Sworn to the Light: Part 1 of a YuGiOh Fanfiction

Yes, now I am officially the King of Nerds. For those of you who don't know the Lightsworn are a group of LIGHT monsters in YuGiOh.



In the beginning, there was light. Oh, how glorious it was.

And there was darkness. Its all-consuming shadow threatening the light. And thus began the neverending war between light and shadow. But light and darkness could not battle by themselves. Using its power, the light manifested itself in the forms of powerful heroes and beasts, known as the Lightsworns. The darkness assumed the forms of wicked monsters and demons, too many to number and far too wicked to name. With their new creations, the Lightsworns and the darkness battled. And their battle has raged on for generations.

Yet neither side managed to gain a definite advantage. Because for every shadow a Lightsworn managed to vanquish, another took its place. Eventually, the Lightsworns were forced to flee and hide from such an unbeatable and inexhaustible enemy. Light, like hope, was fragile.

The Lightsworns took residence in a city known as the Realm of Light. Here, in this mystical and powerful place, the continuous shine of the relic repelled all darkness. In the Realm of Light, the Lightsworns took respite, and all seemed peaceful. In this period of rest, the Lightsworns took time to name and identify themselves.

Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner: A meek, yet stalwart witch.

Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress: A quiet and powerful spellcaster.

Ehren, Lightsworn Monk: A fiery and fiesty female warrior.

Wulf, Lightsworn Beast: A mighty but intelligent beast capable of much destruction.

Garoth, Lightsworn Warrior: A strong and powerful fighter.

Aurukus, Lightsworn Druid: A calm and reserved wizard.

Jain, Lightsworn Paladin: A kind, yet ruthless female warrior.

Jenis, Lightsworn Mender: A compassionate healer of the Lightsworns.

Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter: Lumina's treasured pet; he is petit in size but powerful in nature.

The last of the Lightsworns was Gragonith, a powerful dragon whose power far exceeded all of the other Lightsworns. Gragonith was extremely powerful, but his strength had been waning. And once the second Gragonith lost his power, darkness would take over. The Realm of Light would be reduced to nothing, and the Lightsworns themselves would be consumed.

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A dark-skinned girl was running down the gleaming walkways of the Realm of Light. Her white dress shined brilliantly in the light, as with her glowing white hair. Lumina, the Lightsworn Summoner ran around the corner of the building, her breaths coming fast.

"Ryko! Come here! Where are you, boy?" she called. She didn't like running: her dress always made it hard. As she had hoped, she was answered by a sharp bark and the quick panting of a little white dog that happily came running to Lumina's arms. Ryko quickly tackled his owner and gave her a big, slobbery lick on the face.

"Easy, calm down!" Lumina giggled, trying to keep the excited canine off her. As she was playing, she failed to notice the giant, lumbering white beast that walked up to her. A large shadow fell over the Lightsworn Summoner.

"LUMINA!" the voice boomed. Lumina's hair stood on end as she scrarmbled to her feet, Ryko in her arms. She trembled at the sight of a slightly annoyed Wulf. In his hands he held a massive, bladed staff. She didn't like the sight of it: she knew how many shadows he had slain with that weapon.

"We don't have time to play around," Wulf growled. "Gragonith is growing weaker by the second. Shadows may enter the Realm."

"Huh?" Lumina inquired, confused. Nothing had ever intruded into the Realm of Light before...

"Didn't you hear me? THIS PLACE IS NO LONGER SAFE!" Wulf roared, bearing his razor-sharp fangs. Lumina trembled. An angry Wulf was never a good thing to experience. To her relief, the beast stomped off in a dark mood. She gave a sigh and rubbed Ryko in between the ears. The little white dog happily wagged its tail in response.

"No... longer safe?" Lumina thought. That was a horrifying prospect. If the Realm of Light fell, there would be no hope. Nothing to fight for. They would be consumed. Lumina hated the mere thought of it.

As if to break her train of thought, Ehren came running down the gleaming walkway.

"Lumina!" she called, her face bright and happy.

"Ehren!" Lumina responded, her face suddenly showing no sign of distress at all. Ehren and Lumina had always been good friends: they didn't know why, they just.... seemed to get along. Lumina didn't question it, though: she simply liked having a companion.

The two briefly embraced before Ehren snatched up Ryko and started petting him ferociously. Ryko didn't seem to like it, as his tail suddenly stopped wagging.

"Aren't you so cuuute?" Ehren cooed, continuing to pet the little white dog. There was no bark or even a whine in response. Suddenly, Ryko uttered a low, dangerous growl.

"Eh? What's wrong, Ryko?" Lumina asked, directing her attention to the place where Ryko was growling at: a strange drop of blackness on the floor, completely contrasted by the gleaming light coming from the floor itself. Both Ehren and Lumina looked quizzically at each other, switched confused glances, then walked over to investigate the strange puddle.

"I wonder what it is...?" Ehren took her staff and started poking the puddle.

