Legend of Dragoon; Chronicles of Endiness

The flames of war raged on through the dark. Differences between both Winglies and Humans weren't solved so simply. Even with the support of the King of Basil and the nation of Tiberoa, it was hard. Hatred of humans from the smaller Wingly nations still boiled over. The group still vying for Wingly superiority would simply never give it up. This group didn't have a name then - in fear of the previous Dragoon Knights rising up to swat them down. They had time on their side so they used it. 

Waited for them to die.


Waited for their time to pass.


They made their move.


The moderates tried to stop the extremists. They failed - and attacks were made in a vain effort to recapture the glory of the Ancient Winglies. Endiness was once again thrown into conflict. The primary Winglies with their magic and the humans with their weapons. There is a story about a blue Wingly that fought on the side of the humans along with her husband. However in battle - her lover had been vanquished. This forced her to fight further, to avenge the loss of her dear friend and love against her own race. However some believe this simply to be a story - a drama of the flames of war that consumed Endiness once more.


So the flames of war had settled. 


The war lasted years, but the assistance of the incomplete Dragoons allowed for victory.
The republic city of Demacia was founded as a joint effort between moderate Winglies and the kingdom of Basil as a represenitive of Endiness. They've existed peacefully with each other for the past fifty years. For how long that peace lasts, we'll never know.


...


A youthful man with a short head of brown hair sat there in his office. He had another person with him. An even younger boy with the power of the Dark Dragoon Spirit.

"That's some history on the war that ended up creating the city we're living in right now," he closed the book while sliding it back to the small bookcase behind him.

"You have any questions? I might be able to answer them," Arrow sat back down in his chair, looking over his desk and at Jark.

"Why are people so stupid?" Asked Jark, leaning back in his chair and looking up at the ceiling. Well, rather, he would've been, if he was able. He couldn't look at anything with his eyes, but this didn't hamper him too much. 

"Though I guess that one's not so much historical as it is... uh, logical, I guess. Heh." 

He thought a moment.

"Actually, which Dragoons did they have? Was the Dark one there? Was he stronger than me? Or she, whatever?"

"Don't really have anything on the Dark Dragoon other than the fact that the Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit and the Dark were recovered only a few years ago," Arrow put a hand to his chin. "From the remnants of the Great Tree, so I can't answer that question about the Dark Dragoon since they probably weren't used. Now what others did they have? I can say Wind, Water, Thunder, and Earth. At least that's what records point to. We can't be one-hundred percent sure."

"Dang. Was hoping he did something cool, like assassinate a king or something." Jark sighed and leaned back even more. 

"Though I guess I'm also kind of relieved, because it's not like I'm doing any heroic shit with my powers." He habitually scratched under his blindfold, near his right eye. "Honestly I almost hope Demacia gets attacked so we can be heroes... does that make me a dick? I mean, more so than what I usually do."

"Actually I heard that the original owner of the Dark Spirit was actually a woman... well, that was the story told in my hometown. All sorts of legend start where people don't know answers," Arrow gets up from his chair to look out the window. His office in the university was at least eight floors up from the ground which offered a vantage point to see the city below. Cars rolling through the streets, the trains running the sky railways and underground. He couldn't help but sigh at the marvel of the new age. He found his hand flat on the window, reaching out to what he couldn't touch. 

"That's not the definition of a hero, Jark. That's called an egotistical oppurtunist," Arrow understood the meaning in the words that others would probably denounce as a terrorist or a loon. This kid had something more about him. Being so young and judged so thoroughly. No one seemed to understand his plight... no, the correct way to phrase that is no one WANTED to understand. That just twisted the dagger in his heart even further. "A hero is someone who puts others before themselves and goes out of their way to make sure they can live happily. Are you sure you're up to that sort of task?"

"Hmph. I guess I am. Much as people can be idiots, I guess I can't hold it against them." Jark smiled. "And there are still some smart ones."

Like you, he thought, though he didn't say it out loud.

