"Sorry, but, I'm still lost, lass... are you saying Wantinga is the one making his father sick?" Draven said fiddling with his captain's hat as he leaned back in his chair. "I dunno, seems awful strange... no, there has to be something else at work here."

"I don't think so." Twilight retorted. "Strange or not, it's not uncommon for heirs to knock-off their parent's..."

"That's understandable, but... Wantinga doesn't seem like the scheming type. He seems jumpier than usual, perhaps he's scared of something?" Draven speculated.

"How can you know for sure?" Gin interjected. "He's a prince after all. He's got his responsibilities, his fears. He could just be on-edge from the stress."

"Maybe he's being controlled? Like hypnosis or mind control." Spike suggested.

"It's a thought..." Twilight agreed. "But, if it is, it's certainly more advanced than any form of mind control that I've seen. The way he talks acts. It all seems too real to be just a simple mind-spell."

"Agreed," Draven said with a calculating expression on his face. "Something bigger than us is at work. Perhaps... no, it can't be."

"What?" Spike asked; seeing Draven's troubled expression.

"Nothing, it's just that... I think we have awakened something, something dark. And... I think whatever it is, it's listening to us right now as we speak." Draven's voice softened, silencing the others.

Spike felt a chill run down his back, his vision blurring as he processed all that Draven had said, then out of nowhere... he heard a voice whisper into his ear. It was a raspy, and ominous sounding voice, and all it had to say was one name.

"Haki..."

Spike's head throbbed in response to the whisper, that continued to echo within the confines of his mind like a dark and empty cave. He shook his head in discomfort and clenched his teeth as he grunted softly, as more voices began filling his head with a chorus of incomprehensible whispers.

"Spike, what's wrong?" Twilight asked as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

The voices subsided as Twilight got his attention after shaking him a little, and Spike rubbed the side of his head as he felt a brutal headache stab at the side of his skull.

"It's fine... I-..." Spike trailed off as he thought for a moment. "Who's Haki?"

"Haki?" Draven wondered. "She was one of the first queens of Wantthai during Leere's Age, why do you ask?"

"I don't know, I... the name just popped into my head." Spike said; perplexed by what had happened. "Do you... know what that is?"

"Can't say that I do," Draven admitted. "Only thing that I know is that she went crazy from some strange artefact during the last years of her reign, during the Leviathan Wars; one of the first crusades of Leere when he invaded Wantthai. It was said that Wantthai collapsed after the queen went mad with power and joined Leere, then enslaved most of her people."

"Sounds fantastic." Gin joked.

"I think Coba would know more about it than I do. Perhaps you can ask him later." Draven suggested as he stood up and checked his pocket-watch. "It's almost time for the last fight. We better get moving."

"R-Right..." Spike stuttered nervously.

****

Winslow was roaming the outer perimeter of the arena, with Fluttershy not far behind; unsure about what exactly he was doing. The fight was about to start, and although Fluttershy was a quiet mare, she couldn't help but voice her opinion in the only way she knew how.

"Um... uh... I..." Fluttershy trailed off, void of words to make her sentence polite.

"What are we doing out here? Why aren't we in the arena?" Winslow asked himself for Fluttershy. "I can hear something... something familiar, yet unrecognizable. A whisper perhaps. One that is not of this world. My eye can sense it."

"Come his-was sah, ahhsashhaa." The voice whispered to Winslow in incomprehensible gibberish.

"I can't hear it." Fluttershy murmured as she looked around.

"That is because it chooses to speak with me. Why? I do not know." Winslow stated as he closed his eyes to focus, then pointed towards a set of stairs not far from his position. " There, it's coming from down there."

Fluttershy narrowed her vision to zoom in on the old wooden staircase. There was a sign hung on the wall next to it that read "Market Storage", and it was unguarded, to her surprise. The two approached the stairs but were halted by a sign placed on the railing, "UNDER CONSTRUCTION, DO NOT ENTER!".

"Winslow, I don't think we should-." Fluttershy stopped when she noticed he had already bolted down the stairs.

