Chapter 7: The Phoenix Elder and The Children of Darkness
A man was walking on a road, a red fighting suit, a scarf around his neck floating in the wind half damaged and with holes in it, his dark red spiky hair was slightly weaving in the wind while, his fire red eyes, looked around and sighed slightly "I sense you, you despicable beings, come out" His deep voice was firm and strong, many shadows began to surround him and started to attack without even a second thought "Tsk, disappear from this place!", Without even moving, a huge fire barrier surrounded him and exploded, emitting flames in all directions, disintegrating all the shadows and leaving nothing behind. The man sighed once again "Useless things, why they keep struggling I wonder..." and so he continued to walk toward a town which seemed to had lost his colors. All the buildings seemed to be made out of darkness and shadows, all its surroundings were like dead and nothing seemed alive inside there. While walking, many shadows kept coming toward the man but he did not paid any attention to them, destroying them with his flames without even looking at them, the struggle was not necessary at all against such small flies.
Once near the City, a huge shadow blocked his path "Guardian, what is your kind doing in Liria, the city of darkness?" The man simply raised a hand and a huge flaming ball formed around it in mere seconds "Move aside creature of darkness or perish like the others" The shadow flinched under such power, and with haste, it swifts aside letting him pass. After passing, the shadow tried to touch him from behind but, with only a single punch, he made the shadow burn and reducing it to ashes "Tsk, what can you expect from kinds like you?" That said he went toward the city. Many eyes were watching him while he walked the dark and empty city, everything seemed out of life, the place was depressing to say the least and nothing seemed to block the man's path. After a while he reached a tower, the building itself seemed different from any other building out there, it was like inviting the man to enter. The tower was glowing faintly of a dark light while darkness seemed to be flowing out of it like a river. The man entered the tower without a thought and started to climb the first set of stairs toward the first floor.
Darkness was all around, nothing could be seen, not even his own hands. A voice started to talk out of nowhere "Krex...Krex!" A feminine voice, of a young woman, seemed to call in distress that name over and over. The man stopped dead in his track and closed his eyes "Damn you...do you think you can attract me with these kind of things?" a huge pillar of flame surrounded him and everything was again visible but, strangely enough, nobody was there...the huge fire and light made him see the staircase to the next floor "Tch, fools..." then he walked to the next floor without watching back even once.
On the second floor there was a huge door blocking his path to the next floor. The man tried to push it but it was no use and, when he stopped, the door grow a pair of eyes and a mouth "Speak guardian, what do you wish from me and this tower?" The man smirked lightly "Let me pass, I am not in the mood for this crap" The door simply stood there to observe him without saying a thing, expecting a answer from him. The man started to attack the door with a huge strength, each punch made the entire room shake but the door would not open no matter how strong he threw the punches "Again, I ask you guardian, what is your purpose here?" the man stopped attacking and calmed himself like it was nothing "Tsk...damn you magical creation...I would like to obliterate your little tower...but let's see how much you can do against me you filthy dark creation..." the man then looked the door in to his giant eyes "I am here to clear the land" the door simply looked at him silently "Things like you should be gone for good, I was sure I blocked your sorry 'race', so to speak, into oblivion forever...I don't know who freed you...but I'm gonna find him and put his life to an end in matter of seconds..." the door again did not flinched and stood in silence once again "Let me pass now, I must progress my quest in this tower". The door, after a while, began speaking "Strange that you seek such bloody outcome guardian, we thought your race was a peaceful one. How come now your search for war?" the man started to gather a huge amount of power into his right fist "Peace? PEACE!? After slaughtering many lives, killing innocents and attacking others without a reason? That is your peace?!" a powerful fist went into the door and it actually scratched it badly, almost formed a hole in it "I am sick of your presence...BEGONE!" The second punch opened a hole through the door but it immediately regenerated itself. The man didn't seemed surprised at all, in fact he was expecting that "Tsk, regenerating doors...same old tricks" the door then started speaking "Very well guardian, if that's what you want...then you may pass, but I warn you...not every darkness is easy to bright up with light..." That said the door opened itself and let him advance to the next floor. The man passed silently through the empty room while ignoring the door's words but still being a little surprised by his permission.
