Crossover II: Heir to the Dragon Throne

Crossover II: Heir to the Dragon Throne

By Sayahn Mudd

Prologue:

The Best Laid Plans

Talia’s POV

I walked through the dusty road of Demon’s Pass, when a series of visions hit me. I saw Chad and I fighting side by side against the Acolytes and Lord Razor. I saw him die and the dark presence over me lifted and I blinked my eyes, astonished. Suddenly the darkness took over and I returned to normal. I clenched my fist and hissed, I would not turn back. Suddenly, my apprentice, Kendall appeared by my side, falling into step. Kendall was not unlike me, she had her raven hair tied back in a ponytail and her cape was midnight blue like her eyes. Unlike her however, I had recently connected my two swords to a chain that allowed me to use them like whips. I allowed myself a break from normal fighting and keep an opponent on the defensive. Kendall initiated the conversation,

“When will we begin our plan?”

“When all the pieces fall into place.”

“Lord Razor is an extremely accomplished telepath. He will know of our assassination attempt.”

“He will never know. He is too busy planning how to turn Chad. He thinks that telling him the truth about his family will cause him to turn.”

“So it’s true! Then, they are brothers!”

“Yes. They are kin, but not the kin of the prophecy. That honor belongs to I.”

“Who is your father? The Demon Lord?”

“Yes.”

“Gengatros is your—“

“Keep it down!”

“He is your father? Then were you and Chad raised by two Tevalda?”

“Somehow the Tevalda got wind of the prophecy and my adopted parents were sent to recover us. We were kept in the dark even since.”

Suddenly I heard a swishing sound and several Tevalda landed all around us. I pulled one of my many masks out of my robe and slipped it on, my powers gaining a boost from the demon magic inside it. I began leaking blue and black energy and I leapt at the group of Tevalda with Kendall at my side. We sliced through them all with little difficulty. Suddenly my brother’s apprentice, Tammy landed in front of us. Kendall charged,

“I’ll take her Master! Gentura SENSHO!”

Her black energy raced towards the girl and she had to block it with her sword. She eventually fought through it, but by that time Kendall was already behind her,

“Gentura Tenza!”

Tammy barely dodged the ball of energy and Kendall was right on top of her when she landed in the air. Kendall punched her downwards and she plummeted towards earth while Kendall pursued. Suddenly she drew something off of her back. It looked like a bow! It seemed like I saw the scene in slow motion as she loaded the bow with her energy and fired, hitting Kendal from point blank range. The explosion was huge. I stared upwards in shock as Kendall came falling to earth. Suddenly she righted herself and plunged back into battle, coming level with Tammy. She pulled out her own mask and slipped it on,

“I guess I won’t have to hold back now. FIRST RELEASE!”

Her energy surged and concealed her for a second. When it cleared, her wings had appeared. Tammy’s eyes widened in surprise and she chuckled. I watched as Kendall put her sword out to the side and black energy erupted from it. She swung it back and then leapt forward ramming her sword into Tammy’s. The Tevalda grunted and yelled,

“Time to skip the BS. DEN-HAZO. FINAL RELEASE!”

Tammy transformed into an orange and black dragon-woman and quickly turned the tables on Kendall. My apprentice dodged 6 brutal swipes but was caught in the stomach by her kick, which sent her flying. I leapt up and attacked with my double swords. Tammy blocked my attacks with little difficulty and then Kendall rejoined me. We doubled teamed her, but she pulled out another sword. I ducked as she spun around and around, forcing us to Kaldi away. Her yellow eyes focused on us and then she fired a blast of orange energy from her mouth, lightning fast. While Kendall jumped over it, I barely dodged by leaning to the side and charged her. I met two strikes and then was knocked downwards by the strength of her next blow. I hit the ground digging my hand into the ground to slow my slide backwards. While Tammy was preoccupied with Kendall I charged up a spell,

“Kensai-Delata! Obliterating Flame!”

The ball of energy fired from my hand, but Tammy used Kendall to shield her from the blast by tricking her into shooting a beam of energy at her, which she blocked into my spell. The explosion hit Kendall and threw her forward, luckily she was able to grab Tammy’s face and slam her into the ground while falling. Tammy kicked her off, shook her head and glared at us as I rejoined Kendall. Tammy suddenly cocked her head, smirked and Kaldied away after saying,

“You guys actually woke me up. Imagine my surprise when I go to investigate a pair of Order of Supreme Chaos Acolytes and it turns out to be a General and her apprentice. Well I’ve enjoyed our little battle and I’ll make sure we continue. Check ya later.”

With that she disappeared and Kendall and I began to let our fatigue show. I couldn’t activate my release because the mask took all of the energy.  I quickly drained some plants and animals of their energy and replenished myself. With a nod to Kendall, we Kaldied back to Demon Mountain to tell Lord Razor of their scouting mission and our success in planting the tracking device.

Chapter 1:

The Battle for the Demon-Gate

Camille’s POV

I ran along the cliff towards the sounds of battle, my blood pumping. I slid down the face of the cliff and started running again. The sounds grew louder and explosions began dotting the landscape. I ran through my battle mantra and Kai-Dela’s calming influence settled over me. I began to glow and my First Release activated without my power word. Several Assassins attacked, blinking into view in front of me. I drew my sword, its blue blade glinting in the early morning light. I blocked one slash, used my momentum to kill another and used a spell to kill the rest. Suddenly I reached the battle, Tevalda and Acolytes fighting all around me. I fired off several spells and hacked through all who opposed me. Kai-Dela subtly guided my movements making me dodge and slice faster. Suddenly a spell hit the ground right next to me and hurled me into the air, killing some other Tevalda. I saw who was firing them off and growled. A contingent of Spellcasters had arrived. My sword carved bloody arcs through my enemies and I activated my Final Release Second Form. I reached them and they fled before my blade. I felled them all and turned back to the battle at hand. I teamed up with Brianna in her Final Form and we landed, slicing and slashing through the masses. Brianna yelled,

“GENTURA TENZA!”

I added my own energy to the ball and it exploded in a flash of silver and purple. We leapt towards a group of mounted Acolytes that were sweeping in from the west. Brianna took the lead running towards the cavalry, sword outstretched a snarl on her face. We leapt back and forth in front of each other covering each other’s movements. Brianna spotted the Commander and I nodded to her,

“Go get her.”

She ran off, moving like a whirlwind vowing to kill her if it was the last thing she did.

Brianna’s POV

I swept past the Commander and her usually passive face betrayed a flicker of fear as our eyes met. My sword flew over her head as she ducked and pushed me away. I turned and skidded backwards settling into a ready position as she drew her double-sided scimitar. I flew towards her and swung at her legs. She lazily blocked my strike and retaliated ferociously driving me backwards with sweeping strikes. I sidestepped her final chop and used my barbed tail to smack her into a wall. She growled and slipped a mask on over her pale skin and yellow eyes. Her energy swirled and undulated and her eyes turned white. She swung her sword and a wave of energy swept towards me. I countered it with one of my own and the energy pushed against each other. I added more energy to my wave and it pushed all of hers away. I flew forward through the smoke and struck again. She parried my midair attacks and did a handspring backwards, kicking me in the process. I flew into the air but recovered and dive-bombed her, sending her flying with the force of my strike. I charged again, striking from all angles. She was barely able to parry my blows and ended up retreating even further. I gained great speed in catching up to her and drew parallel, sending her flying with a mighty spinning kick. She righted herself and dodged my next cut. I tried to hit her with my tail but she spun gracefully out of the way. She cried out,

“FINAL RELEASE!”

She became a black dragon-woman with white tattoos and her sword began to glow. She raced towards me and her sword slammed into mine. She flew towards the ground still pushing my sword back. I grabbed her by the face and threw her into the ground. She landed in a crouch and raced to intercept me. I tried to flip around, but she pulled a tombstone and slammed me into the ground headfirst. I saw stars and there was a pounding sensation in my head. My demon-spirit, Ragnora quickly Kaldied to the top off a cliff and cleared my head. I silently thanked her and waited for the Commander. She appeared at the edge of the cliff and flew towards me, energy from her sword flying out behind her. I slipped under her slash, spun and with a mighty yell, slashed her in half. She dissolved into shadow, as all demons do and I clenched my fist. My power was growing; I was almost there.

Camille’s POV

After I finished dealing with more cavalry, I saw Lord Razor and my eyes narrowed. Kai-Dela spoke to me,

“Let us end this.”

“FOR MASTER EDAL!”

            I dove upwards and attacked him driving him backwards. He backpedaled and I followed him slashing relentlessly. He Kaldied away and laughed,

            "So, your combat abilities have grown. This should be fun. KANSHI! SECOND RELEASE!"

            A whirlwind of black energy flew up around him and all I could see were his red and yellow eyes. When the energy and smoke cleared, he had grown wings and his sword became a double-sided scimitar. I noticed the Sword of Chaos was on his back. Nonetheless I charged him, moving like quicksilver, slashing and stabbing as fast as I could. His smile soon faded and became a frustrated grimace. I pressed my advantage by blasting him in the stomach with a beam of energy. It sent him flying and I flew after him swinging my sword,

"GENTURA SENSHO!"

He righted himself,

"Gentura Tenza."

