< Yami Ga Kuru >

[Knight Aarant]

Sinclair fought against his pain to try and raise himself from off the ground. He had to make a metal pole to try and help support himself. He got sick of being on the ground, leaving Jacen to this zombie. The final straw was made when his arm was nearly taken by that... Dark, constricting bog. Right now, Kaiden assumed some sort of gaseous state. Physical attacks would do a thing which is a major hindrance to Sinclair, as his magic is more physical than elemental. Standing up on his iron cane, he limped over to Jacen's side with a bleeding lip from his pain masking chewing, and a tight wince scrunching his face up. He observed their foe and gritted his slightly bloodied teeth. "Got any ideas? My magic wouldn't work on a form like that..." Suddenly, he felt a tremor and a muffled crash in the distance. Something was being obstructed in the distance, above them specifically. Hearing that echo only made his first assumptions of the Castle not being structurally sound more than just a theory. He cursed under his breath and tried to gain his posture, and ready himself for a bother of a fight.

The eye of the vacuuming storm had taken the ceiling of the Castle tower with it and soon it began to take hold on Volitaire and his tutor. As he surveyed the happenings before him, he was merely just a bystander. Though, the most noticeable thing he picked up on was Darkness's unbridled aggression and Aurora's corruption. He didn't know much of the girl being asphyxiated by her corrupting grip but it looked something you'd see only in the darkest of tales. As his body was whisked away by the air tunnel lifting him into whatever portal Enzo's alternate form has created he peered down to the now wounded girl who attempted to help Silver. A familiar vibe emanated from her, it caught the deadman's attention. As much as this was jerking at his endless curiosity, he couldn't quite place his finger on what stood out so. A bony finger had stabbed through the corner of his line of sight, his tutors. It pointed strait for the same maiden, with a raised voice to level the volume of his voice with the roar of wind and breaking stone from the towers remains. "Get rid of the lass, she'll get sucked in if we just leave her be." At this point, Volitaire has already lost his patience and saw that he wasn't due for this place much longer. He felt no remorse in severing whatever ties he had to this world, as he doesn't remember whatever those were. Flashing by with dark afterimages trailing behind, he hopped off the rising stones, shattering them with the force of his leaps. As he closed in on Megurine he forced his fingers together. A dark red, arcing energy jutting from his fingertips with his palm winded back, ready to let lose for Megurine's head.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Sonya nodded and kept close to Mirai as they went forward. A wave of dark magic greeted them as they went into a room, overpowering the first year and stopping the second year dead in her tracks. Sonya closed her eyes and took deep breaths. She stopped in her tracks when she recognized another voice calling to them.

"And just where do you ladies think you're going, hmmm?"​

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Sonya ran in after Mirai and stood her and the other woman. She glanced at Silver then looked back to her. Here's the source of all that dark magic we're feeling. I had better keep her attention on me. Mirai can't handle her. She could practically see the dark magic rolling off of her person. "So you're the one who did this?" She looked to Silver again. "And here all my efforts have gone to waste... Now, I will be your opponent." She was not in a very talkative mood after seeing one of the first years she was trying to protect in such bad shape. Rushing into a fight with an opponent she had no idea of their abilities wasn't feeling to good either, but as long as she focused on her and not Mirai Sonya would try to handle things from there.​

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[Jacen]

Jacen concentrated for a few seconds and turned to Sinclair.
"I've got one...it's elemental, but it'll have to do for now."
Jacen threw both of his arms overhead and channeled lightning through his fists.
Dark mist is still mist...and if I remember science class correctly...
He created an arc of electricity and cast his hands downward, sending the current in a shockwave all around the room.
I thought you were more the precision type.
This isn't a situation that calls for precision...this will stun him, and at best keep him from using his mist form for a while. I need time and to draw him away from Sinclair...this place isn't going to hold much longer.
He drew his handgun, awaiting the now undead sniper to reappear once more.

 

[IAmEnzo]

The eletrical pulse would form around Kaiden's once invisible essence, returning him to his physical form. Stunned with electricity, he fell to his knees for a moment. His grunts and groans were distorted by the work of the corruption in his body. Kaiden wasn't a magic user to begin with, so with the feeling of a rather strong, evil presence inside of him, his body didn't take to it well. At this point, the corruption was a hindrance as much as it was an advantage.

"I'm not going to be destroyed by the likes of one mage!" His anger literally fueled his power, similar to Volitaire. He threw his pistol hand up, and aimed it towards Jacen. It could be seen that the black substance from his body grew onto his weapon, coating it into a darker tint. With the pull of a trigger, a corrupted bullet would fly out with a black muzzle flash. If ANYONE were to even be grazed by such a bullet, the chances of them becoming corrupted would be extremely likely.

 

[Rashuad-012]

Hi-No came to a rough landing on his feet, wiping blood from over his right eye as it stung his sockets. For the past hour he'd been locked in combat with a mysterious enemy. Her skill was formidable, tactics brutal, and her personality was like that of a masochist's. Truly a savvy beast laid deep within her blood and begged to spill his. Ryu let out a chuckle, and spat a drop of his own blood from his lips with a smirk.