Once reached then next floor, he started to look around. Nobody seemed to greet him, it was a simple round and blue room. A young man, maybe 18 from the looks of it, appeared in front of him "Hmm Flame, I heard legends about you" the man did not react at all and simply looked the boy, scanning him with his eyes. The boy seemed simple, dressed like in high school, just his hair was of a deep dark while his eyes were of a deep dark purple. "What do you wish of me darkness creature?" the young boy simple sighed "You seem kinda nervous gramps, calm down" Flame simply looked at him silently "You know, while you were resting, our kind was freed...but when we got out of our prison, kindly made by you, not all of us agreed on returning to engulfing the world in darkness. A few of us wanted just to exist in peace and, while centuries passed, some of us thought about the past and agreed that, living, if so we can call it, was useless if the goal was to die while trying to kill others. Living to end other lives...until you lose your own...seems kinda ironic and pointless don't you think?" Flame sighs slightly "Don't tell me: you are the peaceful ones?" The young boy simply nodded "Indeed, but I believe you..." Flame attacked the boy with a huge flaming punch before he could finished speaking, but the boy blocked it without a flinch "W...what?" Flame seemed surprised, very few shadows were able to resist his attacks "It's not polite to interrupt someone who is talking..." after that the boy kicked Flame away with immense power, forcing him to slide aside. "Like I said: we don't want to fight, but we won't refuse to defend ourselves" Flame simply regained his composure like that kick was nothing "Tsk, prove it then! Let me go up, let me advance. If what you are saying it's true, then you shall not fear nothing from us...from me". The boy stood there quiet for a while and looking at him "Only if you promise not to attack nobody else" Flame smiled a little "Funny, but I don't agree" the young boy then smiled as well "You are allowed to defend yourself, is that all right now?" Flame looked at him a little surprised "Hm, very well, I agree to those terms, but! If I will be attacked until the last floor too much...I will obliterate this tower and town" The young boy did not answer and simply pointed him the staircase. Flame, without dropping his guard, started to walk toward the staircase and started to go up.
Until the tenth floor nothing stopped him from advancing but, at the eleventh floor, a single shadow stood between him and the staircase "Welcome guardian" Flame stopped and sighed "I knew it, it was too simple..." The figure revealed to be a black armored knight which started to get his dark sword ready to fight. Flame simply took out a handle of a sword, but instead of the blade there was nothing. The knight performed a particular set of movements: First he did a circle with his sword, then made a cross that united the opposite side of the circle and then pierced the middle of the cross with his sword pointing at Flame, proceeding in standing still in that position afterwards. Flame laughed a little "Ahaha, been a while since someone challenged me to a honorable duel." a sword made of flames appeared out of the handle and Flame prepared himself for the duel "Let's see what you capable of, knight!". The battle started immediately and, in a blink of an eye, the 2 met swords in the middle of the room. Their movements were so fast that they could not be seen by an untrained guardian eye, all t
he blows ended up in a wide sound of the blades resonating with each other. "Interesting knight, but I am not done yet" the sword began to gain more power and flames, the sword became larger, bigger and more dangerous than before. With a single blow he sent the knight flying back but he still manage to block a direct hit but the power was so much that he could not stop the force which made him slide back quite a lot.
"...." the knight silently regained his fighting position and simply put his sword up in the air. The sword started to shine lightly while a dark aura started surrounding the blade. Again the 2 exchanged blows and, even if now the situation seemed as before, the knight seemed to have quite a difficult time in staying behind the strength and agility of Flame. After a few blows, the sword of the knight flew away cause by a ponderous blow inflicted by Flame "Tch, it was fun but this is over. Still, as a duel, I will give you the chance to defend yourself against one of my ultimate techniques...pick up your sword" that said he let his sword down and waited for the knight to recover his weapon. The knight saw the chance to attack Flame while he was with his guard down but did not used that chance, walking to gather his sword and got himself back into position. "Very well knight, try to defend yourself now..." Flame's body was engulfed in flames and, without even having the chance to blink, he flew at his opponent with a speed that surpasses that of the light and in a mere second, hundred blows were unleashed toward the knight which did not stood a chance to block or defend against such a powerful attack and took most of them directly.
After those deadly blows, Flame simply stopped and looked at him...the knight was defenseless and exhausted from those many blows, kneeling down exhausted. Flame started to charge his powerful, and final attack "This duel is FINISHED!" Flame dashed toward the knight which knew it was his end, but nothing happened. After he waited a few moments, the knight realized that Flame stopped his sword in front of his face and did not finished his existence "You respected the rules of the honorable duel, you did not used tricks and neither used that chance to surprise attack me..." Flame knew very well that he was an easy target for a surprise attack back when he offered the knight the chance to take his sword back "If what that kiddo said is correct, then I have no reason to kill you, at least for now....You fought well knight, but you can't measure yourself with me. Train harder" Flame let his blade disappear into thin air and put back the handle of the sword, heading toward the stairs, stopping right before entering them "What is your name? If you have one of course..." the knight got himself up with difficulty after the several wounds and answered with a dark and deep voice "Riff" Flame simply nodded and went ahead to the next floor.
