Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering
CHAPTER 56-Awakened
Eva ran at the demon, leaping high in the air to deliver a devastating attack from above. The demon stood stock-still as she flew at him, making no attempt to avoid the oncoming attack. As she reached the demon, Eva struck out with her left hand, trying to catch the demon across the face. In a lightning-fast movement, the demon's left hand shot out, catching her wrist. Ducking, the demon used her momentum to fling her into the trees.
Eva was fortunate to land in the braches of a tree instead of impacting with the trunk, which would have most likely killed her. She crashed painfully through the foliage, the branches battering and bruising her body. As she slammed to the ground, she felt as if every bone in her body were broken. The pain was excruciating and she could not stop the tears from streaming down her face.
The demon paused. A small part of him felt pity for the girl. He pushed it away. Only one of his human's feeble emotions. "Frontal attacks are useless," he gloated "Your natural reaction is to attack directly, as your g'imu dictates. A summoner's g'imu determines much of their fighting style. Red knows nothing of subtlety or technique. All it knows is direct attacks, and this will be your downfall."
Eva merely lay on the ground, unable to move from the pain she was in. Her vision blurred and she was afraid she might pass out at any moment. She weakly rolled over onto her back and stared helplessly at the sky through the branches over her.
(Hang in there, Eva! Your healing factor is kicking in and the pain should fade in a minute or so)
(How am I supposed to fight him if he blows me away with one counter-attack?)
(Trust your instincts. Let your inner demon do the fighting)
As Eva felt the pain subside, she was able to sit up. Coughing up a gob of blood, she snapped her dislocated shoulder back in place, biting back a cry of pain. Her whole body still ached, but the pain was numbed, making movement more supportable. Still, Eva knew she shouldn't push herself until she was fully healed.
(Let's see how he likes a Magma Jet to the face!)
Eva's hand bust into flames as she unleashed the spell at the demon. As the flames reached the demon, he leapt into the air, dodging the attack and unleashing a barrage of mana at Eva. The red Keeper froze before the oncoming attack. There were too many to dodge. As she closed her eyes, awaiting the pain, she heard an explosion and felt a great amount of heat coming from in front of her. Opening her eyes, she saw a Wall of Fire had sprung up in front of her, protecting her from the mana attack.
(How did I do that? I don't have that card in my deck!)
(You're tapping into your power, Eva. Being a Keeper of Mana, you can cast any spell associated with your g'imu without having the card with you)
(You mean I could summon a Shivan Dragon or something?)
(If you can gather the necessary mana, yes)
The flames in front of Eva died down as quickly as they had appeared. The demon growled in frustration as he saw how easily his attack had been blocked.
"All right," he said "Let's see how fast you are!"
Dashing forwards at an incredible speed, the demon swept out with its left foot, trying to trip Eva. The red Keeper jumped, avoiding the trip and touched down, squaring off against the demon.
"You don't stand a chance against me in hand-to-hand combat," sneered the demon.
"That's what we'll see," said Eva as the two circled, testing each other's defenses.
The demon struck first with a volley of punches to Eva's head. She ducked and tried to block the demon's attack. As the demon missed a left hook, Eva took a swipe at his face with her claws. The demon jumped back, three red lines appearing on his cheek. Gingerly touching his wounds, the demon growled and unleashed a roundhouse kick at Eva's head. Eva ducked and rushed the demon as his momentum carried him on. She delivered a powerful uppercut, sending the demon flying through the air in an arc before he came crashing back down.
Seeing the demon down, Eva jumped into the air to come crashing down the demon's stomach, but he recovered faster than she'd expected and rolled out of the way, Eva's knee impacting painfully with the ground. Pain spiked through her leg as her kneecap shattered. The demon grabbed Eva by the shoulders and lifted her in the air before headbutting her. Fireworks exploded in Eva's head as the demon's skull impacted with hers. She was too dazed to react as the demon flung her against a rock. The impact would have killed her, but her instincts kicked in and she curled into a ball, riding the blow.
She clutched her knee, grimacing in pain. Her head throbbed and a small trickle of blood flowed down her face from a gash on her forehead, above her left eyebrow.
"Enough nonsense," said the demon, grabbing Eva and forcing her onto all fours "I will have you now."
"Arrathir will never let you do that, monster," spat Eva.
"My pathetic human side?" laughed the demon "He can't do a thing. He has abandoned you. Do you know what he promised me in exchange for my help in recovering our life essence? You. Sad, isn't it? To save his own wretched skin, he betrayed you."
"You're lying! Arrathir would never do that!" growled Eva.
"Really?" said the demon "Then if I am lying, why hasn't he stopped me? If he really cared about you so much, where is he now? I'll tell you: he's begging and pleading me to let you go, to not harm you. I could listen to him, but it'll be more fun to let him watch as I take you and let him know he is powerless, and can do nothing but watch you suffer."
