"Answer me." The dar-tandemon growled and plunged its katana down at the unconscious Desmond who was being held by the second dar-tandemon. The onlookers closed their eyes, already accepting what was about to happen to Desmond but then, a deafening clash of metals ripped throughout the tense atmosphere. Everyone snapped their eyes open to see what was going on, especially the little girl. They widened their eyes in shock at what they saw.
Standing in front of Desmond was a red haired boy- Desmond's age- blocking the dar-tandemon's katana from touching Desmond with his own katana. The boy immediately shoved the dar-tandemon's katana back with all the force he could gather. Without giving it time to recover, he luged forward with a knee aiming at the dar-tandemon's face. The dar-tandemon reacted in time, blocking the strike with its arm, the force of the impact sending it back a few feet.
The second dar-tandemon dropped Desmond and held its arms to the left as an axe materialized in its hands. It then swung, a sweeping arc of the axe at red head who simply ducked, avoiding the attack as the katana in his hands disappeared. While down, he turned around and dashed past the dar-tandemon picking up Desmond and sprinting to a nearby alley. He quickly placed Desmond down, close to a wall, making his back lean against the wall.
He then stood and left the valley going to stand in the middle of the road. He turned around and was now standing face to face with the two dar-tandemons. The dar-tandemons looked closer and noticed something. Around the right sleeve of his jacket was a bronze arm guard.
"So he's an onyx bearer." One of the dar-tandemons mumbled with a frown. Red head stood gazing at them nonchalantly as a glowing light in the shape of a rod appeared in his right arm before dimming to reveal a katana.
"We can't let him live." The other dar-tandemon said, also with a frown. "He might become a warrior in the near future and fight against us." Some sort of dark aura enveloped the place, sealing away the moonlight and stealing everyone's sight. "Who knows how strong he'll become enough to be a threat to us."
It ended before immediately disappearing and appearing in front of red head who widened his eyes, his nonchalant expression vanishing in an instant at the dar-tandemon's speed.
"Die!" The dar-tandemon growled with one arm up as a blade appeared in its hands. It swung the blade down at the shocked kid who barely managed to block it with his katana.
"What the- How come I didn't see it coming?! This isn't the speed he used against that blue head." He frowned as the realization hit him. "Don't tell me they weren't fighting at full strength! Shit! The warriors will have to arrive here sooner or later. For now let me focus on saving my ass before they get here."
He snapped out of his shocked state and pushed his opponent's blade back. At the heat of the moment, they started exchanging blows, the sound of clashing swords echoing throughout the atmosphere. To a normal person watching the scene unfold, it looked as if they were on equal foot but that wasn't the case. The dar-tandemon was gaining the upper hand. Red head received a few cut to both sleeves of his jacket. He noticed that the dar-tandemon was winning and looked for an opening to move out the way.
He found a chance and leaped backwards.
"Damnit! It's too strong for me." He thought as he was flying backwards but before he could land, he felt a gust of blood thirst wash over him from behind.
"Sh- shit!" He slowly turned his head to side to get a better look although he knew what it was. One leg of the second dar-tandemon was swinging sideways at him. He didn't have time to react and received the kick to his ribs sending him crushing into a building, the impact creating a crater in the building and causing him to gasp.
It then jumped towards him with it's feet aiming right at him but he had already recovered and saw it coming. He quickly jumped to the left narrowly dodging the attack as the dar-tandemon came crashing into his previous spot which fell into a debris.
"That would have been a big problem. I thought dar-tandemons were the weakest of them but this...." He thought. "I guess I still have a long way to go. That is, if I survive." He thought and he landed. He gritted his teeth as he saw the first dar-tandemon lung towards him from ahead. The dar-tandemon tried punching him which he swiftly moved to the side avoiding the punch and gave it an uppercut. He jumped up over it as it was falling back and made an attempt to give a spinning kick to the ground but then, the other dar-tandemon appeared out of nowhere from his left side and spun sideways delivering a kick to his stomach as he was sent rumbling across the street. Immediately as the first dar-tandemon landed, it held the second dar-tandemon which was still falling by its leg and spun sideways throwing it at red head.
