"My, My." Diablo's voice came in a hushed tone, as if to hide from any who may know of his presence.
While a great distance away, he could feel the impact as if he were point blank. A cloud of black and violet rose into the air as if a nuke went off, the massive mushroom blanketing the sunlight from reaching the surface.
Diablo readjust his hood, pulling it over his head. "Flor, Astar, let's take our leave."
The Golden woman took a faint whiff of the flowers by the base of the tree. White lilacs and roses.
"Must we? I am curious about this boy's ability." She looked over her shoulder towards the calming explosion.
Astar, in the branch above her, lay back, head resting in his palms against the tree. Flor took another subtle inhale of the scenery. It filled her senses, giving her an intense pleasure. "This planet has such an amazing atmosphere. A shame it'll be ruined once Jade takes control."
"IF he takes control," Astar added.
"Astar, is that a hint of wish for failure? I had no idea you disliked Jade so much."
"I wholeheartedly don't give a shit about him. He can live or die, nothing he wants to do will benefit us in any sort of way." He sat up, hands resting on his thighs. "Can we go now? I'm bored."
"Very well," She sighed.
-------------------------------------------------
The dust settled, as well as the quaking air.
The violet Gem markings faded, Takabi's hair dropping back down to his shoulders. A palm gripped his knuckles, flames ceasing. Shadows danced on in front of him, but a notable distance away, nowhere near close enough for the two to be touching.
"Why did you stop us," Jade's voice chimed.
The smoke dimmed more, Takabi squinting his eyes, trying to scan the face of the man before them. It came as no surprise then, that Garuga held both boys' palms in place, with a grip tight enough to shatter diamond.
"Enough of this. No one has to die on this day."
Takabi lowered his fist, dropping to his knees on bare soil.
Around him, he could sense multiple magic signals. Many of them belonged to Kultists. A handful he recognized. Nana was further ahead of him, in the part of the mansion untouched by their clash. He figured she was searching for Jewel and Aqua. Kairas was picking himself up a few miles towards his left, with Lukas standing in front of him. It was difficult to tell if they were fighting before the explosion.
To his right was Frannie and Shine. The two were standing back to back, caked in airborne dirt and soot. They looked towards Takabi, before scanning the area and breaking apart, making the first move on the Kultists. Battle began to break out around them, a massive wave of heat and orange fire erupting in random groups. Porrelth wasted no time in beginning the carnage.
Hailey coughed madly, raising her head and looking around. "Holy shit." Her eyes fell on Carlos making his way towards Lukas, and she grit her teeth. Without hesitation, she charged after him, using the air to boost her speed.
The events around them meant nothing to the three who remained in the center of the crater. Jade eyed the pair, his gaze unchanged by the sudden appearance of Garuga. He felt nothing as he watched his Father, but it was the opposite for him.
Garuga felt his emotions, his very soul, so conflicted. Slowly, the two lowered their arms, another pillar of fire and magic erupting around them.
"Is it true," He asked.
Jade narrowed his eyes, sighing. His fun was spoiled now. "Yes," He confirmed. "I took my mother's life."
"Why," Garuga croaked. Takabi looked up between the two. "For what purpose? Who manipulated you to do such a heinous act!?"
"No one," Takabi choked up exhaustedly. "It was his choice. I could tell from the photo."
"Photo?" Garuga repeated the word with disgust. "You photographed it?"
Jade took a step back, raising his palms defensively. "I don't think you truly understand the forces at work here. Mom wasn't who you thought she was. She changed over the years."
"Bullshit! She was exactly the same as the day I left!"
"How would you know that," He chimed. Jade's calmness cracked. His voice grew a bit of hoarseness. "You never even said goodbye. You just up and left us with barely an explanation!"
Garuga went quiet for a moment.
Jade didn't stop speaking. His tone grew louder, matching with the increasing loudness of battle in the background. "Mom was shaken! Mal and Lillac were heartbroken when they couldn't see you! Day after day, for ages and ages! We needed you! We missed you! And we never got a single call or anything!" He paused, taking a deep breath. The ground shook, something stirring under the soil, deeper and deeper inside. "Things happened, and I did what I had to for survival. Dreulara had changed so much, and we had to go along with it."
A low laugh filled their ears. Both looked back at Takabi, who picked his head up. "You're so full of shit. You're telling me killing your own flesh and blood is adapting to change?" Violet lightning surged around him.
He leapt at Jade from behind Garuga, only to be knocked aside by Jade's shadow. Takabi hit the soil, tumbling into a pile of dug up dirt.
"How big of a liar are you? There was no reason for what you did." He stood once more, running at Jade, faint traces of electricity surging around him.
He threw a punch, Jade striking his nose hard. Blood splattered against his knuckles, but Takabi wouldn't stop. He attacked, again and again, getting knocked back down each time. Upon the final kick to his chest, he flipped back and opened his palm. A tiny flame flickered, white sphere surrounding it. Nova formed quickly, and he wasted no time throwing the magic sphere through the air.
Shadows raised in front of Jade, taking the force of the blast, before dissipating it into mere sparks. In response, his palm rose, a wave of pure magic surging at Takabi, washing over him. The boy hit the floor, body steaming as it tried to heal.
"Stay out of things you're not a part of."
"Jade," Garuga began. "Did you kill them too? Mal and Lillac?"
He was quiet for a moment, looking at his father directly in his eyes. His lips twitched as he attempted to hold back a smirk, but Garuga took notice anyway.
