Fan Fiction ❯ The Four Lords ❯ Return of Darkness ( Chapter 65 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Soulless Wanderer 
Things that were once thought are now proven wrong. Those who were once dead are alive, the great war was just a cover up for a far more sinster plan.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.23.2006 | Updated On: 02.23.2006 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 127 | Status: Completed
Things that were once thought are now proven wrong. Those who were once dead are alive, the great war was just a cover up for a far more sinster plan.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Hentai / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.23.2006 | Updated On: 02.23.2006 | Pages: 1 | Words: 3.5K | Visits: 127 | Status: Completed
Alex heard Brittany's words causing a smirk to spread across his black lips. Even when I doubt myself, she's able to give me confidence. Despite her fear she still has faith in me. She still believes I will do what is right. Let's hope I can have the same amount of faith in myself that she has for me.
Alex closed his eyes and twisted his body so that he started falling head first into the flames. Alex smiled as he neared Zanatos. Only one way to find out who's in control. Me, or Razriel.
Alex opened up his eyes a smile forming on his lips showing his razor sharp fangs. "Do you really think these flames will hurt me Zanatos? You should know that a devil thrives in the flames."
"No!" Zanatos yelled as he stopped his fire breath. He tried to swipe at Alex in mid-air, but Alex easily flipped out of the way. In the process Alex positioned his right arm behind him and used the momentum of his flip to increase the force of his next blow. His right arm collided with Zanatos's thick skull, the force of which caused Zanatos to stumble. Zanatos fell to one knee and glared at Alex. His eyes fixed with hate and rage.
"Still sore about me betraying you Razriel? Or is this for me fucking your mate?"
"Those are brave words for a dead man." Alex threatened.
Zanatos came up hoping to catch Alex off guard. He swung with a right hook that grazed Alex's chest. Red marks appeared on his chest and blood dripped out of his wounds, but Alex smirked as his wounds healed almost instantly.
"That the best you have?"
"I'll crush you!" Zanatos yelled. He then proceeded to slash madly at Alex. His moves were too fast to follow with your eyes, but somehow Alex managed to evade hsi attacks with ease.
This is amazing. Is this truly the power of demon Lords? I can't even see them move. It's as if I'm watching ghosts of teh past fighting. All I can make out are blurred images. Brittany thought.
Alex dodged another one of Zanatos's attacks and was preparing to dodge the next one when he felt a rush of air from both sides. Alex barely managed to throw his arms up in time before Zanatos's two hands came at him from both sides. Zanatos almost succeeded in crushing Alex, but Alex managed to keep his guard up under Zanatos's brute force. Alex struggled against the pressure that Zanatos was putting on him from both sides, and finally Alex gathered enough strength to break Zanatos's grip. In the process of doing that Alex managed to cause Zanatos to lose his balance.
Now's my chance. He's off balance and I can end this quickly. Alex thought as he lunged forward at Zanatos. The moment he saw Zanatos's smirk he knew he had messed up. Zanatos turned his body quickly, using the fact that he was off balance to turn faster. Alex was barely able to brace himself for the impact before Zanatos's tail collided with his side sending him flying into a pile of fallen stone.
"Now you're fucked. You underestimated me for the last time. You don't have another fucking crystal of resurrection. So let's see if you survive these fames!" Zanatos spat. His solid black body was soon covered in glowin tattoo's causing his demonic energy to increase tenfold.
He's using the crystal of energy. Brittany paled at the thought and looked at the spot Alex had fallen. "Alex watch out!"
Zanatos launched another stream of blazing fire at the fallen remnants of his castle which Alex had smashed into. Even from her spot far away from the battle, Brittany could still feel the intense heat of the flames. The flames scorched the earth and the stone creating an eerie and ominous light in the darkness of the storm.
Brittany couldn't be sure, but for a brief second she could've sworn she saw the flames part ways. At first she thought it was nothing more than her eyes playing tricks on her. Seeing only what her heart wanted her to see. That was, until she saw Alex rise up from behind Zanatos.
