Xyder Zephyr - POV;
"Mythical Vessel: Scorpius!"
I stopped dead in my tracks as Ignatius's booming voice echoed throughout the Coliseum and jerked my head in the direction of the male. He rose slightly amidst his flames before being completely consumed by them as they shot outwards, extending vast distances in every direction. Slowly but surely, the fires morphed and folded themselves into four pairs of burning legs, a hulking torso, powerful pincers and a jarring, muscular tail, complete with a sharp stinger.
"He's a Mythical Ves-" I gasped but I was cut short as a powerful punch rocketed me into the concrete wall. Zacharias' hand grabbed onto the back of my head and he zoomed around the outer edge of the arena with his wings, dragging my face through the solid architecture as he did. He screeched to an abrupt halt, releasing me temporarily as he did. My momentum caused me to move a bit further ahead of him and, knowing this, he waited until my ankle was within easy reach before latching onto it and proceeding to hurl me over his head and into the ground repeatedly like some mindless beast. Unable to find a moment to recover, I was left to absorb all of his damage as I struggled to collect my senses.
****
Evelynn Zephyr - POV;
"Holy! Fucking! Shit!" Sorine blurted out as we put a safe distance between the transforming and exponentially enlargening behemoth that Ignatius continued to become... and grow he did. Before we realised it, we were at the opposite edge of the field to Ignatius whom now easily occupied almost a half of it. His gargantuan arachnid body pressed against the invisible barrier which violently trembled as it resisted his tremendous power. From what I'd heard, after our devastating show at the end of our semifinal clash with Blaze, the officials had doubled down on improving the integrity of the protective barrier around the arena. To ensure that our fight would not bring harm to the audience, the already powerful shield was made some five times more durable than before and was constantly being maintained by a number of skilled, independant magicians. Despite all this, the mere pushing of the Mythical Vessel's body against the defensive layer seemed to be putting significant stress on it.
"Evie!" Satella called out from her seated position as she held tightly to Jacqueline's sleeping body, "Xyder is taking a beating! And what the hell is that creature?!"
I looked in Xyder's direction, anger building in me as I watched him be pummeled by Fenix' heir. The earth-shaking roar belted out by Ignatius swiftly pulled my attention back to him however. Biting my lip, I alternated my glance between the scorpion and my brother repeatedly before finally murmuring, "Xyder can handle himself. I know he can. He's the next Regulus of the undefeated Zephyr Clan and he's my little brother. With him occupied however, someone has to step up to the other threat standing before us."
"You're going to fight that?!" Satella yelped.
"We don't have a choice. It's as Grandfather said. We have to win... but more than that, a warrior of Zephyr never backs down! We fight, even to the bitter end if it means protecting those who depend on us! If we back down here... we'll have failed not only our friends, family and clansmen... but we will have failed the world!" I declared.
"Th-then let me help you!" Satella insisted.
"You're in no shape to fight Ella. On top of that, we need you to keep Jacqy safe. My job for you is to carry her as far away from the clash as you can. Take the three unconscious girls you beat as well. Make sure all of them aren't caught up in the crossfire. Besides, even if I didn't need you to do that, I wouldn't let you go in with me anyway," I remarked.
"Why?! Because I'm weak?" she pressed.
"No. You're strong. I know you are. Sometimes I wish I had a heart as strong as yours. But when we get back home, you're going to have Xyder sweep you off your feet and then you'll finally make me an aunty, isn't that right?" I continued.
"Wha-" she cut herself off as she grew bright red.
"That makes you my sister, and I couldn't let my little sister get hurt now could I?" I smirked.
As I marched towards the rampaging Mythical Vessel, I muttered, "All that said, I can't do this alone. If we are to have a chance of winning, I'm going to need someone strong by my side. I wonder where I can find that?"
"Oh come on, you know I'm heading in there with you," Sorine grunted as she stepped forward and kept pace with me.
"That's the spirit, girlfriend!" I chuckled, "Let's show them everything we've been working towards for all this time. Let's prove that us girls aren't just a bunch of pretty faces."
"Hell yeah," she grinned, "We're both the beauty AND the brawn!"
