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-S-

No foe is as evil, sadistic, and dangerous as he is. I've battled with him countless times with each of us bloodied and wounded in the end. Our duels were always draws. Either we were equal in strength, or he was holding back. He always fought with the blood lust and power of a predator, but would never always kill me when he would have the chance. Savoring the hunt...that was his game. One day...I will end him!

Stepping through the portal to the other side, all was silent. The lone street light illuminated the dark streets, but there was no sign of "him" or monsters. Iris was wary as well, gazing into the darkness for any sign of an ambush. Strange.... Taking a step forward, my foot activated a hidden glyph on the ground, springing up a trap. Bars of light surrounded me, closing in to cage me. I quickly blinked away before I could be locked. The bars of light connected and formed a binding cage where I had been only seconds ago. Hmph...setting traps now are we? Stretching my arm out in into the night sky, I released a ball of light that burst into smaller bits. The firefly-like lights descended down onto the ground, revealing a multitude of traps that had been laid out for me.

"How smart of you Silnis.... Very typical of you," I heard his voice say from the darkness. Drawing out my handblades, I took a defensive stance.

"Show yourself Daniel! Or are you afraid that I'll kill you than let you live?" I threatened. Iris hissed, baring his fangs.

"Oh...getting violent now aren't we Silnis? Not very like you...," Daniel chuckled with amusement. Having enough of this, I illuminated the entire area around me with my magic, revealing to me where Daniel was. There, to the right side of me, was Daniel with that smug smile of his. His curly blonde hair and handsome facial features would have been attractive if not for the fact he was my nemesis.

"Daniel...how dare you try to break the sacred rule! You do know that you'll suffer a worse fate than death if you bring our battles to those not involved!" I warned. He only chuckled, walking himself around me as I watched him warily.

"Do you honestly take me for a fool? I know what will happen to me if I were to break the sacred rule. My soul would be ripped from my body and tortured for all eternity by the Three Sisters themselves: Agony...Sorrow...and Despair...," he clarified, his tone showing no concern.

"Yet you threaten to harm my family?! I should just end you here and now!" I growled. Daniel grinned, withdrawing his katana from its sheathe. The metal blade was stained red with the blood of its victims, a sign that Daniel was no foe to be trifled with. Raising his katana at me as a challenge to a duel, I heard several snarls from the monsters Daniel brought with him as they came out from the cloak of darkness. I could clearly see them now--hellhounds. Based on judgment, I could assume that it was a pack of at least seventy. Knowing Daniel, he would strike at me with the rest of his horde. He always fought unfairly. No matter though...I had learned to adapt to Daniel and his tactics from battles before. Iris brought his head to meet eyes with mine and I understood his message.

"Iris, release!" I shouted, throwing a ball of light into the air above us. He launched himself towards the ball, making contact with it and splitting into seven colored serpents each for the light spectrum. The serpents all towered over the hellhounds, hissing and baring their venomous fangs. Now I could fight Daniel alone without interruption. Pointing my handblade at him to accept the duel, I was determined to end things here tonight! Everything was still around me before the chaos ensued. I struck first, blinking towards Daniel and meeting blades with him. He grinned sinisterly, pushing me back with his katana and slashing forward. I swiftly dodged his counterstrike, sending out three bolts of light at him. He shielded himself from their blast impact, blinking himself towards me with his feet first and kicking me back. He didn't stop there though, blinking above me and hurling a dozen of his own light bolts downwards. I summoned a shield to protect myself, avoiding the damage, but Daniel soon came falling down with his katana ready to impale me.

"Sun Flare!" I called out, jumping out of the way just as Daniel struck the ground where I had been. A beam of solar light then came crashing down upon him, causing him to blink out of it with his armor charred and red-hot. He glared at me, wishing death upon me. I readied myself for another attack, glancing quickly to see the outcome of Iris' battle with the hellhounds. So far, a little more than half of the beasts were disposed of, but three of Iris' avatars had been slain. The hellhounds were quickly adapting and knew that attacking in a large group would kill the avatars.

"Rragh!" Daniel cried out, running at me with his blade in hand. I parried his strike, giving him a nasty cut along his left cheek. He retaliated, throwing a punch across my face and forcing his katana through my right shoulder. He started to twist the blade painfully, but I threw down an explosive light charge that separated us for a moment. I hissed in pain from the shoulder wound, grasping it to stop the blood flow. Daniel noticed, chuckling in amusement before licking the blood from the blade.

