Aftermath... [Open]

[Ilreg Douisis Ofu'ul]

Tomo and Ilreg had once again begun the dance of swords, the Yami-ou attacking him again with the aid of her familiar, its shapely form regressing into a semi-liquid state, attempting to bound Ilreg and slow his momentum. But Ilreg had taken note of her tactics during his torture and their all but but altercation in the throne room, surrounding his body with a thin sheet of sleety moisture, freezing it upon the black oozes contact with his skin. He continued hacking away, however slowed, and focus the brunt of his seemingly wild attacks on the cracked shell, stabbing away gleefully as he amassed his energies. As his attacks grew sluggish and irregular, he plunged his blade in deep, attempting to by pass the shield and pierce the Yami-ou's chest with the frozen tip of his sword.

It was then that the rain began, thick heavy droplets failing from the sky as Faf-ris began her magic, howling in the air as it fell toward them, the rain heavly pelting the combatants and creating puddles everywhere. Smiling and starring into the opaques eyes of the Yami-ou, Ilreg edged in closer as the once liquid rain fell as frozen globs of ice, the higher ones screeching on their way to the ground, sharpened to a point in their descent, it began raining needles once again. It was during all this commotion Ilreg seized the moment to expel the powerful icy magic that separated the tar from touching his skin. The now slowly changing tar broke from his body with each movement, peeling from his muscles like bark. As he edged closer to her face he licked hips lips and continued smiling, his blood stained serrated teeth baring an ominous grin, appearing as if he were preparing to savage Sanada with his mouth.

[Kanjin Taiyou]

As Taiyou watched the skies darken, he knew it was the work of no one other than Ilreg. "God damned Dragon, cover me blue!" Taiyou said, rushing over to aid Tomo in any way could. As he grew closer to the battlegrounds, his feet sloshed through the growing amount of puddles, and he soon was drenched in the falling rain. But this was ordinary rain, it lacked the smell of fresh rain, and Taiyou had fought on to many battle fields to know the difference between natural and magically induced rain. It was then he noticed the howling of the remaining beast, from whom much the water surrounded, rippling with each howl. Looking toward the sky, Taiyou saw as the rain took on a different, more solid appearance, and the surrounding temperature grew visible colder,a s he could see his own breath as he advanced toward Tomoyo's position.

Gripping his sword, and deducing a way to attack to place at once, Taiyou hurled the immense blade toward the beast, continuing toward Tomo, reaching dip withing the pit of his stomach. ""HAAAAAAAAAAA!" Taiyou bellowed as he jerked to a sudden stop, his open hands extended toward the falling frozen rain, as a huge sea of fire engulfed the air above Ilreg and Tomo. Fire partially filled the skies, a blaze of golden red and oranges, melting and evaporating much of Ilreg's ice that hadn't already fallen, the rest falling as boiling drops of water. The blast of heat had taken his breath, leaving him winded momentarily, and nearly drained him of all of his magical reserve. He hadn't anticipated being taxed so hard as a Chiorless, but his martial abilities would have to serve him now, until his magics were restored.

His hand still flaming as the ice and rain steamed from his body ran darted toward Ilreg, who by now was aware of his presence. It didn't matter to Taiyou, who was firm in his resolve, and clenched his fists, delivering and axe handles smash, swing from low to the ground, up into Ilreg's seemingly unguarded side. He could feel the icy cold of his flesh despite the fire on his hands, and his own boiling temperature, but the sweet crack of bones made it all ever so worth it, as Taiyou pressed on with a grunt, hoping to make room so he could both attack the Dragon and guard Tomo.

[Sanada Tomo]

Tomo watched Ilreg attack the shadow automaton's liquid from a safe distance inside of her castle throne room, her lips curled in a smile as she attacked it savagely. He began to freeze pieces of it when it came into contact with his skin and it began to rain pieces of ice as sharp as knives. She could see that Taiyou had taken somewhat a defensive position, although he had thrown up some very helpful flame that melted the frozen chunks that her body of darkness had broken off into.

"Do not endanger yourself at my expense," the figure said to Taiyou, though the comment was also directed toward Migoto; quite honestly, Tomoyo wished that the boy had stayed inside.

The womanly shape began to coalesce, sinking into the ground until no trace of it was left beside smaller sections that were still frozen. Had one been looking carefully, it could have been easily noted that the dark molasses-like material had slipped into the earth only underneath Ilreg's shadow.

[Ongaku Migoto]

Migoto stood there, watching the brutality unfold as Taiyou ran valiantly to Tomo's aid, well, as much of Tomo as she would allow to be on the battlefield, the apparition sinking into the ground as Taioyu and Ilreg began their dance. Running over to Tomoyo, Migoto placed his hands on the Yami-ou's shoulder, bringing his forehead close to her own after kneeling down to eye level. Her eyes were blank, and an eerie calmness surrounded her despite her obvious anger. The energy felt familiar to Migoto, quiet, observant, and nearly one with Tomo, it had to be Symphony, her ever present consort and guard, and Migoto smiled at that, at least she was not so completely alone.

"Tomo, you gotta listen to me, that guy, Taiyou, he said to make sure you were okay while he and that bastard tossed it up, but... but I'm not sure how I can do that. I'm terrified, and I'd be shaken in my boots if I were wearing any... listen to me, I can't even do this right or talk straight without the jokes..." Migoto said, thinking for a moment to gagther his thoughts. He could hear the sounds of fury outside the walls that kept he and Tomo safe momentarily, and having thought things through, he gatherred his exact words. "As scared as I am, as bad as things will get, I won't leave you, not now, not ever. You've done too much for me, and I wanna return the favor. But first, we gotta let those closest to here know whats going on. Taiyou is wicked powerful, and that Dragon, if he did what he did to Yomi is proof, is much worse. Those closest to the castle should be told to evacuate, but I can't be the one to do it boss, it's gotta be you. They need to hear your wonderful voice, they need to know that your here fighting for them, that you haven't abbandoned them, they need you like I need you." Migoto said, closing his eyes as his hands moved to Tomo's face, cupping and caressing her cheeks softly.

