Nervous anxiety mixed with angry loathing knotted tightly in Shintaro's stomach as he slammed to a halt just before his feet met the old rug. The others stopped in a group around him, Amy, Falte, Abby, and Linda on his left, Thorn, Moon, Ozai, and Gabriel on his right, and Ruby, Zeke, Rachel, and Nanami behind him. Everyone wore matching frowns that were directed at Brethren, who nodded once at Cynthia. 

Shintaro's eyes flicked to Brethren's left side and found Kai, standing quietly and stiffly beside The Dark Lord with his eyes trained on the floor. His hands were shoved into the pockets of his skinny jeans, but it was easy to tell that they were clenched into fists. He didn't look up at his friends as each one glanced over at him. 

Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Shintaro looked back over at Brethren, who was grinning mischievously at each of them. Even though Shintaro had done this before, even though he had prepared himself for this moment for almost four months, Shintaro couldn't tamp down the anxiety that twisted in his stomach, that send his heart up to his throat. 

He had a plan.

No matter what happened, he would stick to that plan. 

No matter what the others told him. 

"I imagine you all know why you're here," Brethren said smoothly in his thick accent, one side of his mouth quirking up in a devious half-smile. His cold red eyes traveled over the group, assessing them one by one with chilling precision. "Every single one of you has gotten on my nerves, and I intend to set you all straight." His gaze hardened and landed on Shintaro, his eyebrows furrowed in an annoyed, angry frown. 

Shintaro said nothing, refusing to cower as he remembered all of the times that Brethren promised to "set him straight" during his childhood. Those words became the sentence that Shintaro dreaded most, because a severe lecture and beating usually followed them. Clenching his fists, Shintaro held his father's eyes defiantly. 

Brethren snapped his eyes away and rubbed his hands together with a grin, flashing his teeth. His gaze darted over the group again, full of hunger and malice. "Who shall I start with first?" He moved toward the group and started pacing on the rug in front of them, his black hair swaying freely behind him. 

"Shall I begin with the defiant man who managed to kill two of my men?" Brethren mused, his eyes locking on Ezekiel, who stared back unflinchingly. Neither men looked away for a few moments, until Brethren chuckled and trained his eyes on Amy. 

"Or the once-killer that sent four of my Darks back to me with knives stuck in them?" He paused in front of Amy, lifting his hand to grip her chin with his thumb and finger. 

Shintaro glanced over at Amy, who looked like she might explode if Brethren touched her for any longer. Her hands were gripping Linda's arm tightly, but the other woman didn't complain - she was frowning as well. "Once-killer"? 

Where did that title come from? 

But Shintaro couldn't focus much on that, because Brethren had moved away from Amy and toward Falte, his eyes burning with cold amusement. "Or shall I start with the boy's beloved father?" 

"Don't touch him," Kai suddenly snapped in a low, dangerous tone. He didn't move from his spot, but his brown eyes were trained on the back of The Dark Lord's head, full of warning and anger. His hands were out of his pockets now, clenching into fists and trembling with loathing. 

Brethren halted just in front of Falte, but his focus wasn't on the man in front of him. He wasn't smiling anymore, and his hands were clasped in front of him in a chilling, nonchalant way. Slowly, he turned sideways toward Kai, pivoting his head to the left to stare at the teenager.

"I would advise against ordering me around, boy," he seethed through his teeth slowly. 

Then, quick as a snake, he lunged forward and backhanded Kai in the jaw. Kai staggered backward and crashed into the wall behind him, his elbows slamming against it in attempt to catch himself; but his legs didn't hold his weight, and he slid down the wall with a groan. 

Thorn abruptly made a loud growling sound, startling Shintaro into looking toward him. The shadows that had been swirling lazily around him were now billowing up in fiery rage, surrounding Thorn's body and obscuring the view of his burning red eyes. In mere moments, Thorn was a large, muscular beast that towered five feet above Shintaro's head with long, sharp claws that were curled dangerously at his sides. His red eyes were trained on Brethren, ignited with fury. 

When he spoke, a mouth opened and revealed long, pointed fangs that glinted dangerously. "Do that again," he warned in a loud, rumbling voice, "I dare you." He bared his fangs down at Brethren, who raised his eyebrows up at him. 

