The Coming Darkness

David remained silent, not looking at Voltaire as he spoke. He knew he was right, but that wouldn't make the jealousy go away. Being reunited with her was like a dream, one he thought he would never live through again. And when he finally did, she's gone anyways. David sighed and smiled, looking to Voltaire. "I only promise to play nice if I can see that he really is good to her. If I see anything suspicious, I won't hesitate to speak up about it." He frowned and looked down to his side. I should have looked harder.

"I would expect you to not hesitate." He chuckled and and turned away to find Kenji. "I'll see you around." He made his way back to the roof.

David watched as Voltaire turned to leave, and sighed. God dammit... "Voltaire, wait." He ran to catch up to him and stopped him on the stairs. "Can you at least tell me what's wrong with her?" he asked as he looked up to Voltaire with a pleading look on his face.

He looked to Silver and JD for a moment, he let out a sigh and hoped she wouldn't hate him for this. "Well...you know what happened with her family, right? Well, her grandfather, is responisble for the genocide of mine. And she isn't taking it well, yesterday we took him on and I managed to beat him...hence all my wounds. I kept Silver safe best I could, though...other than that I'm not sure what else is wrong really." He gave David a disappointed look, upset he didn't know anything else.

Rika disappeared as the man walked past again. Maria got up and felt something inside her telling her not to say anything, she ignored it however. " Um.. excuse me... " She said in a soft slightly timid voice, deeply hoping he wasn't as angry as he had seamed to be before hand. " Hello I don't think I've met you before, I'm Maria.. and you? " She asked her ears folded down a little and her hand shaking.

David shook his head. "All I ever knew about her family was that she didn't have any. She wasn't allowed to talk about it..." He hesitated for a moment. "He wouldn't let her." His fists clenched, though not too much, at remembering past events. "..But alright, thanks." He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose lightly before putting them back on.

Seraph turned to the voice calling to him. He looked over to what seemed like a girl but with animal features. He looked much calmer then before, but a little tense. "Why, hello their Maria, I am Seraph Ulaerc...I just enrolled in this school, it is nice to meet you". He looked at her closeley, noticing her trembling. "Is something the matter? You seem shaken."

"He as in her foster father? I know of him...he attacked her recently for a task she went on and disappeared from his sight for a while. I'm worried he may attack again." He started sternly.

She blinked and noticed herself that she was shaking, tried hard to stop herself. "heh...heh..heh... I-I guess I'm just a little nervous around new people " She said trying to laugh it off and feeling really self conscious. " Say you haven't seen Maya around have you? I should catch up with her since I've been gone in a while " She said smiling at the thought of her friend, her tail swaying in happiness.

David's eyes widened at this new information. "He.. Attacked her? How bad was it? Did anyone else see him? You know this means everyone associated with her is in danger now, right?" David seemed extremely uneasy. He looked back to Silver, who was still with JD, and his fists clenched a bit more now. He paused, releasing his fists, and looked back to Voltaire. "You know about him?" His face was surprised, as well as suspicious. He had no doubt Voltaire was on his side, but the suspicion was still there

Volitaire nodded. "It was pretty bad...a healer, his name was...Artur, helped her before I ended up finding her in the forest nearby. She was so bent on us just leaving her there but we brought her back here to be treated. Also, I don't care if I'm in danger. I can handle myself well enough, whatever happens to me doesn't matter. It's what becomes of her that matters." He sighed and put his hands in his pocket. "The first attempt I had on my battle with her grandfather, she told me about him before I departed. Since then I knew I had to keep an eye on her more. If that man comes to her again, she may not be found alive next time."

Seraph smirked, and calmly spoke to Maria. "Do not be nervous, I may be a stranger but I am very very calm..." She is very nervous, but a happy one at that. "Sadly the last time I saw her was last night, in the training room...me David Enki and her were sparring, at the moment she isn't around, did you need something in particular?"

David took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He turned to look back at Silver, this time more worried. "Has she told him at all?" he questioned, referring to JD.

