| | | | "Oh god, take me off this Dustin! Oh Jesus!" cried Brian GoldenHeart as we were shooting down like a torpedo in the long, deep abyss. I just laughed out loud and held onto my dragon Darkness tighter then ever that it made him growl a little. "Sorry." I mumbled. "Hey! Theres the other Brian! See that glowing sword of his? Catch him!" yelled out Brian. I whistled out loud and Brian ThunderCaster looked back toward us, his face in astonishment. Darkness grabbed him with his red claws by the shoulders and I helped him up to Darkness' broad back. "You OK?" I asked the 15 year old. "Ye-yeah..." he answered with a stutter, massaging his shoulders where Darkness had clutched him. We rode on until Darkness stopped in midflight and landed softly onto the ground. A cloud of dust puffed out and vanished. "Where you suppose Kevin went?" asked Brian T. Ignoring his question, I made my away through the total darkness on the jagged walls. The room appeared to be circular. The other Brians did the same while Darkness left back up. "Ow!" said Brian G., taking a few steps back where he had hit something. "What is it?" I asked. "I bumped into this sharp thorn on one of the walls. I think my hand is bleeding." Me and Brian T. walked towards Brian G. As Brian T. tried to wrap a piece of cloth from his tunic around Brian G.'s injured palm, I investigated the sharp spike that had gored my friend. It wasn't very sturdy but it stuck out so I tried to pry it off. Giving up, I rested my arm on it and suddenly, the spike started to turn, making a huge rumbling noise through the walls. Dust began to fall off everywhere until a passageway opened. "What'd you do?" Brian T. asked, sounding a bit angry but surprised at the same time. I knew he was jealous that I found a way out (or in) from the cell first. "Come on." I said.
"Ahh, Kevin FrostSword. Grandmaster of Ice. Thank you for joining us." hissed Malistaire. "Stop it! Let me go you stupid monsters!" Kevin cried out, trying to twist away from the draconian minions claws that clung to him. He looked up at Malistaire with such a hateful glare that Malistaire turned away a little. He turned back towards frustrated Kevin and replied cooly, "You know. You have so much potential then those other three wimps. They are just masters and the younger one an adept! But I could make you even more powerful. You could rule by my side and together, rule the Spiral! Or, if you refuse, I could just use your head as a personal trophy." Kevin's heroic face suddenly turned chalk white but he just shook his head and said, "I'd rather die to your wicked hand then help a whelp like you!" Malistaire sighed and ordered the draconians to take him away. "Have him executed in 2 hours behind the courtyard. I want to give those three fools a dying chance." The two dragons, gripped ever still on Kevin's wrists, took him to a barren cell. They shoved him to the floor, bruised and bled him, then walked away, snickering. Kevin sat on the floor crouching so still, that he fell asleep.
We ran so fast through the never-ending corridors in Malistaire's castle. I knew every floor, every room by heart. Panting, Brian T. said, "Dude, now I know why people put the heroes in long corridors like this. But it's getting pretty old." I grunted and said, "They just love tiring us!" "How much longer till we reach the cells?" asked Brian G. panting by my side. "Not much longer. Just got to turn a few more corners-" I suddenly collasped onto the pavement. "Dustin! Dude! Get up! I think I hear some soldiers coming!" "What do we do?" I heard Brian G. asking Brian T. He dragged me up to a wall and replied, "We'll leave him here, I think he'll be safe. But we gotta defeat those soldiers!" They nodded at eachother and ran to the enemies into a battle. Unconcious, I slowly was drifting to sleep...
I found myself in a totally white room. I was seated at a white table on a blank chair. Across it sat a young girl, dressed completely in white. Her sweet face was partly hidden by her blonde hair. "Are you OK?" she asked. Her voice was so soft, so innocent, sounding like a ringing ting of a small bell. I tried to speak, but her blue ocean eyes stopped me. She giggled. "Always trying to be the hero huh? You never take care of yourself, looking out for your friends all the time." I finally managed to say, "Where am I? Who are you?" She said, "You are in Malistaire's castle still. I'm his daughter. But you are just seeing a vision, your body right now, a spirit. As for my name, there is no need to know about. I'm sorry that I even called you here. I just wanted to meet you." "Wait, are you saying that YOU caused me to collapse before?" She nodded. "I may be an evil lord's daughter, but my mother was an angel. Combined with evil and good DNA, I was created, an oracle." I looked around. "An oracle huh? Like Ammag?" She again nodded. I said, "What are these drawings? It's me and my friends. There's Darkness, an-and Bartleby." I turned to her and stood up. "What's going on?" Just as she was about to answer, a dark portal appeared behind. A black knight stepped in and said, "Thats enough Keira. It's best he doesn't know...for now." He walked up to me and grabbed my arm to the portal. "Hey!" I shouted angrily. I looked at Keira with pleading eyes but she turned away sadly. I was thrown into the portal and all I saw was darkness....
