Golden Rays

[Ellie who has 0%]

"This is becoming useless," Samael panted heavily, "and tiring."

He rested his hands on his knees as he hunched over, while standing. Amber eyes looked down as his toes curled, buried, and fumbled in the sand. They felt a bit sore from all of his barefoot roaming and all of his recent activities. Slim arms were sore from the work effort he had forced himself to do.

His heavy pantings and racing heart was loudered than the crashing waves of Sunset Beach. His fingers flexed feeling an itchy tingling feeling. They were red from the strong grasp he had of the weapon that lied at his feet, a whip. It was slick, thick, yet flexible. What makes it hazardous are thorns on it.

Samael groaned before flopping down with his head low before feeling a thick vine lift his head up. He have been trying to single-handly train himself with his own plants as training opponents. He recieved a few cuts from manuevering the whip incorrectly or by his vine, which suffered a bit as well from the lethal blood it gathered from its Master.

Golden rays baked the mutant's bare sweat beaded chest. His bangs stuck to his forehead as the high ponytail it was bound it laid plastered against his damp neck. The vine he trained against combusted into green butterflies before turning red. Horizontally roses rippled from the sand shaking the grain free from their petals.

It was time for some target practice.

With a cough, the mutant gripped the whip's handle and stood back up. Drawing his arms back, he snapped it forehead decapitating a rose before thorns can be thrown at him. Not wanting to feel more stings, he sent a slash across them all. He felt sore enough and didn't want to waste time pulling thorns out of his frame.

[darkunslint]

Darkun had been sat down in the manner for a short while now. Something was wrong with him he didn’t know what, ever since he had friends… something different had happened with the shadows. When he manipulated them, they felt more like a part of him than a tool to do his bidding. It was almost as if… they had there own thoughts and he was the hive mind.

Darkun practiced, he tried to form shadows up from the floor without a hand gesture, just thinking for the shadow to elevate… Slowly, a slither of a shadow crept from the floor and turned into a wall, it wasn’t very strong, nor was it that big, but it was a sign that he was getting stronger.

“I wonder were Sam is…” He pondered the thought over, and as if by request, he felt Sams shadow… were in the heavens was he? He was in the middle of a place with barely any shadows… a dessert? Somewhere that had little things to cast shadows… He didn’t like such a place.

“I’m coming Sam.” He smiled as the shadows crawled up his skin and through his flesh, bringing him down into the shadows.

Moments… Seconds… Minutes… Hours… Days. It made no difference, the Shadows had no need for time, shadows cannot age, they don’t deal with affairs of time, there’s no need. Shadows are not truly alive; they don’t have physical bodies unless Darkun gives them bodies. So merely a second or two later, he appeared, slowly forming up from Sams shadow. It was the only way that Shadow Stepping worked; he had to step to a familiar shadow. One like Sams, were unbeknownst to Sam, he spent a lot of his time cuddled into his shadow, protective as a mother to her kin.

“Sam, what are you doing? Are you ok?” He gasped looking at his poor friend, cuts covering him, attacking plants? What in the devils was happening? Didn’t Sam control the plants why where they attacking him? With a flick of his hand Darkun had the shadows that the plants had cast form up into a cover, which quickly wrapped around the plants and began to smother them? The wrap covered all around their bodies, solidified into spheres and then condensed, crushing the plants into nothing.

“Are you ok?” Darkun repeated, taking his friends shoulder and looking at the damage, what was in his hand? A whip?

[Ellie who has 0%]

The mutant smiled seeing the roses gone; the sense of victory and adrenaline pushed any sense of annoying stings from him. He was used to pain, but feeling it became a sort of bothersome annoyance like a fly. Ready for more, more red butterflies dived into the sand before roses blossomed. Raising his right arm, his wrist began to twirl preparing for a slamming vertical cut. For a moment, the mutant stalled a bit distracted, but a sting from a thorn grazing his side brought him back to reality with a wince.

“Sam, what are you doing? Are you ok?” He failed at concentrating was hearing his nickname. Looking up he gave a confused look with a gaze of being caught in the act. Amber eyes blinked as he was turned to see the source of the voice, Darkun. He was concerned why did he sound so worried.

