Mia stared at Sage with wide eyes, her hand just barely to a slightly opened mouth. In awe she could not believe what she was seeing. Sage was glowing so brightly and his eyes had turned from violet to ice blue. How in the world did this happen? Was Halo that powerful as to pose such a great force of luminosity? It certainly seemed so. But where had Sage acquired such power?

Kento turned his head to view Sage in all his glory of light. His surprised look swiftly turned into a grin as he felt the battle had now turned. Just moments before they had been struggling through a hardship of darkness and creatures who were about to kill them. The two anacondas had hissed at the intense brightness and were backing off from attacking Firestorm and him.

Ryo roared in protest at the sudden light as he leapt back from Cye and diverted his gaze away from the direction of the light. Or at least he tried to. Now matter which way he looked, the illumination still reached him. It even reached him as he attempted to close his eyes. Shaking his head vigorously, he attempted to flee the scene.

However he discovered his body would not move. Startled he again roared and fought with all his strength to take even one step forward. But nothing happened. What was going on? Undiscovered within himself, the armor of Wildfire, which lay dormant within the depths of his very soul, had been drawn to the light of Halo. It was the soul of the armor that insisted on remaining in place.

Kayura diverted her attention away from Sage and turned her mind on Cye. Kneeling down beside the wounded Ronin she laid the staff over his bitten throat and concentrated. Whispering a prayer known only to the clan of the Ancient she begged for Cye’s healing. The staff began to glow, flaring to life with its own glowing brightness. It surrounded Cye, bathing him in a warm light, and causing his own kanji to flare to life upon his forehead.

Star watched the healing take place, her breath nearly held within her. Her heartbeat had quickened and she feared another onslaught. Would Leokoni indeed attack again? She shuddered to think so. But perhaps they now had the upper hand. Could the demon lord now be defeated? She certainly hoped so.

Cye’s eyes fluttered as he slowly returned to consciousness. He blinked slowly as realization hit him. “Kay.. Kayura,” he slurred weakly.

“Rest now, Cye,” Kayura commanded gently as she kept the staff over him. She noticed he was still quite weak and it would take some time for his cells to regenerate the blood supply to flow back into his veins to give him stamina once again. As he rested, she would guard and protect him.

Cye closed his eyes and allowed his body to rest. His subconscious told him something intense was happening, but he felt quite weak and could not even attempt to lift his head to see for himself.

Kento had seen what Kayura had done for Cye and he breathed a sigh of relief. Nudging Firestorm he directed her attention toward the two and she looked.

She was relieved as well. She may have not known Cye as well as Kento, but she felt a closeness to him unlike any other. Now turning her head back to Leokoni and upon Sage, she instantly felt anger run through her veins. “You’re going down, Leokoni!” she stated brazenly.

Leokoni scowled in contempt. Here he was facing a human being who seemed to glow as bright as an angel, when another creature, a hybrid attempted to oppose him with mere words. However, at the moment, his true intent was not on her. Turning his head, he viewed Sage once again. His fists tightened into balls, his talons at the end of his fingertips pressing against the palms of his hands. He felt no pain as his rage grew near a calamity.

How had this happen? He was certain he had weakened Halo enough to where he would not be able to rise up against him. And yet, now everything was falling apart around him. Both cursed Ronins were covering their eyes, drawn to the light as it somehow relaxed their hearts, yet at the same time fearful as their bodies rebelled against it.

Sage did not move. His ice blue eyes continued to look upon Leokoni with unquenchable anger. He could forget what Leokoni had done to his best friend, nor would he forget what had been done to himself. Through all the years he had known Rowen, from the abuse by his father, to the abandonment by his mother had all been a ploy by the demon lord before him.

Leokoni was not one to be deterred by little humans, even those with power. He lips pulled into a mocking grin and he tittered. “So Ronin Warrior, what do you believe you can do? Your light is a folly, a waste of valuable time! Why increase your strength through the light when darkness can clearly overcome it? Your friends do not care for you. If you were not a Ronin with an armor, do you think they would have anything to do with you? I would think not. And even if they did, they would unwillingly protect you as the forces of evil would use you against them.”

Sage continued to glare at Leokoni, the anger inside him was rising higher and higher. And then he realized something. The demon master was only trying to make him angry so a mistake on his part would be made. He had to focus and not let that happen.

Kayura looked upon Cye again and frowned. She could sense the battle would do more than just heat up. The Torrent bearer was still too weak to participate in this battle. She had no idea whether Sage would win or not, so keeping Cye there was not an option. She had to get him out of there. “I need to get Cye out of here! It is not safe for him!”

