Special Thanks to: Finny. Thankee, with out you, I’d be wondering still.

It was to Ariketon’s delight as he watched Shino hold his dying father in his arms. He had longed to see the suffering and destruction of the wardranian race and the death of Arishawn would bring him one step closer to his goal. He smirked from his standing point in the realm beyond the physical reality, the realm where all gods roamed. He could see Shino, but Shino couldn’t see him.

Shino set his father down, sighing as yet another one of his reasons died. This time, it was the final one. Now, he was truly alone. He may have had Terran back in the valley, but he had no more guiding lights. It was all dark to him now. He stood up slowly, finding he came all this way for nothing.

Ariketon would not give up now though. He had his plan to follow out with and he would not let the death of his vessel stop him. With a single movement of his godly hand, the very spirit of Myris’ creation was plucked from it’s afterlife, and forced back into it’s body.

Shino gasped as his father suddenly rose, coughing up blood as the wound on his stomach healed. He knelt down, setting a hand on his father’s chest and another on his back. His eyes were filled with worry as he looked over him, “Father!? Are you feeling alright?”

Arishawn gave a slight nod, standing. As he took his position upright, he felt a jolt of pain surge through him. Pangs of an invading force sent a cry from his throat as he fell to his knees. His will, as mighty as it was proved to be no match against the invader’s. Now, once again, he found himself helpless to control is being.

Shino stepped back as his father suddenly growled. He understood quickly. Ariketon would not allow his father to die as long as he needed his body. For what he needed it for, he didn’t know, but he would have to find a way to drive Ariketon out. Before he could say anything, he found his father lifting into the air and making his way back to the city.

Ariketon did not care if Shino followed. He needed to return to the tower. His plan was almost complete and all he needed was the power of one more body. He needed Shino to follow. Although, he did not expect him, Shino did turn out to be a wonderful delight. The plan would sooner be finished than Ariketon thought.

Shino growled, sheathing his sword and lifting up after the god in his father’s body. He would not allow this. His father was so close to coming home and yet Ariketon snatched him away, but as Shino gave chase, he found Ariketon to be much faster and he soon disappeared over the city. Shino now had to find his way around, find his father on his own.

Despite the disgusting air, Shino’s wings kept him fast. He could not slow down now, even if the air’s impurities burned and ravaged his lungs. Now, the view of the city surrounding this immaculate tower came into view. The city was vast, perhaps ten times the size of NeoAnnos, and that city was the largest located in the Old Continent. This one was far more different though, and Shino knew it just moments after he was directly over it’s borders.

He looked over what seemed to be black rivers, now more apparently roads covered by some odd substance. Upon it were horseless carriages, moving in a constant flow. People walked like ants on what appeared to be cream colored trails on the side of the roads. Surrounding these roads were thousands of buildings of every shape and size. In the center of all this was this marvelous tower. It bellowed into the sky, overseeing all below it.

Shino landed on a rooftop, looking over all this with amazed eyes. He had never seen anything like this in all of his life. Sure he had seen NeoAnnos, but that place was tiny compared to this. His eyes drifted over the people, watching a woman scream as a man ran off with her purse. Petty thievery. He had imagined the haven for humans to be somewhat like the Northern Sanctum before the war. But, this city had been nothing like this. Everywhere he looked there was decadence. People sat drunk at the corners of the streets. Fights exploded at the mere drop of a paper. The stench of death loomed from the alleyway near his position as whores stood before it, looking for a sale.

Shino shook his head. This was nothing like what he had expected. Either way, he didn’t plan on staying long. He was going to bring his father home. His black wings opened, allowing him to lift into the air once more.

Oddly enough, Shino moved unnoticed by all the humans below him. They seemed too immersed in their selfish schedules to even take the time to look up into the sky. All below Shino odd rings could be heard with the simple word of “Hello?” following. Random curses from the road below could be heard as two of these horseless carriages lay crashed into each other in an intersection, their riders laying spewed over the road.

Shino continued forward, lifting over large rope-like objects that appeared to be draped over large lines of trimmed trees. He found himself at a nice altitude, the rancid air strangling his lungs angrily, yet he had to continue on. He searched for the base of this tower, its large frame creeping closer to him as the buildings below him blurred by.

