Hashana had fooled everyone around her including me, she’d been playing the weakling and hiding her true strength from everyone, perhaps her words before being revived on the worst of lightning power was a lie, how more pure could you get than the power of a dragon, a species rarely seen and perhaps one even governed over these caverns from what I saw of the shape of little Furina’s birth mark.

Hashana had gone on the attack, the second she released her power, a grin of pure malice crossed her lips, she was the one enjoying this now, letting lose her true power, hiding it for so long, it must have been liberating for her, but had also caught me off guard.

I was stuck on the defensive with her strong attacks, never letting up for a second, another threat came from her wolf pack, sure Raziel and Arata had most occupied but two were still backing Hashana up, trying to come in with an attack of their own.

“Weak am I, think again!” shouted Hashana, perhaps she had even been sick of being looked down upon by the others, but she played the fool well, even they had no idea she wielded this much power and it confirmed that the condensed dark crystals weren’t only used as a method to become a monstrous beast but to hide ones true power; was it hiding Dumah’s too.

Her twin daggers glowed with dark power, clanging against my blades, I felt her dark power pressing heavily against my light. It was even thickening in the room. I heard coughing from little Furina she was struggling with the dark aura spreading in the room, if it felt like a pressure to me, it must have been suffocating for them.

I stepped back, left, right, defend. I needed a way out of this stalemate, trusting my instincts I continued to dodge her attacks, stepping closer to the edges of the room, keeping an eye on everything, sending out Larana’s wind knowing exactly what I needed to do.

I sensed not far behind me was some lightning crystals, enough power would disable her long enough for me to attack. Guiding her, letting her think she had me cornered. Sensing I could go no further, I put up an extra fight, sending out fire as I saw an opening, blinding her for a moment, moving as she responded to attack.

Hashana’s sword came into contact with the lightning crystal as planned, watching as the raw energy from it pulsed through her body, hearing the yelping of her wolf pack, confirmed my theory that the lot of them were all connected through the dark power that they shared.

I glanced back just to check on Raziel and Arata, they had Hashana’s pack on the run, some pinned down with Arata’s lightning ability, he had made a cage of sorts.

While Hashana was stunned, I twisted around, summoning Larana’s power. “Air cutter.” Sending out hundreds of wind blades towards her, quickly dispersing the remaining energy from my attack before it hit the cave walls, didn’t want to cause any risk of the cavern collapsing.

“That was mean of you.” Hashana’s body covered in gashes from my attack and still radiating with lightning, she pulled her blade from the crystal. She turned around to face me. “I suppose it’s about time that I stop playing around with you.”

Hashana’s whole body pulsated with dark energy, her wounds disappearing as if they had never been inflicted. The lightning around her body transferred to the blade of her daggers, she smirked. The darkness seemed to wrap around her body like a shroud until she disappeared altogether.

I glanced around the room, in search of her, I could no longer see, hear, nor smell her scent within the room, almost like she had been wiped from existence.

I felt a shock and a cut on my right arm, then on my left. I lifted up the twin lions hoping to defend myself from her next attack. A shock on the back of my leg, made me flinch, kneeling on my knee.

“Where is she?” I wasn’t sure what was happening.

“Hashana is somewhat like Zack with his ability to disappear within shadow,” mentioned Larana. “Perhaps she is doing a similar technique here but disappearing into darkness instead.”

“Well, the room is full of darkness,” I commented. I randomly rolled forward, hoping to avoid a potential attack, she could be anywhere.

“What’s the matter Fang, can’t see in the dark,” commented Hashana as she inflicted a deep wound to my side. She would pick at me until nothing was left, in the dark.

I remembered dad had done something similar during one of my training session in the middle of the night, which in the forest where there is no light, especially on a day on a no moon.

“How the heck am I supposed to see anything,” I moaned. Dad had completely disappeared amongst the trees, I could not see, smell or hear him, surely, he was using Zekon to create this illusion of him not here, but I couldn’t sense his talismans energy either. “Larana, I need help here.”

She just shrugged on my shoulder. “I am only here to watch; remember you can’t use our power.” She giggled. “You’re Yamato’s prey now.”

I flinched as I felt a hand go along my back. “Whoa.” I twisted round, seeing nothing. My eyes had adjusted, and I could see the outlines of the trees, but still no sign of dad.

“Having trouble Alex.” I heard his voice echoing all around me, where was he. “Not sure if you’ll come across a situation like this one but might as well take advantage of the opportunity to train you this way too.”

“How can you hide yourself so well?” I questioned.

