Illian Mini-Series: Come to Terms

Story by Markus Snow on SoFurry

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#2 of Illian Mini-Series: The Darkness Within


Hey there everyone, chapter 2 of the mini-series is finally here and I thought I'd experiment a bit with this chapter. About halfway through May, when the mini-series first hatched into my head, I started laying down the plot like you saw in the first chapter. But yet, I also began thinking "How can I take some of these ideas and yiff them up a bit?" In the chapter you'll see what I came up with. Enjoy.

Too much had happened to Kia within the few seconds she remembered being conscious. First, the great red eye opened and closed quickly, then the great stalactite above them shattered and from it came an explosion of purple that sent her into the darkness she now laid in. For hours now, she let herself recuperate and put the pieces of this very confusing puzzle together as best as she could. Yet, there were pieces missing in the grand puzzle; one being where exactly she now found herself. At first, she figured she was back in the cave, but the feeling of the little bumps and curves brushing against the fur on her back told her otherwise. With a deep, relaxed breath, Kia decided there was only one way to find the puzzle pieces. Slowly, she put herself in a sitting position, opened her eyes slowly and found herself on a small bed in an incredibly small hut. The color of a rich bark, the hut was only furnished with the bed she rested on, a single chair, a small, auburn desk and a stone ring for a fire. Looking down at herself, Kia sighed in relief to find that whoever had taken her into their hospitality had been kind enough to keep her clothed in her red silk dress and everything underneath. Taking a breath, the orange furred feline moved to the side of the bed and let her feet reach the ground, each foot now nestled in a forest of grass the color of jade. Smiling as an odd, warming sensation climbed up her feet and made its way to her head, the feline stood up and walked out of the wooden doorframe that ironically held no door.

Shutting her eyes almost immediately as the early afternoon sun bathed her body; Kia heard a familiar snort followed by "It's good to see you are awake. Let your eyes adjust and then follow me, we have a serious problem." Concern deep within the green broodling's voice, Kia heard the faint rustle of Oz's feet walking away from her, almost beckoning for the feline to follow. Opening her now adjusted eyes to the scene before her, Kia found herself in a large meadow of jade grass and willow trees in the distance, with brown huts, both large and small, surrounding her like a village. Not letting herself being taken away by the beautiful scene before her, the feline picked up her speed and found herself by Oz's side as they walked around the huts. Heads of Evizil, Geckos, Dogs, Rabbits, Felines and even Humans popping out of the doorframes of their tiny huts, Kia began to feel a bit uncomfortable as they stared at the two of them, but more particularly her. The forest green broodling sensing this, Oz said warmly "Me and Eon woke up far earlier than you did, it's about mid afternoon now. The people here have gotten to know us a bit and they are our friends, all of them are part of the Races of Light."

Confused, Kia asked "You and Eon? Where's Markus?" To this, Eon only answered with a silence that began to cause fear and worry to swell within the feline. When the two were about halfway through the small village they were reunited with Eon who simply waved hello and found himself on the opposite side of Oz as Kia. Choosing a question she knew Oz could answer, Kia asked "Where are we heading?"

With an almost sly smile, Oz answered "To the leader of this place, whom I know you will find of great interest my dear." Confused yet trusting enough of Oz, the feline simply stayed quiet as the three found their way to a massive cabin in the shape of an octagon. Gold paint gently brushed on its delicate pine wood, the cabin gave off no feelings of superiority or majesties, but that of a home long awaiting its owners. On each of its eight sides, two stain glass windows depicting famous scenes of the War of Shattered Souls or merely the portraits of respected gods could be seen in myriads of hues. Above the great double doors that served as the main entrance to this colossal cabin, a great orange banner with a large black emblem of a raging cat head was hung, showing the colors of its current master. This emblem had never been seen by Kia, and certainly not by the others, for no feline on Illian or Ill had ever donned the colors orange and black. Just as the feline was about to ask about the large banner, Eon pulled open one of the large double doors and waved Kia and Oz inside, closing the door behind him as he entered last. The three now found themselves in a hallway branching off into three directions, left, right and forward. The floor was gently covered by a thick carpet of red that spread out into each branch of the hallway like water running down cracked glass. Untouched, the dark brown of the pine wood walls were decorated with tapestries and paintings of the Wolf Goddess or sometimes even a mysterious white Evizil with a gentle face, yet a great broadsword in his right hand. Before Kia could even ask, Oz pointed to it and said "You're looking at Naru (Nh-are-uu), otherwise known as the God of Light."