As the words escaped her lips, her body was consumed in lightning and mine by water as we shot towards the fiery scorpion at imperceptible speeds. The massive Mythical Vessel launched a series of successive, rapid stabs with its pincers and tail, obliterating the ground infront of it where its attacks hit. Sorine and I were forced to separate and we both weaved skilfully around each strike and the small radius of explosion surrounding them.
Ignatius had no plans of allowing us to get close however. With a deafening bellow, a wave of heat blasted from his inhuman body in every direction, forcing us to retreat out of its reach and putting us well beyond the range of our attacks.
"Damn it! He's not letting us near him! Our attacks can't hit him from all the way here!" Sorine growled.
"Look out!" I shouted as I dove in front of her and raised a funnel of water around us. It hissed violently as Ignatius' blast crashed into it.
"But he can certainly hit us," I retorted as my defense dissipated, "We still can't let his flames touch us. Their venomous potency has only increased with his transformation."
"Speaking of which, are you sure you're okay?" Sorine inquired, "You took alot of poison before. I know you're neutralizing it or whatever but doing that, keeping your elemental form AND fighting on top of that must be absolutely draining you."
"It's fine. Some of the flowers and herbs I'm using on myself have rejuvenating properties. They are helping me regain some of my endurance and strength," I explained.
"What the hell?! That's too OP!" Sorine complained.
"Is it?" I laughed as I ran my fingers up the side of her hips and waist.
"Hey! What are you doing at a time like this?!" she protested but she instantly grew silent when she noticed the array of petals and flowers spreading across her attire.
"It'll replenish your energy just like mine. Plus it should provide some protection. If his flames graze you, the affected petals will fall off before it can spread to you," I revealed.
Just then, the flaming scorpion perched it's tail, seemingly tensing the entire appendage as it did. Without warning, Ignatius whipped his tail around, dragging it along the ground such that his flames enveloped a sizable circle around him. Sorine and I leapt into the air, hovering above the goliath using our elements so that we could avoid his deadly assault.
"Okay, so how do we even start bringing a monster like this down?" Sorine interrogated.
"It's simple if you understand how Mythical Vessels work. When a Vessel enters their Mythical Form, the beastly body you see is actually created entirely out of the Vessel's own element. So in this case, the scorpion we see consists entirely of fire. It has no flesh, organs or bone. Severing it's parts would do no good for it would only take seconds for the flames to reform themselves into its regular state. However, if you recall, it is the Vessel's power which feeds the form and so the Vessel always remains in contact to fuel the form. This means that Ignatius' real body is somewhere inside of that thing. That is our target! Once he goes down, he won't be able to maintain the Mythical Form any longer," I detailed.
"How are we supposed to find were his real body is? Actually, if if we found it, we can't even get close in the first place! Those legs and that tail are working overtime to keep us away!" Sorine pointed out.
"Don't worry about that. I have a few tricks up my sleeve," I smiled, "Hear me out Sor."
****
Xyder Zephyr - POV;
My head spun as Zacharias swung me around, increasing in speed which each revolution. I finally achieved some type of break when he let go, leaving me to hurtle upwards like a rocket before slamming into the roof of the transparent barrier. Before I could recover, he flew beside me and with a charged explosion, he blasted me down towards the Earth once more. My body sank straight through the dirt for what felt like the hundredth time today.
Zacharias gave chase, building his element, speed and explosions as he nosedived. He waited for the last second when he was only inches above me to release his devastating attack, however, unfortunately for him, I was more than prepared. Before he could connect his blow, I flung my elbow backwards and it crashed into the side of his head and jaw, catapulting him into the exterior wall. His stored attack was set off like an atomic bomb by his impact. The barrier trembled but it's integity remained intact. I was slowly becoming more and more impressed by its resilience. Even more impressive however was the fact that Zacharias still had alot of life in him. Though he was far from unscathed, his willpower was quite something. I watched him stagger to his feet as I dragged myself from the crater while my broken as well as mangled limbs twisted and snapped back into place.
"No wonder people fear a fight between demons," I huffed, "We just keep going and going, smashing each other's bodies as we do. But none of it really matters since we heal so quickly."
