Third Person's Pov
Muriel ran and ran deeper into the forest until she was out of breath and could no longer run any further. Panting for her breath in greedy gasps of the cold air to fill her lungs, her tired leg gave in finally and she sat down on the ground slowly and leaned her back against the boulder but never let go of her tight grip around her sword.
Sighing deeply, she looked up at the red full moon, sweat trickling down the side of her face and she wiped it away while her heart raced, slowly calming down after the long run and for finally having the leisure to rest.
She had been running like forever through the vast forest, how will her two pursuers even know where she were when they went downstream, following the river which they thought it's turbulent current swept her when in fact she ran?
Biting her lips in both despair and hopelessness, she looked around and scanned her surroundings while resting. Dead trees were the only ones surrounding her in a circle of this barren ground where she sat, darkness sweeping off further.
She was dead tired already but she couldn't bring herself or lower her guard down by deciding to sleep. Who knows about what creatures inhabited the place that appeared without a warning instead of the abyss that swallowed her in.
She didn't even know how much time had passed in the real world already. She had no clue what even happened to her friends after Cyan miraculously called Rex back from the dead, those demons taking him off in the first place as a sacrifice for this mess about calling their queen back.
Oh God! She doesn't even know what happened to them after that?! How was her brother?! What happened to her friends?!
Tears silently flowed down out of the fourth ranker's eyes and she shut her eyes, silently crying and she hated it. Ever since she arrived here, she only felt pain, despair, sorrow and all sorts of other negative emotions and she'd end up crying. What was wrong with her?
Everything that happened since she came here in this world with her brother,Kevin,flashed by behind her shut eyelids and she only cried more.
From the day that Mikael saved them... Their duel with Lydia and Jack... Their mission on Earth... And her being trapped inside a black sphere along with Prince Janus who was slowly turning into a demon... The day where they learned about Shingu's existence and about Harumi's real identity... Harumi's death... The interruption of she doesn't know what creature off while they were in the imperial royal ball that left her in a whirlpool of confusion... The real demon appearing as a princess and revealing things beyond expectations... Then Cyan's sad story... Our attempt to save Rex... Him coming back to life and me being in the demon queen's grasp.
What a messed up sequence-----
The girl's thoughts were interrupted by a long howl... So dangerously close and she instantly pushed herself from the ground, standing up with both hands grasping the hilt of her sword tightly in her grasp.
Breathing fast, her eyes widely darted around to search for the owner of the howl, her heart beating erratically in her chest while fear prevailed in her.
Where is it?
She jumped a little, looking behind her after hearing the rustling of leaves on bushes. Nothing----
She whipped around once again after the snapping of a twig and only found rustling bushes.
She whirled, looked behind her back, at her side...saw nothing. Raggedly breathing, her lips trembled and she bit it, desperately looking for whatever was playing with him.
Suddenly hearing the loudest rustling of leaves so far, she turned to her left and instinctively slashed her sword which successfully wounded the beast that leaped up in hopes of tearing the girl's throat with it's fangs.
Muriel quickly dove side wards to avoid the large furry creature from crushing her under its large frame, landing at the same time as the beast's and her eyes widened at the sight of it.
It would have passed as a wolf if only it wasn't thrice as large as a normal one even if it was literally skin and bones already. Sharp long fangs protruded from the side of it's snarling lips, baring it's two rows of canines, making the girl back off by crawling away, sharp yellow eyes glaring fiercely at her and drool dripping to the ground from it.
Muriel had succeed in wounding it's side from her earlier attack but the beast was too desperate to have her as a meal and it threateningly stood up, its eyes hungrily glaring at her and it leapt once again.
It's speed was surprising and beyond normal. She failed to get her sword in time and a blood curling scream tore it's way out from her throat, echoing through the forest when sharp fangs and canines bit into the flesh of her left shoulder and she fell, trapped under it's heavy weight despite it's skinny appearance.
Desperate, she tried punching the beast's snout but it merely grunted and kept it's canines attached to her shoulder as it proceeded to taste the girl's blood. She desperately tried to reach for her sword but it was two inches away from the tip of her fingers.
That's when Muriel picked up a large sharp stone from her side that she had touched and gripping it in her right hand, she forcefully drove it to the beast's head and it fell on it's side, terribly convulsing.
Muriel then reached out for her sword and quickly stood up. Without any word, she pierced the beast's head with her sword and it completely became still while she knelt down beside the beast, sobbing uncontrollably.