"Aww...did I get your good arm Silnis? Yes, that's right, show me your pain. It only motivates me to kill you more!" he said, charging at me again. I prepared myself for another skirmish, but just before Daniel could get close enough to me, one of Iris' avatars slumped over dead right in his path, causing him to stumble. I saw my chance, dashing in rapidly at him. He didn't see me coming until it was too late. I kicked him square in the lower jaw, blinked behind him and slashed across his back, blinked to his right side and impaled him in the leg, and back to the front where I threw one last light bolt that sent him flying into a group of hellhounds terrorizing one of Iris' avatars. Now is the time...to finish this. I walked over to where he laid, dazed and bleeding. Kneeling hard on his gut, I held my handblade at his throat, pressing down with increasing force.

"You have been a menace to my friends and I ever since you became one of Chaos' Chosen! A monster like you should be put down immediately! Tonight...you draw your last breath...," I said, pressing down harder on his throat. He only smiled, blood staining his teeth. No last words for him.... To delay his death for even a second meant a possible chance of escape for him. Without any words, I ended him right there, pushing through his throat and severing his bonds to this life. It is done.... Getting back up, I saw that the hellhounds had all retreated after Daniel's death. Only two of Iris' avatars remained, maimed and bleeding in spots. I breathed in a sigh of relief, glad to know that a large threat to the Elements had been ended.

"Iris...return," I said, holding out my hand to the two avatars. Their forms shimmered before coalescing back into the familiar rainbow snake. Iris had a few scratches here and there, but nothing too major he couldn't recover from. He wrapped himself around my arm, hissing softly in exhaustion. This had been a rough battle, though a short one. Daniel and I usually fight out much longer than we just did.

"Let's get back home Iris," I told him, opening a portal just as something caught my eye. I turned my head, seeing Daniel's corpse shimmer slightly before fading and revealing who I was really fighting. It was one of his warriors! Don't tell me! My body tensed just as a sinister chuckle echoed from the side of me. Daniel, the real one, stepped out from his hiding place, smiling with that evil look in his eyes.

"Surprise...," he said. I took a step back, hearing Iris hiss in warning.

"You're coming with us...Silnis," a female voice purred. I struck out at the snow leopard behind me, missing her and getting an arrow stabbed through my arm. Ice started to creep up and down my arm slowly from the arrow. Daniel came up behind me and impaled his katana ruthlessly through my thigh. I fell to the ground in pain, Iris hissing at the two Chosen.

"Did you really think you could kill me that easily Silnis? What a fool you are. Not worthy to be champion," he twisted his blade in my thigh, forcing a cry of pain from me.

"Hey, don't kill him yet you idiot! We still need him!" the snow leopard exclaimed, pushing him away. Daniel glared at her, but sheathed his katana.

"You're lucky Chaos ordered this Nina. Otherwise I would have killed him here and now," Daniel told her, "But...that doesn't mean I can't hurt him to the point of death!" A heavy kick to my ribs sent me down, Iris nudging me to get up. The portal was still open, but it was going to close soon. I couldn't escape with these two on me. No...Iris had to be the one to escape. They wouldn't kill me now. They needed me for whatever reason it may be. Iris...you need to tell everyone what happened.... Show them....

"Go...," I whispered to him. He stood there, looking at me in objection, before dashing for the closing portal.

"Hey!" Nina shouted, drawing her bow back for the shot on Iris, but I grabbed her leg and pulled her down before she could shoot. Iris made it safely into the portal as it closed, sealing his safety home.

"Enough of this! You're going to sleep before you cause anymore trouble!" Daniel raged, hitting me hard across the head. My vision blurred and darkened, but all I cared was that Iris was safe and sending word for help. Lance...Necross....

-L-

Okay...just breath Lance. You can do this.... I stood in front of a pine green door of a moderately-sized house in a suburban neighborhood. It was getting close to midday and I thought it would be easier to tell them now than earlier during morning. I held Penelope's bracelet in my right hand, remembering my promise to her. It was so small compared to my larger hands. Small it may be, Penelope still made a big impact in everyone's lives. Now...she is the eternal wind. I could picture her flying all around the world on the ever-blowing jet streams and gales, happy and content. Taking one last deep breath, I knocked on the door. Hearing footsteps approaching, I prepared myself for what was to come.