Alex raised his right arm out to his side and suddenly blood red tentacles burst forth from his skin and intertwined their way around his arm. Brittany watched in awe as Alex's right arm increased in size and length due to the red tentacles which had merged themselves with half of his arm. Alex's claws were now almost half the size of Zanatos's. Zanatos felt the demonic energy pulse behind him. He tried to turn around to stop what he knew was about to happen. Even with the crystal increasing his demonic energy it did little to protect him from Alex's wrath. Alex launched himself into the air and came hurdling down towards Zanatos.
"You raped the woman I love. Did you really think I'd let you live after that?" Alex yelled as he came crashing down upon Zanatos. Zanatos tried to shield himself from the attack, but Alex's newly enhanced claw connected with Zanatos's skull with an ear shattering crack. Zanatos's body fell to the ground, and due to the force of Alex's blow he collapsed with more force than he originally would have. His giant body formed a crater for where he had collapsed. Mist and dit covered the area around Zanatos's body making it impossible to see in. Alex landed effortlessly on Zanatos's chest and waited for the mist to clear before finishing him.
Everyone was watching what was taking place. When they saw the dust clear from Zanatos's collapse they saw Alex standing on top of Zanatos's chest. Zanatos's eyes widened in horror as Alex glared at him. Alex's eyes sent a shiver of fear down his spine and Zanatos fought to get up.
"No you don't." Alex commanded. Alex's right arm had reverted back to its original form and he rammed his hand into Zanatos's chest. From Alex's hand sprouted many blood red tentacles that penetrated Zanatos's skin. Zanatos screamed in pain as the tentacles threaded themselves all throughout his body and finally stabbed into the ground beside him pinning him to the ground.
Zanatos struggled against the tentacles, but the more he struggled the tighter they got. "Damn you Razriel!"
"I am not Razriel, Zanatos. I am Alex. Razriel died when you killed him. Now you're going to lay here while I turn all your loyal subjects against you just like you did to me." Alex said.
"You're right, you're not Razriel. He would never be as weak willed as you. He would've killed me now!" Zanatos screamed when Alex turned his back to him.
Alex smirked and looked at Brittany who was smiling at him from behind his barrier. "Why Zanatos, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Don't think that buttering up to me doesn't mean that I'm not going to kill you. But it probably does mean that I won't have to torture you as long."
Alex jumped off of Zanatos and landed on the ground leaving Zanatos speechless. Alex walked over to Brittany and waved his hand removing her barrier. Brittany was hesitant at first and Alex thought that she might still be afraid of him. It wasn't until she lunged at him and hugged him tightly that he realized how foolish he had been.
"You were awesome Alex! No wonder you wanted your powers back. That was so cool!? What were those vine things that came out of your arm?" Brittany exclaimed as she hugged him.
Alex was shocked by her actions, but answered her question none the less. "Those are my special power. They are called the Devil's Armor. They can form around my body increasing my strength, or as you saw, be used for more submissive purposes."
"Wow...why didn't you tell me about those?"
Alex stopped and looked at Brittany. Instead of answering her question he asked her a question of his own. Hoping against hope that he was right. "Does this mean that you're no longer afraid of me?"
Brittany blushed realizing he had sensed her fear and knowing that her fear had caused him quite some worry. "What does your heart tell you Alex? I'm not afraid of you. It's just...wow. I can't believe this is what you truly look like. I mean, this is the true you."
Alex cringed at her words and shook his head. He lifted her chin up so that she could look at him. "No, no matter what this is not who I really am. This is not the true me. The true me is the person you fell in love with. The true me is the one who gave you that necklace and promised to always love you. That my dear, is the true me."
Brittany smiled at Alex's words but her smile quickly faded as she looked behind him. "Kando-teki jimen sochi!"
From behind Alex the ground shot up and encircled them forming a shield. Alex looked to see what caused Brittany's reaction only to see Gigas and Celine dart to each side to avoid the shield. They quickly darted back behind Brittany and came at her from behind.
