Prologue: Enter, the Inquisition

The sun was sinking below the horizon, turning the sky a bright orange, which mixed with various shades of red and yellow, creating a brilliant sunset.

As the sky darkened, turning into night, the crunching of leaves signaled the approach of people. The fall sky gradually darkened, covering up the red, yellow, and oranges of the leaves. Amount the peaceful forest, a voice rang through the trees, emanating from a large white structure that broke the otherwise untouched scenery.

“It’s finally time. As the Inquisition of Manaheart, we must silence the darkest wizards forever. No immortality spells or zombie familiars. Only justice: anyone who fails these demands shall be executed in the name of the holy light.” ordered the leader, his deep voice echoing through the marble meeting hall.

“WE ARE THE INQUISITION! THE GUARDIANS AND THE BLESSED OF THE LIGHT!” chanted the other members, including a young girl, the daughter of the leader.

She had light, silvery-white hair and deep violet eyes that nearly anyone could get lost in. They stared reverently at the leader, a fire in her eyes to be the good in the world. She held on to every word, determined to prove herself worthy to her otherwise doubtful father.

“SALUTE THE HOLINESS! PURIFY THE UNCLEAN!”

“PURIFY!” roared the members of the Inquisition, holding up their right hands. Behind them glowed a stylized golden sun, set ablaze by the dying sunlight.

With that, the meeting adjourned, and the leader's voice bloomed one last time. "Nala. Meet me in the office at once." He was met with a hushed silence as the young girl wove her way through the crowd to the opposite side of the meeting hall where the office was located.

Soon, the white noise of laughter and mindless chatter filled the hall, creating a deafening roar as the girl closed the door to her father’s office. She stopped a few inches in front of the closed door, her posture straight and proper and head bowed in respect, "I was summoned, father?"

The man, a heavy set fellow with light brown hair and dark brown eyes, sat behind his desk. Dark circles were obvious below his eyes and he looked at the girl tiredly, yet the same, stern look Nala had grown to hate shone in his eyes.

"Nala. You have been training for quite some time now. It is time to prove your worth. And carry on the family name," Nala felt her heart rising in anticipation. "I'm sending you to Faustum, the land of sold souls, the land of the devil. It’s an ancient, dark town near the edge of the country. There have been rumors that the dark wizards from all corners of Manaheart shall be there in a week's time. You will lead a force of Inquisitors there and destroy them."

Nala raised her head, looking her father straight in the eyes. A determination burned deep within her eyes as she saluted.

"You have your orders. You leave before sunrise tomorrow morning, and not a moment later."

Nala bowed her head before turning and exiting the room, forcing herself to suppress her childish instinct to scream in excitement. After the door closed behind her, she punched the air in victory before taking a deep breath to calm herself. Only a handful of people remained in the room, and they all turned to face her at the sound of the door closing.

The oldest of the group, a man the age of twenty, walked up to her. "You are Nala, the commander of Operation: Faustian Deal?" he spoke in a serious tone.

She nodded, making her voice equally as serious, "Yes. We leave before dawn."

<<<O>>>

“Targets apprehended. One person remaining.” Nala reported to her father over a magic comlink.

“Good. Remember, leave no survivors.” spoke her father over the link.

They stood in the town hall, which was littered with dead bodies. Some of them were stuck to the wall in a crucified fashion; others were burnt beyond recognition. One similarity was shared between all of the victims: they were all dark wizards. The stench of the dead floated in the air.

She glared at the sole survivor, a tall boy around her age, with black hair similar to the dark wizards she recently killed.

“Father... Mother...” whimpered the boy as he stared at his dead parents, tears running down his face. “No... PLEASE COME BACK!”

“They’re dead.” hissed Nala, standing in front of the rest of her Inquisition squad. “You’re dead-”

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP! YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND DARKNESS!”

“It’s killed our comrades. I know everything about it.”

“YOU SICKEN ME!” burst out the boy as he twisted around with a pitch-black knife in his hand. “GO TO HELL!”

She narrowly sidestepped, feeling the intense shadows in his hand. It’s definitely darkness magic... but something’s off about it... either way it’s evil!

Immediately, three Inquisitors pinned him to the wall, burning his skin with intense light from their hands. “Permission to execute the target?” they asked, watching him carefully.

“Permission granted.” Nala stated, without a moment of hesitation in her voice.

As the soldiers swung their holy weapons at him, she felt a sense of dread. It felt as if everything would go horribly wrong. She realized she was staring into his eyes, and that they were the source of fear.

They were colorless and empty.

“Chaos Bite.” hissed the boy, his voice heavily distorted as he sliced the trio of Inquisitors around him in half with one arm.

He marched towards the remaining forces, grinning maniacally as the people behind him turned into nothingness. His teeth were as sharp as a tiger’s, hungry and powerful.

Instinctively, Nala jumped through the window, tumbling onto broken glass that cut into her skin. She thought about her cowardice as she ran away from the town hall, but the next moment made her glad she chose her action.

“Chaos Ravage.” the bestial voice rang out.

As she looked back, her eyes widened as she heard the screams of her comrades, swallowed up by unnatural silence. She stared at the brutal carnage as a sphere of nothingness devoured the whole hall before disappearing.

A faint voice whispered in the back of her head as she stared at the event unfolding before her eyes. “NALA, RESPOND!” burst out her father’s voice, finally shocking her back to reality. “WHAT HAPPENED!?”

She exhaled, trying to calm herself down. Under oath she was required to tell the truth. Yet she didn’t want to tell her father about her failure; she in fact feared even mentioning the incident.

