Eclipse of the Chronicles

Chapter 3: Rebelling the Resonance of Evil:

(Scene returns to the dojo fighting stage)

The tension in the dojo was thick as the Fated Chronicles faced off against the Destined Chronicles. I stole a glance at Amy, concern written across my face. "Amy..." I whispered, but she didn't respond. Her expression was hard as if she was wrestling with something deep inside.

"Been a while since that last campaign, hasn't it, Stephanie?" Charlie's voice rang out, casual yet laden with hidden meaning.

"Yeah... it has, Charles..." Stephanie responded her voice a mix of nostalgia and discomfort.

Simon turned his gaze toward Howard, the tension between them palpable. "Why are you here, Howard?"

Howard's eyes narrowed, his voice cold and sharp. "You're supposed to be the smart one. Can't you tell? I'm here to finally overcome you and prove I'm just as great as you are." Simon's heart sank, realizing how deeply Howard's feelings of inadequacy had festered. Despite their close partnership on countless projects, Simon had always received the recognition.

"Emily?" Queenie called out hesitantly.

Emily's response was bitter. "You're not going to be the only one in the spotlight anymore, Queenie. I'll show everyone I'm just as great a star as you." Queenie flinched, the words cutting deep.

"Hey, Jess. I'm here to finally show you I'm no longer far behind you!" Catherine declared, her voice filled with determination as she stared down Jessica.

"Catherine..." Jessica murmured, shocked by the fire in Catherine's eyes.

Spike seemed to be the only one without a direct connection to the Destined Chronicles—until...

"I shall be your opponent for this tournament, Spike," a voice suddenly addressed him. Spike turned to see Jake, someone who spoke as if they had crossed paths before.

Daisuke's eyes were locked on Lilith, burning with fury. "What have you done... you scum..." he spat, his voice dripping with contempt.

Lilith cackled, her laughter chilling the air. "Thanks to your partner's powers, I've taken over, Daisuke. I've helped these Destined Chronicles tap into the dark side of their powers, amplifying their strength beyond their limits. You know all too well what that kind of power can do... don't you?" Lilith's words dredged up the haunting memory of Spike's terrifying transformation during the Fated Chronicle clash, a memory that seemed to scar him more than anyone.

It dawned on me that the Destined Chronicles must have been harboring intense negative emotions, allowing Lilith to corrupt them and unleash their dark sides. If that's true... then Amy must be...

Before I could finish the thought, our cards buzzed. We all raised them to see a message flashing on the screen.

"Fated Chronicle of Rebellion VS Destined Chronicle of Resonance."

"Rebellion..." I muttered. "That means... you're up first, Spike." I turned to Spike, who nodded grimly. But who's the Destined Chronicle of Resonance?

Jake raised his card, answering the unspoken question. "That would be me, guys," he said, his voice calm and steady, confirming that he was Spike's opponent.

"You guys head over there first... I'll be with you soon," Jake instructed his team to move to the spectator area as he made his way to the fighting stage. I tried to stop Amy and Charlie as they walked away, desperate for answers, but Lilith blocked my path.

"Sean Tey... you will face her in this tournament. Destiny cannot be escaped, just like the destiny of you fighting against your sibling and hurting each other like all humanity does," Lilith taunted, stoking my anger.

"Says who?" I shot back, my voice rising with defiance.

Lilith glanced at Daisuke, as if indicating he held the answer. "Lilith can control the internal energy in a lifeform now, with Luna's powers. She's likely corrupted their minds, bringing out the worst in their emotions. With their powers unleashed in this uncontrollable dark side, they could go berserk, just like Spike did, causing untold destruction."

Daisuke's explanation filled me with dread. "You can still save her, Sean. You all can save your friends," Lilith said, turning her gaze to the entire Fated Chronicles team. "By defeating them in this tournament." With that, she headed to the fighting stage, ready to begin the first match.

"So if we don't win, they'll stay like this forever?" Stephanie asked, her voice trembling as she sought confirmation from Daisuke.

He nodded solemnly, confirming our worst fears.

The weight of our situation pressed down on me. We were now forced to fight our friends and family. "What are you worried about, cuz?" Spike asked, his eyes filled with determination. "All we need to do is beat them, right? I'm in if you all are."

"You're right. All we need to do is win, and we've already mastered our powers far beyond theirs," Simon added, his confidence returning.

"Oh yeah, we have," Queenie agreed, her resolve hardening.

"Let's go get our friends back, guys," Jessica said, her voice full of determination.

I nodded, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. "Yes... Let's do this. We'll win, save them from the dark side, and bring them back," I declared, bolstering everyone's spirits. "Go win this one, Spike," I encouraged as Spike nodded and headed to the fighting stage.

Lilith began explaining the tournament rules. "The Destined Chronicle showdown shall be a team battle: the Fated Chronicles against the Destined Chronicles. The battles will follow the same format as the Fated Chronicle clash, where participants may use their powers freely and employ any dojo weapons at their disposal. The team with the most wins will emerge as the ultimate victor."

"And what if the score is tied 3-3?" Jessica inquired.

"In that case, a team representative will be chosen from each side to battle it out in a tiebreaker," Lilith clarified.

"The battle commencing phrase will be: 'Let's settle... old scores.' Then both participants will yell out the word, 'destiny,' to raise their flag cards."