"Ahahaha," Arrow laughed a little bit. He kind of got where Jark was coming from. To him, everyone's probably an idiot since they won't give him or anyone else like him a chance. "You might be right, but maybe we can help enlighten people?... That might just be wishful thinking," a hand goes to the bridge of his nose. "But whatever, the least we can do is try-"

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Beside Arrow's desk was a primitive looking phone. "Ah... one moment, Jark," Arrow reached over to grab it. He set it to his ear, "Hello?"

Arrow nodded to the other person, giving half-hearted responses like "I see" or "Mhmm" until a name was mentioned. "She's here? Why didn't you say so before? Yes... yes, yes I'll be right down," Arrow set the phone back down while grabbing his travel bag. "Jark, I'm going to go see a patient. Do you want to come with me or do you want to stay here?"

Somewhere north of Seles, Sera traveled through a forest that seemed as if it was untouched by world outside. She used to come to this forest as a kid, but this was the first time she ever traveled so deeply into it. As daunting as it was, it was also exhilarating. She was out on her own, about to meet her biological father. She could feel her stomach twist and her heart race. 

Further into the forest she went, fighting back any monsters she came across easily, the girl was surprised to see that it wasn't as untouched as she thought. There were men she had never seen before traveling in the opposite direction as her. She ducked into some bushes, keeping out of sight as she eyed the men suspiciously. Something about them made her hairs stand on end. After they passed, she edged out of the underbrush and looked down the path they had been walking. 

Were they headed to Seles? That couldn't be right, what would they want with an old village like that? 

Maybe they're travelling merchants and I'm just being paranoid, she rationalized to herself before continuing on her way.

"I'll come with. I'd just be bored waiting here for you to come back, anyway. Not like I can entertain myself by reading books." Jark said, standing to follow Arrow, and stretching a bit as he did so.

"So, who's this patient we're seeing? Is 'She' some important lady?"

"Her name is Shirley Felten," Arrow said while walking down the hallway. "She's been coming by the facility with her parents to see if there's anything we could do for her. I made some arrangements to search for the White-Silver Dragoon Stone, and they found it," he smiled. He'd be able to see that girl smile again. He could see through her like glass. That forced smile, her behavior when she's around her folks. He shook his head in dismay. Now it wasn't the time to be thinking about how depressed she might be under her facade. Now it was time to think about how he was going to help her through this.

I really hope this works. The healing powers of the stone should be enough to heal her.

He thought while he made his way to the medical room where that girl was waiting.

In the University's medical facility, a young woman sat propped up on her bed. Her gaze was firmly held on the window next to her, seemingly transfixed by the goings on outside. A little taking his dog out for a walk, a woman window shopping, a mother with her children, she watched all of this. And as she watched, she wished she could be down there too. She wished she could be as carefree as those people walking the streets. 

Her door creaked open and she was forced to take her gaze away. A woman with dark brown hair peeked her head in. She looked far much older than she should be, worry lines creasing her face and bags under her eyes, more than likely from a fitful night's sleep.

"Are you hungry, Shirley dear?" She asked.

Shirley shook her head with a smile, "I'm fine, Mama. You should be resting."

"I will, I will," Her mother assured. She knew the woman was lying. Ever since her condition worsened, her mother had been working herself haggard. It made her heart twinge with pain just to think about it. "Are you sure there's nothing you need? Another pillow? Some water?"

"I have everything I need, please just rest," Shirley pressed, gently. This wouldn't be enough, of course. Her mother would never stop worrying. Not until she was well again. If she ever got better.

----

Leaving thoughts of the strange men behind, Sera continued down the path, soon coming across a stream. The crisp smell of the water minerals invaded her nose and she inhaled deeply. It was so relaxing being out here. The flutters she was feeling about her impending meeting with the man who conceived her seemed to be easing away. A rabbit-like creature ventured towards the stream, followed by several of its babies. Sera smiled at the sight and just took a moment to enjoy the peace.