As the second dar-tandemon was flying towards red head, a blade appeared in its hands as it swung the blade downwards...
Desmond opened his eyes to find himself, lying down in a white space with the floor looking like an endless sight of a water body.
"I guess I'm dead then." He thought as he looked to his left. "Is this... Heaven. Was heaven always this blank." As far as the eyes could see was complete nothingness. No cloud or sky, no mountains or valleys and no plants. Just plain white. He tried sitting up but felt a sharp pain through his head and went back down.
"Ouch." He said while rubbing his head. He sighed as silence reigned upon the place as he laid staring up with an emotionless glare. He then tried sitting up again, but slowly this time. He managed to sit up this time and crossed his legs while looking forward.
As he sat there, memories of his life came flooding into his head. He could hear voices of people from his past.
"You're such a weakling."
"You can never become a warrior 'cause you're weak."
"Just give it up."
He could hear himself getting beaten and people laughing... Laughing at him.
"Don't you get it?"
"Always the cocky one but turns out to be nothing more than a whimp."
He held his head and looked down
"Damnit!" He mumbled as tears started running down his face. "Aaaaaaaaahh." He screamed with a look of frustration on his face. "Why? Why did it have to be like this? Why did I have to die without fulfilling my promise. I promised him... Am I... Gonna die just like that."
An blurry image of an old man flashed through his mind. "I promised him and yet... I... Damnit!"
He cried his eyes out as he lowered his head...
A blue glowing figure stood in the same space watching Desmond sulk from afar.
"Finally!" The figure said and started walking towards Desmond...
Desmond had stopped crying but tears were still streaming down his face. His eyes looked that they had been drained of all purpose and emotions. As he sat, his eyes narrowed. His expression changed from a depressed one to a serious one.
"No. I... I can't die here. I... I won't die... I promised to avenge his death. I... Promised to avenge both them. I... I won't die until I do so, damnit!"
He lifted his head to look forward but then saw a blue glowing figure standing right in front of him. His eyes widened in surprise at first but after a moment, he snapped back to himself at once and got up, backing away from the figure with a frown.
"You... What are you?" He asked, his expression now completely serious and ready to fight.
The figure was in a form of a human with robes on and a back length hair. But everything of it was glowing blue.
The figure didn't respond to Desmond's question and just stood there watching him. Desmond's didn't lower his guard one bit and stood there with a fighting stance.
"Didn't you hear what I said?" Desmond broke the thick sense of silence hanging in the air. "I said what are-"
"You're ready." The figure spoke cutting off Desmond's words.
"What?" Desmond was clearly confused at his words. You're ready. What did it mean by that?
"You... Damnit! Answer me." Desmond tried lunging towards it but it suddenly flickered with a flash of lightning from its previous position to were Desmond stood, with the thumb of its right hand on Desmond's forehead.
"What!" Desmond was shocked at the speed at which the figure moved.
"Your resolve is good enough. I'll use it." The figure said as Desmond suddenly blacked out.
Desmond shot his eyes open to find himself back in the alley red head brought him to except, he didn't know when and how he got there. The thick smell of dust and the ripping sound of clashing swords, breaking concretes and loud thuds filled the atmosphere. He slowly got back on his feet. He struggled a bit in doing so but succeeded in the end. Using the wall as support, he walked out the alley.
When he got out, he widened his eyes at what he saw. There was a certain red head fighting against two dar-tandemons.
"Who is that? Wait a second!" He noticed something. "I thought I was dead. But if I'm not then it means..." Realization hit him at that point. "He saved me." He said as watched red head struggling to hold of the two wolf headed demons. "Is he a warrior? No... He's no older than me and aside from that..."
He watched as red head went on his knees, blood streaming down his face. One of the dar-tandemons landed in front of him while the other one landed behind him, both with blades in their hands.
But before anything else, Desmond heard a crying whisper.