Her duty won out as her eyes failed to find the one survivor’s body.

“We failed our mission. We purified the dark magicians except for one person. He massacred us.” she said, tears beginning to run down her face.

“How are the others?” he asked over the magic comlink.

She began sobbing violently as she recalled the scene. “T-they’re all dead. K-killed by t-the only s-survivor.” she managed to choke out.

“Damn... are there any bodies we can recognize?”

She knew why he was asking. The Inquisition blessed their dead before burying them, therefore sending their soul to Heaven for fighting for good.

There was nothing left of Faustum’s town hall. A crater was the only sign to show that it ever existed.

“No bodies.” she reported, finally gaining a hold on herself. “T-the last wizard had some odd magic. He turned three Inquisition members into n-nothing before killing everyone else the same way. Nothing. N-not even ashes.”

Her deep violet eyes widened as she heard a long sigh from the other end of the comlink. “Nala, come back to HQ. Now.”

"Yes sir.” she replied, closing the comlink. She began shivering, her silvery-gray hair swirling around her.

She knew her father was beyond rage at her. Everything had gone right for her when she got to lead the mission, but she lost it all at the last second. All because of that one boy.

I swear, when I find you, I will personally torture you. Even if we’re separated like heaven and hell, I will stay with you, making you rue the day you killed my comrades. she thought as she began moving again, away from the tragedy at Faustum.

2: Rune 1: The Shadow of Faith

Rune 1: The Shadow of Faith

“Father!”

“No buts, Nala. You’ll be going to Faith High School of the Arcane for training.”

“But father-”

"WHAT DID I JUST SAY!?" Nala shied away from her father's raised, angry voice, hanging her head in defeat.

“Listen up. 3 years ago, you became the failure and disgrace to the family name. You had the strongest light wizards of the Inquisition by your side that day. You had an army of them. And then you tell me that they get massacred, every one of them? That does not happen because of the enemy. It happens because their leader is incompetent and unable. It means you need to withstand hellish training before even THINKING about regaining your honor. You are a living shame. Get out and obey me. Go to Faith and come back with RESULTS or don't come back at all.” His gaze was hard and absolute. Nala knew that there was nothing she could do but obey.

She got up from her chair in her father’s office, opening and closing the door behind her without an audible sound. Briskly walking out of the Inquisition headquarters in the capital of Manaheart, she ignored the startled glances from other Inquisition members as she fought back bitter tears.

Once outside the building, she turned to face the giant, golden plaque that decorated the courtyard and was the signature piece at all of the Inquisition buildings. Inscribed on it was a verse from Genesis: And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

Staring at it made her doubt her mission. She had read the inscription thousands of times before, and it had usually given her comfort. She felt her knees go weak as nausea began to overwhelm her. What’s the difference now?! she wanted to scream. Was that what God had meant when he created the world!? She slowly fell to her knees and clutched her torso, cursing the Inquisition and her father. Her father. She hunched over, forcing away the tears that were welling in her eyes. Why can't I ever seem to please him?!

Someone cleared their throat behind her and she miserably turned to face a guard. He was much taller than her, with brown hair that framed shocking blue eyes.

"Miss Nala Tsounhei. His Divinity has requested you leave the grounds. You'll need to leave immediately or I have orders to drag you off the grounds." The guard had a timid, hesitant voice, as if he didn't want to deliver her father's message.

Nala turned and glanced at the office window, large and brilliantly stained, and saw the silhouette of her father looming behind the glass. She looked down and sighed, shakily standing.

"Alright," she started, hating the wavering in her voice, "I'll leave myself. Your assistance won't be needed..." She allowed her voice to trail off before briskly walking away from the plaque, the Inquisition Headquarters, her father, and the life she had once known.

Her leather boots clicked slowly down the white stone path. Gradually the clicking increased its frequency as Nala began to run, unable to stand the thought of her rejection anymore. She felt bitter tears burning down her cheeks and let them fall. She ignored the startled glances from the other people around her, not caring anymore what anyone else thought. She was miserable, and she was not afraid to show it anymore.

“Hoi, you’ll catch everyone’s attention like that.” spoke a voice nearby her. “Jeez, slow down. It’s okay to break down. Everyone does one day.”

“IT’S NOT OKAY! JUST GO!”

“You either calm down or relax. Or just punch something to get rid of your frustration. Then I’ll go-"

"WHAT PART OF ‘GO’ DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND!?" she screamed in frustration as she turned to punch the source of the sound.

A strong hand caught her fist, and the voice chuckled softly. "There you go, feel better?”

“WHAT DO YOU THINK!?”

“It helped a bit. You're a bit more relaxed than you were before."

“...Fine... I give up.” she muttered, letting her fist drop to her side. “By the way, what’s your name?”

"Drustan Gwytheryn," he bowed slightly, "at your service." He straightened, smirking a bit more.

Nala recognized him as the guard from earlier that was sent to kick her off the Inquisition grounds. "You're that guard from earlier. Why did you follow me?" She tried to keep from yelling at him, knowing it wasn't his fault, but she couldn't block all of the anger from her voice.

He scratched the back of his head. "I could see it in your eyes, Nala. You needed someone to talk to. Besides, you could hear His Divinity-"

Nala held up her hand, "Please don't call him that. It's one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. Thank you though. I guess I did need it." She sighed, letting her hand fall in defeat. This is the second time I've admitted defeat in the last 24 hours... What's gotten into me?

“Don’t worry about it too much. It’s nice, knowing you’ve gotten better-”

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Nala asked, her arms folded across her chest defensively.

