< Yami Ga Kuru >

[Sakura]

"You cannot heal a lifetime of pain overnight,​

but you can be a candle,xxxxxxxxx​

& light the darkness for some brighter days."​

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

Kenji hopped onto her shoulder and Mirai gave him a quick nod of acknowledge. The familiar was a welcomed companion. She knew he was wise and if there was anyone the could lead her to Silver and Enzo, it would be him. It occurred to her, as they ran through the castle, dodging incoming pieces of the ceiling, that someone was deliberately trying to kill them. Fear bubbled inside her, but after the incident with Enzo's double, she was able to contain it. There was something like an adrenaline rush running through her body, something between the need for survival and a desperation to protect her 'team'. Although most of them were strangers to her, over time, perhaps they could become friends, rely on each other, make some happy memories. Mirai hoped that would be the case, but in order to be able to connect with these people, to have a chance to go to class with them, have picnics, and smile at one another, they would have to survive this dark ordeal first.

We have to get out of here alive. All of us. And if I have to pretend that I've known them all my life in order to push myself to protect them, I will. It was incredibly difficult for her to understand why anyone would be hurting so many people. From the island's brutally murdered dead to the magic that was attacking them, the dark energy seemed to be closing in from all sides. They were racing down the second hallway, Mirai's blue eyes searching desperately for any sign of a staircase leading upstairs.

Ahead of them, Jacen and Sinclair stopped for a moment. Mirai listened for a reason why. A beeping sound. And then, the floor burst into the air, scattering rubble between their group and throwing Mirai backwards. She grabbed Kenji off her shoulder and hugged him to her chest in an attempt to protect the familiar. As she and Sonya were catapulted under an array of rocks, Mirai closed her eyes and whispered, "Ice shield!" A shield of water froze into ice above their heads to protect them. Though it was able to absorb or deflect most of the explosion's rubble, it shattered after a few seconds and leftover projectiles came falling at them. Mirai winced, bracing herself for the pain. As a rock hit her back and fell to the ground, she held back a scream.

The pain wasn't nearly as bad as the double's magic earlier, but pain was new to her. Mirai tried to ignore the throbbing in all the places where pieces of rocks hit her arms and legs. Small streaks of blood marked her bear arms where rocks sliced past her skin. There was a small injury by her head as well, a cut in the skin marking her left temple, trace amounts of blood staining her yellow-blonde hair. Her left shoulder suffered an injury as well, blood from a scrape seeping through the top of her half-sleeves. But if anything, the girl looked more determined than scared. When she felt it was safe, she rose from her bending over on the ground, releasing Kenji from her arms. As she attempted to stand, she heard another explosion up ahead and her mind lapsed into frantic worrying about Sinclair and the Jacen. Adrenaline pumped into her mind, blood pounding in her ears. Mirai almost felt herself becoming numb to the pain. Jacen! Sinclair! Please be okay!

We have to keep moving! But we're blocked from both ends!

She knew that there was a high chance that Enzo and Silver were above them on the second floor. Even Jacen had agreed with her. Mirai glanced at Sonya to make sure she was okay before looking up at the ceiling. She wasn't too concerned about the second year. Sonya appeared as a headstrong, powerful mage. Mirai was certain she could take of herself. The blonde gazed calmly at the ceiling.

"Kenji, what do you think? If the building is falling apart as it is, can we just ram our way upwards instead of following protocol up the stairs?"

There something more than determination in Mirai's tone, something almost scary. Though she'd asked his opinion, it didn't seem like she was going to accept anything less than what she wanted. At her sides, her hands balled into fists, shaking. In her mind, she reminded herself that someone was trying to kill. Someone was actually targeting their lives. That someone had to be stopped.

 

[IAmEnzo]

Quite frankly, the tutor had made clear what Enzo and Silver had did. They rushed ahead of their team, or rather, Silver followed Enzo as he ran his way up to them. If you could ask Enzo why he took off, he wouldn't be able to answer you. It almost felt as if his body was telling him to. He would only grit his teeth at realizing the situation he had not only dragged himself into, but Silver as well. The graduate, who stood there like a corpse, was ordered to 'rid' of Enzo, but before the boy could even decide, Darkness spoke up. "There is no need." He would walk ahead of his group of wrong-doers to address the two students like he was pretending to be civilized. "What I want to know is why.. Why would you kill all of those people? They had nothing against you!" "The same way a human would have nothing against an insect." His words were like punches to Enzo's hopes. "Tch..." "And you," The male spoke up in a higher tone. "My dearest, sweet Silver. You've definitely shaped up to become a fine swordswoman. Although, it fogs the mind, why haven't you killed Enzo yet?" Again, another punch to Enzo's spirit, but this time it was critical. His eyes darted nervously between Silver and the group. "W-..What? Kill me? Silver, what is he talking about?!"