"Stop it!" Lumina yelped. Something didn't seem right about it...

"Oh, come on, like it's going to do anything." As her staff came away, the mysterious ooze spread up the staff at a frightening pace. Ehren gave a little yelp before quickly expelling the staff away from her. A few metallic clatters sounded out as the staff struck the ground. Within moments, the staff was reduced to an even larger black puddle. Lumina stared in horror as the puddle grew even bigger: it was now a sizable hole in the floor. Tendrils of darkness sprung out from the pool, tainting whatever they touched as they crawled slowly towards the two.

"Come on, let's go!" Ehren yelled, grabbing a mortified Lumina by the hand and dashing off.

The two had been running for a while before they stopped for a rest. Lumina was exhausted: she laid herself on the ground and wiped the copious sweat from her forehead. Ehren appeared to be perfectly fine.

"W-what happened back there?" Lumina asked, her voice shaking.

"I-I don't know..." Ehren responded, her voice also just as unsure as hers. Suddenly, a disgruntled looking Aurkus came running around the corner directly into the female duo. Lumina noticed he was holding his book: that was never a good sign.

"Aurkus," she began, struggling to string her words together. "What's going on?"

"You don't know...?" Aurkus said, his voice ominous. "Darkness has entered the Realm of Light. We must prepare for battle."

Lumina's eyes widened in fright. She never liked fighting, and fighting in a place she considered home was the last thing she ever wanted to do. But there was no avoiding it. She knew what she had to do. She was sure that Ehren felt the same way.

Lumina gave Aurkus a curt nod, and he accepted the tacit form of confirmation. He started running off in the direction Lumina and Ehren fled from, and the two followed. It was a while before they found the spot where they had found the pool of darkness, and what they found startled them. The area around the pool had grown pitch-black and now oozed an evil-looking substance. The glorious brightness Lumina was so used to seeing had been completely blanketed by the darkness. Suddenly, a dark blur sprung out of the pool. Lumina gave a yelp of surprise.

There was a flattering of wings, the brandishing of metal, the sound of blades slicing the air, and Aurkus was no more. Blood seeped from his wounds, and his face grew taut with pain before he keeled over. His book clattered as it hit the ground.

"AURKUS!" Lumina screamed, running to his side. His wounds were grievous: a long, deep slash had been made deep into his chest. Aurkus's breathes came slow: he was alive, but he would be in grave danger if he didn't receive help, and soon. Tears streamed down her face. She cast a glance at their assailant. But what she saw terrified her. The black skin, the red wings, and the vicious sword were all too familiar. A dark aura emanated from its presence. Lumina's tear-drenched eyes widened in horror.

"I am Darklord Zerato.... and you will be my slaves."

Darklord Zerato... Lumina was all too familiar with that name. Darklord Zerato was the almighty ruler of the darkness. Many brave Lightsworn were slain by his vicious blade. The names of the fallen were still fresh in her mind... but she couldn't let fear get in her way right now. Lumina called forth the energy from the sun, letting her body absorb the star's rays. She could feel the pure energy build up inside of her. The Darklord merely stood there.

Lumina let loose a cry of rage as she launched a blast of light at Darklord Zerato. The beam flew straight and true as it exploded into the Darklord's face. Smoke was thrown out from the impact, but as it cleared, Darklord Zerato was still standing with a rather venomous grin.

"Is that all the mighty Lumina can muster?" Darklord Zerato mocked. "I'm deeply disappointed." There was a silver blur, and Lumina felt herself flying towards the ground. Her body landed with a loud thump.

"Lumina! Are you alright!" Ehren came running to her side.

"Ugh..." Lumina moaned, rubbing her head. She'd probably gotten hit by the side of his blade: that only meant he was toying with her.

"He's too strong for us... we have to get the others." Lumina said. As she tried to stand, a shooting pain erupted in her ankle. She cried out in pain as she stumbled to the floor again. Damn, out of all the times, she had to get a sprain now?

Darklord Zerato laughed evilly. As he lifted his blade up for another blow, a white blur appeared before the Darklord. Jain, the Lightsworn Paladin, stood defiantly at the Darklord.

"Go!" she cried, thrusting her sword at the fallen Archlord. "There isn't much time! More of them will be here any second!"

"Understood!" Ehren called out, swiftly picking up Lumina and throwing her onto her shoulders.

"Why'd you have to be so heavy!?" Ehren croaked, struggling with Lumina's weight.

"Ugh, it's not my fault!" As they fled, they could hear the noises of metal against metal.... Lumina could only hope Jain could hold off the Darklord long enough. In her state, she was next to useless. There was, however, one thin g left she could do.

Using her hands, she fired a glowing blast of light directly into the air. As the multi-colored bolt flew higher into the air, it exploded into a brilliant mass of colors that could be seen for miles on end. Every Lightsworn in the Realm would be able to see it...