"Brittany get down!" Alex yelled. Brittany didn't hesitate and quickly fell to the ground. Her hair was blown by a strong force of wind and when she heard something fall on either side of her. Brittany screamed loudly when she opened her eyes. Laying on either side of her were the decapitated bodies of Celine and Gigas. Brittany looked up to see Alex standing behind her holding their heads in his hands.
"Such a pity. I was expecting to have a little fun with them before I killed them. They didn't deserve to die so peacefully." Alex said coldly. Alex squeezed his hands tightly crushing the two demon Lord's skulls. Blood spurted all around him but it was quickly being washed off of him due to the rain. Alex turned around and smiled weakly at Brittany. He extended his hand to help her up. "Sorry you had to see that."
Brittany paled at all the blood and hugged Alex tightly. She soon regained her composure and shook her head as if nothing had happened. "It's okay, I've seen a lot worse since I've been here. It seems like an eternity since I went a day without seeing blood. Besides, they had that coming to them."
Alex nodded slowly caught up in his own little world. It wasn't until he heard a soft voice form behind him that he was brought back to reality. Alex and Brittany both looked behind them to see what used to be two armies fighting against each other now merged as one and bowing towards him. Kiba was the closest one to Alex, and it was Kiba who who was talking to him.
"Alex...I mean my Lord. I am sorry, sorry for everything that has been done. Had I known, please forgive your humble servant." Kiba said softly never looking away from the ground.
Alex had Brittany walk beside him as he walked over to Kiba. "Rise Kiba Lord of the wolf demons. You more than anyone should not have to bow to anyone."
Kiba stood shakily but still did not look Alex in the eyes. Instead he just gazed at the ground. "My Lord, I thought you were dead. Had I known...."
"Kiba, stop this." Alex ordered. Kiba jumped at Alex's words but was still silent. "Kiba look at me. This is still me. I'm still Alex. Just because you know now who I once was it doesn't change who I am now. I'm still the lad you knew, or at least the one you thought you knew. So don't act like you're afraid of me Kiba. I know better then that."
At those words Kiba looked at Alex and it was then that Alex realized that Kiba was actually crying. "My Lord, lad...how can this be. We all saw that you were dead, and now here you are before us. How, I just don't understand. How did all this happen? I've lived with you and been by your side for eons now and you never once gave yourself away about your real identity. Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"I think I can answer that." Brittany offered. Alex nodded and she explained it to Kiba. "Would you really have believed him if he had told you who he really was? I mean he had no way to prove it without showing you his demonic form and Zanatos made sure that there was no way Alex would ever be able to do that."
"Wait, did the other Lord's know?"
"Yes they did." Alex said. Before continuing he looked beyond Kiba and commanded the demons. "All of you rise. Do not bow before me. I am not your Lord."
"What, but of course you are." Kiba protested.
Alex shook his head as the demons stood. "This realm doesn't have a need for a Lord anymore. It doesn't need anyone to rule over it. Power corrupts those who have it. This is something I've only recently discovered for myself. It is for that reason that I do not wish you to think of me as your Lord. What this realm needs now is a leader. Someone to help bring it out of the darkness. If you would allow me, I would like to help."
Kiba didn't wait for anyone else to reply and he didn't care if anyone agreed with him. He smiled ear from ear and nodded. "Aye, it would be our honor. The lad has truly become a man now."
Both Alex and Brittany smiled at the comment and soon they saw that Kiba was not alone in his reaction. Shadow and Aurora were the next to walk up beside him. Then came Rire, Simera, Baou, Yaza, and Scriar. The next three were the commanders of Zanatos's great army. One was a white battle scared lion clad in armor. Another was a large tiger covered in the same armor and wielding a spear. The final one was a robust boar demon. They all bowed before Alex.
"We are sorry my Lord. We did not know of Zanatos's actions. Please forgive our actions had we known we would not have done what we had. It would be our honor to serve under you once again." The lion said.
"No! You are my subjects not his! I am still the Lord of this realm!" Zanatos yelled, still confined by the vines which held him firmly to the ground.
"Rise, I already told you I am not your Lord. I am neither your Lord or Razriel, I am Alex, nothing more." Alex told them. Brittany eagerly nodded in agreement but added one more thing.
