With Colossus’ magic drained from the tower, the black shaded guard of the Shade King could not infiltrate the tower again for the defensive magic had been lowered. She looked as her double vision gave her and added detailed scan to see numerous shades that at a high mastery level for fighters and magic users would be hard pressed to take down. She knew that by eliminating them it would allow the children and Artanis a clear path to the inner structure of the complex. This would also pose another problem for if that amount of his guards were to parish the Shade King himself would most likely show to eliminate the threat.

Laurona returned to tell the group of the detailing trouble and how the best way to go to get down there without being seen in advance.

“Maybe the elders should go ahead first, I mean no disrespect but you are after all already dead” Artanis pointed out

“You misunderstand Artanis, you see in this realm the dead are as much alive and hold their powers as they did in life on the realm but can die again just as you but with a very evil difference. For if we die and I mean any of us including all living beings here, we lose both our lives and spirits to the blackness of oblivion, allowing a terrible truth of certain banishment from the existence of time” explain Crysonia

“I didn’t know that was a risk I just thought you know, pop in have a few laughs with the deceased grab our sword and be gone” Artanis said shocked

“Do not worry friend for none of you will die here” Dalamar said “We will sacrifice ourselves if need be to see that dream come true”

“And I promise you father that seeing you die again for us is unacceptable and we will do everything possible to see that end not come again” Cloud said sternly “I could not bear the sight to see you two fall again for us…not again”

“That’s what being a parent and guardian of you loved ones means baby” said Laurona touching his cheek side “But these creatures are not Colossus, and we carry a time for preparation and surprise” she smiled and getting ready for the battle to come Crysonia was the first to arm herself. She gripped her staff at its center and twisting the section she revealed a spear blade at its head. The tip seemed to phase in and out of focus like it was being blurred by something, and was clouded by a thick white gas.

“What is that?” Dawn asked with immense curiosity, she told Dawn to do the same and say the word shockwave in Drowish tongue, when she did the same tip emerge upon her staff head as well, “What is it, what does it do” she asked

“You’ll see” replied Crysonia, grinning as the Drow fighters armed themselves and as Straud and Dalamar cast a see invisibility sphere around the group members, Cloud was told to save his energy for the fight and tower. As Laurona got ready, she was tapped on the shoulder by Rain, she summoned her blade at his sight and Rain saw her blade looked the same as his, she saw him holding it as well and smiled to him with a happy thought.

“Yes Rain” she asked

“Mother I have to know something, I have been told about how you and father died that night saving us and was always wondering if it was just you verses him…”

“Could have I beaten Colossus in a fight” she finished

“Well…yeah” she asked Rain to come closer to her and leaning to his ear she whispered to him “with my eyes closed, but don’t tell your father or his need for protecting my every step would be not necessary and I do love the attention” Rain gave a quick smirk but it changed to a frown and a heavy thought weighed to his head, she touched him and closing her eyes felt his pain and knew his concern, she laid down her sword and pulled him close to her, she unfolded her wings and wrapped then around Rain if to have him only in her sights.

“Rain, sweetheart listen to me; it is our ability for you and me to resist our tainted blood power that makes us strong…not weak as you might think or a reason not to be closed to emotion and fellowship. But make no mistake Rain it has it’s uses to us for if mastered and controlled can enhance your abilities and even allow you to access new ones” she started to grow sad and broken in her speech “I am sorry that I wasn’t there to teach you the path and seeing your soul in such pain puts mine to so much grief, and I know that I won’t be there to help you any more than I have but when I left your side I knew that you would find a way…you are so strong Rain, and you will learn the powers I speak of in time and when that time comes I’ll be watching you with pride” she says tearing up again “…I’ll be watching you all…always” and giving him a hug and tightening her wings around him in an attempt not to let him go she releases Rain to finish getting ready and Rain does the same.

