Kite's A rank Exam

It would start like any other dream that he would have. It was a wonder that Kite ever got any sleep or maintained his sanity with this constantly happening to him. He knew what sort of dream this was, it was the kind that would lead him on some sort of adventure due to a vision of the future or so that was the standard procedure. There was something not so standard about this dream. The dream started him off in a setting already in place instead of it phasing into being from pitch black. He could feel the lack of air surrounding him, he was in a large underground cavern rocky, dry and so vast he could park at least five Tailspins with room to spare but that wasn’t the main attraction of the cavern. No that honor was given to the glowing object towards the farthest point of the cave. It was so bright that Kite, a white Dragon slayer had to cover his eyes due to the intense shine. ”Well now, isn’t that bright. Been a while since light was able to blind me. I wonder what that is.“ he would say into the empty cavern. He had never seen this object before but there was something about it that didn’t come off as a threat but something strangely familiar ”I wonder what sort of fun I am in for this time.“ and on cue the sound of a voice echoed throughout the cavern. It caused Kite to look around in an attempt to locate the voice’s origin but after searching the entire area of the cave he was able to come to the conclusion that there was nobody there but himself. “You must hurry. If you don’t it will be gone.” is what the voice said to him ”Okay this is weird. It’s time to wake up now” but nothing happened and this was very discomforting. ”Huh. I usually wake up by this point. My dreams never last long.“ and that was the truth, any dream with a message usually gives him the message and takes him away.

The voice would then respond to this as if it had the ability to read his mind, “You won’t be able to wake up from this. I am the one who called your mind here Kite Wilhelm.” Kite’s eyes would widen from the voice but would remain silent for a moment but didn’t move from where he had been standing. ”Who are you? Why did you bring me here?“ he would ask and prepare a defensive position just incase he was attacked. The voice would chuckle lightly “No need to get defensive.” Kite wouldn’t let up his defenses for a second. “I call you with a warning. An enemy approaches with the intent of taking some thing of value from ruins hidden under the guild.” Kite relaxes when he heard this and allowed questions. ”Yeah, and what does that have to do with me. Why contact me? Why not someone else in the guild like Frederick, Mashyuu or Ryo?“ he would ask the voice almost automatically. “Simple. It's a mission i want to hire you for, and the payment is worth it.” Kite’s eyebrow raised with interest, ”What’s the payment?“ with a chipper tone in the voice’s words it responded, “A chance to fully atone for those sins you dwell on.” Before even getting a chance to answer the cavern vanished and was forced awake, completely expelled from the call. Sitting up in his bed he stared at the wall,  ”Atone for my sins?“ he murmured to himself ”Is that possible?“ Flashes of him eating the flames of sin, his father dying by his hand and Iza’s screams of pain in the background while she is forced to relive her awful memories. ”tsk. Damn it.“  

Kite was now dressed in his all black attire with the blue ribbed long coat and walking through the many halls of the Sabertooth guild. ”I may accept the mission but I’d be damned if I am doing this alone.“ he said to himself as he entered the room he knew the man he was looking for would be located. ”Fred do you have a minute?“ he would begin to explain the contents of his dream in detail. ”Sounds like a thief is gonna be paying us a visit soon.. Do you have any idea where we could find that cavern?“

”“

Kie would reach Fred just in time to find the S ranked mage enjoying his breakfast and going through some scattered paperwork next to him when he broke the news to Fred that he believed a thief would be paying them a visit to take some sort of artifact that belonged to the guild. Fred’s initial reaction was caught the slayer off guard a bit. After questioning a thief Fred mentioned to him that they were high in the sky and implied that it was impossible for a thief to enter the guild and questioned the relevance of a thief trespassing into their territory. Kite would sigh in response not speaking what was on his mind but the idea that they had a dragon attack their guild not that long ago should make the guild feel a lot more vulnerable than they had initially thought, but those were old wounds he wished not to reopen carelessly. Instead he let his lack of words speak volumes for him and his expression be his voice, stern and unmoving. It seemed to work and Fred conceded and mentioned that he might know how to find this cavern that he sought to protect from the invader. He would take a seat and watch Fred march across the room to a large chest in which he opened and began to comb through its contents searching for something Kite had know notion of knowing. Fred turned revealing an incredibly old clothbound book that caused some dust to spread around the room. Kite ignored the dust and focused on the book, it was a relic to say the least but the word Diary was clearly written as the book's title.

