“Sooooo… You’re back in black.” It was odd even now, how easily Karl spoke, despite the unexpected turn of events. One of his stone arms was shattered and gone, his only weapon being held back effortlessly by a boy he thought he had killed, and said boy was staring at him with a gaze that thirsted for blood. He laughed at the sight.

As dark as the thought was, the boy couldn’t help but wish the stone man that the stone man would beg or at least tremble before him.

“You’re already defeated Karl,” Riku wasted no time in playing word games with the statue. “I can’t think of a reason why I shouldn’t break you into pieces right now.” The words only amused the living statue further, his cracked smile stretching to his cracked face. Riku scowled at the sound.

“Break me?” He questioned the boy. His smile fell until it was as sharp as the black blade in his hand. “You mean like the petty princess behind you? Bloody and broken?” Riku’s scowl grew into snarl, baring his teeth at the statue. Karl spoke on regardless.

“I may be one, but you can never make me the other.” That was enough for Riku.

The silver haired boy let out a sharp cry, lifting his free hand into the air. Dark energy began to swirl around it, far faster than Karl had seen him use it before. In a flash, a ball of darkness was held Riku’s hand. It began a quick descent towards the stone man.

Knowing better than to battle magic, Karl pushed off with Arma, bending his legs to jump away from the attack. As agile as ever, even with shattered parts over his body, the living statue was already in the air, his only good eye trained on the boy.

He watched as Riku’s hand continued the fall, the ball of darkness leaving his hand and sailing towards the red rock floor. That eye widened in shock as the ball curved in mid-air.

Like a boomerang thrown by a warrior, it sailed at him with an unforgiving speed, far faster than Karl knew he could move, let alone dodge in the air. Thinking quickly, the statue pulled Arma to his side, gripping her until she became the black hammer Karl so enjoyed to use. Swinging it again, he aimed the flat of the heavy object against the ball.

The explosion that followed the impact blinded him.

Riku watched with an immoral sense of satisfaction as the demon statue was blown out of the air, a trail of dust falling quickly to the ground, hitting the rock with a mighty crack. He stared at the crater formed for a moment, watching as the red dust that was thrown up began to settle. There was no Karl standing at attention, preparing a quote to mock him. Instead, the orange cloak of the living rock was lying over the ground, the broken statue still adorned in it.

“Stay there,” the silver-haired boy whispered at the still statue, uncaring if his words were heard or not. With a turn on his heel, he looked towards the other living being in the room.

Luna looked up at him, her shock not fading since the moment Riku reappeared. He couldn’t help but smile at the expression. It was a relaxed grin, framed by his long silver hair hanging beside his features, blue eyes as sharp as the steel of his blade. The princess couldn’t look past how odd it was, seeing an expression of such calmness on the body of such a warrior.

Then again, she wasn’t aware she’d she see Riku again.

“Riku… are… is that you?” The alicorn asked from the ground, her legs bent inwards and magic reserves drained. “Are you the same Riku whom I fought through this cavern with?” The boy’s smile did not change.

“Trust me, it takes a lot more than a stab in the back to put me down.” The boy gave a soft chuckle as he kneeled down to the princess’s side. “If there’s one thing my friend taught me before, it’s that perseverance pays off.” The princess found herself wasting her shallow breaths to laugh at the statement.

“Your friend sounds… very wise.” Luna lifted one of her legs as she spoke, attempting to push herself back to her hooves. Riku placed his free hand under her carriage, ready to offer the princess his strength. The alicorn stilled as she touched him, but only for a moment. She smiled softly as she let him bare some of her weight.

“He’s not that smart.” Riku countered the princess’s compliment. “I called him stupid more than once.” He heard the princess sigh at his words. It took Luna’s words to clarify her action.

“I forget you are still a child,” she spoke softly as all her hooves settled on the rocky floor, albeit uneasily. Riku had his palm towards the alicorn, slowly letting his hand drift away as the princess steadied herself.

“You’re not about to say I should respect my elders are you?” Riku spoke let his voice take on a sarcastic tone as he spoke, momentarily lapsing that he was speaking to a princess and not just a friend. The kind smile Luna gave him, however, eased his momentary jump in heart rate.

“No,” she began. “I am to say that the young can be as silly and reckless as they are creative and wise.”

“And such a silly boy he is.”

Riku whirled at the voice, his Path to Dawn raised to his height, tip aimed towards the source of the words.

He was unsurprised to see Karl standing up again, still in the crater Riku had knocked him into. His parts were still missing, Arma perched on his shoulder, and colors fading under the dust that had collected over him.

And still he was smiling as if not a thing was wrong in the world.

“I must admit, I didn’t expect you to come back from the dead.” The statue began to speak, his head nodding towards Riku as he spoke. “Most plans don’t have to account for that. If you die you’re supposed to stay dead. It’s only fair.” The cheeriness to his words only made Riku’s scowl deepen. He did not need to look to know Luna was little different.

