Chapter 26: A Chance
Shink slammed his palms against the soil. Magic pulsed through the land, miles of rock and dirt ripping out from the ground in a severe earthquake.
The nearby dinosaurs lifted their heads, beginning to rush off, sounds of feared roars leaving their throats.
Kairas picked his pained body up, rushing on all fours. He glowed brightly, body sprouting white feathered wings as he soared ahead, dodging falling stones.
As Takabi reached Shink, his palm opened wide with flames outlining him, the old man raised his hands, and willed the roots to wrap around and catch him. Kairas rushed by, just barely avoiding one of the vines. His hands grabbed Raia's bodysuit, picking her up and over his shoulder as he kicked off the rising ground and charged for Nana, catching her by her long hair and floating airborne.
"Hey!" Raia yelled over the severe rumbling. "Your Gem! It's still active!"
The green tattoos glowed brightly on Kairas' skin. The pain was evident in his eyes, the boy was clearly struggling to stay airborne.
"I know," He replied. "I couldn't leave you both down there though. Right now is the worst time to be in their way." He looked around, eyes falling on the valley across from them. He flew, slowly, carefully, landing on the stone and dropping the girls, before falling on his butt and breathing heavy, tearing the collar of his shirt so he could breathe better.
Raia weakly stood, hands on her knees as she watched on. Flashes of violet and yellow lights erupted randomly through the reshaped land. She bit her lip, looking over to Nana's unconscious body. The succubus approached her friend, heels clicking against the stone, and she knelt, raising Nana's head so she could examine her, then back to the battle. "Why is this happening?"
"You heard him," Kairas said bitterly. His fingers brushed against the markings. "He's taking orders. No idea who from, but he's not acting alone." Kairas got to his feet, wings stretching out, feathers falling. Raia kept her eyes on him, trying to pick apart what he might've been thinking. Aside from pain, his expression was completely unreadable.
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Shink's fist slammed against Takabi's cheek. The boy ignored the attack, growling angrily as he gripped his shirt and slammed their foreheads together. The first attack seemingly caved in Shink's forehead, but the injury healed as the old man released a shockwave of magic, blowing Takabi into the dirt.
Raising his hands to his sides, the earth began to bend, ripping apart and racing down. Takabi raised his head, violet flames rushing from his throat and turning the soil to ash. Then, he craned his head to avoid a spear of earth Shink formed, spinning it around and trying to pierce the boy's chest.
Takabi hopped back, hands slapping away the rock and rushing forward.
When he gripped Shink, the man raised his hand, earth shooting up underneath and ripping through Takabi's torso. The boy coughed blood as the spike shattered, Shink slipping behind him and landing a chop on the back of his neck. He went stiff, dropping to the ground as blood oozed into the dirt.
Shink watched him, breathing heavy and raising his face to the air. The second he did, Takabi came up, more viscous than before, flaming claws slashing Shink's chest.
He cried out in pain, blood leaving his wounds and lips. Shink flipped, hopping back, landing on his feet.
Takabi's body altered. Under the violet tattoos, his body had turned somewhat black, as if he was burned badly. His wings stretched out wide, around ten feet long. His eyes were glowing an intense violet, flames bellowing at his feet and the ends of his now lengthened hair.
"My word," Shink wheezed. "Aren't you a little monster?"
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Takabi gripped his skull, trying to contain his mind and keep his thoughts focused. To his left, a hand was holding his shoulder. When he looked up, he saw his own face, violet, smirking at him twistedly. When it spoke, its voice was distorted. Distant, yet close. "Now, you finally trust me?"
"Like hell I do!" He yelled, slapping the hand away. "Right now, this is the only thing I can do, and it's killing me trying to keep it together. I used the power of light, and it did jack shit. I hate the darkness, with all of my being," He paused, standing up straight and exhaling. "But if I can save everyone else, I guess I can stomach your presence for a little while."
The phantom image walked around him, face to face, and patted his pants. "You understand how powerful he is. He wasn't the leader for nothing you know. Plus there's the experience he's gained and how he's been reading us this whole time. You can output as much power as you want, but you know it means nothing if you can't land a good blow."
Takabi nodded to himself, looking at his right palm. "Yeah.. So I'm going to give you a chance."
"Not like you had a choice either way. Even if death is no threat to you, I doubt you'd allow him to harm anyone else. Nana, Aqua, not even Kairas now." The darkness rubbed its throat, then turned its back. "Why can't you simply allow us to rampage?"
Takabi was quiet, watching his inner self. His expression was one of irritation. He hated this, relying on a part of himself he had long sealed away, or at least thought he did. Thinking of it, the violet Gem might've amplified the evil within. The Gem itself is of pure evil, and a Fallen Angel would be the perfect choice to control it.
If one could do such a thing. Takabi knows it's possible.
He just has to accept.
He doesn't want to, though. Evil is not of his nature.
"But it is," The Darkness began. He spun around suddenly. "I know what you're thinking. Like it or not, I am you, a part of you, just as much as the light is. The Violet Gem took quite a liking to me, it's only because of that that I've been trying to help you."
"You hinder me. I can't use the power of darkness, or the Evil Gem without my body wanting to burn up and break down."
"Because you suppress it."
Silence befell them.
Takabi knew that. Just like he knew the only reason he's not jumping at the chance for this power is his own stubbornness. He wanted to be powerful in his own right, be strong enough that he wouldn't need the power of either gem respectively.
Slowly, the thought began to ooze into his mind.
That wasn't possible. Not now, not against people like this. The longer he kept the mental barriers, the more he suppressed half of himself, the more he would stunt his growth.
