Darkflare

"I have but it's just been me being pa-” Lilith began to remember the guards they've met before arriving to the hideout. "Ah....now I understand. Remember those guards we met before? Seems that this feeling is believing whatever happened there was just the beginning."

Lilith had gotten up to the third floor. Noting the infirmary, she headed there to check herself up and get healed. With that done, she then headed to the cafeteria figuring that where she would find the others. Upon finding them, she began to approach them before noticing the worried look some of them had. "You guys all right? Looks like the drill was more tiring than we thought." "Oh...sure no problem." Anna took her phone back checking to make sure everything was fine with it before taking it back.

"Let's just say it was a heat of the moment thing. The membership covers a lot of things around here but some things will cost you extra. Just pay more attention next time, all right?"

"I'll have to start planning my return trip now. I was expecting my journey to be a little longer and didn't think I would have met you and gotten my answers so quickly." "You really traveled all the way just for that? That's quite a short sighted view." "I guess I was expecting a different answer. I saved up and brought enough for traveling for quite some time, but I can't stick around for very long unless I can get a job around here." "I'm sure Light wouldn't mind you traveling with him. I know I said I didn't have a job opening, but I could see if I can find errands for you. You would probably have better luck talking to Anna for that though." "Ah, that's right. She probably also has her share of sisters in this world here as well." "Oh, you're familiar with them?" "I used to be a regular customer for one of them back in my world. I found out one day they're a family of merchants who all look the same and have the same name when one of her sisters took over the shop because she was sick." "It might not be a bad idea to be in good terms with her. At any rate, why don't you join with your group? If you're going to stick around might as well have some company." "I definitely should. Thanks for everything." Lilith bowed before heading to the elevator to the third floor. "...." "...did you all pay for that or were you all so hungry that you forgot to notice that the menu has prices on them?"

Flare just shurgged "Not much of an existence being sealed away. There has to be a way to convince him to cooperate with you." "Wait, you fought his other self?" ".... oh yea, that was a few years ago. Even before the events that gave him the title Hero of Kalos." "If you fought him before, then perhaps there may be a way." "If you would have been there, you wouldn't be saying that. It took pretty much every thing I had just to keep up with it. We were rather fortunate to be in an area away from any people as well. That and I would like to not be yelled at again for being so reckless and cutting off more time of my dwindling lifespan." "Ah...hmm....that's a fair point. There is a reason why he was sealed. Light, you said you trained your mind to keep it in check, right? I'm assuming you meditate and that could be the first step we need." "I think I understand, meditate to look inward yourself." "If your other side is sealed inside of you as you said, perhaps that could be a way to have some actual communication with it. Because the alternative is to simply release him and try to talk with it from the outside and from what you two have been telling me, that is the absolute worst idea without a way to properly contain it out here." (And there they go. Hopefully they take a proper break. Their bodies may be fine, but their mind and soul need a break as well.) The cafeteria looked like your average cafeteria. There weren't that many people around so most tables were empty.

"I have some thoughts about what's going on, but I would rather not fill your head with baseless guessing. As for your other side, you've merely contained it, not made it part of you. It's going to be damn hard but... you're going to have to confront your other side again...and accept it." "The truth is I had something of an inferiority complex due to my clone origins and I was also curious about this dark ability I possessed, I knew it was a dangerous power if I ever lost control of it. But after meeting Dark here, I think it's time I had more confidence in myself."