“It’s a rule for any thing you do to always know the competition. After all, only a fool or a madman attacks people recklessly.” He laughed at his words, eyes closing slightly as he did so. Arma adjusted herself on his shoulder, earning a tighter grip on Riku’s blade. He trusted the bird as much as he trusted the rock.

“But you should always expect the unexpected. Even you two played by that rule.” His only good eye turned to the dark alicorn. Her breathing deepened as her anger seethed. Should any of her magic still remain, she doubtlessly would have made the room shake with her rage once more.

“Are you gonna stop talking?” Riku asked the man as his free hand began to glow once more. “Or am I gonna have to shut you up? Trust me, I won’t mind.” Karl only genuinely laughed at the words.

“Oh I do intend to start another fight,” Karl spoke easily for a thing missing half his body. “But not before I tell a little secret. I can tell how much both of you enjoy those.” Riku felt his snarl stretch his features.

“You see, magic has to come from something. It can be anything, large, small, living, dead, whatever works.” His one should shrugged, passing easily over his own words. “I can’t survive long without magic, because I can’t create what I need. But,” His hand raised with a single finger extended upwards, smiling warily at the two.

“That doesn’t mean I can’t take what I need.”

His arm reached into the hole he fell into, grabbing something neither the boy or alicorn could see. Riku reacted as he saw fit, throwing another ball of darkness at the statue, hoping to shatter him into dust. It sailed through the air, tracking the stationary statue.

It was when Karl raised his hand from the pit that he realized he was too late.

Riku’s orb of darkness exploded as it did before, covering its impact with dark mist. He squinted through the debris of his own weapon, searching for any sign of the living statue. As the mist dissipated, it was only too easy to find him.

Karl stood tall still in the area of his impact, Arma perched on his shoulder and smile gleaming across his shattered face. His orange cloak billowed lightly, moving under the still spreading darkness. But what both the boy and alicorn focused on was his one good arm.

It was extended outwards towards the pair, gripping something they had not seen before. It was red like the rocks, but enclosed in a frame of gold. It was small too, no bigger than the statue’s own hand, but it glowed like a dragon’s fire.

“What… is that?” Riku asked through seething teeth, his hand clenching at the hilt of his sword. Karl’s head leaned to the sigh, looking past his own still extended arm.

“Haven’t a clue,” he spoke in a sing-song voice, smile only growing as the fury increased in the eyes of the silver haired teen. “Oh deary me, I promise you I’m being quite honest. I was only told of this artifact not but a few hours ago.”

“By who?” Luna seethed as she questioned. “For a creature that proclaimed to be trapped as we are, you found no difficulty in conversing beyond the walls. How?”

“He is a clever one.” Azula lightly stroked her chin as she watched the man made of stone grin at the princess and warrior. “Playing others like puppets and dancing among them.”

Her golden eyes moved from the injured alicorn to the dark suited boy standing in front of her. Azula noted every detail about him, and sized up quickly his thoughts and emotions.

“His blade is shaking.” She spoke to herself, eyes smiling with her lips. “Not out of terror, but rage. He has been in situations like this before. Good. It will make it more interesting to watch.”

“I did ask you about her, but you didn’t know her.” Karl easily spoke back, turning the gem around in his hands. “But she did promise that this would be here, and I can only thank you your highness for helping me find it.” The statue gave a mock bow as she spoke, causing the alicorn to only seethe further.

She dug her hooves into the ground, willing herself the strength to command a boulder to fall on the statue. But it only brought upon a spell of dizziness, making the princess sway on her hooves. Luna caught herself before she toppled over, but it did not go beyond the attentive eye of Karl.

“I promise you, I never would have found this had you not sent me into the ground earlier.” The stone man flipped the gem in his hand, turning it until his undamaged eye stared at the red ruby. “It was quite a thrill, wanting to kill you one moment then gleefulness from finding what I was looking for. But I still want to kill you, can’t forget that.”

Riku heard enough. With another sharp cry he sent another dark ball of matter towards his opponent. Karl’s grin never faltered as he positioned the jewel in front of the incoming magic, waiting for impact. However, the silver-haired teen knew better.

He swung his arm upwards, directing the ball. Its flight path mimicked his action, ascending into the air above the stone man. Karl’s good eye widened as he watched it rise above him, though his grin remained plastered over his painted face. With a grunt of force, Riku slammed his hand down again. Already reading the signs, Karl raised his arm upwards, waiting for the ball to collide with the red gem in his hand.

Just as before, the dark mist of Riku’s magic exploded over the living statue. This time, however, both he and Luna were able to see more through the dark magic.

They were sure what their eyes saw, but it was still hard to believe.

The moment Riku’s magic impacted Karl’s gem, it began to glow. Even through the dark magic of the teen’s sphere, the red aura of the gem was clear as the sun. For every speck of black mist that came from the ball, at least a shred of the red light fought it off. It began to cocoon around the living statue, completely surrounding him.

