by C. J. Lloyd
“What the heck is going on?” Eden asked.
Enzo’s eyes widened, looking down at Elric. “Damn, we need help.”
A grin stretched across Elric’s face as he pulled his arm back, yanking Eden and Enzo toward him. Now at the whim of his dark control, there was nothing they could do. In his left hand, a palm-sized sphere of energy awaited them.
Fireballs and pressured air blasts came whizzing by, fluttering a few strands of Elric’s hair as his head moved to the side. His body took the attacks without a scratch.
A water serpent slithered toward them to intercept the momentum. A dark hand whipped from the darkness around Elric and ripped the serpent in half. Another wave of dirt and debris formed overhead like a small mountain.
“That’s not going to work,” Elric called out.
“But this will.” Violet underhanded a blast of psionic energy in his direction.
Blackness amassed over Elric’s shoulders, manifesting into the embodiment of Erebus. The massive avatar devoured Violet’s attack as it hung over him. He pretended to be on the defensive, biding his time and condensing the density of dark energy within for another devastating release. His next attack would turn them to dust, and his defense at this stage was impenetrable.
“Checkmate.” Elric smiled. The manifestation opened its jaw to devour Eden and Enzo. A gentle breeze entered the darkness around him, and something passed through the dark manifestation. “Wait, what?” Elric’s eyes widened, feeling the disturbance in his defense.
A bright light rattled Elric from the left, knocking him off balance and taking his focus off Eden and Enzo.
“If you won’t give up, then we’ll beat you into submission, Elric,” Jennifer said, standing over him. In the palm of her hand, she focused on a palm-size ball of bright light. Glints of bright gold flakes swirled around the sphere. Her presence and energy were increasing as she began to glow. “Please ... don’t make me kill you.”
Holding his face, he smiled, looking into those glowing eyes. They were bright, shimmering like gold. “No worries,” he said, releasing the energy within. “‘Cause, you’re already dead.”
Everything in the vicinity was consumed by blackness. An explosion raced through the battlefield, tearing through the barren land that no longer carried the remnants of a city. The ground crumbled and collapsed into the sewers and subways.
Elric rose to his feet, concentrating on the environment. The vibrations of the six of them were still present in the air, weak but present. More than likely, they were severely injured, maybe even unconscious, making his job all the easier.
The haze of blackness faded, revealing a sight to behold. It was just like the attack he’d released on Area Zero, except the radius had tripled.
What? How ...? They should be dead. He stood, glaring at a shimmering ball of purple light a couple of yards away. It dropped, and he watched Violet collapse face first, unmoving.
“Violet, wake up!” Eden yelled. They were shaking her and trying to comfort her.
Now’s my chance. Elric raced to the group, blackness consuming his claws.
He would kill Eden first.
They looked up, bracing themselves. It was too late. None of them would be able to do anything about it at this point without sacrificing their own life. His eyes searched the group. Wait, there’s only four.
He sliced the air with his claws, aiming for Eden’s throat. Someone grabbed the base of Elric’s bicep, halting his attack. “Again?”
The golden aura beside him revealed the disruption of his attack. Jennifer held his arm, forcing light energy through her fingers to cancel his attack.
“I won’t let you hurt them.”
Elric ripped his hand out of her grasp and jumped back. Jennifer didn’t have a scratch on her. She dropped to the floor, hanging over Violet, breathing heavily. She must have used her powers to protect herself from the blast, but it took a lot out of her.
With Violet unconscious and the others so wide open, Jennifer was low-hanging fruit. Once she was taken out of the picture, it was over.
“She’s not breathing. I don’t know what’s wrong,” Terra cried, shaking Violet.
Jennifer placed her hand over Violet’s chest, trying to heal her.
“Can’t have that,” Elric said as hundreds of hands rose from the growing darkness and dove toward them.
Terra’s eyes widened. “Is ... Is he really that strong?”
“We have to back Jennifer up. All of us. Let’s go,” Eden yelled.
Elric watched as they sliced and diced their way through the streams that reached for Jennifer and Violet. They knew who he was after. Too bad they would be drained by physical exhaustion soon.
His dark extremities slashed and flailed. He didn’t lift a finger. Instead, Elric focused as Violet regained consciousness. Then he made his move.
The hands continued their assault as he raced between the fight finding an opening. Using her healing abilities at an already exhausted state would leave Jennifer weak.
“Jennifer, Violet, look out!” Rai yelled.
A bright flash of purple light blinded Elric.
In an instant, they were gone. Damn it. Elric began rethinking his strategy. The dark hands settled beneath the darkness, and Elric took to the sky.
The four of them looked up, panting, sweat dripping down their long-exhausted faces, but hope and determination still filled their eyes.
“What? That’s all you got? Tired already?” Enzo smiled.
“Actually, the whole point was to exhaust you. I took that opening to grab Jennifer because it seemed like a freebie. But let’s try something different.” Elric allowed the blackness to course through his veins. The pain was intense as he winced. Keep going, even if it kills you, he thought.
Dozens of large thick hands with claws formed around him. They took on a fleshy texture as they formed and became solid.
