Chloe

Shino Aphiry City

"You know who they remind me of?" Owen said nodding towards an old Aphiry couple arguing about who knows what. "They remind me of Johnithyn and Joanna. Always together, always arguing, maybe even holding hands..." Owen continued as I watched Joanna's face get red. "They're kissing..." Owen turned to Johnithyn with a huge grin on his face. "Have you two kissed already?"

There was no warning. Joanna began attacking Owen quite recklessly. Owen made sure no attack destroyed or hurt anything as he fled from her.

"She's cursing."

"I know," Johnithyn was watching her. "She's like that."

"I hope you two have settled down because I am planning to send the four of you out to see a village not too far away. I have been led to believe it was attacked. No word yet as to if it was destroyed or not."

"Why us?" Joanna asked.

"You four are now among the most experienced, and willing fighters having been trained by elders. That and Owen has experience outside the city where most of the aphiry population won't even step outside of the city boundary."

I've asked why no one leaves the city before. I was given the answer "This is the most peace this race has seen since 'the time of dragons', which is a myth.

"Where is it, we'll be back by nightfall," Joanna conjured her fire wings.

Elder Ed pointed, "Follow the smoke."

She took off, Johnithyn followed.

Owen started walking.

"Owen?"

"Go, I will...ah... catch up."

xyx

Joanna

"Now how in the world did you beat me?" I landed beside Owen. "Ed brought you here didn't he?"

"Nope," Owen's voice came from behind me. Owen's clone disappeared.

"You're still faster than me, I figured that trick out yesterday. It just takes a while... and he's the only clone that could do it."

"How did your clone beat me?"

"He had a head start; I noticed the smoke about an hour ago."

Chloe glided past us at an impossible speed and shot into the air. Johnithyn landed beside me before Chloe gently landed beside Owen. "Don't do that!" She half yelled at him.

"Do what?"

"You shut your powers from me!"

"No, not exactly..."

"Yesterday you disappeared nine times!"

"Yesterday I taught myself how to teleport myself using a clone."

"Wait a minute..." I interrupted. "You can feel Owen's power?" I asked Chloe.

They stopped arguing and Chloe nodded.

Artimys, sister of nature...

"Alright, let us see what happened here," Owen moved aside some branches.

"What? Where is everything?" There was just a really large area, no houses, no village the smoke? I looked up and smoke was coming out of the sky just below the tree line.

"It's a sight shield," Chloe reached forward and her hand disappeared. "A sight shield created by many."

"Or by someone powerful," Owen walked into the large area and disappeared, we all followed him.

Most of the buildings were mostly intact and made of wood which was not too common in Aphiry City. The one the smoke was coming from was burned to the ground. It didn't look like anyone was here until a dark creature stepped out of a building. He looked pretty badly injured, is he even alive? He looked like an aphiry; just everything about him was dark instead of white. His skin was dark, his hair was dark, he did not have wings but his power was black as night and he was covered in his power. Is he a yami aphiry?

He laughed and lifted up a girl maybe a year or two younger than us. She's not moving. "This one knew who I was looking for... stupid girl didn't tell me where she was," he threw her to the side like a lifeless little doll.

"I read about this kind of power," Johnithyn said. "It's called ghost. He can't be hit with normal magic... Owen? How do you kill a ghost?"

"I don't know..." Owen sight shielded, taking the image of an elf. She had long dark green hair in a ponytail. She was very small but I imagine very fierce. Her cloak is of this forest and the bow and arrows on her back were handmade. Owen knew her well, the detail was flawless.

"That's her!" The ghost advanced.

Owen brought down the sight shield and conjured two blades. "Where did you last see her?" He asked the ghost

"She and her wolves ran into us on the outskirts of this damned forest. Those damn wolves, I'll destroy them!" He attacked Owen.

Owen's blades flashed and an instant later the ghost vanished. He turned around, blades still in hand. "I tried," he said and dropped to his knees. Chloe caught him.

A presents appeared behind me. Johnithyn blocked a killing strike and I swung my conjured weapon right through him. The ghost vanished again.

"Chloe!"

The ghost attacked her.

Chloe lifted a hand and caught the ghost's conjured sword. I watched as ice traveled up the sword and then ghost's arms, he can't get away. Her ice changed from the normal colorless to a darker colour, slowly turning black like the ghost's power...

"Joanna, I can't feel her anymore."

I can't either...

The ghost looked freighted. "You're her! You are the Mother of Darkness!"

Chloe conjured an ice sword and shook her head. "No, but I once knew who she was… and if I must have a title in the darkness… call me sister," she swung and the ghost shattered.

"Go Chloe," Johnithyn cheered. "I'm leaving ghost problems to you from now... on..." he stopped and stared as I was. Chloe's eyes were different, they were black.

Jasmine

Yami Aphiry City

I laid my eyes on the giant. Tank had a huge belly as if he's been eating way too much, he doesn't look very healthy at all. He had wings but I doubt he could fly, how do I even approach him?

I walked towards him. He lifted his hand and taunted me to make the first move. Alright, but you will regret it. I thought about when I attacked the jailer beforeI ran at him only putting a little power into my fist, when I got close he stomped on the ground the same time I jumped at him. Didn't look like he expected me to jump, I met his head with a direct hit.

