As the world grew darker, Exriel looked around him. His followers had all but disappeared.
"Good," he said allowed, "they'd only slow me down," As Exriel flew on, trying to find the lost Chaos Gate. As he flew, a green light appeared in the distance.
"Xanriel?" Exriel spread his wings and slowed himself. He hadn't seen his brother since he fled in the battle against the Fallen Druid.
"Come back to try to take my glory brother!?" Shouted Exriel, grinning widely, "I think not, you're a coward and you always will be! Oh, spare the poor elves, we don't want to kill them!" Exriel let loose a maddening laugh.
"We DO want to kill them Brother, WE love it and you know it! We are the only true immortals, it is our job to quell the uprising of lesser species."
Xanriel slowly flew over to his brother, sweaty hands gripping the Druidic Staff in it's true form, the Jade Staff.
"No brother, it's this realm, it's playing tricks with our minds. Don't you see all the trouble we've caused? We've almost hurt our friends, we've killed innocents! We are /healers/ brother, not murderers."
Exriel cackled, summoning his Black scythe, pure darkness forming around the blade and lengthening it,
"Fool! You are weak. I am the only strong thing about you, it's why you let me do these things, why you let me do your dirty work. FRIENDS? Ha! We don't need friends. We are gods brother, GODS! After we're done with the Chaos Lord, we'll deal with your friends too." Exriel grinned, his face disfigured by his madness.
"NO! I have had enough of you. You do not control me, you do not decide what I do! Miracle was right to cast you off. Our own father, and he couldn't even love you!"
"Father?" Exriel laughed, "You think Father Miracle could really stop me? You idiot, he never threw me out, it was you and you alone! He let you fall! He let you become mortal. Do you know why brother? ME. YOU. I am /not/ different from you, I AM you!"
"No brother. You are not me," Xanriel's eyes filled with tears at the thought of what he must do, "I thought you were, I thought you were powerful and you were strong, and that I would be too. I see now though, you are just my imagination, you are just my fractured mind. I will not allow you to control me anymore. This is my body."
Exriel's body reformed, the fangs withdrew, the blackness was absorbed into his wings, and the colour of his eyes slowly returned to their original green. He screamed in agony as the last of the colour disappeared, then found himself staring at his brother. Xanriel's body had become his own, and Xanriel had taken over his.
"Nice trick brother, but it won't stop me, I will have your body back, and I will be done with you!" Exriel pulled back his scythe and launched himself at Xanriel, sweeping his blade in a wide slash toward him. Blindingly quick, Xanriel brought up the Jade Staff and deflected the blow, knocking it aside.
"This is my body, Exriel, and you will taint it no longer, I banish you." Xanriel turned and retreated into his own mind, leaving his brother in the wastelands of lost thoughts.
"No Xanriel, you cannot defeat me so easily, you cannot forget me!" Exriel summoned up the corruption in his body, and sent it into the collar around his neck, multiplying and mutating the cells, "Aflatoxin Plague! Metastasis Morti!" The cells shivered and grew, falling from his neck and becoming Malignant Macrophages and Flying Leukocytes. Launching themselves at Xanriel, they quickly fell upon him, knocking him to the ground and feeding on his flesh and wings.
In huge amount of pain, his wings crippled and useless, Xanriel reaches for the familiar touch of his corruption, feeling it reach back out to him. Grasping that power, Xanriel could feel his mind faltering again.
You thought Xanriel, This is where my weakness is coming from... my insanity. I've been relying too much on you
The corruption tried to keep it's grip on Xanriel, but he resisted it, called upon the power's his father had given him, the power within all his angels. A searing white light began to glow around Xanriel, mixing with his life energies.
"No! No, what are you doing! STOP!" Shouted Exriel, bringing back his blade and driving it into his brother again and again.
"That won't work anymore Exriel," Xanriel stood, the malignant cells sloughing off his body and shriveling up, while Xanriel's wounds healed themselves. "I'm done with you."
"PURIFYING LIGHT!" Shouted Xanriel, the green-white light exploding from his body and enveloping the blackness around him. Exriel's body was hit full force with the light, and it began to disintegrate, while the cells simply evaporated.
"You won't be rid of me forever Brother! You'll call on that corruption again one day, looking for it's power, and I'll be there! You don't have it in you to be a healer!" Exriel cackled wildly while his body disintegrated, great gaping holes filling his body and spreading, enveloping him until he no longer existed.
As the light grew to a blinding level, Miracle appeared before his son. He looked down upon him, without saying a word.
"I'm sorry Father..." Xanriel said, hanging his head in shame, "I was weak, I relied on corruption and brought pain to the world... I've killed innocents."
"No my son. You have made me proud." Miracle placed his hand on Xanriel's chin and lifted his head so their eyes would meet. "We all have our demons that we must face. You took on yours today and you showed how powerful your faith is, and you overcame those demons. Your brother will not be able to control you again; you have done well." With that, the False God disappeared, and the bright light faded, leaving Xanriel staring out at the Chaos Gate, and the form of the Fallen Druid. As softly as a whisper, Xanriel heard in his ears
This gift I give to my Son, as a reward. Use it wisely, and to defeat the corruption of the elves. Think on your own demons, you will know what to do with it.
As Xanriel's body returned to the world, it began to glow in a corona of bright light, his body growing and changing. The darkness fled his form, the glorious white wings returning, the fangs receding into his gentle, warm smile, and his bright green eyes braking through the red. Spreading his wings wide, they grew more, the tips turning a bright gold, while his tattered old robe became a gleaming suit of scale mail. The druidic staff, in the form of Exriel's scythe exploded, and what was left behind was something all together different, a gleaming white great-sword, as bright as the first star of the morning. His hair cascading down his shoulders became a soft, glowing gold, and his eyes emitted a soft white glow.
Looking down upon the Fallen Druid, his sword leveled toward him, the voice of Xanriel boomed across the lands, the Chaos Gate wavering at the force of the sound.
"Come druid, we will end this once and for all, you face the manifestation of Life and Light. You face the son of Miracle, the true leader of the Seraphim and the Archangels. YOU FACE THE MASTER OF LIGHT!"