“Well... I guess you made my day.”

“Oh. By the way, do you have another reason?”

“I heard from your dad that you had to go to Faith. Coincidentally, it has dorms, school registration ends in a week, and I teach there.”

“YOU TEACH!? WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU!?”

“Just an assistant teacher to Professor Aran. Nobody at Faith has been able to even touch him in a magic battle.”

“That explains... by the way, how’s Faith?”

He grinned, laughing heartily. “Faith’s the best place for high school, Nala. It’s got boss teachers, boss classes, boss social life, boss everything!”

“I see... well, in that case it won’t be so bad. Hopefully I’ll get better at my magics without a hitch-”

She felt herself falling forward as a boy ran past her. He shouted out “Sorry!” before continuing on.

“YOU LITTLE B*****D” Drustan burst out as he grabbed the guy by the neck. “APOLOGIZE!”

Nala took a look at the guy as she stood up from her fall. The boy in Drustan’s chokehold appeared to be 5’10”, with messy black hair that covered his eyes. She could see his black t-shirt and jeans, along with a grey rucksack on the ground.

“Oh... it’s you Drustan.” choked out the boy. “How... are... you...”

“YOU DIDN’T APOLO-”

“Sorry... is... apology...”

“Hmph.” Drustan muttered as he threw him into the air. “Lineage: Thunder God’s Bolts.”

Thunderbolts materialized in his hands, charging the air with ozone. He aimed a bolt at the airborne boy and threw it like a javelin.

As a burst of electricity rushed through the target, he walked away, grabbing Nala’s hand. “Come on. We’ve gotta get you into Faith. Should be easy for you, they have a entrance exam I’m sure you can ace.”

As they walked away, the boy landed harshly on the ground to the side of the road, smoking from the unkindly thunderbolt. Groaning, he looked at the two walking towards Faith.

“I’ll be seeing you Nala.” he said. “See you at the entrance exams.”

<<<O>>>

“Man, does Drustan pack a punch...” muttered the boy as he entered the examination room at Faith, rubbing his ribs where the guard hit him with his thunderbolt. “Time to put on my game face.”

He walked into an arena, where 99 other students were waiting. Only ten of the 100 would be chosen to be in Faith High School of the Arcane.

I wonder who’re the big charms in here... he thought as he walked around the arena.

“You there with the grey rucksack. Turn around, slacker.”

He sighed, pivoting on his left foot. What a pain...

“Slackers ain’t gonna make it in to Faith, ya dig?” arrogantly spoke a boy with more beef and height than most adults. “Do a favor and scurry out before I bury you.”

Four girls with him giggled, laughing at the black-clad boy. “You’re up against the Boulder, run before he smashes you.” they taunted.

“Big fry don’t use banter.” he merely said. “So you’re Boulder, huh? Good luck.”

“You’re the one who needs Lady Luck, shrimp.”

The girls around him giggled again.

“It’s Erebus. Erebus Acheron.” the teen said, before turning and walking away.

As the sound of his footsteps were washed away by the beginning cheers, the ox of a man slumped down to his knees. “S***. We’re dead.”

Erebus waited for his good matches. After fighting wizards that he practically defeated with one punch, he started getting bored. “That girl gets all the tough ones, no fair.” he muttered. At this rate Faith won’t be accepting me anytime soon. I haven’t even used my magic.

Soon, the final match came up. “And now here we are! The final match of Faith’s Entrance Exam! Our final two fighters: Erebus Acheron versus Nala Tsounhei!”

Immediately after hearing his name, the crowd made an audible shiver before beginning to cheer for Nala. “TURN HIM TO ASHES! GIVE HIS SHADOW A ROASTING!”

“Why is it they never cheer for me...?” he grumbled as he walked up onto the arena.

Nala stared at her opponent in front of her, with his black shirt and jeans. He’s Erebus!? she thought as her violet eyes widened in surprise. This is the guy that knocked me over by accident, not a infamous dark magician! This isn’t the guy that single-handedly defeated a rebellion’s whole army!

“Hey, pay attention. I hope you’re better than most people... good luck to you.” Erebus said. “Are we going or not? I really want to use my magic.”

Among the audience, people shifted uncomfortably. One boy asked his mother who Erebus was.

“It was a short while ago. There was a rebellion with water wizards about wages working on a river cleaning project. Erebus took care of them all faster than the Inquisition could get there. In five minutes the river cleaners were begging for their current wages. Scary, scary story, son...”

As the crowd cheered for Nala, she sighed, staring at her opponent. “If you’re Erebus, there’s no mercy for you.”

“That’s my name. Did Drustan really have to give me that thunderbolt?”

"I don't know. Did you really have to crash into me and try to rush off?"

“You have a point. But seriously, Nala, we’re wasting time.” He assumed a combat stance.

Likewise, she covered her hands in fire, her elemental magic, as she slid into a defensive stance. "Please. You could've attacked along time ago."

He shrugged as he dashed forwards, dark blades appearing in his hands.

"Hmph." Nala began to sway forward and back a little, her fists ablaze as she guarded her torso.

Erebus lazily sent her airborne, knocking her off her feet with his redirected shadow before shooting her upwards with a impact from her own shadow.

Nala felt herself going airborne and cussed softly under her breath, but easily maneuvered herself to do a graceful backflip. She landed softly on her feet.

Erebus was a step ahead of her as he fired a shadowy lance from his left hand at point-blank range from behind her, knocking her over as the shadow smashed into her right shoulder blade.

