It was unexpected when Lex suddenly jumped on top of him, sending them both to the ground. When Lex jumped back up he felt the air being pushed out of him and he ended in a coughing fit. The whips snapped next to him, normally people would've been taken back by the sound, but he was different. He crawled onto his knees, his hair falling his into face and blocking his eyes so only his mouth was seen. A maniacal smirk crawled onto his face before his red eye began glowing.

Slowly he stood back up, only to be thrown back onto the ground. He gritted his teeth and made a mental note to apologise to Izak after this. He landed heavily on the ground, face first. The impact caused a great gash across his forehead making blood tinge the grass.

There he lay, sprawled on the grass, his hair a mess and his clothes dirty. His wings spread out, feathers ruffled.

A laugh echoed around the area. It wasn't normal either, frightening and malicious. A light glow wrapped around Kazi, until the brightness became so strong it could blind a normal person.

The light-enveloped Kazi stood up, the scarlet eye piercing the very mind Lex with its Cursed stare. It was only a moment before a blast of wind erupted around him, pulling up rocks, water and small trees.

When the wind died down the known Izak was gone. A dark green cloak flapped with the wind and a jingle of necklaces and other accessories was heard. He seemed like a prince, with the royal clothing on. Kazi pulled his blade back out, it was as dark as night and oozing with dark powers. Two great white wings expanded and his hair flew out of his face. A smirk was on his face and his crimon eye was glowing intensly. The previous injury across his forehead was gone, healed just like that.

"Enough playing. I want...to see some red." He laughed devillishly. It was like he only took one step was he in front of Lex, sword against his throat, ready to cut his head right off. He stared right into Lex's dark eyes with his own mis-matched ones. "Ready?"

Lex!! If you can hear me! Stop him, please stop him!! Izak called, Kazi was out of control...not even Izak can stop him now. I have no control over him in this form...please...please stop him!

Lex stared awed as Kazi transformed.

'Cool!' he exclaimed before gulping as the curse appeared in front of him, sword at his throat.

Performing a double back flip he landed away from the man and smirked; play time was over.

Don't worry Izak, I can handle this- have faith in me, please... He sent the message straight to Izak's part of the brain using his telepathic ability.

The elf smiled again.

'So, it begins- does it...?' he queried genially, his facade mask of kindness belied by his sinister black eyes.

Winter reared and let out a shrill, blood-curdling scream before charging towards Kazi, Lex adapting a jockey-like position and swirling one of his whips above his head with malicious intent.

He struck out at Kazi, attempting to catch him around the neck before turning the stallion around in a full circle and galloping off, stopping before the lake. The elf threw out his hands and the lake froze, its cold, hard surface glistening in the piercing sun. Winter’s shoes transformed and spikes grew out a centimetre from the metal, enabling him to walk comfortably on the icy surface.

‘Come for a skate… Kazi?’ Lex asked as he threw his whip out again, trying to catch the man around the waist and pull him out as he walked slowly on Winter across the slippery surface towards the centre.

"Does it now?" He sneered, his red eye glowing intensely. "I thought it hasn't even begun yet...this is just a warm-up for me in this form." He laughed, giving his sword a gracfeul swing before stopping it by his side. "Perhaps, I'll show you what I can do in this form..."

The whip caught him around the neck, tightening it causing him to choke luckily, using the blade of his sword, his pried the whip away and bounded forwards, away from Lex.

He pulled the sword away, the tip just missing his own throat. "You're like a bug, stop moving around and let me cut you." He smirked, a dark smoke raising from his sword, the blade dripping with its dark powers.

The whip had caught Kazi around the waist but not before he gave a mighty slash into the ground. A black verticle shockwave came forwards, cutting into the dirt before flying onto the frozen surface, cutting the ice and pulling some of the pieces up.
The black slash went right for Lex...

The elf laughed coldly.

'You think you're just-so-strong don't you?' he taunted, emphasizing his words to properly portray the point.

'Stop being so narrow minded, you know not the strength I have so don't boast so much as to dig the hole you're in even deeper.'

Lex withdrew the whip from Kazi as he noticed what was heading for him. Steering Winter out of the attack's track he attempted to kick the horse into a canter but the stallion's shoes slipped despite the spikes and he stumbled, almost falling over before re-gaining his footing.