"I'm-", he started before hearing the cries of his plants. Whipping his head, he saw them get crushed and die before reverting into slick butterfly wings. The glowing energy in them faded away into nothing.

“Are you ok?”

"Yeah, I'm fine." Looking over to where the plants were then down at himself, he blinked. He couldn't help, but laugh at the predicament as he looked up at Darkun. Hopefully he wouldn't take it too personally. "I'm sorry. It's seems I have a lot of explaining to do."

"I was training myself with this thing," he raised his rose whip and gave it a slight swing. "I find doing it alone to seem a bit unsuccessful, so I used what I had to make it...more realistic than doing it alone."

[darkunslint]

Training… Training… That is something that Dawa enjoyed, Dawa… in a way the flipside of the coin to Darkun. He was cold, evil… He had no space for love or joy.

Darkun could feel Dawa nibbling inside, trying to break out. To Dawa, Sam had just asked to have a fight to grow stronger. Darkun wasn’t going to let that happen. “ Well we—“ Darkun stopped him, closed his eyes for a short second and pushed Dawa back down into the depths of his mind. He wouldn’t allow him to be hurt.

“If you want to practice, why don’t we practice together?” Darkun needed to practice moving shadows without moving his body, he wanted to be powerful enough that Sam didn’t have to worry. Darkun concentrated for a second and slowly his shadow split into several small balls, they floated awkwardly through the air and lined up in front of Sam. “You kill them Ill bring them back” He smiled lightly.

“Why do you need to fight? Its not like you have anything to worry about, I wont let anything harm you” Darkun smiled thoughtfully. On top of Darkun’s powers expanding, He had been remembering things… things from his past. “ Sam… I remember a black room. People occasionally coming in. They used to electrocute me to make me do things with my shadows.” His eyes looked like he would cry, the memories were awful and dreadful to remember just as it must have been for any inhabitant of solstice. “ Just what did they do to us…”

Darkun quickly regained himself, wiping his eyes lightly, clearing the threatening tears away and looking up.

[Ellie who has 0%]

“If you want to practice, why don’t we practice together?”

Samael blinked in shock at the offer. Smiling softly, he nodded; now it would be easier to fight another versus himself. Stepping back from the other, he gripped his whip tightly wondering what would happen next. Before he could say a word, orbs of grey shadows rippled into view. Her arched a brow at Darkun, who answered him, “You kill them Ill bring them back”

Samael wasn't sure how this would help Darkun as well, but he shrugged before going with the flow of things. Raising up his arm, he began working his muscles to slash left and right to decapitate the shades. The whip curled and distorted the orbs before the light of the golden rays helped cast them away ripping their shades into shredds.

“Why do you need to fight? Its not like you have anything to worry about, I wont let anything harm you.”

"I'm not a girl Darkun," the mutant continued his actions. He have been keeping himself in the recessive corner for too long. Even a pink haired man and a winged individuals had told him so. For years he have been weak and been manipulated leaving his care in the hands of others to do whatever they please. He was made to be a weapon, and he'll make sure that he would be lethal to not be used again. He would do it for him, the mutants left behind, Seth, and Tigerlily. Her stubborness was the death of her, and Samael wouldn't want her ashamed of him.

"Is it wrong for me wanting to be able to take care of myself?" He was already decorated in old burns and new cuts. "I have enough burns for being bound by a collar."

“ Sam… ," Samael turned to look at Darkun, who's voice dropped. "I remember a black room. People occasionally coming in. They used to electrocute me to make me do things with my shadows.”

"Darkun...what are you talking about?" It was out of the blue and took the mutant off guard, but he knew it must be bothersome for water to well up in Darkun's eyes.

“ Just what did they do to us…”

"Us?" Now he was confused. Who was he talking about? Was his returning memories that random as they were returning? "Darkun, you're confusing and concerning me."

...Electrocute...was what he said.

[darkunslint]

Darkun looked at the floor. Us… he had said us… Was he referring to Dawa? Dawa must have always been there. This was impossible; it was like trying to figure out a jigsaw with half of the pieces missing.

