Danny stepped forward with pure hate and rage lacing his gaze. He gripped Damien's knife tightly in his hand, wanting nothing more than to drive it into Kuroi's neck. The head of the Erebus clan stood his ground, not showing an ounce of fear in his face.
"Where is my daughter?" Kage asked sternly as he held his own hands behind his back.
"Oh, Soul? She's a little busy at the moment." Danny responded as he spun the blade in his fingers. "Besides, I thought you wanted to see me."
"Awfully bold you are. Almost as if you aren't aware that you won't be leaving this room alive." Kuroi growled calmly as he lifted his hand at his side, twisting his arm in the same motion he did before.
Nerissa's eyes suddenly widened as she recognized the gesture, "Danny, he's going to summon shadow puppets!" She yelled out to try and warn him, a second after she yelled three shadow puppets stepped out from the shadows cast on the walls in the room. Danny looked around at them with slight concern on his face. These things had claws, large claws. Danny watched as Kuroi moved his hand and pointed at Danny. The puppets attention all turned to Danny and moved towards him at a determined speed. Danny's eyes widened slightly, but held his ground, waiting for the perfect moment. The puppet close to him pulled its arm back and a vision crashed into Danny. He saw the puppet drag its claw across Danny's throat harshly. When Danny was brought back to reality he reacted instantly and shifted his left foot across the ground as he bent his right knee. He ducked under the claw as his foot collided with the puppets foot, causing it to lose balance and fall forward. Danny brought up the dagger and sent it into the puppets neck. Danny quickly released the grip of the blade and grabbed it with his other hand as he moved his free hand to the puppets stomach. He pushed up with his hand that was on its stomach and the puppet was lifted off the ground. He then flipped the puppet over his head, sending it crashing into the second puppet as it tried to close the distance. The second puppet was sent stumbling backwards as the first slammed onto the ground, immediately fading away on impact.
Danny didn't waste a second as he bolted towards the stumbling puppet with a slight grin on his face. He whipped the knife at the stumbling puppet and it stabbed straight into where its mouth would be, if it had one. The force of the throw caused the puppet to be stuck to the wall for a moment before it faded away, leaving the knife stuck into the wall. Danny continued running towards the blade, knowing that the final puppet was close behind him. Danny leaped up slightly and gripped the handle that was sticking out of the wall as he planted his feet on the wall under it. He grunted slightly as he pushed off with his legs and turned around, the knife was pulled out of the wall and he brought it in front of him. It stabbed into the chest of the last puppet, the force of Danny's weight sending it onto the ground. Danny landed on top of it before he jerked his knife up through the chest of the puppet, cutting it from the chest to the bottom of its chin. The puppet faded away into black wisps before Danny stood up and locked eyes with Kuroi.
"You're gunna have to do better than that." Danny said in a dark tone as his tossed the blade into the air, it flipped once before Danny caught it again. Kuroi's eyes narrowed slightly, wondering if this boy was just being cocky. Danny, on the other hand, knew he wasn't cocky, he was confident, determined.
Kuroi let out a short hum, "It appears I will." He said in a low tone as he lifted his hand upward with two fingers pointed towards the ceiling. Three shadow tendrils lifted from Kage's shadow and snaked around him before he shifted his hand so that the two fingers were pointing at Danny. The tendrils shot towards Danny, way faster than Damien's shadows moved. Another vision crashed into Danny and he saw all the tendrils stabbing into his own heart, all of them disturbingly accurate. Danny was brought back to reality as the tendrils began to close in, Nerissa's eyes growing wide in fear and worry. Danny quickly shifted his weight to his right foot and pivoted his body as he brought up the knife. There was a loud CLANG as the tendrils collided with his blade that he had brought up to protect his heart. The force of the tendrils sent Danny stumbling backwards until he hit the wall with a grunt.
Another vision. A large tendril crushing his head.
