Chapter 26: Chapter 5 – When the Dark Comes to Light (6/6) [Yuuna Version]

 

Caesar began with a wind spell as Marable rushed at her friend, Lana. Jade and I focused on our enemies, Vert and Claudia. Vert took to the air and began his own dark spell, aiming it at Jade. The knight kicked off the floor, leaping into the air in an attempt to cut him down a second time. Claudia turned to the radiant, but I made sure she had to focus on me as I appeared in front of her, colliding my weapon with hers.

Finally, we crashed, and I could feel her darkness coming from her blade. My goal was to subdue her… and find the answers about my mentor and father, Maxwell.

“Let’s have fun elsewhere.”

She teased, vanishing before me. I watched her dance into the endless hole, so I followed her, deeper into the labyrinth.

As I chased her in the shadows, Claudia brought her blade to the side and shot a wave of darkness my way. It rumbled in the cave as the dark energy speared my way. Claudia was tossing waves of dark energy my way, using the 2nd shadow craft I knew well. I cut through, shadow walking right to her. We clashed when I eventually caught her, and the world around us darkened. With each push of our blades, we danced around the waterfalls in the dark.

 

 

“Who are you?!”

I demanded as I pulled out my 1st craft. We connected, causing the darkness around us to explode in pressure.

“A student of Maxwell. I was taught the craft for years. I’ve honed these skills my entire life… and then you show up.”

The cavern was our warzone as the darkness only amplified our abilities. Rocks and structures began to shatter as our spells ramped up, doing our best to subdue one another. I brought back my blade and channeled the darkness around me within. Claudia did the same and struck forward, clashing with me.

“Maxwell guided me when I was lost… he was my mentor, and because of him, I have a purpose."

She murmured as she brought her blade back. Her darkness pulsed as her sword went completely black. The world around us went pitch black as she attempted to slice my head off. I ducked and brought my blade around to the side. She lifted her hand and pushed my edge away using the 10th form.

“But then Maxwell vanished, and I was left with his teachings. Where did he go?! Why do you know his crafts?!”

She yelled, bringing her blade back. Silver formed around her greatsword, and I knew what she was doing. So, I did the same. I brought chaos into my blade and unleashed the destructive craft.

“Maxwell found me when I was young and taught me how to live!”

A wave of darkness scattered around, destroying the walls behind us. I melted into the walls, crushing the rocks around me as we both danced in an onyx world. The catacombs broke apart as we used the darkness around us to attack one another.

“Taught you how to live? What the hell are you talking about? Maxwell’s teachings aren’t made for survival. Everything he teaches is for one purpose, and that's to inevitably die."

“What are you talking about? Maxwell stayed with me for years, teaching me how to live.”

I replied.

“Then that isn’t the same person I was taught by. He understood the truth of this world and did everything in his power to prepare me for what’s to come.”

“Truth of the world?”

Her eyes slanted as she smiled.

"When he vanished, it was a surprise to us. He showed no intention of leaving… so we lost a valuable asset because of that. Are you telling me Maxwell vanished to take care of some random dark vessel?”

Claudia began controlling the darkness around us. She was channeling it into her great sword. Using the chaos element, she was amplifying her abilities.

"Maxwell knew how important this moment in time was. I don't believe that he would have left us of his own volition."

In an arc, Claudia slashed, creating a purple wave of energy to shoot my way. With all my might, I deflected it, causing the lock to cut through the wall nearby. The catacombs shook in a tremor of violence. We both channeled the darkness around us in the black space as we faced one another.

“Who are you people?! What is your goal?! Why are you collecting spectrum from victims?!”

“We are a collection of dark vessels who know the truth of this world. We must do what we're doing to be prepared for what's coming."

“What is this, “truth of the world?”

All Claudia did was smile. She closed her eyes. Those beautiful purple, dark eyes faded away momentarily.

“Do you really want to know, Feodora Cicer? If so… then you’d have to give up now and join us. That’s the only way we can reveal the truth to you.”

I held my weapon beside me.

"You want me to work beside you? You kidnap people, possess them, and use the dark arts to harm them. Maxwell didn't teach me to be that way at all…."

I stood my ground, and I pointed my weapon towards her.

"My freedom is connected to your captivity. Maxwell taught me to do whatever I could to live. From what I see, you belong locked up in jail, and I have every intention to get you behind bars."