Kenji, who was just released from Mirai's protection, dusted himself off from the dust cloud the explosion managed to kick up. "You didn't have to protect me, I can handle myself." For a moment, the three of them would stare at the rubble with no clear solution as to get around it. That was until Mirai suggested that they don't go around - but up. The fox would look up at the crumbling ceiling above them. "Hmm, it's our only option so far, and time is a luxury we don't have." Jumping up, Kenji would transform into the same magnum Enzo used on his exam test, and land directly in Mirai's hand. There was a lot of destructive power just behind a pull of the trigger. Mirai would have to blast their way out.

In another part of the castle, books were being tossed about in a frantic search. "No. No. No, not that either." Red had disappeared early into the mission, with a set goal of his own. He spent the last 30 minutes searching that room for a secret one, that was rumored to be nearby. When he went to checck the next book, it slid out like it was on a rail, and the entire bookshelf began to shake, the dust falling off of it's surfaces as Red stood back. "Could this be...?" The bookshelf gave away for a secret room behind it. The room was small, and only contained a table with a glowing, glass case on it. Light seemed to emit from inside the case. Red got closer, and saw that the source of the light were rings. 7 of them were lined up, with the odd one being centered in the middle. Each ring gave off it's own color.

Red, while in awe, carefully grabbed the case. It was as old as Aurora's slumber, he figured, and one wrong move could turn it all to dust. Using his special magic, the case would disappear in a red static like a hologram, and the veteran student would sigh in relief. His job was over. Now, where were those brats?

 

[Sakura]

"You cannot heal a lifetime of pain overnight,​

but you can be a candle,xxxxxxxxx​

& light the darkness for some brighter days."​

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

"You didn't have to protect me, I can handle myself."

Mirai nodded to Kenji, though she couldn't promise not protecting him the next time. It was instinctive because though he was powerful, he was small in size. She looked over at Sonya, nodding as well. She was determined to blast her way through the ceiling. Not even the second year could stop her anymore.

"Hmm, it's our only option so far, and time is a luxury we don't have."


Kenji changed forms, landing into the palm of her hand as a blazing inferno. Mirai's eyes widened a little as he did so. She could sense a huge amount of magic surging when within him. This is going to take some really precise timing. She planned on blasting open the ceiling with Kenji's power and then freezing the projectiles so they wouldn't hit Sonya. Mirai wasn't sure if it was going to work, but it was worth a try.

"Thank you, Kenji," she murmured. She held up her other hand, sparkles of blue hovering around her fingertips. You've only got one try or else you'll be buried alive. Her eyes narrowed and she counted to three. One... Two...

Three! Mirai cast a speed boost spell on herself and threw Kenji with both hands over their heads, using her magic to pull the trigger on his explosive energy. Both hands in the air, palms facing the ceiling, she created a bubble of water above her head and Sonya's. The water would drench the chunks of the ceiling, allowing Mirai to freeze and shatter them. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of her face. The use of the booster spells was beginning to unlock the dark magic inside her. The atmosphere of the castle was full of an equally, eerie dark magic. Mirai didn't know it, but the blocks in her mind that kept her true magic hidden were slowly beginning to break.

 

[Sakura]

∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴​

яєρℓαcємєηт ƒσя α ℓσѕт ѕσυℓ​

Megurine figured Hi-No could take care of himself. His brash attitude and reckless spirit reminded her of someone, though she couldn't put the finger on who. Eos' memories were muddled by the fact that she was in Castle Aurora, where she had died. Megurine didn't understand why the memories were distorting themselves, but it occurred to her that it was possible the person who killed her sister was also present in this castle.

She followed after Enzo and Silver, almost like a ghost, her pale white hair fluttering after her, the blues of her jacket glittering. As she reached the two, she kept her distance. Her duty was to be a healer. She neither knew these students well nor understood the circumstances with which everyone was turning on one another. Despite her struggle to try and remember, Eos' memories were coming through in flashes and confusions. Memories of childhood, memories of Volitaire, memories of JD. Megurine couldn't control the sudden flood of images in her mind. It was giving her a headache.