A moment after the mist surrounded him, it began to dissipate into the air once more, slowly revealing the statue once again. This time, however, Karl saw fit to show what the gem had truly done. There was no sphere of red light anymore, no dome of transparent magic.

Instead there was a dome of rock. The gem did not create a sphere of magic to protect the stone man; it made stone itself.

The stone formed earth.

A stunned second later and the hard rock began to fall away, starting in clumps and then crumbling to dust. It fell away almost silently, no piece remaining large enough to impact the floor. Indeed, the moment it fell away form the dome, it changed so swiftly in size that dust was all that remained.

Soon, nothing remained of the earthy dome but traces of brown powder over the red rock of the floor. That, and the vicious smile of Karl, still standing with his arm extended upwards.

“Exciting, isn’t it?” He mused to stunned party across from him. “Finding something completely new, being able to use something no one else can?” He giggled at the thought, arm descending until the jewel hovered just in front of him.

“If I were human, I might brag, declare some silly rule that I’m unstoppable. Isn’t that what you would do silly boy?” Karl’s eye turned towards the silver teen, whose shocked face slowly returned to one of angry indifference, scowling with barely contained rage. “Oh I must be right. In fact, I might hazard to say you have done that in past. Perhaps even more than once.”

“It won’t be enough.” Both the teen and statue turned their eyes to the still-weakened alicorn, her gaze and words the only strong part about her at the moment. “It matters not what tool you have collected, fiend. You know hardly at all how it works, and you are already half gone.” In only the smallest of ways, Karl’s smile dropped. Luna did not stop.

“Surrender to us now, entomb yourself as we leave, never show your self again, and your assault will not be addressed again.” Neither Luna nor Riku knew what it was, but in the middle of her declaration, Karl began to laugh.

It was not a deep bellow, nor was it a mad cackle. If anything, it was the same laughter the teen would expect from his friend or the alicorn fro her sister. Genuine, kind, and perhaps even innocent. It was far more than merely disconcerting to hear it come from a thing that was so far away from those three qualities.

“Deary me, you nearly convinced me your highness.” Karl spoke once more, raising the back of his hand to scratch at Arma, still perched on his shoulder. The black bird rubbed its head against his painted arm. “However, I have been around humans long enough to know that you never truly forget something you hate.”

With caution words could not equate to, Riku watched as Karl’s devious grin turned into a sharp and deadly leer.

“They do not forget, they wait. They let their anger churn until it becomes too much, until it consumes their every thought, their every idea, their every being. Like water over rocks, it wears away at them until nothing is left. Nothing but that hatred that has now consumed them.” Karl’s brows furrowed as his smile grew.

“But there’s nothing wrong with hatred. Only with how it’s used.” Luna lightly took her lower lip into her mouth, nibbling on it as the stone man directed his eye to her. He lowered his hand from Arma, flipping the jewel between his fingers. “As long as the hatred is used properly, then it doesn’t matter at all.”

“Why’s that?” Riku felt himself asking before he could stop himself. He flared his nose in disgust when he realized what he had said, even more so when Karl flashed his smiling façade towards him.

“Because, you silly boy...” Karl held up the red ruby to his eye level, pointing it at Riku between his stone fingers.

“The only thing that ever matters is the end.”

Karl crushed the gem in his hand.

“Oh wow I did not see that coming!” Jack cheered as he thrusted his hand towards the screen. “I mean did you see that! He gets a magic rock and the third thing he does with it is crush it! Who does that!”

“The one labeled Karl has stated to have had extensive conversation with the woman named Azul-” The monotonous speech of Angel was cut off by her father raising his hand, waving it for attention.

“Hey hey! That girl ain’t a woman. She’s a stupid spoiled teenager and we’re going to address her as such. Clear?” Angel made no more emotional response than she had anytime before.

“Understood. The spoiled teenager has told Karl of the magic on Hyperion Island. As such, he likely has superior knowledge for using the artifacts that power it.” Surprisingly enough, Jack didn’t criticize her.

“Eh you got a good point.” The masked man admitted as he stroked his bare chin, giving a critical eye to the odd trio on the screen. He gave a wicked grin before he spoke again.

“Should make for a fun fight.”

As Riku and Luna watched the red dust of the ruby fall to the floor, they had little idea of what to feel. Shock was prominent, as much as Karl’s sudden presentation of the object. To destroy the thing that had protected him completely flabbergasted the two.

A moment of hoped flashed through Luna’s mind, believing that the living statue had misjudged his own strength, breaking the stone unintentionally. But both she and Riku knew that emotion to be false when Karl kept his malicious grin painted over his crack face.

The reason why became only too clear.

From the dust crushed in the statue’s hand, red light began to glow. It gleamed from the cracks between his fingers, shining like a covered candle. Karl’s already malicious grin became sadistic under the glow of the light. It blinded the occupants of the room, forcing Riku to abandon his protective stance to cover his eyes. Luna fared only marginally better, shielding her own eyes with her unfolded wing.

