Chronicles: Resurection

Chapter Fourteen: To Demolish A Future​

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Kyle got up from the table and turned. "Where are you going?"
"To sleep. I'm tired so I can hear the rest tomorrow. Good night, Mary, Xenex." He left for his room and closed the door. Mary turned to Xenex with a puzzled look. "I never knew about a prophecy." He did a small smile. "I'm going to sleep as well. He'll probably want the rest of the story tomorrow." Xenex got up and left for his room. Mary watched him go before doing the same.
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The next morning they were gathered at the table once more. They had just finished breakfest. "Last night I stopped after the prophecy. Now everyone in the room promised to keep it secret. No one wanted to spread a bloody prophecy now with the bad feelings from the attack still lingering on. Me and my brother swore to each other we would never kill the other, something he seems to have forgotten recently. Within a couple years, the Second Great War broke out. Once more our clans fought. We didn't participate because we we're to young. Novek began training again to catch up to me and I stopped so he could. We wanted to stay equal, so that neither could kill the other. Things started up again a few months before the war ended..."
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A tall teen in all black was lifting weights. His pure black hair was glistening from sweat. "So, how's the book?" He asked while straining with a particulary heavy lift. In the corner on a bench there was a teen of the same hieght wearing red, reading a book. "It'd be boring to you. It's more of a thinking style." He replied. His spiked red hair was easily noticable throughout them room. "You sayin' I'm not smart?" Novek asked while lifting a heavy weight. "Well you're more of an action type. Besides what do you care? You've never bother to even read a book that wasn't some training guide." Novek set the weights down. "I never should've asked. Toss me the towel will ya?" Xenex tossed him a white one as he returned to his book. "You know, you don't have to read here. I doubt the home gym is the best spot to read anyways. Why not go to the study?" Xenex peered at him over the top of his book. "Too quiet. Besides I stopped training so you could catch my level. How can I tell if you've reached it if I don't watch?"
"Dad getting on your nerves?"
"Shut up."

A few minutes later and the two were walking down a hall to the main room of the house. Suddenly thier sister walked up behind them. "Hey, you guys know if Dad's home?" Xenex shook his head while Novek said no. "Do you know when he'll be home." Again the same reply. "Well tell me when he gets back ok?" Novek nodded but Xenex simply asked. "Why Sela?" She blushed a bit but didn't say, rather heading off to her room. The brothers looked at each other with confused looks but then walked on to the main room. Seleen was there, napping on the couch. Xenex sat down and started on his book again. Novek however went to his room for a nap. It was silence for a few minutes before there was knocking on the door. Xenex slowly got up and went to answer it. When he opened the door he was greeted by Mary, wearing a bright blue dress, and a girl he didn't know. She had long black hair and deep purple eyes. She wore a deep purple dress and was looking down with a simle on her face. "Hey Xenex. You and Novek up for a show?" Xenex didn't answer for a moment, staring at the girl, before snapping backand answering. "Uh... maybe. Why don't you come on in while I get him?" The two came and sat down on a couple chairs while Xenex went to Noveks room. A moment later he came back with Xenex. "So, where we goin'?" He asked.

 

Chapter Fifteen: The Fight​

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"All right. See ya later!"
"Good bye!" Novek and Xenex stepped in the front door of thier home. As they got to the living room thier father was there waiting for them. "Where were you two?" Novek quickly mumbled something and ran off to bed leaving Xenex alone to answer. Xenex sat down and grabbed his book from before. "We went out with friends." The father sighed. "Xenex, we're in the middle of a war. You can't just go without warning someone." Xenex avoided the statement by posing his own question. "Sela was looking for you. You talk to her yet?"
"Yes, and don't change the subject. You know how valuble you and your brother are. You two can't afford to be reckless nowadays."
"So we're just valuble things to you huh? Forget this. I'm going to bed." Xenex got up and walked to his shared room and slammed the door behind him. The father looked down, saddenend by the rift between him and his son. "I didn't mean it that way..." he said under his breath.

"Bastard. Leaving me to deal with dad." Xenex laid down on his bed and began to read his book some more. "Sorry but you know me. I hate getting yelled at by him. By the way I keep forgetting. what was the name of the girl Mary brought along?" Xenex thought for a moment, but once her image was in his head he forgot what he was doing, content to just imagine her in front of him. "Xenex!"
"Oh! Uh, I think it was Luna." Xenex hastily hid his face behind his book. "Luna, huh? Well tomorrow, I'm gonna ask her out."
"What?" Xenex put the book aside and stared at his brother. "I'm gonna ask her out. What, you like her or something?" Xenex hid his face behind his book again. "No. Best of luck to you."
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The next day Novek did just as he said he would. The two of them began dating over the next few months. Xenex was pained when he saw them together but did his best to appear happy around them. His sisters saw right through it and tried to comfort him. Still though he felt hurt by the sight of them together. Soon the war ended and thier father was home more. Because of how distant Xenex had become, his father couldn't tell what was bothering him. A couple months later when he was told by his daughters he tried to give his son some wisdom. "Just go tell her how you feel. Or tell your brother. Sorry if I'm not much help here. I didn't have a sibling to compete with." Xenex smiled though. "No, I think... I'll go talk to her." Xenex left to go see her. On the way he noticed his brother in a bad mood. Xenex ignored him and went to Luna's house. But before he knocked on her door he heard someone crying. He turned around to see Luna coming up crying her eyes out. "Oh Xenex. What're you doing here?" she asked as she wiped tears from her eyes. "What's wrong? Are you ok?" Xenex ignored her question worried more about her well being. She started to cry a little harder. "Novek... he... he broke up with me." In the back of his mind Xenex was happy to hear this but then she continued talking. "He said terrible things to me. Why... why would he do that? He really hurt me... I thought he loved me..." Xenex didn't wait to hear anymore but stormed off. Luna watched him go before she went into her house to be alone.

Xenex found his brother at the town square, staring out at the large fountain in the center of the large marketplace. "Who the hell do you think you are?" Novek turned around just in time to see Xenex punch him. Before Novek could even reacted, Xenex tackled him into the fountain and began to punch him continually in the face. The people in the marketplace watched as Xenex beat his brother. Suddenly Xenex was thrown off. Novek stood up and when Xenex charged in he managed to grab his fist and punch Xenex in the gut. Novek began to punch Xenex back until Xenex aas slammed against a wall. "What the hell are you doing Xenex!?" Xenex didn't answer but rather vanished and appeared with a punch to Novek's face. As Novek fell, Xenex pinned him down and continued punching him. "She cared for you and you hurt her! She's crying right now because you threw her away like trash! What the hell is wrong with you!?" Xenex continued punchjng his brother as the others around just watched in horror. Suddenly there was a flash of light. When it cleared Xenex was lying face down as his father held his arms pinned behind his back. His sisters were helping Novek to his feet. His nose was broken and his face was covered in bruises. "You ok Novek?" Novek ignored his sister and instead yelled to his brother. "F*** you! Who says you can judge me? Who gave you the f***ing right? Huh? F*** you! Next time you try anything like that, I'll f***ing kill you!" Novek stormed off and his sisters followed him. Everybody stared as thier father just stayed silent holding Xenex down as tears began to roll off his face.

 

Chapter Sixteen: Love & War​

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That marked the first time the brothers had ever fought. The village seemed mortified by it and the story spread like wildfire. Soon everybody in both the Lunar and Solar clans knew of it. Since the fight, Novek wouldn't even look towards his brother and just concentrated on training. The way Xenex had easily defeated him showed he had a long way to go. Once he had calmed down Xenex felt terrible for what he had down and wanted to apologize, though his brothers refusal to even look at him made it hard. Thier sisters were also divided on the matter. Both agree Xenex went to far but Sela argued that Novek deserved it while Seleen argued that Xenex should've minded his own business. Thier father didn't have an opinion simply stating what's done was done. The fight seemed to rip the family apart and with thier father out fighting battles in the war a lot, people wondered who was holding them back from killing each other.As time passed Xenex went to see Luna again. She had heard the story and knew what he had done. At first she was confused as to why he cared so much, but once he asked her out she understood. The two began dating shortly after.