Meanwhile, the two first rankers had heard her scream from earlier and they ran for her direction that wasn't too far from her, picking up speed and determined to reach her immediately. She was in danger and they know it.
Muriel on the other hand frantically looked around again for her horror wasn't finished yet. Her nightmare wasn't yet finished and a voice whispered in her ears, sending tremors running up her spine.
"You should have fell into the beast's hand. Never the less, I will lock you away and rule your body til all of eternity." the voice whispered, so familiar since she knew that it came from the demon queen, hundreds of voices saying the same words at the same time.
Teary-eyed, she looked around, threateningly brandishing her sword.
"Enough. You can not have my body and I shall not allow it." Muriel forced out the words and tiredly glared into the darkness, cursing the red moon above for making everything here so eerily scary.
"Child. Child. You should surrender already, maybe then I can pardon you for your insolence and I would let your friend leave this place alive." the voice whispered and Muriel's breathing hitched.
So the last choice was the right one after all. One of the two Leirum's was the real----
"Such pity that they may be killing each other now. If one of them shall die then so shall both." the voice continued on and Muriel froze on her spot, her mind getting jumbled with all the questions entering her mind.
"W-what do you mean?" the fourth ranker stuttered, her body feeling cold.
"Child. The two of them is the one's half. If one kills the other, his reflection, they both die." The voice wickedly stated, laughing evilly and it echoed around and inside the girl's mind, her eyes widened in fear.
"T-that's---"
"All the more reason that you should surrender to me. If you do then I shall let him live. All you have to do is to surrender your mind and body to me." the voice bargained and Muriel bit her lips.
Lies.
She's lying and she knew it. Why in the world should she heed a demon's words which is known to be deceitful? But if she didn't do anything fast... Leirum would die just because he was under the illusion of thinking that his other half was the demon when it was merely his reflection...
Muriel
"Surrender to me...And they shall be spared..." I ignored the words and squeezed my eyes shut.
I have to do something. I have to save them fast but how? I can't trust the demon queen. It's not worth it...But what should I do?
A thought entered my mind, making a lump lodge my throat and I trembled... There was no other way out of this mess was there...
It's either him or me and even if I turned the world upside-down, he was way more important than me. My existence can never be compared to his... I'm only a mere person who had always thought that I was a mere human but actually wasn't...
Leirum on the other hand was a leader... He is important and has a big role in everything. Besides... he can protect the other rankers if he lives... Just this once... I don't want to be the one being saved...Just this once, I want to be the one to save someone...
My hands slowly rose into the air and I gripped the sword tight in my hands, turning it around that it's sharp tip was directly pointed at my chest and I let out rugged breaths with my eyes still closed. This needs to happen...
"What are you doing?!" the demon queen's scream echoed in the whole forest, disturbing it's inhabitants and I heard howls and cawing from all directions but I smugly smirked at the anger in her voice.
"I'd rather die along with you and save him myself than believing your deceitful lies." I bravely stated.
"No, No no no, Nooooooo!" Was her angry response that literally shook the earth I was standing on and I swear that that the wind was getting stronger and madly swirling around me but I ignored it and kept my grip tight.
That's right, I'll kill myself and she will die along with me. Preparing myself and I willed my trembling hands to move---
"What are you doing you idiot?!" my hand stopped and my eyes snapped open at the sound of two unison shouts that stopped my plan on killing myself.
My hands trembled and I saw that the tip of the blade was merely an inch away from my chest, just above my frantically beating heart.
I slowly turned around and my eyes teared up when I saw them both standing behind me, just a few meters away and I can see the disbelief in both of their faces mixed along with pure fury.
"You idiot! What were you planning?!/ Are you that stupid?!" they both shouted in unison as if not caring to kill each other just this one time and they both strode angrily towards me in long strides, one of them harshly snatching the blade away from my hands.
Tears blurred my eyes and I chuckled a little in joy while desperately wiping my tears away.
Idiot? Stupid? The two of them were definitely the Leirum I know.
Unable to stop myself from the emotions that overwhelmed me, I jumped and wrapped an arm around each one of them, hugging them tightly and ignoring the fact that I was both crying and laughing.
"You two really are one person, you're each other's reflection for calling me stupid and an idiot. Yup, just like the conceited proud jerk I know." I laughed happily and I knew that both were confused so I shook my head and kept my hold on both of them tight.
"You're each other's reflection so if either one of you had killed your other half...you would have both died..." I explained and I can feel the both of them stiffen at my words, probably sharing a look with each other. It felt so weird seeing two Leirum's who were actually only one but I guess it's how illusions work.
