"This time.....I'M IN CONTROL!!!"
Alex declared in his new form. Bright red aura with bright red spectral phantom wings, and eyes compose of white pupils and red sclera. His newfound power burned away the dark mists.
Valus remained shocked and dumbstruck.
"Impossible! The amount of darkness was more than enough and yet...where did he get this light?!"
Demanding an answer to this question, he turned to Lana, who seemed to understand.
"What are you looking at me for? I'm not the one who gave him my light. You see darkness in everyone, but you forget that if darkness exists, so must light. All comes from one to choose the other. Alex create his own darkness and he used to it to find strength to forgive himself. Something that you yourself could've done." Lana explains.
"PREPOSTEROUS!!!"
Valus turns to Alex and summon dark mists to attack him. Alex creates an ethereal scythe made red energy and simply swats away the mists, which shocked the dark angel, prompting him to summon more.
Alex launched himself with his wings boosting him forward, perform a swirling dance with his scythe to slice through the mists. He closes in on Valus, but he disappeared into the dark mists before Alex could strike him.
Using his senses, he located the dark angel hovering in the air higher than the chapel.
"Even with all that power, you are not yet purified Alexander. I can still sense the darkness within you."
Alex crouched for a brief moment before kicking off the ground and launch himself up in the air towards Valus, who dodged him in air. With the help of his ethereal wings, Alex faces the dark angel.
"I own my shadows now. I may not forget my past or my sins, but no one decides who I am but me."
Valus summons orbs of black mists and throw them at him. Alex in response flies forwards, dodging and swing the projectiles and closes in to swing his scythe at Valus, which dodged to the side. But Alex had predicted this, as he passes by, he uses his left hand to catch Valus' scepter and pulls him in before dispelling his scythe before forming a fist and punches him downwards, pushing the dark angel to the ground before crashing, creating a crater and dust flying on impact. Then Alex threw Valus away from the crater and lands flat on his face.
Valus had not felt any emotion ever since he fell from graces of the heavens, and for the first time in a long time, he felt fear and desperation.
He tries to cast a spell but became surprised as the scepter was no longer in his hands. He looks back at Alex and it's indeed in his hands.
"The Scepter of Luminance, that is not yours!" Valus shrieked.
"And you considered this yours? You could've used your magic to call it right back to your hands, but you couldn't, could you? It maybe once yours, but I don't think it accepted you anymore."
Valus used his wings to propel himself forward to desperately seize the scepter. Just as he reached him, Alex disappeared into a red mist. Searching around, he found Alex had teleported right in front of the chapel.
"A low life revenant such as you could not utilize its power alone." Valus explains.
"You're right, I can't. But I'm not alone."
Then Alex turns around and launched a shadowbolt behind him and threw the scepter. The shadowbolt destroyed Lana bonds and she catches the scepter.
It was then Valus had realized his intentions, the power of light Lana possesses, and how potent power of the scepter.
Light began to shine brightly around Lana as the rest of the dark restrains dissipates and something happened. The once blackened scepter corrupted by darkness is now cleansed with light, changing its appearance of golden with two pairs of angel wings sitting each side of the head, and the crystal once red changed to light blue color. Then she walks to Alex's side, shining with power.
"Not anymore." Alex mumbles.
Lana smiles in response before looking at Valus with bravery.
"I have no need for the scepter, the darkness is still mine to command."
Valus unleashed numerous tendrils of dark mists onto them. Alex flew high up while Lana casts a light shield to counter the tendrils. Alex hovered for a brief moments before throwing shadowbolts, Valus used one of his tendrils to block the projectiles, but grimaces as he noticed that it burns away the mists upon impact.
Upon desperation, unleashes multiple tendrils at him. Alex creates a crimson-colored barrier around himself. When the tendrils impacted the barrier, the shield explodes, creating a shockwave of red energy that burns away the mists. Then Alex propelled himself towards the dark angel with an explosive force. Recognizing the danger, Valus had teleported away and Alex landed safely, then he throws a shadowbolt at Valus, who swiped it away with his dark tendrils. But he left himself wide open for Lana to cast a projectile made of light at his back, causing him to fall on his knees.
Valus grunted as he sees Lana running with the light scepter in her hands.
"Don't let up now!" She yells as Alex charges in to attack Valus.
Alex and Lana pelts the dark angel with light and red shadow based attacks nonstop. Valus did his best to defend against their attacks, he's eventually overwhelmed. Soon he has had enough, and channels the mist, building up and releases shockwave to blow of them away.
While the two are sent flying, Alex recovers first and flies to Lana, saving her before they landed to the ground.
Practically panting in frustration, Valus charges the mists once more, but this time he unleashes a beam of black mists that glowed purple in the inside on the duo.
Lana casts a light shield to block it but she finds herself struggling on impact, even more so that she has to maintain the barrier as the dark purple beam is pushing through.
Alex then casts a shield of his own and Lana looks at him puzzled.
"On my mark." Alex breathed out.
Lana immediately read the signal and nodded in confirmation. "Ready!"
The two are building up their powers as Valus' beam attack pushes through, though showing signs of struggle.
"NOW!!!" Alex commanded.
Lana and Alex unleashes a shockwave that pushed back the dark beam in one big force, knocking back the dark angel to the ground.
