Just Checking Up! Part Fifty-Six: Light Blossoms in the Shadows!

Rip:

Silks stirred next to me, her new left eye stealing my breath away in the best way. How could the world make her more stunning? Working with the Sins and the new elementals kept her busy, a strange energy called out to me. Excusing myself, the soft cotton of my black t-shirt contrasted the heavy weight of my ripped black jeans. Making my way to the kitchen, a black ball rolled up to my black boots. A blast of energy tossed me into an inky snowy wasteland, something pissing me off about it. Furrowing my brows, dark shadows claimed this space a long time ago. A couple of orange pearls with smoky spots thudded into my heels, a note fluttering away. A bit of the anger melted away, her neat writing warming up my soul.

“Sorry we couldn’t hop in time. All of us are working to get to you. Use these pearls to keep the shadows at bay. My heart is yours and yours alone. Love, your queen.” I read out loud, my patience returning to wearing thin. Things not going our way wasn’t anything new, fate finding a new way to piss me off. Digging in the snow via my boots, some sort of clue had to exist. Columns with carved dragons taunted me. Cocking my brow, dull aches throbbed from the intense training. Rubbing my arms, bigger muscles threw me off. It had been years since I had been in this good of shape, my lips pressing into a thin line. Well, truth be told it had to be since the last training I had as a human.

“So the final warrior came to play!” A most annoying female voice taunted me cruelly, a blizzard howling in the distance. “Welcome to my world, the world of Miss Twilix! Snow and blizzards rule here.” Stifling a snort, her words sounded almost childish. Summoning my inky black dragon flames, ice glittered on the tips. Tucking the orange pearls into my pocket, her gift won’t be thrown away. Imagining her genuine smile, a single tear stained my cheek. Crackling higher, symbols melted through the snow. A blizzard combated some sort of dragon village coming to life, Kaw’s sorrowful face playing out in my head. A dull thud alarmed me, a spin on my heel revealing the dragon demon himself. Dusting off his usual cloak and suit, his brow popped up at my controlled flames as the glowing stone cabins crackled away.

“Silks and you can’t avoid making a scene, can you?” He teased me playfully, his eyes darting over to mine. “Let’s get on with it. Then again, Miss Twilix is on her way. Shall we activate all the dragon magic exhaust systems? Worry not, Miss Silks will be donning her mask. The Elementals will hold down the fort back home. She does have to travel through purgatory to get here.” Shooting him an odd look, two black carved wooden spikes appeared in my palms. Glowing to life, dragon symbols crackled into a pair of icy but scaly black flaming dual curved blades. These different shapes each time annoyed the shit out of me, the dragon within me proving to be finicky.

“Such cool blades. The icy scales are new, my dear friend. Nice to see you leveling up each time.” He laughed thunderously, his own silver flames building up in his core. Motioning for me to follow him, our footfalls echoed through the ruins of a once stunning village. Sprinting towards a silver angular temple, a tumble in had thick silver metal doors slamming shut behind us. A banner fluttered down, a familiar face staring down at me. Many questions rested on the tip of my tongue, the flustered expression haunting his features shutting down my interrogation. Much like Silks, opening up would happen upon his own schedule. Refusing to look me in the eyes, shame swirled around his aura.

“The ghosts of our pasts don’t define us.” I pointed out in a comforting tone, his wet eyes flitting over to mine. “My mother wasn’t the greatest. Keep marching f-” Clearing his throat, a long sigh drew from his lips. Leaning against the closest wall, his arms folded across his chest.

“Glad we are alike in more ways than one, my dear friend. That is my old man and boy did he unleash hell on this village. That bastard destroyed everyone in this space in a fit of rage and hoped I was in it.” He confessed dejectedly, his tail tucking in between his legs. “They charged him. Boom, I didn’t belong to anyone. Nice parenting, right? Onto the ceremony. Moving on, you can handle the spell better than most.” Showing me how to perform the spell, his still tail began to wag. Moving through the steps carefully, distress brightened to pride. Time slowed down, a wave of silver flames shot out from underneath our boots. My own swirled into the base, another boost in the magic fortifying it further. Running it over to the closest window, silver and black dragons made of flames twirled around each other. Wonder rounded our eyes, his palm lingering on the stained glass window of his father. A blast of snow failed to shatter the glass, curse words bouncing off of the other side. Examining her closer, muddy sludge poured from the corner of her lips. Opening the clasp, hesitation lingered in my eyes.

“Stay in here until Silks gets here.” I ordered sternly, his head nodding. “Someone needs to hold up the magic barrier. Can you do that for me?” Slamming his palm onto the wall, a shaky thumbs up had me leaping out the window. Dodging a wild blow, a slide underneath her granted me enough space from her. Fright threatened to wake up my heart, curved blades flaring up with my visible distress. Silks’ smile on an early morning flickered in my brain, control returning. Relief returned to my features, ash floated with steam alongside every violent clash of her claws. Time, I was buying time. Breathing became a hot commodity, her attack speeds picking up. Fuck, I thought I was in shape.