The act was silent, known to occur only by the immense red light emanating over the now dull red rocks. There were no words from the stone man, no jeers or brags. Only silence.

Then the light began to fade, allowing Riku and Luna the privilege to see just what Karl had accomplished. Eyes still adjusting to the change in light, they simultaneously squinted, hoping to force their eyes to clear the dark view of the mad thing. What they saw, they didn’t like.

Karl was still present, no closer or further away from them than before. He still had the orange cloak about his shoulders, Arma perched on top of one, and his grin between the two. But now… there was more. Specifically, recovered parts of him.

There was no longer a crack down the his face, no longer a missing limb at his side. There wasn’t even a patch of a reminder that they were ever gone.

Karl was whole again, and he liked it.

“Deary me!” He shouted with a deep laughter, admiring his freshly formed arm. “I hardly expected it to work so well!” He flipped his arm over and back, his two good eyes admiring the work the magic had done. Giggling left his false lips as he swung the stone limb left and right.

“I’d dare to say I feel twice as young as before. Perhaps even twice as murderous.” Luna could only shake her head in silent disbelief. Riku, however, was far more vocal with his words.

“How did you do that?” The boy’s shock made the grip on his sword all the tighter, yet all the stiffer. He had to force a swallow to control himself, too many imaginations of what this cold stone man wanted to do.

“Why I couldn’t dare tell you how. A good magician never reveals his secrets, don’t you know you silly boy?” Riku pulled his sword arm back, his focus and mind clear once more. Karl was quick to see the change in his stance as well. Luna, however, took the time to intervene, letting nothing as simple as fatigue stop her.

“Riku,” the alicorn whispered. “Do not let his barbs reach you. He intends to sway your focus, alter your mind. Should he succeed, his victory will be assured.”

“You are a quick learner your highness.” Karl spoke to the whispering mare. He jumped lightly on his feet, perhaps to the strength of his newly reformed limbs, perhaps to remind the princess that while she was weak and weary, he was only too ready to strike.

“Actually, I’m willing to make a wager. If you can tell me just what I did, I’ll swear to not lay sword or hand against you when Riku and I have our little spat.” Karl only had teeth to show the snarling bow. “It’s not like I can ignore a coming fight. Besides, what’s the fun in a bet unless-”

“You absorbed its power.” Karl stared at Luna. His smile was empty of joy, rage, or any other emotion. What it showed now was what it always was, a mask.

“I beg your pardon?” He asked, cupping his hand around the side of his head, a mocking expression of his nonexistent ear. It did little to affect the weary alicorn.

“You absorbed the magical potential of the gem.” She spoke clearly. “It has been a long standing practice in the art of magical transfer, moving the innate power of one to another. When a container of magic is destroyed, its power flees, but so long as there is something it can enter, it shall enter it. You,” Luna spoke with a jab of her hoof. “You live off of magic. It would only be too easy for you to use what the red ruby had.”

“My my,” Karl spoke twice, letting his gray hand roll over his chin, posture tall and gaze high. “You caught on even quicker than I did, and I had the words being spoken to me. It’s almost as if-”

“I’m not done,” Luna interrupted once more with a sharp grin, daring to challenge the smirk of the stone man. Said smile, however, faltered into a jaded line at the break to his speech. “You have only just found this magic, and you have clearly not heard of it before. It matters not what you have been told, you have no more control over it than a boat in a river’s current. Presently, you are no more a threat than you were before.” The princess risked her neck by going a step further. “Maybe even less so.”

Riku let his gaze linger on the alicorn longer than he should of, knowing full well that it was risky letting his gaze turn from the mischievous statue. But it was hard to look away from the dark alicorn, using the likely years of wisdom in her conjecture of Karl, unfaltering in his speech despite her lack of energy. It reminded him only too much of another ruler.

Clapping, however, broke that concentration.

“Well done your majesty,” Karl offered with another low bow, arm rolling over his chest as his form bent forwards. “I can see why you are a princess of darkness. I wouldn’t expect such wisdom from anyone else but one who spends her hours in the shadows.” The barb was thick, but Luna had little to bat it off with. Nothing but her twisted eyes of disgust and snarled lips of hate. It was like offering flowers to the stone man.

“So then,” Karl began. He quickly lifted his hand to his shoulder as he straightened out, letting his gray hand sit in front of the black bird Arma. In a quick whip downwards, the same black sword that had done much damage before was his again. However, Karl’s grin was as sharp as the blade he held.

“Shall we begin?”

BEGIN

“Be wary, Riku,” Luna warned the boy, currently already crouching with his blade raised. “We do not know what he is capable of.”

Instead of a nod of appreciation or grin of understanding, Riku had words to offer the alicorn. They were short, blunt, but they had more meaning in them than any other phrase he could have spoken.

“Neither does he.”

Then he was gone.

A light boom erupted in the room, like the dull thud of a falling rock. The floor beneath the alicorn vibrated under the sound. Normally, it would have been a question of observation to see what had caused such a force.

