Chapter 20

Flare

"So Lyra, how do you feel?," I asked, cracking my knuckles. She shrugged, her robotic shoulders rolling as she stretches her metallic limbs. She looked at me, and the other two people behind me. She sighed.

"Guess my chance is over huh?," She demanded. I turned, looking at the two hooded figures with a nod.

"Claire will be the leader from here. You and Diego must listen to her commands to a T," I growled, a smirk covering my face as I raise my palms, acid like lava falling from my palms to the ground.

"Fail me, and If they haven't killed you yet, I will. That's a guarantee, "

Lio

I stalked closer to the wall of people, the sky black above me. The men and women in uniform charge me. I screamed, a wave of ice ripping f roo m my body, slashing every single last one of them in half, my right eye glowing violet. I watched myself smirk with a bow, the tattoos spreading all the way up to the bottom of my right eye.

"This world will be mine",

I gasped, sitting up with a sweat caked forehead. Great. Another nightmare. I turned, noticing Magnus sleeping on my floor. I frowned, crouching down and ruffling his hair for a sec.

"How often do you put up with my shit.. Yet I never really know how you feel?," I whispered, before rising and turning, tossing off my shirt. I stepped over Magnus, grabbing a new outfit from my closet and leaving the room, entering the bathroom. I stopped halfway in, tossing my clothes onto the rack above my toilet before shutting the door, looking in the mirror. I slept with an eyepatch on? I dont remember that. I reached up, touching it. Its normal.. Magnus must've put it on me.

I pulled it off, slowly opening my eye, instantly noticing the wave my eye is almost violet. What the hell is wrong with me? I reached down, for the first time noticing the way my Tattoo is even bigger than it was last time I saw it.

"That last attack I used on Lyra.. It had a larger affect than I thought it would," I murmured. I reached down, touching it at the heart. When did I first get these marks?

******

"You've always been so much better than me you know that? But nows different... I will beat you!," I cried, looking up at Magnus, my right eye slowly turning violet. Black ink started to spread, covering my body rapidly, stopping at my wrists and his ankles.

*****

The memory hit my like a slap... That fight... Hiw did I not realize it before. I turned, turning on the shower. I need to get out of my head.

After I finished showering I left the bathroom, wearing only my pants and an eye patch, a shirt slung over my shoulder as I entered my room, tossing the towel into the corner. Magnus was gone by now. I wondered where he went to. I turned, slipping my shirt on as I ran down the stairs, stopping at the bottom step. Michelle was gone too. I frowned, walking into the kitchen. On the counter, was a note. I read it with a scowl, glaring at it.

" Hey Lio. Magnus and I went to get some food. Well be back soon, Love you, -Michelle," It read. I crumpled it up, throwing it in the garbage. Suddenly, all the light outside my windows darkened, almost fading to a blackness. I frowned.

"That's odd," I whispered, stepping outside my house.

"London bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down," A young male voice sung melodically in the darkness. My hands frosted over, a chill going down my spine. Something isnt right here.

"Where are you! Who are you?," I yelled, trying to swipe away from the darkness.

"I am Darkness... I am the Shadow that clings to your wall. I am Midnight," The bouce responded. Before I had time to react, something punches me square in the gut. I gasped, falling to my knees.

"FREEZE!," I screamed, the shadows freezing around me. Then, they shattered, thickening around me. I coughed, struggling to breath.

"I know all your tricks Lionel Hall... You cant fool Midnight afterall," He cackled. I choked, clutching my throat.

Dammit... Am I dying? I scratched at my throat, struggling to breathe.

No... I wont die here... I WON'T! Magnus's smile burns my mind. I reached up, touching my chest, feeling my Mark's burn, my right eye with it. My fear fell away. All emotion fell away. I looked up, the ground around me freezing.

"Wanna dance?!," I screamed, rising to my feet.

"LETS DANCE!," I finished. I closed my arms, and thrust the wide open, ice rippling around me, ripping the shadows apart. I stalked forward, the echo of my footsteps becoming more and more distant. This blackness... I experienced it in a fight with Magnus... Stop... You dont want this.

Everything went dark.

Magnus

"So what do you think of my son?," Michelle asked me, having the bag of good over her shoulder. I shrugged, carrying the other bag with ease.

"Hes.. Something else. I'm scared for him," I answered, setting the bag in the back of her car. I slammed the door shut, before opening the passenger door and sliding in the car. I shut the door behind me. Michelle hops in next, slamming her door shut.

"You're not afraid of him?," She asked. I shook my head, looking down at my hands, my face starting to burn.

"Actually, no... I know hes amazing. And I know hes strong enough to fight through his problems," I clenched my fist.

"He promised he would never kill again... And I believe him," I added. Michelle started the car.

"What happens when he breaks that promise," She demanded. I turned, looking at her with shock.

"What do you mean?," I demanded. She looked at me sympathetically.

"I know Lio.. You balance out that darkness of his. But if you arent there and he loses control of himself.. He forgets who he is.. He becomes someone else entirely. Someone I would typically put down if I needed to. However Lio... Hes different. I know you see that too," She responded. I went silent, the whole car ride filled with an awkward heaviness. She has a good point. I saw that look in his eyes when he broke his fist. I got suspended and when I got back we didn't talk for two weeks. In that time he almost destroyed a locker and scared the shit out of a poor underclassmen. I also saw that look in his eyes when he killed Lyra, the first time. He had no remorse. He didnt care she was another person. All it took was a shove over the edge, and he killed her.

As we approached their street, I immediately knew something was wrong. A shroud of darkness covered the street.