As she rolled forwards with a bruise, she thought about his magic. He’s a darkness magician, and a good one at that. But it looks like he uses shadows... so if I get rid of them, he’s helpless!

She surrounded him in a burst of flames, illuminating him and removing every one of his shadows. “Got you!” she roared as she rushed at him with searing hot fire.

He held his hand up, somehow catching her punch despite the heat from her hands. Without any effort he threw her to the side before walking through the circle of fire around him.

She narrowed her eyes. I guess fire won't work then. She sighed inwardly. Guess I'll have to give them a light show. "Lineage: Divine Light: Blinding Flash!" Blinding sunlight filled the room, causing some of the spectators to mutter in protest. She launched herself towards Erebus, roundhouse kicking him in the head.

“Ugh!” he muttered as he spun around, slightly stunned. Light and darkness are interconnected. When there is light, there must be a shadow.

He sensed a huge bit of shade behind him. Looks like I can do this then.

Rushing towards Nala, he surrounded himself in his own shadow, allowing him to see properly again. He clawed her left arm with newly sharpened dark nails on his right hand.

She hissed in pain and quickly turned to face him, punching at his face quickly with as much force as she could muster. Damn, they’re really sharp! Clean scratches!

He took the blow, which cracked the shadows covering his face. I should end this... “Override: Shadow Boost.”

Momentarily he disappeared from sight, reappearing under Nala’s guard to deliver a furious barrage of punches. As she went airborne again, he disappeared again, reappearing above her to smash her into the arena with a strong kick.

Ugh! When did he do that? she thought as she groaned, lying on the cracked arena. “I hope... Divine Light: Piercing Ray.”

Aiming her right pointer finger at him, she fired a laser, burning through him and his shadows below his ribs.

Dammit... Erebus thought as he stumbled, breathing heavily as he struggled to maintain his self-control. This pain is annoying! I can’t focus! Guess there’s no helping it but using my Lineage magic...

It sucks to be a descendent of the darkest wizards of all time.

“I’m really sorry... don’t hold this against me...” he said to Nala. “Lineage: Nyx.”

Writhing darkness appeared around him as he pointed at her. “Nyx: Oizys.”

A tendril of pitch-black night shot at her, anchoring to her body and spreading over her leg. She screamed in absolute pain, crying with her tears streaming over her face. “STOP! P-PLEASE! A-ANYTHING!” she burst out, gripping the ground tightly.

“Say ‘I surrender.’, because I don’t want to hurt you even more. Those attacks I gave you definitely need treatment, and I’ll feel guilty if I killed you.” Erebus calmly said as he broke into a cold sweat. I’m losing myself... anymore and my sanity goes “CRACK!”

Nala gasped in pain, squeezing her eyes shut, "P-Please... I-I surrender! JUST MAKE IT STOP!"

He withdrew the magic away from her, gladly causing it to dissipate. I hate using it. It means everything bad my ancestors have done. Plus, I felt like I was going to lose my sanity...

As the announcer reluctantly declared him the winner, he crumbled to the ground, scummbing to his injuries and his lack of breakfast for energy.

The medics ran out to both Nala and Erebus, stretchers hand in hand. Both of the combatants were carefully, but quickly lifted onto the stretchers.

As Nala looked at him, then at the sky, she realized with a shudder that Erebus could’ve easily killed her. Those times I was airborne... he could’ve easily spiked and maybe even decapitate me... why didn’t he?

As the final question burned through her, the medics carried them off to the infirmary. The world began fading to black as her mind finally succumbed to the intense pain from his magic.

3: Rune 2: A Light Defeat

Rune 2: A Light Defeat

My head is killing me...

Erebus sat up in his hospital bed, looking around him. It was clean and serene there, and seemed to be a safe area.

A dull pain flared up on his chest area, causing him to bend forwards in surprise. Oh yeah... she shot me there...

He groaned, rolling to his side to allow the pain to subside. These painkillers work though... His eyes widened as he saw Nala on the bed next to his.

She was hugging her legs close to her body, clenching her fist while she did so. Apparently she was still in pain. “S-someone...anyone... even t-that b*****d E-Erebus...”

His eyes widened, then softened despite his own wound. Wow... she hasn’t had it easy, just like me... He shook his head, trying to dispel the fuzziness in the back of his head. Man did I nearly go crazy...

She’s a Inquisitor, isn’t she? Only those guys have light magic at that level.

Erebus forgot about that, and despite the fact he was a darkness magician, he extended his hand towards her. He weakly grasped her right hand, momentarily sharing her pain before drawing back. Once again, he touched her, this time allowing a bit of darkness magic to infect her.

Nala shuddered for a moment, then relaxed, loosening her tight grip on her legs. She began breathing easier, obviously free from the magical pain.

She’s good... if she died on me I’d feel guilty. Killing is the least satisfying thing, ever. I wouldn’t blame her if she hated me though...

Her violet eyes fluttered open before widening in surprise. “YOU PERVERT!”

“Huh-?”

She swung out of her hospital bed, nearly yanking his arm off as she began beating Erebus. As she hit him with flame-covered fists, she burnt his face and upper chest.

Nala stopped after his chest wound reopened, turning the sheets crimson red. “You. Are. Dead. Next. F***ing. Time.” she hissed before getting off of him. The hell is with him? Holding my f***ing hand!?

A nurse came running in, her eyes widening as she saw the blood gushing from Erebus' s reopened wound. She immediately ran out, screaming for a doctor.

Nala sighed as she walked out the door, looking back at his smoldering body. Who got rid of that pain? she wondered. Not that I care...