Star frowned deeply upon hearing this. She knew if Kayura left, something could happen to Rowen and Ryo again. So far she knew that Halo’s light was keeping them back, but what if Kayura was somehow helping Sage to power up to such intensity? Could the Staff of the Ancients within Kayura’s hand be lending strength to Sage?

“What about Rowen and Ryo!” she cried out to the young ancient. When Kayura looked toward her, Star’s lip trembled. “Kayura, you can’t leave them!”

Kayura shook her head. “You are right, I cannot leave them. But I cannot let Cye remain here!”

Firestorm overheard this and turned to look at Kayura. “Let me take him then! I could transform and fly him out of here!”

Kento looked down at Cye who seemed to be struggling how he was feeling at the moment. He frowned, thinking of an idea. He turned to Firestorm and Kayura then. “If Firestorm can take him out of here, she should take him to the nearest body of water!”

Kayura nodded her head. “He is right. Cye’s armor is the Torrent and the water will recharge it and heal him fully! Get him there as quickly as you can, Firestorm. Sage is detained at the moment, and if we wait for too long, it could be fatal.”

Firestorm nodded and instantly transformed into a dragon. She carefully stepped toward Cye and gently picked him by her snout, being careful not to crush him in her large jaws.

Ryo instantly became aware of this and the beast within him became instantly raged. He struggled against the power that held him in place. He was blood thirsty, and hearing Mia’s voice speak out against Cye in such a manner had set it off. Cye needed to die. And he would see to it.

He defeated the power that held him and let out a loud roar as he leapt high into the air.

Mia was the first to see this and she could not believe her eyes. She screamed in despair, wanting Ryo to stop and be his normal self. None of this was right! Why did anyone have to suffer?

Firestorm caught scent of Ryo coming after her and knew she had no choice. She swung her tail directly against him, hitting him on the side of his body and sending him tumbling backward. Having now gained substantial time, her wings beat against the air currents and soon lifted her massive form off the ground.

Star watched her vanish from view as she flew further away from their perception. She sighed heavily and turned back to see the battle at hand. All they could do now was watch and hope that Sage would turn to be victor. And if Sage indeed won, then perhaps Ryo and Rowen would become normal again.

Sage realized how he could prevent himself from falling prey to Leokoni’s taunts. The best thing he could do was to refuse to allow himself to do so. Having made that decision, he kept a firm stance and narrowed his eyes again. “Whatever you may say, Leokoni, I know it is just a ruse to ensnare me into your trap. It will not work! I refuse to allow myself to become hampered by you!”

Leokoni growled under his breath as he unwillingly admitted the boy was right. He was a clever one and apparently quite wise for his age. However he was still quite young, and the young could always make mistakes. There was still another way to rout him. He began to increase his powers once again and immediately a cover of darkness began to surge over the land, covering everything in its path.

Sage’s eyes widened slightly at this increased power overlapping the land. He could feel the light within him fighting to maintain its dominance. How long would this last? It wasn’t enough to keep fighting continuously without making an extensive assault. He knew he had to do something and fast, or the world would suffer more than just a blackout.

“Kayura, what’s going on?!” Star screamed. She could feel her heart pounding endlessly as the terror began to grip her. It was becoming so dark, she could barely see in front of her. She looked apprehensively toward her right, hoping to see Kento, but all she could see was darkness.

Kayura could barely see as it was, but she knew what was happening. The battle between Leokoni and Sage was growing more passionate. The darkness had grown so much she could see nothing at all, except Sage, surrounded by his own patch of light. “Leokoni has polluted the entire land with his darkness!”

Kento was trying to keep calm himself, but he felt as if he would break out into a sweat at any given moment. He almost screamed when he felt something hairy bump into him, but became startled when he felt it shaking in fear beside him. His eyes widened. “R.. Ryo?” He cautiously felt the body beside him, fearing that any particular moment, sharp canines would pierce his fingers.

Nothing happened though. Breathing a sigh of relief, he laid his hand on the massive head as if to reassure his friend.

Not too far away, Rowen was cowering in the darkness. He could just see a patch of light up ahead and a figure within it. Why did that figure look familiar to him? Why did he feel drawn to him? He felt confused as whispering sounded within the confines of his mind, but were they right? Was the figure before him truly an enemy? But what of this darkness? He felt true fear, wanting release, comfort, and even greater still, protection.

Leokoni chuckled as his eyes glowed in the darkness. “Is something wrong, Sage? You seem to be out of place. Perhaps your radiance has taken you prisoner. My shadows can emancipate you.”