I should bring mom and dad here when I get back to Seles, maybe Arrow too if he's home, she brightened at the prospect of bringing her family here to such peaceful spot. Briefly, she wondered if maybe her biological parents would like to come too, but shook her head of the thoughts. They abandoned her. She was only going to give them a peace of her mind and nothing else!

Further along the stream, she spotted an old abandoned cabin. It looked like it would be a good place to take a break and eat. Holding firmly to the strap of her bag, she set off to the cabin.

A large, muscular man was suddenly hurled through the window of the cabin; landing on the ground near Sera. 

The door opened; and a white haired giganto stepped out. 

"Aw, running off already? I thought you bandits were supposed to be badass cutthroats," he said. "At this rate you I won't get to show off at all!" 

The bandit didn't bother responding to the man; instead running away with all the speed he could muster.

"Ah shit, he's running. What did the code say? 'Never strike down a fleeing opponent... well shit," he said. "Wait, it was 'never strike down a fleeing opponent unless he stole someone from you!" 

However, by the time he came to this realization, the bandit was already out of sight. 

"Ah man, he got away again," he said. "She's gonna be pissed about that bounty..."

Arrow made his way through the University halls, through the waiting room and to Shirley's room. He nodded to Ms.Felton who followed him into the room. Of course he left the door open for Jark, saying that the boy was his 'assistant' to avoid a conflict. "Hi there, Shirley, how are you feeling today?" he asked that for common courtesy. Any person worth their sense would know she's in the hospital for a reason. 

"Before you say anything, I've got some good news for the two of you," he gauged Shirley's mother with a look then looked to the patient herself. "It looks like you'll be able to recover fully if things go the way I hope. All I have to do now is go pick the 'medicine' in Seles," that was a trip he planned on since he was going to go visit his childhood friend Sera. She was always a girl that didn't seem to get along well with anyone. Having shared blood between Wingly and Human, the participants in the civil war that sparked the creation of the city and eventually the univeristy. Some things in people really do never change.

"That's wonderful news," Shirley's mother said brightly, smiling from Arrow to her daughter, "Isn't it, sweetie?"

Shirley nodded, "Yes, thank you for this Arrow. I feel better knowing you're looking out for me."

The brunette wasn't completely convinced that this young medical student had the answer to her illness, having had too many others give her the same promise. However, there was a sliver of hope still there and at the very least, she believed in Arrow and his desire to help her. 

---

The wingly girl stumbled back in fear, her eyes wide and unblinking as she stared at the events transpiring in from of her. She never seen a giganto before, except in books. She could now say they were definitely much bigger than the books seemed to make them out to be. Especially to her, a small, petite girl of nineteen years old.

She stood up quickly, opening her mouth to speak but then just as quickly closed it. Instead. she turned stiffly and prepared to make her escape from the domineering giant. Why did she have to run into such a brute now of all times?

Arrow had to reassure Shirley that this was going to be the real deal. That if this worked, everything would be fine. He talked to Shirley's mother about leaving the room. She didn't question it much since the man insisted this was for Shirley's well-being. The door closed, but Jark was still allowed to stay if he wanted to. "Shirley, have you heard about the Dragon Campaign? About the war fought between humans and Winglies eleven thousand years ago? It's a legend told down in Endiness - especially in Serdio and Tiberoa," Arrow held his arm out. There as a wrist band with a sort of lever to it. He yanked it tightly, causing a mechanism on the wristband to fold back. What was revealed was a pure red stone with a menacing eye. 

It started to shine with a bright light. A warm, comforting light that seemed to just make Arrow's own worries vanish. "This is the power of the Dragoon Spirit. And I'm... well," he flushed red. He didn't really like to say this out loud since it really was embarassing. "I'm the Dragoon Knight of the Red-Eyed Stone. And what I've found is... the White-Silver Stone, the one with the power to heal anything. That's what we're going to use for you. I know it'll purge that illness straight out of your body!"

