Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Sacrifice ❯ Eclipse ( Chapter 74 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: MellyN

XxXxXx

Sacrifice

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 74: Eclipse

XxXxXx

"What? Why would we give this to you?" Ko asked in irritation. Did she honestly think that they were just going to simply give it up to her? What kind of people did they take her for anyway?

"You don't know her?" Thanatos looked a little confused. He had thought they surely must have known each other. They did come here one after another by nearly the same method.

"No, I don't. Why would I?" The white-haired woman had never met the strange woman in her life, let alone ever seen her face.

"Well, she showed up at the same time all of you did," the naga king deduced. "I was just wondering if there was some way that she got ahead of you or something." The theory seemed more then logical to him. If they had all arrived at close times, then it was possible that one of them could have made it ahead of the others and already continued the search.

"If you won't give it up to me, then I'll take it," Eclipse said as a dark smile crossed her face. With great force, the woman leapt into the water and tacked the naga king, who clung tightly to the shell in his hands. The two sunk under the water as they tugged back and forth on the Marchois, each one trying desperately to get it from the other's grip.

Eclipse managed to get it away from Thanatos and tried to turn around to swim away, only to be slapped in the face by his ruby red tail. Her body floated to the side before she shot back at the naga king and grabbed him by one of his large, curved horns and tried to force his head into a nearby rock. Black locks floated through the water as his head went to the side and just before it collided with the rock, he upper cut the woman in her exposed stomach. Eclipse opened her mouth, letting out the air that she had taken in, which forced her to surface.

"Damn…" The woman uttered as she floated on the sea.

"Thanatos…Thanatos?" Ko called looked wildly around for the black-haired naga. A few moments later, he surfaced. "Are you alright?" The girl asked as she swam towards him.

"I'm fine. Let's hurry and get back to the others before we get killed. I don't have a weapon so I can't defend myself," Thanatos informed as the woman came at them again.

"Unlike Ceres, I won't go without obtaining that shell!" Eclipse headed towards them.

Ko's face lit up in realization. 'Ceres?' She connected the red-clad woman and the black-clad one to the same origin. "You mean you work for Soel?"

"What were you expecting?" Her opponent asked as she quickly tacked Thanatos again. The naga could hear Ko call out his name before he was submerged underwater once more. The two of them began to tussle around in an attempt to get the Marchois and hold onto it for dear life. Both of them held either side and refused to let go, no matter what the cost.

Eclipse drew back her fist to punch the naga but was hit with his tail again. The short-haired woman was determined to hang onto the shell no matter what and still clung to it with great tenacity with one hand. Thanatos tried to punch her but she caught his fist and swam back, forcing his body to go backwards into a nearby rock.

Ko swam under the water. Seeing what was about to happen, the girl swam over and punched her in the back as hard as she could, which stopped Thanatos from being injured. It also caused Eclipse to turn around and the two became engaged in an underwater fight, each one punching and kicking at the other. The black and white haired woman managed to grab Ko's hand and twist it behind her back, blasting her with a sphere of dark magic, which caused her to be propelled forward.

Thanatos found it an ideal time to swim up behind her and knock her out with the very thing that she sought- Marchois. As he raised the shell behind him and brought it down, the woman dodged to the side and swam down into the depths of the sea, causing him to miss. Ko broke off a piece of coral from a nearby reef and swam back at the woman. She tried to hit her with it but was blasted in the chest with another dark sphere. It had hit her hard enough to knock the breath she had held out of her body.

Once again, the girl had to swim up for air.

As she surfaced, the white-haired girl coughed and gasped for breath. After she had caught up with her breathing, she floated on the waters and thought to herself aloud. "I've got to help Thanatos…but how? I mean, I don't have a weapon or anything." Her blue eyes glanced around to see a rock near the edge of an island and thinking quickly, she reached over and grabbed it.

"Alright, I'm ready to go," the girl gave the rock a look of fierce determination as a plan formulated itself in her mind. She then dove under water and to the two battling beings, each trying to desperately get the Marchois into their possession. Ko swam up behind Eclipse while her back was turned and drew back as far as she could before plowing the rock into her back full-force.

Eclipse held her hands to her back as her dark blue eye widened and bubbles were released. The woman's pale body descended into the depths of the sea as a stream of blood clouded the water. The woman held her shoulder and closed her eye in pain. 'Damn…That was harder than I thought. I'll have to follow them and hope that I can catch up to get it back. Huh?' Her blue eye widened as she looked behind her to see the fish with its mouth wide-open, ready to have its next snack.