The blue Djinn then began to glow, tapping into the well of power that lie inside himself, his magic extending outward in a wave of ambient sound. "Just talk to them, think of me as a cuddlier version of a microphone. Whatever you want to say, the people closest to here will hear it, and Tomo, tell them to get far away as the can for there safety. It's not the clowns outsides I'm afraid for though, it's what I've got planned after this, and that's where I'll need you the most..." Migoto said softly, the fear in his voice silenced for now, as the certainty of his actions added to the soothing of his words.

[Sanada Tomo]

Even in this time of danger, Migoto managed to be self-sacrificing, looking out for others. The Fallen were a proud and strong set of races--Tomoyo knew that the guards that she had evacuated had more than likely taken care of the villagers and warned them--they were not weak. But the distraction provided by Tai had given her a break and he had presented her with the opportunity. As with most battles, things were moving too quickly and this was a now or never decision. And Tomo chose 'now.' She could feel the magic wafting from the blue Djinni, even if it wasn't tangible. She leaned forward, ready to give her address.

"Citizens of the Seventh Layer," she began, trying to keep things crisp and concise. She didn't have time for a formal speech. "I, Sanada Tomoyo, am being attacked by a very dangerous Dragon. Don't bother fighting it if you're expecting to live. Get to shelter as easily as possible until further notice, and form groups of emergency defenders and healer in case of a extreme situation. I don't have time for all the formal shit--just get somewhere safe!" It wasn't until she had begun talking that she realized her voice's playback sounded like a ghost's. Hideous. But it was a thought that she could only afford because she had been speaking, and now that time for such frivolous things was over. She outstretched her magic, bonding with the shadow that had been absorbed into the ground, waiting; feeling...

[Ilreg Douisis Ofu'ul]

Enemies seemed to manifest all around him in an instant, Ilreg surmised, as the hot rain that was once deadly arrows of ice feel to the ground, pelting his skin and soaking his hair. Already committed to his attack, Ilreg watch, disappointingly as his blade slide through the apparition of Tomoyo, its murky form melting into the ground. It was then that he looked off to his side, noticing that the culprit of the dispelling of his aerial attack barred down onto him, and with his positioning and momentum, he could not escape what the bothersome brute had in store for him.

It was then he felt it, the hot caress of flaming tongues along his side, followed by what seemed to be a battering ram, Ilreg attempting to block the damage with his sword at the last moment to no result, the weapon shattered like his ribs, the attack launching him. Coughing hurt almost as much as the smashing of his side, all the wind knocked from his lungs, one of which was now punctured by several of the broken ribs, clenching his teeth, and not afforded the opportunity to reel as he came crashing down to the ground, rolling momentarily. He would have been blinded with rage if the pain didn't help restore his vision with every tumble, Ilreg desperate reaching to stop himself from moving. Doing so with some effort, Ilreg who despite the pain had not black out, slowly rose to his feet. Angry, he let the blood and saliva cocktail ooze from his mouth, fluids leaking down his naked side as well, every breath a hammer's strike to his side, and a blaze in his lungs, ilreg starred at the ruffian with every intent to murder.

"SANADA, YOU FUCKING COWARD!" Ilreg roared, blood and teeth broken from the clenching his own jaw flying forth, his naked and mud covered chest heaving. "AND YOU! YOU SHIT SMELLING CRETIN, YOU DARE STRIKE ME! I WILL MAKE YOU DEVOUR YOUR OWN MANHOOD BEFORE I SMASH YOUR THICK SKULL!" Ilreg continued, the pain making him sharp, helping him to formulate a plan, anything to help him here. As he tried to gather his thoughts, the anger blurred those that appeared, and Ilreg realizing this, tried to calm himself, but the smug grin on the face of attacker threw his reasoning to the curb, lurching forward blindly, his healing having kicked in, but no where near as effective as it would have been had he concentrated.

Stopping in his own track, he slowed his breathing again, and painfully, began to set his own reforming ribs into place, this more painful than the blow, breakage, and breathing combined. Having bite down to hastily to stop himself from screaming, he bit his own tongue in half, having to finish with a mouth full of blood and severed organ, he swallowed grimly, standing fully erect after finishing. Ilreg formed another sword, after noticing his open was soon to be armed. "Faf-ris, retreat to the rear, and we will feast on his innards after, this I swear." Ilreg said to his remaining companion, directing his eyes to Taiyou's own. Waiting until he was sure his insides could take the movement, Ilreg burst toward Taiyou, the trail behind him frozen from the discharge of his magic, Ilreg aiming high, only to swing low at his opponents legs, the visible transition of the attack seeming eerie in its speed and execution.

[Sanada Tomo]

Unfortunately for Ilreg, Taiyou still seemed to possess a large portion of his former vigor--and Tomoyo couldn't have moved if she had wanted to. There was nothing to be done about it.

And in addition to being crippled, she was temporarily blind to the events going on outside. It was clear that two beings were engaged in the scuffle, but a portion of the stone wall of her castle hid the view of the fight going on outside from her eyes. She concentrated, her mind moving away from Migoto who was with her and focusing on the outside. The tremors on the ground were making it hard to discern whose movements were whose, but the large amount of magic--Tomoyo still clinging to it--moved with the Dragon's shadow.

"SANADA, YOU FUCKING COWARD!" She heard, and she tried her hardest to sense what on earth Ilreg was doing. Was he going to come into the castle? "AND YOU! YOU SHIT SMELLING CRETIN, YOU DARE STRIKE ME! I WILL MAKE YOU DEVOUR YOUR OWN MANHOOD BEFORE I SMASH YOUR THICK SKULL!"

That was enough. Without knowing who was having the upper hand at the moment Tomoyo couldn't afford to assume that Taiyou could handle everything on his own. The Archangel was worried about her? It should have been the other way around; she was the King, not he--and she would prove it.

