< Yami Ga Kuru >

[silverlinedmist]

Silver's eyes widened a bit at Pandora's question. Was she talking about the second year? He wasn't dead, was he?..
Were they too late?

Pandora put her hand up to her cheek as she chuckled quietly. She wasn't sure if she wanted to kill him yet, considering this man was more fun than the boy from before. She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms as she stood there.

"I would, but it's always been a rule of mine to let the weak one attack first. It's more fun when your opponent thinks they have a chance." Pandora stood there, staring the man down with a blank, yet still obviously eager face. She licked her lips once more as she took her short, fur-trimmed jacket off and tossed it to the side. "That flame of yours certainly heated up the room. Such a shame, I like it much better when it's cold." As the jacket landed, Pandora had her eyes closed while Silver stood off to the side, ready to back the man up if he needed it.

 

[Knight Aarant]

Sinclair grinned at the teamwork conducted by Sonya and Jacen, they made a great duo when their heads clashed. Now with a way into the castle and a form of navigation things would be less strenuous on the group. But as he was getting ready to bring himself and Kenji up the frozen ladder he noticed another, new, body joining the fray. From the corner of his eye he saw flaming palms tear through the large frame of the Castle. The towering doors falling with a heavy and slightly ground shaking thud. Sinclair wasn't sure if the newcomer was a late member of the team or a second year coming to assist but he wasn't too keen on following his lead. He almost wanted some advice from Kenji on what to think of that Human Torch that just dashed through the collapsing entrance to the Castle but he didn't turn hostile to his little team, so he figured he just let the thought pass. Meanwhile, he saw Jacen signaling for him to make his way up. "A- Ah, yes. Here I come, Jacen!" He shouted from below. The ladder was made of ice, so of course it was freezing to the touch making the climb slightly uncomfortable. Part of him was fearing the ice would shatter under his weight and he would fall down into a bed of frozen shards digging into his back like glass. "Come on, Sin. Don't go putting a death scene into your head. I'm not Alex Browning for fucks sake..." After a short time he made his way up the ladder and through the Castle window. He had a short drop until he hit the ground. He landed safely with no stagger or grunt, attempting to make use of the element of stealth. He joined his teammates with a single nod, letting them know that he's ready to advance.

The force of the two powers clashing was a more than phenomenal force. Volitaire's eyes had set locked on Enzo's. Their red gaze glistened in the dark, becoming brighter as his power peaked. Soon his black flaming aura expanded around his body, the corrosion effects of his aura intensifying. As his power grew, so did his suffering. His own soul burned as if it was a harsh fuel to his power. The sharp, internal pain caused his teeth to grit and only make him angrier. To top it off, he only knew what his tutor told him; That Enzo was the source of his suffering. "Aaaaaaggghhh..!! Leave!" An explosion of Volitaire's aura had pushed Enzo back, giving space between the two combatants. Volitaire's body slowly rose into the air, wings spread and dark flames surrounding his form. The heat given off by the flames was enough to begin corroding the objects around them. The interior burned into black particles as his flames burned outward. Blood red sparks arched around his hands around the darkness cast outside his palm. Of course, this only burned away at his body more causing him to scream in pain and fury, but under the shrieks of a corrupted and broken body there was a low cry echoing under the horror. It sounded desperate, and alone it wasn't easy to make out but audible enough for you to hear:

"Help!" ​

 

[IAmEnzo]

Just above the tallest point on the castle, the tower, Enzo's alternate self stood atop it, flames engulfing his hands as the dark clouds above him raged on. He was charging a move that would require his very flame to use. Swinging his hands up into the air at the right time, an orb of fire would shoot into the sky like a bright flare. The sphere smacked into an invisible wall of sorts and spread in a circle like a drop of water on a pond. As the circle got larger, the air around it would begin to be sucked in. Looking straight through the middle, Alternate Enzo could see another land. It was bright, sunny, and displayed a city, with a much more grand castle than the one they were currently at. This was the portal to the Gaze, the land of the dead.