Shocked, Kia pulled from her history lessons and asked "But I thought he had died before there was any known history, how could someone possibly know what he had looked like?"

Chuckling, Oz replied "Ah, I see you studied your Ancient History well Kia, and to answer your question, Naru is respected, perhaps even honored, by all the gods of Ill and Illian for what he did." Confusion riddled on Kia's face, Oz continued to say "I'm not surprised you don't know; only the gods, goddesses and the Dragon Lore hold his tale. Naru's story takes place ages before the War of Shattered Souls had even been plotted. As Uru became jealous of Izilan and Everin's destined mating, he twisted himself into a god of deceit and darkness, harnessing his powers within the Dein, or The Throne in the Darkness. Sensing his world already tilting into instability, Gree created an Evizil god that was far greater and far purer in heart that Uru, or even Izilan, would ever be. This Evizil, whose coat was an unnatural hue of white due to his powers, was named Naru and given one task, to protect Ill from anything Uru may devise. And so for ages Naru kept his eyes on Ill, Sanctuary and Forgotten Sorrows alike, waiting for any plot the dark god may throw at him. However, Uru was a Millar so genius in his jealousy-twisted world that he found a way to avoid the Everwatch, as Naru was sometimes referred to as. The dark god created a chasm deep in the Dein so dark and malignant only the eyes of those considered his equal could see what lay inside. Now Naru, given the sole purpose to defend Ill, took this into account and did something all of the gods, Gree included, praise him for. The God of Light let himself become corrupted and changed by the evils of the world so that he could see what lay in the chasm. What Everwatch found was the prototypes to beings as dark and as hated as the dark god himself. Immediately Naru returned to Gree and told him of his findings, in return asking for one favor of the Ultimate-Force; that the once God of Light be killed and never reborn. Everwatch's soul had gone through so much corruption in the chasm that it would have been impossible for him to ever find his way back to the light. Understanding this, Gree peacefully and painlessly ended the life service of Naru and smote all of Uru's creations before they had fully come to realization."

Listening with her full attention and her mind pacing through the images the story was sending her, Kia asked "While I admit his acts are great, why is Naru held so highly above everyone else? Many of the gods and goddesses of Ill and Illian have done courageous deeds themselves when pitted against the dark."

"True enough...but without Naru's selflessness, there would have been no gods and goddesses left to fulfill these deeds. For you see, the beings Uru was trying to create were a much more sinister, dark hearted form of the Sinan. When Naru saw these prototypes, he took it upon himself to kill one and bring it back to Gree, for Everwatch alone saw so much potential in the corrupted race. Agreeing with the God of Light, the Ultimate-Force took the dark prototype and locked it away in his unknown realm for many ages, until the War of Shattered Souls had begun. From there, everything else is told through the quills and inks of historians." Finally out of breath as his tale was finished, Oz took a large gulp of air and said "Now then, let's go meet our host." With that, the forest green broodling walked straight, leading to another set of double doors that appeared to lead into the very heart of the cabin. The moment the left door was opened and the room behind it was visible, Kia let her jaw hang open and her eyes widen. Larger than any room she had ever seen before, this throne room was shaped like an octagon and bathed in so many different shades of gold, orange and yellow. On the main walls to her left and to her right, the feline saw that at least three hearths, each filled with a flame that seemed to dance in their containers, each one at least ten feet from each other. Great pillars of what appeared to, oddly enough, be Ebonwood held up this massive structure at corner of the room. The ceiling was an epic stained glass mural of the Final Battle of the War of Shattered Souls, the afternoon sunlight casting through it and giving life to hue after hue after hue of colors in such a way the orange furred feline had never seen before. Throughout the room, rounded tables, both large and small, were found in no apparent order, each matched with at least five chairs and no more than 10; save for the greatest table of all, which held at least 25. On the direct opposite side of the room, two large thrones, one with a spiked golden crown on its top and the other with a silver tiara, were found with the second throne currently inhabited. The one inhabiting it was a feline at least 5' 10'', very muscular body, at least C cupped breasts, yellow, almost golden, irises and a hue of fur that was easily a darkish-orange. The moment Kia spotted the woman in the throne; a dire sense of recognition hit her, though she couldn't tell why. True enough this feline had her eyes and her fur, but this woman was definitely more muscle-bound than Kia was and her expression was a serious coldness, almost like the one Markus tended to wear.