"Very well, close your eyes and relax and let the healing magic do its work." The woman proceeded to focus on the group as she chanted a spell to heal them. "That's right. I remember you mentioned something like that back at The Bottom." Flare proceeded to laugh unable to contain his laughter. "Wh-...Why are you laughing? This is hardly a laughing matter." "Hahahaha. I'm sorry. I couldn't help it. Did I hear that right? Suppressing the evil within? You mean the same evil within that Lilith and I possess?" "That doesn't mean you have to laugh at him for it." "I'm not exactly a shining knight, but I'm pretty sure I'm not someone that would be considered evil in most situations. And even the brief moment I've met you, I can tell your heart is in the right place, young lady." "Hahaha. Sorry, I suppose it is entirely my fault for not being clear enough. The Dark Hadou isn't inherently an evil power. Like I said, it makes one mad with a drive to win at all costs. But when you think about it, that is something all humans inherently possess already." "Take Light for example. He's always training, always looking for the next challenge, always striving for ways to improve. It even goes to the point where he will try to push his opponents just so he can get a better challenge out of it. Basically, the Hero of Kalos is just a fight addicted adrenaline junkie. All the Dark Hadou really does is amplify these emotions to a negative extent. Having this drive isn't a bad thing and in fact, I would encourage it, but as with all things in life, too much of a good thing is bad for you. The only reason those that go mad even try to kill their opponents is simply because they tend to refuse to admit defeat, refuse to accept that someone is better than them and will go to such an extent just to prove a point." "So when you said were hard wired to be unable to be corrupted." "We may be able to enjoy a good fight, but not to the extent like Light. I'm certain you also have your own share of skills and hobbies that don't involve fighting someone else." "I'm not completely convinced that would be the case, but I have nothing else to go on." "I don't know where to start for finding answers about your past, Light. But there is one I know for sure. There will be a time....where you will need to break that seal. You and your so called dark side must become one."

"It doesn't seem like any of you have received any serious wounds. No broken bones either? If you have no adverse effects to light or holy magic, then a basic healing spell should be enough." "Then it shouldn't be hard for you to figure out, Light." "We're not the same. At least, not in the way I'm assuming you think we are. I recall you mentioned that we were the results of a project. So it's safe to assume you're also a clone." "Precisely. Your name, Darkflare. That was the name of the project for you, right? That was the same name of the project for my world as well." "And when we were created we were implanted with the knowledge of this power, these abilities we possess. We were basically born to be assassins." "And yet fate allowed us to stray from that path at least." "And that's where our similarities end." "Huh? Wait, what do you mean by that?" "I took a moment to double check and I had to get a second opinion just to be sure, but while we're our respective results of our world's projects, we're not the same "person"." "Then.....wait....what makes you so sure then?" "Your celular structure is far more stable than mine. I'm barely holding up with all kinds of weird shit I have to put in me just to remain stable. You? You're perfectly fine, you pretty much have a normal life expectancy for a human." "This is just a theory but....whatever WAS "me" in your world was considered a failure and discarded. In your world, the project continued until they managed to create you. In my world, it was abandoned ending with me and they didn't even bother to "dispose" of me thinking I wouldn't survive." "Basically, I'm dead in your world and you don't even exist in mine. It's a theory but it makes the most sense to me." "So I got lucky in my world...yea, that's about right. One of them actually took pity on me and took me in. Heh, old man didn't like that I chose to be one of his servants, but I didn't mind." "You're you and I'm me. There's no need for either of us to be anything else. As for our abilities, the power you and I wield is called the Satsui no Hadou. It's a dangerous power that can drive one mad with the drive to win at any cost even if it means killing your opponent." "Funny, I don't recall having any desires to want to kill anybody." "That's because our creators were smart enough to know what they were dealing with. In a way, we're pretty much hardwired to be unable to be corrupted by this power. Still that doesn't mean we should be reckless. It is still a dangerous power." "Well...this has certainly answered a lot of my questions. This trip was worth it in the end. There's just one more thing that I don't understand." Lilith looked over at Light. "You, Light. You're Lightflare. Light and Dark, two opposites. There has to be a connection here." "Honestly...never thought about that."

The top floors were reserved for facilities focused on recovering as one side hosted the cafeteria while the other side had the infirmary. "You must have been out of your element. Too used to fighting 1 on 1 in the arena." "At least he's used to actually fighting. I'm still just getting used to it myself." "Well, there's some benefits to all that arena fighting. Although expanding your horizons wouldn't hurt." "Anyway, let's get to business." Flare takes.out his tablet and begins to tap commands into it. "Light, if you weren't already present when I talked to Lilith earlier, I wouldn't be talking about this with you. Anything I say regarding what I found about her stays with you unless she agrees to share. Got it?"

"Infirmary's on the top levels, m'lady. The elevators can take you there." "Right here, Light. I had to come here personally to shut this down. Sorry, but my employees come first." "Thinking up strategies on the fly is rough. I had a feeling it would be before we started, but even so. At least Leon was able to help me out." "By the way..." "I received the results of that study from the scans made on you during the drill. We should discuss that in private."

