Chapter 35 - Three Watered men in a cavern of darkness

The sound of water, dripping from stalactites along the ceiling could be heard through the darkness as the tall, half naked man continued deeper into the cave.

He went and went until he arrived at a peculiar structure (which he could not quite see through the darkness but knew what it looked like since he had been here before) made of stone. But not stone identical to that found in the cave, mind you. The structure was built of ancient rock, as were all other, such structures that were called gates.

The Lord Aquaron placed a hand on to the ancient passage and spoke strange words that soon caused the structure to illuminate the darkness of the wide, open cavern.

Then, without even a hint of hesitation, the Lord stepped his foot on to the platform and would have continued through, had it not been for the slash of water that came towards him.

Of course, he countered that with ease using a wall of water of his own creation.

And with the white light that glowed from the strange markings that dotted the cavern, the Lord Aquaron could make out two figures approaching – one large and well-built while the other was smaller and thinner by comparison.

Of course, he soon realized who these two were, One, was his second son, Rill Aquaron and the other was his younger brother by three years, Arthur Aquaron (who resembled Arrone in both face and build with the exception that Arthur's hair was not long but rather short trimmed)

His brother spoke first. "Arrone, what are you doing?" he asked.

Arrone smiled as he folded his hands and bended his knee to lean his weight to the side. "Good to see you finally paid me visit, Arthur. It's been so long since you left the capital and began to govern the Lorence district."

"Yes it has, brother." Arthur replied as he sharpened his eyes. "And as you might know, you're currently in that very district that I watch over."

Arthur coyly began to stroke his chin as he raised a brow. "Is that so? Well, no matter, since I was just about to leave." He then turned around and began to once more go towards the Gate. "Well in that case," he continued. "I'll be taking my lea-"

Before he could finish, a dash of water flew past him and now stood in front of the gate. The water then converged and joined together to once more create Rill Aquaron.

And from the fierce look on his face, Rill was not quite happy. He looked up to his father, who stood several inches above him, and spoke with a very crispy voice, filled with rage.

"Where are you going, father." The young man asked.

"Rill…" the Lord Aquaron reached forward a hand towards his son.

Rill swatted it away. "I'll repeat myself once more." Within Rill's blue eyes, an ocean began to rage as though a storm had fallen upon it. "Where are you going?"

Arrone pulled back his hand and took a small glance at his brother behind him. He then looked back to the young man in front and placed a hand to his forehead as he looked to the ground. "Listen, you two, I know it may seem like I have betrayed you all. But as I've told Roy, I've done no such thing."

"Then why do you want to go to hell?" Arthur asked from behind.

"I can't tell you that." Arrone replied.

"And why is that so?" Rill asked as his hands liquefied and flowed perpetually to the ground.

"I can't answer that either." Arrone said and he saw that from behind, his brother had begun to summon water from thin air.

"Do you two really wish to fight me?" the Lord Aquaron asked as he, too, brought water around him in a stormy vortex.

Instead of an answer, Arthur shot a slice of water towards Arrone, who blocked it with ease. And Rill, too, sent a liquefied fist, that shot at the speed of a bullet, towards the man's face. This, too, the Lord Aquaron blocked as water spiraled around his body and soon enough, he summoned a wave at his feet and began to ride along the walls of the illuminated cavern.

Arthur came after him on a wave of his own as Rill continued to strike fist after fist towards the man, missing each time to instead pummel the rocky wall where bits and pieces broke to fall on to the ground.

"You're outnumbered Arrone, give it up!" Arthur shouted as he sent blue bullets towards his brother who only made a wall of water to block it.

"Don't underestimate me brother." Arrone replied as he created tentacles that lashed towards his young sibling, who countered with the same. "I am the Lord Aquaron for a reason."

"Former Lord." His brother retorted as blades of water clashed together between the two men.

"Oh, are you challenging my position?" the Lord asked as he batted an eye to then zoom along the ceilings at incredible speeds. After which, he turned around and summoned wave after wave that ran along the walls towards his younger brother. And he did this, while constantly avoiding or blocking the fists of water that Rill sent his way.

Arthur countered with waves of his own but he soon found himself unable to compete with the sheer number that his brother created and then, he was being washed away by the force of the water as he fell to the ground of the cavern.

He got up with a clenched fist that he punched into the earth as water dripped along his body.

Arthur looked up to his grinning brother that stood up side down on the ceiling with his feet nested in a pool of water that held him in place.

"Rill, I think you should stand back." Arthur said to the boy beside him as a sea of water came from nothing.

"Let's see how much you've grown." Arrone replied as he, too, conjured a sea.

~

Rill could only watch in amazement as the cavern became flooded with water and raging currents clashed against each other in a battle that the young man could no longer participate in.

He instead changed his feet into water that he spiraled and turned to motion himself forward in the newly formed ocean.

So he went on, until he had gotten to the edge and jumped out from the mass of water that had appeared from nothing.

Despite being made of water himself, to be placed in the middle of those massive torrents was not somewhere he wanted to be.

He slammed a fist into the wall beside him in rage for his weakness and continued to watch.

~

Arthur continued to send powerful waves along the sea that now engulfed him. And Arrone continued to counter.

But after a bit of time, Arthur had noticed that his waves continued towards the end of the cavern.

And it was only after the many air bubbles, formed by the surging waves, cleared away did he noticed that Arrone was no longer here.

Upon seeing that, the man called the surrounding water towards him and returned it to the nothing from which it came.

He slouched his head to the ground and knocked a palm against his forehead. "Of course he wouldn't stay." The man said to himself in frustration as he watched the Gate's light recede inwards to eventually disappear and once more cause the cavern to be consumed by darkness.

"Rill!" Arthur shouted as he began to walk towards the cavern's exit. "We're leaving!"

~

Silva was bleeding heavily but still he forced himself to a stance and ran over to where Eon had fallen along the beach. Followed by several soldiers, the silver haired man ran towards Eon that was lying on the sandy shore.

As it would seem, he had a wound in his torso but while the medics sought to treat it, there was no getting around the barrier that had already coated Eon's skin, rendering it impossible for anyone to do such things as disinfecting it.

But at the very least, the barrier covered the wound and prevented the man from dying due to blood loss.

"Are you awake?" the bleeding Silva asked Eon.

"I'm fine." Eon replied. "Something like this won't kill me."

The Stronghold then opened his eyes to look at Silva. "Though you on the other hand…" Eon yelled at the medics. "Someone treat him already!"

"Hey, you're the one who-"

"Save it. There's nothing that the medics can do for me so might as well get yourself fixed up. We don't know when more enemies might appear." Eon then closed eyes and placed his hands crossed upon his chest. "In the meanwhile, I'll get some sleep. No one bother me."

And at that, Silva let himself be cared for by the medics as Eon peacefully got some rest while lying on the sandy shores with waves and winds brushing along the land.