(Don't listen to him! You can beat him! I'll take over before he can do anything. Now, show him he's messed with the wrong hanyou!)
As the demon began stroking Eva's tail, the Keeper felt a terrible rage course through her. If he thought she was going to submit to him so easily, he was sorely wrong. The demon tore at Eva's dress, eager to claim his mate. Suddenly, an enormous explosion hit him, sending him flying several meters before he crashed into the ground. He stared in disbelief: at the spot where Eva had been moments before there was now a blazing inferno that blocked her from his view. A figure stepped out of the flames, untouched. It was Eva. Her head was hung forwards, her bangs covering her face. She stood in front of the flames, unconcerned by the intense heat radiating from the fire.
"Hey, you," she said, her voice low and full of hatred "Remember what I said: Next time we meet, I'm really kicking your ass. Well, I've come to collect!" She raised her head and pointed a clawed hand at the demon "I am going to make you regret even laying a hand on me, you bastard! Before, I was just angry, but now I am furious!"
"Brave words for a bitch," said the demon, still a bit taken aback by Eva's sudden change of attitude "Too bad you have nothing to back them up with."
The moment the demon finished talking, the ground around him exploded. He felt pummeled on all sides by rubble and flames engulfed his body, burning him cruelly. The demon felt pain: real, soul-scorching pain that consumed his entire existence. The flames parted, collecting into three fireballs that arced high into the sky before turning back like a boomerang and slamming into the demon in a titanic explosion that leveled everything in its radius, shaking the forest like an earthquake.
As the fire died down, Eva strode to the mouth of the crater in which the demon lay, groaning in pain.
"Urza's Rage," she said smugly "Fully kicked. That enough to back my words with, asshole?"
"You…bitch!" grunted the demon.
"I'll call your insult and raise you a Fork!" said Eva, another Urza's Rage forming in her palm.
"If you kill me," said the demon "The boy dies."
"I don't have to kill you," said Eva "You're beaten. Now release me."
"I am not beaten!" roared the demon, jumping out of the crater. His body began to crackle with energy as a black aura appeared around him, his eyes blazing with a mad fury. "I cast four Dark Rituals!" he announced as four explosions, each more powerful and blinding than the previous. When Eva's vision cleared, she saw the demon's entire body was consumed by black flames. She could feel the black mana concentrated in his body, radiating off him like a furnace.
"Now," said the demon, his voice deformed to a high-pitched squeal "Four Cabal Rituals!" The mana began shining with a blinding light, forcing Eva to once again close her eyes and turn away from the demon. An electric sizzle filled the air as electricity arced around the demon. Eva could feel the ground shaking as all the black mana in the area was drawn to the demon, like light to a black hole. A thunderous bang shook the ground, throwing Eva to her knees.
As she got up and turned to face the demon, she gasped in surprise. The demon's entire body was covered in mana; he was a dark void that seemed to suck in all the color around him. Eva could see his 'skin' rippling as the mana flowed over the demon's real skin.
"Finally," said the demon "I summon three of the most powerful creatures at my disposal: Havoc Demon! Avatar of Woe! Hypnox!" As he spoke each creature's name, a pseudopod of mana stretched out from his body, breaking off and hovering above the ground in a black blob. The demon's body reappeared as the mana left him, his body reappearing from the darkness. The three creatures materialized in front of the demon, staring down threateningly at Eva.
"Attack her!" commanded the demon, pointing at Eva.
The Havoc Demon spread its wings, taking to the air and flying at Eva, The Hypnox extended its many tentacles and tried to grab Eva. The Avatar charged at Eva, its staff held high.
The red Keeper dove to the side, avoiding the Hypnox's tentacles. As the Avatar closed in, she grabbed a study branch and blocked the creature's downwards blow. The Avatar swung her staff around, attempting to catch Eva in the legs, but Eva back flipped over the blow, parrying a stab to her stomach as she landed. The Avatar's staff began glowing with mana and she swung it with incredible force, slicing through Eva's staff as the Keeper tried to block.
Eva flung her broken staff at the Avatar and sprung into the branches of a nearby tree as the Havoc Demon dove down to attack her. Having failed, his attack, the creature rose back into the air, circling around the area like a gigantic bird of prey, awaiting his next opportunity.
As the demon flew over her tree, Eva leapt out of the foliage, headed for the Havoc Demon. The creature banked and turned around, roaring in defiance as it saw Eva. He put on a burst of speed and headed for the Keeper, jaws wide open.
Eva gathered her mana, forming it into a small goblin. Grabbing the creature by its leg, Eva hurled it at the Havoc Demon, the Mogg Fanatic cackling in glee as it flew to its death. As the goblin reached the creature, it gave a squeal and exploded with a small pop, leaving a small cut on the other creature's cheek.