Xenex walked in the front door, a small smile on his face. "So, how'd it go?" Xenex sat down as Sela looked at him expecting an answer. "Fine."
"So what happenend and don't leave a detail out." Xenex rolled his eyex and sighed. "Again? Why is the contents of my dates so interesting to you?"
"Because we're girls and we gossip about this stuff." Seleen leaned on the back of his chair. "You to? I'm not gonna get out of this, am I?" Both sisters shook thier heads, grinning ear-to-ear. Xenex sighed, knowing the hopelessness of argueing with them. "We went to dinner. We talked a bit then I walked her home. Happy?" Both gave him a cold stare. "I said 'details' Xenex."
"Like what?"
"What'd you talk about? Did you kiss or was there anything better?" She asked, a grin on her face as she said the last part. "The conversation was pretty plain. I asked her stuff about how she was doing and stuff. She replied and asked the same thing. I honestly don't know why you two find this so interesting." He said as he looked from face to face. Sela sighed as Seleen spoke. "You forgot to mention if there was any kissing and stuff."
"I didn't forget, I left it out." Seleen hit him in the back if the head. "You know not to leave info out."
"Ouch!" He muttered something under his breath about satanic girls but they just smiled as Seleen hit him again. "Ow! I kissed her goodnight as we got to her house ok?" The sisters smiled, "Thanks bro. Always nice talkin' to ya." The two went away laughing, leaving Xenex clutching the back of his head. "Demon girls I swear." Suddenly there was knocking on the door. Xenex got up and went to the door mumbling something else about his sisters. As he opened the door he was shocked to see Mary was there. "You look exhausted. What's so important you had to rush here?" She panted to catch her breath for a moment before replying. "Xenex, it's... it's your... your dad. He... I mean... the elders just... just got word that he's dead."
"What?"
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"The death of my father, led to many problems. First off was how he died. He had died to protect someone, who immediately went and betrayed him by killing his forces. This led to the Heaven clans pulling out of the war. Without the help from the strongest demon clans, that side quickly lost the war. It was blamed on the captain who had angered them and he was swiftly killed. Next was an allience problem. When we pulled out, it was as bad as openly attacking our allies. However when offered land and wealth by the other side, we refused. This led us to a neutral point with both sides wanting our alliance. Yet we made no choice as to a side because we were enraged with one and hated the other. It was very complex. The final problem came with a successor to my father's rule." Xenex explained to Kyle. Mary knew most of the story that followed as she became a major part after his fathers death. Rather than relive what she called 'horrible afterthoughts' she went to her room. "See, by Lunar clan laws women could not lead. So my sisters, who were both highly capable and his eldest, couldn't even be considered. This ment rule fell to me and Novek, but people wondered if that was right. We had killed a man in cold blood as mere children, I had beat my brother to a bloody pulp all because of a girl, and now we were technically orphans. Not the best bet for a leader, huh? Still, Novek and I became joint leaders of the clan. At the back of our minds was the prophecy about us that the elders gave. It said we wouldn't rule together, that brother would kill brother and lead in everlasting peace. Obviously it didn't happen, but we weren't sure of ourselves or the other. With the Second Great War over, I got to date Luna more. A few months later and we were engaged. It was about that time that I was finally given a chance to make peace with my brother."

 

i'm not done yet. i usually add a chapter every day or so. i won't be able to today because i'll be busy.

and Resurection is part 1 of 4.

 

Chapter Seventeen: To Make Amends​

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Novek was walking down a hallway surrounded by other members of the clan leadership. While the final decisions came down to the current leaders, there had always been a group that advised and reported to only the clan leader. "Sir, the nation is demanding an answer. If we remain nuetral they will try to eradicate us, same as if we side with thier enemy. However an acceptance of thier alliance will bring the wrath of the other side. Among myself and the other advisors, we would like to remain nuetral yet avoid a conflict. With all our recent losses, avoiding conflict is our highest priority." They soon reached a room with a large table with plenty of chairs. Xenex was already thier with the rest of the advisors. "I take it you heard of this alliance problem?" Novek nodded and took his seat on the opposite side of his brother, a precaution as much as to spite his brother. "I'm with them, nuetral without a fight but getting that will be hard considering both sides want to kill us if they don't get our alliegence. We need to figure out a plan for this to be settled peacefully." Xenex nodded, "I know, I was running an idea by them when you walked in. My idea would be to make a treaty with each stating we won't attack or harm them but neither will we fight thier battles. They technically get an alliance and we remain peaceful."
"But when they find out we made a pact like this with the opposing side, wouldn't they take action against us?" Xenex sighed as Novek said that. "I know, and that's the only flaw in my plan. We don't know how one will react to knews of us dealing with the other."
"I suggest we ready our strength to defend ourselves in case of attack. And if we get attacked then we give alliegence to the side that didn't attack."
"But then we have to suffer in fear of a possible attack and the attack itself. I'd rather think up something else."
"This is just something we need an answer to. One false move and we get attacked, yet one correct move could meet the same results. There's just no right answer." Both brothers agreed on this while the advisors were shocked they could plan so well. Once the brothers finished they began offering plans of thier own that the brothers systematically pointed out problems with or rejecting. They couldn't reach an answer that didn't involve the risk of being attacked.

A few hours later and the meeting was over. They hadn't reached a plausible plan so the brothers decided to stop and continue tomorrow. Before he left, Xenex asked Novek to stay back as he wanted to discuss something in private. As the advisors left for thier own affairs, the brothers were left alone in the room. At first there was silence, until Xenex spoke. "It's been almost a year and still the only time we seem to talk is at these meetings for the clan. Look Novek, I... I wanted-"
"If you're going to tell me you're engaged then don't bother. Sela told me a couple days ago." Novek turned, he was about to get up to go. "No wait! It's... not about my engagement. It's about what I did. Novek, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have ever hit you. I should've minded my own business and left you alone. I'm sorry." Novek stayed silent. "All I was thinking about was hurting you for hurting Luna. Afterwards I realized that you were right. I had no right to judge you. No right to try to punish you. I just acted on my own feelings when I didn't know the full story. I'm sorry Novek, it's all I can really say." Novek remained silent. Xenex got up, he had said what he wanted. If Novek was going to stay silent then there was no reason to stay. "Xenex, I don't know what you really expect me to say." Xenex turned to see his brother still hadn't turned around. "You attacked me and nearly smashed my skull in, all because I dumped Luna. I could tell you liked her, I found it out while we were dating. In a way, I was happy to know that dating her hurt you. It was something I had that you couldn't. But then when I dumped her you attacked me. I was actually expecting you to be happy, not mad. You're now engaged to her. You seem happy with her, like I thought you would. I could never figure out while you attacked me. Even now it's still a mystery to me. And now you apologize and I don't know if I should forgive you or not. I knew you felt sorry for it. The way you were deppresed by my silence told me the whole story of your grief about the fight. Yet I still kept my distance and stayed silent. All because I didn't even know why. Why you wanted to attack me in the first place. If you want forgiveness then you're gonna have to wait. I don't know if you deserve it. If you just wanted to apolgize then fine. Either way, I've got stuff to do." Novek stood up and left. Xenex just stayed standing, silent as his brother left and he was the only one in the room.