“Practice, weather your being hunted or the hunter hiding completely is a technique that will give you an advantage in both.” By the sound in dad’s voice, he was enjoying himself. “Being the hunted, instinct will be much more helpful than your clairvoyance, after all you don’t always see everything, do you.”

“No.” I shook my head; my abilities only showed me so much.

“In such a situation you must change the advantage to suit you more than the one you are facing, in darkness create light, if not look for other signs that can show you the way.”

Hashana had struck again, this time at my side, I winced in surprise. Remember the words he had told me, I knew that there had to be a sign of some kind, anything. Taking in a deep breath, calming my rushed breathing, and pounding heartbeat. I needed to stay calm, I could make it through this.

The darkness surrounding me, had to be something I could use, looking for something, anything.

“Larana see anything?” I asked her.

“Not yet master,” responded Larana.

“Need to do something about this darkness,” said Raziel. “It is what hides her.” Both him and Arata were snapping at thin air.

I twisted around as I was jabbed in the back, spotting movement within the dark mist, for a split second there was a shadow of Hashana mixed within the darkness. This dark mist needed to go.

I glanced around the room, catching a glimpse of the lightning crystal at the heart of the room, it glowed dimly amongst the darkness. Raising Arata I fired a charge of lightning towards it, hoping to increase its light, but lightning wasn’t strong enough.

“More!” roared Arata.

I tried focusing more, but Hashana came at me again, this time I saw the movement within the darkness and was able to avoid, knowing how the darkness reacted around her, that when she made her move against me, she would become visible for a second, perhaps I could use that to my advantage.

I focused on the movement of the darkness, waiting patiently to see it move, if I was going to be able to charge the lightning crystal enough, I needed to charge it up with more energy.

There. I quickly thrusted forward at the moving darkness, knowing it was Hashana. My blade swiped at thin air, and I heard Hashana laughing.

“You think you can harm me.” Her voice echoed around the room, no way I could tell where she was without the movement of the darkness. Even though I had not harmed her, I had prevented her from attacking me again.

I glanced over to Arata, communicating with him quickly. “Arata, I am going to have to leave you to power up that crystals.”

“Fine, but I will need more power from you,” responded Arata.

“Just take it.” I gave him permission, instantly feeling a drain on my energy as his body sparked with his power.

I stepped back as Hashana swiped at me, seeing her clearer than I had before. The glint in her eyes looked much like a predator hunting their prey. I quickly thrusted forward at her, but my blade, like before slashed through midair. I thought I’d had her, why couldn’t I hit her.

“Master.” I heard Raziel as he kept close to the caged wolf pack, howling for their master, but she had not gone to them, perhaps she was having too much fun playing with me. “Fill the air with water droplets, to make everything more conductive.” I nodded.

Sensing the Smilodon’s around the room, I needed to protect them before creating the water droplets and charging the lightning crystal. I created wind barriers around them, leaving them in Larana’s care, while avoiding Hashana who seemed to be increasing the frequency of her attacks, did she know I was up to something?

I raised my hand into the air, after dodging another of her attacks, releasing Mila’s power into droplets, suspended in the air, a room filled with rain that never fell.

Arata roared, releasing a beam of lightning energy, directly at the lightning crystal at the heart of the room, slowly it began to absorb Arata’s power, then became supercharged, re-releasing Arata’s power tenfold, spreading out, connecting to all the water droplets, covering every inch of the room.

“Now to purify some of this darkness.” I left myself open, closing my eyes, holding out my arms, spreading out my power of light, engulfing what darkness encircled the room.

I opened my eyes again, hearing Hashana’s voice cry out in pain, no longer able to hide amongst the darkness, caught in my net of water and lightning. “Got you.” I smirked.

Hashana glared at me, disabled by my power. “Not bad.” She began to slowly move her arm, aiming for her condensed crystal.

“I don’t think so.” I pointed Arata at her, sending more lightning in her direction, hoping to stop her movement.

“Master, take my soul once more and consume this Fang!” She raised her voice, instantly the condensed crystal became active, sensing the same energy that had consumed Cutter and Scorlax. “To become my true form once more.” The condensed dark crystal erupted in an explosion of energy, consuming her whole body. I thought they needed to consume the crystal for it to activate.

I was pushed back into the opposite wall, unable to move, unable to do anything, only watch as her transformation began, even the members of her wolf pack had completely disappear into a mist of dark energy, moving and fusing with what was meant to be Hashana, growing in size and the dark energy becoming more refined, would I be facing the same being which had taken over the others.

My hair standing on end as I prepared myself for what was to come next, a monstrous beast who wanted nothing more than to destroy me and consume this place in darkness.