"Your attacks are too weak to do anything against my creatures!" laughed the demon from the ground "Your little goblin did nothing to my creature!"
"He damaged it!" yelled Eva "Now, Crushing Pain!" Thrusting her arm forwards, Eva invoked a swarm of minor Kami. The spirits resembled small red orbs with two antennae and legs. They flew at the demon, drawn by the scent of fresh blood. The Kami quickly entered the demon's body by way of the wound. The demon stopped in mid-air. Welts began appearing all over its body, bursting as the Kami consumed the demon. The creature gave a piercing cry before exploding into mana.
The Havoc Demon's cry affected the demon's two other creatures. The Avatar of Woe fell to her knees, clutching her head in pain as the scream drilled into her brain. A small trickle of blood erupted from her ears as her eardrums burst, followed by her head exploding into a bloody pulp. The Avatar's headless body slumped forwards and exploded into mana.
The Hypnox agitated its tentacles and cried out in pain, but was otherwise unaffected by the scream.
"My Hypnox still stands!" gloated the demon as Eva landed in front of him.
"Yes," said Eva "But he was seriously weakened by the Havoc Demon's cry. I'll put him out of his misery now."
The sky suddenly grew overcast as great dark thunderclouds moved in above the forest. Thunder rumbled throughout the forest as lightning flashed in the distance. In a thunderous boom, a lightning bolt shot through the Hypnox. The creature stared in horror at the gaping hole in its chest before its eyes glazed over as death took its hold. The Hypnox collapsed, exploding into black mana.
As the demon stared in horror as his last creature was destroyed, Eva knocked him down with a left hook to the jaw.
"You're beaten," she said, putting a foot on his throat and pushing down slightly to make it uncomfortable for him "Relinquish your claim on me."
The demon growled in fury, but Eva merely pressed down harder on his jugular.
"There are two ways out of this," she hissed "One is far less painful and involves you staying conscious."
"I choose option three," growled the demon, grabbing Eva's other leg and pulling it out from under her. The red Keeper fell backwards and landed painfully on her back. Stunned, she was unable to react as the demon picked her up by the ankle her was holding and flung her into a nearby tree. She hit the tree head-on and fell to the ground, gasping for breath as the wind was knocked out of her.
Eva tried to stand up, but a sharp pain in her chest caused her to cry out in pain and collapse back to the ground. She could tell a few of her ribs were broken from the fiery pain in her chest. Her nose was throbbing painfully. Touching it gently, she winced: definitely broken, judging by the pain and the flow of blood that ran down her jaw and dripped off her chin, peppering the ground with small red dots.
(Chiruu? Just how good is this demon healing factor?)
(It'll heal most small wounds in minutes, but more important damage, like broken bones, will take longer, depending on the extent of the injury)
"Now," said the demon, kneeling beside Eva "Are you going to be a good little bitch and let me fuck you?"
"For the last time," said Eva "I am not your bitch!" She punched the demon, who backed away, just out of range of her claws. Suddenly, he felt the cold bite of metal sinking into his shoulder. Looking down, he saw Eva was holding a tantō, and the small Japanese dagger had plunged into his skin. The demon pulled away violently, the knife leaving its living sheath and leaving a small bloody hole. Eva was as shocked as the demon. She realized her other had held the knife's sheath.
The weapon was a fine work of art. Eva knew next to nothing about Japanese swords, but she could tell the one she was holding was of good craftsmanship. The scabbard was a deep red and covered in glowing symbols. Looking down, she saw a daisho lying next to her. She picked it up reverently and fastened it about her waist with the sash it was connected to. The weight of the two swords by her side somehow felt right, as if they'd always been there.
(How the Hell did that happen, Chiruu? Another secret about the Keepers nobody ever mentioned?)
(I'm as shocked as you are, Eva. Those swords…yes, I remember. They were mine in the past, but how did you get them?)
(Right now, I don't really care. With these swords, I can really kick the demon's ass!)
(Remember, that is Arrathir. You don't want to damage him too much)
(I figure I can just intimidate him into letting me go)
(What if he calls your bluff?)
(Then it's time to get choppy)
Sheathing her tantō, Eva tucked it into a pocket of her dress and drew her katana, the weapon sliding out of its sheath with a metallic ring. Eva's breath caught in her throat. While the tantō had been very pretty, the katana was magnificent. The hilt was bound in black leather in a crisscross pattern, revealing the silver patterns underneath. Right under the tsuba (cross guard) was an icon of a fireball. The tsuba itself was engraved with a golden fox curled upon itself. The blade had a symbol of a fox engraved on it. The symbol glowed with mana and Eva could feel the whole sword pulsating with energy.
"All right, you," she said, slowly getting up while keeping her katana ready "You're going to let me go now. I don't want to have to hurt Arrathir."