Meanwhile, somewhere on the other side of the Realm of Light, a Dark Armed Dragon had smashed its way through the barrier of light. The enormous behemoth reared its front legs and roared ferociously as it stomped off through the city of glowing stone, incinerating everything it could see with blasts of darkness. The beast continued unhindered until it came across a minor roadblock: Garoth, the Lightsworn Warrior.

"How could they have gotten in here...?" the warrior thought to himself, his hands tightening on his halberd. A flash of light in the air caught his attention, and both dragon and man looked into the sky, where an explosion of colors had spread across the sky.

"The beacon!" Garoth exclaimed. The Armed Dragon roared in fury and released a blast at the blue-haired warrior. But the well-trained reflexes of the fighter were too fast for the beast. Garoth quickly leapt out of the way and ran swiftly in the direction of the light beacon. The others were in danger: the Realm of Light had been compromised. Damn, if only the Judgment Dragon was here to help them...

Gragonith shuddered from his slumber, as if he had just woken from a disturbed sleep. In fact, he was disturbed. Very disturbed, indeed. So the darkness has finally entered the Realm of Light... he mused, shuffling his fur. He scratched his claws on the gleaming stone platform underneath him. The glowing aura surrounding him was dimming, a sure sign of his waning power. As his legs stiffened to stand up, a sharp pain erupted down his body and he released a low growl of pain.

"Gragonith!" Jenis rushed to the Lightsworn Dragon's side.

"You must ease yourself..." she spoke, helping the massive dragon back to his rest.

"You are not ready for fighting, more or less even walking."

Gragonith grumbled, his golden eyes staring straight into Jenis's deep, hazel eyes. The dragon could easily see the concern in her features.

Suddenly, the Lightsworn Dragon had a vision. An incredibly lucid and frightening vision. He was standing in a field of fire, his surroundings dark and limitless. There was not a glimmer of light in sight. Gragonith, even in all of his power, felt a tinge of despair. Then, out of the endless darkness, came a entity.

An entity so vicious and vile, one that even Gragonith feared. Gragonith roared, and violently shuddered as if to free himself from what the vision had shown him.

"Darklord Zerato has made his way into this place. You are no longer safe here. Nobody is safe here anymore." Gragonith growled, a touch of fear evident in his golden eyes. Suddenly, another spark of agony having been sent down his spine, eliciting a roar of pain from the Lightsworn Dragon. At once, the Lightsworn Mender's staff began to glow with a bright bluish aura. Gragonith sighed in relief, as the pain slowly left his wracked, beaten body.

"I'm never leaving your side," Jenis sighed, placing a hand onto Gragonith's shining white head. Slowly, she stroked his gleaming fur. Deep inside his ferocious exterior, Gragonith smiled.

"Thank you, young one."

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Garoth was reaching the end of his stamina. He'd lost track of how long he'd been running: his legs burned like scorching fire. Yet the Lightsworn Warrior continued to run. Suddenly, an explosion of darkness erupted behind him, knocking him off his feet. Blood rushed to his ears. His sight turned red. Garoth's face smashed into the ground: he tasted blood. The word was sideways. The furious roars of the Dark Armed Dragon pierced the air, as the ground shook from its steps.

"Damn you to Pandemonium," Garoth cursed, slowly climbing to his feet. The blue-haired warrior wiped the blood from his face. His nose was broken: but he couldn't let that get in his way. Behind him, where Garoth was moments ago, lay a deep, smoking crater still crackling with free-flowing darkness. The Lightsworn Warrior thanked Judgment Dragon for his luck, before resuming his pace into the distance.

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Jain exchanged blow after blow with the dark warrior, her blade and his sending sparks of fury into the air. Her face contorted in concentration. Darklord Zerato seemed to not even be even trying as he lazily deflected the Lightsworn Paladin's blows. Her teeth gritted in frustration. Suddenly, there was a flash of metal and she felt herself flying to the ground. She let loose a small, unladylike grunt of pain as she hit the floor, skidding for a moment before coming to a stop. Her sword flew across the floor with a metallic clatter. The Darklord made no noise as he stopped before the ground in front of her.

"Bah," Zerato spat. "You're not even worth my time, you worm. I've had better battles when I was a herald."

"I don't care," Jain shouted, "Your words are meaningless. You've already been taken by the darkness."

"And?" the Darklord grinned. "I've never felt better."

"You're a monster." Jain's eyes narrowed, her face in a tight scowl.

"I know," Zerato put his mouth right beside her ear, and whispered:

"And I like it." Suddenly, Jain felt a cold, dark hand close in and tighten on her throat. Instinctively, Jain slammed her fists into the arm that held her. The Darklord's arms remained rigid. She gasped for breath, but that was impossible. The Darklord's grip was far too tight... she felt her energy leaving her. The world started to fade. The Realm's gleaming structures started to lose their shine, and all the colors began to drain away...