The two energy attacks slammed into each other creating a smokescreen that he charged through smashing me to the ground. I hit the ground, bounced and landed in a crouch, skidding backwards. Several Acolytes attacked me and I dispatched them with little difficulty. I jumped over Lord Razor's thrown sword and was blasted by a spell. I Kaldied from my position on the ground into the air where I drew my energy bow, "ZENDAKAE!" A thousand arrows blasted him and I smirked as the fireball expanded, killing several other Spellcasters. He waved his hand and the smoke dissipated, strands of smoke still coming from his clothes, making him seem like he came up from the pits of Hell. Lord Razor charged and I became frozen, paralyzed by the look in his eyes. Suddenly Chad appeared in front of me and stopped Lord Razor’s swing with his finger. My breath stopped in my chest as he turned to me,

“You ok?”

I nodded, and he gave me a small smile. Suddenly Lord Razor leapt backwards with a slash mark across his chest Chad’s sword was outstretched and blood was dripping off of it, in fact, it was absolutely coated in blood. I leapt over his head and attacked with a downward slash, which broke his mask. For the first time I saw his face and I must say I was taken aback. He was at most 17 with golden eyes and turquoise hair, which was pulled back into a ponytail. I saw Chad land next to me and he drew in a breath,

“I know you…”

“The pictures?”

“How did you know about those?”

“I know way more about your house than you think.”

“Tell me what you know!”

“Another time, my friend.”

He turned around and began to walk away. Chad ran after him,

“HEY, GET BACK HERE! TENDA!”

A rectangle of red energy surrounded him, stopping him from walking any further and he turned around. I watched in shock as he closed his eyes. He opened them suddenly and the rectangle shattered into little fragments, which then dissipated into nothing. I swung my sword,

“GENTURA SENSHO!”

The wave of energy hit Razor and exploded but only his arms were burnt. He sighed and snapped his fingers. Suddenly a hooded girl appeared by his side. He gave her the Sword of Chaos and she attacked, pulling a mask out and putting it on. Her black energy was so powerful and both Chad and I had to cover our eyes as to not be blinded. Suddenly I heard Chad cry out,

“ARRRRGH!”

I opened my eyes to see Chad flying backwards and the girl’s arm outstretched in a palm position. She spun and kicked me, sending me flying backwards into a mountain. She Kaldied towards me and I blocked her next slash, my sword shaking under the pressure. I pushed her back and sped downwards fleeing as Chad came to help. He punched her but she recovered quickly, sword whipping past his face. I saw Sam fire off a Banshudo, which hit the girl, exploding and sending her flying. I swung twice and pursued as she fled higher. She turned and fired a beam of energy at me from her hand. I rolled to the right, still coming on. The beam slammed into the ground and the fire hurled me higher. I swung left, right, left, down, up, left, right, and finally a two-handed power chop. My final blow sent her flying downward into Chad’s elbow. She coughed up blood on impact and fell to the ground. I sped downwards, using Chad as a slingshot, to go faster. Suddenly, Lord Razor Kaldied in front of me and swung. The only thing I could do was block and the force of the strike sent me flying upwards. He then Kaldied behind me and slammed me downwards I hit Chad and we both hit the ground with enough force to pulverize the rocks around us. We both glared upwards as the girl returned to Lord Razor and they stood side by side. I looked at Chad,

“Combined Sensho on three.”

“Right. One…”

“Two…”

“ THREE! GENTURA SENSHO!”

“GENTURA SENSHO!”

Our silver and red energy swirled around and combined, racing towards the two of them. They were both hit head on and the energy exploded. When the smoke cleared, I saw the girl falling to the ground and Lord Razor racing after her. He caught her and looked at us,

“Most impressive, perhaps we’ll finish this later.”

Then they were gone.

Chapter 2:

The Party

Chad’s POV

         I stepped out of my car, a black Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG and looked around out of the dark lenses of my Ray Ban’s. I spotted Camille and Zora standing with Kuyo and Sam off to the side of the building. I closed the door and let the valet park it in the underground complex. I showed my ID to the bouncer at the door and stepped into Young Angels, handing off $30. Yes, that Young Angels: he one in LA, the one that we all decided to go to so we could take our minds off the war. As we walked in, the Cupid Shuffle came on and I started to move, rocking to the music. I spun around several girls that I recognized from my hip-hop class. They followed my lead as we began a dance routine that we learned in class. I slid to the right, spun to the left and made a wave with my body. We slid to the left, spun right, and did the same thing. Then we followed the directions of the song. One of the girls spun on her head while the chorus came on. Her other friend, Cameron Shepard began dancing really close to me and we were almost touching. I slid my hand down her side and pushed her hair back with my other hand. She draped her arms around my neck and we kissed. We both new it was just for this moment, but it was still amazing. My brain nearly shorted out, but we spun away from each other and began our other moves like the fluid robot, babyfreeze and I pulled off the handless Worm. As soon as the song was over and we struck our final pose, Gangnam Style came on. We all began freestyle dancing. I spun like Michael Jackson, and began moonwalking. The kids went crazy and Camille spun into my arms .I held her close too and then as the chorus came we began doing the Gangnam Style. We integrated ourselves into the crowd as someone turned on a video camera. I didn’t want to be spotted on YouTube and have Young Angels be compromised. It was only at the end where we came back to the front to have the final pose. I held Camille’s leg up and she wrapped her arm around me and I had my arm around her waist, like on of those Salsa moves. Kuyo requested Yeah by Usher and the boys and girls had a dance off. Kuyo went first and broke out some serious breakdancing. Another girl matched him almost move for move. She couldn’t pull off the headspin and the six-point-circle. Several other kids went and started doing the dougie and shuffling, one even did the Charleston Shuffle. The girls tried to do that but didn’t quite get it right. The music got low and I began walking forward doing the Gorilla real low. I was in the middle of the when the song stopped for a second and when it came back on with a bang, I jumped upright and began going crazy. No one could match my Michael Jackson impression and the DJ started yelling,

“GO! GO! GO! GO! GO! GO!”

The boys all did a final pose and we got right up the faces of the girls. They returned the favor and I was nose to nose with Cameron. Finally, my favorite song, Cinderella Man, by Eminem came on. I grabbed a proffered mic and began to rap the entire song. I was just venting and the kids went wild. They cheered as I took a bow and Kuyo clapped me on the back. I looked at Sam and she was laughing her head off with a couple of other girls and winked when she saw me. I smirked in a “Come and get me” way and began dancing in the middle of a crowd of girls and let’s just say the night got crazy from there.

Chapter 3:

Almost Normal

Chad’s POV

My eyes snapped open and I bolted upright, clawing at the air. I found myself in my bedroom with my computer still open on my nightstand. I looked blearily over and saw that it was May 12, 2014 7:06 AM. I turned off my alarm, which was set to 7:15 AM, and rolled out of bed. I walked past my sister’s unoccupied room and felt a stab of pain in my chest, for the 2 years that she’d been missing. The 2 years that Razor had eluded me, the 2 years that I killed more than a million Acolytes, Elites, Heavies, and Generals. I saw myself in the mirror staring at my body after taking off my shirt and throwing in the hamper. I had a number of tribal tattoo’s on my right arm and several scars on my chest from wounds that I refused to fully heal with magic. My 10-pack glistened with sweat from my waking dreams and my thoughts went to my last excursion at the beach with Camille. Zora, Kuyo and Sam. It seemed forever ago even when it was only last week. I “saved” Camille from a shark even though she could have roasted it to a crisp by herself. I held her in my arms as I walked out of the ocean and she pressed her head to my chest. Instantly, Kuyo snapped a picture and posted it to Facebook. She kissed me later on and Kuyo somehow got a picture of that too. That guy was a master of stealth; I sometimes wondered how he did it. I smiled to myself and hurried down the stairs, putting on a jacket. I stepped outside, having the cold air wake me up. I then went inside, making a quick breakfast of eggs, bacon, and a bagel. I washed that down with a cup of French Vanilla coffee, went to shower and got dressed. I then picked up my bag and set off for the bus stop, passing by a Starbucks and getting another coffee. I put my hood up and walked up the steps of the bus, heading for the back. The kids a shrunk from me as I looked around at them. I saw Sam and I tossed a quick smile her way. She blushed and waved, turning away quickly. The day seemed to be starting off normally, almost. The bus lurched forward and I fell into my seat. I pulled out my iPod and turned on Forever by Red and started softly singing to myself. I stayed like this the entire ride, flipping through songs until I found Bring the Ruckus by Manafest and began rocking out in the back seat, playing the air guitar and drums. The bus slid smoothly to a stop and I stepped off and just when I was turning towards the gate, I was slammed up against the wall. I looked up and glared into the face of my long-time archenemy,

          “Clive. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?”

         “You know what I want worm.”

         “Sorry. Not happening, this ain’t lunch money.”

         He leaned and leered at me, “Well then we’ll just have to take if from you!”

He reared back and tried to punch me but I caught his arm and flung him to the pavement. The song had just got to the chorus, which goes like this,

“You can try but you won’t take me down. I’m standing on my ground, as all the fear in side me fades away. You can try to get a reaction, but your no distraction to me. Bring the ruckus to me!”

During all of this I was taking down all of his friends who came at me. Clive got up and his cronies, who were hanging back after their beating, moved forward and surrounded me. I leapt at one of them, slamming my outstretched hand into his solar plexus. He went down with a sharp outtake of breath and I used my momentum to spinning kick another into the wall where he stayed down. Another grazed me with his punch and I released a barrage of strikes to his body. After kicking another, I then flipped over another guy and punched him into the fence. By this time all of the kids were watching as I backhanded another and knocked him out cold. Suddenly I heard a whistling sound and I rolled left, dropping my bag as a steel pipe flew by my head. Before I knew what I was doing I had charged up a spell in my hand,

“Kensai-Delata! Obliterating Flame!”

