[[ yep ._. had to think of something completely new 'cause i couldn't remember half of my first reply >.<''' but it's okay! 'cause the one i posted makes it more epic ^w^ ]]

Michael blinked, then looked at Alexander with a smirk on his lips as he watched the blade form out of thin air. "You know... I'm okay with that. I thought about trying to save this world from Onyx once, then gave up because I know some hero's end up dead- and why am I telling you this?!" He mentally kicked himself. Michael stuffed the Crystal shard back into his pocket and glared at Alexander. He knew he had the disadvantage because he didn't have a single blade on him, and his enemy had a sword.

[[ question; would it make since for Sophie to be around, since she's already infected and such? O.o ]]

[[ Sure! She'd be such a help to Michi in this sitch' >w< ]]

Alexander shifted to the side in a way almost identical to the style in which waves cover a sandy beach; just one, effortless motion. He turned his head a little, as if trying to make out something in Michael's face. Then he moved again, as if trying to figure out which angle would look the best for a dead man. Alex poised his dagger back like a bow and arrow once he'd settled into where he wanted to be, pulling it back tightly in his grasp to give it additional force and aiming it straight at Michael. A smirk curled its way onto his lips and his eyes flickered like a candle flame. ~*~*"Me, too,"*~*~ he said. Then he let the dagger soar.

Just as he did so, another flash of Onyx snatched the blade away in motion and tackled Alexander to the floor. Seth held his pierced hand up and embraced the blade that struck through it. "You're a fucking liar." he said as he gripped it tightly and melded it with his own darkening skin. "Michael, that shard- use it!" he demanded as a side-note, still keeping his flaming eyes locked on Alex from where he pinned the kid to the ground.

[[ Sitch's like this: Michael's not even a safe distance away considering the fact that Onyx can travel without a host unless he deflects it without getting contaminated (not too hard with the shard but ; A;") ]]

[[ Cool! ^w^ ]]

Michael stood his ground, keeping his eyes narrow and focused on Alexander- even though he was quite terrified on the inside. Alex scared him to the core, he didn't know what about the boy scared him exactly, he couldn't place a finger on it. Michael fell to his butt when he watched the events take place rapidly. He flinched a little when Seth demanded that he use the shard, but he didn't argue. Michael pulled the shard out of his pocket and clenched it so tightly that the cut from the first use of the shard deepened ever so slightly and his hand bled just a little. The Crystal shard began to glow and repair itself. Once it was fixed- it began to glow blindingly bright and Michael had to cover his eyes to keep from going blind. He was prepared for whatever pros and cons this Crystal did.

Seth kept his tight choke-hold on Alexander with his free, un-maimed hand and gritted his teeth. Somehow, Seth had gotten behind the brat in order to keep his hands twisted and stay out of Alex's thrashing range but he knew that Alex was no amateur. The kid just kept squirming and kicking. 'If this keeps up, he's going to..' Right before Seth could think the word "die," the Onyx flared up and tried to backfire on him. ~*~*"You're pitiful, Seth, and you know it."*~*~ Alexander managed to say as he tried to whirl around in Seth's lock to break free. ~*~*"Both of y-"*~*~ At that point Alexander bit his tongue when Seth headbutted him, causing him a great deal of dizziness and a sick taste of blood in his mouth. "Don't bring Michael into this!" Seth barked as he caught Alex making faces in distaste. ~*~*"Oh? Don't mind if I do, then."*~*~ Alexander added as he sent a short burst of Onyx into the ground directed straight at Michael. Seth barely had time to feel his heart when he caught the burning light of the Crystal.

The shard didn't shine long enough to save his life. Michael didn't have it in him to use the Crystal in the way he was wanting to. He collapsed to his knees and barely had enough energy to keep himself conscious, even when Alex sent the Onyx directly towards him. "Michael!!" Sophie yelled out of nowhere from across the way. The Onyx-infected spirit, physical as could be, raced towards him, reaching him just in time, making herself seem like a shadow. Sophie stood in front of the half-conscious dragon rider, using her blanket to absorb the Onyx burst. Her deathly dark purple eyes focused on Alex.

