Chapter Twenty-one: Wrath of the Puppet Master

When Saturday came Ethan and Marry entered the grand tournament together. The portal on floor 99 took them to an expansive rocky mounts type of area. It was also filled with massive skeletons from enormous creatures, easily three times the size of a large elephant. The creature’s skeletons were long and wide and their spine resembled something strangely familiar to Ethan, but he couldn’t quite figure out why.

He had little time to try and understand why the skeletons were so familiar to him because Marry was literally flying him way up into the sky on her broom stick. Ethan had to hold on tight to her waste to keep from flying off with how fast she was going. When they got to a nice perch on the mountains she brought them down. They had a wonderful view of the mountains and scenery around them. The place was very beautiful despite being nothing but rocks and skeletons of large beasts.

Ethan could see the starting area from far away but only just. “What are we doing here?” Ethan asked.

“Keep your eyes on that starting area.” Marry said. “I’m going to show you why your father is so well known around here.”

Ethan sighed but did as she told him. He couldn’t see anyone and only knew the battle had begun when a massive red dragon with a muscular red skinned body and furious look on its face suddenly appeared as if it was already there. That’s when Ethan realized the skeletons around the mountain were those of dragons. Most of the dragon skeletons though walked on four legs and had a wider body, but this enormous red dragon stood on two legs and had a powerful body.

Marry whistled loudly and said, “He’s not messing around this time. Something must have your father really angry. I hope the fight doesn’t get aimed over here cause we’re screwed then.”

David walked through the portal that would take him to the grand tournament. When he got into the starting area of the rocky mountains he summoned up the red dragon. He knew who he was looking for would be waiting for him here like he always did. This time David would end this match in one blow and remind that bastard why he should fear him.

David hovered in the air above his dragon and folded his arms waiting for the man to show up. When the match finally started the man was not alone this time, he had brought several friends with him. David recognized them all, the twin girls who could manipulate shadows. The Diablo: a red haired man who could transform into a gigantic devil.

Then there was a woman with blue hair with a white futuristic armor covering all but her head. She wielded twin blades of blue and red that could emit fire or ice from them at her will. As well as a raven haired man in a dark green robe with black symbols of something unknown all over it; the Magus he was called. And finally, the man with grey hair, a purple suit and a wolfish smile. These were some of the strongest phantoms in the entire mansion.

Leo Alaster looked up at David and smiled at him with his infamous wolfish smile. In response David’s dragon Nairen opened its mouth shooting a blast of flames down at everyone. The rocks melted into lava beneath the heat of the flames and everyone, except the shadow twins, was able to dodge the attack in time.

The Diablo transformed into his devil form, which was only half the size of Nairen, and tried shooting his own flames aimed at David. Nairen merely raised his left wing to cover David. After the flames stopped Nairen grabbed The Diablo by both his arms raising him up to his eye level then roared at him and pulled his arms out. The Diablo fell to the ground screaming in agony; Nairen stomped on him and ended it.

The next attack came from David’s back and caught him by surprise. Twin fire and ice waves circled around each other ramming into David’s back as he was thrown forward through the air. David quickly recovered himself then turned around, throwing a small hand sized spear shaped weapon at the blue haired girl. The small weapon moved so fast the girl had absolutely no time to react as it pierced her skull and she fell to the ground dead.

David started looking around for Leo now, but found no sign of him, when he was hit by a small blast of energy from behind. The blast pushed him forward but did little more. He looked behind him but saw no one. Then several more blasts from nowhere raced up all around him.

David was bombarded with dozens of small green blasts of energy. The blasts threw David around but still he remained hovering in the air. He snarled then Nairen disappeared in a puff of smoke and was instantly replaced with a large blue bird that had blue frost emitting from its entire body.

The bird flew up into the sky then rapidly flapped its wings aimed downwards as it summoned hundreds of ice lances. The ice lances covered an expansive area of the rocky field and penetrated the ground halfway through. In moments one of the ice lances started rising back out of the ground attached with the raven haired magus. The ice lance penetrated the magus stomach and as he pulled it out David’s frost bird opened its mouth and shot out a beam of ice at him.

The magus had little time to react, as he quickly summoned a small barrier in front of him to block the ice beam. Within moments he was overwhelmed by the bird’s power and its beam shattered his barrier and covered him with thick ice. David starred at the magus who was frozen in ice when a blast of purple bluish energy smashed it into tiny pieces.

David looked over to where the blast had originated from and saw Leo applauding him. When David came down to ground level Leo whistled and shouted across to him, “Incredible, you know I actually thought they would last longer than that but once again you manage to impress me.”

“You know if you actually helped them then they would have been more to me than just a nuisance.” David shouted back to Leo.

Leo smirked then started walking towards David. David made absolutely no move and just waited as Nairen, who was behind Leo, opened its mouth and prepared to shoot flames at him. Leo quickly turned around and threw his right hand out aimed at the Red dragon. A massive ball of purple and blue energy raced towards Nairen and nailed him in the chest before he could finish his attack.

Nairen was sent flying far back into a nearby mountain. When he hit the mountain the entire area rumbled. As Nairen got back to his feet chunks of the mountain crumbled down into a landslide. Nairen roared then flapped his wings taking flight and soared straight for Leo.

Leo prepared himself for the dragon, grinning as it raced towards him in rage. Leo was oblivious as a wide horned beast, which resembles a fusion of a hammerhead shark and rhinoceros, charged after him from behind. The monster smashed into Leo’s dark shield that appeared when it was struck. Leo was protected by his shield but he was still shot high up into the air.

Leo cursed quickly to himself as he tried to orientate himself but it was already too late. Nairen was in range of his fire as he shot out a massive ball of it at Leo. The fireball surrounded Leo and his dark barrier as it threw him far back and higher into the air. The barrier still held fast but when the fire was cleared Nairen was upon him.