They managed to dodge the main attack so that wasn't a problem but, the aftermath was. Sharp daggers of ice flew up, the reflection from the sun blinding the elf momentarily before he could regain his composure. Shards rebounded off the horse's protection barrier but pierced Lex, one tearing the back of his shirt open, tracing along and re-opening his old scar, crimson blood dancing brightly as it ran down his pale white skin.

Gritting his teeth the elf slid off Winter, falling mercilessly on to the cold, hard ice, blood pouring ceaselessly out of his open wound. Stumbling up on to his knees, face completely concealed by his hair, now matted with blood he laughed, shoulders heaving with every intake of breath.

'It's going to take more than that to kill me...' he whispered coarsely.

A green light glowed and the cut on his back seamed itself back together, the last drop of blood falling to the ground with an audible splash in the tense silence.

Standing up he sprang back on to the stallion who reared with fury and charged at Kazi, malicious intent gleaming in his eyes as he snorted violently.

"I don't think...I know." He sneered, licking his dark blade. "The truth hurts doesn't it?" He laughed devillishly before taking a gentle step onto the ice, he didn't even show that he was going to lose his balance. Every step held confidence.

Kazi eyed the scarlet colour that shone in the sun, slowly his lips curved into a smile before it turned into a manical grin. "I don't want to kill you. I just want to make you squirm and writhe in pain." He laughed, lifting his hand.
He brought his blade to his hand and cut it right across the palm. Blood dripped onto the clear blue ice before it spread and travelled along the lines. He licked his palm, tasting the coppery taste of blood. He saw the horse coming and jumped into the air, taking flight.

"I enjoy killing...but I also like making people afraid." His Healing Factor ability healed the small slash and he spat out the remaining blood in his mouth onto the ice. "Get ready for some heat..." A cage of fire fell onto the lake's edge, trapping everything within it. "Caught you like a bird."

"Now...are you ready to die?" From his place into the air, he sky-dived, blade first at Lex.

Lex glared sardonically at Kazi.

'You're such an idiot, talk about contradiction!' he laughed openly, 'First you say you don't want to kill me, and then you say you want to kill me! So really, do you want to bloody kill me or not???'

The elf walked calmly to the centre of the flaming cage - dodging the demon's attack and yawned.

'You know... this is really boring? And this attack is completely useless. Look at the size of the lake! I can't even feel the heat from here...'

Lex pulled his black shirt off and tied it around his eyes, completely blind and smiled amused.

'Shall we get this party started?'

He stood up straight, stone still and clasped his hands gently together behind his back, smiling all the while. Taking away his sight opened up his physical and mental awareness, making him even the more stronger.

Drawing his whips he smoothly flicked them out, water gushing from the tips and washing the surface of the lake clean of the scarlet blood that spoiled its glistening surface.

'Such rubbish need not poison the pure surface of this earthly lake... keep it where it belongs!' he lashed out angrily with one of the whips and then the other, flinging them at the demon in quick succession.

"Aah, yes. Well...I happened to change my mind now haven't I?" He smirked, inspecting his sword. "Who knows...maybe I won't kill you after all." He said, shrugging casually like this was a normal conversation.

"Blindfolded? You are taking a huge risk here." Kazi muttered, not impressed at all.

Kazi laughed. "Really, what happened to your common sense?" He asked mockingly. "I am a demon. D you think I'll just keep it to this size?" With a tiny flick of his finger the cage crawled inwards, digging into the ground and soon touching the surface of the ice, melting the cold and making a sizzling noise.

"I think I know what you are about to say...fire and water cancel right?" He asked, watching the fire sizzle out within the water. "My magic is a tad bit special compared to normal." The cage re-connected, the fire travelled fast within the water and soon connected together with the other half.

"Oh yes, of course." Kazi hissed, obviously taken back by that insult. "A demon's blood is poison but an elf's blood is fine." He added on coldly. "Do not forget, my blood is also Izak's blood...he's an Angel, a creature much purer than you!" He shouted fron his place within the air.