However, the pair of figures standing in the center of the dome, blades locked against one another, made it only too obvious what the source of the noise was. Silently, Luna watched.

Riku made a hard push with his arms, unintentionally pushing himself back. Karl held his ground too strongly for the boy to gain in a show of force. It took only their first trade of blows to realize it.

Karl was quick to join the boy’s retreat, jumping forward with another impressive display of his inhuman strength. His blade descended on the boy, falling with a strength Luna knew only too well. Riku wisely judged it. He flipped backwards, avoiding the falling black sword deftly.

As Arma hit the ground, the red rock floor cascaded with cracks, spewing crimson dust upwards. Riku continued his retreat, stopping only when his feet were secure on the floor and his Path to Dawn was held upwards once more. Karl, however, remained crouched over the floor, watching the silver-haired teen through the floating particles.

“Dust, hm?” He noted as his free hand lightly swayed through the rust-colored particles in the air. “I guess if I squint my eyes and think happy thoughts I can imagine its blood, but it just isn’t the same.” His hand wiped off the red soot that had collected on his rocky form.

Riku let the comment slide off of him, choosing instead to confront the statue with action over words. He ran forward, aiming his sword at Karl. The living rock smiled at the display, twisting his own black sword to mimic the charging boy’s stance.

A sharp cry came from the teen as he swung upwards. Karl met it easily, parrying the blow with small twist and flick of his own blade. Riku felt his arm swing into nothing as the statue thrusted Arma forwards. His instincts reacted.

He pushed his open hand against the transforming bird, pushing his own weight off of the monstrous strength of Karl’s grip. Riku, however, used that. He spun with his momentum, bringing the Path to Dawn in full circle around him, aiming for the nape of Karl’s neck.

It was blocked with the statue’s bare hand. Riku stared shocked into Karl’s menacing smile.

“Oh don’t act too surprised,” he jeered. “It’s hard for anything to shatter stone.”

“Then how about this!” Riku didn’t give time for Karl to respond as he pulled his free hand back, summoning his dark magic into it once more. He shoved his hand forwards, slamming his black sphere into the statue’s arm.

Another explosion of magic blinded the two, giving Riku ample time to retreat away. Unfortunately, it gave just as much time for Karl to continue his taunts.

“That is a great magic trick.” He mockingly congratulated, speaking through the black mist that separated the duelists. Riku snarled as Karl continued. “Would it happen to be a trump card of yours? A last ditch effort for the most crucial of times? If so, I’m flattered to have brought you so close to your end. Would you like me to take you all the way?” His laughter was the only thing sicker than his words.

Riku opted, once more, for action over words. He jumped over the mist, the powers of the darkness flowing through him as he ascended into the air. It took only a short amount of time before he saw the stone man on the other side of his own fading magic. The living rock looked up with his scarred eye, widening at the floating boy.

Another battle cry came from silver haired teen as he fell downwards, aiming for another powerful strike against the statue. However, instead of matching blows, Karl crouched closer to the floor, leaning back only a hair.

When Riku was within striking distance, he swung upwards with Arma, once more parrying the Path to Dawn. As expected, it missed the statue, slamming into the floor with great strength. From the actions that followed, it was exactly what Karl wanted.

The force cracked the ground, sending sections upwards with its might. One such piece was enough to launch the statue in the air, no doubt in combination with his own immense jumping capabilities. This time, however, Riku reacted instantly.

The teen jumped into the air once more, giving chase to the ascending statue. Karl hit one of the upper parts of the dome, imbedding Arma into its surface. It kept him still against the high wall. Looking down, he smiled to see Riku chasing up at him.

“Can’t help but chase after me?” He asked with his façade smile. “Oh, but we’ve only just met.” Karl pulled Arma from the wall, beginning his short descent to Riku. “But it’s okay, I already know so much about you.”

Their blades hit with another small boom, putting their collective forces into a stand-still mid-air. It did little to slow their duel.

Floating in the air, the two drew and threw their blades at one another, each cross of their swords sparking the air. When Karl brought Arma down in a vicious slash, Riku would bring up his Path to Dawn to counter. As the teen would swing his arm with the intention to sever the statue’s neck, Karl would parry in kind, letting their blades sing in the air.

“You are stronger than before,” Karl spoke over the clash of their blades. “Why is that?”

The statue hit the ground with his feet, shaking the dome with an audible boom. He was grinning still when he looked back up at the dark dressed teen.

“I wonder if it is because you were able to admit what you are.”

Riku let out a yell of irritation as he brought his blade down, attempting to smash the stone man’s head. Karl let out a giggle as he raised his newly formed arm, batting away the flat of the blade before swinging with his own. The dark suited teen deftly flipped around it, spinning with the force Karl had hit him with to avoid the sharp blade.

He landed mid spin, feet sliding over the red rock, but Karl gave him little time to recover. Knowing his enemy, Riku lifted his blade, preparing himself for an assault. No sooner did his Path to Dawn rise above his head than did the black blade of Karl slam against it, forcing the teen to this knees.