Just then, the roofing above him and Pandora gave out and she quickly dodged from under it. Hi-no remained, opening his hands up towards the debris; as it fell he shifted his mana into his palms and the rock turned to sand on impact. He shielded his eyes quickly from the sand, and noticed his adversary was on the run.

He watched as she scaled through patches of wall and brick, as he walked behind with a hunter's eyes. Ryu could feel two lesser powers nearby. He could guess it was the students he came to rescue--hopefully all of them--alive. In that case he had to act quickly.

His fist armored in stone as he brought it to crash into the barricade, sending it flying towards Pandora as she stood ready to face those on the other side. Stepping through his loud entry, he stretched out and put his red locks back into place.

"Tsk tsk. Didn't your mother ever teach you to say good-bye?"

 

[Jacen]

Jacen be careful, if that even TOUCHES you...
I know. Whatever corrupted him is taking him over. He's cocky, and now he's trying to complete his prime directive at all costs...infect another organism.
Jacen threw up an ice shield as soon as Kaiden took aim and did a lightning dash, this time to the side instead of behind him.
He took aim with his handgun and fired 3 electric rounds to Kaiden's form.
"So that's your game, corrupting everyone else? What's your big plan here...you've been infected and now you need to infect someone else. The classic case of the host becoming just another parasite."
Jacen let his tone drop to one that was below zero degrees Fahrenheit, he knew this guy ran on skill and impulse...talking to him in such a manner would easily anger him again.
What was the point of the shield if you were going to move anyway?
Whatever that shit is, it spreads...and if he can't hit me...who's the next best target?
I see...but you know that can't hold forever. You encased your entire arm and it still ate through...
It's enough right now...lightning counteracts his dark magic, but the shield wouldn't be strong enough...look, the bullet is lodged halfway through the ice. A normal round would've bounced right off...even if he missed me, Sinclair probably would've taken another shot. I can't take that risk, especially not now.
Jacen pulled his assault rifle from his back, preparing to unload an entire magazine full of charged rounds into the somewhat weakened, but still dangerous sniper.
"Tell me just what the hell you and your gang are doing here...you're obviously no ragtag bandits, but at the same time you take a lot of liberties with your AO. You're probably the new guy aren't you? Falling for entry level distractions, letting your emotions get the better of you...come on now, who's really in charge of this?"
I'm not sure he's willing to explain anything...especially if you're going to insult him.

*AO= Area of Operations.

 

[IAmEnzo]

The moment Jacen casted his ice shield, was the moment Kaiden switched to the defensive as well. Stomping his foot down, a black fountain of corruption had sprung up between the sniper and the ice mage, absorbing and dissolving the electric bullets. Just listening to Jacen talk greatly upset Kaiden. He could easily get back at him by taking care of the already weakened Sinclair, but most of his anger was placed on the one that killed him - Jacen.

"Tell me just what the hell you and your gang are doing here...you're obviously no ragtag bandits, but at the same time you take a lot of liberties with your AO. You're probably the new guy aren't you? Falling for entry level distractions, letting your emotions get the better of you...come on now, who's really in charge of this?"

Kaiden's black, eerie eyes narrowed. The boy constantly insulted him. "I'm savoring you." He stated simply. "Ever since I picked up my rifle... Nobody has come close to entertaining me. No - not as much as you. After countless years of waiting, it would be a shame to just simply put a bullet in you." The black wall shrunk down to nothing but a puddle, and the sniper holstered his pistol. His gaze locked onto Jacen, a sick grin painted on his face. "Let's finish this like real men." He beckoned Jacen.


Back in the tower, Enzo's alternate form had entered through the large hole in the wall. A lot of his flame had been used to create the portal that would eventually suck the entire castle into it, with the tower slightly leaning to the side, it was only a matter of time before that happened. "Darkness, I have returned. Our portal is ready, we'll leave on your go." "Do it now, we don't have time to waste."

Alternate Enzo's hands ignited with his green flame, and with a lot of concentration, made several hand movements that would control the portal he had opened. It would stretch, the size of the portal evening out with that of the castle. A final movement involving a clap of Alt Enzo's two hands forced the castle to ascent quickly into the air. It's bottom portion ripped from the ground like a tree. The extreme pull of the portal would levitate some of those in the tower's room, including Silver's body.

Volitaire was ordered to 'rid' of a second year, more specifically the healer, and at the same time he was descending the rising slabs of stone, a lone trail of light shot up from the waters quite the distance away. As Volitaire prepared his spell that would definitely annihilate Megurine, the light trail would pick up on speed toward the tower, and snatch Megurine away into it's bright yellow embrace before Volitaire's spell hit.

The healer would find herself near the room's door, which led down to the rest of the castle. Unfortunately, the door was still covered in corruption. Escape through that door was impossible. The bright light that had saved her began to fade, unveiling a familiar form - Enzo's form. However, this Enzo was different. In addition to Enzo's one demonic wing, was a yellow, glowing angelic one to replace the missing wing. One eye glow a bright yellow, while the other was engulfed in a fire of the same color. His expression was anything but happy. It was only a few minutes before the entire castle would be swallowed by the portal.

