Jarod, Arlyn, and Ellie sat at the same small table as always that was located in the farthest corner from the double doors, all three of them tensed up, knowing what was about to happen as well as everyone else in the common area.
Jarod's fingers tapped repeatedly on the table, making it the only sound in the common area, his eyes trained on those double doors as well as the guards on either side of it, dressed in full gear that Jarod recognized as police riot armor, their swords still strapped to their sides and their hands behind their back.
The plan was simple but required a collective effort. The first step was easy. Jarod's fingers stopped tapping and the tenseness in the air only increased. He stood up, the sound of the metal legs of his chair skidding across the marble floor beneath them.
He slowly walked up to a man with dark green hair and even darker green eyes. He had a small build and was relatively short despite claiming to be a middle-aged man who was gifted his powers by a demon he wouldn't say the name of.
"Noah," Jarod whispered, standing right beside him. "Update?" Noah's green eyes brightened a little and he squinted.
"He's still in his office on the second floor." Jarod rose an eyebrow.
"Left of right?" Noah squinted further.
"Left side," He replied. Jarod nodded.
"Thank you," Noah's power was the ability to see through solid objects like concrete, metal, and wood. His job was solely to make sure Mackerel wasn't anywhere near them when they enacted the plan.
"Good luck," Noah whispered. Jarod turned around and flashed him a quick grin with a tiny thumbs up.
He would help them all escape. They couldn't stay any longer or else they would die. He walked up to the two guards.
"I need to talk to Mr. Mackerel," Jarod got out. "Let me through." The guards looked at each other, their hands placed on the hilt of their swords.
"Master is busy right now. Come back later, trash." Jarod sighed.
"Is that any way to talk to a prince? Oh well," In a flash, Jarod punched straight through the guard on the left, grabbing the demon's sword before twirling it around in his hand and decapitating the other guard before he could even react, the sword bouncing off the concrete metal with a clang after slicing off through the demon's neck like butter.
He silently thanked Morina for putting him through that hell she called training. "Hurry up!" He shouted as everyone began running towards the double doors. Arlyn and Ellie both stopped after everyone had left.
"Are you sure about this?" Arlyn asked as she pulled the sword off of the other demon's body, making sure not to touch any of the blood that was pooling around their feet. Jarod nodded.
"This is the only option." He let the exit first before going out himself. Everyone knew the plan.
Step Two: Escape the facility. The mass of people turned left when the hallway split into two ways. Jarod, Arlyn, and Ellie followed the group. Jarod looked at Arlyn and nodded.
He bolted forward, passing everyone in a blink of an eye as he met the dead-end and readied his hand, balling it into a fist as he cocked his arm back. This was it. One punch and everyone would have to run as fast as they could.
All except for him.
He punched through the wall, his fist going straight through it as he used the rest of his body as a battering ram, the speed he was moving at causing the concrete to give way as he passed straight through it and landed on the morning grass below, the bottom of his raggedy shoes becoming wet from the dew.
He dashed to the left as everyone began crashing down and running in the spot he had originally landed, a small sigh of relief escaping his body as he thanked whoever was smiling down upon him for not being crushed.
He watched as they poured out of the hole he had created like water when a dam had finally broken, a proud smile on his face. They would finally be able to escape and live their lives away from captivity and without the impending doom.
He waited and saw the last of the spill out with Arlyn hopping out of the hole with Ellie in her arms, the younger girl having her arms wrapped around the raven-haired woman's neck.
Arlyn stopped and looked at Jarod, a concerned look in her eyes. "You can still make it, with our speed we can probably outrun everyone else." Jarod shook his head.
"If I can hold them off even for a couple of minutes then it's fine. Go and take Ellie with you, I'll try and regroup when I can." Arlyn gave him a doubtful look. She knew the truth and so did Jarod.
There was no chance that he would escape if he fought them.