Kia's thoughts were finally shone the light when the woman rose from the throne, smiled warmly at the three and said "Welcome back Oz and sir Eon, and to you my new guest, my name is Kia and I am the current leader of the Races of Light. I humbly welcome you to the last City of Light, Carin." Now, Kia's eyes widened as the feline on the throne spoke, for what she was now looking at was impossible. Before Kia could even speak, the other feline shook her head and said "You do not understand yet dear, for not even I fully understand this, but I have been able to speak to your friend Oz here for quite a few hours now. You are me, and I am you, though what makes us so different I am not sure. Know this however, no one here is as you know them, for nearly three long years of brutal takeover has corrupted and twisted many whom I had considered friends. Before you ask, there is an Oz and an Eonarchanus other than your own, though the other broodling is with his kind and no one has heard from Eon in years."

Looking unsure and doubtful, Kia asked Oz "Is this a trick? If what she says is true, then where is Markus?"

Hissing, the other Kia shook her head and said coldly "Do not say that name within these halls dear, for many have neither the heart nor stomach to withstand it. I will explain in due time, but for now, you will have to trust me and what I say, for it was your friend Oz who first revealed this to me. When you had gone into that cave in the Rea, you and the others had discovered The Eye. The Eye came forth from the deepest magmas of the Dein for a purpose not even Uru knows. Shortly after its creation, it disappeared into the DarkRange and it faded from history. The Eye allows one to see into a life other than their own, yet only one other person other than yourselves have experienced its magics. Kia, the world you are now in is one that, according to your broodling friend, is far parallel to your own. The cities of Scycrain and Arcanus are gone, the Races of Darkness can pass through the Rea and Sanctuary and Forgotten Sorrows are now under the rule of a single person, the Malar King."

Confused and still not quite ready to believe, Kia asked "If this is really a parallel world, then why is it that this world has things mine does as well? You still know of Everwatch, Izilan and the other gods still exist, for their presence is still clear and the Malar King is still a threat and this world is still named Illian, which causes me to believe the War of Shattered Souls still happened."

Now, Oz chimed in and answered "Events that are true for both of our worlds we have dubbed Key Points. The War of Shattered Souls, the Recreation of Ill, Uru's betrayal into the darkness, the birth of his two sons and the cruelty of the Augments he bestowed upon them are a few of the Key Points Kia and I have uncovered so far. From what we can see, not many Key Points are found within history or the current time, but that does not mean that new ones won't surface." Taking in Oz's statement, as well as everything else she had seen or was seeing, Kia decided to give in to the truth and finally accept that she was not in their world.

Finally voicing his thoughts, Eon asked while looking at the other Kia "So how exactly can we go back to our world? I mean no offence against you or this Illian, it is just I am not so ready to give up on my world, for it has just as many problems as yours most likely does."

Nodding in agreement, the stocky Kia replied "That is quite true, and yet I believe the only way to go back is through the same way you came, with The Eye. Luckily, the creation of The Eye is a Key Point, so you can be assured that it does exist, and that is can be found somewhere in the Rea. One problem with this is that since the Races of Darkness were able to pass through the DarkRange, the mountains have started to change and their paths no longer manageable."

Wishing to ask one final question, Kia turned to Oz and asked "Where is Cyn? And for that matter my mate and my child?"

Oz quickly answered "Kane is currently in my dwellings with the full protection of all of my dragonly magics. Cyn, luckily, appeared with us and has found a cave nearby to tend to her wounds. Markus..."

The other Kia interrupted and said "We've received reports that an Evizil with a coat of pure white was taken to Helzingwrong, the GreatCity of the Races of Darkness, within the past few hours. If this is your Markus, then you may wish to stop hoping for his return."

His eyes widening in shock and fear, Oz said quickly "Markus was captured? You only told me he hadn't been with us. Kia, I don't need to tell you how serious this is."

Snorting, the stockier Kia replied "You just may have to Oz, but believe me when you have my condolences Kia. I wish I could help, but for now there is nothing we can do for him; Helzingwrong is a place where no Race of Light comes back, and I am not going to risk what little men I have to try and bring him out. The only option available to us is to grow stronger and wait for a chance to bring him back to reveal itself."