"A Fallen Angel is a warrior of light and dark. One who walks between and is the balance between both sides, unhinged by the sense of morals and such. Right?" He looked at his dark side, clenching his fist.
Say it.
Just say it, before you build your pride back up, Takabi thought.
A lump in his throat, he bit his lip, taking a deep breath and said, "I'll give you. One chance. If you hurt ANYONE that isn't our enemy, I will chain you up and torture you in the back of my mind."
The darkness smiled, raising his hands in defense before clapping them. He didn't speak, but his body began to ripple like distirbed water. The streaks of evil spun around, touching Takabi's skin.
Cold. Completely, and utterly cold, yet welcoming.
"Alright. Remember. One chance."
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Shink leapt down into the valley, looking back at Takabi as he leapt over, closing his limbs in close and erupting in a massive fireball as the two free-fall towards the riverside.
Takabi propelled himself forward, hand gripping Shink's skull as the two slammed into the earth by the rainbow river, magic bursting up and releasing a tremendous heat that pushed the three back.
"It's so hot! It's like the damn sun fell," Raia yelled.
Kairas used his right wing to shield the girls, willing a wall of ice upwards in front of them. He looked down into the fading flames, spotting Takabi lying a crater shirtless, covered in dirt and his body returned to its humanlike state.
The boy picked himself up, sweating severely as he began to slowly walk out. Shink was lying against a tree, half of his face melted and skull revealed for all to see. Despite that, his body still rose, slowly, easily, like there was no pain at all.
"Damn, you're tough," Takabi said, hands on his knees.
"As are you, boy." Shink's face began to repair itself. He looked just as exhausted, and that was a sign Takabi's attacks had some kind of effect.
Just one more push.
He had control over the evil inside. Just one push was all he needed, and Shink would be down for the count.
"Last chance," Takabi yelled. "Stop now. Come back to us."
"I told you before, you're on the losing side." His voice turned somber for a moment, a hint of sorrow and regret masked by the frustration in his eyes. "I wish it wasn't like this, truly, but there is no stopping the Goddess. She will come, she WILL bring ruin. None can stop her, no matter what we do."
Gritting his teeth, Takabi stood up straight, closing his eyes.
"Then I'm sorry, but I have to reign you in." The violet tattoos rushed back up the left side of his body, eyes once again glowing as he raised both hands at his sides. On his left, a surge of electricity began to cackle, chirping away as if thousands of birds gathered together for a single song.
In his right, a white flame danced, slowly morphing and shrinking inside a white sphere. He wanted to practice the spell more, get better at it. Takabi cursed himself for his lack of ability.
"Nova," Shink gasped. He tightened his fist.
One chance.
A single chance.
Takabi's eyes widened as he moved first, feet carrying him forward at a speed invisible to the naked eye. Shink brought his arm back, mana building up in his palm, and waved it ahead, bullets of magic earth shooting out in quick succession. Takabi used his left, willing the lightning to shape like a blade around his hand, and he swiped at any of the stones heading his way. His left foot hit a jutted boulder, and he craned his head left, a small bolt of magic cutting his cheek.
Closer.
The wound sealed itself, Takabi side-stepping to avoid the next barrage of bullets. He rushed up along the valley walls, shooting balls of flame from his throat, before hopping over the next surge and landing on the stone, dragging himself forward.
Shink's eyes went wide at him, magic stone rushing up from under and piercing Takabi's left shoulder. His arm went limp, blood spewing in a thick trail as the lightning faded. Tearing himself free and blood flying in the air, he hurried ahead, Nova began to dance as if it was going to erupt any second.
"You'll never get close enough to hit me!" Shink slammed his palms against the stones. "Erupt! Shaken Earth!" The ground began to cave, ripping apart as it did before they fell into the valley.
Takabi leapt to the side then up, running along one of the massive tree roots that was rising in the air. Shink exhaled sharply, swinging his head aside as a blade of air surged at the boy. Takabi jumped, the air cutting his leg deep. Ignoring the pain, he raised Nova above his head, the sphere altering from white light to violet, then erupting into the size of a mini sun. "This ends now, you Goddamn asshole!"
"Die, like the rest of your kind!" Shink clapped his hands, tree roots rushing up from his sides and at Takabi. He threw his arm forward, the massive ball of magic consuming and erasing the nature. Shink's eyes widened as he stared directly into the sphere.
"Move! Move!" His mind would race, yet his feet were planted firmly in place.
Frozen by fear. Frozen by the idea of death. Frozen as he took the spell head on, swept up in the destructive force. Takabi twisted his arm to rotate the attack. He grit his teeth, eyes glowing and body erupting in his chance.
The wings of a Fallen Angel reached out wide, Takabi's black skin and long hair taking form, the white locks dancing against the intense breeze as he cried out, "SUPER NOVA!"
The recoil blew him back, hard against the earth. Shink had his limbs stretched out at all sides, screaming in intense pain.
Heat. The purifying light and gripping darkness. All of it met him at once, gnawed at his mind, erased all thoughts of the Goddess, and replaced them with simple pain, and thoughts of a swift death.
Despite what he said.
Despite what he thought.
His heart ached as it erupted, spewing blood inside his rib cage and drowning his organs. It oozed from his mouth, then suddenly burst from his chest.
"Body…. Going… Limp…" A single tear shed from his eye.
The pain stopped. Emotion stopped. All except one, and he uttered a single name.
"Raia…"
The Nova glowed, consuming Shink from view as it raced into the air, his screams echoing as his body completely disintegrated, and a sound shattering shockwave shook the entirety of the Canyon.