"Umbra… is that really you?" Saruto voice trembled as he stared at the entity that had taken over the Emperor's body.
The reply came calmly, deeply, as if from a bottomless darkness: "Who else could it be?"
"Who are you?!" Saruto cried, the questions pent up inside him exploding. "Why are you putting me through these tests?! What do you want from me?!"
In the next moment, Umbra aura exploded. A thick, suffocating darkness engulfed the very air. Saruto collapsed violently to the ground, as if a mountain had been placed upon him. He began to scream. The pain wasn't merely physical; it felt as if his soul were being slowly crushed. "Who are you… to shout at me? To dare question me?" Umbra said coldly.
The aura then abruptly faded. Saruto gasped for breath, his body trembling. "Don't do this again," Umbra said. "I've forgiven you this time. But I will answer… just one question."
His voice grew louder: "I put you through these trials… to make you stronger."
He paused, then continued, "That's all you need to know now."
Saruto raised his head with difficulty. "So… why did you come here? You didn't just come to tell me this… did you?"
Umbra chuckled briefly. "Your tone is still condescending, boy. But… you're right."
He said in an even darker tone, "I possessed this boy's body for a reason. And I don't have time to explain. This body… won't withstand my power for long."
Suddenly, a tremendous burst of dark energy erupted from Umbra. Two gigantic hands of darkness formed behind him. Saruto's eyes widened. "What do you want to do to me?!"
One of the hands rose and seized him. He was lifted into the air, powerless to resist. Umbra laughed. "Good question."
Then Umbra hand reached out. It pierced Saruto's chest. Time froze. Saruto felt a chill creep through his body. A chill unlike anything he had ever known. His heart was ripped from his chest. Blood flowed. His vision blurred. His voice faded. Umbra handed the heart to the second hand he had summoned. It grasped it and pressed down.
A thick, dark energy began to envelop Saruto heart. Then, slowly, the heart was returned to Umbra hand. The other hand still held Saruto suspended body. His eyes began to close. Silence fell. Saruto was dead. Umbra laughed. "So… you're dead."
He reached out and tore Saruto soul from his body. His soul trembled in his grasp. Then he returned Saruto heart to his chest and pumped dark energy into it. Darkness spread through his body like fire. Finally, he returned his soul to his body.
Saruto gasped. He opened his eyes. He was alive. He placed a hand on his chest. "Didn't… I die?"
He looked at Umbra. "What have you done to me?!"
Umbra freed him from the hand that held him. Saruto stood staggering, then sprinted forward to attack Umbra. But he stopped abruptly. His body didn't move.
He looked behind him. A dark hand was pulling him toward a gateway that was beginning to take shape. "Umbra! You bastard! What have you done to me?!" he cried.
"You'll thank me later, Saruto," Umbra said calmly.
The clouds thickened. "Damn you!" Saruto yelled.
"Return stronger than you are now," Umbra said. "I... am waiting for you."
Saruto disappeared inside the gateway. It closed. Umbra left the emperor's body. The emperor collapsed to the ground, panting, his body exhausted. He looked up at the sky and said, "O Ruler Umbra... where have you sent Saruto?"
The reply came from nowhere: "To a place... that will make him stronger than he is now. Prepare yourself until then, my faithful servant."
"As you command, Umbra," said the emperor.
Elsewhere, Saruto opened his eyes. He clutched his head. "Where... am I?"
He rose slowly. He looked around. Giant boulders floated in the air. Above them rested palaces and towering buildings. Clouds surrounded everything from every direction. "Have I been transported?" he whispered.
Then, angrily, he said, "Damn you, Umbra..."