I was about to release it when I saw that is was only Clive. He stopped up short, skidded to a halt and reared back to punch me but I merely ducked to the side and rammed my knee into his stomach. He went down with a crash and I looked down at him,

“And stay down.”

With that, I turned, picked up my bag and walked through the gate. The kids parted before me and Sam ran up,

“Dude! That was amazing! You didn’t even use your powers! Where did all that come from?”

I looked over at her on this last one,

           “Where do you think that came from?”

           She looked away and said,

          “Sorry. I miss her too you know.”

          Camille joined us and we sat down in our first class, Human Development IV.  Our teacher, Mr. Benson, droned on and on about how our bodies are developing and how they want to get with another body. I nearly fell asleep. His voice made some people bring a pillow so that they could just fall forward and not hurt themselves on the hard desks. I briefly took notes and then drew a picture of my fight against Zel-Nama. It looked like to identical male twins glaring at each other. The encounter with Zel-Nama had haunted me. The prophecy wasn’t very descriptive and it alluded to some kind of connection between Razor and I. It sounded like I was… related to him. That was it. I was his kin! I was his, son or cousin or brother. Unfortunately Zel-Nama wouldn’t give me any answers, so I was technically on my own. My next class was Geometry and I slumped into the second row, staring at my teacher as he passed out a test. Zel-Nama proceeded to give me all of the answers and I handed in my test and turned on my iPod, flipping to Ima Boss Remix by Meek Mill. I had taken to listening to music a lot lately and I found that it helped me to cope. The chorus came on I and I replayed my encounter with Zel-Nama. As I got to the part where I had reached the clearing I realized that I could have reached it and Zel-Nama couldn’t have stopped me. It was my choice in the end. As I realized this the bell for History rung and I gathered up my stuff as Run This Town came on. I began dancing in the hall and my friends joined me as I pulled out my headphones and the song rang out. Camille began singing Rihanna’s part and we all backed up as she began dancing. We shuffled and slid down the hallway and as the song ended,

            “SUP!”

            “That was interesting gentlemen and lady.” Our teacher Mrs. Hopkins walked into the room and sat in her seat, surveying us over the top of her bifocals. She pointed at the blackboard,

            “Today be will begin talking about Tevalda” She took a breath as I froze, “The European culture is filled with triumphs and tribulations but none are greater than their mass conquest of the Spirit World. In 1776, the Kind of England wandered through a portal into another world while traveling in Africa. After frantically backpedaling, he sent a team of adventurers into the portal, including Chad’s great-grandfather. They of course defeated Kalakoz the Dragon-Man, who happened to be the Guardian of the Dragon-Gate at the time, and they became the first Tevalda. The United States discovered another portal in the middle of the Arizona Desert and they began sending people through. Unfortunately the dragons, dragon-men and the other inhabitants of the Old World didn’t want the Unchosen populating their home. They rose up in a great horde and wiped the UN and World Coalition forces from the face of the battlefield. But not all died. The dragons saw fit to inhabit the minds of some of the surviving soldiers and gifted them with super-human powers. They became some of the first Tevalda. As you know, the Europeans had already gotten there.”

She looked up at my shocked face, “Didn’t realize that the new textbooks were up to date, did you? The government released all of these files when you revealed your power Chad.”

I stared at her,

            “You tried to invade the Old World? How stupid are you? There are things you will never know in there, secrets that must never be revealed. If you tamper with the Old World, you will die. You have no business with what we do.”

           Sam was at my shoulder as well as Camille and we’re glaring at the class. Our energy was beginning to rise dangerously and Mrs. Hopkins put her hand ups in a pacifying gesture. The bell rang and I telekinetically grabbed my stuff and stormed out. As I went, I heard Mrs. Hopkins trill to us,

           “Remember to research the Dragon-Gates and the Tevalda!”

Yeah, almost normal.

Chapter 4:

The Heir

           I swept outside parking myself on the bleachers and taking a perfectly round indigo stone out of my pocket and holding it up, a portal opened up and Ralph’s face appeared,

           “Yes Master?”

           “Ralph. Make sure no humans can get through any of the portals. Have armed forces at every entrance. I want no one getting in!”

          “Yes Master.”

          The portal disappeared and I turned furiously as Clive and about 15 kids came up behind us,

          “You wanna get beat up again Clive?”

      “Against 16 people? I doubt you could win. Especially when we have government Tevalda on our side!”

      Suddenly he and the others transformed and drew their katana’s. I watched dumbfounded along with the other kids as Clive laughed. I pushed all the other kids inside the school and as I turned, caught Clive’s sword and kicked him over me. I then transformed and drew my black katana as Sam and Camille drew theirs.

“What the hell is a Government Tevalda?”

Clive laughed, “Heh, didn’t you know? Seven of your Tevalda were spies for us. They are the government Tevalda. They were employed by the CIA to spy on the Tevalda and to keep a tab on your actions, see if there’s any use for you.”

Sam was glaring daggers at him, “And your verdict is?”

Clive put up his hands, “Hey beautiful. Don’t be like that. We’re doin’ this for the good of the people.”

Camille scoffed, “It would be better for the people if you left us alone!”

Clive’s right-hand man, Jason, spoke up, “We’ve decided to wage war on your stupid Kangandi. I hope you’re happy. You have made yourself way too dangerous. No, you’re not a public enemy, but we know of you and are prepared to take you out.”

I glared at them as they leaped in action and I blocked several rapid strikes. With a slash, I cleared them off and killed a few of them. I recognized several of Clive’s friends and turned away to fend off some others. Sam charged up, her sword glowing yellow

“Enough of this crap Gentura…SEN-ACK!”

She went flying as Clive kicked her down the length of the court and she hit the wall with a boom. I dodged one of his punches but was kicked in the chin by another goon. I bounced off the ground and Kaldied to get away from the middle of the fight. He followed me and aimed a punch. I Kaldied to the side and swung my sword, but he caught it and kicked me into the ground. He then raced down at me and grabbed my face, flying through trees and houses, using me as a battering ram. We smashed through people’s walls and I could hear their cries of outrage. He finally threw me into a mountain and dove forward, trying to pin me to the wall.  I caught his sword and looked up at him as my energy began to build. I growled,

“You’ve had your fun. Now it’s MY TURN!”

I punched him so hard that he flew back to the school. I then punched him into the ground. Camille was still down there and I yelled out,

“Mundaka! Lightning Strike!”

I bolt of red lightning flew from my sword and hit Clive. Unfortunately it didn’t kill him. Sam leapt back into the fray and yelled,

“BANSHUDO!”

Everyone except Clive was killed and he glared at Sam before disappearing and with a swish of air, and wounding both Sam and Camille. I blocked his strike, giving Camille enough time to stab him. His eyes widened and he slumped to the ground. I looked at the others and said,

       “The school has been compromised. From now on we never return here unless absolutely necessary.” They nodded and I drew a circle in the air with my sword, slashing it in half, opening a portal, which we stepped through. I saw guards hurry forward, spells activated, but they snapped to a salute as they saw me. Kuyo, having been promoted to Captain of the Guard met me with a grim smile,

          “Efficient, no?”

          “Very good.”

          “Then you’ll approve of a permanent station here?”

“Yes.”

“Thank you.”

Brief exchanges were all that we really had time for; urgent matters of war preparations interrupted everything else. Several battles had broken out over the span of a few weeks, catching us unprepared. Each battle was increasingly desperate. While our forces hadn’t suffered any loss of life, our healers were worn thin. Zora had taken a huge blow while assassinating Razor’s 3^rd in Command and was barely clinging to life. I walked to the sick bay to visit her and found her sitting up in her bed,

“Hey, Chad!”

“Zora. Glad to see your sitting up.”

“I can actually get up and move around. I just feel like being lazy. I never knew Ralph was so good at healing.”

“He’s definitely something special.”

She sensed my disquiet and locked eyes with me,

“What happened? Your school isn’t even over.”

“It’s been compromised. The world knows of our existence, we can’t possibly go back unless it’s necessary.”

She gasped, “ How do they know? It’s a secret!”

“The CIA and FBI and just the government in general.”

“Well we’re not letting them get in are we?”

“Hell no.”

Suddenly a courier ran in,

“Sir! There’s an assassin in the courtyard!”

“I’ll deal with him.”

I turned and strode towards the door when the couriers words stopped me.

“Sir, it’s a her!”

I ran to a balcony overlooking the courtyard where the Masters of the Kangandi had surrounded a lone girl with a hood and a death’s head mask. She looked up at me and her eyes haunted me. One was turquoise and one was moss colored. Both were cold and calculating. Suddenly, it hit me, this was the girl that was at the Battle for the Dragon-Gate. I leaped over the railing and drew my sword, whose sheath I had moved to my hip, landing in a crouch,

“No one help me, just make sure she doesn’t escape.”

I then leveled my sword at her,

“Who are you, and why are you here?”

In response, she drew her sword and charged me. Her silver katana swished at my head and I parried it. There was a chain attached to it as well and it whipped at me. I ducked, pushed her back and slashed at her side. She parried it with the chain as well and spun around me. I blocked her two rapid strikes and stabbed at her. She slid to the side and cut at my head. I leaped forward raining blows on her, but she parried all but my last, which slashed her arm. Our cloaks billowed out around us and I used mine to blind her for a second. In that moment I stabbed at her face. She Kaldied away in a flash of blue and black and my eyes narrowed. Talia was the only one who ever had blue energy. I decided to unmask her, and see exactly whom I’m dealing with. We ran past each other and I slashed her mask. It began to crack, and as she turned it crumbled completely. I stepped back horrified as Talia smirked at me from under the hood,

“What’s up, little bro?”