"I must say, Thorn, that is impressive," Brethren said with a wave of his hand. "But you cannot do much to me. You know as well as I that I can cut off your life source, or simply control your magic - which makes up you, might I add, Shadow." 

Thorn growled deep in his throat, clenching his clawed hands into fists, but he made no move. His red eyes darted over to Kai, who was struggling back to his feet with one hand pressed against his cheek. 

"Are you alright?" Falte asked Kai frantically, looking like he wanted to rush over but knew that it was a bad idea. His hands were hovering in front of him, twitching with eager nervousness. 

Kai simply grunted his answer, which Shintaro wasn't sure was a yes or a no. He pressed his free hand into the arm of the couch, leaning on it slightly while he looked from Brethren up to Thorn, who hadn't shifted back to his normal form. 

Brethren spun on his heel back to the paralyzed group, the murderous grin returning to his face. "Or shall I begin with my son?" He moved slowly toward Shintaro, his eyes never leaving Shintaro's. 

Though fear was threatening to force Shintaro back a step, he managed to hold his ground and stare defiantly into his father's eyes. He clenched his hands into shaky fists, taking a deep breath through his nose.  

"Don't hurt him, Brethren," an accented voice commanded roughly from Shintaro's right. Startled, Shintaro turned his gaze to Ozai, who was scowling at Brethren with dissent. Terror was hidden beneath the resistance in his eyes, but it was hidden well. 

Brethren barked a laugh, throwing back his head and stopping a few feet in front of Shintaro and Ozai. When he lowered his gaze back to them, only a smile remained on his face. "Do not think you can tell me what to do, Ozai. I do not fear you as you fear me." 

"Yes, I fear you," Ozai said roughly, crossing his arms over his chest and assuming the most confidence that Shintaro had seen him use. "But fear is healthy in most cases. Do not forget, Brethren, that I can beat you just as easily as you could me." 

Brethren chuckled lowly, unfazed by his half-insult. "You cannot beat me in a fight, Ozai, whether it be physical, magical, or both." He paused to look at Ozai's raised eyebrows, then rolled his eyes as if remembering something. "I do not count knocking me out once as a win on your part." 

Ozai huffed through his nose, the corner of his mouth tilting upward. "I do, Brethren. If I have to knock you out to protect Shintaro, I will. It might just give Shintaro the time he needs to defeat you." He cast a sideways glance at Shintaro shortly before looking away again. 

Shintaro didn't look away, however. He blinked in confused wonder at Ozai, trying to figure out why Ozai would even bother to fight against Brethren just to protect Shintaro. 

Brethren began chuckling again as he yanked an elastic band off his wrist. He pulled his hair back into a high ponytail to keep it out of his face, but Shintaro figured that it was show of challenge. "It would amuse me to see him try to defeat me," Brethren said coldly. "And really, Ozai? You care for him so dearly, yet he doesn't even know who you are." 

Ozai tensed, dropping his gaze away from Brethren and to his feet. "He shouldn't know who I am. To him, I am only a rebellious Dark who he made acquaintances with." He cast another quick, sideways glance at Shintaro, his mouth pinched into a line. 

"Oh, but he deserves to know," Brethren said in a merry voice, putting one hand on his hip and tilting his head. "Not only that, but I'm assuming he's itching to dive deeper into your identity, hmm, Shintaro?" 

Shintaro hated to agree with his father, but he knew that The Dark Lord was right. He couldn't help but be curious about how Ozai knew Brethren and apparently himself, too. As Shintaro turned his head to frown expectantly at Ozai, he realized that there were many answers that would come out of Ozai's reply. 

But that reply didn't come. Ozai looked away from Shintaro, training his eyes on the floor in front of him. 

"Well then," Brethren said with a clap of his hands. "I've decided who I want to punish first. Do not try to fight back, Shintaro. You know what will happen if you do." He began advancing toward Shintaro again, his eyes filled with malice. 

Out of instinct, Shintaro's hands went up to protect his face and his middle, and Brethren tsked with mock sadness. 

And then Ozai was standing in between them, stiff-arming Brethren's chest to hold him back. His other hand was hovering at his side, fingertips sparking with unused Dark Magic. "Leave him alone, Brethren. Or I will hurt you." 

"Oh, dear brother," Brethren said coldly with a wide grin, "I would love to see you try." 