All at once, the dark ooze began to unravel itself out of the ground, out of Ilreg's own shadow; forming a vine that whipped, whistling in the air toward the Dragon, curling around any piece of him that it could grab and pull to restrain movement. The vine was attached to an arm, and another rose out the dark reflection of Ilreg. Pushing up, the darkness formed a woman again, eyes carved into the sinewy texture to form eyes as it continued to harass him. Tomoyo was not going to let him succeed. Injured or not, she wasn't going to hand over her Kingdom to a Dragon without a fight.

The strain of her injuries and her magic at the same time began to show physically--her features were no longer flawless, and beads of sweat were forming on her brow. She clutched herself, arms curling around her torso, and she shut her eyes to focus more. Channeling this much power for this long--she risked worsening her condition.

[Kanjin Taiyou]

The hit connected, the damaged done, Taiyou watched for a moment as Ilreg was hurled painfully through the air, his anguish visible as he tumbled and tried to stand his ground. The dragon's torment brought a smile to Taiyou's face a she heard Ilreg exploded with anger, no doubt at both Taiyou's assault and audacity. He began to reset his injuries, and Taiyou realized the precious time wasted as he basked in his combat prowess. Moving to grab his weapon from where he threw it earlier, Taiyou keep Ilreg in his vision, his animal like servant heeding its master's words in retreating back.

As Taiyou plucked his blade from the earth, noticing the greater difference in its weight, not that it would be uncomfortable to wield, but it was another indication of his loss of strength. As he turned his full atention back to Ilreg, who now stood with a weapon in his hand, spouting off his usual string of insults, to which Taiyou would have responded, but Ilreg then seemingly disappeared. His speed seemed to match Taiyou's own strength, the dragon having easily covered 30 feet of distance in a few seconds, Taiyou could barely move his weapon into place to block or counter Ilreg's attack. The dragon ducked low, and struck accordingly, his second attacked blocked at the last moment by Taiyou's sword, but his other leg had been cleanly slice open from the knee above. The skin and blood having frozen on his wound for a moment until the heat of his body melted the ice and his warm blood flow from his thigh.

Clenching his teeth to dull the pain, he motioned his club-like sword's weight onto Ilreg's weapon, shattering his sword. With his eyes to the ground, Taiyou noticed what seemed to be several ebony hands and tentacles reaching out to him, realizing that Tomoyo was still very much in the fight. Ilreg should have moved by now but his speed was no doubt hindered by these extensions of the Yami-ou's magic, and Taiyou, resting on one knee, balled his fist and swung a fiery uppercut into the chest of his assailant, using the exact same force as before. "Broke you blade, now what are you going to do." Taiyou said as he hand soared right into the hard flesh of Ilreg's pectorals, the bones underneath that he had just taken so much time repairing, soon to be ruined again.

[Ongaku Migoto]

Migoto could hear the conflict outside, Taiyou and Ilreg both deeply engaged and no doubt tearing into one another. Despite the frailty of Tomo's condition, Migoto could see the magic was still strong within her, her physical weariness having no effect on her control of her Spirit and the enormous power it possessed. "Time to do my part and help to save the world." Migoto said, kneeling down to pick up Tomoyo in his arms. Despite the lean build, Migoto still possessed the strength of a Celestial, and lifting the petite body of his King was nothing.

The true feat of strength came in opening his currently damaged wings. The beads of sweat accumulated on his forehead as his shoulder blades moved apart to make way for his wounded plumage, the metal coating on his wings was still lustrous, the spare light in the room gleaming of the tips of wings. Hiding the pain with a cheeky smile, he looked into Tomo's eyes as his feet were lifted off

Despite the pain, the sensation of gliding made Migoto smile a little bit more. Gliding throughout the air as he cradled the Yami-ou close, careful as to not brush against her burns. His metallic wings made for several uniform clashes of metal, his flight generating music akin to a wind chime. Swirling around the castle he, he spied the conflict from afar. Choosing to perch on a tower that gave him the greatest vantage point, Migoto slowed down his flight, extending and curving his wings to bring h he and his King to a controlled stop. He used one foot to cushion there already soft landing, his decent as gentle as the voice he used to ask, "Are you alright Tomi?" as he set her down softly against the raised perch on the roof.

Smiling he looked in to the now clouded sky, that dragons work no doubt, the overcast and the land surrounding the castle was sparse of life save for the clouds and conflict of the celestial and Coptic combatants. Assuming he could hear the soft thumps of heart beats of citizens using the still air as a conduit for his own powers, Migoto raised a glowing hand, sliding across his chest into the air. It was then as if suddenly. Light in shape of a guitar appeared in front of him, and as the object materialized, the blue Dinnie reached out to it. He palmed its base and ran his hand down its neck, this affection accompanied by the materialization of a raven haired women appearing with her hands round his neck.

"Migoto, what are you doing love... I don't like the way your energy feels right now." She asked in a voice sweet as syrup a purr seemingly emanating from her scantily clad sprite form.

"I'm fine babe, trust. And don't be so rude, say hello to my boss. Please don't think less of me Tomi-Mama, I seriously don't choose for he to dress this way." Migoto said in mild embarrassment as he fondled with he strings on his instrument, tuning it as small lines of electricity ran across his fingers, the smell of ozone filling the air atop the roof.

The sprite looked at Tomoyo in an unimpressed manner, a mild sizing up as she looked away annoyed and turned back to Migoto. "You a terrible liar love, always have been. Like I was saying, it's like your insides are tearing at themselves, like your spirit is being pulled din a direction its not used to. I'm worried about you." She said, dissipating as some and materializing infront of him, face to face her arms locked around him.

"Heh, yeah I guess I do suck at lying, but trust me, I've never been so sure I'm doing the right thing in all my life. And don't be so rude I do work for her. Hibiki is her name Tomoyo." Migoto said a she played a small chord, his body glowing and whips of energy spiraled off his body like a diode. The wild erratic energy spouted everywhere, some landing on and near Tomoyo, who was in no danger. The energy felt like vibrations when it made contact with skin, like the physical manifestation of the song of sorrows Migoto carried in his heart.