“Talia.” I surprised myself at how steady my voice was.

“Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Razor’s given me a new purpose. To kill you!”

With that, she yelled, “Kansade. FIRST RELEASE!”

Her aura began to swirl like a blue and black fire. I leaped at her as she charged me. She had definitely gotten faster and she parried my blows with relative ease. After a particularly strong set of attacks she leaped backwards at my sudden explosion of energy,

“Well, finally decided to fight huh?”

“Talia I don’t want to hurt you but,” I positioned my sword so that it pointed forward, directly at her heart and charged, “I will if I must!” I came on with an up-down combo that jarred her arm and I yelled, “Gentura Tenza!” The ball slammed into her and hurled her into the air. I flew at her but she blocked my strike and flipped around, slamming her sword down on my own. She leered down at me but as I saw her eyes I knew she could be saved, she just needed to be overpowered,

“You want to play like that? Fine. FIRST RELEASE!” My energy flew up in a whirlwind and she made a series of hand-signs,

“Enama Frecis! Arm of Nucoth!” The molten arm swung at me and I Kaldied forward, effectively dodging it. She sucked in a breath and made a wild slash at my head, which I ducked under, giving me the opening to slash her from her left hip to her right shoulder. Only, the strike wasn’t as deep as I thought it would be. She had shifted her stance slightly so it was long cut, but not a deep one. She skidded backwards and looked at the wound.

“Not bad. You’re finally serious. I can fight at full strength! FINAL RELEASE SECOND FORM”

Her energy exploded and I gasped,

“Not this!”

Her tail whipped around and she roared,

“Can’t do this can you?”

She dove at me and I barely parried. My sword was shaking under the pressure of trying not to be bisected. She racked her sword against mine and growled,

“Gentura Sensho.”

When the smoke cleared, my clothes were tattered and bloody. I looked at her in shock,

"What the hell did he do to you?!?"

"Sorry, can't tell you."

"Then I'll have to beat it out of you! SECOND RELEASE!" Suddenly my half-release activated and I looked at myself in surprise, “Huh, my new second release. Nice.”

I flew forward, slashing and hacking. I slowly pressed her backwards, never letting her strike back. I slashed up, down and then spun, raking her side. I then kicked her back and yelled,

“MEGETERA!”

The grid appeared and a huge beam blasted her back, and she was the one who was bleeding now. Suddenly her other sword whipped at me from behind her on the chain. I saw that the chain connected the swords and she began whipping them at me. I leaned to the left as one flew by me and I put my sword behind my back to block it as it came back around. She brought it back and continued her attack, keeping me on the defensive. Suddenly I realized that it could backfire if I got to close. I Kaldied next to her and she tried to leap away but I pursued her swinging my sword in wide arcs. She jumped higher and whisked her swords up with her and said,

“Kensai-Delata! Obliterating Flame!”

The ball grew and grew, and I Kaldied while swinging my sword to try and stop it. I was too late, as she fired it right when I appeared in front of her. The beam smashed me into the ground and then a Banshudo hit me. I dimly saw her twirling her swords and she cried out, “GENTURA SENSHO FRACANDA!” Two swirling tornadoes flew down at me and I grunted, laying a hand on my tattoo’s,

“Let’s do this Zel. ZAKADI! FINAL RELEASE!!”

I transformed, my muscles getting larger and my skin turning a scaly red. I swung my sword and sliced the energy in half. Talia looked down at me and I could see real fear: I looked deadly. I leapt up at her and swung my sword with abandon, scarring her many times. She tried to escape but I didn’t let up. She Kaldied away and before I could stop her said,

“We’ll finish this later.”

She disappeared and I saw the reason for her departure. Four winged beasts, not unlike Griffon’s, called Baldior were flying towards us. They landed in the courtyard and the riders surrounding the middle Baldior jumped off and announced,

"All hail the heir to the Dragon Throne. Cameron Shepard!"

Chapter 5:

Flight and Fight

A pretty blond girl slid off of the Baldior and walked towards me, her bright blue eyes boring into mine. I was shocked, surely she had heard of Master Edal’s death. She would have told me though. Actually, being like the princess or something, she couldn’t disclose her position to me. I now knew everything there was to know about the Spirit World and the Kangandi thanks to reading Master Edal’s books and notes. She walked right up to me and I bowed,

“Your highness.”

“Rise.”

She spoke like a true princess and I was shocked. I saw no trace of the girl I had kissed.

“What is the purpose of your visit?”

“I require escort to Razarok Peak.”

At this the Masters stirred uneasily and I got the feeling that this Razarok Peak was a terrible place. I squared my shoulders and began picking out two Masters to accompany her when Master Devlin spoke up,

“Why not you go Master? Camille and Zora can cover for you here.”

“I’ll still need a companion.”

At this Camille spoke up, I was expecting her to volunteer, but she said,

“Why not send Tammy?”

I turned to her,

“My apprentice?”

“Sure, it’s a perfect chance for an 16-year-old to bond with a 12-year old.”

“You’re such a perv.”

She smirked, “It’s what I do.”

I turned to Cameron,

“So basically we’ll be escorting you into the heart of the Order of Supreme Chaos’s territory and doing what?”

“I am being crowned and accepting my full powers.”

“I’ll make the assumption that we’ll be fending off assassination attempts along the way.  Then, at the end, three of us will have to fend off a ridiculous amount of Acolytes, Heavies, Spellcasters, Elites, Generals and possibly Razor himself.”

“It’s not that serious.”

“But your safety is of the utmost importance and your status as ruler of the Spirit World and the surrounding territories is a position of great risk.”

Her expression softened and her voice spoke in my head, her consciousness rubbing against mine. She spoke in her normal voice,

“I understand that you are concerned about me, but I am extremely adept at the advanced defensive form.”

“Listen, I can’t do this alone, I have to have help. I want to, but I’ll probably be so taxed, that I could slip and hurt myself, your guards, or even you.”

“Tammy can come, but make sure she’s ready for a long, running battle.”

I spoke aloud again, “Camille, where’s Tammy?”

“In the meditation suite.”

“Good. I’ll tell her that she leaves with me immediately Someone needs to feed the animals and get them back up to snuff.”

I turned and walked towards the dojo, getting myself ready for what to say to Tammy.

Tammy’s POV

Master Stryker walked through the door looking troubled. I stood, unfolding myself from the lotus position “Are we going on a mission?”

“Yes. Pack your bags for a long journey.”

“Where are we going Master?”

“Razarok Peak.”

“The Cursed Mountain?!?”

“You know of it?”

“It’s only the site of the most famous battle in Tevalda history. The Battle for the Spirit World happened all around Razarok Peak!” It’s the site of the oldest entrance to the Spirit World!”

He gave me an uneasy look,

“Is Manuma the Hermit the Guardian?”

“Yes. There is a secret chamber beneath his hut that leads to a ritual chamber. The queen is crowned there every…”

I stopped at his amused expression and he asked,

“Are you ready?”

“I’ll go pack my stuff.”

I walked past him, brushing against his arm and heading for my chambers. I would need a lot of stuff like throwing knives, kunai knives, shuriken and rations. I would also need my energy bow. An energy bow is a nifty little device that I created. The bow takes energy from your surroundings and concentrates it so that it looks like an arrow. The more energy you take, the more powerful the arrow is. I’ve been training the archers for weeks with these and they’ve come along nicely. They didn’t take kindly to a kid teaching them but after I single-handedly fended off a surprise cavalry attack with my bow, they jumped at the chance to kill in new and even more destructive ways. I placed the knives and kunai in my belts and the shuriken in a pouch before slinging my bow over my shoulder and buckling my sheath around my waist. I walked out and saw Chad with a red energy bow as well.

“You sure you know how to use that thing?”

“Am I not the master?”

“Didn’t I create that thing in the first place?”

“Wasn’t I the one who approved it?”

“Did I even need your approval in the first place?”

“Would you have blackmailed me?”

“No.”

“Then yes, you would need my approval.”

“Fine.”

“I know it’s fine.”

“I hate it when you say that.”

“I know.”

I stormed past him and walked up to one of the Baldior. Its proud topaz eyes surveyed me and I gazed back impassively. I saw Princess Shepard and made to bow, but she held up her hand,

“We are being watched.”

I nodded as she climbed on to the beast and took flight. I leapt onto my steed as well and readied my bow as Chad and her other Guards took to the skies and circled around her. My orange energy appeared in the bow as I took aim, firing at an almost invisible spot of color against the drab landscape. The arrow killed a spider-bat and I relaxed. I thought it was an assassin, but just when I turned to the Princess and nodded, the beast disappeared and in it’s place was a woman in white kimono, and a gigantic rectangular sword leaping up at us. I fired off arrows as fast as possible and she backed off while Cameron sped to the west. I positioned myself so that I was facing backwards while my ride was flying to catch up with the others. Suddenly our assailant Kaldied next to me and I yelled,

“Zendakae!”

One thousand arrows fired from my bow at point blank range and a huge explosion ensued. I turned away, smiling to myself but heard a swish of metal and drew my sword without thinking. Inadvertently blocking a stroke that would have taken my head off. I turned around and saw with a start that the woman was still alive and relatively untouched, save for her left arm that had a bunch of scorch marks. Suddenly Chad appeared firing off arrows and intercepted her, drawing his sword while firing another arrow.  His timely intervention gave me enough of an opening to say,

“Zendakae Ultimus!!!!”