The tower seemed all the more dominating as Shino circled it. He felt odd as he did this, almost as if someone was watching him. He continued upwards, moving in large circles about the tower’s walls. His eyes looked over the inscriptions as he moved. There were words on there. “Ariketon Council.” Shino blinked at that, wondering what that meant, but his thoughts quickly silenced as a siren blared into the air, bringing the city below to a halt. Shino also stopped, looking about him as a fire ball passed by his shoulder, narrowly missing his wing. His eyes darted to an odd item sticking out of the wall. It seemed long and hollow and soon it was joined by a dozen more.

Shino found himself dodging through a frenzy of attacks as the people below scattered like headless roaches to cover. The flames were constant and most merely grazed his body, leaving black singes on his skin and clothes. With one sharp slam, Shino found himself spiraling to the ground. Only a distinct thud and a cloud of dust pointed out where he hit, but the barrage was over.

Crowds quickly gathered to inspect the fallen Shino. Some prodded and kicked lightly as others lifted his limp wings. They had never seen such a creature. To them, he was not their enemy, but an enigma to be studied.

Shino didn’t awake till he felt a feather pulled from his wing. His eyes snapped open, focusing on a young girl who held his feather. He growled, but that appeared to be the only thing he could do. He attempted to lift his body, but he seemed bound by something. His eyes darted about, capturing the images in being in some sort of cage. Odd gadgets surrounded him, which gave off small rhythmic beeps and various other sounds.

The woman smiled at the feather, setting it away in a small jar. She looked over Shino, writing a few spare notes on the clipboard she carried. She nodded, looking to Shino again, her hand sliding against his wing. In a reflex, Shino flared his wing, nearly knocking the woman back as he suddenly began to struggle. The woman rushed off, grabbing a single syringe.

Shino stopped moving as he felt the slight sting of something pierce his neck. He hissed, his tail attempting to thrash, but it fell suddenly limp. For some reason he didn’t have the strength to move. His entire body felt like jelly as he could only lay limp. He could only move his eyes to watch the woman step out of sight and away.

Shino had lost track of the time. He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious and now he didn’t know how long he had been drugged. He found himself growing sleepy, but he dared not fall asleep. The rhythmic clicks of movement brought Shino to his awareness. His eyes darted about, hoping to see what was coming, but it came in from behind him. A familiar scent flooded his nostrils, it was his father. Or at least the body of his father to say the least. A deep growl emitted from Shino’s throat, warning the parasitic god to keep his distance.

Ariketon circled the body, smiling at his catch. He had expected Shino to come. Why not? He had the body of his father. “Well, look at the little rat that followed me home.”

Shino closed his eyes, sighing softly as he felt yet another sting burn his flesh. He felt feeling come back to his body and soon the ability to move. He slammed his tail against the bars of the cage, finding he could sit up. He watched Ariketon carefully, speaking coldly to him. “Why have you taken my father?”

Ariketon smiled, staring into Shino’s eyes. “To kill the lot of your people.”

With such a simple reply, Shino growled, his ears lowering back. “You don’t know what you’re facing against. Myris will not stand for this! He will protect our people and destroy this place.”

Ariketon let out a laugh, and looking back to Shino, he chuckled. “No god but Iudicium has the power to destroy life. There is a balance of power in every world. We can create it, but the balance is spread further out. The further it spreads, the harder it is for the life to survive. In creating the New Continent, the balance was pushed to its limit, and the New Continent was not granted the life energy. Now, as I said, we gods can’t destroy life, but we can take the energy from it and transfer it to another place. You see, your people have the most energy, and if that energy was to be stolen, then all of you would drop dead.”

Shino tightened a fist. “There is no way you’re going to do that! Trust me, someone will stop you. If not me, then Lord Myris!”

A cold smirk crossed Ariketon’s face. All this was obviously amusing him. Did Shino not know that his brother could not know what he was about to do? Of course not, otherwise the boy would not hold his god with such high hopes. “Your god has no way of knowing. His telepathic link with your people cannot reach past these boundaries.”

“You still haven’t explained why you took my father’s body!”

“Because, your kind have such a high life energy that it would be only natural that capturing one of your own would be the best option. No god can take a physical form about the earth besides Iudicium. So, why not steal one? Your father was the only one who I liked. He’s rather muscular, and the psionic tendencies that run in the Psidus Mind clan seems to also branch out in yours.”