Throwing the strap across his shoulders and back, Migoto cradled the instrument as he peered at the horizon, prepping himself for what looked to be the most spectacular of show. Ominously beautiful, he appeared in his own mind as a composer dying as he struggle to pen the last notes of a master symphony. "Well... It's almost showtime..."

[Sanada Tomo]

Tomoyo hadn't been worried in the least as she felt herself being lifted. Ilreg was outside. The moving caused her to have to concentrate a bit more on the location of the battle below, but once she opened her eyes again she knew exactly where they were as the ascended through the remains of the castle and where they were, on the ground level. They landed safely on the outside, higher up than Tomoyo wanted but she was okay with it. Her wounds burned--and oozed, she felt--as she was juggled about, his hands pressing clothes burned into her very skin even further in. She began to control her breathing to help regulate the pain, trying not to allocate her magic to the task considering what she was up against below.

Once she was back down, she counted on Migoto to put her into a careful position, as she could no longer twist or move anything between her elbows and knees without excruciating pain. He asked her if she was already, to which she answered breathlessly, "Yes."

It was then that Tomoyo felt the small accumulation of power, and although she couldn't turn her head to look she heard a third voice added to their conversation, concerned for Migoto's safety. A sprite, is what instincts and an ethereal glow told her. It was strange, seeing the scene below, seeing Taiyou's attack hit home and still seeing the skyline of her realm at the same time. It was a broad view, and it was difficult to concentrate on seeing both at once, the magical feed to her senses throwing her off. She was glad that she couldn't move; she would have most certainly misstepped at least once.

Migoto was kind enough to introduce her to the sprite, whose name was apparently Hibiki. Flowers--beautiful. Something oddly poetic that Tomoyo believed went together. Their banter back and forth was natural, and she was glad that he had another soul to confide in especially after the loss that he just suffered. She couldn't help but laugh as they went back and forth, and she added in, still feeling the tinge of fatigue, "You are a bad liar..."

He played a small chord on his guitar, and she felt, physically, the vibrations as the reached out to touch her skin. Somehow, the notes stirred some emotions in her, and she said, suddenly, "If you work for me, Migoto, I don't want you going down there. You could get killed. That's an order. You can work from up here. Nothing else unless you're in danger." She normally allowed everyone to make their own decisions, but the chord had indeed struck a chord in her. She readied herself for whatever was going to happen if and when Ilreg rose up onto his feet. "I'll handle it from here. I'm the King; if I die here, it's my duty."

[Ilreg Douisis Ofu'ul]

Ilreg could feel the blade scream with joy and agony, first with joy as it tore the iron like flesh of the brute Taiyou. IT cried its death through with a hundred voices, one for each piece it was shattered into. Taking the time to still press the advance, Ilreg began o quickly continues his attack; moving to Taiyou’s front s went down to one knee. With the now broken, but equally sharp blade after some slight reformation ion Ilreg attempted to run Taiyou through with the remainder of his weapon until his own arm jerked back in direct defiance of his intentions.

Ilreg moved expeditiously to discover the source of this calamity, but he was ill-afforded time or mobility, their true nature revealing itself as other similar black limbs reached out to grab at his naked body. Most of the missed him initially, but the ones that grasped him by his length, filthy hair and waist jerked him place so the others could tighten their nefarious grip. It would seem as if this convince was somehow transparent, Tomo’s hand was no doubt guided the blade of providence being wielded by the neanderthalic Taiyou Ilreg could only thing to himself before catastrophe struck. In a blow, much like the one before, Ilreg’s chest was smashed to splinters as Taiyou reached up from his grounded potion and deliver the Dragon a devastating blow.

Before the pain could completely wash over him and ruin his judgment, Ilreg dropped his bladed, and willed it to splinter violently near his assailant. Knowing Taiyou would have little to no defense against the projectile gave him small comfort as the full ramifications of the blow come to the surface. The bones that once made up his ribcage shattered like glass, his lungs smashed against his back and other vital organs, the inertia from the blow rupturing most his insides to pulp. The only difference between this time and the last is that he was not sent flying, Tomo’s magic kept him in place, his magic healing as he jerked back in place, his blood and saliva mixing as he chocked suspended in the air.

His cold magic’s cut on intuitively as his body began to heal, freezing the solid blackness in direct contact with his skin. Ilreg could feel himself slipping into the blackness of the beyond, his body convulsed violently as the shock to his system was more than he could bear after having just healed from such grave injury. “Mhu… Hrck… Hrrhh…” Was all the Dragon could mouth unconsciously as he felt himself slipping deeper and deeper into the blackness. The deeper he went the heavier became, meaning he traveled faster and traveled farther, the black giving way to a small white singularity. The closer he got to the singularity, the more he felt whole and uninhibited, his realization that the weight of matter was easily shed and he sped farther toward the ever expanding whiteness. He felt warm, safe, he could see an ever extending field, he could feel the voices of an infinite amount of people, all their voices familiar as if he spoke to himself in a cave with never ending caverns. Ilreg felt serene here, almost sublime, freeing himself more as he soared toward the light that grew brighter and brighter.

It was then his mind was brought to a stop so abrupt, it seemed to shatter time itself. On the outside, this body vibrated and glowed very dimly, his eyes cataract as blood and bile spilled from his open mouth. Inside his own mind, he was frozen; the still gray area surrounding the white light began to contort. It flashed with several hundreds of images, a field of flowers, a cold black darkness surrounding him as a child. The last look on his mothers face, the fresh innards of bearlike creature. The sight of two dog like beings running at his heels were all plaster and rotating about. A large hideously magnificent creature, its rainbow wings spread as it roared in righteous fury. Then there was her, a face with a thousand features, hands with a millions grazes that were both lash and caress.

She reached out he hands and grasped what felt like Ilreg’s heart, finally appearing as both a voluptuous, naked raven haired woman, and a monstrosity of several beings juxtaposed inside one another. As she continued to squeeze, the light retreated and Ilreg was surrounded by darkness. He touch, the exact maxim opposite of pleasure invigorated him, the blackness swirling back and forming shapes as he venom filled his body, replacing all tranquility that previously existed.