He ensured his eyes were clear, he was worrying Sam, he couldn’t do that… he didn’t want to hurt Sam. “ It doesn’t matter. Its nothing, im fine” he smiled “ No need for concern” He smiled again. Darkun was a lot of things, and one of the things he was at the moment was a very poor liar.

He tried to move the conversation onto something else, try to keep Sam concentrated on training, and that would also help Darkun think.

“Lets see if I can do something a bit harder. Im getting used to make these spheres without my hands, lets try… a…” And with that he stopped, gave a slight smirk, and then looked up to Samael. “ Me”. With that Darkun closed his eyes, bidding the shadows to do his bidding, he called his shadow up, and slowly but surely it did form, slowly the hands pulled it out of the ground and it stood there, a black copy of Darkun. Motionless. “ This is harder than I thought” Darkun mumbled bidding it to attack Sam with his mind, but warring it not to hit him anywhere that could hurt permanently.

Sam had seen Darkun fight, maybe he’d know that the shadow was holding back, maybe he wouldn’t, either way, he would have to act fast and thinking about Darkun’s words wouldn’t help him. It was a good distraction.

The shadow walked forwards, the three-pronged blades sprouting from his hands as he went to slices at the whip in Samaels hand.

[Ellie who has 0%]

"If you were-," Samael began to object. For one who concern himself with the mutant frequently, he found it hard to phantom to not be concerned when it was natural. He swore he saw his eyes filled with water. The mutant would've acted stubbornly, a behavior he haven't acted on in years, but his training partner changed the subject quickly back to where it was.

“Lets see if I can do something a bit harder. Im getting used to make these spheres without my hands, lets try… a…me."

Samael's head tilted, "I doubt we have any sauve for the both of us, nor is there bandages in the man-"

The mutant seemed to have misinterpretted as he saw a dark replica of Darkun forming next to the original. Glancing from the pair, Samael blinked at the exact similiarities. "A replica?"

The shadow began to move towards him with thre pronged blades in hand. Stepping back, he rose his hand before flicking his hand to the right. The whip was angled to snap and crap at the replica's wrist.

[darkunslint]

The replica of Darkun had the whip hit his wrist. Being made of shadows however, had its distinct advantages, he would usually fade being in such strong sunlight, however Darkun was there keeping him together in a solid form. The replica however, had the ability to change from solid to intangible form.

The whip connected with Replicas wrist, for a moment, the attack may of looked successful, then the whip continued, it passed through the replicas wrist and the replica merely detached its lower arm and blade from its body. Slowly, a new lower arm and blade began to form from the stump of the old. This thing was just a shadow, it would test anyone.

The replica moved onwards towards Samael, sending a small ball of shadow straight at his stomach and then following up with a quick jump towards Sam, following behind the ball, blade raised and going for the stomach.

“Don’t worry it—“ Darkun stopped, he couldn’t tell Sam that it wouldn’t hurt him… he wouldn’t learn if he knew he wasn’t in danger, which of course, he wasn’t. If the replica did however land a strike, it would become all too obvious that Darkun was going easy, as the blade would turn intangible and just pass through the gods poison.

“Keep it up Sam, you can beat him!” he cheered encouragement, wanting more than anything now for him to defeat the replica.

[Ellie who has 0%]

The mutant chuckled softly seeing the limb fall to the sand before the golden rays absorbed it away. His right arm began to itch until it sore of its over used. Samael didn't want to stop, so he tightened to whip harder damning himself if he quit now.

A ball and the figure was coming at him towards his exposed bare stomach. Thinking quick, his arm whipped into a ever-looping figure eight performing a whiplash towards anything that dared to do a frontal attack.

“Keep it up Sam, you can beat him!”

His brows dipped down a bit in uncertainty as his concentration broke. Sure, he was built to be a weapon, but not like this, active with weaponry. With a shout, he forced a whip to do a high horizontal slash at the replicas neck.

[darkunslint]

The shadow smirked as it’s velocity was far too fast to stop or divert away. It knew what it was doing, and Darkun was having trouble controlling it. The shadow made itself intangible for a few seconds, passing through the whip and through Samael, solidifying on the other side, the shadow looked at Samael, cocked its head to one side and spoke.