"UGH!" A very short elven girl came running out of the house, looking in every direction, seeming very agitated, "Where'd he go? Did you get him?" Wendy looked at Heimal directly and could tell without him answering that he had, in fact, not gotten them.

"DAMMIT! Do you know how much he was worth?!" She climbed up his body, grabbing onto any protruding parts of his armor that'd allow her to get height, until she was face to face with him, "If we had caught him, we'd be able to live easy for at least a week! We could have gone to the spa, eaten enormous dinners!" She then noticed a girl about to make her escape behind Heimal.

"Wait there! Who are you?" Her voice noticably calmed down. She hopped down from Heimal and brushed herself off, before looking directly at the other girl there, looking up to do so.

"Well, since we're showing off..." Said Jark, stepping forward. "Might as well introduce myself. Name's Jark Oss." He untied his blindfold.

His blind left eye was clouded, dull, and dark. His right eye was gone, long since removed due to infection and replaced by gleaming blackness. A glow began to radiate from the stone that now served as an eye, though it was colder and less comforting than the crimson stone's light.

"And I'm the Dragoon Spirit of the Dark Stone. Welcome to the club, I guess." Jark seemed to wink, but it would quickly become apparent that he was blinking, as his right eye simply did not close.

Shirley's eyes widened at the two boys as they showed her their Dragoon Eyes. There was no doubt that she had heard of the stories. In fact, her parents had named her after the original holder of White-Silver. The very stone Arrow had located. It was funny how things like this happened. She could laugh and... she did.

Bringing her fist to her mouth, she tried to quell the giggles sneaking past her lips. "I-I'm sorry... ahem. I shouldn't laugh, please don't think I don't believe you. I do. It's just..." She paused, suddenly too embarrassed to tell them her silly reason for laughing, "Never mind. Thank you for this, both of you. If anyone can find the White-Silver, I know its you, Arrow."
----

"W-what?!" Sera was certainly nervous and a little shaken, but her voice still managed to sound sharp and demanding. The girl had learned long ago how to put up a brave face, "Why should I tell you that? I have my own business to attend to and I don't have time to chat with strangers." 

She eyed the two suspiciously. She didn't really trust them. Well, she didn't trust many people, but she especially didn't trust these two! They were certainly kidnappers or something. The wingly definitely needed to avoid people like that.

"Pfffft," Wendy spat and waved her hand, "Ok babe, if your parents said not to talk to strangers then you do that. I've got a bounty to catch," she turned towards Heimal, "So which way did he go?" She wasn't as angry about it now but she definitely looked determined to keep up the chase.

"Although no matter how you look at it, he's probably heading to Basil..." She added under her breath while waiting for an answer.

Demacia University - Medical Facility


Arrow's face turned as red as the stone on his wrist, "Yeah, right," he coughed into the palm of his hand to gather his composure. "Leave it to me, Shirley. You'll be well in no time. Come on, Jark, we're going for the pick up. We'll be back in an hour or so, depending on the trains," Arrow walked on out of the room after saying the farewells to Shirley's mother. The concerned man hurried up. He walked through the large, multi-cultural city to the steam trains. 

He made sure to have his pass with him and for Jark. After passing through the terminal, they found themselves a good seat with a view of the large industrial city. Buildings reaching up to the sky, people running around everywhere on the train platform as they departed. Arrow stared outside as they went, more excited about healing Shirley than anything. "I hope this works, Jark, I really do," Arrow put his hands together for a small prayer. If things went well - that girl would be able to live a normal life again. Something that was stolen from her. A chance to do things that she never would have dreamed of. The clasped hands turned into clenched fists. There was no need for prayer. It WAS going to work, no matter what.
______________________
Demacia Train Liner 3B, Heading to Seles

The train continued forward on its journey. Twenty-five minutes have passed since the two had departed from Demacia. The closer they got, the more nervous Arrow became. The tightened grip on fate turned into anxiety. What was nipping at him from the inside? WHAT was it? It wasn't about Shirley. It wasn't about retrieving the White-Silver Stone. It was-

"... Huh?"