It was then she whispered one word, her voice on that forsook him eons ago, and now back to save him, filling him with a sense of purpose where the was once only despair and defeat. She said one word to him, one word than sang many uncountable symphonies, “Destroy…” was all she uttered, his dark queen, mother and giving and preserver of life. The Black Hand that seemed to snatch from him the abyss of peace caused him to suddenly swelled with power. Ilreg’s mind snapped back violently in to his body, the malevolence seemingly making Ilreg’s flesh reject itself as it expanded and tore from his bones. His former injuries seemed to have been bygone, his chest now spaced and covered in hard brown, metallic scales. It sounded as if as his flesh began to unwind, his bones cracking and reforming simultaneously.

His face contorted and his handsome features formed a snout, his teeth growing larger and more uniform with his new jaw line. The horns that topped his head spread down to behind his ears, forming an elaborate cress for his head, his ears absorbed into buds. The bones that framed his body expanded and hardened, shaping his flesh which made his horribly transforming body appear quadruped in shape. Wings tore out of his back; beating is still expanding body from the ground. As he grew the ground around his body froze so solid, the air so cold, both sound and light seemed distorted around his form. From above his buttocks sprouted a tail that thrashed violently. His body had now swollen to fifty times its original size.

And as the swollen Dragon filed out his new from, a seemingly rusted steel like shell browned and collapsed. Cracking accompanied by a blinding light filled the snowy air, the split shell falling to the snow and ice covered ground, which seemed to expand each second. A solitary figure stood, shining in the darkened skyline, an alabaster beast bellowed there. It’s thrashing tail upturning as much ice as the wind. Seemingly carved from white Ice, the beast stood in horrific wonder. The lithe and terrifyingly scarred from of Ilreg’s looks and body replaced by the gross bestial precession e he emanated as his golden rolling eyes now focused on the now diminutive Taiyou. Snow began to blow in the horrible wind; the weather responding to the creature Ilreg had become his every whim.

Ilreg, now transformed in to his altered state, raised his legs and roared a blizzard of sharp ice into the direction of the slow to react Taiyou, who was attempting to stand his ground and prevent the change from happening. The clouds formed ominously overhead, and there was the slightest tingle at the sides of Ilreg’s had, the small buds of his ears hearing the noise atop the roof, the beast choose to ignore them, the tides now in his favor all he could think was one think. The beast smashed the ground, and headed directly for the still blown back Taiyou, some of its rusted shell still covering its appendages. His mind was filled with the thought of killing and devouring Taiyou, and then what he presumed to be Tomo to his rear.

[Kanjin Taiyou]

Taiyou’s surprise turned quickly to shock as the broken weapon stubbornly proved its further utility. Exploding into several frozen projectiles, the frozen sword pieces flew at his face, several burning off in his powerful flaming aura that lingered. The other, more volatile pieces flew directly at his face, scarring his cheeks and damaging one of his eyes. Clutching his wounds rather than call out in pain, Taiyou watched as the physically damaged Ilreg rocked in his deathly cradle. Taiyou burned the wound on his leg closed, wincing silently as he stood, placing most of the pressure onto his rear foot. Taiyou loosed down onto the writhing Ilreg, spitting near his fallen body. His warm saliva fell at a halfway point between him and Ilreg, the gale carrying the Dragon’s body several feet away.

Walking slowly toward his prey, Taiyou’s sword ignited, as Taiyou decided to end this here and now, seeing this moment as nothing but providence. The closer Taiyou got, he could see the Dragon’s body twitching, assuming it to be the momentary healing before his imminent death. This notion of comfort was replaced by the wisdom gathered in hundreds of battles with Ilreg’s kind. Sure enough, as Taiyou looked closer he noticed that Ilreg’s musculature had begun grown, with intense cold surrounding his body. “Shit he’s gonna...” Taiyou said raising his arm to shoot a wall of fire to scorch the downed Ilreg. It was not to be and the gale emanating from Ilreg’s body had been blown from his weapon. Starring in horror as he covered his face from the harsh cold and cutting winds, Taiyou crouched back to one knee as he watch the seemingly dead Ilreg spring to life.

“Fuck no… I gotta do...” Taiyou said as he exploded into running, stopped both by reflexive pain and instinct, knowing that he could not do anymore with the nature of the weather against him. He felt the ground under his feet turned to ice as the Dragon hatched from its nearly expansive shell to reveal the personification of frigid evil. The white winged daemon roar shattered the ice that surrounded it, the noise and expulsed winds launching Taiyou back. Off balance and off his feet, Taiyou shifted the weight of his weapon to ground himself, trying desperately to recoup with a body racked with pain. It seems the fates were against him as the newly transformed Ilreg dated in immediately to attack. A slash tearing open his chest and arm he attempted to block with them. The air stole the breath he would have used to cry out in agony and the Dragon’s strength, comparable to his own send him crashing into the frozen earth.

Grabbing an object that protruded from the earth, he felt his arm jerk as he snapped to and landed on the ground. Looking up out his one remaining eye, Taiyou could feel his stomach sink as he was face to face with a living breathing Dragon in its bestial form. He thought back on the last time he felled a Dragon and it was centuries ago, when he was in better condition, more powerful, and not injured as he was in his present state. Struggling to reach into his torn pocket, his fished for a cigarette, his great fortune he located one, nearly torn in half and alone. Placing it in his mouth, he lit the tip with his finger, blowing smoke in the direction of the Dragon defiantly. “I’m old, and tired… and I want to see my wife and children again, in this life or the next. I feel all my strength fleeing from my body as we speak… heh, I’m not accustomed to feeling this week. But, that won’t stop me from killing you, you big scaly bastard. Prepare to have your shit smashed in.” Taiyou said, bursting into flames, further showing his resolve in the face of sheer destruction.

