Of Good & Evil

XV. The Crimson Phoenix

As they all filed into the dome, they noticed this one did not have a door on the adjacent side. This was the last room on this branch of the compound. In the center of the room, a golden crest bearing the symbol of the Golden Specter guild was encased in the floor.

Toward the back of the room, at the top of a staircase leading toward the back of the room, in the center of a large platform, was a throne. The throne was large, white marble, and immaculate with golden accents throughout the many details etched into the front and sides.

Sitting in it was a cloaked figure, draped in dark red with black glyphs encircling the wrists, hood, and waist of his cloak. The figure's hood was up, hiding the face completely, but they were able to see his eyes. They were faintly glowing red and followed the group as they entered the room and approached the throne. The scene was ominous, leaving everyone in the group feeling uneasy.

They walked forward, leaning on one another, and moving slowly, stopping in the center of the room and waiting for a response of some kind. The cloaked figure stood from the throne and pulled the hood back, revealing a man with black hair and red eyes. He stood and stared at the uninvited guests for a moment, his face blank.

He shed his cloak as he stepped away from the throne, revealing a red uniform resembling something seen in the military except the shoulders, wrists, and shins were protected large plates composed of a metal material of some kind. His muscles were outlined against the uniform, as it appeared tailored to him, a red cape trailing behind him.

As he walked down the stairs toward the center of the group, he said, "Most impressive. I never expected I would have to fight any guild members from Phantom Diamonds."

Time could feel the immense power pulsing through the air. He thought that this was way different than the others they had fought so far. This one was in a league all his own.

The man stopped at the edge of the stairs and said, "I am Lord Nero, the master of this guild and named Crimson Phoenix."

Time looked to the other members in the group, seeing they were feeling the same thing he was feeling. Hardy was breathing faster than he was before, Scopes had taken a step backward when Nero reached the bottom of the stairs, and Xenon was visibly shaking.

"Unfortunately," Nero said, a smile forming on his face, "None of you are necessary in my plans. That makes you expendable."

A palpable tension overtook the air, as the temperature seemed to be rising rapidly from where it was before. Nero's eyes began to glow more brightly. Xenon continued to shake more and more noticeably, almost violently.

Nero looked to Xenon and said, "My boy, there's no need to be frightened. This will be over quickly."

"You've got it all wrong," Xenon said with a smirk, dark red streaks appearing beneath his eyes, "I'm trembling because I'm excited."

Without warning, Xenon and Hardy leapt forward toward Nero. Xenon was disappearing and reappearing as he used his speed to throw flurry after flurry of punches and kicks at Nero. Meanwhile, Hardy swung punches with massive energy behind them at the target, attempting to utilize Xenon's speed advantage to catch Nero off guard. Nero was able to dodge them all effortlessly.

After continuing for a few minutes, Xenon and Hardy jumped back, returning to the group without any success.

"I hope you're capable of something more than that, boys," Nero said with a smirk, "Surely my guild was enough to at least warm you up."

Xenon rushed forward, disappearing from view and reappearing behind Nero and placing his palm on his back. A circle of red glyphs quickly appeared around the two of them. He placed the other hand on top of that one and set off the attack. The glyphs exploded violently. More violently than any time he had used that power before.