[IC] [Skybreaker] Lumières Caelum [tenebrae16]

[Skybreaker]

Edge felt a few tears begin to form. He would only cry for his family. But, perhaps, they didn't want him to go. And he didn't want to leave his kids, but he had no choice. What did they expect him to do? Bring two children into he battlefield? Even if they didn't get harmed, they shouldn't have to see their Daddy's darker nature. Not yet, it was far too soon.

For now, he made his gaze hard and strong. His kids... they didn't need to worry about him. "Sleipnir , it's for your own safety. You and your brother's." But what his son said next made the hydra widen his eyes in fear. "N-no! Baby, you're my son, I'd never..." but his breath hitched and he coughed. "How did you? I never, ever said that!!!" Edge objected.

"Daddy." Skylark suddenly spoke, and he turned to look. Skylark had his arms outstretched. "If you're going to leave, can I have one last... hug?" Edge quickly nodded and hugged both of his boys tightly. "I told you, this isn't over... we will be reunited." But as his violet eyes fell upon the faces of his boys, he was filled with joy.

He loved then, so, so, much. He shed a few more tears. "Did you want to... come with Daddy? I'll show you my castle..." He wasn't strong enough to resist his desires. Skylark was quick to respond. "YESSSSSS!"

[tenebrae16]

Sleipnir felt hot tears prickling in his eyes as Daddy continued to lie. Staring up at the king of hydras, Sleipnir wondered why Daddy felt the need to even leave them or to continue tearing everything they had apart. Even Father was gone now, the scent of him fading away already. Father had already left. Did they're parents hate them that much? Now, hate was a very strong word for someone of his age to use and understand, but Skeipnir couldn't see why else they were being abandoned like this. He turned to gaze at Skylark as his brother pulled his hand away and reached for Daddy. He did the same, wanting at least one more hug too.

Burying his face into Daddy's shoulder, he let a few tears escape him. Holding on tightly to Edge, little claws clutching his robes and refusing to let him go so soon. Soaking in the warmth and love before he let Edge go, staring tearfully down at his dirtied socks. Wriggling his toez and feeling the two smooth pebbles still with him.

His head snapped up instantly though as Edge offered them the choice to come along, "Really?" He questioned, the grabbed Daddy's hand, misery near instantaneously replaced with mirth. "We can come with Daddy to see his castle?"

[Skybreaker]

Edge kissed Sleipnir's cheek as he pulled him up into his arms alongside Skylark. He smiled as he pulled away and looked around. The others were ready and eager to leave this hell and for back to their castle. The king ran a hand through his son's hair, soothing him. "Of course." The he began to tear up. "I... I thought I could be strong enough to leave you two, but I'm not. You're coming with me." Edge replied softly.

With that, Skylark decided he would need to condition his Daddy to do exactly as he wanted. His eye's powers were quite strong. Perhaps he could use it on the other dragons, as well. That would be fun!

Finally, Edge beckoned for everyone to call out the wings as he did the same. Edge despised his dragon form, but he needed his wings... four black, ornate wings, in fact. They all worked at different speeds and soon Edge was off the ground, clutching his kids tightly.

In a while, they arrived at the castle. It was new and exciting to Skylark, who had never seen anything of the sort. It was giant, and made of so e glassy black substance. As he dealt Daddy land on what appeared to be a balcony along with the other hydra, he realized how fancy it really was. Daddy raised a single hand, and the clouds above the castle seemed to break. He watched in awe.

With a grunt, the clouds parted all the way to reveal greyish morning sunlight. Edge needed the sun. He led the others into the dining room, where the furniture was Victorian and sat down at his seat, the tallest and at the head of the table, "All right, comrades. Do we have a plan?''

---

Meanwhile, Terra and Silva were following the rest of the Elders. They were right in the middle, and prepared for action!Regnum and Ferrum had actually met the king of the hydra before everyone realized he was crazy. Terra, however, had not. Brushing a stray hand of hair from her face, the female dragon took a deep breath. Fighting she could do, but knowing Relin, one of her allies was in kahootz with a hydra made her uneasy.

Sneaking up behind him, she decided to speak. "Relin." She said softly. "Hydras are not capable of love. I would hate to see you hurt so by one, you realize. Whatever you think you havem , you 'love' is just a trick."

[tenebrae16]

Sleipnir reached up and wiped at Daddy's tears, "Then Daddy shouldn't cry, it's a good thing." The young dragon said softly, shaking his head at Daddy's words, "I'd rather Daddy be weak and stay with us than be strong and leave us alone." He exclaimed, earning an unnoticed grimace from Beezlebub. The elder hydra was not very good with dealing with children, he found them a pain and would rather stay as far as he could from them than step one foot near the brats. Hearing that Edge's children was coming along annoyed him, but he would have to put up with his king's decision now that he had returned to his place of power. Everyone else seemed rather neutral at the choice. Leonidos, or Leo because he himself couldn't bother to say his full name, didn't seem to care at all and Blizzard would rather pay attention to the cookie she lightly nibbled.

Sleipnir cling tightly to Daddy and reached over to hold Skylark's hand as well as the dust kicked around them from Daddy's wings, the cold draft making him snuggle closer to Edge. He closed his eyes and buried his face against Edge's robe, knowing that they would soon be off the ground. He had never flown and never understood why Father had wanted them so much to experience the feeling, but as he dared to peek out from under his eyelid, his jaw dropped. They were high above the ground, yes, but surprisingly it wasn't as scary as he imagined. Actually, it was exhilarating soaring that high above the ground, up in the air with Daddy warm holding him, keeping him safe while the kind ruffled his hair and added to the rush he felt. He stretched out his arms and laughed happily. Flying was amazing!

Soon Daddy's castle came into place and cheeks flushed Sleipnir stared up in awe at the huge obsidian computed walls. It seemed strangely ethereal, this sort of place that smelled so fresh and clean, sparkling in the dim sunlight amongst the wasteland. It was a whole world away from what he had known. Even the shelter couldn't compare to the grand halls and ornately carved furniture, all looking new and freshly polished.

He ran across the smooth shiny floor as he was set down, nearly slipping with his socks on. Then he turned and ran back to his family, "Daddy's castle is amazing!" He exclaimed, staring up at Edge, eyes shining as he followed Daddy into the meeting room and found a place on his lap as everyone sat down.

