Chapter 52: Battle of Arendelle - Part 2

Ryu leans at the head of the table, pointing to various positions on the large map of Arendelle. Around him are the Generals of all Kingdoms who are lending aid to the liberation of Arendelle. They all keep quiet and listen to every word Ryu says. Normally they'd do things their way, but the manner in which Ryu speaks, the confidence, the posture, all of it makes it clear for all Generals that Ryu knows exactly what he's talking about and is worthy of following.

"We'll be leaving tonight as a unit. I'll manipulate the waves to get us there by tomorrow's dawn. There will be no need to worry about the traveling conditions. Now, when we get there," Ryu's hand slides over the map to their frontal assault. "We'll be stopped by a large sheet of ice. We'll use this to cross into Arendelle."

"What about the Elementals?" One speaks up.

"My partner, Knight, will engage them before we arrive to attract their attention. Now, we'll have two major problems when arriving and both stem from Elementals. First is Rain. His control of water could sink our ships and end this attack before it even begins. Knight will take him down first, but, by some chance he's still meddling with us, I'll keep the water stable enough for the soldiers to reach Arendelle and the ships to pull back. The other problem," Ryu leans back from the table and stares at where the sheet of ice will be. "Is the Queen herself. Again, I'm counting on her being distracted but if she's not it could pose as a threat to our soldiers. Of course every Elemental is a threat, but once we cross the stretch of ice we'll have the largest advantage we can get."

"What about Arendelle's forces?"

Ryu huffs.

"Princess Anna told me they will likely surrender at the sight of such a large army. They aren't fond of the oppression either. If your men must fight, then attempt not to kill unless absolutely necessary. Once the Elementals are defeated, morale will crumble and any soldiers who did fight will most certainly surrender." Ryu looks up at all the Generals. "Any questions? Everything clear?" There's no response to the secret King. "Then get to your ships. We'll be leaving in a few hours."

"Yes, sir!" They all salute.

"Good. Remember to leave the Elementals to Knight and myself. Your men will be torn apart. Good luck to you all."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Darkness has taken over your side of the planet, though beauty is still present without the light. The shine of the moon reflects off the ice covering Arendelle's water, giving you something pleasing to look at as your heart is twisted in a knot.

"I must admit, I didn't think you'd be one to use sex as a tool."

"Tsk, shut..." You sigh. "Me neither. But it was the only way. Besides-"

"I know, there were more factors than just your desire. Still, it's unexpected."

"Shadow... did I cheat?" You ask aloud, looking back at the sleeping, naked form of Elsa. "I mean... everything was just so... can I cheat on Elsa with Elsa? She was the exact same! The feeling of her lips, the smooth skin, even... inside... she felt the exact same everywhere."

Shadow can sense the overwhelming guilt and inner conflict in your mind. It's like a gaping hole that's now occupying too much space.

"No, you didn't. You know you didn't have sex with her out of love. You and Elsa were always passionate in your lovemaking. This was pure lust on both parties. But if your theory is correct and that necklace is controlling her then I think this small infraction is worth the safety and security of the people here."

"Heh... I guess that's true. Well, lets not waste any time. We could save the army a trip."

You approach the bed Elsa's currently resting on and lean over to get closer to the woman. Her necklace is resting on her chest, moving up and down with each breath. You squeeze your eyes shut and attempt to drive back the frustration of this situation long enough for you to see this through. You slowly reach towards the necklace, every inch feeling like a mile. Once your hand is close enough you quickly grip the necklace and attempt to rip it off. However, the moment your hand wraps around the necklace a flood of fear washes over you. You can hear screaming, crying, death, and in the end, for a split second, you see a face.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Elementals all prepare for their short journey home as they take some extra energy from their master. The man responsible for this sits on his throne, happily watching as his power is taken. That happiness is quickly washed away when a magical alarm explodes in his head.

"Elsa. Someone's with Elsa!" He desperately shouts to the Elementals. "Get to her now! NOBODY TAKES HER!"

"Yes!" Gaia nods before summoning a plant to swallow the Elementals and take them to Arendelle.

The man holds his chest as he pants at such a shock. He looks over to the corner where another man smiles at him, blood dripping off his tainted teeth.

"Can I play? I want to play, play, play," he maniacally laughs.

"Soon... soon... We just need a little more."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The necklace sends out a shockwave of energy to knock you into the nearby wall and throw all loose objects in the room to the floor. Your breath is heavy at the overwhelming experience you just had, and Shadow is no different.

"Shadow, did you-"

"Yeah. What the hell was that?"

"There's someone else. That was some sort of presence, you felt it too!" You urgently say as you get back onto your feet.

"You're right. That necklace is connected to someone. It's possibly all the Elementals are under this being's control."

"I have to tell Ryu! No, I have to get Elsa out of here!"

"No! (Y/N) we have to leave. I doubt that rejection was just for show. We need to leave, regroup with Ryu, and follow the plan!"

You take a step towards the bed, heart melting at the thought of leaving this Elsa, or any Elsa, in danger on purpose.

"But... Shadow..."

"We'll save her. We know she isn't herself but we can't do anything right now. We need to leave, now!"

"I... damn, fine!"

You run towards the balcony, power up, and break through the door and into the sky. Going no specific direction, you fly a good distance away from Arendelle before stopping. You hover in midair as your mind races with possibilities. Someone controlling Elsa means there's a larger threat than just a dictator. Someone here is powerful enough to enthrall the Elementals and use them like puppets. Now the question of why takes the forefront. What's their goal, their endgame? Why take the Elementals and why Arendelle specifically? Perhaps the Elementals know, which makes the assault on Arendelle even more important. You almost want to find the Elementals right now and beat the truth out of them, but that's a rash action. You have a plan. You need to follow that plan.

