38.

Absent Inside

There was zero possibility Lina would manifest out of Mundus' blade without permission yet there she was standing before him. Her hovering stance was fluid and sensual as she neared him. With her chest pressed up against his, Lina reached down and placed a hand on Mundus' sword hilt. She unsheathed it with a threatening gleam in her violet eyes. The sword looked out of place in her hand, but she proved knowledgeable in using it when she thrust it deep into Mundus' stomach.

The demon was unfazed by the entire play of events. He had allowed them to happen and simply stood erect and stared down at the Spirit. The malice in Lina's eyes melted away. She blinked.

"Master!" she gasped as she stepped away from him, horrified. "This one did not see Master. This one saw—"

"I am aware such was not your intention. You were encased in a separate Illusion and were unaware of your actions." Mundus pulled his blade out of his stomach and brought a healing hand to his bloody wound. He was surprised to discover his Magika did not work. Though his injury was not exactly real, in the Illusion it was, and if he remained trapped in it for any longer he would eventually bleed out.

"Master?" Lina sensed his distress.

He remained motionless with his palm over his stomach. Something was off. There was hardly any blood leaking through his fingers. It was as if the blade was still in him.

The two stood in the snow, quiet for a few seconds.

"Lina," Mundus said. "Return."

She immediately complied. Her body lit white, shrunk and liquefied. She slid into the sword that was held in Mundus' other hand. He then understood why he wasn't bleeding.

"Well you're no fun," Ram's voice floated into the scene. He sounded genuinely sad.

The Illusion shattered and exposed the black blade that was currently embedded in Mundus abdomen, stuck between his middle and ring finger. It pushed deeper into him. The blood flowed freer now; it plopped down to the snow, creating a bowl of red.

"Master!" Lina piped in his head. Sharply in sync with Mundus thoughts during battle, she read his plan of action almost as fast as he thought it. She started to power him up. The sword in Mundus' palm vibrated into a scream.

He grabbed the Shadow Spirit sword with the hand that was on his stomach and began to Fuse. If he forced it under his will, the Spirit would quickly fall out of his way. Mundus would then have the opportunity to freely dispose of Ram however the demon saw fit.

Completely infused with Lina's power, Mundus' fingers extended into the sword. They molded onto the surface as if caught in a sucking current. Mundus instantly felt the Shadow's  resistance. In order to force-Fuse with it, he had to access its core. Mundus Fused deeper until his entire hand had submerged within the flat blade.

He saw the Shadow. Its center was a burning crystal orb. The transparent flames were a constant balance of white and black. The halves were untouched by the other save for a golden and perfectly symmetrical line between the two. Mundus reached for it as he began to push the entity's will away.

Coils of cold ribbons slithered under Mundus' skin and into his veins. They stretched up his arm and began to spread into his chest and up his neck, slashing and slicing as they inched through him. Mundus gritted his teeth in pain and blood streaked his fangs, but he was almost there. His hand emerged from the Shadow blade and wrapped around it. Mundus drew it out from his body, forcing the Shadow to shrink and completely gather into his palm.

The ribbons in Mundus' body retreated as the Shadow's touch was pulled out. The demon prince grunted as the last of the Shadow whipped out of his chest. The soothing relief of his self-regeneration helped him force-Fuse the solid black blob of an entity rotating on his palm into him.

As it traveled through Mundus' entire frame, it left a trail of ebony ink that engulfed him in black fire. It quickly consumed the demon until his complete physique was a shadowy flame. Icy fingers manifested once more in his veins, shooting throughout his limbs with each exhale. Mundus stood frozen but not because of the cold.

"Master! No!" Lina cried out, sensing the slip.

The coldness exploded, sharp and hard. Icicles needled Mundus chest from the inside. They pressed like knives until they burst out. Spools of shredded flesh hung from his torso like a bed of seaweed caught in a current of water. Tiny, rounded ribcage bones peeked out through the red, red gore. At the top right side of the wound, the rhythmic pulse of Mundus heart could be seen.