Soon after, both groups would meet up with Raph. "Welcome back, everyone. So boring part first, the Hideout is a technological marvel as is, but we like to add a little magic in the mix. Problem was, this drill is particularly taxing on the magic side. We keep going for longer and the mages helping us perform the drill would be in trouble. Boss ordered the early shut down because of it." "Now for the part you actually care about. The hero's team here was ahead when I had to shut it down, so I suppose that makes them the winners. Still, both sides had casualties happen so you need to keep working on your skills as well as your teamwork. Out there, you won't get a second chance. And if you want to argue that you could definitely take hits better out there, allow me to tell you that one hit in a weak spot is all it takes to take down even the toughest. Nonetheless, I gotta admit that was good work from both sides. Get yourselves patched up and take some rest, I'm certain you all took quite the work out there."

"I see this drill finally has its maiden voyage." Flare approaches the small group overlooking the drill. "We'll have to look over this and adjust a few things before we can turn this into a regular thing." "From what I could see, perhaps we could make interactions between both teams more frequent." "We'll have to shorten the rounds though, until we can mage a better mana flow. Our mages won't be able to hold for all the rounds" "I understand. Shut it down." "Hold on, they can still manage for this round." "If you're wrong and something happens, it's my ass on the line. Shut it down, that's an order." "All right all right. I guess I can't blame you in this case." Raph proceeded to interact with the console and begin shutting down the drill. Soon after the enemies and the environment began to disappear. "Sorry boys and girls but I'm afraid we'll have to end this one early due to technical difficulties and safety concerns. Head to the center so we can pull you out quickly."

The assassin is unable to notice the axe from above and proceeds to wear it as a hat. And then it dies. The wolf would manage to attack the leg as the assassin was unable to recover from the first wolf. As it did, the assassin would try use its second leg to trap the wolf's neck in between them, before getting caught by Melina. Of course, Melina had to take into account the wolf latched onto its keg if she were to continue with the slam. The assassin would notice the wind up for the uppercut and lean back to avoid it before swerving fast in an attempt to headbutt Anwalt. It is in this moment that important life lessons are learned. The fact that charging an attack next to an enemy who was likely faster than you even if for that moment isn't a good idea and that 100% hit rate doesn't mean a thing if you never launch your attack. When Light began to make the motion to charge his attack, Lilith would immediately strike him with a palm thrust infusing him with her dark ki in the process to severely disrupt his ki flow and make it incredibly difficult to use his ki to do anything. But then again, it's not like Light isn't unfamiliar with dark ki... Regardless, after the palm thrust, Lilith would be forced out of their arena as her invading time was out. The remaining assassin had positioned itself in an area overlooking the group. Blade in hand, it waited for its moment. In an instant, the sound of both snipers firing about a second apart from each shot was heard, as the assassin proceeded to reflect those bullets toward Lucent and Raina. Wave 3/5  Assassins x 3 (1 wounded) Snipers x 4 (Only 2 are present at a time) Invasion Portal: Off (16/25) Enemy Invader: Absent

The Assassin sidesteps to his right as he then proceeds to swing at the chain trying to slice it off with one slice. If nothing else, it would at least disrupt the direction it would return. The assassin would move to its left to avoid Melina's attack, but one of the wolves would manage to pounce on it when it did so. It quickly tried to grab the wolf and kick it away The assassin notices and proceeds to intercept the attack and "catch" the punch and try to counter attack with a palm strike. The pillar does manage to intercept the orbs destroying them in the process. Lilith took the opportunity use her Ashura warp technique to close the distance toward Light. From there, she focused her ki on her hands. ("He's too versatile, he can stop any attempt at destroying their cover.") She moved toward Light as she began to focus. Those with arachnophobia would rejoice as the remaining spider bots were destroyed Wave 3/5  Assassins x 4 (1 wounded) Snipers x 4 (Only 2 are present at a time) Invasion Portal: Off (15/25) Enemy Invader: Present (4/4 turns)

