The Forgotten Zodiac

"Bermuda's ready to do what he has to, too." Sylas nodded. "We'd do anything for you. Don't you dare forget that." He smiled at the two of them. "Just us three again. I like it." He grinned.

Bermuda smiled. "Yes. It's been a while since we were able to talk like this," he said, leaning against the wall.

"Hey, there will be plenty of chances after the war is over," L'arc said, grinning.

"Yeah. It's not like any of us are gonna die." Sylas grinned. "I'll take a hit for you, L'arc, but in the arm or something. That way, neither of us die." He laughed, obviously joking.

"Yeah, a shoulder hit is much more convinent than a chest hit," L'arc said, laughing brightly.

Bermuda had gone quiet. It didn't take L'arc long to notice.

"What's wrong, brooding again?" he asked. Bermuda pulled himself from his thoughts and smiled a little.

"Is that how it comes across? I was just thinking, is all," he said.

Bermuda paused for a moment, then said, "I'm afraid to tell you."

"Saying stuff like that only makes us more worried," L'arc said, standing with w frown.

"You don't have to tell us. Just...don't do anything stupid out there, alright?" Sylas shook his head.

"We're almost ready," Versha stepped into the room. "Here you are, L'arc. Sylas. Your weapons." She handed them over; they were both decorated with flowers and vines. Sylas smiled, liking his a lot.

"I won't," Bermuda quickly assured. "I will only do what is necessary."

L'arc seemed placated by this response, then turned to Versha when she came back in. "This is awesome," he said, taking his sword back. "Thank you."

"Think nothing of it." Versha smiled. "Are you prepared for the ceremony?"

"I think so. Mostly." Sylas nodded, standing up and slinging his bow around his shoulder. "You ready, L'arc? This is gonna be one heck of a ride...

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," L'arc said, smiling. He didn't seem to really know what to do with his sword, he didn't want to put it back in the sheath and destroy the beautiful flower arranging upon it, so he just carried it with him.

Bermuda smiled at L'arc and Sylas, wishing L'arc good luck before leaving to go join the audience that had assembled below.

Sylas waited at L'arc's side, bouncing ever so slightly on his feet. "You ready? I'm ready. Let's go," He said, but he didn't pull on L'arc or anything. He waited patiently, though he was smiling happily as he did so. "This is exciting. I guess I'm gonna have to stop calling you Prince L'arc, right?"

"As if you did that before," L'arc said, grinning at Sylas. "Just L'arc will still do for me," he said with a nod. He seemed at a bit of a loss of what to do now. And where he was supposed to go, for that matter.

"Alright. Come on, then." Sylas led the way down the ladder, waiting for L'arc. "Come on, let's go. Versha left a flower petal path for us, look." He smiled. "It's time, L'arc."

"It's time," L'arc repeated. His hands had a small shake in them that he tried to ignore as he followed Sylas down the flower petal path.

L'arc was right in the middle of wondering if he was supposed to wait any longer before he went into the crowd when he suddenly found himself among it. Distracted as he had been, he'd lost track of time in more places than he'd thought. He donned a cordial smile as he made his way over to the Elder, hoping he was doing right.

The Elder smiled a bit. L'arc didn't realize it, but he had practically run down the lane towards him. The Elder merely shook his head and bowed to Sylas, who returned the bow and went to go sit.

"Today, we witness the dawning of a new era. A new king will grace the empty throne, and we will find ourselves under his rule. May it be just, fair, and better than the last..." The Elder prattled on. It seemed to last hours upon hours, although it could only have been one, at the most.

Finally, he raised a knife and slit the train on L'arc's circlet. He wordlessly removed the circlet and instead set the crown on L'arc's head. "I now pronounce you king of Forestum. Long live king L'arc!" The crowd echoed it, but it was clear none of them wanted to linger long; several of the men (most of whom had women and children in the human camp) dispersed quickly.

L'arc stood there very stiffly while the Elder was talking, trying to smile and keeping an eye out for the Phantom. He gave a very small, quick wave as the villagers cheered his name, wondering vaguely what he should do now.