Mundus' sword plopped to the snow as he fell to one knee, arms hugging his wound closed as best as he could. His palms were outlined in green to help push the pain away, but the fight against unconsciousness was greater than anything else. Still, Mundus was positive there was a sense of disaccord within his Magika. It was taking too long for him to heal.

"You're not going to die so easily, demon," Ram said as he now stood in front of Mundus. The Shadow encircled him in a veiled swirl of black.

"You were with Sister," Ram continued, a small smile on his lips. It widened. "Do you sense it yet?"

The Shadow around Ram began to take a smoky color until it became grey. It then transformed into a solid white, almost disappearing against the snowy background. The white split in two, creating a sloppy "Y" pattern. One of the top halves turned black. The two hues were battling as the white tried to separate from the black. Just as it was about to escape, the black snatched it back and whirled around it like a barber's pole.

The colors manifested into solid beings.

"Master!" Lina's voice rang out clear and vibrant for all to hear. She was physically hovering several yards before Mundus with the solid black Shadow Spirit coiling around her.

Pulled out of the prince of demon's own blade, Lina's face wrinkled in confusion and fear at the occurrence. "Master! This one tried! This one fought but Shadow took this one away! This one—"

Murky fingers clasped her mouth shut and then crawled over her face like a dark mask. Her figure went limp. When the darkness left her face, she hovered in place but her eyes were dim and her head hung down. Lina's long silvery hair draped around her like a long dress.

Mundus gazed at Lina with disbelief. Never have I witnessed a Spirit immobilize another Spirit.

He let out a shaky sigh and reached for his now powerless sword to help heave himself to his feet. Finding his balance after a few shaking seconds, he slowly began to walk. Each step was accompanied by a splash of blood.

Ram, standing next to the listless Lina, smiled pleasantly as he waited for the demon.

Mundus gave up on Healing himself and instead allowed his own regeneration to take over the curative process. By the time he reached Ram, Mundus' open chest exposed shredded muscle in the course of braiding back together. His chest still resembled a cavern of gore. Blood seeped through the healing flesh and would occasionally splatter out to land on Ram's shirt and jeans.

The hybrid Illusionist was not bothered it and had held his grin. "Go," he said.

Black lightning stuck at Mundus as the Shadow, dark and sharp, lashed at the recovering demon in the form of a long clipped blade. The attack met the forehead that easily gave away. The ebony blade jutted up with such force that it decapitated the body.

The lone head's short blonde fur flashed in the grey sky. A preserved brown eyeball flew off the skull and buried in the snow with a soft crunch. The headless body slumped forward to reveal an intact Mundus behind it. His hands were holding the dying glow of a Summoning.

"That was pretty fast!" Ram said sounding like a child marveled by a magic trick.

The Shadow launched again at Mundus with stretched blades that resembled a spider's legs. Several more demons were summoned only to be impaled and die as shields for the demon prince. A roar of pain clouded the cold air as two of the Shadow's weapons managed to impale Mundus' left shoulder and wrist.

Smile still in place, Ram placed a hand on Lina's shoulder. "You need her, right? Your Magika isn't fast enough to help you anymore." He lifted her head up to see her face in better detail. "You should have stayed with her instead of my sweet sister."

Mundus, enraged and irritated, launched at Ram. He knew he needed Lina. He knew in his current condition he would not be able to beat the Shadow Spirit. Ram, however, was mortal. If he could at least kill him it would give Mundus some degree of satisfaction.

The agile Shadow looped back and barricaded Mundus' attack. He dodged away from the Shadow's body quick enough to avoid an impaling advance on his healing chest but not enough to dodge a slash against his leg. Mundus grunted. His injuries were multiplying and hindering his speed. The sluggish healing progression his body was undergoing was also not helping.