From what she could plainly see, there was some kind of magical conspiracy going on. Volitare was definitely not himself. Even Megurine could see that. But a part of her, a deep hidden part of her, that was below layers and layers of what now becoming Eos almost dared to wonder, did her sister die because she was killed by someone who was demonically possessed or was she possessed herself? How was it that she, Megurine had become the vessel for Eos VanCise.

Her gut feeling told her that her being a vessel had everything to do with this castle and the people in it. The way the students were being turned on one another, had her sister been used for evil as well, but died in the process? It was all speculation, but even the speculation gave Megurine ease. If there were possibilities, there would be answers.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

The blast had been sudden but not unexpected. The vibration reached her long before the blast but she had been too focused on the students ahead of her to react in time. Mirai had protected them from the falling debris as best she could, for that she was thankful. Sonya got up as soon as the commotion was over, brushing away the dust and chips that stuck to her clothes. She had a few scratches on her legs and a arms but nothing serious. She wiped the blood from them on her jacket. "Oh no..." She walked up to the wall of rubble in front of them and looked back at the other one behind them. "Where to go from here..." She turned back around to face Mirai and sighed.

"Kenji, what do you think? If the building is falling apart as it is, can we just ram our way upwards instead of following protocol up the stairs?"

Sonya looked at Kenji, whom she trusted more than herself at the moment. He agreed that up was their only real option. Sonya was feeling a little uneasy about it knowing that there was another fight going on above them. She was just as worried about them as Mirai but smashing into their fight didn't feel like a good idea. Then again they didn't have much of a choice. There was not time for conferencing, however, and so she only kept her worries to herself. Kenji transformed and Mirai caught his flaming form in her hands. There really is nowhere to go but up... She stepped back as Mirai launched the transformed familiar into the unstable ceiling above them. Sonya gasped as she created a bubble of water over their heads. As the rubble fell through the water and Mirai froze it, Sonya destroyed them with blasts of amplified, low bass. "I'll be right behind you, alright?" She was going whether or not she had said anything. The expression she wore now was nothing like what she had seen her with earlier. There was something significantly different about her now. It didn't bode well with the energy she felt pouring from the hole either.

 

[silverlinedmist]

Silver stared at the man as he spoke, feeling the tension in the air as Enzo stood not too far away. This man Enzo referred to as "Saren" was terrifying, not only in the way he looked or spoke, but his presence as well. Silver remained quiet at this point, not knowing what she should do. However, when the man called out to her, she froze. How did he know who she was, and why did he call her "dearest" and "sweet"? More importantly, how did he know she was supposed to kill Enzo? This man couldn't possibly be working with him, could he?...

"Uh, wh-what?..." was all she managed to stutter out for a moment. She turned to Enzo, hearing the obvious alarm in his voice as he questioned her. "E-Enzo... I-I don't know this man..." she frowned, a somewhat fearful look appearing on her face. She wasn't lying, though; she had never seen that man before in her life. So how was it that he knew her? The swords were a dead giveaway to being a swordswoman, but her name, and her job, too? Silver took a deep breath, holding it in for a moment as she took a step back. Her hands stayed on the hilts of her swords, as if she were ready to kill anyone in this room at a moments notice. However, ready as she may be, there was no way she or Enzo would be able to beat anyone in this room, together or not. Even with support, the likelihood of them lasting felt too slim. Should Silver try using her magic to get them out of there, instead? She was not yet a master of her magic, but surely it would be enough to slip away while they were distracted...

 

[IAmEnzo]

The shifted Kenji was perfectly aimed at the ceiling, going straight up. At that moment, a fierce beam of it's yellow light escaped the barrel and punched through the ceiling, vaporizing the main stone. The light beam would travel up into the sky and disappear behind the dark clouds, barely hitting the portal that laid over the castle. If they were to climb out now, they'd be on top of the main portion of the castle, and at it second highest point. The first obviously being the tower nearby. Kenji reformed into a fox, landing gracefully between the two students. Mirai provided protection for the two of them, while Sonya offered defense. It was an impressive combination of magic that interested Kenji, but he kept quiet about that for now.

The climb up onto the roof of the building they were currently in was nothing more than sloped rubble. They could walk up it if they were careful. "Come on, you two." Kenji hopped from jagged stone to jagged stone, until he reached the top of the hole. Once there, he felt a murderous presence nearby, and was sent on edge. "..."


Meanwhile, Jacen's intimidation towards the corrupted corpse known as Kaiden was met by narrowed eyes. "Want to find out?" Jacen would be staring down the barrel of Kaiden's pistol, locked and loaded. It had to be know that if Jacen moved an inch from his current spot, Kaiden would pull the trigger without doubt.

