Darkness Lurks Within the Rubble [Training/Plot]

There was one a disaster that struck an area of Reim generations ago from what Adrastos had heard. Few people lived there, and those that did were vultures that scavenged through the destruction, forever trying to find a way to survive. Such a place of devastation would be good to train the spells the young, silver-haired magician thought of. What Adrastos simply wanted to do was train and learn of new spells that could prove useful in the future. If anyone died here though, it would be overlooked as an accident or just a part of fate.

Adrastos walked among the debri until he came upon a tall mound. There, he sat, his staff resting beside him as he positioned his body to meditate. He sat there with his eyes closed, remembering the dark, cold, and uncaring past that made him who he was to this day.

Darkness was everywhere. It swallowed the shapes and thoughts of Adrastos as he sat in a corner, trembling as he froze, his hair dripping water, and his wrists raw from the metal shackles that rubbed against his soft skin. His current master treated him poorly, but what else was to be expected? A slave’s life was worthless with no more meaning the a speck of dirt that people walked on. Still only ten years old, a mere child, yet a slave to at least two years. Scars and open wounds were by now a part of his flesh, each passing day more would be carved into him. At first, Adrastos would cry, beg for someone to save him, for his parents to return, and for him to be back home with his friends and family, but with each beating, with every piece of skin torn off, the young child relinquished a tiny shred of hope. Soon, there was no hope, and those chains that bound him became even heavier, weighing him down to the earth. All the times he would be forced to work out in the blistering sun and sit in the cold, damp closet that was his hovel, those chains would be there, digging into his ankles and wrists, bumping against his joints, and slicing into his skin.

Those chains… Those cold shackles… Remembering them made his blood boil. Ever since those hopeless days, Adrastos had sworn to never feel that way again. No more would he be a puppet in the twisted game of fate. Damn fate, he thought. There’s no such thing.

“Mmmm. It’s not everyday I see a handsome man here. What brings you here?” said a voice from behind, breaking him away from those dismal memories. In a swift motion, Adrastos spun, grabbing his wand a casting a spell, imagining the chains that once held him. “Frozen Shadow Chain,” the magician whispered. A black chain was formed and wrapped around the man's legs, and Adrastos merely looked down at the man, his silver eyes hard.

“Normally people go on dates before things get more intimate, but hey, I’m not complaining since it’s a gorgeous man like you.” Adrastos’ felt his brow twitch when he saw the red haired man lick his crimson lips at him. A chill ran up his spine in disgust. What the hell is wrong with this guy?

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Training WC: 544/500

Ability Trained:

"You shouldn't have come up from behind me like that. It was stupid," said Adrastos after his spell had dissipated. The two men sat across from each other, watching. The red-haired man, much like Vaughn, would not stop smiling, but unlike the child, this man's smile was more grotesque in meaning. Why did Adrastos have to run into him? Did fate still guide him somehow even after he had forsaken it? Ha! As if! Fate can't control everything. It can't control me!

"So, what's your name, you handsome devil? You can call me Zayn, or perhaps beloved. That works too." Adrastos, once again feeling his skin crawl, shot daggers at Zayn. This man was beyond foul. He should just leave him here and go on with what he needed to accomplish. If only something didn't keep him here. There was this nagging feeling gnawing inside, telling Adrastos not to leave. "Enough with your foolishness, Zayn," he spat. Might as well figure out more about this person and figure out why I have this feeling. "Your name suggests you come from Balbadd, so why why you here?"

"Because of wretched fate. I left Balbadd in hopes of a better life, but end up in this dump!!! Do you know how horrible it is to never see a dashing man? It's torment! But then you came and I knew I was saved!" He lunged forward to hug Adrastos, but found that he had missed his mark once metal and dirt filled his mouth. The blue magician had dodged before Zayn could touch him with his grimy hands. Adrastos got to his feet and turned away without another word. If Zayn was going to continue in that manner, then there was no point in talking to him.

The white-haired magician continued to wander through The Wreckage, his silver eyes searching for a place to peacefully meditate and think of spells. Once more, someone thought it was a good idea to interrupt him. A tug on his sleeve made Adrastos looked down. A young girl, covered in cuts and grime, gazed at Adrastos with big, glimmering eyes, begging for some sort of help. The sight was almost heart-warming, but the influence from Master Chou Zhi took hold, leaving nothing but disgust. He shook the girl off, throwing her to the ground. "Do I look like a saint to you? Does it look like I care about those pathetic eyes that stare at me with such hope, begging me to be a savior? What the hell is wrong with this world?"