Claudia sighed.

“Fair enough. It’s strange… we share the same fighting style, but our beliefs are vastly different. Maybe one day you'll see the world the way we do… but for now, I’ll have to subdue you.”

She appeared above me in an instant. Our weapons clashed as we both used the destructive crafts. A purple aura rippled around us, causing the floor to crack. She began channeling the dangerous arts into her blade, and I did the same. The shadows around us turned into spears as we both began shooting them at each other. The underground was crumbling around us as we continued our battle. Water began entering from the craters we were making as we attempted to fire the dark spears at one another.  

Channeling darkness into her legs, she kicked. I defended and sliced back. She deflected and came at me with a heavy strike downwards. When it hit the ground, darkness rose up below me. I jumped, disappearing into the shadows above as the attack rained around me, breaking the statues and structures around us. When I appeared, I brought the darkness from above to collide down on her. A hail of onyx ripped the ground where she stood, and the floor collapsed on her.

In the shadows, we danced in the air. I tossed my blade behind Claudia, and it reappeared, attempting to stab through her. She grabbed it, added the chaos element to it, and threw it back at me. It was shaped strangely, the destructive version of the 7th craft. I was cut on my leg, and when my weapon hit the wall, the darkness around it exploded, causing me to fall to the ground. I caught myself, called my blade back to me, and aimed it at her as she fell.

“You’re fun to play with!”

The devil giggled.

I brought out the destructive craft. An intense wave of darkness formed in my hand, and a giant purple light gathered, leveling the room around us. The night exploded like bombs as the world began to shake like crazy. With every slice, the shadows around me became a weapon as I attempted to overwhelm Claudia. She was doing the same, using the shadows as her playthings. Together we made the world shake as we fell deeper and deeper into the darkness.

“It’s been a while since I had so much fun!”

We both stood to the side and looked at one another. We had to be far down into the earth, far away from the battle above us.

 

 

“I don’t get it, Feodora. Wouldn’t you want to be with people… just like you?”

"No, I would rather be alone. Maxwell taught me to live, stay in the shadows."

Claudia laughed hysterically.

“He taught you that?!”

She looked at me sternly.

“You don’t understand anything, do you? Maxwell was a killing machine! His crafts were made to slaughter.”

 

 

Darkness rose in her body as she spoke manically. I was horrified by her words.

“I don’t get this. It’s like we’re talking about two different people. Everything he taught me was for the sake of me dying! My purpose is to die!”

Claudia screamed.

I was confused by her words. Her body was taking on darkness, and so was mine. The world began to shake around us. Our weapons flashed purple as we brought our energy into our blades.

“I don't know what you were taught, but enough is enough. It's time to take you in so I can continue my life freely."

It was time. I was far enough away from everyone, and nobody would be hurt if I…began. I closed my eyes as I channeled the darkness around me. My blade began to shine purple, and my vision became purple too. I was… one with the night.

 

 

“About time. I can finally taste your blood properly.”

She smirked like a demon.

“Maxwell taught you the shadow crafts… he taught you the destructive crafts… but I was wondering why you weren’t connecting yourself with the darkness inside you.”

Claudia teased as she held her greatsword on her shoulders.

“Because I have to live…  and Maxwell commanded me to do all that I can… to live. By staying in this form, we bring about death.”

She cackled.

“What the hell got into that old coot? My teachings were simple… I'm destined to die, so destroy everything before I do! My job is to set up the path for the future. Because of my death, we will survive.”

Claudia sounded like a madwoman. I had no idea what she was rambling about, so I cast her words aside.

She appeared above me. The darkness in her heart was pure black. One of the main shadow crafts that were hidden within me... It was simple… It was called death. When I connect with death, it drains our life. The longer we stay within this mode, the more complicated our bodies use spectrum, and eventually, we will be consumed. But in this state, our power grows and we’re able to use more extreme spells. 

To be one with the darkness is to be one with death.

The longer I teeter on death… the more likely I will die from it.

“You stay in this form all the time, Claudia! Don’t you get that you’re killing yourself?!”

“I live to die! My goal is to die! Death is my strength unlike yours, Feodora!”

Our blades clashed; the earth around us broke apart as we started using the darkness as our weapons. My arm felt like it was floating as the energy connected within me. I pushed forwards, shooting a purple beam from my strike. The pressure caused my coat to dance in the stale space. Claudia caught it and shot it back. Like a game of tennis, we exploded our darkness at one another, causing the world around us to shake with every deflection.

