Chapter 207: Determined

Above the trees, under the tendrils of ghastly moonlight, was Ned with his tail, oozing of black energy, lashing him from branches after branches.

Ned's body was already weakened with the wound Khiccaal had done. Rassus knew that putting him to further stress would break him, and fighting six of the Hallowguard team would take a lot of Ned's mana and energy.

The forest was blanketed with darkness. But Ned's enhanced vision was possible for Rassus to see at least a ribbon of faint light under a tree.

Ned stopped as his tail lashed the nearest branch of a tree, and stood above like an owl eyeing his prey. Face obscured of black mist and sometimes fading, like a cloud of smoke blown away by a strong breeze.

There, at the bottom to where Ned stood, was Moloatiss, bleeding, limbs snapped, and one of the cylindrical glasses was shattered to pieces. It was still fresh as green liquid leaking off the glass. The head inside it was displayed on the ground, with mouth open, and dead eyes looking at the paling Baso. Baso held his short-sword with the tip aimed at the beast. Moloatiss was bound with a rope, and wasn't just an ordinary one, a magical item as it was leaking of mana. The more Moloatiss moves, the more the rope tightened. A part of his body, where the rope was bound, was bone white.

Around them were a handful of goblin archers, dead, with throats bubbled of green blood. Arrows and bows weren't enough for them to stop Sujiro. This was only possible as Ned annihilated Moloatiss's warriors. With no other choice, Moloatiss took whatever remained of his beast army.

Baso was twice or thrice a meter away from the bound Moloatiss and was muttering something. Even though he knew that the beast doesn't understand him, he kept on muttering.

"You beast!" He said in an irritated tone. Tears lingered at the tip of his eyes. "It was all because of you that I am here. In these Maker forsaken island. You! Your kind!"

Moloatiss gurgled with blood, trying to say something. His face was like a lump of meat, with the only mouth as the most noticeable part. Hundreds of tiny jaws ran around his mouth up until the tip. He screeched sometimes he whipped.

Unknown to Baso. Behind him, a parasite was taking its time. Looking for a proper angle to launch itself and attached behind the companion.

'He's dead,' Rassus voice echoed, satisfied. 'See that, Ned? That's what being weak means. Crying, lamenting things, poor boy couldn't even sense the worm behind him. Now his bound to die.'

The parasite crawled under leaves, smoothing itself beside a stick, snd crossing underneath rocks to make sure it wasn't noticed.

'I think I'm going to Devour this Moloatiss,' Rassus said. 'I like how he used this tiny pest to do his biddings.'

A voice cracked inside Ned's head, trying to pull Ned out of his unconsciousness.

[Ned!]

[Wake up!]

'You still there?' Rassus said, 'I thought I blocked that thing.'

As the parasite readied itself to launch at Baso. Ned's consciousness burst, trying to fight Rassus's control.

Ned's head's up display came into view his vision. It cracked and, split as Ned fought Rassus with his consciousness.

Ned's mind wandered inside the crystal Core. A place he was so familiar with, yet unable to broke free of Rassus's binding. Ned's naked body was wrapped in chains. Chains made of flaming dark energy that coiled around his limbs, forbidding him to move. In front of him was the Core, leaking abundantly of black energy. The smoke it emits descended like dry ice, only black, then crept toward Ned. Coiling around his feet, then thighs, until it reached Ned's head. There, the smoke entered Ned's eyes, the holes of his nose, ears, mouth.

Ned muffled with the smoke as he tried to force himself to break the chains. "ICE!" He cried. Smoke leaking between his teeth. Silver hair darkened as the black energy was enveloping him.

With Ned incapacitated, all he could do was to try for his companion. "ICE," he cried once more. Chains pulling him away from the Core.

Ned was helpless, as always he was. He couldn't save even himself, instead, he needed ICE to do things for him. He can't finish the only quest he needed to save his Master. He lost people and friends. Now he was being devoured by the dragon he thought he once defeated. "Weak," Ned muttered. "With Kamma and Calahir's help, you're still weak, Ned!" He lowered his hands, free of any burden, free of everything. For once, he felt peace. "Do whatever you want," Ned said under his breath. Steam forming as he lowered his head.