Inside the current castle, Aurora rested on the throne, located inside of the tower. The castle shook every so often, not due to the students, or the fighting below, but because of the seal, that had once held Aurora in her sleep. The castle was as old as the sealing magic, and like her, the castle was under the same spell. When it was broken, the walls of the castle crumbled as age caught up to it, it would fall to ash very soon.

Darkness would enter the room, and approach the throne and halt there. "Why aren't you stopping those students?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "They're apart of my plan." "Letting them infiltrate the castle and pose a threat to my awakening?" "Don't fret, Aurora. They won't pass without a challenge. I made sure of it."

Just then, the ceiling above the team climbing up into the castle's window would flash red like an explosive was set - and that was exactly what was happening. Sinclair's landing triggered the set charge, blowing up the ceiling above them with a controlled detonation. Anyone climbing the ladder at the time would have a brief window of opportunity (No pun intended) to get through before it was closed by stone and rubble, though, those already inside would have to deal with the falling ceiling.

Enzo was having a hard time resisting Voli's ever-growing strength, and eventually, he was blown back by the sheer force of his aura. Enzo dug his fingers into the wooden floor in an attempt to stop, which he did. Volitiare seemed to only grow at this point, and Enzo hadn't a single clue has to how to beat him. The area around him melted like butter, he had the strength of a dozen football players, and an eerie shriek that shook Enzo to the bone. "What...ARE you?" He forced out. Just at that moment, he could have swore that the room got warmer, but shook the thought. There was another pressing matter - there was a soul calling for help; Volitaire's soul. "Voli.. That isn't you, is it?"

Not waiting for an answer, Enzo darted towards Volitaire in a zig-zag path. He had to end this quick, this was his last transformation. If he were to run out of time, and be shifted back to his normal self, he wouldn't be of any use anymore.

 

[Knight Aarant]

Volitaire's eyes followed Enzo's zig-zag'd charge. Though, part of him was locked in thought about what he felt bellowing within, and he was called something; a name. "Voli..?" Currently, Volitaire's mind was a blank slate hardly aware of what he was or who he was facing. He only understood what he felt inside and that what he was facing may have been the cause of it. But at this point it was too late to reconsider as they were already locked in battle. The dark bog around his hand swirled around his palm, creating a arcing black sphere. He threw his hand forward and shot a corroding needle. Embers trailed behind it's path towards Enzo. Volitaire only knew of the spells he owned, but noticed that they've taken on a flaming composition. Even though he was a completely new persona he didn't yet understand the power he conceived.

 

[IAmEnzo]

Enzo tried to close in as fast as he could while dodging potential spells the corrupted mage could throw at him. A sphere was formed, and Enzo thought something with that shape needed time to charge, but surprisingly enough, a needle was shot from it. Enzo went wide-eyed and attempted to dodge, but his feet were used to moving in the fashion he was using. The needle pierced him straight through the chest, and knocked him out of his sprint.

Enzo tried to contain his signs of pain, but he couldn't help but groan at the fact that the corrupted needle tore away at him like acid. "W..Walked right into it.." He coughed up.

 

[Rashuad-012]

He smirked and removed his bandages from over his wrists, wrapping them around his eyes and pulling it tight. To the naked eye he appeared blind. But he was an expert at this sort of process. The first attack performed on him gave away her way of attack; illusion. Hi No remembered himself choking to death, but his clothes were fine, as if never touched but he could feel the damage. Her figure suggested she was light on her feet and quick to strike. To beat that, he'd have to call her movements before she made them using one method he knew through and through--Earth.

Ignoring his adversary he let out a calm sigh, setting himself up like a sumo wrestler and holding his hands out like punching targets. In that instant his mind came into focus as he turned sight into a liability. The world was muffled out as his ears became the floor they marched on, steadily tracking even the slightest twitch in the ground. This was mere focus and it took none of his energy to use. But that would not be the same deal for his powers to follow, depending on the power he put into them.