*"Not all demons are like you though," my Demonic counterpart cackled in my head, "You were already in a league of your own with your strength and endurance as a human. Becoming a demon only further exacerbates this. Most demons would have collapsed from exhaustion a long time ago and their bodies would have ceased to heal. That said, the Fenix brat seems to be of a high caliber himself."*
"Then we should shift into an even higher gear before I give in... Du Ragnarök!" I boomed as the twin swords formed in my palms, radiating light and darkness respectively.
"Vulcolossus!" Zacharias smirked, throwing his arm out to his side. From a spontaneous explosion his Persona appeared within his grasp in the form of a sword.... but perhaps sword was an understatement. The katana boasted a pitch black, obsidian handle and guard which led directly into its twenty ft. long blade of molten rock.
"Oh come on! So he gets the big ass sword?!" I cried out before hastily diving to the right in order to avoid the downward swing of his weapon. Using a blast beneath his feet to proppel him, Zacharias launched himself towards me, unhindered by the rediculous size of his Persona which he spun with the ease of a mere knife, lighting the area around him ablaze.
"Where are you going Xyder?! Weren't we going to end this quickly?!" Zacharias laughed maniacally.
"Holy shit, the bastard is broken! He's crazy!" I yelled, flapping my wings furiously for a burst of speed to escape his significant reach. The migraine-inducing squeals of Ignatius' Mythical Beast Form and the tremendous heat it exuded didn't help either. Despite doing my best to keep our fight as far away from the Scorpion as I could, it was impossible to ignore the Vessel completely. He had very much become the main spectacle. The audience may as well have forgotten about me by this point; thier focus dedicated entirely on the rampaging creature and my sister who had, at this point, prepared to break well beyond the limits of what any of us knew she was capable of.
"Coward! Stop running away!" Zacharias hissed as we both paused in mid-air and glared at each other.
"How about you put down the magma meat cleaver and then we'll talk about getting close?" I retorted.
"Tch! Have it your way then!" he spat, suddenly making a u-turn and diving with his weapon drawn. It only took me a second to realise what he was planning.
"Say goodbye, little birds!" the Fenix heir cackled as he closed in on the exhausted Satella who was still tending to the sleeping Jacqueline.
"No!" Satella cried, throwimg herself onto Jacky to protect her.
"Ta ta!" Zacharias snickered as he performed his simple yet powerful horizontal slash.
"Clang!"
The male looked on with widened eyes, barely able to let the words, "No way," escape his lips.
I winced where I stood between Zacharias and the girls while trying to ignore the pain caused by the swords lodged halfway into my right forearm. When I had recognised that his targets were my friends, I had somehow managed to muster the speed necessary to pass him. Landing infront of the girls, I grabbed both blades of Du Ragnarök in my right hand and slammed them into his Vulcolossus in an attempt to stop it. In the end, that wasn't enough however and his katana forced both my Persona and his own into my arm where it finally stopped moving.
With the girls safe, I took a moment to breathe, "And you called me the coward."
Pulling my left arm back, it was enveloped in a charging, violent aura of darkness.
"Hasta la Vista, FUCKER!" I bellowed, expelling my stored energy in the form of an uppercut to my opponent's jaw. The impact rocketed him towards the invisible ceiling just as he'd done to me before and I took a page out of his book by following. I ripped my twin swords from my body and powered them with the amassing swirls of my light and darkness.
With a strong push of my legs, I took off after Zacharias, spinning with my weapon stretched out infront of me. The streaks of Light and Darkness intertwined to form what looked like a drill which blasted directly into Fenix's Regulus Heir, pinning him against the top of the barrier. My attack culminated in an explosion of my two elements that left both Zacharias and I slowly falling, immobile from the damage we'd taken and exhausted from the exertion of our demonic healing abilities.
Again, the strength of this barrier impressed me. Back in Zephyr's tournament, this very attack had ripped through our own shield so for this one to merely shrug in response was certainly a feat.
****
Evelynn Zephyr - POV;
"Watch it!" Sorine warned as I zigged and zagged through Ignatius' relentless attacks, holding tightly onto her so I could utilize her superior speed. He lashed out with his legs and tail without break, and though he never managed to hit us, he still managed to manipulate our movements enough such that we could never quite close in. All the while, I'd been erecting trees, shrubs and flora behind us and to our sides, though this would have seemed pointless as they almost spontaneously combusted from the scorpion's unyielding heat.