 

[Jacen]

Smart...but if he was really smart, he wouldn't wait till I moved. By the time he pulls, he'll miss and and I'll be behind him before he gets a chance to shoot again.
His amulet was glowing bright blue, easily visible to anyone in the room that looked toward him.
Jacen, are you sure about this? I mean it's a good plan...but he's not going to fall for that afterimage twice.
Then it's a good thing I'm not using it, right?
What the hell are you-
Jacen took off faster than any bullet he'd ever seen, heard, or fired and was behind Kaiden before he'd even gotten a chance to fire. He cocked his fist back, encasing it in the hardest ice he could muster.
That took less time than expected...
He turned his body into the blow, using the momentum from his near teleport to focus all of his power and aimed right for the back of Kaiden's head.
If this doesn't kill him...he's going to wish it did.
Jacen...none of THIS power came from me. The enhancements I gave you when we reached the castle perimeter stopped when you pretty much said "fuck soldier mode".
So long story short, I'm more powerful when I'm pissed. Good to know.
For someone pissed, you seem to never miss a beat.
I've learned to let my anger fuel me instead of blind me...but with that being said, this fucker's getting murdered. I'm not going to kill him, I'm not going to subdue him. I'm going to commit a fucking murder here...and Sinclair is going to help me.

 

[IAmEnzo]

As soon as Jacen's fist made contact with Kaiden, the sniper broke into a black mist like glass. This mist covered Jacen's arm, and expanded, keeping a tight grip on his limb as it worked to fully encase him in the corruption.

Tension was at an all time high inside the tower. Darkness smirked at Silver and Enzo as they struggled with loyalties. "Oh, how could you forget me? Your very own father?" "I.. I had no idea.." "We will ease the confusion for you, Silver, and then you will become mine once again." At that time, four long, jet black tentacles, with teeth as long as fingers grew out from his back. Each of them had the behavior of hellhounds. They would snap at one another with their jaws hungrily. It was an intimidating sight, and purely nightmare fuel. With each passing second, Darkness would approach his 'daughter'. "I have waited centuries for this one moment. You and I, will reunite, and stay that way forever." With his hands extended towards the girl, he would be within several feet of her. Enzo clinched his fist, not wanting to believe what he had said for a second. At once, Enzo sprung between Silver and Darkness with his hands stretched out. "You're not taking anyone anywhere!" He shouted.

Darkness came to a stop in front of Enzo. His previous emotion of happiness and obsession quickly turned to annoyance and anger. "You'd dare get in MY way? You haven't the slightest clue in what you're dealing with." One of his tentacle beasts lunged for Enzo with it's jaws open. It quickly bit him in the face, one of it's teeth sinking into his right eye like a hot knife into butter. Enzo screamed in pain, and tried drastically to pull it off, but it was locked onto him. The next two bit into his arms, pulling them away from the first while the last literally tore his mid-section to shreds, blood going everywhere, reaching people as far as Voli and his tutor.

By now, Enzo's bare bones could be seen in his arm. Death was certain, and to make sure of that, the tentacles threw his limp body through the wall of the tower, tossing him out hundreds of feet out into the air. Strangely enough, for those last few seconds, Enzo was alive. He could see the snickering of the one who easily disposed of him. Shoot... I can't feel my body anymore... For him, time nearly came to a halt. I was too careless... I can't beat death twice. Enzo looked to the ghostly moon in the distance, his eyelids closing. End of the road for me.

Within seconds, Enzo hit solid rock, then rolled into the water that surrounded the island.

 

[silverlinedmist]

Silver stared at the man as he smirked, referring to himself as her father. "F-Father?..." There was no way this evil man could be Silver's father. Thinking back, she didn't know who her real parents were, and it had always been the same man raising her since she was small. He told her that her parents were both dead, though, there was no way this man could be her father. The memory flashed through Silver's mind as she stood there, frozen and confused.