[[ Yay for suspense! <33 ]]

[[ I just watched Sword Art Online. It's a really good anime- I definitely recommend it if you're bored. n.n ]]

Seth closed his eyes tightly to avoid the distant singe of the Crystal. He immediately stopped doing so when he heard Alexander burst into laughter. In that microscopic window of time where Seth's grip wasn't at it's full strength, Alex twisted violently, elbowed Seth in the jaw, and broke free with a short. Almost as an afterthought, he hauled a swift kick into Seth that knocked the wind out of him and sent him down hard. ~*~*"Control Onyx. You."*~*~ Alexander said with a chuckle.

He then balled up some of the crystal-like substance in his grasp before arcing his hand through the air in a full circle to make an array of flying swords appear; most of them facing a fallen Seth with the exception of a sharp spear that hovered directly above Alex aimed straight through Sophie to Michael. ~*~*"Don't kid yourself. Man, all of this over one kid, too. You're all messin' up my plans. Just let me kill 'em already, Soph', that neutral Onyx of yours won't last much longer anyway. You were all done in when you left this village."*~*~ Then, again, he paused and held up a hand. ~*~*"No, wait, don't- I could do this all day and just let either of you pick a time when you want to end the pain."*~*~ With that and a crooked smirk he stomped the ground once and sent another wave of Onyx out like an earthquake.

[[ x-x Gomen, Nova, for such a lengthy post. ]]

[[ it's alright~ ^-^ ]]

Sophie grit her teeth when she saw Seth take a beating. She shakes her head and glares at Alex. "Forget it! I followed you once, that doesn't make us friends... I won't let you take any more innocent lives as long as I'm around!" She growled when she saw his crooked smile and used her blanket to absorb the Onyx wave that was coming towards them, even extended it out to cover Seth like it was a limb of Mr. Fantastic or Elastigirl.

Alexander's eyes flickered quickly around to analyze the blanket. ~*~*"Then, maybe,"*~*~ he said slowly as he turned to take it in. With the small flick of his wrist, the entire circle of swords began to spin rapidly like a revolver. Alex walked forwards while letting the spinning weapons continue to whirl around him until he was only a few inches from Sophie's nose. Then, he let one blade fire like a bullet to impale the ground next to him and grinned again when it was instantaneously replenished by a stream of Onyx. ~*~*"You shouldn't be around."*~*~

Meanwhile, Seth had been frozen by pain on the ground with a red color starting to pool underneath him. Between the enraged Onyx and the gaping hole through his hand, he was beginning to see stars. He managed to get himself to his knees just in time to see Alexander create a whirl of swords. 'Michael!'

[[ Morning~ ^-^ ]]

Sophie kept her dark purple eyes focused on Alex the entire time. She stepped back and bit her lip when one of the revolving blades impaled the ground. She knew what was coming. With a small smile, she pulled her blanket back just fast enough to cover the half-conscious Michael like it was a barrier- 'cause technically it was. Anything made of Onyx that hit it, would be absorbed. The weapons at Alex's disposal would be deflected off the bat if one or more clashed with the blanket. Sophie braced herself for the worst since there wasn't anywhere for her to run, nor hide.

[[ Ohayo~ ]]

Alex's grin flattened. He raised his hand until it was slightly extended in front of him, the palm facing Sophie as if Alex had put his hand against a glass wall. He looked down and to the side. ~*~*"I thought you weren't going to leave,"*~*~ he said. ~*~*"You two could have stayed.."*~*~ Then he looked at her eyes, trying to remember what she had looked like before the Onyx ever became a question, but he couldn't remember. Memories like those had faded to almost nothing long before that day. He fired a sword an instant later. Then, a second one pierced forwards for what he deemed good luck. ~*~*"How pitiful."*~*~