Shino growled, his hands gripping the bars of the cage tightly. “You… are wrong to do this! Even if you kill all of us, it will not prove you to be the one worthy to be a war god. And what would Lord Myris and The Almighty Iudicium say about that?”

“Iudicium cannot say anything. He gave no specifics on how Myris and I should lead this war against each other. Face it wardran, your people will be dead all too soon.”

Shino found himself pulling on the bars, all of his strength going into this. The metal finally began to bend, giving into his immense power. With a sudden jolt of strength and energy, Shino found himself ripping the bars open. He lunged forward, towards Ariketon. Pain surged through his senses as he found himself violently forced back with a single movement of Ariketon’s hand.

Shino’s body flew back, slamming into the cage, the broken metal rattling with the impact. Shino stood up slowly, his eyes moving to lock onto where Ariketon was. He wasn’t there. He felt another surge of this horrible pain rip through him as a fisted hand slammed the back of his neck. Shino’s body skid forward, coming to a slow stop just shy of the machines.

Just before Shino could get up, he felt a strong metallic foot set on his back. It pushed him down roughly, slamming his jaw to the floor. He tried to force his way up, but the force held him down firmly.

“Impudent creature! How dare you raise your fist against me! I could easily destroy you, but I won’t. Your body is far too valuable to me. Yes, that psionic power that Manifestation unlocked in you would be perfect. I would have preferred Manifestation himself, but.. I guess I’ll settle with his pupil.”

Hearing that, Shino forced himself up, setting Ariketon off balance for an instant. With that single moment in time, Shino’s tail slammed into Ariketon’s throat, sending the god to his knees, struggling to breath. With his precious time, Shino ran out of the room, moving through the darkened halls. He didn’t know where he was going, but all he knew is that he had to escape.

Shino found himself taking random turns, hoping to merely get lucky. Every hallway seemed to be an exact replica of the last. Door ways whizzed by in brown blurs as everything before him was just a black void.

Finally growing somewhat tired, Shino stopped. His body was still being affected by the drugs that had been used on him. He leaned back against a marble wall, breathing heavily. Just as he lifted his head to continue forward, the wall opposite of him began to bulge. Pipes from the framework busted as the body of Ariketon rammed through. Shino quickly ran onwards, listening to the sound of Ariketon behind him. He was suddenly grateful that his father’s body was so much larger than his. It made Ariketon slow and it was hard for him to keep up with Shino.

Hallways twisted endlessly, every turn making Shino all the more lost. There was no way for him to tell the way out. Just the ever present sound of the larger body behind him. Shino was grateful Ariketon’s godly powers couldn’t work in his father’s body.

Shino took a sudden turn, finding himself running straight to a lighted room. Hope fluttered into his heart. Perhaps he was about to find his way out. He found himself coming closer to this light, the door way becoming larger with every passing moment.

As he passed the doorway, Shino slid to a stop. He let out heavy breaths as he looked about. He found himself in a dome like structure. The ceiling was high and only the light from a single large crystal kept the room vastly illuminated. Columns rose high, holding the sides up and in the middle of this, sat a frail old man.

Shino’s cold eyes locked on this single figure as his ears caught the sound of Ariketon also stopping at the entrance. “Well Shino, it seems you found your people’s old nemesis. That is King Serenos.”

The king stood, his old limbs trembling as his thin, white hair rested on his shoulders. His eyes looked over Shino and then to Ariketon. “You.. Promised us eternal life Ariketon, and now I grow frail and old as my people die.”

Ariketon stepped forward, an amused grin on his face. “Oh but Serenos, don’t you see what your people have gotten you? This wardran will be the vessel I need. Besides, we have a deal, the as long as you’re alive, the longer I will try to make this place a utopia.”

“You have promised this for years. Now you are using the bodies of our greatest enemy to gain what we need. Aren’t we, your own creations, good enough to be used in war anymore?”

Ariketon tilted his head to the side. He thought about this for a moment, then gave an amused chuckle. “I made the humans controllable.”

“Controllable? Then you do not care for us. I should have seen this. You aren’t a god like of the others. You care only for your title of War God. Myris actually takes care of his wardran and he made them strong and powerful. That’s why we lost in the war.”