 

[Knight Aarant]

A "thank you" huffed out through Sinclair's slightly agape mouth, heavily breathing out the pain in his leg. He felt helpless, Jacen was doing more of the work here than he was. He had the advantage to being able to send a stun through Kaiden's mist form. It reverted him back to his physical being and let him paralyzed for a brief moment. As Jacen began to question him, Sinclair held off his advance for a little bit longer... Getting some intel. on whomever is pulling strings may work more in Sinclair's favor, as he does have prior knowledge to Aurora's mythos. But the metal mage hopped Kaiden and Jacen would wrap this up soon, the increasingly volatile tremors and echoing destruction coming from the outside was beginning to get out of hand, soon they would be buried under copious tons of rubble.

Volitaire's eyes followed the trail of light that whisked his target away with his eyes locked on the source. At the speed it was going it was mostly a blur but it soon landed somewhere nearby, and jolted back from it's location. Upon closer inspection, it was his previous foe. The kid with the unknown power, seeing this spike of power so suddenly after approaching death gave Volitaire an acceptable answer to his question to the boy. "His power peaks with desperation." Volitaire landed on the devastated soil around Castle Aurora. He knew that this was his foe to engage and awaited his return. His clawed hand still at his side, arcing with a power mustered by malice. Now, he had one more question in his head: Why would someone who so quickly saves an ally like that be the cause of all his turmoil? His tutors advice wasn't beginning to make sense now, and he wondered who he should truly be sided with to find answers to his endless mound of questions and wonders... It's hard for him to turn on the one who seems to know him the most, and holds so much influence over him. "His name... Alvis, that was it. But why do I know that? Grrraagh, this is taxing. My thoughts are clearing but the more that I understand the less I actually know... Who was that girl I had to attack anyway? I felt, warm, seeing her face." Volitaire was becoming more and more sentient, but clarity was something that only clouded him more.

 

[Jacen]

Jacen...something's up.
I figured as such...savoring a target, he's no soldier...he's a psychopath.
Jacen holstered his pistol as well, appearing to take up the sniper's challenge.
I hope you know what you're doing here, this place isn't going to hold much longer.
Yeah, he gave me nothing and time's running out. I'm going to have to end this here.
Just how are you going to do that?
I'm going to play to HIS strengths. Attacking him head-on the first time didn't work...meaning he might want to use my strategy against me.
Jacen took a combat stance, one reminiscent of the Joint Special Security Forces. He was trained in hand to hand combat, along with natural ability...but he knew nothing about how this guy was in close quarters.
"Alright...what kind of guest would I be without offering further entertainment? Make your move...rookie."
Jacen internally laughed at his statement, akin to the pot calling the kettle black.
Something tells me that was the one that broke the camel's back.

 

[IAmEnzo]

By now, the very top of the tower had begun to pass through the portal. The area around them would bend and distort as if they were coasting into a black hole. Colors mixed and realities shifted around the tower like moving works of art. Enzo knew they didn't have enough time. His mind was contemplating if he should save the black-haired girl. Unlike Volitaire's change, Enzo hasn't lost his original self. Very much like his demonic form, it was still 'him', just with a different way of thinking. The same could be said about this newly discovered form.

With that stated, his morals still lingered. As much as he feared the girl - even more so now that he knew her true reasons for being around - he wanted to save her. She seemed confused with several things, like she was on a different page than the one called Darkness. The two of them were high above the tower with the help of the portal taking them through. Enzo narrowed his eyes, bend down, and jumped to the nearest floating slab of stone to the next, making his way upward towards the unconscious Silver and her supposed father.

"You know of her true intentions, and yet you still strive for her 'well-being'?! Truly this is the work of Genesis." Throughout the loud, warping noises of the portal, Darkness' voice could be clearly understood by all. As Enzo got closer to the two, Darkness' tendrils whipped out and lashed the stone Enzo used to get higher. Merely milliseconds after Enzo would jump, the rock would be decimated by the black creatures.

As last, Enzo was one jump away from reaching Silver. Her limp body hung there despite the chaos happening around them. Enzo pushed off from the last rock, and soared to the two with his hand extended, only for their form to dissolve into nothing as if it didn't exist. Their true location at reappeared behind Enzo, and like earlier, one of the black creatures lunged to Enzo and bit into his arm, but just then, the dark abomination would release Enzo as if it just bit into acid. Yellow flames would cover the creature's mouth, then it's head. It worked quickly to burn away that was which it's opposite. Dark magic against Light magic. The two were polar opposites.

The creature was eventually consumed by the yellow fire, and the fire itself reached to Darkness, who reacted to it like a vampire to sunlight. Beyond his control, Darkness dropped Silver, leaving her to fall back down to the portal's opening, Enzo followed right after, his wings spread and his speed increasing. He reached out, and grabbed Silver before letting his demonic and angelic wing slow them down for the drop back into the tower room. Little did his team know that they were out of time. They were in the transition to another realm.