What was up with that darkness? I thought it was evil at first, but it just healed me! I’m so confused! Father wasn't lying about it, was he? She shook her head. No. It's not possible... Why would he lie about something like that?

She remembered the plague in front of Inquisitor HQ. Maybe not all darkness is the same...

As she exited the hospital, she felt a tinge of guilt. He’s a darkness wizard, of course he deserved that beatdown! she thought, trying to convince herself. But maybe... I didn’t have to overkill him. Besides.... Father would be proud... right?

She sighed, once again conflicted as she trudged to the dorms.

“Hey! Nala! Ya did good back there!” spoke up Drustan as he walked along with her. “How ya feeling?”

"I'm just peachy." Nala growled, not bothering to hide the sarcasm that laced her voice. How could she describe the swirl of emotions that occupied her mind, the conflicted mess that was spinning out of control within?

A magical loudspeaker rang out nearby. “All people who have taken the Faith Entrance Exam, please enter the arena.” it reported before it became quiet.

Drustan lifted Nala up and threw her over his shoulder, ignoring her protests. "Come on! We gotta get you there!" He started running through the campus towards the arena.

As they entered, she noted a shadowy blur above her, indistinct and seemingly shapeless. She shook it off, thinking it was her imagination. I must've hit my head in the fight... Quickly she stood in line with the other wizards, all in various conditions. One guy looked as if someone paddled his face repeatedly.

A woman dressed in a snow-white dress took the stage in front of them. “Greeting, all applicants. I am High Dean Elise Blizzant, and I am here to congratulate you for all your efforts.”

Some people in the audience groaned, expecting a drawn out speech that’d take up the whole day.

“But I know you’all want to hear about who got into Faith, so let’s get to it. Ahem... in 10th is...”

Nala tuned out the dean’s words, watching people shuffle from the audience down towards the stage.

“...The second best of all the applicants here is Nala Tsounhei.”

The audience clapped appreciatively. Apparently, they were awed at her skills as she mounted the stage.

“Ahem. And the number one applicant, in fact the best one we’ve had in years... is Erebus Acheron.”

A thick silence engulfed the audience and the unchosen applicants. Jaws dropped in amazement. “WHAT!?”

Nala growled under her breath, causing the people around her to look at her, either startled or scared. How did he- The hell is going on!? He’s a slacker, anyone that looks at him knows that!

“It is indeed. Some of our judges are Inquisitors, and they do say he is indeed one of the best here. They also wanted to execute him, so I had to freeze them.” confirmed Dean Elise.

Nala clenched her fists. She felt like punching something- in fact, anything. What makes him so special that the Dean herself interferes with the Inquisition?!

She didn’t realize that the Dean herself was calling out his name in an effort to bring him to the stage. “Erebus! Please come down here with the rest of the applicants!”

SIghs of relief flooded the arena. Maybe Nala would be the number one applicant.

“You really need to look up.” a familiar voice spoke.

Dropping from the sky itself, Erebus himself landed behind Nala, barely causing an impact.

Nala forced herself to breathe evenly to avoid making a scene in front of the Dean. Her rage boiled deep in her stomach.

“Thank you very much for that beatdown of yours.” he said, standing taller as he got up. His voice gave no indication of sarcasm.

Nala stared at him, recognizing the lack of sarcasm in his voice. "Yeah? Well I'd be happy to give you one whenever you want one."

“Thank you again.” he said, simply walking around her and taking his place.

Boos and insults burst out from the audience, obviously angered at the last-minute arrival. “JUST LIKE THE SLACKER HE IS!”

Nala merely stayed silent, letting her rage build more. She wouldn't allow herself to explode in front of the Dean.

“You need to relax.” Erebus offhandedly noted. “Build that rage and the people next to you will catch on fire. Including me.”

"Didn't you just thank me for beating you?" she hissed in response. "You'd be thankful for that too and you know it."

“If you want to leave everyone else here with third-degree burns, go ahead. And about that beatdown, it woke me up.”

Nala folded her arms across her chest and remained silent, glaring forward without another word.

“Hey... if I became a bad guy, would you kill me?” Erebus asked. His voice sounded softer and kinder.

She sighed inwardly, trying to calm down a little bit in response to his softer tone. She failed miserably. "Without hesitation."

He sighed, giving her the first sound that made him sound human. “If a dark magician saved your life, would you kill him?”

She paused, feeling her emotions conflict once again. Her anger immediately dissipated. "I... I don't know. Maybe."

Erebus exhaled a bit as the audience continued booing him. “You should figure out the true nature of light.” he said. “Not all light is good. Not all darkness is bad.”

She growled slightly, clenching her fists, not knowing how to respond to his statement. It conflicted everything she had been raised to know. She felt like screaming that he was wrong, but a voice deep inside insisted he was right.

“You felt my dark magic, haven’t you? Just to make sure...” he asked in a polite tone.

"Yeah, I felt it. But what does that have to do with anything?" she replied, managing to block the harshness in her voice.

Erebus laughed a bit, drawing the glare of the whole audience. “There is no evil or good in magic, only in the hearts that use it.” he said. “I hope you’ll understand that.”

Nala only managed to nod, her fists still clenched at her sides.

“Anything else? The assembly’s over and we’re getting our dorms.” he asked kindly.

Nala shook her head, taking a deep breath to help get rid of her anger. "No. You've given me plenty to think about already."