"You gonna keep talking cheap, or are you finally gonna back down?" he taunted, "I don't hit kids..." he snickered.

 

[silverlinedmist]

Pandora scoffed at his comment. "Ohh, hehehe... My dear, I am quite certain I'm much older than you are. I would like to know what you're doing with your little blindfold though..." His actions truly confused and intrigued Pandora, she had no idea what he was trying to do. Silver, however, knew exactly what the man was probably thinking. In the past, Silver had practiced similar ways to be able to tell what was an illusion and what wasn't. She of all people knew that the woman's magic was not that of illusions, no, her magic was something entirely different, as if she was able to twist and distort almost anything around her. Hadn't she learned about that type of magic before somewhere?...

Pandora grew tired of waiting, and walked closer to the man, but still kept her distance. She giggled, as she wanted to tighten up the cloth he wrapped around his eyes and make his brain pop right out of his skull, but that would be too easy. She still wanted to play, after all.

Silver also grew a bit impatient, but didn't dare attack her. She knew she would miss. What was this overly powerful magic called? Silver knew she learned about it from her teacher... "N-No, it's not the kind of magic you think it is!"

Suddenly, Silver heard Enzo's weak voice say something alarming, causing her to turn to see he wasn't in good shape, to say the least. "E-Enzo?.." Silver felt conflicted. She wanted to run over and see if he was alright, but at the same time... That was what she needed. She wanted him to die, that was her mission. So why did she feel so... Distressed?

 

[Jacen]

Jacen moved to the inner side of the corridor as an explosion rattled the hall the team currently stood in.
That was right above us.
"Everyone, in here and quick!"
He motioned to a bend in the corridor that allowed them to continue forward, but would leave them with their way in and possibly out blocked off as he felt, saw, and heard pieces of the ceiling come down.
That wasn't random in the slightest...whoever is in here doesn't want us getting out.
That power I told you I sensed earlier...it's back. And stronger than before.

 

[Rashuad-012]

Ryu smirked and shifted his right food into a quick stomp, kicking a shock-wave towards his talking adversary. Raised on the streets for a chunk of his life, talk is cheap to him, and he was sick of hearing her talk down to something she did not know. Just as the quake approached her, he made a quick whip of his hands toward himself, pulling a spiked pillar from the ground from behind her. His idea was to trap and execute her quickly, but if she's as good as he's suspecting it'd be a close call for her to escape out of. Or maybe she'll make it without a scratch? Either way his skill was to be tested at this moment.

He lifted his left leg and arm like he was being moved, like a puppet. In an erupting stomp into the floor a river of spikes came in to add to his previous barrage of attacks. The pressure was on, but he stopped in order to preserve his mana for what may test him later. Illusion magic was no game in the world of battle.

 

[Knight Aarant]

The collapsing ceiling had closed them off from any chance of a quick escape. He followed Jacen further inside as they made way into a corridor that looked to only lead them further into the Castle. He felt the tremors of the falling debris and saw the light of the window fade as the clutter blocked off the comforting rays. Sinclair only felt even less at ease than he did before. He felt the Castle itself would get to him before anything inside would. The place didn't look structurally sound enough to keep itself up much longer. The creaks of wood echoing from unknown distances didn't help with his assumption either. It sounded like this place was almost ready to come crashing down. "Is everyone alright? We should get moving quickly, this place doesn't sound like it's going to hold itself together for too much longer."

