The Unprevailant | Book 2 | The Irangel arc

Chapter 23 ~ The Black Rose and the Darkness

Valerie's purple eyes blazed with fury. "Show yourself, darkness."

Fear and pain disappeared, rearranging Demian's face into a slow smirk as he prepared for the final fight, the one that would determine the ending outcome. His eyes darkened, his wings stealing the light from the night and trapping them within the blackened mirror shards.

Valerie walked purposefully towards Demian, her heeled footsteps calm and self-controlled, clinking steadily across the marble floor as smooth as glass. Raistin slowly followed Valerie, fearing he was about to witness the death of two beloved irangels.

Valerie looked directly into Demian's eyes, remembering the night they first met, remembering how she feared their connection, broke up with Demian, ran to Civic, causing Demian to seek comfort in Ariel, yet they were aware of the intense feelings they still felt for each other.

Valerie reached into the connection, feeling the internal struggle Demian was going through. She felt the same sadness he felt. She saw everything he went through, all the pain he hid, the tears he cried, his fight with the darkness. She felt his suicidal depression, his despair and hopelessness.

Raistin looked as though he was pleading with her not to die. Valerie felt a touch on her shoulder and turned to see Cydtin, the same concern reflecting in his eyes as he feared the same thing Raistin feared. However, there was a sparkling hope in his eyes, proof that he believed she could help Demian and put an end to his affliction.

Cydtin was unsure how the Phoenix could help, but he knew he held over three thousand lifetimes of knowledge and was therefore the wisest guy around. He felt safer with the Phoenix, though he was discouraged when even Raistin admitted he couldn't defeat the darkness.

Protective walls of black roses formed around Valerie, Raistin, and Cydtin, as the darkness finally emerged, showing himself.

Hello again, Black Rose, said the darkness, appearing in his true form as he shadowed Demian, mirroring his appearance onto Demian like art on a canvas. Demian's features turning into that of an ancient young man, a man who never knew love nor was loved in return. A man who wanted turned more than to kill his nemesis, time after time, in an endless cycle, every ninety years.

The darkness keenly studied Valerie, taking the time to study his opponent, before he glanced at Raistin, recognizing him as the Phoenix who banished him to eternal darkness.

"You again," said the darkness, his voice filled with venom.

"Me again," said Raistin, his voice somber.

The darkness glared at him, seething with an intense odium. He hated the Phoenix even more than he hated the Black Rose. "You will fail once again, as you did countless other times. Even if the Black Rose kills me again, I will rise again for the next ninety years. Nobody has been able to defeat me in my entirety, not even you."

"We shall see," Cydtin said cautiously. "The outcome will be different this time."

The darkness turned to look at Cydtin, his dark eyes perusing the well-dressed figure. "So much belief in the Black Rose. So much loyalty for your fellow irangel. I never wanted power; I only wanted to be loved. But even that proved impossible for me."

A glowing black and gold aura-like impression appeared around Demian as the darkness increased power. Instead of facing Valerie, the darkness turned directly towards Raistin, meeting his glare past the wall of black roses.

"As for you, curse-giver, I can finally command to put an end to you. Burn, Phoenix, burn."

Valerie immediately placed a physical shield on Raistin, but the darkness broke through it. To Valerie and Cydtin's horror, they realized Valerie's shield had no effect on the Phoenix.