The Coming Darkness

Her expression turned curious at his claim. "Oh? Is that a serious bet? Because, I believe you have a deal." Kira smirked, going into one of the elevators that opened up. "Well, they didn't get shot and killed in your childhood, so you've got him beat on that part. The other stuff, maybe. I mean, you don't have a super cool bike, do you?"

Sweet~
Sys, love. <3
Be warned, I'm bringing an extra so give 'im a warm welcome. Saved me from a couple injuries and, walking all the way home. Plus, he bet that he could out-eat you.

She knew that Harley might be confused by the last parts, but.. was true. Kira felt her friend should be warned there was going to be company. "You aren't allergic to anything, are you?"

"Nnngh...my fucking chest, my head..."
Jacen slowly stood up and looked down. His chest and arms were covered in dry blood, a cut over his right eye began to scab up and he slouched against the elevator door.
I should be dead...but I'm not. That's something to be proud of. Gotta get back to my room so I can at least try and heal myself.
BLIP BLIP
Jacen pulled his phone out of his pocket and exited the elevator, looking at the text...he immediately stopped."Oh...you have to be kidding me."
He started to walk down the hall to Room 132...
These fuckers...better have first aid...or a fast car to get me to a hospital.
Jacen weakly knocked and braced himself in the doorway with a very sour expression on his face.

She nodded, "Y-yeah..." Sasha replied, "I've never been too interested in all this romance crap before."

Listening to his next words, Sasha blushed again, "I-I-it was?! I-I guess..."she said.

Sasha was about to reply to his next question when a loud thumping on the door occurred.

...Shit.

"No bike, unfortunately. Maybe someday." David replied as he went into the elevator again. He glanced at her as she kept pulling out her phone, but he didn't try to read anything. He leaned against the wall of the elevator after pressing the button to go down. "Nope, no allergies." Just then he got a text, which surprised him to the point where he even jumped a little. He pulled out his phone only to see a text from Marcus, but since he didn't even attend school, he chose to ignore it. "I know people who are, though. And it sucks for them," he explained, looking back to her and smiling.

Meanwhile, Silver, JD, and Haimon were still fighting on the roof. JD went in to attack Haimon again, but as he got closer, he simply hopped over him, putting a hand on his shoulder for support as he jumped. Haimon landed behind JD and turned to swing at him again, this time not having Silver there to interfere. He swung at JD repeatedly, expecting him to block and not giving him a chance to attack at all. "You'll die, you will all die. Just like that stupid boy, and the sun guardian too." Silver's eyes grew wide when Haimon brought up the sun guardian.

Maya too?.. No...

"You, my boy, are next!" Haimon thundered, attempting to throw one final blow at JD, directly into his gut. Silver, however, would not have any of that. Her ring glowed brighter than ever, and she quickly reached for her other sword before putting them both in an illusion. Haimon and JD both appeared in a dark area with no light, or gravity. Many eyes with black iris's popped up around them, staring at Haimon. He stopped his attack and floated there, looking around in a panicked manner. "What's this?"

The door opened to reveal Sasha standing there and looking rather surprised at Jacen's appearance. He stood holding his left arm, and had a slumped, yet determined stance.
"Who. Is the one. That sent me a text?"
Sasha pointed at Marcus and Jacen braced himself against a wall.
"Good to see...you made it out okay. And as for you...I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier. I was in a pool of my own blood after getting blasted through an elevator. If I'm gonna get expelled, at least wait until we get back to campus. The day I get stranded in another country because I was "late for school" is the biggest amount of bullshit I've heard in a while. And considering what I've seen these past few days, I'm pretty used to bullshit. I saw Enzo and Voli go hyper, and for what? Fought some robed asshole who put me into the damned elevator to begin with...and ran from a raid when all I wanted was to see some live music and explore the city. I'm not getting fucked up in a magic banned country even more because of a damn tardy. The room got noticeably colder as he spoke, and his eyes started to faintly glow.
So if you're gonna expel me, wait until I can actually...eeegh-" Jacen clutched his arm and passed out, as his short adrenaline burst gave out and he succumbed to the pain in his chest and arm.