They descend down the hillside with Laurona and Dalamar leading the line in through the lurking shadows of the hill, the Children and Artanis filled the middle and Straud and Crysonia took up the rear side. As they approached the base and seeing that only hundreds of feet were between them and the tower crumbled entrance Dalamar turned to his children,

“We will pave the way for you kids to get in to the tower, move fast and stick to the shadows until you are inside” he stated

“You are coming with us aren’t you guys” Cloud asked

“We can’t Cloud, being spirits we can’t enter this place” added Straud

“But we will be waiting for you upon your exit we give you our word” adds Crysonia

“Time to show them what is like to have the whole family under one sky” says Dalamar getting his blade ready, and moving through the open area the grim warriors guarding the tower side are locked to their approach. The grim draw near and Crysonia requests for all to step aside, as they do they see her slam the tip of the spear to the ground and watch a light bolt rip along the ground towards the grim fighters, as it passes beneath them the light emerges to form great white hands and gripping the two grim on approach they tighten and slam them to the ground causing a flash and leaving a result of only white powder left where they were hit.

“Neat!’ said Dawn but seeing more she got her staff ready,

“Watch for lurkers!” cries Dalamar

“What are they” asked Rain

“Invisible energy drainers that when touched can drain your strength and life force causing you to turn into one if killed” Dalamar said quickly and seeing one approach Straud takes a swing to killing the beast. Dawn then feels a grip wrapping around her throat and growing tighter, Dalamar and Straud turn to see another lurker behind her shielding himself from any attack from them. Dawn’s eyes turn a bright blue color and point to her teeth begin to erupt and extend; she then grips the arm by her neck and pulling it away she twists it quickly flipping the lurker over his own body and onto his back, he leaps to his feet to attack but is meet by the foot of Dawn’s spin kick which sends him flying ten feet in the air. Landing but not staying down he races at her again, grabbing her staff Dawn swings it hitting the lurker with a clipping swipe of the spear tip, but as the tip hit his body the staff pulsed a light through the shaft and upon it connecting with the lurker caused a blast of force to emit on impact. The creature was blown backwards and in two parts dying instantly, Dawn then looked at the staff in amazement “Whoa” she said with awe.

But seeing more figures now bearing down on their position the group gets ready for a battle. Straud, Cloud and Dalamar concentrate on eliminating the lurkers and shades fighters that are in melee range. The shades mastered in magic try to eliminate the magic users of the group, Crysonia casts protective spells and ones to enhance abilities to aid the group while Dawn and Artanis using the quick arts and sleek dexterity of their training to dispatch away any shades with the rouge traits. Rain who is stuck to the side of his mother takes point as the group tries to maneuver towards the entrance way of the tower and through the open valley of shadow. Demonstrating her massive power Laurona takes to the air and as her eyes glow a bright amber red cloud suddenly appear and raining down bolts of fire and flame strikes against the continuous shadows blockading their path.

As the skirmish grew ever great the .Blackblade family was able to hold the flooding numbers at bay, but in so doing started to spread from their tight knitted form.

Dalamar finished off a lurker beast and noticed up ahead that grim now lie in their path.

“Laurona the grim” he shouted and looking down at her son’s position she knew he was getting to close and unaware.

“Rain, look out!” she cried and turning to heed her warning Rain fired bolts of lightning and fire at the imposing grim defenders. Their personal spell bubble they had provided adequate protecting from Rain’s attacks and sent the spells back at him, Rain dove out of the way from his own attacks, and rolling to his back Rain saw the grim floating towards him slowly but directly. Rain summoned his blade and getting to his feet he was consumed by their fear aura and froze in his stance. From the corner of his eyes Rain makes out balls of blue light coming up from behind him and closing his eyes not to see his own doom Rain cringed. The heated orbs flew past his head and opening his eyes again he saw the grim impact in front of him, the balls dismember the floating shades causing them to combust in a blue intense flaming death. Turning around for the fear effect to his mind was gone Rain saw the extended arms of his mother with her fingers resonating smoke at their cuticles.

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“Stay away from my son” she bolted to their corpses and looking at him Rain only showed a look of awe to her, “Are you ok Rain?” she asked and shaking his focus of her power he replied “Yeah I think so” and looking him up and down seeing no visible harm she smiled.

Dalamar and Cloud who were fighting back to back as Cloud had always dreamed they heard a scream come from Dawn’s voice. Straud who was guarding his wife looked to the sky to see a grim hauling Dawn away into the sky, draining her life as it went up and up.