"Slow even when Teleporting, demon?" Ram's cheery voice rang. "You've noticed now, right? How each stab from my Shadow Spirit poisons your body and your Magika flow? It's fun!" He wrapped a hand around Lina's throat. She was unresponsive. "You really need her, demon."

Mundus gripped his sword. He did not understand this Shadow Spirit's power. It was different. It was even stronger than Lina, the most powerful Spirit Mundus had ever met. Ram was only dominant because of the Shadow in his possession. Mundus understood that now.

Quickly calculating the extent of his currently limited Magika, Mundus figured he needed to act now if he was to be fast enough.

He Teleported several miles away to the exact spot where Dante was cradling Reyna. His appearance was a blur at best. The slash of his sword was even more elusive. The cut was deep, enough for blood to paint the blade, but it was a superficial injury for a Healer like her. Already it was mending and resembled a minor scratch on her cheek.

It took over two seconds for Mundus to Teleport away, cut Reyna, and Teleport back. Such leisureliness irked Mundus. He clamped his teeth in anger.

Ram was still standing next to Lina, well away from the demon. Mundus caught the mortal's eyes. Eyes that were like Reyna's but also were not. He smiled at Mundus as if they were old friends reuniting after years of separation. The Shadow, a hovering mist, rotated as an obstacle between the two of them.

Mundus had to move quickly before the blood on his blade dried up. He dove into the mist. It suffocated him, and he became sluggish as his head fogged up. Darkness enclosed and even with his above average senses, Mundus could not coordinate himself. He stopped the struggling he did not know he had started. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes and tapped inside his pool of powers.

It was a brimming body of Magika that had no supporting foundation except for the curved bottom of the mystical water itself. Teeming from the edges were eighteen small waterfalls, each a different hue of transparent blue than the other: turquoise, navy blue, azurite, indigo, sky blue. As they fell down into clear empty space, groups of waterfalls began to merge together until six larger waterfalls descended.

However, they were tainted.

As the waterfalls ran down, the white empty space began to darken. The falling Magika waters began to choke off and drip until they were completely cut off. The grand, vast ocean that waited below for its supply of Magika was drying off. Tendrils of black were overpowering and smothering the flow of the sea. With no Magika waterfalls diving into the sea of Mundus' being, there was no Magika to power him.

Yet not all was completely suppressed under the Shadow's taint. Mundus' essence was not completely cut off. The ocean still retained a faint trace of Magika. It was a ringing pool of purity that was closing up fast. It was there that the demon drank and the last pocket of pureness was gone. It was his only chance.  

Mundus opened his eyes and placidness settled upon him. He could now See through the Shadow's mist. See the target he desired. He launched at it.

Mundus stabbed Lina in her stomach. As the blade tunneled its way through her body, Reyna's blood smeared inside of her. The blade erupted out of her lower back, silver and clean.

He remembered. Even though Lina had not been psychically present in his weapon during his time in the mortal world, she had caught a taste of Reyna's blood when she had foolishly tried to recover it from Amon's seal. Mundus had heard Lina's satisfaction through the blade's satisfied shrieks.

"This one loves this human's blood!"

Lina's body rippled with the force of Mundus' attack. Her head whipped back. She remained motionless for half a second, long enough to worry Mundus. Then, Lina jerked. She exhaled a long breath as her head snapped forward. Her lavender eyes immediately fell out of their dim state.

A bright light emitted from Mundus' weapon. Lina's body copied it as she was sucked back into the sword. The light dimmed down and the Spirit was where she belonged. The demon prince at once felt Lina's spiritual boost cleanse him of the Shadow's hindering poison. The darkness dispersed and the Magika waterfalls began to cascade into his being. The minor wounds on his left arm completely healed. His chest tightened with mended muscle. He was whole again.

There was total and complete harmony.

Ram's laughter could be heard. An amused sound one might hear from a child in a magic show.