"You can never touch me! You have no hopes of defeating me!" Ignatius' voice boomed from his Mythical Form in a guttural tone.
We continued to zip around him but eventually, figuring that the time was right, I gave Sorine the signal. With a nod, the Epitome of Lightning carried us both some distance away from our opponent. As she came to a stop, we grabbed onto each other's hand before she began to swing me around her , using her lightning and light prowess to ramp up to rediculous speeds. Once I was satisfied, I released my grasp causing my body to be launched into the skies above Ignatius. As I soared, I began to twist and spin, summoning large volumes of water around me.
I glimpsed the limp, falling body of my brother some distance away and an impromptu improvement to our plan popped into my head.
"Xy! Sword!" I shouted at him. He cracked open his eye slightly and looked to me. Using the last of his strength, he tossed the Light Blade of his Du Ragnarök like a boomerang whose arc perfectly aligned with my path. I grabbed onto the weapon as I ascended to the peak of my height where I began to revolve erratically. The water surrounding me, likewise began to swirl in the air in a series of streams all of which culminated on the edge of the blade in my hand.
The audience grew increasingly excited as they looked on, trying to understand my intentions. Amongst this very audience, our eager friends chattered as they looked on.
"What in the name of.... was Evelynn always this powerful?" Dagan muttered in disbelief.
"Mythical Vessel... I've heard a bit about such a form from my father but to think someone here has already achieved such heights," Indira pondered aloud.
"That Evelynn and Sorine even dare to stand against something of that calibre is a feat that impresses me far more," Aquarius iterated, "Not only that but we are seeing something truly spectacular unfold infront of us. Even some of the greatest Water Vessels could never dream of this."
"What do you mean?" Indira pressed
"Look," Aquarius pointed, referring to the expanding liquid vortex that now spread outwards from me, soon blocking all of the heavens from view to those within the Coliseum.
"Is she generating that much of the element on her own?! There's enough to fill a lake!" Dagan exclaimed.
"I wouldn't put it past her to be able to do so but this is different," Aquarius explained, "The plants she created prior... it seemed as if she were acting unnecessarily as they were all burnt in a heartbeat, however she had been acting deliberately. Vaporised by the heat, the steam foregathered above the beast and now, using the smaller amounts of cool water she generates, she condensed the moisture in the air thus adding it to her arsenal. With this, she has the power of a raging ocean at her fingertips."
Aquarius' assessment was almost too accurate. Which each rotation, I grew faster and faster, going well beyond what I thought was possible... but I had to if this reckless move was to bear any fruit.
"You won't succeed!" Ignatius shrieked, stabbing his tail in my direction.
"Evie!" Sorine screamed, zooming above me. Turning my body upside-down, I planted my feet against the bottom of hers and with a determined nod, she pushed with her feet as hard as she could. A tremendous explosion of lightning ensued from the point of impact between us both and my body whizzed through the air so quickly that I became but a blur. To someone looking in from the outside all they could see was the continuous, unpredictable streak of blue, formed from the combination of the Light from Xyder's Blade and the Water which I stuck to it, as it appeared almost spontaneously across the Mythical Vessel. The blue line passed straight through the scorpion's tail seven times before shifting direction completely to go through each of its legs and ending beneath the belly of the beast where I now stood. I had been moving so quickly that the world itself seemed to slow down around me, so much so that I could almost see each of the appendages that I'd cut through gradually dissipate. As I looked up, I saw it; Ignatius' true body faced me from the centre of the Beast's flaming belly and in his fearful eyes I saw a petrifying reflection. In that moment I saw the mirrored image of what could only be described as a being of pure malice; a woman with merciless eyes and a bloodthirsty aura... I saw myself. I swung Xyder's blade in an expeditious, diagonal arc whose aqueous slash cleaved through and across the entire abdomen of the beast in a trice.
The entire frame of the beast was lifted off of its feet and as it reeled, it detonated into a hail of ashes and flame which surrouded the unconscious, falling, battered and bleeding Ignatius Fenix.