"Heh, you want to play?" laughed the demon "Fine, let's 'play'!"
The demon placed his hands on top of each other, palms down, and slowly drew them apart horizontally. As he did, a black shaft appeared out of thin air. As the demon took it in his right hand, it solidified into a wooden handle. From the handle, a curved blade formed at one end and a chain appeared at the other. The chain grew and soon a large ball appeared at the free end of the chain. The demon now held a kusari-gama, a Japanese weapon consisting of a sickle on a chain with a weight at the end.
(He just formed a weapon…from mana?)
(Not just any weapon. I recognize that kusari-gama. It belonged to Chikuro)
(What about these swords? Were they yours as well?)
(Probably. I remember each of the Keepers having a distinctive weapon, but they were physical, not created from mana)
"Now," said the demon, grapping the chain in his left hand and swinging it in circles above his head "We'll see who's going to be getting hurt eh?"
The demon advanced at Eva, still swinging the weight. Eva nervously watched him, her sword raised and pointed above his head. Suddenly, the demon released the weight, the heavy iron ball describing a horizontal arc as it flew at Eva. She threw up her blade to block the attack. The sword hit the chain, the weight whipping around the blade, wrapping the chain around it as well. Before Eva could react, the demon yanked his end of the chain, tearing the katana from her grasp. As the weight returned to him, the katana slipped from the chain, clattering to the ground beside the demon.
Gloating, the demon bent down to pick up the weapon, but as soon as he touched the hilt, he dropped it hastily, screaming in pain as the hissing sound of burning flesh filled the air. The demon stared in horror at his burnt palm, seething in rage.
"Right," he said, more to himself "I'd forgotten the weapons can only be wielded by their respective owners."
Nervously, Eva drew her wakizashi, preparing herself for the next attack. She trembled in anxiety from her lack of skill with a sword. In desperation, she contacted her spirit.
(Chiruu, help me! I don't know anything about using a sword!)
(OK, give me control and I'll kick his ass!)
As the Keeper of Red Mana took over Eva's body, the symbol of red mana appeared on her forehead. Gripping the wakizashi with both hands, she slid into a fighting stance, her front foot extended, almost straight with all her weight resting on her back foot. She kept her sword beside her head, the blade facing forwards.
The demon began swinging the weight again, this time more cautious. The spirit was more of an opponent than her human and, unlike the girl, would not hesitate to hurt him badly, perhaps even kill him.
Suddenly, Chiruu rushed the demon, sword trailing behind her as she prepared for an upward slash across the demon's body. He quickly loosened the weight at her, hoping to catch her in the legs, but the spirit jumped over the chain, bringing her sword slashing down upon the demon's head. The demon quickly brought up his sickle to block the blow, the blade ringing off the handle.
The demon brought the sickle around in an arc, trying to catch the spirit in the ribs, but she parried with a downswing, the curve of the sickle catching the blade. The two opponents struggled against each other, trying to push the other's weapon away. The demon brought his tail around, slapping Chiruu in the head. As the Keeper backed away, the demon whipped the chain around, entangling her legs. Pulling on the chain, he tripped her, the spirit landing squarely on her tail. As the demon rushed forwards, sickle held high, Chiruu jumped back up to her feet, leaping into the air while spinning to untangle her feet. She took a slash at the demon as she went over him, forcing the demon to duck. She landed beside her katana, which she promptly picked up, switching her wakizashi to her left hand.
Breathing heavily, the demon collected his weight and prepared for another assault. This time, he jumped into the air, throwing the weight directly at Chiruu. The spirit jumped over the attack, the weight punching a hole through the trunk of the tree Chiruu had been standing in front of.
As Chiruu passed the demon in mid-air, she slashed downward with her katana, keeping her wakizashi ready to parry. The demon dodged the blow, replying with a slash from his sickle, which the spirit knocked away with her other sword.
The demon landed, pulling the weight out of the tree and leapt up into the braches of the tree. Chiruu, meanwhile, had landed in the branches of another tree and had already jumped at the demon for another attack, her arms crossed. The demon leapt out of his tree to meet her, weight and sickle at the ready. As they met, Chiruu uncrossed her arms, slashing out horizontally with both swords. The demon brought his kusari-gama up between the two swords, blocking the blow.
Chiruu tried to force the handle out, but before she could, the demon pushed her swords aside, elbowing her in the face. Chiruu crashed back down to the ground, while the demon landed safely in the branches of a tree. Seeing his opponent down, he immediately jumped down, ready to strike again. However, before he could Chiruu was back on her feet, katana held high above her shoulder and her wakizashi pointing downward to her right
She closed her eyes and felt the mana flowing through her body. Focusing it into her swords, she fuelled her rage towards the demon into the katana and wakizashi. The blades began to glow red with mana and the fiery aura reappeared around Chiruu. As she opened her eyes, the demon could see fire dancing in them. Her entire body glowed brightly and sparks flew from her swords. With a wild cry, she sung both swords down until they were parallel to her body. As the katana came across her chest, she brought the wakizashi over, crossing her arms again. Taking a deep breath, she uncrossed her arms, the two swords unleashing a wave of fire at the demon as they separated.