Leo slumped in his chair, staring lazily at the silverware on the table, leaning his head on his arm. Not even startled when Beezlebub stood up, choosing to be the first to speak up, "Easy! They try to attack us, we attack back and we stop them! We fight and we take down each and everyone of their measly council." He growled, earning a few disapproving looks at his sudden outburst and one annoyed glare from another. He bared his teeth, staring at Edge and waiting for his answer. King's say was final, but honestly they didn't have much time left.
~~~<
He was focused ahead, nearly not noticing Terra had caught up to him, keeping up with his pace. The dragoness of the earth, she had always been a mother among dragons and Relin couldn't help but feel bad that she had to awaken to her precious earth rotted away. He wasn't hurt by her words, because he knew she was just trying to help, trying to warn him, though it was perhaps far too late, "Terra...Even if he hath no love, I do-did. I did once before. And I have left that behind for the sake of the elders and the earth...I have let a lot of things behind for the elders. Do not worry for me, I will not be tricked again.."

Oh, if only she knew how much he was planning to betray their kind, though he figured that the elders would be fine with or without him. Looking ahead, he breathed softly, closing his eyes. "we're getting close, he's there..."

[Skybreaker]

Terra sighed, but nodded with a cautious smile. She was no idiot; she knew something was off, though not exactly what it was. Had something happened to Relin? Not hibernating must have taken its toll on the white dragon. Then something dawned on her. Though it might not be the reason for him, if it were to happen to her, she would be devastated. Why didn't Relin have his two baby boys? Something... something wasn't right. Did the man simply leave his kids, with a hydra of all things?

If he did, she would have officially lost all faith in white dragons. If only SHE had not been killed trying to protect her son...

---

The hydra looked irately at Beelzebub, who had chosen to be loud and angry. Nothing abnormal or atypical of that. None of them so much as flinched, though Skylark did look a bit shaken up. He was still awestruck like his brother, though instead of sitting on Daddy's lap, he was standing by his chair like a good little boy. When Edge covered his ears, he smiled. Daddy's hands were so warm. He liked being massaged by Daddy. What was he thinking? Enslave this handsome man? No! Never!

Edge was one of the few that took Beelzebub seriously. While very crazy, Beelzebub was strong, and he had a horrible temper. Once he had lunged at Edge to kill him. He failed miserably, and received the beating of his life. After nodding his head in approval, Edge spoke. "Indeed. However, we cannot underestimate the Elders; they have survived for a reason. We should progress with the up most caution."

"Since when have we been afraid of the dragons?" Noire asked irritably. She obviously was not happy with that fact Edge thought they weren't capable of the task. The king exhaled sharply.

"They can imprison us in crystals forever, and that is a fate worse than death. We cannot risk that. If any of you feel like you'll hold us back then leave." Suddenly, Edge pounded the table, causing Leo to jolt up. "Pat attention! This is what we do." He then recalled how they killed Path's mother, and Terra's sister.

"Recall how we dealt with Elders in the past? We outnumber them. I died because we didn't have the numbers. Now listen, they will come as a unit and if he fight as individuals, we will perish. This castle is my maze; I rigged it. We need to split up the dragons and kill them one by one. Any questions?"

[tenebrae16]

The dark castle was distinct even in the difference, looming up ahead of them. A black speckle against the land, shining in the dim light filtering in through the clouds. It was actually quite beautiful as unnatural as it was. Something out of this world, terrifying but entrancing. Had Edge wanted to make a castle like this with him before, Pa-Relin wondered softly to himself. Then pushed the those thoughts out of his head, skidding to a stop as Regnum did. Everyone else followed, coming to a stop just a short distance away from the fortress. They gathered around Regnum who dug into the brown leather satchel hung around his waist, fishing out a fluorescent white shard, no bigger than his palm. To each he handed a three, then dropped the satchel on the ground for it was useless now.

Relin stared down at the shards, clutching them tightly. They radiated warmly, glowing as he poured his power into it. Elerium. The rarest of all crystals and perhaps the most dangerous of them all. Highly Radioactive to normal human skin though only with the touch of a dragon, since it was extremely sensitive to such power. It was also the only thing that could immobilize a hydra completely. Attracted to their energy, it could grow rapidly engulfing a hydra as it fed on it's power. Relin knew all about then since they had been, right from the start, formed, grown and nurtured underground where the elders had slept, designed only for this exact purpose. Defeating the hydra since killing them would only give them a problem to deal with later.

He shook his head, realizing he had paused for far too long and the other dragons were already ahead of him, ready to storm the castle. He caught up to them, still human though because the castle was far too small to accommodate the size of a full grown reptile and the walls were far too strong to just storm. So they would have to take a risk and go in like this. "Keep close.." Regnum growled as they reached the large doors. They were already open..almost invitingly..

Cautiously, the elders stepped inside, Relinquish lagging a little behind. They had not taken but a few steps before the doors slammed shut, but they had expected that. What they hadn't anticipated was the floor springing up to form high walls, dividing the group. Regnum with Sanare. Ferrum with Sila. Terra with Anemoli and Relin. Sanare was the first to bang on the wall, biting her tongue to avoid crying out as she hit hard stone. The castle truly had become a maze and already, they were all separated from each other with no choice but to continue on throughout the path laid for them, twisting and turning, forked and running up and down a few levels.

Relin knew though, exactly where to go to find the king. "Follow me." He gestured to both Anemoli and Terra. The quiet dragon of the wind was willing to follow unlike Ferrum who would no doubt have protested if he was made to follow someone but Regnum's orders. Perhaps it was better they were separated. Trailing his hand along the stone wall, Relin closed his eyes and followed his senses.

---

They barely had time to ask any questions when there was the loud sound of the walls coming up on the lower floors. Leo yawned, lazy to get up as he watched Beezlebub stand first. A scowl on his face, getting ready to face their enemies. Blizzard came third, finishing off her biscuit and getting ready to head out and face the dragons.

Sleipnir jumped at the sound, staring up at Edge, "Daddy, what's that?..." He asked softy, watching everyone else push out their chairs and stand. Suddenly hostile now, even the most docile looking of them were radiating some sort of menacing aura. Not directed at him, but at something...he wasn't exactly sure what, but it frightened him slightly. "Daddy, what's going on now?"

[Skybreaker]

"It's nothing, honey, just stay here and don't you dare come out, got it?" Edge said lovingly and firmly, as if he was warning his children not to wander into the woods. Skylark's eyes began to fill with water as he blinked away more tears.

"Daddy, I can handle it..." He muttered slowly. Edge sighed as the hydra bore holes into his back with their eyes; they thought this was nonsense. There were damn dragons in the castle- they needed to hurry up! Even child loving Noire seemed to think that there were more pressing matters to deal with. Which, in all fairness, there were.

"Listen, Daddy will protect you. Stay here and stick together." With that, Edge beckoned his allies to follow him out the door. Skylark bit his lip. He knew he could help. Even as the hydra began to file out, one lagged behind. Leonides... He would make a good first slave. Squeezing his brother's hand confidently, the young boy was filled with a strong emotion, one he had been given by both his parents. The will to fight.

Scampering over to him, Skylark tugged the lazy hydra's pant leg. Even as Leo spoke, Skylark locked eyes with the powerful hydra and gave him a burst of mind control. Not even a hydra could stand up to his eyes; Leo would be nothing but a slave to this child. Sky would become his god, in time.

"What is you name?" Skylark paused. He felt like a king already. "Listen, I am your Master, and you are my slave. On your knees and kiss my feet, you will obey. You love your Master and will change or do anything. Do you understand?"

---

Everyone else seemed to think Leo was just being Leo- always lagging behind. Edge spoke quickly as he lead the hydra through a tunnel system. "Be careful; I do not know what they are planning."

"To imprison us.., using some kind of rock." December warned, having premonitions. Charon grunted.

"My king, how do we separate them?" Edge sighed.

"We can't. Just do your best;even if we are trapped, we will be revived he day. Crush the elders, and show..." His voice hitched as he though of Path. "Show no mercy. Now, he maze is through this door. Tread with caution, my friends.."