“All humans are alike,” Karl continued to jeer, leaning over their crossed swords with a sharp grin. Riku could only snarl in return. “You make promises, oaths, and swears of loyalty, but you’ll drop them all, so long as you see something better on the horizon. Is that why you’re dressed like that? Dressed in black to hide your own lies?”

Riku yelled through his clenched teeth, pushing the stone man back with all his might. Luna could not judge if the teen truly did over power Karl, or if the living statue merely backed off, allowing the boy to regain his footing. The smile never changed, and she feared that it never would.

The teen was not done however. No sooner did he step back to his feet then did he raise his blade again, aiming to slash across Karl’s chest. It was only too simple for the statue to lean back, letting the shape of Riku’s sword swing harmlessly in front of him. However, the boy’s attack was not done.

His free hand followed his free arm, harnessing the power he had only just recently began to use offensively. It was another ball of darkness swirling in the keyblade master’s hand. For Karl, however, once was more than enough.

Instead of dodging harshly to the side or attacking Riku before the ball was released, he swung Arma from his side, gripping the transformed black bird with a twisted hand. In mid-swing, the bird began to morph into another malicious shape, the long but dull end of a hammer taking the mass of the blade.

The black mallet slammed into the dark ball the moment it left Riku’s hand, exploding with no less force than it had twice before.  Luna watched as the dark mist that inevitably erupted from the collection of Riku’s magic flew to the side, not even a single dark shred of the mist falling over the statue or teen.

All she saw clearly was the sharp smile Karl had as he stood tall over the teen, hammer still held ready for a second swing.

“Oh I see it now!” The statue spoke as he brought his mallet back towards the teen. Riku whipped his hand downwards, the flat of his blade stopping the incoming attack. Instead of retreated though, Karl placed both of his hands over the grip of Arma, pushing his full weight on to the teen.

Riku had to mimic in kind, gripping the Path to Dawn as he crouched on the ground, doing all that he could to prevent being crushed. Karl took the time to lean down to the vulnerable Riku.

“You really are stronger for admitting what you are, but you are so much more than just a liar.” The metal of the Path to Dawn groaned as Karl put more of his monstrous strength onto it. “You’re everything humans believe the darkness is. Mysterious, unknown, evil, vile, maybe even a dash of undesirable.”

Riku could only growl through his teeth, seething at the barbed words Karl wrapped around his vulnerable form. The chuckling of the living rock made it only worse.

“I’d even hazard to say that it even makes you a traitor.” Karl only laughed cheerily as Riku’s eyes lit with rage. “Right again.”

The words summoned strength in the teen’s legs, allowing him to push away from the living statue. Karl let him retreat, letting Arma transform from hammer to blade before rising to point at the teen again. Once more, his smile was nothing short of mocking.

“I do use the darkness!” Riku yelled aloud, but that was not what earned Karl’s attention.

The teen was starting to float, ascending into the air like a cloud. No wings were beating nor engine roaring. There was only him, and the darkness surrounding him.

Indeed, even Luna felt the creeping tendrils of the shadows begin to stretch over their dueling room, the faint light and glow of the dome fading beneath the coming darkness. She did not know if she should be grateful or concerned. Karl, however, had no fear about him.

“But,” Riku began to yell once more, raising his blade above his head, holding the hilt with both hands. “I fight for the light!”

Then, in a dash of smoke, he was gone.

Luna stared in mute horror as the teen vanished, seemingly gone into the shadows has he had before, when he was nearly killed by the stone man. Karl looked no more aware than she was, his old and new eyes looking left and right about the room for the teen, but having no more luck than the alicorn.

Then Riku was back.

Another light boom shocked the dome as the boy reappeared, only inches away from the unprepared statue. His sword was already in mid-swing, descending on Karl without thought of stopping. Luna watched, unintentionally satisfied, as living stone gave a look surprise.

Riku’s blade swung across the Karl’s torso, pushing the statue back across the floor. Karl responded in kind, swinging Arma downwards on the dark clothed boy. But just as his blade was close, Riku was gone again. Arma descended through open air.

Again, Riku boomed into reality, this time at Karl’s back. His blade swung once more and connected once more, scraping against the hard exterior of the statue. And once more, Luna felt satisfaction at the scowl, not smile, that was pasted over Karl’s features.

Then again, and again, and again. Every time Riku appeared to strike a blow against the statue, he vanished before Karl could so much as turn towards him. It was a vicious and brutal onslaught, one the alicorn could hardly see let alone follow. It was only with her imagination that she saw Karl being beaten like a toy. It was not an unpleasant thought.

A final boom crescendoed through the dome. It resounded in perfect in congruence with Riku’s final blow to the living statue. His hand, ball of darkness still swirling within it, hammering into Karl’s chest.

The explosion rocketed the stone man across the room, flying with a speed most pegasi would shy away from attempting. It only made Luna wince when the crack of his false body hitting the far wall filled the chamber. There was little surprise in seeing Karl imbedded into the far wall, doing everything but moving.