Valus remained on the ground for a while, before tightening his fist slowly in frustration. He gets up with a desperate anger in his face.
"Why do you refuse to understand that I could end your pains?! Have I not given enough?!!!"
"You were trying to silence everyone's pain and suffering just as you were trying to silence yours. We can ignore it all we want, but it will always come back eventually."
Valus seethes before gathering the black mists and channel them onto his wings, he's going for the charge attack. But just as he was about to launch himself, he was suddenly hit by something cold and he fell forward. Valus looked at what was going on and became shocked to find his wings frozen in ice.
Then Valus saw the one responsible for the ice blast behind him to be none other than Nate with his hand raised.
"Traitor!" Valus breathed out with comtempt.
"I'm a traitor to myself...no longer."
Nate launched another ice blast but this time aimed for his hands to the ground.
"RAAAAAGHH!!!" A female voice screamed.
Though immobilized, Valus heard a battle cry from his left, he turned his head and saw Rena with a flaming katana running at him. She jumped over the dark angel and slashed his frozen wings, shattering it like glass.
Valus screamed in agony and more black mists began to flow out from the stubs. Then after a while, all the black mists disappeared, leaving Valus crouched down on his knees.
He looks up to see the oppressors standing before him. A white paladin of ice magic, a red swordswoman of fire magic, a girl of white wielding light magic, and the reaper known as the Dark Harbinger.
"This is nothing. You know naught of what my pain feels like." Valus huffed in pain.
Lana stepped forward in front the dark angel.
"I know you were cast out of the heavens because you made a mistake, and you couldn't forgive yourself for it. You were tormented over it that you couldn't bear to remember it to the point that darkness became your solitude. So you became content to play the role of a messiah from suffering just so you wouldn't feel yours."
"Tch!"
"But it's not too late. You can still fix this, you can still make a choice."
Lana extended her hand and offer it to Valus. He looked at Lana, who simply gave a serene smile. To Valus, the notion of having to be forgiven in one moment isn't worth the centuries of everything he's done.
Unfortunately, he could not let it go.
"I..." He said in a low voice.
Alex was eyeing on Valus the whole time. After Lana offered over her hand, Valus hung his head low. Then he notice his hand snaking to his back and revealed a silver dagger. Realizing his intentions, Alex is already on the move.
"...I could never let go!" Valus defiantly declared as he goes to stab Lana.
Unfortunately this was not the sharpest decision Valus has made.
Alex used his hand to stop the knife but in turn pierced through his palm.
"ALEX!!!" Lana screamed with worry.
Valus tries to push through but he could not free himself from Alex with his knife impaled through his hand.
While Alex kept the dark angel at bay, Nate and Rena moved in either sides and unleashed blasts of fire and ice on Valus, prompting him to let go.
Alex removed the knife from his hand and dashed forward, grabbing Valus by the neck and flies up to the air.
Lana twirls her scepter before casting her light magic on Alex, giving him power as he channels his own.
Knowing this ends in his defeat, Valus responds with a glare.
"Regardless the number of people have forgiven you, you will still be condemned. I should have eliminated you, Alexander!"
Lana had finished her casting as Alex is now surging with power, glowing brighter.
"My name is...ALEX CROWE!!!" Alex declared with a yell.
He throws Valus forward and unleashes a bright red beam of energy combined with his own black mists. As Valus screamed in agony, he was blasted to a greater distance into horizon until he was no longer seen again.
With now the battle over, Alex exhaled as he descended down the ground.
He faced at three people who helped him and let out a soft smile.
Once a lone killer now can't help but be content that he is no longer had to walk alone.
Rena, his twin sister who once betrayed him, now she fights by his side to make things right and mend the broken bond.
Nate, an self-righteous enforcer once tasked to apprehend him, now fights for the truth and true justice.
And Lana, who never gave up on Alex no matter how much darkness he held on to. When he tried to push away, or how monstrous he's shown her. She was always there by his side and called to him. This very person he now vows to give everything to protect.
Lana let out a smile as she faces him. Alex then approaches Lana and gives her a hug. Of course this took Lana by surprise.
"Thank you...for believing in me." Alex whispered as his form slowly returns to normal.
Lana softens and returns the hug as sun rises behind them.
________________________________________
In the distance overlooking the aftermath of the battle against their brother Valus. Two angels stood lamenting the triumph of Alex Crowe.
"You see? Not only your claim has been proven false but the boy has proven a valuable asset." Azrael reasoned.
"I can no longer deny the results, but the boy still dangerous to even roam freely." Sariel clarified.
"I may remind you that in going against the council orders, you were reprimanded from your duty and reduced to a mere spectator."
"Temporarily."
Sariel turns around with her back turned. "I shall make my report to the council. But if the day comes that the Dark Harbinger poses a threat to our worlds, I'll be there to fulfill my duty."
Sariel stretches her wings and flew up into the sky, returning to the heavens. Leaving Azrael behind to look over to Alex from a distance.
"I do not know why you chose him. Was a desperate time or was there a reason?" Azrael spoke to himself.
As he sees Alex with his friend, he can't help but feels content.
"Either way, I can only honor you by assisting in anyway I can. Until that day, the day where all destinies converge."
Azrael stretches his wings and flies off to the sky.