Jain could see the faint glimmer of the dark blade, but there was nothing she could do but watch. Jain slowly closed her eyes. She knew her end was inevitable.

"Let's see how bright you shine, now."

There was a sickening crunch as the Darklord's blade crushed the Lightsworn Paladin's armor. Metal met flesh, as the sword pierced her soft flesh and impaled her along the massive edge. Her screams echoed all over the Realm of Light.

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In the distance, a faint scream pierced the eerie silence that had crept over the three. Deep inside an alley, Ryko, Ehren, and Lumina had managed to find some rest from the rest of the darkness.

"D-did you hear that?" Ehren jabbed a sleeping Lumina's shoulder. She was responded with a lazy grumble. Ehren replied with a powerful slap to the side of the Lightsworn Summoner's face. At once, she spurred into consciousness.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?!?" Lumina screamed, before her voice was hushed by a bonk to the head by a deeply tanned palm.

"Quiet!" Ehren shushed. "They are still out there." Lumina's eyes opened a little in fright, before she nodded curtly.

"We have to contact the others," Ehren stood up and slid down her ruby goggles over her eyes. "Ready yourself." Ehren helped Lumina to her feet before taking a quick glance out of the corner. Her observations yielded safe surroundings, and she conveyed her knowledge with a sharp gesticulation. Lumina nodded promptly, her hands glowing with gleaming energy. The three of them all began to run.

"The Temple of Light is up that hill, right?" Ehren whispered, her feet blurs as she dashed across the shining bricks. "I've never been, there, to let you know..."

"Oh, really?" Lumina sighed. Ehren was quite silly sometimes, but this was beyond her expectations of her. Everybody had to have been to the Temple. She'd have to have a pretty damn good reason not to pay Gragonith a visit.

"Well?"

"Yes." Lumina felt like slapping the Lightsworn Monk back.

The trio of two young women and a dog ran desperately up the shining hill of the Realm of Light. Darkness had already begun its takeover at a frightening pace: the very structures of the city had started to lose its luster. What once sparkled and glistened in the light, now became as dark and gray as the night. Slowly, but surely, small droplets of black crept across the floor, infecting and desecrating everything it touched. Time was short, before everything would be consumed. This day had been predicted, but none of the Lightsworn expected it to occur so soon. This was the Day of Chaos.

Only once the Realm of Light ceases to shine, will the Day of Chaos be upon us.

Lumina remembered these words from the preaches of the wise dragon Gragonith. She felt a hard lump settle at the bottom of her throat. As she ran, which proved to be only slightly difficult with her sandals, she took good notice of her surroundings. Their entire environment was turning a horrific, ashen black. Lumina was not used to this: her eyes were always accustomed to seeing the brightness of the day, and the shining of the Realm itself. But on this day, the sky had turned black, and the earth itself having turned the same pitch-black tinge. Dark thunder roared ominously in the distance, while Lumina only barely managed to suppress a small yelp. Ryko abruptly stopped his galloping, and began to bark incessantly at the sky, which was now filled with dangerous looking black clouds. The Lightsworn Summoner nearly tripped as she snatched the little white furball into her arms. The little Lightsworn dog, however, failed to stop his barking and howling.

"Lumina," Ehren shouted, waving her arm. "Look! It's Wulf!" She pointed to Lumina's right. The Lightsworn Summoner quickly turned herself right, and true to the Monk's word, there was a massive lumbering white beast valiantly slaying dark beasts. Lumina winced as Wulf cleaved the body of a tomato-like fiend in half with the edge of his halberd. The beast-warrior wielded such an enormous weapon with such incredible ease: Lumina almost envied his strength. Suddenly, she found herself staring in awe.

"We have to go help him,"

"But Grag-" Lumina started, but then Ehren gave her the "I-know-what-I'm-doing" glare, and changed her direction to the Lightsworn Beast. All of a sudden, the clouds tore themselves open into a gigantic set of rings. Lightning forked across the dark sky, its bluish pulse a strange radiance among a world of black.

"It can't be-" Wulf roared, his animal-rage evident in his booming voice.

"The MYSTIC PLASMA...? HERE?!"

Almost as quickly as they had been vanquished, a whole new legion of fiends and monsters made their appearance. The pools of darkness that had accumulated among the earth served as their portals: they leaped out of the pools, dripping with pure darkness. These monsters, however, seemed much stronger than their slain counterparts. A dark, pale aura emanated off their bodies: they seemed to radiate pure malice. The Lightsworn Beast, even in all of his strength, let a look of dismay creep across his face. Lumina was stunned: she had never seen the beast in this way. Suddenly, the white beast caught attention to the small group of Lightsworns. His pale green eyes widened sharply.

"NO! YOU THREE!" he boomed. The beast began to run towards them.

"GO TO GRAGONITH NOW! THE FIENDS ARE FEEDING OFF OF THE DARKNESS!"

"Feeding off of-" Lumina cried.