 

Chapter Eighteen: A New War​

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Xenex walked in the front door of his house. After him and Novek were named the new leaders they had gotten thier own houses. Besides that, they wanted to make sure they wouldn't hurt each other. As Xenex walked into the living room his pheonce Luna was waiting for him. "So how'd it go?" Xenex sighed as he sat down next to her. "New threats and pleas against the clan for allegiance. We're trying to think of a way to remain nuetral without provoking a war." Luna frowned, "That's not what I meant. I meant, how'd it go with your brother?" Xenex stared with a blank look for a moment. "I... I honestly couldn't say. I apologized and he said he didn't know if he should forgive me or not. He explained his reasoning and I can't lie, he's right. If the situation was reversed, then I wouldn't know if I could or even, should forgive him. He told me that and just left. I don't know what to say about how it went." Luna leaned in close and kissed him. "You did what you wanted to do. It's up to him now." She stayed leaning on hjm for several minutes, both content to stay that way, until there was a knock at the door. Luna got up to get it and returned with Mary. "Hey Xenex, nice to see you again." Xenex looked up to see Mary wearing a full suit of custom battle armor. It was gold and silver, shining with a light of its own. It was curved to the contour of her body and was made to be flexible as well. "Why are you wearing armor Mary?"
"Because the Solar clan is preparing for war." Xenex was shocked to hear the news and it shiwed because Mary began to explain. "The Lunar clan may want to stay nuetral but we know that a war is going to be inevitable. So we are preparing because we will be taking the plea for allegiance. Both our clans are linked, we know this. But we're not going to sit back and let you deny an alliance with one of the stronger countries when it could lead to our own destruction. Tomorrow, we're going to ally ourselves for the inevitable war. I'm simply here to let you know, staying nuetral will cause both our downfalls." Xenex stood, he had a seriousvlook in his eyes. "Have you spoken with Novek about this?" Mary shook her head. "Alright then I will. We'll meet with you tomorrow with our answer. Mary nodded and left. Xenex gave Luna a kiss before heading out himself. He went to Novek's and politely knocked on his door. Novek was shocked to see his brother. "We need to talk."
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Xenex and Novek we sitting at a table in a large room. The table was adorned with a sun and moon linked together. At the other end was Mary and her father, the current leader of the Solar clan. He spoke in a commanding voice with authority. "So what has the night decided?" Xenex and Novek looked at each other before speaking in unison. "We have decided to join the alliance and continue the allegiance with the day."

 

Chapter Nineteen: The Start Of A Legacy​

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"The next day we went to a meeting with the leaders of one country. We signed a treaty allying ourselves with the country. In return the country promised to never attack or betray us in any way. As expected, when the rival country wasn't happy with our decision and readied its forces. We recieved word that they would attack and we instantly began preparations to defend ourselves. The next day it happened, the Third Great War began, because we defended ourselves."
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Xenex was running. He was wearing his black and red armor carrying his sword. Novek was with him, in his armor with his sword. They had a group of about fifteen enemy soldiers behind them. "Xenex..."
"A little more, just up ahead." They kept running till they reached a dead end and spun around. The enemy grinned and closed in for the kill. Suddenly five soldiers wer blasted with lightning and were incinerated on the spot. As they turned to so see what happened, three more were smashed into the ground by a large claymore wielded by a girl wearing black and blue armor. Before the rest could attack, Novek sliced through four and Xenex blasted the other three with fire. "Nice hit Sela." Sela lifted her claymore."Thanks, now whats next?" Seleen jumped down, clad in identical armor carrying her staff. "We need to help out the others on the outskirts of the city. These were the last of the enemies that managed to slip by the main forces." Xenex nodded, "Ok then. Lets go!" Seleen nodded and began to mutter something. She held up her staff which began to glow. Suddenly they vanished, leaving a black mark where they once stood. They appeared in a clearing inside the city. Seleen looked a little tired out so Sela told them to go on ahead. The brothers ran on till they reached the edge of the city. They looked accross a large field, taking note off the battle. Massive amounts of enemy soldiers were attacking a much smaller force, yet they weren't making any headway. The Solar and Lunar clan warriers were striking down foes and blasting off spells with little effort. A few cannons were firing on the city, but thier shots were being repeled by a barrier. "Look out!" A cannonball was about to smash Xenex when suddenly there was a large silver shuriken glowing in front of him, which repeled the attack. The weapon spun around back into the hand of Mary, clad in her silver and gold armor. She was holding another weapon just like it. They were hollow circles at the center where Mary was holding them. Many serated blades were sticking out of the circle giving it the appearance of a tribal sun. Xenex quickly thanked her before they rushed into the battle. Mary would spin and throw out her blades and control thier path with her mind, making it seem like the enemy was being attacked by a pair of flying saws. Novek would use his swordsmanship skills to strike down foes from every direction, moving swiftly accross the battlefield. Xenex was doing the same but also using fire and lightning spells to hit enemies at a distance while he slashed at a near one. The fighting continued for hours with the enemy forces thinning while the Heavens clan losses were relatively small. The enemy was easily outmatched but refused to retreat. A few hours later and Xenex slashed down the final soldier. He dropped to his knees, exhausted from the fight. Novek was standing beside him, breathing heavily. The battle was won, but the war had just started.

 

Chapter Twenty: Loss Of The Twins​

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"The first battle of the war we fought and won. After that our allies began to retaliate and attack. Pretty soon the Third Great War started. Me and Novek fought in many battles, usually turning the tide to our favor. To the enemy, we became known as the bloody twins. To our allies, we were the Lunar Saviors. Despite this, our sisters were even more infamous. Magic & Might is what they were refered to by both sides. Seleen would cast many spells and obliterate the enemies forces or Sela would charge in and smash them to bits. They were an unbeatable team. About halfway into the war, me and Novek finally mastered flying. Now that we could attack from the air, the enemy was usually defeated faster. One day we got a signal from my sisters that said they were being chased down. They had got pinned at the bottom of Drogin Cliff, which wasn't that far away from our city. Some of our forces were dispatched immediately, me and Novek however ran to the cliff..."
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"What are you going to do Xenex?" Xenex was in his armor, looking over the side of the cliff. It was foggy and cold. Xenex turned back to his brother. "Get your armor and join me when you can." Novek looked a little apprehensive, "Xenex..." Without another word Xenex fell back over the cliff. As he was falling he activated his wings and began to fly down. "Reckless fool." Novek began to run back for his armor.

Sela smashed another soldier down with her claymore as lightning shot over her head, striking down another three. But the soldiers kept coming. Towards the back was a soldier on a horse, directing the others. He had a spear in his hand and chain in the other. Sela and Seleen killed wave after wave but more came still. At the rate they were going they wjuld be over run. Suddenly a lightning bolt was shot from above, killing five men. The twins looked up to see Xenex flying down firing off spells at the enemy. He quickly landed next to them. "Happy to see me?"
"Thrilled, now would you mind helping?" Sela joked as she slammed another away. With Xenex's help they began to push back the soldiers. Sela smashed the last one down. "Well that's all except the guy on the horse. Let's kill him and g-!" Sela stopped talking as there was a blade sticking through her chest from her back. She coughed up blood and fell to her knees as Seleen and Xenex ran to her. She died before they could even reach her. The soldier pulled on his chain and the blade in Sela's chest flew back to his spear. "Seleen no!" Xenex yelled as his sister ran towards him with lightning flying around her. The soldier said something and suddenly her lightning vanished. Before Seleen could react, he impaled her on his spear. "You let anger blind you, demon scum." He tossed her aside and looked at Xenex who glared at him with rage. Who is this guy? "Who am I? I am Captain Marx." What the? can he read- "Minds. Yes I can. That is why I can fight demonic filth like you on equal grounds. Give up. Surrender or flee, those are your choices." Xenex blasted off a lightning spell which was stopped by an invisible wall. "I'm also proficient enough in magic to create a barrier at a moments notice. Now, choose." Xenex charged in at the captain, swinging wildly in a rage. Marx began to parry them with a bored look on his face. He knocked Xenex off balance and aimed a stab at him but Xenex vanished. He reappeared with a slash that was quickly parried. "Fast, but still futile." Xenex screamed in anger and kept slashing away. Marx parried each one, content to let Xenex tire himself out. Finally he parried and shoved Xenex, causing Xenex to spin around. Before he could react Marx delievered a massive slash from his left shoulder to his right hip. Blood began to flow out of the wound across his armor, which Marx had cut straight through. Xenex fell to the ground as Marx raised his spear, to impale him. "Farewell, demon." A fireball blasted Marx back. Then another, and another. Marx quickly mounted his horse and rode off. Novek and about thirty warriors had come. Novek knelt by his brother as the warriors looked to Sela and Seleen. "Xenex... what... what happened?"
"He overpowered us. It's like, we didn't even exist."