Sage understood immediately what the demon master was up to. Was it enough that he had to downgrade him, did he now have to mock his very source of power? “Free as a bird within a cage!” he retorted in anger. His eyes narrowed as his pointed his nodatchi at Leokoni. “Do not think I will fall for this one. I am better than that.”

Intense anger surged through the demon master as lava flows through a volcano during eruption. He suddenly leapt into the air and flew straight at the Ronin of Halo. Diving bombing him, he took Sage by sudden surprise. The two tumbled head over heels, several times. Darkness and Light were having a free for all within this battle, and it was hard to determine which one would be the victor.

Sage struggled to increase his own power of light, hoping to throw Leokoni off balance. He could not let him win as it could very well mean the end of life itself. He feared what would happen to the others if he lost this battle. And the world…it would be covered completely in darkness. People needed the light to guide them by. The darkness would only serve to chain them up eternally.

Leokoni’s hands sought out Sage’s neck. Though surrounded by his own darkness, he could see quite well. His expression showed malice, but on the inside he was grinning with excitement. Soon, this annoying Ronin Warrior would be dead, and he would once again reclaim his dominance over mankind.

Sage’s eyes widened. What had happened to his power of light? It should have been enough to keep the demon master’s hands away from his neck, but there they were. He struggled and kicked, feeling his very source of oxygen being cut off from him at an alarming rate. Panic set in and he desperately sought a way out.

White Blaze, who was still nearby watching everything, felt a terrible foreboding. There was true danger. Not the type of danger where you know someone was going to become hurt, but the danger of losing someone. Unlike the Ronins and Kayura, he could see quite well through the darkness. And seeing Leokoni kneeling over a struggling Sage was enough to make his blood boil.

He sprang forward, leaping over distances within seconds at a time. Pouncing on Leokoni’s back, his claws and fangs sought flesh, driving them in deep.

Leokoni howled in pain as he was driven back from choking Sage. He leapt to his feet and reached out behind him, grasping the tiger by the scruff of the neck, and suddenly violently threw him over his shoulder.

Sage’s eyes were wide with fear and shock as he felt oxygen returning to him slowly. He inhaled several times at an alarming rate. His heart beat had increased and he could feel his blood pumping too fast through his veins. He suddenly felt tired and dizzy. He barely even noticed White Blaze sailing over his head.

White Blaze somersaulted in the air and safely landed on all fours. His fangs bared and suddenly he let out a tremendous roar that shook the ground.

Leokoni grinned suddenly. “So, you have spirit, tiger. I commend you on that. It is a fitting feat for a predator such as yourself, is it not?” His eyes danced with amusement as the tiger again let out another vicious roar. White Blaze’s tail was swishing back and forth and the fur on the back of his neck was raised in fury.

Leokoni suddenly looked fiercely at him then. “But do not think I will allow you the pleasure of stealing away my victim. You will pay, tiger. I guarantee you.” With that warning, he suddenly withdrew a scimitar from his belt and sprung high into the air.

Sage’s feeling of weakness was instantly replaced by dread. He opened his eyes just in time to see Leokoni sailing into the air and aiming directly at White Blaze. A scream sounded from his very being as he forced himself to leap up. No other thoughts entered into Sage’s mind except the need to save White Blaze. The tiger could not possibly handle the attack from such an evil being and his blood thirsty weapon.

Racing forward, Sage knew he had only seconds to spare. The rage within Leokoni’s eyes was enough to frighten anyone, but he could not let that stop him. Barely had time passed when he suddenly leapt before Leokoni.

A sudden clap of lightning struck the skies above, as the Ronin Warrior felt intense, burning pain within the cavity of his chest. Blood poured down his armor as the scimitar hung from the chest plate. His eyes were wide and all color drained from his face. His kanji flickered, struggling to maintain itself, before it suddenly died altogether. And then, Sage suddenly fell face forward, pushing the weapon further into his chest.

Leokoni was surprised himself, but shrugged it off with a smile. “Well, that’s one down.” His whitened eyes looked toward the tiger as a sneering smile came upon his face. But then suddenly, that smile turned upside down.

White Blaze was infuriated. He could feel himself shaking as the power deep inside him sought to overtake him. And he could not hold it back. A bolt of lightning suddenly appeared without warning and struck the tiger, covering him completely as his eyes turned red. A white armor began to form on the tiger, and his fur changed from white to black. White Blaze was now gone, and in his place, stood Black Blaze, the tiger of death.