Hating the idea of just letting her mate stay in that horrible place until he either died or could be saved, Kia looked to Oz and surprisingly found him in the same state of mind, even though he was a person of far greater patience and understanding. Yet no matter how much she tried to think of a plan, none worth even conjuring into reality came to mind. Kia knew full well how terrible a place Helzingwrong had been in her world, for volumes upon volumes were lined with ink, all so desperately trying to record the evils that place had committed. The city itself was crafted during the First Ages of Ill and by the very demon Markus harbored now inside his soul. When Valecruiz had a body, one that he used to its utmost potential to lay waste to all that was good, he knew he needed two things; a home and a failsafe in case something were to ever go wrong. The latter he fixed by crafting the Crown of Darkness, a crown filled with so much of Valecruiz's power and malice not even Uru had dared touch it for fear that it would consume him. The former, however, was done slowly, yet when it was finished Illian had been forced to give birth to Helzingwrong, known in the Common Tongue as The Void of the World. The reason for this name was because no man or woman would ever dare of marking Helzingwrong on any map of any sort, for even before its own creation the city had been tainted by the black blood of murdered workers and raped concubines. Indeed the city was aptly named, and now sadly the truth of her other self slapped Kia in the face as she knew she had no other choice but to wait it out. Sighing heavily, the slim, orange furred feline asked "Mind if we have a tour of the place?"

Catching on to Kia's need of a change in subject, the stockier feline smiled warmly, climbed down a set of pinewood stairs that separated the thrones from the rest of the room and answered happily "Of course, of course, what sort of host would I be without doing so? Please, please...follow me."

****

By the time Kia and her friends had finally finished the grand tour of the cabin castle and the rest of Carin, a pearl white moon shined its light from the skies in its full glory. Wisps of clouds waltz slowly across their great stage of the sky and sometimes even dared to block the glory of the lord of their stage from the view of the people on Illian. Throughout the entire town tall lanterns were lit with adolescent flames that danced in their tiny homes and sang their rough song of embers and ashes contently. Each house was illuminated by the gentle flames of the lanterns and soon it became apparent why the other Kia had named the small city the City of Light. At the cabin castle, each window was illuminated by a small candle lit with a tamed flame and the great ceiling of the throne room was lightened by the natural love of the full moon, which even added a hue or two of silver and white to the brilliance of color that danced on the throne room floor. By now it was far too late and Kia's mind was set with worry not only for Markus, but for their child Kane as well. But just as she was about to leave with the others, the stockier Kia put a hand on her shoulder and said "Wait, Kia...why don't you spend the night here? It's been lonely for me lately and I'm sure it beats sleeping in a hut alone as well."

Looking to the other Kia, the orange furred feline was about to reject the offer when Oz said "I agree, Kia, Kane will be with me tonight and in the morrow you can spend as much time as you like with him. We're very new to this form of Illian and the two of you are in the same state of loneliness. Trust me my dear; no harm will come to your son."

Seeing no other option, Kia said with a tone of surprisingly relief "Alright, I will join you tonight Lady Kia, but on the morrow I will want to spend the night with my infant, if that does not anger you."

With a reassuring smile the well built Kia replied "Oh of course you can my dear, no force on this world should tear a mother and her child apart. But now then...I do believe we get ready for bed, I get the feeling the coming day will be hard on all of us." Each and everyone of them nodding in agreement, Eon and Oz left through the front doors of the cabin castle, whereas Kia and her other self turned the opposite direction and headed for a single brown door behind the two thrones. As the muscle bound Kia opened the door and entered it, the slimmer feline could only look around the room in awe. Flowers of nearly every sort were found around the room on tiny shelves of auburn wood. The floor was fully covered with a red carpeting that looked quite like the type used in the hallways and when combined with the untouched brown of the wooden walls, gave the room a true beauty of nature and mortal working together. The left side of the room held a double person bed, a small chest that Kia knew embarrassingly enough to be filled with all of her little "toys", a large mirror with a seat in front of it and finally a small hand table next to the bed. The other side of the room was mainly lined with shelves that held flowers on them, but also various weapons and oddly enough a large black chest locked thrice, each lock requiring a differently sized and shaped key. Kia's room-induced trance was finally ended when the stockier Kia began taking off the long golden dress she had been wearing for the day and called out to the slim feline "So...what is your Illian like Kia?"