"Mal. Yes. Lillac is still very much alive, Fa-." He never finished his sentence, Garuga slamming his knuckles as hard as possible into his face. Jade flew back and hit the charred ground, holding his nose.
Rage oozed off of Garuga, his dark eyes lit with a black light. "How dare you."
Jade stood up straight, brushing the dark blood on his pants. His fingers gripped his cloak, ripping it off to expose his bare chest. "I guess I couldn't keep up the lie forever. Being truthful, I didn't give a damn about you leaving, or how it affected Mal and Jessica."
"Don't utter their names with your filthy lips!"
Shadows roared to life at their feet. Both rushed at one another, knuckles slamming together. Punch after punch, kick after kick, blocking and countering almost perfect. Takabi never saw Garuga fight seriously up close, but now that he was, he marvelled at how battle smart the Dragon was. It might've helped that it was Jade he was fighting against, but he easily was able to read each movement, arguably before Jade could even make it.
Feeling frustration growing within him, Jade raised his hands, shadows ripping out from the soil. They swirled around him, before he threw his arms forward. Garuga hopped back, dodging the attack with little effort. Landing on his feet, he smiled when the wave washed over him.
Jade huffed, hoping his attack did some damage. He swore loudly once the shadows twisted and bent, entering Garuga's throat. Swallowing, the Shadow Dragon wiped his lips, black scales appearing on his skin and a dark aura of magic wrapping around him.
"Shadows can't harm the Shadow King, boy."
"Heh. Maybe not." Jade stood up straight. "I have my own tricks though. A subtle change. That's all I need." The two eyed one another. Mana cackled, laughing so loudly. Takabi swallowed the lump in his throat.
Once more, they dashed at one another. Jade curled his fingers, shadows dancing around them. He went for a strike, and Garuga was ready to take it full force. Takabi narrowed his eyes, scanning the battle much closer. When they went wide, he grabbed the biggest rock he could and hurled it through the air, watching it strike Jade in the side of his skull. It shattered to nothing, but did just enough to distract him long enough for Garuga to land a strong kick.
"Don't let him hit you! He's using a different element with shadow," Takabi yelled.
Jade grit his teeth, sitting up. "Annoying shit. He could see that?" He paused for a moment, until it dawned on him and his eyes went wide. "The Mystic Eye? Does he possess such an ability?"
Garuga connected a kick to Jade's chin, snapping his head back sharply. "He's full of surprises, as am I." He pulled back, willing his magic forth, throwing his grip forward. Darkness erupted around Jade, the Dragon crying out in pain. Once more, Garuga moved his fingers in a pattern, shadows ripping through Jade's limbs. Placing his palms on the soil, a magic circle formed around his son, dark light shining brightly. "Shadow Conceal: Judgement Spawn."
From above, what looked like black lightning crashed down, Jade letting out yells of anguish, which only ceased once he hit the floor. The spell had stopped, and Garuga picked himself up, coughing into his palm.
"Please, make this easy for me and don't get back up."
"Such… Such power." Jade slowly raised his head, eyeing Garuga with a stunned look. Gritting his teeth, he picked himself up, Mana flowing wildly through his body. With a cry of strength, a pillar of shadow erupted from his feet, soaring higher and higher into the air. His dark eyes flashed a moment, black turning red. The power surged, flowing outward at different angles.
Slowly settling, he charged at Garuga again, throwing jab after jab, each one being blocked or evaded. "It's not right! It should be me! Not you!" Garuga ducked and leapt over, placing a quick chop to Jade's throat.
He would not stop from a simple strike. Jade bared his fangs, pushing Garuga on his back. Shadows gathered in his hold, shaping as a sword, which he ran down to try and pierce Garuga's heart. The older Dragon rolled out the way, flipping to his feet. Jade snapped a glare at him, opening his mouth. Darkness burst from his lungs, soaring through the air, ripping up soil as it flew forward.
Garuga stepped aside, watching the roar soar through the air, breaking out Dreulara's atmosphere. There was a subtle pause, as a star in the distance collapsed in a blinding light. Garuga returned his eyes to Jade, scanning the boy. "Have you no control? What if you hit our sun? We'd all be doomed to a black hole."
"Would we?" He chirped. "Maybe to the lack of air, but you know as well as I do black holes aren't enough to kill anyone here." He raised his palm, shadows dancing within his grip. "Meaning we can fight without worry, right?"
"What happened to you," Garuga asked. "I used to be so proud of you. Now, you're my biggest disappointment."
"Screw off." He pointed behind him, directly at Takabi. "It's obvious where your feelings for us were. You didn't care, because you already had a family with you offworld." Darkness gathered around his finger, and a small beam shot out, driving itself clean through Takabi's stomach. He coughed blood, falling forward when it stopped, clenching his wound tightly.
Garuga clenched his fist, and Jade smirked. "It's written all over your face. You stopped caring."
"I never stopped. Don't talk as if that's the reason for any of this!"
Jade spun around, turning his attention towards the Fallen Angel. Magic gathered in his palm, and once he threw his arm forward, the bolt of darkness shot out. "Prove it!"
Garuga's eyes went wide. On instinct, his body moved, faster than it ever had. Takabi picked his head up, body roaring in pain at him, refusing to move. Even as steam rose from his wounds, even as they tried to heal, his body remained planted firmly to the soil. A dark figure stood before him. The light of the magic blast was blinding, more so as a voice screamed out a blood chilling roar of pain and anguish, explosion shaking the mountains of Dreulara once more.