Again, until the fourteenth floor, nothing bothered him but once reached the last floor, the fifteenth, he entered a wide chamber resembling a throne room where a throne was possessed by a young woman. The woman simply stood up and made a few steps toward Flame, executing a little bow and then smiled gently "Welcome Flame, Phoenix and Leader of the guardians, also known as Krex" Flame started to accumulate power in his fists "NEVER say that name again..." The woman seemed a little surprised but regain her composure quite fast "I am sorry, I did not mean to be rude or offend you" After that apology, which was a new thing to Flame coming from a shadow creature, he calmed itself down and his power was dispersed. "Who are you woman?" "I am the leader of this city of darkness, you may call me Ively" Flame swiftly snorted "I am not here to greet a creature of darkness like a queen or princess, so don't act like one!" The woman sighed deeply "Since you killed, and started attacking first our guard that simply asked your purpose here, I think you might as well listen to me a little?" Flame was at lost of words, it's true that the shadow that let him pass tried to touch him but he thought he was trying to attack, so he simply calmed himself and looked at the woman analyzing her in silence. The woman, with deep yellow eyes and platinum long hair, smiled gently "Excellent" her long dress made it impossible to determine her physical appearance but she seemed almost like a princess by the way she was dressed and behavior.
"I know about our past Phoenix, and I know many things about you and the clans, still...I must tell you a little story and it might surprise you, I know, but please endure it". The woman took a deep breath before starting "You see, once you sealed us away from this world, into the void, many of us started to rage against that prison and tried for millenniums to break it but with no results. After that, many began to think about the war, their existence, the purpose of the things we were doing. We were a minority, the other thought we were getting sloppy and they wanted to eliminate us, they saw us like some kind of weaker chain to eliminate from their forces. Much we stood there and discussed with them on the chance to live on our own and not bother the earth again, start something new or simply ignore the fights and live together with you guardians. It may seem difficult but we shadows have a human appearance and feelings too! Not all of us are made of only darkness or evil and, once some of us made some contacts with some guardians, without entering in conflict, reporting back their fun or enjoyable time, well...some of us were jealous and wanted to have a peace and fun existence too. That's when some of us started to abandon our shadow appearance and emptiness, starting to develop will, feelings and even wishes. But the tension between the warriors of darkness and us, children of darkness, was getting worse and they started to look at us like the enemy because of our wishes and intentions. We were on the verge of war, a war which we could not win, but then the seal got ripped apart and a portal into this world opened up...we don't know who opened the portal or broke the seal, but the warriors were so happy an thrilled to get their revenge, that they rushed out without a second thought, forgetting about us. They wanted to target any guardian that was still alive or their children, that's why they started to search for you guardians and humans, descendants of the older guardians but, we child of darkness, preferred to simply find a place to stay and not disturb anyone. Many cities of darkness were established into the land of darkness left behind by the warriors. We started to rebuild, live quiet on our own, without causing trouble, yet trouble seemed to be searching for us, we are seen as enemy by both sides and few understand that we don't want any trouble. Believe me when I say that we only want to live our own existence..."
After the long speech the woman looked at Flame which listened with a lot of patience and silence, never stopping her "Do you think you can trick me?" The woman seemed a little alarmed "No...we..." Flame accumulated power in his hands and was ready to fight the woman "I WILL DESTROY EVERY SHADOW IN EXISTENCE!" after Flame started to rush toward her, the young boy encountered before in the tower, stood between him and the woman in a guard stance. The queen simply put a hand on his shoulder and tossed him aside while closing her eyes and waiting for Flame's attack. Upon seeing that, Flame stopped his attack bewildered and surprised "....Why?" the woman opened her eyes and looked at him silently "Why you tossed aside the only one that could protect you?" the woman smiled once again, a sad smile "If I must perish so be it, but I don't want him to perish alongside me. Like I said, we don't wish war, but we will defend ourselves, but against the legendary phoenix there is little we can do as we are now, even if this young boy is quite a skilled fighter, I would like him to flee and live his existence rather than seeing him sacrifice his life to save a queen that was not even able to convince the Phoenix about our true intention!" Flame was at a loss for words, he started to think very fast about everything he heard so far and all his power dissipated "I still don't believe you, but you did keep your word" Flame slightly snorted "And I appreciate that. I will leave you be...for now. But if I find you giving trouble to anyone..." he smirked lightly "I will be back for you..." that said he started to leave the way he entered without saying anything else "Thank you guardian..." those were the only words Flame was able to hear from the woman before leaving the tower, and the city, searching for his target:the one that destroyed his seal and brought back the darkness.
The Chosen And the guardians Page 9