---

Terra followed worldlessly. There was no logic in wasting energy in speaking.She would do anything to destroy this caslte- it angered her it dared to touch the Earth. This was the cursed rock that the hydra lived in; this was hell. It smelled of sulfur and blood.

After following Path for a while, she took a deep breath. Something smelled.,. Off...

[tenebrae16]

Sleipnir's hand found his brother's and he squeezed instinctively, reassuringly and to be reassured as he stared up at their Daddy. The young dragon was frightened, unsure, but also curious as to what was going on and why only now did Edge deem it far too dangerous for them to follow him. What could possibly be so dangerous enough to shake Edge up? Off course, the hydra didn't show it, but Sleipnir could see it; in the deepest darkest corners of his mind reflected in his purple eyes, Edge was worried about something more than just them.

He pondered over what it could possibly be even as Skylark protested and asked to come along. The pebbles in his socks nudged against him as he took a step forward to stand by Skylark's side again, remembering the promise he had made. If Skylark could handle it then surely he could too in order to protect his sibling, "But Daddy,..." He began, just as Edge turned around and left the room, leaving the toddler biting his cheek mid-sentence; slightly annoyed and even more so curious. As of such, he without hesitation followed his brother as he ran towards the lagging hydra.

Leo hated to rush. Even in the midst of danger, the hydra liked to take things slow much to the annoyance of the others, but they couldn't really do anything about it. As he plodded after them, a small tug on his pant leg made him pause and slowly swivel his head to look down at the king's offspring, "Oh, didn't your Daddy tell you to sta-...." He trailed off as his eyes met Skylarks's.

Now, Leo wasn't exactly the brightest bulb, no that took too much effort, so it wasn't a surprise when he so easily succumbed to Skylark's control or maybe he was just happier to let his mind rest and wander. While his mind was dormant, his whole physical form and tensed and grown alert. Something so very I characteristic in Leo. Even his words were clear and fluent unlike his usual lazy slur, "Leonides, Sire." He said before he dropped onto his knees and began pressing kisses on his master's toes. Staring up at him like an obedient little puppy dog. "Understood."

Sleipnir watched in awe as his brother reduced the tall hydra to nothing more than a puppet. It wasn't as scary when it wasn't Daddy, in fact, it was almost sort of silly to see the man kissing his brother's toes. Excitedly he whispered, "Sky, what shall we do with him? Should we go find Daddy and help?"

---

Beelzebub was the first to stalk off on his own as soon was the doors were open, finding his own path in the maze, searching and eventually stalking his prey. He couldn't wait to rip the wings of the puny elders, wrong their necks and-' His mind filled with so many cruel deeds, he would not be restrained this time. No, this time, no one would be there to hold him back and tell him not to. This time, he would really be cruel.

---

"They have planned this, they are waiting." Anemoli spoke so softly that if not for the defeating silence, his words would not have been heard at all. No one answered him, but the elder did not expect to be answered as they descended up some steps that seemed to have toes up from nowhere. The walls seemed to keep shifting, doing whatever it took to keep them all separated and frustrated.

At one point, the grey stone had become transparent like glass and they could see the others wandering around in the maze, looking just as lost. Yet no matter how much they called and hit the walls, the maze was just teasing them and they had no choice but to continue on. It seemed to stretch on forever, especially with the silence that had consumed them. Delaying their mission. Relin was beginning to feel frustrated and he glanced back to his companions when a voice floated above their heads, "Well, what do we have here?"

Blizzard stepped out, her magnificent dress trailing behind her, from around a corner, delicately brushing off the crumbs from her hands. Her lips pursed into a smile, she stepped out before the three. Lucky her, they were not the type to charge. Instead, Relin stood ready while Anemoli just stood; white eyes darting around the area, over the hydra, studying her and calculating. Blizzard smiled and waited, producing another tart from seemingly nowhere and daintily nibbling at the edges.

[Skybreaker]

Looking on with a neutral expression, Edge bit his lip. Beelzebub would be fine on his own, but the rest of them would need to use the maze to their advantage. If Beelzebub knew the secrets, then he should be able to use them, as well. "Remember, once you're inside, there's no coming out until there's only eight of us left. That's how I designed it. If anything goes wrong, we can flee by going THROUGH or UNDER the maze.... but I did make it neigh-impenetrable." Realizing he sounded like a nagging caretaker, Edge smirked as he tossed a glance over his shoulder.

"None of us ever... ran away, did we? We are hydra becauae we are strong. I hope... no one's gotten rusty." He whispered before disappearing into the maze after Beelzebub, crouching while the other hydra walked around him to scatter throughout the mind-bending maze. Edge focused on dispelling a brilliant purple mist. It was strange, but at that moment, for some reason, he felt like Path knew that their love lacked intensity. Was... was that why he left? Before Edge could tell him?

He loved Regnum passionately; passion was his ideal. The two would make love nearly every night. Both of them had their issues, so it helped them both relax. As the purple mist began to fill the entire maze, Edge felt part of him wanting to cry. Since his allies were also in the maze, there was no sense in sending out a poison everyone could just counter. Path.... Though he felt intense lust for Regnum and Sleipnir , his only love... it had to be... "Alas, I must be immortal, for you, my love, have broken my heart. Trap me and gaze upon me always, I beg of you..." Edge mentally projected to both Regnum and Path before standing up. It was time to fight. He looked behind him at the door. His kids might want to follow. A battlefield was no place for children.

Raising a single hand, Edge sealed the doors and caused a seven-pointed star to appear on both sides, effectively locking it. With a single nod to himself, the boy ran off to do what he was born to do- return peace to the Earth and light into the sky. Looking up at his father with a silent prayer, Edge felt his original strength return. It was time to fight.

---

Skylark snickered in almost pure joy as the strong hydra kissed his toes. The sight was strangely hilarious. Sky needed to keep his pet alive. Was it possible he could enslave others? "Now stand, my pet, and do as I say." It excited him to have this power. He shot a power-free glance to his brother.

"Yes! We are going to Daddy!" He then looked to Leonides once again. "Now, what is going on?" The boy's eyes widened and his wnhs fluttered as he listened. He held his brother's hand instinctively. Daddy... Daddy could be killed! He felt tears prick the corners of his eyes as he searched his memories. His grandmother had this power as well, though it was weaker and she used her own strength to fight. He realized he could motivate this hydra, give him all the power he needed to fight. "Now, Leo, come out of your trance. You shall be the same as you normally are except you will know I am your master and you will happily obey. When I kiss your cheek, your strength shall insrease tenfold and you will do your very best to protect and serve your master!" With that, the boy hopped onto Leo's torso and kissed his cheek tenderly, wanting to be carried.

---

Anemoli had grand senses. Terra really did have to wonder how the dragon was able to do it. She could turn the soild of the Earth over, but couldn't sense anything as the others might be able to. She longed to rip out a hydra's heart herself, though she knew that was not the answer. She had a chunk of Elerium in the palm of her hand, knowing full well of its properties. She, the dragoness of the earth, had been the one to form them.

Along with Relin and Anemoi, sh stopped as a hydra appeared less than one hundred feet before them. The woman seemed so elegant, but Terra saw right through the ruse. This lady was a sin, and should be treated as such. It took every fiber of attained self-control to not launch herself like a missile and rip out a vital organ. Instead, she slowly followed her companions, her steps shaking the earth and alerting everyone Terra was about to let loose.

"What do you have? Some guests. Real dragons, not you necros." She said calnly with a cruel snicker, needing to make the hydra lose her cool.

---

Noire and Charon had decided to stick together. The two weren't fighters like December, Forte, Beelzebub, Leo, Blizzard, or Edge, so they had to stay together to be strong. Lust and vanity I'd go hand in hand. The two were quite close, though they would never be romantically entangled. They didn't need to speak yet; they could sense two dragons. In little time, they were able to approach two elders boldly. In normal circumstance, Charon and Noire would be behind the scenes. This was their time to shine.

Looking over to Sila, Noire nodded once. "Welcome, our dear ugly guests. It's not a pleasure at all to have you here." She remarked pleasantly. Charon only nodded with a grin.