The Shadow had been stealthily looping around Mundus' body while the demon was recovering his Spirit. Now, it tightened around Mundus like a skintight, black cocoon. The constriction caused him to slightly bow to the ground. His arms locked by his sides, forcing the sword in his hand to dig into his calf. Only Mundus' face, forehead to chin, was exposed.

A dark blob stretched out from the cocoon and hovered over Mundus. It morphed into a black head with no facial features except two dark green circles that could serve as eyes.

"Divine believes Power will escape such captivity," it said from a hidden mouth. The head altered into a huge scythe. The curved blade's tip was inches away from Mundus' forehead.

Ram's laughter still chilled the already cold air.

The Shadow struck, met with flesh it easily pierced through, and exploded from a neck supporting a black haired skull.

The laughter Ram was indulged in subdued into a gurgle followed by a choked out cough. Wide, blue eyes—mirrors to Reyna's—widened and reflected confusion. They locked onto the moon demon that stood unharmed before him. Ram could only see the right half of the demon. Something black was obscuring the other half. His eyes shifted to the blob that blocked his vision. It was all that he could move. He was securely constrained, and it was difficult to breathe even though his mouth was wide open. In fact, it felt like it was propped apart by a cold piece of something that rested between his right canines.

Shock seized him. Ram was in the Shadow's trap instead of Mundus. The demon had Teleported Ram into the Shadow's wrappings without breaking the bond's form and Teleported away all before the time it took for the agile and quick Shadow Spirit to lunge his attack.

Disbelief again whisked through Ram only to be swept away by the amusement that mysteriously clouded him.

Ram laughed and laughed, but in reality, only a bubbly foam of blood gagged out of him.

The Shadow, aware of the victim it clenched, seemed unfazed by it. The black blade retrieved out of Ram's mouth with a meaty shuck and a bloody splash. The Shadow unwrapped from Ram's corpse. It manifested into its silhouette form, green eyes blazing at nothing and everything as it stood motionless by Ram's fallen body.

Mundus eyed the Shadow, tensed for an attack but none came. His attention was captured elsewhere when the flicker of Reyna's essence flared. He dashed away towards her. The Shadow did not give chase. It remained in its human-like physique, emerald eyes blazing like headlights on a dark road. Its head looked down at Ram's body, angled in a way that suggested it was observing it.

"Pray, you were but a pawn for a greater power," it spoke in its thousand whispers.

With a black arm hosting a hand and fingers, it reached down at Ram's eyes as if harboring the intention of plucking them out. Instead, the dark fingers passed into his forehead like the touch of a ghost. When they emerged out of Ram's skull, nestled between the ring finger and the thumb, was a black orb the size of a ping pong ball that shone like polished onyx. Its free hand cupped over it and seized it like a captured bird. When the hand opened, the black orb had turned white. It floated upward until it disappeared into the darkening cold sky.

"A powerful pawn," the Shadow said as it watched the orb float away. "I was never under your command, Pray. Divine sent me here to ensure you would secure a kingdom for her to come. I was to keep you from killing Faith too soon. She was to die, yes, but not before Power emerged out of her. It was only then you were to kill her to bring Power back to Divine. Since my arrival, Divine knew all of your actions through me. You were a pawn, Pray, yes. A powerful pawn."

"Nonsense." A woman's voice, hard and demanding, broke through. "Powerful he could not be if he is now dead."

Blethinette walked up next to the Spirit. She was dressed in a sleeveless dark purple dress that dragged behind her like a wedding gown. Her own long hair draped over the dress's tail. Around her waist and under her bosom was a white corset laced up with black fastening. Standing next to the queen was a familiar demon with a burning sword by her side.

 The queen's mismatched red and green eyes landed on Ram's corpse. "Why do you speak to him like that?"

It was impossible to tell where the Shadow was looking. "The truth helps calm the dead."

Blethinette gazed around and felt her surroundings. "He did not kill her."

The Shadow did not answer.