Enzo wouldn't have that.

Slinging Silver onto his back as soon as he landed, he would grab Megurine with one arm, regardless of what she was doing prior, and materialized a cannon out of his own yellow flames to form around his free hand. He used this large cannon to blast away the door, and the corruption that was previously blocking people from entering. There stood Mirai and Sonya on the other side, along with Pandora. Another shot from his cannon whizzed past the three and shot out the wall, exposing them to the madness that was the interior of the portal. With one mighty throw, he tossed everyone he had been carrying thus far, out of the hole he had just made, and went for Mirai and Sonya, who were too, thrown out of the hole with great strength.

Enzo only exchanged glares with Pandora, before jumping out of the hole himself. With the throwing power Enzo put into chucking his friends, they would be far enough that they wouldn't hit the lower portion of the castle on the way back down to the portal entrance. Enzo, however, was heading straight to a certain portion of the castle.


Kaiden switched to an offensive stance, while Jacen moved to a defensive. "Alright...what kind of guest would I be without offering further entertainment? Make your move...rookie." "Gladly." Kaiden charged, his left hand ready to launch a jab while his other hand was kept on defense. Suddenly, Enzo would crash through the roof and land in between the two with an explosion that pushed the both of them back. "Eugh, what the fuck?!" Kaiden shouted out of frustration. Enzo, still with his cannon in hand, charged and blasted away the floor under Jacen and Sinclair, making them fall 15 feet down below to where Hi-No was. Again, he repeat this as quickly as possible, as to not let his female friends outside fall too far ahead of them. Together, Enzo, Jacen, Sinclair, and Hi-No would fall out through the bottom of the castle and down towards the portal showing the island. The females weren't too far ahead.

They all fell back through the portal, and was now falling around a thousand feet above the island. It was almost a peaceful sight, with the endless ocean in the background, covered by the moon and it's light. If it had not been for their situation, this would have been.. tranquil. The portal they had fallen through began to close, and with that, reminded Enzo to not taken in the scenery and to save his friends from becoming paste on the ground. His cannon would de-spawn, and flames charged into both of his hands, which he used to propel himself past the females like a rocket. Now he was the closest to the ground, and they didn't have much longer before they hit the ground. Enzo flipped over so that he was facing his falling friends, and put his hands together. With both palms open, he fired small bursts of fire at his friends, which hit them and absorbed them into a bouncy, protective bubble. He manged to hit everyone, ensuring their safety upon landing. Enzo sighed heavily, happy that he had succeeded in protecting his fr-

BOOM.

If only he had remembered about himself. He crashed into the ground with enough force to shake the entire island. Dirt and grass kicked up as high as 30 feet into the air when he hit the ground. He laid stuck in the mud in his own crater. His yellow flames were gone, which left him with his normal self, barely awake and broken. His eyes scanned the sky. His friends were falling down and touching the ground at a safe speed. "That was a little too close for comfort." Kenji commented, standing right next to Enzo. Wait, since when did he get there? "Could have been done a lot smoother. You need more training." "... Aha.. Ahahaha.. BAHAHAHAHA!"

 

[Sakura]

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"You cannot heal a lifetime of pain overnight,​

but you can be a candle,xxxxxxxxx​

& light the darkness for some brighter days."​

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The next few minutes were a blur to Mirai. She was between scared and confused, feeling an odd sensation of dark magic creeping along her skin and entering into her mind. She couldn't begin to understand what was going on, with Silver unconscious and nearly everyone blasting magic at one another. Who were these people? Who was Aurora? Why was Darkness controlling one of their students? Mirai wanted to hit pause and ask everyone to explain themselves, but she knew she couldn't. She stood by the window, her entire body shaking as she looked to Sonya for some indicator of what they should do. The upperclassman assured her that Kenji would take care of Enzo, but Mirai still felt a lingering ache in her heart. While Silver hadn't been herself, Enzo still was Enzo. If Silver was being controlled or was corrupted by darkness, Mirai wouldn't know how to help her. And Silver was strong. But there was something vulnerable about Enzo. Something that made Mirai want to protect him, despite being fragile herself.

The weird feelings continued to overtake her mind. Remnants of anger and confusion, whispers of revenge and blood. Mirai almost felt disturbed by the thoughts that were flooding into her head. She looked down at her trembling hands, trying to make sense of herself. While the commotion continued around her, Mirai began to feel something trying to take over her senses, to overpower her.

Is this.. what's making everyone act strangely. She conjured a small ball of water in her palm, but the magic tingled with hints of black threads, sparking into painful stinging in her hand.

"Ah," she cried out, holding onto her wrist with her other hand to try and stop the searing pain. But even as she dispelled her water magic, the dark threads wrapped around her palm, carving blood red gashes into her hand. Tears filled up the blonde's eyes. What's going on? Why can't I use my own magic?

