One step closer

The painful memory came back as he stared out of a window from an inn that overlooked the old temple in oak town. Even though those moments still could rip his soul apart he was unable to shed any tears anymore. The years of grief turned him towards the darkness and there he had become a man whose emotions had turned cold. Sadness had made place for an eternal self tormenting pain and the joy of life he once felt had been replaced by the pleasure he had found in darkness.
But be that as it may, there was one thing Lord Frederick never gave up on. The endless struggle to find a way to bring back his former love from the death. And now he was close, recently he had found one out of two keystone that could open a gateway to the realm of the death and after obtaining it his determination grew stronger. Because finally he had held something in his hand that could lead him to the end of his struggles, after all his years of chasing myths and legends he had came upon something real.
After obtaining the first keystone through some cunning and unpleasant hardships which turned into quite something beneficial to his cause, he quickly had located the second keystone he needed. And it was just there across the street in the temple of Oak Town, sitting in plain sight.

Night was the perfect opportunity to enter the Temple unseen, and the safest course of action for Frederick. Knowing that Oak Town was also the home of a guild that saw Savage Skull as it's nemesis. The home of the pegasi, Blue Pegasus. It's master and mages rallied to Fairy Tails aid during the battle for Magnolia an together they had driven Frederick and the other Savage Skull forces back to where they came from.

So when the night had settled itself upon the town Frederick made his way towards the temple complex. And when he reached it he stood in front of it's gate he noticed how awfully silent it was compared to the inn he came from. Not that the silence was bad, just too peaceful for his taste. He figured that it wasn't that rare for a rural town like this to have nights like this. It just meant that he had to find the keystone without creating enough sound that could alarm the neighboring guild.
But that wouldn't be such a problem, after all darkness was his element.
With a smile on it's face Frederick faded into a black mist, only to reappear at the other side of the gate. Where he could see a traditional oriental courtyard. Small rectangular fields of pebble with the typical small bonsai trees in the middle reached all the way towards the steps that lead into the temple building itself.

Frederick carefully tread forwards, not wanting the wake up any of the priests that resided here. If they even noticed that there was an intruder they would surely sound the alarm.
The inside of the temple itself were nothing special, just a spacious room where the priests could pray and an altar at the end of it. But Frederick immediately saw the very thing he was looking for. Around the altar were small pedestals that each contained a holy relic behind a small glass container. And on of those contained a small round stone with carvings in it. As Frederick stepped closer he could see that the carvings were actually letters from the ancient language of the Nirvits that together translated into the word 'soul'.
'Finally, I found it. After all this time.'
But just when he was about to grab it from it's pedestal a beam of pure white energy shot passed him.

'We've been feeling your malicious and vile presence the moment he neared our temple dark mage! And we have been patiently awaiting your actions, it pains me to see that you have been following up on them.'
At the other side of the room were three priests, each of them armed with a long ordinary wooden cane. Their serious faces showed no compassion, nor hate. But the way they stood showed that they were ready for anything.  Their clothes were all similar to each other, and all of them had their head shaved. But the one that spoke was different, his long white beard stood out like a diamond among rocks. It probably was the spiritual head of this temple.
'I would like for you to leave that stone alone, for it is not yours to posses. Because if fallen into the wrong hands it could bring great suffering. So please return to where you came from.'

'I can't do that'
Frederick's monotone reaction was as cold as it could be, but he was clearly bothered by the sudden appearance of the priests. Turning himself towards them he knew that the only way he could retrieve the stone was by defeating these three first.
'Please, whichever reason you have for using that stone. The cost is not worth it, some things are better to be left alone. Even if you think that your cause is just.
'It doesn't matter if my cause is just or evil, I don't care for what will calamity it will bring forth. I'd plunge this world into utter darkness if I have to. So prepare yourself! Diminishing Grasp!
From out the blackened aura around Frederick a black mass shot towards the three priests, but when it made impact the older one had stamped with his cane on the ground creating a transparent white sphere around him and the other two. Protecting them from the ominous mass that was controlled by their intruder.

The black mass was directing back towards Frederick where it turned around behind him ready to strike again. But two white beams were shot towards Frederick, instead of hiding behind the protection sphere the two younger priests had stepped forwards, and were shooting their beams from out two magic pentacle in front of them. Frederick had figured that they would stay behind their master, and had to quickly abort his attack to move the mass in front of him so that it would defend him against their beams.
But it wasn't enough, one of the white beams penetrated through the black mass and hit Frederick, who in turn flew back into the altar.
'Holy magic! Off course they have to use the natural opponent from my magic! And feeling from the hit, they are quite skilled as well!