Was this some sort of test? To see if he had gone soft? Was this because of Noir and his past with Kazuya? Sure, he had hugged her earlier, but he didn't love Noir. She was just a student. Love was not meant for the likes of him. Love only caused suffering. Kindness, compassion, mercy. They were all useless in the end, a way to make a person weak at the knees so someone else could slaughter them. Despite that, why did his heart ache so much? Why did it call him a liar? Ever since killing his master, he had gotten soft, forgotten how he had turned his heart to ice so it could not be swayed. Was that why this was happening?

Who are you?

I will be the one who brings darkness and chaos into this world... I will take on many forms and unleash death…

The magician tightened his grip on his staff. That's right. He had said that back when Master Chou Zhi had tried to burn away his identity. It almost worked, but eventually all of that melted away.

Who are you?!

"I am who I am. Stop asking such a ridiculous question. I am Adrastos Thanatos. You never made me forget regardless of how hard you tried."

And what does that mean? What does your name mean? What have you called yourself so often?

Adrastos raised his staff into the air, his eyes blank as he looked down at the quivering child. "Death. It means death."

Then why have you acted against your namesake? Death is cold. Death is merciless. Death is emotionless. Have you forgotten?

"No," he said.

Unknown to him, Adrastos was being watched by Zayn. He crouched behind broken machinery, smiling his broad grin while marveling at Adrastos' form and witnessing how he took on the persona of a madman speaking to himself. “Oooh such a complex man! He makes my body tingle! Those frostbitten eyes! Those smooth cheekbones! Oh! I just can’t stand it!”

The blue magician grinded his teeth together. "Stop telling me these things! You're dead! I killed you myself!" he wailed. "Why should the dead lecture me! Question me!! You have no right!!!!" The child before him crawled to her feet only to stumble and fall back on the ground. Adrastos was mad, haunted by that which he claimed was dead. An unstable man like him was difficult to predict. There was no guarantee that he would not strike the girl down. In fact, he would most likely take his frustration out on the closest person: her, the young, innocent child.

The silver eyes bore into the child, looking through her like she was an apparition. "Stop giving me that look. Just stop!" He swung his staff and cried. "STOP IT I SAID!!" A black mist materialized from the head of the staff, causing the little girl to scream as she tried to stumble away. The shadowy mist glided through the air, chasing after the terrified youth that kept calling out for someone to save her. Her pointless words echoed without any weight to them until the mist caught up with her. The mass then vanished by being absorbed into her tiny body, and she screeched like a poor bird that had been shot out of the sky. Her leg became frozen in ice and blood ran down her nose, out of her mouth, and out of tiny openings that erupted like bloody volcanoes. The kid collapsed to the ground, her eyes streaming salty tears which mingled with blood.

While the youngster whimpered in agony, still trying to crawl away, a twisted sneer spread across the magician's face. "Inner Darkness.... will destroy you from the inside out..."

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Training WC: 1,046/1,000

Ability Trained:

The final cry the child made brought forth a band no larger than five filthy people, all of which scurried toward Adrastos with worried frenzy. Their eyes burned with fury and unease, and each wielded a piece of shrapnel to use as their weapon. "You! We heard a child's scream of torment from this direction! Was it you who delivered such agony upon the helpless youth?"

The magician turned, his grin still twisted unnaturally and eyes glinting with lunacy. "A child you say," he hissed. "Mmmmm... I don't recall a child being in the vicinity. I was too engrossed with the fascinating notes of something howling while it bled before my very eyes. It's a rather enchanting sight to witness a pathetic being fighting for their life. Would you like to experience such pleasures?"

"You demon! We'll make sure you pay with your life! Get him!"

The insignificant mob charged, brandishing their feeble weapons in order to obtain the justice they so desired. Adrastos snickered, and with each step they took, his maniacal laugh increased in volume. This period of hysteria grew increasingly uncontrollable for unknown reasons. No clear thought could be found within Adrastos' clouded mind as his emotions screamed and raced around his soul, causing more and more turmoil. "Demon? Ha!!! I'm no demon! I am a god! A king! I am death and chaos! I will not be executed by weaklings such as yourselves."

Adrastos visualized the darkness inside of him, inside of the world, and imagined it consuming the light. He would have the blackness he had endured as a slave to take form and engulf the sight of these humans. Then, with their vision stripped from them, he would watch as they floundered like fish suffocating on the beach. The magician focused his staff at the oncoming herd, then with a flashing smirk, another cloud of obsidian colored mist spew forth. "Black Smog."

The cloud grew thicker and more opaque as it slithered and enveloped the people. Soon, they began to panic and some even began to cry. None of them could see for their sight had been stolen by the heavy mist. They would the his next experiments to suffer what his spells would do.

