The Shadow Man

TwentyNine

The Guardian and I step out in front of his clan.
I dawn the armor of Nolites.
I am a warrior.
The Guardian raises his huge weapon into the air, and so do I.
The entire clan joins in as they all chant.
Rone looks at me.
"A new Guardian joins us. The Darkness wishes to snuff us out. It wishes to subdue us. But let this man stand as a witness, that we are more than just Light. We Are Strong. Let us send them a message."
Over the sound of the chanting and the drums, I hear a faint humming.
I grows louder, and louder until it is upon us.
The brilliant orange sky is sniffed out, replaced by a foreboding blackness.
"So."
A symphony of voices calls.
"A New Guardian Rises. Could it be the Strong One?"
The voices call.
I pull my sword from my back.
"Come and find out."
I call back.
A man materializes in the midst of the crowd.
The men and women step away from him, forming a small circle around.
Some of them pull out their respective weapons, poising them to strike at any moment.
The man merely glances at them, paying them no attention.
He steps forward.
"Donatello Temple. I've looked forward to this."
He says.
"Well here I am."
He chuckles.
His piercing white eyes show no fear, only excitement.
"T'was you whom killed the Dark One was it not?"
I nod.
"And you think you can save all of these people?"
He says, looking around at the warriors that surround him.
One of them charges forward, and takes a swing.
The man barrels through him as if he isn't even there.
He stands there for a moment, confused.
The Darkness raises his hand.
A black spear emerges from the ground, impaling him through the back.
He hoists him into the air as he struggles against his injury.
The Entity just stands there, keeping eye contact with me as he slaughters the man who dared attack him.
"You think your Nolite staffs can protect you?"
He asks.
"Whom do you think created them?"
His voices call.
Rone and I trade worried looks.
I see him produce a Nolite weapon of his own.
One gifted to him by Kaleo as a sign of trust.
It's barrel shrinks and warps to produce the needed power and precision.
The Guardian steps in front of me.
"These men, and this Clan, are under my protection."
He says.
His voice is deep and fearless.
He pulls his giant weapon from his back and extends the blade.
"If you must stand in my way, than I will go through you."
The monster calls.
The Guardian releases a shout as he leaps into the air, and raises his weapon.
The Beast lifts both his hands as spears rise from the ground.
His fellow warriors join him in the fight against their enemy.
The Guardian shatters the Spears as he takes a swing for the enemy.
The blade glides through him like an apparition.
The Guardian emerges from the other side, and pushes energy into his blade.
His next swing hits something solid.
The creature appears to take damage.
He staggers back as if he was hit by a blunt object.
He recovers fast, raising an arm in defense.
A wall of stone rises from the ground, throwing the warriors back.
He continues thrusting his hands, throwing spear after spear towards the Guardian.
I leap into action, barreling towards the monster.
Rone opens fire with his new weapon.
The Guardian screams in agony and rage as a spear gores him through the calf.
He rips his leg from the spike, continuing his assault on the man who stands against us.
I catch him by surprise, swinging my sword towards his head.
His head jerks around from the impact.
He turns and raises a hand to me.
I flinch, but instead of a spear, I'm thrown back against the far wall of the temple.
I try to stand, but before I can, a spear emerges from my shoulder, pinning me in place.
I scream in agony as dark negative energy swirls around the blade.
I reach up with my staff, and snap the blade off.
I take a deep breath, bracing myself before I pull my body from the spear.
The wound will heal, but I have to stop him.
I run towards the Entity and the Guardian.
The Guardian continues blocking the Spears that are thrown at him from all sides.
I leap into the air, and raise the weapon over my head.
The entity turns its attention towards me.
The Guardian takes his chance, taking a swing at the beast.
The Entity catches me by the throat.
He turns, and catches the Guardian's blade in his hand.
I lift my sword and begin trying to cut into his arm, to no avail.
He slams me onto the ground and breaks the Guardian's blade.
The Guardian screams in agony as he falls to his knees.
The Entity grabs him by the throat and pushes the broken blade into his chest.
The Warriors all around us continue trying to break through the walls, fruitlessly.
He holds me there as I struggle against the power that he wields.
I kick him in the ribs, in the face, in the temple, nothing works.
His giant Smokey form refused to be solid enough to take damage.
Nothing I throw even staggers him.
He twists the blade within the guardians chest, and lifts me into the air.
Without another word he hurls me against the stone wall.
I feel the Guardian armor wrap around my head for protection.
My body goes crashing through the wall, I hit one of the stone support pillars, and I hear the ceiling crack above me.
The Entity rips the blade from the Guardian's chest and stomps towards me.
"You are not strong."
He growls.
"You were merely born amongst the weak."
He hurls the broken blade at another pillar.
I sit up, mustering the strength to stand.
The warriors continue battling with the sprouting spears, held at bay while this Entity moves in to kill me.
"Allow me to show you true power."
He says, raising a hand.
Invisible hands grip my throat.
I float through the air, gliding towards his hand.
I reach up with my own hands to grip his enormous fingers, to no avail.
He hurls me once more.
My body lands amongst stones and bricks.
A small creator forms where I land.
The Guardian and I lay side by side, beaten and defeated.
"Behold!"
The Entity calls.
"Your Guardians. Your pillars."
He takes a moment to look at each of the remaining Nolites.
"Your pillars have crumbled."
He says, looking down at me.
He reaches out.
The pillars that hold up the building crack.
"And none of you will crawl from the rubble."
With that, he vanishes.
My eyes close, and I feel brick by brick, a thousand years of Nolite history, collapse upon me.