“You lost in the war because you didn’t think. Yes, the wardran may be stronger and faster than you humans, but they do not have ingenuity or technology. Look at the war today, so many life spirits of the wardran flow away because of the guns that I have given your people the knowledge of to create.”

Shino stood silently, listening between the two. He had found his thoughts right. Ariketon didn’t care what happen to the humans. To him they were just puppets he was to use to gain his title. Shino stepped back, watching as Serenos leaped from his throne, landing with an oddly graceful movement.

“Ariketon, allow me to prove that humans still have the power to fight the wardran.”

Ariketon remained silent for a moment, then with a quick movement, he landed onto the throne. Sitting, he waved his hand, looking down to Serenos. “Make it good, but don’t kill him.”

Serenos nodded, his hand lifting upwards as a blue sword found its way into his frail hand. He took a simple stance, holding the sword tight with both of his bony hands. With unnatural speed for such an old vessel, Serenos lunged forward, the sword lifted high above his head.

Shino nimbly moved away from the incoming sword, his tail lifting out to the oncoming king. He felt his muscled appendage slam into the body. He watched as Serenos soared to the other side of the dome, slamming into the opposite wall with a pain filled cry. Shino stood upright, his tail swaying behind him.

Serenos muttered to himself, standing up again as he gripped the sword given to him tightly in his right hand. He didn’t feel no pain and he knew he could keep on fighting. He let out a laugh, his hand raising upwards. Energy buzzed from it and circulated around his bony limb. He clenched his fist, lifting his whole arm upwards. From that, a blue alien energy rushed forward, ravaging the floor beneath it.

Shino opened his wings and with an upward lift, he watched the energy flow under him. Just as he thought he was safe, the energy surged upwards. It radiated about him, ripping at his flesh like a school of blood thirsty piranhas.

He landed to the ground with a thud, quickly scrambling onto his feet just in time to see another wave roaring at him. Shino’s wings darted open again, but this time he flew forward. He could feel that massing heat following him as he raged towards Serenos. To his dismay though, Serenos leaped out of the way, forcing Shino to make a quick turn before he ran into the wall. The wave gave pursuit and caught up, its power surging over Shino yet again.

Serenos laughed with pride in his victory. His eyes danced over the fallen Shino. He knew the wardran was still alive, but the best thing was that he couldn’t attack anymore. He leaped to the body, landing next to it slowly.

Shino could hear every movement and he could sense the joy that Serenos had. But what the king didn’t know was that he was no where near finished. At least that’s what he hoped. The alien energy had taken a lot out of him, but he felt that he could still finish him.

Serenos dragged the tip of the blade against the floor before he set it against Shino’s side. It would be so simple for him to finish him off now, but Ariketon’s presence kept him from doing so. He looked upwards to the throne above him. “I have defeated him, are you happy? Does this prove the humans are still powerful?”

Ariketon sat amused, nodding slowly. “Well yes, but there’s something you should know about wardran, they have the ability to give out dangerous energy, even after death.”

Serenos gave a confused look, but it was obvious what Ariketon meant when he felt something viciously yank his sword away. He whipped his sight to the wardran, but it was all too late.

Shino stood tiredly, holding the sword still as he watched Serenos’ head fall to the ground. It was over, but pain ravaged him and he could feel hot blood build in his throat. Those energy attacks were far more stronger than he had first thought.

Ariketon chuckled, “Well, humans never listen.”

Shino dropped the sword, shaking his head as he watched his vision blur. He found it getting increasingly worse as every moment passed. Only his hearing could tell him that Ariketon was coming closer. He stepped back, hissing as he listened to the words being spoken to him.

“Don’t you just love that little technique I taught Serenos? Its called the Serene Wave. It has a tendency to take away the senses of the one that it hits slowly. Then it leaves them vulnerable… till they can be killed.”

Shino shook his head, desperately trying to focus. Ariketon was right, his sight was going, and extremely fast at that. He lifted his ears, listening for movement. If he couldn’t see, then he would just simply listen.