Volitaire slowly descended back to the ground, swiping his hand infront of Enzo with a cast charged. Two shadowy doppelgangers emerged from a dark worm hole swirling from both sides of Enzo, holding him down with a tight grip. Volitaire slowly walked towards Enzo with another cast charged. The same powerful one he was going to finish his tutor off with. The deep red arcing energy alongside the black arcing energy complimenting the spiking aura surging in his hand. He has only used this deadly spell when preparing to finish someone and none has walked away from it. He aimed his open palm over his target, the arcing energies bouncing violently as the spell prepared itself to be cast but once he was ready to destroy Enzo... "Well would you look at this. Now that you finally pinned him down I can get a good look at him... Yes, yes... Wings, the scent, the tail, horns, all present and accounted for." He said while kept in murmur. "So he's a Soulless? Ironically he would be the helpless looking one. If it weren't for the current life or death situation I'd make satire of the whole thing. Volitaire, release him. I think it would be better if we let Saren know first. There's much that can be done with this information." Acknowledging the elder's command he had the doppelgangers release Enzo. Hearing a familiar name being said from the unknown man felt like he could be trusted, but Volitaire still didn't truly understand why he followed the mans orders. He just did it, as if it was second nature. Perhaps he could find trust in the familiarity this man gave? The spell being cast had subsided and he lowered his hand back to his side, his flaming aura settled. The elderly man has taken hold of Volitaire's shoulder and enveloped them in a spacial rendering portal suddenly after his short observation of Enzo. Leaving much to question about the mans motives with Enzo and Volitaire.

Soon after, the portal opened back up behind Darkness. The two stepped from it, but the tutor had quite the accomplished grin on his face. "Saren... One of them is a Soulless. But the boy doesn't even have a Flame. I had our puppet here hold off on killing him for the time being until we get to see a little more of what he is I'm sure we can quickly turn this boy into something viable in the future."

 

[Sakura]

"You cannot heal a lifetime of pain overnight,​

but you can be a candle,xxxxxxxxx​

& light the darkness for some brighter days."​

▿▴ ▾ ▵ ▿▴ ▾ ▵ ▿▴ ▾ ▵ ▿▴ ▾ ▵ ▿ ▴ ▾ ▵ ▿▴ ▾ ▵ ▿▴ ▿▴​

Mirai hadn't spoken since the attempts to infiltrate the castle began. She followed closely behind the others, a worried expression on her face. Enzo, please be careful. She knew how reckless he was and how his magical form would suddenly deplete over time. It worried her that Kenji wasn't with him and was with them instead. She was second to Sinclair running up the ice ladder. It was easier for her. Being a manipulator of water and ice magic, Mirai hardly felt the sting from the frozen shards. She hurried up the ladder, walking through the crumbling castle behind the others. She was only a few feet apart from them, her eyes searching the walls for some clues as to what was in this place that was so magically sacred. She could feel a surge of dark energy, one the was strong enough to make her feel queasy.

Jacen called for them around a bend in the corridor and Mirai followed, her boots tapping against the ground as she moved quickly. A piece of the ceiling started to fall down close to the others. With a sharp intake of breath, she raised her arms. Sparkles of blue energy formed a sheet of ice, curving to the side, away from the group. The chunks of debris slid along the ice.

She looked at Sinclair as he asked the others if they were okay, but didn't answer. She was fine. She just didn't trust herself to say anything at the moment. She feared that even saying a word was not a good idea. She might burst into tearful worries about Silver and Enzo. She couldn't believe she'd been separated from the two. Though Sinclair was with her and Jacen seemed to be a tactical genius, Mirai's heart ached for her other two friends, alone in such a treacherously evil castle.

Her eyes locked with Jacen's. "If the explosions are upstairs, that's where the others are, right?"

 

[Sakura]

∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴​

яєρℓαcємєηт ƒσя α ℓσѕт ѕσυℓ​

​

Megurine was told the name of her companion was Hi-No. She watched him as he departed from the boat, taking a moment to take in the surroundings and the island. He was a bright guy, with a handsome face and striking red hair. She would have thought that her sister would called a person like this a "hottie", but Megurine wouldn't understand any of that. But he was a reckless sort, with a burning passion of a personality. And if there was anyone that could lead her to trouble, she felt it would be him. ​