She shock her head. " Not really, just catching up with a friend really." she gave him a small wave and jogged towards the stairs. " I'll go looking for her, Bye " She said turning a tripping straight onto the stairs, getting up and walking up them carefully making sure not to trip over again, her face bright red from embarrassment. I'm such an idiot She thought to herself

"I doubt it...if she did he'd be alot mroe clingy around her..." He looked to them both and wondered if she did tell him or not.

Seraph looked at her with amusement. "haha, goodluck." Seraph walked towards where David and Volitaire are. As he enters he see's them engaged in a deep conversation. "So, what are you guys talking about." Seraph walks in with a smile and hands in pockets.

"Someone should probably tell him." David stated as he looked back to Voltaire. He sure as heck didn't want to tell him his girlfriend is in danger, especially considering JD probably didn't care for him too much. David didn't care for him that much, either, but he wasn't going to purposefully try to start anything. "He's probably the one that spends the most time with her, he should know what he's up against should anything happen."
He hardly even noticed Seraph come up to them.

Volitaire's eyes moved over to Seraph. "Nothing...what brings you here, Seraph?" He turns to him with a strait face, wondering if he needed anything.

Seraph stands their with a calm attitude . "I was actually hoping in talking to you...Volitaire." Seraph didn't seem like a joking type of person. I need to clarify a few things about certain people...

"Go ahead." David stood there, looking expectantly at Seraph. He wasn't going to leave until he was done talking with Voltaire. Besides, whatever he needed to talk about couldn't be that secretive; he'd only just met Voltaire.

"What is it?" He crossed his arms.

Seraph chuckled, turned into more a laugh actually. This is ridiculous... "I do not mean to interrupt, my friend david over here." Seraph said it with a serious voice. "You can cross your arms as much as you like...Voliatire, I would like to know exactly what happened with that little confrontation on the roof was about." Seraph looked square into Volitaire's eye's. "Another thing, I see a little tension coming from Silver towards me, hehe...I would like to ask her about that after, but she seems a little busy..." He laughs to himself.

"As humorous as you may find it. This doesn't tickle me at all. I can't explain the events up at the roof. I'm just as clueless as everyone else. As for Silver, it's best you leave her be. There's things that needs to be settled with her first." He found his laughing annoying. He wanted to get back on the topic with Silver's foster father. This felt like a bit of a waste and could've waited.

When he spoke of Silver's apparent discomfort around him, something in David's mind clicked. Illusionists... "If Silver is uncomfortable around you, then you should leave her alone. Nothing good will come of upsetting that girl." He looked at Seraph and narrowed his eyes a bit. There probably isn't any connection there, but better safe than sorry..

"No, I dont find it that humourous, I find it funny how a full on fight spurs out randomly on the roof, and you turn around and leave instead of letting me help...listen I am not a bad person..." He seemed hesitant in saying "I am not a bad person" "It just troubles me that someone with friends like you guys, snaps all of a sudden, silver on the other hand well...It seems more directed to me that something inside her triggers when I am around..." Seraph remaind calm and collected with no expression. "David I mean no disrespect to her at all...especially to someone like you who has feelings for her, I only spoke with her the one time."

"Coincidentally to your arrival a negative power that represents Enzo's desire to destroy was triggered and began letting him make more bold moves and let out that deep craving for destruction. I've been away from Enzo a good while dealing with my own vendetta's. There's probably something bothering him. Just like everyone here. What little you know about what's truly happening is what's humorous to me, Seraph. As David said, leave Silver be. It's bad enough I nearly died trying to keep her safe, and she comes back to what makes her happy and you want to capitalize on her uneasiness towards you. Unless you want to anger me, JD, and David by all means. Go ahead. But I won't hesitate to pike you on your own shadow if need be." He eyes narrowed at Seraph, he had a feeling he may be a problem in the future.

haha, ahh I was just curious is all. To even think in blaming me on enzo, whe I met him for the first time fighting you. I am alright with David, he is a cool guy, Enki is quite powerful and kind while Sara is a crazy fighter aswell...you however are starting to piss me off...I ment no disrespect towards you, but if you like to make threats, then I would like to see you actually do something, but all in due time I am not in the mood for a spat. He said this in a very confronting form, not disrespectful but straight forward. "I have my own demons that I had back where I come from, not many know pain like me...In fact my demons follow me where I go..."