Suddenly, the phone Enzo was given earlier went off. A sound of a text, but before he could check it, there was loud knocking at the door. "Haah?" He rushed over to the door quickly, as it sounded like someone urgently needed them. He opened it to see Marcus. "S-..Sensei? What are you doing here?"

He was half determined to make sure he didn't see Sasha. If anyone saw that they were going out, they would probably tease and judge her.

"Are you okay?"

Soon, Jacen showed, and he collapsed mid-sentence.

"Jacen? You're hurt too? What is going on here?!"

Sasha had left her phone in her room, and was confused when Enzo got the text, even more so when Enzo opened the door and Marcus was there, along with a seriously wounded Jacen who collapsed soon after. Oh right. He was that dude that dropped the chandelier on that bastard.

Seeing Enzo's confusion, Sasha stepped forward, oblivious to the fact that Enzo didn't want her to be seen, "Fuckin' idiots getting themselves hurt the whole time we're here. Lemme take a look, I know basic healing procedures. "

She knelt down, digging out from her pocket a vial of that purified water she had used to heal her minor wounds, spreading it along Jacen's battered body, "I'm no pro, but I can do a decent job of stopping the blood from spilling out."

Now, Sasha's method for healing was different from Eos's. First of all, it would hurt. Not the burning pain caused by the original wound, but a more subtle pain that felt like ice being drawn through your veins. It placated the pain after, but would only temporarily stop the pain if you were severely injured.

Meanwhile, Ines was searching frantically through the hotel for the other stuffers, having found that none of them were in their rooms.

"I'm actually surprised you found me Jacen, this isn't even the room we're supposed to be in." He offered a wry smile before taking on a more serious tone. "We're going back to Sorcerers, A.S.A.P. And I'm sorry to have worried you with the text, I just needed your attention." Just then Jacen irked in pain, "God dammit! See! This is exactly why we're leaving. I don't know what the hell is going on, but I'd rather fight whatever is after you guys on familiar ground, then this shitty country which doesn't even give us much of a chance to fight back." Marcus took a moment to survey the damage in the room, "Christ, I am not paying for this. The sooner we're out of here the better." He let out a heavy sigh, his body was aching even more and he went to the closet, where he knew first aid kits provided by the hotel were kept. He pulled it out and flicked it open, "Do you know first aid?" His eyes were focused on Enzo. Regardless if he and Sasha were sharing an intimate moment, romance could wait until the battle was over. "White one of you are looking after Jacen's wounds, the other can help me with mine." In the package were a couple of pain killers, far too little to supply them both. "Give the Advil or whatever generic name brand they gave it,to Jacen. I think I can suck it up for the mean time. After that, I need you both to do what you can to get a hold of the other students. Search the city if you have to, but stay in a group. I've got your other teacher trying to track them all down as well." He was feeling pretty crappy about trying to bark orders at the frightened students, but he was doing what he had to. Protecting them at all costs.

Seeing Sasha tend to Jacen told Enzo that he had to take care of Marcus, even before he mentioned it. The more he explained the need to leave, the more Enzo panicked. He frantically searched about the room, looking for something to dull his pain.

Pain.. Painkillers! He quickly went into the bathroom, and searched the cabinets, finding a bottle of painkillers inside. He rushed across the room to Marcus, and handed him the bottle. "Will that do?"

"That would cost a pretty penny, so good luck." Pocketing the phone, she leaned against the railing on one of the walls as they descended. Noticing him jump at a message from his cell phone, Kira raised an eyebrow. "Don't get 'em that often?" Odd reaction to getting a text message. Perhaps it was one of those chain messages, or, 'junk mail'.

"I'm allergic to grapes, so it kinda sucks. Others have worse allergies than I do." In a way, she was lucky that it wasn't anything like tomatoes or anything she'd actually Like. Once the doors opened up to the lobby, Kira pushed herself off and exited the elevator, figuring David would follow her to the exit of the hotel. Her car was in the visitors parking lot, not that much of a walk.