Danny ducked as the tendril crashed into the wall above him, he rolled out from under it to avoid the debris, the momentum carrying him back to his feet. He could tell that Kuroi was starting to get frustrated.
"DANNY, LOOK OUT!" Nerissa screamed before Danny was struck on the side of his head by a blunt shadow. He was sent to the ground with his hand on his head, already feeling the blood trickling down.
"Seems that I must use some non-lethal attacks in order to wear you down." Kuroi growled as he took a few steps towards him. Danny growled as he stood up, his head throbbing from the impact. Dammit, he figured it out. Danny thought to himself before he remembered what had given him the upper hand against Damien in the arena. Danny whipped his hand forward and threw the blade at Kuroi with insane speed, aiming right for his face. Instead of the blade being parried like Damien did, it was caught by a shadow, stopping dead in its tracks an inch away from Kuroi's face. He didn't even flinch. Danny's eyes widened as he was stuck in shock.
"You're in over your head, boy." Kuroi growled before another tendril shot forward and wrapped around Danny's throat. He was lifted off the ground as the tendril squeezed his throat, limiting his breathing. Danny clutched the tendril to try and pry it off, but it wasn't working.
"Danny, no! Stop!" Nerissa screamed and pleaded for this to stop as she slammed her fists against the glass. Kuroi thrust his hand forward and the tendril slammed Danny against the plexiglass cell and held him in place. He grunted in pain as he squinted his eyes slightly, struggling to breathe.
"You need to learn that your actions have consequences." Kuroi growled as he turned the tendril that had caught the knife. He pointed the knife right at Danny before another vision crashed into his senses. He watched the knife stab right into his own heart, deep enough that the hilt was touching his chest. Danny was brought back to reality with a look of fear in his eyes, Nerissa had the same gaze as she backed away from the wall. She couldn't even fathom that this was real. Kuroi flicked the knife at Danny at impossible speed, Danny clutched his eyes shut and braced for the pain that he knew would only last for a moment...
CRASH
Danny's eyes flicked open when he heard the loud crash of window shattering, Danny, Nerissa, and Kuroi all watched with surprise as Rhys burst through a window in between Danny and Kuroi. Rhys caught the knife in his mouth as he soared through the air before spinning his body and using his claws to slash the tendril that was holding Danny. He dropped quickly with a deep gasp as he could finally breathe fully, he landed on his feet before he dropped to one knee, coughing and clutching his throat.
"Danny, are you okay?" Nerissa kneeled down behind him on the other side of the glass, overjoyed that Rhys showed up when he did.
"Yeah..." Danny said through his deep breaths and raising his head to stare down Kuroi. "I'm okay."
Rhys stood up straight as he took the dagger out of his mouth, growling with each breath. "You're FUCKED now." He growled out before his pupils shrank into slits and he threw the knife behind him. Danny stood up swiftly and caught the blade before rushing forward towards Kuroi. Rhys sprinted forward with his claws bared before he reared back to send a wild slash at Kage at the same time Danny was rushing him. Kuroi lifted both of his hands high into the air and a tornado of shadows surrounded him. Danny halted, knowing that he would be ripped to shreds if he touched that. Rhys kept advancing, losing all concern for himself as he slashed his claws through the tornado. It broke the flow of the shadows and caused a small hole where Rhys could see Kuroi. He reached in and grabbed Kuroi by the collar of his shirt before yanking him out. Kuroi gritted his teeth in anger and shock as Rhys turned his body and threw Kuroi towards Danny. Kuroi grunted when he hit the ground before he shifted to be sitting on the ground. Danny was already behind him and grabbed his hair, pulling his head back as he placed the knife against Kage's throat.
"Looks like you're the one who's in over his head now." Danny purred into his ear as he leaned down. The adrenaline had not yet faded to be replaced by thumping in his head.