"Hello, can I help you?" a woman answered, her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. I knew that this was Penelope's mother already. They shared the same physical characteristics with the blonde hair and blue eyes. Plus, their faces matched.

"H-Hi...is this Penelope's house?" I asked her, nervous. How was I going to tell her!? Should I put it gently to her? She did just lose her daughter....

"Yes it is! Why? Are you one of her friends?" she questioned.

"Umm...yeah."

"Why don't you come inside then? Penelope is out right now. She tends to sleep over at a lot of her friend's homes so I'm afraid I don't know when she'll be back." I'm sorry...but she's never coming back. That's what I wanted to tell her right there and then, but I was too afraid. How do you tell a parent that their child died?! It just isn't right for parents to hear that their kids died. "So, how do you know Penelope? Do you go to school with her?"

"No, not exactly."

"Did you meet her around the neighborhood? She is quite a social butterfly!"

"No...."

"So...how do you know her then?" What should I say? Could I tell her about the Elements and what Penelope had been doing as a secret life? She wouldn't believe me if I just outright told her that her daughter had died without some back story. She might even accuse me of being a murderer or something! I had no choice...I needed to tell her everything.

"I know this might be hard to believe...but...your daughter and I, we know each other from fighting together for what we know as the Elements and she--,"

"Stop right there. I know all about the Elements and their goal. Penelope...she told me just a few months after she became a part of it all. She had been gone from home for three days and I became worried. When she came back, she had scars every where on her body. I demanded to know what she was doing. Penelope sat me down and explained to me about everything about the Elements and the battles she had fought. I didn't believe her at first, but what I saw in her eyes that day made me believe! So...there's no need to explain this again...." Her expression, once cheery and young, now looked weary and old. I could see that she worried everyday for Penelope. What would the news of her death do to her?! But I can't hold the truth from her. It just isn't right! She...deserves to know. It's better for her to know now...than suffer later.

"I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but Penelope...," Say it...just say it. Tell her the news every mother dreads to hear! Just say it! "Penelope...won't be coming back home anymore. She was...killed in action. I saw her dying before my eyes. She fought with strength and bravery, but she fell to the enemy." I waited for the screams and tears. I waited for her to deny what I head just told her and throw me out of the house. But instead...she just sat there with a melancholy expression. Tears welled in her eyes and fell onto her lap, but she didn't cry completely.

"I knew this day would come.... I hoped and prayed that my little Penelope would return home safe and sound once she had completed what was needed of her, but there was always that thought that my little girl wouldn't come home. She knew the risks...yet she continued to fight for a cause she believed in. I didn't want to lose her...I didn't...but my Penelope had grown up to me a strong woman and I had to let her make her own decisions. No matter what decision she chose, I was proud of her choice. Though it pains me to lose her...I know that she died doing what was right for this world. She died...trying to make this world a better place." She wiped her tears with a tissue, trying her hardest not to cry in front of me. I felt more terrible for not being able to prevent Penelope's death. I wouldn't have to be here telling her mother the bad news. Penelope could have been happily spending time with her family. If only I had been stronger...faster...better.... I gazed down at her bracelet, remembering how she died with a peaceful smile on her face. She knew her death was imminent. Her heart had more courage and strength than mine ever will.

"Before she died...she wanted me to give you this. It's her charm bracelet. She said that she was sorry and that she loved you all very much." I handed her the bracelet with gentle hands, slipping it onto her hand as she looked at it with trembling lips.

"T-Thank you...for bringing this back to me. She always...treasured this bracelet. It was...a gift from us all on her last birthday. S-She loved it so much that she promised to never take it off! What a ray of sunshine she was in our lives...."

"She was...." I couldn't say anything more. Her heart was already on the verge of breaking loose. I think it's best that I leave and let her mourn her loss with her family. As I stood to leave, she grasped my hand to stop me, wanting to leave me with some last words.

"P-Please...promise me that you'll finish what she started. Don't let her death be in vain...." I looked back at her trembling form, nearly on the breaking point. I held her shaking hands in mine and looked her in the eyes.