Through the large hole in the wall, the Enzo-double entered. Mirai's eyes followed him until he walked in. The tower was beginning to tilt. Mirai could feel the floor beneath her feet fall and the other end of the room raise higher. She stumbled to regain her balance as the castle spun out of control, throwing most of them into the air. Almost three feet off the ground, Mirai attempt to reach for the wall to gain some kind of leverage of movement. The portal was pulling everything in it's vicinity into it's depths and Mirai desperately tried to reach for the wall. She grabbed the edges of the broken window and attempted to hang against the wall while things in the room flew about in disarray.

Mirai attempted to cast another water spell to freeze a pillar of ice close to Sonya in order to allow her grasp onto something without being throw off into the portal with the shaking building. As the water magic formed however, large swirls of black energy swerved about Mirai's water pillar and spiraled up her arm, snaking around her entire body. She screamed once, trying to fight back, but it was difficult. If she tried to free herself, the strands would wrap tighter, squeezing her so tightly she wasn't sure if she would be able to breathe.

I... won't let it... control me.. She closed her eyes, crossing her arms in an attempt to cover herself in her water magic. She cleared her mind, trying to ignore the chaos around her, ignore the falling tower, the large portal, Darkness. She tried to concentrate on her feelings, on her mind. Flashes of memories rushed through her. Being alone, always alone, crying alone. The foster homes, her books, and her magic. No one is going to save you. You'll always be alone. No one will ever care for you. There's no such thing as friends. Words were being shot through her concentration, in low-voiced whispers. Mirai struggled to ignore them, crying out in pain as the threads squeezed tighter.

No, that's not true! A memory flashed through her mind. Earlier, while fighting Enzo's double, Mirai had put her trust in her teammate, knowing he would save her. Mirai believed she and Enzo were friends. Otherwise, in his state, how would have ever heard her cries? I am...not alone... anymore... When she opened her eyes, the black threads were receding away from her body and curling tightly around her left arm, wrapping so tightly that she winced against the pain. It was then that Mirai's eyes spotted Enzo, the real Enzo, on the other side of the room. He looked different. Another wing, yellow-gold magic, his eyes, too had changed color. But the one thing on her mind was, Enzo is alive! And he's alright! She almost smiled.

Within moments, he was already at the their end of the room, grabbing her and Sonya and throwing them away from the portal out of the castle. Mirai flipped her head back to look at him as he grabbed her by the arm. "Enzo, you--" but the noise from the shaking castle and the portal drowned out the rest of her statement. The last he'd catch a glimpse of her face was her tears as she flew threw the air, with the others, spinning to slow her fall.

It was an incredible feeling, Mirai thought to herself, to fly. She looked down at the ground as the others began to land, extending her arms as she looked. The island, the ocean looked so beautiful that Mirai was almost taken aback by the beauty. It was like a scene from a movie, in slow motion, as she fell, admiring the view and the breathtaking night sky above them. Mirai took a moment to put her hands together and thank whatever god was up there for protecting them and to ask him or her or it to take care of Enzo for saving her life. A couple of tears slipped past her eyes and she realized they were nearing the ground. She looked down to the others.

Enzo was looking up at them as he fell, casting protective shields on their forms so that they wouldn't get hurt. "Enzo, look out!" Mirai screamed, but her voice was lost in the bubble as she watched in horror as Enzo hit the ground with such velocity that an entire crater formed around his body. She covered her eyes with her hands, unable to bear to watch.

When she did manage to open her eyes out of worry, she could hardly see a thing. Dust and dirt flew through the air, deflected by the bubble surrounding her. Upon landing safely, Mirai attempted, half squinting and stumbling aimlessly to make her way through the mess. Her small steps and uneasy brushing away of dust escalated into running when she could finally see the crater in the ground. Finally reaching Enzo, Mirai cast a worried glance at Kenji, who seemed to have been speaking and fell to her knees beside Enzo's laying form, looking at him with somewhat of a frantic state.

There was all sorts of dirt in her hair and several cuts and bruises on her, but breathing hard to catch her breath, Mirai managed to make out her words, "Enzo, you were... amazing! ...Are you okay? ...Can you ...move?" She took breaths between words, "Thank you for saving us!" There were fresh tears forming in her eyes, but she smiled brightly, reaching out to flick his forehead gently.

"But you should have protected yourself, too, silly."

When her fingertips touched his skin, the black threads wrapped around her left arm began to disappear, disentegrating into the air, as if contact with Enzo's magic dissipated the dark energy that had attempted to take control of Mirai. The voices in her head stopped taunting her and she suddenly felt the wave of nausea wash away. Small red lines were left imprinted into her arm, first-degree burns. But she didn't notice, she was still looking at Enzo, smiling, relieved.

