The Power of Darkness: Chapter 6



Barnett

Barnett ran his fingers through his hair; an old habit.

Pride disappeared from his hand and a smirk appeared on his face.

The archer was still looking around, weighing her options and planning her escape. He had to give her credit for not giving up.

"It's fruitless." He said. "You're surrounded and there's no escape."

The girl gave him a fake smile. "There's your problem. Light always drives Dark away."

"And Dark is able to snuff out Light when it needs too." Barnett placed his fingers on her chin and forced her to look up at him. "It's all about balance really. Light's greatest weakness is Dark and Dark's greatest weakness is Light."

She let out a laugh that was probably a short laugh. "Light triumphs all. Darkness can never win."

Barnett returned her laugh. "How naive."

"I would say the same to you. Putting all your attention on one thing. Maybe you should focus on the big picture." She gave him a sly smile.

Barnett broke away, immediately turning his attention to his surroundings. His eyes imediately found the giant black cone, right diagonally above him.

Then he looked to the floor. What he had been standing on was a stage, the kind where random performances would  happen in the Mall.

Then the black cone switched on.

The light was intense and burning. Barnett's skin burned, it burst into flames.

The sound that came from his mouth was more beast than human. He instinctively put his arms up to protect his face, but his arms would not be enough of a barrier to protect him from the light.

He shadow travelled away from the spotlight and into the cold comfort of darkness.

Barnett couldn't see anything, the liquids in his eyes had probably boiled the same way his skin had caught fire. He could still hear though, the archer; she was shouting to attack.

But someone else, a boy perhaps?, was shouting that they should retreat.

"Barnett?" Marcel's voice rung in his ears. "Get up you blood-sucker, they're getting away."

Barnett blinked hard, his sight restored now thanks to being surrounded in the dark.

"What happened?"

"Reinforcements, turns out they brought some friends." Marcel replied.

Barnett scanned his surroundings. He found her, the archer with the silver eyes. She was running towards the exit with her allies,  His smile curled up into a sinister smile.

He was going to drain every bit of blood from her body.

Pride appeared in his hand again and he charged.

He turned his form partly into shadow, as such he became intagible, avoiding and passing through all solid object. At one point, some sort of projectile passed straight through him.

He ignored all of that, he was focused one thing. The archer's black hair....

That's when something slammed into him.

Both bodies collided, the other body having more momentum and force knocked Barnett back.

Barnett landed hard on the floor, he rolled to get to his feet. How had anything stopped him? He was intagible!

The other body struck out, his blade curved weirdly. Pride lashed out in front of him, blocking the blow.

The other body struck with his fist, connecting with Barnett's jaw. Barnett recoiled and strafed to the side to avoid the curved blade.

Barnett lashed out with Pride, the tip plunging into the other body's side. The body gasped, it's voice clearly male.

He kicked Barnett away and before Barnett could recover the male thrusted with the curved blade.

Barnett raised his arm instinctively and blade drove itself into Barnett's arm. The male pushed harder in an attempt to impale the blade into Barnett's chest but Barnett released his grip from his weapon and dug his fingers deep into the wound he had made at the male's side.

The male recoiled back, releasing his grip on the curved blade. Now they weren't in the heat of battle, he could tell what the blade was. A celestial bronze sickle.

Barnett pulled the blade out and threw it away. Then he turned his attention to the male.

Tall, short black hair, african american, eyes of gold that was a stark contrast to his dark skin and hair.

Then Barnett paid a little more attention to his eyes, there was a red ring around his irises. The same red ring that was around Barnett's own irises.

Which meant one thing.

"Incubus." Barnett hissed the word.

The male jerked up at the word. "What did you call me?" His accent was weird, Barnett couldn't place his finger on it.

Barnett chuckled, his usual demeanor was back. "Incucbus, that's what we are and what did you do to deserve walking on this earth without life?"

The male frowned. "My father is Thanatos. I made a deal with him one day; I forfeited my life for the life of another." The male spat. "It was a stupid deal, the man I gave my life for died a few weeks later."