His head turned towards the boy's outstretched hand, offering him a bottle of pain killers. "That'll do nicely. Thank you." Marcus emptied about four capsules into his palm and threw them into his mouth, swallowing all of them dry. It was well over the recommended dosage, but his years of drinking probably already destroyed his internal organs, what more would a few pills do? He then rolled the bottle over to Sasha, it tapped her foot lightly. "Give Jacen two or three, and hold on to these for the mean time." He allowed a few moments for his own pain killers to kick in before standing back to his feet. At last, his body felt relatively normal, well enough to walk around for a while. It did have some dizzying affects on him though, coupled with his injuries his balance was a bit off, but he was able to stabilize himself just enough to move without falling over. "Alright, I'm going back to my room for a few minutes, just to see if any other students show up. If Jacen comes to, tell him to come join me in room one thirty-two. Remember what I told you both, stay close, find the others, and report back here immediately. Use your phones, search the streets, ask around, do what you can to find the rest of the students." He walked towards the doorway and stood there for a brief moment, "And guys, I'm sorry about Maya. Good luck, I have the utmost faith in you two." For the first time in a while he was able to make it to his room without having to drag himself along the wall.
He left his door wide open, and plopped down on his bed. There was a can of two day-old beer sitting on the nightstand, and he downed it in only a couple of gulps. It was disgusting to say the least, but he wasn't going to have a repeat of the other night's events. He took only a few minutes to let the alcohol settle in his already upset stomach before rummaging through his things. Buried beneath a few of his clothes, was a box with special properties. The contents of the container would remain invisible, even to x-ray scanners found at all airports, it was the perfect way to smuggle weaponry into different countries undetected. Inside, were an extra pair of hidden blades and a holstered Korovin pistol, a magazine in the chamber, and an two extra ones at its side. Including the round in the chamber, it was twenty-five shots totaled. He attached the blades his wrists, tested them, then inspected the firearm before concealing it on his person, sliding the extra cartridges into his pocket. "I'm going to have to use this before we leave, I know I am..."

David grinned a little at her question. "Err, not really... Grapes? You're allergic to grapes? That's horrible! I love grapes!!" He frowned at the thought of someone not being able to enjoy grapes like he has many times. Grapes were one of his favorite treats, and he didn't get them as often as he'd like.
He followed behind her to her car, staring at her long hair, realizing how pretty it looked when it swayed back and forth. He shook his head, smiling again. "Say, you have nice hair."

"Which kind do you like?" Out of the few she had eaten before the allergic reaction had set in, they were delicious. A shame it was something she couldn't have again. "Maybe I can have them if I really crave it, but I'd rather not risk the pain while I heal up." She wasn't completely immune to the allergy attack, thus she still suffered it until her ability kicked in and tried to counter it. Painful process.

Glancing over at David at the compliment, Kira offered a smile in return. "Thank you. I don't usually get hair compliments." She couldn't recall the last time she did, if there was one. Upon reaching the parking structure, she turned to the right. Keys out, she unlocked the car and motioned for him to get in. "Not afraid of a bit of speed, are you?" She asked, smirking. New York driving was always crazy. Maybe he wasn't keen on fast driving.

Without looking, Sasha grabbed the bottle of pills, took three, and stuffed them in Jacen's mouth, pushing it down with some water. She wasn't much of a caring nurse, if you could call her that.

She watched Marcus leave, nodding as he did, Stay close...I can do that..."

"I love them all!" David replied with a big grin on his face. She didn't often get compliments on her hair? "Well, why not? Your hair is so nice, and it looks so smooth.." When they arrived at her car, he opened the door and slid into the seat, closing the door after him. "Not at all. In fact, the faster, the better." He leaned back in his seat, getting comfortable as he waited for Kira to start moving.

The wait was killing him. No one, apart from those he had just seen, had yet to show up, let alone message him back. His leg shook uncontrollably as his patience thinned. In any other situation, he'd probably be fine, but knowing peoples' lives were in danger, it was agitating him beyond belief. Marcus pulled his phone out again, and set another mass-text.