​

"I'm going to follow you." she murmured, but it appeared he hadn't heard it. She followed after him as he explored the outskirts of the island, trekking for quiet a while. When his patience blew out, or so Megurine assumed, he burst through closed doors into the castle, right into the fray of the fighting. Megurine recognized two freshman, two strangers, and... Volitaire, her sister's partner, a member of the dead team valor. A sense of shock rippled through her, though it did not appear in her blank expression. He did not look like himself. No, he didn't look like the Volitaire in her sister's memories. And his signature aura was different as well. There was something.. .dark about him that she couldn't see. Her breath hitched in her throat, emotionsof her sister's bubbling to the surface. Worry, fear, frantic desperation. Megurine ignored it all, pushing them to the back of her mind. She was not her sister. She would not let her sister's memories overcome her own disposition. ​

​

Megurine gingerly stepped through the collapsed doorway and regarded the scene inside. Hi-No was taunting the woman who emitted demonic waves of energy. A first-year stood mesmerized at the display of his fire magic. Megurine looked her over. A bit of battle damage had worn the girl down, but she seemed well for wear. She raised her arm forward, pointing it towards the girl. A spell was cast above Silver's head, falling upon her in small sparkling particles; a mana energy boost and a prayer spell, to allow her to heal a certain amount health while she was still standing. On the other end of the hall, Megurine's eyes watched Volitaire as he attacked the demon boy. She recognized the boy as another of the first years whose pictures the headmaster had sent to her for identification purposes. She frowned, just the slightest. Her sister's partner... why was he killing someone who was on his side? "V-Voli..."The name slipped out of her lips without thinking. It was what her sister used to call the sorcerer.​

​

​

"Volitaire?" Megurine said quickly, trying correct her mistake. She knew only the protective Voltaire, the headstrong leader of team Valor. From her sister's memories, she couldn't fanthom why he was attacking a student. She extended her arm again, closing her eyes for only a moment and casting her Recon spell, it would allow Enzo regeneration powers for five minutes as well magical invulnerability. Megurine winced as the spell pulled from her own energy, feeling the surge of power leave her and accumulate in a light pink color, entering Enzo's chest and exploding into small white sparkles. It would be enough, she hoped, to regain his power while Voltaire held off. Her eyes hovered towards the portal. She didn't recognize the names or what was being spoken off. There was nothing in her sister's memories of this castle that was helping, either. Still, the word "puppet" echoed in her mind. Was he being controlled by that man? But why?​

 

[IAmEnzo]

As the dark needle's corrosive mist literally dug a hole into Enzo, he was held down by the graduate's playthings. With the ever increasing pain, his last transformation faded, leaving him in his normal, vulnerable state. "GAAH!" Volitaire came closer, wielding a spell that would surely end Enzo's life right then and there. Enzo's eyes would widen, for once, he ignored the pain to process the fact that this could be his last moment. His mind went through his life, what he remembered, anyway. He had never reached any of his goals in his time, and tears began to form on his face.

Suddenly, Volitaire was called off. The tutor, who Enzo had only seen for mere seconds, examined him. His words went right past Enzo, for he was too shocked over the fact that he was about to die. The two of them went inside of a portal, leading them elsewhere, and with them, went the skeletal minions binding him.

However, Enzo was too injured to move. Each flinch of his muscles sent a surging sting. That was, until the hole in his stomach, along with the lingering corruption - healed. The mist was gone, and so was his pain. He got up to his feet, not worrying about how or who did it. "I.. have to.. keep going.."
Despite his fatigue, and the battle between Hi-No and Pandora raging on nearby, he had to keep going. Once on his feet, he darted through the ballroom, and began turning corners like he knew the place.

I have to keep going.. she's calling me!

Meanwhile, at the very top of the castle, in the tower, a portal opened, with Volitaire and his tutor stepping out. The other male explained the usefulness of the Soulless, to which Darkness smiled. "Of course he's a Soulless. He will prove useful to us. Him, AND her." Darkness laughed to himself after imagining the future.