[Ongaku Migoto]

As Migoto’s fingers slid along the strings of his guitar, he felt a small tug at his heart, knowing the words he would have spoken would have been shown to be lies he sighed. “I’m gonna stay right here boss, I told you, you got yourself a front row seat. As far as everything else, I can’t oblige you. This is it, my moment, I can feel it… Just… just reach out for me, show me that this won’t be in vain.” Migoto said, winking at Tomo one last time as he strung a note, his blue skin now glow a bright amber color. The horrid breeze blowing his golden locks about as he gripped the neck of his instrument, he eyes dead set on the monstrosity that was Ilreg’s current form and the desperate Taiyou who dared star into the face of oblivion with no fear. Migoto’s apparition Hibiki could only watch, her wispy for struggling to stay coherent in the tundra that surrounded the castle.

“Migoto…. Migoto what are you about to do?” She asked before she looked into his eyes, appearing before him, more solidified, her taut features unaffected by the blistering cold. There was a look of uncertainty on her features before she realized what was going on. “You idiot, if you do this you’ll die! You’re no fighter, no tough guy, and you never have been so why start now?” She screamed over the howling winds, her immaterial hands pounding on his chest wantonly. She knew he could barely feel it, and as he synchronized his powers to hers, he reached his hand out, smiling as his pupils began to disappear, his entire gaze cataract.

“Hibiki… My muse, my melody, my biggest fan… Listen, I need you now more than I ever did, you gotta trust me here doll. You know I can’t tell a lie, and this time my life depends on whether you help me or not…” Migoto said as he reached out with his free hand, caressing a face that was no longer there. She did not know that if he could no longer feel her face if it were there. Migoto grinned at her with a mouth that could no longer taste the sweetness of a kiss, he breathed air he could no longer smell. “Be my fingers as I play, be my voice as I sing, be one with me…” Migoto said as he turned his attention back, the ensuing conflict.

Lowering her head Hibiki disappeared in a fine mist, that mist shrouding Migoto’s body causing him to glow brighter than before, his body responding to the concentrated magics at her disposal. His senses saved for hearing now all effectively neutralized. Striking another chord, Migoto’s mind was awash with a sea of colors, colors his eyes could only have hoped to imagine, smells beyond description, physical sensations under his skin that could not be matched by mere touch. Sound had been transferred into all information, his auditory perceptions beyond explanation or meaning to anyone but himself. “THIS IS IT! THIS IS WHERE WE MAKE OUR LAST STAND, BE DEAD OR BE DAMNED IF WE DON’T TRY, THIS VALLEY WILL BE THE LAST PLACE YOU RUIN!” Migoto roared at Ilreg, his instrument’s strings now replaced by solid light, his fingers acting as a conduit for the magic he embodied.

[Ilreg Douisis Ofu'ul]

Ilreg’s ear bud perked at the disturbance behind him, but the bestial nature of his form afforded him very little logic and reasoning. He was dead set on destroying the brightly burring opponent in front of him, rushing headlong into Taiyou’s path. The subzero temperature surrounding his body instantly froze whatever moisture lie in the air, leaving a frozen swath in his wake. As he approached the burning Taiyou, he snorted what seemed to be a blizzard in his direction, swapping his now extraordinarily large and deadly talons at the Celestial. He massively bulky body followed through as his powerful wings kept him afloat, there terrible beating perpetuating the winds drawn by the snowstorm the resulted from the Dragon’s transformation and it affect on the local weather.

Ilreg’s roared, his anger coinciding with the ferocity of his attack, his alabaster and rust tinged body appearing to engulf the area of the attack. Ilreg’s now blue and golden eyes starred hungrily at Taiyou, the creature’s aim to tear him in half at best, settling for disemboweling him as a secondary yet equally appealing option. The features of his face were now too grotesque to smile, but the savagery of his humor still rattled within his animalistic mind. His tail, a combination of whip and spear, flailed behind him, curving with the arc his body in a thrashing motion, cutting through the air with a loud.

[Kanjin Taiyou]

Burning with conviction and flames of hatred, Taiyou gruffly starred into the face of his attacker, the now behemoth Ice Dragon Ilreg. As he neared, Taiyou spied him shifting to the left, raising his now sunken right hand as he approached. Sensing an attack, Taiyou raised his sword to counter, his flames burning brighter, drinking the air being blown his way. The gust from the dragon’s nostrils proved to be too much for his show of fire, most of the flames now blown off his body as the Dragon closed in for its attack. Allowing the weight of his massive sword to pull him to the ground, Taiyou narrowly escaped the beasts attack.

He could hear as the Dragon’s talons tore through the upturned rock and rubble with horrific ease. The small rocks and dirt littered his head, and instinctively he swung his still flaming sword in the Dragon’s direction, smashing his claws with the blunt edge of his weapon, the monster’s exterior much tougher than he expected. The weapon did its damage, but before Taiyou could resume his assault, Ilreg’s tail tore across his torso, launching him in the opposite direction. The pain was tremendous as Taiyou could feel several of his ribs broken. There was blood in his cough as he tumbled to the ground, he could feel one of his lungs deflating as he tossed about, smashing his weapon into the ground for stability.

Standing back to feet despite the terrible pain that wracked his body, Taiyou shot a pillar of fire at the beast, a diversionary tactic as he gained his barring. Slumping down onto his injured knee, he realized he would be at a disadvantage moving and attacking his target given his injuries so he began to coordinate attacks from a stationary location. As he shot the easily deflectable flames, he began melting the ground beneath his feet; the resulting explosion from the gust of air would be to his advantage upon Ilreg’s next assault. “Come on you big, dumb bastard, I’m right here… Come get some…” Taiyou said, spitting a pool of blood onto the ground, noticing as it bubbled before it was frozen into a small splash of gore.

[Sanada Tomo]

They weren't listening to her. She was here, fighting this battle against an opponent she could barely win against - but she was ready to sacrifice her life, she was ready to die for her nation. They were ready to die, too, and that was the problem. They didn't have to. She could see Taiyou on the ground, burning like Suzaku's flame. Tomoyo was no stranger to War, and she could her it in Migoto's voice; that conviction. This was his "moment". Her chest clenched, and she bit her lip - what little she could feel of it - to stop herself speaking. She knew what this meant, what Migoto meant, and she had heard his dialogue with the sprite.

