Blooming Sages

Chapter 12- The Rabbits Tears

  First floor

  When the whole group made it in the doors shut behind them. The atmosphere became very ominous and tense. "Everyone stay together!" Ken yelled. Suddenly, the candles that aligned the walls lit up revealing the four enemies they have to face. "Ace! Spade!" Frankie cried out, "Ugh." "Her again." They replied, annoyed. "You two! I bet you thought you defeated me, haHA!" Aries grinned madly, "How'd he get here so fast?" Ken asked Lark, who shrugged. "I don't really like fighting but, for Lord Mars I'll do anything..." Scorpio mumbled, "Your parents are at the top floor. In 49 minutes they will be completely under the control of Lord Mars or killed. I decide." Scorpio and Aries jumped past the stairs into the next level. "You'll be facing us." The twins said in unison. "You all go on ahead. I have to deal with them." Frankie summoned her Axe and got serious. "All right. Let's go guys!" Ken lead the other three up the stairs. "Don't think we'll let you go so easily! Straight Bolt!" Spade shot a beam of lightning at the group but Frankie blocked it, causing an explosion. "Thanks, Frankie!" They said as they elevated.

  Second floor, Ken and company and Aries

  The second floor was much hotter than the first. Aries stood in the center, "Hey, wizards. You're all about to get slaughtered." Lark noticed the giant flame about to cut through them all and blasted everyone up in the air. "Shit. It's always green ponytail ruining my fun!" "Don't bother with him. I got it." Lark once more blasted them all to the top of the stairs, "AH!" "LARK!" "HEHE WOO!!"

  Lark landed on the floor and met Aries' intense glare. "You're no fun, y'know." He patronized Lark, "It's so easy to say you give up." "So then say it." "I never give up! Flaming Valiant Pressure!!" Lark tried to avoid the long-ranged jabs of fire but he was hit in the leg. "Argh." Lark held his leg. "That wouldn't have happened if you gave up. HA!" A blade of flame crashed into Lark. Aries laughed to himself about how weak his opponent was. In his arrogance he didn't see the abundance of silent attacks coming at him, "What the-" "Sonic Blast, Flurry." With the wave of his wand the colorful blasts rained down on Aries. "AAAHHH!!!" Lark watched the explosion of rainbow but felt off about the damage. "I still hear him. Is it his heart I'm hearing? No..." When the smoke cleared Aries still stood, no longer on fire, and seemed to take no damage. "Is he human...?" Aries cracked his neck and smiled.

  Third floor, Ken and company and Scorpio

  "Lark and Frankie are so reckless! They could get killed!" Mira said worried. "They're super strong, there's no way they'll lose!" Kusuri reassured her. Scorpio stood hunched over, watching their display of trust in each other. "Cute. But um...even if you do make it past me, you can't beat Lord Mars." "I'm trusting you two can handle him." Mira instantly panicked, "W-wait, Ken!" "I know you can do this." He smiled at her. Mira's heart skipped a beat as she became flustered by his words. Ken ran to the stairs but Scorpio jetted towards him intent on stabbing him with his poisonous daggers. "Outta ken's way!!" Kusuri kicked Scorpio in the head into a wall. "Thanks, Kusuri!" And Ken was gone.

  "Mira, back me up! He won't be able to cut me." Kusuri was confident in the potions he used and his physical prowess. "O-oh, of course!" Mira stumbled back to reality. Scorpio arose, sharpened his blades and muttered something to himself. He then walked around Kusuri, stalking him. Inching closer every moment. "Mira...what's happening?" "What do you mean? He's walking towards you!" "Which one of you did I cut? Which one of you are seeing the truth?" Scorpio chuckled. His blades had hallucinogenic drugs on them, the two of them didn't even realize they were cut until he told them. "Cut? Where!?" Kusuri started checking all around his body and clothes but didn't see any cuts. He looked over at Mira who was bleeding from a cut in her thigh. Mira didn't realize the cut or what Scorpio had said, she was more concerned with the version of Scorpio she saw coming at Kusuri, "Astrospear!" The spear of light nearly pierced Kusuri, missing by a hair. "Oh damn." He mumbled.

First floor, The Black Rabbits

Spade bolted around the room sending bolts of lightning towards Frankie while Ace pushed her back with pillars of smoke. Frankie was able to dodge the majority of their attacks thanks to her Quasar Boots, but she wasn't always so lucky. She'd stop to talk some sense into them and they'd attack her without a second thought. "Ace! You're not like this! You're a smart-mouthed kid with a smarter brain, this isn't in your nature!" "Don't be so sure you know me!" The pillars were just smoke but they were tough enough to knock Frankie into a wall. "ARGH! Spade, you're an idiot that loves her brother and follows him everywhere, but you shouldn't follow him down this path!" "Tch." Spade snickered and released sparks of lightning into Frankie.

"What am I even doing? I'm not supposed to be the leader of the Black Rabbits anyways. These two aren't my responsibility...." Frankie contemplated these truths, laying on the floor face first. The attacks she withstood and the lack of magic was getting to her. "Big bro, we should finish her off." Spade looked over at her brother sadly. "Spade, what's wrong?" "Nothing...?" Her face went red as a tear fell, this triggered something in Ace. He started screaming and held his head, "Ace!?" Spade reached out for her brother but soon started experiencing the same thing as him. Frankie heard their cries and felt a sensation run through her body. "Ah, that's why I feel responsible." She grabbed her Axe and struggled to get up. "I'm not the true leader of the Black Rabbits." She dropped her axe and stood up straight, "Those two aren't my responsibility. They're my dear friends who've strayed from the right path because of me!" Frankie started to glow and let off a shockwave that blasted the two others away. The entire tower shook alarming Mars on the top floor, "Ugh. What was that feeling? Pure magic? Or something else..."

Frankie fainted after the outburst. Meanwhile, Ace and Spade came to their senses, "Spade! Are you okay?" Ace asked rushing over to his sister, "I'm fine, but my head hurts like crazy- Frankie!?" Their attention darted towards their fallen friend, and rushed to her side. "What happened to her!?" Spade lifted Frankies head. "We happened to her. We were being controlled by Mars' goons! But, Frankie didn't give up on us..." "Let's do something to help her now." The twins arose with a grudge against Mars, Aries and Scorpio, they knew what they had to do.