 

[Jacen]

Jacen looked to Mirai as she put two and two together, noting the position of the explosions.
"You're right...while there is the off-chance that these were set ahead of time...I doubt that given the timeframe of the invasion. We should continue upwards anyway. There's a staircase not too far from our current position...unfortunately, I don't know where it leads other than upwards."
Whatever is up there, it has to be the source of the power I'm sensing. There's nothing else on this floor.
Do you know what is? All I know is that it's a power source...that's very vague.
If I knew, I'd warn you. It's something dark...but the makeup is still unknown. I've been around a long time, but this is...foreign.
I'd still like to know why I can't directly sense any of this.
Not every sense of yours will heighten at once. Powers are one thing...but instinct...instincts are honed.
If you say so...I'm moving ahead anyways. Whatever Enzo and the others got themselves into, we'll have to regroup with them.
Jacen checked his map screen and nodded towards the end of the corridor.
"Staircase is just ahead...I don't know who or what awaits us above, but I'm getting a vibe from it...an ominous one. Stay sharp and tread lightly."
Jacen re-loaded his magazine with his special ammunition, bullets that would send an electric charge into their targets. Faster, stronger, much more likely to penetrate whatever armor someone would be using.
"Sinclair, you take point with me. Everyone else, watch the rear and keep your ears open...this place isn't probably the most stable of areas following an explosion."

 

[silverlinedmist]

Silver had been too caught up in watching Enzo and feeling confused about herself that she didn't even realize she had a helpful spell cast on her while she stood there. She watched as Enzo was about to be murdered, taking a few steps towards him but stopping herself. This is what she wanted, this was her goal. The fact that someone else was killing him just made less work for her. She frowned, focused on Enzo and Voli, at least until someone else showed up and took Voli away. She ran over to Enzo as soon as she knew it was safe, stopping a few feet away from him and staring at him with conflicted eyes. What should she do now? Before she could make another move, he got up, explaining that he had to keep going, and sprinted off.

"H-Hey..! Enzo, wait!" Silver quickly followed after him, wondering how he seemed to know where he was going. Where were they going exactly, anyways?

Meanwhile, Pandora stared at the man as he moved to attack her, focusing on what he was doing. The quake approached her, and she was on guard as she knew that wouldn't be the only thing he would throw at her. The quake blatantly missed her by a few feet, as did the spike from behind, and all other attacks the man threw at her. She let out a sigh once he was finished, having apparently used up quite a bit of her magic with all those attacks. Her stamina was not as much as it should be, and she figured that's because she had been so lazy recently. She shook her head and stood in silence, waiting for the man to make his next move.

 

[Knight Aarant]

"At your side. Also, I can make some shielding for us in case some architecture comes toppling down, or even make a quickly support beam or platform to help us advance or keep us from falling. I'll keep my trigger finger itchy." Sinclair remained at Jacen's side, assisting on point while keeping an eye out for what may look like unstable footing that could use some reinforcing.

Meanwhile, up above the roof of Sorcerers. Darkness had made a vague point about another useful candidate. He knew Enzo was one but "her?" The old subordinate felt like he had an idea of who he could be referring to but still felt he was left in the dark about the other part of this new scheme. "Her? Saren? You have another soul in mind? You tend to keep me guessing about what it is you plan to do... I almost feel unappreciated. Keh!" Volitaire payed no attention to what Saren and his tutor was conversing about, he had his head turn back down at the castle. He still felt anger but a more confused sort of anger. He was acting impulsively at the command of this unknown "gentleman" and he didn't know what was driving him to follow suit so fluently. He frowned his brow and made a slight huff through his nostrils. As he was a newborn mind he was still coming into terms about who he was and what he was feeling but this was something that was beginning to give him a migraine. Whatever this strict obedience was it was beginning to eat at him the more and more he attempted to shed light on whatever was conflicting him.

 

[IAmEnzo]

Kenji, who had been with Jacen and the others, found an insecure feeling while riding Sinclair's shoulder, so he switched to Mirai's with a single leap. "Hope you don't mind." At that time, Jacen pointed the group into a direction, as well as a style they should be going in, with Sinclair and Jacen leading the charge. As the group raced down the hall, the same, familiar but unsettling beep went off. Two explosives, placed perfectly to separate the two leading men from Mirai and Sonya, as well as forward progress ahead of Sinclair and Jacen. They were trapped between two pileups of rubble that gave no clearing to squeeze through "I thought something was off." Kenji stated with a unsurprised tone.