"Emy... No..." He widened his eyes as he turned his head, his heart twisting at the sight of the red haired girl, tears streaming down her face. She took a shaky step forward.
"Someone..." Another step, her voice laced with emotions. "Anyone..." A third step. "Please save Emy."
The words hit Desmond hard as she gazed at the desperate girl's hope. He turned his attention back to red head's imminent death. At that very moment, a fire ignited within him, fueled by guilt and a fierce sense of protectiveness.
"I..." He thought to himself and clenched his fists with a tremor running through his body. "I..." He frowned as an azure light glowed from his irises and his right arm, energy coursing through his veins.
The dar-tandemon standing in front of red head lifted up its katana and lunged it down at him with so much that, at the moment of impact caused a strong wind to blow in every direction blinding the sights of the onlookers. When the wind stopped blowing everyone turned the direction of the dar-tandemons and red head. They couldn't see what was going on due to the unsettled dust particles in the atmosphere but felt that it was too late to save him now.
The red haired girl went down on her knees, her eyes wide with unbelief as she looked forward. As the dust was settling, they noticed some sort of glowing light from the midst of the unsettled dust. Their attention was now fully attracted to whatever was going on in there, especially the girl. They widened their eyes in surprise as the dust finally cleared out.
Desmond stood between red head and the dar-tandemon in front of red head, a blue light glowing on his right arm and a glowing rod shaped object in his hands blocking the dar-tandemon's blade.
"W- what!" The dar-tandemon widened its eyes in shock at what it was seeing. "You..."
Desmond had a fearless look in his eyes, not seeming to be struggling. Like he had gotten some sort of new found strength from nowhere.
Red head looked up at him with amazement written all his face.
He let out a breath and shoved the dar-tandemon's blade aside with glowing object he held, before throwing a fist at the demon who couldn't react on time and received the punch to its stomach. It went down on knees clenching its stomach.
"Y- you... Little brat!" It stated, gazing into the emotionless eyes of Desmond and for a brief moment, a sense of fear washed over it. Like it had fallen prey to Desmond.
"You die here." Desmond said and quickly turned around, parrying the blade of the second dar-tandemon.
"What!" The second dar-tandemon also widened its eyes in shock.
Without giving it much time to recover, Desmond vaulted over red head and stomped the dar-tandemon in the stomach and sending it a few feet back.
He used the dar-tandemon as a wall during the stomp to jump back towards the first dar-tandemon with both knees aimed at its face.
The dar-tandemon brought both arms to block the attack which sent it rolling across the street.
The glowing light on Desmond's right hand dimmed to reveal a bronze arm guard and the glowing object in his hand also dimmed to reveal a katana. Desmond stared at the katana for a while, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
The onlookers had a mixture of amazement and relief on their faces. The red haired girl went on her knees again. Not from hopelessness this time, but from relief.
"So I did bear an onyx after all." He thought as his attention turned to red head.
"You... You were the one who saved me right? Thanks." He thanked red head with a smile.
Red head snapped back to himself and waved both hands dismissively.
"Oh, it was nothing. Really. Besides, you also saved me, so... I guess we're even now." He said with a nervous grin.
"I... I just... I couldn't stand there and watch you die. It wouldn't have felt right. Besides," He straightened his shoulders with determination burning in his eyes. "A someone who's going to become a warrior, I can't let this thing scare me."
Desmond walked over to him and stretched his arm.
"Then, come on. Let's defeat them together." Desmond offered with a smirk.
Red head stared at him for a while before looking over to his hand. He then put a smirk and grabbed on to Desmond's hand as Desmond helped him to his feet.
They both turned around, now standing back to back, facing one dar-tandemon each.
"By the way, I'm Emmanuel." Red head introduced himself and took a fighting stance as a katana appeared in his right hand.
"Nice to meet you Emmanuel. I'm Desmond." Desmond also took a fighting stance with his fists.
Both dar-tandemons were fully up by then as they looked forward at their opponents
"Let's kill these bastards." Desmond said as they both charged at their opponents- the dar-tandemons- who also charged back at them.
The fight was getting heated up.