((Now we're getting somewhere!))

"W-what?" Seraphina took a startled step back but made no move to flee.

"Damean, I can't just run, he'd catch me in an instant!" Looking at Gryphor, Seraphina felt a chill run through her. She had a feeling that he would not hesitate to kill her in an instant to get his hands on the Star of Mind - whatever it was worth.

"Er..." Damean called upon the Masamune, "Then, there's only one option, and that's to fight him." Damean looked at the man, he was massive, he brought out his sword, "Seraphina, I have an idea, transform into an Entei and weaken his sword with fire, I'll be able to break it then, and it'll give us an advantage." he lunged at Gryphor, "Pathetic." Gryphor said, prepairing to strike Damean with his sword.

Damean struck Gryphor's sword bending it slightly, "What are you trying fool?" Gryphor said turning the sword so it's wide side hit Damean with bone-crushing force. Damean flew back from the blow, he didn't expect that. The heat added additional pain, the plan only worked against Damean. Pain over took Damean and he collpsed to the ground, and he was knocked out.

((Ack, don't use my philosophy against me!! *panics*))

Seraphina screeched in alarm as she saw Damean knocked out. She flew down and transformed, kneeling beside him.

"Damean? Damean?? Oh god, what do I do, what do I-" Looking up, she screamed as she saw Gryphor's bent sword heading towards her. Grabbing Damean, she teleported away beside the man's house. Peering out nervously, she saw Gryphor..

((Considering that he's not my character, I don't know what I saw him do. Over to you, Magus m'dear ))

((Well, let's put it this way, he's a NPC now.))

Gryphor stabbed his sword into the ground, closed his eyes momentarily, he then lunged at the house, he knew where Seraphina and Damean were, he grabbed Damean and held him up by the back of his neck, bringing his sword to his throat, "Seraphina, you're coming with me, if you don't I'll kill Damean." he said.

((BTW, I die if my head falls off.))

Seraphina gasped. "No.. Don't kill him.. I'll... I'll go with you.." She sighed in relief as Gryphor released Damean roughly, and, kneeling beside him, she watched him anxiously.

"Damean? Damean, wake up, please! Damea-" Her words were cut off as Gryphor grabbed her arms roughly and pulled her to her feet. He held her arms behind her back with one hand and held his sword to Damean's neck on the ground with his other.

"Leave him. You're coming with me."

Seraphina nodded in terror and sent one last look at Damean as Gryphor dragged her away.

((Hope I didn't wreck your plans ))

((You did kind of wreck them, but it's okay.))

Damean woke up slowly, hit was warm, his chest burned with pain. Damean looked around, he was inside the Ashra's hut. "Finally." Ashra's voice said, "You've been out for hours." she said, Damean was confused, "Huh?" he replied, "Where's Seraphina?" he asked, "I don't know." Ashra replied, "What?!" Damean sat up, pain shot down his spine, "You lost your knife..." Ashra said, "I'll have to get another one from Clay." she left the hut and came back with clay following behind her, "Damean are you okay?" he asked, "My head hurts..." Damean replied, Ashra pulled out a silver knife and stabbed Damean's heart with it, pain left Daeman instantly. "Thanks." Damean said getting out of bed. "Clay do you know where Seraphina went?" Damean asked, Clay sighed, "That guy that you fought took her away..." he replied, "Gryphor!?" Damean ran out of the hut looking around in darkness, the moon provided little light, "Seraphina!" Damean shouted, Why her!? Why!?! Damean remembered where they first encountered Gryphor, "Those domes..." Damean let loose his wings and began flying towards the domes where he fought Gryphor for the first time.

((BTW: Gryphor won't kill you, he needs you alive.))

((I have a really bad feeling about this now - perhaps Gryphor shouldn't be a NPC character anymore.))

"Where are we?! Where have you taken me?!" Seraphina demanded for what seemed like the tenth time in the past five minutes. It was pitch black, and she could only faintly see the outline of Gryphor. He'd taken her Pokemon and sash, but hadn't found the Star of Mind - she'd strung it around her neck, under her clothes, for safe-keeping. She didn't know if he'd look there, but so far she'd been lucky.

"Will you not tell me where did you take me?!"

((I'll take over Gryphor then.))

"Damean's on the way." Gryphor muttered, turning his back on Seraphina, "Let me greet him." and he left the dark room with a thud of a large metal door leaving Seraphina alone in the dark.

Damean flew towards the domes, not knowing where to start, "SERAPHINA!!" he shouted, hoping she would hear him, when a sharp pain ran down Damean's neck, "Ow." Damean said, turning and seeing Gryphor standing over him, his copper sword coverd with a black liquid, Damean's blood. Damean began to collapse, and Gryphor lifted him by his neck, "Don't worry you'll live as long as your friend Seraphina cooperates." Gryphor said.

Damean regained consiousness, he looked around to see complete darkness, something was around his neck, a chain. He lifted a hand to break it off, to find a chain wrapped around that whole arm, both his arms where completely binded, so were his legs. He swore, "I can't break free..."