"YES! IT IS GIVING THEM STRENGTH!" Wulf let loose an dog-like bark, his thundering footsteps shaking the very ground. Lumina had never seen such phenomenons in her entire life (In truth, she just didn't remember), but even so, in her shock, she dropped the small ball of fur in her arms and began to run. Ryko and Ehren followed in suit, with Wulf only slightly behind them. The fiends started their pursuit, evidenced by the sudden uproar of random roars and sounds only the most wicked of beasts could emit.

"WHATEVER YOU DO, DON'T STOP RUNNING!" Wulf roared after them. He was so close now Lumina could hear the beast's grunts and snorts of exertion. The Lightsworn Beast's footsteps were so heavy now they were literally earth-shaking. Lumina felt her lungs burning for more air, even though she could not possibly take anymore. Her focus began to falter, her legs started to grow weak. Her entire body seemed to be overcome by weakness: she was not used to such exertion. The Lightsworn Monk took notice to her friend's exhaustion, as with the Lightsworn Hunter, who desperately began to bark in encouragement. Sweat dripped down her forehead: she weakly wiped it aside. Her legs continued to move, even though they were screaming for her to stop. Only the nightmarish noises of the fiends behind her were the only things serving to move her forward.

Then, when it seemed her entire body would cry out in agony, Lumina spotted the distinguishing pillars of the Temple of Light. Unlike the rest of the Realm, the Temple continued to shine brightly, its monolithic structure sending off brilliant rays of light in a Realm now filled with darkness. The sight of such radiance filled Lumina's heart with hope, and her muscles were filled with renewed confidence. The pain dissipated, her worries eased, Lumina continued to run as the Temple of Light continued to shine even when all hope seemed lost.

Hope is a weak and fragile thing, but remember: even in the blackest of darkness, a speck of hope shall always remain.

Gragonith's voice echoed within her head: his sayings were somewhat refreshing within Lumina's mind. The Temple grew larger as the group neared their destination. The beasts and monsters of darkness had seized once they caught sight of the shining Temple: the light was too great for their meager bodies. They could continue no further. Defeated, but by no means broken, they melded back into the earth where they would regroup and infect the remainder of the Realm. Only one of the fiends continued to give chase: Gorz, the Emissary of Darkness. His crimson hair and crimson cloak flowing behind him, he walked. He walked like a hunter would to his captured prey, completely helpless at his hands. A sickening grin escaped his lips.

Lumina stumbled into the shining hallway of the Temple of Light. The brilliance would blind any normal person not used to the light, but Lumina was not such person. This light was what she was always used to, day after day. She collapsed onto her knees, her breaths coming long and deep. The extra strength that had been gifted to her seemed to have been taken away: she was more tired than ever. Still, Ehren, the dog, and the Lightsworn Beast looked like they had been walking through a park. Wulf still looked grumpy, though (as always) but Ehren didn't have a drop of sweat on her, and Ryko, well, the little dog was never tired (except when he was sleeping). Lumina took a few moments to catch her breath before standing up again on shaky feet. After finding her balance, Lumina and the others walked briskly down the hallway. None of them noticed the figure of maroon and black enter the Temple behind them. With every footstep, the fiend darkened the tiles of the temple with black, spreading the infection of darkness. Within moments, the entire room had been filled with darkness, its light snuffed out of existence.

It took a while for the group to reach the main hallway, but like hope, they endured. The sides of the wall were lined with golden engravements of the Lightsworn that had fallen during the neverending battle against the darkness. Other items of prayer and worship were also lined across the walls: figures of Aurenai, the Lightsworn Savior, Modus, the Lord of Order, and countless others were among them.

But the most prominent of them all was an enormous, shining statue of the Judgment Dragon, whose size far overshadowed the rest. Its magnificent wings spread wide, the figure was a sight to behold. The Judgment Dragon was an ancient being of enormous power and might, one that predated the Lightsworns and Gragonith by millenia. It was said, that it was the pure embodiment of Light itself. It stood alone against the darkness, and nearly managed to destroy it completely, but like a roach, the darkness refused to be exterminated. According to legend, the Judgment Dragon was eventually worn down to weakness, and in desperation was forced to split itself into countless different pieces, each one forming a Lightsworn. The dragon's head, the most important piece of all, became Gragonith, the Lightsworn Dragon. Of course, that's only what the myth said. Lumina truly believed in this tale with her heart, Ehren discarded it completely, and Wulf didn't really care for legends and folklore.

Finally, the group entered Gragonith's chamber, the final room in the Temple of Light. There, they already found two figures before them: Gragonith himself, and Jenis, the Lightsworn Mender. Upon spotting the four, Jenis gave out a small yelp of excitement and immediately ran over to Lumina, ensnaring her in a tight hug.

"Lumina!" she cried, almost on the verge of tears. She turned to the Lightsworn Monk.

"Ehren!" The overly tanned girl smiled.