"I'll see you later, Jarod!" Ellie chirped, pulling at his heartstrings and cause a twinge of sadness to build up in his chest. He nodded with a large forced grin. He pat her on the head and closed his eyes, not able to meet her innocent gaze.
"Alright, I'll see you later!" He turned to Arlyn. "You need to go before it's too late." Arlyn frowned and set Ellie down for a moment. Jarod rose an eyebrow, confused as why she would do something so dangerous in a very dangerous place before she tugged his collar and placed a kiss straight on his lips.
His eyes widened immeasurably, unable to process what exactly what was happened as he could help but feel her lips caress his own. She pulled back, a frown still on her face. "If you don't come back after that I'll kill you."
"A-Alright," Jarod stuttered as he watched Arlyn scoop Ellie back up, who was doing smoochie faces, causing the teen to turn a bright red.
"See ya," Arlyn whispered in a hushed tone before running and disappearing in the tree line. Jarod took several deep breaths and walked a few steps forward before turning around to look at the hole, the sword in his hand as he steeled his nerves.
He hated killing, the taking of another's life was an act he thought was generally evil. He had killed thousands of people unintentionally and some intentionally and he had often played with the thought of killing those councilmen and councilwoman.
Each time he did he knew what he was doing was wrong. Killing those two lackeys who had touched Arlyn and even killing those two guards just minutes ago. He knew he was wrong even if it was justified.
But he would have to kill more to ensure the safety of his friends or else they might die, something he was not willing to risk. He increased his grip on the sword as he heard the sounds of rapidly marching footsteps coming from inside the facility, fear and anxiety building its way up to his heart as he readied himself to spill more blood.
He had to fight with everything he had or else his little sister, Arlyn, and everyone else who had put their trust and faith into him would be captured again. He couldn't allow it.
He wouldn't.
Eight guards dressed similarly to the two other guards he had killed back in the common area streamed out of the hole, standing side by side as if awaiting orders as Fiin emerged, standing in the hole, an angry look plastered on his face as he glared at Jarod, his yellow demon eyes glowing as the ball and chain in his hands began glowing a bright golden color.
"Go capture the trash, I'll take care of the prince." He ordered. Jarod cursed as the other guards traveled around him. If they got past him, everyone would die.
If he let them pass, Arlyn and Ellie would die.
"I won't allow it," He whispered as his bright white hair shifted to the midnight black it always did as Dark Jarod took over. "You won't hurt them, no matter how much I may detest the red-eyed one we value her."
In a flash of grey and black, Dark Jarod killed every single last one of the guards, their bodies still standing as he appeared right back to where he was standing not even two seconds ago, his sword not having a single drop of blood on it as they all fell to the ground, dead.
"You won't be getting past me," Dark Jarod spoke confidently, standing straighter than Jarod usually did with a dark confident voice. "Without your master you're weak."
"Is that so?" Fiin said as he hopped out of the hole he stood, not even fazed by what Dark Jarod had said. "I suppose I'll allow myself to have fun. I hope my master will not mind too much if I hurt his precious toy."
"I'm his prize," Dark Jarod spoke as he began walking in a circle just as Fiin did, both ready to move at a moment's notice. "You're a disposable pawn. You're nothing but muscle to him. Meanwhile, here I am, still standing. If he truly valued your life he wouldn't pit you against me and watch with amusement."
"Do not speak as if you know Master!" Fiin growled out, the first reaction Jarod/Dark Jarod has seen from the supposedly stoic man. Dark Jarod laughed, irritating the demon further.
"If he had to choose between stealing my powers, or saving you, who do you think he would choose?" Fiin narrowed his eyes but chose not to speak. He knew the answer. "He would choose to steal my powers, but luckily for me, they're sealed, meaning. . ."
Dark Jarod suddenly appeared behind the blonde man, his face filled with amusement and a smirk and he swung the sword towards Fiin's head, intending on splitting the man in half. Fiin reacted quickly and quickly brought his chain up, the sword hitting it as a large spark appeared from the sheer impact that the two metals had hit each other.