Inside the makeshift trap set for the two boys, Kaiden appeared from a shaded spot, and made himself known with the sound of his pistol being loaded. Kaiden looked much different than before. The hole which Jacen's bullet made in his head was filled with literal corruption - a black substance. The same corruption covered his body, as well as made his own veins black and visible. "Look who got caught in the spider's web.." Before either of them could react, Kaiden teleported. The black mist that had been lingering around the castle engulfed him, and his form disappeared, reappearing behind Sinclair, and shooting once into the mage's leg, before teleporting again to Jacen's backside, if he were to look Sinclair's way. Now, he would deliver a kick to Jacen's midsection with the power of a fully rested race horse.


Enzo, however, was still running as fast as he could to the tower's base. Any words Silver would shout at him wouldn't register. He was dead-set on answering this summon that his body picked up. He found the spiral staircase, and began racing up the steps, skipping 3 steps at a time.

"Is that a hint of jealousy I smell? Or is it something else?" All the while, Aurora sat upon the throne, awaiting the larger portal overhead the castle to suck them in. "All this pointless waiting. I require souls." At that time, Enzo busted through the doors, sliding to a stop in front of the culprits. "SAREN!" He shouted. Wait, how did he know his name?

The doors behind Silver would close as soon as she entered, and vines would cover them, sealing them inside.

 

[silverlinedmist]

Silver had been following Enzo as they made their way up the tower to the top. He was going so fast, it was almost hard for Silver to keep up. Silver was speedy, but even she had her limits. One hand went to her swords, as she was growing more uneasy by the second. Why was he ignoring her?

Suddenly, they burst through some doors leading into a large room, a room that already contained a few extremely powerful magical presences. The magic she felt from this room was almost overwhelming, and she frowned as she stood behind Enzo, turning to see that they were trapped. The doors had closed, and it seemed something wanted them to stay there.

Enzo called out a name at this time, Saren. An alarm went off in Silver's mind. "Saren?.." she mumbled to herself. Where had she heard that before? She glanced between the unfamiliar faces, stopping on one in particular, the one presumably known as Darkness. Her eyes widened a bit as she stood her ground, keeping both hands on her swords, ready for whatever may happen next. Though, it was a bit difficult to focus 100% as some sort of a painful blur was forming in her mind. She clenched her jaw, shaking it off. Now wasn't the time for such things.

Still, the whole situation had Silver on edge, even more than she was before.

 

[Jacen]

"AAGH!"
Jacen flew to a nearby wall from the force of the kick, clutching his midsection. A layer of ice had formed right before impact, enough to keep the kick from damaging any internals...but not enough to absorb any pain.
Jacen, are you alright!?
That hurt like a bitch.
He's been corrupted. That hole in his head is filled with pure dark energy.
So that's the sniper I killed. He was revived after taking a PSG1 round to the head. People shouldn't come back from things like this.
Jacen's body began to surge with power, his amulet glowing full force. His hand still clutching his pistol, while blue sparks began to emit from his body.
Jacen...are you alright. Answer me. Your vitals and power levels are going nuts right now, I think you might be hurt.
I shot this fucker dead on. He comes back. He detonates charges and takes out the damn ceiling. He caps Sinclair. He separates me from her...
Jacen, I may be a spirit but for god's sake...are you ok?
I'm far from ok. I'm pissed off...that soldier shit had a good run, but being a soldier can't fix everything.
The pain in Jacen's stomach was starting to subside and was being replaced with a freezing sensation.
What are you saying...Jacen, I don't think you're thinking clearly right now.
It's clear. It's damn clear. If bullets took him out and magic brought him back...magic is going to put this fucker down for good.
Don't do anything rash...I can't predict any of this guy's movements, and he's fast.
And he's still too slow.
Jacen stood up and grit his teeth as he looked at Kaiden.
Come on, you cocky son of a bitch...make another move.
"Well, I'm still standing. You're a lot faster than you look...but the fact that I'm still standing leads me to hope that you shoot better than you fight."