"Lies," a voice so raspy, and old, Ned recognized the moment it rang in the space.

"Master?" Ned whispered, smoke drilling inside his mouth. The moment he forced himself to speak, the smoke puffed away. "Master! Where are you?!" He then lifted his head apart from his chin. The chains of black energy tightened as he tried to resist. "Master!"

"It's fine to fail, my child," Master Will said, voice echoing. "It is what makes you… human."

"Master…" said Ned. "It's fine to fail. It's fine to fail."

The Core in front of him shook, and Rassus's bony face formed within the smoke. First his head, then his eyes, then mouth, then nose. Ned paused, for a moment, he thought he saw himself in a mirror. The only difference was the black smoke as his hair, and eyes dark instead of blue, and a wickedly smile as Rassus looked at Ned.

"I've given you power," he said, voice was the same as Ned, sharp and no-nonsense. "Yet you resist. Now, I'll show you what I am capable of."

"No," Ned said, "I don't need you and your power," Ned exclaimed, looking at his reflection. He then muttered, "ICE, I know you're there. If so, let's show him what I am capable of. Overclock."

Inside the space, Ned's figure turned burning red as the smoke of white mist exudes out his body. The chains that coiling him started to melt like plastic. First his arms, then his thighs. Ned broke free. He then reached for his image and grasped him with his hands. Muscles hissed of steam, expanded, and crashed his head.

"Did you think I'll let you go just like that?" Rassus said behind Ned.

Ned spun but darkness all he saw.

"How long will you last without my power?" Rassus said once again behind Ned. Ned twisted with his elbow in advance and hit nothing but air.

"I don't need you," Ned said, walking at the crystal core. The black smoke started to thin. "Or your power." Ned then punched the Core.

The crystal Core vibrated and buzzed with Ned's fist sticking to it. Black smoke then jumped away from the Core and wrapped Ned. Enveloping his existence.

Outside, Ned struggled to hold his mind. He twisted above the tree, with the only branch as his footing.

The black energy around him protested Ned as Rassus tried to gain his control back. It burst, expanding, and pulled again toward Ned. Ned was like a mass of black energy ready to explode. He fell on his knees. Ned struggled like a madman as he pulled threads of black energy coiling him. Head throbbing of pain as if pounded by a sledgehammer, put the pieces back together and pound it again.

"No!" Ned cried and fell off the branch along with his Butterfly.

Baso jumped hearing a chilling roar. He spun around only to see Ned rolling from his right, the sword evaporated of black mist and clanked against stone as it was back again to its half-broken piece.

"Ned?" Baso said. He wiped the tears with his shoulder and squinted his eyes, making sure what he was seeing was the real Ned. "Ned! By the Maker! What are you!"

"Behind you!" Ned yelled as he tried to force himself to break from Rassus's control. Ned sensed that the parasite was about to launch at Baso, he grabbed the Butterfly and threw it. Just in time for the parasite to stick behind Baso. The broken Butterfly hit in midair and fell twitching.

Moloatiss murmured as blood and saliva drooled between his tiny teeth. He struggled by wiggling but Sujiro's binding was too much for him. He yelled instead, trying to inform his beasts that he was being captured, he hoped someone could hear him. None appeared.

Ned struggled to regain his consciousness, he stood with hands supporting him against a tree. "No you won't," He said, shaking his head. "I killed you once." He hissed. "What m—ah!" Black energy sipped to his wound. Blood fountained, and Ned fell once again.

'You might be precious to me, Ned,' Rassus's voice roared that only Ned could hear. 'But what made you think I couldn't hurt you."

Ned rolled as the pain traveled his body from the wound. The black energy coiled around Ned's waist and drilled itself inside Ned's wound.

Ned almost lost consciousness. He gritted his teeth and smiled. "You're an idiot for a thousand-year-old dragon. You've got nothing inside your head but air." Ned stood with his legs wobbling. He was determined, he needed to stop Rassus. Ned won't take any chances even if Rassus was in a weakened state. He needed to stop him, else the event in O'rriadt will repeat itself.