Nairen smashed his hands together trying to crush Leo in his palms. The barrier held, but now had visible cracks around it. Nairen lifted his head, keeping his eyes on Leo, and opened his mouth summoning the fire brewing deep inside his belly. Leo started laughing like a mad man and shouted, “You will join me David, and it won’t be long now. But I should tell you I won’t be in nay tournaments for a while since I have other matters to attend to.”

Nairen pulled his head down again his mouth opened wide aiming at Leo. Blazing red flames burst forth from in him utterly overwhelming Leo and leaving no trace of him, not even ashes left behind.

Ethan watched the entire fight from afar and as it ended he simply didn’t know how to feel. He was too far away to make out much details but he could tell that his father’s monsters were simply devastating. “I know you can’t really see from far away but I was able to make out those people he was fighting based on their attacks.” Marry said.

“Including your father all of those people are among the top ten phantoms in every tournament. On my own I might be extremely lucky to beat just one of them, they are no pushovers. And your father took them all out in a matter of minutes. The scariest thing of all is that he has several more beasts that he controls and can summon to the battle.

“I have seen him take on an army of phantoms with twelve beasts summoned at once. I’m not sure why there was an army of phantoms after him, that’s something that I have never heard of before happening, but the fact is he managed to beat them all. Another thing is that red dragon of his, it isn’t his most powerful monster he has. It’s strong alright but he has another one that’s of terrifying proportions. I hear he acquired it in the master’s tournament.”

“Marry, why are you showing me all of this?” Ethan asked.

“Because, I see so much untapped potential inside of you,” Marry said. “You are a member of the Alaster family, a family known for their power, and if you’re anything like your father than you can be so much greater than what you are now.”

“I am nothing like that man down there!” Ethan shouted as he pointed down the mountains towards his father.

Ethan shook his head than said, “I’ll see you later.” Then he turned around and leapt off the mountain edge to his death. When he returned to the mansion he immediately pulled out his amber crystal and teleported to floor one then left the mansion.

He was back in his old neighborhood, but this time he went a different direction then going down his street. He just wandered around his town until things started getting dark outside. When he was ready to return to the mansion it was gone.

Ethan remembered what this meant from the night at the movies. He turned himself invisible and started running. He went no direction in particular and just ran.

It wasn’t long before a pinkish red eyed wyvern type of creature landed with force in front of him. Ethan leaped back away from the creature as it shrieked at him. The creature then charged him and Ethan dived out of the way, rolling when he hit the ground.

Ethan quickly got to his feet and faced the creature. Pulling out his knives he wondered how the creature found him when he was invisible. His thoughts were cut short when it charged at him again.

Before the creature got too close though, a blast of dark energy crashed into its side sending it skidding across the ground. The creature had no time to recover as four more blasts followed. The blasts were loud and tore apart the ground as they destroyed the creature.

Ethan looked up from where the blasts originated from and saw Leo hovering slowly to the ground. “Those things can track you by your sent as well so you need more than simple invisibility on them,” Leo said. “Are you alright Ethan?”

Ethan put away his knives and said, “Yes thank you very much. But if you don’t mind me asking how did you know I was in trouble?”

Leo grinned and said, “Well I followed you actually. I wanted to talk to you since I hadn’t heard from you in months, but you looked distressed so I decided to wait until you cooled off before approaching you. Then the creature showed up you turned invisible and I followed it to make sure it wouldn’t hurt you.”

“I… thanks. Look I am really sorry to do this right after you just saved me and all but now isn’t a good time to talk.”

Leo nodded then asked, “You still have my room key yes?”

“Yeah I put it in my room for safe keeping.”

“Good, you can come to me when you’re ready; I shall be in my room all this week so just come on by. Until we meet again,” Leo then disappeared in a shroud of darkness.

When Leo was gone Ethan looked for the mansion and found it behind him once more. As he walked up its steps a voice behind him called out, “I’ve been to see her.”

Ethan stopped at the top of the steps clenching his fists in anger. It was his father.

“I didn’t want to believe it when I saw you in the tournament; but here you are. She’s all alone now I’m afraid.” David put a hand on Ethan’s shoulder.

Ethan smacked the hand away as he turned around, grabbed his father by his shirt and slammed him against the wall. “She’s alone because of you!” Ethan said in rage.

David’s face turned from sorrow to anger in a flash. “You think I wanted to leave you two!?” He shouted.

“I think that’s exactly what you wanted when you killed yourself!” Ethan shouted back.

David grabbed Ethan by the shirt now and then threw him off him and straight to the ground. “Ignorant child,” He shouted! “Do you truly believe that I would kill myself, and for what this mansion, to be a famous ghost in the afterlife? Everything I have tried to do since coming here is to find a way to be with you guys again.”

David then pulled out a key from his pocket and tossed it to Ethan as he got to his feet. The key rattled on the ground as Ethan made no attempt to catch it. “When you’re ready to grow up and learn the truth about things go to room nine on the ninety-ninth floor. Our deaths were not our own doing, you think you died in a car accident but I’ll tell you now that it was planned.”

“You really have lost your mind haven’t you?”

David said no more he just opened the mansion door and walked inside slamming the door behind him. Ethan Picked up the key from the floor and raised his arm and went to throw it, but found he was unable to let go of it. Ethan looked at the key started breathing heavily then slammed his fist against the wall as hard as he could. He slammed his fist against the wall a few more times as tears started streaming down his face.

Ethan wiped his tears away then went into the mansion and teleported to floor 90 then returned to his room. He put his father’s room key next to Leos then changed clothes and went straight to Marry’s to train.