War Within

"We need to help him!" yelled Koray.

Simone grabber Koray. "He put us in here to be safe and we should stay here. This isn't our fight."

Koray heard Simone's words but they made no sense to her. "I am not going to let him die."

Koray looked at the lock on the door. It was a simple lock from the inside and she began to reach out for it when Simone spun her around and smacked her on the face. Koray looked shocked by this action.

"If you go out there you will die." Said Simone with tears in her eyes.

Koray spoke in a calm voice. "I have been training all my life so that I will not be helpless. What would all that training mean if I let someone I care about die when I could have done something." Koray leaned forward and kissed Simone on the lips. As she did that she reached behind her and grabbed the door handle and spun it open.

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Cian exploded with the speed that the masked figure was not prepared for. He tackled her and continued until he struck the first wall and tore through it like it was tissues paper. The masked figure took the brunt of that blow and fell to the ground outside. Cian slammed his foot on the masked figure's chest. The masked woman's breath exploded from her lungs.

"You attacked me in my own home. Bad move..." Cian growled but was cut short when a wave of force that hit him in his back threw him twenty feet forward. Cian landed on his feet but spun to see that there were two masked figures. Cian then focused on his hearing and knew there were three killers, not two.

"You might as well tell your third friend to step out. I can hear their breathing." Said Cian. The three N.E. soldiers were surprised with Cians statement.

Cian took their moment of surprise to summon power to himself. Clouds began to gather and Cian charged himself with lightning.

The masked man known as Havok gathered his power as well and placed up a wall of force between Cian and himself. Lightning shot out towards Havok. The bolt hit the wall dealing damage but instead of being nullified it bounce off and headed toward Sunny. Sunny made several images of herself to throw off Cian's attack but at the last moment, she saw that the bolt was headed directly towards her. Before it could impact her Chaos stepped out of the shadows and took the blow. His protective runes ripped the spell apart and it had no effect on him.

"It seems that this kid has some skill." Said Chaos. "I love killing people like you."

Chaos then sent a bolt of power towards Cian aimed at attacking his mind. Cian was quick and moved to avoid the attack but it changed course in midflight and struck him. Cian could feel his mind began to swirl.

"No one can avoid my attacks." Said Chaos. "Now let us kill him and begone."

Chaos's attack muddled Cian's mind for less than one second so Cian played into Chao's expectations and fell to one knee. Practiced casters needed their mind to gather energy Cian used both his mind and body so hiding the fact that he was gathering energy was easy for him. Sunny and Havok began chanting. Cian knew chanting aided in gathering energy but slowed down the casting of spells. Cian smiled at their folly but at that moment a pillar of hellfire erupted and engulfed Havok. Sunny and Chaos whirled around to see Koray standing behind them in the hole Cian made in the house. Sunny completed her spell and a concentrated beam of light launched at Koray.

"Shit this is no good." Screamed Cian grabbing Chaos's attention. "DISCHARGE!" Bolts of lightning rained down on all three masked figures. Havok was already hurt from the hellfire so the bolts of lightning killed him on the first strike. Chaos's runes protected him from the majority of the blasts and Sunny is stuck as well but her spell moved at the speed of light and Koray had no chance. The spell burrowed into Koray and drilled through to her heart. Cian could feel Koray's life fading away.

Sunny's laughter could be heard over the thunder and lightning. "I guess I will kill your girlfriend and then you."

Cian's grief built into his soul. His desire to save Koray touched his core. Cian drew in all his negative emotions. His hate, his feelings of loss, his pain from every evil thing done to him, and his bloodlust and drew out his innate power within him. Sunny watched as a small black void swallowed up her spell.

"What the hell?" screamed Sunny.

"It's Cian! He has the Shadow Element!" Chaos yelled in panic.

Then from the house, a third figure emerged. Her hair was stark white and blood dripped from her hands. Cian didn't recognize Simone at first. Her hair and face looked completely different from before but that didn't matter. Simone extended her hands and blood shot out like bullets at the two remaining masked figures. Chaos used his runes to block the attack but between the lighting and the blood shots, his magic was fading.

"We must leave!" Chaos said as he grabbed Sunny and broke his rune known as Cause and Effect. The rune has a stored effect that activates when broken. Cian roared and release the thunder in his veins but the spell was complete and two masked figures were gone.

It took a moment for Cian to cage his dark emotions but then he remembered Koray and rushed over. Simone was holding her now. Cian could feel her heart slowing down.

"NO! Not like this." Cian's voice cracked. He had shifted back into human form.

"She doesn't have love." Said Simone. "Can you change her...make her like you?"

"No. If she were human maybe but not as a hellspawn." Said Cian. The link between the two is fading fast. Then an idea hit Cian and he smiled. "Take care of her Simone."

Simone's face looked at Cian with confusion. Then she could feel it. Cian began pouring his life energy into Koray.

"You can't do that! You will die!" yelled Simone.

Cian smiled "Then that means my death will have meaning."

It is said that shapeshifters like Cian house two souls. One of a man and the other a beast. Twin souls living in the same body in harmony with each other. Even with the link one soul would not be enough to restore life but two souls could balance the scales and change the fate of another. Simone stood watching as Cian kills himself to save Koray. Tears of blood began to fall from her face. She laid Koray down and stood up and smiled

"Not today lover boy." Simone kissed Cian on the lips.