"STOP THE CAR!," I ordered. Michelle swerved off to the right, looking at me with a warning.

"I'll never say this to Lio, but he needs you. But if he loses it. We're all done for. Hurry up. I'll catch up in a minute," She ordered. I nodded. She gave me the sweet smile I'm familiar with before I jumped out, my body erupting in flames. I stormed into the shadows, burning through it almost instantly.

That's when it happened... A loud scream ripped through the shadows, launching me backwards. I rolled, my fires going out. I felt sharp pains in my ears. I lifted my fingers to my ears, touching them. I pulled them away. Blood.

I steadily rose, seeing a blonde female stalking out the shadows, Lyras robot ass behind her. I snarled, raising both palms.

"I'll rip you to pieces! GET OUT OF MY WAY!," I roared. The blonde smirked, before opening her mouth again. Right when I was braced for her scream, something odd happened. She froze. I turned, seeing Michelle's eyes almost glowing blue. Her voice seemed to echo as she yelled her first and only command.

"Come to me,"

I watched as the blonde struggled against herself, her body stomping closer to Michelle. I gasped when I saw her eyes. Their a solid blue. Is this Michelle's power?

"Man!! I wanted to deal with that wretched bitch myself... Oh well," Lyra cheered, her robot arms releasing two knives, one per arm.

"I've been waiting for this moment Magnus Branwell!," She giggled, before sprinting at me. I lunged backwards, kicking a wave of hellfire at her. She walked right through it, completely unphased.

"Oh fuck," I murmured. Right then, time froze for me. The air dropped several degrees. Lyra stopped, even Michelle and the blonde stopped, looking through the shadows.

The shadows slowly parted, revealing one of the creepiest sights I'd ever seen.

Lio was laughing, his body covered in ink entirely, his eight eye glowing purple. What got me the most was the person he was sitting on.

There was a pool of blood around him.. Is he dead?

"YOU REALLY PISSED ME OFF DIDNT YOU LITTLE GUY!?," He cried, lifting the teenage boy up by the throat. He smirked, his violet eye glowing.

"Oh well... Its a shame you only lasted a minute against me... I was hoping for a real challenge, " Lio finished, tossing him aside.

"YOU BASTARD!!", Lyra screamed, turning her back on me. She sprinted forward at top speed, running at him. Lio cocked his head.

Hes going to kill her. I went to run forward. To stop it.

"LYRA NO!," The blonde girl screamed. Michelle and I were flung away. In that split second, the sky darkened, the shadows returning.

When they faded, the three attackers were gone. I remained frozen, the sight of Lio more than I could handle. What the hell am I supposed to do?

"Lio.. Its Michelle.. Your foster mom," Michelle started, walking towards him. He looked at her, bored.

"Stay back, or else I'll kill you and every other sorry creature on this street," He hissed. Michelle froze, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

"Then... I order you. Stab your self in the leg," She replied. She opened her eyes, their glowing blue depths almost too bright to look directly at. I looked over at Lio, seeing his eyes an exact copy of hers. He raised his hand, an icicle forming in his hand. Then he stabbed himself in the leg, instantly collapsing. Michelle stalked over to him, kneeling over.

"Now... Sleep," She ordered. Almost instantly, his eyes drifted shit. The Mark's on his body slowly faded, now covering half his arms and neck. I wouldnt know if it spread anywhere else from this distance.

"Magnus.. Carry him inside. Now," Michelle ordered me. I nodded, rushing to his side. I felt a pain in my heart looking at him. Once more I'm reminded of how I failed him. I lifted him in my arms, and carried him inside.

Flare

"That crazy bastard bashes in Diegos face master!! His arm was frozen and ripped off, several toes AND fingers were missing... Flare he was tortured," Claire cried to me. I glared at the near dead body of Diego, one of my strongest.

"Looks familiar," I grumbled, glaring at Lyra. She didnt reply, still looking at the floor. Without a real body, it was hard to tell how she was feeling.

"I saw an old friend there today... She looked so... Normal," Lyra whispered. She looked at me.

"I want to be the one to kill Michelle Hall. No body else can take her from me," She hissed. I waved her off, whistling as loud as I could.

"I want to see where this Lio boy goes from here. Will he cast off his human skin and become the monster hes meant to be? Or will he revert back to his old shell.. I wonder,"

Lio

"You saw what we did out there... Together, " Mirror me hissed in my ear, dark black chains fell from his wrists, his silver hair casting a shadow over his eyes. But if I looked, I knew what I'd see regardless.

"That wasnt me... It couldnt have been.. I lost control," I denied, clenching my head. The mirror me wrapped his arms around my neck, pressing his chin on my shoulder, a cold smirk hrowing on his face.

"Why do you keep denying me... We could be.. So profoundly beautiful together," He demanded. I shrugged him off, turning away.

"BECAUSE I WILL NEVER BE LIKE YOU!," I screamed. He smiled, limping closer to me, his violet eye glowing substantially.

" Are you so sure??? Accept me... Let me in.. Let me in.. LET ME IN!," He screamed, running closer to me. I backed up, tripping over my heel and collapsing on the dark floor, in my own blood.

"Leave me alone..,: I growled, covering my eyes. He disappeared, reappearing behind me in a instant, wrapping his arms around me again.

"Come on Lionel... You know who you really are... Dont you?," He demanded. I shook my head, my eyes burning, my body trembling.

"Stop it!," I cried. He cackled, his grip tightening around my throat.

"ACCEPT ME!!," he roared. I clutched my ears, clenching my eyes shut.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!," I screamed. And just like that, he was gone.

And once more. I was alone, in this darkness.