 

Chapter Twenty-One: Dealing The Wrong Way​

"Losing my sisters was tough. It hit me, hard. They had been kind no matter what and were always there to help when my father wasn't. Since the fight with my brother it was they were there even more. To lose them was... devestating. As soon as I was healed I had my armor on. Luna tried to stop me but I didn't listen. Novek and Mary tried to hold me back but I used my superior speed to get passed them. I searched out and found where this Captain Marx was, and I attcked him."
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It was night, the moon was full. "We need back up! A hundred soldiers are severely injured!" There was fire, all around. The entire city was burning. "Where's your location soldier?" Soldiers were running around. Weapons could be heard firing and clashing. "Goni City! We need everybody available!" Goni City was an abandoned city, no one lived there. The enemy milatary was using it as a base for rest. "What are the enemy numbers?"
"Just one!" A catapult crashed through the building, killing the man. More men rushed out with crossbows and swords. A man was suddenly stabbed through the chest. Others turned to attack the culprit but were suddenly blasted by fire, burning them to ash. Captain Marx stumbled out, holding a stump where his left arm used to be, a cut on his head bleeding profusely. Some of a building crashed next to him. He looked around in a panic. To his right and back was fire. To his left were building remains, impossible to climb over with only one arm. He turned to face the flames, he could hear men screaming as they were killed. The screams contiuned to get closer as he waited. Suddenly a man's beheaded corpse burst through the wall of flames and rolled across the ground. Marx looked up in fear. The black silouette of an armored man began to walk through the flmaes, it's blood red eyes glowing with power. The fire raged around him but the man didn't seem to be affected. Finnally the man came out of the fire so Marx could see who was causing the destruction. Xenex. "What... what are you?!"
Xenex glared at him, his eyes glowing with power and rage, Marx could only cower in fear. "I am your death, Captain Marx!" Marx didn't wait to see what Xenex was going to do. He got up and ran into the fire, prefering to burn rather then face what was about to come. More soldiers came charging at Xenex only to have him smash building on them. Xenex slaughtered his way to the center of the city and layed a small stone there. He activated his wings, formed of crimson red energy, and flew off. A few minutes later and the rock glowed. There was a flash, and Goni City was a crater.
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The next day both nations quickly formed a peace treaty. Neither knew what were the reasons. Neither knew why it happened. They were simply trying to stop the fighting to prevent it from happening again. The story became etched into history. Xenex Coros, Co-Leader of the Lunar Clan, had slaughtered an army of thirty thousand men in a single night, and was never touched. The crater became a memorial to the dead of that night. Everybody in the Heaven Clans began to distance themselves from Xenex except for Luna, Mary and surprisingly Novek. He had come over the next day and spoken with him. "I understand now... why you did it. I think with that very understanding, I can... can finally forgive you, brother."

 

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Mission​

"The months after were both hard and happy. My brother and I returned to best friends as if the fight never happened. Luna was closer then ever, and Novek finally apologized, though it was more to please me then anything. My family was my happy place because the rest of my life was hell. The clan both was grateful that I avenged my sisters but angry claiming I went to far. Killing Marx was ok, but the rest of that dividion was too much, and I couldn't claim self-defense because I did it all without a scratch on me. Most of the clan began to distance me from everyday events. Novek would fill me in when that happened. I was only really involed in the war effort, and only because of my skill. That day became known as the Demons Massacre, and I was slowly gaining my current title of Death Demon. The Third Great War was the longest of the wars, my people were desperate to end it. As were our allies. One day an allied general requested the three best of the Heavans Clans. Mary, Novek and myself went to the meeting..."
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The three were walking down a red carpet in a hall lined with silver statues. Pictures and gold tapestry lined the walls. Everything was white marble, the large ebony doors were opened for them as they neared them. They entered a room willed with maps and battle plans all over the place. At the rooms center was a lone table, with a man standing over it. "I thank you for coming today. There is something we need to dicuss." He motioned for them to sit and then did so himself. The three took a seat opposite him and he began to point at the map on the table. "Enemy forces are here, here, and around this river..." He pointed to each spot individually, "But our forces are holding them at bay. Now your clans are the final piece to the cannon that will blow them away, however my advisors and informants have told me of a way we can end this war tonight." Novek grunted while Mary looked to Xenex. Xenex looked over the map for a few moments before asking, "How? From our intel, there's no such plan that can be made."
"Then I see your intelligence troops have either overlooked or haven't reported it yet. You see, the top three officials of the enemies force will be attending a secret meeting here, at this abandoned power plant. They will be trying to negotiate with a few neutral nations and gaining thier help. If they succeed then this war shall last, but should they be taken out..."
"Then the enemy will be without command." The general smiled, "Exactly. However security is very tight, regular spies or assasins will be unable to sneak in. It will take some with very... unique skills." Mary looked at the map, "You mean us? But why? True I'm more stealthy then most of the spies on this planet but why Xenex and Novek? They're more suited for combat on the front lines." Novek and Xenex nodded in agreement. "Because I have a plan, one that requires two very powerful warriors. My plan is simple. The two of them will attempt to sneak in. When they undoubtablly, no offense, fail, they pretend to be captured. They will most likely be brought to the leaders so they can gloat over capturing two of the most deadly fighters around. Thats when you, Mary, will assasinate the leaders and with Xenex and Novek, fight your way out. My plan requires a small force with one skilled assasin, and at least two powerful warriors. I believe three would be best because it's a small number that would easily get in without notice. More and you risk being discovered. Now, what do you think?"
"It's a good plan." Mary and Novek stared at Xenex. "He's thought it out, taking care to plan with our individual skills. Novek, he's right, we do suck at sneaking around. Mom could hear us when we just took a short breath. Mary can sneak in and then for our strength will get us out safely. No offense Mary, you're a very powerful fighgter but like he said, your strength is assasination. I believe that this can and will work." The general smiled as Novek and Mary reluctantly agreed. "Excellent, now for the plan specifics..."
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"You're just now reaching that mission?"
"Mary! Nice of you to come out." Mary had come out of her room and sat down next to Xenex and Kyle. Kyle looked confused "Why did you say that mission? What happened that makes it so different?" Xenex sighed and Mary replied. "Because things didn't go as planned. The war didn't end when we killed the targets. In fact, it got worse."