"Wulf!" The white beast gave a grunt of acknowledgment.

"Oh, you four," Jenis sobbed, tears now streaming down her face. "I thought I'd never see all of you again... Wait!" she shrieked.

"What happened to the others?!" Her screams echoed throughout the entire room. Nobody said anything for a while, but finally, Lumina solemnly shook her head. Jenis understood the tacit explanation, and promptly burst into tears. Even though he was a mostly heartless creature, even Wulf seemed touched. Instead of giving his normal sarcastic snarl, the Lightsworn Beast simply stood there and said nothing. Gragonith, who had been watching and listening to the entire scene, limped over to the Lightsworn Mender and placed a comforting paw on her shoulder. She was now on her knees, crying her very heart and soul out.

"Be at peace, child," Gragonith's voice spoke. His tone was so incredibly soothing and celestial. "They have gone on to a better place." The room filled with silence after Gragonith's short words.



"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" A booming laughter exploded throughout the hall. Everybody turned to the entrance, and there was a malevolently grinning figure clad in black and crimson. His spiky, vivid red hair showed rebellion, while his black visor and cardinal cloak hinted an obvious, malicious air around the figure. Gragonith frowned.

"Gorz..." His voice was laced with contempt.

"Ohoho! So the fat dragon finally pays attention to ME!" Gorz shouted, almost in hysterics. Gragonith said nothing. "Hey there, Graggy? WHO'S LAUGHING NOW?!"

"Stop! Whoever you are!" Lumina cried. She couldn't stand by and listen to this... this... FREAK...

"Hey look, it's a little kitten..." Gorz sneered. "How cute. You'll probably be even cuter when I gut you..." The enormous spikes on the fiend's wrists shined malevolently, their edges razor sharp. Behind him, there was a dark sword as long as himself nestled on the right of his leg. Needless to say, Lumina was quite intimidated. Suddenly, Wulf released a roar as he charged towards Gorz, who was still laughing. The fiend didn't even move, even when the white beast was charging straight at him. Enraged, Wulf loosed a powerful overhead slice right at the fiend.

"What the hell?" Gorz stopped the blow with a simple catch of his palm. "Hey now! That was really close!" Wulf struggled against the fiend's strength, yet Gorz grinned as he held the beast at bay. Wulf snarled viciously and stared at the fiend, which was rather difficult to do considering Gorz had no visible eyes.

"Hey, puppy, if you keep yelping at me, I'll seriously have to kill you." In a sudden display of athleticism, Gorz cross-kicked the halberd out of Wulf's grasp and delivered a shattering knee to the beast's stomach. Lumina gasped as Wulf crumpled to the ground, the air knocked out of him.

"AHHHHH!!!" Jenis screamed, charging at Gorz with her golden rod. She pulled back her arm for a blow against his head, but the fiend was too quick for her. In a startlingly quick motion, Gorz unsheathed his blade and plunged it deep into her stomach. She let out a scream of agony as the blade pierced her. Crimson liquid rushed out of her mouth. Blood splattered onto the golden tiles of the Temple floor and continued to exude from Jenis's body in torrents.

"NOOOOO!!!! JENIS!" Everybody yelled, but there was nothing any of them could do.

"HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAA!!!" Gorz screamed, laughing as he shoved the blade deeper into her body. The tip forced its way through out her back with a sickening crack, and then she was silent. Her body fell limp against Gorz's weapon. His face widened into a disgusting grin. He placed his foot against her body and forced her corpse off the sword, her carcass falling to the floor with a sickening thud. Her once dazzling white uniform was now caked with dark blood, her lifeless eyes boring into the floor. A pool of her blood started to widen and expand as Gorz stepped toward the weezing Wulf, who was on the floor and mortified at a fellow Lightsworn's demise.

"Y-you... *******..." Wulf growled.

"I know, right? HAHAHHA! Get ready to die, puppy..." Gorz raised his sword, ready to plunge it into the fallen Wulf. Suddenly, something slammed into the back of Gorz's head with an array of radiance. The fiend gave a small roar of pain, before spinning around to meet his assailant. There, standing valiantly, was Lumina, her hands glowing with energy.

"Ohh... how delicious." Gorz licked his lips, an insane expression wiped all over his face. "I'll deal with you later, puppy." Gorz flicked a wrist at the coughing white beast, and suddenly, binds of darkness sprouted from the floor and locked themselves on Wulf's extremities. The beast roared in defiance at the fiend and struggled against his chains, but they proved to be too strong, even for him. He slumped down, defeated.

"Hey there, kitten." Gorz sneered, walking venomously towards Lumina. A cold chill flew down her spine as she felt the fiend look right into her. He had no eyes, but she could certainly tell he was. After seeing him kill Jenis so brutally, she felt so much hate and anger towards Gorz, but at the same time, so afraid at his power.

"Let's have some fun... I've been dying to gut you..."