EVERYONE, REFER TO LAST MESSAGE! RETURN TO THE HOTEL IMMEDIATELY!

He let out a heavy sigh setting the phone next to him on the night stand. Returning to his moping position and restless taping, he began to feel pity for himself. In his current state, he could barely fight. The students were either in serious trouble or ignoring him. And how the hell could he explain this all to the headmaster? Dead student, possibly more, damaged streets, store, hotel, jeez, he wouldn't see a paycheck for years! On top of that, he sent another new teacher out into the busy streets of New York by herself. What kind of frigging mentor was he? From here on, things weren't going to get easier that's for sure. Biting his lower lip, trying to hold back the urge to scream, he put his head in his hands and rocked to and fro slowly. "I'm so useless..." he muttered.

Getting in the car herself, she buckled up and started up the engine. Pulling out of the parking lot, she sped off to the streets. "Usually get complimented on anything and everything else but my hair." Now that she thought about it, the only other person who did say anything about her hair, was Harley. The compliment revolved around the color and softness of the hair though. Also how it made her skin look all the more 'doll-like'.

"You've been everywhere, you say. How old are you?" He didn't look that much older than herself. "Dropped out of school?"

David was completely at ease with Kira's driving, and put his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. He stuck up a finger when Kira was talking to correct her. "Not everywhere, just a lot of places. I'm 18. School? Never been. Learned everything I needed to from the people I've fought and lived with since I was young. I left home when I was about... 10, I think.. And I've been traveling ever since." He looked at his phone again to see another text from Marcus. Whatever it was, it seemed urgent. He glanced back at Kira briefly and closed his phone, sliding it back into his pocket. "Course, I still got a lot to learn.. But a vacation every now and then isn't a bad thing, right?" He sighed, glancing out the window at the people walking by, minding their own business.

Her heels clacked loudly on the stairs up to the roof. Ines had searched the hotel floors twice over, and had found no one. The only place left would be the roof. She frantically swung the door open- but it wouldn't budge. Ines sighed; she had no choice but to use her ability now, though magic was banned in America.

Closing her eyes, Ines concentrated on the suitcase in her room. She hadn't bothered to check it in in the airport, and had instead left it at home for one reason, and one reason alone: there was a weapon in there that she packed just in case- and this happened to be one such situation where one would use them.

A woosh, and her weapon of the day was in her hands.


Ines flared the whip back, and snapped it forwards to the door, causing the chair on the other side to tip over, and the door to swing open. As she suspected, two students were on the roof, along with a man. All three seemed to be slightly dazed.

Right.. Have to round everyone up.. Enzo made a mental note of it as Marcus left. If anyone was going to round people up, it would be him. Trouble followed him anyways. He grabbed his jacket and slinged an arm through it, rushing out of the room, and out to Sasha. "I'm going to do what Marcus said. Stay here." He told her before running towards the stairs.

So much for a sane night.

Sasha nodded, "S'not like I'm going anywhere," she replied, smirking, "I'll just keep watch on this guy and make sure that he doesn't die while you're out. Y'stay safe."

She gave him a small wave, before returning her concentration back towards Jacen, who was still unconscious. At least, that's what it seemed like. Sasha huffed, "Idiot, wake up already."

Enzo made his way to the lobby. It was very quiet now as it was nearing 8:00PM. The city lights were out again, and Enzo was getting ready to rush off into this foreign maze by himself. Enzo hadn't noticed, but Kenji had been in his hair for a while now, so he truly wasn't alone.

Before leaving the safety and warmth of the hotel, he opened his cellphone, seeing the two messages that were sent by Marcus and calling Silver. Maybe she was with JD, Voli, Eos- whoever.

"Tch, no signal.." He muttered to himself as he read the warning on his cellphone. He closed it and put it back in his pocket, then, he ran off into the city.

