A pair of luminous white wings now spread from his shoulders, stretching in a protective arch over NaDo's head.

Date: 31 Passes Ago

Okay… so things aren’t exactly going as planned.

ZenToYa ran, dodging through the long streaming vines and deep forest vegetation. Running away wasn’t usually his favorite call to action. But at the moment, any other choice was as good as suicide.

I forgot how good the Spiral warriors were.

Somewhere, not too far behind, the sound of fleet footfalls followed. Every now and then, a flash of gold gave away the position of one of the perusing warriors. And though Zento was ahead of them, it was obvious that their knowledge of the land was giving them an edge.

‘Dako! Blast it… where are you when I need you?

There was no one to blame but himself for overextending into unknown territory. The warriors of the Spiral were sharp and observant. There was little doubt that they had known of the incoming group from the other side of the Cleft far sooner than Zento would have liked.

KoGuRai… I hope you’ve mobilized. There is no way we can hold our ground against these numbers.

Zento’s mind raced back to the small group of men that he knew lay somewhere on the other side of the thick bramble. All were Nefolians who had joined him on this mission. A mission to find and bring back someone that had been lost to them — Zento’s good friend and brother in arms, JinRai.

It had been a little over a year ago when Zemi had sent Jin out on a similar expedition into the depths of the Spiral… only, Jin had not returned. The loss of a good friend had been tough on Zento. But had been even tougher on Jin’s son, KoGuRai. It was because of the boy’s pain and bitterness that Zento had allowed KoGuRai to join them on this mission with the goal of completing a full investigation of JinRai’s whereabouts.

Everything is always easier said than done, isn’t it?

Zento quickly banked to one side as the tree next to him took the brunt of numerous arrow shafts. As he dodged, a shadow dropped down on top of him, driving Zento to his knees.

One glance upwards gave him a good look at his assailant – a large built man of long golden hair and fierce slate-blue eyes. Eyes that were dead of emotion. Red spiral patterns were scrawled in war paint across his face. His clothes were threadbare and his weapon dented with much use. The metal glittered coldly in the dappled sunlight that filtered through the trees above.

“Sorry. No time for this!” Rocking forward, Zento planted his feet hard into the hollow of his attacker’s stomach, knocking him back. With the momentum, the white haired man sprang to his feet, gathering up his own weapon to meet the Spiral warrior’s swing.

I have to get back to the camp!

Zento gave a curse under his breath as he shoved his assailant back in yet another attempt to break away. The Spiral warrior lunged. Zento hissed sharply as he felt the sting of the blade slash through the back of his sword arm. But he didn’t stop running.

Not a good time to lose us of an arm!

He could feel the shadow of his attacker looming closer behind him. Catching up. The glint of the blade flashed out of the corner of his eye. Zento braced himself for the strike.

But it didn’t come.

Instead, he heard the sound of a heavy thud of a body hitting the ground. From somewhere above came a familiar quipping laugh. A laugh lined with uncertainty and strain. But one that Zento was more than glad to hear.

The white haired man stopped, panting for breath as he peered behind him at the sprawled and unconscious shape of his once attacker. A heavy rock laid not too far, the obvious tool of his defeat.

Then Zento peered up into the tree, “NaDo. What are you doing here?”

“Saving your posterior. What does it look like?” the scientist gave a wary smile down from the crook of the tree.

“It looks like you’re hiding, to be honest,” Zento answered, squinting back into the forest for a moment. Gauging how much time they had left.

“Hiding?” the quipping laugh came again as the man began to make his way down the tree, hand over hand. “Would the great and fearless NaDo of Nefol do something like that?”

Zento’s face soured. “Yes. Because he’s smarter than us sword-wavers that walk straight into the thick of battle.”

Hopping down the last foot to the ground, NaDo also gave a serious frown back at the shuffling of the forest. “Are there a lot of them?”

“Too many. We need to fall back,” the warrior replied. Then he asked, “Where is KoGuRai?”

“Gone,” the scientist answered with a frown.

“Then he’s already taken them back towards the Cleft? Good,” Zento gave a sigh of relief.

“No.”

“No?” the warrior answered. “Then where did he go?”

“Insane is probably the best word that comes to mind,” NaDo scowled even deeper.

Zento just cursed and renewed his rush back towards the camp. “What happened?”

The scientist scrambled to keep up with the other man’s longer strides. “He just flew into some sort of vengeance blood rage or something – claiming it was the Spiral people that killed his father. Nothing I could say would stay his hand. He rallied the rest of them straight into the enemy. I’ve never seen the likes of it in KoGuRai before!”

I had my suspicions.

The warrior gave a frown of his own. And yet again he found himself making excuses for the son of JinRai. “Losing someone close to you does funny things.”

“I didn’t find this especially funny, Zento,” NaDo intoned.

“I know what you mean.”

“I told you it was a bad idea to let KoGuRai come,” the scientist huffed, trying to keep the pace.

“The boy has a right to find out what happened to his father,” Zento answered shortly.

“Is it that…?” NaDo’s eyes slid over with a sly glance, “Or are you just tired of being blamed for the disappearance of Jin?”

“Maybe both,” the warrior made a final leap through the brush into the clearing where their camp had been only hours ago. The place looked as if it had been hit by a storm. Supplies, blankets, pots and pans were strewn everywhere. Not far in the distance, Zento could hear the sounds of battle.

KoGuRai… what are you doing? You’re going to lead them to their deaths!

NaDo must have read the look of horror on his friend’s face. One hand fell lightly on Zento’s shoulder, his voice concerned yet comforting, “Come on. Your men need you. We can turn this around Zento.”

Zento shook his head out slowly, “Maybe… with a miracle.”

“We’ve seen worse,” NaDo quipped, trudging towards the sound of battle.

“That’s debatable,” Zento followed, cautiously scouting ahead. “We’re going to get pressed by two groups before this is through. If things fall through, I want you to go and find Kudako and get yourself to the Cleft.”

“You’re talking crazy!” came the protest.

“Someone has to return to Nefol!” the warrior protested back.

“I came out here to find what happened to one friend… not to lose another!” NaDo answered sharply, fighting to lift his voice above the battle din that now filled the glade.

With no more time to speak, Zento drove forward, pulling his blade free with one hand. He could see flashes of white through the thick forest growth, indications of his men struggling in a battle that would be hard pressed to win. Despite all the training he knew they had, nothing could have prepared them for facing the soulless Spiral warriors.

Zemi… if you can hear me… your Champion needs a little back up here.

In the middle of the battle he could make out the furious form of KoGuRai. His maimed face was twisted in a fierce battle rage as he spun and slashed relentlessly. KoGuRai’s eyes held an intensity that Zento had seen before — in Jin’s eyes, during dangerous moments of unwavering determination.

“KoGuRai!!! We need to fall back!” Zento lifted his voice, trying to rise above the shouts of rage and dismay. Instead, he found himself the target of nearby Spiral warriors who had heard his call.

The slice on the back of his arm burned. His breath came in pained gasps as he lashed out, fending off the attacks that came from every side. The smell of blood and sweat filled his senses as he jostled against bodies of friend and foe in close-quarter battle. On every side he could hear the shouts and screams of his men — voices that were momentarily familiar before pain or death overtook them.

Is this it? Is this where it all ends?

Zento struggled to find his voice. To call the orders for retreat. To get his men to safety. But even if he had given the call, he knew they would be hard pressed to hear his command with the doom of battle pounding from all sides.

No… no, I refuse to go down here!

There was no other choice. It was either hold on to his secret and watch his people die… or face the consequences.

I have to…

He began to concentrate, drawing on strength from within. Tapping into the flow of the power he had kept locked away for so long. The power that was shunned and feared by those who could not understand the truth behind it — mind magery.

-WE CANNOT FIGHT THIS! WE MUST FALL BACK TO THE CLEFT!-

Zento’s command released over the glade, resounding within their minds. Even KoGuRai stopped in mid-swing, both hands still gripping the haft of his weapon. Zento didn’t have time to study their reactions – his full concentration was on dulling the wits of their attackers… just long enough to give them a moment to escape.

-GO! NOW!-

The Nefolians needed no more encouragement. With the command still ringing sharply, they fled into the forest. Sweat dripped from Zento’s brow as he stumbled behind, losing his speed to concentration. There were so many enemies to subdue. Though his will was strong, the Spiral warriors struggled viciously against his hold, quickly exhausting him.

Then a warm grip took Zento’s good shoulder, helping to carry him forward. Glancing to the side, the white haired warrior could see light reflecting from NaDo’s looking glasses as the scientist struggle to rush them out of the fray.

“ZenToYa… what did you just do?” his voice was quiet and shaken. No doubt, NaDo knew what he had just witnessed. But the expression on his face said that he didn’t want to believe it.

No one wanted to accuse their friend of being a mind mage.

Zento couldn’t answer. His mouth was dry. His limbs were heavy and sluggish. It felt like every inch of his body was burning with a cold fire. If it hadn’t been for NaDo, he didn’t know if he would have even been able to keep moving forward at all.

What’s happening to me…?

He had used mind magic before… but it had never had an after-effect like this.

Zento could feel the Spiral warriors rousing behind them as the last of his strength slipped away. Distantly, he heard their battle cries. Felt the earth shifting as they began their chase. Heard the air slice as they drew their weapons.

“Oh no! Oh no!” NaDo’s voice rose a fearful octave. The scientist gave a shout to one of the Nefolians, running not too far ahead, “KoGuRai! Help me! Zento’s weakening!”

The young warrior paused to glance over his shoulder. It took him but a moment to assess the situation – Zento half draped over NaDo’s shoulder. The smaller man struggling to carry their leader away from the raging danger that swarmed behind. The vicious faces of the Spiral warriors who charged headlong, thirsting for their death.

“Help us!” NaDo’s voice creaked, eyes wide.

Without a word. Without any other motion. The son of JinRai turned away from them and vanished into the forest.

“KOGURAI!”

Just as NaDo’s shout broke the air, Zento felt his knees buckle. His body convulsed, jerking upright even as he fell. He heard a scream that might have been his own as a wave of freezing pain wracked his limbs.

Then just as suddenly as it came, there was numbness.

A brilliant light.

The feeling of suspension and weightlessness.

-My Champion… it is time…-

Zento’s eyes opened as the familiar voice echoed through his mind. His lips parted, whispering a single word. “Zemi…”

As the world faded back into view, NaDo’s terrified face was the first thing he saw. The scientist was sprawled upon the ground, on his hands and knees, staring up with a mangled expression of shock and fear.

The Spiral warriors, too, had recoiled, staring dazed and unsure as light streamed across the glade. Light that slowly took the form of feathers.

Zento heaved a choking breath, gasping like someone who had just returned from the brink of death. Light tingled over his form. His senses had grown sharp, picking out each small motion… the crunch of grass under foot… the panicked heartbeat of NaDo… and the ragged breathing of the Nefolians who had stopped to watch from the shelter of the forest.

What’s happened to me?

As Zento stretched out his hands, he realized the light was coming from his form. And the feathers were his own, too.

Zemi?!

A pair of luminous white wings now spread from his shoulders, stretching in a protective arch over NaDo’s shaken form. Any wounds or weariness of the previous battles had been washed away. His mind and senses focused in a way he had never felt before.

-ZenToYa… you have become as you were meant to be. You have Awakened.-

Zento slowly turned to face the Spiral warriors. His blade glittered with reflected light from his white wings as they stretched wide. His eyes sharpened, brows drawing downward as he focused on the enemy. One hand reached up, surrounded by a brilliant blue flame.

-Now take my power… and protect our people.-

Even before he released the spell, the Spiral warriors were breaking formation. They scattered as the blast rocked the glade, sending trees groaning and rocks splintering in every direction. A warcry rose in Zento’s throat, a sound that rumbled through their minds like the roar of the Dreigiau.

-Well done, Zento!-

The Dreigiau’s voice faded, but the presence and power did not. The power that was gifted to the Arweinydd’s chosen Champion.

Awakened…

Voices around him drew him out of his thoughts. Voices of the others… of the Nefolians that he had fought to protect. And one voice in particular he could hear above all others.

“He’s becoming a monster!” KoGuRai exclaimed, green eyes wide, focusing on the wings that stretched from Zento’s shoulders.

“W-What?!” Coming back to earth was a painful jolt. His wings buckled back, depositing him with an unceremonious plop before them. It was all Zento could do to land on his feet.

But no one seemed to notice. They were all staring at him with open fear and mistrust. Their mutters echoed KoGuRai’s accusing words. The very people he had fought to protect… the very people that he led, taught and nurtured… now turned on him with cold eyes.

“Hold on! Do these wings really look that monstrous to you?” Zento found himself protesting, hands wide as he tried to approach them.

His answer came in the unsheathing of weapons. Some drawn in caution. Some leveled at him in warning.

“Stay back! We all felt what you did!” KoGuRai snarled, eyes reflecting as his naginata lowered into a battle position.

Zento took a stunned step back. His tone grew pleading as his gaze cast about for anyone that might hear him out… anyone who might look beyond the transformation. “NaDo!? NaDo, please! Tell them! It’s still me!”

The scientist stared up at him with cloudy eyes, confusion and doubt playing over his face. His mouth opened and closed as if trying to find a voice that would not come. But before NaDo could speak, the others began to move forward, weapons drawn.

“Mindsucking monster!” KoGuRai goaded them forward, two steps ahead of the other Nefolians.

“No… I can explain!” Zento stumbled back further. His breath came in hoarse gasps, his mind reeling to grasp the incredulous turn of events.

But there was little sway of sympathy to his pleas. Not even the hint of remorse on their faces as they advanced. Either their fear was just that great… or KoGuRai’s command of them was far stronger than Zento could have ever suspected.

Only one friendly voice rose above the advance — NaDo’s shout, “Zento, run!”

His white wings unfolded before he could think twice. With one great downward sweep, Zento found himself in the air. As the winds carried him higher, KoGuRai’s words faded into nothing more than furious demands from below. Those who had once been his people shrank to specks soon hidden by the branches of the overhanging trees.

With watery eyes, ZenToYa forced himself to fly. Fly and not turn back. And he knew that nothing in his life would ever be the same again.

He struggled and howled, face streaked with black tears as he fought.

Lucci didn’t realize that he had drawn his sword until he saw the quivering tip of the blade pointed at TsuYa. His hands were shaking. Tears stung his eyes. The whimper of Suzume rose to his ears from where the little girl hid behind his legs. JouKa sat, collapsed against a crate, her head covered with both arms, sobbing and hysterical.

KoGuRai had stood no chance against the Marked form of TsuYa. Already his remains were decaying, sinking into the puddle of black oozing blood. It flaked away into dark dust… nothing left but the sheen of silver helm that sat pinned under TsuYa’s heavy boot.

What do I do? What do I do? I can’t fight Master TsuYa! But… he’s become…

One Marked Champion had fallen… only for another to take its place.

Maybe that has been Zeromus’ plan all along? Maybe he never wanted KoGuRai as his Champion at all. He was just using him… like bait… to push Master TsuYa into turning Marked.

A low growl rose from TsuYa’s throat as pure black eyes focused on them. He reached down and picked the helm up, shaking it free from the clinging darkness.

And it worked…

Lucci readjusted his grip on the blade, keeping himself between the girls and the newly Marked Champion of Zeromus. Something in his chest ached terrible. He knew if he had only been a little faster… if he had gotten the sword to the Inner Realms sooner… that maybe TsuYa would have been spared this horrible fate.

But something else was there. Something that Lucci could sense still boiling, battling, struggling under the mask of shadows that had encased the warrior. Perhaps it was because TsuYa had become Awakened before Zeromus managed to take him. Or perhaps it was because his will and desire for freedom was simply that strong. No matter the reason, Lucci could feel it still, something of TsuYa was there. Aware.

And he was not attacking them.

Even, physically, TsuYa’s body fought to preserve itself. Though his hair and wings had grown dark, Lucci could see that there was still one light streak running through his bangs, a shock of white that fell down into his eyes. Something left from before.

Zeromus chose a difficult spirit to try to capture…

Somewhere in the distance he could sense it… the feeling of the Arweinydd Zazo and the Watcher Aur. They were coming, no doubt, called there by the release of energy, both Awakened and Marked. The smallest inkling of hope rose in Lucci’s chest. The thought that if there was something still left of TsuYa… that maybe he could still be saved. That he could be returned to his rightful form. That the Marked might be contained.

If I can just keep him here, peaceful, long enough for them to reach us.

“Master TsuYa?” Lucci’s voice quavered as he took the chance to lower his blade just a little. “Master TsuYa… do you remember me? Do you know who you are?”

Dark eyes watched the young Sygnus, a low growl the only answer.

Please Lady Zazo… come quickly…

Lucci took another chance, slowly moving forward. His breath came in frightened gasps, eyes never leaving the dark, Marked Champion. He froze as the growl grew into a fierce snarl. Then the snarl somehow managed to form words.

“LuShi… stay back! Stay away from me!” TsuYa grated through bared fangs.

“Master TsuYa?! Please… just stay calm… we can help you!”

“Nooo…” he moaned. His voice was very much like his voice always was. Just more frightened. More strained. “Nooo…. It’s over. I’m… one of them. I’m…”

“Not yet! You can’t give into him,” Lucci encouraged, taking another step forward. “As long as there’s part of you still aware, we might be able to–”

Suddenly, TsuYa broke out in a terrible yowl, clutching his head between clawed hands. He buckled over, screeching in pain. “Get him out of my head! Get him out of my heaaaaad!”

Lucci jumped back in shock as the warrior began to stagger around, slamming himself against the stone walls. Suzume gave a cry, huddling next to the glassy-eyed JouKa, covering her face with her hands. The young Sygnus reached forward, trying to intercept, only to be shoved away.

“AHHHHHHHHHH!!!” the half-scream, half-screech was chilling. The sound of a soul being consumed. “GET HIM OUT OF MY HEAD!!”

-TsuYaaaaaa!!-

The glowing form of the white wolf sprung over the pile of crates at the far end of the passageway. Running all out, her green eyes held a look of worry that Lucci had never seen before. With one great lunge she leapt up, landing square on TsuYa’s back. It took all of her force to wrestle him down and keep him pinned, even as large as she was.

He struggled and howled, face streaked with black tears as he fought. Choking and gasping, the words became less words as the darkness began to twist and taint his mind.

-TsuYa! No! Hold on to me! I can fix this! I can fix this! I promise! Just don’t go!- Frantic, the she-wolf shoved her muzzle down into his face. As if her will and words alone would be enough to save him.

“Nooo! Noooo!!” He responded with terrified hisses and raking claws. If she had been a physical being, he would have shredded her face in his struggle. “Stay away from me! Stay away from meeee! Arweinydd! Stay away from meeeeeeeee!”

-TsuYa! Please! It’s me! It’s Zazo!-

But her words could not comfort his panic as his body began to convulse again. More spikes began to shred through his skin… the transformation slowly growing worse.

Aur and Oren arrived, not far on the heels of the she wolf. The Watcher stood for a long moment, observing the pleading Arweinydd and the struggling Marked. And for the first time, something like true emotion washed over his face. Pity. Sorrow. Sympathy. He seemed to be having trouble breathing as he gathered up Suzume in his strong arms, covering her crying face protectively.

Oren had also come quickly, his ruddy face horrified as he recognized the Marked creature before him. Without so much as a word, he retrieved JouKa’s limp form and carried her away. He murmured quiet words of concern under his breath as he gently brushed the hair out of the winged girl’s face.

-He’s not calming down!!- Zazo was frantic as she fought to keep the Marked pinned under her paws.

“LET ME GO!” TsuYa’s voice cracked, half shrieking as his back arched in pain. With a gurgling sound, he turned the dark claws on himself, leaving long trails of dark gashes along his face and chest.

The Arweinydd gave a defeated cry, watching as he maimed himself, shoving her nose between his head and his claws. Doing everything she could to stop the unstoppable. Finally, with a great heave, TsuYa cast her off. The moment he was free, he leapt to his feet, wings spread wide. One hand clamped around the grip of the scythe that had been left, lying in the street.

-Tsu!!!-

“Sta..aay… baack…” he hissed, holding the scythe in front of him as he crouched, ready to fight.

-Please don’t do this. Please… come back with me. Zem and I… we can fix this! You have to believe me, Tsu!-

But the Marked Champion could only reel back, face lined with pain. The howl escaped his lips again, as he was driven to mindlessness, “He’s in my head! Get him out of my head!”

“Lady Zazo! Be careful!” Lucci gave a warning call. It was hard to tell if TsuYa was going to actually use the weapon – of his own free will or not.

Before either of them could say a word, the black wings spread wide into the air. With an agile leap, the Marked warrior launched into the sky, dark scythe held between his fists. One bound had him on top of the nearby roof. The next cast him up towards the dimming clouds.

“Waaait!” Lucci called.

But it was no good. The Marked instinct was driving him. With nothing to lose. Nothing left to hold him, TsuYa fled, leaving nothing but a stream of black along the stone wall.

For a moment, it seemed as if Zazo might follow. But as the winged figure grew smaller and more distant over the lilac trees, she did nothing but stand and watch. With a startling sound, the she wolf threw her head back, shattering the air with a long, mournful howl.

Lucci, too, could only stand and watch as shock numbed his body. Realization began to flood over him. Realization followed by a deep, rending sadness.

They had lost Ceiswyr. They had lost TsuYa. But they had not yet lost the war.

I still have the sword.

Lucci looked down at the flat of the blade. The silver steel reflected his image coldly. Suggestively. And he knew exactly what he needed to do.

No matter what. I’m going to pay him back for all the people he’s hurt.

The young Sygnus’ hand tightened on the blade’s grip.

I’m going to destroy Zeromus.

The little winged girl was safe, cradled against his chest.

“TsuuuuYaaaa!” KoGuRai’s face contorted in an animalistic snarl. His dark eyes focused sharply on the warrior, full of hate and fury.

“Did you forget about me?” TsuYa smirked. He coolly wiping his blade off on the edge of his coat only to find, to his dismay, that the black ooze ate right through the cloth.

“Turn around and walk away. This is between me… and LuShi,” the Champion sneered.