Lumina's face narrowed. She absolutely hated this man, the way he looked, the way he spoke, and most importantly, what he did to Jenis. Her fists clenched in anger, and unbeknownst to the Lightsworn Summoner, her entire body took on a radiant glow. Gorz took notice, and stopped in his tracks. Then he started laughing in such a way that send a shiver down Lumina's spine.

"Oooh, you're scary, kitty." He turned to Wulf.

"You're so lucky you have such a scary guardian to protect you, furball."

At this, the Lightsworn Beast roared and struggled against his binds, but they held taut. Wulf could do nothing but stare at the fiend. Gragonith could do nothing as well: he was completely drained of energy. He could only lay and watch Gorz's insanity unfold.

"I'm in a really good mood today," Gorz cackled, drawing his sword. Jenis's blood was still splattered all over the metallic blade, which made Lumina feel a little queasy inside.

"So I'll make you all a deal!"

"...if I kill you," Gorz pointed his sword at the brown-skinned, golden-haired woman.

"I get to kill all of you! How's that sound!?" His voice took on an insane flair as the fiend nearly screamed his last words.

"You won't be killing anybody," a voice echoed behind them all. Gorz and the others whipped themselves around to the entrance of the main hall. There, standing valiantly, was Garoth.

"Oh, hey there, Garoth!" Gorz cackled.

"You're just in time! Now I get to handle four scary people, including yourself! Oops! It's more like three scary people, and a dog, isn't it?" He laughed wickedly. Lumina had to conclude that Gorz really was insane. On top of insane, deadly. Insane and deadly never made a good mix...

"Get ready, kitty. Once I'm done with all of you I'll be sure to make it sweet..." Gorz sneered as he flew into a berserk charge straight at Lumina. She yelped in surprise as her eyes only caught a dark blur, and she instinctively hurled a blast of light at it. The blast exploded in the ground with an enormous array of radiance, but much to her surprise, Gorz, unscathed, hurtled directly through it. By the time she was ready to blast him with another attack, the fiend was already in the air, his sword ready to slice into her flesh. She threw her arms in front of her, waiting for the pain to come. As she closed her eyes, she swore that the last thing she would ever see was the sadistic grin of Gorz.

But the pain never came, instead, she heard Gorz scream in pain and the clattering of metal. She opened her eyes, and saw Gorz sprawled on the ground, his sword lying beside him. Lyla stood beside Garoth, her staff pulsing and glowing with energy. Her long, jet-black hair remained motionless at her side. Gorz groaned and rubbed his head as he climbed to his feet.

"That almost hurt." His characteristically insane grin returned to his face.

"By the time I'm done with all of you-"

"You won't be doing anything, Gorz." Ehren shouted. With her ruby-red goggles slipped over her eyes, Lumina had to admit that she looked anything but intimidating. Then again, it didn't seem like anything could intimidate a psycho such as Gorz.

"So now there are five scary people! And a dog! Kekehhehehhee!!" Gorz screamed.

"I'll gut you ALL! (I really didn't want to use this... but...) Come forth, Kaien, my faithful servant!" He thrust a palm at the floor. Suddenly, a dark pool formed upon the ground, and began to widen until it was the size of a large puddle. Something, a figure covered in total darkness, began to rise out of the portal, but Lumina couldn't make out what it was.

"LUMINA!" Lyla cried, running over.

"You must stop-" Abruptly, Gorz appeared in front of the Lightsworn Sorceress and delivered a backhand to the woman's face. She fell to the ground with a loud gasp, her staff rolling across the floor. She tried to reach for it but Gorz struck her in the torso with his greave, causing her to cringe in agony.

"NO! LYLA!" Garoth screamed, as he swung his spear at Gorz. The fiend lazily parried the blow with a flick of his own sword, then flip-kicked the Lightsworn Warrior to the floor. He slammed into the ground with a metallic clatter, his armor sc****** across the tiles of the Temple.

"Little puppies like all of you wouldn't be able to satisfy someone like me..." Gorz sneered, as he stepped away from the two fallen warriors. Lumina and Ehren were both absolutely stunned at what had just happened: in the blink of an eye, both Lyla and Garoth had been dispatched with relative ease. Those two were extremely powerful... and Garoth was an unmatched warrior. Suddenly, Lumina realized that the "Kaien" thing was almost out of the portal: its shoulders were now visible.

"Ehren! We have to stop this thing!" Lumina shouted, but as she turned around she spotted the Lightsworn Monk already lying on the floor, unconscious. One of the lenses of her goggles was shattered.

"What the-" She gasped, but a voice cackled behind her,

"NOBODY'S GOING TO BE STOPPING ANYTHING, KITTY!" Gorz screamed in her ear. Lumina frowned. She turned on her heels and blasted the fiend in the face. She heard Gorz splutter and curse, and knowing that she had bought herself some time, she ran towards the black portal. She noticed Kaien was at his torso now. She didn't really know how to stop the thing, so she did what she thought would work: she hurled a blast of light at it.