“Dalamar…Dawn” Straud said pointing to the grim in the air, Dalamar took to one knee and rising his sword he asked Cloud to defend him while he aims, and Cloud battered back the lurker nearing his father Dalamar closed his eyes and Cloud watched as his sword blade charged up. The light to the blade grew to a blinding white glimmer and Dalamar then released it upon the grim warrior, it shot out hitting the grim turning it to nothing but a poof of white dust. Dalamar then conjured his mount for Dawn’s scream was now echoing to all ears as she was free falling hundreds of feet. Dalamar order his winged steed to catch his daughter and obeying without hesitation it took to the sky. Dawn felt her decent come to a slow and felt the hair of the horse tickle her skin as it landed her safely upon its back. Cloud’s eyes grew big as he looked to his father with his blade still smoking.

“Holy bolt son…holy bolt” Cloud’s father informed him

“Mine doesn’t do that” replied Cloud

“Give it time” Dalamar laughed running to the landing of his horse where he dismounted his daughter into a hug, “Are you alright Dawn”

“Yeah” she replied holding him tight “Thank you father”

“Anytime baby” he said into her blue tinged hair that covered his face.

He sets her down as the group watched to remaining grim take to the sky, and chanting in their shadowy vocals they started barraging the group from the air with bolts of black shade, but the attacks only make it half way when a barricade of invisible force seemed to be stopping them. Looking around to the aid Dawn sees Crysonia eyes glowing white and her hand held up in the bolts direction, as the bolts hit her shield Crysonia looks to be getting pushed back like she is actually holding back the bolt herself.

“Ok boys anytime you want to finish them off is fine by me, I don’t know how long I can keep this up for” Crysonia said in a strained voice, Straud gets Artanis to defend his wife as he Cloud and Dalamar take to one knee to line up their holy bolt attacks. Laurona aids as well casting spells at their hovering spot and after the bolts start flying it takes little time to pass before the grim were defeated. As the killing of the last grim comes to pass the clouds in the sky immediately start to darken. The wind picks up and a smoldering black smoke start to form as a tornado barring right towards them.

“Laurona, get the children out of here...he’s coming” shouted Dalamar

“Who…the Shade King?” asked Rain

“Yes” she replied taking a hold of him and shifting through a puff of smoke to Cloud and Dawn’s location beside Dalamar, the two parents tell the children the time has come for them to enter the tower and hug them all tight.

“Father please not yet we can help” Cloud says to his father “I can’t lose you again”

“We can hold the Shade King’s attack at bay, but I need complete focus to do it and that won’t come until I know you are all safe in the tower, he can’t reach you there so please son go” Dalamar says looking to the eyes of his beloved who know he was lying about stopping the Shade King. He gives them all a kiss to the forehead and says that there has never been a more proud father than him, they back away saying they love him and opening her wings wraps them around the children and Artanis shifting them back to the gateway.

“Ok in you go” she says giving then each a kiss for luck and looking at her Dawn grows weepy “Mom…”

“Dawn please you must find that sword and defeat Colossus or this has all been for nothing” says Laurona pushing to her sons. Artanis grips her arm pulling her too them and after they cross the open doorway Laurona seals the passage with a magical barrier of iron.

“Ok now where too?” asked Artanis

“I don’t know” replied Cloud and then they all look at Rain

“Hey don’t look at me, when I was here I was blindfolded and half dead remember, not exactly an expert, but I do know we need to go down for the sister tower is beneath this one” Rain explains and they split up looking for a way down. Cloud finds one and calling them over to him they gather up but listen to the impacts of spells and the roaring of the great Shade King as their family assaults him.

“We should be out there” says Cloud in shame

“Yes we should” said Rain “But mom’s right; we will have done this for nothing without that blade”

“Oh Artanis” responded Dawn looking to his hair of his head turning from black to red streaks,

“It’s the sign of getting older for the hair on demons is red when they are elders” said Artanis

“Then let’s move on” said Cloud uplifting himself and leading the group down the flight of stairs. As they went down Artanis commented on their Blackblade family being the most powerful group he has ever seen fight, he said they fight like gods and seem to be scared of nothing. The children hold the comment high and smile to it but lose the grin when at the base of the stairs they come to a long hallway with only a yellow portal gate at the other end.

“I guess we go through” Rain said and as Cloud and Rain went through first Dawn gripped Artanis’s hand tight, he looked and gave her a return look that everything will be fine and together they went through.

“What the?” says Cloud emerging to the other side to find himself alone, he waits for a little time to pass thinking that there might be a time delay between passing through but no one else comes through.

