Saint Seiya Fan Fiction ❯ Kage no Seinto (Saints of the Shadow) ❯ Chaotic Illusion ( Chapter 12 )

Dæmonicus and the Demoniac reached the House of Shadow Aquarius, eager to fight these new found saint. As they entered, the cold breeze that Hikari and Azrael once felt surrounded them. The Demoniac looked at Dæmonicus. Unlike them, he did not show intrigue or fear. He was clearly not intimidated by the breeze at all.
-Let's go.
They kept walking until they reached the middle of the House. Dæmonicus stopped for a moment. The Demoniac hadn't sensed Azrael's cosmo, but he didn't say anything to them. He kept walking, until they all found Azrael lying on the floor. Near the place where he was lying, a bunch of red-colored ice pieces were spread on the floor.
-Azrael! -Lorelei yelled.
Ryu Wo and her picked him up from the floor, while Dæmonicus and the other Demonaic looked at the ice pieces in the floor.
-… Is that…? Is that Hikari?!
The Demoniac suddenly understood what they were seeing and began looking around, afraid.
-How…?
-The surprise factor, Li. Do not be surprised.
Dæmonicus' words did not calm down the Demoniac, though.
-Any weak human could've done that when attacking a Demoniac from the back! -Dæmonicus shouted.
He was hoping that the saint would show up after saying this. But he didn't.

-You asked for it… -Dæmonicus whispered.
He joined his hands together and created a white beam of light. He charged it for a couple of minutes, until it became big enough. He launched the beam of light right at the floor, illuminating the whole House. The Demoniac were now able to see whole House; and what was more interesting, they saw a trace of blood going to a close pillar.
-It's too late for you to hide, Shadow Aquarius. Reveal yourself!
Nothing happened. Dæmonicus was getting impatient.
-Ryu Wo, bring him.
Oh yes, payback time -Ryu Wo thought.
He walked slowly towards the pillar, following the trace of blood. He laughed.
-I got you! Venomous Claws!
But instead of advancing, he was pushed back by an ice beam which went spirally, coming from behind the pillar.
-Shadow Aquarius, your sole existence was a mystery to me. I will have to congratulate Alexander for the excellent job he has done by hiding you from me.
The saint did not respond.
-Kill him -Dæmonicus mutttered.

Ryu Wo and Lorelei went first, running towards the pillar. The saint moved quickly from pillar to pillar, blocking the attacks with his hands. As the fight continued, the saint was slowly going back as the Demoniac went forwards. Suddenly, the saint leapt into the air and fell right behind them.
-Frost Spiral!
The spiral-shaped ice beam hit Ryu Wo, who got his arms frozen. He looked at the saint, angered.
-Oh, damn! Not again!
-Stop, playing, Libra Demoniac -Dæmonicus said.
-Fantasy Strike! -Lorelei exclaimed, just after she heard her Master.
The attack did not hit the saint, who evaded the attack by covering himself behind a pillar. Lorelei broke the pillar but found no one behind it anymore. Dæmonicus sighed.
-We'll obviously reach nowhere if we continue like this… Selena, Li, go.
The saint appeared right behind them, but they noticed this and attacked him first.
-Substance Coalition! Selena exclaimed.
-Ghostly Enchantment! -Li exclaimed at the same time.
The saint fell to the ground, injured by their attacks. Dæmonicus walked towards him, and looked down.
-In the end, you were not as strong as I thought you were.
The saint tried to stand up, but Ryu Wo pushed him back onto the floor.
-Pitiful! -He said, and laughed.
-Leo Demoniac, silence -Dæmonicus said-. Leave me alone with him, and go to the next House.
-Yes... Yes, Master.

-What shall we do with Azrael? -Bithet asked.
-Leave him; if he's not strong enough to recover then he's not worthy of fighting for me.
The Demoniac started to leave the House of Shadow Aquarius, and headed to the last House.
-You are very familiar -Dæmonicus said-. I will surely ask Alexander to explain this to me before killing him.
-You will never kill Alexander, Dæmonicus.
-How surprising! You know my alias...
-Yes; I also know that you're not as powerful as you claim to be.
Dæmonicus frowned, and pushed the saint back with a white beam.
-Insolent!
He began charging a turquoise-colored beam at Shadow Aquarius. The saint was also charging an ice sphere. Both attacks clashed in the air; but in the end, the saint received his attack. He was pushed against a wall, from where he fell to the floor, with his mask broken in two pieces. Dæmonicus looked back at him.
-We'll meet again -he said.
He started to walk out of the House. The saint's cloth was not so damaged, but his hidden injures back then from his fight with Azrael were now visible. By the time he stood up, Dæmonicus was already gone.
-Damn it.

Tamiel started climbing with difficulty, and with the injuries it became very painful. The effects of Tida's attack had worn off, however his head was still aching. As he climbed he realized that the cosmo of Celsus had faded. At the same time, he sensed the unknown cosmo he felt before. He soon realized who it was.
-It must be him... Dæmonicus -he murmured.
He started climbing faster, for he had to reach his own House first. Tamiel knew that Shadow Aquarius wouldn't be match for them as he was outnumbered. He finally reached his House, and entered through the hole produced by the impact. He saw the two Demoniac on the floor, unconscious. He started running towards the entrance, but he stopped in the middle of his way.
-I won't be able to do it -he said to himself.
He was not sure why he knew he would not be able to stop them, but he followed his instinct and started to walk again to the center of the house. There, he sat down on the floor, and started meditating. He couldn't know how long the two Demoniac in the House will remain in that state so he started to emanate a scarlet fog.