"There will be no serious fighting among ourselves for a while. We all have enough to worry about and deal with as it is. Harming each other will only make things worse." David spoke up as he glanced between Voltaire and Seraph, leaning against the wall. In reality, he sided with Voltaire. But them fighting wouldn't do anyone any good. He crossed his arms, and looked at Voltaire, hoping he would agree.

"I don't aim to fight. But don't test me when it comes to them. I've had too many loved ones die because of my carelessness. I just want to let my friends have time to enjoy themselves while they still can. And I didn't blame you Seraph, I was essentially saying you came when Enzo had that collapse. You can't be responsible for his sudden anger. And we all know pain. To compare pain is to think you're the only one with problems." He grew tired of talking about all of this and decided to take a walk outside to relax and think about Silver's foster father and Enzo's sudden snap. He brushed by Seraph, angrily whispering. "Never challenge me...knowing you're an illusionist is more than enough to evaluate how to murder you. Stay away from Silver." He kept walking, making his way out the school.

"Loved ones dieing...I know the very definition of that, not to say you don't of course...and if you think all I have is illusions than you have another thing coming...Take care Volitaire, Im sorry for insulting you, but don't undermine me...Take care David." Seraph honorably leaves and smiles with his hands in his pockets.

David stood there, watching both of them leave. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose again. He blinked a few times, and looked towards the direction Voltaire went off. It, of course, was fuzzy, so he put his glasses back on and followed him. "Hey now, wait up." He caught up to Voltaire. "I just want to say, I'm kinda glad you told him off. But what was that about, anyways?" When they stopped walking, he sat down on a nearby bench and again took off his glasses, rubbing his nose.

Volitaire sighed. "To be honest...I didn't want to snap at the poor man. If he knows what seeing others die feels like, I wouldn't want to question him. I just...couldn't take that laughter. I'm still very much on edge from yesterday. I killed the man who took everything away from the start, I'm worried about Enzo, and now Silver. Even Eos is worried about me. Along with that, I promised to help JD with something. There's a lot going on with everyone I know and I just don't want to see anyone else hurt. I guess I just jumped to he wanted to harm Silver...I don't know him enough and he's enigmatic as it is. My temper got the best of me, I'm better than that..." He ran his hand through his dark hair, closing his eyes in shame. "I gotta think about some things is all. Now that my issues are solved I'm focusing on a much bigger one that involves everyone. I can't explain just yet...sorry to say." He looked up at David. He was beginning to look tired again. Most likely from using the rings power while wounded. He found the same bench from before and fell into it. Nearly falling asleep.

"Maybe you should get some more rest. You look tired, you're still injured, plus you had that battle with Enzo it seems." David looked at Voltaire, understanding what it's like to carry so many worries and problems around on your shoulders like that. "Besides, you don't need to worry about Silver. Between me and that JD dude, not to mention Silver herself, I think we have it covered." he stated as he offered Voltaire a reassuring smile. "As for anything else.. Well, I'm sure your friends would be glad to help you out. And I would be, too. Not like I got anything else to do, anyways, you know what I mean?" He put his glasses back on and stuck his hands in his pockets, shrugging.

"Yeah...I guess I made a stress rant. How silly." He got up, holding his head and rubbing his eyes. "Maybe I'll rest, I meant to go see a friend about this ring but he may as well disappeared by now knowing him." He looked up into the sky, and back to David. "Thanks..I guess I'll go find Eos, she's probably waiting for me somewhere..worried. I need to stop scaring her." He gave David a quick wave and flew back up to the roof. It was where she last was and he didn't see her come back down. So he stayed up there and went to the steps to see if she was still hanging around.

David watched Voltaire fly off and looked back inside the school, seeing Silver still with JD. He sighed, realizing she was fine with him. No reason to worry. He turned and went to the edge of the forest, sitting on the bench he sat on when he first arrived there. He took off his glasses, setting them on the bench next to him, and rubbed his eyes more. "Why are they bothering me so much today?" he muttered to himself. "Perhaps it's the people you're hanging around."