The demon stared, astonished, at the wall of fire coming at him. The flames swept over his body, dropping him to his knees. As he tried to recover from the pain, he felt the katana at his throat. Looking up, he saw Eva had taken over and was staring at him with pure loathing.
"Now you are beaten. Release me," she said.
"You're bluffing," laughed the demon "You'd never kill your beloved Arrathir!"
"Arrathir would rather die than live with the shame of what you did!" snarled Eva. With a flick of her sword, she sliced through the demon's windpipe, carefully avoiding the jugular. The demon gasped in confusion and stared at Eva, struggling to breathe. "Now," she said "You can either die now or release me and live."
The demon produced a gurgling sound and stared hatefully at Eva before his eyes turned back to blue as Arrathir regained control of his body. The Keeper of Black Mana stared at Eva, confused. Bringing a hand to his throat, his eyes widened as he felt the cut across his trachea and he collapsed.
Eva's fatigue suddenly caught up with her and she fell to her knees, the two swords slipping from her grasp. Using the last of her strength, she crawled beside the Keeper.
"I'm sorry, Arrathir," she said in a low whisper "I'm sorry that I put your life in danger just to get rid of the demon, but don't worry; I'll save you."
Placing her mouth on the bleeding wound, she began licking it to help accelerate the healing process. Her tongue lapped up the blood as it flowed from the cut, her saliva slowly forming a thin membrane over the wound.
Arrathir was in shock. The demon had blocked him out, so he had no idea what had occurred during the fight. To wake up with Eva pointing a sword at his throat and his body in terrible pain had overloaded his brain with emotions. For the moment, he just lay there, trying to enjoy the warm feeling of Eva's soft tongue through all the pain he was in, the rhythmic movement of her tongue offering more comfort.
As Eva licked away at Arrathir's wound, she felt a tingling sensation in her shoulder. Pulling down the collar of her dress, she saw the demon's mark was healing over, quickly fading and leaving no trace of its existence.
"Arrathir!" she exclaimed, "The demon's mark is gone! I'm free!"
A smile appeared on the other Keeper's face. "That's great," he said in a hoarse whisper "Eva, I'm happy for you."
"I'm really sorry I had to hurt you," said Eva.
"It was the only way," said Arrathir, hiding the alarm of his neurons "It doesn't matter what you had to do, I'm just glad this is over."
"Arrathir," said Eva "I had no choice but to harm you, the demon was controlling your body. I-I..."
"Eva, I would have chosen death rather than have any harm come to you. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you from harm, even if it is from my own body. You are more precious to me than my own existence." Arrathir becoming more reclusive as his eyes wandered into deep thought. "You mean the world to me and, and…" the battered Keeper winced in pain as he rose to meet Eva's gaze.
In worry for Arrathir's condition Eva put her hand firmly on his shoulder, "You'll hurt yourself. Be careful." The caressing tone made Arrathir's determination all but resolute.
"…I love you, Eva."
The firm grasp on Arrathir's shoulder grew firmer as she took in the full meaning of the words. Eva thought her heart would explode from happiness right then and there. Of course, she had known this for the longest time. Everything Arrathir had done for her had always shown how much he cared for her. She had never doubted his feeling for her, but to actually hear him say those words was the happiest moment of her life. Her eyes swelling out of care, worry, relief and something she couldn't quite comprehend. As she widened her eyes and saw Arrathir barely alive she could only think to embrace him.
Arrathir, relieved of expressing his feelings, ignored the pain as Eva leapt forward to hug him. He would have returned the favor if his arms would listen. In the excruciating ache emanating from his neck he could only but sigh and allow his eyes to swell with the uncontrollable flow of emotion. The pressure valve of his tear ducts giving out, he collapsed in a combination of tearful joy and tearful pain.
Eva drew closer, seeing the uproar of emotion from Arrathir she could only but join in. In a geyser exuberant expression the two lay in harmony, quashing any atmosphere that where they lay was not long before a battlefield. Arrathir would have succumb to unconsciousness had not it not been for Eva's whispered reply.
"I love you too..."
The Keeper's face lit up and he somehow found the energy to pull himself up, wrapping an arm around Eva and pulling her in for a kiss.
"About damn time!" bellowed a voice. Eva and Arrathir looked up to see Khell and Charles standing nearby. Khell was grinning broadly through his beard while Charles had a pained expression on his face.