“Oh? Then why are you dragging little girls into this? Are you trying to break your record for hostage taking… the coward that you are,” he sneered back.

This time… this is it. This time… you’re not walking away alive, KoGuRai. We already know your tricks. It’s time for this to stop.

TsuYa ground his heel against the stone, poised and ready to strike. KoGuRai took a step back, nursing his wounded shoulder, both fists clamped tightly around the haft of his naginata. But before any blows could be exchanged, a shout rang out across path.

“TsuYa! TsuYa, wait!!”

The warrior gave a quiet curse under his breath. Things were about to get even more complicated.

“JouKa..?” KoGuRai paused, turning at the sound. It was strange how the Marked Champion could throw out scathing threats with the same voice that could sound so concerned.

The winged girl rushed out into the center of the fray, eyes wide as she stared between them. Then she stopped, peering straight at KoGuRai for a long, long time. For once, she seemed completely lost for words.

KoGuRai also stared at her, lowering his weapon just a bit. The silence between them was awkward and heavy. Finally, he took a step towards her. “JouKa… I’ve finally found you. Have you come to me at last?”

TsuYa made a blech face.

“KoGu… what… what… ‘ave you done?” she shook her head, taking a step back.

“Wait. Wait, JouKa. I can explain everything… just listen…” he approached, with hands wide in a gesture that spoke of harmlessness.

“Explain? Explain… what? The village ya razed? All of the people ya killed?” her voice was quiet, nothing more but a shaken whisper. “‘Ow can you possibly explain somethin’ like that?”

“Village…?” his face grew as pale as a Marked complexion could. “No… that wasn’t me, JouKa! I swear!”

“Then who was it, KoGu? Someone that looked like you and yer pet Esgyll?” she retorted hotly.

“If you’d just let me talk, I could tell you.”

“Then tell me about Mister NaDo. And about takin’ him ‘ostage. Splittin’ his back straight open. Tell me that wasn’t something that ya did, KoGuRai?” JouKa gave him a sick, pained look.

“JouKa…”

“You didn’t ‘ave to ‘eal those people — I did!” she snapped, not allowing him a moment of explanation. “I saw what came of it all… and I just can’t believe…”

KoGuRai fell silent, looking down at his fists, gripping the haft of his naginata. His hands were shaking as if fighting back some kind of internal violence.

“What’s ‘appened to you?” tears shown in her eyes. “I wanted to believe in you. But after what I’ve seen, all I can think is… you really ‘ave become a monster!”

The Marked Champion’s head snapped up with a bitter glare. The expression that had been concerned and shocked had turned cold and distant.

“I see what’s going on here,” KoGuRai’s voice grew low and gravely. His dark eyes shifted from JouKa to TsuYa and back again. “TsuYa’s turned you against me, hasn’t he? You’ve fallen for him while I was gone. You’ve fallen for him and you’ve betrayed me to him, haven’t you?”

“What? KoGu… what in the name of the Light are you talkin’ about?” she shook her head with a frustrated and confused look.

“You know what I’m talking about!” before she could pull back, his hand shot out, grabbing her roughly around the wrist. The air crackled red, furious Chaos. KoGuRai was losing himself. “All this time I was trying to find you again. I was promised that he would give you to me and we would take Nefol together! But you’ve ruined it all! You’ve run off with TsuYa!”

“KoGu!!” JouKa’s voice raised an octave, for the first time, real fear shown in her eyes as he loomed huge above her. “It’s not like that at all!”

“Are you Promised to him!?” KoGuRai almost roared, fangs gleaming as he pulled her closer.

“NO! KOGU! Yer ‘urtin’ me!!” the winged girl yanked back in pain. TsuYa could see the strength of the Marked Champion’s fist closing tighter around the girl’s arm. And he knew exactly how strong a Marked could be.

“STOPPIT!!” TsuYa leapt forward with a snarl of his own, slamming between JouKa and KoGuRai. “LET HER GO!”

The winged girl stumbled back, knocked free from the terrible grip… just at the same moment the Marked claw slashed out, leaving long, bloody gashes straight through TsuYa’s shoulder. He gave a choking gasp at the unexpected pain, dodging just as the claw came for him again.

Somewhere in the distance he heard JouKa’s scream and the choked cry of Suzume. The world wavered and shifted around him as his senses tunneled. Fury began to burn within. Everything focused on the dark winged figure of the Marked Champion before him. His rival. His enemy. One who would kill and destroy in order to steal everything that his family had sacrificed everything for – Nefol… his people… his friends…

I won’t let you hurt them!

KoGuRai bore down on him with blade in hand, a dark maelstrom of hate. His wings stretched wide, the twisted taint of Chaos choked the air. Animalistic insanity and bloodlust had transformed the Marked Champion’s face – if there was anything left of the son of JinRai, it was impossible to see it.

TsuYa floundered back, barely deflecting the blows that came again. And again. And again. His shoulder was in shreds, wounds open and burning with the acidic nature of the Marked attacks. His chest grew tight, breath rasping in his lungs as he fought to keep his feet under him.

I… can’t. I can’t hold up under this! He’s so strong!

Pain exploded along his left side. TsuYa watched, to his horror, as dark crimson fountained from KoGuRai’s blade as it tore into his body. His cry was wretched… so unlike the warrior he had fought to be. For years and years and years. All the training and hardship. Everything that he had strove to be… to be like his father. His brother. The ones that people respected.

And I will die like this… on the end of this monster’s blade…?

Eyes darkening, TsuYa’s face broke into a snarl of his own.

I refuse!

With an agonized groan, he pulled himself off of the point of the naginata. KoGuRai loomed over him, a smug look of triumph stretched over his face. The battle was won in his mind. He was merely toying with TsuYa now… doing everything he could to make the warrior’s death as shamed and futile as possible.

That will be your biggest mistake!

Distantly, he heard the sound of voices. JouKa and LuShi calling frantically. TsuYa could only watch with horrified, blurry eyes as Suzume rushed out between, little wings unfolded. She darted in, face angry and determined, yelling at KoGuRai as loud as her child-voice allowed.

Kid! What are you doing!?

Something grew deathly cold within his chest as he saw the glint of KoGuRai’s blade flash. The naginata lifted into the air, poised above the child’s head. So deliberate. The Marked Champion’s expression did not change… as if it was nothing more to him than swatting away a meaningless irritation.

Suzume!!

Fingers digging into the ground, TsuYa drove himself back up on his feet. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t speak. His body wasn’t responding. Everything felt so cold, as if all the heat had rushed out of his body.

I WON’T LET YOU!

A dazzling white light suddenly flooded the world. In the brilliance of the flash, he could make out KoGuRai reeling back, wincing against the blinding radiance. Suzume gave a shout, falling back in surprise, but unharmed.

His arms were around her. Just that sudden. TsuYa hadn’t realized he had the strength to move. But he was there. The little winged girl was safe, cradled against his chest.

Suzume stared up at him with awe. TsuYa could see his reflection in her dark eyes… he realized that the light was coming from him. Her voice was hardly a whisper when she spoke, “Wings…”

What…?

Stretching wide around him were wings of luminous white. Wings that belonged to him.

No way…! I’m…

Wings that looked exactly like Father’s. So much like Father’s, in fact, that TsuYa almost gave a shout for joy. For once, he could feel it… the endless possibilities. The potentials within himself. That he could be exactly what he had always dreamed of being. What he had worked so hard to become.

I’m Awakened!! I’m-

The sharp sound of a crack shattered his world. Pain. Terrible burning pain suddenly rushed through every inch of his body. The look of delight and awe on Suzume’s face shifted instantly to fear. With a strangled sound, he released the winged girl, stumbling away from her.

“TsuYa!! TsuYa!! Are you alright!?” she called to him.

He tried to answer, but no words would come. Nothing in his throat but a low, terrible growl. It bubbled and frothed its way out of his mouth, then shattered the air with an animalistic shriek. He clutched frantically at the source of the sudden pain, at his throat, just under his shirt. His fingers came away bloody. Blood that slowly turned black. Black like Marked blood.

NOO! NOOO!

Where Aur’s protective medallion had once hung around his neck, there was nothing left but a warped piece of blackened metal. And he realized, in horror, that under the pressure of his Awakening, the amulet had broken. It was destroyed.

PLEASE NO!!

And with it, his protection against the darkness had fled. Not even the power of Awakening seemed to be enough to protect him.

Please… please help me…

It felt like something was tearing him from inside out. His blood at once burned and froze. His body trembling as he convulsed, dropping him to his knees. He tried to cry out in agony, but nothing came except hisses and growls.

-No one can help you now, TsuYa… You are MINE.-

TsuYa’s flesh had darkened to grey, spotting black. His skin began to split as dark spikes of black burst through. A sharp rip as his coat gave way — his form growing and expanding far beyond his normal size. Black blood streamed from the bubbling wounds… from his eyes… his mouth… his nose… the Mark along his cheek. The darkness bled into his hair. Along the lines of his wings… until black feathers dripped with thick ooze.

And the terrible voice sounded in his mind.

-My Champion… greatness waits for you. Now come to me. Come to me…-

He fought it with every last bit of strength in him. Snarling and shrieking against the voice that invaded his thoughts. Everything was a blur. The world spun dizzy around him as the pressure of Chaos closed in on him. The sound of metal clashing, shrieks and battle were so distant and far away.

When he finally found breath again, it was rasping hisses. He stared down at his hands – now nothing more than beastly claws. And the thick black blood that ran over them. He realized the blood was not his own. Looking down at the ground, he saw the mangled and motionless form of KoGuRai’s body, the silver helm bent under the heel of his boot.

Is he… is KoGuRai… dead..?

Sickness welled up in the pit of his stomach. Sickness as he saw the blurred and twisted reflection of his face in the smudged sheen of the metal helm. KoGuRai was not rising. A pool of black spread around him where he lay in the dust.

TsuYa had won, he realized. He had taken the life of his enemy. But he had lost himself in return.

His eyes narrowed, focusing on his target, measuring the wind as he rode.

Zazo and TsuYa slipped through the bronzing late afternoon, nothing more than a shadow through the forest trees. The She Wolf’s head was pointed straight as an arrow as she ran. He was just along for the ride.

This whole chase had been based off of Aur’s logic. He pointed out two major facts: Firstly, Zazo seemed not to be able to locate Lucci for some unknown reason. Secondly, KoGuRai had also been chasing the youth, just as they had, through the Inner Realms.

Aur noted that though KoGuRai had caused what seemed to be random and chaotic damage to the village, he did not linger after being freed – and he didn’t seem to be travelling in a haphazard manner. It was as if he was hunting down something else. Eventually, they had all agreed that following KoGuRai might very well lead them to discovering Lucci’s location.

It’s not as if we have any other leads to try at this point.

Zazo had volunteered herself and TsuYa to be the ones to trace the path of the Marked Champion. He knew better than to try to involve JouKa in any of this. The girl had changed, just that quickly, after seeing the destruction left by the one that she had once loved.

Part of him was glad that she had finally come to her senses about KoGuRai’s false nature. Afterall, trying to hold on to someone like that would only lead to her own destruction in the end. But the other part of him felt pity. He didn’t have to be a mind mage to sense the sorrow and struggle that the girl’s heart was going through at this point.