"He's also my mate, can't forget that." Brittany said playfully trying to lighten the mood. Alex smiled and nodded. They could tell that it was extremely hard for everyone to try and grasp that the person they had lived with for so long, or the person they had been instructed to despise for so long, was actually the Lord they had all loved and had mourned for when he died.
Alex noticed that Aurora blushed when his gaze fell upon her. "What is it? It's not like you to blush."
"Well it's just...it's just that." Aurora stammered. "I can't believe I saw the demon Lord butt naked. I mean, I saw you butt naked. After all I've done, all the jokes I've made, I'm surprised I'm still alive."
Brittany laughed at Aurora's comment and spoke for Alex. "Demon Lord or not Alex knew if he had hurt you I would've killed him."
Everyone laughed at Brittany's comment, everyone except for Alex. His eyes were fixed in concentration and Brittany instantly realized that something was up. "Alex, what is it?"
Everyone quit laughing and looked to Alex to see what he would say. Alex shook his head slowly. "I don't know. There's just something that's been bugging. Something's not right. I can't put my finger on, but something's not right here. It was too easy they're should've been more. If Zanatos was the one creating the wraiths then why weren't there any here during the battle?"
"Maybe he wasn't able to make that many. Maybe he only created a few and you killed those." Rire offered.
"No when they attacked the castles there were hundreds of them. There were only a handful that attacked Alex." Shadow said.
"What does that mean?" Aurora asked.
Brittany's eyes widened as she felt what Alex was thinking. "That means someone else must be pulling the strings. Zanatos wasn't the one controlling the wraiths, otherwise he would've had them out here attacking us. That means that someone else is controlling them and that someone else is creating them."
The faces of the warriors darkened as this news sunk in. "But who? Who in their right mind would create the wraiths if not Zanatos. And who would be strong enough to be able to manipulate him?" Kiba asked.
Alex's eyes narrowed as the truth sunk in. He quickly turned around to where Zanatos was held captive only to see Zanatos's body smoldering.
"What the hell?" Baou exclaimed.
"What happened to him?" The tiger asked.
Alex gazed into the darkness searching for the person he knew must be there. When his eyes finally found him he growled. "Magnus, come out! There's no use in hiding, I know it was you."
"Magnus!" Brittany exclaimed. "But he's a good guy, he's a mage. I didn't think that mages could use dark magic."
"They aren't. It didn't make any sense at first, but now it does. Why Magnus was so eager to be nice to Alcadan. Why he was so good at magic. Why he was able to use the dark side of the arcane arts. Reveal yourself Magnus. Reveal your true self!" Alex yelled.
*Clap, clap, clap.*
"Bravo, slow, but bravo none the less. You've finally figured it out haven't you Razriel?" Magnus said stepping out of the darkness.
"I can't believe it's been right there in front of me all this time and I never realized it was you!"
"You were always to dense for your own good." Magnus said. "That naivety is what cost you the first time, and now it will cost you this time. Before the fun truly begins Razriel why don't I share a story with everyone. A story that tells of how the mighty Demon Lord Razriel, and the might Lord of Darkness Scion both survived the great battle."
"No, it can't be." Simera exclaimed covering her mouth with her hand.
"Magnus, he's Scion!" Brittany said holding on tighter onto Alex's arm.
Magnus grinned evilly as his appearance began to change. His hair turned completely black and his eyes turned as black as his hair with his pupils glowing blood red. His robes fell off revealing a skin tight black suit partially covered with a black cloak. Magnus was now wearing black gauntlets and was holding Alcadan's staff. His voice became deeper and darker as he spoke. "Now that I posses the knowledge of both light and dark, and wield the ultimate staff of the Archmage I will be unbeatable. Now to tell you the story of how we both survived, and how one became a puppet of those he trusted. While the other ruled those who ruled the lands. Manipulating everything behind the scenes while slowly tightening his grasp upon this wretched realm."