"Congratulations, you two!" said Khell, casting a few Nourishes on the two Keepers of Mana. Arrathir and Eva felt their fatigue leave them and the pain in their bodies fade as their bones fused back together. Blushing, the two Keepers stood up only to be grabbed into a crushing embrace by the Keeper of Green Mana.
"Khell…" gasped Arrathir "Can't breathe…"
"Oh, sorry," said Khell, releasing them "And you, Eva," he added turning to the kitsune "The Keeper of Red Mana. Well, welcome back, Chiruu."
"Thank-you, Chiguriin," said Chiruu, appearing in spirit form beside Eva.
"So all the Keepers of Mana have finally awakened," said Rin, appearing beside Khell.
"The Awakening is over," said Chikuro, coming out in spirit form beside Arrathir "Now that the Keepers of Mana are reunited, let us learn from our past mistakes so as to avoid another war. Personally, I would like to apologize to all of you for being the instigator of the whole affaire. It's strange: I started the war which nearly decimated the Multiverse, yet I hardly remember anything."
"I'm just glad we've been given a second opportunity at life," said Rin "Chikuro, despite starting the war of the Keepers, you have gone to great lengths in order to awaken the Keepers of Mana, which goes to show how much you've changed and wish to atone for your past sins. For this, you have my thanks and forgiveness."
"Chikuro," said Chiruu "When you killed me, it was a betrayal, but at the same time, it was a liberation. Throughout the entire war, I was caught between the two sides: Chihowaido and Chiguriin who fought for the good of the Multiverse and Chiburuu and yourself who were trying to rule it. My logic told me I should side with the white and green Keepers, but my heart urged me to stay loyal to you. As such, I reluctantly helped Chihowaido and Chiguriin, always fearing we would meet on the battlefield. Every day I died a little more as I saw you transforming into a different person from the one I'd come to love. By the time you killed me, I had already lost my will to live. I went to you, fully knowing you would probably kill me, but determined to reason with you in the desperate hope that you might see the light through my death. I welcomed my death. It was liberation from the conflict that was slowly destroying me from within. I died hating you, but only the person you'd become. My love for the old Chikuro remained intact and I hoped to meet you in the afterlife. Unfortunately, I waited in vain and eventually lost all hope of ever seeing you again."
"It was very confusing for me when I awoke," she continued "Here we were again, together, and I didn't know what to make of it so my hatred took over. However, I am glad to see I did not wait in vain after all since I seem to have found the old Chikuro once again." She smiled warmly at Chikuro, who returned the smile.
"The Awakening has taught me the value of life," said Chikuro "Once can accomplish so much more in preserving life rather than destroying it. Much of my evil persona remained when I awoke. I was angry at life and hated it for having made me suffer so much in the past, but thanks to my host, I've come to appreciate the gift that life is, rather than seeing it as something to be loathed. I credit the success of the Awakening to Arrathir. If it weren't for him, we probably wouldn't be here today."
"Hear, hear!" said Chiguriin "To Arrathir!"
Arrathir grinned and averted his gaze from the other Keepers, blushing from the praise.
"For me," he started "The Awakening has taught me more about myself. I've been pushed to my limits, both physically and emotionally. I really find it amazing that we pulled this off, seeing as how I was playing it by ear most of the time. The Awakening has also taught me what it is like to care very deeply for someone and that if I love someone very much, I must defend them with all my strength." Arrathir blushed again as Eva kissed him on the cheek and all the spirits "Aww"-ed.
"When I started out," said Eva "Magic: The Gathering was just a game to me: a way to have fun while expending my anger. Now, it's become a reality. At first, I was reluctant to accept it, but thanks to Arrathir, I did. Arrathir," she continued, turning to the Keeper "I owe you everything. You taught me about inner strength, trust in myself, and love, something I'd only seen before as a sappy concept, but now I understand what it is like to find your soul mate."
"What about you, Charles?" Arrathir asked, "What did the Awakening teach you…Charles?"
The blue Keeper didn't answer. In fact, he wasn't even present. Charles had left shortly after Khell had embraced Arrathir and Eva.
He stumbled blindly into the forest, the image of Arrathir and Eva kissing engraved in his mind. He knew he should be happy for the two Keepers. After all, they were practically made for each other, but still, every time he re-lived the moment when Khell and himself had discovered the two, a sharp pain shot through his heart. He knew that Arrathir loved Eva and vice-versa, but to actually witness it left him feeling like his heart had been torn out, trampled, and hacked into giblets by the two Keepers.
