Ark stared at the big dark hunters. His eyes still glowing red started to show hints of purple and black as did his mask-like face. But he shook his head letting the colors fade away. He looked at his friend and sister and brother his eyes zeroing in on the bandages covering Violet’s sightless eyes. Then looked at the hunters again his eyes changing color once again turning from red to black and purple. “So these are those men. I’m guessing they’re not really sentient but like zombies.” Ark sighed he picked up his katana which was starting to show signs of cracks and wear on it from the previous battle but as Ark picked it up the dull parts sharpened themselves and the cracks sealed up as he charged them. He sliced at the hunters faces and arms with malicious intent. But his strikes had little to no effect on the men. And one of then struck out at him with a shadow cloaked fist. Hitting him flat in the chest sending him flying backwards into one of the big cedar trees. Ark’s body had made a sizeable crater in the tree his blood soaking the bark one of his arms bent the wrong way his white hair was covered in dust and residue from the shadow inflicted punch. And his 9 tails faded away going back to 3. And his katana fading back into mist which gradually floated back to ark surrounding his broken body with a white blanket of smoke. The hunters stared blankly at Ark.

“Who are you? Why did our sister bring us back to watch you guys again?” One asked. This one had brunette hair, like Lily does.

“Who knows. She always brings us up from the underworld ever since she did what she did.” The other replied, this one had stark white hair. The others couldn't understand what they where saying, since it was the language of the Dead, which is yet another ‘dead’ language. (-_-) why?

~Meanwhile~

Cole sat in his throne facing the window, he heard the door open and someone walk in and shut the door. He walked forward until he was about 10 ft. in front of him and he waited.

“Liam! You better tell me some good news for I have not had a good day.” Cole said spinning in his chair and meeting his gaze, looking at him with a annoyed look in his eyes.

“Well then I am here to cheer up your day because the Kitsune is trapped! You can do as you please with him now.” Liam exclaimed.

“Good! Now I may pay a visit to our friend…” Cole said a gleam lighting in his eye.

“Sir! You can’t! He is very powerful, i’m not sure if you can handle him.” Liam exclaimed, throwing his hands up in desperation.

“Liam, for one, never underestimate me. For two I would never pull something so stupid to attack him in this form. Here I will show you.” Cole summoned a dark mist around himself and transformed into his disguised form, Helfry. “Servents! Bring me my axe and dagger!” He exclaimed. The servants rushed in with his weapons and laid them at his feet. He picked them up while dismissing them with a nod. He slipped the dagger in his belt sheath and his his axe on his back clothed in a rift in space.

“There. Now I can go talk to this… Kitsune… and try to become his friend but in the end, ha, maybe him and his sister will die..” he said with a devilish look on his face. Liam smirked and nodded. “And I shall accompany you and fight for you!”

~back in the forest~

Ark’s body was healing and looking better by the second as the mist helped clear his wounds of infection and debris. During the conversation with Cole Ark’s body had healed completely and He got up staggering a bit as he did so the mist floated around him keeping both sand, dust and insects a bay almost as if protecting him from every thing of danger in the forest. Ark stood and leaned against the tree and tried to speak. “Ouch that hurt.” he muttered. Violet rushed to his aid, using her silver powers of healing to help speed up the healing process and ease the pain.

“Thanks sis” Ark smiled at her but his face still showing signs of the pain. Then almost immediately afterwards his eyes started to shift from their black and green colour to white where his face contorted until it was a straight face no smile or anything not a single emotion showed on his face.

And Ark looked back at the zombie-like hunters. But he wasn’t staring at them he was staring behind them where two people were walking towards them. “Who are you” Ark asked his voice didn’t even show signs of any emotion it was with a monotone. Liam came into view with his typical devilish smirk full of pride.

“You don't remember? Wow. What a shame. Fight too tough for ya?” He remarked with fake sympathy. Ark’s expression didn’t change and he still stared.

“Oh it’s just you and no, not too hard, just too boring.” Ark replied back his face blank.

“Bah, whatever. Time for you to meet the maestro himself!” Ark glanced behind Liam to see the other shadow coming into view.

“So” he asked “care to introduce yourself?” Ark asked his white eyes starting to show signs of gold like small specks scattered across his eyes.

“Hello Ark, nice weather we're having, right?” Cole asked, still disguised as Helfry. “Heh, yeah not really… well, my name is Helfry, the right hand man of King Cole himself. As we have said we only come to talk, but you don’t want to, so we were forced to trap you here and until you do talk… Well you’re not leaving so… “ He said with a gleam in his eye. The gold in Ark’s eyes vanished and he just willed the mist around him to thin again and spread out.

“Ok then, let’s talk.” Ark replied, the cracked ruby necklace glowed in the rising moonlight. Liam sneered and pointed to the necklace.