"It would look that way, wouldn't it?" Kuroi responded before Danny yelled in pain as a sharp tendril stabbed through his shoulder. Danny could hear Nerissa calling out for him as he was pulled away from Kuroi, the blade slipping from Danny's grip as the tendril whipped him into the glass of Nerissa's cell. A bit of his blood from the wound splattered on the glass, Nerissa felt like she was going to be sick from the fear. Danny clutched his shoulder in an attempt to stop his bleeding before he looked up at Kuroi as he stood up and brushed off his clothes. Rhys growled before he took off towards Kuroi with murderous intent. Kuroi turned around as he thrust his hand out towards Rhys and a shadow with thorns coating it latched around Rhys, holding his arms to his body as he roared and growled in pain. Blood started to drip as the thorns tore into his skin.
"Rhys!" Danny and Nerissa yelled in unison, laced with concern for their friend. Kuroi turned back to face Danny with a calm face, he began walking towards Danny in a determined stride. Danny shifted his body to stand up before Kuroi wrapped another shadow around his throat, holding him against the glass. The head of the Erebus clan bent down and picked up the dagger that Danny had dropped before he stopped in front of Danny. He lifted his head, struggling to breathe as he glared at Kuroi with every ounce of hatred he had.
"Oh, don't look at me like that." Kuroi spoke softly and with a hint of menace. "You made an enemy of the Erebus clan. The last enemy you will ever make." Kuroi growled as he lifted the blade, ready to slash across Danny's throat.
Nerissa, who had been frozen in sickening fear and dread, suddenly snapped back to reality when she heard Danny call her name.
"Nerissa..." Danny choked out as he struggled to breathe. "Look...away..."
Nerissa's eyes widened as tears began to flow out instantly. She quickly lowered her head and clutched her hair, tearing her eyes away from Danny as her heart shattered. Her eyes jolted open when she heard a yell of pain, but she knew that the voice was far too deep to be Danny. She looked up to see Kuroi's face twisted in pain...with Rhys standing behind him. He was covered in cuts from the thorn covered tendril. He had just slashed Kuroi across his back, his claws coated in blood.
"Get the FUCK away from him!" Rhys growled out loudly in anger as he gripped Kuroi's clothes and threw him away from Danny. The tendril around Danny's throat loosened as Kuroi slammed into the wall. Danny took in a deep breath as Rhys fell to one knee, starting to feel the pain from his many cuts from tearing his way out of his binds.
Kuroi lifted himself off the ground with the help of the bookshelf next to him. "Seems to me like I've underestimated you..." He growled out through his pain before he sent his hands out to his sides. Black and large wings of shadow sprouted from Kuroi's shoulder blades before he leaped to the window. His feet planted on the windowsill of the shattered window that Rhys had entered from, he turned his head to look at the two boys. "Seems I'll have to make more preparations, see you another time." He finished before he leaped out of the window and out of sight.
Danny used the glass as leverage to lift himself off the ground. He quickly turned to Nerissa and placed his hand on the glass. "Are you okay?" He asked her with pain in his voice, the adrenaline was fading now.
It was then kicked into overdrive when he saw the terrified look in her eyes. "Danny..." She whispered in a shaking voice as she looked past Danny. He slowly turned around before his eyes went wide in fear.
Rhys was clutching his head, trying to calm down from his raging. It wasn't working.
"Rhys?" Danny whispered out as his heart went into overdrive. Rhys head whipped up to look at Danny before he lunged forward and slammed Danny against the glass with his hand around his throat. Danny stared into his friend burning, rage filled eyes as he growled out breath after breath.
"Rhys..." Danny choked out when Rhys squeezed his throat. "It's me...it's Danny..." Danny clutched his friends arm and attempted to pry it off of him when Nerissa stepped forward. Her eyes filled with tears.
"Rhys..." Nerissa's voice broke as she called his name, Rhys' eyes moved to look at Nerissa. "Please...it's us...your friends..." Nerissa pleaded, almost at her limit from the horrible things she'd seen today.
