The City of Darkness

XVI: Opposers!

"Shard! You woke up!" Sky said.

"Apparently just in time, too. My alternate was putting you on the ropes.." Shard said. He was in a new set of clothes, including a blue jacket that looked like it was also a cape, brown, baggy pants, a orange scarf, and one glove on his right hand. His sword, Avenue, in its cover on Shard's hip. He was ready. "If you don't mind, I think that it's my turn to fight.

"B-But Shard!!" Sky said. She grabbed his shoulder, and Shard's face turned red. "J-Just.......be careful."

"O-Okay.." Sky let go of his shoulder and Shard got into a stance.

"So." Grafl said. "I'll be facing him? My alternate? Ha! What a joke! Get ready to feel the wrath of my gu-HAAAAWWCK!!!"Grafl collapsed to his knees as Shard finished his attack. Of the four heroes, Shard was the fastest by a landslide, and usually pulled off moves very speedily. Grafl slid back, enraged. "So this is your power...."

"Heh..." Shard said. "You can say that, I guess.."

"Excellent. Then you can make the perfect vessel!!!!" Grafl switched ammo and shot Shard in the shoulder, yet it didn't hurt. "Haha!!"

"What's going on?"

"That's absorbent bullets! Your power is mine!!"

"You basta-AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!" Shard started to feel like he was being electrocuted, but that was just energy being transfered to Grafl from his body.

"No, Shardy!!" Sky yelled. Her and Leah ran to him, but Leah had a plan. Leah saw where the bullet was and froze that part of Shard's body. Sky then burned through the bullet with a blast of energy, cancelling the power transfer. Shard fell into Sky's arms, and Sky blushed a bit.

Grafl laughed and looked at his opposers. "HAHAHAHA!!!!" He yelled. "I have enough power to send you all packing! Open the portal home!!!" Alice II, who was kinda nervous, opened the portal with a device she had.

"I-It's open.." Alice II said.

"Excellent!" Grafl grabbed Shard and Sky by their collars and threw them at the portal, and they landed close to it. Leah grabbed Pierce and the two reached for Shard and Sky, but landed next to the portal as well.

Grafl then proceeded to trapping them, and did that by creating a vortex of fire to surround the portal (and everyone near it). "Coward!" Pierce yelled.

"MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!" Alice II didn't even know her own big brother anymore. She's never seen him act like this before! But she couldn't do anything about it.

"I can't believe I'm saying this...but...good luck, you four." Alice II whispered to herself.

"What do we do?" Sky said.

"S-Sky..." Shard said.

"We....we.....we have no choice. We have to do what they say." Leah said.

"L-Leah..."

"No! We can't give up! Not here! Not like this!" Pierce said.

"P-Pierce..." Shard said. Shard looked at them and decided. For his friends. His family. For these things, he stood up from his pain and jumped into the burning vortex.

"SHARD!!!!!!" Leah, Sky, and Pierce yelled.