was I gone?" she demanded. Michael hesitated, unsure how to break the news to her gently. "It's been about nine hundred years," he finally whispered.
Mariah's knees buckled under the weight of that revelation. Nine hundred years of her life--all of it gone in the blink of an eye. She was stunned, her mind reeling from the weight of it all. As Lucia and Louis approached them, Mariah's jaw dropped. The guy next to Lucia could have been Michael's twin.
Instinctively, she drew her sword and put herself between them and Michael, ready to fight to keep him safe. But Michael placed a hand on her shoulder, calming her. "It's alright, they're our friends," he said.
With that reassurance, Mariah lowered her sword and relaxed, trying to process everything that was happening. But before anyone could speak, she collapsed, her mind overloaded from the stress and shock of it all.
AfterMariah collapsed a realization dawned on Michael. "I should approach the Elder Guardians. Maybe they can give us some answers," he mused. And so, a few days later, Mariah was discharged from the hospital with a clean bill of health. As they made their way , they ran into Lucia and Louis, who were patiently waiting for them. Michael quickly filled them in on the situation before leading the group to the nearest hotel.
After instructing Lucia and Louis to wait, Michael and Mariah ascended to the hotel's roof. There, Michael began chanting in an unknown language, and before their eyes, five individuals donning white robes materialized before them. "Why have you summoned us?" the elders queried. Michael cut straight to the chase, "I want answers. And before you try to play coy, I know that you had something to do with all of this."
"It is not for you to demand answers, but to obey," replied one of the elders.
"At this point, I couldn't care less about your commands. I'm demanding the answers that I need," Michael retorted.
"You will be punished for your insolence," threatened the elders as they prepared to attack. However, before they could make a move, a man stepped through what appeared to be a portal of sorts.
"I leave you all in charge for one eon, and this is the garbage you pull?" he spat, clearly enraged. The elders scrambled to defend their actions, but the man was having none of it. In a swift motion, he waved his hand, and each of the elders disintegrated into a pool of blood, saturating the roof.
"I'm sorry for everything they've put you through. If there is anything you need, don't hesitate to ask," the man offered generously.
"As a matter of fact, we could use your assistance now," Michael responded.
"Tell me what you need," the man urged. Michael explained the situation to him.