"I couldn't agree more." A male chorused as he revealed himself on the other side of Ferrum and Sila. It was Forte, with December following behind him. They must have been looking to pick off the Elders while using numbers as well. With four of them and two of the dragons, the odds were in the hydra's favor.

As for Edge, he was stalking Regnum. He needed to kill the one other dragon outside his family that could break his heart. The mist he had used could track the hydra and dragons alike. Though Edge was back to 'normal', he still wasn't truly evil. Perhaps all he wanted was too much.

[tenebrae16]

Leonides stood and cocked his head at Skylark's question, lips pursed before he answered, "Well, it is war. The hydras and the elders shall fight to the death or rather till there is no one left to fight." He said near matter of factly, perhaps forgetting to mention that death wa not exactly an ultimatum for a hydra. "This is the battle ground and everyone has already taken their places. It's the endgame." He continued to explain even as Skylark's eyes began to prickle with tears and Sleipnir fearfully repeated 'death' and thought of Daddy. He watched his brother command the man, he was nothing but a pawn to them now.

The moment Leo was kissed, his whole rigid form relaxed and he slouched, stifling a yawn before he looked down at Skylark clinging to him and smiled, "Why hello there Master~ " He chirped happily slinging his arms around the toddler, then looking up when he realized that the doors were starting to close on him. For a moment he considered staying back and skipping out on all the fighting, but as lazy as he was; his fellow hydras were out there. Plus, he glanced at the boy clinging to him, it would please his Master so it was sort of win-win. With a long stride, he dashed towards the door followed by a stumbling Sleipnir trying to scramble after his brother. The hydra slid through the thin gap easily, holding Skylark carefully against him. And then the door shut softly, locking itself till the end of the game.

Leo looked up just in time to see all the other hydras going off in different directions and without thought, began to trail after their king, letting Skylark sit upon his shoulders.

---

Blizzard watched Terra like a hawk as she slowly chewed her pastry. She was calm in the face of her biting words, but bit down too hard on her tart, causing it to crumble and stain her lips red. Her eyes narrowed and she ran her tongue over them, tasting the sweet cherry. Humans did have such wonderful treats; it was what they were best for in her opinion.

Anemoli seemed unfazed by the shaking of the earth beneath him while Relin stumbled a little and had to support himself on a wall. Just in time too as he felt his ma-the king, such lying words laced with affection for another. Relin knew better. He grasped the shard of election tightly, carefully feeding it his own power. Too much and it would latch on to him instead, too little and it wouldn't respond to the hydra's subtle energy. He gazed at the hydra, it was one he did not recognize, but that was for the best; it wasn't too good to get too acquainted with the enemy though Path had overstepped that boundary completely. Path was dead though.

Silence hung around them thickly like a curtain, the earth was the only thing that moved. It took one single shift of the foot though from Anemoli before the hydra charged forward, her cloak billowing out behind her. Relin, being in the front, moved to meet her, shard in hand; poised and ready, but his move was long since expected and Blizzard was quick to counter, knocking him off his feet and pushing up against the wall. The shard went flying from his hand, skidding into a dark corner of the maze. While Blizzard was busy with Relin, Anemoli stepped forward, a sudden wind howled through the maze, as he dashed forward up to the hydra. The hydra was far from stupid though, turning her attention to the other, a blast of dark mist met him, standing out against the purple mist that was starting to seep into the maze..

Relin was a little busy being pinned against a wall to really ponder over it though, struggling against her grip.

---

Ferrum growled at the appearance of the hydras, yet he did not charge just yet. He may have enjoyed a fight and been as hot tempered as fire or even the hydra, Beezlebub, but Ferrum never liked the odds of a hand to hand fight. Some would call him unfair as his scales were already as hard as steel and that he would probably win with just them alone, but Ferrum never much paid heed to such people; most of them dragons really. He reached into a small pouch tied to his waist, pulling out a chunk of oily metal, kept from rust and ruin all these years soaking in a preservative. And from another pouch he drew gray dust as more hydras started to surround them,let them talk and delay.

He cupped the lump of metal in hand, along with the powder, smirking at Sila; oh he was a show off, "Let it not be said that I did not at least admire the humans for their advancements in technology. And that I failed to pick up a few things." With that, he held his hand up, the metal shaping itself into his grip aimed at Noire and Charon; he didn't like the looks of the one having come to challenge them. Long, sleek and beautiful; the fun may have been old fashioned, but oh how he loved the very feel of it in his hand. "How about I mess up that pretty little face of yours before I trap you in a prison?" He growled, breaking off the tip of the Elerium shard with his teeth and slottting it into the barrel of the gun. Such a small peace wouldn't be enough, but in the confined space, he should have been able to land enough shots and take down four far too cocky hydra.

"Come at me." He challenged, trusting that Sila could support herself. It was time to have some fun.

---

"I can feel them." Regain whispered frustratedly, turning a corner round the maze. Sanare followed behind closely, feeling their leader's anxiety. He would blame himself, she knew, if any of them were to be hurt. Her thoughts went to Relin, the most inexperienced out of all of them, but he had been saddled with Anemoli who was wise and Terra who was kind and motherly. THat was enough to put to rest her fears enough so that she could focus on worrying about their own predicament.

[Skybreaker]

Sanare could see the bright purple mist. As she followed their leader, she sensed his anxiety. Sanare was a dragoness of water; she could keep her cool under just about any circumstance. While she realized Relin may not be the most faithful of dragons, she understood they needed he numbers. "Don't worry about them; you need to worry about us right now. We cannot afford to underestimate our opponent. This may be our only chance." She said softly.

As she turned a corner, Sanare could feel a weak heartbeat, yet she somehow knew it was a ruse. This pulse was far too slow; it had to be monitored. Who was powerful enough to slow the beat of their lifeblood? Though Sanare believed only the king could have that right, she needed to follow the advice she gave to Regnum: Don't underestimate your opponent.

---

Skylark turned a glance to his brother as Leo carried him into the doorway. He reached out to grab ahold of his brother's hand and hoisted him up. Skylark then
laced a hand in his slave's hair affectionately. He didn't think of Leo as a pawn, he thought of him as a puppy. A cute, obedient, powerful puppy. Smiling at Sleipnir , the boy noticed that Leo was following Daddy. Skylark could smell Daddy, but only for a little while. There was a strange purple mist that was numbing his sense of smell. Skylark then realized something. "Stop!" He called to Leo. It was time to give him new orders.

"Look, this is my brother Sleipnir . I'm still your only master, but you have to protect him, too. And remember, you're ten times as string as you were before! And, uhm... don't follow my Daddy, because he might get mad at us for coming in," Skylark the cleared his throat and made sure he was sitting on one broad shoulder, and Sleipnir was perched on the other. "Alright, well let's continue, Leo!" Skylark sang as he stroked the hydra's wavy, tousled hair.

---

Edge was so close to Regnum and Sanare, with but a wall between. The king knew that when he fought, he would need to be gentle. He needed to coax the two dragons to let go of the stones... or maybe he could just slice their hands off. He knew Path was pretty strong, but his ability paled in comparison to the other Elders and Hydra in the maze. It was like comparing a frozen lake to the South Pole; there was an obvious rift in power.

However, Edge also knew that while all his allies were strong, some were weaker than others. It was how their relationship worked. Edge, Blizzard, Beelzebub, Forte, and Leo could easily demolish entire kingdoms by themselves. Charon, Noire, and December, however, had to plot and scheme to be useful. There was no denying that Noire's powers were quite... unorthodox. As Edge places a smooth palm to the wall, he could feel the other two dragon's heartbeats. He smirked.

---

Terra didn't waste a moment. The fact that this hydra challenged all three of them could either mean she was truly strong, or genuinely stupid. As the motherly dragon, she could see that this woman was no idiot. Their opponent was able to counter and anticipate, and that worried, her. Terra suddenly leapt up into the air and stomped hard onto the ground, causing her other quakes to look like nothing but vibrations. Secondarily, it also caused most everyone in the maze to totter just a bit. With a sudden roar, Terra lifted her arms and the castle began to move. She knew her allies had been anticipating this.