;It's not fair. Why did I have to fall in love with her when I knew she was taken?;
;I warned you about this, Cannon. I told you not to get attached to Eva. Once again, you let your emotions rule you;
;Oi! Fuck you, Chiburuu! I'm only human! Well, half, but still I can't just ignore my emotions, OK? It's impossible to stop feeling!;
Shutting off his mind link, Charles sat down on a fallen trunk to think. For the first time since he'd met Arrathir, he envied the Keeper. Arrathir had incredible power and the love of a beautiful woman. Everything seemed to be going his way. Charles had never had any luck with women, which was one of the reasons he preferred to take refuge in the virtual world, but escapism seemed impossible now. The only thing on his mind was Arrathir and Eva. They looked so happy together and Charles feared he would never know this happiness. The tears that he'd been holding back for so long finally surfaced, running down his cheeks in two salty rivers. Giving up, the Keeper let himself go, venting his pain as he sobbed into his hands.
;Is it really so bad to want to be loved?;
As he calmed down and wiped the tears from his eyes, he felt a bit better. The pressure in his chest had diminished, but his throat still constricted every time he thought of Eva, threatening to bring fresh tears to his eyes. Wiping his nose with a large leaf from a nearby plant, he heard something approaching. Jumping up and charging his mana, he relaxed as Arrathir came into view.
"Charles!" he said "Are you OK?"
"Yeah," said Charles.
An uncomfortable silence settled between the two Keepers of Mana. Arrathir was absorbed in the tips of his shoes, while Charles stared unwaveringly at a tree to Arrathir's left. Finally, Charles broke the silence.
"I'm, uh, glad you and Eva finally sorted things out," he said.
"Yeah," said Arrathir "I'm still in shock she's the Keeper of Red Mana."
"So the Awakening's over?" asked Charles.
"We still have to deal with Chihowaido, but otherwise, yes," said Arrathir.
Another awkward silence followed, this time broken by the black Keeper.
"Look, Charles," he said "I don't know how to say this: I'm sorry my demon almost killed you."
"Well," said Charles "Guess that's what I get for hitting on his mate."
"You love her, don't you?" asked Arrathir.
"I think I fell for her during the whole Numa affair," said Charles "Hearing you talk about her and seeing to what lengths you went to saver her, I fell in love without even knowing her."
"So I guess it must kill you to see us together," said Arrathir."
"It scares me," said Charles "What if I never find my soul mate and end up dying alone and unloved?"
"I don't know about the 'being loved' part," said Arrathir "But you won't die alone. You think when this is all over and the Keepers are fully awakened that I'm just going to abandon you and live happily ever after with Eva?"
"Well, no," said Charles.
"Don't worry," said Arrathir "I'm sure there's someone out there for you. You've just got to keep an eye out. Who knows, maybe you've already met them, but just haven't realized they're the one for you yet."
"Cheers," said Charles with a small smile "It's going to take a while but eventually, I'll get over Eva. I know she'll never love me as she does you. You deserve her, mate. I'm glad she ended up with a nice guy like you and not some idiot."
"So," asked Arrathir "We cool?"
"We cool," said Charles.
Chuckling, the two walked back towards the others.
Chihowaido beat his wings furiously, feeling his muscles screaming in pain as he tried to get more altitude. Spreading his wings, he let the wind blow through his feathers as he glided through the air above the forest canopy. He had to admit that flying was the thing he had missed the most ever since he'd awoken. He felt so free in the air instead of trapped down on the ground. In his past life, he never used to walk anywhere, unless he was going into battle at which point his armor would have slowed him down.
It had been difficult to return, but he had succeeded. Admittedly, he'd had to take over his host's body by force, but since his host showed no sign of accepting him and with Chikuro's power growing, he'd had no choice. His host just didn't know what Chikuro was capable of and Chihowaido wasn't about to wait around for the Keeper to kill them all. After all, he was the Keeper of White Mana and his purpose was to protect the Multiverse at all cost.
Chikuro was the plague of the Multiverse and Chihowaido was the cure. Black had no place in the color spectrum. Nothing good had ever come of the color and all ghells knew how to do was spread death and destruction wherever they went. The Multiverse would be better off without the color.
Chihowaido could have defeated the black Keeper in their duel, but the final attack would have undoubtedly sent the volcano into eruption and as much as Chihowaido wished to see Chikuro dead, he still had a strong sense of self-preservation.
As he landed on a plateau overlooking the valley, he seethed in anger at the thought that at this very moment, Chikuro had probably already killed the other Keepers and would become too powerful to defeat. He clenched his fists in rage as his sharp gaze swept around the valley. He knew he should immediately seek out Chikuro, but his mana was too low after the duel and he was sure the other Keepers would try to stop him.
"Chikuro," he muttered "When the time comes, you will fall."
"That time may be sooner than you think, Keeper of White Mana," said a voice behind Chihowaido. The white Keeper whirled to see a hooded figure standing behind him.
"Who are you?" he demanded.
"I am pleased to see you have finally awoken," said the figure "It is an honor to meet you in person. I have waited since your host's awakening for this moment."
"You," said the white Keeper "The Planeswalker."