"Learn your place, Scorpio!" I proclaimed, standing tall as Xyder's Persona disappeared from my fingers and the shower of minute fire particles descended around me.
The onlookers erupted into a chorus of cheers and chants, almost as if the match had already been won.
"Zephyr really is something else," Indira noted.
"They are unequivocally stupendous," Aquarius added.
The reaction was just as impactful even amongst the officials and the Reguluses whom had gathered in their own VIP area.
"NO! This can't be! That's impossible! No one can match Ignatius!" Horus Fenix exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
"This behaviour is not befitting of you Regulus Fenix," Damon Neptulus spoke up.
"It seems oddly reminiscent of Duran's outburst not so long ago," Regulus Grisha Astra intervened.
"Urk!" Horus sounded off as he grew silent.
"This is the power of Zephyr... the power of his children. They are both special. Their potentials are seemingly too great to put a value to. Such is the nature of the children of Kristæl Zephyr. Everything she just did... that series of a dozen attacks which cut through such a great beast so easily... it took her all of two seconds. That kind of speed and destuctive power is something even I rarely utilise and yet Evelynn Zephyr has already displayed something to this extent. She and Xyder truly are destined for greatness well beyond ours," Grisha thought aloud.
"Evelynn!" Sorine called out to me as she rushed to my side and we exchanged fist bumps, "That was awesome!"
"Couldn't have done it without you girlfriend," I smiled.
"By the way, what was that whole proclamation about?" she grinned mischievously, "Learn your place Scorpio? You didn't even get the name right! Ignatius called it Mythical Vessel: Scorpius."
"Oh... yeah. I don't know why. It just kinda... slipped... out... Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" I screamed abruptly as a sharp pain shot through my head. I held onto my cranium and I fell to my knees as my body reverted from my Elemental Form to my human one and the flowers on both my body and Sorine's wilted.
"Evelynn?!" Sorine cried out, holding onto me.
"Sorry... sorry," I wheezed, "I think I used up all of my energy. I can barely feel my body. And my head is killing me! I don't think I can even bring out my element right now to help finish this battle for good."
"Don't worry about that," Sorine snickered, "You said it best. Xyder can handle it. He's our leader after all!"
****
Xyder Zephyr - POV;
I held onto whatever I debris within my reach as I wrenched myself up once more. I had abused my self healing ability as a demon and it had taken its toll. I was forced back into my human form, unable to maintain the Devil any longer. On the bright side, Zacharias seemed to be in a similar position. He, in his human state, also struggled to stand.
"This is it Zacharias! The three girls from your team, they were defeated! Ignatius, even with all his power, was defeated. All of the other members of my team have been victorious! Two of them can still fight if they have to! Even if you beat me one on one here, there is no way you can win! Although, it doesn't seem like you have much fight left in you anyway," I shouted to him.
"So what?! You think I'll give up?! Think again bastard! I'll fight even to my last breath if it means taking you down! I'll show the world that I am the best!" Zacharias insisted.
"So be it. Then, let's end this," I stated lighting my clenched fist ablaze.
"Indeed!" he laughed, emulating me.
We rushed directly at each other on foot belching out battle cries; both of us exhausted and slow but determined nevertheless. As we closed in, we cranked our right arms back and the moment we were within reach of each other, we put all of our remaining strength into a single punch. Our fists flew past each other and we both knew that the one to connect first would most certainly be the winner.
"Crash!"
"Bam!"
That was all I heard before the world suddenly went white.
****
Xyder Zephyr - POV;
"Ugh! My head!" I groaned as I lifted myself from the dirt groggily. I had been laying face down and the spinning of my head made the entire world appear to be a blur.
"BOOOM!"
"BOOOOM!"
"BOOOOOOOM!"
"GYAAAAAAAAH!"
The sudden explosions along with the desperate cries of anguish brought me back to my senses immediately.
I looked up at the Coliseum stands just in time to see the sheer chaos unfold. Thick, black smoke billowed from the collapsing structures. Another series of explosions enveloped the seating areas, consuming a number of the people who now ran helter-skelter, trampling over each other as they scrambled to safety.