At first glance the title and the appearance of the book wasn’t much to gander at, the book was old and not well kept at all. However it was because of its old and broken down appearance that gave the book more value at that moment than anything in pristine condition, the knowledge it could possibly contain was more than enough for the dragon slayer and while not needed, Fred’s reassurance that it could help due to it mentioning a grotto where he was blessed with power after visiting there. ”blessed with a power huh? I’d reckon that is what the thief has the notion of stealing.but you yourself have never found this grotto.“ he said as he stroked his chin and then looked at the aged book and a thought popped in his head. ”I might be mistaken, but before it was a town, ace of spades was the original location of the guild hall right?.“ he pauses and points down to the floor aimed at the town far below them. ”Might be a good idea to head to town and see if we can located any sort of caverns nearby. More than likely its under the town itself. “ he proposed and waited to hear Fred’s opinion. However there was a strange gut feeling at the mention of the ace of spades and underneath it, that was where they needed to go. A thought entered his mind, ”What if it was that power that the older member obtained that gave me this dream, what if it’s asking for help?“

”“

Kite knew what he was suggestion sounded absolutely crazy. How could it not? Fred’s response to was proof that this thought was shared between the two of them.However despite how crazy it seemed, especially with the construction of the town was relatively recent the point Fred made about any sort of cavern to be discovered should have come to light upon the town’s construction being completed. A thought that could stir up any and all doubt that might linger in Kite’s mind, one memory in particular pinged in the back of his consciousness also added to Fred’s point, though it wasn’t spoken. The dragon attack was even more recent and the devastation caused to the town might have also revealed any sort of cavern or possibly destroyed it out right but even with all these points there was still something about it that drew Kite to it. It was a feeling that was able to override any compelling reason to why this was nothing to worry about. Soon however Fred did find facts that were able to open up the possibility that the cavern existed and was able to avoid detection, this fact was regarding the location of the plot of land where the original building had been built. Fred made mention that all that was left of the building was nothing more than some keep sakes and a memorial plaque on a hill. ”It’s possible that it’s there somewhere within the area of the plaque. If so then that is where I think we should look.“ He would state but he didn’t wait for a response from Fred, he stood up from the seat he had occupied and headed towards the door, ”I’m heading there. You might be right and this is all for nothing but I’m going either way.“ Without so much as a word Fred began to follow Kite, he smiled slightly seeing that he was able to convince Fred that he wasn’t absolutely crazy… yet however if nothing was going on in the cavern or if it didn’t even exist then he would look like a fool.

The trip was standard in distance but a little faster than it usually was, possibly due to the potential urgency that fueled Kite and the need to follow for Fred. They reached the teleportation lacrima and were both zapped down to ground level and in the heart of the town but their stay there would be short lived as they would proceed to exit the town and headed towards the monument that was erected where the original guild once stood. Even from the distance from the edge of town Kite couldn’t help but notice the same Sabertooth emblem that his bicep shared with the obelisk, only difference was the size of the symbol which only grew larger as their approach neared an end. Seeing this monument up close really made Kite feel small, even made him wonder when his name might be carved on this thing, hopefully later rather than sooner. Fred began to speak, Kite awaited for him to finish so the search could commence but Fred came up with and carried out his idea of them splitting up and covering more ground which would leave Kite at the base of the memorial to poke around. ”No use standing around huh?“ he would say to himself and shrug before looking from Fred back to the tall stone structure ”Doesn’t really help me on what I should be doing.“ he walked a little closer to the monument and placed his hand on it, tracing the names with his finger. He wondered when the last time any names were added to it. There weren’t any names from his time in Sabertooth and there was plenty of space for more names to be added. Without the means to actually carve names himself so with the tip of his finger he traced the names Raven his first guild master, Hika and Chel, the names of the two mages who were the first to be lost to the dragon’s attack. ”When I am done with this, I’ll be sure to add your names to the monument with the rest of the alumni....“ an idea popped in his head as he looked down at the hill ”Alumni... maybe...“ he would say as his hands started to feel around the base of the obelisk trying to feel for some sort of loose panel, hollow points or any sort of hidden key holes. Nothing, there was nothing of the sort. With a sigh of frustration he lit his hand with his White Dragon Slayer magic and punched the stone structure and it was then something happened. The guild mark on his arm began to glow a radiant light and then the mark on the top of the structure began to glow and then so did the names until a doorway shaped rectangle appeared in front of him and letting his instincts take over he pushed and nothing opened so with a hard thrust he did so again which dislodged the panel and it slid to the side offering Kite access to a staircase made out of stone cut into the ground.