'Oh shit! What great timing! I completely forgot about you!' Eclipse thought as the barely got away from the fishes' brutal jaws as they snapped shut, nearly snapping her in two. 'What the hell? How do I get away? This thing clearly has the advantage…I know!' The eye-patch wearing woman then threw both arms out to either side as she encased herself in black magic. "Black Sphere!" The woman called out when she had the air to do so.

Opening her eye, she saw that the fish had closed in on her, ready to snap it's jaws shut around her once more as she quickly shot out of its mouth, narrowly escaping death. The large ocean creature quickly took pursuit as the small, black bubble zoomed quickly and agilely across the open waters. Eclipse quickly went through a coral reef and the large creature behind her managed to destroy it by ramming through it. The fragile reef busted into many pieces and scattered throughout the ocean and continued on hot pursuit of the woman. Skillfully, Eclipse directed herself in and out of the intricate structures of a bed of coral that lay on one of the many ocean cliffs and wove in and out of the arches and through the columns of coral with great speed. The predatory animal tried to swim after her, only to become entangled in the coral. It struggled and wriggled but it could not get free.

Eclipse smiled slyly in victory. "Take that, you overgrown barracuda," she looked ahead with determination shining in her blue eye. "Now, time to get those kids. I will get Marchois back if it's the last thing I do." With those words, she zoomed off as quickly as she could to seek out the group of divers and take back what was rightfully hers.

XxXxXx

Ko and Thanatos sat on the island panting. The two of them looked as if they had been in a battle but they were both happy that they were able to retrieve Marchois, as the Red Witch had asked them to. The white-haired girl looked through her sea-soaked hair to the naga king and asked him if he was alright.

The black-haired naga held the Marchois tightly and exhaled with a look of irritation. "I have this. That's all that matters," Thanatos smirked and held up the pearlized shell.

"That was close," Ko rested back on her hands, relieved that they weren't in the water anymore.

"Between the fish and that woman, I'm exhausted."

"I wonder how far away we are from everyone," the white-haired girl thought aloud. They were on a different island, big enough for ten people to lay on and they had a lot of room to stretch out and relax. Ko glanced around her and all that she could see were islands that were uninhabited.

Perhaps they were in a different area all together and would have to swim a little further to reach their comrades. If that was the case, then they needed to go quickly so that Eclipse could not catch up with them and have another opportunity to steal it from them. It was most important that they got the shell back to the witch as soon as possible.

"Not too far. They're on one of these islands. We should reach them in no time if we stay on the surface," Thanatos educated the girl on their best method of return.

"Unfortunately, you don't have that much time." They heard a familiar, mature and feminine voice. Both of the beings turned their heads to see the Red Witch standing before them. The red-haired woman heard Ko shout her name as the two of them turned their heads in perfect synchronization.

"Who the hell is that?" Thanatos clutched the shell protectively with a freaked out look on his face. It wasn't every day that a strange woman in a red, form, fitting long dress with black faux fur, holding a giant staff randomly appear out of a fiery blaze every day.

To the naga king, she was just as strange as all of the others. In more ways, she was stranger then the two angels he saw.

"She's the Red Witch of Zameln," Ko explained to the king, who began to glare suspiciously at the woman in a way that seemed as if he were accusing her of being on the same side as Eclipse.

"The what of what?" Thanatos was still confused. He had never heard of such a being, let alone seen one in person.

"It's a long story. She's the one that we gathered the shell for," the white-haired girl quickly explained. Time was of the essence and she would explain it better after the shell was given to Vespa. As long as they pulled through with that part of her wishes, then Ko knew all too well that it would be safe.

"You must hurry and give me the shell-" Vespa started to say but she was cut off by another tougher sounding feminine voice.

"I don't think so."

"It's you!" Ko turned to see Eclipse, floating above the water, still encased in her Dark Sphere. She had managed to locate them after her ordeal with the fish and she was more determined than ever to get the Marchois back.

"What the hell is going on?" Thanatos felt as if he'd been thrown onto a battlefield and expected to fight, not knowing who's side anyone was on. "I don't understand any of this."

"To be truthful, I'm just beginning to figure it out myself." Until recently, nothing has been making sense to her either. It seemed as if they were randomly thrown together in search of magical items from the magic capitol of Zameln without rhyme nor reason, only as a request to Vespa.