“Hello Miss Twilix!” Silks sang underneath her mask, the handles of her scythes smashing into the back of her head. “Time to play around with a different type of fire. How is this magic treating you? Isn’t it searingly fabulous!” Pushing off of her back, a raise of her foot brought behind her head. Slamming the heel of her boot into her back sent cracks snapping in the still space, organ tissue exploding from Twilix’s quivering snarl. Smashing her knees into Twilix’s stomach, a flip threw them into a snow bank. Snow shot into the air, Silks jumping over Twilix’s twitching form. Bringing her scythes behind her head, ruby claws shot through her stomach. Disappearing in a flurry of jet black snowflakes, Silks collapsed to her knees. Extending her own claws, little panic showed in her eyes as she broke them off to shove them into her wounds. Twisting them to slow the bleeding, a coughing fit most likely painted her mask. Dripping out from underneath the bottom, her body curled into a loose ball. Scooping her up, the state of her condition didn’t buy me time. Clammy sweat drenched my skin, her shaky palm cupped my cheek. Panic set in, my door magic failing to summon the one home I desired. Fuck, why wasn’t it working!

“Sorry about that. Didn’t expect her to pull that freaking move.” She wheezed calmly, her attitude ticking me off slightly. “The others weren’t able to break through because she almost fatally injured them, so I may have sent them away. Hope lies in their timely healing.” Breaking down into rushed breathing, a violent darkness whisked her away into a deep slumber. Everyone fought hard to get to me, their injuries falling upon my shoulders. What kind of a monster was I? The two orange pearls dropped out of my pocket, orange fire lilies blossoming to life in the cracks. Dark spots dotted the petals, a broken smile haunting my lips. Kaw tripped into my back, his big grin dropping at the state of her. Why did I freeze upon them fighting? When was I going to the demon king she deserved?

“How about we get out of this space and get back to the main surface?” He suggested while grinning nervously, his finger pointing to the shadowy woods behind us. “I happen to remember my escape route. It will get us back to a dragon magic free zone.” Nodding my head while fighting a wave of anxiety, his hands rested on his hips. Trudging after him, his kind eyes tracked the route and her as homes became pine trees. Trusting him completely, Silks’ health hung in the balance.

“Stop fretting if you are enough. You fought hard for quite some time.” He spoke softly, his hand gripping my shoulder as we stopped for a moment. “Sure, we didn’t win today. Worry not, my dear friend. Please, let me help out.” Thanking him silently, his hand dropped to his side. Smiling genuinely in his direction, both of us came to a quiet agreement. Hiking to the edge of the forest, a horrible sight of wounded Sins limping up to me did little to ease the guilt. Yelling at me at once, an eerie silence devoured them the second her condition became obvious. Orchid scooped her up, her brother nipped at her heels. Standing numbly in place, my head bowed in shame. Breathing became heavy, a quiver claiming my muscles. When would I ever be enough! When would I step up high enough! She had to take on his darkness because my dumb ass wasn’t there in time! She had to suffer some mental strife and for what, damn it! A particular cat demon approached me cautiously, her tired smirk doing little to comfort me.

“Ade, get the rest you n-” I began to plead, a flick to my shoulder giving me pause. Shaking her head, her new bright orange kimono reminded me of how close the Sins were. Bouncing around, her ears pinned back upon me shooting her the most devastated expression.

“Gosh, the two of you are peas in a pod.” She laughed gently, her fingers playing with her cat ears. “Orchid will get her back to fighting health. We were ambushed by her minions and boy were they tough. That was until Silks made an official order.” Folding her arms across her chest, a low growl rumbled in her throat. Noting a couple of fresh scratches, the bruises weren’t too bad. Shutting down my weapons, the question of when Silks’ own fizzled out crossed my mind.

“Describe her minions.” I requested as calm as I could manage, the distraction sounding delightful. “Please. Serenity rests in me knowing what the fuck we are battling.” Grinning ear to ear, her tail twirled around with her spin. Raising her finger in the air, excitement shimmered in his eyes.

“Shadows that can’t seem to fucking die. That was until Silks coated our weapons with concentrated dragon magic. Shit, that took a minute.” She informed me gleefully, her head cocking back and forth. “However, you can splice and dice them with ease, correct?” Nodding my head numbly, everything felt a little off. The other Sins called her over, Kaw hovering a few inches behind me as she bounced over to them. Wishing that Cal was here, my ears pinned back via annoyance and fear. Running towards Orchid and Silks, my hair floated up with every footfall. Crashing down next to her, Orchid focused on Silks’ major wounds. Following her orders with ease, Silks began the slow healing process.

