"Every new beginning ends."
āAlice lives,ā he stated. The Shadow Mage screamed in her mind the same word over and over. It couldnāt be happening. Why would he choose her over the people who had made him smile far longer and more than she had? Cathal had always useless in a fight with her temper. She couldnāt even protect her family. What kind of Keeper was she to let herself get caught? It didnāt make sense.
As the men disposed of Kenjiās parents, Alice couldnāt help but feel her heart stop. She knew all too well what it was like. And even though they werenāt her parents, she still wanted to lay down and cry. Alice took in short but heavy breaths, the sound of the dragging bodies was all she could hear. The smell of blood finally reached a top and the air tasted as though it was saturated with the liquid. She couldnāt tell if she was about to cry or laugh.
Kenji wasted no time in summoning some wind to free Alice from her binds, but as though she were dead herself, the Keeper dropped to the floor. As she laid in the blood, Alice thought silently as to how she could do anything. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the circle Cathal had given her. Would ripping it up really break the seal? A surge of confidence, anger and will hit her. Alice ripped the small paper into shreds, sitting up to look around the room. Her skin was sticky and she knew she would be smelling nothing but blood for a week. Then the Keeper stood, keeping her head down as she moved over to Kenji.
āSo,ā her voice cracked, āItās my turn to be the hero ā¦ alright?ā Alice was thankful in a way that Kenji couldnāt see her. With all the confidence had come a surge of power as well and she could feel her inner demon coming out. She giggled with delight as plans ran through her head, ways to tear the men apart. Ways to make them pay. Ways to make them suffer. Alice looked around the room, the shadows were writhing in delight as her insanity began to increase. Though it wasnāt her usual different person completely, it was still Alice. She was completely awake. Aliceās eyes were a sickly dull gray with a blood red tint around the edges.
Alice used Summoner and a larger shadow in the form of a wolf appeared before her. It was a large wolf, almost as tall as herself, with sleek black fur and blood red eyes.
āWhen you get to an opening, take him out with you. Go to the cottage. Iāll be there.ā The wolf nodded, breaking Kenji out of his own chains. Alice helped put Kenji on its back before turning to the cell door than held them in. These men were about to see what Lone Sin had in store. Not only was Alice powerful, but every single member had the potential to take down armies single handedly. When they put their minds to it, there wasnāt anything they couldnāt do.
There was one power Alice always put on reserve. It was her fatherās move, so out of respect, she never used it. But this was a moment she knew only it would be able to handle. āShadow Tendril,ā she whispered, closing her eyes to concentrate. Shadow-like tendrils moved up from the ground and surrounded her. It was like they were devouring her. But once Aliceās eyes shot open, a full black now, they shot forward and bashed into the cell door, sending it flying. After the dust settled, Alice saw than she had got one with the door, his own blood sprayed on the wall behind him. Alice hadnāt thought about how many were actually out there, but if it was a Dark Guild there couldnāt be more than twenty. She could hear running coming down the halls, so she looked up, sending the tendrils up to make a large hole in the ceiling. The wolf immediately went for the opening, preparing for any attacks that may come. Alice continued forward, hoping she would draw all the attention to herself. The Shadow Mage reached into her Dimensional Pocket, pulling out throwing knives and anything else that was sharp. Once she had her sights on two men, Alice launched her throwing knives in their direction, propelling them forward with Shadow Fire and sheer force. One man got hit in the head, instantly dead while the other simply got it in the shoulder. To finish of the man, she held out her fist to encase his head if Shadow Fire, frying his brain instantly.
Alice could sense more power coming her way. Instead of rushing head on like normal, she thought about what had happened. What if she was overpowered and killed? Or captured? She had to follow Kenji and make sure no one was going after him.
āNight Dome, Dark Wing,ā she said. Everything went dark instantly, but a light broke through the darkness, coming straight for Alice. She sprouted her wings and sprang up, flying through the hole she had earlier created. Once she was up, she searched though the darkness for the wolf, instantly spotting its red eyes at the edge of the tree line. Before Alice left, she looked down to see where they had been kept. It looked like an old facility that had been shut down years ago. No doubt this was a Dark Guilds hideout.
There was a sudden pain in her back, causing Alice to fall several feet before catching herself. A light source emerged from the dark, the Shadow Keeper silently cursed herself. The Light Keeper from before was hovering in the air, glowing white wings on his back. They stared at each other for a while. āIf you fix Kenjiās eyes, I wonāt kill you,ā Alice said with an arrogant tone.
āIf you come down like a good little girl, I wonāt destroy you.ā It was obvious neither were going to get what they wanted. Alice was the first to make a move, summoning some tendrils to shoot towards him. For a Shadow mage to fight a Light Mage is a death wish. Only with a large amount of luck would she be able to beat him. All she needed to do was distract him long enough so she could make a rapid escape.
Waitā¦ Alice had a perfect plan. The man shot forward, dodging the tendrils, aiming right for Alice. With a look of surprise, Alice darted out of the way, letting him clip her shoulder with a Light Punch. Though it burned, Alice had to let him think he beat her. She span out of control temporarily before gaining her balance once more. The Light Keeper quickly appeared, grabbing her throat and squeezing. Alice dramatically clawed at his hands, kicking at him and wheezing.
What he did next wasnāt expected. She felt herself falling, but she couldnāt stop. He was flying full speed towards the ground, planning on smashing her into it. The impact was enough to knock what little wind Alice had left in her lungs out. Her back hurt and her air supply was out. The man remained on top of her, choking her. With the position he had her in, she couldnāt move at all. But she didnāt have to. Despite not having any air, Alice mustered up on of the biggest Shadow Fireās she ever hand. In no time, the manās grip disappeared and he fell on top of her. She had no clue if he was dead, but she didnāt care to check. She had to get out before anyone else could get to her. Alice pushed them body off of her, stumbling to her feet and sped off in the direction the wolf had gone.