Closing the door behind her, Kia began ridding herself of her clothing slowly before she started saying "My Illian is a place of magic, might, wonder and darkness. A place where the balance between the light and the dark is now being constantly fought over and where the darkness has the upper hand. Yet, in my world, one person is the sole hope for the light to keep its radiance in Illian, and this one person is willing to lose everything one might know about them in order to see their world happy again. My world is filled with lore and song and sword and shield, with magic and shadow and joy and fear. Bust most importantly of all...my world is filled with love." By the time she had finished telling the stockier Kia all of this, the slimmer feline had finished reducing her protection to its barest form and found herself now under the blanket of the left side of the double bed while she watched her other self get ready. At this point, the other Kia was down to only a pair of bright pink panties and a matching bra while she watched herself in the mirror as she applied an odd oil-like substance to her tail, stroking it into the fur gently but surely. Curious, Kia asked "What is that oil for?"

Turning to face Kia with a smile on her face, the stockier feline replied "It keeps the fur in my tail stiff so it doesn't mess while I'm sleeping, if you want you can use it too."

Shaking her head sleepily, Kia said surely "No thank you, I just want to get some rest."

Removing what was left of her clothing, the muscular feline gently walked over to her side of the double bed, slid herself underneath the blanket covering the cloth and hay mattress and looked at Kia quizzically. Slowly, she let her thick yet gentle right hand crawl its way up the mattress and when it was within a hair's distance away from touching Kia's chest, she stopped. Watching her nearly sleeping counterpart, the stockier Kia asked seriously "Kia, have you ever experimented before with other people other than your mate?"

Her senses starting to kick back in at the mentioning of Markus, Kia looked at the other feline and said seriously and honestly "Only once, and that was before I even met him. He understands that there is no way we could have known even before we met each other that we were going to be life partners and that I was an attractive feline in the early days of her prime. Now that we are mates I can only lay my body down for him and him alone, for anyone else would be considered a betrayal of his pacts to me. My mate can only lay with one person in his entire life, unless forced to do otherwise, because of his Evizil instincts and doing otherwise is considered an offence to his physical being. Yet, I hold no complaints for he is the only person in Illian I lay myself to day after day with the full confidence that we will be happy for the rest of our lives together." As she said this, Kia watched the other feline and began to wonder where her counterpart's mate was, for it seemed highly unlikely she would wait this long without seeking a life partner.

Smiling, the stockier Kia replied "Do you think his instincts could tell between your scent and the scent of your counterpart? For if you say he is an Evizil...then his instincts rely on his smell to determine if you have slept with another." As she finished saying this, the muscular Kia made her move like a viper and let her hand take hold of her counterpart's large left breast and begin kneading it gently. Laughing as the slimmer Kia gasped in utter shock and a hint of pleasure, the built feline continued to say "Trust me, I spend my days with plenty of other women here and when my needs call I rely on them to assuage them. I know what I'm doing my dear and right now my needs, and from what I can tell yours, are calling desperately." Her counterpart staring at her with yellow eyes riddled in confusion, the stockier Kia flipped her body over her counterpart's and took hold of her other breast with her left hand and focused on twisting her nipples gently between her fingers. Deep in confusion and the beginning of lust, the slimmer, more attractive Kia let a mew slip from her small muzzle and with that she knew she had betrayed her mate to her own self. Smiling with delight, the well built Kia pressed herself down on her counterpart gently and while kneading her counterpart's left breast began licking its nipple in a clockwise circle. Her rough tongue combining with the silk-smooth feel of the sensitive pink circle was enough to cause the woman underneath her to mew once again in pleasure. After every three licks, the muscular Kia would lower her head and gently engulf the breast little by little with her mouth, her tongue working the gently fur on the large orb of pleasure. Their thighs both covered in the water pleasure of their sexes, the two Kias let their mounds touch every now and then, causing the pleasure to jolt within them as if they had been struck by a lightning bolt of ecstasy. When her needs began to call on her with more force, the stockier Kia would even arch her back so that their sexes rubbed and mixed longer and with a more fiery intensity. Even though the stockier Kia was definitely the lead in this night, her counterpart was surely putting forth her effort by licking the muscular feline's nipples and even sucking on them now and then like a newborn kitten. As they continued this for what felt like hours, the two finally hit not one, but three climaxes in their short time of sex.