As he began his descent down the stone steps the door slid back into place and the glowing stopped locking Kite in for the moment. ”Looks like I might be in the right place. Only way to go is down.“ he said to himself as he held out his hand and let a sphere of light surround his hand illuminating the tunnel as it grew darker and darker and the stone steps vanished into the ground being replaced by a pure dirt tunnel seemingly perfectly dug out and packed most likely by earth elemental mages. A strange sense of Deja vu began to swarm his senses and the same sense he felt in his dream when he was face to face with the treasure started to be felt the further he went down the tunnels. ”I think I found it.“ he would say as he closed his eyes and try to focus on the power and when he took a step further and felt the slightest increase in presence he knew the treasure was somewhere in the never ending tunnel. For a second Kite’s notion to continue down the tunnel was paused due to the idea of grabbing Fred not for his aid but more for the him deserving to see this but time was of the essence and Kite wanted to find the treasure and stop the thief in his tracks long before he could grab the treasure and with that he began to jog down the tunnel keeping his ears open and his eyes peeled for anything out of sorts but as far as he can tell his it all smelled the same as his guild hall but with a hint of age lingering in the caves but that was the only anomaly in the air.

However something very odd happened, an event that would make Kite question his own enhanced senses. The tunnel would level off and open up into a large open cavern with three openings facing Kite from the other side of the cavern. ”Great... which one do I take?“ he would ask himself and then the oddity occurred. His nose didn’t pick up a foreign scent and his ears didn’t pick up any sort of footsteps but in the opening to the right looking back at him was a man, a total stranger wearing all black. ”The thief!“ Kite would shout as he started to sprint towards the man. The man’s eyes widened and turned back the way he came, bolting down the tunnel with the white dragon slayer hot on his trail. The tunnel winded as they went deeper into it and at a downward slope it continued to snake and as a it bent around a specific corner the thief was now out of sight completely. After a few more yards the tunnel ended and opened up into a large chamber with no exit in visible. Kite looked around and sniffed the air like a bloodhound and no matter how deep of a breath he would take there was no scent. This was very strange but the thief getting away was no longer a priority. ”I don’t get how he gave me the slip.. “ he took the time to get a better look at the chamber before him. The ceiling had to be at least 600 feet high and the room was about the size of the colosseum he once had to fight in with Marcy. Across from the entrance from stood an ornate pedestal carved from what looked to be a golden colored marble or granite. It’s design was intricate but what sat on it was truly a sight to behold. Standing perfectly erect was a staff roughly 5 feet in height, at the pommel was a small cobalt blue crystal and then at the head of the staff was another gem cradled by purposefully crafted curvatures meant to hold the gem in place. ”but it would look like I found the treasure first...If the thief managed to escape will leave it to Fred. I’ll stay guard here for a while.“ However what would happen next would prove that guarding the treasure would be the last thing he would do.

