As I had approached the shrine the hissing voice of the talisman spirit called out. It held such anger and hatred. I felt the hairs along my back of my neck standing on end, my breath caught in my throat, why did I feel so threatened by a spirit that could not even use their power without a master.

“Who dares come here,” he repeated.

“My name is Fang,” I stepped forward without hesitation, getting a better look at the sword within the shrine. The sword had some rust on it, I felt it had been here for quite some time, with no one to care for the physical form the spirit called home. “I have come to help as the Animalia of this village are in danger of being destroyed, grand protector.”

“You came in the name of those who put me here,” hissed the spirit.

“No,” I shook my head.

“Then why?”

“They need you,” I answered.

“It seems you have enough power yourself carrying two talismans Fang,” he commented. “Now leave.”

“You were once was the grand protector of this village, tell me why you stopped,” I stepped even closer but stopped dead in my tracks as the spirit appeared lashing out like a wild animal.

I held my hand up, summoning enough wind to stop the spirit which was in the form of a giant serpent from getting any closer. I gulped as I saw the serpent’s fangs dripping with poison.

“As a master, you already know the answer boy,” he replied.

“No master,” I responded, watching as the dark aura around him, had become even thicker, was this spirit far too gone within the darkness to even be saved. “Could you not find one?”

“I was once passed down from the strongest warriors of this village, much like the clan weapon the Ursus carries, protecting them from the darkness, but no longer.”

“Why?” I asked wanting to know the reason he had been left here.

“I don’t need to explain to an outsider, and a Fang wanna-be at that,” the serpent’s ice cold glare went straight through me.

“Call for a new master, they need you,” I argued wanting this all to be over quickly as I thought back the overwhelming urge to run.

“I tried in the beginning, but all they see me as now, is some trinket, kept here alone away from the rights I have so wrongly been kept from.” I saw the darkened mist tightening around him, it was feeding on his deep rooted anger for being left here alone for so long.

“You can change it, they need you,” I refused to give up, not yet.

“You are here, you save them,” he turned his head to leave, when the dark mist began to act stronger, wrapping around thicker, like prey getting trapped within a spider web. The serpent’s eyes gleamed red and he suddenly lashed out at me, but I had continued to have the wind from Larana in front of me, preventing him from coming any closer.

“I thought he’d given up,” commented Brendan flitching.

“He had, but the darkness has a grip on him now, he’s nothing but a puppet, blinded by the anger towards those who left him here,” I mentioned as the serpent quickly tore through my defences.

I pushed Brendan back as I dodged the serpents attack, he was certainly a powerful spirit being able to break through Larana’s wind, even without a master, but I knew it would put strain on the spirit’s life force if he continued to be forceful.

“Stay back Brendan.” I was worried Brendan would be in danger if he got bitten by the serpent. The size of his body and the dripping poison from his fangs made me more cautious as I had no idea how strong his venom would be, perhaps death in a matter of seconds of being bitten.

“No,” he shook his head as he came forward in front of me, swinging round his claymore as the serpent swiped his tail around at us. I kind of let out a laugh as perhaps he was worried about me getting bitten too, with that whole life debt.

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“Calm down,” I waved my hands, refusing to draw my sword.

“Your presence here has angered me; you are mere bugs I must now extinguish!” shouted the serpent, lashing out again, his body, twisting around me as he came closer, trying to wrap his body around me.

I rolled forward avoiding his attempt. I felt a shiver go down my spine as I felt the blood lust coming from him; now all he wanted to do was kill us, perhaps coming here was a mistake.

“Please, this isn’t like you.” Larana appeared to try and calm his anger. “You were once a fine guardian to this place, and you can be again, if you allow us to help you.”

“Silence,” he hissed, his tail slapped hard against Brendan and his claymore, knocking them back some distance. “Like me Larana, you will one day be abandoned, all talismans will.”

“You are wrong!” She shouted back at him.

“You give me no choice,” I said sadly. “I had not come here to fight you, simply ask you to help those who still see you as their grand protector, they may have forgotten about your true power, that you need a master to save them, but you can still prove to them who and what you are.” I grabbed the hilt of my sword. “I will have to defeat you and show you the light.”

“The light,” the serpent seemed to laugh as I drew my sword and pointed it towards him. “There is no light, only darkness now.”

I gave up on talking to him, I would let my actions prove everything. “Mila.” I called her forth, sensing her presence as she appeared in her more adult form, a gleeful smile on her face. “Shall we begin?”

“Yes, master.” She disappeared again as I summoned her waters to encircle the crystal sword. I held no fear from the strange light spirit that had grabbed me before. I didn’t even think about the connection, I just did what I needed to do.

“Alex.” Brendan was surprised, considering how I had complained about not being able to summon their power through the sword. I now realised I thought way too much about it as all I needed to do now was defeat this serpent, it was all that mattered.

“You can certainly talk for a Feles, back then there was no talking, no reason, just destruction,” said the serpent as he lashed out again.

I summoned forth water with the swing of my sword, with the full intention to do him harm, but he saw it coming moving aside as blades of water came his way. I jumped to the left as I saw him whipping out his tail to strike me.

I took a calming breath in as our little dance continued. The serpent would twist his body in different direction then strike in another trying to confuse me, but he did not know the power I held, my clairvoyance and instincts allowed me to prevent myself from being bitten; I did not want to get poisoned by this spirit, who knows if we could make it back to Cathopia before the poison took my life.

Brendan had taken a step back realising that this fight seemed to strangely be between the two of us, almost like this dance had been done before. I had never met this serpent before, yet I felt I had.

“Please stop this.” Larana began flying around the serpent. “You cannot keep fighting, if you do, you’ll use up all your power.” She hadn’t given up on him and knew what would happen if our fight was dragged out for too long.

“Careful,” I called Larana as he tried to eat her whole. I knew she was just a spirit, but I didn’t want any harm to come to her. She flew back to me. “He cannot be reasoned with.”

“You must try master,” responded Larana.

“Try what?” I stepped back to avoid his fangs, when I stumbled, tripping on something.

I saw a gleam in the serpent’s eyes, that said I have you now. His whole body lunged forward, with such force. I could never understand how their bodies could move in such striking moves.

I cursed, having no chance to recover my footing before I was hit. I saw into the malice filled eyes of the serpent, but also noticed a small spark of some light from his previous self within, but how could I reach him.

As he came closer, I prepared for the pain I would feel the moment his fangs pierced my flesh. Brendan suddenly came out of nowhere, ramming into the serpent, sending him spiralling in the opposite direction.

“Thanks Brendan.” I had time to recover now.

“Be more careful, otherwise it will be your life,” snarled Brendan.

“I know,” I hissed back; the serpent rising up in front of us.

“Master, quickly touch his forehead!” cried Larana.

“Pardon.” I glanced at her.

“Just do it master,” she was adamant I do as she said.

“Alright.” I didn’t know how I was going to touch a serpent’s head without getting bitten first, but here went nothing. “Stay back Brendan.”

Focused on the task which Larana had set me to do, I stared the serpent down, then dashed forward as he lunged forward. I dodged one lunge , then his body quickly reset for another, his strikes fast and almost unreadable.

I reached my hand out as I got closer to him. He lunged one more time, my hand out-stretched, I moved my body to the left just enough to avoid the fierceness of his attack. Our faces met closely as my hand touched his forehead, between the eyes.

The serpent froze there and I wondered what next.