Flicking her tail and bending it so that it was now oddly close to the her counterpart's sex, the stockier Kia said "I lied before when I said the oil was used only for getting rid of messy morning tail fur...the alchemist who makes it assures me the fur becomes as stiff as wood...or other hard, pleasurable objects." As the meaning dawned on the slimmer feline, the stocky Kia had already begun plunging the stiff tail into her counterpart's sex. A large gasp of pleasure pouring from her small muzzle as the stronger feline was filling the slimmer feline's sex with her tail, Kia instinctively pulled her counterpart closer to her body so that the tail could not only go deeper, but so their bodies could finally come together. Both of their hard nipples and their large, soft breasts coming together, the two Kias mewed in harmony as their pleasure began to rise and become known. Working her stiff tail in and out of her counterpart's wet sex with ease, the stockier Kia began to feel another climax rising within her and undoubtedly within the slimmer feline. Moving her body in the motion of her tail, the muscular Kia mewed in pleasure as their breasts rubbed together smoothly and their nipples bolted pleasure into each other's body like a lightning rod. With a deep, final thrust, both Kias finally came together in a synchronized climax that soaked the blanket and the mattress as well as their lower bodies. Their bodies tired and pleasured, the muscular feline rolled back over to her side and panted as she said "See...I know the ways of a woman my dear..."

A warm laugh coming in through her pants, Kia replied "True enough...but do you only have woman now to your bed?"

Catching all of her breath, the sturdier Kia said seriously "No, but there is only one man I will take to my bed and only one, but our lives are so parallel that it is only in dreams that he comes to me now. But don't worry about that tonight...tell me, who is your mate exactly?"

Looking seriously at the wall after wall of flowers, Kia replied "His name is Markus Frostbane."

Her eyes wider than saucers and filled with a dark horror, her counterpart said "Your mate...the one they captured...was Markus Frostbane? The one from your time?"

Nodding gravely, Kia answered with her throat thick now with worry and sadness "Yes...and I miss him so much and now I worry that tonight I have earned Markus's wrath."

"This is what Oz was saying before...Kia, believe me...we have much greater things to worry about than what your mate will say if he finds out. Kia...Markus Frostbane and his brother Felix Lightbane are Key Points within themselves. The enemy now has not only three Key Points but three Augments."

Now turning to her counterpart with fear and doubt in her eyes, Kia replied "Markus will never join them Kia, he wouldn't. In my world he is the one person I was talking about, he is the person willing to lose himself to the Augment so that he can make my world better. The only thing I fear now is that I may lose him forever to Death's hands."

Shaking her head, the stockier Kia said "I pray you are right my dear, for if he joins them we have no hope left for Illian. Two Augments has brought us to this...I have no idea what will happen with three."

Hoping to change the subject, Kia asked "So this man you love...who is he?"

Looking down at the blanket she was covered in, the well built Kia answered "He is the very person you love Kia...yet the one from my time. I...I feel in love with the Malar King, Markus Frostbane." As she looked to Kia, she found that it was the slimmer feline's turn to look at her in shock and horror. Nodding her head, the counterpart continued to say "In this world...Markus was never bitten by an Evizil in an attempt to save his friend...he was with his brother Felix and the two of them were bitten by a Malar and given their curse. Immediately Markus's powers began to grow and within less than a year of his upbringing into their kind, he already had the power to dethrone the former King. With Markus and the powers of the two Augments, the Races of Darkness were able to create a path straight through the Rea and finally end the division between the two realms. And so for nearly three years now all of Illian has been under the attack and ruling of Markus Frostbane and I have been the leader of the Races of Light. Yet it was nearly two years ago that I was captured by Markus himself and fell in love with him. He is all I have ever wanted in a single person: smart, courageous, strong, fearless and overall a true leader. While yes, he had raped me in our time together, half the time I'm starting to believe I wanted him to do so. But it is as I said...our lives are so parallel now that I know without a doubt the only way we can be together is in death, and even then we may not have that chance. But now then...I believe rest is calling us with the same fervor as our lust before."