“Rain…Dawn…Artanis” he calls out and hears no response, “Where the hell did they go, he looks around to see he is in a room covered in snow and ice but strangely enough it isn’t cold at all, he walks up to a ledge that is about 40 feet from where he entered this place to see a message on a board, and four stair cases made completely of ice, the message reads

Through a soul filled with hate, and a history of evil

All heroes are in seek of such a gift

Though through life tells a story that however much good is done

None is equal to fill the pure and endless thirst of this acts true sacrifice

Cloud then sees at the bottom of the message for words chiseled in the ice: Reflection, Forgiveness, Resentment and Atonement

Cloud the sees the four words imbedded in the ice steps making up the four stair cases. He goes up to the first step on the word forgiveness and stepping on it the ice cracks and breaks, Cloud jumps back to solid ground and watches the broken shards fall to a darkness with no end. “Why is it always a never ending darkness” Cloud thought to himself and then a spark hit his mind, of course he thought Atonement. And going up to the letter A he steps on it and sees at the height of the stair case his wife bound and gagged to a stake burning pit. Cloud step to the next brick and ants suddenly come crawling from under it and on to him. Cloud freaks out and runs back to the beginning wiping them off and spinning around to rid himself of them, he then look to see himself clean but smells burning wood and sees the pile start on fire at Alisianna’s feet. Cloud runs back onto the bricks and at the second one is again covered by the ants, this time he closes his eyes imagining they are not there and continues to the letter T but is puzzled when nothing happens. Pushing forward reaching the letter O, the ants disappear and the fire to Alisianna does not advance but doesn’t go out either. Cloud steps to the N and a flash to his eyes renders him blind, “What the hell” says Cloud growing again with fear and hearing the mumble of Alisianna’s voice he realized that the fire started again. Cloud went forward but felt the edge of the brick and stepping down felt nothing, “wrong side” said Cloud as he thought of which way to move and turning left a little he reached the next block. His blindness went away and he saw the fire to his wife had moved up to the next wood tier. Stepping to the letter E did nothing so Cloud walked to the M and a flash to his mind sent him to the moment when he stabbed John Frost with his sister’s dagger, a sharp pain hit his chest and looking down Cloud sees the stab wound he made to John on himself. Cloud drops to the ground in pain and short of breath, this is a test he thought John’s death was not on purpose; it wasn’t my fault. Cloud keeps saying the message over and over in his head as he tried crawling to the next block losing more and more blood and his life growing shorter. He reaches the E and another memory flashes to his head with him punishing a fellow soldier for bad judgment, and striking the man in the face Cloud was then too hit, another flash to another punishment act was felt by him and another and another, every time he struck a fellow man he is now feeling the effect of the abuse and struggling to resist his own abuse and self-inflected pain Cloud drags his body to the next brick. When he reached the N he was taken to the sight of his uncle’s defeat and the pain of losing him came rushing back, but in this state he was back before he died and running through the shield put up by Logan Cloud raced to aid him. Cloud took a swing to Logan missing; Logan then thrusts his blade deep into the gut of Cloud’s stomach. Cloud flashed back to the ice room and felt the pain of the stab wound but this time didn’t bleed. The flames to his wife’s wooden trap grew again nearing the end of her life and running to her Cloud crossed to the final brick where he was again transported. He closed his eyes and told himself this was a test, only a test and if he fails his wife will die, he opens his eyes to the most horrific scene his mind could construct. He looked to his body and he held the form of his eight years old self and was standing in the barn of his home, he looked to the young boy of three and to his baby sister nestled in the arms of himself, he moved to the window to see his parents fighting Colossus again in their back pasture area and moving to the barn door as he did so many years ago, the famous incident reoccurred. Cloud watched as his mother was again pierced through the heart by his father’s sword and then that same was done to him. Cloud turned his head and stayed strong thinking to his mind this is how it has to be, tears ran down his face at the sight of his parents lying lifeless to the ground. Cloud turned his body away from the sight and went to his brother and taking the stone his mother gave him Cloud again smashes it to the ground. He opened his eyes to see himself back in the ice cavern and in front of his wife lying on the last letter T. She was now unbound and ungagged, smiling at him. Cloud reached for her but in a gleaming light she left and a door appeared in her stead. Cloud went to the door which opens automatically to reveal another portal gate and looking back to the test he smiled at the message sent to him and went through the gate.