As if his presence was all that was needed for the treasure to come to life with sparks of cobolt blue energy emitting from the crystal a the head of the staff first it was rapid and wild then the sparks faded and all that was left was a cloak of blue surrounding the gem. ”Fancy...“ he was going to refer to it as a fancy light show but a disembodied voice cut him off “Hello.” the sound made Kite’s eyes widen and look behind him and then around him to try to locate the source of the voice but there was no one there to speak to him. “I have been waiting for you.” the voice would say to the Dragon slayer and this time Kite noticed the faint glow from the staff as the voice started and then faded. ”Is the staff talking?“ he would ask and would be answered, “yes. But i'm not a staff I am just simply am. I’ve been here since the creation of the guild you know now as Sabertooth.” Kite walked closer ”Okay, then tell me what are you and Why am i here?“ The glow fluxed as the voice chuckled “I am what gives Sabertooth it’s sainthood, the holy foundation of the guild’s power can be traced back to me.” Kite remembered the story Fred mentioned about a mage who found this cavern and gained some sort of massive power up and now Kite could only guess that this thing was the cause. ”You’re the reason why that mage got so strong so many years ago.“ “That is half right, while he got stronger it wasn’t my power that did provided the boost, I merely gave him the ability to free the power that he had inside him all along.” Kite would fold his arms in front of his chest ”Interesting. So why did you call me?“ he would say but the voice would remain silent. ”That was you right? Sending me a message in my dreams. Why did you call to me?“ The voice would respond this time. “I have been watching you since you first entered the guild when Raven was the master of the guild. Over time you grew stronger and closer with your Guildmates. However after the attack by that vile dragon you came back with a new power, a strong power unlike anything Sabertooth had ever seen but you were never able to fully utilize that power. Doubt and guilt weighed heavy on your soul and choked your outward flow of magic. You vanished for a few months and returned with the old power gone and a new power but that guilt and despair still has a hold on you. I’ve brought you here so you may conquer that despair and become the mage you were meant to be...are you ready, the demon of Sabertooth?” Kite scoffed at the name, ”That name no longer has meaning for me, nor is it accurate. I have the power of a dragon coursing through my veins but what you offer is of interest…. It’s true that I can’t shake these shackles of guilt… “ “We will get that taken care of, but I wasn’t speaking to you.” The staff shined in a blinding light of blue and from out of the staff and into the center of the chamber the light condensed and created a sphere made of magic formulas then it opened up revealing a core of pure magic energies, ethernanos and that light then pierced Kite’s chest front to back… it was through his heart but he wasn’t dying. All of a sudden he felt a strange push sensation as if his body was expelling something from inside and out through the light that came from his back. “I was talking to him.” the entity would say and Kite would question ”him?“ he would say and turn to see the back of a man, long purple hair tied in a pony tail, blue jacket with black sleeveless shirt and black combat pants tucked into boots.”What the…how is this possible?“ a sudden heat would flood the chamber as the all too familiar looking white flames surrounded the newcomer, ”What are you?“ Kite would say looking at the man who looked exactly like him.

The second Kite would chuckle ”Can’t you tell light bright?“ he would say letting the flames vanish. ”I am what you should be not that shell of your former self. I am the darkness in your heart and I am here to take my place as king.“ He would look at the staff ”What sort of game is this?“ “Game? This is no game. What you are looking at is the despair in your heart, and it so happens it doesn’t want to go away through willpower alone. Here is your chance to fight back literally however if you fail it will take over your being and the Demon of Sabertooth will return.” and with that the sphere vanished. ”You heard the thing. Time to fight lesser me.“ and with that the clone would unleash his Flame demon aura. ”I see how it has to be. If this is the only way then fine let’s go“ he proclaimed and released his white light aura created by his Dragon Slayer magic. ”Flame Demon slayer versus White Dragon Slayer….“The clone would laugh ”I’ll burn you where you stand!“ Kite wouldn’t hesitate, not wanting to give his imposter a chance to start. Kite lunged at himself and threw the first punch but instead of connecting with soft flesh of a face Kite would hit nothing but air.