Author's Note: Well now, I have a favor to ask of you. Tomorrow I will hopefully be able to post the final chapter. Long have I been waiting in anticpation for this day to come. So for those of you who are reading this, I'd really like your input on the final chapter. A lot of things are happening, and I'd like to know if I covered it well enough to express the chaos that's going on, and reveal all the secrets of this realm. Let me know, and also if you're feeling generous let me know what you think about these chapters too. Kudo's, catch ya later.
Soulless Wanderer
Alex closed his eyes and twisted his body so that he started falling head first into the flames. Alex smiled as he neared Zanatos. Only one way to find out who's in control. Me, or Razriel.
Alex opened up his eyes a smile forming on his lips showing his razor sharp fangs. "Do you really think these flames will hurt me Zanatos? You should know that a devil thrives in the flames."
"No!" Zanatos yelled as he stopped his fire breath. He tried to swipe at Alex in mid-air, but Alex easily flipped out of the way. In the process Alex positioned his right arm behind him and used the momentum of his flip to increase the force of his next blow. His right arm collided with Zanatos's thick skull, the force of which caused Zanatos to stumble. Zanatos fell to one knee and glared at Alex. His eyes fixed with hate and rage.
"Still sore about me betraying you Razriel? Or is this for me fucking your mate?"
"Those are brave words for a dead man." Alex threatened.
Zanatos came up hoping to catch Alex off guard. He swung with a right hook that grazed Alex's chest. Red marks appeared on his chest and blood dripped out of his wounds, but Alex smirked as his wounds healed almost instantly.
"That the best you have?"
"I'll crush you!" Zanatos yelled. He then proceeded to slash madly at Alex. His moves were too fast to follow with your eyes, but somehow Alex managed to evade hsi attacks with ease.
This is amazing. Is this truly the power of demon Lords? I can't even see them move. It's as if I'm watching ghosts of teh past fighting. All I can make out are blurred images. Brittany thought.
Alex dodged another one of Zanatos's attacks and was preparing to dodge the next one when he felt a rush of air from both sides. Alex barely managed to throw his arms up in time before Zanatos's two hands came at him from both sides. Zanatos almost succeeded in crushing Alex, but Alex managed to keep his guard up under Zanatos's brute force. Alex struggled against the pressure that Zanatos was putting on him from both sides, and finally Alex gathered enough strength to break Zanatos's grip. In the process of doing that Alex managed to cause Zanatos to lose his balance.
Now's my chance. He's off balance and I can end this quickly. Alex thought as he lunged forward at Zanatos. The moment he saw Zanatos's smirk he knew he had messed up. Zanatos turned his body quickly, using the fact that he was off balance to turn faster. Alex was barely able to brace himself for the impact before Zanatos's tail collided with his side sending him flying into a pile of fallen stone.
"Now you're fucked. You underestimated me for the last time. You don't have another fucking crystal of resurrection. So let's see if you survive these fames!" Zanatos spat. His solid black body was soon covered in glowin tattoo's causing his demonic energy to increase tenfold.
He's using the crystal of energy. Brittany paled at the thought and looked at the spot Alex had fallen. "Alex watch out!"
Zanatos launched another stream of blazing fire at the fallen remnants of his castle which Alex had smashed into. Even from her spot far away from the battle, Brittany could still feel the intense heat of the flames. The flames scorched the earth and the stone creating an eerie and ominous light in the darkness of the storm.
Brittany couldn't be sure, but for a brief second she could've sworn she saw the flames part ways. At first she thought it was nothing more than her eyes playing tricks on her. Seeing only what her heart wanted her to see. That was, until she saw Alex rise up from behind Zanatos.
Alex raised his right arm out to his side and suddenly blood red tentacles burst forth from his skin and intertwined their way around his arm. Brittany watched in awe as Alex's right arm increased in size and length due to the red tentacles which had merged themselves with half of his arm. Alex's claws were now almost half the size of Zanatos's. Zanatos felt the demonic energy pulse behind him. He tried to turn around to stop what he knew was about to happen. Even with the crystal increasing his demonic energy it did little to protect him from Alex's wrath. Alex launched himself into the air and came hurdling down towards Zanatos.