Out of all of the people in the world, she stuck them with the very legend that she hated. Hiroshima, for the beginning of their travels, acted like a complete jerk to everyone and went above and beyond all measure to make it clear that he didn't want to be with him, nor did he like them. The angel with bi-colored wings could have easily killed them, but he ended up saving them many times along the way, showing that he possessed loyalty and honor. It wasn't an honor that she could identify with, but it was honor nonetheless and she knew that for a fact.

Everything seemed strange now, however. Hiroshima had actually been surprisingly close to everyone. There were parts of him that were surprisingly human for a divine creature. Everyone's relationships had changed and they seemed to be getting stronger as a group but still, in the back of her mind, she wondered if she was a part of some grand scheme. Vespa and the angels seemed to know what was going on and it made her wonder about a lot of things involving the people in her group and why exactly they were thrown together.

'There's no way that I'm going to let that shell fall into that witches' hands.' Eclipse quickly held out her hand and uttered the word 'vortex' as a cone-shaped cyclone appeared and tried to suck up Marchois but it only managed to get some magic dust that was left after the shell was transported back to Zameln.

"You were too slow, Sorceress Eclipse," Vespa said with the slightest of smiled.

"Damn you, Red Witch!" The woman cursed.

"These items rightfully belong to the land of magic and I will not aid in gathering them to be used for Soel or any other rouge magic user's purpose," the red-haired woman said as she pointed her staff at Eclipse and two, snake-like pieces of black magic fog shot from it and surrounded the black and white haired woman's bikini-clad form. "You go back empty, Flame Transport!"

As the attack was launched, the black smog-like substance burst into flames and surrounded her. Eclipse looked wildly around. All she could see were the magic flames and Vespa's form faintly. "What? What are you doing!?" The woman yelled through the flames. Soon, all she could see was a blur of orange and red before she was gone completely from sight.

"Honestly, I don't know if she's a hologram or the real deal half of the time," Ko sighed as the woman's image faded out of view. The distinctions between her hologram and true form were little to none and whether or not any of them were real was a mystery to her.

XxXxXx

Vespa stepped out of the giant swirl of fire and onto the island, where the other members of the group had been located. The witch opened her eyes and greeted them with her usual calm smile.

"Hello!" Fife was the first to greet her happily with a bow.

"You're a little early," Tsurugi was not aware of the fact that Vespa had already retrieved the Marchois.

The witch then held up the brilliant shell to the group and smiled. "No, I believe that I'm right on time."

"How did you get that-" Keiji asked, shocked by the fact that she had the shell when it was in the possession of Thanatos and Ko a few moments ago. He was worried that perhaps something happened to the two of them.

"I met King Thanatos and Ko along the way," Vespa informed.

"Vespa?" Zangetsu decided to bring up his question now. He did state earlier that he would bring it up when he spoke to her next.

"What is it, Zangetsu?" The red-haired woman turned her glance towards the one-winged ninja.

"Did you get the last item we gathered for you?" The black-haired man wanted to know that the item was safe and that they didn't lose it in their travels.

"Yes, thank you for keeping it for me," Vespa smiled as Thanatos and Ko swam up and pulled themselves onto the island.

Thanatos stopped short of the edge of the island and became freaked out once more. Either the witch was there too, or he just had severe déjà vu. "She's here too!" He exclaimed as he pointed to the magic being.

"You're quick," Ko climbed onto the shore.

"Thank you for retrieving Marchois, Ko."

"Not a problem," the girl smiled, happy to help and have a successful mission.

"For doing this job, I'll give you all a ten percent increase," Vespa informed the group of the new and much-needed power up that they would all be receiving as a result of their efforts.

"Really? Awesome!" Chichiri clenched his fists and flexed his arms inward. He was psyched and ready to receive anything that would help them get stronger quicker.

"I can't possibly let you all keep doing the work with no benefits," the witch put her arms out to either side and the Marchois levitated into the air a few feet above her and shone in a brilliant light. Multiple sparkles glittered over everyone as a warm sensation took over their body and began to heal their wounds and revitalize their being. Once again, the black pentagram appeared over Hiroshima, disabling the power-up's effects.

"Wow! I feel pumped up! I can take on the world now!" Chichiri smiled widely. The new rush of power made him feel as if he could run circles around everyone.

"You wish, but it does make me feel energized," Ko smiled at the blonde as she rested her hands on her hips.

