Darkness Unleashed

In the time Katrina has supposedly tried to take more responsibility, she's simply fallen back into her father's words. She couldn't be around those who weren't human, and as much as she listened to the truth that are the high class types that she'd listen to on a consistent basis, she continued to be around them simply to keep the connections.

Connections that are somehow necessary as part of the most powerful family in all of the Zeleonian humans. They should be the ones bowing for her connection, not the other way around. The only connections she ever needed to be humbled with are those of other species. But she is too clouded by her father's desires, because of this, she's back to her old ways once again. Back to treating Leon like a so-called 'peasant and commoner' again.

"Is that so, Leon...Robinson? You're six feet under, bruised and battered beyond belief, and you say I'm going to pay?" Katrina laughed. "And for what? A name? Your real name. The other half of your family refused to let your name be changed as a reminder, a reminder that he was your father. A reminder...of that night."

"Stop calling me by that name!" Leon looked up at her with Silva in hand, lightning sparking around him as he zapped himself in close, slashing with the powerful blade without a care of the damage done.

She barely took the hit with her power strengthening herself and working as a shield. But a sudden jolt movement behind her with a powerful kick moving at the speed of a lightning strike, knocked her into what was supposed to be his 'grave'.

Katrina's eyes showed fear while Leon's inner demon was freed once again by her urging. "Leon..you don't have to do anything brash ok..? You don't want to get disqualified do you?!" She said frantically.

Leon didn't respond with words, he used the Earth element and an earthy fist rose out of the ground and punched her in the air.

She smiled like she'd just won, as she caught herself and floated around with her telekinesis.

"Hmph.." Leon just let out a noise before dropping a lightning strike that made her screech and fall back to the earth.

Atticus stood to his feet before Serena sat him back down forcefully with her own telekinesis. "She reaps what she sows. This is something she started and that you started as well. Don't get upset over an outcome you hoped for." She stated clearly in a cold tone.

"If he gets out of hand, Courtney will stop him."

"Counting on a vampire…" He scoffed at her.

"Funny. You brought her up when it came to Xaverans, I guess in that way she's more of a pawn right?" Serena retorted with venom in her voice. "She'll hold him."

Katrina was in a daze as she saw Leon stand over her. His eyes were devoid of humanity, making Katrina move back without taking an eye off him. "Stay back commoner!"

She fired a telekinetic blast that threw him back, her confidence grew again as she sent him back again and again and again. He ended back into the wall once again, making a clear outline as he peeled himself out.

Silva had a frigid chill around it meaning the ice element was active; a whole group of icicles was fired at her. She created a shield and blocked it, as he fired off two more waves, the second wave cracked the shield, the third completely shattered it, with two of them taking off her shoulder plates, leaving her upper half with just chainmail.

"Huh..he...didn't kill me. I honestly thought I was dead, is he still conscious? I'm barely getting anything from his head."

There was a concern growing from the trio. Courtney hasn't heard Leon speak since his last outburst. The worst part for her was she never knew. "Leon...please….be ok."

Maeva and Robin could only watch and hope something improves.

Leon still walked like a person on a mission, slow and methodical. He was caught in his own head, he had a consciousness, but he had been caught in all the negativity that spurred through his mind. Still he pressed on.

He fired a powerful cyclone at Katrina blowing her back into the wall behind her. With an aggressive grunt lightning flashed and he was on top of her faster than a heartbeat, bashing her into the wall further. He gripped her afterwards by the throat, dragging her across the wall slowly.

"Your...name is Atkins...ok. Stop scaring everyone." Katrina said weakly as Leon looked at her, and simply kept walking.

"Let go of me!" She exclaimed. She made him forcibly release her with her telekinesis. "What is wrong with you right now? Snap out of it so I can beat the real you! I want the Atkins blood that gets annoyed, frustrated and boils so hot that it makes things interesting. Even if you are misguided!!!"

He didn't respond, instead he gripped her throat even more tightly than before. Katrina couldn't see the light in his eyes anymore, just empty voids of inky blackness staring at her as he took away her oxygen.

In a moment's notice, Courtney was behind Leon and forcibly peeled him off of Katrina, making her fall to her knees softly gasping.

She kept a tight grip on him, keeping him from squirming. "Stop it. Whatever is going through your head, you need to fight it. You're on the verge of becoming Guardian and these are your actions? I'm disappointed in you Leon ATKINS. A name has no power over you, only you do! NOW WAKE UP!"