I need a place to lay low, to think this through.

You turn around and zoom back to the Drakon hideout within seconds. The moment you touch down you dial down your power and let your body relax.

"I need to sleep... eat... something," you mumble as you walk into the entrance.

"Knight, can you hear me? It's Ryu."

"Ryu?" You stop on the stairs for just a moment before continuing. "Yeah, I can hear you."

"Perfect. I'm on my way to Arendelle with a fleet. We should arrive by dawn. I'll need you to start the fight beforehand. If you can, try to take down Rain first."

You reach the bottom of the stairs and head towards your makeshift bedroom.

"Yeah, sure. Ryu, I learned something while you were away. Something about Elsa."

There's a brief pause, no less than five seconds.

"What is it?"

"Someone is controlling her through the necklace. It might be the same for all Elementals. There's... a presence within them, or at least Elsa's. If we can just get the necklaces off the Elementals we might not have to kill them, or, again, at least Elsa."

"Interesting. That's fantastic news. How did you figure that out?"

You stop in the corridor and rub the back of your head.

"Uh... you know, detective work."

"Hm... very well, as long as you're correct. Rest up, Knight. You'll need it."

You approach one of the beds and quickly slide into it, changing into your sleeping attire with the holowatch.

"Right, I'll be ready. We're not failing Elsa."

"No, we won't."

You rest your hands behind your head and stare up at the ceiling.

"Ever wonder how we got roped into all this?" You chuckle.

"You wanted to be friendly with Elsa in high school. That's how."

"Heh... who knew that could turn into all this. But hey, at least we've managed to not kill each other."

"Are you speaking figuratively or literally?"

Once again, you laugh.

"No... just... I don't know, I guess it's always cool to know I have SOMEONE on my side when shit hits the fan. We're like brothers."

"Is that why you annoy me so much?"

"Hehe... maybe. You should get some sleep too, Shadow."

"I'm always ready. Don't worry about me."

"I have to. Who else will?" You snicker.

With the conversation done you roll onto your side, adjust the pillow, and quickly fall asleep. Shadow remains "awake" just in case. He has his own questions to ponder.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ryu stands at the helm of the flag ship. An entire army follows behind that any opposing force would be scared of. Especially considering a Drakon is leading the charge. Dawn isn't far off, meaning this force is close to reaching the icy barriers Elsa has put up. Everyone knows their roles, everyone has their plans. It's time to take back Arendelle and set this timeline straight.

"Is everything ready, Hans?" Ryu asks the man standing diagonal to him.

"Yes. The men have rested up and are eager to battle. I too am eager to aid in this rescue operation. Though I never thought I'd be saving a city."

"We'll save everyone," Ryu bluntly retorts. "Knight thinks he has a way to return Elsa to normal. I just hope he's right."

Hans scratches his neck.

"I just hope I won't be executed on the spot," he nervously chuckles.

Ryu turns around with a warm smile. He approaches the young Westergaard and places a hand on his shoulder.

"The fact that you're coming here to help proves your intentions... just don't do anything foolish." Ryu turns away from Hans and back to what lies ahead. "I should contact Knight. He'll need to get the part started."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

You're standing atop the mountain, gently rubbing your wrist as a meager way to pass the time. You're rested, you're at full power, and you're ready to battle. That goes doubly for Shadow who's been waiting for some time.

"If anything goes wrong we'll tag in and out, right? Preserve our stamina as long as possible?"

"Yes. We'll need to create openings, but that shouldn't be a problem."

"And we'll try to remove the necklaces of all Elementals. If we can spare them, we will, but we WON'T kill Elsa."

"You don't have to state something I already know."

"Right, right..." You hop up and down, shaking your hands. "Okay, I'm ready. I'll contact Ryu to see where he's at."

You close your eyes for a moment and try to tap into the mental channel you're both part of.

"Ryu, you there?"

"Ah, yes. Are you okay, Knight?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me. I just wanted to know how much longer I have to wait?"

"Hm... If you're prepared I'll speed up our approach. Go ahead, Knight. If you need back up then let me know. Don't do anything foolish."

"Right."

With clearance now given you allow the power in your blood to surge and explode in a beautiful manner, within your eyes and enhancing your senses and abilities. You bend your knees and spring forward, dashing through the air at incredible speed until you slide to a halt right in the middle of the castle's courtyard. You brush off your pants and look around the courtyard. Some guards are staring at you, shocked at your sudden entrance. You give them a friendly wave.

"Heya, just here for an audience with the Elementals and your lovely Queen. You know, if they're not busy," you shrug, ignoring your physical change and immense pressure the soldiers around you feel.

"We've been waiting for you, Drakon," a woman's voice calls out to you.

You turn towards one of the castle walls. You know that voice belongs to a certain green haired woman.

"We know how you defiled our Queen," Tempest speaks, revealing himself on the opposite wall to Gaia.

"How you tried to change her," Pyro pipes up, showing himself to be on the front wall to the left of the gates.

"How you abused her," Rain adds, standing to the right of the gates.

You look around at all Elementals, making sure you take note of where each of them are.

"They're trying to surround us."

It won't make a difference.

"And that won't happen again," Elsa's voice echoes from her balcony.

You immediately look to the malicious version of your fiancée to find that she's changed from when you last saw her no more than twenty four hours ago. The colour of her dress has become completely black going along with her newer, darker make up. Above all, her eyes are what's most different. They're darker, filled with spite and anger. It's not a normal sort of anger too. It's almost like she's a different version from what she was previously. Your eyes sharpen as they lock onto the Queen.