Seth couldn't see through the blanket, but he could tell. 'How.. Why...' he thought. Foreign object, He heard. Seth felt a sharp pain in his chest as he continued to try and stand. Foreign object, rejecting access, he heard again. 'It's--' his eyes widened. He pushed the blanket away, quietly abandoning all of his defenses. It suddenly made sense to him why the Onyx hadn't been so accepting; because it wasn't just his mind that he kept safe for so long. Seth took a breath and let down his guard around his chest to feel a cold wave of ice soothe him. Object eliminated. Access granted. His hand stopped bleeding and it was completely silent in his mind. He hadn't felt that alert since he sparred with another Onyx girl. 'She..' he thought, noticing the situation. Seth looked up to see Alexander's attention switch immediately. ~*~*"No way--! You didn't--"*~*~

[[ Wait~ I'm so confused ;~; What just happened? ]]

[[ Ah, okie- I didn't wanna godmode-kill without permission so I only completed the first "half" of the battle/attack- Alex just shot two swords at Sophie- in case you wanted to do something differently. At least, that's how my old friend Ludcid would have put it, since she had to teach me how monster fights worked when I played the ERROR character in her RP site. It was his/her way of humbly letting the victim choose whether or not to die. ^^ And, the silence later on is the lack of a heartbeat (the "Foreign Object" that the Onyx seeks to destroy in living things in order to let them wield its power), like a contract. ]]

[[ soo even if sophie lives, she won't be able to wield the power of onyx? O.o ]]

[[ Yay for using my phone at a New Years/Birthdayx2 party x~x... And nu, she could wield it at any time if she gave her heart up (either now if she hasn't already or back somewhere in the past, at which point she'd just need to will it with her strength), though in death it would surely prove to be really interesting. n.n Ne, are you going to wrte any more of that story? ]]

[[ haha ^~^ -- ah. i think she already gave up her heart when she was first infected, after she learned to "control" it (wish i woulda brought it up in the role play x.x) O.o -- I need to update "The Last Lekti" before they take it down 'cause I've only got 9 days left... so i will be adding a chapter or two to that some point this week~ ^-^ as for the other one, total writers block >.<]]

Sophie's eyes went wide and she wrapped herself in an Onyx cocoon in order to shield herself from the swords. One managed to stab through and pierce her dark skin before the cocoon was complete and she grit her teeth in pain. The cocoon slowly melted away and Sophie dropped to her knees, the sword piercing her chest not far from her non-beating heart. She looked different. Her skin had darkened and additional markings painted her body like she was a living mural, her eyes were a bright gold with little signs of sanity. ((i got bored and made a base edit of her new appearance XD Shadow Sophie by ~Exorcist62 on deviantART)) Sophie slowly moved her hand to the grab the handle of the sword and pulled it out of her chest, her hair covering her eyes. She then tossed the sword covered with black blood aside and slowly rose to her feet. Her wound slowly healed. "When did I say that, blockhead?" Sophie said, her voice sounding like a child whose sanity was completely gone. Hell, it didn't even look like she was even breathing.

Michael's midnight blue eyes slowly moved up at look at the new form Sophie had taken. 'What the hell? She's...' His thoughts train-wrecked when he began putting together the pieces of his little puzzle. He himself had harnessed "twilight" so one needed to harness darkness, and another light. Was Sophie..darkness? Then who was light? Seth? Ugh, his head throbbed.

[[ Ah~! It's all okii. ; o; How come they're going to take "The Last Lekti" down? </3 ]]

Alexander's eyes widened and his expression, though still blank, was heading into a realm of horror. He quickened the pace of his spinning revolver and drew another sword from the ground by his side. ~*~*"Are you looking to be pierced again?"*~*~ he managed to say without faltering.

Seth watched Sophie cocoon up and turn into an even more sleek-looking Onyx spirit. He closed his eyes and stood, taking a few steps backwards and brushing his arms off. There was a sense of timelessness and wisdom that he grasped- like he already knew how to live and die over again. While he felt ancient, Seth felt strange, as if he were holding a right-handed guitar and wasn't sure exactly which way to try and make it work. When he moved to create a burst of Crystal, nothing happened. When he went to create a familiar array of blue shards, nothing fell from the sky. 'Why isn't it working..?' Then it hit him.

Seth opened his eyes and sought out Michael in an instant, practically teleporting to his side. It didn't occur to him that he might have looked like some sinister shadow."Do you still have that shard?" he asked as he knelt on one knee and rested his injured hand on it. All while that happened, Seth could hear a singsong voice echoing through his quiet mind, over and over again. ~*~*Most souls are a clear color because they are affected by nothing... His soul is darkened with the color of Onyx because he is one of its first thoughts... Do you see what color you are? You bear the color of Crystal itself because you are one of the Crystal's first thoughts, the concept of purity and 'light' itself... Why does he possess seemingly limitless power over the Onyx?... Why do you not regain the limitless powers and abilities you've had countless times before with your own origin?*~*~

[[ I had this condensed at one point.. Then I gave up. .~. I'll spend all of tomorrow reading so I can sit by and refresh these RPs every 10-15 minutes (yay for phone alarms <3...) Still have magic tricks up your sleeve? o: ]]

[[ it's just something the site does to keep the stories in check. you have so many days to add a chapter before they possibly take it down, once you add a chapter- the days reset. --- lol ^-^ and i might have a something up my sleeve~ <3 ]]

A twisted grin came to Sophie's face. "What's the matter, is the little boy scared?" She giggled darkly as she began to make a weapon of her own. She crafted together a long black staff with an orb at the top that had six wings attached to it along with a string of Onyx circling they handle of the staff.

Michael looked at Seth and nodded lightly. He opened up his hand that still had the shard in it, since he hadn't put it in his pocket, and held it out. "Here." Michael was smirking, just a little, but it was definitely there.

[[ Ohh, gotchya. .o. Is it a bannable offense to re-post the story after it's taken down? -- Yay~ More Magic! *o* I found out that I modeled my characters after Dragon Nest >:f ]]

Seth reached out to Michael, gently taking his hand and then letting go with the shard in his own."Thank you," he said. Then he held the shard in his punctured hand. It was difficult at first, since the shard stung the same way a disinfectant worked against any cut, but a second later it shattered and a fast flash transformed every ounce of Onyx into a glittering counterpart. Seth knew his hair had returned to its initial blonde color- not that sickly dust tone- and that his eyes were no longer red, they were gray. He could faintly sense a pulse- the small yet ever-loved sound of life resonating in his chest. Seth smiled, leaned in, and kissed Michael on the cheek. "Thank you, Michael." he said again. "I'm sorry-- the shard broke. Are you hurt?" Seth could tell his voice resembled the one he'd heard in his dream-like trip to some Crystal palace, like he was lip-syncing to a sound that would have been audible even without a physical duplicate.

Alexander watched the staff for a moment. ~*~*"Scared? A boy? Tch."*~*~ Alex shook his head and turned his sword into the ground so he could rest his hand on it casually as if it were a cane ~*~*"Ask me that after you become part of a historical war once or twice."*~*~ He looked up at the small flash of light with distaste, then back to Sophie. ~*~*"Try me, little girl."*~*~

[[ Ne, what would you do if I requested a name change to Lyni/Lynian? ]]

[[ um... not sure. don't really wanna find out lol (>^-^<) -- Yay~! Eh? O.o -- depends on who's name would be requested to change to Lyni/Lyian? ]]

Michael looked at Seth and watched as he changed back into his old self. He smiled and gently hugged Seth around the back of his neck when he leaned in to kiss his cheek. "Welcome back..." Michael said softly as if Seth had simply returned from a short trip, then slowly released and shakes his head. "It's alright..." He replied to Seth's apology. Michael looked down at the small cut on his hand. "Just a cut, I'm fine." He said with a small smirk as he looked back up at Seth.

Sophie cocked her head to the side a little, a devilish smirk coming to her dark lips. "I wouldn't have any problem taking part in a historical war~ Sound fun!" She giggled seductively. Sophie twirled her fancy new staff around her fingers as if it were a piton. She stopped twirling with it and stared at Alex with a blank expression. "I don't I want to... Don't know where you've been." Sophie began giggling again.

[[ Mwahaha, alrighty. n.n -- In Nexon's game, DragonNest there's this group- the Six Heroes- that are these all-powerful demigod-ish folk who run around fighting ancient monsters and saving the day for the human race. Out of the six, there are these two best friends that are closer than the rest of the group; Gerrant (though some of the wikis call him Geraint) and Velskud. Velskud ends up running off and trying to go against the other five Heroes, so he turns into a dragon and goes all flamethrower everywhere.. But Gerrant and Argenta (and the Player) rip one of his wings off so he blinds Gerrant (really sad part of the game .-.) so Gerrant flops on the ground and then the player has to take/drag him back to the palace where he's safe. c: ]]

Seth embraced Michael and hugged him back, reluctant to let go. "Just a cut.." he repeated, briefly remembering just exactly how helpless he felt only a day or so earlier when Michael was hurt. "Here," Seth said. He took a hold of Michael's hand in his own injured one and let a glowing light take to the air for a moment, healing both of them at a rapid rate. Seth glanced back only once to make sure Sophie was alright before he returned his eyes to Michael. By then, the light was disappearing and he no longer felt an agonizing pain in his hand. "Feel better?"

Alexander's eyes narrowed and he tapped his sword on the ground. It created a small smog which shrouded the sword and grew in size. ~*~*"Maybe, but whose side would you even be on? You are against Onyx yet the Crystal resists you. Where can you go?"*~*~ The sword re-appeared in a new, sleeker form, red-stained and dripping the slightest bit at the edges as to hint at its purpose. ~*~*"Want to know how fun it is to use this sword? I kept it for special occasions throughout my travels."*~*~ He leaned back and showed a wicked grin.

[[ Changing Yumebott->Lyni (Lynian's the official for a longstoryshort reason, but I checked; Lyni's not taken! <3) I probably won't even go find an admin to do it, but what would you think if I did? ]]

[[ ohhh~ -giggles- sounds really cool! ^-^ -- I wouldn't think anything of it ^~^ It's a cute name <3 ]]

He buried his head in Seth's chest when he embraced him. Michael was surprised that he hadn't started crying yet, he could feel the pressure of wanting to cry building up but no tears came, not even a sniffle. He watched Seth for a second as the light healed their hands. Michael smiled a little and nodded lightly. "Yeah..." He murmured softly.

Sophie's eyes seemed to glow brighter with the smog formed. Her smirk slowly faded and she grit her teeth for a brief moment before speaking. "The shadows... A place where one can't hide since the brighter the light, the greater the shadow. And- you have no control of it..." She replied in a cold voice as she watched the new sword came to Alex's hand. Sophie's grin returned to her face when Alex mentioned "fun". She held up her staff and literally had a shadow-aura radiating from her body and wrapping around the staff. "Let's play." Sophie giggled maniacally.

[[ Indeed ; A; It was fun to play for a really long time (loneliness takes me off of most games early on, so +1 to DN) -- Hm, maybe I'll request a change. Lul, thank you for your input nevertheless. n.n Names are so meaningless to me (personally) that even if I changed this one I probably wouldn't fit in with it. I just need a ton of space bars for a name. That'd work real well. ]]

Seth tilted his head and smiled. Right before he stood, he hesitated and looked back at Michael. Seth, having been relieved of his stress, noticed that there was something different. Maybe it had been there for a long time and he didn't notice it. It was similar to the silent realization he'd come to when Sophie melted into another form, or how he felt when the Crystal expelled everything Onyx-like so instantaneously; an offset feeling of acceptance, like some higher power had been achieved. "You're--" Seth stopped again, at a lack of words. He knew that Michael wasn't "infected" by Crystal or Onyx, but there was something about him that wasn't the same. Seth couldn't find the right explanation for it, though he understood that some part of him already knew. He just wasn't quite "awake" yet, having been "asleep" for so long. 'A neutral? Then why did he see Ariel..?' he thought, then he blinked and continued to stand. He had to make sure Sophie was safe as well.

A malicious smile tugged the corner of Alex's mouth. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, placing a second hand on his now two-handed sword. When he exhaled, a black smoke appeared and surrounded him. Then, the tip of a red sword cut through it and a gust of wind caused the entire blur to disperse. Alexander stood, an inch or two taller, with pitch black skin and glowing red eyes to match the fury of his lit-up sword. He smirked a bone-white smile and two Onyx-colored skeletal wings appeared, though their flight capability was questionable. ~*~*"Gladly,"*~*~ he hissed, bending with the sword like a snake would coil up to strike. ~*~*"Ladies first."*~*~

[[ ah. heehee~ and you're welcome ^-^ ]]

Michael blinked a couple times and tilted his head a little when Seth began to speak, but never finished his sentence. "What's up Seth?" He asked in a concerned voice as more puzzle pieces fit into place. Michael was "twilight, Sophie was obviously "darkness" and Seth seemed to fit into "light"- as the female who save him from sinking went about it. His head began to throb as if someone/something was trying to reach him and he rose his hands to hold his head. 'What the hell...?' ~Congrats on fitting the pieces together, Michael. If the three of you stick together and work as one nothing will be able to stop you from saving the world...~ A voice that sounded like the female with a white-cloak echoed in the back of his mind. 'Who are you? What're you talking about- how are we supposed to "work together as one"?' He thought back to the voice. His head feeling like it was going to burst.

Sophie hummed and began to twirl her staff once again as Alexander changed forms. She then grabbed the handle and pointed it at Alex before shooting a black ray with purple and gold "lightning" dancing around the ray.

Seth had crossed his arms when he turned to face Sophie, so when he glanced back at Michael he unfolded them with a childish look of concern. He then took two steps closer to Michael, leaning in and looking at his midnight eyes. "I should be asking the same of you," he said. "Is he causing you harm?" Right when Seth said that, he realized that the other crystal-wielders had transformed and started to fight. A brief question hung in the air of whether or not anyone else had that capability, but Seth dismissed it. He was more interested in Michael's safety and didn't feel the need to tranz-out if he wasn't going to fight.

Alexander waited. Right when he saw the sparks he jammed the sword's blade into the ground and braced himself. Most of the electricity was directed into the ground but he still felt the jolt. ~*~*"How new~ It's been a while since I've met a Storm Magician!"*~*~ he yelled with a tinge of insanity in his voice. Then he lifted his hands up, a giant rock-like mass of Onyx following a few feet off the ground. ~*~*"Except this won't be a ranged fight,"*~*~ he added as he vaulted off of his downward-pointed sword and fly-kicked the Onyx through the air like a meteor, black flames trailing off the back. Right as he did so, he used his strength to pull the sword out of the ground and swiftly took off behind the meteor as a second strike to close the gap between Sophie and himself.

Michael shakes his head and looks up at Seth. Yes, his head was throbbing but the cause wasn't Alex- it was the voice of the unnamed woman in a white cloak from his sub-conscious. "There's this woman, I have no idea who she is but I think she might know me... I had another moment where I was stuck in my sub-conscious but I could roam around freely. Not fun. While I was "sinking" she came outta nowhere and pulled me out so I could get back to you- because I couldn't do it alone... She's tall, very very pale, has white hair that reaches the floor and the crystal blue eyes of the purest essence. No idea who she is... She keeps talking to me- like a voice in the back of my head- that's whats causing me pain... Not Alexander..."

Sophie laughed, dodging his attacks in the process. "That's rich. I'm in no way a Storm Magician~ I'm an elemental who prefers to use lightning. She smirked, her sanity slowly coming back into play- which was very annoying. She sent the lightning from her staff straight at Alex.