The heated passion in her words struck a chord within him, he suddenly began looking around frantically like he'd been in a deep slumber.

"Where the fuck am I? Did I just have a mental break?! Also my body really hurts. Like...a lot. I might pass out. But I can't listen to my body right now. By the looks of things I must've mopped the floor with her in my….brief hiatus?"

"Welcome back Leon." Courtney's inexplicably warm embrace was suddenly felt by him, as a pair of leering eyes stared at them both.

"You come to your senses you psychopath?"

"I…had a mental break didn't I? Fuck..that's really embarrassing…."

Courtney let him go and lightly patted his back. "All that matters is that you returned to your senses. Now, win this the proper way."

She leaped back into the audience, leaving Katrina and Leon standing off from each other.

"Are you ready to continue now? Or is your mind permanently scrambled?"

"My mind is clear now, thank you."

"Good now I can put you down like the commoner you are!"

"Trust me when I say, you've already lost."

A defined rumble could be heard underneath the ground. "Huh? Is he planning to attack from below….but where...wait even he doesn't know where, he can't see!" The movement stopped, before a powerful geyser of water blasted from below hitting her face directly as it lifted her up 30 feet in the air.

Katrina quickly lifted herself away as she coughed, having swallowed a good amount of water.

Leon climbed out of the ground, looking at Katrina in her drenched state. "Need a bit of warming up?" He said jokingly as he launched a stream of fire at her, which she was forced to block with her power.

"Are you trying to kill me?!"

Leon didn't respond and opted to run around her and shoot fireballs from each direction testing something that'd been on his mind. She blocked all four but without a shield, had to do it individually.

"You can only handle a target at a time." Leon stated.

The realization actually made her get a bit defensive in her stance. Leon smiled at seeing this. He drew his broadsword in his off hand, as he charged at her firing yet another stream of flame at her while getting in close.

At the last minute he sparks lightning around himself and ends up behind her, using his massive swing with the broadsword, he smashes her leg armor. The armor dented directly into her flesh, leaving it gouged open as she began to bleed.

Her leg buckled as she fell to the ground, she used her power on herself to lift herself from Leon to the opposite side of the arena. "It's broken!!! I can't let him figure it out, and I won't let anyone forfeit for me. I just need to readjust it."

Katrina bit her lip as she attempted to reset the broken fibula in her leg. The break wasn't clean, making it impossible to set without medical attention.

Before she knew it Leon was near already, she forced herself to stand. But the only way she could is using her power to strengthen her body.

Leon noticed her floating off the ground a bit, he wondered if that shot might've done serious damage but there's no way she'd ever say.

Katrina with her back against the wall, did the only thing she could do, and lifted Leon up high into the air. By the time she stopped they were almost above the ceiling of the coliseum. "Just stay down this time Leon!!!!!"

Katrina dropped him after she yelled at him, Leon was in a complete free fall, but was far from in danger. The wind element carried him above Katrina before blasting her with a high force tornado like wind, knocking her downwards.

"Katrina. It's over for you. Fusion element!! CAT FIVE HYDROCANE!!!"

An immense torrent of water rained down with the help of high speed winds turning it into a corkscrew. Being in the air didn't help, Katrina got pulled into the attack and quickly went back down to earth being pounded into the ground by the sheer pressure and power.

Afterwards, Leon made his way back down and looked at Katrina who was buried several feet into the earth. She was unconscious, Leon waved and yelled. "SHE'S OUT COLD!"

The audience was silent from the events that just transpired, so his voice carried through the whole coliseum. The announcer stepped out nervously. He didn't want to make the call. But, like he's done the entire time, he still managed it.

"The new crowned Guardian and winner of the Tournament is, Leon Atkins!!!!!!"

He helped Katrina up, and when he did, she slipped into consciousness enough to speak. "I lost, didn't I…? Ugh...to a commoner like you no less. Still...I suppose it's punishment. Rather than making this a fun fight….I made it about myself. Just...do Zeleon well. And I want a rematch, someday…." She passed back out as Leon got her to the medical staff.

Atticus pounded the chair arm and got up in a huff. But, before he went away, Serena smiled to herself and spoke aloud.