“ Funny” he almost cackled. “ And here. I thought I was getting a good fight.” Darkun looked at the shadow… what was it doing? He stared at it slowly, wondering why it wasn’t responding to his commands. He tried to have it turn back into the floor. Nothing.

“Oh Darkun you weakling, you cant control something as powerful as me. I am you, only with more ability in shadows, you’re a stupid pathetic NOTHING” He laughed and screamed as he sent a blade down towards Samael.

“Want to know something about your little friend over there Sammy boy?” he spoke in a very patronising tone. Darkun stared over, it was then that he realised what was going on… it was Dawa, the other side of him, and the evil side. It had taken over the replicas body.

“Sam, be careful, that’s not me… its that thing that you help me control!” He shouted, he didn’t want to have his friend get hurt. He started to move forwards to help Sam, but Dawa just pointed a hand out, and shadows burst up from Darkun’s feet and wrapped around his legs and held him in place. The shadows were far far too strong to break or to try and manipulate. “Im sorry” he pleaded.

“So Sammy boy, how about it, want to know?” And now the second blade went down towards Sam.

[Ellie who has 0%]

Samael felt like he chocked when the shadow being went through. His eyes narrowed at Darkun wonder what's the deal with that move. Situating, Samael was about to demand for an answer before a new voice disrupted the silence as his brows furrowed turning behind him.

“Oh Darkun you weakling, you cant control something as powerful as me. I am you, only with more ability in shadows, you’re a stupid pathetic NOTHING.” The mutant kept his full attention on the shadow replica he was supposed to be fitting not like this sick joke Darkun was playing, but the more he chanted that in his head a heavy feel of doubt and uneasiness crept up his neck.

His eyes widdened as the blade was coming for him, and naturally his body stepped backwards. Blonde hair whipped around his head as he glared at his friend. He didn't like to be toyed with. "Darkun is this some kind of joke?"

“Want to know something about your little friend over there Sammy boy?" He glared back at the shadow doll before the reels in his minds started to turn. “Sam, be careful, that’s not me… its that thing that you help me control!”

It sounded like the same voice was talking to him, but the first had a strange twist that made his stomach knot at the sense of danger, while the other shouted in a sense of panic. Slowly he remembered a bit of their previous conversation as it landed to a single name of a particular entity. "Dawa?"

Instead of a normal greeting, Dawa continued with his little game, “So Sammy boy, how about it, want to know?”

As the blade came down a vine erupted from the ground curling around Dawa's wrist releasing its acidic poisoning to eat away at the danger, "No offense, but I have no reason to talk and listen to the likes of you."

Raising his arm, before whipping it horizontal with a shout, "No mercy!"

The whip was one offense along with the thorns, but each thorn shot from its whip like how a rose would've done so. The thorns was an a tracker being attracted to Dawa. As the thorns were released new ones began to form on the whip replacing the old.

[darkunslint]

Darkun couldn’t do anything he felt so powerless. His friend was going to get hurt; there was nothing he could do. “ Sam, Run, Please” He begged, sobbing, tears falling from his cheeks. It was then, at that moment on the beach of twilight town, that his memories fumbled from their hiding place.

Darkun was walking through a dark room, it was just full of shadows, nothing else, large bars stretched around the outsides, Darkun could see clearly in the darkness. A door opened, light shone in and Darkun raised his hands over his eyes, the light was almost blinding.

“Project Shadow Element: Darkun” He spoke, his voice was cruel, unkind, but at the same time very formal and inquisitive. “ You will come with us, it is time for your testing” Darkun walked through the shadows, slowly getting closer to the man, he reached him, his white lab coat completely contradicting the shadowy room Darkun was so used to.

“Get moving!” A guard shouted, there were 4 of them, surrounding Darkun on each corner, the man in the lab coat walked forwards and Darkun was shoved after him, a strange band around his neck, just what was it?

Darkun entered a room, he lay on a desk and was asked to manipulate his shadows, just a few practice exercises, and they beat him with weapons, trying to enhance his abilities via self-defence instincts. He practiced in the room for hours. They wanted to try and push him to a new limit. They used an electric shock treatment to try and bring it out, apparently, the shock was too high. It was then, that he died.