"What about Hiroshima?" Keiji asked. It hardly seemed fair that everyone was able to be healed but him. Now Hiroshima would be the one that they would have to watch for because he was still recovering from his conversion and the wounds he had suffered prior. Couldn't there be something done?

"I don't need it," the cursed angel spoke up. It was best that they not worried about the subject. His healing rate was a little shy of a week at the moment, but if nothing else happened, he would make a full recovery.

"What?" Keiji looked to Hiroshima in question. How could he simply stand there and wave off the subject? Didn't it matter to him in the slightest?

"I'm already the strongest in the group. I can do without it," he paused for a moment before speaking again in a low and caring voice. "I'm glad that all of you came back safely."

"Really?" Ko gave him a confused look. Hiroshima rarely gave out kind words or told anyone he cared unless it just got to him. The angel was so emotionally constipated that she didn't think he'd say something like that. As nice as it was, it threw her off.

"Hey, thanks man," Chichiri was confused as well. "Usually you don't say stuff like that. Actually, you don't say anything at all." Then again, even Chichiri had to notice that ever since they had been to Sumeria, Hiroshima seemed different. He wasn't so cold and in fact, he was beginning to seem more human. The angel was no longer the cold-hearted killer that he had first met, but a man who held many scars and even someone more human then he gave credit for.

The blonde wondered what happened inside of Hiroshima to make him become more open.

"About that, I-" Hiroshima sighed and decided to swallow his foolish pride to tell them the truth but he was cut off by Vespa.

"You all should say good-bye to the nagas. You'll be going to Shaffon, the seaside town, next," the witch informed the group. This was not good news to the angels. Hiroshima and Tsurugi looked a little surprised that Vespa would even suggest such a place.

Was she not thinking? Did she not clearly see what would ensue if they dared to venture into Shaffon?

"What!?" Hiroshima questioned loudly. She could not be serious!

"Shaffon? But that's-" Tsurugi tried to convince Vespa not to send them there, but his words were cut off by the familiar burst of wind and white streams that signified their departure.

"What? You're leaving already?" Manami asked as her black, lolita dress fluttered in the wind. The girl placed a hand to her forehead as she tried to see through the debris.

"It was nice talking to you, Queen Manami," Fife waved slightly to the girl and her naga friends.

"Please take care!" Manami said with a smile as she and the other naga all waved and said their goodbyes.

"See you, I hope we meet again!" Thanatos shouted through the winds.

"Me too!" Ko smiled. "It was great spending the day with you!" She had truly enjoyed being around the sea creatures and going diving for Marchois. This was one of the happier and more peaceful places she had been and from what the angels was saying, Shaffon would only be worse.

"Farewell," Undine bowed, holding tightly to their newly acquired suitcase full of diving materials.

"Take care of yourselves!" Keiji shouted with a smile. He hoped that his newly acquired allies would live a happy life, until the day that they would meet again.

"We will!" Manami cried out as the group of people were consumed in a whirl of white smoke and disappeared as quickly as they came.

"Strange people…" Thanatos trailed after they had left.

"Yes, but they were very nice. I hope that we can meet them again someday," Awiti spoke.

'Take care everyone. I hope we can cross paths again one day…May your journeys be filled with good fortune.' Manami thought as she looked above at the bright blue sky. One day, surely…they would meet again. After all, they all lived on the same plane. As long as there was a possibility, then that gave her all the hope that she would need.

XxXxXx

'She's trying to kill me, sending me to Shaffon City. I've never been there before but I know that they hate me.' Hiroshima thought to himself as the winds and smoke died down to reveal a town that had once been beautiful in ruins.

Everyone stood beside a giant fountain with a large angel statue in the center. The angel's head and wings had been knocked off and lay in the water below. The once white and pristine buildings lay in shambles and their pain was a faded and beige color. Shaffon was once a holy city, the even looked heavenly to the eye and now, it was a pile of rubble and large hanging posts littered every street corner. There was even a giant wooden stage a few feet from the angel statue that was used to hang multiple people at once.

"What is this place?" Ko asked, shocked by what she had seen. This didn't look like any seaside town that she'd ever thought of.

"Better question still, what happened here?" Zangetsu looked around at eh dismal scenery.

"This is Shaffon City. They hate angels here…" Hiroshima trailed off. He figured that he might as well tell the group what the seaside town was really about.

"What?" Ko wanted to know more about this place and what danger they might actually be in, since two of the members of their group were angels.

…To Be Continued