I looked over to my right to see Zacharias coughing on the floor where he lay and everything came back to me. Just before our final attacks had collided, something had fallen onto the top of the barrier from outside and, miraculously, burst right through it, even though it had been strong enough to withstand Ignatius and Evelynn with ease. Whatever it was then proceeded to hurtle into the space directly between us, launching Zacharias and myself like ragdolls.
"Xyder!" Sorine called, hurrying towards me, "Are you okay?! Something's going down! This isn't-"
She paused as she looked behind me; a face of sheer shock and disbelief washing over her.
"No way, it's.... You did this?! How?!" she roared stepping around me and rushing her target. Seconds later however, she flew past me again, knocked away by whatever was in her sights. I turned back to look at the assailant only to find a male stepping out of the incredibly deep crater he'd created upon landing. His hyper-muscular build, glowing red eyes and tattooed torso were all certainly new but the dark skin, messy white hair and sinister smile made it clear who this man was.
"N-nero?!" I exclaimed, rolling onto my back, "What are you doing here... what the hell happened to your body?!'
"Are you perhaps talking to me?" the male chirped as he stepped towards me menacingly, "Nero. Is that the name of this body? It seems you knew him. Unfortunately he no longer resides in this shell."
"What are you talking about?!" I barked.
"His body was sacrificed and it became the Vessel for my resurrection! My name is Zephyrus Mara. Son of the Elemental Deity, Ventus. Founder of the indestructible Mara Clan. Weilder of absolute power. I have been reborn!" he laughed.
"Bastard!" Zacharias screamed as he lunged towards the revenant.
Paying no attention to him and with barely a twist of his wrist, Zephyrus seemed to lightly tap on Zacharias but this was enough to rocket the male across half of the entire field and straight through several layers of concrete.
"So you are Xyder Zephyr," Zephyrus murmured as he stood over me, "I can feel it. A great hatred is coming off of this body towards you. I don't know what you did to this boy but he certainly didn't like you for it. I'm not one to care about killing just to settle someone else's score. That's a waste of my time. However, I do understand that you are the key towards me regaining my true power. For that, I have sought you out. You will get me what I need and you can't refuse. After all, it doesn't matter if you are alive or dead!"
I just lay there, unable to move even as this relic of the past threatened my life.
"How dare you step in between MY fight!" Zacharias yelled, somehow returning from that last blow and pouncing on the giant. Without much effort however, Zephyrus hooked the boy's chin with two fingers and swung him over his head before slamming Zacharias onto the ground a few feet away.
"It seems you insist on being a nuisance," Zephyrus sighed, turning his attention to the Fenix Heir, "I guess I'll have to end you first."
Zacharias stumbled to an upright position and hissed at the calmly approaching man.
"Say goodnight," Zephyrus cooed as his fist was consumed by darkness and he brought it down onto the boy.
"Zap!"
I used my lighting to throw my body as fast as it could into Zacharias. The impact caused us both to tumble a fair distance away, just in time to avoid Zephyrus' strike which slammed into the Earth creating massive pillars of darkness that consumed everything within it.
I rolled off of him and we both gasped to catch our breaths. Zephyrus raised his eyes in our direction seeming far from pleased.
"Hey! You want me don't you?! Then come get me!" I taunted as I shakily staggered, leading Zephyrus away from Zacharias' resting place.
"Who do you think you are? You are but a mere insect infront of me. Don't think you can play games with a God!"
With those words, he summoned a dark Greatsword his hand and rushed towards me, however his movement was so quick that it seemed more as if he'd teleported infront of me.
"Despair in your descent. Hell awaits," he whispered as he thrust his blade forward, directly at my chest. I closed my eyes, prepared for the end. This was it. The end of my journey. We were so close to victory. Everything was finally looking up. Yet this would be where my story ends.
"Hyah!"
To my surprise, a hand grabbed firmly onto my shoulder and with a yell, the individual put all of their strength into spinning around and pulling me out of danger. I lost my footing in the process and when the individual let go, I found myself falling down onto my back. It was then that I opened my eyes... and they certainly shot ajar when they saw what had just happened. Even in her powerless state, Evie had mustered the power she needed to come to my aid. She yanked me away from the trajectory of his blade but at a price.
