CHAPTER 33:The Wolf and Panther 2

"Bethran? Leo mumbled in hushed breaths, trying to look up but ultimately failing.

He knew deep down that Bethran wouldn't stand a chance against the demon and he even wondered why his friend had come here in the first place.

"I guess that means the Night were able to defeat the brotherhood""That's good" Leo muttered closing his eyes as he slowly began to give in to the many injuries.

A sad thought however popped into his head making Leo's eyes open wide in shock for he knew that if he ended up dying now, no one will be able to save Bethran from going through an even more painful death.

The image of his best friend lying in a deep pool of blood surrounded by mangled limbs was enough motivation for him not to give in to death's chilling embrace.

Regardless of what he felt, Leo's body however didn't share the same sentiments as it refused to move in whatever way.

The clashing between Bethran and the demon was at full throttle now, leaving Leo extremely worried on what he could actually do to save his friend.

Seconds later, and Leo himself was in a battle of his own, trying desperately to fight the darkness that kept on trying to embrace him.

The moving figures of Bethran and the demon were getting even more blurry, not to mention the way everywhere was slowly getting silent.

"So this is how death feels like" Leo thought smiling not out of peace but rather out of the feeling of disappointment that he couldn't see all this to the end.

"You know what to do" a strange voice suddenly said out of the darkness

."I do? Leo asked this strange voice.

"Of course you do" the voice replied.

"All that is needed from you is an absolute focus".

"Focus?

"Yes, you did it once before and you can do it again. Remember time is of the essence" the voice added, trailing off as the last words came out.

Leo following what the voice had said, closed his eyes concentrating on the instinct; the instinct that had saved him more than once in his most recent of battles. *Drip* *Drip*

Something warm flowed down Leo's face dripping down his chin and chest.

The assassin ignored this and kept on eyes closed, concentrating to unlock whatever hidden powers lay within him.

A bright light laid at the end of the deep darkness that Leo had now found himself in. This darkness was a lot similar to the one he had found himself in during the fight with the reaper except for the absence of the bright blue lines.

"This is not what I had expected to find" Leo said out loud in the vain hope that the earlier voice would chip in some information on what he was expected to do.

There was no reply from the vast darkness save for the bright shimmer coming from the light ahead.

Leo took in a deep breath and began to walk forward, how he could this in a place that neither had ground or sky didn't bother him but all he knew is that the light source ahead must be the solution to everything currently going on.

Many steps later, and in front of Leo was a bright yellow orb swirling violently as it disintegrated and formed itself over and over again.

"Here goes nothing" he breathed out stretching out his two hands fearfully towards the orb that swirled with even more energy on sensing the being that threatened to disrupt its peaceful rest.

"STOPP!!!The orb seemingly shouted freezing Leo in his tracks."Are you ready to bear the consequences of going down this path"

"Damn the consequences, all I want is enough power to save my friend"

"Very well, I see you have made up your mind Huntran, do what you must"

"Thank you" Leo nodded before placing his two hands onto the orb.All of a sudden Leo felt like he was being burnt by raging flames as the orb's energy flowed through his body illuminating the surrounding darkness before it finally went off like a snuffed candle

"AHHHHHHHH!!!!

A loud crack went down his spine, causing great pain as bones slowly began to break. His flesh there after followed tearing apart to reveal bloodied muscles that tried so desperately to cling to a breaking skeleton. *Crack*

The broken bones started to take form at a speed so great that Leo didn't have enough time to feel the pain that accompanied the process, muscle fibers followed, along with the above flesh until finally the assassin's body had become whole again.

Feeling a little bit better, Leo slowly opened an eye "Was it all a dream? He asked himself, when the eye revealed to him small puddles of blood; puddles from his earlier injuries, which was quite strange for the assassin was very sure that his body had somehow reconstructed itself, the pain he still felt being a reminder of the feat.

All this was indeed great except for a very big problem that Leo had realized on 'waking' up.

His left eye for whatever reason refused to open no matter how hard he tried and at a point it started to feel like there was nothing in the left socket.

Unfortunately, there was no time to dwell on this and so Leo had staggered up to his feet, slightly wincing from the pain but still glad that he was now able to stand on two feet.

"I wonder who I will start from" the demon's voice boomed across the ruin, angering Leo who now hoped that he was not too late.

"Start with ME!!! The assassin hollered out catching the demon's attention. "IMPOSSIBLE!! The demon had shouted on seeing that his prey had somehow managed to stand despite the many wounds and injuries it had obviously sustained.

"You will pay" Leo growled under his breath, momentarily closing his right eye before he gave in fully to the beckoning instinct that had been calling ever since he opened the eye.

Soon enough the entire world changed to black with only blue lines surrounding the many vague silhouettes in the center of this void; each of them unique in their own way. Leo moved forward in this grid shifting into his humanoid form with every step.

A strange sense of superiority instantly came over him for everything around Leo seemed so clear and obvious like though he was looking through a telescope at the very depths of space itself.

Nothing seemed hidden to the assassin, from the little pebbles beneath his feet to the shocked demon standing in front of him.

Leo for a brief minute smiled in this colorless world of mass, depth and width before he roared high into the heavens.