Chapter 26) Controlling the Darkness II

In the split minute before Selena wrapped her Lasso of Infinite blaze around Xavier's mother's waist, he had asked the Celestial system to bring up his current stats. New hidden ability or not, he needed to be sure of his strengths before battling the very powerful and cunning Phantom Mystic.

What he saw after the profile icon popped up was nothing short of shocking. Ok, the quest icon was still blinking. His main quest was to defeat Selena Monte-Carlos, and that was what he was hoping to do. Needed to do. That wasn't the surprising part of the system. The holographic screen itself had a new look. Gone was the golden outlines and icons. No more sparkling scripts and symbols along the edges of the screen. Everything now had a dull greyish colour that looked like silver without the usual shimmer. What looked like thick spider webs spread out all over the surface of the screen, twisting around the icons as if to strangle them.

Worst of all was his stats. Xavier couldn't really tell if he was seeing wrong or something. What he saw was too strange to be true.

[Current stats on host Mystic.]

[Name: Xavier Xerxes]

[Nature: Mystic.]

[Affinity: Darkness of the Phoenix Lotus.]

[Rank:----------------]

[Health Points: Unknown.]

[Mana Points:---------------------]

[Strength:----------------------]

[Agility:------------------]

[Stamina:---------------------]

[Perception:-------------------]

[Charisma:--------------------]

[Forbidden Skill: Dark Knight> Mystic has some level of control over darkness. He can use the atoms of nothingness to form black mist, shields and weapons. Power is generated from the infinite reaches of the void, hence does not require mana points.]

[Forbidden Skill: Doom Balls> Mystic can create destructive balls of darkness. Said balls can reduce whatever they touch to nothing by completely breaking the bonds that hold matter together.]

[Forbidden Skill: Shadow Travel> Mystic can move from one dark spot to another within a limited range that depends on the core strength of the Mystic. The skill makes it possible to fade away from one region under complete darkness to another region of same quality.]

[Forbidden Skill: Emperor of Dark Runes> Mystic can harness the mana from the darkness of the void to cast spells by scripting runes. This skill can be developed to tremendous power by learning new spells and arcane languages. Runes can be drawn on any surface.]

[Forbidden Skill: Void Spectrum> Mystic can create and close portals to the infinite void. Portals opened by another mystic can only be closed by using the destructive forces of the void to bind the portal.]

Xavier Xerxes had never seen anything more amazing in his entire life. The hidden skill to control darkness had somehow transformed his entire system? It had even given him an affinity. All the blank spaces on his profile brought up so many questions that he had no time to ask because the next second Selena was standing beside his mother's bed.

"Don't try me, Xavier." Selena cautioned. Actually, threatened through gritted teeth. "I will burn your mother to ashes. You know I will because I don't care about such things."

Xavier reluctantly released the darkness from around his body. There was a loud whooshing sound as the black mist flowed back into the void.

"Did you think I would be scared of you?"

Xavier frowned in confusion. "Scared of me for what reason? You are the Phantom Mystic between the both of us. I should be scared of you, but somehow I'm not."

Selena scoffed, her face twisting into an ugly smile that was as cold as it was belittling. "Let me make something clear to you, Ghost Boy. Power is nothing without heart. You may be really really powerful now, but without the mind to do great things with your new found strength, you are useless. Do you know what makes you weak? Compassion, guilt, fear, love, goodness. Those are the hindrances to your glory."

Xavier didn't know what to say to that, but he wanted to get the whole business over and done with her quickly.

"You talk too much for a lady." He mocked, trying to get a rise out of her. "If you are not scared as you say, fight me. Don't bring my mother into it anymore. You are a Phantom Mystic, only one level to become a Celestial. I am a Novice Mystic without a rank. Like you said, I have no heart to use my new abilities." He took a step forward. "Fight me, Selena Monte-Carlos."

Her eyes blazed with arrogance. "You can never defeat me, Ghost boy."

Xavier nodded. "I know I can't defeat you. I also know that you can't defeat me. How about we see which of us is right? Come on. What's the harm in that? You can reduce me to ashes with a flick of your fingers, can't you?" He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Or could it be that you are really scared of me?"

Well, that did the trick.

Selena ran towards him screaming murder. Her arms were ablaze with fire and the fiery element trailed after her like burning wings. She was fast and ruthless as she approached, the heat from her body boiling everything within range of her.

Xavier activated Dark Knight to raise a wall of darkness just as he had done before. There was an explosion of energy as Selena collided with it like a rocket missile. Sparks flew everywhere, and fire billowed out to scorch the walls and ceiling. A good number of the light bulbs exploded. Xavier was thrown back by the force, but he landed on his feet before colliding with a glass shelf of medical equipment.

Selena didn't even take a second to relax. She launched an onslaught of fireball after fireball at him, pushing both Xavier and his wall of darkness back with each strike. He used Shadow Travel to move to the opposite side of the room where the light bulbs had been blown off by the explosion.

He was shocked when she materialized right in front of him with a wicked grin spread all over her face.

"I have a few new abilities up my sleeves, as well." She announced triumphantly before spreading her arms wide. "Volcanic Vengeance!"

A rumbling sound tore through Xavier's ears and all over his body. Even the ground shook from the vibration of the great sound. The roof above their heads shivered violently before disintegrating, raining down debris and hard marble blocks. The bloody night sky was now in view as a good part of the roof was gone.

A translucent mountain appeared in the sky. It was huge and bright red, and transparent enough to show the heat glowing inside. The peak of the mountain that should've been pointing up, was instead facing down, right over Xavier. It was not a mountain, though. It was a miniature active volcanoe. He knew this because of the thick billows of smoke pouring from the open mouth of the Volcano's peak.

Crazy laughter rang out from Selena as the volcano rumbled even louder and more violently.

"I warned you, Ghost Boy!" She cried, her body completely in flames. She was now like a fire demon. "Now you will feel the full extent of my wrath. Volcano! Unleash your destruction!"

BOOM BOOM BOOM KABOOM!!!

Powerful gusts of hot magma and inferno shot down from the volcano, pouring nauseous gas and hot thick liquid of fire into the research lab of the hospital.

Xavier knew what would happen if the torrent of volcanic fire touched the floor of the lab. It would incinerate not just this floor, but more than half of the hospital before anything could be done to stop it. Knowing Selena, she was only just begining her destructive act. That meant not just the life of his mother, but countless other innocent humans as casualties.

He couldn't let that happen. This was why he made a very daring decision that could go both ways for him.

Xavier gathered darkness into his hands and released it towards the magma when it was merely a few feet above him. Black mist and fiery magma met in mid air to burst out with a shattering force that blew out what was left of the surrounding walls. Harnessing even more surges of mana from the void, he directed the darkness to completely engulf the volcano. Once the darkness cleared off, the miniature mountain of fire was gone.

He felt something wrap around his left arm, and he lost control of his body immediately. He had been so preoccupied with destroying the volcano that he took his eyes off Selena for some seconds. That was enough for the Phantom Mystic to ambush him with her lasso. She took hold of his arm and flung him to the ground. She commanded the lasso to wrap around his neck, and like an excited viper snake, it obeyed.

Selena stood over him, her face a mask of wicked victory.

"You destroyed all my plans, Ghost boy." She spat bitterly. "For that, you are going to pay. No one can defy me and go freely. I would kill you now, but I want you to watch as I burn your precious mother alive."