I jumped off of him landing a ways and watched him stumble backwards right onto his butt; I'm not giving him a chance. I ran at him again, still with only a little power behind my attack. He smashed the ground in front of him and the entire arena rumbled before it started to crack open. I jumped at him again, over the large crack in the earth. He brought his large arms up to block his head. I hit his block and he threw me away with tremendous power. There was no way I was going to stop myself in midair so I braced for a barrier. There wasn't any, I landed in the crowd.

When I got up, all the aphiries surrounding me were out of their seats with their own powers at the ready, I'm not going to escape, maybe another time. First, this guy is going down. I looked around and one young aphiry had power similar to my own at the ready. His power was covering his entire body but most of it was in his hands as to attack or possibly block. You gave me an idea, thank you. I nodded to him, jumped back into the arena flipping, turning and then stuck a landing on all fours. Here we go.

Tank looked rather disappointed as if I was supposed to try to escape. He was standing again and he decided to smash the ground again. Now his plan was starting to make sense because the ground really opened up this time, I had to leap to an area, he left only about an eighth left of the arena to fight in, and it was all in his area except for this little spot I made it to. I looked down into the nothingness, didn't think you could see the bottom. I looked at Tank again; he taunted me for the second time.

You know, I think I just got lazy; Isat down and waved at him to make the next move.

He looked confused.

I shrugged.

We ended up just taunting each other until the announcer started talking. "The only ties we get are when both players die. Either one of you makes a move or you both die."

Tank looked at me. I shrugged; I'm not going to move.

"You get two minutes before I come down there," he let off some power to intimidate us, I wonder what kind of power he has... What are you going to do about it? I looked at Tank who was walking right to the edge of his creation. He lifted his arms and smashed the inside. The little piece I was sitting on made a sudden move.

Shit. I jumped onto the wall and jumped off the wall right behind Tank who smashed the ground again in my direction. Last chance, I ran towards him and leaped low. This is everything I have left! I must have been too fast for him; he took a hard hit to the stomach.

I felt all that power get absorbed and it forced it all right back to me, sending me straight for the crowd, again. This time I went straight through the crowd, outside of the arena and into the city. Aphiries immediately circled me ready to kill. I didn't give them a chance. I jumped and climbed the side of the arena straight up. A couple aphiries just moved out of my way before I jumped back into the crowd and jumped again strait for Tank. He had his arms in the air as if he had won.

You can have every last drop! My power in one fist and me flying towards him. I hit his head at full force. I watched as my fist went right into the side of his head. I jumped off of him as he fell into his own giant hole in the ground. Everyone was silent.

Of course, I always get the silen- Everyone all of a sudden began cheering and howling and then they all started to chant 'Hell Cat' over and over.

I realized I was stuck on this little piece of earth; don't even want to try jumping out of here. A couple of earth movers moved all the earth back and I walked out of the arena as everyone still chanted my name. Hell Cat is back!

Chloe

Shino Forest, Hidden Village

"Ok, so the ones 'touched by darkness' all have weird powers and there is no telling who has been touched until they show 'their darkness'," Johnithyn repeated. "That is some very confusing stuff, I'm just glad your eyes are back to normal."

"Where did you learn about all that anyway?" Joanna asked.

"The Mother of Darkness found me; she taught me how to control it. If I was ever to lose control the darkness will consume me," I looked up. "The darkness is cursed. The more the power is used the less control I will have and the more I use it the more powerful I become. That was the first time using the power without it's mother's help."

"I imagine it could get addicting," Johnithyn said. "The mother of Darkness...wait, you met Artimys?"

I nodded.

"What was she like?" Owen spoke for the first time in hours.

We cleaned the place and buried the dead. Owen was quiet the whole time. He could probably name most of them. There was not one person still alive.

"Artimys was different. The way she taught me was different. She'd say something that made no sense but somehow it did because it always worked. I tried what she said to do and it just worked. You don't forget a lesson like that.

"She was also very kind, in her own way. During breaks, she told stories. The way she told them was very weird at first but you get used to her story telling. I only remember the last one she told. I won't be able to tell it like she did."

Owen got up. "I'll be back."

"I don't know about you two but we want our beds," Johnithyn and Joanna got up.

"Race you," Joanna took off.

"That's so not fair," Johnithyn followed.

I got up too and went to find Owen.

"I'm here, I didn't go far," he was in a tree. "I remember... I remember something so white it glowed in the dark. I remember power from a weapon, a bow. That is the only thing I remember before being alone, before I was feared by an entire village, before I was hit with stones and called a monster... before I met her..."

"The girl you showed the ghost..."

"She lived in this village with me… I can still feel her presents here. She might have become quite powerful herself."

"Who was she?"

"I didn't really know… I knew she was a friend. She stood beside me while everyone else hated me. She herself was hated for protecting me. I didn't realize that only half of the power I felt was mine. The power I have now is half of what I originally thought it was, Jasmine had just as much power I had, I didn't realize until after I left. I should not have left her...

"After my battle with sensei, after my power was nearly drained, I found my mother's bow," Owen jumped down in front of me and looked into my eyes. "Artimys left it with you, Sister of Darkness."