Floating there in the waters surrounded by my own blood, Cutter breathing in every scent of it. He had gone into a frenzy and now found himself pleasurably enjoying my misery and pain. He leisurely swam passed taking in the deep scent of my blood.

“Oh, if only I could keep you a little longer.” He seemed to sigh. “But with this much blood loss soon you’ll be no good to anyone.”

I finally recovered enough to move. In the few minutes of me being stunned, Cutter had managed to cover my entire body in deep gashes, hoping to expel more blood from my body.

“Master.” Mila’s healing was too slow this time and I knew why. When I had allowed my anger to take over, I had disrupted our connection, this was my fault.

“After this I think I’ll snack on the other two with you.” He grinned. “Lunch time.” Cutter swam at me again. I lifted my swords in a cross to defend against his teeth as he rammed against them. I could see deep within his huge mouth, and it was not pleasant.

“Augh!” I let out a cry as he rammed me back down into the rocks. His body moving frantically, trying to get in a proper bite this time. I gritted my teeth as I felt his dagger dig into my side. Panting I held up defensive wall, weakly trying to push him away. “Mila, I need you.”

“Master.” I could feel Mila using her power behind me, shielding me from anymore of the sharp rocks as Cutter twisted his blade.

“More blood!” He shouted. I watched as more of my blood creeped up his nostrils.

In my moments of weakness, I could hear Tigra’s voice calling out to me, words she’d said to me. “Alex. I need to tell you something. I only realised how I felt when I thought I would never see you again. I love you, Alex Fang.” “Jealous much.” “Promise me, you’ll always come back.”

“Tigra.” I coughed, pushing against Cutter’s will. “Link, Fiske.” I remembered them up on the boat, they would be his next victim’s if I was defeated here, he would tare them apart, no one would be able to stop him; Dagan, along with other fishing villages would continue to be plagued by Cutter.

“Seems you still have some fight in you, good,” grinned Cutter.

“I won’t lose.” I felt Mila’s heart beating within mine. “I have to keep my promise! I will save this village!”

My whole body flashed a blue colour. I could feel Mila’s powers boiling over within me. I forced Cutter off me, then removed his dagger from my side, filled with more energy and strength.

“What’s this?” Cutter hesitated to attack again as Mila appeared swimming up and down me.

“Mila.” I held my arms above my head as she swam directly into me, disappearing and my body glowed more intensely. I knew what this power was, it was the same when I fused with Larana’s power. Mila’s power flowed through my entire body, then the fused armour began to take shape.

A head piece that appeared more like a crown with decorative fins on either side and a single sapphire at the front. Shoulder pads connected to a flowing cape, with a split down the middle, halfway down. My cat tail changed into more of a dolphin’s tail and fins appeared on my lower legs and forearms. My uniform took on a deeper blue with coral pink armour appearing on my chest, vambraces and leg braces; each embellished with a tint of gold.

I held Arata’s and Raziel’s swords in front of me, as their form changed too, which I found strange as they came together into the form of a trident, its colour split down the middle, one side black, the other side white.

“What? Explain yourself.” Cutter seemed dumbfounded.

“What Cutter, never seen a fusion between a master and his talisman before?” I smiled as all my wounds had healed instantly. “Quite rare actually.” I spun the trident around in my hands, then pointed it at him. “In this form I should even be able to control Arata’s lightning down here.”

“Impossible.”

“No.” I looked at the trident, feeling their fused essence, what Tigra had read was true, they were two halves of a whole. “I used a similar power when I fought back your little trap to kill Dad and I.”

“This is the true power of Fang.” Cutter began drawing up more dark power from the crystals below.

“I don’t think so.” I swiped the trident and an electrified current swept across the bottom of the sea, smashing all the crystals in an instant. “There will be no more darkness here. Now, time for me to deal with you.”

“This is my world, you damned Feles!” roared Cutter.

“No.” I shook my head. “All you do is swim around like a headless chicken. I was a fool to let my anger get the better of me, otherwise I would have dealt with you already. I know the path which I must follow and taking you down is the first step.”

“Damn you, Fang!” Cutter came towards me; his larger size had begun to shrink down without his extra source of power from the dark crystals.

I took in a deep breath, avoiding his pointless attack, just like before he tried to overwhelm me with his speed but this time it wasn’t going to work, my mind was clear.

“I am the master of all waters.” I moved the trident, using it to direct the flow of the ocean waters, creating powerful currents and tornados, which even reached up passed the surface of the water.

I watched as Cutter even though he was a strong swimming Animalia, he was still thrown out from the water, and landed back in, getting swept up within the powerful currents. I charged up Arata’s power, black sparks going up and down the trident.

Arata’s power began to super charge the waters around me, spreading throughout the currents, giving Cutter something else to worry about.

It wasn’t long before Cutter was floating there in the waters barely moving. I had won but the dark smog had not been removed from the waters yet. I wondered why, but the answer was in front of me, Cutter still lived.

“You think… You’re so strong.” Cutter slowly recovered his body letting off little sparks from Arata’s power. “But you have not seen anything yet.” He grabbed something from around his neck, another purple crystal. “His power will revive one day, and then the legend of Fang will die and so will she.”

I wondered who he meant by she, was he referring to the goddess they continued to try and erase from history, to destroy so only darkness reigned within this world.

“What are you doing?” I found myself somewhat alarmed by the dark crystal he held, far more concentrated than those I had destroyed.

“I had not wanted to do this, but I can always be revived again.” Cutter raised the crystal to his mouth and devoured it. In seconds, his whole body became enveloped by a dark aura, stronger and more intense than he had before. His body began to change becoming less Animalia and more animal.

“Cutter,” I said his name as his eyes went black and I felt a change in him, like he had been completely lost to the dark power. The moment he devoured that crystal he had forfeited his life to the darkness. I felt a shiver go down my spine and knew I had never faced something like this before, a true beast of darkness.