Drama Queen

Withered Rose
2005-02-03 01:05:38 (UTC)

Legion's Advance

Enraged, Archon dove toward himself, growling deeply. He
flew over the depiction of his family with his claws drawn
and fangs dripping, his roar echoing through the blank
shadow surrounding him. Suspended in air for a brief
moment, he saw the dreaded expression of his wife and
daughter in their realization of his animalist fury
incarnated. Landing on top of his double, Archon rolled
heavily as he pulled Legion away from the shadowy forms he
held so dearly. His own claws bit deeply into his forearms,
causing him to grimace as he planted his foot/paw into
Legion’s stomach and ripped at his throat with sharp fangs.
The replica of himself roared in perfect imitation of the
original and flung Archon away, to hit a dark wall and
sink, dizzy, to the floor. Legion stood, licking a stream
of blood from his arm.

*Look at them. They’re horrified. Isn’t that what you
always feared the most? Their fear of what you’ve become?*
A voice rang across the space, leering and distracting
Archon from the task of standing.

“Silence! I will have none of your foul games!”

Archon’s shout reverberated off the empty darkness,
trapping him inside the hallow loneliness. Rising, eyes
blazing and muscles clenching, Archon stared at his own
image as it slowly moved closer and closer. Leaping at
Archon, Legion’s facsimile attacked smoothly, his great,
right-hand claw sweeping deftly at Archon’s head. Dodging
swiftly, Archon sliced his twin’s abdomen as he moved
underneath his enemy’s flying body. Rolling to a clean
stop, Legion turned and kicked out just as Archon swung
around to attack. Archon went flying back, a long gash
across his right leg.

*Now look, you’ve made her cry. Such a pretty thing, it’d
be a shame to leave her be while in such misery.* Legion’s
pawn stood, laughing at Archon’s expression of pain as the
werewolf beheld his daughter weeping, hiding in the folds
of her mother’s skirts.

Archon’s likeness approached the figures of their broken
family, his claws dripping with Archon’s blood. Running to
catch his tormentor before he reached the two women, Archon
raised his right paw to strike, a mirror image of Legion as
they both moved in perfect unison. As Archon leaped, he
found his position reversed with that of Legion’s mimic,
and a deep gash slicing down his wife’s chest. Shocked,
Archon knelt limply, holding her as she fainted in fear and
pain. The dark, sticky blood flowing freely made Archon
shudder, and he touched his handiwork gently, his soul
screaming silently.

A quiet chuckle from behind him made Archon turn, still
clutching his wife tightly to his fury chest. *Look at what
you’ve done. Everything you did to avoid this, all that
you’ve been through to protect them, and you administer the
killing blow with your own hand.*

Archon looked away from the beast, searching for his
daughter. He found her standing close by, her sweet face
contorted in sobs that racked her entire body. She screamed
at him in anger and terror, abusing him as he embraced his
slowly dying wife’s limp, bloody body. A single tear left a
salty trail down Archon’s cheek, his lips pressed tightly
as he watched the scene unfold. But a flicker in his eye, a
small flame, paused his weary thoughts for a moment.
Standing, letting his wife’s body fall to the floor, he
turned in defiance to his mocking clone.

“Your turn.”

Archon sprang suddenly, dealing a heavy blow to the carbon
copy’s chest. They grappled, resorting to throwing punches
as if they were in a measly bar fight. Continually
advancing, Archon dealt blow after blow, changing his
stance and type of attack constantly, ever on the
offensive. He threw Legion back against a wall, catching
him and pinning him there with his claws deeply embedded.
But Legion laughed, unfazed by the frenzy of overwhelming
rage that coursed through Archon’s veins.

How dare you desecrate their memory like that?! Archon’s
thoughts flew rapidly through his mind, fueling his
strength. This isn’t real, just as the images that
assaulted me in the Shadow weren’t real.

Legion smirked, and Archon flew back, landing on his back
with a loud crack of ribs. Blood dribbled from his mouth,
and his ears rang from the impact.

[[And the battle continues...]]




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