Arrow pulled his head up from the floor. In the distance there was... flames? Wait, no way. Flames in Seles? The last time the village was attacked was during the siege from Imperial Sandora... what was going on now? The train kept going. 

A loud speaker came on with the voice of the Engineer. "Please, remain seated! Please, remain seated!" he commanded. Arrow already went against that by standing up from his seat. There was chatter going on at the other end of the 'line'. Some panic for people who hadn't had to deal with war for quite some time. 

"Seras," he said her name while walking down the row. 

"Sir, please, remain seated!"

"No, we can't. If I'm right, they're going to-!"

The sound of grinding metal.
The train's breaks have been pulled.
The burning Seles drew closer and closer into view. They were less than half a mile away and there's people forcing the train to come to a stop? Quite the situation they found themselves in.

"Jark, we're moving! Come on!" Arrow lightly pushed the lady attendent to the side. He grabbed his sword from the rack - disguised as an 'instrument' in a case. 

"No, please, what are you-"

"We're stopping this before anyone gets killed," he ran as fast as he could to the shutter door, looking back to see if Jark was there. He took in a deep breath. 
______________
Outside of Seles - Stopped Train


Men and women in armor were riding multiple wyvern at the side of the halted train. Some had spears, others had shotguns. Some were even floating? They had to be Winglies. Arrow had his weapon sheathed as to not immediately get gutted just from exiting the train. "Freeze!" a man cried out. "Come out, lie on the ground. No harm will come to you!" 

Immediately getting arrested?
Well damn.
That certainly wasn't going to happen. He had Shirley, Sera and Jark riding on this. If he couldn't protect any of them...

Arrow immediately drew his sword. His movement was a swift one. the blade went straight up into the air, slicing into the armored man's spear arm. Right ther eat the joints near the forearm wasn't a protected area. The man dropped the spear while Arrow went forward toward one of the flying soldiers. Gun fire went off, but Arrow leaped up into the air to soon to be hit. The Wingly in question started to conjure a spell but - SLASH - or rather SMASH, smacked in the face with the hilt of the sword. Arrow leaped off of the Wingly, coming down on one of the wyverns. His sword stabbed straight into its forehead, causing it to fall over onto the ground. Instant death and instant ground for whoever was riding it.

"Jark, support!"

Jark quickly followed Arrow out of the room, tying his blindfold on as he went.

"I'm sure it'll work." Jark said.

----
When the train stopped, Jark was still following Arrow, staying close to make sure Arrow could see him (there were times he had wandered out of sight without realizing it. His senses had more range than normal eyesight).

And then someone told them to drop their weapons. Heart pounding in excitement, Jark grinned. Sure enough, Arrow leaped into action. 

"Can do!"

Drawing his dagger, darkness pulsating behind his blindfold, he snapped his fingers. Black daggers shimmered into existence and flung themselves at the assailants. Most seemed to be illusions, but some of them were perfectly capable of harm. Then he disappeared, only to pop up from the shadow of one of the wyvern riders and leap at their back, driving his dagger into their spine.

The spearmen and gunman would try to cover themselves with their weapons and arms to fend off the illusionary daggers. A few weren't so lucky as they got stabbed at the waist, hands and upper body. "Gah!" 

"Stop right there!" a verbal command from the back. Gunners started angling their guns at Jark and toward Arrow. They fired at Arrow but not at Jark since one of their comrades had been just stabbed by the boy. 

Arrow crouched down low, running his blade over his wrist. The Red-Eyed Stone enchanted his sword with a powerful flame. Wait, he was moving faster too! Arrow ran in a zig-zag, throwing off the aim of the shotgun toting soldiers. One slash, two, three. He sliced into their wrists - forcing them to drop their guns. One scared soldier shot straight at Jark, unloading the contents of the shotgun at the young boy. The supporting Winglies in the sky (four in total) casted a wind spell. Orbs of compressed air flew straight down at Arrow. His eyes widened, "Magic? That's-!" he dodged to the best of his ability. Right, left, a leap back - the fourth caught him midstride. He went flying back through the air, smashing into the side of the train. 