The Elder was causing the pathetic Earth underneath the castle to expand upwards, throwing a few hydra off as the entire maze began to move. After that was done, she held her breath and dashed at Blizzard, her hand extended into a claw with crystal claws.

---

The four hydra watched their prey with smug expressions. Even Charon, who usually couldn't fight, looked proud and strong with his back straight and his lips curled into a smirk. Even as Ferrum pulled out a gun, their eyes reflected amusement, not fear. Sila knew something was wrong. A gun with the crystal in it should have made them flinch, even a bit. The hydra didn't so much as frown. "This isn't any old gun, this has"

"I know, you little bitch." Noire interrupted as she locked eyes with Ferrum. She shot him a dazzling smile as he lifted her shirt off. She wasn't being intimate, she wanted to show him something. As she was left in only her skirts and boots, it was revealed what she wanted to show. Her scales, though slightly black, were a tough titanium! "Go ahead and shoot, you cocksure old man." She taunted before the four hydra disappeared.

It was simultaneous and sudden, their bodies suddenly turned to transparent mist. Though they had dispersed, their cruel laughter was rather audible. Noire's was very taunting, as was Forte's. Charon's was more unsure while December giggled like a schoolgirl.

[tenebrae16]

"Still," Regnum growled, low and soft as his hand curked up into a fist. He hit the wall with an audible thwack. "I should have ended this years ago instead of letting it get this far." Fiery eyes watched the rragoness, bright and alive, but hiding the weariness that chipped away at him over the years. He protected his own with a burning passion and fire, now he had very little to protect, but the fact hadn't changed him one bit. Gaze flickering to the mist, he huffed and closed his eyes; listening like Sanare was. Feeling the weak pulse, so teasingly close. The sound of a familiar heart though Regnum couldn't get ahead of himself and be sure. His eyes snapped open, "He's close. Let us find and end this."

With that, he moved ahead without waiting for Sanare, blazing around corners and turns,crystal clutched tightly, leaving only a trail of scorched wood where he had stepped, the ambers still sizzling when Sanare got round to them. They may have known each other for a long time, but Sanare's calm coolness had done little to soothe his brash strong headed approaches.

---

Sleipnir was glad that he hadn't been left behind, clinging onto Leo's back with one hand reached out to his brother. He peeked over the man's shoulder, catching sight of Daddy's long robe turning and disappearing aroubd a corner. It took all his will not to call out to him as Skylark told Leo not to follow Daddy. Sleipnir didn't think he would be mad, but he was sure that they would be sent back and locked up if Daddy found them. He pulked himself up onto Leo's other shoulder as he was given space and waved down at the man as Skylark commanded him, "I don't need to be protected! I'll be the one to protect Sky!" He exclaimed before he clamped a hand over his mouth, remembering he might still be in range of Daddy's hearing.

The hydra managed a sloppy grin, "Whatever you say Master, onto an adventure then!" Leo felt slightly more invigorated than his usual self when he was around the energetic Skylark. Turning on his heel, he continued down another path away from Edge, letting himself be guided by blind luck, reveling in the feel of soft hands running through his wavy hair. Meanwhile Sleipnir was focused on the mist, "It's so choky!" He protested and near imnediately the mist retreated, keeping it's fair distancevfrom them, counteracted by a thin white light mist that Sleipnir unknowingly concocted.

"Can you hear something?" He asked his brother softly as they walked down a path,

---

Blizzard was knocked off of Path, caught off guard by the sudden shift of the earth. Embarrassingly eniugh, she fell straight on her butt, but was quick to fade into mist as Terra charged her. Her taunting laughter lasted for all but a second before a strong wind swept her up, slamming the mist against the wall. Intangible she may have been, but mist was mist and wind affected it the same in all forms. It was what most hydras hated about the elder dragon of the wind aside from his quietly menacing calculating nature.

As it was, Blizzard was backed up into a corner by a mini-cyclone. Struggling to deploy some sort of offence, but her mist was rebounded back at her, caught in the cyclone, "Terra, trap it, won't you?" Anemoli said calmly, watching the futile struggle with the uttermost reserve. Blizzard shrieked in frustration, ready to throw herself at the earth dragoness should she approach. In thag way, she was completely oblivious to agitated golden eyes turning away from her.

He knew he was weak, his power near nothing to the others. He didn't even have the fighting prowess and experience Ferrum and Regnum had. Still, he would give all he had left. That was the least he could do for a chance at redemption in the eyes of the elders.

---

Ferrum was annoyed. Partly to being taunted and treated as not even a threat. Mostly because that wench had totally stole his trademark and even more so that she had dare to call him an old man. He had been born when she had her head cut off! He growled and then the castle shook, making him curse and press a hand against the wall for support. Damned Terra, he hadn't expected it so soon and when the hydras were playing dirty with their cowardly cheap tricks. He lifted his gun up again, "Come on out and face me, grandma! Or too afraid to show your ugly face?" He growled, his eyes shining angrily.

He glanced at Sila. Metal and wood didn't go very well together, but they didn't really have a choice in the matter. "Sila, remember the old saying, 'Metal cuts wood'? Consider it a truce while we fuck up some hydras?" He smirked, his claws glinting like steel, "I know Regnum would be upset, but give me a little light won't you?" He muttered, reaching his steel claw out to Sila. Much like Relin's claws were like flint, rubbing woodvtogether made a beautiful spark and metal a wonderful conductor of heat. If the hydras wanted to play chicken and disperse, he woukd stretch them out as thin as possible.

[Skybreaker]

Sila sighed a bit at Ferrum's offer, but knew she didn't have a choice. It was either try to work her best with the metal dragon, or perish. The gentle dragoness nodded. "Yes... It seems I have run short of other viable options..." She murmured before taking Ferrum's hand in her own in an attempt to cause some sort of reaction. Her claws were a tough wood, though this wood could easily cut through titanium. It was the strength of the wood dragons, whom she had full intent on repopulating. Before they could do much else, however, the four hydra suddenly appeared before Ferrum. As Sila moved to stand beside her partner, the wall began to close on her, eliciting a scream of shock as she was isolated from the other dragon.

"Damn hydra..." She muttered, blushing slightly from anger. She had tested the durability of the wall; it wasn't breaking anytime soon.

"I think I love this maze!" December exclaimed as the hallway began to expand, leaving enough room for the hydra to stand in a line. Forte was the first to move, grasping a sword from seemingly nowhere before pointing it at the enemy. With a roar, his wings expanded and he launched himself like a bullet at Ferrum. December began to glide over to her opponent before breathing out a stream of freezing mist. Charon simply breathed a black tranquilizing mist at his target before retreating. Noire roared and sent a storm of black titanium scales at Ferrum.

---

With a cry, Terra jumped into the air. She would kick this monster hard; hard enough to make the earth quake. This was for her sister, and for her people. This was for Mother Earth, who she strove to be like. This was for all the hydra's victims. This woman... the hydra who swallowed sweets...

Terra knew her as the killer of the reds, Regnum's people. She would kill her for their leader, as well. With a sharp yell, Terra delivered her kick, mean to cause an earthquake inside the hydra's body. Supplying a crystal from her pocket, the dragoness narrowed her eyes. She was unphased by Blizzard's expression and words as she closed in and attempted to press the crystal to her.

---

While Skylark enjoyed the ride, he didn't miss the purple mist begin to part for them. It was as if something was pushing it away... As if on instinct, he looked at his brother, who was a bit foggy through the white mist he was giving off. "H-Hey! You're doing what Daddy does!" Skylark exclaimed.

Suddenly, he knew who they were at war with- Father! Skylark bit his lips anxiously. Where was Father now? Was he somewhere far, far, away? It never occurred to him that Path was inside the maze as well. "Leo, can you tell if we're getting close to anyone?"

---

Edge was slowly increasing the volume of his heartbeat and licking his lips mindlessly. He needed to fight... needed to feel life in his hands and use it to... with a slight, chuckle, the king knew he could wait no longer. Putting one hand on a wall, he pushed against it and it broke to pieces for him.