Spoiler

Silver frowned, running back to her home in the middle of a bunch of very tall trees. The home was small, and from the outside looked to be deserted, an abandoned old shack. Which, in reality, was probably exactly what it was. She hurried inside, running to her room and plopping down on the bed. She clung to her pillow, clearly distressed about something, and stared at the wall next to her. Suddenly, she heard a voice, and turned to see her guardian, standing there with a confused, impatient look on his face. "Silver.. What's wrong?" Silver looked down, unsure if she should tell him or try to hide it, as she normally did. He sat on the bed next to her, his eyes not fiercely yellow as they usually were, but more of a pale green. "Come now, moping won't do any good." She looked up at him, frowning as she gave in and asked him, "Where are my parents?" His left eye twitched, and he quickly looked away from her, covering his face with his hand. "I thought I told you never to ask about them." She clung to her pillow, stuffing her face in it as she mumbled into it. "I just wanna know about them... Why did they leave me? Did they not love me? Is there something wrong with me?" The man stood up, pulling the pillow away from her face as he knelt down in front of her. His eyes were no longer the same green color, but an incredibly bright yellow color that made you feel like he was piercing your very soul when he glanced at you. He stared right into Silver's eyes, and she couldn't look away. "Your parents are dead. They died trying to save you, and it's your fault they are dead. They were kind people who gave their lives for you. Do you understand why I don't want to talk about it now?" Silver stared at him as it took a minute for his words to sink in. Her eyes began watering for a moment, but she quickly blinked it away. Who knows what he would do if she started crying again? "Now, if that's all that's bothering you, clear it from your mind. It will do you no good to dwell on it, and it's best you forget quickly." As quickly as he had come, he disappeared into another room. Silver sat there, staring at the wall and trying to do exactly as he said; Forget about it. However, his words stuck in her mind. "It's your fault they are dead." They echoed throughout her mind as she curled up on her bed, laying there until it got dark. Staring at the blank wall got boring after a while, so eventually she fell asleep.

Silver's arms fell from her swords as she shook her head, about to protest as Enzo jumped between her and the man. Her hands quickly made their way back to the swords, ready to back Enzo up, at least until she remembered he was out of magic power for the time being. Realizing this, she took a step forward, reaching out to push him out of the way, but it was too late. She watched Enzo get mauled before her eyes, and heard his screams of pain as he was ripped apart. Being as close as she was, some of his blood splattered onto her clothes, causing her to freeze. "E-Enzo..? No..." She watched as his body was thrown out like garbage, frozen in place and unable to move. Should she run? No, there was no way to escape besides jumping off the tower at this point. She took a step back, unsheathing her swords and holding them in a defensive position, should one of those things try to attack her next. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about at all. You are not my father. Th-There is no way you could be. My parents are dead, and you unfortunately seem to be pretty alive to me at this point." She glared at him, eyeing the tentacles and waiting for them to strike.

 

[Sakura]

"You cannot heal a lifetime of pain overnight,​

but you can be a candle,xxxxxxxxx​

& light the darkness for some brighter days."​

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

"I'll be right behind you, alright?"

Mirai almost offered the upperclassmen, Sonya a smile, but the adrenaline and tension stopped her being able to conjure up some cheer. She noted to herself to compliment her later. Her defensive sound powers were incredible, Mirai was amazed.

"Come on, you two."

Mirai followed after Kenji, leaping from rock to rock almost haphazardly, not caring if the passage fell apart behind her. She pulled herself onto the upper floor. They were at a bend in the hallway, just like below. She could feel the pulsating presence of something disgusting, a dark feeling that was creeping into her skin and made her feel sick. She didn't wait for Kenji to say anything and moved ahead quickly, following her instincts towards the power she sensed.

 

[Sakura]

∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴​

яєρℓαcємєηт ƒσя α ℓσѕт ѕσυℓ​

Megurine remained in the shadows, almost ignored by the commotion. She preferred it that way, away from the action, away from all the fighting. She was firstmost a healer, and liked to stay out of the fray in order to keep an eye on everyone. The exact opposite of Eos, she knew. Her fiery, headstrong sister was the type to do what Enzo had just done, protect another without the fear of one's own life in danger. There was little Megurine could do to react to the situation. She watched as Enzo defended Silver against Darkness and then, once the remaining two engaged one another, she ran to the window, leaning over to catch a glimpse of his falling body. She thought of casting recon once more, but it felt it would be impossible at this range. She cast a level three healing spell, one used for the most major injuries, throwing out her arm and stretching it as far as she could. The blue lights shot through the air, racing down the castle towards the rocks below, encapsulating Enzo as soon as he tumbled into the water. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead as she felt the intensity of his injuries. Was it too late to save him?

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Once the falling rock was depleted Kenji went up the slope of debris, followed by Mirai. The second year followed closely behind with hands still warm from the defensive strikes. As they went higher up those dark waves felt stronger and stronger. She walked up the debris carefully until they reached the top and climbed out onto the floor. Sonya narrowed her eyes. They were at a corner. The further in they went, the worse Sonya felt. "Please be careful. Be ready for anything to come from anywhere." She raised the sound of the hallway in order to hear everything better. Even a mouse couldn't get by them now without sounding like a small dog approaching. Sonya clenched and opened her hands as they walked.