[[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gweNNwVMClw ]]

David jumped a little, reaching for his glasses and putting them on, looking around. "Foolish boy, you should have stayed home years ago." David stood up. The air around him was eerie and off-putting, almost as if it wasn't only his vision that was foggy. David looked around, knowing he wasn't just hearing things- he wasn't alone anymore. "You should have stayed dead. You being here only complicates my plans more."
"Is that so? Well, why don't you show yourself so I know who I have the pleasure of talking to?" The voice laughed. "As you wish."

A figure stepped out from the shadows, his piercing yellow eyes hard to not look at. "I believe you know me as Haimon. Do you not?"
"You..." David clenched his fists and gulped, both angry and slightly afraid. "Be calm, boy. I do not wish to harm you at this time. Dear Silver would know who did it, and she would be on the hunt. That girl has more power in her than she realizes, and all we need to do is awaken it. But I'd rather not be on the opposite end of that power, to be honest," he explained as he took a step forward. David stood his ground. "Why did you come here to talk to me?" He rolled his eyes. "Simply because I wanted to inform you not to worry about Silver. I won't hurt her again, she's far too important in my plans. Well, I won't kill her."
"If you hurt her again, I swear I won't hesitate to-" "Yes, yes, I know. You'll find me, kill me, yada yada. Whatever." David continued to stare at the man, waiting for him to do something. "Just leave her alone. She has enough to deal with, without having to worry about you too." He laughed. "Oh my boy, you have no idea. She always worries about me. As she should, too. Give her a message for me, will you? Tell her, the next time I find out she leaves without my permission, I will kill her. And I'll kill whoever left with her, too. Ciao, ciao, foolish boy."

Before David could respond, he vanished. The atmosphere he had about him left with him, it seemed. He looked back to the school, again worried about Silver, and went back in to where she was. He sat down at the same table he was at earlier, took off his glasses, and sighed, rubbing his eyes again. He should tell Voltaire about this, as well as Silver. Though, he didn't want her to worry... No, no, he needed to tell her. There was no question about it.

There was an awkward silence between Marcus and the boy. With a sigh, he approached Enki, and patted him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm sure everything will be all right..." It was a reassuring statement said in an optimistic tone, but there was little proof or confidence behind it. He didn't know the Enzo or 'Sky' person very well. He just knew that the kid had tremendous power, and a lot of pent up emotions. Perhaps to the point of self-destructive tendencies. Given another pat on Enki's shoulder, Marcus left the roof top and slowly descended the stairs into the school. The heavy air was still with him, but it was slowly dissipating. He made his way towards the exit, so he could get to his room and have some much needed rest. The students were bustling with activity, talking about the fight that just happened, as much as he disliked gossip, he was at least happy everyone was safe. He trekked across campus and arrived in his dorm, shutting the door behind him and flopping on his bed, with a loud sigh. With another sip from the bottle of booze he kept hidden under the bed, he closed his eyes. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

JD blanched at Silver’s news. “Well that is some bad family politics,” he offered on the fly- but realized that wasn’t quite the response that would garner a positive reaction. “Look- I know a thing or two about families sticking their noses in their prodigy’s business. What they do doesn’t define you, what plans they have for you also doesn’t define you; what you did for Voltaire does. Whatever they tell you- whatever they want you to do for them- just ignore it. I know it might be hard too, but you are your own person Silver, and you are a good person. Voltaire is lucky to have you as a friend.” JD leaned in and hugged her. “And I’m more than lucky to have you.” He embraced her as tight as he could without being smothering. Still maybe it was a bit too hard and maybe it was a bit too forward- but he didn’t much care what the rest of the cafeteria thought.
“But look next time you decide to go on some perilous life or death mission please tell me in the least- but I think inviting me would be for the best. I’m stronger than I look, and considering this well etched six-pack- that means a lot.” JD smiled.