"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, it's all because in the Sky we trust..." Edge said softly as he appeared before Sanare and Regnum. His eyes flickered in amusement. These two creatures before him were 'perfect' and strong. The hydra's eyes met Regnum's and he smiled softly, though the situation was dire. "You told me that when we first met. Do you still pray? I hope so..." As Edge spoke, the air around him began to solidify like a diamond. "You knew me from before I was dirty, remember...? It's your fault I'm like this..." Edge then closed in with a single leap so he was mere inches away from his old mate.

"And you know it, too. You're the one who broke my heart in the first place...." with that, the floor beneath Sanare gave way gacausing her to gasp in surprise as she fell and the floor went back to normal.

[tenebrae16]

He winced at Sila's scream, turning to her to find nothing but a solid wall in her place, "Damnit." He growled as his eyes flickered back to the four hydras that now dared to ago themselves, "Cowards, aren't you all? Only appearing when it's four against one." He huffed under his breath, whole body tense and at ready to pounce at the slightest notice. Muscles coiled and bunched under his heavy scales and then he sprang, releasing that energy. Turning his gun to Forte, he fired three shots. The gun shots echoing loudly around the maze and ringing wonderously in his ears, "You seem pretty outdated compared to this 'old man'." He growled, pushing himself out of the way with a powerful kick of his legs, then firing a few more shots at Forte's unguarded back.

The maze had expanded to the size of an arena and he knew it shouldn't, but he was reminded of his glory days. When he fought more for sport against the champions among their kind. The adrenaline rushing through his veins was like a fix to him, a sort of high he could only obtain by such means. A chuckle see pars him as he caught himself and did a forward role out of the way of the freezing mist, kicking himself up into a standing position and firing straight through the black must at Charon, pushing himself off of the wall to get out of the way. He couldn't dodge it all though and he had to reload soon, surely the crystals were slowly starting to grow from all the energy the hydras were expelling. They just needed a little more push. He stopped to bite off another bullet when Noire rained hell over him. He crouched, putting trust in his scales.

The merciless rain ripped away at his clothes and scratched at his armor, leaving deep marks like diamond against iron. A few chipped away at his scales, exposing vulnerable under skin and he grunted at the sharp pain. Oh no, a few measly titanium halestones weren't going to stop him! Not him! He whirled around, bringing his arms up to shield his eyes from the storm and aimed his gun up at the source, peeking out from his arm just to aim at the Wench's 'pretty little' face, then he fired.

---

Blizzard shrieked, the sound distorted and broken amongst the howling wind as Terra came down on her. Her eyes were a livid purple and she spewed her deadly mist in all directions, but Anemoli kept good on keeping her trapped. Clawing at the wall like a caged animal, her claws left deep markings and the whole earth shook. The kick should have thrown her back, sent her flying, but Anemoli kept her in place. The crunching of bones lost to the wind, but Blizzard howled and ran a hand over her stomach. It had not been enough to kill her, but enough to internally rupture her organs and right now she felt blood welling up in her lungs. She spat at Terra, partially in disgust and partially to get the horrid metallic taste out of her mouth. So unsavory. Not like her tarts and sweets. Her crumbling tarts and crushed sweets. She screamed at the thought, glaring up at Terra as she once more came down with the crystal.

The wind stopped, the air still once more as Blizzard stumbled backwards clawing at her stomach where the crystal had been implanted. Already starting to grow and circle around her waist. Feeding off all the poison and power she had been expelling. Every crystal she grasped and crushed, two more would form and cover another inch of her torso. Like a infection, it consumed her until she was backed up against the wall, screaming. Her face locked in a horrified expression before the glassy crystals over took her and she was frozen forever in her pain.

Relin watched the hydra as she was encased in her glass prison. This purple eyes still bright and alive. Relin knew she was still alive, could still think and feel. Death would be a cheap escape. Suddenly a loud scream caught their attention, followed by a loud bang off in another direction. Anemoli stood quiet and still, unfazed by the horrific scene that he had just witnessed, watching Relin already start running off in one direction. Leaving the hydra behind he gestured to Terra calmly and followed.

---

Slepnir looked around him at Skylark's exclamation and true enough, a white translucent most was wafting off his skin, countering the purple mist. The air was clear and fresh, smelling of grass and flowers. He waved his arms around excitedly, encouraging the mist to fill the area further, but as soon as they were out of reach of the deadly purple, it stopped and he whined disappointed, returning his hands back to curling around Leo's wavy locks.

Leo hummed lazily to himself, letting his feet guide him along at random. Stopping as his master commanded him, "Off course." He murmured though he would have rather kept away from all the fighting and this away from having to do things that cost energy. He pointed to a fork in the path, "There are people down both ends. Where do you wanna go?" He asked just as Sleipnir slapped his hands over his ears. The maze walls were solid, but not sound proof and right now he could hear all sorts of noises going on right now. "What is Daddy doing?" He wondered out loud.

---

Regnum dashed back as the wall crumbled next to them, standing by Sanare as he looked up at the king of hydras. "Edge..." He muttered in disgust, as he watched his former mate sing deliriously to himself. He barely had time to say more before the earth opened up beside him and swallowed the drag ones.

"Sanare!" Regnum shouted, diving down just as the floor closed up, his claws scratching uselessly against the surface. He growled and turned to Edge, not afraid to look him in the eye, his own burning furiously and he bore his teeth at the man. Face inches away from him, "It's because you were weak! You could never be satisfied with what you already had! You always wanted to 'help'!" He screamed, exploding infront of Edge, "You had no control! The whole council agreed you were a threat, as divine as you might have seemed." He spat, flexing his claws around the crystal shard of Elerium. "You condemned your own kind, you condemned ours and lost every chance you had at redemption! Even now...you aren't satisfied with what you had and now, I'll make sure you have nothing left!" With that he charged forward, holding the shard right above his head, aimed down at Edge

[Skybreaker]

Edge grunted as Regnum charged. "Give me strength..." He murmured softly as a black light began to surround him and he felt his muscles stimulate. The hydra took a deep breath. The hum-hydra then locked eyes with the man he once loved. His eyes... Edge's own were filled with such dark naivety. While he didn't show any sign that Regnum's words were getting to him, the hurt worse than any wound would have. Edge poised and shot a single hand up quickly, grabbing the other male's wrist and stopping the crystal from dropping onto him.

"Maybe it's because I was never taught how." Edge responded softly. He didn't seem like he was going to yell. "Call me what you want... I remember I was your treasure once. You said you were going to make me your king, and we could be together... " Edge shed a few angry tears. "But on the day we were to be married, you tried to kill me! I could never understand why these Elders are so important to you... Maybe if you never asked me to marry you, I never would have wanted to be a king. " Edge licked his lips.

"I have slaughtered strangers, but with the sins of all dragonkind in my soul, what else would you expect? It doesn't matter; I'm going to cleanse myself tonight..." The king gripped Regnum's wrists tighter. "Tell me, Reg. Did you ever love me, or were you always lying? Think about that and tell me who's really at fault here."

---

Forte roared as his back was shot at and he felt the crystals begin to grow. At that moment, he began to panic even as his pride made him stand. The amount of energy he was giving off were feeding the crystals. Unlike Blizzard, he was not alone. Being very careful not to kick a crystal, Noire knockered her ally out so the crystals wouldn't grow. It was a trade that would have to do until they found a way to get it off. "Idiot..." Noire muttered before pushing Charon and December out of her way, causing the two youngest hydra to cry out in surprise.

As Ferrum shot at her face, Noire once more dispersed into mist, causing the bullet to go through her. She was not about to be trapped in a crystal forever! But even as Forte slept, the crystals ate at him. "Hmph. Well, now we know that's useless."

---

Terra took a deep breath as she watched the hydra crystallize. It was sad to watch, even for her. She wasn't nearly as cruel as to knock upon her cage like tapping a fishtank, or to taunt the now-immobile hydra. She stepped closer to the crystal prison and looked kindly. "I'm sure... even you had a family who loves you, so you can't be truly evil. I'm sorry it had to end this way, but one day the Earth will free you from this prison known as life." With that, she followed Relin, unsure what running to Ferrum would do. The metal dragon, who was likely the only who who possessed a gun, could fend for himself.