"Did your parents let you go easily?" Kira wouldn't have been very willing to let go of a non-user child, if she ever had any. Each to their own. People had their reasons for doing what they did. "How is that like? Traveling and such. Best place you've gone to?" She'd want to do that at some point in life. Go out and see various places. Unattainable right now due to lack of funds. "Vacations are never a bad thing. --Unless it's this one. This one seems to be sucky for you. Getting attacked and all."

"It wasn't easy for them, but they knew it was something I needed to do. I dunno how they managed to let me go at such a young age, but they did... Well, my mom did.. My dad was never around too much, so I hardly remember him.." His relaxed expression became a bit more sad thinking of his parents, especially his father. His mind tried to bring up some old memories, but he quickly buried them back, answering Kira's other questions. "It's cool, you get to see a lot of things and meet a lot of people. The best place would probably be Italy. I'll tell ya, there's no place like home." David grinned a bit thinking of the food he used to get when he'd visit.

"As for this vacation, it could be a lot worse. I'm always getting attacked simply for being me. I hate it, too. People think I'm weak. They figure since I'm a decent guy, I wouldn't harm a fly. Well, that's true. But if that fly were to suddenly attack me and bite off my arm, I would probably end up harming it." He sighed, recalling more past memories and events that he regretted. His hands behind his head clenched up a bit, but he put his hands down in his lap to relax. "..But enough about me, I'm a boring guy. What about you? What's your story?"

JD was trying this damndest to ignore the fact that his back pocket was vibrating more than usual. Someone was trying to get a hold of them, and unfortunately they would have to hold their horses- tight- like almost suffocatingly tight. Haimon was a lot to handle, and he was fast as well as ruthless. Yet JD was well armored, and was buffered against the individuals strongest of offense. That still didn't mean that the other man would give up so easily. Next thing the blonde haired boy knew as that he was attempting to fend of a flurry of blows, and slowly losing his ground. JD was an offensive player with a strong defense. Sadly enough what he didn't have was the agility to dodge- he was fast, but that was only due to his increase in strength- he was not dexterous. He winced as a few blows made their way through and jarred him from the inside out- that was going to be a nasty bruise- he hoped. He had figured that he would drop his guard shortly when Haimon was just beating him senseless, and try to deliver a powerful blow while taking one of Haimons. JD knew that all Silver needed was a moment.
Sadly- that moment didn't happen.
Haimon managed to deliver a heavy blow to chin as JD's hand didn't quite manage to brush off the other's punch- and as the man went in to finish him off JD realized that his sacrifice in taking this hit to deliver his own might be more fatal than he realized.

About that time the game changed. The world around him erupted in pitch darkness, and JD found himself both severly dizzy and amazed at the same time. Vertigo washed over him as he near about floated through the air, and that surprise mixed with the fear of the unknown caused him to lose his armoring. That of course made his organs return back to their destructible selves, and for a wave of fatigue to roll over him. JD let out a hacking cough and blood erupted into his mouth- a tangy coppery taste that managed to infiltrate his sinuses as well. His lip was split, his nose bruised, and he honestly didn't know how many more covered his torso. This would be the time Eos would heal him, and they would be the indestructible duo- but now he was just a wounded boy hovering in a dark, eyeball-filled vortex. "Si-silver," he croacked. He hoped to the heavens that this was her doing and not Haimon's finishing move.

Harley had finished her pancakes and coffee, leaving the money for her bill and a small tip in her wake. The woman behind the counter always tried to turn it down, knowing the girl's situation, but with the way they were always so nice to her there - it was the least she could do.

Making her way outside, she got a chill from the sudden cold sensation, pulling her black hood over her head and pulling it close around her cheeks. "I need a smoke." As she reached into her pocket to grab her cigarettes, she felt her phone vibrate and read the text with a sigh.

In all honesty, she didn't really like new company intruding on her already existing relationships. But if the end of that message was true, then maybe she would keep her mouth shut - maybe.

We'll see. If he can out eat me at the buffet he can hang out with you.
Hurry up, it's cold.

"Then let's not waste any more time." She knew there was no protesting, and even though he needed proper rest there was no way he would agree to not going straight to aid his friends.