"No matter," she quickly continued. "Cerus should take care of it, and then I shall kill him and win my son's favor."

If the Shadow could show emotions, astonishment would have graced it. "I did not know of that part of your plan. Does Deft?"

She smiled. "Of course he does not know. How can I have my son by my side when I harbor his lover's killer? Come. Let us go to them."

The demon next to Blethinette grinned.

When Mundus had arrived to the area where Reyna and everyone else rested, he snarled at the sight of a bundled up Reyna leaning against Dante's shoulder. She raised her head but it was not to face him. Before anything could be uttered or done—in fact, before Munuds had even arrived—they had all felt Blethinette's arrival. Her gradual advance towards them possessed them into stillness. Motionless, gazing at one another, they all simply waited for her arrival.

It was during those last seconds of pause that Erian and Cerus could now claim to be out of any critical condition. Earlier, Ram's Illusion on them had lifted, allowing them some form of rejuvenation. It had been upon Ram's defeat that the strange disturbance in their Magika lifted and their regeneration came back full strength.

Blethinette appeared before them. She was framed by the still tame Shadow Spirit and the female demon with the flaming sword. Dante quickly pulled the still recuperating Reyna to her feet. Erian and Cerus stood up and bowed at the queen. Munuds eyed the Shadow with caution and his mother with mistrust. The mysterious she-demon smiled pleasantly at demons and mortals alike.

A chilly breeze cut through the tense atmosphere.

Cerus was the first to move. Fused with Flow, he simultaneously healed the pup's wounds and pounced towards Dante and Reyna. Had it not been for his still recovering leg hindering him, Cerus would have caught Reyna in his jaws. Dante hardly had time to pick her up and dodge.

The Shape Shifter turned towards them and growled. His head was bent between two shoulder blades tensed for an attack, but his narrowed eyes glared something else besides spite.

"Cerus!" Mundus exclaimed. The rare expression of surprise visited his face. He glanced at his mother with accusation this time. She met his stare with bewilderment and hurt.

"Cerus, what are you doing?" Blethinette asked as if to show her son how unusual Cerus' behavior was to her as well.

He did not answer, knowing well his role in the queen's plan. He pounced at the pair of mortals. They disappeared out of the way with surprising and blurring speed.

Reyna and Dante found themselves being carried. Dante was draped over a shoulder and stared, confused, at the white ground. An arm wrapped around Reyna's waist and carried her like folded laundry. She too gazed around, bewildered.

"Gahn," Mundus snarled the name of the one who held them.

"Yup." The speed demon grinned and winked. "I'm here to save the day."

"What?" Reyna gazed up at him. "You're taking us away? But—" Her sights turned to Munuds. He met it. The air was suddenly heavy with radiating emotions.

"Yeah," Gahn said, noticing what was being asked between their stares. "Are ya gonna come with us?"

   When Mundus answered, he did not break away from Reyna's eyes. His expression was hard and set. His eyes unreadable. "No, I shall not."

Blethinette's laughter could have cracked ice. It then abruptly stopped and by the time Reyna's tears had been blinked away, she, Dante, and Gahn were standing in Auronmar's familiar chambers.

The great outline of his throne shadowed the majority of the room. Figures of miscellaneous demons were seen standing around. Their talk was a flurry of urgent, demonic dialect and they seemed uninterested with the appearance of Gahn and his guests. The ambiance that clouded over them was overwrought with despair, sadness, anger, and blood: essences of war.

Reyna stood in the middle of the room, flanked by Gahn and Dante. With an emotionless face, she started stripping off the extra clothes she had on. Her movements were slow but calm.

"Reyna?" Dante asked, placing a hand on her now bare arm.

She faced him. Her face was stone and her tears were long gone.  

Auronmar's commanding voice broke through all heavy conversations hovering in the air. He spoke in English for Dante and Reyna to understand. "Gahn, take our human guests to their new rooms. They shall be staying with us from now on."