As Winslow reached the end of the staircase, he noticed that the whispers were beginning to become complete, and started forming coherent sentences.

"Akys?" The voice asked in a barely audible murmur.

Winslow did not respond and began walking through the dimly-lit corridors lined with stacked boxes and bags full of supplies, Fluttershy tagging not far behind. He followed the whispers intently, and it eventually led him to a dead-end filled with boxes.

"Is this it?" Fluttershy asked.

"No. There's another room past these boxes." Winslow replied as he began to feel for a lever or switch somewhere in between the crates filled with rations and other supplies. "Found it."

Winslow worked his hand between two boxes and tapped a button. The stack of supplies then separated, and a new pathway was revealed. The path ahead was dark, unlike the rest of the storage room, and the area ahead seemed to be constructed from stone and went even further down into an unknown part of the arena. Winslow remained silent, hearing two voices ahead. One sounded like Wantinga, and the other was the whispers he had heard moments ago. Ahead was a massive granite chamber with a table-like altar in the center.

"My lady... finally we shall be together." Wantinga proclaimed.

"Is that Wantinga?" Fluttershy whispered.

"I'm afraid so..." Winslow replied in a hushed voice.

Wantinga stood by the altar with many of his own personal guards. They were dressed in ceremonial robes, chanting some strange language. The two guards ushered a mare dressed in a tribal gown made of twigs and leaves onto the table.

"Haki , oh Haki , kuchukua sadaka hii! Kutembea katika dunia hii kwa mara nyingine tena katika mwili wa binaadamu!" Wantinga and the mare chanted.

"What are they doing with her?" Fluttershy asked Winslow in a panic.

"It seems to be a ritual of sorts, and I believe this mare is offering herself to..." Winslow trailed off as he looked again. "Haki."

"Can we stop them?" Fluttershy murmured.

"Unlikely. Even if we managed to stop the ritual, Wantinga would send the whole guard down upon us, and killing him would make it even worse." Winslow stated, somwhat shocking Fluttershy; it stunned her that he even thought of killing him. "If I'm right, and they are in fact summoning Haki, we can destroy her for good."

"What do you mean? If Haki comes back, won't she hurt everyone?" Fluttershy inquired.

"No. She is bound by honour. She cannot kill anyone in Wantthai until she obtains the tournament headdress, her crown." Winslow explained. "And the only way she can acquire the headdress is if she faces the victor in combat and slays them."

"Spike..." Fluttershy whimpered.

"If he wins, it must be he who destroys her," Winslow added. "And if he wins, he can destroy the stone."

Wantinga began chanting along with the guards again in an unholy incantation. He waved his arms above the mare, who laid motionless on the stone table. She then began to levitate, and a red energy surrounded her.

"Na kama his sadaka pili, mimi kukupa yangu royay - damu !" Wantinga yelled as he cut his palm and smeared the blood across the altar. "Kujitokeza ! Kujitokeza !"

The words echoed around the room, and the red energy began to absorb into the mare. Her mouth opened, and a howl escaped her maw. Then, she fell back on the table abruptly. For a moment, she was still, but after a few short moments, she stood up. The twigs and leaves the mare were wearing were no more, and what replaced them was a dress made of thorns, horns, and fur.

"My children! You have been so very loyal to me, and for that I thank you!" Haki snarled with a threatening, demonic growl.

"Thank you, my lady." Wantinga eagerly replied. "Welcome to the mortal world."

"This realm feels... different from when I last set foot on it." Haki inquired, lowering herself onto the ground.

"There is a storm rising my lady, your master is returning," Wantinga explained.

"I see..." Haki took in a deep breath from her nose and exhaled loudly. "I smell a worthy challenger... oh, a dragon... I shall enjoy bathing in his blood." Winslow could see sparks igniting in Fluttershy's eyes.

"No!" Fluttershy cried as she stepped out from behind the pillar.

"Fluttershy, no!" Winslow yelled.

Just then, the population of the room turned to face Fluttershy, and she immediately began regretting her actions. Haki floated towards her and grabbed her by the neck, raising her high in the air, and choking the life from her.