The imposter telegraphed the attack and slipped the punch and would slam his fist into Kite’s stomach pushing him back a bit. He was shocked by the quick evade but at the same time it was something he would have done as well but the time to think was done, he had to give his mind into the sense of fighting. The imposter was already on the move following up with a arch kick aimed for Kite’s ribs. Kite would connect his elbow with his own knee while holding his knee in a bent position guarding against the kick and counter with a spartan kick into the sternum of the imposter.

The kick sent him flying back and created a distance between them. Kite looked to close the distance and charged into continue to brawl with himself but didn’t cross that gap in time. The heat returned and the imposter Kite already flared up his demon slaying magic for a spell and Kite was too close to do anything about it ”Flame Demon’s Desolation fist!“ and from the demon’s extended fist a larger fist made of flame shot forth and slammed into Kite sending him back into a wall caught by the explosion as well. Smoke now blocked just about all visibility between the combatants, Kite’s skin pink from the heat his clothes singed but the smoke gave him an opening. Kite pushed off against the wall and used the smoke as cover as he got close enough to strike back, ”White Dragon’s wing attack!“ and from his outstretched arms a stream of light appeared just in time for him to pass right by his demon slayer clone striking him with a wave of light sending him up in the air and into a wall. The imposter started to freefall back from where he struck the chamber’s wall and Kite was already there waiting with an attack of his own. The imposter landed and Kite threw his hand towards the enemy white light flared and put a hand to his imposter’s face. The Imposter would do the same. ”White Dragon’s Shining finger!“ ”Flame Demon’s Wrath“Light consumed the imposter as flames ensnared Kite, both released to shake off the attacks. Both created distance from each other and like a mirror they both mimicked each other's moves. Both of them held their hands in front of them and created a small sphere of light and flames respectfully. In sync with one another they both held the spheres above their heads and created massive balls of each of their spells. [color:4ea7= [color=#FFFAF0]]”Flame Demon’s Inferno Destroyer.“ ”White Dragon’s Draco crusher“ and they both motioned to throw their spheres at each other but with the throwing motion alone the spheres collided and exploded pushing them both back from the force. However Kite was first to be able to recover, the bright light from the explosion caused the imposter’s vision to become blurry, the same effect as if he looked at a flashbang grenade. Kite however wasn’t affected and already threw his fist and the imposter who crossed his arms to defend against the attack. Kite’s fist hit and a stream of light shot from his wrists pushing into the imposter harder, ”White Dragon’s Shine Breaker!“ and with that his punch pushed through and sent the imposter flying again. He hit the wall and stayed there, using the indent as a platform to look down at Kite. ”Not bad.“ Kite interrupted ”I’m not done yet. White Dragon’s shine burst!“ he shouted released his light and twelve projectiles were created aimed for the imposter but then something strange happened.