“What, another hand attack?” Rai shouted. “Still underestimating us?”
In the palm of each hand, spheres of blackness formed. Elric glided a few yards away, landing gently. The pressure from the condensed power caused the ground beneath him to crack and sink in.
Rai’s eyes widened.
“Not at all.” The hands released a blast that created a canal of destruction on its path.
A blast of dark blue energy created an explosion that blew Elric back, sending him halfway across the desert-like surface. He dug his claws into the black earth, getting his footing back. He looked down to see some of his black scales had been ripped away, and blood seeped through deep gashes in his chest and legs.
“What was that blue energy? I’ve never seen that before. Was that you?” Elric asked Erebus.
“No, that was something else,” Erebus grumbled. “Think back when you and the Titan of Light first made contact, and that attack knocked you both back.”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Remember the blue aura?”
Elric rose to his feet, shaking the dust from his hair and watching his wounds heal.
“It only happens when light and darkness at a heightened level collide,” Erebus added. “It creates twilight energy.”
“Twilight energy?”
“The combined essence of light and darkness that can create a destructive force strong enough to collapse a universe.”
“Noted.”
Elric looked up to see the golden aura flourishing over Jennifer. She was barely keeping it together, swaying in the distance. She dropped to a knee. The others were sprawled out across the ground. She was the only one conscious.
Elric’s body was tight, and the searing pain was beyond agonizing. He ignored the damage being done to his body by the darkness. He had to focus. He shook off the pain and began stalking over to Jen, his talons digging into the ground.
Jennifer tried to stand but collapsed again.
“Are you afraid, Jen?” Elric asked.
Her aura faded, and her eyes returned to normal.
“It’s amazing how strong you are. I’ve trained to use my powers in the most grueling ways thanks to Calamity, but you, on the other hand, have been fighting based on raw instinct and spirit.”
A dark hand grabbed her by the waist and brought her toward him. She was too weak to fight and instead looked him dead in the eyes.
“You’re still underestimating us.”
“Not anymore.” Elric stretched his hands to the sky as a black hole ripped the atmosphere open. Sand and debris began to rise to the sky, disappearing into the blackness of the powerful gravitational pull. “This time, it won’t send you to Ermak.”
“Elric … wait.” Jennifer trembled as worry broke over her face. He loved the sight of it, her horror. Her sorrow.
“Bye, Jen.”
The hand let her go as she was sucked into the blackness above. Her screams echoed into the darkness as she floated aimlessly into its powerful pull.
He said, “From what I read, the theory of black holes is that they can tear the human body to ribbons.”
“Jennifer!” Violet screamed in the distance. She raised her hand, and her energy flickered. Nothing happened.
The black hole closed with a thundering clap, swallowing her whole.
“Well, that’s that. And it looks like you’re running on empty, Violet.” Elric shifted his focus to Violet.
Blood seeped through her clothes. She was losing a lot fast. “How could you?”
Maybe it was the realization of what he had done or the cruel fact that nothing else mattered now, but inky black tears streamed from his pale veiny face. He proved the point that he was a monster, that he was the end, and without those emotions of Jennifer holding him back, it was time to end it all. He stood proudly, wings draped over his shoulders.
“I win.” A clawed hand stretched from the covering of the wings as he crouched over and grabbed Violet by the throat. He picked her up as she struggled to breathe. “Look at that.”
They both looked to the sky.
“Let me go,” she choked out.
He tightened his claws around her throat, being careful not to kill her too quickly. “I used to dream of this. The day I could cover this world in blackness. Now I finally can.”
He tossed her near the others who were out cold, focusing his powers. He threw his hands to the sky, releasing a wave of blackness that stretched across the city as far as his eyes could see.
“We’ve done it, Erebus. We’re almost there.”
The sky rumbled as black lightning struck the earth. Elric dropped his hands and turned to the others, cocking his head to the side.
The dark energy roared, taking on the form of Erebus again. It hovered over them like a towering skyscraper. Its roar shook the ground as its large wings spread across the sky.
A beam of golden light burst forth, ripping the black sky open and smashing between Elric and the others. The avatar was obliterated by the force, and the waves of energy forced Elric to shield his face. The ground burst into a black plume of dirt, metal and pipes.
Elric took to the sky and glided back from the intensity that began to burn through his scales. The explosion of energy was immense even for him. His heart raced, and Elric looked on in shock. What the hell is going on?
Erebus thundered with laughter. “Looks like we’ve finally awakened the light.”
The light ceased as the rip in the sky faded, and the darkness once again began to reclaim the skies. There was movement coming from the hole in the ground as something took to the sky and bolted toward Elric in a stream of light.
“Is that Jennifer?” he asked, watching as the figure came into view.
Chapter 30
Darkness vs. Light
The glow was before Elric almost instantly. The sky was bright, and the darkness bent to the will of the light from the sheer power.
Jennifer hovered in midair. Two large golden wings covered in feathers kept her in the sky. Eyes golden, her dark-brown skin had a warm glow, beautiful and almost shimmering.
“Here we are, once again, Erebus,” she spoke with a deep voice.