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Training WC: 371/250

Ability Trained:

With the rabble blind, they offered a little entertainment with their stumbling and whimpering. They also had no offensive or defensive tactics that they could orchestrate, making them more prone to what the magician would unleash. "Pitiful insects," he mused. "Just look at you fumbling around. What happened to that large boast about killing me? Is that all you are capable of? Whimpering like frightened worms?"

Zayn's eyes enlarged with interest and he danced around singing bolder confessions of love toward the man she had recently crossed paths with. "Oh my sweet fallen angel of destruction! Though we've just met, I can't help but feel as if we were drawn together! Side by side forever! That is our destiny! Just embrace me, my dark king. Let us drown in our forbidden temptations!"

Adrastos glowered at the Fanalis, his eyes freezing over with deep annoyance. Zayn himself was even frozen, unable to move while under the gaze of the blue magician. "Instead of just dancing around and being a fool, make yourself useful and demonstrate what power you possess. Or else I'll have my fun ripping you to shreds for being such a waste of space."

The blue magician spun his staff in the air, his mind still fragile and in turmoil. He imagined a cone shaped mass of darkness that swirled around like a massive whirlpool. He pictured it forming above his head, this structure of black liquid that would drill through the air and hit his opponents. This spell he called the Liquid Shadow Spiral, and he directed it at the Fanalis.

Zayn responded by hardening his arm and knocking aside the spiral. "Oh, you sneaky devil. All you need to do is ask, my love and I will do anything to please you! Now, step aside and watch me take care of these swine fore you."

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Training WC: 304/250

Ability Trained:

Just as the Fanalis charged, the people regained their vision and cried out when they saw Zayn. They tried to run away, to escape with their lives for they feared that they would be extinguished as easily as a candle flame. Zayn's arm stretched, wrapping around them in one swift movement before they scattered and cowered underneath the rubble. The Fanalis was quick, that much was certain, so perhaps he wasn't a complete waste of space after all.

Adrastos felt like needing another spell, one similar to the one's he already knew. Of course, with so many possibilities it was hard to determine which would be the best. Adrastos turned back to look at the child who he had attacked earlier. She was still struggling to crawl away, leaving a trail of blood behind her. If he had any shred of sanity left, perhaps the magician would have felt sorry for the girl. Maybe he would even have felt guilt. Yet there was nothing within his chaotic heart. His emotions were too jumbled up to make any sense, and all his memories had been wiped clean, allowing the voice of his magic teacher to pierce through and guide his actions.

"What do you say, my dashing new comrade," purred Zayn. "Should we paint this ground in red? It would be beautiful indeed, so why should we waste any time?" The faces of those within Zayn's clutches stared, horrified by what was taking place. They saw no liberation from their predicament, and theses two men did not seem to be the type to joke about the taking of lives. "Let me think for a moment, Zayn. Stop talking."

He figured out the perfect spell. His Aqua Cyclonas would be the model; the only difference is that instead of water, they cyclones would be conjured from a liquid shadow, a combination of water and light magic just like his previous spells, and would be named Shadow Cyclones. Adrastos raised his staff above his head and spun it around in a circle, imagining the cyclones in their black splendor. From that thought, two giant, swirling vortexes appeared, roaring as they spun round and around. He flicked his staff forward, sending the cyclones at the people which Zayn held. The Fanalis, not wanting to be hit by the blue magician's spell, released the victims just before the cyclones made contact.

"You almost hit me you know!" Zayn said as he stormed to Adrastos' side while the scavengers lay on the ground unconscious. "You're so mean, you know that?! But you're still handsome, and I can't stay angry at that gorgeous face of yours."

The Fanalis took hold of Adrastos, and for a moment, the magician was frozen, a human statue unable to move. A few minutes passed before Adrastos reacted, pushing back the man in an attempt to get him away. His face, no longer morphed from madness, was not twisted in disgust. "Don't touch me like that. It's disgusting."

Adrastos looked away, thinking to himself as he pondered over what had happened. He couldn't remember anything. Slowly, he looked back to Zayn. "You said fate was wretched. How would you like to follow me then and carve your own path within this world? Join me, and all your greatest desires will come true."

Zayn grinned from ear to ear. "Of course I'll join you! But, what do I call you?"

"Kareem, but in public, you must call me Neo Mortem."

The blue magician looked up at the sky, taking note of the time. He needed to meet with Noir at Portsmouth so that they could travel to Balbadd. "Come on. It's time to go.We have somewhere we need to be."

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Training WC: 612/500

Ability Trained: