Fall

For the first time in his life, something blocked Fayden's Void Step. He appeared in the sky, a dark crimson barrier surrounding Xyrus Academy.

Fayden furrowed his eyebrows, trying to Void Step inside again. Once more, the barrier stopped him.

A vile slew of curses left his throat as he hit the barrier in frustration. Inside, he could see Elijah and Nathan fighting a crimson-haired man; their attacks in perfect sync with each other. He felt a sliver of pride at that, knowing they had grown stronger.

However, that soon changed when a retainer walked in.

Fayden hit the barrier again, it didn't budge.

He could do nothing but watch as people he called allies, friends even, were slaughtered and maimed beyond repair. He grit his teeth, his integrate phase activating itself as he slammed down once again.

The barrier quivered.

Fayden saw as the Vritra mutt shattered Nathan's blade, sending him flying into the clocktower.

He slammed down once again.

His eyes widened as he saw Nathan integrate with Beelzebub's Will nigh-instantly. Was it because of his affinity with fire or was it because Fayden had sealed Beelzebub?

Fayden noticed the divine aura now leaking out of Nathan, confirming what Fayden already knew.

He noticed Nico extracting all the mana from Uto's horn's and core, a visible change overtaking his body. His once green eyes were now as red as rubies, his skin that had been a healthy causian shade had turned pale. He could see two stubs poking out of his hair.

Though, the most impressive development was his newly formed white core.

His eyes moved to Lucas as the man barked orders. His vision swam and he saw red as Lucas threatened to rape his sister. His little sister.

His eyes bled silver as he hit the barrier with all his force, his rage nigh-uncontrollable as a heaven sundering roar left his throat.

He took some satisfaction in how Nico dealt with Lucas; he would have to thank him later. However, he did regret not getting a chance to end Lucas himself.

He hit the barrier again, spreading the cracks like spiderwebs.

When Nico and Nathan summoned grey and golden flames to make their blades out of, he was reminded of his own sword.

Fayden lost view of Nathan as the horned bastard punched him into the building. When Nathan shot out, Fayden could clearly see his limp hand, golden flames licked the wound on his wrist as Nathan unknowingly began healing himself.

Fayden kept hammering the dome, feeling it begin to give in.

When the retainer created a lance of that accursed flame and threw it at his friends, that was when Fayden finally got through and the barrier shattered.

Before it could hit the two demigods, Fayden appeared in between, Void Edge in hand as he parried the spell into the sky.

"Ah yes, you. He warned us of the man who slew Uto." The retainer didn't look the least bit surprised at his arrival.

Ezekiel stood tall in all his glory, he growled, nacht smoking from between his teeth.

Fayden inhaled, looking in a particular direction. He could see a black and white blur coming his way.

"You're late." Fayden said, his voice awfully calm for someone on the verge of going berserk a moment ago.

"I came as soon as I sensed him." Arthur said, unsheathing Dawn's Ballad. "Shall we?"

Sylvie roared, her sharp topaz eyes piercing into the retainer's very soul.

Fayden smiled, a smile so sinister it sent chills down Arthur's spine, and he wasn't even on the receiving end of it.

"Was that the look you gave Uto when you killed him?" The retainer laughed. "Good, it suits one such as you."

"What's your name?"

"Draegan Vritra, why do you ask?"

Fayden shrugged, "Just wanted to know the name of the guy I'm about to slaughter."

Dawn's Ballad crackled with black thunder, and Arthur moved before Draegan could respond. Fayden held Void Edge beside his waist, activating Void Step.

Draegan moved, catching both blades in his hands, the black thunder searing his skin. Fayden narrowed his eyes, dozens of spikes exploded from Void Edge's blade, ruining the retainer's hand.

"Don't get cocky just because you beat the weakest of us." Draegan tossed Arthur aside like a ragdoll.

Sylvie opened her maw, a mass of pure destructive mana hit his arm, burning the skin off it.

As Arthur stabbed Dawn's Ballad into the ground to slow down, Fayden void stepped away.

A massive orb of Nacht materialized above his palm, dwarfing the Academy in size. Draegan's eyes widened, he moved.

But then the sphere disappeared. No, on closer look it had been condensed into a small ball, not bigger than two centimetres.

Fayden narrowed his eyes, locking in on the retainer's form. And then the orb really did disappear.

The hairs on Draegan's neck rose, his reflexes screamed at him to move. And it probably saved his life when he listened.

The right of his torso had been mauled badly, Most of the flesh from his arm had been blown off, and his ribs were exposed for all to see. He chuckled, grey flames licking at his wounds as he began healing.

However, Arthur wouldn't let him do that. A maelstrom of thunder, ice and wind roared violently in his hand as he slammed into the Lessuran. It tore into his flesh, the wind and ice ripping it apart like tenderloin as the thunder cooked it.

Dragoth didn't even have time to yell out in pain as a massive sword of billowing flames descended upon him, melting the ground under his feet.

Six spikes rose from the ground, stabbing into his torso from six different directions, holding him in place.

Rage festered in his eyes and the grey flames began crackling violently. He roared, a roar so powerful it blew both Arthur and the spikes away. With nothing obstructing him anymore, he sidestepped the blade as it passed through the earth like butter. The sheer heat burning off patches of his skin.

Elijah flew down next to Arthur, dispersing the grey flames over him. Arthur nodded in thanks, glad to see his friend alive.

"Thanks Eli- Holy fuck, what happened to you?!" He stared pointedly at the horns growing from his head and at his blood red eyes.

"No time to explain." Elijah said dismissively as he conjured up more dark spikes, wreathing them in grey flames.

Fayden warped next to Nathan, "Are you alright?"

Every second a different spell left his arms as he kept the retainer busy.

[Downfall] [Gale Storm] [Hail Thunder] [Flare Blitz]

"I'm fine." Nathan flexed his wrist. "It's healed, somehow."

"That's good."

Fayden shot forward, Nathan not much behind. Void Edge began vibrating violently as earth mana flowed in.

Nathan blitzed past him, covered head to toe in red lightning. "You've never seen me use lightning have you?" he said rhetorically, a massive lightning bolt manifesting in his hand.

Draegan's eyes widened, a lance of grey fire materialized over his arm once again as he hurled it at the rapidly approaching lightning bolt. The explosion of thunder and fire that occurred shook the entire academy grounds to its foundation.

He jumped back when dozens of black spikes impaled the ground he was standing on. He narrowed his eyes, he had to finish this quickly.

A crescent arc of wind whistled past his head, chipping off a part of his horn in the process. He glared vehemently at the white-haired boy that had permanently damaged his glorious horns.

He hissed in pain when a sharp claw dragged across his back, cutting deep into his flesh.

Whirling to face behind him, he swung meeting nothing but air.

Using this opening, Fayden void stepped behind him, his hand a blue as Void Edge lodged deep into Draegan's chest.

"Hrrk!"

"See you in hell, bastard." he snarled, twisting the sword.

Fayden jumped away when grey flames began licking at Void Edge.

The man had fallen to one knee, holding his hand over the wound on his chest as the other fished around his robes for something. Fayden narrowed his eyes, prepared to teleport them away if Dragean decided to set off an explosive.

But when his hands came up, it wasn't an explosive, or any device whatsoever. It was a vial full of liquid flames, darker than the night with some forest green embers mixed in.

Chills went down Fayden's back, he recognized those flames. And he knew he couldn't let him use it.

He moved faster than he ever had, his vision distorted at how fast his surroundings changed. Void Edge moved in an arc, faster than thunder itself, but it found no purchase.

"Crap." he muttered, cursing under his breath as the greenish black flames covered the retainer. It healed his wounds faster than his own Tartarean Vitality ever had.

"Now," Draegan pushed himself to his feet, "where were we?"

Fayden knew he had to use everything, but he also knew going all out here would endanger the students.

Fayden exhaled, an inky blackness spreading from his legs, encompassing the five of them in mere milliseconds, and a dome formed around it.

He knew the smaller islands around Dicathen were uninhabited, and even if they sunk some, it would do no major harm.

"What are you playing at brat?" Draegon spat out, lunging at him. Nacht pulsed through the dome, and the grim atmosphere of the ruined academy was replaced with the sound of the ocean.

Fayden manuevered his body just enough that the retainer's fist only hit his side, and even then it still ripped open a chunk of flesh.

Instantly, greenish-black flames began working on reconstructing the area, and the serene ambience of the island was turned into something out of armageddon.

"I think I'm finally getting the hang of this whole white core stage thing." Elijah flexed his fingers, the earth mana responding to his call effortlessly.

And as gravity was increased ten thousand fold, Dragoth fell to his knees, half buried in the ground.

"Couldn't agree more." Arthur's runes pulsed gold, the water affinity mana funneling towards his sword. An ice-white flame settled over the teal blade, an ember so cold it seemed to slow the passing of time itself. He swung his blade, a crescent arc of sun-freezing flames froze and shattered the ground as it moved.

"I'm still high-silver though." Nathan muttered, the fire man swirling around him flowed freely to his arm.

A lance of crimson thunder cracked into existence, a sky shattering bolt that reached the heavens themselves. The smell of ozone in the air was near unbearable, and the earth vaporized as the lance left his arm.

Void Edge pulsed with Nacht, its black wreath taking on its properties. "You'll get there Nathan."

With great difficulty Draegon looked up, widening his eyes in shock as the forces of destruction headed his way.

Above him, Fayden whirled in the sky, holding his blade in a reverse grip as he hurled it with all his force.

Draegon's screams were cut short as the explosion wreaked havoc in the very world around them. The seas split open and the clouds parted, the dome of Nacht long gone.

As the other three floated up to him, Nathan using wind magic to hoist himself up, Fayden looked down at where the island had been. A deep chasm stared back, the returning water already beginning to fill it up, but the hole that went deep enough to meet magma was clear for all to see.

Fayden sighed, Void Edge returning to his outstretched arm. "Let's get back, we need to tend to the wounded."

An inky darkness engulfed the four, and then they were gone.