"Relin, do not fret. We shall trap the hydra that tricked you soon, and you will be forgiven for your treason; just do it with your own hands."

---

The gunshot wasn't lost on Skylark, either. Though he was fairly confident that Leo could take care of them, he needed to be reassured that they would be safe. The only way to do that was to find another slave... Sky loved his brother dearly, but knew that he couldn't fight any dragon and live. Not until he grew up and fought like Daddy.

"Listen, Leo, find Beelzebub. When you do, subdue him so I can make him my pet. Okay?" With that, they were off. Beelzebub was the only hydra name he knew. Tenderly, Skylark laced his hand in Sleipnir's. "We'll help Daddy. He needs us to be string for him... At least you'll grow up to be Daddy's mate." Skylark said a bit enviously.

[tenebrae16]

Regnum grunted, his knucles white as he gripped the crystal tightly, unwilling to let it go. He struggled, his scales glowing red hot like burning ambers, but what he used to like most about Edge was that he could stand the heat. Glowing eyes of fire met dark glowering orbs defiantly, Regnum bore his teeth at the hydra. Their one true enemy. His stance did not fade even with the tears he shedded, instead the elder spoje just as softly though his soft words were cold, cutting and cruel. "Because Edge, I may have loved you, I may have wanted you, but I trust my family and trust is not so easily swayed." He growled, pushing back, "Face it! You were out of control, even if you blame me. A god you called yourself! A god your own called you!" He paused to sneer, "What a pathetic god you are."

The dragon bit his tongue to avoid from crying out as there came the sharp crunch of bone and the crystal fell to the floor with a dull thud. He stared up at Edge and grinned with gritted teeth through the pain, "Go ahead, 'cleanse' yourself. Pretend that you were never wrong in what you did. Pretend whatever you will, but don't think that you'll get away with it." As Regnum stared up, he saw not a god, a king nor his mate. Those foolish, flitting images had long since peeled away and Regnum saw death. Was it a good death? He was unsure, but one would think that he would think twice about his own life, about some form of repentence in answer to Edge's question. The dragon had always been stubborn though. The corners of his mouth turned up into a grin, "You say, you are a monster. You say you are burdened. You say everything will be alright, but you'll never know if you were loved or not."

With that, Regnum lifted his foot up and stepped on the crystal he had dropped. It glowed bright red before beginning to grow, feeding off the fire. Regnum kept his grin even as he lost the use of his foot and the icy crystal bit at his skin, "I know, I won't be the one to stop you, but I trust my family will." His wings fluttered once, before they succumbed to his prison, weighing him down; quenching a fire. He closed his eyes, as the crystal reached up to his neck, making it harder to breath, but he still managed to choke out, "You'll never know. "

---

Ferrum grinned as the hydra howled in pain before he was forced into a deadly sleep. At the very least, he was going out peacefully. One hydra down didn't mean that this would be any easier though. Ferrum turned to face the mass of mist spread out before him, readying his gun. He taunted, "What's wrong? Scared now? Or still too cowardly to show your ugly faces?" He waved his gun about, shifting his weight on one foot so thathe could spring out of tge way at any second. He hated waiting, but what choice did he have when bullets went straight through mist? He wouldn't want to waste his precious gun powder either. It was hard to come by and Ferrum had been saving his stash just for this...

---

Relin glanced at Terra as she spoke and made it so that she didn't see the way his grip tightened on the shard as he continued walking ahead . Anemoli flanked his side, quiet as usual as they tried to find a path towards the sounds. The white dragon couldn't help, but let his thoughts wander. And off course they wandered to his-Path's family. He hoped the twins were safe, but knowing their Daddy, they probably were far away from this, reading to one another while they waited for Daddy to finish with the pests....

"Ferrum is close, I can smell the metal..." Anemoli whispered, taking a step to the left. No sooner had he moved, the wall had closed up behind him. Relin was first to bang against it with his fist, shouting the wind dragon's name, but to no avail. Anemoli wouldn't have bothered anyway, following the scent of sulphur and iron.

---

"Beezlebub? Hmmm, he's a tricky one, but I'll try for you." Leo murmured, closing his eyes and trying to track the scent of blood that clung to the other hydra like perfume. It was hard to...locate him, though Leo could swear he saw a dark shadow turning a corner right at the edge of his eye or a particularly dark waft of mist trickke by, but Beezlebub wasn't usually the stealthy type....

Sleipnir squeezed his brother's hand, "I'm not even sure what a mate is meant to do....but whatever I become, I'll always be strong for you and Daddy! And...and I won't leave any of you like Father did!" He clamped a hand over his mouth, feeling like he had said too much. But he had veen stewing over why Father was just missing and from the way Daddy acted, it felt like Path hadn't wanted anything to do with them...

-----

[Skybreaker]

A scream escaped the hydra as Regnum suddenly stepped on the crystal with his own foot. "What in the hell are you-" But he was cut short by the fire dragon's cruel words. He gritted his teeth as tears firmed in his eyes and fell to the ground. He was angry.. Nevertheless, Edge drew back his hand so it wouldn't be eaten by the crystal.

With violet eyes, the male observed Regnum. Had he done it only to be spiteful? Edge realized the only one who was really hurt was himself. And he almost felt like crying all over. He didn't belong in a battlefield, he didn't belong. He couldn't stand the hateful gaze that Regnum still held. The dragon could think and feel, as if he was forced to listen. "I really did love you, you know. But I don't need to know if you loved me; that's trivial. I need to know if Path loves me. How do you call him now? Relin...?" And with that, Edge dispersed into the air with a snicker.

---

Suddenly, all three of the hydra stomped Ferrum from above, trying to knock him off balance by using their numbers. Noire screeched, "Pluck his scales! They're tough, but they come off if you scratch hard enough at the tips!" Charon only nodded before trying to use his own powers.

While December tried to wrestle the gun from Ferrum's grasp, Charon locked eyes with the metal dragon and licked his lips hungrily. With a leap, Charon closed the distance between the two of them with a kiss. He just needed a few seconds for his aphrodisiac to seep in...

---

"As can I." Terra chimed as she followed the young dragon. Though he was pretty old, he was still young by dragon standards. She took another breath of the odd mist. It was impairing her senses only a bit. She spotted a discoloration in the mist... "Hydra." She declared before the mist dispersed once more, causing her to grit her teeth in frustration.

---

Skylark was thinking about Father as well. Father said he would always protect him, but it seemed Sky had to protect himself. His eyes were agift, and he loved them. The ability to reduce this hydra into little more than his toy was exhilerating. When he was older, maybe he could use Leo for other things as well. Take away the hydra's mind and make him a mindless pet for good... Sky drooled just thinking about it.

"You can touch Daddy, I think. Leo. Will you be my mate?" Sky asked naively as he placed a kiss on his pet's hair lovingly. He then gave a sad look to Sleipnir."Father will come back for us! He loves us! I know father will come back for me! He has to!" Sky objected angrily. He loved Path, the white dragon. Sy then began to cry a bit.

"Sleipnir , why would you say that...?"

[tenebrae16]

The metal dragon grunted as he fell backwards, clutching his gun to his chest as they tried to tackle him all at once. His scales scraped noisily on the floor and he struggled, feeling the first of the scales on his arm start to loosen and peel away thanks to sharp digging claws. He huffed and wrenched his arm away from Noire, using his legs to kick her off of him. Firing the fun off at December as she tried fruitlessly to steal it away from him. He gazed upward as he jerked back, silver defiant eyes locking and clashing with Charon's deep purple ones. He barely had the time or breath to snap something at him before lips were crushed into his own.

His teeth cut into Charon's lip and angrily he brough the gun down to bash against his head mercilessly until the butt of it was covered in shining blood. "Unh..." He groaned, baring his teeth against the man as he stumbled back. The world seemed a little blurry at the edges now as he pushed the dragon off of him and angrily wiped the blood off of his lips. His head was spinning. "What the fuck...?" He growled at Charon, keeping his fun at his side though the blood had rushed up to fill pale cheeks..his skin felt...like it was on fire...and his heart was beating rapidly as if he had just run a marathon or was about to...he pointed the gun at the dragon, "What the hell did you do?"

---