Darkun couldn’t make sense of it… now he was somewhere else. The true him had died, shadows seeping out of his body, the ring around his neck had gone haywire, it went berserk when the shadows started pouring out and he died, along with something… something important… his hea--.

Darkun’s eyes flashed open; everything that he said in his memory had been spoken out loud for all to hear. He glared over at Dawa. “ You are not in control of me” He spoke, forcing the shadows with his new found strength to break away from his feet.

Dawa stared at Darkun, unsure of what to do; it was a distraction that cost him dearly. The thorns ripped into his form, the vine channelled poison through him, it was too late for him to phase through them, and they were already part of him. “ Damn you.” He said as he fell to a knee, the poison taking effect. “ Ill gets you. Both of you. Darkun, you are nothing, and now you know it. And Im sure Sammy will figure it out” With that he began to turn to a shadow like ash, floating into the floor and then appear back at Darkun’s feet, as his shadow.

[Ellie who has 0%]

The mutant's nose wrinkled in annoyance at Dawa, this split personality of Darkun that happened to form a seperate body; all of it was to calm his adrenaline fueled body that caused his muscles to shake and quiver with the urge and itch to strike ruthlessly. Clamping his mouth shut, he supressed heavy pants to slow in a smooth exhale as Dawa melted away back into his cage.

With all the recent chaos, Samael wasn't in the mood for discoveries as his arms started to sore from all of his activity. His brows knitted seeing Darkun's fresh red crying eyes with his cheeks damp of crying. The mutant wasn't one to cry seeing it as a weakeness, especially living in the institute. One couldn't be too soft to live there. Naturally in such environment and routine, Samael wasn't one to let him feel much forcing any feelings away and locking them up only to release privately away from the eyes of others. His frown at Darkun wasn't of disgust, but mild agitation that such event had to happen and upset the other.

"You worry about me so much, but it seems I should be worried about you." The flora element stated as he walked over to grab his shirt he had discarded before Darkun joined him before heading towards the ocean. Speechlessly, he beckoned him to follow suit as he sat at the shore. His arm stretched out offering his top, "Use that to clean your face off."

With a low hum, he summoned purple butterfly to land on the sand around them and violets began blossoming to release their calming scent. Immune to it, Samael simply inhale before turning his head to look at Darkun, "So that was Dawa?"

[darkunslint]

Darkun stood unsure of himself… he had learnt of far too much recently, he just wanted to be alone with his grief. Even if it might… imaginary. He followed after Sam, walking towards the ocean and then sitting down on the shore, the waves lapping over his feet.

"You worry about me so much, but it seems I should be worried about you."

His eyes wandered into the distance, watching the sun over the waves, the waves were almost caressing, it was such a nice place, and he should come here more often. The birds sang overhead, a gull looking for the fish, the circle that life takes place was oh so present here.

"Use that to clean your face off."

Darkun was snapped from his trance by Sam handing a shirt. He placed it over his eyes, the tears being soaked up and removed from his face. The red eyes he couldn’t change. “I’m sorry” he mumbled, unsure of what else he could say to make things right.

Just as Darkun was feeling bad for crying, he had the familiar feeling of relaxation, at first he was confused, then he saw the violets, Sam was helping him, and it was working, he felt relaxed.

"So that was Dawa?"

“Yeah… I’m sorry that he tried to hurt you.” He tried to rebuild his mask, he had to be quick to try and make Sam think he was fine. “But hey, at least you got practice using that whip! You kicked ass” he smiled, an oh so fake smile, but would Sam pick up on that.

“Sam… there’s something I need to tell you…”

[Ellie who has 0%]

"There's no need to be sorry. An entity of you just broke out, while giving himself an embodiment. That's enough excitement for one to go through," the flora replied as Darkun continued his apologies

"You don't have to apologize anymore. Plus I have a better resistance to pain," the burns on him frame still haven't faded yet, "also it isn't your fault, so don't apologize anymore, nor do you have to keep a fascade."

A finger pressed against Darkun's lips to silence him before it went up to ruffle his hair once dismissing the hat on his head, "You don't have to say anything. Just relax, alright."

The mutant reclined on the beach enjoying the sand's warmth blessed by the golden rays as the waves crashed up the beach.