 

Chapter Twenty-Three: Feel The Wrath, Serve The Greed​

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"Xenex, Novek and myself headed out that night with only the supplies needed; our weapons and a small meal. We set up our entire strategy beforehand and when the guarded caravans started to show we moved into place..."
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There was at least ten carriges headed down a small path, hidden by mountains and pillars of stone. A man in black was watching from a distance. Without warning his neck was broken from behind and Novek shoved him aside. "You ready bro?" Xenex took a long look at the carrages as they stopped at a decrepit old building filled with rust and age. Finally he nodded yes. The two moved in quietly while Mary watched them from a distance. And now for my part. She headed down a seperate path to the back of a building. There were two guards waiting for any ambush. Suddenly there was sounds of a fight and they headed off to see what was happening. Mary ran up and muttered a spell. He body became intangible and she walked through the wall. She was on an alcove, hidden in the shadows of the dimly lit building. Nobody could see her unless they knew she was there to even check. She readied her weapon, the sun shuriken and waited. Pretty soon three men in masks showed up, hoods kept everything else about them masked. They were followed by a group of four, paored off a dragging two more. They dropped thier prisoners and pointed thier weapons at them. "Heh, that all you got?" Novek looked up, he had a small bit of blood dripping from his mouth but Mary could tell it was intentional, Novek never lets enemies even come close to his head. Xenex was on his left and got up on one knee. "Come on, we can still fight." The men shoved thier weapons close to his face. A laugh was heard as one of the masked three spoke. "To have the two demon brothers at my feet, completely at my mercy. It is truly an honor." His tone was mocking and his body shook uncontrolably with his laugh. Keep laughing concieted pig. One I get the signal you won't have a head to laugh with. Mary crouched a liitle closer. "And to think it was this easy. We should have done this years ago." Another said. The third snapped his fingers and a sword was handed to him. "I shall enjoy killing you three." Three? doesn't he mean two? Without warning Mary was shoved from her spot causing her to fall. She flipped in mid-air and landes on her feet. The first one began to laugh some more. "Oh goody, you decided to join us! The party wouldn't be complete without you!"
"How?!" The three stared at her, thier masks hiding thier expressions. "How did you know? How could you know?"

"Isn't it obvious? I told them."

Mary, Xenex and Novek all turned to see the general walking up from the front door. "You? But..."
"It was me that brought you here. I set you up. You see I loathe demons such as yourselves. So I made a deal. I give them the three greatest demon warriors, who are single handedly preventing them from winning, and in return I am granted lordship after thier victory. You feel my wrath while I serve my greed."
"You bastard." Xenex and Novek were about to get up and attack when they were branded by a soldier on the neck. Thier was a strange mark resembling a sun shining brightly when the soldier stepped back. Instantly both brother grabbed thier necks and screamed in pain. "The holy mark of the summer solstice, it harms and seals the powers of a Lunar Everto. It lasts for two days and attempting anything fancier then swordplay will claim your life. We have a Solar Everto counter-part for you too Mary." The soldier held up another rod and began walking towards Mary. Mary batted it away and jumped back. Damn...

 

Chapter Twenty-Four: Break Away​

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Mary quickly blocked an incoming stab. The man pulled back and tried again, aiming for her neck. "Not a chance in hell!" She spun he blade knocking it away and with the other in her opposite hand she decapitateted him. As his body fell to its knees, the general ran up with an axe. Meanwhile Xenex and Novek were sweating and had a few cuts. The pain from the seal wore off but they were still out matched. Five men were attacking each of them, neither could get a moments break. Neither could do more then defend. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! We should have tried this years ago on the other strong ones! If it was this easy on the fabled best ever then surely the others would have fallen faster!"
"Shut up!" Novek ran towards the three masked men but was quickly kicked in the gut by a soldier. "My my, without your precious spells and demonic enhancements you two are nothing more then mere grunts aren't you?" One of the masked men kicked Novek back. Xenex killed one of the men before catching his brother. "You okay?"
"Do I look okay?"
"You sorta always look that way. Its hard to tell."
"Is now the best time for jokes? I thought getting killed would be a serious matter for you." Novek pushed himself off his brother and the two kept fighting on.

"Just die demon!" The general swung his axe down at Mary. She rolled to the side and threw out one of her blades and he quikly pulled out a knife and stabbed it into the ground, pinning it there. "I'm getting quite tired of the flying blade trick, little missy. Perhaps you should just give up!" He charged at her but she quickly delivered a quick punch to his gut. She gave another to his face before shoving him back. "You really think my blades are the only weapon I have? Maybe yoy should give up!" She waved her hand creating a ball of fire and tossed it at him. He quickly sliced it and smiled. "As if that would-!" The two haves of the fireball exploded and blasted him into the wall. Mary quickly created and threw out another. This one was a direct hit, blowing him through the wall. She quicklybran forward and looked through not seeing him anywhere. She turned around and jumped next to Xenex and Novek. "Traitors dead boys. Lets kill these guys an leave." The two brothers nodded and attacked harder. Mary began blasting them with her fireballs when suddenly she screamed in pain. They turned around to see a soldier had gotten her with the seal. They ran up but were immediately knocked back by the masked me. "Oh no. You're not going anywhere demons. You all will die here." Novek slashed at him only to be parried by a blade extending from a contraption on his wrist. "I'm Nokamora, the quick blade." He whipped out another blade from his other wrist and began slashing at Novek. Xenex wzs about to help him when a bullet whizzed past his head. "Like it? Newest technology too. Its called a gun. Soon it'll replace crossbows and archers will become shooters. Name's Trace, the speed shot." He began firing from two seperate guns while Xenex began to dodge. "Get up girly. You won't leave her alive but I want to have some fun before you die." Mary opened her eyes and quickly spun to her feet, kicking him away in the process. "Oh goody, you can still play! I'm Drax, the rapid hammer. Lets play for a while!" He charged in bare-handed as Mary readied herself to take him on.

 

Chapter Twenty-Five: Three Threats Flashin' Fast​

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Xenex quickly jumped up and slashed at Trace but he rolled to the side and began firing at Xenex, who quickly took cover behind some metal piping. Those weapons, guns he called them, the projectile hits as hard as a sword and is more accurate then an arrow. He gets fifteen shots each before he does the reloading which takes him about five seconds. I can deflect the shots with my sword nor can my armor take direct hits. He's already shot my left shoulder so I know how they hurt. Without magic or my demonic strength and speed this will be hard. I've only got a five second window every minute. Trace stopped shooting and reached back. Xenex quickly came out from the piping and started slashing. Trace dodged a few but suddenly stumbled. Xenex took the opening and stabbed at his chest. Trace blocked it, using the guns to parry it away. "They're made of metal. Getting close doesn't mean I can't fight demon!" He snapped one gun and fired a bullet straight through Xenex's leg before pushing him back. "Now come on!"

Mary fell and quickly rolled on hed side as Drax slammed his hammer down. "Come on girly, why won't you play?!" He laughed maniacally as he raised his hammer and slammed it down agaian and again as Mary narrowly avoided the blows. "You damned bastard!" Mary ran up and punched him in his face. He stumbled back and his mask cracked and fell. His face was horribly scarred and disfigured. "What's wrong girly? You look like you seen a monster!" He laughed and charged in swinging like a madman. "Oh come on. Play by the rules! You hit me so now I hit you! Dodging is cheating!!" He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed her by her arm and shoved he against a wall. "NOW DIE!" He grinned and slammed his hammer down.

Sparks were flying everytime a clang rang through the empty factory. A sword parried twin blades and sparks flew. In less then a second this happened hundreds of times. Novek and Nokamora, blade masters clashing so fast the eyes would see blurs. Suddenly they jumped away from each other. Novek was breathing heavily, sweat drenched his face. Nokamora on the other hand seemed unfazed, as if this wasn't even a warm-up. "Your strong demon. Even with your demon powers sealed, making you human, you can fight on par with me. But I can see you're not going to last much longer. Without your enhanced strength and speed you are barely keeping up and you are exhausted from doing so. The seal will last for another hour, sadly, you won't last that long." Novek spat on the ground and wiped the sweat from his eyes. "If you think... I'm done here, that I'll be killed by you... you better think twice." Novek raised his sword. "Only one person will ever get that chance." He charged in and Nokamora followed suit. The two once more became covered in a flurry of sparks.

Xenex was down on one knee. His left arm and right leg had been shot through the nerve endings. He couldn't move them. His sword was sitting to the right, five feet away. Trace was standing in front of him, a gun aimed right between Xenex's eyes. "Well demon, its been real. I'm kinda sad that you've gotta go. You're fun to fight against, but if I let you live then the others would bother me forever. So, any last words?"
"You better hope you're fast. One false move, and you'll be dead before your body can realize it was cut." Trace held the other gun to Xenex's head along with the first. "I'll remember that. Farewell, demon." He pulled the trigger and there was the splater of blood hitting the ground. Xenex was behind Trace, his sword sticking through Trace s chest from behind. Trace had blood dripping from his mouth. "How...?"
"I moved at the last second, your shots grazed my neck." Trace's eyes opened wide. "You mean?"
"Yes, you shot off my seal. I warned you. You just weren't fast enough. Now have peace in the afterlife, Trace the speed shot."