“Why would Maxwell teach you to be so destructive?!”

I demanded answers.

"Because I've seen the truth of this world! I know my place, and I will do what I need to reach my goals! He taught me that all the murdering I will do is for the greater good of our people!”

She powered her strike and unleashed a massive wave. Rocks lifted up with her power as they became part of her strike. I pulled the chaos element into my body and enhanced the strength of my element. The space around us became unstable as I threw the massive energy back at her. She smiled as the wave came and destroyed everything around her. It was too large for her to avoid, so instead…

She took the brunt of it and stood there with a bloody face. I probably looked no different, but one thing was for sure…

I… wasn’t close to being done with her.

“I never fought another dark vessel… other than Maxwell.”

I admitted.

It was strange… she felt too much like me… but not enough like me. We were like two people with the same strength but from vastly different backgrounds.

“I want to see all that he taught you, Feodora. I want you to use your crafts to the fullest of your abilities.”

I melted into the shadows along with her. Our crafts were destroying the catacombs as we fought. The place was crumbling as we battled back and forth. I channeled darkness into my fist, and she did too. We struck each other, and this continued on.

“It kind of pisses me off, Feodora. Maxwell taught me everything… he taught this soulless girl how to murder… and then vanished.”

Claudia grabbed my neck.

“I was made into a killing machine by him! I live to die! That’s all I care about! My curse won’t allow me to be anything else but someone who wants to kill!”

Claudia squeezed my neck, burrowing her nails into my skin. My breathing was growing labored as I looked into her eyes. The shadows around us rained down as blades cut both of us. My eyes began to shine as the death grew closer. I could hear it… the ringing in my ears. I reached up and grabbed her by the neck too. Blood dripped on my lips as the world around us exploded, causing us to dive deep into the world. We both vanished, got our weapons back, and met in the shadows, striking at one another.

"Soon, you'll realize how blinded you've been. Maxwell didn't teach you how to live; he taught you how to look away from reality!"

She mocked.

“The shadow crafts are weapons made to kill. You’re supposed to use them to kill and gain spectrum. They aren’t there to protect you; they’re made to slaughter others!”

“Are you insane?! It’s like we weren’t even taught by the same person! He gave me laws to live! Without his teachings, I would be dead!"

I saw violet as I stared into her cold eyes.

“Eh?”

Claudia looked up towards the battle between the other three.

“Damnit, Vert. We’ll have to continue this another day Feodora… My idiot partner is about to get himself killed.”

She complained as she melted away.

“No, you don’t!”

I gave chase through the darkness. She was aiming upwards towards the throne room we were in before. In an instant, we reached it. Her blade collided with Jade, who was in the middle of a fight with Vert.

“There you are, Claudia! Jade is pretty tough!”

Jade kicked Claudia off of her and aimed her attention back at Vert.

 

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He chuckled, flying away on his disk. I could tell the kid was already on his last breath. In comparison, he was no match for the knight. Jade brought the holy spell to her chest and fired a bright ray his way. The disk reflected the light, scattering it back towards them in a beam of bright light.

I looked over to see Lana still in her fight with Marable. She held out well enough as Abigail kept up her battle with Caesar. Her servant would strike her, and she’d guard using multiple elements as her shield. If anything, the goddess was just holding him off until Jade took down Vert.

“We have enough spectrum. Release the beast, Vert!”

Claudia screamed at the redhead Radiant.

“Alright, enough games! Lana, get behind me!”

Abigail cried before lifting up her hands. Earth and water channeled around her, and many weeds started to form underneath her. Abigail wrapped Caesar with vines along with Marable. With her powerful spell, their goddess effectively trapped them from moving. We all focused on Vert and Claudia as Vert continued to control missing people's chanting.

“I have Caesar and Marable under control, Jade; take out that Radiant!”

“Right.”

Jade brought back her blade. It flared a robust red like a giant ball of fire erupted on her sword.

“You’re mine, kid!”

Jade screamed. The power of her spell began to build up. Claudia, realizing the power of Jade’s soon attack, got out of the way before she could strike. Jade slashed her sword to the ground, creating a shockwave of the spell to raise from the ground. A wave of light and fire blasted towards the Radiant, kicking him off his disk device. Like a ragdoll, he fell and hit his back to the ground. All of the missing people chanting stopped instantly as they fell to the floor too. I could hear glass breaking, indicating that the symbols of their bodies were shattering.