“Right back home, huh?” She heard Riku ask with a small chuckle. She, however, was far more focused on the deepness of his breath.

It was labored, clearly, a sign of his fatigue, and doubtlessly from his use of such an intricate spell. Her observations only became all the clearer when the boy fell to one of his knees, his free hand pressed to the floor.

“Riku!” She called the boy’s name, moving as swiftly as she could to the boy’s side. Her wings beat with her hooves, more to steady her still-woozy legs than to increase her pace. Luna had taken only a few steps towards the boy before she felt as if the blood had left her head.

It was just a moment after that the ground behind her erupted into rubble.

A gasp of shock came from her, drowned out by the rumble of falling debris. Riku whipped to the sound, sucking in his own breath of air when he saw the red rocks falling behind the alicorn. But more than that, he saw the creature behind the princess.

“Deary me,” Karl spoke from behind Luna. The dark alicorn’s eyes were wide in terror. It made the statue grin all the brighter. “I really didn’t expect you to move so suddenly. Tell me, did you know I was coming?”

Riku snarled as he rose to his feet, running to Luna as fast as he could. Karl’s unmarred eye watched him, his smile not faltering for even a moment. Luna lowered her horn, summoning what energy she could about it. Even if it was only a bluff, she hoped the cautious rock they fought would hold from assaulting her.

Then the room began to shake.

STOP

Riku extended his arms, balancing himself as he footing became uneven. Luna was little different, widening her stance to ensure she did not unceremoniously fall to the ground. Karl, however, watched them with amusement, his good and false eye grinning with his lips.

“Feeling a bit topsy turvy?” The living statue spoke, raising Arma until the black sword rested on his newly formed shoulder. “Maybe a bit gray under the collar? Has to be gray; green would clash for either of you.”

“What did you do?” Riku harshly whispered, gripping his sword with no lack of strength. Once more, the Karl only chuckled at the words, no more swayed by the viciousness behind the teen’s tone than any other moment before.

“I summoned a mighty dragon to eat us all!” Karl threw his arms into the air as if to cheer his own declaration.

Luna, however, thought of the true reason for the chamber’s shaking, one that accounted for the actions of the wicked statue and not for his false testimony.

“The ruby,” she spoke quietly. When she spoke again, the alicorn had charge in her voice. “What was the purpose of the crimson stone?”

“You are a quick one, as I’m sure you ever will be,” Karl admitted to the princess. “It’s no wonder you’re royalty.” He let out another line of laughter as another rumble shook the dome, but far worse.

A chunk of the ceiling fell away, landing with a loud crack on the ground. Riku wisely jumped away from it, letting his eyes glance upwards only long enough to judge where it had fallen from. Luna’s horn began to softly glow, enough to keep the rocks from harming her, but not so much to harm herself. As before, Karl did nothing but glance at the fallen piece of the ceiling with a lazy grin.

“It is rather hard for things to stay still when there is nothing holding them together. Why I’d dare to guess that when I took the magic from the chamber, it was only a matter of time before it came tumbling down. I doubt our little duel did much to help it.” He extended his arm, the flat of his hand facing the ceiling. Riku did not appreciate the gesture.

“But, I think the timing is perfect. After all, who fights on equal terms when they can help it?” The silver-haired teen did not know the meaning behind the statue’s words, but he readied himself regardless. His body shrank closer to the floor, securing his stance and reducing his movement. He could not risk Karl surprising him any more.

Instead of charging the teen however, the stone man did something else entirely. In fact, exactly the opposite.

With a mighty leap of his extraordinary strength, Karl flew towards the fall wall opposite of Riku. The boy and alicorn gave cautionary looks of bewilderment as the statue landed against the wall. Their confusion turned to terror as he raised Arma above his head.

The bird was no longer a sword, but instead the mighty hammer again. Karl slammed the black mallet against the dome without even a moment’s of hesitation. The result was instantaneous.

Boulders and stones began to fall around them, each one landing with a threatening boom on the red rock floor. They crumbled and shot up dust with their weight, the floor breaking into pebbles under their force.

Like thunder inside, the booms of the crossing blades from before was incomparable to the tons of rock falling inside the dome. It was more than merely hazardous, it was truly a last ditch effort. Both Riku and Luna recognized it.

The teen jumped from his unsteady ground, making his way to the dark alicorn. His eyes shifted from the falling ceiling to the equally unprepared princess, jumping where he could and running everywhere else.

Then, with one last leap towards Luna, Riku threw his free hand into the air, giving a shout as he summoned whatever dark magic that he could.

The boulders fell upon them a second later.

“An unceremonious way to end any duel,” Azula lightly noted as she saw the red rock collect over the screen, a low sigh of disappointment rushing past her nose. “I was hoping for that statue to be a bit more useful.” The Princess of the Fire Kingdom shrugged, leaning back from the balcony to stretch herself.