Both of Mary's arms were broken. She was down on her kees, her head down. "You don't want to play no more? Please girly? You were so much fun earlier." Mary was silent. Drax sighed and walked up with a disappointed look on his face. "Fine girly. I'll put you out of your misery." He raised his hammer and slammed it down. There was a massive bang that echoed through the area. Drax fell down a sword stuck through his head. "You should've watched where I had faked my collapse. I hid a sword from view and killed you when you got to close. I hope you burn in the darkest pit of hell, Drax the rapid hammer."

All that was left was Nokamora and Novek.

 

Chapter Twenty-Six: Prelude To The Final Push​

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"Mary! You ok?" Xenex limped over to her. She looked back. "I'm fine. It's just my arms. Don't worry I can still fight my way out. What about you?"
"My left arm is done until we heal it back home, and my right leg is barely holding me up. I feel like I'll fall at any moment." Thier was a loud bang and Novek crashed through some piping. Mary and Xenex were in shock but before they could react Nokamora jumped at Novek and the two began attacking and parrying at a rapid pace. Novek was taking a few hits while Nokamora wasn't getting touched. The newly made blood stains on his clothes weren't his, they were Noveks. Xenex raised his sword to try helping when Novek screamed. "Don't! He's my fight!" Novek charged back in as Xenex stopped. Mary had a worried look on her face. "What do you mean? He's no match for you!" She ran up but Xenex stood in her way. "Move! We've gotta help!" Xenex didn't budge. "This... this is something we have to do!" Mary had her eyes wide open in shock. Xenex had his head down. "We've gotta let him do this. Just believe he can and he will. You'll see, there's no way he'll go down here." Mary stared before nodding and turning to see. Don't make me a liar Novek. I can't lose you too.

"Are you sure that was smart? Turning away your only chance of defeating me?" Novek was in a clash with Nokamora, both had there blades inches from the others throat. "I told you before; I won't die here. You won't get the chance to kill me!" He shoved Nokamora back and began to slash at him as Nokamora parried constantly. Suddenly Novek threw out a kick which was easily grabbed. "Your slipping. Perhaps I should stop toying around and kill you know." He quickly threw Novek back and aimed a stab at his head. Novek ducked under and punched him hard in the gut before tackling him down. "Die!" Nokamora grabbed Novek by the throat before he could do anything. "Sorry demon. You lose." With his free hand Nokamora stabbed Novek in the side and threw him off. "Novek!" Xenex and Mary screamed from the side. Novek struggled to his feet. I'm sorry bro, there's only one way to win this but because of the seal it might kill me. Novek dropped his sword, his arms hanging limp at his sides, his head hanging down. "This is it demon. Your final moment on this plane of life." Nokamora ran forward, ready to stab him through the chest with both blades. "No. This is your final moment." Noveks body glowed red, and energy swirled around him. Nokamora froze in his tracks. "But the seal! You can't do that!" Novek looked up, a fierce red glow in his eyes. "Watch me." Novek vanished, appearing in front of Nokamura. He threw a punch towards his chest and Nokamora raised his blades in defense. But something happened. Noveks fist seemed to split into five others as all hit Nokamora. He stumbled back, trying to figure out what happened. "Phantom Fists. My own original technique. In mid attack I multiply the limbs of my body doing the attack to increase its power. I only threw one punch but you were hit by five. And now you won't touch me for the rest of this fight." Nokamora turned to run, scared out of his mind but Novek was already in front of him punching him even more. He kept punching, sending him straight up. As Nokamora fell, Novek grabbed his sword and stabbed him through the heart. "I told you. I wouldn't die here. You lose, Nokamora the quick blade."

Novek took his sword out of his corpse and the energy around him subsided. He turned to Xenex and Mary and smiled. "See? I told you he could do it Mary." Xenex and Mary smiled and were about to walk up to him when something happened. Novek dropped to his knees screaming and clutching his neck, the seal glowing black. "NOVEK!" Suddenly he wasn't there anymore. His sword left smoking on the ground where he was. Mary's eyes were glued to the spot, she couldn't believe what just happened. Xenex dropped to his knees. He stared at the spot for what seemed like an eternity. "NOVEK!!"
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"Without Novek, Xenex became the sole leader of the Lunar clan. That was sadly when everything went to hell. Though the enemy lost three of its leaders and strongest fighters, we lost one half of the duo that was single-handedly responisble for keeping the dwindling war in our favor. Once the enemy learned this they countered with more force then ever seen, as if losing Novek gave them life. We thought Novek was dead. Had we known what we do now, perhaps it wouldn't have happened..." Mary looked down as Kyle gave her a questioning look. "What wouldn't have happened?" Xenex looked down for a moment. "Me. My slaughter of every Lunar and Solar Everto besides myself and Mary."

 

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Night The Title Was Earned​

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Xenex took off a gold locket he had around his neck and tossed it to Kyle. He opened it and there was a picture of Xenex, Mary and Novek on the left side. On the right was a women holding a baby with red eyes. "Who are these two?"
"My wife Luna and my son, Ren. You see, Luna had given birth to a child, a little boy, about a month before the mission and I was relaxing with them when it started..."
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Xenex was laying on his back with his hands cradling his head, staring straight up at the night sky. Luna was sitting nearby in a chair holding Ren, humming a lullaby to him. It's been a week since Novek died and sadly, things are the most peaceful they've been in years. Brother... why did you have to go? A Xenex sat up and glanced over at Luna and Ren. The baby was sound asleep in her arms as she rocked gently gazing down at him. Xenex felt blessed that he could be lucky enough to have them. A flash of light caught his attention. He looked up to see what looked like four shooting stars. But something was off. They seemed to be getting closer to the ground and they were in a straight line. Stars don't fall that faced and any more then two together isn't normal. "Luna, I want you to take Ren and go. Don't stop, we'll meet where we planned." Luna looked up and understood. She quietly got up and left. She'll be fine but I've got to find out whats up with those. Xenex jumped from building to building till he reached the town square. A few others had gathered. Some thought the lights were pretty, others were worried like Xenex. Suddenly Xenex noticed something about one of the stars. "Everbody down!" Too late, the 'stars' crashed and everybody was blasted back. Xenex crashed into the side of a building, part of it collapsing on him. A minute later and someone pulled him out of it. "This him?"
"Yes. Now knock him out." Xenex was hit by a massive club in the back of the head, he was unconscious instantly.