"Be on your guard, (Y/N). See her necklace? It's glowing."

Yeah, I saw that. We have to get it off her.

"We have to deal with Rain, first."

I know.

"I suggest your soldiers clear out. I don't want you to be hurt just because you wanted to stick around," you shout, eyes still locked on Elsa.

The soldiers look at each other, nod, and follow your advice. The guards frantically run towards any castle entrance they can get to. This doesn't go unnoticed by the Queen. Without even moving her hand a small patch of ice appears mere meters in front of each guards. Ice spikes shoot up from those patches, puncturing their armour and making a whole in their chest. Their hearts are on the tip, as if it's a small gift or sacrifice. Their bodies go limp, falling forward onto the spikes as life quickly leaves their body.

"No!" You shout, looking to all the dead guards. "They couldn't even fight back, Elsa!" You angrily yell at the woman standing prominently above all.

She has a sadistic smile on her face as she sees the dead man on her spikes. The look... it's even more dreadful than when you first met her. The Elementals definitely did something to her. She was becoming warmer, less violent, at least with you. The most logical conclusion is that the Elementals saw her change and decided to remedy that. You'll have to consider her as much of a threat as the other ones.

"Now, lets capture this insolent wretch. We'll keep him alive, but on the edge of death is the same," she proudly laughs.

The Elementals share the same dastardly smile as they stare at their prey. You slide your leg back and bring your hands up, your eyes keeping tabs on the three in your view while your ears are focused on the ones behind you.

"It's unlikely they'll attack you with any physical strikes," Shadow remarks. "Thus if you keep up close it should-"

The Elementals, aside from Elsa, all leap from their respective locations and crash down upon you with their fists. The pure power of their punches destroy the area around them. You barely manage to slide through two of them and reach the corner of the courtyard.

"Oh, oh really? Any more advice?" You angrily whisper.

"That's strange. They're all emitting some sort of energy... can you feel it too?"

"Yeah..." They all stand up straight and turn towards you. "They feel different from before. It's almost like..."

Not caring for your conversation, the Elementals all rush you in unison. Rain and Gaia come from the front whilst Pyro and Tempest comes from the left and right. Pyro and Tempest leap even farther to your sides before springing towards you. Meanwhile Rain sprints at your front and Gaia jumps over you, landing at your backside. They all converge on you, throwing various attacks at you at once. You duck under Rain's punch and catch Tempests attempted knee. Using that as a platform, you lift your body off the ground, pull your feet in, and snap your heels into Pyro's stomach. This knocks the fire elemental back, but there's still Gaia to deal with. You tightening your grip on Tempest's knee and flip yourself back, bringing your elbow onto Gaia's head. You follow up by grapping onto the back of Gaia's armour with the same arm you hit her with to pull yourself out of the danger zone.

You spin through the air and slide across the ground, facing all the Elementals. Once they recover from your attacks they speed towards you once more. This time you fly straight up to get the advantage over them. Only Tempest would be able to fly. The others would be at a distance, giving you the chance to take down Tempest, then go for Rain.

Elsa smirks at your little plan. Right on cue, each of the Elementals stop dead in their tracks and fly up at you. You stumble back, surprised that all of them can fly. You don't allow this to ruin your concentration. You just have to deal with these surprises as they come. Perhaps Tempest is just making them all fly, thus taking down Tempest would ground everyone else. So, to change things up, you fly directly at them, amping your speed to its max. You fly right past everyone and reach Tempest, delivering a practically fatal elbow to his stomach. His pupils lose colour and saliva comes out in drops, staining your black jacket. Elsa can tell by the look in your eyes that you're serious now.

The rest of the Elementals stop when the realize you're no longer in front of them, then turn around when they hear the thundering kick that sends Tempest back to the ground. The Elementals turn around to face their threat, but you're already rushing them.

"Good thinking, (Y/N). They might have become stronger, somehow, but you outclass them in speed."

Exactly. I'll just blitz them!

You fly towards Gaia, readying your fist as you speed towards the woman.

"Hyaaaaaa!" You shout, throwing your fist forward.

Gaia closes her eyes throws her hands in front of her to block your attack... but nothing hits. She slowly opens one eye after a moment, confused as to why your attack didn't connect. Instead, behind her to the right, Rain has unexpectedly taken the full force of your attack. Neither he nor Pyro saw you pass by Gaia and hit him, yet there you were. After holding the attack for a few seconds, staring into Rain's eyes with an intense stare that could put down any regular human, you tighten your other fist and drive it under his jaw, then swiftly spin around him and bury your knee into the back of his head, sending him down with Tempest.

You let your body relax, hovering straight in the air until you turn around and face the other two Elementals. They're frustrated, it's written all over their face. You easily dispatched two of them despite their sudden boost in physical power. You treat them with a confident smirk.

"Are you going to give up?" You offer. "I'm clearly more powerful than you, and I'd rather not have to fight."

Pyro and Gaia both know they're in trouble. Their bodies are tight, sweat is slowly pooling out of their skin. Yet... after a moment they start smiling. You raise your brow at their action and decide to not wait around for them to pull some sort of trick. Enhancing your speed once more, which now you know doesn't have to be one hundred percent, you swiftly appear behind Gaia and kick her right by her allies, then speed to Pyro, grabbing the back of his head and bringing him all the way to the ground, landing before even Gaia.

You release Pyro's head and take a few steps away from the defeated Elementals to look up at Elsa. You move your hands to the side, displaying your victory.

"Well, what now, Elsa? Can we stop fighting, or-"

Sensing trouble nearby, you push off your left leg and slide to the side, dodging an attack by Pyro.