The heat grew stronger and the imposter started to change. The white flames surrounded him and grew followed by a strong increase in magic pressure but the mystery would be solved the, tattoos grew on his body and Kite knew what this was. He released his attack at the Demon slayer but he would swat them away like nothing. ”Do you recognize this power? It’s the power you abandoned because of your weakness!” he shouted Kite would scoff ”Aspect of Eosphoros.“ and just like that a silhouette of dragon teacher appeared and he gained a power boost of his own. ”I did what I had to. Seeking that power was a mistake.“. Their magic powers sparked against each other and the imposter would cross his arms with a smirk on his face. ”and it was from that sentimentality that I was born and now I have the power you could have had. What do you have to say now that you see what you could have been?“ Kite’s anger and power surged  ”Tell me the truth do you see how superior my power is compared to yours?” ”all I see is another mistake that I will have to correct.” He began to inhale deeply and the imposter saw what was about to happen and did the same. ”White Dragon’s Roar!“ ”Flame Demon’s Rage!“ and they both released their breath attacks at the same time, white flames and white light slammed into each other and clashed creating blinding light and tremendous heat. For a second it seemed to be a stalemate but the real Kite’s attack was being pushed back by the power of demon force. Soon the roar faded and the plume of white hot flames struck Kite hard creating an explosion. Kite flew back smacking into the ground and end over end until Kite was face down on the ground with the aspect of Eosphoros gone smoking from the flames that scorched his body. Looking up as the Demon slayer as he approached. ”Perfect on the floor where you belong looking up at the king.“ Kite would watch as the imposter would stand several yards away from him aura flared. ”and when I take my rightful place I will pay Iza a visit and finish what you should have done.“. Kite’s blood ran cold at the thought of Iza being attacked by this thing, this other him and his aura flared a bit more as he pushed himself off the floor slowly and slouched as he stood up breathing heavily from exhaustion but felt rage fueling him. ”No.. You won’t…. Won’t go near Iza. I won’t let you.“The imposter took a stance with his hand cocked back and gathering flames and Kite, he had an idea. The cobolt blue light shined from the giant sphere in the center of the chamber ”You got me into this… you are helping me put an end to it.“ Kite began to inhale deeply sucking in the light that just reached him, reviving his strength but he didn’t stop eating, soon the light grew more dense the longer he consumed the light “Kite what are you doing, you can’t eat my light like that!” the voice of the staff uttered but Kite paid no mind and ate more of it forcing the sphere made of the energy of the staff to stop glowing and closed up. The voice stopped and Kite’s power kept rising. ”errrrggggg...ahhhhhh!“ he would shout as the power he consumed exploded out in a cobolt blue colored aura of light. Scales would appear under his eyes as parts of his skin turned white from scales as well. Kite’s exposure to the radiant light allowed him to unleash dragon force making him a match for the imposter. He wasn’t done though, that hidden power, that adrenaline rush that gifted him with enhanced abilities flared up and was focused on his speed solely. ”That won’t be enough to stop me. And you will soon find….“ He was cut off by the sudden explosive charge of Kite closing the distance slamming his fist into the imposter’s gut sending him into the wall. He came back out instantly ditching the immolation fist and chose a different spell ”Flame Demon’s Exorcising...“ The imposter was about to do the one inch punch that would explode upon impact but that wasn’t about to happen, he was cut off by Kite’s next attck, ”White Dragon’s burst stream of destruction.“ and from his mouth he unleashed a powerful roar like spell larger and more devastating than a regular roar and engulfed the Imposter in a large blast of light. The imposter’s force faded away and reverted back to his normal form but instead of admitting the defeat he was staring down he started to yell at Kite ”No! My power is supreme, I am the one to be king!“ but by this point Kite heard enough. White light surged around him in a swirling vortex ”I’ll show you supreme! Dragon Slayer Secret art! Dragon emperor’s supreme flight!“ and with the lift off like a rocket Kite flew at the imposter slamming not only into him but through him tearing right through his fake body completely opening a gaping hole in his side and taking out part of his chest and completely removing his arm from the equation. ”Begone.“ and with those words the imposter’s body broke down into the light that had created it and vanished altogether.

His dragon force faded away leaving Kite drained and on one knee “Clever move using my light to fuel your transformation. You have defeated that despair that was holding you back.” Kite glared at the staff ”yeah?! And what would have happened if I lost? He would have killed Iza and god knows who else.“ The voice would chuckle “Oh heavens no. that creation wouldn’t be able to leave this chamber. If you had lost you’d have lost and wouldn’t have been able to unlock any power hidden inside blocked by that force.”  Kite stood up. ”I’ll be going now.“ Kite said turning to exit. “Farewell Dragon of Sabertooth.” the voice would say. ”Next time you get the notion to bring me down here for your game I will eat every drop of your power.“ he said as he left the chamber and limped his way up to the surface until he reached the obelisk’s chamber where the door revealed itself and slid open to let Kite out. He would exit the obelisk and it would lock behind him, leaving him to his devices but before going home to clean up he decided to search for Fred but that didn’t take long. At the base of the hill Fred had detained a man dressed in black ”Oh you caught the thief…. You how did you get out of the cavern?“ the thief would look up at Kite confused by his words “What do you mean, I haven’t even gone in yet.” Those words echoed in his head for a moment before realizing ”Of course you weren’t.“ he would say and look at Fred with a smirk. ”I found it.“
”Kite“
”Kite's Imposter“