I woke up with a start, and remembered my friends. I got up and ran to the battle field still raging on. Two more skeletal destroyers had joined the battle. I looked at one of their eye's and realized that they had flesh still clung onto their bones, just like the one that had grabbed Kevin. I joined my two tiring pals and casted two sacrifices to heal the two Brians. They thanked me. The enemies moves were all the same, casting a deathsword. When it was my turn, I whispered incantations to myself, tracing the Death symbol with my blade, bringing out my own fears inside out just as Dworgyn had instructed me, willing the spirit to serve me. I opened my eyes to see a banshee minion beside me and together, we defeated the monsters, they're boney hands sinking to the ground. "You woke up." remarked Brian T. flatly. "Yah." I answered. Brian G. nudged us and said, "Come on! I heard they're sending reinforcements. Let's go find Kevin." I nodded and we dashed straight on. As we were running to where I knew Kevin was being held, Brian G. turned towards me and asked, "So..what happened when you were unconcious?" I stopped and replied, "You wouldn't believe me but I'll tell you later." "OK." he said. We continued and finally saw the cell door. I swung it open. Kevin wasn't there. The two Brians looked at me. "There are many more cell rooms. This is just room one." I opened the second one to find nothing again. The third room revealed a girl. She looked so familiar, her black draggled hair hiding her face. She looked at us and I saw the three scars on her left cheek, tears streaming down. "He-help m-me." she whispered. I suddenly remembered her from my dream, the long scars searing through me with memories. "No..it can't be." I said, kneeling down to the 6-year old girl. "Dustin? You know this girl?" asked Brian T. I just nodded and asked the pale-faced girl, "Do you remember me?" She stared deep in my eyes and replied, "Akene (A-KEEN)?" I shook my head. "No, my name is not Akene. I'm pretty sure he died. I'm sorry, but we can help you. Follow us." I offered my hand. The girl looked at it for awhile, crying softly, then took it. I helped her on my back, carrying her out to the doorway. "Dustin-" started Brian G. "Let's go." I said, cutting him off. We headed off to the direction of room four.
"So, what's you name?" I asked the petrified girl, determined to start up a conversation. She remained silent for a moment then answered, "My name is Aila (AY-UL-A)." "Thats a nice name." I remarked. "My name is Dustin, and this is Brian ThunderCaster and Brian GoldenHeart." I piggy-backed her until we stopped at room four. Brian G. turned the handle. A lonely draconian sat in the corner at chains. "Kemnor!" cried Aila happily. She got down from me and ran to the dragon. Kemnor looked up surprised and his eyes grew huge. He hissed, "Aila, how are you sssstill alive?" She hugged him and turned to us. "These people saved me Kemnor! And now they'll save you too!" "Uh, er, yah." stuttered Brian T. "Who are you?" I asked. Kemnor hissed, "I am Aila'sss gaurdian. Thank you for releasssing her but can you get me out too?" I looked at the two Brians. They just shrugged. "How do we get you out?" Kemnor replied, "You were once Malistaire'ssss crusssaders before were you not? You ssshould know where the key isss." Aila looked at me with horror. "How do you know?" I asked. "I remember your face at your lassst day here. When you ran to Malistaire'ssss office, you ran passsst me." Kemnor said. "Oh." I said, living past the memories. I snapped back to reality and said, "Kemnor, you stay with Aila. We'll get that key as soon as possible." I ran to where I knew the key was being held, the Brians at my heels. "What about Kevin?" asked Brian G. "He'll have to wait."
Kevin shivered in his prison. He clutched the steel bars and peered out through the small entrance window. Malistaire suddenly opened the door, followed by two draconians. "Well, well. Your time is up Kevin FrostSword. I'll give you one more chance. Join me or die." said Malistaire. Kevin looked up at the hooded lord and said, gritted through his clenched teeth, "Kill me you dang monster. Give me your best shot. But your over reacting to just what happened to Sylvia." Malistaire's eyes began to glow dark red at the words of his deceased wife and shouted, "Take this feeble thing to the courtyard! I want his head delivered to me personally after!" He stormed away. The two draconians grabbed a hold onto Kevin. They marched outside through the rain. There, an old-fashioned axe head chopper stood, blood stains patched around it. A bulky, muscular cyclops took Kevin and placed him into position. He whispered to him, "I'm sorry it has come to this." He put a black hood on Kevin's head, hiding his calm face. The cyclops held onto the rope, about to pull it. Kevin whispered to himself, "I got only one shot." He pulled out a card quietly from his shirt and chanted the stringy words. "Get on with it! Let's see some blood!" shouted a draconian nearby. The cyclops shook his head and yanked the rope. CLUD! "It's a mirage! A fake! He's gone!" shouted a surprised skeletal destroyer. In place where Kevin should've been was the black hood. "He casted a rare dissapear card, I just know it!" moaned a ghoul. "Uh oh." said the two draconians that had brought Kevin there. Kevin, panting, ran away as fast as he could from the castle. He ran until he was completely no where. The hot desert sand that now replaced the floor stretched out for miles. Kevin slumped from the beating sun blazing upon him. He collasped, whispering, "I failed, I'm sorry Dustin. I'm sorry Brian. I failed.." And there, Kevin FrostSword, Master of Ice, died. In Wizard City, on top of Golem Tower, Ammag the Dark Oracle's eyes turned black and said in a robotic voice, "A piece of the prophecy is finished." Elsewhere, in Malistaire's castle stood Keira the Light Oracle. Her eyes began to glow a bright white and also chanted in a dull voice, "Yes. A piece of the prophecy is finished." After done said, throughout the whole Spiral blew a gentle breeze that traveled from Wizard City to DragonSpyre. Dustin and the two Brians felt it and all realized what had happened. "The prophecy. Of course! Ammag had said,
"one will betray,
another lost to decay."
I told the others. "Kevin is dead then?" asked Brian G. I nodded slowly. Brian T. turned away to a wall and punched it so hard that he created a hole. I shook my head and said, "Come on guys. We got a Spiral to save."
Merle Ambrose had felt the breeze too in his office. Gamma the owl flew to him and asked, "It has happened?" Merle nodded solemly and replied to the now crestfallen owl, "Yes. Another wizard lost to Malistaire's evil clutches. But not any wizard. It was one from the Big Three Prophecy." The headmaster then told his pet that he needed some time to himself. After Gamma returned to his room, Merle turned to the fireplace where the ripped potrait of Malistaire stood. "You just wait Malistaire! Your evil reign of terror shall soon be put to an end forever!"
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