Not even the sounds around him were on his side though. With a single movement, Shino slammed against the wall of the dome. He slid to a sitting position on the floor. He looked over the large blur before him, watching the black blotch move towards him. A strong hand gripped his throat and slammed him viciously against the wall. Shino gasped, feeling the hand squeeze his throat. His breaths became ragged and desperate. He felt consciousness slipping from him and quickly. His mind could barely think, but one simple forceful movement is all he needed. That is all he did.

Ariketon found himself sliding back against the marble floor. Shino had kicked him hard enough for him to go sliding back to the center of the dome. He could hear Shino cough and wheeze as he took in the life giving air greedily.

Shino stood up again as he found his breath calming. He watched the blur stand and disappear. Shino tensed his aching muscles. He didn’t need any other attacks, he had to find some way to defeat Ariketon. His mind wandered his many thoughts. Seconds seemed like ages to Shino as he thought. He remembered something that Mana had once said.

“All life energy doesn’t just simply disappear. Even after we have died we keep some. It may be small, but if someone of the living were to channel it, the ending result would be deadly.”

Shino gasped, knowing what he had to do then. He had felt it in the cave and he was sure it would work again. Just as Ariketon came in for a swoop, Shino leaped forward, landing in the middle of the dome. He turned swiftly around, his mind searching the dome. It had to be here, he knew it was. Energy radiated slightly from it.

“On the throne.”

From the second Shino heard that voice, he leaped up. His body flew over Ariketon and onto the throne in the wall. Shino’s hands met with the handle of his sword and he swiftly pulled it out of the sheath. He felt an odd feeling surge his body as his sight was restored.

Ariketon growled, leaping after Shino, but before he could attack, Shino jumped out of the way. Ariketon turned in mid air, watching Shino land to the ground lightly. He held the sword Myris had given him. It apparently restored most of his strength. He wasn’t going to let this happen; Shino had to be captured.

Shino held his sword tight as he felt this immense power surge through him. It was amazing but he could not use it till Myris would show. Was Myris capable of coming? He didn’t know. His eyes darted to Ariketon; he would have to get past him before he could use the power. He knew this, and he knew how. Shino suddenly began to run, his body running up the opposite wall as his wings darted open. He flew up, listening to Ariketon take flight behind him. Shino braced himself, holding the sword over his head. The top of the dome collapsed, allowing him to fly out.

The night air was hot and Shino found himself just above the clouds of pollution over the city. He looked about, gazing to the stars as they shimmered above him. He then looked down, watching Ariketon fly up after him. He moved forward, flying swiftly as Ariketon gave chase.

Shino gave a swift turn in mid air, looking about franticly. His silent prayers were answered.

Ariketon came to a sudden stop as a golden figure appeared near Shino. He watched the two as Shino flew towards his creator. Shino circled him as Myris merely dissipated. He watched and his eyes widened as three pillars of light exploded from the ground, surrounding Shino. The boy was up to something.

Shino felt the warmth of his ancestors and those who had just departed. Their power surged about him and made his own grow. He had one shot at this and it would be simple. His arms moved out, touching this warmth. He could feel the emotions of every wardran who had ever died. What they felt before they were passed and how they died flooded his mind. He watched Ariketon rush him. The god knew what he was about to do.

It was too late for Ariketon though. The god knew this even as he watched thousands of wardran flood these pillars. Fear surged through the god. This is what he feared. He knew a single wardran was simple to deal with, but this many was too much.

People stopped and marveled at the sight of the three pillars. The clouds above them scattered, showing the brilliant stars as the lights from the city grew dark.

The pillars formed into one, the many wardran continuing to flood it. The light was unbearable for many, but Ariketon knew what it would do. He rushed forward, his hand outreached. He could feel the blistering heat of the light as he passed through it. It burned like the fiery infernos of hell about him. The last and final thing he felt was the feel of his index finger touch Shino’s forehead.

People screamed and ran as the pillar let down two waves of energy. The surge ripped through the city, pulling up the asphalt and toppling buildings over. Mass panic erupted as the third pillar pulsed out , spreading its size. Those who were still alive ran and trampled over the unlucky ones who were unfortunate enough to fall.
 
 

The night air was still and silent. The only thing about Shino was the calm sea and the stars above him. He felt himself tired and with that he closed his eyes. His wings ceased to flap and gravity took a hold of him, allowing his body to fall to the sea below him.

~ End of Part VI ~