Hey Shadow... notice something weird.

"The fact that the Elementals aren't using their elements? Yes, it is odd."

Elsa begins laughing hysterically, her voice travelling far past the city walls. Something is different in her voice, yet the oddity is so miniscule that only someone with your level of senses could detect it. Her voice... there's a second, extremely quiet layer to it - a man's voice. This draws your attention to the Queen once more and what you see is unexpected. The necklace she wears is glowing an ominous, grey colour. The same colour has taken over her eyes, completely changing Elsa's presence.

"As I suspected... a Drakon is here. Quite surprising, truly. I thought there wouldn't be any in this era. But if you think you can ruin my plans, you are mistaken!"

A wave of dark energy surrounds the area, dulling your senses at the sheer amount of activity around you. This is purposefully done so you don't anticipate the sudden punch to your right temple. The hit is far more powerful than you could imagine. It's not just because your guard was down, but the force rivals that of even Ryu. The impact sends you barreling through the courtyard and right to another enemy who spins and kicks you in the back with just as much, if not more, force than the first hit. Twirling uncontrollably through the air, you barely manage to recover, but you quickly place a hand on your temple and back as you take in some deep breaths.

Your eyes find the attackers standing in the courtyard. Saying they're the same Elementals you just took down would be foolish. Their own amulets are glowing the same grey colour as Elsa's, but there's something more about them. A black goo has been released from the amulets and has seeped over their clothes, covering their torso and arms. The final touch is their eyes, which are completely black, an opposite to your pure white eyes.

"That's... different."

"(Y/N), tag out. Let yourself recover from those blows."

"Right," you nod before closing your eyes and relaxing.

Shadow quickly takes control of the situation and promptly feels disgusted. He looks at his attire and shivers.

"I forgot, our clothing doesn't switch."

Shadow takes the time to activate the holowatch and change your clothes to his comfortable and signature suit. With that on his body, he relaxes and comes far more intune with himself. Ready for battle, he gently floats back to the courtyard and stares down the Elementals.

"It doesn't matter what power you've attained. I'll crush you right here," he promises, raising his left hand extended before him while his right remains closer to his body. The Elementals don't bother taking stances. They're going to rush Shadow in an attempt to blitz him. However they're unaware that you and Shadow have switched, an advantage Shadow knows. He'll be able to get the drop on them with his own style of combat. It's been some time since he's had to deal with multiple opponents, but it'll give him a gauge of how his training has worked.

To Shadow's surprise they don't attack right away. Instead they watch, almost inspecting him. Shadow keeps his guard up incase this is a trick.

Elsa is at the balcony, these four are in front of me. There are no others, none to get the drop on me... so what are they waiting for?

"Shadow," they all speak in unison. "Is that you?"

Shadow's eyes widen for a split second. A surprise that made him lose him composure, it won't happen again.

"It is you. Your aura is different, grey. It's just like it was when I found you," the layered voice all speak.

He can hear the same man's voice hidden in everyone's vocal chords. These aren't the Elementals anymore, which would explain their inability to use any elements.

"Seems another Drakon has risen. I will give you no mercy, no pause," they all chant.

Just a second later the Elementals eyes shrink and their muscles tense. Save Elsa, all of them grab their head and scream in pain as more of the black substance pools onto their body, covering everything except their head. A wave pushes against Shadow but he refuses to move. The castle walls, on the other hand, start to crack under the pressure.

"Drakon power..? Impossible," he whispers to himself.

"Does that mean they have a Drakon on their side?"

"No... that can't be. Rhaegos stated that having us and Ryu in one timeline was already having negative effects. If there truly were three... this timeline could collapse. So how does he have Drakon power?"

Before he can think on this anymore the Elementals rush Shadow. Still prepared, Shadow awaits their arrival, ready to counter them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Captain Durr rushes through the castle as fast as he can to the guards quarters where all the soldiers reside inside the castle. The shockwaves from the battle outside are causing everything to fall over, including Durr himself a few times. Still, Durr has a responsibility for this city and he needs to regroup the guards. He bursts through the door and gets the attention of all men in the room.

"Sir! It's-" Another shockwave shakes the entire building, forcing everyone to stabilize himself.

"I know. Listen, we have to bring the citizens in the castle. We'll bring them in through the secret exit that leads outside of Arendelle! We'll bring them into the cellar. It's the safest place."

"Yes, sir!" They all nod.

"Ten of us will go out there, the rest of you head to the tunnels and make sure everything is clear for the citizens."

"Yes, sir!"

"Right, lets move out! Civilians are the priority! Remember that!"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Large shockwaves erupt every few seconds in the air. Elsa has her arms crossed as she watches the battle. Though it's not truly her watching. She's a means to an end.

Shadow's eyes are constantly switching between each of his opponents. He catches that Pyro is on his own a bit higher up and secluded from the rest of his allies. That's a perfect chance for Shadow to speed past his opponents and single out the fire user. Doing this he catches Pyro off guard, leaving him open for a destructive knee to his nose. The hit forces Pyro to recoil back just as Shadow planned. He follows through with the motion, landing behind Pryo, letting him bump into him. Shadow quickly turns around and hits Pyro right in the center of his skull with his elbow, then flips backwards to bicycle kick his shoulder and send the Elemental into the ground.

The other three follow Shadow soon after, coming from his sides and front. Shadow catches a knee from one side and a punch from the other, getting a hold of Gaia's wrist in the process. As Tempest speeds towards him, Shadow times it just right so that he swings Gaia into Tempest, and then both of them into Rain. He flies behind the three, gathering a combination of fire and lightning in his hands then unleashes the combination into Gaia's back, sending the three crashing into the ground in an eruption of electricity and flames.