With the portal behind him and his target in front, the assassin proceeded to run toward Umbra blade in hand ready to strike if he got close enough. It's target elminated for the moment, the assassin proceeded to set it's sight on Lucent, noting his intentions to heal Melina back up. It proceeded to run toward him. Still pinned down from holding back the orb, the assassin is struck by the rock and charged orb.....and the orb it was holding back. Without a doubt, this assassin was eliminated. The assassin proceeded to slide underneath the incoming wolves and turn toward them. It would then proceeded to focus its attention to where the wolves were coming from. Lilith proceeds to sidestep and respond with a few orbs of her own toward Light. She intended to use these orbs as a distraction as she would proceed to disengage from fighting him directly. Instead, Lilith proceeded to target the nearby boxes with a few more orbs intending to destroy as much cover as she could in the short time she had. The remaining assassins began to retreat looking to pick up any dropped blades and group up for another plan of attack. At the same time, the remaining spider-bots began to make beeping sounds and flash lights as they proceeded to change targets and also proceeded to head toward the boxes being used as cover intending to destroy them as well by self destructing on top of them. Wave 3/5  Spider bots x 5 (5 counts as 1 kill) Assassins x 4 (1 wounded) Snipers x 4 (Only 2 are present at a time) Invasion Portal: Off (14/25) Enemy Invader: Present (3/4 turns)

Is what would Umbra have loved to happen, but the assassin was in fact fully aware about the possibility and ducked underneath returning axe. Sinec Umbra decided to assume his hit was successful, the assassin used the opportunity to pick up its sword and rearm itself. Is what Melina would have loved to happen. The reality was that the assassin caught the first punch and used the momentum to toss her in the ground, put her in a hold and break her arm instantly eliminating her. The assassin is hit by the rock and falls. It doesn't get up, signaling its elimination. The wolves manage to intercept the spiders and are destroyed Lilith wasn't hard to spot with the dark aura surrounding her and glowing eyes signifying her status as an invader. Additionally, she was moving noticeably faster than how she moved back at The Bottom and in the ship. Her hands glowed with her dark energy as she looked at the group for a brief moment with a disappointed look. In another instant, she used the same move Light had been using to eliminate the snipers....except when she came down she would create an explosion of dark energy where she landed. She aimed where Lucent was...and it just so happened that Umbra and Light were also within range of the attack as well. The assassin put its sword in front of it, holding on it with both hands. The assassin was attempting to reflect this attack back but was currently struggling on simply holding on. If one was careful not to be exposed to the snipers, a follow up attack was possible. Wave 3/5  Spider bots x 5 (5 counts as 1 kill) Assassins x 5 (1 wounded) Snipers x 4 (Only 2 are present at a time) Invasion Portal: Off (13/25) Enemy Invader: Present (2/4 turns)

The assassin ducks under the thrown axe. It then proceeds to taunt Umbra to come closer to it. The assassin maintains his position adding a mocking laugh to it's taunt making the motion to come closer. Anwalt is successful in landing the kick as the assassin is launched into the air. Contrary to what Light expected, third time wouldn't be the charm for him as the snipers have gotten wary of his tactic. The moment Light leapt into the air to come crashing down, the sniper would aim its grappling hook above it and intercept him, forcefully pulling him down to the ground. From there, it would place its heel onto Light's neck, take out its pistol and put a bullet through his skull temporarily eliminating him from play. The execution done, the sniper grappled away moving closer to where the rest of the group were. The assassin stopped itself seeing its sword teleported away. It then called on the two nearby spider bots as they proceeded to leap toward it. It then proceeded to grab them and throw one each to Umbra and Lucent. The spider bots would eventually be destroyed by the barrage of projectiles, but the assassin would continue to reflect them inching closer and closer to its target. The design of the arena only allows walls at the very edge. The boxes and machinery covering the area would have to be alternatives. Soon afterwards, an alarm begins to sound off. "The enemy team has sent their invader. Hunt or be hunted." Stepping out of the portal, Lilith wasted no time to run to where her former teammates are. It wasn't her original plan to be the invader candidate, but the rest of her teammates insisted on it as she would be the one most familiar to their techniques. She already had her primary target in mind as she went to Lucent and Umbra's position... Wave 3/5  Spider bots x 7 (5 counts as 1 kill) Assassins x 6 (2 wounded) Snipers x 4 (Only 2 are present at a time) Invasion Portal: Off (12/25) Enemy Invader: Present (1/4 turns)

