Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 26.5: Fated Meeting

The sound of steel on steel filled the air. The battle continued in earnest. Mykall was doing his best to hold his own against the demon War, who had unleashed his real form, a great warrior in full battle armor, a great shield on his left arm and in his right hand a dreadful broadsword, the dark blade wide and thick with serrated edges. It could easily sever a man in half.

Mykall disappeared into the air, his speed blinding, and slashes appeared on the demon's shield. War retaliated, taking a swing with his broadsword, the air whistling as the sword's giant mass hurtled through it. Mykall's speed saved him from being cut down, as he deftly moved sideways, narrowly missing the massive blade. But the demon anticipated the move. Using its shield as a battering ram, it smashed full force into the warrior, sending him flying into the air.

"This is not good." Mina worried for Mykall's safety. "Can you advise me on what I should do?" she asked, bewildered, confused, unsure of herself. She did not like being unsure of herself. She missed the Mina who knew how to survive on her own in the Utter Darkness, the Mina who was so strong and sure of herself.

"You have seen the consequences of inaction on your part before, " the voice answered.

"But I fear the consequences of my actions as well, " Mina stammered aloud.

"And yet, choose you must. What does your heart tell you?"

Mina paused for a moment. "What does my heart tell me?" she asked softly. Joab had asked her that once before, in a far simpler time when Good and Evil were easy things to tell apart. Helping her friends was one thing. It was never a bad thing to help those in need. But what of the Dark Priestess' advice? That she was not to reveal her nature unless it was a matter of last resort?

"So, childling...is it the strength of the demon, or the skill of the puppeteer?" Vannah's voice cut through the noise of the raging battle, cleaner than the warrior's blade through flesh.

Enma was beset on all sides by the attacking Shinigami. The angels of Death surrounded the demon in a circle, the ethereal bodies weaving in and out, attacking when the opportunity arose, but the the demon Enma held its own against the onslaught.

"You mock me so, Dark Priestess. You who have taken everything from me," Felicia answered, her voice breaking in anger and sadness.

The lightning flashed again as Felicia invoked her powers again, but the lightning rods did their job and dissipated much of the Silver Witch's power.

Vannah smiled. "What will you do now, child? Have you come this far only to be bested by so simple a solution? It would appear it is far too early for you to challenge me. Perhaps in another two or three hundred years?" Mina had never seen this side of the Dark Priestess before. Mocking, angry even. She was not sure why Vannah was acting this way.

Mina suddenly felt weak, as though power was being sapped from her. Vannah jumped off the demon just then, moving on her own, away from Enma's protective influence, her eyes slits once more. "It is the Demon Famine. He is stealing our energy, taking it for his own. I cannot allow it!"

Vannah unleashed four seals in the air, and another four after that. Eight mirrors materialized in the air, moving slowly toward each other, joining to form a giant shield. "This is the Yata no Kagami, the eight-hand mirror. It will reflect our energies back to us, and Famine's back onto him." The Demon quickly changed in appearance, its huge girth shrinking rapidly, its offense neutralized.

"Shall I lend my powers to Mykall?" Mina asked instead.

"Lend your power to the Light Knight?" the answer came back.

Mina did not bother to think about the next step. She found it only natural to help one of her friends. She closed her eyes, breathing softly. None of the demons had moved to attack her. The Silver Witch knew who she was. Vannah had been right. No harm would come to her. It wouldn't hurt to help one of her friends.

The light came naturally, as if from a bottle unstoppered, flowing from her like an irrepressible force. It danced in the darkness, as it had on the grassy knoll, illuminating all around her. The seaside town was lit bright as day. Mina instantly realized her folly, recognizing at the moment the wisdom of the Dark Priestess. Vannah had bade her not to use her power not because it would be dangerous, but because it would attract attention – the attention, it would seem, of the entire town. A small crowd now gathered outside the Izakaya, observing the conflict and the odd group of characters, but mostly drawn by the strange light, the likes of which they had never seen before. A few, the smarter ones, had begun to flee, moving as quickly as they could in the opposite direction. The rest remained, transfixed by what they were witnessing.

Mykall did not sit idly by. The light shot out from Mina, arching toward his sword, giving it the same deadly edge it had before. Mykall swung hard, the light giving his sword its unearthly strength. The light cut through the darkness. Several dents appeared on the demon War's shield. The force of the renewed attack from the Light Knight drove the demon back.

The effect of Mina's powers could be felt across the entire field. Vannah was breathing heavily, Enma was kneeling on the ground. The four demons were reeling, and Felicia had paused to take in what was going on.

Mina was lost in her own power, the same intoxicating rush that she had felt at the knoll. Strangely enough however, she wasn't fatigued. The power kept building as the light rushed out of her uncontrollably.

"I...I can't stop it!" Mina yelled. "I...I'm sorry Vannah."

The Dark Priestess was on her knees at this point, doing all she could to prevent from being torn asunder by the sheer force of the light.

The light continued to flow uncontrollably and Mina felt light-headed. She felt herself about to lose consciousness. She hated herself for being so foolish as to listen to the voice in her head and unleash her powers so recklessly. She worried how many lives would be lost as a result of her folly.

Then, she blacked out.