"You raped the woman I love. Did you really think I'd let you live after that?" Alex yelled as he came crashing down upon Zanatos. Zanatos tried to shield himself from the attack, but Alex's newly enhanced claw connected with Zanatos's skull with an ear shattering crack. Zanatos's body fell to the ground, and due to the force of Alex's blow he collapsed with more force than he originally would have. His giant body formed a crater for where he had collapsed. Mist and dit covered the area around Zanatos's body making it impossible to see in. Alex landed effortlessly on Zanatos's chest and waited for the mist to clear before finishing him.
Everyone was watching what was taking place. When they saw the dust clear from Zanatos's collapse they saw Alex standing on top of Zanatos's chest. Zanatos's eyes widened in horror as Alex glared at him. Alex's eyes sent a shiver of fear down his spine and Zanatos fought to get up.
"No you don't." Alex commanded. Alex's right arm had reverted back to its original form and he rammed his hand into Zanatos's chest. From Alex's hand sprouted many blood red tentacles that penetrated Zanatos's skin. Zanatos screamed in pain as the tentacles threaded themselves all throughout his body and finally stabbed into the ground beside him pinning him to the ground.
Zanatos struggled against the tentacles, but the more he struggled the tighter they got. "Damn you Razriel!"
"I am not Razriel, Zanatos. I am Alex. Razriel died when you killed him. Now you're going to lay here while I turn all your loyal subjects against you just like you did to me." Alex said.
"You're right, you're not Razriel. He would never be as weak willed as you. He would've killed me now!" Zanatos screamed when Alex turned his back to him.
Alex smirked and looked at Brittany who was smiling at him from behind his barrier. "Why Zanatos, I think that's the nicest thing you've ever said to me. Don't think that buttering up to me doesn't mean that I'm not going to kill you. But it probably does mean that I won't have to torture you as long."
Alex jumped off of Zanatos and landed on the ground leaving Zanatos speechless. Alex walked over to Brittany and waved his hand removing her barrier. Brittany was hesitant at first and Alex thought that she might still be afraid of him. It wasn't until she lunged at him and hugged him tightly that he realized how foolish he had been.
"You were awesome Alex! No wonder you wanted your powers back. That was so cool!? What were those vine things that came out of your arm?" Brittany exclaimed as she hugged him.
Alex was shocked by her actions, but answered her question none the less. "Those are my special power. They are called the Devil's Armor. They can form around my body increasing my strength, or as you saw, be used for more submissive purposes."
"Wow...why didn't you tell me about those?"
Alex stopped and looked at Brittany. Instead of answering her question he asked her a question of his own. Hoping against hope that he was right. "Does this mean that you're no longer afraid of me?"
Brittany blushed realizing he had sensed her fear and knowing that her fear had caused him quite some worry. "What does your heart tell you Alex? I'm not afraid of you. It's just...wow. I can't believe this is what you truly look like. I mean, this is the true you."
Alex cringed at her words and shook his head. He lifted her chin up so that she could look at him. "No, no matter what this is not who I really am. This is not the true me. The true me is the person you fell in love with. The true me is the one who gave you that necklace and promised to always love you. That my dear, is the true me."
Brittany smiled at Alex's words but her smile quickly faded as she looked behind him. "Kando-teki jimen sochi!"
From behind Alex the ground shot up and encircled them forming a shield. Alex looked to see what caused Brittany's reaction only to see Gigas and Celine dart to each side to avoid the shield. They quickly darted back behind Brittany and came at her from behind.
"Brittany get down!" Alex yelled. Brittany didn't hesitate and quickly fell to the ground. Her hair was blown by a strong force of wind and when she heard something fall on either side of her. Brittany screamed loudly when she opened her eyes. Laying on either side of her were the decapitated bodies of Celine and Gigas. Brittany looked up to see Alex standing behind her holding their heads in his hands.