“Nice to know.” he said. His eyes widened a bit as he put a finger up to his right ear. “It’s you... you don’t know how much misery you’ve given me... damn you and your family... and to pay you back I’ll gut your precious daughter-”

Her anger burst in the empty arena as she roundhouse kicked him in the back, knocking him off the stage. She ran out, restraining the tears forming in her eyes.

“I will get you, uncle.” before ending the magic comlink. He got up while violently shaking, clenching his fist tightly and letting his nails pierce the skin on his palm. She hates me, doesn’t she? he wondered as blood ran down his fingers.

<<<O>>>

Go to hell, Erebus. I’d wish your soul would be Satan’s dinner, over and over again!

She stood in Faith's gym, pounding away at a punching bag. Drustan had recommended it so that she wouldn't end up killing someone.

She felt her fists slowly grew bruises as she continued to punch the bag. She had been too angry to even think about boxing gloves, or any type of protective equipment for that matter, and now that she had started, there was no stopping her. Who does he think he is?! Giving me some sort of light to my confusion, gaining my trust a little bit, and then threatening to kill me?! Maybe I should gut him too!

Drustan watched from the side, and Nala could feel him watching her every move.

"You sure you don't want that wrap, Nala? It only takes a moment. You won't be able to move your hands tomorrow if you don't-" Drustan started, concern in his voice.

"For the last time, Drustan, I said I'm fine!" Nala growled. "If you aren't going to leave me alone about it, go away."

Inside, she was a maelstrom of emotions, tearing her apart emotionally. The next time I see you, I will kill you. That’s it. Kill you so that you’ll go straight to hell.

Get over here now so I can wipe that smug smile off your face!

As if God was listening, Erebus broke through the window of the gym, landing on his back.

Nala turned and smirked slightly. Perfect. She started to walk over to Erebus with the intent to kill. Fire lit up her fists.

“You know... mind stopping for a moment?” he asked as a shadowy assassin leapt down from the rafters in the gym. “You’re the last person I’d want to fight.”

Drustan leaped up from his chair and pinned Nala to the wall. "Leave him alone, Nala. He's already fighting someone, and it's not worth it. You ended up in the hospital last time, remember?"

“It’s perfectly fine if she wants to kill me. Just let me deal with some really dark magicians...” Erebus said as he flipped onto his feet, facing the shadow-covered killer. “I hate my remaining family.”

Nala glared at Drustan, but remained silent and still. Drustan slowly let her go, and she stood next to him, watching Erebus and the assassin.

The attack lunged at him, with a lethal blade in his grip. A low growl like that of a beast emanated from the shadowy figure.

Nala clenched her fists, wondering whether she should help Erebus or not. Maybe if he gets close to losing. I'm going to be the one who kills him.

“They.” He smashed a knee into the attacker’s stomach.

“Never.” He created a shadowy knife in his hand.

“Learn.” He impaled the assassin through the heart, his shadow piercing through him as blood spurted out. “These guys are annoying.”

Nala blinked slowly then turned and started to walk away, out the gym. Why is it that my anger always fades after he's been around for a while?! She sighed in annoyance as she headed towards her dorm.

As she walked away, Erebus looked at her sadly. She’s still going to kill me, but not today... I guess.

Drustan stood and walked over to Erebus, clapping his hand on Erebus' shoulder. "That was quite the fight, are you alright?"

“Yeah... but I hope Nala doesn’t hold my comment against me...” he groaned. “The reason she’s mad is because she thought I swore to kill her. It’s anything but...”

“Kid, aren’t you a darkness magician? Don’t you have bad ancestors?” Drustan asked.

“Bad doesn’t do them justice. My ancestors are infamous, and boy am I suffering because of it...” replied Erebus. “At my strongest I’d kill everyone at the cost my self-control. And you know a tool’s useless if you can’t use it properly.”

"Yeah... isn't that the truth. It's a shame about your ancestors though. You seem like a nice kid." Drustan said. "Well I better go find Nala before she ends up killing someone. I'll see yah around." Drustan started to jog off in the same direction Nala ran off in.

“That’s coming from the guy who literally blasted me out of the sky.” Erebus muttered in a low voice. Fortunately, Drustan didn’t hear the comment as he rushed out of the gym.

“Oi! Which dorm room does she have, by the way?” he asked, his long black hair covering his eyes.

“I dunno. You’ll have to find out yourself, kiddo.” the brown-haired assistant teacher shouted back before he exited the door.

<<<O>>>

Erebus took out a key from his left pocket and fitted it into the doorknob, opening up the heavy oak gate of his dorm room. This is a co-ed room... Faith’s pretty famous for it. Wonder who’s sharing the room with me?

He stepped into the top level room, exhaling as he scanned the room. To the left was a furnished kitchen, with a magic refrigerator to keep ingredients cool. In the center, there was 3 sets of couches surrounding one large circular table, also made of oak. The right wall had two doors. Erebus assumed one of them was the sleeping area, and the other the bathroom. In front of him were curtains, but he knew that an amazing view of Faith’s campus lied behind the covers.

Faith, you are overdoing yourself! he wondered, awestruck at the simple and homey feel the room gave off. He rolled his suitcase to the right wall, quietly opening the door to not disturb anyone in there. He checked on the other resident.

There were two beds on opposite sides of the bedroom. A girl with silvery hair was sleeping on the bed next to the door, hugging her pillow tightly as if it was a teddy bear.

So she’s my dorm mate. I’ll get her name when she wakes up. he thought as he closed the door. I’m starving...

He briskly walked to the fridge, opening it to find some food supplies. He examined the ingredients before taking out a package of lettuce, two tomatoes, a loaf of bread, and some beef. She might be hungry, so I’ll stick with something simple. Sometimes simplicity is best.