It was then his eyes caught that they were alone- the massive entourage was gone, and more so was Obsessive Fanboy- err David. “We need to stop getting caught up in the moment- it is apparent we get abandoned that way. Where did everyone go?” JD mostly worried for Eos, but he was assured that she would be fine especially if she was around Voltaire.
Not that he wanted her alone with the other boy, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

In all the commotion, Eos had retreated to the courtyard of Sorcerers. It was still so cold, and the snow that had fallen days prior still hadn't managed to melt away. The short blonde found herself rounding the school until she came upon the garden. It was small, beautiful but currently coated in snow. "I bet this place is beautiful in the spring..." She knelt down and pushed the snow off and away, revealing a crumpled flower underneath.

Placing her hands upon it, she let out a small stream of golden light that sparkled beneath her palms. With time, the little whit daisy stretched itself up toward the sky as if the snow had never fallen at all. "Ah, there you go..." A pleased smile befell her. Eos could never harm a soul, which is why this power suited her so well. It was also why the need to deathly spar in such a way confused her and even frustrated her some.

Volitaire looked around. He didn't spot Kenji or Eos, he figured it pointless to stay up here. He looked down at the ground below and wondered if he wanted to go back to the bunker or wait around for Kenji. He was getting really curious about the rings power and wondering if he's even using it correctly. He paced around the roof thinking what he wanted to do. Both things were sort of important and beneficial to him, but he ended up thinking about Eos again and wondering where she ran off to. It was best to tie things up with her and apologize for that sudden match between him and Enzo. "I may as well go see her first, I haven't seen her since the fight and she must be worried.." He looked down at the courtyard from the roof of the school. He turned his head seeing if she was sitting anywhere just in case she didn't go inside yet. A little golden head in a field of snow covered flowers caught his attention and he made out that was his Eos. He smiled, sort of not surprised to see her in a place like that, but happy she was somewhere nice nonetheless. He decided to sneak up on her. He saw some shade under a tree and warped to it. He was behind her, watching her mend a little flower. It was a beautiful thing to see, he had his shadow roll up a small clump of snow and toss it at her back. He waited for her to notice he was there.

Enki smiled at Marcus' attempt to cheer him up. He enjoyed having people around to at least try and pick them up out of the dirt. He wished Sky could feel the same right about now, and once Marcus left, he decided to talk to him. Enki, with his flames still present, flew off, following Enzo's magical presence like a game of 'Warmer or colder'.

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Enzo sat on the roof of the ringed stadium. It was closed, and wouldn't see action for another year. From where he was, he could still see the battlefield X and him had fought in in front of thousands, or even millions of people. Tears were flowing out of both Enzo's good eye, and his grey eye. His Sky ring had reformed on him some time ago.

Enki landed onto the roof behind him. "Sky?" He called out to him. Enzo quickly wiped his tears as Enki approached and sat down next to him. "Has Kenji told you?" He asked. Enzo nodded without speaking. "I can imagine it's hard to take in. We're the same, though. Soulless." Enki looked down on the battlefield at which he was spectating the fight himself. "We're born in a realm in which the dead reside, and are supposed to stay there."

"I just want to live a normal life." Enzo finally said. His voice was near broken due to the tears he was shedding. "As do I, Sky. But the only thing stopping us from true happiness is Darkness." It was then that Enki chuckled a bit. "I just remembered. This is totally flipped. Normally I would be the one down and out, and you'd be here to help me." Enzo formed a broken smile and laughed a little too. "But, there's nothing to worry about, Sky. Your friends will follow you anywhere, they need you. Because, without a Sky flame, there would be no other flames. You're the Sky that holds all of them together. In harmony."

A small silence escaped between them. "We'll live a good life after Darkness is finished. Then, you can live around your friends, grow up, get married..." Enki's voice trailed off in wonder. "I wonder what your and Cloud's children would look like..." "O-okay, that's enough pep talk!" Enzo said, his face red. He stood up, and wiped his remaining tears. "Let's just get back to the others and deal with whatever mess I made." Enki stood up, and nodded, then, the both of them changed to their hyper form, and flew back.