"Yes," said Lu Chao "I have been watching all of the Keepers and it is wonderful how well they've developed their powers, especially young Arrathir."
"Do not speak of that ghell!" spat Chihowaido "Chikuro is on the verge of taking the other Keepers' powers and when he does, he will quickly take over the Multiverse."
"Yes," said Lu Chao "I was aware of this risk when I awoke him. I'd hoped that the youth and innocence of his host might curb his evil, but one you start down the path of a ghell, it will forever rule you. It was a mistake on my part, but was ready for this eventuality: I pledge myself to your service, Keeper of White Mana. As a Planeswalker, it is my duty to help protect the Multiverse and I feel as threatened by the Keeper of Black Mana as you are. Allow me to assist you in purging the evil from the planes."
Chihowaido was taken a bit aback. He was silent for a while, pondering the issue. On one hand, having an aid as powerful as a Planeswalker would aid him greatly, but on the other hand, he didn't really know if he could trust this man. On the other hand, any help was better than no help and he was going to need all the help he could get to defeat Chikuro.
"All right," he said "I accept your offer, but what do you want from this?"
"Only the satisfaction that I helped keep the Multiverse safe and the knowledge that the Keepers' powers are secured," said Lu Chao.
"What are we waiting for?" asked Chihowaido, spreading his wings "Let's go now!"
"No," said Lu Chao "You must rest. Build your strength and you will bring justice heavy upon that visage of darkness."
"You have a point," said Chihowaido "How can I hope to defeat him in the state I am in? However, he is soon going to put his plan into action and take the Keepers' life essence."
"He too is weak from your duel," said Lu Chao "I doubt he will be able to fully recover before a day or so."
"Fine," said Chihowaido "Lead the way, Planeswalker."
The two summoners vanished in a flash as they Planeswalked out of Domina.
"So Chihowaido has taken over Erik's body?" asked Charles "Who didn't see that one coming?"
"Oh come on," said Arrathir "I know he's an egoistical prick, but nobody deserves that!"
The Keepers and the Spirits were seated around a crackling fire, holding a council as night began to fall.
"The issue now stands as such," said Khell "Chihowaido is now basically a sitting duck for whoever's trying to stop the Awakening. He's weak from the duel and separated from the group. I think we should try to find him before something happens."
"Excuse me?" said Arrathir "He's gone completely berserk! If we find him, he's liable to kill us!"
"We could put him in stasis," suggested Charles.
"He's white," said Eva "Pretty much he could protect himself from anything you'd throw at him."
"Is there any hope for Erik to recover his body?" asked Arrathir.
"Not likely," said Chiburuu "Because of his intense denial of his power, Erik is by far the weakest of the Keepers so far. He will have been completely demoralized by this event and in order to recover his body, he would require tremendous willpower."
"So our only option is to find Chihowaido and force him to release Morlock?" asked Charles.
"It seems so," said Chiburuu.
"Why did Erik have to be so stubborn?" griped Arrathir "If he'd just accepted Chihowaido, the Awakening would be complete!"
"Even though all the Keepers of Mana have awakened," said Chikuro "We are only scratching the surface of this whole affair. We need to find out who was trying to stop the Awakening. I get the sense they're not going to leave us alone quite yet."
"Indeed," said Rin "Dark times lay ahead of us. The Awakening is over, but now twilight is upon us."
The End
Author's Note: Well, that's it: The Awakening is over. What a trip. This has pushed my creative limits and my imagination beyond that of what I could have possibly imagined when I started this gig. While MTGvsYGO was fun, The Awakening was somewhat of an awakening for me as well. I got a much better view of my writing and have begun considering writing as a career (as many people have told me I should). From The Awakening, not only did I get a lot of fun, I also made a lot of new friends through Academy of Magic.
All of this wouldn't have been possible without the help of some key people. First, I'd like to thank everyone who submitted characters for this story. I appreciate how you let me do pretty much whatever I wanted with your characters to work with the plot. Thanks for being such great sports. Next, I want to thank all my reviewers. Your praise, advice, and criticism helped shape this story into what it has become. My writing has improved to beyond what I could have imagined. All though I still have a long way to go, I am definitely on my way to becoming a great writer. Finally, I want to thank my muse for this project, Lu Chao, aka. Cannon. This guy is the backbone behind the entire story. He's come up with decklists, characters, plot ideas, and co-wrote many a chapter. He especially helped my out with sensitive parts, such as Arrathir's declaration scene. Seriously, without him, this whole thing would have turned out completely different and would not have been as good.
So thanks to all of you for a wonderful experience. When I've moved on with my life, I'll always look back on these days as some of the greatest of my life.
The Keepers of Mana will return…
And now I leave you with a thought:
Cannon say: "Man who ending story not necessarily ending because it's over, but ending cos he run out of paper."