They stepped into the empty clearance of the dark caves, the sacred grounds of the Light Elementals. Water dripped from the ceiling, and the damp smell of eucalyptus leaves filled the air. For the moment, it was peaceful. However, it was not to remain that way. The three leaders of the Anti-Government Guild Dark Soul arrived at the resting place of Toivoa.
“We’ve arrived,” the man named Achilles claimed with a bow.
He wore a dark long cloak with tattered ends; black hair jelled back into spikes and a mask that covered his mouth. That is if he had a mouth. When they had lived in a CSOG orphanage together, it had been sewn shut as punishment. The only reason he could talk was his magical ability. His ability to manipulate memories and read minds allowed him to speak in the minds of others.
“It’s about time,” the man named Cormac sneered. He slicked his long pale blonde hair with one hand as the other sat in his dark blue jeans.
“And have all the other preparations been made?” the older man asked as he turned to the men causing his messy back hair to fall into his face.
“Yes, Master Dorjan,” Cormac claimed.
“Excellent work. You might be worthy after all,” his father said with a smirk, “What about you, Achilles. Have you made preparations for the Phoenix Hunter?”
“Indeed I have. They won't be disturbing our plans.” Achilles replied.
Dorjan walked past his underlings, moving towards the rock pillar covered with crystallite chains. He held out his arms in front of him and placed his hand on the pillar. The magic emanating from it was strong. It filled his body with desire. Dorjan would have done anything to feel the strength of that power flowing through his veins.
“The Light Elementals are such fools for sealing this masterpiece away!” he cackled with an evil grin.
“I don’t even think Night Owl would have predicted that this weapon would fall into our hands,” Cormac sniggered.
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that… Those seals look complicated. And I am certain there would be some kind of defence mechanism in place.” Achilles pointed out.
“Sounds like a hassle. Night Owl was one of the most powerful warriors in history after all…” Cormac sighed stretching out his arms.
As if to react to the Dark Soul leader’s power, the chains around the pillar broke into pieces. A vehement power erupted and filled the air. Dorjan began to laugh.
“Yes, hear my call, come to my aid. Bring destruction to all!” he shouted as the ground began to shake violently, “Come forth Toivoa Destroyer!”
The ground shook violently as the air became filled with intense and foreboding power. The earthquake sent the tea set, which had been sitting nicely on the table flying to the ground. The delicate teapot decorated with pale blue flowers broke into pieces. Pennie and Cianna screamed as a deep rumbling sound rang in their ears.938Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1cc3lxbh6
“What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On!” Ray attempted to yell as the ground continued to shake.
The sounds of large explosions and screams could be heard in the distance. It wasn’t long before the smell of gunpowder came hurtling through the slightly open window. Dimetrios and Lynx stood up and looked out the window. Smoke began to cover the setting sun, almost like a dark thundercloud.
“Must be the Anti-Gov Guild Dark Soul! Only they could make such a loud fuss!” Dimetrios claimed.
“Oh no, have they found Toivoa already?” Cianna said as the shaking died down.
“Perhaps, but even if they have we’d still have time,” Galen Kaden explained. “It would take a while for the weapon to awaken and recognise its master.”
“Then what are we waiting for?!” Ray exclaimed clasping his hands together, “Let's go find them and beat them up before they can awaken it.”
“You’ll have to go through the village,” Nanna Kaden illustrated. “The sacred grounds are just past them.”
“We’ll take you there. It’s the least we could do to help,” Cianna said shyly.
“If possible could we try to avoid the village? We don’t want to get them involved in this,” Lynx stated.
“No, we can’t do that. We need to make sure everyone in the village is safe,” Ray claimed. “That is what we came here for, and we need to make that our priority.”
“I agree,” Kaela stated. “Besides, by the looks of things they are already being attacked.”
“Finally! Now I can use my awesome power for good! Now’s my chance to show you my worth as a member of Twilight Heart!” Dimetrios bellowed.
“We haven’t got a moment to waste!” Ray shouted. “Please lead the way Cianna. Mr Kaden!”
“Alright then, follow me!” Mr Kaden shouted.
With the help of Cianna and Galen, they ran out of the house. The smell of smoke became stronger as they ran through the old forest. After the eruption of magical power, the tree’s seemed to wilt away. Their beautiful smell and aura began to disappear. Although running up the hill in the smoggy air was difficult, Pennie was determined to keep going. The Light Elementals depended on them, and she would stop at nothing to end the chaos. She wasn’t going to be afraid, and she wouldn’t let anything bad happen to any of her friends. The small village came into view as they reached the top of the hill.
“It’s just up ahead! Everyone prepare for battle!” Mr Kaden yelled.
They ran over the summit and into the clearance. With no warning, Pennie heard Ray curse from behind her.
Pennie stopped and turned to see Ray sitting on the ground, rubbing his head, which surprised her because she thought that he would be far ahead. Pennie was by far the slowest of the group, while Ray had always been extremely fast.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I don’t know… I think I bumped into something,” he replied.
“Will you two hurry up!” Lynx complained, turning around and running on the spot. “We don’t have time to have a leisurely chat!”
“Shut up! I know that!” Ray growled getting up.
They continued to run again before they heard a quiet bang and another curse from Ray. Pennie turned around again to see him pounding his fists on nothing.
“I can’t get through,” he complained.
“What do you mean? We all passed through there ages ago,” Noah pointed out floating behind Pennie.
“I don’t know! There’s like some kind of wall here!” Ray growled.
Pennie would have said he was being idiotic until she watched him kick the air. Each kick continued to grow in force, but it never went past the same point. Pennie began to think that maybe there was something actually blocking Ray’s way.
“Would you quit mucking around and get over here already!” Lynx shouted.
“I told you, I can't!”
“What’s taking you guys so long?!” Kaela ordered as the others walked back up towards them.
“Ray’s stuck on nothing,” Noah explained flying around the area Ray was complaining about, unaffected by the supposedly invisible wall.
“He’s just being an idiot!” Lynx shouted storming up to Ray and grabbing his wrist. “We’ve had enough of your stupid joke! Now get a move on!”
However, as Lynx tried to pull him forward, he wouldn’t budge. Although his feet slid slightly, they would not budge.
“What the…?” Lynx exclaimed as he rotated his body to attempt pulling him forward with two hands. But Ray still could not move. Instead of his arms moving forward he hit his head on the air in front of him and collapsed onto the ground.
“Oww, that hurt! What the hell do you think you're doing?!” he shouted rubbing his forehead.
“Sorry. You're actually stuck there…” Lynx stated obviously, placing his hands behind his head.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” Ray yelled angrily, jumping to his feet again.
“Well, how was I supposed to know! Usually, you’re just acting idiotic when you say things like that, claiming that you do it to calm everyone nerves when we are all aware it's just you being stupid,” Lynx claimed defensively.
Ray growled and began to walk backwards, taking off at full speed he ran towards them once more. Pennie watched as he hit the invisible wall and fell back over again.
“Ha, are you that stupid Valero that you get stuck in the airwaves!” Dimetrios laughed.
“Shut up!” Ray spat, placing his hands on the invisible wall and tried to use his head to push his way through. However, all that happened was his feet slipping backwards as he attempted to walk forward.
“Cianna, use the Light Glare spell to see if there’s some spell in place,” Mr Kaden turned to his daughter.
Cianna nodded and reached out her hands in front of her. A warm light filled the sky and headed towards Ray.
“What’s a Light Glare?” Pennie asked Mr Kaden.
“It’s a spell that makes invisible traps and spells visible. It’s a basic spell that only Light Elementals can use. If there is something there that we cannot see, this spell will find it.”
As expected the light made the wall visible and shine in a misty white colour. It blocked the path between Ray and her. Ray continued to bash the wall with his fists. Now that she could see it all made sense, some kind of barrier had been put in place to stop intruders. Judging by the fact Mr Kaden seemed oblivious to its existence, Pennie assumed it was set there by Dark Soul.
“Wow, there’s actually a wall there,” Dimetrios said with surprise.
“Of course there is! I wouldn’t joke about something like this!” Ray shouted, still trying to knock down the wall.