"You tried so hard. You built this to defeat him. I'm glad you had the wherewithal to keep Oni and Ravlynn on one side of the bracket. Your desire could've led to one of them being Guardian too. But, Leon did what he's always been doing, overcoming every obstacle you throw."

As Atticus thought he'd heard the last of it, Charlotte appeared before him. But, she didn't say a word to him. She laughed at him in an almost maniacal fashion.

The crowd eventually started clapping, and finally giving Leon his due. Courtney came flying down the steps and hopped the barrier, hugging him tightly and excitedly.

"You did it! You're the Guardian Leon!!!!!!"

"Hey...relax I'm really...tired…" Leon passed out in her arms, the raw adrenaline that kept his body moving was gone.

She felt him go limp as he rested against her, she smiled softly and took him to the back. "You poor thing, I bet you're more exhausted than you let on."

-

Later in the evening, Leon eventually woke up and looked around frantically. "How...why am I in the hospital?!" He exclaimed, as he felt a sharp pain in his ribs that made him tighten his fist and growl in pain.

Katrina was in the bed over from him, bearing witness to his reactions. "Leon, don't. Don't make things worse for me. Losing to you is bad enough without that being your first reaction after passing out AFTER I did."

"Did you eat a lot of salt today? Cause it's pouring out of you right now." He retorted.

"Ha ha. Your Earth humor doesn't amuse me." She huffed as she crossed her arms.

"I don't think anything amuses you. I think you're just ice and stone. No fun, completely dull, and just...yeah, extra laaaaaaaaaaaame." Leon chuckled after his smartass response, making Katrina more frustrated.

Remoire entered the room, and Leon sat up and at attention.

"Finally. Can you give him anesthesia so he shuts up for a moment?" Katrina glared at him.

He completely ignored her, and spoke to Remoire. "What's up, Doc? How bad is the damage this time?"

Remoire looked between the both of them and adjusted her glasses.

"Firstly, no I'm not knocking him out for your own pleasure Katrina, while you may be the Princess, I am the Queen in this building. Secondly, you both suffered numerous broken bones. Leon you suffered a fractured collarbone, four broken ribs, several deep muscle contusions, a severe cut to the arm and a partial concussion. Hence why you passed out only after the fact. Katrina, you suffered a broken tibia, likely from that shot to the leg. Two broken ribs, a full concussion and some signs of internal bleeding, which have obviously been taken care of."

She shook her head. "You two must really not like each other. Out of all the matches...I hadn't had a concussion even except for Oni. But you both really and I mean really, fucked each other up." She said in her usual tone of voice.

"Did..she cuss just now?"

"Yeah, in my whole life I think she's only said damn in front of me maybe once."

"Wow, that's pretty awesome actually. I like Remoire, she's the best doctor I've ever had."

"Awesome?! She just told us that we fought like animals and cussed because and that's awesome to you?! What is wrong with you Leon, seriously!"

"Remoire." Leon said out loud.

She realized what she said out loud to her patients and almost got herself out of the room. "Yes Leon?"

"Don't be embarrassed for letting your feelings out. I feel better about cussing and not having to be so damned proper all the time." Leon said with a smile on his face.

"Thank you. I'll get a plan ready for you both soon. She said as she walked out of the room. "I might end up venting to him on occasion, being straight laced in this profession is so difficult…"

"I apologize to you, I never actually took the time to think about your trauma. That was excessively low, even to an Earth human like you…which I can't even joke about anymore. You're the new Guardian." She sighed with a look of disappointment written across her face.

"I fear myself for a reason. I almost killed my father that night, a fact that didn't really get national exposure. But, in the circles around my home, they look at me like I'm a murderer. A ten year old kid snapping and stabbing his own father 20 times is not a positive look. So, calling me a commoner or Earth human is almost a term of endearment." He looked away, sighing to himself.

"You actually did that? I thought it was a rumor?" She was surprised at first, but she refocused her mind. "I'm the last person you want to hear uplifting words from. But, if those rumors are true, it matters not to me. You're not a bad person, not intentionally. If there's an alleged 'monster' it'll reveal itself when you need to do what you have to. That's not a negative trait, rather, a necessary one as a Guardian."

"You're cheering me up now..? I must be feeling too sorry for myself. I'll do my best, and try not to die." He laughed softly, in spite of the pain he felt.

"You better, commoner."

"I'll do better than you ever could, spoon fed Princess."