The Demons of Shadow Moon

Part 118 - True Strength

"Uh..." Yukine gasped from the underworld, senses reacting...

"What's with you?" Akira asked.

"Something's not right...!" Yukine stuttered, eyes widened.

Akira hesitated to comment...

"Find Luna on that machine thing!! Quick!!" Yukine ordered.

"Uh...!" Akira quickly turned to his machine.

He immediately set the coordinates to Shadow Moon with the present timeline. He zoomed out, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

"Wait..." he mumbled, catching some commotion by a cliff...

Luna hit the chilling water with a splash, just before releasing her demon form to try and save herself. But she couldn't release it quick enough!

"LUNA!!!!!" Echo yelled out in panic to see Luna getting deeper into the water.

"YURIO!! YURIO, COME BACK!! QUICKLY!!!" she screamed as Yurio turned, hearing the commotion in the distance.

"Uh!! What the hell just happened?!!" Yukine yelled, rushing over to the machine, only to be held back by his chains.

"N-no...! Luna's... NO!! She can't swim, damn it!!!" Akira yelled.

Yukine's eyes widened as he remembered the day at the temple when he had to swim down to get her...

Luna... no...! Not Luna! You're not the one who's supposed to die!! You've got so much to live for..!! LUNA!!!!!!

"Uh... Wait. Yukine, you're...." Akira gasped as he noticed a strange magic leaking from Yukine's body.

...

Luna slowly saw the surface get further and further away with every second that went by. She waved her arms and legs around, frantically trying to get back up or use her magic to move the water, but it was no good. All she did was sink. Her face began to grow redder as she squinted her eyes closed...

...

"No!! It's not you...!! NOT YOU!!! I CAN'T LET YOU DIE!!!" Yukine yelled, releasing his half-angel, half-demon form as he smashed out of his chains!!!

"Whoa, wait!! Yukine, you can't leave!!" Akira grabbed his arm.

"WATCH ME!!" Yukine yelled, pushing him into the wall with a crash.

"The angels will declare war if you go!! You can't-" Akira immediately stumbled after the leaving Yukine, releasing his magic uncontrollable from his panic.

"So, all of a sudden, the kingdom's more important than Luna?!" Yukine dragged him off his feet by his collar.

"How about you make up your damn mind already, you ignorant, incompetent, insufferable excuse for a king!!!" Yukine roared, punching him brutally with every insult.

Akira's head was savagely smacked against the wall from the force. His body collapsed to the floor as Yukine raged on in a fury.

"You can keep sitting on your ass like you've got nothing to fight for, but I'm not gonna take this any longer!!" Yukine shouted right before teleporting out the cage the underworld had locked him in...

Meanwhile...

"Alright... don't be afraid... just jump...! Luna needs you...! Come on!!" Echo urged herself when suddenly a figure barged past her and jumped off the cliff.

Yurio was running towards her, having run well ahead earlier.

...

Luna relaxed her eyes as she began to float in the water as bubbles gushed out her mouth and water flooded her lungs, allowing Luna no air to cling to. As she closed her eyes, she caught a glimpse of a commotion of splashes that hit the water...