Elric sensed the overwhelming light bursting from her body, all-consuming and powerful. This power was nothing like the output Jen gave off earlier. This new output reminded him of his own darkness when he opened the third door.
“And who are you?” Elric asked. “By the voice, you’re not Jen.”
The eyes burned into Elric. “So, you still have control.” She glided closer. “Why do you attack your friends and this world if you still have control over your actions?”
“Because that’s my will,” Elric replied.
“Your will is destructive. Is it for greed, revenge, power …? What’s your purpose?”
Elric studied Jennifer. If this is her Deva, he’d be foolish to go in headfirst, especially not understanding the full extent of her powers. That speed alone was concerning. “None of the above. I’m just fulfilling my destiny and using the hatred in my heart to do so.”
Her eyes were like golden flames, narrowing upon him in sharp scrutiny. “You’re different than all the rest. You’re not ruled by Erebus. In fact, for you to control this much power without being fully consumed, he must trust you. So why then do you use your power to wreak pain and suffering when you can do so much more with your hands and abilities?”
A dark stream of energy raced from Elric toward her and pierced Jennifer in the shoulder. Her calm facial expression didn’t waver. She grabbed the stream and ripped it in half as it dissolved to smoke. Her wound healed instantly. “You didn’t answer my question?”
Her powers had risen to a higher level, alright. Somehow the Deva inside of Jennifer was able to take control without fully consuming her body. What happened in that black hole? he wondered.
With power like this, it was no wonder the Light Titan was on the same level as the dark. And she wasn’t using any power-ups or attacks yet. He thought about the power cap he faced and snickered. “I’m following my destiny. You can understand that, a being as old as yourself. We were put here to fulfill our destiny. That’s the only reason for our existence.”
Her facial expression remained calm. “No, actually, that’s not your destiny at all. The reason for the existence of the vessels was not to destroy but to preserve life. We are here to protect mankind, not destroy them, Elric.”
“Protect them? The only one mankind needs protection from is itself. The only reason why we exist is because of mankind’s greed for power and wanting to control everything. Once they realized they couldn’t control us anymore, they wanted us destroyed.”
“That may be so, but just because some of them are broken doesn’t mean they’re all the same. I’ve watched from inside this girl as you developed. Your innocence and strong will to forgive those who wronged you … You are one of the strongest Dark Titans for you to have that kind of will at your age.”
Elric remained silent, tightening his claws as blackness spewed from his nostrils. He couldn’t care less about her empty words. That thing inside her didn’t know him.
“But I do know you, Elric,” Jennifer responded.
“D–did you just read my mind?”
“I wouldn’t call it reading your mind. That’s an Anomaly’s ability. I just have the ability to hear your spirit speak.”
He chuckled, mulling over the different actions he could take. The Deva was strong, confident, and absolutely unfazed by Elric’s power. He definitely wasn’t facing Jen anymore . . . or at least for the time being. He had to be patient.
“Many of your loved ones were taken away from you. During a time when you needed love the most, you were used and abused. Calamity twisted your broken heart into hatred and pain. I’m sorry for that. I truly am. No one, especially a young boy, should have to go through such pain. But what you’re doing is wrong and unjustifiable.”
“So what are you going to do about it?”
Jen looked down below. “Why do you want to destroy your friends and this girl that has
sacrificed everything to find that boy she loves unconditionally?”
“Because love doesn’t exist in my world. You said it yourself. I had everything taken away from me. Why should I let anyone in this world live to see another sunrise?” Elric laughed as the dark energy began to grow within. “In fact, why should I let you live? You’re the only one in my way now.”
Elric hurled a massive black blast at her. A flash of light cut through the dark mass and obliterated it. His eyes widened as he watched the blaze of flames burning over a long sword gripped tightly in her hand.
“You will aim to destroy her; your heart is set on that. But something is off about your power, Dark Vessel. I will give her consciousness back to the body but choose your next actions wisely.” She slowly glided down to the ground.
Elric went down with her, still keeping his distance.
A bright flash lit up the area, and Jennifer collapsed to the ground. Her wings, the sword, and the golden aura were gone, and she began to awaken. “Elric … Where am I?”
“How unfortunate, it looks like your Deva’s gone.”
“You threw me into that horrible place. There was nothing but blackness.” She tightened her fists and scowled with twitching lips. “How could you do that to me as if I was nobody?”
“You are nobody.”
With blinding speed, she raced toward him and began an all-out assault. She punched him into a wall of dirt. She went for another blow, but Elric dodged, ducking beneath. She knocked a huge crater into the wall with a simple jab.
She swung her leg to his face. Elric grabbed her and threw her to the ground. He went to stomp her, but she rolled away. Once Jen was on her feet, she was back on him again. Blow after blow after blow. She was getting faster, almost the speed of her Deva. He could only see glimpses of light. Elric lashed out, missing her, but she grabbed him by the arm.
“I got you,” she growled.
Elric looked down just in time to see a glowing fist of golden light crack him under the chin.
He was thrown back, his claws and talons digging into the ground to stop the momentum. Stronger. She was getting stronger. Maybe her Deva was giving her a lot more power due to the conversation. Maybe he was better off keeping his mouth shut. Too late for that.