The stone cavern was alight with a dark luminosity brought on by the fire burning in the center. The evil powers dancing within reflected off the walls where forgotten incantations had been carved by the most skilled hands… hands that had painstakingly performed the rituals forever given life upon the black rock, never to be performed by another. Those walls were smooth to the touch with exception to the carvings.

A short table made of charred oak and finished with a clear wax to make it shine sat against the north wall. On the northwest corner of the table sat a gold, jewel-encrusted goblet filled to the rim with red liquid. Beside the goblet was a small earthenware bowl almost overflowing with a silver colored liquid that exhumed a generous cinnamon scent. In the same corner with these two items sat a black beeswax candle whose wick had not been lit as of yet. Directly opposite was a white beeswax candle that stood in stark contrast to the rest of the table’s contents.

A large bowl of burning incense sat between the candles with the smoke rising into the air, giving off the sweet scent of opium. A crude stone pentacle sat close to the south edge of the table with what appeared to be a wand made of yew wood lying across it. In the northeast corner of the table was another incense bowl and a smaller ash bowl sitting next to it. Two thick pointed chunks of black quartz were sitting upright on the table on either side of the pentagram glowing purple in the firelight.

A six inch, black handled dagger lay close to the southeast corner of the table and a thick six foot staff made from the bark of an ancient oak lay across the back of the table. Lastly, a sword lay on the southwest corner of the table, shined and sharpened to perfection. Sitting between the large incense bowl and the pentagram was an exact replica of the maiden statue carved from the strongest marble. In its outstretched hands was a blue diamond that shone with the pure light of the Guardian Heart Crystal.

Hyakuhei surveyed the perfection of the spell’s setting with a hint of a wicked smile before slowly turning his attention back to the floor. Painted there in demon blood by long dead priests were three circles representing the three levels of the universe… past present and future of all alternate realities. The fire continued to burn in the center, the red, orange and white flames stretching up to the ceiling as though seeking freedom from their eternal confinement.

It had taken Hyakuhei many years to find one of the ancient ritual sites of their family’s ancestors. The magic and power stored within the walls of this place still hummed around him as though begging to be used. It would not have to wait any longer… he would give it what it wanted.

Hyakuhei closed his ruby red eyes and spread his arms wide as though waiting for the power to flow into him and make him stronger. However, the dark guardian knew it would not be that easy. Just finding such a place meant he was a step closer to his goal… gaining the crystal and bringing all of his desires to fruition.

Stepping into the center circle, Hyakuhei smiled evilly when the bright flames changed to black, casting everything into a purple glow. The white beeswax candle seemed to stand out while the rest of the cavern vanished into complete darkness. His eyes glowed with the knowledge that now pulsed within him. Just a few months ago a dragon, a very old one, had attacked him. After defeating and absorbing its power, Hyakuhei became intimate with the discovery of this place and what he needed in order to collect the remaining talisman of the crystal.

Stepping toward the white candle, his dark robes flowed out behind him while the black feathers of his wings shimmered enticingly; absorbing the light into a void that nothing could escape.

Reaching out with his left hand, he extended his index finger. A single flame appeared from the tip and caught the wick of the unseen black beeswax candle. The white candle lit simultaneously and the purple glow of the room vanished… the fire in the center returning to its normal brilliance.

It had been an ancient trap set by the priests to keep those without the knowledge out and to trap those that made it this far. Light the white candle and the cavern would turn into a deathtrap… light the black candle and the room’s secrets would reveal themselves. The ultimate trick was finding the black candle in a world filled with nothing but a white candle. Only a dark guardian would know the hand of deception.

Removing his robes, Hyakuhei stood shirtless before the altar. Letting the dark silks slip to the ground his ebony wings spread wide behind him as his guardian blood felt the shift of power tilt within the secret walls. Reaching forward deliberately, he took up the dagger and nicked his left thumb with it. Holding the wound over the goblet, he let three drops of blood fall into it before pulling back.

The liquid in the goblet started to swirl of its own accord in a clockwise motion. Out of the vortex that formed, a single black jewel rose up and hovered over the goblet.

Placing the dagger back on the table, Hyakuhei plucked the ebony jewel from the air and grabbed the sacred sword. Walking back to the innermost circle, he thrust the sword into the floor and blood welled up around the tip… pooling in place before racing across the markings, glowing with a dark unearthly light. The ancient writings on the wall began to glow, bringing them to life in stark contrast with the rest of the room.

Five ghostly cloaked figures appeared on the south end of the room and Hyakuhei watched them with disinterest. They glided across the floor taking up five key points around the circle. The phantoms suddenly sank back into the floor. The points they were standing at began to glow before connecting with one another creating a large pentagram over the centermost circle.