 

[Jacen]

What the fuck!?
Jacen came back to solid ground, a bubble of magical energy encasing him dissipated as he stepped out into a field. Dirt and grass were strewn all around from some sort of impact.
What happened to everyone...that sniper was charging in and then everything was just an explosive blur...
Divine intervention, it seems.
He pulled his handgun quickly and inspected the area, panting heavily as he slowly relaxed. It was just the team and Enzo. He holstered his weapon and walked towards the crater that the once again human boy laid in.
More like a clutch grab...
"Aagh...lot of laughs for someone who just got finished playing human mortar." Jacen weakly laughed as he held his left shoulder, now finally sore from all the action. Adrenaline had worn off and now his abdomen once again resonated with a dull, throbbing pain. His amulet stopped glowing and the sleeves of his shirt were torn and his pant legs contained multiple rips from debris during their fall through the castle. A slight cut formed on the side of his face, leaving a bright red mark that easily stood out in comparison to his skin.
"Good catch, Enzo...what happened to the guy we were supposed to extract?"
Jacen took a quick look around, noticing that his rucksack had fallen off when he got up. He walked over to grab the large, black bag and slung it over his one good shoulder.
"I thought this was a search and rescue mission."

 

[IAmEnzo]

His vision was hazy from the impact. Mirai's face was blurred, but he knew it was her. The praise he was given forced him to smile, no matter how broken he looked. "..No, thank you for believing in me." He responded with gratitude. For that moment, he had forgotten about the questions that plagued his mind, and his worries. His mind and emotions eased, at least for now. Jacen, the more strategic of the group, asked a good question: Just where WAS that second year they were told to rescue?

A growing guilt grew in Enzo, another negative emotion. Had he not been so caught up in the affairs of Darkness, and Castle Aurora in general, he would have remembered to search for the missing student. Just as he was going to speak, another voice had sounded. "He's deceased." Outside of the crater stood Red, looking fresh and unharmed. "I saw his body - or what was left of it." "So.. we've failed." "I don't know what you were all thinking, going after people like that. It doesn't matter, let's go home. Our boat's 'captain' nearly shit himself from just witnessing these events."

And just like that, the group known as Team Valor was on their way home after an unexpectedly fierce battle. A shadowy figure, wrapped in a gray, battered cloak watched them from a distance. The added wind from the closing portal threw around the man's cloak. "..."

Little did they know, that the events at Castle Aurora is what begun the string of events that would forever effect the world, and those that were there that night at the castle, would have their fates intertwine with one another. Months of struggle lay before them, and Castle Aurora was only the beginning.



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( ( And by 'Coming Soon', I mean the 10th, so take a break, we'll be continuing then! ) )​

 

[IAmEnzo]

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> > Episode 1 - New Arrivals < <​

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One week and a few days after that night...​

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Day: Monday
Time: 8:00AM
Weather: Sunny, 86 degrees
Latest Rumor: None...?

Through the snow-covered forest moved two people. One, was a small, black haired boy with multiple wounds, and the other was a white haired male, who looked older, and bared no wounds or scars.
"Come on, don't tell me you're out of energy already.." The white haired male began carrying the other, seeing as how he could no longer walk. "There has to be people here, I saw smoke..." Together, the two traversed through knee-deep snow for hours without anything to eat or warm themselves. It was safe to say that the duo was lost.
As they walked on, the sun went down, unleashing the true temperatures of the icy forest. At some point on their journey, they stopped and made a fire in a clearing. The darkness surrounded the young boy, as he sat alone, hugging his patched knees, silent. Soon came the eldest, with a large log hoisted on his shoulder. With a heavy bang, he dropped it on the already growing fire they created, and sat across from the younger boy. "Raen, I'm hungry." "I know-" "-And cold." "I realize. I couldn't find anything but tracks in this snow. Hunting here is very different from home." "Was home.. nice?" "Nicer than this place. 'twas a lot warmer." "When are we going back?" "We can't. No, not anymore." "Why not?" A silence fell between the two. It was clear that the older one, referred to as 'Raen', knew of the past, while the other did not. "Get some rest."
The sun rose again, hours later, and the two were already on the move, just like the previous day, only this time, signs of starvation were apparent. Raen's footsteps were shorter, his breathing more drastic, while the younger one would stay away a lot more than usual. Another day of this and their 'adventure' would come to an anti-climatic end.
Suddenly, a gunshot broke the silence. Raen instantly laid the smaller boy behind a tree and joined him in hiding. Another gunshot was heard, and the flocking of birds overhead caused a pile of snow to fall on the two in hiding. "Guh, s-s-s-so.. co-cold.." "Shh!" Whoever was shooting their weapon was getting closer. Raen took a peek around the corner of the tree, and saw that it was a middle-aged man, with what looked to be his son. The two of them carried dated rifles. "Shoot, I missed!" " Now don't fire immediately after missing your first shot, give your prey some time to calm down and settle in." "Yes, pa."
The hunting party moved closer, but slowly, as to not alert their prey. What prey are they talking about? Us? Raen hadn't the slightest clue, but if he were to sneak up on them, his chances on getting shot out of a reaction would be increased. If he and his smaller companion wanted to be saved, he had to do this now. With a deep breath, Raen stepped out, hands in the air. "Don't s-shoot!" The sudden motion caused the son to aim at Raen instantly. It was only by his father's hand did the son lower his weapon. "Who are-.. Now what are you doin' out here?" "We're lost, and w-we need shelter." "'We'?" The smaller boy crawled out from behind the tree like a corpse. "Christ, kid.. How old are you?" "Three thous.. f-.fifteen and s-s-seven." "Pa, they're children! We have to help them!" "Quiet, Junior. What's your names?" "I'm R-Raen, and this is my little b-brother, Enzo."