****
Evelynn Zephyr - POV;
In the moment I pulled Xyder away, nothing ran through my mind except the thought that I had to keep him safe. Even as the fiend's weapon pierced through me, I could only wonder if Xyder would be safe. As Zephyrus' Persona skewered me completely, I felt a pressure on my neck, almost as if someone was choking me. It was then that the ethereal voice whispered, "I know you."
Of course... how could I have forgotten. I was such a fool but now it's all coming back to me.
****
Xyder Zephyr - POV;
While I fell, I looked on in horror as the blade sunk straight into Evelynn's back to its hilt and emerged from her chest. Zephyrus lifted her into the air while mounted on his sword before violently swinging it to the side and chucking her across the arena.
"EVIE!!!!!!!" I screamed, scampering and crawling as fast as I could. I dropped down beside her pale body, drenched in a pool of her own blood, and touched her face.
"Evie! Evie, no! What did you do?! Why would you do that?!" I cried, tears rolling down my face.
Her hand brushed against my cheeks weakly as she whispered, "I'm sorry."
"No.... No! You made me promise to take you to so many places remember?!" I insisted as I held her hand tightly, "You made me promise to choose a girlfriend for you to see right?! So that you can finally be a goofy aunt! So you have to stay with me. We have to go home together right?! To celebrate our victory with our friends!"
She barely managed a smile as she continued, "Xy... forget all of those but in exchange.... in exchange please promise me this. Find him.... promise me that you will finish... what I started. The fate of all existence..... now lies in your hands. You are.... the only one... who can do this. I trust you, Xy.... Find the Wolven Devil!"
"What? Evie what are you saying? Listen to me. You'll be okay. You'll heal right up and then you can look for him like you've been doing all this time. I'll help you! But focus on getting better first!" I told her.
"Promise me, Xy," she repeated.
"Evie, I-"
"Promise me," she cut me off.
"I.... I promise," I relented.
She smiled at me as she reached into an inner pocket of her shirt and pulled out a small diary housed in a resilient case. She raised it to me and I gently held onto it. Before letting go she explained with a grin, "Everything you need.... is in here. But don't... go looking at.... my secret girly notes.... okay? If you do... I will come back to haunt you!"
With that, her smile slowly faded and her eyelids began to flutter shut. Her fingers lost their grip on her book, causing her arm to fall to her side.
"Evie? Evie?!" I called out to her but received no response.
"EVIE!" I wailed, cradling her limp body; sadness, pain and confusion overwhelming me.
"Look what has happened! You trusted the people around you to help you! You put your faith in them to stand with you so that a happy end could be met!"
"Evie! Wake up!" I pleaded, pressing my forehead against hers.
"This is what trusting people on the outside has gotten you! They are either too weak to matter or they are nowhere to be found when you need them! Because you trusted them instead of the ones within you, Evelynn has paid the price! They weren't here to save her when they should have been!"
"Evie! Don't leave me! What will I do without you?! I can't live without you by my side! I'm lost without you! Please... please," I begged.
"I've always been here for you Xyder! When the lightning girl threatened your life, I sent your Demon to rescue you! When Blaze threatened your friends, I sent your Angel to liberate them! I was the only one to always care!"
"I was too weak. I wasn't good enough to protect you! First father and mother, then Incendio and now you. I was too powerless to help every single time! If only I had more power! Then maybe... maybe I could have done something!" I roared.
"I can give you what you want Xyder. If you'd heeded my call sooner, I would have helped you save her! But now, all I can do is give you the power you need to exact revenge! I can give you strength like no other!"
"It's my fault. It's my fault. I should have been able to do something.... no. It's their fault! They caused this! All of them! Blaze, Zephyrus, Fenix, The World Heirarchy and Seraphim.... along with his band of slaves... THEY CAUSED THIS!" I boomed.
"Just say yes Xyder! Accept me! I will lead you to victory! I will help you make them pay! Let me lend you my power Xyder! Accept me! Just say the word that you will become my Vessel! Then you shall have unlimited power as the Vessel of Tenebrae!"
"I accept!"
End of Act III
A/N - The story will be on break next week. The next chapter releases on Tuesday, October 1st.