He heard Gryphor walk down a hall, laughing, "Only one more to go." he said. Another cage was opened and Gryphor stepped in it, "Seraphina, foolish little girl, you're coming with me or Damean dies." he lifted her up violently, "And then you're Pok

"Don't worry, he's alive and in this room, you just can't see him, sorry it's a little dark but I like it this way." Gryphor said, "Now come on, we need you and your little Star of Mind for a tiny ceremony." he laid a hand on Seraphina's back, "This way." he said.

Damean struggled, "SERAPHINA!" Damean yelled, hoping she would hear him this time.

She heard him. "Damean, help!! What's he going to do?!" She struggled as Gryphor pushed her in front of him, but was no match for his strength. To her shock she felt the Star of Mind begin to heat up against her chest, and she struggled harder.

"Damean, help me!!" she shrieked, terrified.

((Hehe, I love playing helpless ))

((Time for my plot twist ))

Damean felt passion burn inside him, it began to hurt, he began changing, but it wouldn't help, he needed more power, his wings transformed into their large bat-like form, and a second set of them came out of Damean's back, pain shot through Damean as this happened, the red marks shined like a bekon in the darkness, Damean broke the chains with ease, he got up and roared everything seemed like a blur to him, he flew to where he heard Seraphina's voice and tackled Gryphor to the ground, slashing at him with his hands, which now had claws on them, fangs began to form in Damean's mouth. He tossed Gryphor as hard as he could, making the man go through the wall, light flooded in the room and Damean dove out the hole, he would not stop until Gryphor was dead, the morning sun shined down on the now totally beserk Damean and Gryphor, Gryphor drew his sword, "I misjudged you." he said. Damean charged at him.

((I'm so tempted to make a travel graph for this thing's plotline ))

Falling to the ground, Seraphina gasped. She didn't know what to do - she didn't want to help Gryphor, but Damean.. Damean could do anything now... Wrapping her shaking arms around herself, she felt the Star around her neck heat further, until it nearly burned her chest.

"Damean, stop.." she whispered. She didn't know what had taken over him, but it scared her

((ZOMFG! Evil Psychic Flareons! Your avatar is scawy... ))

Damean pounded on Gryphor, blood actually spilled from the man's mouth, "What the hell are you?" Gryphor asked as he swung his sword to prevent Damean from coming near him, Damean lunged as the sword passed, tearing at Gryphor's torso, he felt pain as Gryphor's sword stabbed him in a febal (<--spelling...? ) attempt to get Damean off him. Damean continued to slash at Gryphor, leaving the sword stabbed through his ribs, it was removed by Gryphor who got free of Damean's grasp, Damean lunged again.

((You know that Star of Mind's gonna stop me, you know it, come on stop me!))

((I love it though. It's so me - Psychic Flareon ))

((*feebal))

Feeling the amulet grow hotter and hotter against her, Seraphina gasped. She pulled the Star out from under her shirt, chest stinging from the heat. The amulet glowed brilliantly, throwing specks of light against her astonished face.

"Damean, stop.." she whispered. The amulet glowed brighter, light flashing in a steady rythme, as if with a heart beat of its own.

"Damean, you have to stop!" she said louder, voice growing stronger. She didn't want to have any mercy on Gryphor, but he didn't deserve to be pulled apart like this. At her words the amulet's light pulsed again, as if spurred on by her voice.

"Damean, please, stop this!!"

Damean's head burned suddenly, he grabbed his head, he muttered in an inhuman voice, "No, not now, he needed to be punished..." pain shot through Damean's head, HE IS EVIL BUT DOESN'T DESERVE TO DIE LIKE THIS!!! he thought, <BUT HE MADE YOU SUFFER, HE MADE SERAPHINA SUFFER, JUSTICE MUST TAKE PLACE!!> Another voice in his head said, THIS ISN'T JUST! the other voice vanished, Damean's head throbbed as his wings returend to normal, he collapsed, leaving Gryphor stunned, "What the hell are you?" Gryphor muttered.

((**feeble))

Crying out in shock, Seraphina ran over to where Damean was lying. She knelt beside him, placing the Star back around her neck and putting one hand gently on one of his shoulders.

"Damean, wake up.." she whispered, terrified.

"So you are definetly the Star's guardian..." Gryphor said, grabbing Seraphina's arm, "Guess I don't need to test you then, come with me now and Damean doesn't die." he placed the edge of his sword close to Damean's neck, "And if he doesn't go crazy he won't be hurt."

"Sorry but there is no choice, you see if I go you'll go even if you don't want to." he pulled a neckalce from around his neck, a black gem was on the necklace, "We're connected already, though you have the one tha governs my Star has more of the force needed." a black beam of light shot from Gryphor's necklace and to the Star of Mind, pulling it upward slowly, "The Star of Death has always been the most forceful." Gryphor laughed.

"No..." Damean muttered quietly as he gained conciousness, "You can't take her... I won't allow it!"