Before Shintaro could even be surprised at the fact that Ozai was his uncle, chaos suddenly broke loose. 

Brethren grabbed Ozai's wrist and forearm, twisted around, and threw Ozai harshly over his shoulder, earning a cry of pain from his brother. Several Darks burst out of the library aisles, dashing straight for Shintaro's friends. Thorn lunged sideways, towering high above everyone, and slammed three Darks into the wall behind him with a swing of his arm. Kai jumped away from the couch to avoid Thorn's claws and tackled a Dark that had been rushing toward Abby. Rachel grabbed Nanami's wrist and ducked behind Thorn, who backed nearer to the wall to keep them unharmed behind him. Amy threw Linda sideways as Dark darted for her, sending Linda careening into the floor with a grunt of pain. Gabriel grabbed the nearest Dark by the wrist and spun around as fast and as hard as he could, pulling the Dark off her feet and slamming her into another Dark. Moon cried out with rage as three Darks advanced toward Ruby and Zeke, and with a loud battle cry, Moon sent a blast of Dark Magic sailing toward the three Darks. Falte backed quickly against Shintaro's side, snapping him into action. 

Battling against the Darks and the confused realization in his mind, Shintaro grabbed Falte and shoved him toward Thorn. Falte quickly slid to a stop behind Thorn, who had gained large wings that he was using to shield the group behind him. Shintaro whipped around again and punched a Dark that was in his way straight in the face. His eyes trained on Brethren, who was grinning cruelly as he battled against a winded Ozai. 

Shintaro sprang forward, calling his Light Magic through his arms and to his hands. He whirled around into a spin, outstretching his arm in hopes to catch Brethren in the side of his head. When his fist collided with someone and his Light Magic cascaded in a flash around the man's head, Shintaro felt a fleeting moment of panic that he'd hit Ozai. 

But thankfully, it was Brethren who cried out and landed roughly on his side, his hands flying up to claw at his skull. Shintaro skidded to a stop and found Ozai rushing forward to pin Brethren down, pressing his knee against his brother's legs and grabbing his wrists to hold his arms. 

Brethren's groan became cackling laughter as he writhed under Ozai, his mouth opening wide enough to reveal his own pointed canines. Before Ozai could hit him harder in the head, he rolled sideways abruptly and jerkily, sending his brother crashing onto his side on the floor. 

Shintaro was in front of Brethren in a flash, throwing his fist forward to slam Brethren in the jaw. But through his laughter, Brethren saw it coming and grabbed Shintaro's fist roughly, twisting his arm painfully. 

"This is all really fun," Brethren hissed between his teeth, "but I'm tired of it now." He threw Shintaro's arm aside, making Shintaro stagger sideways slightly to try to catch his balance. 

Growling angrily, Shintaro whirled toward his father again.

And froze in panic. 

Brethren's hand was engulfed in Dark Magic.

The Dark Magic was formed in the shape of a sharp blade. 

And it was pointed toward Linda. 

She was standing helplessly in the middle of the chaos, blocking any hits that were thrown at her. But because her left eye was sealed closed by the wound, she had a blind spot, and that was where Brethren was standing. 

She didn't see the killing weapon that was aimed at her. 

She didn't see Brethren throw it with all his might. 

Shintaro didn't even try to hold back the scream that raced up his throat, hoping that it would warn her quick enough. He lunged forward as fast as he could, ignoring the loud laughter of his father. His legs carried him halfway across the room, but he wasn't fast enough. 

But Shintaro knew that someone else was fast enough. 

Another cry mixed in with Shintaro's. 

A blurred figure darted straight toward Linda. 

The blade sailed through the air straight for Linda-

And then slammed into Amy's side.

~

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHALKAHKJGHKJHFAJKGFJHDGJAJKHFKLSJHAKGDHGDJDGDSDFHDFHJHSDHSDJG-

This is what I was going to do last chapter, but I realized that it would be way too long if I combined these chapters.

So I separated them. 

And it turned out pretty well.

But also

ANOTHER CLIFFHANGER FOR YOU.

I've deceived you before!!

Is it really Amy who's going to die?? 

Or is it someone else??? 

You'll have to find out-

Thank you for reading this chapter!!

WE'RE ALMOST FINISHED!!

P3ac3!!~~~~