With the rules established, the first match was about to begin. "Jake Lim, Spike Neo, raise your cards and let out your battle cry to start the fight," Lilith commanded, echoing Daisuke's usual method of commencing matches.

"Let's settle..." Jake began, raising his card as it glowed.

"...old scores," Spike continued, doing the same.

Their cards rose into the air, forming the flags. "DESTINY!" they both cried as their flags illuminated. Jake's flag displayed a headphone, a rock band tag, and musical notes, giving us a hint of what his powers might be.

"The time has come... let the first memorable Destined fight begin," Lilith announced as both Jake and Spike assumed their fighting stances.

The match began with Jake making the first move. He directed his hands toward Spike, releasing energized sound waves that pushed Spike back a few meters. Spike quickly regained his footing, but his flag lights were already beginning to dim.

Determined to take the offensive, Spike charged at Jake with his super speed. But Jake was ready. As Spike closed in, wielding his chained swords and preparing to strike, one of Jake's devices emitted a powerful sound blast, forcing Spike back.

So that's Jake's power, I thought, watching in awe. He's strategic, calculative, and confident—handling Spike with an ease that was unsettling, given how hard it had always been for me to keep up with Spike in training.

Spike grew frustrated as Jake continued to thwart his attacks. Then, Jake went on the offensive. "My turn now..." he declared, attaching the sound devices to his shoulders and blasting sound waves from both them and his hands. Spike barely managed to dodge the attack and seized the moment when Jake was off guard to land a strike, causing significant damage and knocking out some of Jake's flag lights.

"Not bad, Spike... Not bad... But that's not all you've got, right? Why don't you use that dark speed move like you did before? You're not scared, are you? Of losing control?" Jake taunted, knowing Spike hesitated to use his true power, haunted by the fear of losing control as he had before.

"Well, that's not an issue for me," Jake continued, unleashing sound waves tinged with a dark aura, knocking Spike back. He retrieved a pair of nunchucks from the weapons compartment, prepared for close combat. Spike, using his dark speed in a controlled manner, met Jake head-on, their weapons clashing with fierce intensity.

As Jake was about to be overwhelmed, he tossed one of his devices at Spike, emitting a direct sound wave that disabled Spike's speed. "Those were quite the attacks, Spike. But if I let you use your ultimate Chronicle technique, all my effort up to now would be for nothing. So, unfortunately... I'm bringing this fight to an end," Jake declared, his voice tinged with regret.

"Sounds of destiny cannot be ignored...those who rebel forever against them...are only destined to perish" said Jake, directing to Spike in a stern tone.

"Now hear the calls of destiny and let its sounds ring out loud! Deejay Resonance... Ultimate Chronicle technique... Destiny Showtime Finale!" cried Jake as he spun his nunchucks at an incredibly fast speed. The air buzzed with tension as Jake's technique powered up. His movements were fluid and controlled, reflecting his confidence in his abilities.

Simon, watching from the spectator area with the rest of us, couldn't hide his alarm. "So the Destined Chronicles have ultimate moves too?" he asked, his voice filled with disbelief.

"It would seem they do... and Lilith has twisted their powers, amplifying their dark, uncontrollable nature," Daisuke replied, his tone grim.

As the tension mounted, Jake launched a series of fierce attacks on Spike, each strike echoing with the power of his ultimate move. Despite the onslaught, Spike managed to withstand the attacks, even pushing Jake back momentarily. Jake's eyes narrowed, assessing the situation. He began throwing more of his sound devices around the field, his strategy clear.

Spike, momentarily caught off guard, thought he had endured Jake's ultimate move. But just as he steadied himself, Jake activated his devices. The air filled with deafening sound waves, targeting Spike from all directions. The force was overwhelming, and Spike's flag lights extinguished completely as he collapsed to the floor.

"The winner, Destined Chronicle of Resonance," Lilith announced, her voice echoing through the dojo. Above the two match participants, a hologram of a scoreboard appeared, tallying a point to the Destined Chronicles' side.

What happened next surprised us all. Despite his victory, Jake walked over to help Spike up. Though no real injuries had been sustained, it seemed strange for Jake to extend a hand to someone on the opposing side.

"I'll remember this fight well tonight," Jake said quietly, offering Spike a nod of respect before turning to join his team. Spike, still reeling from the loss, looked disappointed in himself.

"Well then... until the next Destined Chronicle showdown, do we meet," Lilith said, her voice filled with anticipation as she teleported the Destined Chronicles away. My heart sank as I saw Amy vanish along with them. "AMY!" I cried out, desperation in my voice, but she was gone.

Spike clenched his fists, his head hung low. "I'm sorry, guys. I couldn't win..." His voice trembled as he fought back tears.

"Don't be, you tried your best, cuz," I said, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"He was... so strong..." Spike murmured, his voice laced with hesitation and doubt as he struggled to process the defeat.

As we all grappled with the reality of our first loss, Queenie turned to Jessica. "You think the rest of them will be as strong as he is?"

Jessica hesitated, her face troubled. "I guess so... probably..."

The atmosphere was heavy with uncertainty as we opened a portal back to our homes, each of us dragging our feet in sadness and defeat. The screen faded to black, leaving only the weight of the day's events lingering in the air.

(scene cuts black)