Jacen, you can easily just shoot him right now...I'm pretty damn sure those enhancements I gave you allow you to aim and pull a lot faster. Just finish it already...
This asshole doesn't deserve a quick death...he obviously had an issue with it the first time.

 

[Knight Aarant]

Sinclair's eyelids shot open at the sudden incinerating, piercing pain the bullet delivered. At the close proximity the projectile was fired it was enough to tear through his flesh and fracture a bone in his calf. The pressure of him keeping his weight up sent unbearable waves of pain down on his leg, forcing him to fall to the ground. For the sake of not worrying the ladies on the other side of the further he bit down on his lips hard enough to cause some blood to shed. His eyes shut tight and he made low but constant grunts. He huffed and puffed blowing out forced saliva and blood from his bitten lip from his incisors being clamped down so hard. Their foe, another marksman of some sort who took on a very grim and distrubing appearance. Now all thoughts of this being a simple bandit raid had been left in the null. He couldn't do too much being pinned down like this, but he had to figure out some way to help at least. He wasn't going to sit on the ground crying about a flesh wound while his comrade is in front of him fighting for his life. Then again, the danger of attempting to assist Jacen may turn the aggressors attention towards himself and there's nary a thing he could do to help himself get through it. For the meantime he felt it would be wise to wait until the right time to send in a "care package."

The tutor almost wanted to laugh at Darkness' teasing. Of course he wasn't jealous, so he thought he wasn't. He wanted to make excuse for his clueless disposition. "Jealous? I see you still keep that sense of hu-" A loud thud was heard and the voice of a young boy calling out to Darkness had completely cut him off while at the same time attracting Volitaire's attention and ceasing his endless pondering. He saw that Enzo had reappeared but didn't don the same power he used to face him before. This caused Volitaire even more confusion, now he wondered what Enzo was and what was the power he used before. Without it both his personality and appearance changed drastically. This was a curious change of pace. On top of all of this he yelled something even more concerning. "Saren." Who was Saren and why is he Enzo's focus? Volitaire looked up at Enzo with narrowed eyes but remained still. He had no reason to attack him right now as he didn't seem to be on the aggressive as he was before. Volitaire's tutor had stepped forward with an amused grin on his face. Volitaire reamined quiet but payed close attention to his actions and response. "The boy wonder has run out of his Demondrug and chose to brashly come a-running to his death. Look at the situation you put yourself in. You're surrounded. Saren, Aurora, Puppet, and me are here. Do you think you could possibly handle all four of us?" Volitaire curved his lip, still blackened by his dirtied regurgitation caused by his body not taking the corruption process well. He made count of the four people he mentioned; Saren must've been the one the aged man was speaking to, Aurora he guessed was the female sitting in the throne, the man mentioned himself, and then... "Puppet?" He assumed that he was this puppet but he didn't really know what he meant by that. It didn't matter enough to him right now. There were other things in mind he had to figure out. He looked about his surrounding and started to wonder who these people really were and what they had to do with him. He felt as if he needed to follow them as they seemed to acknowledge that he existed but it still felt funny as to why he felt to unreasonably attached to people he didn't know. "Puppet." Volitaire remained quiet and in thought, ignoring his tutor. Puppet wasn't a name he was too familiar with so he felt he shouldn't have responded. "Volitaire!" Hearing a more familiar name caught his attention. He turned to face the voice calling out to him and it was the now slightly frustrated one found on the old man's. "Get rid of this child. But don't overdo it. Just get him out of here." "Who... Is he? Why do we oppose him?" His tutor cocked an eyebrow in shock to such a reluctant response from his puppet. "Oppose? You got your state of mind back... Quite quickly... Well, you remember what I told you? He's what caused your suffering and memory loss. You'll soon learn more as we finish up here. Now GET rid of him."