Hyakuhei smiled and approached the fire pit, tossing the black jewel into it. The flames died away before exploding in a blast of electric blue light. They roared a good ten feet into the air and Hyakuhei lifted his arm with his hand open. The staff and wand on the table rose and hovered before flying across the room, merging with one another before landing in Hyakuhei’s hand.

His fingers closed around the magical tool before bringing the butt of the staff down onto the floor. The fire’s intensity immediately lessened, bringing itself down to a more manageable blaze. Tilting the staff toward the fire, he placed the head of it in the flames and started to whirl it like one does a soup ladle. The fire submitted to his manipulations, swirling and writhing around the staff as if trying to grasp it and hold on. He faintly heard the voices of the ancients chanting in time with his work. The ancestral mantra was to be expected… Hyakuhei was far from worried.

“Come forth and embrace what you have been denied.” Hyakuhei spoke for the first time sounding much like a deliberate seduction. “Take what is offered and I will give you what you most desire.” A slight tug on the staff was all the answer Hyakuhei needed. He stopped stirring the flames and slowly withdrew the staff knowing she would follow.

From the licking flames of the blaze a delicate hand appeared, clutching the head of the staff as he removed it. A young woman with auburn hair and pain filled, anguished emerald eyes emerged into the room… skipping though time and reality. Her skin was very pale and she appeared to be malnourished. An almost ragged pink gown similar to that of the maiden hung from her bony shoulders.

‘Perfection.’ Hyakuhei hissed silently knowing the spell had reached into a world where only despair could be found.

“You? But how?” the girl asked in almost a melancholy way.

Hyakuhei smirked… even her voice was the same as Kyoko’s. “In your world everyone abandoned you… even Toya.”

The girl’s eyes hardened with bitterness and rage. “Toya… he was supposed to stay with me.” She hissed then frowned. “What are you doing here Hyakuhei? Toya defeated you and reassembled the crystal.”

Hyakuhei scoffed, “I have reached across the barriers of space and time to bring you here. You are no longer in your world but on a completely different plane of reality… a different universe if you will.” His black eyes hardened as they locked with hers and he added, “As you can see… I am far from defeated.”

She nodded as if she no longer cared, “I see. What do you want?”

“How would you like another chance to claim Toya?” Hyakuhei asked.

Her eyes brightened considerably but her expression remained the same cold and emotionless as it had been when she arrived.

“He did not stay… I have no say in claiming him. Now that the crystal is complete the guardians no longer need me. They have the power now and care not for humans. They betrayed me.” Angry tears hid somewhere deep within the cold words.

Hyakuhei closed his eyes, relishing her pain like the delicacy it was. “Yes, they tossed you aside once their objective was met and it left you unable to return to your world… such a pity.” He opened his dark penetrating eyes knowing the full circle of the spell was completing itself… the enslavement of the forsaken priestess.

“You want to make them pay… don’t you? You want to see them writhe in agony much like what they have done to you.” Hyakuhei stepped closer to her, his lips brushing against the shell of her ear. “I can give you that… I can help you take Toya for your own… away from the one that claims to be you… Kyoko.”

The girl frowned, “But my name isn’t Kyoko.”

“Do not be slow in the head girl,” Hyakuhei hissed. “The one that claims Toya now is your own counterpart in this realm. Take Toya away from her, help me retrieve the talisman of the crystal and I will reward you greatly… you will have the pleasure of making the guardian’s suffer.”

“And Toya will be mine… again?” she asked quietly.

“He will be yours in every way. All you have to do is vanquish the girl, Kyoko.” Hyakuhei inhaled the faint scent on her and knew she had been mated. He could smell the silver guardian’s claim on her. The Toya of her world had taken her innocence and it would only serve to draw him to her in this world. Toya would be fated to choose his mate over Kyoko… their blood bond would demand it.

The young woman turned her head to look Hyakuhei in the eyes and smirked. “And if I refuse?”

Hyakuhei’s eyes darkened with sadistic glee, “Then I will return you to your dimension with much more than a regret.” His hand came up and gently stroked her abdomen before digging his fingers in painfully making her gasp. “It has been a long time since I actually claimed the body of the crystal’s priestess.”

The two of them stared each other down for a few moments before the girl nodded in acquiescence. She did not want to be returned to a world where she was alone with only demons. If there were a chance she could once again be with her love… then she would fight for it.

Hyakuhei’s grip on her body suddenly became a soothing one and he was pleasantly surprised when her soft lips pressed against his. He chuckled inwardly before dropping the staff and threading his fingers through her messy, unkempt auburn hair. Their tongues met mutually, battling for dominance, which the female soon submitted giving him complete control.

Clenching his fist in her hair, he pulled her away from him and let a very masculine smirk appear when he saw her lips plump from his ministrations. The spell had been sealed with a most seductive kiss… she was now banished from her world and would forever belong in his.