As he cooked the burgers to medium-rare using a pan provided by the high school, he sliced pieces of bread, toasting them to a warm brown color. I always knew Faith was a boarding school, but man this is like a college!

Finishing up the plate, he artistically placed the various foodstuffs together, creating 6 burgers: three for him and three for his dorm mate. He placed  the ingredients back into the fridge before cleaning up the kitchen.

Should I wake her up? he wondered. The food’s gonna get cold.

As if on cue, the girl walked out of the room, her violet eyes still cloudy with sleep. Her silver hair was somewhat messy. She held the pillow loosely at her side. "Mmmm.... Something smells good..." she mumbled drowsily.

Wait a minute... she looks really familiar... looks exactly like Nala. Erebus thought. No, wait a minute... DON’T TELL ME, OH GOD! “NALA!?”

The girl jumped, dropping the pillow. She was immediately awake. "THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!?” she burst out. Her fists flew up, lit with flames.

“This... is.. a really bad... coincidence...” he spoke up, sweating a bit. “And seriously, eat the food. I’m not gonna start wasting the fridge, and I’m sure I can’t eat 6 hamburgers alone.”

“You probably poisoned it.”

“I don’t eat poison. Leave that to the rest of my family, not me. Plus, it’s not good manners to poison your dorm mate, even if they hate you.”

“Prove it.” Nala commanded, folding her arms across her chest defensively.

He took a burger and took a bite out of it. “See? No poison! I’m not dying! No more excuses, just eat!”

"What if I'm not-" She broke off as her stomach rumbled and sighed in defeat. "Fine." Nala reluctantly grabbed a burger off of the plate. "If I die, I'm coming back to haunt you." She started to eat it slowly.

“Oh you better.” he commented, finishing his first burger.

"Or what?" Nala raised her eyebrow. She slowly started to eat her first burger faster, realizing it tasted decently. It was far better than the food from any of the restaurants she had been to before.

“I never said I didn’t know how to make poison.” he said with a straight face.

Nala stopped chewing for a moment, then shrugged. "I'd already be dead, so what would the poison do to me?"

“Hmm... depends on which one I use. I’d choose ricin, from the castor bean.” Erebus replied. “Do you know how to cook?”

Nala narrowed her eyes slightly, "Thankfully, yes I do... I only know how to cook simple things though; the easier stuff good on missions."

“Phew, so I don’t have to be the chef here?”

She shook her head and took the last bite of the burger. After she chewed and swallowed, she spoke. "No. As long as you don't mind that not all the meals we eat will be as fancy as this, we’ll be fine. Mostly.”

“What!?” he burst out. “Listen, you have basic cooking. I admire that. But cooking is an art! It has shades of flavor, texture, even heating! Cooking is art, like the guys who made masterpiece paintings! You may have the basics, but I have the shades of cooking!”

Nala shrugged, "Cooking is just a way to sustain yourself. All I've bothered to learn about is the basics because that's all I needed to know." She smirked. "How about I turn you into a shade of flavor?"

“I think I’m fine the way I am. It’s a waste to use me as a flavor, though I have no doubt you can do it.”

Nala shrugged, rolling her eyes. "You're no fun."

“Says the girl who used me as a punching bag.” he muttered as he lied down on the couch. “You can take the bedroom, I’ll have the couch. I’m lazy like that.”

“Of course. Though I didn’t expect a slacker like you to be a cook.”

“Yeah... well, at least I did my homework, mom.”

“I’M NOT YOUR PARENT!”

“Well you sure act like it. You really do care about me, don’t you?”

“WHY’D I CARE ABOUT A JERK LIKE YOU!?”

“Why are you still talking to me?”

“It’s-” she roared, stopping to consider his point. “Jerk.”

“Call me whatever you want, Miss Sunshine.”

"ARE YOU ASKING FOR A BEATING?!"

“I’m asking you not to burn the place down. I can deal with a wood floor, but concrete is just plain nasty.”

Naka turned her head, folding her arms across her chest.

“Aren’t you positive...” he sighed. He walked over to the door linking to the hallways, opening it fractionally. Immediately he slammed it shut and and locked the door. “The horror...”

Nala jumped and turned to him. "What was that all about?!"

“Do I strike you as a person who has a lot of fangirls?”

Nala raised an eyebrow. "Not at all. Why?"

“Then explain to me how there’s a crowd of them at our front door.” he replied, groaning.

"I don't believe that there is." Nala stated.

Erebus dragged her to the door, unlocking it and again opening it. “We’re doomed.”

Nala struggled in protest, but froze as she looked out the door. She blinked a couple of times before nodding. "Yes. Yes we are..."

He slammed the door closed again, locking it magically. “And that time it grew... I’m afraid to say, but you’ve got fanboys now.”

Nala groaned slightly. "Well, isn't this wonderful." sarcasm laced her voice.

“Don’t you say...” he replied, letting go of her as he sat on the couch.

"Well, I guess we'll have to work together. After all, we do share a common enemy..." she said, plopping down on the opposite side of the couch.

“Damn fans. Always getting in the way...”

Nala nodded in agreement. "Yeah, no kidding... If you'd like to go somewhere though, I guess I could always blind them so you can slip away..."

Erebus winked as he placed his hand in the shadow of the couch. In front of her eyes, his arm disappeared into the shadows. “I have my methods.”

"Fine. Show off." she grumbled, folding her arms across her chest once more.