It was then that she knew for sure that she could love him. The idea of his death scared her. It scared her, more than the idea of facing that Dragon ever would.

But she swallowed the feeling, because she couldn't afford to let it take her over and let her do something stupid. "...!!" Her body stiffened painfully just after, and she realized that Symphony's latent magic, the darkness below, was returning to her. It was so much at once, and she couldn't breathe. It had been too long since she had expended that much energy. The jagged rocks and the ruins of her castle below formed nothing but a valley of shadows. Those were her power as well and she would take them. Symphony was going to take them. It was the only way that she could build something to fight Ilreg, to fight that thing that had caused her Kings to flee for their health.

When she was finally able to exhale and take another breath, she realized how alone she was. In the end, she'd always thought, she would either die in the comfort of her broken family, in the light of Suzaku, or in battle - wartime battle. This was none of these. It broke her heart; she'd thought that she had been practical about her thoughts at the time, but apparently that wasn't the case. She was alone. She was dying alone. She was not on a battlefield, with her comrades, fighting for the union she'd waited to see for Millennia; she was not at home, with her daughters and son, with Chiyo, or her husband who had been stupid enough to die before her; and she was not with Suzaku, the only Goddess that could cleanse her soul. Tomoyo had made up for enough, but it was worthless now.

Instead she was in her ruined castle, standing with a man that she hadn't meant to fall for who didn't return her feelings, and a warrior who had originally sought her blood to whom she owed a debt that she could never repay. No comfort, no forgiveness, no acceptance. Not only amongst the worst circumstances to die in, but the least expected.

And that was the last thought she had, as the shadows her spirit was absorbing were climbing into the hundreds, each little piece waiting for her to expel them in some physical form. It felt as though a pressure field were building within her - not her body, but somewhere deeper, that place that housed the connection between soul and sprite or familiar - in that place. It was painful, even, in a way that she couldn't dull with magic. "We will defeat him," she said, her speech taken over by Symphony. Tomoyo was not fond of being possessed in the least, but she couldn't fight it, didn't know what Symphony was doing. The Spirit wasn't letting Tomoyo into her thoughts. And the shadows were trying to squeeze the life out of her.

She wasn't breathing anymore, but her body sat there calmly, waiting.

[Ilreg Douisis Ofu'ul]

Ignoring the blast, Ilreg’s ferocious transformed body darted directly for Taiyou. The wind to his back and several tons of inertia proved effective at dispelling the flames, as Ilreg opened his maw to end the fight in a rather primal but all too expected gesture. He chomped down with such force, his long jaged teeth became not unlike murderous wind chimes, tearing through the cold air with a banshee's wail.

When the Dragon’s teeth collided to finish the biting action, Ilreg was taken aback to a degree, as what should have been the warm flesh of a Celestial had be replaced with the burning hot sting of the brute’s oversized cudgel. Dragging his feet and tail on the ground Ilreg flapped his wings, propelling himself upward in a spectacular twisting display as he wriggled and shook his head. His efforts were to swallow the increasingly annoying Angel, or to have him plummet toward the ground and initiate his assault as Taiyou attempted to rebound.

Ilreg’s efforts were beginning to go unrewarded, as Taiyou held onto his weapon as it remained lodged, his might allowing him to hold on as he waited patiently for the Dragon to calm its fury. Taking advantage of a momentary pause, Taiyou ignited his sword, shattering some of Ilreg’s teeth as he grabbed onto the monstrous Ilreg’s frigid and scaled jowls. He writhed in pain and released an earth-shattering roar, expelling the wayward flames that found their way into his gullet as he could also feel the intense grip Taiyou used to cling to his body despite his vicious protest. As Ilreg slowed his spastic movements, he swept over the castle top, soaring higher and higher where the air would be thinner.

The upper air already made turbulent by Ilreg’s magical disturbance, he sought to continue the fight in a more advantageous arena, the heat coming from Taiyou much more insignificant the higher they soared. It was also at this time Ilreg begin to channel his arctic breath into radiating an intense cold, his almost metallic scales growing more and more covered in frost as the unwelcome passengers option and safety.

[Ongaku Migoto]

[A/N to better get a feel for the post's intensity, here's the song link
www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUWCrCXiVpA ]

A flight of his senses left Migoto seemingly cut off from the world. His visual, tactile, and auditory perceptions now dulled, Migoto was nothing more than a tool, an instrument of justice as the area thick with energy allowed him to see and perceive information through the songs of nature. He could eerily sense everyone and everything around him, and with the howling of the wind cause by Ilreg's storm biting against his numb and screaming in his deaf ears Migoto knew that the time for action was now.

With great force, Migoto clenched his hand around the neck of his guitar, its material firmly held in places and Migoto’s fingers begun to strum the strings at the base. The tones the instrument produced could have been misconstrued as death cries, but woe unto the inanimate object, as its master had only begun to play. His once firmly held hand, now began sliding up and down the neck of the guitar, his fingers like knives, horrid beauty in their precision, the music once played by an angel of mercy and compassion replaced with vulgar riffs, and base chords of raw, unfettered tonal terror.

Hibiki, in diligence as to her master’s orders flooded the area with pure sound magic, the strange energy coalescing in the air giving the tower upon which they stood a hazy appearance. The energy twinkled as it responded to Migoto, and in the most devout of displays, Hibiki conjured a faux guitar into her own hands as she motioned to join Migoto.

Migoto’s body then began to glow even brighter, his playing acting as a way of channeling all the ambient sound and energy into himself, metabolizing and combining it with his own potent control over Sound Magic into something vile and menacing. As his finger nails began to crack and chip under the intensity of his playing, it would seem as if the ground beneath his feet began to crack under the stress of the energy pulsing from his body. Migoto turned his withdrawn attention toward the two combatants, as their waltz of death continued above, the clouds providing the tile upon which they spilled one another’s blood. The pulse would have seem to grow worse with ever deft movement and motion of his fingers, only to be paled as his opened his mouth and released a voice, that was not his own, so full of scorn and anger as the sound emitted could be felt before it registered in the airs of those close by.