What happenend? Xenex opened his eyes and looked around. He had his hands tied behind him and he was down on his knees leaning slightly forward. "So you're finally awake. I told you you'd face my wrath." Xenex looked up to see the general and three others. "You? But you died! Mary killed you!"
"No. She blasted me through a wall and over a cliff. My apprentices saved me. I wasn't going to die that easily. I found out what happened after my 'death' the next day. My plan failed, only one of you died. So now I'm here to finish what I started. We know Mary is gone on a mission, she won't be back until tomorrow. But until then we'll make you suffer."
"Just try. Torturing me won't get you anywhere."
"Who said we'd torture you? I said we'd make you suffer. I never mentioned how." He snapped his fingers and Xenex was stabbed in the arm with a needle. "Within the needle is a very powerful serum. The one injected must obey my commands to the letter for ten hours." He motioned for his straps to be undone. As soon as they were Xenex was in the generals face, about to punch him. "Stop." The attack halted a mere inch from his nose. Xenex stared at his fist in horror. He tried a punch with his other hand. "Stop." Again the same result. "Stand still." Xenex froze. I can't move! Damn him! Move body. Come on, MOVE! "My command to you Xenex..." He began to walk away, his apprentices following him. "...Is to kill everyone in the Hevens clans, with your bare hands. You cannot stop, cannot warn them, cannot give mercy. You will kill all of them without saying a word. You may begin once you no longer see me." He stopped and turned to Xenex, a large grin on his face. "Wait!" There was a flash of light and the for of them were gone. Instantly his body began to run towards the nearest people it saw. No, please. Run people, RUN! Xenex screamed in his mind as he caught up with them. His body ignored Xenex's commands and grabbed the nesrest one and snapped thier neck. The other three with him stared in horror before trying to run. But they couldn't Xenex appeared in front of one and impaled him on his fist. Another was slammed against a wall head first, crushing his skull. The final was grabbed and his head was ripped off. Xenex could only scream and protest in horror as his body continued the slaughter all night. Nobody was spared, man or women, adult or child, nobody. Finally Xenex appeared in front of a small hidden cave. Oh no. Please no. Not Ren. Not Luna.

 

Chapter Twenty-Eight: A Curse​

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"It was the worst night in my life. And what was worse is I brought it on myself. Just as he said, I regained control when the serum wore off ten hours later. The first thing I did was get revenge. It took me one week. By then the story had spread. Mary was searching for me but I couldn't let her find me. She didn't know the full story, only the part of my killing them all. So obviously she'd want revenge on me. I figured I would let her, after I got my revenge. I finally tracked the general down in a small nameless city. Him and his apprentices were hiding from me. And for good reason..."
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The streets were crowded. It may have been a small town but it was a popular tourist spot during the summer. Some people were smiling and chatting. Others were gossiping about the latest rumors. Three people in black were running. A fourth was ahead running even faster then them, a terrified look on his face. "Keep up if you want to live!"
"But we aren't as fast as you!" There was and explosion between the man and the group. Hundreds of people began to sceam and run. A figure was in the smoke from the explosion, but only for a moment. It vanished and soon the man was on the ground. "Demon." he grunted as Xenex held his head into the dirt below. "You thought I wouldn't come find you? Did you really think you could get away with what you did?" He coughed up some blood and laughed. "What I did? I did nothing! You, you did it. You're the Death Demon that killed his entire clan for no reason. I had nothing to do with it." Xenex pounded his head down. "You know thats a lie!"
"Prove it." Xenex didn't bother trying to argue. He threw him into the air and vanished. Within the blink of an eye the general was hit from a hundred directions at once. Xenex appeared above him and kicked him to the ground. Right as he hit Xenex was there and began to drag his face across the ground before throwing him through a building. His three apprenticed ran up and attacked Xenex. However Xenex held up his hand and blasted them with lightning, causing them to drop to the ground. Xenex flew over to the general. His face was bloody, his arms were broken, as were his legs. His armor was punctured, the metal cutting into his body. "So..." He coughed up some blood and spat in front of Xenex. "...You kill innocents now to?"
"You're anything but innocent." The general began to laugh and Xenex punched him in the face. Xenex kept punching, he wouldn't stop. Even after he felt the bones snap under his fist, even after the genersl stopped laughing and his breath stopped comming. Xenex just kept punching. Finally he was yanked back and thrown against a building. "Why? Just answer me that Xenex. Why?" Mary was holding him up, a blade to his throat. "I had no control. He used some stuff on me and forced me."
"LIES!" She threw him against the next building. He didn't stop her, in fact he let her. "He was never there!"
"How would you know? Huh? You were gone!"
"Because I was tracking him that night!" Xenex opened his eyes in shock. "What?"
"I was following him. Why do you think I wasn't there? I had gotten a tip he may have been alive so I followed the trail right to him. I was following him the entire night! It would have been impossible for him to have been controling you!"
"That's, that's impossible! Mary, you know me. You know I would never do anything to hurt them."
"I don't know anything anymore." She blasted him with a beam of light and he coughed up blood. Before he could realize what she was doing, she placed a strange mark on his back. It instantly glowed white and there was a briht flash. Xenex looked at her. "What did you do?!"
"I've cursed you. You will find fights wherever you go. You will never be able to remove your armor or run from them. You will never forget that night and you won't be able to claim your own life."
"Mary please don't do this."
"Goodbye Death Demon." She vanished, leaving Xenex to live under the curse.
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"I didn't see Mary again for fifty years. Even then she still hated me and refused to remove the curse. On several occasions, I tried to kill myself. But because of her curse I would live through it. I haven't been able to remove my armor either, its why you've never seen me without it. People came after me, whether for glory or because I was a monster, they tried to kill me. I couldn't avoid them, nor could I let them kill me. About thirty years ago I discocered something. The genersls apprentices had survived and were searching for me. You've already met them Kyle."
Kyle gave him a puzzled look for a moment. Then his eyes widened. "You mean-"
"Yes. Byron, Jet, and Vira were the apprentices of the general. But the biggest thing I discovered since that night came shortly after discovering that Byron and the others were alive. I discovered a very ancient, and dangerous spell. A way to ressurect the dead. It's what I've been waiting for. The spell must be done under a very specific set of specifications. Most are easy, however it's the final part that makes it so hard."
"What?"
"It must be done during a Lunar eclipse, when a Lunar Everto such as myself is powerless."

 

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Pray Before The Night​

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"A lunar eclipse? That's what you've been waiting for?"
"That's also why I searched out Mary. After you went to sleep that night we had a talk. I explained everything I had discovered. She's agreed to help. Since I know he's alive, I want to recruit my brother. I've already told him that I know the spell, and that I could do it. He wants to help. Its why he called the others off and left so suddenly. The eclipse is only a week away. A Lunar Everto becomes a human for the eclipses duration. A Sloar Everto becomes akin to a god during it. The opposite happens during a Solar eclipse." Kyle gave Xenex a puzzled look. "I'll probably regret asking this but how does the spell work?"
"It's as simple as it is deadly. at the exact moment the eclipse starts, an already prepared seal needs to be infused with a massive amount of energy. The seal will open, reavealing a portal. While one stays out to keep the portal open, the other jumps in and returns with the target for ressurrection. The problems are that during the eclipse, I wouldn't have enough strength to open the portal. Having Mary do that part overcomes that hurdle. The other problem comes from the portal itself. It can only stay open as long as someones giving it energy and the eclipse is still going. Once the eclipse is over, thats it. The portal shuts. If someone's still in thier when it closes then they're stuck until the next eclipse. That's why I'm hoping for my brothers help. Speed up the process." Mary stayed silent while Kyle listened intently to Xenex's explination. When Xenex finished Mary cut in. "Thats the part I still don't understand. Where does this portal lead that you can simply return with living people? It's not a time portal because that would distort our present. And it doesn't invole getting thier corpses like a necromancy. Where does this portal lead that you can simply pull out someone that should be dead?"
Xenex closed his eyes and sighed. Kyle and Mary waited intensely on his answer. "I... I'd rather not say. If I tell you then you'll probably insist on coming, both of you." Mary shook her head. "No, I know that I'm your ticket out so I can't go in. And you probably aren't taking Kyle so I know its dangerous."
"You know I'd help in an instant so why not take me?" Kyle looked a little hurt by what Mary had pointed out. "Because I don't want you to die!" Xenex yelled which got both Mary and Kyle to look at him in shock. Xenex had never really yelled at Kyle. "Look, Kyle, I've come to like you, as if you were family. I don't want to risk you in making up for my mistake. Novek, as soon as I told him he would've come anyways so I figured I may as well ask for his help anyways. I'm not happy that he's going but if I didn't tell him then he'd still be trying to kill me. I've really got no choice on his coming anymore. He decided as soon as I mentioned it. You though, I'm not giving you a choice. You're not coming." Kyle glared at Xenex before getting up and walking off. Mary watched him leave as Xenex stared at tge ground. "You know, if its really this dangerous, then wouldn't you want all the help you can get?" Mary stood up and went after Kyle. Xenex remained silent.
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Kyle was outside sitting on a rock, looking out at the setting sun. Mary walked up behind him and put her hand on his shoulder. "You ok?"
"Yeah. I know he's trained me really well so I want to help. It's the least I can do." Mary sat down next to him and pulled her knees up to her chin. "Well even with your training, if this is really so dangerous, he probably doesn't think he's trained you enough."
"But he's taught me so much."
"And I can tell you for a fact that he hasn't taught you a third of the skills he can. He's been teaching you basic swordsmanship. You've yet to learn the high speed movement, the advanced sword skills, or any magic. And you've yet to aquire the super-human strength that we have. He said it himself, he didn't want his brother going either. Xenex is stronger then his brother. If he doesn't want him going then it's probably to strong for Novek either."
"Yeah but still. I want to help in some way."
"He'll probably have some task for you. Xenex always plans ahead, never leaving a single resource unused." The two sat quietly as the sun fell beyond the horizen. Mary got up and was about to head back when Kyle asked her something. "Do you hate him? For everything that happened, do you still hate him?" Mary continued walking, not giving an answer.
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Xenex was sitting cross-legged in his room. His eyes were closed and it seemed like he was asleep. Suddenly he opened his eyes. "Hiding in the shadows was never our forte, Novek." Novek stepped out from behind him, it looked like he had come out of the wall. He was wearing some black pants and a black shirt. "Were you telling the truth?"
"Yes. I was surprised Mary didn't sense you. You were only five feet away and she's never been known to miss someones presence."
"She probably let it go so I could hear the full story of what happened after my 'death'. But every word was true?"
"Yeah. That reminds me, how did you survive?"
"The seal. When I clutched my neck I dug into my skin and tore it off. It hurt and warped me to some god forsaken place. Took me a year to get back to civilization. I still have a few scars to prove it. Now I'm going to ask, since I'm coming with you. Where does the portal lead?" Xenex sighed and stood up to face his brother. "I'd really wish you wouldn't go along."
"You won't stop me no matter what you try. You may as well tell me." Xenex sighed.
"Fine. The portal leads to the underworld."
"Wait... you mean we'll be stealing people from the land of the dead? And Sofra won't interfere?"
"No. He will, thats why it's dangerous. We have to find our people and evade the god of the dead."