At this point he recalled being asked to give a speech by Versha and several of his friends.

He never thought his stage fright would be this bad.

Sylas smiled a bit, trying to reassure L'arc. He really had no reason to be so scared; it was mostly just their group left, along with Versha, two council members, and five lingering warriors that stayed behind to listen.

And the Phantom. Sitting there in the back, unnoticed by the others. Picking at his nails as though nothing were odd. But then he sighed, stood, and promptly stabbed the Druid sitting in front of him. "Boring. You were supposed to give a fantastic speech that I interrupt, but...you're taking too long. Let's make this a little more interesting, hm? How about I show you the northern forest. It's quite a mess! A fantastic, glorious mess. We won't go there, of course...how about I just bring the damage here?" He grinned and dropped something; a black, flaming orb. The fires spread nearly instantly, the dark blaze devouring anything in its path. Chairs, twigs, leaves. It spread as though everything in the area were soaked by alcohol, and it clearly ignored the fireproofing sap placed on most of the trees in the area.

In mere seconds, everything was ablaze.

L'arc shouted an explitive and brought his sword up, wondering how on earth the Phantom had gotten here with no one noticing and how in the name of the gods NO ONE SAW HIM. He wanted to shout these thoughts aloud, but all that would come out was an angry snarl as panic crossed his features.

Everything was on fire.

Knowing that with his blood being what it was, he couldn't stay conscious for very long when there was smoke involved.

He would just have to end this all the faster.

Abandoning whatever tactics they had discussed eariler, L'arc charged at the Phantom.

"Die!" he screamed, swinging his sword at the demon.

The phantom merely grabbed the sword by the hilt, his pale fingers wrapping around L'arc's, and all too easily ripping the blade out of his hands. "Lisben! The fabled sword of old. Disgusting." He drove it into the ground, stood on the hilt, and promptly kicked L'arc in the face. Balancing impossibly on the top of the hilt, he smiled and practically skipped out of the way to avoid a lunge from Verolen Jr.

In a flash, he was behind Sylas. The human was staring at the flames with pure terror, his limbs locked with fear. "Such a fragile thing, this mind of yours! You spend more time trying to recover from afflictions than being yourself," He grinned as Sylas whipped around. It was like throwing a ball. Only this ball was Sylas, and the poor human was thrown with enough force to blast through three trees before skidding to a halt a good distance away.

The Phantom would have gone after Sylas, but his path was blocked by a wall of rock. "Rush! Good of you to stop by," He grinned, looking up to where his 'pet' was flying. "I should have guessed your friends would be eager to have you back. But your true self is fighting it, isn't he? No wonder you've been in such a foul mood lately. Lying about dormant doesn't do him justice anymore. He's very tired of being pushed away and neglected...he wants to be the pet he truly is. Cared for. Obedient. So come down here, and do us all a favor.

"Tear my son's head from his shoulders." The Phantom grinned maliciously. Verolen didn't have enough time to make a sheild or dodge before Rush had him by the throat. "Watch, L'arc! Watch as your friends are slain, one by one. Watch as my flames engulf them all and devour them whole!"

((YAY CUE BERMUDA))

Good and evil both stand equal

Darkness consuming

Light burning

Passionate intensity…

Sacrifice my good for the greater good

End evil to end all evil…

There is no darkness

Only the absence of light."

The spell was out of Bermuda's mouth before anyone could really process who was speaking. He had grabbed the Phantom's arm as he finished the spell, and now his form wavered oddly, and odd blue aura swirling about it as he grit his teeth. As the spell's effects grew more powerful, he gripped his head, and ended up flat out screaming.

But it had to be done...

L'arc had gotten to his feet and tackled Rush, which was like throwing himself against a particularly violent brick wall, but froze as he heard Bermuda's scream. Turning and trying to figure out what was going on, he could only watch as Bermuda's spell took effect on both the nereid and the Phantom.

((Little Verolen needs to explain what's going on.))