A huge star appeared in front of my bow and the sky darkened as storm clouds surrounded us and I kept my face completely impassive, drawing the string back to the maximum capacity. I looked into her eyes as energy began flowing into my bow. She tried to move away, but Chad paralyzed her with a Poison Vine Slash. The arrow grew and grew and grew until I let go, and with one monumental blast, erased the assassin from existence. When the sky cleared I nodded in satisfaction that there was nothing left.  We turned towards the west as I experienced a sharp drop of energy from the attack. That specific spell, if not stopped before long, can erase a Tevalda’s powers. I turned my mind from these unpleasant thoughts and to the long journey ahead. If this continued, we’d have to take Razarok Pass and we’d be sitting ducks for any assassins. I shook my head, of all the assignments I could have, why did it have to be this one?

Chad’s POV

I flew in front of the group my sword at the ready. The attack had unnerved me, for it had proved that the assassins would be a match for anything we could throw at them. In the middle of my musings an elderly, fit man, Jovin, the Captain of the Imperial Guard, flew next to me and said,

“Thank you for your services.”

“It’s our job.”

“She wouldn’t listen to the idea of having protection at first. It took an actual attempt on her life that took the life of the previous Captain of the Guard, my best friend Paul, that convinced her.”

“I’m sorry to hear of his death.”

“He was a brave man. Didn’t think twice about taking a fully charged Banshudo.”

“Wow. That’s dedication.”

“It’s part of our life-oath to the throne.”

“You guys are pretty serious. Your sword is just like the assassin’s. You can use that well?”

“I am the best human swordsman in the kingdom. This sword has seen many battles. It’s a family heirloom.”

“I see.”

“Yes. It’s very precious to me.”

“Well just make sure its edge is keen. You will have need for it.”

He tensed, “Do you sense any assailants”

I nodded, “We’re racing them, they began following us after Tammy killed the first assassin. One of them is speeding ahead to cut us off. Can you fly Jovin?”

“Yes. I have some magical powers.”

You might have to fly because they’ll probably try to take out the beasts to make our journey harder. If they do try, let them. Attack while they’re distracted.”

“Right.”

“Relay that information to your fellows and draw ranks around the Princess.”

“Yes, sir”

I was slightly startled by my plan and I realized that Zel-Nama had been speaking through me, vocalizing my thoughts. I smiled to myself as Jovin turned and told the other two guards, while Tammy formed an arrow in her bow evidently sensing the danger as well. I shifted into a position where I could better leap off the Baldior. It was good that I did, for in the next second a white katana slashed through the space where my foot was a second earlier. I leaped up into the air and saw my attacker. It was the General from my rescue mission with Tammy! His newly silver eyes seemed to be laughing at me as I ran at him, sword held high out to the side. He parried my blow as Tammy fired an arrow. I Kaldied away in the nick of time watching the arrow slash through him. I nodded to her as more enemies Kaldied into battle around us. I slashed left, slid right, and twirled my sword around my body, instantly killing seven of them. Jovin leaped by me on my right and parried a blow with the flat of his huge blade. He then pushed his attacker back and slashed her in half.  I nodded to him and charged up a Gentura Sensho. The energy swirled around and as I released it, formed into a wave. All except for the Spellcasters were killed and Jovin dispatched them with little difficulty. I was making to turn away when Tammy’s arrows shot by my face and killed an Acolyte that was creeping up on me. I saw the General struggling to rise, perforated with glowing orange holes. I saw Tammy stride up and behead him without a second thought. All of our rides had perished except Cameron’s so I resigned myself to flying from here on out. I sheathed my sword and we began to move again. There were 7 more assassins watching us and I knew one of them was Talia. I just hoped she would be the next, because I didn’t feel like facing anyone else right, but with my luck, it probably wouldn’t be her. I sighed to myself,

“No going back now.”

Chapter 6:

Sevlin

I walked beside Cameron’s Baldior and she looked at me. I kept my eyes forward through sheer willpower and asked,

“Is something on your mind Princess?”

“Why do you call me that?”

“I’m going to be calling you Queen in a little while, so I had better practice, but what’s wrong?”

“This is all so unreal. You’re the Master of the Kangandi.”

“You’re going to be the Queen of the Spirit World. I have to take orders from you. You think that’s not weird?”

“Ha-ha, very funny.”

“You know I’m joking.”

“Yes, I know.”

I smiled at her and she allowed herself a small smile,

“Thank you Chad.”

“For what?”

“Coming with me. I need someone beside my guards that I can trust.”

That hit me and I didn’t really know what to say. I finally said,

“You can trust Tammy as well.”

“You know what I mean.”

“Young Angels?”

“Yes.”

“Cameron. I like you a lot, but I can’t become King of the Spirit World and Master of the Kangandi. That’s too much power.”

“If you really loved me you would do it anyway.”

That hurt me and I bowed my head,

“That’s not fair and you know it.”

“Nothing is fair anymore.”

“I can’t make a decision like this. I’m not ready.”

“I am. You must choose or I will choose someone from my court.”

“Hold on. I can’t be rushed.”

“Chad I love you, but if you don’t return my affections I have no choice but to go to other options. To other’s that I love as well.”

“Just give me some time to think Princess. In the meantime I must look for a place for us to rest.”

I flew off with a hole in my heart and it didn’t seem to be closing anytime soon.

I found a nice cave in when we reached the mountain ranges and we camped there for the night. One of Jovin’s comrades, Theo, opted to take first watch. He sat at the foot of the cave with his stave out as I watched. I rolled over next to the fire that Tammy had constructed. Cameron was wrapped in Theo’s blanket as well as her own and she stared into the fire. Her crystal-blue eyes seemed to staring into the very soul of the fire. She smiled to herself and muttered, “You’re crazy.”

I smiled to myself as Zel-Nama began to force me to sleep and my last thought was, “Let’s hope we survive until tomorrow.”

I awoke to the smell of tea and honey-infused biscuits. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and looked blearily around. The fire was burning brightly and Cameron was preparing to take a biscuit off a spit. My eyes traveled slowly from her waist all the way up to her face where her eyes stared back into mine. Suddenly I saw a vision of an older version of myself charging towards an unknown assailant who was holding a girl by the neck, draining her Dragon-Spirit’s energy. The dead bodies of three guards were around them. As I reached him, He threw her aside and Kaldied away. I ran towards the girl, rolling over onto her back,

“Damn it Don’t die on me!”

“Tristan…”

OK so obviously it wasn’t me. But if not, then who was it?

“No Vanessa you have a job to do, don’t die!”

“Tristan…listen to me…”

“Vanessa…”

“Tristan…I love you…”

I was sobbing now,

“No…Vanessa, please. Stay with me!”

“Do you love me?”

“Yes…yes! More than you’ll ever know.”

“Then…I guess it’s time to go.”

“No, Vanessa. NO!”

She grew limp in my arms and I let out a bellow of grief and rage. Suddenly a girl appeared and I turned, tears streaming down my face,

“YOU!!! YOU’RE GOING TO DIE!!!!!”

“So are you.”

We charged towards each other, a nimbus of black energy surrounding me as we leapt into the air. Suddenly, as quickly as the vision started, it ended. When I woke up Tammy was kneeling over me with a concerned expression on her face,

“Master…”

“I’m fine, but I must talk to you.”

We walked over to the side of the cave,

“What do you know of visions?”

“They normally show the past to illuminate the future. History repeats itself so—“

“They might repeat themselves in different ways in the present or near future.”

“Yes. But why do you ask?”

I told her.

“That’s really serious! It’s either me in the past, or Cameron in the past.”

“You both are under my charge. I won’t let anything happen to you. You can count on it.”

We walked back to the entrance of the cave and leapt out along with the others. We began walking again and I sighted the Valley of Chaos. I knew I would have to fight so I dropped back to protect Cameron,

“Pay attention Princess.”

“I am ready.”

“And Princess?”

“Yes Master Stryker?”

Give me until December.”

“It’s June.”

“I know. Whatever answer I give you or anyone else before then is not my official answer.”

“I’ll accept this.”

I took her hand and she looked down at me from the back of her Baldior,

“Cameron. I care about you deeply. I just don’t know if it will work. At this age there actually is a possibility of marriage. I just can’t think about that yet. I have to concentrate on directing an army and keeping you from getting killed.”

I allowed myself a small smile,

“Can you understand my predicament?”

“I can. I’m going through the same thing.”

She smiled at me and squeezed my hand

“Don’t leave me Master Stryker.”

We entered the canyon and I cast my sense around. I detected a malevolent force ahead of us. I drew my sword as a cloaked figure appeared in front of us. I leapt to the front and placed my hand on the hilt of my sword. He raised his head and a mask obscured it,

“I am Sevlin, and you will die.”

“Can’t it wait? I’m in the middle of trying to get some people to Razarok Peak.”

He crossed his hands in an X in front of his face and two swords of fire sprung from his hands.

I sighed and drew my sword,

“Well if you insist.”

He launched himself at me and drove me slowly backwards. Suddenly his partner leaped from an alcove and attacked the three guards with more fire swords. Tammy engaged him slashing and stabbing. I Kaldied away from Sevlin and as he charged I kicked him in the stomach. He flew upwards and I followed him. He flipped around and fired a beam of fire at me, which hit me head on. I hit the ground and groaned. He landed near me and I staggered to my feet,

“First Release!”

I ran towards him and just began randomly Kalding around him. I saw a fear in his eyes as he tried to hit me and missed every time,

“Too fast for ya?”