"I promise...." She nodded and silent thank you before slipping her hands out of mine, waving me farewell before I left. As I stood outside in front of the swirling violet portal, I heard Penelope's mother let loose her pain and sorrow. Her crying made me curl my fists, only reminding me of how weak I was to not be able to save Penelope. I needed to be stronger! I didn't want anyone else to die in front of my eyes all because of my weakness! I needed more power...more strength! Who could teach me to be stronger? Hmm.... After some thought, only one person popped into my mind--Necross.

** ** **

"So...you want me to help you train to become stronger?" He had his arms crossed across his naked chest, an abused punching bag swinging behind him on the verge of tearing apart. I had returned to the sanctuary after my idea and found him throwing some punches in the gym. I would normally be blushing at the sight of him wearing only a pair of gym shorts, but that hardly mattered at the moment.

"Yes," I confirmed. I really wanted him to help me become a stronger fighter. What use was I if I couldn't protect others?

"Is this because of Penelope?" he questioned.

"Is it that obvious...," I remarked.

"Very, but are you sure about this Lance? You're body is at its strongest already. I won't go easy on you if you're certain on your choice."

"I know that my body is at its peak, but what I really want is to hone my skills. I can't always depends on everyone else to fight for me. I want to be able to hold my own battle, but also defend my friends if they're in danger. I just--."

"You want be a knight. You want to have the strength and skills to fight well, but also to defend. Is that right?"

"If you put it that way then...yes."

"Lance, Penelope's death wasn't your fault. You don't have to beat yourself over this. You fight just as well as any champion I know! I won't tell you that the decision you are making is wrong or right. It's your choice. So...are you sure about this?" I thought about it for a moment. Do I want this? Yes. I want to defend the lives of my friends and others! I want to punish those who hurt my friends! I want to become a knight!

"Yes, I'm sure." I Necross right in the eyes as I said those three words. He held my gaze for a minute before breaking a smile, extending a hand out.

"All right then. Shake on it." I took his hand and shook it, sealing the deal. Necross pulled me in for a hug, patting my back.

"Like I said, I won't go easy on you," he whispered into my ear.

"Bring it on," I whispered back. He pulled back with a smirk and a challenging look in his eyes that said "I warned you". I've committed myself to this already. No turning back now.

The doors to the gym burst open abruptly, Sandra came running with Cody behind in pursuit. The kitsune was holding something limp and colorful in her hands, though I didn't know what. She stopped before us catching her breath, her mouth moving but unable to make a sound. Cody calmly stood by her, wrapping his arms around her as she extended her arms out to show what she was carrying.

"Iris!?" Both Necross and I exclaimed. The poor rainbow snake was cut and bleeding in many places. It looked like he had been a terrible fight! "What happened?" Cody was the one to answer.

"I don't know. Sandra was the one who found him in the Private Quarters. She then brought him to me, but we couldn't do anything to help it. Jace is out and we couldn't afford to go on a wild goose chase looking for him! You two were the only ones who we thought could help him. You know...you two and the snake being somewhat related and all...," Cody explained, trying to manage a chuckle despite the situation.

"Where's Silnis? Iris is usually by his side!" Necross asked, his eyes shifting a to deep indigo. There was a hint of concern and fear in his voice. I didn't blame him. I was scared too. What could have happened to have caused this? No warrior or champion would dare hurt Iris if they wanted to incur Silnis' wrath!

"We dont' know! Wasn't he with you two last night? I mean...he didn't come down to breakfast this morning. That's odd enough right there!"

"Was he in his room? Did you two check?"

"That's where Sandra found Iris slithering out of! She wouldn't have come to me if she knew Silnis was already in his room." This wasn't making any sense! As far as I knew Silnis, he would never hurt his own pet! Something bad was going on...but what? While Necross and Cody exchanged info about the whereabouts of Silnis, I heard the smallest, weakest _hiss_coming from Iris. He was trying to get our attention!