So, TsuYa had not argued when JouKa had opted to stay behind in the village. Healing the wounded there seemed to give her something constructive to work for. And Aur had chosen to remain behind as well – whether it was because he still held disapproval for TsuYa’s recklessness or if he sought to offer JouKa companionship, it was hard to tell.

-Hold tight, Tsu! We’re getting closer!- Zazo’s mind-voice echoed in his head, pulling him from his thoughts.

TsuYa leaned down closer to the She-Wolf’s back and gripped her scruff, readying himself for the burst of speed.”How close?”

-Close close. Don’t you feel him?-

“Do I look like a feely sort of guy?” TsuYa grumbled with a scowl.

-You’re in a rotten mood today? I would have thought you would be eager to get the chance to face down KoGuRai again. - the She Wolf observed.

“Yeah well… it’s not that easy,” TsuYa said, half under his breath.

And it wasn’t. Because this time, he knew that if he wasn’t careful, if he relied too much on the leaking Marked powers to help him fight, he could very well cause the already fragile medallion around his neck to shatter. Fighting KoGuRai would be more of a test of his patience and control than something he eagerly awaited.

Unfortunately for TsuYa, he wasn’t big on either patience or control.

The sooner we can put KoGuRai down, the better. He’s going rabid… he’s got to be stopped.

-Tsu! Pay attention! Hold on!- Zazo gave a sharp bark as she lunged forward.

Jolted, the warrior noticed that the world around them had changed – instead of deep forests, they were now racing over stark white sands. TsuYa’s dark eyes squinted between the She Wolf’s ears as the crash of ocean waves grew louder. That’s when he realized they were running right out into the bay – towards some kind of building that sat cradled within the ocean waters.

“Waaaaait!”

Before he could protest further, the Arweinydd leapt straight off into the waves. TsuYa cringed, waiting for the enviable feeling of the wash of ocean waters that would come. But they didn’t.

What?

The warrior cracked his eyes open, peering with amazement as the waves passed along underneath them. He didn’t know if they were flying… floating… hovering… or whatever it was that Arweinydd She Wolves did. But so far they hadn’t crashed into the water yet.

Not taking any chances, he gripped tighter to Zazo’s shoulders.

-Do you see it?- she asked him, careful to stay away from the other sensory questions.

TsuYa squinted ahead. At such a distance, it was hard to make out anything beside the stone structure in the bay. But, as much as he didn’t want to admit, he could feel it. There were dark creatures ahead… KoGuRai and something else.

“Esgyll!? Out here? How?” the warrior grit his teeth. “I thought we left them trapped back in the Inner Realms?”

-I did, too.- Zazo answered quietly, her body shifted as she moved to approach the structure from a less obvious direction.

As they came closer, a terrible scene unfolded before them. TsuYa felt something cold in the pit of his stomach churn and sink. He could make out the great winged beast hanging from the side of the structure, three claws latched into the stone. To his horror, he could make out the form of a person… a person with white wings… being held tight in the monster’s front claw.

He could hear the sound of cold steel striking and sparking. A battle was taking place, there on the steps of the structure. On one side, TsuYa could make out the dark winged, black garbed form of  KoGuRai, wielding his vicious naginata. It took him a moment to recognize the other man, KoGuRai’s opponent — the tall silver form, bearing a long, slender sword.

“LuShi!? Is that…. really…?” TsuYa couldn’t keep the shock out of his voice.

-It would seem our little boy-Sygnus has grown up.-

“Yeah, it would seem so…” A lump formed in his throat as he watched as his once-student spun and struck with the long blade in perfect form. Moves that he knew that he had never taught the boy.  Moves that he didn’t even recognize. A trickle of fear shivered through TsuYa’s body. He couldn’t help but think about the danger… that maybe his father was right in fearing the power of the young Sygnus after all.

-For now, it still looks as if the boy is fighting on our side. We may as well take all the advantage we can get right now.- Zazo advised.

“That’s true…” a little bit of hope returned.

-He seems to be handling KoGuRai fine on his own.-

“Well, what about that other guy?” TsuYa motioned to the man who was trapped in the claws of the Esgyll. “He looks like he could use some backup there?”

-I agree. And Esgyll are such a thrill to chase!- Zazo gave a wolfish grin as she bounded up over the top of the cracked structure… then straight down the wall at the back of the winged monster.

TsuYa felt the exhilaration of battle and speed rush through him. His hand reached back, gripping his scythe and pulling it free. His eyes narrowed, focusing on his target, measuring the wind as he rode. With a snarl and a heave, TsuYa drew a long bloody gash through the Esgyll’s wing, fountains of black-red spraying into the late afternoon air.

As the creature reeled, the scythe met its shoulder, the wing crumpling and useless. Zazo’s body arched up and around, ripping with gleaming fangs and shredding claws. The creature’s dark maw opened in turn, lashing back desperately at wolf and rider. Somewhere beyond the pounding of battle adrenaline, TsuYa could hear the hoarse and frightened shouts of the beast’s captive.

Just hang in there, buddy. You ain’t seen nothing yet.

The warrior rose up, knees gripping the spiraling wolf for balance. A second later, he was off, springing from Zazo’s back straight towards the imprisoning claw. He dodged the snapping fangs of the beast, only a second before the She Wolf took hold of the Esgyll’s snout. Viciously, she raked at the oozing black eyes and tender nostrils.

With the monster preoccupied by the Arweinydd, TsuYa drove his blade home, slicing into the wrist. The scythe rang with a jarring blow as it cut straight to the bone. Though he was somewhat disappointed that it didn’t cut all the way through, the warrior was relieved when the shock caused the claw to fall limp, releasing the winged man.

“Alright! There you goooooooooooo–” TsuYa’s voice trailed into a shout. In his haste and excitement, he didn’t foresee the Esgyll’s reflexes. Having dropped its captive, it now swung back with the wounded claw, sending both warrior and scythe flying off with a snap.

Zazo!! Help!!

But the She Wolf was already busy, snapping and lunging between claws and maws. She gave a somewhat frantic look when she realized that her rider had been flung.

A woosh and flutter of wings surrounded TsuYa as he fell. In his surprise, he stared up, straight into the face of the winged man that he had just rescued. His shout rang out above the crash of the waves below, “Hold on, lad! I’ve got you!”

TsuYa’s first reaction was to ask the stranger who he was calling “lad.” But he decided better of it… considering he could still be dropped into the churning froth of ocean if the winged man decided it fit. Instead, he kept a tight hold on the scythe and let the man drop him off where he would. They landed on a ledge that served as the arch to the doorway, overlooking the battle that raged on below.

Both were out of breath. Both observed each other with curious looks before they spoke simultaneously, “Are you a friend of Lu–”

They paused. The winged man blinked. TsuYa just relaxed his grip on the scythe.

“I guess that answers it,” the warrior replied.

“It would seem so,” the winged man nodded.

A shrill cry pierced the air and the structure began to groan under their feet. With the two of them safely out of the reach of the Esgyll, Zazo now attacked the winged beast with a relentless fury. Perhaps it was a trick of the light or the blur of battle-weary eyes, but TsuYa could have sworn she seemed larger somehow, more vicious… chaotic.

“Zazo! Be careful!” he found the shout bursting from his throat before he realized it. Though he wasn’t quite sure what it was he was warning her against.

“Zazo?” the winged man choked, staring over at TsuYa. “Do you mean Zazo of the Trine?”

“Yeah,” the warrior answered, eyes never straying from the fight. “That’s her.”

“Ooohhhh…” he let out a long, awed breath.

With a final scree and a thrashing of wings, the Esgyll peeled off of the stone wall and plummeted into the ocean. The huge white wolf followed it all the way down, jaws snapping and tearing, only to leap back up at the last moment as the foam of the waves rose to claim the dark winged form. A thick oily shadow spread into the water where the beast disappeared. It did not rise again.

A frustrated howl rang from the midst of the battle below. KoGuRai’s face was furious as he saw his mount defeated and driven into the waters. His moment of distraction was a fatal one.

LuShi’s sword stabbed forward, his motions calculated and focused in a way that TsuYa had never remembered seeing before. The sheen of steel seemed to glow with a silver light, leaving a trail behind it — it was a glow that matched the cold, ruthless burning behind the young Sygnus’ eyes. TsuYa felt himself shiver, aghast as he watched LuShi’s blade drive straight into KoGuRai’s shoulder, exploding from his back with a spray of black blood.

The Dark Champion let out an animalistic roar, writhing on the end of the blade. His face was contorted with hate and desperation. As he glared up at the face of the young Sygnus, his dark eyes held the look of someone who saw terrible death looming over him. In a frantic move, he ripped himself off of the point of the silver sword, and a down swoop of wings carried him into the air.

LuShi gave instant chase, his expression cold and vicious. Though he didn’t have wings of his own, he leapt up the side of the crumbled stone wall without abandon.

TsuYa rounded on KoGuRai as he appeared on the door ledge, his hands tightening on the grip of his scythe. Though this seemed to be LuShi’s fight… and he knew that he had to be careful of how far he allowed the Dark Champion to manipulate his anger… he wasn’t going to pass up the chance to finish off the already wounded enemy.

“TsuYa!!” KoGuRai bellowed, rage crackling around him in streaks of red.

“Give it up, KoGuRai!” TsuYa retorted, moving forward quickly. “We’ve got you cornered! You’re not getting out of this one!”

“Augh!” He backed up a frantic step, towards the safety of the sky, only to be met with a snarling She Wolf from behind.

LuShi, too, had appeared up on the ledge, brandishing the length of his blade, dripping black with the Champion’s blood. “I’m going to send you back to your Master… just not the way you’d want to go.”

TsuYa arched an eyebrow.

The kid’s learned some class.

Then it happened, so quickly. Everything that KoGuRai did was born of desperation of his survival. One black-clawed hand lashed out, locking around the other winged man’s throat. The hostage gave a choked squeak as he was lifted straight off the ground, the Champion’s naginata poised and threatening.

“Master NaDo!” LuShi gave a hoarse shout. His voice was different now, but the quality was the same… pleading and boyish. He obviously cared a lot about the stranger.

“Don’t move!” KoGuRai hissed showing his dark fangs. “That goes for your pet wolf, too!”

Zazo paused where she had been creeping up behind. Her expression spoke volumes about not caring about sparing the life of the one, mere winged Earthian. But for some reason, she did not strike… though she didn’t look happy about being commanded.

“KoGuRai! You coward! Hiding behind hostages!” TsuYa snarled.

“All’s fair, as they say,” the Dark Champion gave a slick grin, fist tightening with an iron grip. “Now move.”

“Forget it! You’re not going anywhere!”

“You don’t have a choice,” KoGuRai’s voice was smooth as the point of the blade touched the winged man’s face.

I know he’ll do it. That’s just the sort of person he’s become…

TsuYa spat out a curse as the Dark Champion began to back step away, holding NaDo secure in the crook of his arm. LuShi, too, was still and silent. There was anger in his face. But he dared not to move.

When KoGuRai finally stood, balanced on the edge, TsuYa demanded, “Let him go!”

