Adventure of Astral Part 40: Deception

What they weren't ready for was how the truest form of Astral was to walk through that door. They awaited for a few minutes as it stayed closed. What was causing him such delay. He wouldn't sneak around but face them head on. He phased through the door as he held up a finger. He smiled as he did so. For he still was just a phantom. "You all came to this planet and took it over for what? The smallest of scents of mine, trying to find an archaic magical source? Finding your own path in life?"

"What can a spector to do say, when the man isn't bold enough to face us in person." Ruby was furious as she felt a weird feeling. Like this was no longer their trap. Astral pointed his finger at his helmet as he stood still.

"We are in a long line of waiting for our dad to pass, we will wait for the throne where we all will rule together, the four of us. Our sister can be left behind in her desolate and weak state." Diamond tapped her gem as did the others.

"Your craft of jewelry is exquisite, the dwarves' new reactors are on their own level of talent. Why would you help them instead of just taking what you wanted like the elves?" Topaz harped him as she looked at his helmet on the plaque above them all.

"It won't matter. We know our goal is to stop you, and it will stay that way until you die. We have felt your dark magic before. That binding curse for your forces. Once you die, it will free us to live normally again." Sapphire added as Astral tilted his head in confusion.

"How many siblings are there? There can't be too many of you gem freaks." Astral liked the biding of his time. The more he wasted. The less he had to rely on his magic to start this battle. They all stuck up five fingers.

"We have a fifth sister, but she remains in the middle of nowhere, hiding from us as she was disowned. We have two brothers who are the heirs to the throne as they are gem guardians. They will not like your meddling with gemstones." They all chanted together as Astral stood still.

"None of you stand a chance. Even with your brothers you wouldn't win. I have the most magical trick of them all." Astral made a finger gun and shot his helmet with an imaginary bullet as the wall below it shattered. The helmet flew in the air as Astral's body grabbed it and slid across the ground back into his soul. "My talent outdoes yours. Oh and before you ask, I have no recollection of what you have done to me other than our short scuffle we had a few years ago." Astral put his helmet on as it clicked into place with the rest of his armor as it appeared.

They all began to laugh. This had to be some serious joke. "You have no memory of the burning inferno that you were trapped in, only being saved by your mechanical guardian." Ruby asked as Astral nodded his head lightly no.

"Or how when it was the two of us putting up a fight to stall you long enough to get Titan's help? Before you snapped and killed everyone?" Diamond asked as he nodded no again. They looked at each other confused.

"So more than one of them lost their memories during that fight. Titan gave them back to Angel temporarily, but you, you haven't fixed yourself or remembered?" Topaz asked as Astral put up three fingers.

"Swing and a miss on that one too. Three strikes. You are out." Astral held up Muramasa as he held it in a standard defensive form. They all looked at each other. He wasn't bluffing, he truly has forgotten so much of what made him special.

"All of your talents and abilities, how many of them have you retained?" Sapphire asked as Astral scoffed. It was the answer she expected as he was ready to get this fight started. He rushed forward on his front foot and sent a slash at them. Shattering the thrones they sat on as they all went into the air to dodge his attack. He watched them as they all charged up a magical attack. Astral hopped backwards as a lightning bolt hit the ground where he stood from Diamond.

Topaz sent a wind current at Astral as his armor locked down to the ground. Halting him in place as Sapphire threw an ice ball at him. Freezing his legs into place as he watched what he feared came directly at him. A wall of fire, Astral had no hesitation as his wings appeared and pulled him from the floor. He made an aerial roll to his right as he hovered for a moment before taking another snowball directly to the chest. It locked up the core of his suit. But that would not stop him one bit as he swiped his right hand across his chest and left wrist. He melted the ice into mist as he sat in it for a second. 

Ruby was charging up another fireball as small flares flashed all across the room. Blinding them all for a mere moment as Astral launched a small canister from his wrist directly into the charging fireball. Ruby didn't notice as it charged fully up. Her smile grew as she heard a hiss from above. It exploded and sent her into the ground as Astral covered himself in a hard light dome as Diamond's ice and lightning fueled attack scattered across the outside of it.

Topaz sent a thunderstorm over atop of the bubble as Astral let it break on the first strike. Sending the shards directly at her as they slid around her. The four of them looked at him as he hadn't once tried to get close. Is he wearing himself out to not be able to. Or is it the opposite.

Sapphire summoned a blizzard and sent it at him, he sent one slash upwards with his sword as he cut the storm in two. Charging through the gash he made he swung his sword at her in order to hurt one of them. His sword was stopped as she had her hands out and focused her magic to the barrier between her and the blade. Topaz sent a wind blast at Astral as he slid backwards. Diamond took advantage as she turned the entire floor into ice. Freezing Astral's feet for a moment as the four collected themselves and started to charge a super spell.

Astral ripped his feet out of the frozen ground and looked up at the four. He sighed as he closed his eyes and awaited for the finish of the spell. Using his hard light magic he held a barrier up around himself and the room. Allowing for the only damage to happen inside of the castle, not the entire planet. "Ultimate storm!" the four shouted as they sent it at Astral, his inner barrier felt the pressure of lightspeed winds. Hail as dense as gold. A burning sensation and tingling feeling that was trying to overload his suit. He looked at the ground as he rested his palm down.

"Overclock." He looked up as his barrier dropped. He dashed around the room, unseeable as he swung Muramasa rapidly at the four of them, his blade never connecting despite them never knowing where he was. 'What was the trick?' he thought for a moment as he cleared his mind and stabbed forward with his blade.