"Such a pity. I was expecting to have a little fun with them before I killed them. They didn't deserve to die so peacefully." Alex said coldly. Alex squeezed his hands tightly crushing the two demon Lord's skulls. Blood spurted all around him but it was quickly being washed off of him due to the rain. Alex turned around and smiled weakly at Brittany. He extended his hand to help her up. "Sorry you had to see that."
Brittany paled at all the blood and hugged Alex tightly. She soon regained her composure and shook her head as if nothing had happened. "It's okay, I've seen a lot worse since I've been here. It seems like an eternity since I went a day without seeing blood. Besides, they had that coming to them."
Alex nodded slowly caught up in his own little world. It wasn't until he heard a soft voice form behind him that he was brought back to reality. Alex and Brittany both looked behind them to see what used to be two armies fighting against each other now merged as one and bowing towards him. Kiba was the closest one to Alex, and it was Kiba who who was talking to him.
"Alex...I mean my Lord. I am sorry, sorry for everything that has been done. Had I known, please forgive your humble servant." Kiba said softly never looking away from the ground.
Alex had Brittany walk beside him as he walked over to Kiba. "Rise Kiba Lord of the wolf demons. You more than anyone should not have to bow to anyone."
Kiba stood shakily but still did not look Alex in the eyes. Instead he just gazed at the ground. "My Lord, I thought you were dead. Had I known...."
"Kiba, stop this." Alex ordered. Kiba jumped at Alex's words but was still silent. "Kiba look at me. This is still me. I'm still Alex. Just because you know now who I once was it doesn't change who I am now. I'm still the lad you knew, or at least the one you thought you knew. So don't act like you're afraid of me Kiba. I know better then that."
At those words Kiba looked at Alex and it was then that Alex realized that Kiba was actually crying. "My Lord, lad...how can this be. We all saw that you were dead, and now here you are before us. How, I just don't understand. How did all this happen? I've lived with you and been by your side for eons now and you never once gave yourself away about your real identity. Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"I think I can answer that." Brittany offered. Alex nodded and she explained it to Kiba. "Would you really have believed him if he had told you who he really was? I mean he had no way to prove it without showing you his demonic form and Zanatos made sure that there was no way Alex would ever be able to do that."
"Wait, did the other Lord's know?"
"Yes they did." Alex said. Before continuing he looked beyond Kiba and commanded the demons. "All of you rise. Do not bow before me. I am not your Lord."
"What, but of course you are." Kiba protested.
Alex shook his head as the demons stood. "This realm doesn't have a need for a Lord anymore. It doesn't need anyone to rule over it. Power corrupts those who have it. This is something I've only recently discovered for myself. It is for that reason that I do not wish you to think of me as your Lord. What this realm needs now is a leader. Someone to help bring it out of the darkness. If you would allow me, I would like to help."
Kiba didn't wait for anyone else to reply and he didn't care if anyone agreed with him. He smiled ear from ear and nodded. "Aye, it would be our honor. The lad has truly become a man now."
Both Alex and Brittany smiled at the comment and soon they saw that Kiba was not alone in his reaction. Shadow and Aurora were the next to walk up beside him. Then came Rire, Simera, Baou, Yaza, and Scriar. The next three were the commanders of Zanatos's great army. One was a white battle scared lion clad in armor. Another was a large tiger covered in the same armor and wielding a spear. The final one was a robust boar demon. They all bowed before Alex.
"We are sorry my Lord. We did not know of Zanatos's actions. Please forgive our actions had we known we would not have done what we had. It would be our honor to serve under you once again." The lion said.
"No! You are my subjects not his! I am still the Lord of this realm!" Zanatos yelled, still confined by the vines which held him firmly to the ground.
"Rise, I already told you I am not your Lord. I am neither your Lord or Razriel, I am Alex, nothing more." Alex told them. Brittany eagerly nodded in agreement but added one more thing.
"He's also my mate, can't forget that." Brittany said playfully trying to lighten the mood. Alex smiled and nodded. They could tell that it was extremely hard for everyone to try and grasp that the person they had lived with for so long, or the person they had been instructed to despise for so long, was actually the Lord they had all loved and had mourned for when he died.