"And you attempted to kill yourself just so you could save us?" I heard one of them ask quietly but with an edge on his voice and I weakly nodded my head.
"Just how foolish can you get?!" the other one growled angrily and I remained silent, biting my lips. Heck it felt as if my mother was scolding her child---wait... I have no mother.
"Foolish girl." I quickly stiffened at the voice of the demon queen but the two Leirum's quickly pulled me behind them, their swords at the ready and I saw the queen in a form that horrified me.
She was far yet the most sinister demon I have ever laid eyes upon on so far even if she embodied a human's body.
Black horns protruded from the sides of her head. There were horrifying two tipped snake like tongue's in her mouth. She had sharp fangs instead of teeth and they were all sharp. Her skin was covered in black scales from head to her waist and she had snakes instead of feet...
Her eyes had no irises but they were pure white that had black veins and her lips was purely black. Long claws took the place of her nails and she she also had a pair of bat-like wings.
However, the most horrifying fact was the faces embedded into her body, each just the size of a child's fist but all seemed to look in agony, trying to free themselves but to no vain as they seemed to be trapped, their faces fixed in twisted forms of agony and pain.
My whole body shook and I unconsciously took a step back due to fear but one of the Leirum's firmly kept me in place while the other one bravely took a step forward with his sword in hand, the sword he took from me earlier grasped in his other.
"You will fail." was the first ranker's simple words and the demon queen's eyes narrowed while the snakes as her knees brought her forward.
"You insolent mortal. This place shall be the grave of your soul." the words came out like hisses and she came closer but Leirum firmly stood her ground.
Leirum closed his eyes and whispered inaudible incantations under his breath, the whole place suddenly shaking and my eyes widened when everything looked like a picture ripping away into shreds and everything crumbling along with the sky.
"What are you doing?!" The demon queen shouted hysterically but Leirum kept his concentration on and kept on speaking as the dark abyss returned and the forest vanished away.
"You can't beat me!" The demon queen angrily screamed once again, a foreboding aura being emanated from her and I cowered under her presence but the two Leirum's calmly stood.
"We mere mortals can't but...just like how Arceus defeated you long ago with his former contractor, the same contractor shall seal you away for all eternity once again through him." the other first ranker stated calmly with a smirk and the one speaking the incantations finally opened his eyes, a bright light appearing from far away behind us and creating a hole in the darkness.
"No!!!!!!! This can't be happening! You can't seal me for good! I won't allow it!" she shrieked hysterically and I watched as she tried to attack the Leirum at the front but something stopped her from doing so.
I watched in amazement when I saw a figure, clad in white that had no real form with the shape of a person appeared between Leirum and the demon.
"ROZWALT!!!!" the demon angrily screamed but I sensed a hint of fear in her voice while I still stared at the form... Can this possibly be the king from millenniums ago that had vanquished her?
"You don't deserve even hell. The void shall be your resting place." a voice full of authority came from the form and I can see the demon's eyes widen but Leirum calmly spoke.
"Travelling to the spirit realm...I knew then immediately that Arceus wanted me to make a contact with his former contractor. It was the only way to defeat you. Though he may have died... his very presence is too pure that you won't be able to withstand it."
"The void... Your soul will wander in the dark forever, alone in the darkness which you can never escape from. Your wretched soul shall be damned for all eternity." Leirum finished and the demon gave a blood curling scream when the light enveloped her, both the two Leirum's turning around and pulling me with them towards the light...
That means that...it's all over?
Relief washed over me but the blood curling screams continued on so I covered my ears with my hands after pulling my hands away from the two same person who merely shrugged and proceeded to hold me by the arms and gently guided me away.
"You will all die! You shall all die! The prophecy can never be altered and you will all die together! The darkness will prevail!" The loud angry shout, I wasn't able to block away but we never stopped walking.
There it is again... that's the twice time we have heard that already...
I slowly looked around and I saw the demon queen laughing wickedly as the light engulfed her and she vanished from my sight and at the same time... we stepped into the light...
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well....that's it for today I guess? >3> school's so tiresome ya know. Besides that, I'm currently writing three stories at the same time so pardon the slow updates.
Other than that, I'm trying to polish my skills on drawing and painting to make up with sucking in instruments so my time is divided.
Anyway, please vote, comment and follow!
Love lots!
-thebadgirl05 at your service!!! ^_~