Shadow hovers in the air, waiting for all four to get up. He knows for a fact that attacks like that wouldn't keep them down, but he has to gauge how potent these new enemies are. Of course, they all stand up and stare at their Drakon opponent. They don't even need to say a word and their off, coming at him at a speed Shadow wasn't expecting. As he thought, they've been holding back. To be fair, he has too. Shadow twists his body to the right, dodging an incoming hammer kick from Gaia, then spins the opposite way to catch both of Rain's hands. Shadow lets his body fall back, shoving his foot into the blue haired boy's stomach and throwing him into the incoming attack from Tempest. Tempest dodges the body and charges a punch for Shadow's head. Shadow, once again, waits for the perfect moment to dodge. Of course for anyone watching this fight would all be happening faster than they could see, but these fighters have a different perception of speed and time. The moment Tempest's hand is about to hit Shadow's face he pushes off the hand, getting slightly above his attacker. Shadow charges his knees and, when he's above Tempest's back, crushes it with the full force of his blow.

Shadow bounces up a bit after hitting Tempest and straightens his legs out, readying his body for the other two Elementals coming straight for him. This time they seem more coordinated than their initial attack. Pyro and Gaia are zooming towards him, but they continuously move in front of one another as if they're performing an illusion to throw Shadow off. It doesn't. He's completely aware of what order they are in and which will attack first. As expected, Pyro soars around Gaia, coming from Shadow's upper left whilst Gaia persists in coming right in front of him. Shadow dashes a short distance back to avoid a powerful drop kick from the fire Elemental, then catches Gaia's loaded punch. His ears pick up movement from the side so he pushes back on Gaia's hand and blocks another punch with his forearm, his defense barely faltering from the pressure of Tempest's blow. Gaia attacks once more, spinning around and attempting to kick Shadow, but he halts her attack with his own shin. Rain and Pyro return to the battle, coming from behind your alter ego.

Shadow pushes back both Gaia and Tempest but doesn't have time to escape the circle they've set around him. The Elementals all attack in unison, their punches complimenting each others. Shadow utilizes all his senses to get a read on each punch coming at him. He ducks under Gaia's, catches Tempest's, twists his body to knock away Pyro's with his forearm, spins back to catch Gaia's, twists around, barely avoiding Rain's, and slams his fist into the man's stomach, flicking his leg to knock away an incoming kick, catch two punches from both Tempest and Pyro, then knocking them down and slamming his fist into both of their chests. Their motions continue to be a blur to all the guards and citizens evacuating the city. It's a spectacle to... not see, but for Elsa and the secret watcher it's an entertaining show. Shadow's constantly moving to compensate for the barrage of attacks coming from all sides. No part of his body is ever in the same place the next second.

Shadow knows he can't stay in this situation forever. He's more powerful and far outclasses the Elementals, but constant pressure can make anyone slip up. Shadow blocks an attack and conjures up flames in his hands to erupt around his body and push back his opponents. Shadow returns to the ground and gets some distance from the group of Elementals. He's panting, tired from the exertion. Sure, he has yet to be hit, but doing that is tiring against these Drakon-level opponents.

"You're holding up okay?" You ask with concern.

I'm fine... but perhaps switching would be best. Give me a moment to regain my stamina.

"Right."

Shadow takes a moment to rest his mind and switch out with you, but the Elementals have other ideas. Hearing a figure zooming towards him, Shadow opens his eyes and jumps backwards onto the castle walls. The moment his feet land on the stone his ears once again pick up someone coming after him. He jumps forward this time, spinning around to witness the green haired girl demolish the protective wall. This time Shadow isn't quick enough to counter Pyro delivering a powerful hammerfist to his ribs, sending the suited man crashing into the stone floor. Shadow pushes his body up a bit, shaking his head at the rough landing. It's not so much what he slammed into, but how hard he was initially hit and how fast he was sent. The Drakon power enhancing these people have put them on a whole other level. Before either you, Shadow, or Ryu could have defeated them with ease. Now...

"Your Drakon power is impressive, Shadow. I look forward to extracting it from your corpse," all five Elementals speak, each at different pitches at volumes. "So I think it best if we don't let you switch out."

"How do they know?" Shadow breathes through his teeth.

"Shadow! Maybe-"

"If we get an opening then we take it," Shadow gets on his feet, powering up. "Until then... I'll deal with them."

"At least they don't have their Elements!" You say in an attempt to keep positive.

The four Elementals in the battle all raise their hands towards Shadow in a similar manner that they did when you were the victim of their combination attack.

"I no longer believe that is accurate."

The elements begin raging from each of their hands, save Gaia who is simply summoning an overwhelming amount of flora. Shadow prepares himself for a more difficult fight than before, subtly conjuring some fire in his left hand.

To his surprise, Gaia is swiftly pulled away from her flora and into the frozen sea outside Arendelle. Both Shadow and the Elementals look to her previous location with confused and curious faces. Nothing is there, but something does appear beside Shadow.

"This is not what I had in mind," Ryu speaks, looking at this opposition.

"Ryu? Is the fleet here?"

"No, should be here in a few minutes. You kept Rain busy, thankfully, but when I felt Drakon power that wasn't yours I had to join the battle early. What's the situation?"

Shadow and Ryu push their backs together, eying everyone around them.

"Those medallions are what's giving them this power. Someone else is controlling all the Elementals, including the Queen. We break those necklaces, we break the control. Though that's simply a hypothesis."

"Better than nothing. Lets deal with these ones before moving onto the Queen."