“Dang it, Vert!”

Claudia scorned. She channeled darkness into the ground, and the cave began to shake. A horrible scream cried out as we could feel something enormous crawl out from underneath us. Jade rushed over, grabbed Vert by the neck, and placed handcuffs on him. Claudia backed up from the rest of us and pointed towards me.

“Another day, Feodora.”

She vanished, leaving her partner behind. I planned to go after her, but a large head appeared out of the circular hole. It was a great wolf that had bright golden eyes. Its paws rested on the edges as its body tried to force itself out of the hole. Its body was massive, but what surprised me most was the white strings attached to it. It was as if someone was controlling the beast like a puppet.

 

 

"It's too late. It's awake and ready to go!"

Vert mocked, earning a hit on the back of the head by the knight.

"Jade, he's not going anywhere. Throw him to the side, and let's deal with this."

Abigail commanded. I rushed over to the three of them. Jade stood in front; I was beside her. Lana was in the back, and Abigail was on the side.

"It's massive, and if we allow it to get free, we can say goodbye to the Cero Village. Keep it down here and eliminate it before it escapes!”

“Right!”

We all chanted.

“Lana, provide some platforms so Jade and Feodora can reach the beast’s head. I’ll provide support and make sure the possessed victims aren’t harmed in the fight.”

"Y-Yes, sis."

The earth vessel agreed as she did just that. Platforms raised in the air as Jade and I used them to rush at the giant wolf stuck in the ground. It began channeling a massive wind spell. Abigail combated this with an anti-spectrum shield, protecting the passed-out people below us.

“Follow my lead, Feodora!”

The knight commander said. I stayed behind her as her body began to glow a holy tone. I channeled my own element within me. She struck first, cutting at the beast's mouth. I followed, slicing at its jaw. The beast cried in pain as we relentlessly continued our assault on it.

Golden eyes started to form around its body as it began channeling a large spell our way. Its body moved strangely as the white strings around it made it look like a puppet. Suddenly, it shot a fierce wind spell our way. Abigail thankfully countered it, using her anti-spectrum shield. The loose spectrum destroyed the walls around us, showing how strong it truly was.

The giant wolf cried, and one of its bright golden eyes turned a sharp red. It reminded me of the last overgrown beast in the ancient ruins. That had to be its weakness. That singular red eye... was the key to this battle.

"It's red-eye. If we take it out, we'll destroy it for sure."

I pointed at the beast. Everyone acknowledged me as they all chanted in agreement.

I channeled my darkness alongside my destructive craft. Jade stood beside me as she began mixing her fire and holy elements together. Together, we added the chaos element into our final strike.

"Hold up, you two!"

The goddess added, feeding a booster spell into us. The power went into our weapons as we both brought our spell back. The beast began charging another powerful range, attempting to combat our strike, but Jade and I stood our ground.

“Ha!”

 

 

We both cried, releasing the dark and light spells towards the beast’s eyes. A wave of purple and white mixed together, aiming right at the creature’s red-eye. The power caused the world to shake as we intensified our spells.

Lana shielded the passed-out people with an earth wall, ensuring they weren't harmed in the blast. The pressure of our attack caused the world to rumble.

The beast cried a horrid wail, causing the world to shake from its cry. With our merged attack, eliminating it in an instant. The white strings snapped, and the beast turned to white dust as it scattered around the sanctuary…

“Ah… it’s beautiful.”

Vert mocked as he kicked about, still in chains. Abigail walked over and kicked him on the side of his head, knocking him out. She then continued to beat on him with her feet. I could hear him groan as she kicked and stepped on him. Jade sighed as she walked over and took Abigail in her arms.

“Why did you do that, Abigail?”

Jade complained.

“It’s because this kid hurt my family. I… at least needed a good hit on him myself.”

She stomped on Vert’s stomach. I… realized that I never wanted to be on the end of Abigail’s rage seeing that abuse.

“Marable, Caesar!”

Lana rushed over to the two, still being held down by vines. After a moment, they came to, still weak from spectrum sickness.

“We have a lot to clean up here. Claudia is still on the run, but at least we have one culprit… Did she mention anything, Feodora?"

