Rise and Fall- Fight of Faith

Visitors

It wasn't just the eyes. The next morning, Grainger stared into the mirror in horror. His entire self seemed darker, more intimidating. The line around his irises had become thicker and bolder. Even his light brown hair had darkened, reflecting the turmoil of power thrashing in his soul. It was like the physical transformation he made when transitioning into darkness had permanently imprinted onto him.
Grainger shook his head to clear the thoughts and walked out of the bathroom, praying it was only a temporary change.
As he walked through the halls, he caught sight of one of the servants dusting and stopped in his tracks. His mind flashed back to the day before, the young girl in the library that in seconds had been turned into nothing but steam.
He shivered, whether from horror or excitement he wasn't sure. He wasn't sure about much of anything anymore.
Valarina rounded the corner and caught sight of Grainger.
"Cousin," she called, striding down the hall to him. "There you are. I've been searching for ages."
Grainger wrinkled his nose. "Cousin? Why so formal?"
She stared at him. "Grainger, do you not remember what happened when you flipped?"
"Um, no?"
She stared some more. "That explains a lot," she muttered to herself.
Grainger frowned. "Wait, what did I do yesterday?"
"You visited Malice in Averstone and almost killed her."
Grainger paled dramatically. "I did?" Then something else occurred to him. "Wait, Malice is in Averstone?"
"You charged her with high treason and stripped her of all power while we were on Genosis."
Grainger felt something tickling at the back of his mind. Something with fire, or maybe ice...
Something like letting his hand fall, and an explosion of ice swirling both ways down the hallway, encircling and freezing the Accords. Some ran or dropped to the ground, but they were not saved. Grainger swept his hand through the air, fire washing through the corrider, reducing the frozen Accords to puddles and the rest to ash.
Grianger's eyes widened, his soul torn between feelings for the memory. Part of him was horrified at having done such a thing, and cringed at the thought of even thinking to kill so many people mindlessly. The other half, however, was thrilled by the rush of power he'd experienced, yet disappointed by how little they suffered.
"I... I have to go..." he gasped out, turning and running away. All he could hear was the rapid flutter of his heartbeat and the pounding of his feet on the floor.
He burst into the bathroom, leaning over the sink and splashing water on his face. Looking up into the mirror, he was shocked to see that his hair had darkened a couple shades, and the black in his eyes was beginning to narrow down the blue. He shivered.
What was happening to him?
Meanwhile, in Averstone, General Brinks was strolling down the hall, hands clasped together and head down. He was trying desperately to not be seen. He was wearing a thick cloak and had the black hood flipped up to hide his face. As he passed the metal wall before the prison cells, he saw the reflection of a man with black hair and black eyes. He knew this was a sign of his falling to the darkness but deemed it inconsequential. He smirked sinisterly as he sauntered down the final hallway before he got to Malice's cell. Malice rose from the bench as his aura of unmistakable darkness flooded her senses.

"Brinks." Malice whispered clasping at the cold iron bars of her cell. Her eyes darted around the dark room until she saw a pale figure.

"Hello, Malice." General Brinks called.

"Hello, Brinks. What are you up to?" Malice asked. It was merely a pleasantry. Both knew he wouldn't step foot in Averstone if not for her.
"When the castle kindled, I made my escape. Ever since, I have been watching you from a distance. I discovered that Grainger was the pyromaniac that ignited the castle and did this to you. I then began to follow him but I draw the line when he takes your power. Grainger is a force to be reckoned with. He is strong in the darkness but could be stronger with the proper training. He needs to be taken care of. He is a loaded weapon and he is very unstable. Who knows what he could do next." Brinks explained.
"I agree." Malice said hesitantly.
General Brinks smiled. "Glad we are on the same page. I was worried that you would try to defend this trivial scourge because he is your son." General Brinks sneered. His hands cascaded with fire and he grabbed the iron bars of Malice's cage. Malice jolted backwards as the molten iron spewed across the cells. The bars melted to puddles on the ground as Malice jumped through the opening and turned so that General Brinks could remove the cuffs from her hands that prevent her from using her powers. Brinks used telekinesis to remove the cuffs and they fell to the floor in a heap. Malice moved to face General Brinks and looked down at her hands. She wiggled her fingers as she blasted ice against the walls. It had been a while since she could use her powers and Malice enjoyed the rush of power that it provided her with. She radiated with wickedness. She thought of finding Grainger and giving him a fight but she decided to wait.
Strolling out of the room, she saw her reflection as well in the metal wall. She stopped for a second and leaned into the wall. She watched as her eyes faded from stark black to blue and her hair changed back to it's natural light brown color. She stared at herself in aghast. She closed her eyes tight and remembered what happen with Grainger. He had fallen so hard to the darkness that he didn't even know where he was. He would do despicable things and not even be able to commemorate the crimes. Grainger. My son. Malice thought to herself. She needed him. Grainger is the only thing that tethered her to the light and that kept her from doing something she would regret. Grainger was her everything. Malice couldn't be with out him and it was becoming perceivable that Grainger needed Malice too. He was weak without her. She guided him though the first steps of receiving his powers and learning to use them. Malice was there to tell him everything was going to be okay after Sofia was hurt but Grainger only cared to place a blame on someone.
Meanwhile, a lone Accord lingered outside the room Sofia rested in.
She smirked.

"Who are you?" Sofia sneered with an evil smirk. It was time she caused some trouble for these Accords. They took everything from her as a child. The girl turned around, her smile faded.

"Valarina." She stated raising an eyebrow. 

"Azalea? What are you doing here?" Valarina barked. She wasn't taking any chances though. Valarina threw her head back and rose into the air. Azalea's eyes followed her as she flew. Azalea watched at Valarina's eyes widened with evilness, her hair turned as black as her soul, and her eyes turned to a dead black. She smiled as her usual tan skin turned ghostly white. She laughed as the fire engulfed her from her hands. Azalea nodded to herself, not about to be defeated. Azalea raised a hand, throwing lightning to Valarina. Valarina dodged the bolts and cackled. Sofia gasped and turned to run into Sofia's room. Little did she know how much trouble she was about to cause. Azalea stumbled passed the machines, forgetting to lock the door. Valarina fazed threw the door with ease. 

"Can't get rid of me that easily." She snickered. Valarina raised her hands to throw black fire at Azalea. She jumped in fear but should've stayed there. Valarina narrowed her eyes as Sofia sat up screaming, burning, with Valarina's flames. Azalea covered her mouth and ran to Sofia's aid. Just then, Grainger came flying threw the door. He was connected to his dying wife through their powers so he could see threw her eyes. 

"Sofia!" he screamed, leaping passed Valarina to rescue her.

Grainger looked around for anything that could help. Sofia's screams began to fade and as the flames roared. 

"Someone get help!" Grainger hollered.

Sofia continued to struggle and then fell back to her back. 

It was time to take revenge.