"Impressive," Fiin muttered as he spun around and swung the ball that was connected ot the chain at the hybrid prince, only for Dark Jarod to easily duck under it. Twirling his sword, Dark Jarod laughed.
"If I had my abilities you'd be dead, we both know that's a fact." He said, his eyes buzzing with amusement. "This seal hampers my speed and my strength, and I'm already faster and stronger than you are," Fiin's eyes widened at that.
"I was under the impression that Satan sealed away your abilities, not your physical prowess." Dark Jarod laughed.
"That's what my other self thinks too, but our powers give us a monumental increase in our physical capabilities. Ignorance truly is a bitch, isn't it?" With that, Dark Jarod finished talking as he launched forward, hitting the spiked ball with the side of his stolen blade and watched as it traveled to the side and threatened to get close to Fiin, who was grinding his teeth together.
"Useless," Dark Jarod spoke as he flipped and planted a foot right in Fiin's face, causing the man to flying across the open field and hit the dirt and grass. "How the hell hasn't Mackerel killed you yet? What's your power? You're probably not even worth the effort."
Fiin's frustrated face shifted to one of absolute anger, his eyebrows furrowing, his lips curling downward as his nose scrunched up and his eyes blazing with hatred. Dark Jarod smirked. One more push.
"If I were to kill you, what then? I doubt that pathetic power hungry bastard would bat an eye, you're just a tool. A broken tool doesn't have any uses now, does it?" The effects of his words were instantaneous.
Fiin rushed him, his arms outstretched as he whirled his ball and chain towards Dark Jarod at blinding speeds. "DIIIIEEEEEEEE!" He roared, seeing red as his glowing ball suddenly grew ten times the size it was originally, looking like a wrecking ball with foot-long spikes scattered across it.
Dark Jarod's smirk increased, his canines showing as he disappeared from Fiin's vision, evading the gigantic ball as it smashed into the ground, creating a large rumble in the ground as the grass shook violently from the vibrations.
"Weak," Dark Jarod spoke as a sword suddenly emerged from the other side of Fiin's body, his mouth opening wide in shock as he felt his heart get pierced from the sword. Taking the sword out of the demon's body, Dark Jarod wiped the blade on Fiin's shoulders as he fell to his knees.
"Your power was weak as well, who would want to copy that?" Dark Jarod wondered aloud He mockingly walked around, his hand grabbing the blonde hair from Jiin as he forced him to meet his eyes. "Die knowing you failed your reason for living."
Jiin fell forward, his body making a thumping sound as blood began to soak into the ground and stain the grass below. Dark Jarod smirked as he kicked the body, enjoying how it barely moved with the strength of an average sixteen, almost seventeen-year-old human's strength.
"I enjoyed the show you put on Jarod, it was quite amusing." That same sickening voice spoke from behind Dark Jarod. He turned around and saw Mackerel standing there, his cold blue eyes glowing brighter than he has ever seen them, standing straighter instead of the small hunch he usually had.
Dark Jarod's eyes widened as he saw that Mackerel's clothes were covered head to toe in blood, not a single part of his body besides his face was clean. Mackerel let out a loud and exaggerated sigh.
"To take so many powers in less than a few minutes is quite tasking, I can hear them screaming in my ears now, begging to go back to the facility and act good. It was music, watching them scream and plea for mercy."
Mackerel vanished from Dark Jarod's vision, who turned around only to be grasped by the neck and held up. "It's taxing to absorb so many powers at once, not many know of the technique to steal their powers and even less can absorb so many and live."
Dark Jarod disappeared as Jarod's hair turned back into its usual white as he kicked at Mackerel's chest and tried to pull away his iron-like grip with no success. "I've lost so many toys because of you, trash. If you thought my fun time with you was bad then," Mackerel's smile disappeared, revealing a much more terrifying face as Jarod tried to futilely escape from his clutches.
"Then you're in for a rude awakening."