Jade turned to me.

“She mentioned that there’s more of them… doing the same things. She wouldn’t go into what their true goals were, but I can believe that this won’t be the last time she’d do something like this.”

Jade sighed.

"Well, for the time being, let’s get back to Radiant City. That way I can interrogate Vert and try and figure out what their true aim for all of this is."

She looked at where the beast was.

“Those strings…”

Jade mumbled.

“The strings coming out of the wolf beast?”

I asked.

“Yeah… If I’m not mistaken… whatever those dark vessels are planning, they are playing a dangerous game if they are doing… what I think they are."

At that, Jade began walking off. After helping out the village, we and the rest of the Baron's set off back home with Vert as our prisoner. The group became that much larger as we all ventured back home. The group was a little too big for me, so I found myself lagging behind in most cases. After a day, we made it back to Radiant City. A group of Barons was there to see Lana and Abigail when they arrived. They all cheered as their goddess returned, keeping her promise.

“Jade.”

A woman with bright hair and shining armor met us at the gates. She had these strong silver eyes that radiated her presence. As she walked towards us, her armor clicked. She reminded me of royalty you only see in the stories. She had a collection of knights with her, and I wasn't sure who she was.

 

 

“Feodora, this is Elizera, the head of the knights. She's my boss, and I'll soon have her position.”

She felt strong and exuded a powerful aura. She walked over to the cage holding our captive, Vert.

“So, this is the Radiant who has been causing so many problems around Radiant City?”

With her finger on her lip, she nodded.

“Fantastic work, Jade. Will you help me with the interrogation?”

“Yes, Elizera.”

Jade grabbed Vert from the cage and roughhoused him a bit. He wasn't getting out of this, and it brought a smile to my face seeing his arrogant self being pushed around.

"Hey, stop tugging me around already…."

Vert complained.

“F-Feodora.”

I turned to see Yuu Yuu walking in from outside of town. She excitedly raced over to me but stopped suddenly. Her eyes met with Elizera briefly before she continued walking towards me. Her fist clenched as she looked at the back of the leader of the knights.

“Yuu Yuu?”

I questioned as she watched Elizera walk off with Vert in captivity. It took a moment before she turned back to me with those innocent eyes.

“Do you know her, Yuu Yuu?”

I asked. Yuu Yuu waited there for a moment but then shook her head from side to side. I wasn’t sure what to make of this as she occasionally looked Elizera’s way.

“I’m… happy your back safely, Feodora. I-I did a lot of work, and now we can play all day.”

Yuu Yuu tilted her head and smiled at me. Everything that just happened began to wash away as I started to realize... that I’m finally back. As I searched her tender eyes... I could hear Jade giggle. It looked like she had been watching us as she crossed her arms and approached me.

"Feodora Cicer, from today onwards, you are free from duty. You’ll be paid for all the work you’ve done for the knights as appreciation.”

The knight announced.

“Huh? You don’t need me anymore? What about Claudia? She's still out there…."

Jade put her hand on her hip.

“If I do need your help, would you be willing to? I’m not going to force you as you’ve done enough for us already. It’s all up to you from here on. We’ll pay handsomely if we can use you as a consultant from time to time.”

I waited for a moment. I did need money… and I still had many questions for Claudia if I ever saw her again… So, I nodded.

"Sure… If you need me, Jade, I'll be there. I didn’t get all the answers I wanted from her… So if you suspect her to be involved in something, I’ll be there.”

The knight smirked.

“Good. Abigail, I’ll need you to make a statement at the knight’s station too.”

The goddess shrugged. Clearly, she wasn’t enthusiastic about doing that.

"Fine, I'm exhausted, though. I much rather just go home and rest."

As the crowd began to die out, I was poked in the back by a soft finger. A shy giggle from the side of me echoed out as... Yuu Yuu pushed her shoulder on me.

“Are you ready to go play?”

Yuu Yuu asked.

“Yeah, let’s go play.”

The heat in my body rose as she put her hands behind her back and looked at me... endearingly.

 

I still had a lot of questions regarding my former mentor. If it was confirmed that he killed many people… why would he teach Claudia so differently than me. But as it stood, that was for another day. I swore that we'd meet again so I could discover more about the man who saved my life.

But as of this moment, Yuu Yuu was my top priority.

 

 

 

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