 

[Knight Aarant]

Sinclair was still on the ground, crippled from the gunshot to his leg. He knew Jacen would take a challenge like this so lightly. Sinclair knew he still wasn't in the right situation to attack just yet. From what's taken occurrence so far, Jacen has managed to make a work-around Kaiden and get behind him. A solid ice coated fist was winded back like a spring and itching to release at the back of Kaiden's rotting skull. Sinclair felt that maybe that could be his opportune time to attack if Kaiden can get staggered. A quick means to an end with a dozen iron spears ripping through. Now the most difficult part of executing this follow up maneuver... Growing the drive to take a life.

Volitaire and his tutor stood and watched the horror before them between Darkness, Enzo, and the new arrival; Silver. Volitaire felt a slight pull in his stomach, like a call to action. He almost felt the need to defend Enzo from Darkness' gruesome attacks. Though, a more distinct feeling of not getting involved washed over him every time the thought of assisting him arose. He kept remembering what his tutor said Enzo was... But if that was the case why does he still feel this unsettling anguish? He figured if Enzo died, so did his bottled anxieties. Enzo did look very much dead up to this point. Being mutilated by Darkness' carnivorous tendrils. The blood ripped from Enzo's body had trickled onto Volitaire's face. It didn't bother him none, he just simply wiped it off with his white linen sleeve, which caught a smeared red on its wrists. His tutor simply watched attentively but gave no outward reaction. His improvised humor mannerisms disappeared when the situation takes a bleak turn. He for one, never took Saren's anger as something to laugh at. He almost wanted to feel pity for Enzo, as much a liability and enemy he was, Enzo was still but young. Even for a Soulless. He turned to Volitaire with a stern face. "Take note, Volitaire. Don't provoke Saren's ire." Volitaire only gave a quick stare from the corner of his eye, then went back to watching Enzo's decimation of a body float in the water. But he was joined by one another... She wasn't familiar to him, from what he could make out from the distance. But he found no interest in approaching a dead body and someone he had no affiliation with.

 

[IAmEnzo]

Around the corner stood the base of the tower. It was within sight, with no clear obstacle in their path. The spiral staircase, the one Enzo and Silver had traveled up, was there. Suddenly, Kenji tensed up and stopped. Even among the continuous pressure of dark energy, he felt something else wrong. His head snapped to a small oval window. "..." The wondering fox looked to his two accomplices with urgency. "Sonya, Mirai. You two keep going, I'm taking a detour." And without further delay, the fox jumped through the small window opening, busting through the weak glass and landing onto the ground below and disappearing into the night with ease.

With Enzo literally out of the picture, Darkness redirected his attention to Silver. "You too?" It was confirmed, Silver had lost fragments of her memory as well as Enzo did. It didn't trouble Darkness, however. What he had in store for her would recover her memory bit by bit, until she realized where her true place was. The dark man turned to Aurora, who watched silently on the throne. "This is the one." He declared with certainty. Aurora's pure white eyes narrowed. "Her? Of all people, Saren? You pick the rebellious one." "I assure you that Silver will become a valuable asset once she is enlightened."
Of course, Silver would be 'enlightened' like Volitaire was. Knowingly, Darkness stepped out of the way, as Aurora got up from the throne and walked down towards the girl, clearly unconcerned of her threatening pose or her weaponry.

Fortunately, the corrupt being had not taken notice of Megurine being in the room. The overwhelming presence of magic in the room was too overbearing to single out a healer's. Aurora crept up to Silver. Any attack the girl would make would phase through the black mist that was Aurora. The dark goddess would grab Silver by the neck, just like as she did Volitaire, and her palms would glow a light green. Green was often the color of lost souls. What Aurora was doing, was giving Silver a portion of her own power. It would corrupt and change her, but it would also begin to lift the veil from her memories. All the while, Darkness had a smug smile on his face.

The castle would begin to shake, as the portal above the castle would begin to pull at the stone fortress like a vacuum. They weren't going to run away from the castle, they were going to take the entire castle with them.

 

[silverlinedmist]

Silver stared at the man as he spoke to the other womanly figure, and took another step back as she got up and walked towards Silver. Naturally, she tried to attack the figure coming towards her, slashing at whatever she could, but it was useless. "N-No, stay away from me! I don't know what you are talking about, I'm not 'the one'!" Unfortunately, her pleas were also pointless, as the woman reached out and grabbed her by the neck. Silver made a startled noise, dropping her swords and reaching up to the woman's hand, trying to get it away from her neck. It felt like she was being choked, but she couldn't pull the hand away. Silver tried her best to keep her breathing steady and look for a way out, but she couldn't. Her breathing was ragged, and it was getting harder to control the longer this woman held onto her.