Taking hold of his hand she nodded to him, giving him a reassuring smile - despite feeling partially lightheaded from using so much energy. "Lead the way!" The two agreed on so much and shared so many of the same fears, she felt that most words they were to share could be left unsaid and they would still completely understand one another.

He nodded, not saying another word and hoisting her up in a bridal carry. He could tell by the heavy look in her eyes that she used a lot of her power to heal him. That made him feel even worse. "I should get her to a safer spot when we get to the Hotel..." He carried her out from the vacated lot and made his way back to the Hotel. He went around the back way, keeping out of sight of he public so he can use his Shadow Warping to get to the Hotel a little faster. As he shifted through the dark corners of alleyways, back exits, and short service tunnels he had a more determined look in his eyes now that he knows the strength of his coming foes and what impact his life may have on the others. Seeing Eos in such remorse gave him his determination he needed, once more. "Silver, hold off the best you can till I get there..."

As Enzo rushed his way down the streets and through the crowds of New York, he felt Volitaire's power increase dramatically. Voli's okay... He thought.

He was mainly following magic presences, since very few people used magic in New York. Kenji picked up on this as well. "That's a smart move." He commented as Enzo turned around a corner. "Kenji! Where are you?" Enzo slowed down to a halt, and looked around his surroundings for him. "I'm on your head, retard." Enzo looked up to see Kenji waving at him. "W-Well now that you're here, you have to help me!" "I know, find the others?" Kenji sighed for a second. "Marcus has got the right idea, but he's in too much pain to move. I figured I'd help you out since you don't speak English." Kenji gave him a disappointed look, and Enzo sunk a little in shame.

After a moment of silence, Enzo spoke. "Where is Silver and JD?" "JD is with Silver, and She... She's fighting her own demons right now." Worry flooded Enzo's emotions. "I see.."

"Let's find the others." Kenji said, pulling on one of his hairs. "Ow! R-right!" Then, the two of them continued to roam the city, looking for their friends.

The eyes were directed at Haimon, who was still a bit panicked at this point. A small child's laugh could be heard not too far away, echoing and getting louder. Haimon was trying to stay calm, but it wasn't working. "T-This is an illusion, why can't I see through it?"
"Because you're weak. Isn't that what you always told me? The weak should be killed off, they have no purpose in this world. Besides making the strong, stronger, that is.. Isn't that right?" Silver spoke, but her voice sounded a bit off, almost as if she was possessed. Mouths formed underneath the eyes, grinning in the most disturbing way at Haimon. They got closer and closer to him, and he tried to back away, but he couldn't. He began swinging his swords frantically at them, having no idea what else he could do. He lost his grip on reality, and Silver was making him lose his mind too. "Do you understand now the nightmares that I've had to go through every night?" The faces in the shadows began laughing, the laughter getting louder each second. Haimon looked around, no longer seeing JD or anything besides darkness and faces everywhere. They were taunting him, and he was getting paranoid. "Stop this, I swear, I-"

Suddenly, it all disappeared. The illusion fell, and Silver stood behind him, her ring lit up and flames coming out of it, spreading to her weapons. She put her swords together, and the flames stretched out to form a tall scythe. "You'll what. Kill me? Not this time. Tell me, how does it feel to be at the weak one?" Silver's eyes glowed a bit of red around the pupils, and she glared at him. "Silver.. Y-You.." She stuck her hand out to shush him. She's awoken.. Silver raised the scythe, still staring at Haimon. "Any last words?" Haimon smiled. She's finally ready. And I'm on the other side of it.. "I'm glad." Silver didn't like those words. She swung down her scythe, cutting his head clean off. There was no blood, however, only shadows. Where blood should have been, it was some sort of black matter. His head rolled and he was still smiling, but after a few seconds, his body vanished.

Silver stared at the ground with tired eyes, and glanced to her scythe. Whatever strange aura she had left, and her eyes went back to normal. The flames stopped coming out of the rings, and the scythe was beginning to go back to her normal swords. She looked back to some of the black matter left behind, and her eyes widened. She dropped the scythe, and stared at her hands, dropping to her knees. "Oh, no.."