"Be patient and repeat after me once you wake up again. But, for now, look up and grab that strand of frames hanging right above you," instructed the Reaper.
Duncan did as he was told and grabbed onto the hanging strand of frames while pulling it down. Once he did, the boy returned to reality and faced against the waiting Flower Mage. Duncan took in a deep breath before unclasping his hand.
Rina backed up as the Elemental Energy Levels skyrocketed to dangerous heights. Duncan's hair grew longer and changed color from black to grey. Duncan closed his eyes to repeat the Reaper's chant within his mind.
"I am the writer, and this battle is my script. The Act of Sinners intertwines within my hands. The Record Of Darkness hangs around me. Let the Play Of Death... Begin!" shouted Duncan, as strands of records appeared in his hands.
The child tugged on the strands and a thousand frames rushed by Rina's face, causing the Butterfly Girl to panic and fly backward. Duncan's eyes flew open to reveal his glowing eyes, which portrayed several different colors.
His left eye changed from a black pupil to a bright red one, and his right eye was the same luminous green as the Reaper from Duncan's mind. However, the whites of both eyes remained purple. The child slid his left leg further to the side.
Duncan then smiled as he chose a frame by grabbing it.
"Final Frame: Graves Of The Round Table," called out Duncan, as the strands of records vanished to unveil his new look.
Over a hundred wooden stakes appeared behind Duncan, arranged like a face of a clock. The wooden stakes were inscribed with every name of the Knights of the Round Table as it started to aim at the Flower Mage. An eerie purple hue surrounded all of the stakes.
Upon a more comprehensive look, Rina realized that those stakes weren't stakes at all. Instead, they were longer and flatter compared to an original wooden stake. But the Butterfly Girl had no time to figure out what was the weapon as Duncan's spell attacked at full strength.
All the wooden things were hurled towards Rina, who had her shield up. The impact of all the weapons at once was enough to make Rina's feet dig into the ground. To her utter horror, once the weapons hit the shield, they instantly turned into melting acid.
Some acid droplets dripped onto the ground and burnt holes in the land. Rina panicked as her shield broke, and she was left defenseless. The Butterfly Girl thanked her lucky stars as she backflipped away from the multiple death sticks and landed further behind.
Duncan stood there, with his back slightly hunched, and looked at Rina with a terrifying expression. The child of Darkness looked like the Grim Reaper, apprehended Rina. She backed away slowly. The wooden markers were strewn around the boy as he went to pick up one for his primary weapon.
"I've never seen anyone use a Sotoba as a weapon before. These kids are full of surprises the more I see them in action. But Duncan's Element fits the use of wielding a Sotoba," said Tomoe, tilting his head to the side.
"What's a Sotoba?" asked Mavislin, curious.
"A grave marker of sorts. They aren't meant for battle, but if you use Magecraft to convert them, grave markers can become weapons," explained Tomoe, shrugging his shoulders.
"I'm still wondering why Midori and Duncan are the only ones who can summon spirits from other times and lands to help out in their duels. The rest of the kids don't have such a case and rely on no one but themselves. It's odd for me to understand why," confessed Raiyen.
"The two of them are twins. I'm assuming that either one of their parents has an Element which can call upon a spirit to help them out," added Tomoe.
"I'm impressed that the two of you found a pattern between the twins, and I'm happy to tell you that you're right about your assumptions. Unfortunately, I don't sleep as often as you might think, so I've got quite a bit of time on my hands for the past few days."
"Thus, I've spent the past few nights researching these kids' bloodlines and ancestors. And I've learned that all of the kids are Mages of some sort. Every single child has the power to end up in the Arks."
"Whether or not they would have a title to hold on to, it's up to them to choose and train their powers to the best they can be. For now, I have to focus on the five of them before touching upon the rest. And training so many kids at once would kill my Pillars and me."