Chapter 21: The Fallen King

Click
The hair on my neck stands on end as the safety of a gun goes off.
"What are you doing boy? Get back from the edge."

Bam

An explosion of sound rings in my ears, just a hair away. I pull my head up to see an Ethereal barely an arms length away. I stagger back towards Phoenix's voice.
"Ain't heard this many demons since judgement day." he says as he fires another round.
"Hand me a gun." Clair orders Phoenix, her leader like tone returning. "Just point me in the right direction."
I hear her turn off fumble with the safety before launching off some shots into the night.
"Where ya aimin girly?" Old Phoenix says laughing, "You keep nailing that air though."
"Sorry, Jay was always the gunslinger, not me." Clair says firing off another round.
"Let the boy have a turn, at least he can see em." He says, and after a huff I feel a heavy weight fill my hands.
"Well, don't just stand there, shoot something."
I lift the pistol shakily up to where I think I am aiming at the Ethereal and pull the trigger. The kick of the gun catches me off guard and I feel a pain in my shoulder.
"You fool, use the ring. What did you think, it was just a trinket?" Phoenix yells over the humming of a thousand Ethereals.
I do as I'm told and put the ring on my index finger, I notice as I put it on, a little blade in the side of it. Cautiously I prick my finger on the end and feel the paper cut thin slit sting.

I go to shove it in my mouth as I would normally, but stop myself. I can tell just from the stinging, how far away my hand is. I lift the gun once more to the sky of targets, and prepare to pull the trigger. Though I can't see it, I can tell that my hand was too low the last time, using the pain to guide me, I take aim and shoot.
I am thrilled to see another Ethereal fall on my behalf, but a quick slap from Clair get me straight.
"Keep focused dummy, else we're dinner."
I settle back into position and take aim again. With my mock sight, I take down the flying Ethereals one by one.

"Quickly Father, this way." I hear Aqua's voice at the roof door. Alongside her I can hear the shuffling of another person, and from the sounds of it, it is her horrid father.
"Seth Phoenix, oh thank god. Please, you have to help me, my father is wounded."
Though I hate the man in question, I move to help Aqua, who though being a traitor had saved my life a couple of times now.
"He he he he. Foolish... girl."
I stop in my tracks as Sol starts to laugh, a dark amber light resonating off of it.
"Aqua, get away from him, something is..." But my warning comes too late. I watch in horror as Aqua's silhouette is lifted by the neck into the air by her father's glowing form. Enraged and in hysterics I point my pistol at him and shoot.

I watch his amber body convulse from the shots, but it does not deter him enough to stop him from throwing Aqua's chocking blue figure over into the sea of Ethereals.
"No!" Clair yells, and I see the amber form double over alongside a metal clang.
An unearthly scream comes from Sol as he whips his arm across Clair's leg which glows a bright red before I hear scream. A deep thud tells me she has fallen. I start to run to her, but I am caught by a steady hand.
"What are you doing Sol?" Old man Phoenix says from beside me, his voice barely a whisper.
"Your... king is... no... more." Sol says, his figure turning to face myself and Phoenix. He starts to say more, but it all comes out a garbled mess.
'I see. You have possessed him then Demon?" Phoenix sighs. "Luckily I know a way to save you old friend."
Phoenix starts chanting as Sol's form moves towards us. I hear the clack of beads in the gunman's hands; prayer beads. As the Ethereal Sol comes closer, Phoenix grows louder to a peak.
"Release him of evil spirit." Phoenix shouts, but the fallen king doesn't flinch. Instead he grabs Phoenix's blue face in his amber hand. I watch as his soul gasps for air, clinging onto life, but it can not hold. In a moment, the lights flicker out and I hear his body crash to the floor.

"Stay back!" I yell aiming the gun at Sol's glowing face, his humming body barely five feet from mine.
"Can't... see... me." It struggles with the words, but it's meaning is instantly known, as it vanishes into the darkness.
I whip the pistol around me, hoping for some sign of the Ethereal Sol, but there is none.
"Seth look out, behind you." I hear Clair's red voice from across the rooftop. Thank god she was alive. Heading her warning, I turn around and shoot into the darkness.

Hiss

The bright form of Sol returns, it's golden form clutching its leg.
"Cursed... metal." It seeps and lunges at me. This time when I react, the bullet hits a vital mark, the skull. I hear it shatter and the body begins to go dark, but not before catching my arm in it's amber claws.
I clutch it as fire flows through it, then it's gone. All feeling in my arm is lost and I feel it hit my hip, limp as a noodle.

Thud, Sol's body hits the ground in front of me, and I feel his head hit my shin before rolling to the side. I jump back and notice a figure standing just off to the side. As I turn to it, I take in the hooked nose and hunched form, the Solemn ghost. It makes no move towards me, just stares, its hallow eyes taking everything in.
When it's satisfied, it walks away, taking the other Ethereals with it, and leaving me more confused than ever. Why did they stop? Why didn't they attack.

"Seth." I jump at the sound of the white girls voice. Quickly I find its source and rush over to it. In her arms is rested Clair's body, glowing faintly red.
"I can help her this time Seth, but you must do a better job protecting her from now on." The girl says and I watch as Clair's red colour seeps back into her leg. Gently, the girl places Clair's head on the ground and stands up.
"Your turn." She says. I feel a tingling in my arm, like it is waking from a deep sleep,and slowly I am able to move it again. I flex my fingers enjoying the feeling once more.
"Who are you?" I ask the girl, but there is no reply, she is gone.

Reviews

[Silent Wolf]

Interesting. I wonder what the sol demon was... It's all so interesting! So much to learn! I can't wait for more!

[Lucy Morningstar &heart..]

There is so much more suspense now and so much intrigue created just off the last few lines and just...i am frustrate now cause I want to read more but I must have patience, though that might be a tad impossible for me as you know lol in any case...it was funny, it was intense, it had the intrigue, and I'm really liking the character development that you've got with Clair and Seth; and I gotta say, Phoenix is hilarious xD

Another great chapter in a great story ^_^