“So you can do what… follow me?” KoGuRai gave his gleaming smile. It left a chill over TsuYa’s body… a chill that told him something bad was about to happen. “I don’t think so.”

The Dark Champion launched upwards, wings flung wide. At the same moment, he hurled the winged man away from him, face down at the stone. Before anyone could move, the dark blade of the naginata slashed down, ripping through bone, feather and limb. A terrible cry rang out as NaDo plummeted and landed in a pool of blood on the stone. The cry was echoed by LuShi’s furious shout, which turned into a choked half sob as he rushed out towards where the broken man laid.

By the time any of them recovered from the shock, KoGuRai was gone, winging off into the dying day.

What… what happened to me..?

When KoGuRai came back to his senses, he found himself covered in blood. His first reaction was probably not befitting of the dark Champion of Zeromus. His head reeled back, body tense and contorted, and let out an air-slicing shriek of agony.

What have I done?!

He had seen it all. He hadn’t been spared one moment of gristly detail, even though his body was responding to something else that was not his own desires. He could only watch, detached and helpless, as weapon, claws and fangs tore through villager after villager.

Those men… they were running away. Retreating. They weren’t even trying to fight me.

Of course, he had wanted to escape from the cage. Of course, he had expected resistance when he finally put his plan into action. Possibly even a fight. But KoGuRai had not planned on slaughtering the people there… not after they had provided him with surprisingly hospitable amount of nourishment and healing.

What… what happened to me..?

He felt sick. Like whatever last meal he had taken from the villagers was threatening to inch its way back up his throat. But he wasn’t even allowed that luxury. Darkness still had its cruel grip on his mind. His body was only partly responding to his commands. Each second he didn’t know if it was his own… or if it belonged to something else.

-This sniveling is not befitting of you, KoGuRai.-

The cold, hissing voice filled his mind. His dark eyes rose to glare at the large, dark-skinned Esgyll that perched on a rock outcropping just a short distance away. How a creature from the Inner Realm had managed to track him down over such a long distance, KoGuRai did not know. Of course, it was not as if it was merely a mindless beast.

This one watched him with red, intelligent eyes – animated by the very awareness of his Master, Zeromus. And the voice that rang through his mind was none other than the Dark Arweinydd, communicating to him through one of his own distorted creatures.

KoGuRai had still been locked in the jaws of the cage when the Esgyll swooped down with wings of black death over the village. It had freed him from his confines and proceeded to destroy without remorse. It had flattened houses, mowed through militia and started fires from the smoking totems.

If only I could say that it was the only source of destruction.

But KoGuRai knew better. He knew that whatever dark spirit animated the huge winged monster had also seeped into his own limbs. Urged him into a bestial rage that sent him tearing through anyone that came near.

I don’t understand why those people were killed. They had nothing to do with our goals… they were just protecting what was theirs.

The Esgyll gave a low snort and a lash of its tail.

-Perhaps you don’t comprehend how this all works yet, KoGuRai. The world will learn the fate that befalls those who attempt to hinder my Champion. Anyone that dares to defy our progress will be consumed.-

A chill rushed over KoGuRai’s body as he stared back at the burning red eyes. The sick taste rose up in the back of his throat again, hanging thick in his mouth, coupled with the pressing feeling that he was sinking deeper and deeper. In over his head.

KoGuRai had never been given much of a choice about what would happen to him from the moment that he was captured and brought into Nefol. Zeromus had offered him the position of Champion, though he was never sure why, and he chose to take the position rather than become dead and mindless like the other Marked.
Things had started out fairly well, considering all that was done to him. He was the leader of the dark forces and the other Marked obeyed his commands. He was gifted with wings and enhanced physical power – speed and strength. He was promised a place as the new ruler of Nefol once the people of the Dreigiau had been dispatched. And most of all, he had been promised the hand of JouKa, the one that he longed to see again.

But something had changed over time — what had once been an honor had degraded into servitude. KoGuRai had become less of a leader and more of servant to the Dark Master’s wishes. The promises he had been given were uttered less and less as the enhancements on his body had begun to fade. Like the other Marked, decay began to show – only he was aware that he was withering away, unlike the others.

And what had happened there at the village had sealed it. His very will had been stolen. His choice taken from him. He had become, as TsuYa had told him, nothing more than another one of Zeromus’ tools for destruction.

His black eyes slid up to the dark beast. A feeling of hopelessness weighed him down. Knowing that not only had he lost his humanity… but also his dignity.

The Esgyll gave quiet, calm look, answering the swirling tempest of doubts.  -I came here in order to help you and retrieve you from your prison. I did what had to be done to preserve you against great odds — afterall, it was you versus all of this village. And the promises that I have given to you I have not forgotten. You will receive your rewards for your loyalty, KoGuRai. Do not doubt that.-

He pursed his lips, face growing solid and focused once again. There was nothing left to hold on to but what the shadows offered him.

-Now, pull yourself up. Your power has returned. You are once more whole. I have very pressing business that I need for you to attend to.-

The tone of the voice was so unusual that KoGuRai paused in the middle of his self- assessment to listen to the mind-voice of the dark beast. Though he had never really heard true emotion from the lips of the Dark Arweinydd, there was a certain quality about the statement that came alarmingly close.

Something is going on. And from the way that sounded, it must not be good.

The Esgyll intercepted that line of thought before it started. If there really was some sort of trouble going on, Zeromus certainly did not seem to want to let him know the urgency of it.

-It is nothing that I am certain you cannot handle, my Champion. Now, lift yourself up and be ready. We must find the trail of the young Sygnus again.-

“Sygnus?” KoGuRai murmured with a frown. “Is Lord Lucci here, then? In the Outter Lands?”

-Yes. He is indeed. In fact, all of those who met within the Cynosure have come through to this side. They travel not that far away from this position.-

“TsuYa?” the Champion ground his teeth, brows lowering. Then pausing, he realized something more.

JouKa. She was there. She was there and she saw me… Does that mean that she has travelled here too?

-Yes. The one that you seek has followed. However, she is meshed with those who wish to destroy you.-

KoGuRai felt something sink in the pit of his stomach again. Surely, no matter what he looked like… no matter what he had become… JouKa would remember him. She had called out his name that day at the end of the battle in the Cynosure. And the sound of it had been one of longing and pain.

“JouKa wouldn’t…” he couldn’t bring himself to voice the rest of the statement. He wanted to sound sure of himself when he spoke of her character. But it had been so long since he had last seen her. And now, she was one of the Dreigiau’s people… one of the winged people from the floating Islands.

Everything that she used to tell me. Everything that she once was. Has she really compromised it all to follow Zemi Dreigiau?

-Those are things that you will have to search to find out for yourself, KoGuRai,- came the winged beast’s cryptic answer. But if Zeromus’ goal was to reanimate his low-spirited Champion into action, he was off to a very good start.

“What do you need me to do,” the Champion pressed his lips together, slowly rising to his feet.

-As I have said, the young Sygnus is here within this land. He searches for ancient relics of the Time Before… weapons that were once used by the Sygni of long ago to battle against the Arweinydd.-

“How is that possible?” KoGuRai’s frown grew more pronounced. “Master… I thought that there was nothing of the Earthian realms that could be a threat to the Arweinydd?”

-Those who are wise… know that spoken absolutes rarely exist in actuality.-

“Hmmm..?”

-The truth is, weapons were crafted that could be wielded against us. The Sygnus boy now seeks this weapon without knowledge of the consequence of what he is about to uncover. Previously, I sent you to persuade or capture the boy. But now, the game has become more dangerous… just as Zemi orchestrated it.-

“Then, Zemi is the one that is sending Lord Lucci out to find this item?”

-I cannot see how the boy would know about its existence any other way.-

“It seems a little self-defeating to instruct a Sygnus on finding a weapon that could be used against the Dreigiau as well,” KoGuRai mused, half to himself. Then again, he had learned that the Arweinydd rarely made much sense.

-My brother is a foolhardy soul. He always has been. His reckless nature will lead to the destruction of all that we have worked for… including your precious Nefol and the one that you love.-

The Champion lowered his eyes in deep thought for a long moment. Then, he reached up both clawed hands, taking hold of the stringy flesh of the winged beast. In one sweeping motion, he was mounted upon the Esgyll’s shoulders.

“We ride. I will capture the boy-Sygnus and bring him back to you, Master,” KoGuRai said, voice low and cold. His choice had been made. There was no turning back now.

That’s not the KoGuRai that I knew…

JouKa did her best to balance along the crook of Drok’s neck, holding tight to the leather-strapped reigns as she leaned forward. They had been travelling the better part of the afternoon and despite his outward appearance, Oren was enough of a gentleman to let her ride while he walked.

All the while, Oren worked to impress her with colorful descriptions of his home town… the food… the clothes… the people. Who she would love to meet. Who would love to meet her. Curiosities about her wings… where she came from… what sort of people were in her own homelands.

She answered his questions vaguely. Entertained his attempts to impress and flatter. But her mind was always ahead of her. Somewhere else. Over and over again, she ran it through her mind. What she would say when she saw him again? How it would be? How she would act? How should she act?

How would he act…?

After twenty turns had passed and so much had come between them. Would KoGuRai recognize her still? Would he care? Or was he so lost to the power of the Marked that he was no longer anything of the person he once was?

JouKa had never felt so anxious in her life.

“Hah… there we are!” Oren finally proclaimed, motioning forward with a grand sweep of one hand.

JouKa could see the first signs of life on the horizon. Sifting smoke rose up into the air, the sign of village fires and totems in the distance. The very thing that she had been yearning to see all day. The very thing she was most afraid to face.

KoGu… are you really just over that ‘ill?

Drok had already begun to pick up the pace, making his way down the homestretch. Eager to get back home.

If I could just see ya again. Talk to ya fer a while. I’m sure that we can figure a way out of this mess. There ‘as to be something we can do… afterall, they were able to find a seal fer TsuYa…

She paused, thinking about what had happened the night before.

Well… a temporary one, at least. But it’s still something! It’s still possible?

“You’re really going to love the smoked perth, I promise you. Just you wait,” Oren chatted as he jogged along side of Drok. Then he gave a scowl. “Hey… hey… slow up now! There’s no rush, is there, Drok?”

The creature didn’t respond. It simply plunged on ahead.

“Drok??” he repeated, tone turning worried. “What’s the matter?”

“Huh?” JouKa stirred at the sound of Oren’s voice. For the first time, she realized that her mount was shivering. A reaction that was more than just eagerness to get home.

“Oh boy…” the red-haired man ground his teeth. Then with one practiced lunge, he took a hold of Drok’s fur and launched himself up the arched back, seating lightly just behind JouKa.

She turned to protest as his arms wrapped around her for a hold on the reins. But the serious expression on his face was enough to silence her. There was certainly something more going on than just a creepy guy trying to cop a feel.

“Ha! Ha!!” Oren whooped to Drok, leaning forward against her wings. Though she had very little experience riding, she instinctually leaned forward, too, allowing him to take the reins from her hands.