He grit his teeth.
A little blood dripped from his mouth. He got back in the game as spearmen approached to apprehend him. They stabbed. He maneuvered to the side, cutting through their armor and arm. Two more attacked, two more went down. "Keep it up, Jark!"

Okay, they have guns. Can't lift this guy's corpse to use as a shield, too heavy. Jark thought rapidly, trying to come up with a way to not get shot the moment he left cover. Wait, we're on an animal or something. Maybe I can make it go.


Jark began kicking the animal underneath him repeatedly while holding the dead man's body up for protection.

"Go! Andele! Yip yip!" He said sharply.

The kicks stirred the Wyvern up. It pulled its head up while running straight at the guns man. It swung its head like a pendulum, smashing into the ranged soldier. Bash! Straight down to the ground - probably with a broken nose. The shotgun shells managed to pierce the hide of the reptillian mount. Blue blood leaked out from the blown wound. Eventually it collapsed onto the ground, coincidentally taking another shooter with it. Two of the aerial winglies started weaving the same spell that they assaulted Arrow with just moments ago.

Arrow sheathed his sword then grabbed one of the spears on the ground. He coated it in flame while running straight at the other two Winglies still focused on him. The spear went up with questionable accuracy. Right between them rather than impacting either of the magical warriors. "Good enough, I guess," more spearmen came at Arrow but he dispatched the three of them with a quick movement. As he did the more wyvern riders came to try to beat him down.

This wasn't getting anywhere. They were fighting a somewhat disorganized army - but still an army. Time to kick it up a notch! The red-clad warrior reached for his sword's hilt. A deep breath, an otherworldly focus. "HAH!" One slash! "HAH!" two slashes! "AAaaaaaaaaa!" the air warped around him. Each slash became one with the wind. Two wyvern found themselves blinded, three men fell off of their mounts. "Now for the Winglies-" the two of them above started weaving another spell. Rather they started as Arrow finished dispatching the guard's with his speedy slash. 

Lightning rushed down from the sky to the ground. Arrow leaped back, skidding across the ground. His eyes wandered to the damaged Seles. The fire brewing, the smoke floating on into the sky, taking the lives of the residents with it. "You're going to..." any mental restraints he had were gone. The band on his wrist shined a bright red. He held it out while a large flame built up. "FLAMESHOT!" he cleaved the building fire with his thin blade. Not into two, no, into four balls of flame that fly into the air. The Winglies didn't expect such powerful magic from a human. They were engulfed in the explosion though they did try to escape. "Huff," Arrow found himself crouching down on the ground. Using magic like that without being transformed took a major toll on him. His eyes wandered over to Jark who still had the other two flying Winglies and a few gunners to deal with.

Okay I can't believe that worked. Now, the rest of them should be close enough... He held out his hand and then clenched it tightly shut.

Instantly a cloud of darkness appeared, covering Jark and his remaining enemies, obscuring all visibility. In an instant, Jark leaped into action, swimming through the darkness as though it were air. He hit the winglies first slashing one's throat while stabbing the other in the eye. Then he appeared behind the gunners and dashed through each of them in quick succession. The cloud of darkness dissipated.

The gunners fell dead, hearts pierced, though no wounds were visible.

"And that takes care of that. You okay Arrow?" Jark called.

"He went that way," said Heimal, pointing in the direction the bandit had run. 

He then pointed in another direction. 

"When he hit the trees, he headed that way," he said. "We can probably track him down easily enough," 

Truth be told, he was already bored of his bounty. The bandit leader had been an even bigger let down than the bandits they'd pummeled to get to him. 

"After this guy, can we find someone more dangerous to hunt down and fight? All the people we've caught so far have been wimps,"

Meanwhile in Seles...

