"ALEX!" D yelled, and shot a bolt of energy at the stranger bearer. While the older Master of Magic attacked the creature, Hoods floated over to it. Alex was gasping for air, holding on to the power, even as his shield was being ripped.
"What are you? Why do you do this? What will you do now?" Hoods asked. "You can tell me...Something tells me...we can relate, better than the younglings could," the ball of blue whispered.
"Hoods! What are you doing!?!"
The lighting bolt struck and the wings spasmed slightly, and Alex's shield dropped even more.
Return...the power...return...the balance...
As Hoods spoke to it the voice found a new target. I am justice, I am cruelty, I am the bearer of the second seal of the apocalypse, the seal of malice. All who look upon me turn, all who love me wither and die, and all the world thanks me with praise unheard for I bear the burden of existence. Return to me the power, return the balance to the world, or all shall freeze beneath the consuming power of evil and its father, where I, the bearer am absent.
"....Do as he says, Alex."
"....W-what?"
"The power is his. He holds the curse of being a force of dark magic. He is evil, in a way, though I...do not think he enjoys this, do you?" Hoods asked. "Let him take the power. Do not fight him....This is what must be done."
"..." Alex obeyed, and the strange being would feel that the mage was freely giving the dark magic back to him, or perhaps it.
"Excuse me, dear sir? About that praise unheard? It is not all unheard. Thank you...." the blue orb said to the figure.
"Unheard from those that should concern themselves with it." Said a voice from within the chains. "You, a being of such power that he can transcend reality, has nothing to fear...but I accept your thanks." Slowly the chains came undone and began to reveal the prisoner kept inside. His wings grew full and black once more, but before they could get a proper look at him, or it, he was gone, vanished with a flap of his mighty wings while the chains still held his identity.
With the seal bearer went the damage and power of the seal, drawing all that remained from Alex painfully out of him, and repairing all the damage, even that done to the mansion, which had been inflicted during the battle. Indeed, as the rubble cleared away, the half corpse of Mickal was revealed, still breathing, but barely.
While Alex fell to the ground, slowly breathing in air, Hoods soothing his pain, D walked over to Mickal, a sword appearing in his hand. "Brother....I will give you one last chance to repent for your sins. I'm going to kill you, I think we both know that, but at least if you ask for forgiveness now, I will be able to forgive you. We can end this with our minds cleared," he said, standing over his brother. "Please...just say it brother. 'I am sorry....'"
Mickal looked over at D and smiled. "D, my brother, kin of heart and flesh...does your perspective truly curve so? Does your mind fail to fathom the depth of our conflict, the eternity of our souls?" Slowly, Mickal began to rot away, without need for a finishing blow, his body destroyed by the overwhelming power that was torn from him. "Every life has end, every story has a conclusion, every dance has a finish. Such foolish fancies, such sour thoughts." All that remained of him now was his face, which smiled up even as it became black sludge, and then nothing. "Perhaps, brother, you will obtain your apology in the next life...but for now...I reject your ending...How could I end...such a beautiful conflict? Such an enchanting dance? Such a joined and perfect....destiny..."
He was almost gone now, hardly anything remaining to speak. He looked up with the one eye he had left and softly spoke what would be his last words. "Oh cruel fate, dastardly laws...why does thou...forsake..." And he was gone, forever banished from the world. What happened now was up to Alex, D and hoods. There was a whole colony of elven slaves waiting for orders not far, all trained into obedience by Mickal. They could try to free them, or keep them, whatever they desired. The whole mansion was now Alex's, and his girls awaited his return at D's hut.
Alex rubbed his chest and took slow deep breaths. He looked at hsi Master, seeing D look at the spot his brother once laid at. He then rose and they looked at one another. "You two get back to the hut. I'll send Zane your way to meet up wit you, and I'll bring the girls here to talk to..." Hoods said. The two looked at one another, before nodding their heads and D cast a spell, allowing them to teleport outside D's hut, where they would find Zane inside his bubble.
As for Hoods, he summonsed the other bubbles, bringing them to him outside the mansion.
(surprise post!)
Zane lay panting within his bubble. The healing done to him was rushed and incomplete, but at least he was stable. "Tiff...where is...Tiff..." He asked weakly as he lay within the protective barrier, genuine concern in his voice.
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All the girlls looked around timidly from within their bubble prisons, wondering what had happened, where their master was, and what would become of them. There were a few hundred of them, all part of Arkurus's collection, all trained and broken, or, at the very least, in the process of being trained and broken. Some of the newer slaves hoped for freedom, most hoped to survive whatever came next.
((Happy holidays))
D placed his hands over Zane's body and whispered an incantation, as little pieces of crystal water fell upon the man, and melted onto his body, easing his pain and healing him.
"Tiff is safe. We will take you to her..." he said, but stopped as a thought crossed his mind. Would Zane try taking Tiff away from him? What would she do if she had to choose between her family or her Master? He would soon find out, he realized, as he created a portal to D's real home.
D helped the dark elf stand, and together the three walked through the portal and gently landed in D's home. They then walked over to library, and Alex opened the door and walked in with D and Zane following.
Zane slowly healed and sighed in relief as he heard that his sister was safe. He slowly stood on shaking legs with Alex's help and walked with him into the library. Once there Alex was greeted warmly by all his girls...save Sarah and Melody. "Master! Im so happy your back!" Tiff cried, embracing him first and holding him tightly. "I didnt know if you would come back..." She said with tearful eyes.
Next was Lillia and Neko, the latter of which was reaching out from Lillia's arms with a sad face, crystal tears collecting in her eyes. Lillia let Neko hug him and spew baby angel bable into Alex's ear. She had been worried as well, and with all the torture she had seen, she never wanted to leave his arms again. Lillia smiled but remained silent, knowing it was not her place to inturrupt him and his lover and basically his daughter. Instead she smiled and waited, her eyes telling him she was happy to see him again.
Sarah stayed silent as well, but her eyes were full of uncertanty, fear, and confusion. She did not know if his return was a good thing or a bad thing. Did she want to go through the horrible training to gain power? Would he train her if she did? Did she even have a choice? All these thoughts made Sarah remain silent, but at least she was not as bad off as Melody.
The poor sun elf was shaking, litterally shaking, and was curled up in a ball not to far away. Every second outside the mansion was an eternity of punishment that Arkurus would inflict upon her, this she knew, and she had been out for almost a whole day now...he would not let her live, and he would not let her die, not easily. She had no clue that he was dead, and even if told she would not likely believe it, her master had proven to be nearly entirely immortal, and almost was.
Tiff then gasped as she saw Zane, and emraced him as well, her last living reltive. He held her close and protctively as she cried into his shoulder, having been sure he was dead. After a moment he looked up from her and said "I must take you back...we need you." To say Tiff was shocked was and understatement. She looked fearfully at her master andthen at her brother, wondering what would happen next.