Shadow and Ryu bolt off one another, going after different opponents. Ryu's wings extend, his skin going scaly as his Drakon form comes into effect. He's aiming for Pyro, the Elemental who's readied deadly fire balls to throw at Ryu. Ryu twirls through the air, skillfully dodging each of Pyro's long range attacks. He places a hand on his hilt to ready a quick attack. In a flash his blade is unleashed upon the Elemental. He cuts through his ribs, sliding behind him until hitting the edge of the walkway. Ryu instantly sees that the black goo absorbed the otherwise lethal attack. Pyro slowly turns around to stare down his opponent.

"You're holding back. That'll get you killed!"

The goo around his hand sharpens into a blade, magma forming around it to amplify the lethality. Pyro brings his blade down on Ryu, who quickly blocks with the Dragon sword. Ryu slides to the side, getting away from the edge, and leaps forward for a powerful slice. The two collide once more, Pyro is pushed back, then Ryu.

"Father, I need you to answer a question for me right now!" Ryu silently shouts, dodging Pyro's blade then blocking a vertical slice.

"I already have your answer, son. The situation came to my attention the moment I felt Drakon power. Don't hold back. The only one under mind-control is Elsa. The rest are doing this voluntarily."

Ryu smirks as he pushes his blade against Pyro's improvised one.

"That's all I needed to hear. Shadow, Knight, you hear that?" He shouts.

"We did! Now (Y/N) can stop trying to distract me," Shadow responds, catching Gaia's punch only to give her a more powerful one back, then turning around to block Tempest and Rain's attacks.

Ryu turns his full attention to the man in front of him. The Dragon Sword begins to glow, reacting to the enhanced power within the Dragon Tear.

"So you're using stolen Drakon power... I'll have to show you how useless your leftovers are!"

Ryu's eyes sharpen, showing more of his Draconic side. It's been a long time since he's had to use more than a fraction of his Drakon power, save for his training with you. Luckily he didn't allow himself to become rusty as King.

The now powered up Dragon Sword begins singeing the goo protecting Pyro. Pyro can feel that burning on his body and quickly pushes back to get away from him. Ryu smirks.

"Something wrong?"

Ryu rushes the fire Elemental, cutting down his chest and holding that stance. Pyro's eyes widen at the burning pain he just received. He's the being of fire, yet this type of pain is something more than even he can handle. The man behind him is even more nervous, though he won't say a word about it.

Shadow, on the otherhand, is having a harder time than Ryu. While Ryu's only dealing with one Elemental, Shadow is fighting three at once. He's happy he's fighting less people, but it's still not easy with their amped power and the use of their powers. Apart from constant punches and kicks, lightning strikes are constantly dropping on Shadow's position, destroying the courtyard below. Gaia's vines continuously try to slow Shadow down but so far he managed to utilize fire to heat his body up to a point that the vines burn on contact, plus it adds punching power. Still, Shadow is holding his ground against the three, giving far more than he's getting.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Durr waves his hand towards the secret entrance to the castle, directing the large line of people to safety. Though his body is directing them, his eyes are locked on the two battles above him. The prowess of everyone there far exceeds that of any soldiers he ever seen, be it from Arendelle or not. This doesn't feel like a battle of simple Elementals. Something larger is going on that's way over his head, and all these people are being caught in the crossfire.

Durr feels someone shaking his shoulder, which instantly snaps him out of the show above. He looks to the source, that being a rather fearful looking soldier.

"Sir, I... well..."

"Spit it out! We don't have time!" Durr shouts, both to get his soldier in line and to have his voice heard over the loud battle above.

"There are boats coming, sir! An army!"

Durr looks to the line then back to the soldier.

"Keep everyone moving, I need to see this."

Durr sprints away from his post and past the lines of people, most of them giving him a look as he passes. The Captain speeds through the town, knowing the ins and outs of the city like the back of his... remaining hand. He comes to a halt at the docks to witness the large army he was told about. It's closer than he thought it would be. The ice general kept everything at a distance, but thanks to Ryu and the battle going on the ice has broken apart or melted. The ships will be able to easily surround Arendelle.

From the few vessels he can see, all of them are from different Kingdoms.

"They're declaring war on Arendelle... I'm not surprised. Damnit," he squeezes his hand as tight as he can. "We're in no condition to fight back. As I thought, this is above us regular folk." Durr turns around and starts running back to the secret entrance. "I have to secure everyone and alert them on our current situation. We're not fighting any war."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Shadow knocks back Gaia only to have Rain drive his fist into Shadow's cheek. Shadow tumbles through the air as he gets closer and closer to the ground. At the same time Ryu overwhelms Pyro, knocking him off balance and kicking him far into the air with the rest of his allies. Noting where Shadow now is, Ryu jumps down and lands right as Shadow recovers and smashes into the ground.

The two Drakons look up at their enemies, both overflowing with Drakon essence. Having a mental link, the two rush the four Elementals with an entire plan in mind.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The Mastermind paces back and forth as he watches the battle through Elsa's eyes. His forces are failing despite the Drakon power he's given them. He has no choice now. If he loses Elsa, he loses the foothold on the world. He looks over to his associate who's chained up to a stone, flailing around and erupting in screams as a stream flows out of his body.

"We need more. They are nothing to us!" He firmly steps towards the chained man and rips more from him, increasing the screams and bringing some laughter. "A trump card. We won't lose."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Shadow and Ryu close in on the Elementals, a sudden development makes them stop. The goo occupying their outerlayer begins to tighten, as if its sucking the life out of them. This is supported by the fact that the Elementals, save for Elsa, all begin to scream in pain as their skin loses colour and their muscles weaken immensely.