"G-Guh.." Suddenly, she felt the power surging inside her, attempting to change not only her mind, but her soul as well. She let out a piercing scream, filled with pain and hopelessness as she had nowhere else to go, and no means of escaping. Surely any close enough outside the tower would be able to hear her screams. Her head was pounding as different things flashed through her mind, telling her about different things. Were these... Memories? No, she refused to believe it. "St-Stop! Please..." she barely managed to say as tears welled up in her eyes. "P-Please..." Though, after much suffering, Silver's body gave out. Her arms went limp, as did the rest of her, and she passed out completely. She was still alive, but barely. The magic inside her was twisting around the very threads of her soul, and playing with things it shouldn't. Subconsciously, Silver still did her best to resist.

Meanwhile, with all the shaking throughout the castle, some parts began to give away, knocking down bits of the castle here and there. This included parts of the castle directly over where Ryu and Pandora were still going at it. She was having too much fun with him, but she was growing tired as his attacks were relentless and went on forever. Her magical stamina was great, but not so great that she would last an eternity doing something like this. Glancing up, she saw a part of the castle above her falling, and quickly flipped backwards, away from the sudden stone shower. Surprisingly, enough stone fell that it blocked the man out of her sights completely, and she let out a sigh. "I'll find him again later. I sense other brats around.." She turned, and off she went to find these two other weaker presences nearby.

After climbing through debris and other things, she noticed two girls climbing up a slope of debris, and grinned. The blonde one looked small, weak, and fragile, but the other one looked like she could be much more fun. She quickly followed them, hiding her presence completely, and watched as the fox escaped without even noticing her. Oh well. Surely she would find it later too. Once she got close enough and knew exactly where they were in the castle, she spoke up. "And just where do you ladies think you're going, hmmm?"

 

[Jacen]

What the hell?
Jacen sent a shock of electricity around his arms, slowly but effectively countering the black mist that tried to ensnare his limb.
So that's what it is...his corruption is full sequence.
It'd be nice to know what that means before I, you know...almost lose my goddamn arm.
From what I'm seeing here, it's like a parasite. As soon as it comes in contact with someone, it tries to corrupt them as well. Try and avoid physical attacks...I think it learns along with him. Meaning your lightning might not be able to save you next time.
Great...and now he's in a form of mist...
Jacen fashioned a number of swords made of ice, that began to spiral around his body. It was a force field of sorts, rudimentary...but it'd have to do considering the situation at hand. Sinclair was still incapacitated and they were running out of time.
This isn't good...I'm going to need an ace in the hole here if I want to be able to take him down and still have enough time to get the others out.

 

[Sakura]

∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴∴​

яєρℓαcємєηт ƒσя α ℓσѕт ѕσυℓ​

Megurine watched as a fox leaped out of the window beside her. She recognized it... Actually, Eos recognized it as Kenji, a powerful familiar. Was the fox now tied to the child who'd been thrown out of the tower? Megurine hoped there would be some hope for the boy, but hearing the screams across the room, her eyes landed on Silver, who was being fed energy from Aurora. Unafraid for her own life, Megurine rushed to the center of the room, kneeling beside the girl, placing her hands on her shoulders to try and shake her awake. There was very little physical damage to heal, Megurine saw. The cause of unconsciousness had little to do with any actual attacks, but perhaps more to do with Aurora's magic hovering about the girl's aura. She frowned. She didn't know any way to extract that dark energy, but slowly, things began to click in her mind. From what she could see from Eos' memories, dark magic often caused an individual to transform into something sinister. Her eyes flashed, thinking of the earlier, near-demonic, hardly-himself Volitaire, who acted like a puppet to the man who called out to him. Was the same thing being done to this girl. She looked up at the entrance to the hall, where two more girls appeared. Megurine recognized one as a sound mage and the other was a freshman she'd seen in the files. The one with the odd dark energy. These freshman are too vulnerable!

 

[Sakura]

​

"You cannot heal a lifetime of pain overnight,​

but you can be a candle,xxxxxxxxx​

& light the darkness for some brighter days."​

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

"Silver! Kenji!" Left and right, Mirai felt that her resolve was being tested. Running into the room, she was hit by a wave of nauseating dark magic, one that made her want to keel over and spill her breakfast. She kept herself, together, upon seeing the people in the room. She could feel her arms shaking from the level of dark energy in the room, it was creeping up her spine, making her uneasy.