"Enzo."

"Enzo!"

"ENZO!"

A loud bang shot Enzo straight out of his daydream. He looked around quickly to find that he was sitting in the cafe. A quick look to his clock told him that it was still early, and students usually filled their bellies before the first class would begin. "Oh, sorry..." Enzo mumbled. His face was slightly distorted from his head laying on the table for so long. "I leave for 15 minutes and you pass out again. Those meds really kicked your ass." "..Yeah." Enzo looked down at his bowl of now cold ramen with a drowsy frown. "Still no luck on our mission. Apparently, nobody even knew Castle Aurora existed. We can talk about it in broad daylight and nobody would have a clue."
It was an odd case. When Enzo, or anyone else would attempt to talk to another about a 'strange island' outside town, they'd act as if they never knew about it, like it never existed. It seemed like only the ones who were actually there that night knew about the castle, and everything that took place there, other than that, it never existed to anyone else. "How's Silver..?" "Sleeping beauty might have woken up. She's been unconscious ever since that night. Nurse thinks it's some kind of freak accident with a spell. Why don't we go check and see if she's awake?" Enzo nodded, pushing away his bowl of food and standing up slowly. Kenji joined him on his shoulder, and the two would walk out of the cafe, to the infirmary.

The infirmary was empty, except for Silver. She was placed there ever since they had gotten back from the island, and everyday, Enzo and Kenji would check in to make sure she wasn't.. corrupted. Enzo and Kenji knew what Aurora had done to her. She was corrupted, like Volitaire, but unlike him, she didn't attack, at least not yet. At this point, she was a ticking time bomb, or that's what Enzo and Kenji thought. A slight knock on the door, and the two slipped in quietly. They slowly approached Silver's bed, in hopes that she was awake, and not in a killing mood. "...Silver?"

Locations

• Locations

Sorcerers​

Lobby​

Training room (CLOSED)​

Basketball court/Gym (CLOSED)​

Library​

Cafeteria​

Rooftop​

Dormitory​

Lobby​

Dorms​

Campus​

Garden​

Track​

Town​

Streets​

The Wizard's Treat​

Battle Royal (CLOSED)​

Beach​

Mage's shop​

Docks (CLOSED)​

Forest​

???​

​

 

[silverlinedmist]

After the events at Castle Aurora had left Silver both corrupted and unconscious, she hadn't exactly been taking it easy. The power that strange woman put in her haunted her, though she still successfully resisted it. It left her with nightmares like none she had ever had before, all so terrible she didn't even want to think about them. Most of them consisted of her killing certain people she's grown to care for, people she had trouble getting to know in the first place, who she would never actually harm or wish harm upon. She actually woke a few times since the incident in a panic, tears on her face and her body so tense and afraid she even found she was grinding her teeth sometimes. Usually a nurse was there to help her calm down and lay back down, since they wanted to make sure she was stable before letting her go. Luckily, at this point, Silver had kept the corruption at bay long enough with the help of the people at the school, that it wasn't likely to affect her much unless something provoked her first. She just had to keep herself calm. The staff had even helped Silver separate herself from the demon that has haunted her since childhood. In a way, she was relieved.
However, she also felt a bit lost without his constant guidance, and feared the day he came looking for her himself.

As Enzo and Kenji came in, Silver ignored their knocks and turned on her side in bed, clinging to her pillow. She was so ashamed that she had not only failed her job, but let her prey- No, her friend, find out about it. She didn't understand why he came to visit her so much, and always pretended she was asleep when he did, which to her relief, he believed. Today was different, however, as she was being released finally. She was back in her normal clothes, a turtle neck sweater, some jeans, and her favorite pair of boots. It would be obvious that she was leaving today, and she still didn't want to face him. The shame, the guilt, the horrible feelings that built up inside her when she listened to him speak made her stomach turn over. It didn't help that all the while she was struggling with her own identity, who she was and who her own parents were. Was anyone really who they said they were? Why would anyone be telling the truth at any moment? Why did she so blindly place trust in people she didn't even know?

"...Silver?"

She rolled her eyes, biting her tongue quietly. Why did he have to use that tone? It sounded as if he pitied her. Pity was the last thing she wanted. She remained silent as the nurse came in, smiling at Enzo and walking to Silver's side. Looking up at her, the nurse smiled. "You're free to go now. Remember to come back if you have any issues, alright?" Silver nodded and sat up, watching as the nurse nodded at Enzo and Kenji, then left. She gripped her sheets lightly, looking down and sighing. She ought to say something, but she didn't know what to say. She hadn't actually said a word to anyone since she first woke up, despite apparently mumbling in her sleep every now and then. Silver stood up, feeling something on her cheek and wiping her face with her sleeve, only to see tears. Not again, she thought, quickly blinking them away. Turning to face Enzo, she realized she couldn't even look at him. Her eyes automatically went to the ground when she tried to look at him, and her face remained blank as she couldn't smile either. Come on, say something!

"...H-Hello..."