 

sorry this took so long but some stuff has been going on recently and i haven't really had time.

Chapter Thirty: The Journey Of Death​

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Sofra. The god of the underworld that watches over and rules the ones that have died. Humans sometimes refer to him as Satan, but that is not true. Without knowing he is also refered to as God. Sofra rules fairly, giving paradise to those that are good. But he is harsh, dealing punishment and cruelty to those that led a life of evil. Yet neither happens. The land of the dead is an alternate realm where the dead of this world seem to show up after death. Sofra is always watching and knows of all that the dead did during life. He sperates them and traps them in a powerful hypnosis. Those that were good recieve a hypnosis of paradise while the evil are forever trapped in a hell of thier own making. He keeps watch over his prisoners and keeps them safe from any possible threat for his world has its fair share of demons. He is a god, a guardian, and a warrior. Sofra kills any that attempt to reach his quarry of the dead and he makes sure none of the dead may leave it.
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Xenex was drawing a symbol on a piece of paper. Mary was next to him watching carefully. She had a few questions but she would wait, despite the trouble she was having in holding back. Xenex knew but chose to ignore it as he filled the paper with all the complexities of the symbol. The runes around its edge, the small symbols within its borders, all had to be perfect. Finally he stopped and handed Mary the paper. She quickly snatched it and looked it over as if it held the secret to life itself. "This is everything about it?"
"Yes"
"Am I to assume the symbols of the underworld are an artistic touch?"
"No."
"So you'll be stealing from Death's Valley?"
"That's correct."
"I should stop you and Novek."
"Why don't you?"
"Selfish desire to see everyone again. So I have to recreate this on a larger scale and then simply feed energy into it?"
"Through hand contact. You have to be constantly touching the seal with both hands and concentrate on giving it all the energy you have. According to the history behind this spell, it claimed fifteen men just to hold it long enough to bring back only one. If it wasn't for your near infinite energy during the eclipse then this would be impossible."
"So risking me is a small sacrifice to bring them all back?"
"You won't be at risk though."
"Ars you sure?"
"Yes."
"Then I'll do my part like promised. You just better bring them back." Mary stood up, pocketing the paper and left as Xenex stayed sitting. He didn't wait long before speaking. "Come out Kyle. We both know you were listening and I have to tell you your part."
Kyle slowly walked out from behind a corner and crossed his arms. "I thought I wasn't going."
"You're not but that doesn't mean I won't need your help in this plan." Kyle sat down and gave a cold stare at Xenex. "You see, Novek and myself won't be entering and exiting this portal each time. We are going to group a few together by a rope and then we'll signal you to pull them out. It's the only way for us to be fast enough to get everyone. We'll latch on to the last rope that you'll pull."
"I'm not strong enough to drag that many people at once."
"In the land of the dead, weight is non-existent. You'll practically be pulling feathers until you get them through the portal. That's when thier own senses will return and you will tell them to move aside and wait while you get ready to pull the next group."
"I'll just have to trust you on that. What will be the signal then?"
"We'll use a spell and the rope will glow. Now, there is one more thing."
"What?" Kyle looked confused enough as it was and now there was one more thing?
"In the land of the dead, there's an accelerated rate of time. For instant, one minute here is one day there. So although the portal will only last for six minutes, we will have six days to find and free everyone. Now because of this accelerated time, while we will signal you to pull out a group, we may already signal you to pull out another. To us we could be signalling you every few hours but to you, you'll have to pull every few seconds. It'll be extremely taxing on you and I just wanted to forwarn you before I ask."
"Ask what?"
"Now that you know everything, will you still help?"
Kyle was silent as he thought. Xenex watched him but couldn't tell what he was thinking. It had been a long time since he tried to guess a persons thoughts from just thier face. He had lost his skill because looking at Kyle told him nothing of his thoughts. Finally Kyle spoke. "I will help. But after this is all over, you start training me for real. From what Mary told me, you've been holding back so I want the real deal when this is over."
Xenex smiled. "It's a promise."
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Seven days later and the final preparations were being made. Mary was finishing up the seal while Xenex was using a spell to give him two sets of a never-ending rope. He'd need them in the underworld as he would be human during the trip. Kyle had put some leather gloves on and was sitting on a nearby rock. They were out by a mountain, Xenex had chose the spot because of its large flat side that would be perfect for the seal. Xenex had planned ahead and even set up barriers so that no uninvited guests could show up. Xenex finshed his spell and tossed one end to Kyle. "So long as you hold that, we'll never run out of rope and you can just pull forever. It'll vanish as the end touches the ground so you won't have to worry about amounting a pile behind you." Kyle nodded and wrapped a bit of it around his hand. There was a sudden flash of light and Novek was standing by Xenex in his full armor. "Ready brother?"
"Yeah. I still wish you wouldn't come. By the way, how did you manage to get Byron and the rest to stay away?"
"I told them I was going for private training, like I normally do. They always leave me alone when I say that. I nake sure of it."
"Ok." Xenex looked up at the sky. "Almost time." And it was true. Both of the celestial bodies were moving into place. Xenex and Novek reasied themselves while Mary placed her hands on the bottom of the seal.
Then everything went dark. The eclipse had begun and Mary had started to glow white. She instantly infused the seal with as much power as she could muster and all the symbols began to glow. Some began to spin and others moved, each did something until they all collided at the center, opening up a torrent of spiraling energy. Without a second thought, Xenex and Novek charged headfirst into energy, vanishing from sight.