Starting to get frustrated Frederick knew he had to retaliate in a more severe matter. He wouldn't underestimate the priests again. With out even a single warning he directed the dark mass the bursted from out the rubble from the altar, towards the two younger priests that attacked him.
Only this time the black mass he controlled had split up in three separated masses that moved at an even greater speed then it did before. And struck the two young priests with force and taking them with it to slam them into the nearest wall.

For a mere moment he building shook a little from the impacts, and two the priest's bodies fell like a doll on the ground. Unconscious and severely wounded. And Frederick did the opposite, he raised from out the rubble unscathed with the dark mass that had returned to him twirling around him.
'You can't stop me here priest!'
Frederick directed the black mass that had bundled together again and shot out towards the remaining head priest with all his might.
'Tripple magic layer: Pillar of light!!'
The old man slammed the end of his cane into the ground from which three magical pentacles appeared above each other from which a bright light illuminated the room in pure whiteness for a few seconds.
But when the bright white light faded Frederick noticed that the strength from the black mass he controlled had vanished as well.
'Young man, I may not be as powerful in force as you are be but my determination to stop you here and now is fare greater then yours. Because I still believe that there is redemption for anyone even  how grave their crimes are.'
'Please.. If I sought redemption then I would have found it by now. But if that is what I need to pay to finish my goal. The it is a small price to pay, especially in consideration what I already sacrificed.. or should I say whom.'
'Then you leave me no choice. Secret Arts! Apex of Purifying light!'
Around the old priest and Frederick five pillars of transparent light appeared that slowly connected with each other that started to from a pentagon.
'This light will purify you, but unfortunately it erases the person as you are now with it. This a last resort met..'

"Master Sayu? What.. is going on?'
At a door opening at the left of the hall were standing a group of young children rubbing their sleepy eyes, the young apprentices that lived at the temple and studied the many lessons of life and peace that was being taught there.
'Young ones! You must not be here! It is dangerous!'
The priest was going to continue until he noticed the sudden smile that had appeared on his enemies face, or at least for how much he could see from what was hidden underneath the hood.
'Kids! Now Run!'
'You are to late.. Minions!'
From out of nowhere the dark shadow apparitions that server Frederick as his minions appeared from out of the darkness behind the children. Grabbing them by there heads or collars, and holding their sharp claws against their throats.
'Now let's do this again priest! Stand down, or I will spill their blood onto the temple's floor.'

The moment of silence was filled with suspense, neither of them knew on what the other one was going to do. Frederick who was waiting for the old priest to cancel his spell. And the old man in a conflict on stopping the dark master in front of him and with it sacrificing the children, or saving the young ones and letting Frederick go with a keystone. That in turn could bring great calamity if fallen into the wrong hands.
'Well priest! What will it be, the longer you keep that spell active the faster these children will find their demise!'
Frederick's words pierced through the silence like a hot knife through butter. And as if those words actually punched the priest he stepped back forcefully.
The old man looked at him with eyes filled with fury, which was rare for a priest of his order. Mostly because they preached about peace and tranquility. But Frederick couldn't really blame him, he was threatening his students after all.

I see.. no other solution. But promise me that you don't hurt these children.'
Frederick only reacted to that with a smirk on his face, which triggered the man's anger even more.
PROMISE ME!!' the old man's voice shouted through the hall, and was so full of anger that it felt like the room trembled with it.
'Fine, you have my word as a master that I won't hurt these youngster'
After that the light surrounded the priest slowly faded, and the pressure that was to be felt along with it. Still smiling conceited Frederick walked to the pedestal once again, and this time actually retrieved the object that he was looking for all this time.
'Finally, all this trouble I went through finally paid off. Now I can finally see her again.'
Putting the keystone somewhere hidden inside his cloak he walked past the old priest and towards the exit. But when he was a few steps passed the man, he started to speak. With a soft low voice so that only Frederick could hear it.
'If you keep on following this path.. then you even sacrifice the chance to redeem yourself with it'
'Tch, that opportunity is long gone. I can only go forwards now, following the path I've chosen. Farewell priest'
With a snap of his finger Frederick disappeared into the darkness and with it the black apparitions that held the children hostage. Who came crying running towards the old priest. Who'd embrace them, but there was no joy to be seen on his face. The old man couldn't help to worry about the fate of the keystone, and the perils that it may bring to others. He had to bring this to the attention of the council, and maybe some of the guilds. But first he had to take care of the children.
[/color]'Come children, let's put you back to bed'[/color]