"Necross! Cody! Quiet!" I shouted, trying to silence them. They stopped, confused as to why I made them shut up, until they too heard Iris' hissing. "Are you trying to tell us something Iris?! Do you know where Silnis is?" The snake weakly brought his head up, opening his jaw to release an orb of light that floated just between the four of us. The orb exploded in a brilliant flash, blinding us all for a second before a scene started to build itself around us. We were outside in some suburban neighborhood at night. There was only a lone streetlight to show us our surroundings. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but the clashing of blades and the snarls of monsters alerted me to a battle that was slowly forming itself before our eyes. Silnis was battling what I could only assume was his Chosen nemesis. Around them, seven differently colored snakes did battle with a large pack of hellhounds.

"Silnis!" I cried out when I saw him being impaled in the shoulder by the blonde guy's blade.

"He can't hear you Lance. This is just a replay of Iris' memory and what he saw. Something isn't right though...," Necross pointed out to me. Silnis and the blonde battled some more before the tide turned in favor for Silnis. He pinned the blonde down, saying a few words, before ending his life. The hellhounds all retreated in pufts of ashes and embers and things looked pretty good for Silnis. I didn't understand how he could have gone missing until I saw the corpse of the blonde and realized that it was only an illusion!

"Daniel...that son of a bitch...," Necross growled just as the real blonde guy stepped out from the shadows. I saw what happened as a snow leopard similar to Kia materialized behind Silnis, hitting his arm with an arrow and giving Daniel a chance to do some damage to Silnis. I wanted to charge at that bastard, real or not, and kill him for hurting Silnis! The snow leopard scolded him, saying that they needed Silnis alive, but that didn't stop Daniel from breaking a rib or more on Silnis. Iris suddenly dashed towards the closing portal, making it safety through, but at cost of Silnis getting knocked out by Daniel. The scene turned black just as we returned to reality, the four of us understanding what we had just witnessed.

"They've got him...Silnis...," Cody spoke softly. Iris hissed weakly in Sandra's hands as she trembled, tears forming in her eyes. I was raging inside, my fists clenched with veins popping out along my arm. First Penelope and soon Silnis!? These Chosen monsters.... If they dare kill Silnis...I will be merciless to them all! Necross' hand rested on my shoulder, squeezing it firmly.

"First lesson Lance...never let anger get the best of you...," he told me, his gaze unmoving.

"B-But Silnis! He's in danger!" I argued.

"Silnis is a strong fighter. He can hold his own battle for quite a while. I know Daniel well enough that he would have killed Silnis right on the spot, but they obviously need him for something if Daniel wasn't allowed to. He should be all right until we can figure out where they took him." I wasn't about to argue with that. Necross did make some good points. I didn't know Silnis all that well yet, but Necross and him had been fighting together for quite some time so they must know each other very well. And from what I could collect about Daniel it was that he didn't think twice about killing people and that trickery was a tactic he used.

"We got to do something Necross! You got any ideas?" Cody requested, just as concerned as any of us were about Silnis. All heads were turned to Necross as he seemed to be the leader here now with the current situation. Nothing was said from him for a while as he turned his back to us and paced around. Cody took the time to comfort the sullen Sandra, holding her and telling her that everything would be fine.

"Necross?" I finally asked, approaching him.

"We don't know where Silnis is at the moment. The best that we can do is try to gain some more information about where they're taking him. I don't know how we're going to do that, but I'll think of something. For now...keep your ears open for anything that enemy might be doing. It could give us some clue...," he said.

"Should we inform everyone else?" I suggested.

"Yes, we need everyone's help on this! The sooner we find Silnis, the sooner we can rescue him!"

"Sandra and I will tell the others. We'll make sure everyone hears about this!" Cody assured us. With that said he took Sandra's hand and left with her to tell the rest of the warriors and champions, but not before Sandra left me with Iris.

Necross petted Iris gently on his head, making the snake relax and coil up, "You rest now little guy.... Silnis would be glad to know that you were all right. He'd also be proud that you relayed this information to us all. Good job...." The snake hissed again before disappearing in a flash of white light. I was about to panic, thinking he had died and vaporized, but Necross reassured me with a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, he just returned back to Silnis' room to sleep. He deserves it. Besides, with our current situation, now is a better time than later to start your lessons with me. Are you ready?" I thought about Silnis and how he wouldn't be in this situation if I had been there to protect him. If I was going to save him, I needed to be a better fighter!

"Let's do this," I said, determined to finish this through until the end. Silnis...just hang on until we can find you. I promise...I will rescue you!