“What is that? A necklace?! What are you, a child?!” He said, circling Ark, running his hand across his body as his voice became more feminine. “By the way, I'm Lilith again. I would hate for you to miss-gender me. It's quite rude, actually, when you look into it.” She said with a shrug as she made her way back to the front side of Ark and Helfry. A tendril from the Chaos monster reached out for her and she took it in her hand. “Okay big fella. I'm done having you guard this kitsune. He won't be escaping any time soon as long as we’re here. Go home.” She whisper and the chaos dissipated. Ark’s eyes narrowed at the insult but he didn’t let it faze him.

“Oh while I may still be young doesn’t mean I’m a child in fact I’m around your age if not older.”

“You know what, fucking try me.”

“Ok then how old?” Ark asked.

“HAH! YOU FELL FOR IT! YOU NEVER ASK A WOMAN HOW OLD SHE IS!” She bellowed with a laugh.

“Wasn’t talking to you~ I already know your age. I was talking to your companion. Plus inside voice please.” Ark asked nicely with a sly voice. Lily growled and a pair of wolf ears came into view.

“Hel, I swear to god if you don't do something i'm gonna tear this little kitsune bit by bit in one nano-second flat.”

“Now now no need to get angry we’re just talking. You started the insults i’m just continuing it.” Ark remarked still with the same sly voice. Liliths’ eyes began to glow with the same enticing black flames they typically do when she gets enraged. “Well then you sure got attitude some guys might not like that now you don’t want to be single forever do you~?”

“SHUT UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ME OR MY FUCKING LOVE LIFE!” She screamed, her mind stutting Ark out completely.

“Guys, girls, now there is no need for all of this,” He chuckled. “We never came here for this.”

“Don’t worry I’m sorry um… Lilith right? Just a little banter I apologize.” Ark apologized, his voice and face actually sad his eyes filled with a swampy green color. (regret)

“Yeah. Whatever.” Lilith said in an emotionless tone typically found in depressed people, but she shrugged it off as nothing. Ark sighed. His eyes going back to his normal brown color.

“So, what exactly did you come here for?” He asked. “Well, besides me.” The mist started to surround Ark and got thicker by the second.

“Yeah, go ahead Hel.” Lily said with a sigh, her eyes back to there normal crystal blue color. She noticed the mist and growled a warning at Ark. it's was the “no-tricks-or-else-you’ll-die-peasant” type of growl.

“Well first off, we don’t need any, supernatural entities listening on our conversation,” He said, waving a hand at the mist and it drew back as he gave a sharp intake of exhaustion.

Ark sighed and looked at the mist which then thinned out but still surrounded him protectively. “Sorry I can’t always control… her. She has a mind of her own, She’s my spirit guardian.”

“I know, I can feel it. I can feel the connection you two share,” He said, even though he wanted to get rid of the mist, he knew he had minimal power left for use.

“Anyways so what exactly did you come here for? You never finished.”

“Well, the Great King Cole, as much powerful as he is, requires more power, in order to carry out his plans at his own will.” He said putting his hand behind his back and slowly walking towards him and drawing his dagger.

“We just have to bring you in to mark you as a citizen and run some tests on you.” Lily said, slowly creeping forward towards Ark.

“Well as long as it’s a few experiments maybe.” Ark contemplated pacing around for a second and then stopped with his back turned. “Hmmm. You know what, I guess that’s okay, except for one thing.” Ark smiled back his eyes turning green and orange.

“Oh? What's that Lily asked, after a moment of silence.

“That even if i had said yes you would’ve used that dagger and you would’ve used your tendrils of darkness to bind me. Which makes me think that you guys would probably not just do experiments on me but also kill and/or enslave my family and everyone here.” Ark commented his eyes and even brighter hue of green and orange. And he laughed. “So, if you want me you’ve just gotta catch me!” Ark shouted before leaping off into the forest and before he left he snapped his fingers so the mist surrounded his unconscious siblings and Jade. Lily looked at Cole and they both knew exactly what to do.

He looked at Lily and walked over to Jade and sliced her throat and started to drain Jade’s power and put it into Lilith, “There, now you can catch Ark, and this time, let’s just kidnap him.” He said slyly.

Ark froze his eyes widened as he saw jade’s body collapse to the floor her sputtering and the blood spilling everywhere. Lily let out a battle cry and trapped ark in a sphere of darkness than contorted around him and drained his air supply just enough so he would pass out. Once he was contained, she looked at Cole, telling him through a language only she and Cole understood to ready the teleporter.

(inside Ark’s head) [they killed her… It’s my fault i should’ve stayed to help her…. It’s… my… fault… ] Than, a voice sounded in his head. A voice of a girl who had been dead a long time. The girl’s name, is Ruby North. [No It’s not! You need to wake up now and protect her, use the relic to heal her! Do It NOW!] Ark’s eyes opened inside the sphere and he slowly stood up. His eyes were different one was light green the other a light blue hue both glowing inside the sphere the red glow from the necklace shone through the darkness enveloping Ark and the sphere. The once black sphere of darkness was made into a shining ball of red and white. Then it all dispersed and Ark’s body crumpled to the floor with Lilith and Cole staring at what had just happened.