Barnett chuckled again. "Oh our ladies the fates, they will never be bested."

"And what did you do to get the curse of immortality?"

"I simply tired of being a mortal. I asked my father for immortality and he gave it to me. Now I am a blood sucking demon." Barnett replied.

"You drink blood?" The male asked, surprised.

Barnett jerked up at his question. "And you don't?"

The male shook his head, he had gotten to his sickle since Barnett and been distracted.

That was interesting. The curse varied from one person to another.

Barnett who hated all mortals, was now entirely dependant on these mortals to live. That of course brought up the question: what were the traits of the male's curse?

"Why do you side with the Cult of Light and by extension the Olympians? A debt? Or simply blind loyalty?"

The male let out a short laugh but it was humourless. "I have no love for the Olympians or any of the other gods."

"Then what do you fight for?" Barnett inquired.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"A soul with a tough hide, I'll give you that." Barnett spat.

"Leo?" A voice appeared. "

Barnett's head snapped to the position of voice. It belonged to a girl. A pretty little thing, brown hair, petite with big green eyes.

Barnett looked around, the other Black Knights has gone and chased after the Center of Light members. She was smart enough to wait for them to be gone.

"Abigail?" Leo turned back at the girl. "Abigail what are you doing here?!"

Barnett's lips curled into a sinister smile. "I guess i just found out what you fight for."

Leo turned his blazing gold eyes to Barnett. "Don't you touch her!"

Barnett smiled at him. "Then you'll just have to be faster than me don't you?" Leo reach out to grab him but failed as Barnett shadow travelled away.

Barnett reappeared in front of Abigail, the girl's expression turned to one of shock. In her defence, she wasn't completely defenceless.

She rolled back to dodge his intital grab for her. She hefted the crossbow she had and pulled the trigger.

The bolt lodged itself into Barnett's forehead, his head recoiling back from the force of it.

The pain was sharp and agonising, but like all pain it was only for a moment. His head snapped back and smiled that sinister smile at her.

"You're aiming a little bit high there miss." He said pulling the bolt out of his forehead.

He lunged for her, his arms wrapped around his neck and head.

Leo was moving now, but he was too slow. Not gifted with the same shadow travelling abilities as Barnett did.

Barnett turned so the Leo would be able to see the tragedy that would befall his beloved. Barnett adjusted his fingers to her chin and in front of Leo-

-he snapped her neck.

"Abigail!" Leo lunged forward the final distance between them.

Barnett dropped the girl's corpse and stepped back. Leo curled the girl in his arms. He muttered inaudibly to himself, his tears and the words getting stuck in his throat.

Barnett knelt down and caressed the girl's cheek. "A poor thing. See brother? This is why love makes us immortals weak, our partners just die while we live on-"

Leo struck with his fist, almost catching Barnett off guard.

"Whoa. Looks like we have some fight in you huh?" Barnett smiled, catching the blow with his own hand.

"I swear-" Leo's voice wavered. "I swear on River Styx that I'll make you pay. I give back whatever you did to her tenfold. I'll make you suffer in the most possible way!"

"That's good. I'll be looking forward to it." Barnett pull his other fist back and punched Leo in the jaw. While he was down, Barnett pulled his foot back and kicked him in the head.

Barnett waited for 4 seconds to make sure he was out cold before he started moving. He adjusted and smoothened out his clothes on the way out.

Marcel was outside the mall waiting for him as per usual. Barnett himself, due to parentage as well as being a Incubus couldn't stand out in the middle of the day. If he needed to travel, he would travel in the someone else's shadow.

"Finally." Marcel spat. "You done with whatever you need to do Vampire?"

"Once again Marcel, I am not a vampire. I am an Incubus."

"What's the difference?"

"A vampire is a creature that teenage girls fantasise about in books and media." Barnett stepped into her shadow and started melting into it. "An Incubus - is a demon."

For the stronger the Light; the thicker the shadows that fall.  21:41, June 7, 2014 (UTC)