“Still, I can’t complain too much. He did put both pony and boy into a difficult place, even without his own magic. That’s not an easy feat.” Her golden eyes squinted at the screen as the dust began to collect, the red rocks of the dome becoming clearer and clearer across its surface.

“I don’t suppose it would be too much to hope they all died together. It would certainly make things easier in the long run.”

To Azula’s immense dissatisfaction, a small wisp of darkness snaked through the boulders. She scoffed to her side, knowing full well what it meant.

“Didn’t think so.” She crossed her arms as she watched the rest of the scene unfold.

Riku was at his limit.

The strain of his near death experience, his duel with the monstrous statue, and now the protection of Luna all within the span of a mere few moments. He felt his mind shaking with his body. It was a miracle that he hadn’t already collapsed.

It wouldn’t be long though, he could tell that much. Even with his shield projected above the pair, holding back the tons of rock weighing down on him, he knew that his body would give at any moment.

“Prin…cess…” he managed to squeeze out through grit teeth. It was quiet, but it was enough.

“Riku,” the alicorn returned with more ease that he spoke. “This is your doing, correct?” He nodded, hoping she could see enough of his movement in the capsule of darkness they were in. “I thank you, now let me aid you.”

There was no time for discussion, and few words were there to be said. Luna lowered her horn until it touched on the teen’s shoulder, glowing lightly within their dark shell. Riku was only moments away from asking her intentions, but that was when he felt his strength returning.

It was not an immense effect, nothing that could be called impossible, but the return of his magic, the strength of his limbs, it was all that he needed. A slow groan of force came from his lips as he forced his arm further upwards, pushing with the force of his body and magic.

The black magic barrier around them grew upwards with his effort, pushing away the boulders and rocks that had collected over them. The sound of their tumbling off of the pair was thunderous, though incomparable to the sound of their initial fall.

It took only a moment with their joint effort, but Riku’s shield reached a point where no more sound was made and he knew they were safe. Releasing his hand, the shield fell. It was only too obvious when the darkness fell just how much had changed.

The red dome around them had fallen completely, no sign of if its shape left to be seen. Instead they were in a new room, one with gray walls and roof around and above them. It appeared almost unnatural, the smoothness to them that did not match the rough and almost alive rocks from before. It was beyond odd, and forced forth many more questions than the pair believed they would have.

But there was one question both were currently seeking the answer to.

“Where is Karl?” Luna asked as she stepped from the rubble, keeping her legs spread far apart and her form improperly close to the ground. It was the only way to keep her tired form stable over the uneven terrain.

“Gone, I’m hoping,” Riku responded, eyes scanning over the red rocks and debris. Truthfully, he saw no sign of the statue, alive or dead. More than that though, he saw little sign of the dungeon they were just within.

The mausoleum had clearly fallen upon them, he saw no signs of the lava from before, no twists of fire or great cavern either. It was simply a hollow room they were in now, surrounded only by the red rubble beneath them and the gray stone around them.

Then, when he looked up, he saw something else.

“Hey,” he spoke, earning the alicorn’s attention. “Look up.” It was hardly a command, but it was definitely beyond a suggestion. Regardless the dark alicorn turned her vision high, looking to the ceiling above them.

Though majority of the ceiling high above them mimicked the gray stone around them, there was one drastically different part to it. That was the hole in the center of it. That… the object they saw beyond it.

“It is the moon,” Luna spoke, looking up into the sky through the small portal that existed.

She extended her wings, taking in a slow breath of air. She felt the soft gray rays of her celestial orb shine down upon her, draping her fatigued form with renewed energy, with life, with magic and all else.

“Princess, what are you-” Riku never had time to finish.

The alicorn’s horn flashed faster than the teen had seen before, completely blinding his unprepared eyes. His arms flew up, holding his head to keep out the almost intrusive glare.

Riku was, however, still able to hear, and was not able to guess what was happening. It sounded like the cave in was happening again, the sound of rock being pushed and pulled, being lifted and dropped with little delicacy or care. He kept his form stiff, ready for any blow that may be dealt to him, but none ever came.

Then, just as quickly as both began, both the light and sound stopped. Tentatively, Riku lowered his arms, looking to see exactly what had happened. It was only too obvious when he saw it.

The once almost unnoticeable hole in the ceiling had become nothing less than an open doorway. The moon, stars, and constellations above all easier to see than even the rocks beneath their feet. Riku found himself giving a low whistle.

“Come,” Luna spoke in a commanding voice to the boy. “Let us leave before Karl may show himself again. I have little desire to remain here.” When he nodded towards her, the princess flexed her wings, sending her into the air with ease.

She flew upwards with no difficulty, a far cry from her gliding within the lava rooms before. Now, she looked every bit as majestic with the moon shining upon her and the stars around her. But that was not was Riku saw.

He saw not a queen with spread wings, but a king with a drawn blade. It made his smile return with genuine intentions.

“Right behind you, your highness.” Next Chapter: Dreams Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 6 Minutes