****

Sparks flew from Vice and Blaze and nearly burned his right eye as Markus found himself caught in a gridlock with a person he never thought was even possible, himself. This morning the Evizil had been woken from the wooden bed he had found himself in the day before only to be led to a large black and red room with shades pulled over every window of the room so the Malar were not plagued with their fiery bane in the sky. Immediately Markus had been pushed into the center of the room and from behind his counterpart, whom Markus now knew had become the Malar King, drew forth from his Crystal Tyrs sheath the most spectacular longsword the Evizil had ever seen. Bathed in a color so red blood looked like a gentle shade of pink, The sword the Malar Markus was wielding could easily send fear into the hearts of the strong, more so the weak. The hilt was a fine gold embedded with a rich ruby in its center that truly made this sword one fit for a king. Sapphire runes in the tongue of Relsinger were found trailing up and down the blade, winding themselves every which way so that in the light the entire sword became almost a tome of the words of the gods. And like its sheath, the blade was made out of the crystalline ore that has proven time and time again to never crack, much less shatter, against any force it comes upon. As Markus turned to face his counterpart, his left eye was immediately drawn to the brilliant longsword and fear took him in an instant. As the Malar King noticed Markus's fear, he laughed, swung the blade once in the air and said in the same voice the Evizil held "This...is Velar or "The Ender in the tongues of Man and beast alike. This weapon was given to me by Great Millar Uru, God of Deceit and Darkness. Markus, if you truly wish to defend your claim that you are who I am, then prove to me you are just as worthy of holding this blade as I am."

Summoning his two shortswords, the two companions he had held with him for 10 long months, Markus replied "And how would I do that? Take that very sword from your hands or kill you in battle?"

Roaring with laughter, Markus's counterpart gave his toothy grin as he answered "You will never be able to take Velar from me, even if you put forth everything you had. No my dear boy, simply last ten minutes against my might and I will know who you are."

"Ten minutes? What would make you so sure I'm not just a good wielder of the spell and blade?"

"Because no one has lasted ten minutes against me, not even my own brother." Behind the Malar King, the blonde, red eyed vampire stood against a black and red wall with a frown and eyes screaming disappointment. Pulling an hourglass out from inside the black shirt he was wearing, the Malar Markus set it on the floor beside him and tipped it so the sands began pouring into the other end of the glass. Almost the exact second the first grain of sand loosened itself from the rest and began falling, Markus's counterpart became nothing more than a streak of black and red as Velar came at Markus with an uppercut. His instincts now panicked the Evizil quickly put Vice and Blaze in front of him in an X formation. At the exact moment he did that did the god-like blade of his counterpart come from underneath and caught the other two blades in a gridlock. Laughing, the Malar King gritted his teeth as he tried to knock away Markus's two swords and said "Within the first second you would have been dead my friend. Still nine minutes and fifty-five seconds to go." With that the Malar broke the gridlock by rushing Velar through the bottom of the two blades and came at Markus with a horizontal swing coming from the left, but his attack was interrupted by the Dark Fire blade of Vice. As soon as he had blocked this attack Markus knew that trying to defend himself for the full ten minutes would only result in his early death, and too much was riding on his survival to let him make that mistake. The fear his eyes held now fading as this truth came to his heart, Markus swung Blaze with his right hand and had only manage to slice into his counterpart's shirt sleeve before the Malar dashed back in a blur. His sleeve shirt now engulfed in Dark Fire, the Malar Markus quickly used his longsword to cut into the sleeve and from there pull the entire thing off the rest of the shirt before his entire wardrobe burst into black flame. The grains of sand were falling ever faster and yet Markus sadly knew that not even a full minute had gone by in their fight. Tightening his grip on the two flame drenched shortswords, the Evizil broke the second ring of the Guard and quickly transformed into the Lycan form. Now at least five inches taller, putting him at 6' 1'', Markus began feeling strength rush through all six feet of his body and his senses sharpen greatly. His now pure yellow eyes began examining his target, though only through his left eye was he able to gain information his instincts and his mind could use. Dashing left and right at speeds that made him appear as if he were jumping across the room, Markus spun himself in a full circle with Vice and Blaze held out in front of him and was rewarded with a confused look from his opponent. His shortswords now coming at the Malar like a deadly spinning top, Markus smiled as he felt Blaze bite through shirt and a bit of flesh, but that quickly turned to anger as Vice, along with Markus, came around only to be met with the flashing red crystalline longsword. His shirt now blazing in fire and his skin beginning to grow a blackish red, the Malar King said with a pained laugh "Very nice move there, certainly didn't see it coming."