“Ask if-” he replied before quickly extracting his arm out of the shadow. It was slightly pinkish when his arm went in- now it was dyed black and blue. “Should’ve paid attention...” he muttered before shivering.

Nala looked at his arm, confused and curious. "How did that happen?"

“If I don’t flow magic in my body while in the shadows, my body will freeze to death.” Erebus replied, rubbing his arm as color returned to it.

She shivered slightly. "I see..."

“Shadow traveling is always dangerous. If I focused we could use it all the way to our classes.”

"After that, I'm not sure if I want to..." Nala said quietly.

“Okay...” he sighed. “Let’s just stick with you blinding them. It’s simple, and simple things don’t break as often.”

Nala nodded. "Sounds good to me."

“Alright then... now, about the matter of our classes.” Erebus began. He took a sky-blue slip of paper from his pocket and unfolded it, opening up to reveal a schedule.

Nala scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "I didn't get the chance to get my schedule..."

“Because someone stole it?” he asked, holding up another blue schedule with her name on it.

She glared at him and snatched the schedule out of his hand. "Seriously? Not cool." She looked over her schedule slowly, grumbling something under her breath.

“We share all the same classes you know...” he muttered. “All advanced classes. No freshie can ever dream that high.”

Nala nodded slowly. "Sweet. That's a plus then I guess." She seemed distracted in a way before folding up the paper. "So when do we start going to classes and stuff?"

“In a week. In which case, we’ve gotta explore Faith, find who’s chill or not, and see if there’s anything interesting in general.”

She nodded and chuckled softly. "Alright. That'll be kind of hard though with that group sitting outside our door, though..."

Erebus got up, checking the oak door leading out from the hallway. “Looks all clear outside. They must’ve given up, or they’re waiting, setting traps...”

He opened the door, revealing a even larger crowd of fangirls and fanboys. They burst into the dorm room, with the fangirls swarming all over him. “DAMMIT! IT’S DOOMSDAY!”

A tic mark emerged on Nala’s head as she swiftly knocked out the mob of fanboys marching towards her. With an angry and fierce look she stared at the fangirls on Erebus. “What do you think you’re doing with my guy?” she asked maliciously, clenching her fist as it burst into flames.

The fangirls immediately swarmed back out the doorway, pushing back the crowd. Apparently, the only thing stronger than fans was fans with adrenaline.

Nala dragged out the unconscious fanboys, piling them up into a barricade to block future fans. “Well, that was a failure.” she said as she locked the oak door.

Erebus slowly got up, deliberately turning his face away from her. “Mildly putting it.” he replied. “And about what you said to those fangirls... that was... awkward.”

“Huh?” she asked as she walked towards him. As she did so, she tripped forwards, crashing into him and landing on top of him.

He instinctively turned his head towards her, revealing a light blush on his cheeks. “O-Oh god...” he muttered, stuttering as his breathing sped up.

Nala gasped slightly, her face slowly heating up and turning red. She gazed into his eyes for a moment. A flash of recognition flashed across her face and she quickly rolled off of him. She resisted the urge to curl up in a ball as that fateful day crossed through her mind. Nala began to shiver uncontrollably as she watched her squadron die in front of her eyes all over again. It was him! He's the reason I'm stuck here! He killed them! She felt as if the world was spinning, and she forced herself to calm her sporadic breathing. I could confront him right here right now... No. He's too strong... He could just kill me with ease...

But then... why isn’t he killing me? It’s as clear as day and night! We’re supposed to fight!

Erebus’s colorless eyes stared at her with concern. “You okay there-?”

Nala jumped at the sound of his voice. She stood up and kicked him sharply in the ribs. "That's for making me trip into you perv!"

“How is that my fault?” he asked in between groans as he rubbed where she kicked him.

"With your shadow magic!" Nala retorted.

“I have no reason to even think about that!”

"Yeah! Sure! Whatever!" Nala yelled in response before turning quickly on her heel and storming into the bedroom. She slammed the door behind her, causing a couple of glasses to shake in the cupboards.

“...Well, goodnight.” Erebus said. He took his rolling luggage and wheeled it to the couch. Opening it, he extracted a pillow and two blankets, one thick and the other thin. Sighing, he lied down on the couch and created a makeshift bed. He turned off the light, going to sleep quickly.

A few hours passed by, and Nala quietly slipped out of the bedroom. She inched over to the couch as carefully as she could. Now’s my chance... If I kill him now, I can plead innocence... Maybe even gain respect from my father...

“Damn you...” he muttered in his sleep.

Nala froze at the sound of Erebus's voice.

“You’re... the one... who’s the killer...” he hissed while asleep.

Nala shook her head. It felt like he was talking directly to her. I was only following orders...She whispered in her mind to him, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.

He stopped talking as he exhaled deeply.

Nala sighed, shaking her head and hesitantly turning around. I can't do this... it isn't right... Nala slowly and quietly returned to the sleeping quarters and closed the door softly behind her and shuffled over to her bed. She crawled under the bedding and resisted her head on the pillow. She closed her eyes and slowly fell into the blackness of sleep, escaping the catastrophic day and her own tormented thoughts.

Silently, with trained steps, Erebus opened the door without any sound at all. He quietly looked at Nala as she hugged her pillow tightly. “Man... that hurt...” he whispered. “You definitely are sunshine...”

He kneeled by her bed, his face level with her’s. In a moment he gently kissed her forehead before retreating with a blush unnoticable in the night.

“Get some rest, sunshine.” he whispered before stealthily walking out the door as she released her death hug with the pillow.