Relin paused, following Terra's gaze. He only just caught a glimpse of a colored most disappearing around a corner. "Should we follow?" He asked softly though he wasn't sure why he was whispering. The hydra probably already knew where they were and where they were heading..He gripped the crystal tighter and decided to press on, "We can't stop moving, they'll pin us down.." He wished Anemoli was still with them to provide some guidance. They couldn't just stop though because he wasn't here, they had to move on and-Relin froze as he rounded a corner and came face to face with the stunning crystal prison that housed their leader. His jaw dropped and he didn't realize he had been staring until he found he couldn't look away from the fearsome red dragon, now frozen in time as he was. Staring straight at him...

"R-Regnum...." He whispered softly as if the slightest sound would shatter the entire prison and the dragon with it. It was only then did Relin realize that he was trembling now. He just couldn't bear the thought that their leader, that Regnum, the last of his kind...with his fiery ideas and warm smile was...gone. No doubt, from a hydra's hand..Finally he managed to turn away, "We should keep moving..."

---

The hydra tilted his head up slightly, a smile pulling at his lips, "Off course Master, I'll be your mate forever if you want. Shh, don't get upset..." He murmured as Skylark shouted, startling even Sleipnir who took his brother's hand up and began petting it, "No, no I'm sorry Sky! I didn't mean it like that! I'm sure Father will come back for us too! He's..maybe just busy now! But he'll come back! Look! Look! He made a promise." He dug out the white pebble from his sock, "He and Daddy promised never to leave us alone! They promised so they'll come back. And we'll all live happily ever after just like in the fairy tales."

[Skybreaker]

Charon cried out in pain as he felt blood welt up on his temple. He looked over to December, who was shrieking due to the crystal that had been shot at her. In little time, it had completely encased her. She had her eyes halfway open and her mouth as shut tight. This would be her prison forever, right next to Forte. She had never felt so useless- leaving the fighting to Noire and Charon?? What was the world coming to? Oh, wait, the world was destroyed.

Charon, on the other hand, even wounded, marveled at the list he had given Ferrum. Though it wouldn't do much, it would do enough. "Look at me, handsome..." He said softly, waiting to distract the dragon. As he was doing that, Noire tried once more to wrestle the gun from his hands. So long as he had the gun and crystals, they were in grave danger.

---

Terra didn't worry for Anemoli, he would be fine. With his wind, he was more than capable of countering any and all hydra. She was wary of Relin. How was he feeling right now? Was he worried about his children, who were at the mercy of a hydra right about now?

She stopped her idle thought as her eyes rested upon Regnum. The dragon had succumbed to his own trap, and she blinked back tears. He was the last of the reds... without him, their kind would be... Terra shook her head. Surely they would be able to break him out... somehow... "Relin, we should-" At that very moment, a wall appeared between her and Path. She gasped in surprise. This maze...!

---

Snickering at his handiwork in separating the two, the mist began to form right in front of Relin. It clumped to form... Edge. His eyes , violet and reflecting the will to fight and survive. His mouth curled down in a snarl. With his incident with Regnum... so much for true love. There was only the bloodlust that raged in him. "Careful..." Edge whispered.

"I'm going to rip you to pieces!" He shouted to his mate. There was no warmth or optimism in his eyes now, only hatred and rage. With a roar, he flung himself toward Relin. Not Path. Relin. Yet were different, weren't they...? "There's no such thing as Path... I was never loved..." hHe whispered brokenly as he squeezed the dragon in more of a hug than a lock. Of Relin wanted to trap him, now would be the time to do so.

---

Skylark slowly nodded. "Y-Yeah..." He muttered bitterly. He then held hands with his brother, smiling. "We'll always have each other." He then ruffled Leo's hair like how Daddy and Father did to him once. "And now I have you, too! Yay." He squealed.

"Sleipnir , when do you think we can be happy?"

[tenebrae16]

Ferrum growled at Noire, kicking her off his gun. His head was spinning and the world was blurring as he turned to Charon. Pointing his gun at the hydra, but his hand was shaking and he winced hearing him speak. His voice lulling and.....oh so peaceful...He could just drift off to that voice or...trap it and keep for him to hear whenever he pleased. "Urgh, get out of my head!!" He shouted, gripping his gun with both hands now to stop his trembling, but something stopped him from pulling the trigger.
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Relin whirled around as the wall rose into place, banging his fist uselessly against it. Calling out Terra's name. A soft snicker made his blood run cold and he turned, just in time, to see Edge. Golden eyes met deep scathing purple ones and instinctively and unconsciously Relin drew the shard of Elerium close to him. Edge looked impossibly cogent dressed in his ropes, crown glinting maliciously upon his head. He took a step back as he spoke, the sound of Edge's voice was completely alien to him. Rough, cutting and...a tone he had only heard once before. Like those eyes, he didn't recognise them anymore and by right, he shouldn't.

Startled at the reverberating roar, he did the worst possible thing he could do, he froze. Had Edge really gone through on his word, he'd no doubt be a pile of minced meat now. It was his chance now though, as the hydra wrapped arms around his torso. His hand was still free...he raised it, the crystal poised perfectly at Edge's back. Who could ever possibly get this close to the king? It was a once in a lifetime chance, he knew that the other elders might actually kill for. Yet as he raised his arm, his hand shook and the crystal felt cold and slippery in his grip. One quick stab, just one fast downward motion and he would be done with this. He'd be redeemed, the elders would welcome him back with open arms for giving them back the earth. The reign of the hydras would crumble away making way for them. For the light everyone wanted. For Regnum and anyone else's sacrifice to not be in vain....one stab....he'd be free to start again. Take his children and forget who they took after...Even now, he was weak wasn't he?

The crystal shattered in his palm, dull fragments bouncing uselessly onto the floor, empty and devoid of energy. Harmless now. Roughly, he shoved Edge off of him, "Go ahead, go ahead then. You'll never end me like that. Just do me one last, one only, thing. Don't you dare tell Skylark or Sleipnir. As far as they're concerned,I don't exist anymore. As far as you know, I never existed. Path...Path is gone. Go live your happy ever after, just end me."

He stepped away from Edge, golden eyes locked on him with every word he spoke. The shadows retreated around him, shying away from the soft glow of his skin as his voice rose. Covering his eyes with the palm of his hands, "Please, just end me." He whispered, ready to forsake everything and everyone. And from behind him, a voice echoed out from the darkness, "Gladly."

"Hn-" He was caught off guard by the sharp pain searing through his chest, the blossoming stain of blue against the front of his clothing and the shard of Elerium protruding through his chest, glowing dimly. Hazily, he registered Blizzard having knocked it away out of his hand previously. Opening his mouth, he meant to laugh at the irony, but all that came out was a sickeningly wet cough. Clutching at the shard, golden eyes met purple onelast time and even then, he wasnt going to allow himself to cry. Instead, the corners of his lips turned up in a bitter smile, "Let's face it Edgey..." His voice thick and watery, "It would never have worked out anyway..."

The white dragon hit the floor with a thud, golden eyes dimming as they stared up ,blankly still locked on Edge. Eyes open even in eternal sleep. Beezlebub chuckled, standing over the corpse. He gave his side a quick kick, his hands mostly useless as the crystals started to climb up his arms. If the vengeful dragon was go out this way though, then he had another thing coming, but Beezlebub wasn't willing to be trapped forever in a crystal cove. Trapped alive anyway. His eyes met with his king and he grinned, raising a heavy limb of crystals.

"See you on the other side, king." With that, he raised a crystal to his throat and did not hesitate to slit it. The light fading from his eyes quickly as the Hydra fell backwards, the crystal slowly starting to claim his corpse. Before it could, however, there was a soft sigh and the hydra's body crumbled into dust, free to navigate its way out of the prison and fade away into the wind before it was trapped. Leaving Edge alone with the corpse that would not fade, lying in a pooling puddle of azure.

---

"I'm sure we definetely will be soon! We'll all be one big happy family together. Very very soon." Sleipnir exclaimed in an attempt to cheer up his brother. Leo smiled at his mate's voice, as it shoukd be excited and happy. He nearly accidentally dropped them though as he paused in his stride. He was so very sure Beezlebub had been just around the corner, but now he couldnt feel the dragon anymore. Strange, though it did save him having to subdue the hot headed hydra. It did little to settle the unsettling churning of his stomach though as he was hit by something else. The thick scent of blood...heavy in the air. He turned on his heel quickly, "I think I heard something this way." He muttered.