Alex noticed that Aurora blushed when his gaze fell upon her. "What is it? It's not like you to blush."
"Well it's just...it's just that." Aurora stammered. "I can't believe I saw the demon Lord butt naked. I mean, I saw you butt naked. After all I've done, all the jokes I've made, I'm surprised I'm still alive."
Brittany laughed at Aurora's comment and spoke for Alex. "Demon Lord or not Alex knew if he had hurt you I would've killed him."
Everyone laughed at Brittany's comment, everyone except for Alex. His eyes were fixed in concentration and Brittany instantly realized that something was up. "Alex, what is it?"
Everyone quit laughing and looked to Alex to see what he would say. Alex shook his head slowly. "I don't know. There's just something that's been bugging. Something's not right. I can't put my finger on, but something's not right here. It was too easy they're should've been more. If Zanatos was the one creating the wraiths then why weren't there any here during the battle?"
"Maybe he wasn't able to make that many. Maybe he only created a few and you killed those." Rire offered.
"No when they attacked the castles there were hundreds of them. There were only a handful that attacked Alex." Shadow said.
"What does that mean?" Aurora asked.
Brittany's eyes widened as she felt what Alex was thinking. "That means someone else must be pulling the strings. Zanatos wasn't the one controlling the wraiths, otherwise he would've had them out here attacking us. That means that someone else is controlling them and that someone else is creating them."
The faces of the warriors darkened as this news sunk in. "But who? Who in their right mind would create the wraiths if not Zanatos. And who would be strong enough to be able to manipulate him?" Kiba asked.
Alex's eyes narrowed as the truth sunk in. He quickly turned around to where Zanatos was held captive only to see Zanatos's body smoldering.
"What the hell?" Baou exclaimed.
"What happened to him?" The tiger asked.
Alex gazed into the darkness searching for the person he knew must be there. When his eyes finally found him he growled. "Magnus, come out! There's no use in hiding, I know it was you."
"Magnus!" Brittany exclaimed. "But he's a good guy, he's a mage. I didn't think that mages could use dark magic."
"They aren't. It didn't make any sense at first, but now it does. Why Magnus was so eager to be nice to Alcadan. Why he was so good at magic. Why he was able to use the dark side of the arcane arts. Reveal yourself Magnus. Reveal your true self!" Alex yelled.
*Clap, clap, clap.*
"Bravo, slow, but bravo none the less. You've finally figured it out haven't you Razriel?" Magnus said stepping out of the darkness.
"I can't believe it's been right there in front of me all this time and I never realized it was you!"
"You were always to dense for your own good." Magnus said. "That naivety is what cost you the first time, and now it will cost you this time. Before the fun truly begins Razriel why don't I share a story with everyone. A story that tells of how the mighty Demon Lord Razriel, and the might Lord of Darkness Scion both survived the great battle."
"No, it can't be." Simera exclaimed covering her mouth with her hand.
"Magnus, he's Scion!" Brittany said holding on tighter onto Alex's arm.
Magnus grinned evilly as his appearance began to change. His hair turned completely black and his eyes turned as black as his hair with his pupils glowing blood red. His robes fell off revealing a skin tight black suit partially covered with a black cloak. Magnus was now wearing black gauntlets and was holding Alcadan's staff. His voice became deeper and darker as he spoke. "Now that I posses the knowledge of both light and dark, and wield the ultimate staff of the Archmage I will be unbeatable. Now to tell you the story of how we both survived, and how one became a puppet of those he trusted. While the other ruled those who ruled the lands. Manipulating everything behind the scenes while slowly tightening his grasp upon this wretched realm."
Author's Note: Well now, I have a favor to ask of you. Tomorrow I will hopefully be able to post the final chapter. Long have I been waiting in anticpation for this day to come. So for those of you who are reading this, I'd really like your input on the final chapter. A lot of things are happening, and I'd like to know if I covered it well enough to express the chaos that's going on, and reveal all the secrets of this realm. Let me know, and also if you're feeling generous let me know what you think about these chapters too. Kudo's, catch ya later.
Soulless Wanderer