43 Darkness Descends (2/2)

She knew he was going to try to appeal to Jake's humanity to try and call off the battle. She knew it was pointless. What he was trying to save was a bunch of corpses, she should know. Most of those they were about to fight had lost their lives by her hand.

Maya had known for a while that the ones who lost their lives by darkness were reanimated by the chaos that had ended them. Fortunately and unfortunately none of them were like her.

The chaos that entered their bodies only animated them, it moved their limbs in the absence of a soul.

When Maya learned how Jake was amassing an army, she tried burning the corpses to ash. It was only when she returned to Jake that she realized that was futile. The ones she burned would be restored to fight for him.

She stared out at the crimson and gold aura of her savior with a look of pity. He didn't know that what he was asking for was pointless. No matter what you do, you can't return a soul to its body She thought helplessly.

As she looked at will in the distance, she knew something was off. His aura is different.

”Something's wrong.” she heard Leo say as she noticed he was watching just as intently as her. ”His aura turned black.” he said as he narrowed his eyes. ”What the hell's happening over there?”

Without a second thought, Maya started racing over to Will and Jake. ”Please don't let me be right!” She called out to no one as she flew.

Will slashed his scythe-arm in a downward arch lazily. Jake brought his sword up to counter until he noticed Will wasn't aiming for him. It seemed as if he wasn't aiming at anyone in particular.

”Don't tell me you've finally lost it-” he was cut off abruptly by a sharp wind that flew past him. He quickly turned to his army to see a slash of pure wind tethered in darkness heading straight for them.

Before Jake could think a single thought to save them, a third of his army was reduced to nothing. In their place was a large crater which sparked with darkness.

”You've got to be kidding me.” he said as he turned back to Will. Before Jake could react, Will's arm had begun to morph.

The scythe blade had bent straight forward while the pole retracted down his arm. Within seconds will was holding a dark sword and closing the distance between them.

Jake barely had time to raise his own sword before a shockwave shook the ground as the blades met. ”That's what I'm talking about little bro, keep it coming!” Jake said as Will slashed blow after blow at him.

Maya finally closed the distance when she saw the dark veins protruding from Will's arm. Looking at the blade, she saw something under a tendril of darkness. I'm not too late, she thought with a sigh of relief. Under the tendril was a ruby tainted in darkness.

”Will come back!” She screamed at him. ”He's been expecting this from the beginning!”

”Shut up slave!” Jake snarled at Maya. ”Why don't you be a good little girl and go kill those kids like I ordered you to do!” his voice was feral as he met each one of Will's blows.

Maya didn't move as she watch Will for only a moment before she launched herself into battle, just not the one Jake had wanted.

Grabbing Will from behind, Maya clung to his back. ”Will please come back, everyone needs you!” She screamed in his ear, he didn't show any signs of slowing. ”Please Will,” she whimpered while he readied himself for another attack. His sword raised once more to meet Jake. ”I need you.” she said as a tear rolled from her eyes.

Will shrugged her off and went once more to Jake, their blades met once, twice, the shockwaves sent shudders below.

”Please Will I need you.” Maya said even though she knew he couldn't hear her. ”Come back Will.” she choked through her tears.

The kind hearted man that had saved her from those who would have raped her and sold her. The one who stayed with her and trained for the sake of protecting her. The man who had spent endless hours telling her of his world. The man who she gave her life for was slowly slipping away into chaos. The same chaos she had endured. A pitch black void of which had no exit. Her William was about to disappear forever.

”Please Will, don't do this to me, I just got you back.” she sobbed as she continued watching him.

”Will.” his bright hazel eyes flashed in her mind.

”Will.” his half smile that charmed her so many times before came to her.”

”Will.” the inferno of crimson flame the moment she met him came to her.

She was going to lose everything that was special about this one important person in her life. The last person she held dear to her. Please no, she thought frantically. I would rather die! Her last frantic thought before she launched herself between them as Will raised his sword.

”WILLIAM!” The sword met her and would have cleaved her in half had she not poured every last emotion she felt for him into that one word she screamed. All of her love poured from her as the gold stars from her aura cast towards him like a net. ”COME BACK TO ME!” She cried out, her tears joined the gold specks and traveled to him. His sword stopped half way.

Maya wasted no time and flung herself into him. ”Please come back to me.” she whimpered as she held him in her arms. ”I can't do this without you, I absolutely refuse.”

The half raised sword dropped to Will's side. The once dead eyes now light with tears pouring into them. ”I-I don't know if I can do this Maya.” tears fell from his eyes as he allowed her to hold him. ”What he did to you I-” Maya cut him off with a finger on his lips.

She dug her face into his chest and tried hard to stifle the sobs coming freely from her. ”I don't care about that Will, I would go through it again before allowing you to go through the same thing.”

Will's arm slowly returned to normal as some of the gold specks covered it like a blanket. Maya placed a hand gently on the black veined now weaponless hand.

”What he did to you was my fault.” Will said before she could say anything else. ”If I had only fought harder, if I had broken you from those chains, you wouldn't have had to go through that.”

”Will look at me.” she put a finger under his chin to make his eyes meet hers. ”I'm here right now, I'm with you and I'm not going anywhere.”

Will looked at her for a good moment before the last black vein disappeared. The moment it was gone, his black aura disappeared.

Maya began to relax slightly until Will closed his eyes. The look of relief she felt was replaced with a frantic fear as his body fell to the earth.

”Good job slave!” Maya heard Jake say, only it felt as though she were hearing his voice through a tunnel. It felt as if her senses were falling with the man she had grown to love. She barely felt the the hand that struck her. Before she blacked out, she heard a bone chilling laugh.

”You just did all the work for me!” Jake said between laughs as the two lead bodies of the main attack squad fell to the ground.

As Maya lay unconscious on the ground opposite Will, Jake dropped from the sky near his old friend and knelt next to him. ”This may hurt a little.” he said with a look of sadness and revulsion to what he had to do. ”I really am sorry about this bro, but I really have no choice.” he returned his sword to his own cross shaped pendant and with a quick thrust jammed it into Will's chest.