inside shadows [asphyxia]

aegis of the torrent

The enigmatic spirit soon supplied an appearance and a voice to her strong presence, but Mikleo wasn't wavered. All he heard was fuel to his ire, and that was probably what this thing wanted from him. Mikleo could only set his jaw, fingers around the staff blanching - though that was as far in rage as he allowed himself to go. If what he'd heard was true, then Sorey's body was in a constant strain against the darkness that ailed him. For Mikleo to give in now would be dangerous for the both of them.

His main priority was getting Sorey out of here, so that was going to be the determinant of his actions. Muse's staff glowed warningly.

"You're wrong," He argued. "Sorey won't succumb to your darkness - the shepherd won't ever succumb to any darkness!" 

Sorey's sword was out of its sheath, which meant he had tried to fight back. If his state was reduced to this even with the powers of purification, then Mikleo's own powers wouldn't be enough to have him both fight and protect. That left the seraph with the only logical recourse; escape.

His jaw still didn't let any as he spoke. "Consider yourself lucky that I can't deal with you at this moment," he threatened. "I'd take this opportunity to leave this place as soon as possible. Aqua Serpent!"

The watery giant bolted from the staff and honed toward the deceptive innocence - just a distraction, while Mikleo conjured up his teleportation spell. His parting would be swift, but considering the power of that Heartless, probably not permanent.

Sorey was the priority here.

@sorey Asphyxia

This little creature was sure of himself, wasn't he? It was too bad that all of that courage and self-confidence would falter in the end, as he was dead wrong. Never before had she seen a case where the light continued to purify itself after it was tainted with the unholy aspect known as darkness. It was weak. It was pathetic. It was pitifully look at as the superior of the spectrum, when Sorey had fallen to her mercy in a matter of mere minutes. Asphyxia saw it time and time again where the warriors of light were torn down, ripped to pieces and mangled beyond recognition. Their pride would do the same, and they would be left as empty husks - by her own actions, of course.

She tilted her head as she heard Mikleo talk, her pupils growing in size and then shrinking back down as she analyzed him in a disturbingly inhuman manner - it looked more reptilian than anything shown by that of a person. This Heartless was a cold-blooded killing machine - or at least that's what she portrayed. In truth, Asphyxia was just doing what was implanted into her since the moment of her creation by Ansem in that test chamber. She had no recollection of it, but she was tested on and experimented with. It was only natural that she would want to reciprocate that through her subconsciousness.

Mikleo then displayed some sort of magical being made from water, and it was plunging toward her as though it were planning to show no mercy, but the Heartless could see right through this little ruse. It was a distraction, something to use for the two of them to escape her grasp, as they were both obviously no match for her in this state. If they could find a way to recover, then that would be much more fun - but, Asphyxia had to admit that this was one of the most interesting encounters she had experienced in a while.

The Heartless dove back into the darkness from whence it came, averting the serpent at what seemed to be the last second. Of course she continued to watch them from the refuge that the shadows provided for her, surrounding her in what she knew to be her home. She watched as the two of them used a teleportation spell to exit the area, and the girl couldn't help but spare a few chuckles from her eerily gentle voice.

She could still feel the energy as it resurfaced in another part of town, but she decided that she would leave them be for now. Perhaps they would recover, or do what they thought was recovery. Sorey would probably never be able to fully get out of the rut that he had been forced into by her actions, and that was the most interesting part about it, and the most entertaining. Trying to watch her prey struggle out of the trap holes, screaming and pleading with her to spare them whilst they continue to mock and belittle the darkness and Heartless.

This was her chance to show her rightful superiority.

And she would.

[End]