“Couldn’t she permit us to fight as well!” She snapped hotly, her brother shifting uncomfortably on the other side of her. “All this time and she shuts us down! What good are we to her!” Holding down a tea soaked towel onto a wound for her, the lack of sealing shut broke us both. Cursing under her breath, a violet wire appeared out of nowhere. Stitching away, panic set in with both of our eyes.

“Twilix get to her?” She inquired bluntly, my broken nod answering her question. “Bed rest is the only solution until this shit dissolves into another layer of scars.” Her fallen out pigtails framed her blood covered features, a splash of my water powers cleaning her up. Drying her off via my dragon flames, a sappy smile met my gracious grin. Many times these Sins had stepped up, my soul feeling grateful for them.

“Don’t beat yourself up. Silks has been on a solo mission for a hot minute. Believe me when I say that it has been eating me from the inside. Give her t-” I began, Silks struggling into the sitting position shutting down my comforting words. Resting her wrists on her knees, her head cocked to the left. An indescribable sorrow haunted her features, guilt creeping into ours. How much did she hear?

"Ordering you guys to stand down prevented the chances of you dying. Not shutting down your next attacks would have fucking backfired!” She shouted in pure frustration, a wince announcing her obvious agony. “Do you not understand my fear of losing you guys, damn it!” Everyone went silent, all eyes snapping in her direction. Huffing impatiently, Silks struggling to her feet cracked my soul a bit. Shaking off the immense agony, her hands landed on her hips stiffly. Parting her lips several times, a stern expression sent chills up my spine.

“Being alone would have sufficed not that long ago but not now! Not ever again! Losing two friends destroyed me from the inside! How could you guys not see that!” She continued passionately, her knees beginning to wiggle from too much pressure. “Jesus fucking Christ! Rip! Failure didn’t occur with you! Twilix picked up speed in a panicked response. You fought well. You are worthy to be my demon king. Okay? My heart is yours and yours alone. Don’t you forget that.” Touched by her words, her body collapsed into my arms. Clutching her close to my chest, my lips brushed against the top of her head. Passing out in my arms, her snores echoed in my ears. Dejected expressions met mine, their heads drooping at the same time. A busted silence tainted the air, orange fire lilies whisking Silks and I to our special library. Soaking in the dusty old books, the tree ruffled at the sight of us. Plopping down at its roots, the quiet was deafening. Staring numbly at Flamios’ portrait, the sharp bite of my wounds began to sink in. A root shoved a book in my direction, the energy feeling off. Flipping it open, jumbled up dragon words swirled around me. The trunk of the tree glitched out, an icy gust tossing me onto crunchy dead grass. Screw this!

“Can’t a guy just go fucking home?” I cursed under my breath, dead twisted trees taunting me. “May Silks never find me here.” Annoyance mixed poorly with fear, the sick combination writing its way onto my features. What fresh Hell was this? Why did the tree send me here? An ax was seconds from sounding awfully nice in my palms, a low growl rumbling in my throat. Silks called out in the far distance, an earned alarm rounding my eyes. Silks cursed in a floating black iron cage several feet in the air, a chill biting my skin. Kicking the bars in a fit of frustration, wicked laughter had her snapping her head in the opposite direction.

“Time for our majesty to pay the toll!” A tall shadow figure taunted her, that sick glee causing rage to join the fear party. “Miss Twilix should take my hand if I deliver you to her!” Silver eyes narrowly met mine, a spin had me fuming behind a thick tree. Nuit rose out of my shadow with the other elementals behind him. Waving at me, they hid next to me.

“Having met a few narcissists myself, that isn’t how that works. Who put you in this book and what is she doing now?” She interrogated him stiffly, sarcasm lacing her tone. “Personally, there is no way in hell that monster isn’t up to something.” Shrugging his shoulders as he backed up, his silver Victorian style suit shimmered in the shifting orange moonlight. Disappearing into a silver tent, his fluffy short hair floated up as he plopped into the center of it. Like father, like daughter, I thought uncomfortably to myself. Poking the cage, steam curled off the tip of her finger. Tying on their dragon scale magic masks, a pair of silver dragon scale gloves found their way onto their trembling hands. Dragon magic hissed into the area, a loud fuck burst from Silks’ lips. Working fast to tie her own mask on, her body curled into a ball as the intensity began to weaken her immediately. Spinning on my heels to face them, all but Nuit looked ready to battle in the storm of dragon magic. How was the dark elemental surviving? Soaking in the situation around me, my dragon flames crackled to life. Swaying with my raw anger, the others stared at me with eager but frightful eyes. God, they were young in nature. Silks wasn’t being deceitful when she informed me, a few plans running through my head. None of them were concrete, cracks finding their way.

“How about we come up with one together?” Nuit suggested serenely, his hand resting on my shoulder. “How about you guys?” Working over a rotting stump, a semi-solid plan had been reached. Glowering furiously in the direction of his tent, our arms folded across our chest at the same time. This king and his knights were going to rescue the queen, fresh Hell marching his way.