Rhys' breathing began to slow and his eyes softened. Danny watched in fear before he took a deep breath as Rhys loosened his grip.
"Danny?" Rhys whispered as he finally regained control of himself. He looked down and saw his hand around Danny's throat, shock spread across his face before he released him and Danny rubbed his own throat to help ease the pain. "Dude...I'm sorry!" Rhys radiated remorse as he spoke to him.
"Relax, Rhys. It's not the first time you tried to choke me out, and it probably won't be the last." Danny said calmly as he rubbed his throat before turning around to face the cell. He looked on the far left and right side before he spotted a small keypad. Danny walked over to it and placed his hand on it. He closed his eyes before they opened again swiftly, revealing his shimmering almost silver eyes. He then typed in the proper code before the door to the cell popped open. Nerissa wordlessly left the cell and practically fell into Danny's chest with a warm hug.
"Are you okay?" Danny asked her with a gentle tone as he hugged her close. Rhys breathed out a soft chuckle as he watched, Danny was bloody and bruised but still asking if she was okay. Nerissa silently nodded into his chest and Danny smiled weakly. "Come on, we have to get the others and get out of here."
~~~~~~~~~~
Danny, Rhys and Nerissa walked up the stairs where Danny had originally entered from. Nerissa was clutching onto Danny's arm for security as Rhys opened the door and they stepped inside. The group halted at the sight that greeted them.
Nate and Soul were laying still on the ground, they clearly had been beaten unconscious. The group looked up as they saw Nyx standing in-between them and their unconscious friends, facing away from them. She turned around to face them and Danny's and Nerissa's breath hitched in their throats.
"Nyx?" Danny whispered in shock as he felt Nerissa's grip on his arm get tighter. The group jumped when they heard the door slam behind them. They turned around to see Gabriel glaring down at them with a crazed smile.
"Magnífica, is she not?" Gabriel said as he looked past them at Nyx, who was standing still and staring. "My new favorite puppet."
Danny glared back at Gabriel as the group backed away from him. "She is NOT your puppet. What did you do to her?" He growled in an angry tone. Something was so unbelievably wrong here and he knew it.
"He's controlling her mind." Rhys said out loud as he backed up alongside them. Danny glanced at Rhys when he spoke before he looked back at Gabriel with a strange kind of rage.
"We beat Kage and he ran away like a coward. Release Nyx and leave." Danny growled in anger as his eyes burned in Gabriel.
"Well, Kage was right about you. You're ballsy. I like that, but he wanted your head and has paid me to help him achieve that goal..." Gabriel's eyes hardened on Danny, causing them all to take another step back.
"GABRIEL!" Everyone looked to the source of the yell to see that Nate had regained consciousness, and was stepping towards him with tired determination. His head was bleeding from a wound that was unknown to the others.
"Still kicking, huh mijo?" Gabriel taunted gently as he put a hand into his pocket.
"Yeah, I'm still kicking, and I'm warning you." Nate growled as he brought a hand up to his head to combat the pounding in his brain. "You will not have her." Nate growled out in a dark tone as his eyes flashed red, just like Gabriel's. He glared into his father's eyes with a stabbing gaze.
Gabriel tensed slightly as his eyes glowed brighter. Nate spoke his command with a dark tone. "Gabriel, go to sleep." Nate spoke clearly before his father's eyes started to lilt shut and he fell to the ground, asleep. As he fell, Nyx suddenly gasped deeply before her own eyes shut and she started to fall. Nate quickly reacted and caught her in his arms before pulling her into a tight embrace. He checked her breathing with his hand, she was alive, just unconscious. Most likely from the grip on her mind being released.
Nate stood up, still holding Nyx bridal style as he turned to his friends. "Rhys, you grab Soul. We gotta get the hell out of here." Nate's tone sounded even and slightly empty. Rhys nodded quickly before he ran over and picked up Soul off the ground.
The group ran out of the estate after that, they realized fully at this moment that their cozy little lake house...was no longer safe.