He growled and launched a wave of fire that swept the area I was in. I Kaldied to the top of a cliff to keep form getting incinerated but leapt down as he began charging up a ball of fire. He fired the ball and I blocked it with my sword. It began trying to push me back, but with a monumental effort, I split it in half. In that moment he had disappeared. I sensed him behind me and turned blocking his attack. The force of the blow sent us both skidding backwards. We charged again and he began striking from all angles. I just stood there and blocked it all. He slammed his sword down on mine and began pushing against it. I pushed him off and slashed his mask. He leapt away as it slowly began to crumble. He looked up at me as the last few parts fell to the ground. His eyes were golden and his hair was golden as well. His eyebrows were bushy and he had two visible fangs protruding from his top teeth. His mouth was cruel line and he smirked,

“You have unmasked me. This hasn’t happened in 100 years. Perhaps you are better than the rest.”

He attacked again and I spun away, and slashed at his back. He Kaldied away in the blink of an eye and appeared behind me, drifting to my right. He spun and kicked me into the ground. Before I hit the ground he Kaldied below me and rammed his elbow into my back. He appeared above me and threw another ball of fire at me. Suddenly Jovin leapt in and slashed it in half. I leapt up and Jovin grabbed my arms spinning around and flinging me towards Sevlin. On my upward stroke I cut his arm off and on the back-cut I slashed his back. He healed his back but he was barely able to regrow his arm before I was on him again. He Kaldied away and fired a Gentura Sensho at Cameron. The guard’s whose name I hadn’t learned yet took it and fell to the ground instantly dead. I dashed to stop his comrade, who had escaped from Tammy, from killing Theo, but I wasn’t quick enough and he fell as well. Jovin killed the attacker while he was distracted, but we both turned at the sound of a female cry. Cameron had been hit by a blast of fire from Sevlin and was on the ground. I raced forward but Tammy got there first, Kalding above him firing her bow and swinging her sword. They hit the empty space where Sevlin was a second ago and Jovin leaped towards Cameron protecting her from further harm. Sevlin appeared in front of me and I blocked another strike that sent me skidding backwards. He pressed his advantage and Tammy came to help. I turned to her and yelled,

“NO! Get the Princess out of here!”

They fled the scene and I turned back to Sevlin only to get smashed into a mountain by his attack. I shook my head and looked at my soot-covered robe, but was forced to hurriedly leap into the air as his Zendakae hit the space where I just was. I waited for him to come to me and he obliged swinging his fire swords. I drew my bow and fired off several quick volleys at the rocks around Sevlin. They buried him and I nodded, satisfied that he was contained for now. Suddenly the rocks began to glow red and I Kaldied away just in time as a beam of fire blasted through the rock. He charged at me and I at him. I slashed off one of his hands but it began to regrow. I spun again and slashed his chest and it made him take a step back. My fatigue was finally getting to me and I had to activate my Second Release to stop myself from getting decapitated. I ducked another swipe and leapt over several slashes, launching into a triple back-handspring and skidding backwards while parrying Sevlin’s heavy blows. I cleared him off of me with a sweep of my sword and yelled,

“ZENDAKAE!”

It hit him head on and blasted through the mountain behind him. I huge conflagration ensued and I turned to walk away, but he was still standing. I growled and Zel-Nama spoke,

“Both of you don’t have enough energy to continue this fight for much longer. End it now.”

I complied, putting every ounce of energy I could muster into my sword. Sevlin and I charged towards each other and with a mighty slash, we passed each other. I sighed,

“Damn.”

I heard Sevlin cough,

“Mission accomplished.”

He then fell with a huge hole in his side and I fell as well, too tired to keep myself aloft. We hit the ground with a crash and Zel-Nama began bellowing into my head,

“Get up! You are a Tevalda, not some weakling! Tammy and Jovin could be in the middle of an ambush!”

I struggled to my feet, casting my senses out for Tammy’s Dragon energy. I sensed it to the west and ran off, thanking God that I still had my superhuman strength and stamina. Suddenly her energy flared and I sped up as it hit me, Sevlin was a ruse to separate us! I saw a flash of orange energy in the distance and I drained energy from plants and animals to get me there by flying,

“Hold tight Tammy. I’m on my way.”

Chapter 7:

The Seal

Tammy’s POV

I ducked under another swipe from this annoying assassin Rastania and backed up again. My first release was on; my bow was on my back, and my left sword was in pieces. I didn’t know how to fully repair my sword in battle so I was stuck with my right one. I rained blows on her while she tried to recuperate from my latest set of strikes. She Kaldied away from me and laughed,

“Your Master has taught you well. I wonder if Sevlin has disposed of him yet.”

 A battle cry sprung from my lips as an image of Chad’s broken body flashed through my head. I swung left, right, and then I spun and leapt into the air slamming my sword down onto her sword. I flipped off of the sword so I was behind her and made a wild backslash, forcing her higher into the air where Jovin attacked her, swinging that huge sword like it weighed only a pound. Rastania was getting increasingly desperate and I sensed the danger of staying close to her so I fired my bow and retreated. She charged up and Jovin blocked another beam of energy with his sword. She ended the beam and Jovin attacked again, pressing her backwards. I slid to the left and stabbed at her as she sidestepped. I launched into a spinning kick at her face. It hit her sending her spinning away and vulnerable to my slash. She skidded backwards and looked at the cut. I smirk,

“Pretty good for an apprentice huh?”

“You won’t be smiling for long.”

“We’ll see.”

She growled and leapt towards me. I swung my sword at her, gasping as she grabbed it and kicked my in the stomach sending me flying. Jovin leapt at her but was knocked out as she sidestepped his stab and blasted him into a mountain. I was knocked to the ground by her follow-up punch and she kicked me again. Finally and punched me into the ground. I stood up, swayed but yelled,

“Den-Hazo! Second Release!”

She charged at me and I swung my sword,

“GENTURA SENSHO!”

The wave of energy hit her and dissipated as she charged right through it. I watched in amazement as her hand grabbed my face and threw me into the ground where I skidded and ended up 70 yards from my starting point. She then picked me up and began just punching me around the crater. I was barely conscious and didn’t really feel her final kick. I stared up at the sky as she walked towards me and raised her sword. Suddenly a black sword intercepted her own and I looked up to see Chad in his Second Release. He pushed her away and helped me up, clearing the cobwebs from my head,

“You ok?”

“Yeah.”

“You take the left side.”

“Right.”

We sprung at her in unison our swords flashing in the sunlight. She fell back under the combined weight of our attacks. Suddenly I heard the sound of a chain unraveling and suddenly I was pulled away from Chad’s side. I looked up and saw a man with a battle-ax staring down at me with a haughty look in his green eyes and on his tanned face. He raised his ax but Chad suddenly Kaldied next to him and sliced his chain in half. He then began attacking him. I leapt to join him but Rastania knocked me out from behind. I fell as the world began to dim and saw the man’s green energy flare along with Rastania’s black energy.

Chad’s POV

I faced both assassins and

I freed myself and looked around for Rastania. Suddenly she leapt past me, our eyes meeting, and pressed a hand to Chad’s chest and cried out,

“Seal of the Demon King Razandus!”

Black energy flowed around them in a nimbus and entered Chad. He screamed and I turned to help him. With an explosion of energy he repulsed everything. The blast killed Rastania and I winced as she disintegrated. He fell to his knees and bellowed again while the energy pulsed around him. I shielded myself from the ensuing blast of red and black energy. He was now imprinted with the energy of a Demon King. I watched in horror as his eyes turned yellowish red and he looked at me with a stare that sent chills down my spine. Chad shuddered and with visible effort, his eyes returned to normal. At this point Jovin woke up and shook his head,

“What happened? Where is the Princess?”

I helped him up,

“She is safe. She’s right behind you.”

As Cameron walked out of an alcove Chad breathed a sign of relief. Cameron’s mouth opened but it wasn’t her voice that came out,

“We are nearing the mountain. There are three assassins left. They will all attack at once to maximize their effectiveness.  I suggest we call for backup.”

Her Dragon-Spirit was officially taking control of the situation instead of sitting back, like Kuyo’s. Chad reassured her,

“We’ll get backup when we reach the summit.”

With that we turned and flew onward towards the end of our mission.

Chad’s POV

I could feel Zel-Nama being corrupted inside me. We were both fighting as hard as we could, but it was a losing battle. The seal was too strong, and as I reached the peak, and the three remaining assassins, including Talia attacked, all in their Final Releases, I released a deadly black Gentura Sensho which killed the two unnamed assassins and stopped my sister in her tracks. I roared at her,

“YOU SURE YOU WANNA DO THIS!?!”

Without a word, she attacked. Our swords met and the energy coming from them made Tammy and the others shield their eyes. I saw them dart into the secret cave and I placed myself in front of the entrance. The black energy swirled around me and as I swung my sword it literally blew the clouds away. My eyes grew totally black and yellow as I rushed towards her. She barely blocked my strikes and I pressed my advantage. Suddenly Acolytes surrounded me, and I spun around hacking and slashing them to bits. Suddenly her sword pierced my chest but I simply pushed it out and turned, slashing her across the stomach. She flew backwards and performed a summoning spell. I pulled out the blue stone and crushed it, thereby summoning all of the Masters including Camille, Ralph, Kuyo, Zora, Brianna Sam, my father and my mother. In a flash they appeared in the sky above me just as an army of Acolytes appeared as well. The two sides glared at each other and then we all charged. A nimbus of black and red energy surrounded me and I slashed through several Acolytes making my way towards my sister who was retreating to get around our flank. The Masters activated their Final Release Final Forms and the combined energy flowed into me, making my movements monumentally faster. My energy flared and I cried out,

“FINAL RELEASE!”