Drok bounded forward with very little encouragement, a sense of urgency in his gait. Trees and bushes became nothing more than a blur as they sped, the sky bobbing up and down drunkenly. Not used to the motion, JouKa eventually had to force her eyes shut, feeling a bit woozy. The smell of smoke grew thicker the closer they got. It wasn’t until they finally crested the hill that she realized that the smoke was far too dense to be from just normal village cooking fires.

“No!” Oren’s voice rumbled in her ear as he pulled his mount to a sharp stop. “NO!!”

JouKa swallowed, opening her eyes again. A chill rushed over her body as her gaze rushed over the scene below.

What… what’s happening?

The village was in flames. The cries of frightened, wounded and dying people choked the air as thick as the smoke. She could smell the pungent odor of burning flesh. Her eyes could make out the sprawled and mutilated bodies of people in the streets. Everywhere JouKa looked, there was death. Horrible, horrible death.

KoGu! Is ‘e ‘ere somewhere? Is ‘e safe?

Something within her gut turned cold.

Or did ‘e…

Oren wasted little time in urging Drok forward. With a few long bounds, they were down in the streets. JouKa couldn’t bear to look. All she could do was grip the fur with eyes clamped shut, body hunched, shaken and ill.

No. NO! This couldn’t ‘ave been…

“What happened?” the red haired man bellowed.

“The monster! The black winged monster!” cried one man as he ran past.

“What?” Oren pressed, catching the man’s grubby collar. “What about the black winged creature? Did it do this!?”

No… ‘e wouldn’t…

“Yes… yes! It got free! It just started killing everyone!” he stuttered, shivering all over. “Not even the Locks held it. There was nothing we could do! There was no way to fight it! It was just too powerful!”

“Is ‘e still ‘ere in the village?” JouKa’s voice wavered. She leaned forward trying not to seem too desperate.

“No… thank the light! Thank the light that it’s gone!”

JouKa’s eyes were watery as she stared down at the terrified man. When Oren released him, he stumbled off in a craze, dodging the bodies that littered the path back towards the forest. Then she began to search, eyes flicking over the smoldering structures. Both hoping and dreading to catch a glimpse of the dark winged shadow.

“JouKa,” a voice sounded in her ears, pulling her out of her thoughts.

Her green eyes lifted, searching the lines of pain in Oren’s face. It was the face of a man who was watching his home turn to ashes. Seeing people that he knew lying scattered. Dead. And even though JouKa had no hand in bringing about this terrible scene, she felt like she should apologize. As little as it could do for all that had happened.

I’m sorry. I’m so sorry… This was not the way ‘e used to be.

“I’m going to take you back outside. You don’t need to be seeing all of this,” his tone was solid. Serious. And JouKa realized that even in the middle of all this destruction, Oren was taking care of her. “It’s probably safer out there, for now, than in here.”

Then with a flip of his hand, he threw one of the hide-skinned blankets over her head.

“Huh?” she gave him a surprised look.

“I wouldn’t show your wings around too much. Not until we get this all cleared up.”

That made sense to her, she decided, clutching his blanket. He took her to the edge of the village clearing and gently let her down from the creature’s back. It stung to know that there was nothing that she could do. JouKa wanted to raise her voice. To tell him that she would do whatever he needed to help his people.

But before she could protest, Oren was already spurring his way through town, urging Drok down the streets. She watched them vanish into the clinging black tendrils of smoke. And realized that tears were pooling in her eyes again… and not from the stinging of the thick air.

Off to one side, she could make out the huddled forms of women and children. Frightened. Sobbing. Clinging to each other as the distant crimson of the dying flames reflected from their faces. Some cradled the broken, unmoving forms of loved ones in their arms… begging for their return.

He would have never just… murdered… not like this…

JouKa watched them, distantly sharing their misery. Her mind reeled as she fought her own tears and the sick feeling welling up within her chest. She had no right to cry. These people were the ones that had lost so much. Not her.

Why…? Why…?

Though as hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop her mind from falling back, hearing the things that TsuYa had said. The terrible things about KoGuRai… and how he was nothing more than the dark Champion of Zeromus. How he would have killed them all if he had not been stopped. How he had robbed Nefol of its leadership and sought to bring the very nation down to its knees because of hatred and bitterness.

That’s not the KoGuRai that I knew…

She hadn’t believed the things that TsuYa had said. Even though she had seen KoGuRai’s Marked form with her own eyes. She hadn’t believed a word of it until now. Now she was faced with the dying and the dead. Innocent people who lay slaughtered by his hand.

This is not… like…

But, there was no denying what her own eyes told her. No fighting against the terrible truth of what KoGuRai had become.

Have I…

The last spark of hope and light that she had carried with her, the very reason that she had journeyed to the Outter Lands to begin with, faded among the cries of despair. All of the doubts that she had fought to hold back since the first time she had seen KoGuRai’s dark winged form began to flood in. Overwhelming her.

I’ve lost ‘im…

Her hope withered. Then died.

“I wrote you a poem,” KoGuRai told her, massaging the small of her back between both hands.

They were sitting on the crest of a hill, a place where the tall grass and flowers waved back and forth, shimmering in the dream-sway. The sun filtered down through clouds that would have been impossible for reality to make. Light glowed along the crest of her neck and danced over her long white hair, giving the illusion of a soft flowing waterfall.

They had met there, in their chosen place, as often as they could manage. She would slip away from the protective circle of her Gathering. And he would make excuses to why he needed to travel from the gates on Nefol, under the pretext of finding those who might be potential students of magic. Whether anyone had wizened up to what they were doing, he didn’t know. And if someone did, he wondered if he would care.

Nothing could stop KoGuRai from coming to see her. Not even his father’s disappointed frown… which he was sure that he would earn if this aberrant behavior was discovered. It didn’t matter — he was in love with JouKa.

“I wrote you a poem,” KoGuRai told her, massaging the small of her back between both hands.

“Again?” she gave him a chiding grin. JouKa always seemed to think it was funny that he aspired to be a writer rather than a warrior. But secretly, he could tell that she was flattered.

“Yes… but I seemed to have mis-placed it on the trip here,” he answered with a grave frown.

“Then why did ya tell me about it if yer not gonna to read it ta me?” she wrinkled her nose at him from over her shoulder. “Ya always tell me about these poems I never get ta hear.”

“I don’t know. Because I hoped that it was the thought that counts?” his best winning smile broke across his face.

“You’re such a tease, KoGu,” JouKa huffed and teasingly shrugged his hand off of her back.

“I could give you the gist of what it was about?” he grinned even more. “It proclaimed your beauty and intelligence to sun and the moons and the stars.”

“Is that all?” she pouted playfully, then wrapped her arms around his neck. Leaning back against his chest, she stroked her fingers through his hair.

“Of course not! It was an epyllion that sang your adoration and wonder! Never was there a poem that graced the face of this world, and never will there be one like it again!” KoGuRai spread his arms wide to demonstrate the vastness of it all.

JouKa simply smiled and poked his nose, “And you lost it?”

He sighed.

“So tell me… when are you actually going to write me a real poem?”

“I’m working on it,” he answered truthfully. “I’ve just hit a block lately.”

“Your father again?”

“Always. He just sucks the inspiration right out of the room,” he grumbled making a slurping motion with one hand. “I swear if I hear him rag me one more time for missing practice…”

“You’ll what?” she gave him a knowing smile.

“I don’t know. All I do know is that I just can’t be what he wants me to be. But he can’t let it go,” KoGuRai shook his head. “Anything I attempted to do as a warrior would just amount to me walking in the shadows of the great JinRai. And… that’s just not me.”

“Then what is you?” JouKa tilted her head.

He took the opportunity to plant a soft, searching kiss on her lips. “This is..?”

“You are so melodramatic.” She gave a throaty laugh, but didn’t pull away.

“That’s why you love me?” KoGuRai leaned down, taking the cue to kiss her again. Words at that point, escaped the writer in him… it became a blur of touching, kissing and softly breathed phrases. Emotions… dreams… that faded into the darkness of reality.

As KoGuRai found sensation in his limbs again, he was met with something cold. Hard. Metal. Against his face. The sound of voices floated from the darkness, somewhere above him. Strange voices with thick accents. It took a moment for him to be able to decipher what they were saying. And then he realized, they were talking about him.

“What kind of creature do you think it is?”

“I don’t know… I’ve never seen anything like it before.”

“They say the black blood can burn a hole right through your flesh!”

“Aww… that’s not true,” a snort of disbelief.

“It is! I swear it is! I saw it with my own eyes,” another voice protested. “You shoulda seen what it did to Cyril when we were fighting to capture the beast! Tore straight through his hand!”

“Yeah, well, why didn’t they just slaughter the monster out in the forest? Why did they bring this cursed thing back here? It reeks to high heavens!”

“It was the Chief’s orders,” came the answer.

“Has the Chief gotten a good look at it yet?”

“I don’t know,” there was some hesitation.

“I think they’re all worried there might be more of these things out there somewhere. We don’t know where it came from, you know? So they probably figured out that if we could capture it, we could find out what is effective against it… case it has some buddies,” one gruff voice intoned.

“I still don’t think that it’s very smart. Killing it straight out would have given us just as much an answer if you ask me.”

“Well, ain’t no one asking you,” a jeer broke the conversation. “And the Chief wants to see all your ugly faces, right now. So you best break it up and get a move on.”

“Yeah… yeah… whatever.”

“Give a guy a blade and he thinks he can push the whole tribe around,” someone snuffed.

Despite the general sense of annoyance at the orders, senses told KoGuRai that the group of people was dissipating. The voices bantered and grew more distant, leaving a welcomed silence and the sound of a fire crackling somewhere nearby. He tried to lift his head, but the moment he moved, a searing pain rushed through his torso, leaving him immobilized.

“Ugh…” his voice cracked in his ears, hardly sounding like his voice at all. Pain burned through is chest in warning that he was breathing a little too hard.

Where am I…?

This time, he attempted to only move his chin, ever so slightly. Just his eyes, peering over the back of his arm. He didn’t know if it was night time or if his vision was just that blurry and impaired. It was hard to make anything out for the darkness. There were lines of cold shadow that rose up around him on every side. Something in his mind translated them into the metal bars of a cage.

The fools have captured me?

With that thought echoing in his mind, he attempted to push himself up on his palms. But, try as he might, KoGuRai found his body too weak to respond to his demands. He knew that the battle had taken a lot out of him… and that even before the attack, he had lost a lot of blood.

There’s something more to this though.

His fingers felt along the length of his arm, then down around his wrists. There he found that two heavy shackles were clamped tight against his skin. They seemed to be made of a silvery metal that reflected strangely, even in the surrounding darkness. Inspecting them, KoGuRai got the feeling of something drawing inwards… sapping his strength and power. Something that confined him far worse than the bars of a cage could.

They didn’t take any chances with me. Not that I blame them.

The muttering grumble sent another round of pain through his chest. Ignoring the aching, KoGuRai pushed himself into a slump up against the bars. It was hard to see in the darkness, to attempt to make out the damage that had been done to his already battered form.

I’ve just got to think. Think. Think. I’ve been in worse situations before. There’s got to be a way out of this.

For a long time, all he could do was lay there. Every time he attempted to focus on some means to escape, which seemed unlikely already, his mind wandered off in a feverish haze. It wasn’t until he had finally dozed back off that he heard the sound of stirring outside his cage again.