"And what have we here? A vampire? No, you are more... a demon. You shall be gutted for you insol-."

Haki was silenced as a sword lobbed her hand clean off, a bloody mess following. She wailed and shrieked as she stumbled back, and her eyes began to glow red with anger as she gripped the stub that was her hand. Winslow brushed off the blood with his finger as he dragged it across his blade.

"Akys! I knew it was you!" Haki cried in agony. "You will pay for that, worm!"

"Don't call me that." Winslow uttered with the utmost intensity. "That name no longer has any meaning to me."

Winslow's left eye began to convulse. The sound of tearing flesh began to echo across the chamber, as two smaller, but similar eyes formed beside the original. One on the top, one on the bottom.

"Winslow... your face," Fluttershy said in shock.

"Kill them!" Haki ordered the guards.

The first guard lunged at Fluttershy, but was cut off, quite literally, as the hand that held his sabre was parted from his forearm. Winslow followed up with another strike, but this time, he lobbed the guard's jaw off without hesitation. Winslow took a wide swing and slashed two approaching guard's chests open, blood spewing out like a fountain. The next guard snuck behind Winslow and stabbed his hand with a dagger, which resulted in Winslow's sword leaving his grasp.

Winslow responded to this with great ferocity, and kicked the attacking guard in his chest so hard, not even his armour could prevent Winslow's steel-encased foot from shattering his ribcage like a porcelain vase and force him to the ground. Another guard attempted to strike with his saber but was met with a hard fist to the face, followed by Winslow grabbing his head and twisting, until a deafening crack reverberated all around the stone chamber.

Winslow then grabbed his sword once more, and charged at three guards, thrusting his blade through one, then two, then the last, impaling them all on his blade like a steel scour. After dislodging the sword from the bloody corpses, he was attacked by Wantinga, who was carrying a large dagger, and slashing violently, showing no restraint.

Winslow then noticed the faded whites in his eyes. He was being controlled. As Wantinga slashed, Winslow dodged, then grabbed his head and slammed it hard on the stone table; rendering him unconscious. Winslow's extra eyes disappeared, and he fastened his patch back on.

"Impressive. You haven't lost your... talents." Haki snickered.

"You have no power here. Leave now, sorceress, or taste my metal again." Winslow threatened, staring her own with his witch's eye.

"Very well, oh brave and noble 'paladin'. This will not be the last time you hear from me." Haki cackled as she began to disintegrate. "Tell your little dragon friend, that I'll be waiting for him."

With a grunt, Wantinga goes to his feet. Winslow raised his sword at the ready, but Wantinga put his hands up to reassure him that he was not hostile any longer. "Please, don't kill me like you did my guards!"

"These were not your guards, your highness." Winslow corrected him, pointing towards the rotting corpse closest to him. "These were thralls, layered in powerful illusion-magic."

"Thank goodness..." Wantinga gulped as he looked down at the mangled bodies that quickly began to dissentigrate into dust.

"Do you have any knowledge pertaining to your actions?" Winslow inquired as he sheathed his blade.

"Yes, damn it, I remember it all." Wantinga groaned in frustration. "I was a damned prisoner in my own body. I knew what I was doing, but I couldn't resist. By the gods, what have I done?"

"You couldn't do anything about it. It was out of your hands." Winslow attempted to reassure the ashamed stallion before him.

"No, all of this is my fault. I poisoned my father and reawakened the greatest threat to Wantthai. Now I must pay my penance and inform my father of my heinous actions." Wantinga insisted.

"No, not yet, Wantinga. We must let the tournament commence without interruption, or else we will lose the only means of destroying Haki once and for all." Winslow cautioned Wantinga. "Haki senses a legitmate threat in Spike, and I have faith that he shall be victorious."

Author's Notes:

Hey guys! Been a while!

I've been busy with school lately, so I apologize if you were getting a little impatient. If your new here or you've been here since the start, as always I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you'll stick around!

P.S- If you want to know what some of the characters are saying, just copy and paste into Google Translate.