2. Rubeus- Survival of the strongest
Panic struck the young warrior as he made his way through out the large prison planet of Nemesis, off in the farthest reaches of the solar system. The absence of light made it hard to see, and he often blinked the sweat away from his red eyes as he continued to run in a world of black and gray. There was no sunrise here, and the dark embrace of the dead forest was like a refuge. The smell of death and decay lingered in the air, and the trees casted sinister shadows which often played tricks on the eye. With each cool breeze upon his flesh he could hear disturbing whispers calling out to them. It was as if the forces of the most evil had set up shop here.
Rubeus found himself sweeping his gaze across the terrain as he ran, searching for a metal or any item that could serve as a weapon. He would find nothing, though, as the rogue planet was of limited resources. In the ever present sense, inescapable dread filled his heart, the beat uncontrollable and his stomach felt like it were doing somersaults. He fought hard to calm himself, inhaling air that was hard to breath. He felt breath on the back of his neck and spun around. There was nothing to be found. The sound of a spirit entered his mind.
Empty yourself of all your thoughts, all your feelings, all your worries-
He was completely isolated, and for a moment he felt frightened, an emotion he had not felt in what seemed an eternity. He needed protection. A sudden thought popped up into his head.
Is this part of some test?
He was almost convinced. It was a way to eliminate those too weak. He shook his head and kept moving, he would need to solve this mystery later. The quelching sound of steps was heard, and his pace increased. Whoever was following him was on the move, too. He found himself seeing figures lurking in every shadow, which turned out to be tree stumps and rocks when he looked closer.
His cold eyes darted around. It was safer to run, as a moving target was harder to hit, but with the unlimited darkness that surrounded him, his senses of security were evaporated. He was unsure at this point how long he had been running, but it was as if he were moving in an endless void. Rubeus was unaware that he had been surviving directly off of dark energy the past three days.
All that is left is yourself, the self that you know, the same voice returned.
Distracted, he fell once, rising shakily from his feet. He then fell once more. He forgot to scrape his boots on the soil, thus leaving a track behind. Rubeus came upon a series of rocks and began to climb them. He crawled behind once and then peered over the edge, hoping to catch glimpse of whoever was following him. A small beacon of light appeared, and he looked again with increasing desperation. A single aura radiated, illuminating the black mass of the forest.
His first instinct was to keep running, but he went against the command and held his position. Moments later, something else appeared. The aura flickered in a dark blue, and then transformed in an entity covered in shadows. The spirit had taken form, and there was an overwhelming sense of evil within it.
All that is required is focused concentration, and a bit of patience. Feel the warmth of the dark energy. Someone else is here, you know who it is.
Rubeus’ features became stoic, his eyes unreadable. His fists tightened. There were screams as he surged to his feet to face the challenge. The shadow’s eyes met his, and began to approach. The young warrior used his discipline to calm his thoughts, relaxing his body and drawing air into his lungs. His hand came up from his sides and closed together. His eyes closed as acceleration of his target increased.
In that instant a black crescent moon then appeared on his forehead.
A spark dark energy flashed within his palms, and he unleashed the new profound power at the opponent. The shadow was engulfed by a ray of dark energy similar to it’s own, and instantly perished. The voice of the spirit started to speak to him, but the words were cut off by a laugh high and shrill. His confidence was reassured now, and could feel a new calling here on Nemesis. The dark energy he felt was an amazing source of inspiration.
Lost in time he continued the journey, the large building in the near distance becoming his destination. It felt natural, as if being pulled by gravity towards it. The final steps were up a large hill, and as he drew near, he saw a group of others awaiting his arrival. Each had a black crescent moon upon their foreheads just as his own. While a feeling of relief and satisfaction overcame him from passing the test, he was also irritated to not have finished first. There was one with dark blue hair and eyes to match, and then a woman with green hair in a sleeveless black dress. The way she carried herself and looked at him annoyed the crimson haired warrior. Last was the tallest of the three, his hair white as snow. Rubeus detected a sense of superiority in this one, and was approached.
A formal greeting was offered and he took the man’s hand. His hand was squeezed, almost painful.
“Demande,”
“Rubeus,”
“Tell me, do you wish to return to the other side,”
“No, never,”
Their conversation was briefly interrupted as a group of four sisters approached. He looked over his shoulder and studied them. His gaze fell over the one with purple hair and eyes. Koan grinned and stuck out her tongue, and Rubeus responded with a smirk. All of them began to began to talk amongst each other until the Wiseman appeared before them. He was hooded in a dark purple and black cloak. He was the only one who disturbed Rubeus, for the way he spoke was haunting. All of their heads turned in sync to their new leader and listened intently.
“Very well, you have all passed the test. Let us began our course for the destruction of Crystal Tokyo,”
___________________________ Avi by Batgirl

JoJiaMystie's twin
