The Fall of the Society

Chapter 74: What Lies Within

Tripp's smile froze, the laugh caught in his throat. His eyes rolled back in his head and he began to convulse violently. Rose did not let go or loosen her hug on him. No sound escaped Tripp as he thrashed within Rose's embrace. The ground below them fissured and cracked, massive chunks of cement flew into the walls of the crater that Tripp had created. His aura began swirling and picking up debris as it became a cyclone of lightning and ice. Rose hugged herself closer to his still convulsing body, his touch cold to her skin. The gold of her aura was crawling further onto him as they began to spin the opposite direction of the cyclone.

Swirling chaos was all she could hear, and the spinning cloud of debris blocked out the light of the moon overhead. The air was split by massive concussions of thunder as lightning parted the sky violently. Rose could feel herself being pulled away from Tripp as they began to spin faster, everything was a blur and she could feel debris colliding into them now. Ice was forming on the ground and the walls of the crater. Lightning was then striking and causing projectiles of formed ice to spray in all directions.

Their spinning continued, Rose sliding slightly away from him. She held on with all the strength she could manage from her left arm and reached her right hand back to his cheek. His skin felt like ice as she placed her hand there, but her touch seemed to warm the area. She slowly slid her arm to the back of his neck and forced his head forward. Their eyes met just as she lost her hold and began to slip away from him. His arms shot forward and pulled her back in close. As their bodies met, Rose kissed him.

His aura detonated, causing a massive explosion that ripped deeply into the already crumbling walls and floor. Debris rained all around them, but an invisible shield had burst into being, protecting them from being hit. Rose released her kiss and looked into Tripp's eyes, which were still black, but with a hint of grey. Though they had not changed in appearance, they no longer held the malice and anger they had possessed previously. They had become much softer, more kind. As she stared, she could see her reflection in his eyes, and the black began to disappear, slowly fading to the outside.

She was then thrust away from him. Rose had not been expecting this, and was almost to the ground before she regained her bearings and started to fly back up toward him. The invisible barrier reappeared around her, trapping her inside. "Let me help you!" she attempted to cry out to him, but the sound just reverberated around the inside of her transparent prison. A sudden jerk forced her to a prone position as the barrier flew upward and out of the crater, leaving Tripp far below as the cyclone of ice and lightning burst back into being.

Rose was forced to look down helplessly as clouds rolled in above her, blocking the moon from view once more. Rain began to fall as the cyclone grew larger and larger, forcing its way up to the clouds, which gave into Tripp's will and began to spin as well. Panic poured through her, she needed to find a way back to him. She had broken through one of his barriers before, and she could do so again. Focusing all of her power, she hit the invisible wall and it pressed in on her. The barrier had shrunk so much, that she could not stand or move her arms much at all.

Small windows into the cyclone would pass occasionally, giving Rose a view as to what was happening inside. She could see that Tripp was still floating where he had been, but his head would move. Some of the time he was looking up at her longingly, others he had the demented look of darkness on his features. The cyclone now filled the entire crater, ripping trees from the outer rims of the island they were on. Had it not been for the amount of power that Tripp was forcing outward, Rose imagined the crater would likely collapse, causing the island to disappear into the sea. Her golden aura shown down on everything below her, causing chunks of ice to glow as they passed near her. The scene below her was unfolding unexpectedly.

A dark aura was taking form within the cyclone, an ominous black cloud was growing rapidly inside the swirling mass of trees and debris. She could no longer see what was within and was worried about what the change could mean. The temperature began to plummet as ice formed chaotically around the rim of the crater, creating razor sharp spikes jutting from every surface. Loud cracking emitted from the ice as it grew thicker, and explosions rocked the air as lightning struck the ground, throwing debris in every direction. No sound other than the chaos coming from Tripp could be heard, even her thoughts seemed to get lost in the commotion.

Everything would soon be lost if she did not act. If she could not get Tripp under control there was a very good chance that he would cause severe damage to the entire world, possibly changing the face of their planet forever. The island they were on was already due to disappear from existence when Tripp calmed down, if he calmed down. Nothing came to her; she was at a complete loss on what steps she could take to try and break through to him. Rain was falling harder, freezing as it came closer to the earth, causing the sheets on the ground to grow even thicker.

The barrier protecting her failed, and in that instance she new the Tripp she loved was losing his inner battle. She reacted without thinking, her golden aura glowing more brightly in the darkness. Rose's aura was so hot that no rain touched her and the ice she passed closest too split and melted almost immediately. Deafening crashes sounded all around the crater as ice shelves cascaded downward, the earth rumbling threateningly. Debris collided with her aura and turned to dust the moment it made contact. Her golden wings burst into being as she smashed her way into the cyclone. She spun, the wings wrapping around her, giving her an extra layer of protection as she pierced the chaos that threatened everything. Inside the cyclone there was less noise, almost quiet. The wind was still, but the dark cloud around Tripp pulsed and turned in on itself as it embraced him.

Tripp was still floating were she had last seen him, only now his head lulled backward, and his mouth was open. There was no white to his eyes, only vast pools of the deepest black. His arms stuck straight out to the side as tendrils of darkness wrapped around every inch of his body, moving constantly. Rose approached him cautiously, but as she came nearer, his head snapped forward and a wicked grin split his handsome features, making him appear malicious and evil.

His mouth began to move, but the voice was not the one she knew and loved. It was even more sinister and eerie than the one that had come from him previously. "My time has come at last!" the deep voice laughed. "Your world shall be lost; all here will serve me! Darkness will finally reign eternal!" The black of his eyes began to pour down his face as the evil grew stronger. "Mistakes were made by your race, steps taken that have created rifts between worlds!" His grin turned to a sneer, revealing large, razor sharp fangs, as even more black liquid flowed down Tripp's body. "The dead are not meant to return, and I am here to punish all mortals for their insolence!" Massive black horns parted his hair on each side of his head, his fingers grew large and vicious claws on each one. A black tail began swaying back and forth behind him as his feet became hooves. "Some will beg for mercy, but I have no mercy! Serve me or die," his deep voice trailed off as his eyes bore into Rose's. The black liquid that had been pouring from his eyes solidified around his body, creating a thick black armor.

Their plan had backfired, something else had attempted to inhabit the form they had created, and it was much more fierce than she could have ever imagined. This evil entity was growing more powerful with each passing moment and she had no idea how to harm him, let alone defeat him. All her fears were coming true, she would have to kill this being, or die trying. What was even worse, she knew that if she were to manage to defeat this creature, she would still lose. Tripp would be lost once more, and this time there would be no way to get him back.