I lowered my head and Zel said,

“Let’s end this pitiful charade.”

“Right!”

I snapped open my red and black wings roaring in triumph and rage. My red and yellow eyes singled out Talia. I charged up a beam of black and red energy in my mouth and fired it at her, watching it explode. I then charged at her through the smoke, but stopped up short as one of her swords on a chain slammed into me, spearing me. I pulled it out, broke it in half and the wound began to heal. I pointed my sword at her,

“BANSHUDO, GENTURA TENZA, MEGETERA, BANSHUDO MEGETERA!”

The spells slammed into her one after the other and I charged towards her broken body again, lusting for blood. Suddenly Lord Razor appeared and intercepted my killing strike. She stirred and her eyes snapped open, automatically dilating. She kicked me into the air and activated her Final Release Final Form. I glared down at her and she flew up to my level we continued our fight as she repaired her broken sword. They swung at me and I blocked them both, my sword moving at supernatural speeds. I began to gain the upper hand and pressed her backwards, spinning and striking from all angles. Suddenly Camille intercepted Lord Razor, who was coming to help Talia. She smirked at him,

“Gentura Sensho!”

It smashed him into the ground and Talia was distracted as I blasted her with another beam of energy from my mouth. I landed as she retreated fleeing for the horizon. I saw Brianna wading into the enemies taking down dozens with every strike. I attacked along with her and we carved huge gaps through the masses. She suddenly took off, her wings beating rapidly and a snarl springing from her lips. A Chaos General had appeared and Brianna began doing battle with him. Their swords flew at supernatural speeds and I spent a second to long looking at them, for when I turned back Lord Razor was right in front of me, he kicked me into a mountain where I soon blacked out, sounds of battle fading all around me.

Brianna’s POV

I struck and stabbed at Talon, driving him backwards. My first release tail whipped past him and slapped him in the face, adding insult to injury. I Kaldied away as he slashed at me and laughed,

“Gotten a bit slow haven’t you Talon?”

“I’m just getting warmed up, Brianna.”

“I hope so.”

Talon dodged my next few strikes and I nodded. He smirked and attacked, driving me backwards. I suddenly hit a wall and leapt over his next strike, vaulting off of his sword. I struck at him from all angles, but her pulled out a cylinder that he placed on his arm. It transformed to a gun, which he began to fire at me. I dodged the blasts and charged. He hit me point blank and I flew backwards, smoking. I growled and shook my head. He laughed and fired over and over, making me leap back and forth. Eventually he homed in on me and a swarm of energy balls raced towards me. My sword moved at supernatural speeds and I blocked them all. Talon took a step back as I charged. He evaded my first few strikes but I saw where he was going next and stepped in front of him, swinging my sword. He leaned back as my sword went over his head. I kicked him as he came back up and he flew backwards. He looked at me impassively and then his energy exploded,

“SECOND RELEASE!”

Talon grew wings and a really long tail. We charged past each other again and we both cut each other’s arms. I turned and grabbed his arm with my tail. He flew towards me and I let him go right as he reached me. He Kaldied away in that instant and appeared above me,

“Mundaka! Lightning Strike!”

The bolt slammed into me and sent me crashing to the ground. He then began punching me around the air. He finally stabbed me in the stomach and I coughed up blood. Panting heavily, I stood and activated my Final Release, my wings and tail growing bigger. I swung my sword, creating a windstorm behind me. Talon stepped back in shock,

“How?”

“I am in my home territory.”

I charged him, raking my sword down his. He grunted with the strain and struggled to push me off. I Kaldied behind him and slashed, cutting off his wings. They began to regrow, but I also cut into his back. He hissed in pain and I dug my clawed feet into his back, slamming him into the ground while standing. I stepped off and leapt back as he lashed out,

“Damn you!”

Talon charged up all of his energy and charged at me, I smiled and did the same. My strike broke his sword and slashed him in half. I skidded to a stop as both halves fell to Earth. I turned as I heard a noise, Chad had finally woken and was staring at me. I smiled and he sighed,

“Have I ever told you how glad I am that you’re on our side?”

Chad’s POV

I looked around at the battle and we were being pressed backwards Sam and Zora were wounded and Ralph and Kuyo was firing off arrows as fast as possible. The Masters had formed a defensive wall and were slowly retreating, taking out as many enemies as possible. Brianna and I landed in front of the group as the Acolytes massed for a final charge. I saw their numbers and knew a sacrifice had to be made.  I also wanted to get this demon seal out of me, as unlikely as that was. I drew back my bow and whispered,

“Zendakae Ultimus.”

I drew back my string to the maximum and forced all of the energy, good and evil into the bow.

“Chad.” Zel-Nama rose up in my head, “it was an honor to serve with you.”

“Thanks Zel. Who knows, you might see me around later.”

I steeled myself for the blast and let go after all of my energy was in the arrow. I launched the arrow and it appeared as a huge beam of red and black energy wiping everything in front of it from the face of the earth. When the smoke cleared, there was a huge canyon. I felt my powers deactivate and I slumped to the ground. My last sight was of Kuyo running to my side, and then I lost all consciousness.

Chapter 8:

The Revelation

Cameron’s POV

I sprinted through the dark passageway Tammy and Jovin by my side. We burst into the chamber and the white diamond shrine stood before us. I walked over to the shrine and stepped into the flow of light. Immediately I heard someone singing and I felt an otherworldly presence enter my mind,

“Greetings Princess. I have been awaiting you.”

“Who are you?”

“You’re mother has told you who I am. You know me.”

A series of flashbacks hit me and I saw my mother, a slender blond figure in a green dress, speaking to me,

“Always remember you’re great-grandmother. Always remember Queen Kendra, who helped Aldavor defeat Zel-Nama and sacrificed herself to seal away the Demon King Razandus. It is her power that is being passed down to you and its power is one that can’t be taken lightly.”

The vision ended and I was back in the light,

“Are you…?”

“Yes, I am the High Queen Kendra and you are here to accept your power.”

“I am ready.”

I saw the avatar of a woman in a flowing green dress appear before me,

“Do you, Cameron Shepard, pledge to serve the Spirit World for the rest of your life?”

“I do.”

“Do you pledge to never let anything outside compromise your dedication?”

I paused, thinking of Chad,

“I do.”

“Then I bestow the power on you.”

I reached out to touch the shrine when something snatched me out of the light and the singing stopped. I was thrown against the floor and I gazed up into the face of Talia Stryker,

“Hey kid! You feelin’ lucky?”

I Kaldied away as she brought her sword down and I drew mine as she charged. I blocked her first strike with ease and as I began forcing her sword back her smile disappeared. I pushed her sword to the side and drove it forward towards he chest. Suddenly her other sword appeared swinging towards me on a chain and blocking my thrust. My eyes widened as her other sword swung towards me as well. I leapt into the air and the swords crossed like scissors. She flew after me whirling those swords around in deadly circles. I parried like mad until Jovin suddenly attacked, smashing her into the ground and cutting her arm off. She shakily stood and with a grimace, began to regrow her arm. I stared in shock as an entirely unscarred copy of her arm appeared in the place of the bloody stump. She growled and charged at us like quicksilver, slashing Jovin from shoulder to hip and he fell to the ground, blood gushing from his wound. As my eyes widened in shock, she spun and kicked me into the ground as well. I crawled to my feet as she landed in front of me. I rolled away from her sword strikes and flipped into a fighting stance. She charged and I angled my sword between her strike at my head and her strike at my chest, blocking both on the flat of my blade. She suddenly kicked me in the side, sending me flying and causing my sword to fly out of my hands. I hit the side of the chamber and slid down grimacing in pain. I tried to make my sword come to me but Talia picked me up by my throat and began draining the life out of me. As my vision grew dimmer, my thoughts went to Chad and I thought,

“Good-bye. I wish I could have told you I love you…”

Chad’s POV

My eyes snapped open and I lurched upright at a surge and then rapid decrease of energy from the chamber. After staying like that for a few moments, I stood,

“Even though I’ve lost my powers, we need to get to the chamber as quickly as possible.”

Everyone nodded and I led the way as we ran forward through the twisting darkness. I burst through the door and my eyes met a sickening sight: Talia held Cameron up by the neck, Jovin was on the ground bleeding out, and then my vision hit me. I grabbed a rock and threw it at her, hitting her in the stomach. I hefted my sword and attacked, driving her backwards. Cameron got up shakily, looking my way before healing Jovin, and returning to the shrine, stepping into the flow of power again. I made sure I kept Talia away from Cameron. Talia regained control of the fight and telekinetically smacked me into the wall. I slumped to the ground but stood up, leaning on my sword. Suddenly Zora attacked her, eyes flashing,

“THIS IS FOR FATHER!”

She forced Talia backwards cutting her a couple times before Talia again recovered. Zora was mortally wounded in one blow. She landed next to me and I held her as she slumped to the ground,

“Zora… no…not you.”

“Chad. Take my energy.”

“What?”

She placed a hand on my chest,

“Take my energy, restore your own.”

“You’re Dragon-Spirit will die though.”

“My spirit is the Dragon of Giving.”

“Are you sure?”

“Do it!”

I reached into myself and tried to dig through the wall that blocked my energy. Her energy flowed into me turning from green to red and helped me dig. A whirlwind of energy encased us and I stood, hefting my sword onto my back. Zora smiled up at me and I felt her Dragon-Spirit fade along with her life force. I closed her eyes and felt Zel-Nama awaken and say,

“Back so soon young one?”

