Into the Darkness: Devotion

[Zentanah Omenra]

The Omenra, the eyes of future and darkness, eyes that pierce through the light.

The ability I gained from piercing the light was Sentinel Darkness. No light can exist in my presence.

I raised my blade, and with it, day turned to night. My ability perfectly counters Castor.

And it really is a shame, I was prepared to declare my love.

But I'm no fool. I know I can't beat him. So I'm going to run. However, not before taking something from him.

"Castor, as my brother's power flows into me, I shall take something from you."

He smiled, letting his teeth shine through. "Then come take it."

I took a step, fire rising from the ground as I blasted off. I saw him counter my thrust, so I fainted.

He raised his block but quickly realized his mistake as I shifted my path, aiming for his neck.

He still managed to dodge, but I followed up with a thrust, my blade swirling with flames as I struck the very edge of his forehead.

The moment I drew blood, light blasted out, pushing me back. As the radiance dimmed, I saw a ball of light flying toward me.

I brought my blade up, slicing it in half while dashing forward.

"Dragon's Breath!"

Black flames burst from my mouth, consuming the entire area in an instant. I watched as he raised his hand, forming a shield of light.

While he took the full force of my spell, I started pouring more mana into my eyes.

The more I added, the further I could see.

And what I saw was quite interesting.

He planned to create a clone of light and attack from behind. In fact, he had already done it.

Of course, it didn't matter.

As he prepared to throw a spear of light, I twisted my head, causing the fire to engulf the entire island. Then, I leapt into the air, spotting him below, the spear still in his grasp.

I pointed my sword at him, charging my mana as I spoke. "Makimo."

A black arrow, formed of condensed flames, shot out, colliding with his spear and consuming it instantly.

His mistake was sending out such a weak attack. After all, names are everything in this world. The world favors those with names, and his spell, it had no identity.

The arrow reached him, slamming into his chest.

He skidded across the ground, black flames converging at the wound.

His armor shattered upon impact, leaving him bare. Blood dripped but was instantly incinerated.

The black flames burn at temperatures far hotter than the sun. In fact, I'd say they hold heat equal to the very birth of matter itself.

Of course, it is only Mother's grace that allows this world to remain unburnt.

This was my gift to him, or rather, my curse. The true reason he's about to fall isn't because I'm stronger.

"It's because you still don't understand what it means to fight," I said, dropping to the ground.

Castor let out raspy gasps, his chest heaving up and down. He dropped his sword, each breath burning away. "Come now, don't you want to live? Breathe, Castor."

"Wha—what is this?"

I smiled, walking up to him. I sheathed my blade and lifted his chin.

His eyes still enchanted me. Of course, I wouldn't forgive him for the crime of killing my brother.

I know beating him is impossible, not just because he's stronger, but because his sister will come the moment his life ends.

And she will revive him.

Each time he returns, he grows stronger. I believe his death count is now a little over five thousand. Not sure. I lost count long ago.

That is his sister's Gift, Phoenix. She is one with it and can grant her power to anyone she deems fit.

But that's not all. She possesses another Gift, Lightkeeper. It allows her to control all light.

As for my Gift, well, it grants me dominion over darkness.

"Darkbringer, that is the name of my ability. And with my Omenra, it gives me something more."

I gripped his neck, black, dense blood pouring from his mouth. "It grants me control over not just darkness, Castor, but depth."

I traced my fingers down his neck, along his frame, until I reached his stomach.

"Zentanah, I'll come back. You know it. Killing me is useless."

I chuckled as I gripped his stomach and tore it open. My hand moved upward until it reached his heart.

"You, Castor, are far stronger than me. But your mistake was allowing yourself to be hit. Now, the Curse of Undying shall fall upon you. As long as I live, you live. And if I die, you die, permanently."

I gripped his heart as tightly as I could without killing him, embedding my aspect upon him. Then, I let go, casting his heart into the depths of darkness.

Now, if I'm not mistaken, his heart shall only be retrieved if one can transcend the darkness itself. It looks like I've truly won.

I let go of his heart, letting it fall into the deepest parts of the darkness, never to touch the light again.

"Zentanah! You wench, you dare do this to me!"