“Be careful,” a warning, female voice spoke. “I heard this was a dangerous one.”

“They’ve got it Locked, right?” a second voice asked.

“I think so. But it’s supposed to be worse than a neidr.”

“Is that possible?”

“It’s just what I heard,” came the reply. Then a low grunt. “Come on, help me with this?”

“Hold on… hold on. I’m coming,” the other voice sighed. “It figures the men go out and drag home these things… and leave them for us to look after!”

KoGuRai stirred at the sound of scuffling. His dark eyes squinted as a pale light filtered down on him, through the bars. He then realized that there had been a dark cloth draped over the outside of his cage, leaving everything in darkness. As the cloth was pulled away, two shadows were outlined against the white of the skyline.

Instantly there was a gaping gasp, “What in the eye of the flamin’ sun!?”

Then a long silence as the shadows stared down at him. He, in turn, attempted to make out their features, beyond simple blobs of darkness. A practiced admirer such as himself could easily identify the curves of a female figure, despite the blur of his vision.

“They weren’t kidding when they said they caught a monster,” one of the shadows whispered to the other after observing him for a moment.

“Yeah, it’s weird. It almost looks like it could have been a man?”

Hearing the first hints of concern to come his way in a long time, KoGuRai struggled to find his voice. Squinting against the light, he managed to hiss a single sound through his dry and swollen throat, “..bright..”

Unfortunately, it didn’t have the effect he had hoped for. One let off a yelping scream, dropping whatever she was carrying and sending things scattering all over. He groaned as the clattering sound rang sharply, paining his acute hearing.

“It talks!” she wailed.

His first instinct was to silence her shout. It probably wasn’t a good idea if the whole village knew that he possessed intelligence above that of the monster they expected him to be. But he couldn’t muster enough strength to do more than wince at the sound.

“Shhhh!!” the second figure hissed, quickly putting a hand over the first’s open mouth. “You’re going to scare it by screaming like that!”

“Scare it? You’ve got to be kidding? Look at that thing!”

KoGuRai tried to appear as unassuming as possible. He could tell by their frowns that he wasn’t being very successful. As his dark eyes began to adjust to the light, he could make out the wary faces of two young women that stared back at him.

Wow…

They were dressed in short-cropped clothing – far less covering than the girls back home would wear. One had braided, shoulder-length reddish-gold hair and the other had a shock of crimson that fell straight down her back in a tie. They both bore exotic blue-violet colored eyes and sun-freckled faces, well tanned by time spent on the warm balmy beaches.

At least if I have to be a prisoner here… the girls are pretty…?

“I think it’s watching us?” said the red-gold.

“I wonder if it can understand what we’re saying?” the other swallowed, not looking too comfortable at the thought.

KoGuRai attempted to respond, but it came out as nothing more than a long groan.

“I think he’s trying to say something?”

“Be careful,” warned the first. “Just because it can talk doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous?”

“He’s in a cage. I’ll be fine,” she replied, leaning closer to the bars. It was obvious that she was working very hard to hold her poise, coming so close to him. “Hello..?”

KoGuRai weakly raised two fingers.

“Did you see that?” the girl turned to her companion. “I really think he understands!”

“Well, ask him something?” the other didn’t look too certain.

“Okay… um…” she turned her blue-violet eyes back to the cage. “You look pretty sick. Is there something we can get for you? Do you need something?”

KoGuRai opened his mouth, a hissing sound spouting from between his lips. At first, this seemed to alarm his two onlookers, until they realized he was trying to respond. Finally, he managed to rasp, “…food… water…”

The two looked at each other, then back at KoGuRai.

“We’ve got food and water right here,” one of the girls spoke. “I’m going to put it through the bars of your cage… don’t you move, now. No coming after me when I put it down. Alright?”

He gave the slightest of nods.

She seemed to be content with his response because both of the girls crouched down to pick up the things that were dropped earlier. Apparently they were the ones that were charged to bring him his meal and water. Somewhat skittish, the girl left the bowls there, just on the other side of the bars. It took a bit of effort on his part to reach them, but when he did, the water felt so good along his swollen throat.

“What should we do?” one of the girls asked, watching KoGuRai gulp down the meal. “Do you think there’s been a mistake? Maybe he’s not a monster after all?”

“I don’t know. I think we should talk to my brother and see what he says…” the other replied.

“Yeah, maybe. I wouldn’t put it past those blasted men to lock something up before they knew what it really was,” she scowled darkly.

KoGuRai listened as they talked for a while longer, discussing the proper way of dealing with things. Though the food wasn’t the best he had ever eaten, it was far more than he had been able to get in a while. And it was possible, with time and rest, that he could heal up enough to be functional once more.

The Marked Champion hid the slight fanged smile as he watched the two girls walk away. His chances for escape had just increased exponentially.

As the first of the warriors drove down at him, the Champion rose up to full height, dropping away the robes to expose the wicked black-steel armor and Marked spikes that decorated his form.

“There it is!” came the shout of an accented voice, ringing from between the trees. “Warriors to the front! Quickly, now, boys! Don’t langor!”

Shadows of the night stretched and bowed around KoGuRai, heavy with the feeling of many people hidden among the forest trees. His senses were blurry. It was difficult to remain aware, everything hazy and drowned out by the dull ache that pained his chest and abdomen. The place where TsuYa’s fiery scythe had left its scathing blow.

Even a Marked Champion could bleed to death. This was something he was learning, very quickly. Especially now that he was far away from the Inner Realms… far away from Master Zeromus’ influence and sustenance. He was in the Outterlands and on his own in terms of survival.

I wish I had never gone through that rift. I didn’t have much of a choice… TsuYa’s coming into his own a lot faster than I was told he would.

The large-built, red-haired men of this strange land did not waste much time organizing their defenses. That was something else he was learning, very quickly.

Ingrates. And to think I even left their sniveling little friend alive.

It had been earlier that day when KoGuRai came upon the first sign of establishment in the heavy forest – a road. And eventually, travelling along the road had rewarded him with what he figured was a merchant cart. The situation being as it was, he wasn’t going to pass up any opportunity.

Still, the Champion had only attacked the red-haired traveler out of need to fill his ravenous hunger. At this point, he was hindered by his inability to hunt, due to the gaping wound he bore. Though he had robbed the traveler’s cart of anything edible, he had sent the man off with nothing more intentional than a few clawmarks over his backside.

It’s not my fault the fool nearly acid-burned himself to death trying to attack me.

Things weren’t always pleasant for others when they came in contact with the acidic Marked blood. But in KoGuRai’s experience, they had to learn from their mistakes. Rarely did they take his verbal warnings seriously. So he had given up offering them the heads up.

And now the lynch mob is here. No doubt, to flush out the “monster” in the forest.

As if on cue, a shout rang out. The men rushed down into the shadowy forest, bearing blades and torches of red flames held high. That the Marked had been spotted, he was sure of. How he was going to survive through this, he wasn’t so certain.

KoGuRai gathered up his strength, clasping his naginata between his blood-slicked hands. His senses, blurry as they were, could tell him that he was fairly outnumbered for the poor physical state he was in.

No matter how much he had tried to wrap the slice through his mid-section, nothing he had done could help mend up the wound. Everything – cloth, leaves, and any other sort of natural bandaging material — eventually eroded, ate away by the burning nature of his black blood. He hadn’t found much time to sit idle and keep pressure on the wound to help with its closing. His options were to keep moving or die of starvation.

If it wasn’t for the wound, this fight would be nothing.

All he had to fall back on was intimidation — the natural Marked Fear that he knew he could drive into the hearts of others. He could only hope that enough of the attackers would be turned to allow him to find a way to escape.

As the first of the warriors drove down at him, the Champion rose up to full height, dropping away the robes to expose the wicked black-steel armor and Marked spikes that decorated his form. Huge black wings unfurled from his shoulders, traced with crackling red energies. Dead, black eyes focused on the mob, highlighted only by the red flickers of the torches.

KoGuRai’s head reeled back, his body braced for the pain he knew that would come. He let loose a mind-shattering SCREECH. Instantly, the men closest to him buckled under the impact, floundering as if they had been struck by some great, invisible force. Some of the warriors dropped right there, dazed. Some scrambled back, struck by cold fear at the sight of the Marked Champion. A few broke the ranks and fled into the writhing tree shadows.

Seeing that his tactic to split the crowd had worked more than he could have hoped, KoGuRai sprang forward. Even with the hindrance of the bleeding gash, he knew that his enhanced strength and speed put him head and shoulders above any common village militia man.

You fools come out here to challenge me… to hunt me… to destroy me. You’ve made a fatal mistake thinking you can face me so easily.

The air parted as the scream of KoGuRai’s blade ripped through the chest of the man closest to him. The point burst from the man’s back, sending a sticky red spray in every direction, painting the forest floor red.

There was a mournful moan from the frightened onlookers and sharp barking commands from the one that thought he was in command of the situation. No one was following orders at this point. Terror had been unleashed upon the red-haired men of the Outterlands.

Nothing more than a blur of shadow and blood, KoGuRai spun into the group of men with a dance of deadly chaos. Blade and haft, metal and wood – both ends of his weapon were equally fatal in the hands of one with his strength. He tore through the ranks, leaving men devoid of weapons, limbs and life.

No mercy. No bias.

The pain of his own wound became so distant, so far away. The taste of blood was slick and salty on his lips. His animal hunger became so overpowering. Soon the battle became more than just survival for him –  it became an act of morbid pleasure. A sickly thrill, driven on by the Chaos that rushed through his form. Each swing of his blade seemed to give him new, invigorating power.

KoGuRai found himself caught up in the slaying. Unable to stop…even if he had wanted to.

No words were left in his mind. There was nothing but the sense of pleasure and pain. Nothing but the blurred faces, stricken with sweet horror as he bore down on them.

Then something large struck him from behind, sending him reeling in surprise — something that was certainly far stronger than the men of the Outterlands could be. The Champion whirled around only to be met with a second blow from a lithe, plume-tipped tail. KoGuRai found himself slammed back into the bristly trunk of a nearby tree, caught unaware. A sharp pain from his open wound shot through him, dragging him back to his senses as he crumpled to his knees.

Ugh! What… is that creature?!

More of the creatures came, filling his ears with a high-pitched keen that grated his teeth. KoGuRai couldn’t make out details of the peculiar, looming shapes as they bounded through the wavery firelight. He could only tell that they were large, covered in fur and seemed to be used as mounts for the red-haired men.

The sound of hissing surrounded him as the riders closed in. Sharp commands barked. And before KoGuRai could gather his wits to fight back, he found himself being restrained. His weapon was ripped from his hands. His wrists were lashed and bound in strange-runed cuffs. Instantly, he could feel his strength being sapped from his body.

There was the long piercing scream from one warrior as he got too near the flow of burning black blood that oozed from the Champion’s chest. The red-haired men were more cautious in handling him after that.

Exausted. Drained. Outnumbered. Overpowered. Bleeding freely.

KoGuRai couldn’t summon the strength to resist as the red-haired men dragged him through the shadows of the forests towards the red lights of what seemed to be a village below.