“It’s no wall; it's some kind of barrier spell.” Mr Kaden stated, taking a closer look and the somewhat visible wall, “By the looks of things it's an old war spell used to keep out Phoenix Hunters. It was utilised in the Phoenix village before it was destroyed.”
“Wow, Ray! I didn’t know you were a Phoenix Hunter!” Noah exclaimed excitedly.
“Oh yeah, it’s my big secret. I hang their heads on my wall,” Ray said sarcastically.
“Really?!” Noah asked with amazement.
“No, not really! Learn sarcasm, you idiot!” he shouted. “I’m no Phoenix Hunter, I haven’t even seen a Phoenix Class let alone hunted one. So why can’t I get through?!”
“Because you’re special Valero,” Dimetrios joked, which caused Ray to give him a death stare that sent shivers down Pennie’s spine.
Mr Kaden shrugged, “Perhaps you are of the direct bloodline of a traditional Phoenix Hunter. In the old days, Fire Elementals were often known for fighting against the evil Phoenixes who plagued our lands.”
Ray sighed and hit his head against the wall.
“Of course they were…” he groaned.
“You really are full of surprises,” Lynx said with a smile. “I might actually support your family now. They must have been brave heroes to take on those monsters.”
Pennie sighed, “Honestly, the more we know about your past, the more confusing it gets.”
“While that’s all well and good,” Ray said rolling his eyes looking up at them with annoyance. He clenched his fists and shouted at them angrily.
“But how the hell am I supposed to get out of here and fight?!”
Achilles could hear everything in the distance. From the screams of the Light Elementals, the destruction caused by the members of Dark Soul, even the intruders who threatened their plans.938Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9EfteIi2rp
“Sir!” he said, transporting his thoughts to his father, “It would seem some worthless insects have fallen into our trap.”
Dorjan did not avert his gaze from the pillar of energy. A deep and annoyed growl emanated from his lips.
“Who?” Cormac spat narrowing his glare towards Achilles.
“Twilight Heart,” Achilles replied. their distance is too great to hear their thoughts completely. They must just be inside the barrier. Although that may be the case, I can assure you that we are their targets.”
“Are you certain of this?” Dorjan demanded.
“Yes, it would seem they are being led hear by two Light Elementals,” Achilles stated.
“So they’ve decided to show up,” Dorjan cracked a smile. “It is typical of them to rush into someone else’s problem after all.”
Achilles attempted to hear the thoughts of his master. However, he heard nothing. It was easy to assume that Dorjan had found a way to cut off Achilles telepathy. It was something the diabolical man couldn’t do before, but from being by his side for several years, Achilles knew he had been searching for a way to block him out permanently. Though inevitable it still made Achilles feel uneasy.
“This is beginning to get exciting,” Cormac snarled.
Achilles stared at him intensely hearing Cormac’s inner thoughts. He had known for a while that. Cormac was planning to double-cross Dorjan. Though he knew this to be the case, Achilles said nothing. He didn’t know why, but Achilles believed that Dorjan had been acting differently for the past few weeks. Achilles figured he’d let Cormac’s plans fall into place to discover the truth.
“If I may be bold, I wish to take them on. One of them has taken my interest,” Achilles requested. “It would seem that the Fire Elemental cannot reach this place.”
“Is that so…?” Dorjan said, turning around to glare him down.
“Indeed. This has interested me as he doesn’t seem that strong. However, his aura quite is puzzling. I wish to check it out and use him to assist us with our desires.”
“What exactly do you propose?” Dorjan asked with his icy stare.
“The only option the group has. Half will continue to head this way, reaching our base. The others will attempt to find another way, which I will be able to determine as soon as it’s decided. I will launch a full force attack at that precise location.”
“Very well, attack with extreme prejudice!” Dorjan demanded. “Send the forces to destroy the remaining enemies!”
Achilles bowed to his leader and began to head off with wide eyes filled with nefarious intent.
“All members are to report back to base,” he projected his thoughts with a sinister tone. “New targets will be heading there shortly. Leave no survivors, destroy anyone who blocks your path!”938Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOBTaSy1Tak