Flames roared around the town. Flowerbeds, walkways, trees, even people - everything destroyed by the might of devouring fire. Bodies not eaten by the heat were out in the middle of the streets, gasping for air and respite from their suffering. A huddle of people stood in front of a large cathedral in the center of the once peaceful town. 

Among them were two figures, both female, that stood amongst the destruction. Behind them was a large purple construct adorned with rusted armor. It stood taller than any man, Wingly or Giganto. 

"Did you find it?" the white-haired girl asked.

"Yes, Mistress," the master of the steel giant bowed. She presented her a white stone.

"Ah, yes, yes! I knew it was here in this pig sty. Legends don't seem to lie," she grinned as she placed her hand out to grip it. Afterward she simply stared at it. Her eyes gradually narrowed, the features of her face becoming more and more stressed. "It isn't glowing for me...? Well, I suppose it will only glow for the likes of our Emperor. Alright, we've got what we came for - we're leaving."

"... Mistress Erstiel!" a foot soldier that seemed to have been observed the battle at the train came running in. "There are two men stopping the train group! They have what seem to be Dragoon Spirits. I ran as fast as I could to-"

"AH! Say no more, say no more!" Erstiel clapped her hands together. "We can get two more while we're here. Soa must be smiling down on us," she twirled a finger in the air. "We have another objective. Retrive the two new stones of our unwelcome guests!"

"Gghh..." an elder man started crawling toward the commanding girl. "You... witch... you won't... win..." even in this pain, he extended a hand up to her leg. "He'll... come... and make you-!"

SMASH.

Erstiel's foot caved in the injured man's skull.

"Who? Can't hear you over your crushed brain," another stomp. Another. She wiped her shoe off on the ground when finished. "Anyway, continue on with the job. Jasper, I'll come with you just to make sure the job is done."
_________________________

Seles - Watching the Chaos

Arrow and Jark headed straight into Seles without much of a word. The concern for his hometown spurred him on. Bad for Jark since Arrow sprinted straight ahead without much of a warning. But watching this scene... that anger burned in him. Watching these people die, being unable to help them, unable to save them. "This..." he knew these people were strong. That magic construct was proof of that. They were searching for something... and what was it they had?

A white stone.

That was definitely the White Silver. 
Shirley's life depended on that.

That was her only hope. If he didn't do anything, if he didn't pull the trigger - what was going to happen? The kind people who found that stone's lives would be lost for nothing. Seles' sacrifice, the people that lived here, those memories with Sera - all of it would vanish. "Jark, I'm going in. Stay here..." he clenched his hand. "Run, I don't care to where - just get out of here," he had no reason to fight here. Getting him involved back at the train was a mistake. If he made it out of this, he'd have to ask him for forgiveness. Wait, no, he had to make it. For Jark's sake, Shirley's sake, for Sera's... "HAaaaaaaaa!" the stone on his hand blasted red. Wings burst out from his back. His body changed. He thrust forward with blade in hand, wearing crimson armor incrested with green and white gems. 
_________________________

"HAaaaaaaaa!" a cry from nowhere.

"Hu-" she had the stone in her hand. It was just there.

Where was it? It vanished.

As did her hand.
No, not just her hand - her forearm was gone. "W-what?"

"Master!" the darker girl leaned forward.

"D-don't! Don't TOUCH ME! KILL WHOEVER DID THAT!" Erstiel yelled as she looked up into the sky. There was the red knight that took her hand as well as the stone.

"You're the one behind this..." Arrow narrowed his eyes. "You killed everyone I loved... you're RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS TRAVESTY!" anger filled his voice. "I'LL KILL YOU!" the realization of everything lost. The realization that Sera ... may be dead. Memories flooded his mind. Playing with her as a child, making jokes, fishing, eating her cooking... there was no holding it back. He cried. He gripped his sword again, flooding it with the power of flame. He dived down to strike her again. To sever her head from her shoulders. 