"Shadow, we have a chance! Switch with me!"

Without responding Shadow closes his eyes and releases control, allowing you to take over. You look down at your attire and quickly switch it back to your white t-shirt, black jacket, and jeans. It boggles your mind how Shadow can fight with a suit, but that's not what's important at the moment.

"Knight... I think we better ready ourselves."

The Elementals all become like mummies, lifeless and drained. The goo breaks off from their body and hovers in the air in place of the Elementals. Their bodies all crumble to the floor, breaking apart on impact. Being so focused on that, you both fail to notice Elsa walking along an icy platform towards the ball.

"You two are dangerous. This world might have fallen apart if not for my influence over the area," Elsa speaks, obviously relaying the Mastermind's words. "But it's over now," she smiles, her own medallion glowing with even more power.

She extends her hand towards the ball which attracts it to her. The black essence is absorbed into her medallion, then spreads across her entire body to become a slick, skintight black suit. Feeling the raw power flowing through her, Elsa begins laughing maniacally.

"All this power! All the Elements, the Drakon energy! Soon all this will be mine! All I need is for you to die! Maybe I'll add your power to it!" She laughs even harder. "So lets test this out on those fools you brought," she states, turning around and aiming her hand towards the fleet.

"No!" You both shout, speeding past Elsa to put yourselves between her and the ships. "They aren't your opponents, Elsa! We are!" You declare.

Elsa chuckles.

"Then by all means, show me."

You grind your teeth at her words. Whoever is behind this knows you're going to hold back on Elsa. It's likely the reason he's putting all the focus on her rather than the others. But if you have no choice but to hurt her then you'll have to get over it. You look back to the ships, now docking with the ice and shuttling soldiers out to take Arendelle. Ryu sheathes his blade to hold back on the Queen. Even for him, fighting his wife isn't the easiest thing to swallow, but he made peace with it. Though seeing such a twisted form of his wife pulls at his heart strings.

Taking initiative, you explode with power and rush Elsa. Ryu follows you soon after, being only seconds behind. Elsa's smile grows wider as you approach. You throw your punch at her face but hit nothing. Suddenly she's behind you, her hand charges with electricity. Before she attacks you she opens her other palm to Ryu and pushes him back with an overwhelming amount of wind, layered with very durable, very small ice spikes. With Ryu dealt with, Elsa slams her hand down on your neck. However you slip your hand over your shoulder and catches that hand, nullifying her power. You swing your arm under hers, grasp her attacking hand, and flip her over your shoulder and to the castle. She crashes through the building, going through a few flights until landing in the throne room.

You fly through the hole and land in the middle. Elsa's in the open, meaning she's waiting to ambush you. Considering her new speed thanks to this major surge in Drakon power... she's a force to be reckoned with. You keep your eyes peeled, always moving to keep your blindspots at a minimum. It's eerily quiet, only the muffled sound from outside occupying the room. You can't even hear her breathing, placing doubt that she's still in the room. Something does catch your ears after a moment, that being Ryu flying into the room. He spins around, building momentum, and throws a kick at Elsa as she attempts to attack you from behind. She blocks most of the impact but still slides along the icy floor, her heels making fine lines through the ice.

"Thanks," you nod at your counterpart before focusing everything on Elsa.

"We have to be careful. There's... a lot of Drakon power flowing through her. More than both of us."

"Great, I guess we'll have to improvise... but we should get this battle back in the air."

"I was thinking the same thing."

You both turn away and soar into the air, flying through the hole and stopping a decent distance above Arendelle.

"Interesting," Elsa's voice goads from behind.

You both turn around and are near stunned by the fact she's behind you, arms crossed as if she's amused by your efforts.

"Let me show you true Drakon power," she smirks as she lifts her hand into the air.

The entire plane of earth starts to rumble as pieces of earth and stone raise into the air. Waters swirls into the same point, fire mustering and lightning crashing into one massive point into the air. All the elements form into one gigantic ball, further powered by Elsa's Drakon power. The large attack continues to grow, pushing its way past the clouds as it expands to new heights.

"Ryu... that's... is that bigger than the moon?"

Ryu doesn't answer. All he can do is look at this attack with astonishment.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hahahaha, more! More power!" The Mastermind maniacally laughs, absorbing more from the chained man and channeling it into the medallion.

The pressure is so immense that the chained man breaks free, clawing at the ground with a mixture of pain and laughter.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Everyone outside of the castle are in awe at this attack. It casts a shadow over all of Arendelle as if it was a new ruler establishing command. Kings and Queens, Commanders, and regular soldiers are baffled by this power. Some soldiers drop their weapons and fall to their knees, quickly preying to their gods for safety and protection.

You and Ryu, on the otherhand, try to figure out how to deal with this attack. If it hit, it would destroy the planet. The sheer power behind all this is astonishing. You never thought anyone could have so much Drakon power.

"Shadow... Ryu... any ideas..."

"How could she handle that much?"

You turn your attention to Ryu.

"What?"

"The amount of Drakon power... it's worth three individual ones. It's almost like..." His voice trails off to the point of being inaudible.

"Like what? What can we do?"

"I don't know..."