“Hell yeah Zel. We’re back!”

“Then let’s give ‘em hell!”

“ZAKADI! FINAL RELEASE FINAL FORM!”

My energy skyrocketed like never before and I swung my sword, the ensuing windstorm demolishing the wall behind us. I was still inside the whirlwind and I saw several spells fired at me. I swung my sword, blowing the attacks away with the whirlwind. Talia eyes narrowed and I smirked snapping open my 6 red and black wings and laughed,

“Sorry sis. This one’s a wrap.”

We charged and the energy completely blew the walls out. She narrowed her eyes against the brightness and we forced each other back. I Kaldied towards her as I landed and we met with another bang, energy spewing from our swords. I struck left, right and then dodged three lightning fast stabs to my face. On the last stab I spun around and slashed at her. I scored a hit on her back and she stumbled away. I followed that up with a stab and she began breathing heavily. I leapt forward forcing her onto her back foot. She tripped over a rock but caught herself and flipped backwards on her left hand. I slashed her from her hip to her shoulder, straight up. Finally I charged up everything I could and yelled,

“KAIDEN SEDAKA! FORM 1!”

Talia was blasted through the wall and just lay there. I walked up to her and as I began to swing my sword downward, she disappeared in a puff of smoke. She was a clone! I cursed and howled at the sky,

“TOO SCARED ARE YOU! COME ONE TALIA! FIGHT ME LIKE A TRUE ACOLYTE! THEY WEREN’T SCARED TO DIE!”

I took off and flew back to the entrance of the cave and saw a sickening sight. Camille was losing to Lord Razor and both of them were in their Final Forms. I ran towards the both of them and tackled Razor. He pushed me off and threw me to the side,

“Well, well. It seems we will continue from last time.”

“What were you going to tell me about my house?”

“Well, simply put, I’m your brother.”

“No you not.”

I immediately responded without even thinking, my shock took over. He smiled sadly,

“I can name every part of your house, including the “secret” pit underneath. The one where you got your power. I got mine there too.”

“What’s your name?”

“Tristan Stryker. Join me Chad, and together we’ll overthrow the corrupt government and start a new dynasty, one that will last millennia!”

“No. You may be my biological brother, but we are completely different. I would never join you! I am Chad Stryker, Master of the Kangandi, Prophecy Child, and most of all, I’m the brother of Talia Stryker, and no matter what happens, I will destroy the demon you placed inside of her!”

Lord Razor, no Tristan shook his head,

“You are so foolish.”

Camille looked at me,

“Do you mind if I kill him?”

“If you can…”

I leapt at him and slashed his chest. Then I Kaldied away, dodging his strike. This allowed an extremely weakened Camille to focus all of her energy and charge Tristan. They both leapt towards each other and Camille cried out,

“This is for all the Tevalda you betrayed!”

They both stabbed each other at the same time but Camille fired a Banshudo right after she stabbed him and it ripped his body apart. Lord Razor, my brother, Tristan, was finally dead after having the right side of his body completely obliterated. I ran to Camille and caught her as she fell. I lowered her gently to the ground as she let go of her sword and sent it clattering across the rocky ground.

I stared down at Camille's broken body in denial. There were a bunch of cuts on her body and her robes were tattered, not to mention the stab wound that was gushing dark blood. I began to silently cry for I knew I couldn’t save her, it was just like my vision. Suddenly she gave a start as the first tears hit her face and she stirred, looked up at me and wiped my tears away,

"Chad..."

"I'm here Camille."

"I...I did it."

"I know. You did great."

"I have to...tell you something."

"You can tell me anything."

"I should have told you earlier, but I love you."

"I love you too Camille."

"We could have had years together, but..."

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry. I should have come sooner, I didn't realize... I mean..."

"You were confused...I understand."

"I've always loved you, I wanted to tell you but I never got a moment alone with you."

"The war was... hard on us both."

"I could have told you before I left! I was so stupid! This is my entire fault. I shouldn't have requested that you answer the stone."

"You know... I'm one of the best fighters... we have."

"Yes, but you're dying. I won't ever be able to live with myself! I caused your death. I loved you and I blindly caused you to fight Tristan. Sure you killed him but his life is not worth yours!"

She put a hand on my lips and I clutched her hand to them. I kissed her hand and she smiled. Our eyes locked and I leaned down. Our lips met and she propped herself up for better leverage. I wrapped my arms around her and she did the same. When we came apart she said,

"Thanks. I've always wanted that."

"Come on Camille just stay with me!"

I turned around,

"We need a medic!"

She gripped my shoulder,

"No, it's too late for that."

"It's not too late!"

"Chad, my love, its time to go."

"Damn it, Camille. You are not leaving me!"

"Chad let go."

Her voice was getting weaker yet she seemed so strong. She gave me a watery smile and I held her as her life force began to fade. She locked eyes with me and whispered,

"See you later darling."

Her silver Dragon-Spirit flew out of her chest, circled around her, like it was cuddling with her, and flew to me. I touched it and it cuddled up to me as well. It then roared joyfully, and spiraled up into the sky. With that, Camille, the only girl I had ever truly loved before, even when she didn’t know it, was gone.

Epilogue:

The War Begins

Cameron’s POV

I stepped away from the altar and felt the power coursing through my veins. I felt unstoppable. I suddenly remembered the battle outside and ran out, expecting to find it still going on. Instead I found Chad hunched over, weeping over the body of Camille. I stopped up short and a pang of pity blossomed in my chest. He had already sustained the loss of his sister, but this was something that couldn’t be reversed. He looked at me,

“I understand the prophecy now.  There’s no room for any mercy. I have to kill her. If I hesitate, I die. It’s the final battle. The futures of both worlds are on my shoulders.”

“Chad…”

“I must go my Queen. We have bodies to honor and bury. I will leave you in the hands of Jovin and Master Devlin. I hope you are safe and I hope we meet again.”

With that he picked up Camille’s body, walked a few steps, and Kaldied mid-step leaving me here with Jovin and Master Devlin. Slowly I turned, feeling the last tenuous strands of Chad’s friendship snap,

“Let us go. I have much to do if war is on the horizon.”

Chad’s POV

I appeared in the courtyard of the Kangandi and all the Masters hurried forward,

“Master, are you alright?”

“Did Talia get away?

“Where is Lord Razor?”

“Are you hurt?”

I put up my hand,

“I’m fine.”

“What happened?”

“Camille killed Lord Razor.”

“What?”
“She killed him by stabbing him and firing a Banshudo into his body at the moment of impact.”

“Then why…”

“She’s dead.”

At this, Sam raised her head and looked at my distraught face,

“There’s more isn’t there? You found the secret note?”

“Note?”

“Check Zora’s pockets.”

I laid Camille down on the cold stone floor and slowly walked over to Zora’s body. I already knew what was coming, but dreaded it all the same. I saw a bloodstained letter sticking out of her left pocket and pulled it out. I unfolded it and read in silence:

Chad,

If you have received this letter then both Master Edal and I are dead and you know I am your brother. He was a good teacher, misguided at times, but good. I must tell you the truth, I became Lord Razor to spy on the Demon Lord. He is the true leader of the Order of Supreme Chaos. I was unable to give a lot of information as I was supposed to be the original Prophecy Child, but I turned, paving the way for you. I have been “given” the power of Razandus, but recovered my senses enough to write this letter. I hope that I am able to make more progress against the spell, but there is little hope. The girl, Camille, she brought out the worst in Razandus because her Dragon-Spirit sealed him into Demon Mountain’s crypt thousands of years. If I end up killing her, it is certainly not out of malice. I cannot control Razandus, and I do hope she doesn't cross my path again. I hope we can talk as allies. If not, I hope you or someone else, kills me before he takes over. Finally, the prophecy is not about us, Talia is the second Prophecy Child. The final battle will be between you and her. There is no way to save her. I am sorry, I tried in secret many times, but I couldn’t purge her. I am sorry for my failure and hope that you will eventually forgive me for the terrible things I have done. You were the light of my life until I was corrupted. You were also the light when I died. I love you little bro, you and Talia both. You will do what you have to do. I know you will.

Your brother,

Tristan

I stared at the letter in shock,

“Lord Razor wasn’t evil and he was who I saw in my vision.”

At this, Master Riker spoke,

“It was the Seal of Razandus wasn’t it?”
“Yes.”

“I should have guessed.”

I turned and made a funeral pyre,

“Tevalda! Today we have sustained three great losses. Master Camille Montesano, Master Zora Kendros, and Master Tristan Stryker! Never forget what they stood for. We carry on for them and for all the Tevalda that have died in the service of the Spirit World. We must win this war or Chaos will reign and their sacrifice will be in vain. It might end tomorrow and it might end in 30 years, but we must see this through: even if we all perish in the end. Are you with me?”

They all cheered, unsheathing their swords and lifting them into the air. I nodded and the pyre was lit. Zora and Camille’s cloaks were placed on it and I took out a ceremonial Sapphire to place in remembrance of Tristan. While their bodies were placed in the Master Tomb, where the magic kept their bodies from rotting. As I placed Camille’s body down, I kissed her forehead and turned away, unable to look at her again. I walked out and made a silent vow,

“Talia. Wherever you are. I am going to kill you and end this war, once and for all. No matter what it takes, I’m taking you down. You killed Zora and you caused Tristan to kill Camille. I don’t know what kind of mind control Razandus has going on, but you’re not fighting it. Now, I’m fighting you. You want war? Heh, I’ll give you war!”