Mirai couldn't fight the curiosity of Kenji's bursting through the window, breaking glass and he jumped outside. She ran to the window as quickly as she could, walking past a white haired mage wearing a healer's jacket. She peered out of the broken glass, looking down into the darkness.

"Kenji! Kenji, where are you going? Where's Enzo?" She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. Silver was accounted for, but Mirai's kind hearted companion was nowhere to be found. Her heart was racing fast. She whirled around to hear Silver screaming. Silver! Mirai's eyes filled with worry. But the white-haired mage reached her roommate first to do what looked like scanning the girl for injuries.

With Silver in capable hands, Mirai took the moment to look around the room. She wondered if the headmaster knew they going to face such strong entities of dark magic on this island. Why would he send them here alone for this?

 

[IAmEnzo]

Back at the safety of Sorcerers, located in the Headmaster's office was Boone. He tapped his fingers together nervously, faced toward the window showing the entire island in the distance. To him, and everyone NOT on the island, simply saw the isolated hill as if nothing were wrong with it. In truth, it was hard to make out against the night sea, but it's eerie glow could be felt by any skilled magician. Earlier, Boone had ordered for a mass Illusion to veil the true status of what was going on in the castle. If the Illusion wasn't there, people would see the large, island-sized portal hovering in the sky over the island like a bad omen. Boone knew what was going on, and he prayed every second that they returned safely. But who was 'they'? The students? Or the mysterious, unexplained rings?


Each time Silver pleaded, the grip on her neck would tighten. Aurora's corruption process was brutal. It felt as if someone were literally yanking at your soul, replacing it with something else like it was a CD Drive. Silver fell limp, and was dropped to the ground like trash. Aurora would turn away, ignoring those that had entered to observe the horror. Darkness on the other hand, twitched angrily at seeing Megurine get close to Silver. "Don't you dare taint her with your helplessness!" Before the poor healer could react, one of Darkness' tendrils would slash her across the face with enough force to send her a distance away from Silver. That was when he picked up his daughter's nearly dead body, and returned to his group of wrong-doers. Suddenly, the strength of the portal above tore the tower's ceiling apart, exposing everyone to it's extremely windy vacuum.

A dark green trail of flames would soar around the castle's base like an orbiting rocket. It was Enzo's alternate self. He was preparing another charged blast with his free hand and fire it at the castle's base, cutting through the first floor like a laser. This would separate the castle from the ground. Instead of the entire fortress flopping down a few feet, it was suspended in the air, and slowly rising upward due to the influence of the portal. If anyone wanted to survive this ordeal, they would have to exit the castle, now.

However, the only way out was by jumping down a hundred foot drop. It wasn't like they had a choice, the tower they were all in began to tilt to the side due to stress. Objects and furniture would slide across the room and fall out of the hole in the wall created by Enzo's lifeless body earlier.


Meanwhile, Kenji needed only to follow the blood trail to realize the boy was somewhere in the water. Kenji, knowing this, dived down into the upset waters below. At the bottom of the ocean, laid Enzo's body. He did not float, he was never good at swimming. Idiot.. Rushed too far ahead of everyone else and now look.. Kenji was now standing on the boy's stomach, trying to examine any wounds while holding his breath. Strangely enough, he had no wounds. The faint magical energy he felt was that of healing magic. Megurine's quick decision prevented any corruption to change him, as it did Kaiden.

I could... No, I can't. He's a Soulless, my magic would destroy him. But if I don't, then he's certainly dead. Nearly out of air, Kenji had to make a decision.

Enzo, on the other hand, was going through the final stages of dying. With his body numb, all he could do was think, as his brain was momentarily active. He thought of the cruelties of this world. Rakuyo's bulling, Red's beating, Silver's hostility and eventual betrayal. It wasn't a world suited for someone such as him, but then, there was a single pleasant moment he remembered. The time someone, being Mirai, told him that it wasn't his fault. For the longest, every slip-up he had made, every wrong decision, every unfortunate event, would somehow link to him. A seemingly happy boy with a raining cloud over his head. A cloud nobody noticed. This was the end of Enzo Ferrar-

What?

Enzo suddenly felt a growing essence within him. With every second, it restored feeling to his limbs, growing every passing millisecond. The power would overflow, causing a yellow explosion of pure energy to escape him. His eyelids shot open, with his eyes a bright, unnatural yellow color. From dust... I am.. Reborn.