The beam exploded on the black figure, Kaien, and its effect was almost instantaneous. The being began to cringe, and its mouth opened to scream in agony, but there was no noise. The darkness began to fade and flicker, and quickly Kaien was absorbed back into the darkness and disappeared, leaving nothing but shining surface.

"D-did I do it...?" Lumina whispered to herself, shuddering in disbelief at what she had just accomplished.

"To answer your question, no, kitty." As she heard the cold, vicious words of Gorz behind her, there was the woosh of metal slicing air, and suddenly, Lumina felt a stabbing pain in her left arm. Curious, she looked down to her left and saw a strange object rolling on the floor. It was arm, and for some reason, it seemed strangely doll-like. Then, that was when she realized, that it was her arm. The pain then struck her with the force of a raging Blue-Eyes.

It was her arm.

"AAAUUUUGHHHHHHH!!!!" She screamed, unimaginable pain blasting through her. Her knees buckled, she clenched the spot where her arm once was. The warm, sticky liquid was free-flowing and pouring all over her hands.

"Oh, oops, kitty! Did I just lop your arm off?!" Gorz cackled, laughing uncontrollably. Lumina couldn't say anything.

"Doesn't that hurt, kitty? OF COURSE IT DOES! AHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!" The pain was unbelievable: it was as if a thousand burning needles had lodged themselves into her...she had never felt anything like this in her life. She... she... her thoughts began to blur... her vision started fading...

"Oh, don't you die on me yet, kitty, you and I are still going to have LOADS of fun!" The cackling of Gorz roused her into consciousness. She found herself on the gleaming floor, her gaze set on Gragonith. He, too, was staring at her. But the white dragon was no longer weakened. Now, the Lightsworn Dragon stood tall and proud, power now surging through his veins.

"GORZ..." he growled, clawing the ground with his talons. Gorz turned to the dragon, and he looked quite surprised.

"N-no... no... It can't be..." he stuttered in disbelief.

"JUDGMENT DRAGON?!?!?" At first, Lumina thought he was talking nonsense, but then, when she took another look at Gragonith, she swore, she was not looking at Gragonith. The being that had replaced him was... somewhat... more divine. She found it getting hard to think. She no longer felt the warm blood flowing down her grasp as quickly, but a feeling of weakness had begun to seep into her body.

"U-u-ughhhhh..." Lumina groaned. She could hear Gorz's maniacal cackling and Gragonith's fearsome roars as the two did battle, but she didn't care anymore. Her world slowly turned black and her sight was enveloped in darkness.

"Am I ...am I ...dead?" she thought.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lumina awoke to the faces of Gragonith, Ehren, Garoth, and almost all the other Lightsworns all staring at her. She sat up, utterly confused.

"She's awake, everyone!" Lyla cried, tears welling in her eyes.

"I-I-I'm alive...?!" Lumina shrieked. She quickly put a hand to her left arm and to her amazement, it was still there. She gasped, surprised.

"I'm nowhere near as good as Jenis," Lyla spoke, tears of happiness streaming down her cheeks, "but I was able to put it back."

"You lost a great deal of blood though... you're going to feel weak very soon." True to Lyla's word, Lumina suddenly felt incredibly enervated, as if something drained all the energy she had out of her. Still, she had questions.

"What happened, to Gorz?" She spoke, weakly.

"I was able to nearly destroy him," Gragonith growled.

"But he managed to flee my grasp. Such a coward...." An expression of fury crossed Gragonith's face.

"Many of our Lightsworn brethren have been slain on this day," Wulf said. He appeared to have been freed from his binds, but they had burned into his limbs as crimson marks.

"How will we carry on, Gragonith?"

"We will, we will, as our ancestors have." Gragonith replied. "We will find a way." Suddenly, the ceiling exploded in a fury of stone and smoke. A dark blur slipped through the crack that had just been made. It spread its wings, and unsheathed its vicious sword. Darklord Zerato.

"Such pitiful Lightsworns," Zerato sneered as he peered across the scene that had just been unfolding.

"Y-you... you... you killed-" Lumina spoke, her voice raising into a scream.

"Indeed, I did." Zerato grinned. His voice was so incredibly malevolent that it managed to spark fear even into Lumina's clouded mind.

"But now I have all of you pigs here, just ready for the slaughter."

"Your madness will come to an end here, Fallen Lord Zerato." Gragonith roared. Suddenly, he wrapped his enormous wings around the group of Lightsworn. His body began to glow magnificently.

"AIIGHHHH..." Zerato shrieked. The radiance was burning into him, his face, his skin, everything. Then, just as quickly as it had begun, the shining stopped. Darklord Zerato opened his eyes, and every single one of the Lightsworns was gone. He exploded into rage.


"DAMN YOU, GRAGONITH!!! DAMN ALL OF YOU LIGHTSWORNS!!!"
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