I let him fall to the ground, gasping for air, another aspect of power, a person being. Sealing his heart in darkness was cruel. 

After all, he was not only blind now, but he was also unable to use light magic.

Like I said before, I planned to run away, just not without taking something.

 I knelt down and pressed my finger into his back, marking him with a skull so his sister knew exactly who did this. 

Then, I covered my body in darkness and whisked away into its depths.

Castor made the mistake of thinking I didn't prepare.

 While my brother's death wasn't in my plans, I still prepared to catch him off guard and do the same thing. 

Now, he would never find me again.

I traveled through the darkness, a nearly boundless concept beyond material and spatial constraints. 

Nothing could stop me now, I could traverse the entire universe if I wanted. 

But my plan was to go see Kivana, ask her for help.

 She's the only person I know who can beat Castor's sister.

Well, other than Malachi.

As I moved, I felt her source getting closer and closer. But then, I felt a grip, a hold on me. Like something was trying to reach me.

But that's impossible.

Only those who can transcend the darkness can pierce it. It's one of the laws set by the divine.

Yet, I could feel it so close. It was coming. I could feel the grip. I tried to move out of the way, but, it's impossible.

While in the dark, I rely on my Gift's ability to shield me from the infinite structure.

The grip reached my neck. Its touch nearly decayed my skin. My body jerked as I was pulled.

I saw a bright light, then nothing.

It was ironic how I blacked out like that. Consumed by the darkness itself.

It must have been at least a day before my eyes fluttered open.

When they did, I really regretted not setting up a spell to instantly transport me.

A girly room. Gold and pink décor. A large bed, a hanging chandelier, a glossy carpet. I was strapped to a chair by mana-binding chains.

In front of me was a very annoying woman. A woman I've feared for ages upon ages.

Long golden hair. Deep gold eyes with pupils that looked like stars. Skin so brazenly akin to Castor's. 

She had delicate features, but by the divine itself, it's no lie to say she was the most beautiful creature to walk this earth.

She wore a dazzling white dress adorned with many jewels.

This was Cassiel. The brother to Castiel. Or at least, Castor that's his real name.

Castor's true name is Castiel, but speaking it makes him stronger than Cassiel, so he adopted the name Castor.

Besides the point, Cassiel was sitting on her bed, her eyes wrapped in bandages. The rest of her body, too.

I looked back at Cassiel as she leaned in, running a long, gold-painted nail against my face.

"Zentanah, I've heard you've bound yourself to my brother."

"What if I did?"

She gripped my face, her expression annoyed. "Undo it."

I smiled. "I can't. It's a curse, one I created with all my power. Thus, it would take all my power to break it. But as you can see… that power governs the curse."

She sighed, stepping back and letting go of my face. "Then tell me the incantation needed to break the spell."

"Kill me. Kill my source, kill my being, and kill my will. After all of that, revive him with your ability, and I'll come right back with him."

She flicked her hand, summoning a dagger made of light, pressing it against my cheek.

Running it across my skin, blood began trickling down. "Tell me how to break it, Zenny, and I might let you live."

She's lying straight through her teeth. But that's fine, because breaking this curse is quite easy, and I'm a nice person.

"It's really simple. He and I simply need to kiss under the eclipse while being in love. Though, it kills us both. If you revive him, I'm certain I won't come back."

She glared at me. "The catch?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm no longer in love with him. And I'm pretty sure he's no longer in love with me."

I broke the shackles and stood up. She didn't even care. She just dropped the dagger.

"Well, are you going to at least try and kill me once?"

She looked over at Castor and walked to him, gently running her fingers across his eyes as he flinched.

It was truly pathetic, seeing them like this. So weak. So helpless.

Pathetic, indeed.

"So, am I free to go?" I looked around for my sword.

Cassiel looked back at me, and for a moment, I saw it. The true face behind that beautiful mask.

A true demon incarnate.

I really do hate it.

"Zentanah, you'll stay here. I can't have you going out and getting yourself killed."

I flinched, thinking about how I could escape, but as I moved slightly, her hand was around my neck.

"Don't make me take your eye. Trust me, I'm very irritable right now."

I don't think this situation could get any worse.