"RAIDEN!" the large steel-knight intercepted the attack. There was a power struggle, albeit a brief one.

CRASH!

The two fighter's separated. Raiden, the steel giant, slid back a few feet while Arrow was still in the air. His breathing was hard, still hurt from the injuries in the previous fight. 

"Hazel, kill him. KILL HIM! TAKE BACK MY ARM, TAKE THE STONE, KILL HIM RIGHT WHERE HE IS!" Erstiel screamed.

Raiden's Master nodded, "Understood... put please, Master, take care of yourself," she quipped while raising a hand upward. A single large sword appeared in her hand from out of nowhere.

The red Dragoon would be more curious if he wasn't seething with murderous rage. He threw Erstiel's hand to the side, taking the White-Silver stone and placing it on his person. "Wait for me, Sera, you won't be GOING ALONE!" the red aura burst out again. 

The knights with Erstiel helped her out of the battlefield, leaving Hazel, Raiden and the empowered Arrow to do battle. 

Raiden moved forward as fast as it could. He swiped down with all of his strength. Arrow dodged out of the way, flipping and leaping forward to slash at Raiden's face. The sky let out a thunderous roar. Lightning ripped down to slit the clouds, the air and Arrow. He was able to dodge... but not completely. His arm got hit by the pulverizing magic spell. He screamed in pain as he fell straight down to the ground. He scrambled to his feet as fast as he could... but Raiden was already on top of him. Down came the goliath's hand to end the intruder's life.

A shadow crashed into the red dragoon, tackling him out of the way. Jark stood up, blackness emanating from his right eye, his blindfold torn away by his transformation. He was garbed in violet armor similar to Arrow's.

"Can you at least try not to get yourself killed? You're kind of the only person I care about." Said Jark, jokingly. "Seriously though, let me fight the master guy. You distract the big fucker. Okay, break!"

In an instant Jark was behind Hazel, leaping from her shadow, dagger thrust at her back.

Arrow Vs. Raiden - Seles

Arrow's body skid on the ground. The steel giant completely missed the target. It happened so fast that his brain had trouble processing it all. Jark saved his life. Did he have right to complain? If he did die, how would have it effected Jark? The same grief that he's feeling right now. "I-!" he didn't have time to talk. The giant ran forward, Jark went for Hazel. The time for conversation was over. The red-dragoon stood up with a renewed hope. He had something more to fight for, something else that was still there. His friendship with Jark, the hope for Shirley. Maybe even Sera was alive. The 'what-ifs' are good enough. "I'll make them pay for this... but now I have a fight to win!" 

Raiden leaped forward with his hand coming straight down.
Arrow dashed straight at the target with his blade shining a bright red.

Both impacted and a bright light shined out.
________________________
Jark Vs. Hazel - Seles

The girl's ears honed in on where Jark came from. She quickly leaped out of the way. In her wake were a series of purple magic circles that came to life with pulsating electric charges. Each one, eight in total, fired off blasts of lightning meant to pierce straight through him. She brought her hand up, creating the motion of a gun. Magic flooded into it then fired out in a sort of shotgun burst. If the first eight attacks didn't do the job, this one surely would!

Fast. Jark's one eye widened slightly at the girl's movements. This would be more of a challenge than he realized. As the magic circles appeared, a bubble of darkness expanded outward, engulfing them in shadow and obscuring the view. Within the darkness, he ducked to the edge of the bubble, avoiding all the attacks in the process. Barely. Okay, she gets one good hit on me and she'll probably get more, and then I'm dead. And she's fast enough to dodge my sneak attack. Hrm... welp, time to go all out.


The darkness swelled, and then swirled, and then spun. The bubble twisted and shrunk, until Jark was revealed, the remnants of the bubble being absorbed into his dagger until it was a small spinning drill of darkness.


"Alright, no more sneak attacks! I'm gonna kill you fair and square! GET READY!" Jark ran at Hazel, dagger raised and poised to strike.