“On a cold dark winter night, hidden by the stormy light, a battle rages for the right for what will become... In the valley of the damned, a warrior with sword in hand travels fast across the land for freedom he rides…” Migoto began ominously. Moreover, if only to spite himself, or feign and make a mockery of his previous caution, his voice exploded several octaves higher, resembling a shrill tempest more than the silken voice of a fallen Cherub.

“And the sign from the master on high screams aloud and across hear the cry for the kingdom of fire and ice and the power to be alive! Be strong ride on, carry on through the war… Come along carry on, living for ever more!”

It was then the air around him, saturated with potent magic and stirred by Migoto’s uncanny dexterity and passions, crackled as globs of thick energy we copiously devoured by his increasingly bright growing aura, which now shined lonesome on the frozen waste that was the battlefield.

“On the wings of death by the hands of doom, by the darkest light from the darkest moon. Crossing silent seas over mountains high for we stand as one tonight!” Migoto began again, maintaining his intensity just to surpass it once again, bellowing the profane refrain in a trancelike state.

“On the black wind forever, we ride on together, destroying your evil with freedom our guide! When the master will storm us, he'll stand high before us, Our hearts filled with splendor, our swords will shine over the light!” He howled his music otherworldly as the guitar cried with the groans and screeches of an ensemble band as Migoto continued to play, unaware of the rigors he placed himself into. His nails now possessed hairline cracks extending from his fingers, and from his nose a crimson stream of sanguine blood dripped out his nostril, the blood suspended in the unnatural air that surrounded the cerulean Djinn. His skin was now pallid, its robust exuberance dulled as veins protruded around his temples, neck and forearms.

“In the valley of the damned, days breaks with golden strand, over pastures green it glows to where night returns…

In the shadows faces appear, warriors wearing full metal gear, all join together one and all before the glorious light!” Migoto foolishly persisted in his gruesome endeavor. Hibiki, aware of every inch of his body continued to play as she could only look on in horror as the internal energies Migoto summoned were wrecking havoc on him internally, his own body unable to cope with or contain the power he possessed. She longed for time not too long ago, where he was safe and his attention hers, but she would not fail him here, her love for him and her adherence to his desires stronger than her selfishness.

“Rise up, gather around, come and hear what is said. Use your senses open your mind, but don't you ever forget.

On the wings of life, by the hands of hope, by the brightest light from the brightest sun. Crossing silent seas over mountains high to the valley of the damned…!

On the black wind forever, we ride on together, destroying your evil with freedom our guide! When the master will storm us, he'll stand high before us, Our hearts filled with splendor, our swords will shine over the light!” Migoto repeated the mantra once more, growing ever brighter. It was then that Hibiki could see the streams that would soon be torrents as it appeared the floodgates were soon to be opened. Desperately trying to keep up with Migoto’s massive needs, Hibiki began to convert the waves of energy from Migoto’s luminance as well as the clashes and screams of above into more Sound magic.

She could feel the energy spike in Migoto, an in a fretful response she created the image of two accompanying musicians, these specters standing to Migoto’s rear attempted match his pace. This would prove to be a fool’s errand, even for a disembodied spirit who essence was derived from the excess energy and destruction generated by Migoto. He then began to play with such ferocity, the role of the musician became apparent, act as neutralizing buffer as with each note struck the structural integrity of the tower grow more and more compromised.

And there he played, the strings of the guitar now slick with blood, sticky and frozen onto the fingertips whose touch could not be discerned from beauty and horror. Peculiar in his perverse pickings, fingernails flew from his hands like dust in the wind, as his strumming and mannerisms had become almost carnal in nature. He clenched teeth and buckled his shoulders as a vicious scowl fell upon his face, the stress of this feat written all over his physical form. There was no way to determine where Migoto ended and the guitar began, as it sung with the tone of blended anguish and ecstasy.

As both his nostrils leaked blood, Migoto continued on, focusing on the terrible Dragon above, accounting for the safety of Taiyou, who choose to fight the behemoth head on despite his injuries. Migoto then opened his mouth, repeating the mantra twice more; his aura intensity warped the shape of the musicians, their forms severely distorted after the first utterance.

"On the black wind forever, we ride on together, destroying your evil with freedom our guide! When the master will storm us, he'll stand high before us, Our hearts filled with splendor, our swords will shine over the light!”


"On the black wind forever, we ride on together, destroying your evil with freedom our guide! When the master will storm us, he'll stand high before us, Our hearts filled with splendor, our swords will shine over the light...!”

Upon the last word escaping the lips of his mouth, streching it to the last of its verbal elasticity, his body absorbed both the energies of the specters and Hibiki’s own guitar and converted it to ammunition.

As if it were possible to hold a hurricane in a box and release it to be privy to its might, Migoto summoning every ounce of strength he possessed dug deeper into himself than he ever thought possible. He could picture every face he’d seen, every touch of his guitar and those of others, the sound of a lovers heart beat, the smell of sweat and the heat of breath in the throughs of passion. The almost weightless and soft body of a child, the bitterness of her tears and his own, the welcoming warmth of acceptance and a home, the rage and despair of helplessness, all these things he experienced as he transformed the energy of his sound magic.

It was concentrated, it was pure. It was every word spoken and sound heard. It was all his love and his hate, it bright and it was dark, it music made into a destructive wave of energy, and as he homed in on the sounds of a Dragon crying out in pain, it was released in an explosion of light and sound, a cacophony radiance that was to be the monster Ilreg’s undoing. And as he released this tsunami of passion, his will transformed into terrifying sound he could do nothing except buckle under the wrath of his own power, his wings extending by reflex alone as the shock of such force being expelled from his body was likened to a blowback despite his body stationary position.

And as the sky and the air before him was rent by the force and vibrancy of the beam, Migoto crumpled to his knees. He continued to play, hell bent on finishing what felt to be the longest and hardest set he's ever play, his breath now shallow as he body began to cope with the rigors of his work.