A hungry dangerous shadow filled the void of his eyes as he threw up his weapon, point-down, aimed to spear the warrior from above.

-Aur is sure not much of a mountain lion, is he?- Zazo scoffed as she sprung spryly from stone to stone up the face of the mountain.

TsuYa didn’t say a word. It was all he could to just to hang on to the Arweinydd’s back as they made their way further and further from the safety of the ground. If it wasn’t for the mere seconds that her feet touched the rock before the next launch, he would have considered it flying.

I’ll leave the flying to the Awakened, thank you…

Somewhere below them, he could hear the sounds of Aur as he made his best attempt to follow in Zazo’s impossible paw prints. Of course, the She Wolf was having the time of her life during this whole scenario, not a once stopping to remember exactly what they were really climbing the mountain for.

Not like I really know what we’ll find when we get there. I don’t know why LuShi would have come all this way just to get himself cornered in the mountains. There’s gotta be something here he’s after…

A particularly rough jolt sent him sprawling closer down against Zazo’s back. TsuYa gritted his teeth, pinning her sides more tightly between his knees. “Will you watch it!”

-You think too loud, Earthian. Keep quiet. You’re breaking my concentration.-

“I thought mighty Arweinydd didn’t need concentration,” he snuffed.

-Would you like to experience the sensation of free fall?- Zazo growled.

He wound his fingers tighter into her fur, “Don’t you dare!”

-Then you’d be smart not to…-

From somewhere above their heads, a bright pulse of silver light flashed brilliant into the storm-darkened sky. The mountain began to shake under Zazo’s steady strides, though the wolf continued upward, unhindered.

Aur and JouKa were not so lucky. TsuYa could hear the girl’s shout coming from below. Though he couldn’t make out her words, he could tell that the tremors were making their climb far more difficult.

“Zazo! We can’t leave them back there!” TsuYa protested.

-They will be fine. We can’t afford to lose the time,- she replied sharply.

“But…”

-We weren’t the only one that saw that light.-

Before TsuYa had a chance to ask the Arweinydd to clarify her words, a twisted shriek shattered the air over the mountainside. He reeled his head back just in time to catch the blurred dark-winged creature swoop down and vanish into the rocky cliffs above them. There was little doubt that where the monster was flying was exactly where LuShi would be.

“Crap! Esgyll!” he spat from between clenched teeth.

Zazo didn’t need anymore encouragement. She was already making her way towards the cliffs, wide open mouth showing gleaming fangs. All that TsuYa could do was lay as flat as possible to give her speed… and hang on in hopes that a mis-step didn’t send him tumbling off to the depths below.

Finally, one last great bound sent them surging over the edge of the ledge like the breaking of a huge white wave. For a moment, TsuYa felt himself lifted through the air, hovering inches above the She Wolf’s back. The next thing he knew, they were face to face with the looming dark form of the Esgyll.

“Zazo!” TsuYa’s shout was hoarse in his ears. One hand was already pulling his scythe from over his shoulder, dark eyes focused with deadly intensity on the monster before him.

Fearless, the Arweinydd shot forward, carrying him on a streak of white towards the massive shadow. His hand tightened on the haft of his weapon as it burst into a defiant deep blue flame.

With a rush of wicked exhilaration, TsuYa felt his blade carry forward and up. His strike was focused and lethal, slicing into the under-jaw of the creature as it brought its head down. Zazo’s fangs ripped into the throat, the momentum of her leap tearing a huge gash through the decayed flesh.

The Esgyll shrieked a gurgling cry as it thrashed back from their attack. The motion caught on the hook of TsuYa’s scythe, shredding the lower half of it’s maw as the warrior fought to pull it away. For a moment, TsuYa felt himself knocked from his mount. But one deft turn of the She Wolf in mid air caught him before he could fall.

As if the huge winged monster meant nothing to her at all, Zazo leapt past the writhing form, towards what looked to be two huge doors in the side of the mountain. All sorts of runes and writings were lit up along the pillars that made up the threshold. But they were moving so fast that TsuYa didn’t get a chance to see anything else before the shadows of the chamber beyond filled his vision.

Where are we going? That thing’s not dead yet!

-Then we’ll give Aur a little present once he gets up here. There are more dangerous things to deal with.-

The intensity of the She Wolf’s tone told him to sit down, hold on and shut up. So he did. It didn’t take long before TsuYa understood exactly what she was talking about. A deep, choking darkness rose up before them in the heart of the mountain, spreading with dark wings that blocked out the silver glow of the chamber ahead. Wings that were familiar… and slightly transparent.

“KoGuRai!” TsuYa hissed between bared teeth.

Though his voice was low, the Champion still seemed to hear. KoGuRai’s head turned, misshapen face appearing to TsuYa’s vision. The darkness behind his eyes had grown more intense, more unstable… almost neurotic in nature. An animalistic snarl broke over his lips as his focus fell completely upon the young warrior.

A soft cry echoed through the chamber, drawing TsuYa’s attention away from his rival. For the first time, he noticed that LuShi was there, struggling against the powerful grip of the winged creature. Though the boy Sygnus was tall, KoGuRai seemed to possess far more strength. LuShi had nearly been pulled off of his feet in the confrontation, but so far, he seemed unharmed.

We got here in time.

-Naturally.-

Hands tightened around the grip of his scythe, TsuYa sprang at full speed from the back of the She Wolf. For once, he could feel Zazo’s astonishment instead of it being the other way around.

-What are you doing!-

This one is mine… stay out of it, Zazo!

-You are insane, Earthian! He is the Champion of Zeromus… you cannot beat him by yourself!- Zazo wheeled about, snapping at him with her teeth as if to catch him and pull him back.

We’ll just see about that.

Dark eyes glittering as he met KoGuRai’s equally dark gaze, a slow smirk broke over TsuYa’s face. For years, the Apprentice had to sit by and bite back the frustration and disgust he felt at KoGuRai’s near-treasonous tendencies in Nefol. So many times had there been something shady or something a little off… usually aimed at taking out the well being of SoYa. Usually aimed at redistributing the power from those who should rightfully rule the School.  And now, TsuYa was finally getting the opportunity to repay all the treachery.

I’m going to enjoy every second of this.

The Champion threw LuShi roughly against the nearby pillar and drew his weapon with a low growl. His dark wings stretched wide over his head as he stalked towards his rival, blade held low and ready to strike.

“You honestly think you have any chance against me, TsuYa?” KoGuRai snarled, a twisted glower covering his face. “You don’t even have your Daddy’s wings yet, little boy.”

“I don’t need wings to rip yours to shreds,” TsuYa sneered in return, crouching low and watching the motion of his opponent’s blade carefully.

“My… are we arrogant,” the Champion’s voice was smooth and taunting. “Just because you’re growing into your Marked powers… doesn’t mean you can take me on.”

TsuYa choked.

Growing into my what…?!

“Why, TsuYa… didn’t you know?” there was a gleam of victory in KoGuRai’s dark, soulless eyes. “You don’t believe that Master Zeromus’ power will be turned forever by a worthless little enchanted trinket.”

“Shutup! Like I’d believe anything that you’d say!” TsuYa spat, making the first strike.

His scythe whistled through the air far faster than he even believed possible, a burning blue flame trailing behind. As the naginata rose up to catch the blow, sparks of blue and sickly red-black exploded between the two weapons.

“You’d only be fooling yourself,” the Champion intoned in an offhand way. He was far stronger than the warrior could have imagined. “Especially since now, Master Zeromus’ power is growing. How long do you think you have before you will bow to him… and to me…”

“FORGET IT!” a cry of fury broke from TsuYa’s throat as he began to swing, blow after blazing blow. A heated anger rushed through his limbs, carrying his blade forward with a blinding speed. Suddenly, he found himself matching the Champion’s strength, strike for strike, even knocking the startled-faced KoGuRai back with a few of the more focused blows.

KoGuRai didn’t respond in words, though the sounds that issued from between his black teeth were ones of wonder and frustration. No more banter came from his side of the battle as he found all his concentration bent to hold his ground against the wrath of the relentless scythe.

-Well… well… you’ve got more to you than I thought, Earthian.-

The runes that spread over the floor began to flash and respond as TsuYa pressed the winged creature back into the center of the chamber. They dimmed the moment that KoGuRai stepped near them only to be relit with a brilliant blue, angry light as TsuYa claimed the ground. Sparks rained across the room as time and again their weapons clashed. Energy crackled around their two forms, exchanging blows that went unseen by the normal eye.

A powerful sweep of the scythe sent a stream of blue flame straight over KoGuRai’s shoulder, through one wing. Where TsuYa expected to be met with the resistance of feathers and bone, he found nothing but a ripple of darkness that parted… then drew back together again. The warrior’s dark eyes narrowed as he drew in a sharp breath of realization.

“Your wings…” TsuYa hissed. A twisted smile broke over his face, accenting the Mark on his cheek with the glow of blue from below. “They’re not really real.”

“Don’t be foolish!” KoGuRai snapped, reeling back from the words. That’s all that was needed to gage the truth. “My wings were a gift from Master Zeromus himself!”

“Just an illusion,” the warrior snorted. “Boy does he have you strung along with his pretty offers…”

“They’re REAL!” the Champion’s voice rose up in furious intensity. He was nearly frothing at the mouth, flecks of dark spittle dotting his lips as he hissed.

Man… he’s touchy about this. He should have never let me know.

“What a poser,” TsuYa taunted with an off-handed flip of one wrist. “You and all your talk of controlling this or that. I bet you’re not even a real Champion.”

KoGuRai gave a wild shriek, wings spreading vast over TsuYa’s head. A hungry dangerous shadow filled the void of his eyes as he threw up his weapon, point-down, aimed to spear the warrior from above. The motion was so unexpected that TsuYa found himself twisting in a desperate attempt to throw up a defense against the blow. Something told him that it wasn’t going to be fast enough.

“KoGuRai!!!” a high, frightened voice screamed out the Champion’s name.

And just like that, it all ground to a complete stop.

Bathed in the soft light of the pillar runes, JouKa stood in the doorway. Her own wings were spread, a hint of terror in her face as her green eyes drank in the scene within the chamber. One hand grasped at the stone of the pillar as if her legs were threatening to give way on her from the shock of it all. There seemed to be tears in her eyes… something TsuYa had rarely, if ever, seen since he had met her.

“Jou…Ka..?” KoGuRai stammered with a strangled sound. His face was turned towards her, an expression of distress and dismay. The weapon still remained upraised in his hand, but all thoughts to strike had completely flown from his head.

“RRRRRAHHH!!” TsuYa’s battle shout broke the stillness of the room.

It didn’t matter how they knew each other. It didn’t matter what was going on between them. All that mattered was that KoGuRai, his enemy, was standing prone in front of him. And he wasn’t going to pass up this chance to make his strike.

JouKa gave a sharp cry as she saw the flash of the dark scythe slash upwards.

The Champion reeled back with a choking gasp as a spray of black burst from his midsection. He stumbled, slipping on the slick floor, straight back onto one of the pulsing tiles. Unlike the other tiles, this one didn’t go dim upon his touch. Instead, it lit up with a brilliant flash… and when the light faded, KoGuRai was gone.