Using the momentum of the recoil, the assassin spins around to narrowly avoid the wolf as it proceeds to regain it's footing. The spinning attack manages to destroy the remaining bugs. The recoil would give Melina enough time to strike as the assassin is struck and slides across the ground. It would then proceed to roll and flip jump back up as it taunted Melina to come to it. Whatever damage it received, it was doing a good job of hiding it.... The assassin strikes the piece of the floor and takes a moment to push it away before it attempts to attack him again. Light's attack manages to strike down the sniper. The assassin proceeds to leap, taking a visual look at Light. Not even a second passes before the other sniper takes a shot....at the assassin....who proceeds to reflect the shot toward Light. At the same time, the sound of a grappling hook could be heard as the replacement sniper enters the arena. The wolves manage to catch the spider bots and destroy them. The assassin recovers from the recoil and proceeds to run to where his sword landed to go pick it up. Raina manages to take down 3 of them before the assassin darts in front of them and starts reflecting the blasts back to her. Wave 3/5  Spider bots x 9 (5 counts as 1 kill) Assassins x 6 (1 wounded) Snipers x 4 (Only 2 are present at a time) Invasion Portal: Off (12/25) Enemy Invader: Absent

The assassin attacking Umbra stops itself as it switches to a reverse grip to quickly turn around and slash at the wolf attacking it. Meanwhile, the spider bots nearby have righted themselves up and scurry along toward Umbra, leaping at him once they get in range. The assassin begins to approach Melina but not before it stops to slash at the wolf that has appeared from the portal. The remaining spiders targeting Anwalt are destroyed. While he was distracted with them, the assassin targeting him quickly dashed to him with a slice, hoping to get him before he realizes his presence The sniper rolls to the side to avoid Light's attack and proceeds to use its grappling hook to change positions. The assassin that had targeted Light leapt out of hiding as it began to head toward Light's position before stopping at a vantage point overlooking his position. The spider bots had attached itself to it before they let go and began scurrying to where Light was hiding. The assassin simply kept overlooking the position making no attempts to hide as if it was waiting for something... With Lucent escaping via portal, the assassin that had targeted him focuses on slashing at the wold Umbra had sent to it. If it succeeded in eliminating the threat, it would call the nearby spiderbots to attach to it and move toward Lucent again. With the reflect being successful, the assassin goes back to chasing toward Raina. Meanwhile, the spiderbots that had targeted her closed in on her, proceeding to leap to her once they got close. Wave 3/5  Spider bots x 20 (5 counts as 1 kill) Assassins x 6 Snipers x 5 (Only 2 are present at a time) Invasion Portal: Off (10/25) Enemy Invader: Absent

The spider bots proceed to spread out when the portals open. The wolves manage to destroy 2 of them as the remaining ones are flipped over and proceed to take a moment to right themselves up. The assassin leaps to a nearby box and from there leaps toward Umbra swinging his sword once in range. The spider bots would leap over the kick although one of them would still be caught, kicked and destroyed. With Melina running toward cover, they proceeded to chase her. At the same time, the assassin that had targeted her leapt from his position and toward Melina with a swipe of his sword. The spider bots are unable to react to suddenly the earth below them coming up and are flipped into the air. 3 of them get destroyed upon impact on the ground as the remaining 2 remained flipped and proceeded to start righting themselves up. Thanks to Lucient's buff, Lightflare's attack would eliminate the sniper. Unfortunately for Light, due to where the sniper was, he finds himself separated pretty far from his team, essentially leaving himself alone to fend off any enemies. Additionally, his attack just left him exposed to the other sniper, who didn't hesitate to shoot at Light. Nearby, the sound of a grappling hook could be heard signaling the replacement sniper spawning in and taking position. With Light too far away, the spider bots and assassins that had targeted him had temporarily disengaged and proceeded to hide looking for another opportunity to strike. Hoping to catch Lucent while he was distracted, The bots targeting him had rushed toward his position as the assassin targeting him moved in to try to cut off any escape attempts swinging his sword at him as he got close. Unfortunately for Raina, the assassin targeting her noticed what she was doing and intercepted the shot by swinging his sword to reflect the guaranteed hit back toward her. Wave 3/5  Spider bots x 24 (5 counts as 1 kill) Assassins x 6 Snipers x 5 (Only 2 are present at a time) Invasion Portal: Off (9/25) Enemy Invader: Absent