Elsa laughs maniacally as her attacks grow bigger and bigger, becoming even more difficult to handle. The power flowing through her body is almost impossible to handle. Despite the laughter, her body is slowly falling apart. The weight of it all is weighing down on both the medallion and her body to the point of collapse. Something that was not taken into consideration. The frail piece of jewelry violently shakes as the power funnels through it. Slowly, the main jewel begins to harbor cracks that spread throughout the entire piece. Second by second they grow and grow until it shatters, a massive wave of energy pushing everything back. The black goo surrounding Elsa loosens, letting the blonde woman fall to the planet below.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The connection cuts, the power stops flowing from the once chained man. The Mastermind is silent, cursing himself for being to power hungry. Seeing a frail body like Elsa's harbor so much power was beautiful to watch that he wanted to see how far it could go. He was too carried away. Using his magic he casts a spell around the leftover Drakon power that's taken the form of a black ball of goo and speeds it away from Arendelle.

"Recover the bodies of the Elementals. They're yours," he says while panting on the ground.

"Heh... hehe... hahahahahaha," the mad man slowly builds is laughter, eager to devour the bodies and merge them into himself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Elsa!" You scream, rushing to the young woman's side and catching her bridal style.

You slowly float down to the castle walls, what's left of them, and set her down. Ryu quickly joins you, standing on the other side of Elsa as you lay her down. Her hair, clothing, and eyes return to their original colours. She's back.

You and Ryu eye each other, unsure of what to think. You got out of that because of a fluke. If she had thrown the... Both your eyes widen when you realize her power ball is still there, now falling to the planet below.

"Rhaegos!" Ryu shouts, bursting off the castle wall and flying a mile under the makeshift moon. "We need help!"

Ryu becomes fully intune with his Drakon power, his body now only resembling a humanoid rather than fully human. He waves his arms around him, controlling the water and wind to push the ships away from the impact area. Next, he takes those very same elements and pushes them against the large ball. It slows down slightly, but not enough to make a significant difference.

"Father! We can't hold this!"

You leave Elsa to help, flying atop the ball to try and pull it up. You bury your hands into the ball, using nature elements to get the best grip you can. A large aura pours out of you as you lift with all your might, using natural flight and wind elements to pull yourself up. All veins in your body are showing, your teeth clenching harder than ever before, then given a break as you scream.

Ryu rushes into his water and wind, using his own strength to push it towards you.

"Come on! Pull harder!"

"I CAN'T PULL ANY HARDER, RYU!" You furiously yell.

"I DON'T CARE! PULL HARDER!"

"PUSH HARDER!"

You can feel your hands becoming stuck in place from the amount of strength you're putting into your grip. In the back of your mind you know that you can't hold it. It's going to hit the planet in less than a minute and everything will be gone.

"SHADOW! CAN YOU GIVE ME ANY POWER? ANYTHING?"

"No... there's nothing I can give you. I might have a trick up my sleeve, but-"

"YOU STILL HAVE SECRETS? USE IT!"

"It's not perfected... I don't even know if it would work. I'm sorry, I have nothing for you."

"DAMNIT!"

You try to pass your limits and pull even more, but you can't manage to do anything more than you're already doing.

"COME ON! COME OOON!"

With your eyes shut tightly and your focus on this task, you somehow manage to miss the clouds slowly building around you and the earth-destroying attack. Everyone watching is now confused that such a large object has become shrouded by the thunderclouds. They can't even watch as their lifespans are visually shown ticking down. You give another tug... and it starts working. The ball is slowing down, almost feeling like it's coming your way. Becoming less tense, your senses pick up sounds and a presence you didn't notice before. To your left and right are two talons firmly tucked into the compounds that make up the object. Finally looking up you bear witness to what seems to be a Hawk, majestic and beautiful. This one has a cobalt tone to its feathers and deadly white talons that would easily stain with blood. There's no doubt in your mind that this is one of the Mythical Creatures, akin to Rhaegos.

The beat of its wings threatens to crush you, yet its strength is immensely needed. Almost singlehandedly its lifting this condensed ball of elements and Drakon power, a fact its no doubt aware of.

"You caused this mess, Drakon," it's deep voice echoes in your mind. "And I'm the one who must fix it. You disturbed my realm of living, and that I will scold you for."

"It's not my-"

"I'm aware of the puppeteer pulling the strings, Drakon. Rhaegos and I have exchanged knowledge. For my help in disposing of this, you will deal with him. It's the only way you can return home."

A sudden gust of wind comes from within the ball, pushing you off and out of the immense storm surrounding it. The gust stops right beside Ryu, who's flapping his own wings as he watches the fast-moving storm.

"Uzult... the Hawk..." Ryu whispers under his breath. "Amazing."

"He saved our asses," you chuckle, pushing your fingers together to stretch them.

"I've never heard a truer statement," he chuckles. "But we should return to Elsa. Our forces have taken the city and Elsa, with luck, is normal."

"Heh... we won..."

"Yeah... we did," Ryu places a hand on your shoulder, bearing a smile on his face. "You did well, Knight."

"If Elsa's back to normal. then I'll happily take that compliment."

And that's part two! If you wondered why I split these two up it's because they're fourty pages put together. You know, I don't want to blast you guys with too much. I believe I said that last time. Anyway, I'll be doing another chapter of Project's Past and some RWBY stuff this month. Though I only have two more months to keep with my word and finish by august. It'll happen. There's only 6-8 more chapters left. If I dedicate both July and August to Project's Past I think I'll finish it. Who knows.

Anyway, that's a wrap for me. I hope you enjoyed and I'll see you next time!

Want to keep up with me? Know what chapter's coming out next and the progress of them? Follow me on Twitter! Twitter . com (slash) Chinsangan

Ever want me to write a one-shot for you? Maybe a few? Maybe one every few months? Perhaps get the inside scoop on how I write, ideas for future or current stories, and even help writing your own story? Consider checking out my Patreon page! Pat reon . com (slash) Chinsangan

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Advice? Send me a message! See ya!

A special thank you to Patreon supporters: GrayJack72