Smiling through gritted teeth, Markus replied "So we're at what, nine minutes left?"

"Eight and a half my boy." With that the two broke their gridlock and jumped back, Markus preparing for his next attack while the Malar King tended to his wound. Tearing off the rest of his shirt quickly, Markus's counterpart held his left hand to his chest and contorted his face in pain as dark, tentacle-like, magics came from his hand and siphoned the Dark Fire from the small cut right above his heart. Once he knew he would no longer be damaged by the ever-burning flame, the Malar Markus smiled toothily as he came at Markus like a blur, then vanished. Now fear took hold over the Lycan as his eyes, as well as any of his other senses, could find the deadly King. Bracing himself still as he tried to search, Markus felt an unbearable pain erupt in his gut and looking down Markus saw a dark red blade staring back at him. Blood and traces of bowel vomit coming up from his mouth, Markus spit to his left as he heard his counterpart behind him say "Eight minutes and twenty five seconds...not bad for an Evizil but certainly not worthy enough to boast my name."

Now in anger and in pain, Markus began feeling his entire body panic at the thought that he would die without even saying goodbye to Kia or his friends. His entire body began to pulsate as the fears of things left undone and his world falling into darkness like this world began to fill his entire being. Suddenly Markus's vision was blurred and when he could see clearly it appeared as if he was staring inside his own body. Now he could clearly see the Crystal Tyr Velar ripping and tearing through his stomach and the meats in his body as it came in from his back and out from his belly. As his vision began to rise, Markus finally stopped right in front of his heart, where the spiritual embodiment of his soul was found twisting slowly in the shape of the Guard. A voice thick in malice and as cold as the winter winds called throughout his thoughts saying 'Unleash the Augment, show this fool WHO YOU ARE!!' In an unknown anger, Markus felt himself reach out towards the Guard and hold his hand out towards it with his palm facing the spinning three-ringed compass. Like before, a beam of light came forth from his palm and within seconds the Guard was spinning faster and faster with each passing moment and from it shot forth an explosion of dark energies. Blinking once as the explosion filled his vision, Markus found himself once again in the dark black and red room with pain coursing through his gut; yet something else was happening. Slowly the pain began to ease away and looking down at himself he began to see the trails of purple runes crawl brightly up his arms, his chest and finally up to his face. As the Augment finally finished its activation, all pain subsided from the Evizil's body as if he were simply removing a pin from his finger, walked away from his counterpart, feeling Velar slip out from his stomach and his back with a wet, disgusting feeling. His overdriven body already mending the what would have been fatal wound, Markus turned around, caught his counterpart in his gaze and even quicker than the Malar had gone, went after his prey. Dropping the two shortswords, Markus quickly opened his assault with a devastating punch to his counterpart's face, feeling bone and tissue break and give way to his heavy, white haired fist. Not even giving his opponent the change to fall backwards, Markus grabbed him by the neck, threw him into the air and jumped up after him with a backwards spin kick to the head that contacted with a beautiful crack. Landing gracefully on the ground, the enraged Evizil bolted after his foe once again and began unleashing swipes, kicks, uppercuts, spinning blows and bone-breakers until time became nothing to Markus. Yet about halfway through what would have been his final blow, the Evizil's fist was stopped when the sharp end of a silver blade was a hair's distance away from his face. Looking to his left, Markus found the shocked, scared, and overall disbelieving eyes of his brother's counterpart as he stared back at the Evizil. Letting go of the Malar King, Markus said in between deep breaths "eleven minutes and thirty-nine seconds passed. Now do you believe me?"

What Markus heard and saw in response put fear into his heart once again. Standing up, the man who he had just brutally battered to a pulp laughed with bright red runes trailing all across his body, each in the same formation as Markus's. Spitting a knocked out tooth and some traces of blood to his left, the Malar King said happily "Yes, yes I do Markus Frostbane, I believe you now. Felix?"

Turning his attention from the Evizil to the already mending Malar, Felix said almost hoarsely "Yes...brother?"

"Do you know what this means?"

Suddenly as if a great understanding hit him, Felix let loose his iconic fang-revealing grin as he said "It's finally ready..."

His face now fully mended and not even a bruise on his body, the Malar Markus picked up Velar with his left hand and sheathed it, repling "Tell the men the Trinity Weapon is complete, we have found the final Augment..."