 

[Tsunni]

​

With a hop and a step, a slim female slipped her way into the academy grounds, a bunny eared hood covering her face. ​

​

"Huuuu, so this is Sorcerers? Boooooring."​

The girl stretched out her legs, a smirk appearing on her face as she let the hoodie drop down. Silvery lavender hair flowed out from under the black fabric, and amethyst eyes peered out, scanning the perimeters,"Well, I supppose I should get to work here..." She laughed, seemingly excited to begin to execute the job laid before her.​

​

"This will be fun."​

​

With that, the unnamed female snapped her fingers, falling through what seemed to be a sudden tunnel in the ground, "Down the rabbit hole we go!"​

 

[Jacen]

This is uncomfortable. This is nonsense. This is uncomfortable nonsense.
Jacen was walking through the courtyard, on the way to the cafeteria to fuel up before class. While he had recovered from his injuries without any significant damage, he was required to wear an athletic sleeve on his left arm for the next few days or so...just to ensure optimal blood flow. Dressed in a pair of black cargo shorts, a green t-shirt and his trademark vest, he felt like the sleeve was unnecessary and more of a hindrance than a help. And now, his cheek sported a scar from that cut he sustained. Jacen wasn't one to obsess over aesthetics, but he knew it was going to leave a scar and that only added to his less than perky mood.
It's just to help and you can take it off at the end of the week, it's not that bad right?
This thing holds me back more than it helps. Bending my arm just doesn't even feel natural with this on, and it's itchy. God, I'm about to freeze this thing and break it into pieces.
You're complaining about an itchy sleeve, after you've been shot at...hit by falling debris, quite literally shotgun kicked in the stomach and fell through a building.
Yeah, yeah. There's also a rather large scar on my face to show for it. It's funny how no one else knows what went on except us and Boone, so now I have to say it was a "training accident". I swear, I'm going to have to make some serious adjustments to my armory and strategies.
Oh really now?
Yes, really...
Jacen reached the door to the building, and could catch a faint whiff of the food available...his stomach rumbled as he realized he didn't eat anything before falling asleep the previous night.
But those adjustments will have to wait until after breakfast...besides, if I were to call my dad to request more weapons right after that, he'd definitely know something's up. I don't want him to get worried...and I still have to make that sword of mine HF ready, I'll do that tonight...

 

[IAmEnzo]

A few days ago, Enzo would have been hesitant to approach Silver, and for good reason. She had been ordered to kill him, even though she wasn't corrupted. Kenji had repeatedly told him to exercise caution, but he insisted on believing it was true. For all they knew, Darkness could have been playing mind games. If that was Silver's job, why didn't she just do it?

A nurse came in, and discharged Silver from the infirmary, she was free to go, and at the same time, she was standing, too. Happy and slightly nervous at the same time, Enzo awaited her reply, which apparently took more than usual to say.

"...H-Hello..."

"Hey, how are you feeling? The nurse seems to think you're fine." Of course, Silver wasn't the only one to arrive in the infirmay. Enzo, too, had stayed there for quite some time, but what confused the doctors was that he had no external damage, not even a scratch. On the inside, however, were burns, like someone unleashed a flamethrower inside of him. What normal magic couldn't heal, was taken care of with the help of the medicine Kenji mentioned earlier.

 

[silverlinedmist]

Silver frowned and took a few steps around the bed and towards the door, stopping next to Enzo. "I am fine...." She looked away and down, holding her arm, clearly ashamed of something, though she wouldn't dare admit it to Enzo.

"...Did you need to talk to me about anything, or were you just checking on me again?" Her voice was more gentle than usual and the rest of her seemed rather calm, though still not exactly happy. A soft smile appeared on her face as she finally looked at Enzo, though her eyes appeared almost lifeless. Though she had been resting plenty the past few days, she still felt exhausted, having not slept too well due to the constant nightmares she'd been experiencing. At this point, she planned to head straight back to her dorm to retrieve her things, then walk to the training room to let loose some of her anxiety. There was no need to slack in her training when her body was perfectly fine; she hadn't exactly been dealt too much physical damage during the battle.

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Sonya sat in the middle of her dorm's floor with her legs crossed on a mat made of rather harsh looking material. Her hands were placed firmly on her knees with her elbows facing outward, but her shoulders relaxed. She took in a deep breath then released it slowly. Every since they had returned from the castle she had put in time for extra meditation. It focused her mind and allowed her to center her thoughts. Part of her magic was dependent on her mental ability, recalling melodies and being able to control the sound waves fluidly.

The entire ordeal was one she wanted to remember as a victory for the teams that went, but it had more like a cliff hanger. Sonya took in another deep breath and released it. She opened her eyes to look at the wall across from her. Classes will be starting soon... She sighed and stood from the mat. A short stretch and she set to finding a change of clothes. "I'm feeling really lazy today so..." A pair of denim capris and a light colored blouse would accompany her out. She put her hair up in a quick ponytail and slipped on a pair of sandals. She spared one last look in the mirror then grabbed her bag on the way out. "Let's see what today has to offer."