Dæmonicus and the Demoniac arrived at the last House. He realized that Kumbha's cosmo was nowhere to be felt; he was dead. He looked around him; the Demoniac didn't seem to notice their fellow's death.
-I'm quite disappointed -Dæmonicus said.
Everyone looked at him; they didn't seem to understand.
-You, higher spirits, have been defeated by these saints -he said-. And even worse, you haven't even noticed that the rest of you have fallen in battle.
The Demoniac looked down in shame. They couldn't perceive Kumbha's cosmo, and Tida's was very weak. Also back in the House of Shadow Aquarius, Hikari was torn into pieces. They were consumed in their own thoughts; however, all of them thought alike. As they entered the House their sight was clouded by a mysterious, scarlet fog. As before, Dæmonicus wasn't affected by it, just like with the cold breeze in the House of Shadow Aquarius. The Demoniac followed him, hoping to get to the exit. However, as soon as they moved forward some steps a voice was heard.
-Stop! If you move any further, you will perish.
Dæmonicus laughed.
-You start to amuse me. Go fetch him, Spirits!
It seemed that their Master could see the enemy perfectly well, but he did not tried to attack him.
-Oh, forget it. I don't want to waste time on the last House.
As he walked through the fog, the Demoniac started to become worried. It was expected that the Shadow Saint guarding the last House was the most feared of all. The fog was not dissipating; they still couldn't see at all. They stayed in their place until their Master wasn't seen anymore. They were grouped together, like a group of children, afraid. One of them, Ryu Wo, ran forward.
-What are you doing? -Lorelei asked.
-I'm going to finish this game! -He answered, while running.
Suddenly, the Demoniac heard a moan followed by the sound of a cloth falling to the ground.
-Ryu Wo! -Lorelei yelled.

They saw a figure walking towards them. It was him.
-… Damn pillars…
The Demoniac laughed at him.
-You idiot -Bithet said.
But their laughter did not last long, as they saw blood spilling out of Ryu Wo's back.
-Leo Demoniac made a terrible mistake, and that was turning his back to my Shadow Scythe.
Ryu Wo did not move at first, but he started to fall to the ground, slowly. The fog started to disappear, and the Demoniac saw the Saint of Shadow Pisces, Tamiel, appearing from behind Ryu Wo.
-I'm tired of this game too. It's a pity he could not finish it before me.
The Demoniac stared in horror for a short time, since two of them decided to attack the saint.
-Ghostly Enchantment!
-Substance Coalition!
Both Demoniac launched their attacks at Tamiel, who dodged the attacks. He ran towards Bithet, and grabbed his face with his fingers before he could react. He jumped and broke the floor with the Demoniac's head at the speed of light; before anyone could notice, Bithet had already lost consciousness. The Demoniac noticed that Tamiel's cosmo was becoming even greater than theirs; had Tamiel reached the seventh sense by sacrificing his vital energy?

They did not have enough time to think, because he used Bithet's body to impulse himself, thus starting his next attack.
-Shadow Scythe!
His attack went to Selena and Lorelei, who seemed scared by the power of the Shadow Pisces saint. However, his attack was stopped by a figure who quickly stood in front of the Demoniac. This figure moved forward against Tamiel, who tried to launch another attack, but the figure grabbed both of his hands. Tamiel tried to get free by kicking him, but his leg just passed through his enemy. Then he looked at the figure's face and recognized him.
-A futile effort -Dæmonicus said, calmly.
Tamiel thought of breaking free again, but he couldn't. He looked back at Dæmonicus' face, but instead of finding his silver eyes, he saw something he would've never imagined: The Universe, a vast number of stars, as many as he could see. He quickly began to become lost in his mind; he was losing mental balance. He stopped trying to break free, and Dæmonicus let him go. Tamiel fell down to his knees, still watching this amazing and terrifying view. It was consuming him, and his will to go on.
-Chaotic Illusion! -Dæmonicus exclaimed.
Suddenly, an intense red light came out of this view, blinding him. He fell to the ground, immobilized. Dæmonicus left him there and started walking away. The Demoniac stood near Tamiel's body.
-Bastard -A voice said.
It was Bithet; he was approaching Tamiel at great speed. He kicked him, and the Shadow Pisces saint flew off to a nearby pillar, then he fell to the ground. He didn't move at all. The Demoniac regrouped with Dæmonicus.
-Master, what about Ryo Wo? -Lorelei asked.
-If he can't come after that attack -Dæmonicus said in a quiet voice,- he will seriously disappoint me.
The Demoniac started leaving the House and began to move forward towards the Pope's Temple. Bithet looked intrigued for a while. He was looking intensively at Dæmonicus, who noticed this.
-What are you thinking about? -He asked.
-Master… Why did you come back for us? -He asked half ashamed and half nervous.
Dæmonicus looked at him for a while, and finally answered.
-Alexander is better than these mediocre saints. I want to give him a surprise, and I don't want you to miss it.

None of the Demoniac said anything else as they started to ran up the stairs. Meanwhile, back in House of Shadow Pisces, Tamiel was recovered. He got up to his feet again, and his face had a different expression; it did not show his usual confidence in himself. He looked afraid. He over reacted towards things around him, even if they didn't move. Something kept playing, tormenting his mind.
-The light… -He whispered, looking around.
Tamiel kept repeating that same phrase as if he was traumatized. He ran towards the exit of the House of Shadow Pisces, and saw Dæmonicus and the Demoniac running up the large number of stairs. He then looked at the Pope's Temple on top of the mountain.
-The light… It's going to consume us all...

This is a work of fiction. Original story by Masami Kurumada. Copyright 1986 Saint Seiya. All rights reserved.