The Cursed floated gently down, landing gracefully on the ice. "Time is of the essence...huh Lex?" He sneered, dodging Lex's first...second and third attack. On the fourth he let the whip curl around his arm and dig into his skin. "So, electricity doesn't work...I'm sure fire can travel through it don't you think?" He laughed evilly before the orange colour wrapped around the whip. "Is it Game Over yet?"

Lex just smiled.

'Oooh special eh? Someone thinks they're cool!' he taunted, sensing every minuscule movement in the air as he turned slightly so he was facing Kazi.

Lex shook his head in wonder at the vagueness of the man.

'You are so gullable, you know that don't you? I think I'd have a much better time battling Izak - this is boring me immensly and not to mention, you do like to big note yourself which is annoying; at least Izak's modest.' the elf yawned again and assessed the situation. Fire. Water. Cage. Trapped. Fun he thought.



Lex slowly felt the heat of the fire close in around him and shivered mentally.

What do you think we should do Winter boy? he asked his horse curiously. Every cage has a door, doesn't it? Why not find that? the stallion replied, those strong muscles rippling under the fine, supple skin. You know, even better idea - we both like swimming - so let's swim!

'Change of thought Kazi.' Lex said as he withdrew the whip from the demon's grasp, setting out the fire, 'Oh, yeah I'm sorry I forgot to metion this but the power in these whips moves one way, downwards. I am the one holding them, therefore I control them - so don't taint them with your touch again please. Anyway, Izak is pure in the sense that he is a creature of the heavens, of the 'mighty god' himself. I am a creature of the earth, the orb that god created. We are equal in purity, only born from different places... we share the same master. You, are a creature of the devil, not god... you are not pure. Not that I hold it against you though, I like you Kazi don't get me wrong - but you have to understand my point of view.' he sighed disdainfully, 'I'm sick of talking - let's get on with this.'

At his will, the ice under the elf's and stallion's feet melted and they sank into the cool water beneath. Ripping the shirt of his eyes as it was causing him to lag he swam with his horse through the icy depths. Long strands of green weed swayed gently in the undercurrent and small colourful fish darted throgh and around them, their scaly surface glinting in the light of the afternoon. Shellfish darted back into the humble safety of their hard shells as they saw the intruders coming, only to slowly poke their little eyes out and watch warily as the two strangers swam gracefully along.

By the time they reached the bank Lex's lungs were burning and Winter's eyes were wide with strain. They broke through the surface of the ice and crawled up on to the bank, gasping. He patted the horse's neck. Good boy, at least we're out of there he murmered.

'Wet thrice in the same day! Look what you're doing to me Kazi!' the elf exclaimed, throwing down his wet shirt, deciding that it'd just fall off if he tried to blind fold himself again.

Withdrawing his whips from his belt Lex poised once more for battle.

'Come on slow poke! Don't keep me waiting in suspence!' he shouted, sending a bolt of wind over to pick him up.

Kazi's sneer disappeared and was replaced with a small frown. "I never said I was special." He muttered, crossing his arms.

"It's my nature." He said softly. "Everyone has personalities, even demons." He added in, scraping the sword through the ice. "Then again, who am I to say? Perhaps I am gullable, maybe I am cocky..." He paused, letting a demonic grin crawl onto his pale face. "But that's what I love about me." He said loudly.

The Cursed sighed, letting the whip pull back. "Right, I seem to poison everything I touch now." He muttered to himself, his arms falling beneath his dark coloured cloak.

"Jeez, you are starting to piss me off." He hissed coldly. "Tell me, other than 'being pure' what's the difference between you and me? Huh!?" He asked, his voice rising slightly. "We are both alive, we are both partially human, we both breathe, move...you make it seem like I am the devil!" He yelled, his eyes filled with rage.

Kazi broke the cages binds and faced Lex. "Putting me so low...So what? I like killing, I prefer to see people die and in pain but isn't there humans like that too? Are you saying that they were born under the devil as well?" He asked, his hand forming a fist.

He felt the magic wind coming over, trying to pull him over. It was so simple and fast, a glow came over his body changing back into Izak's. It was only a moment before there was a dramatic personality change. His cursed eye had stopped glowing and Kazi's prescence disappeared back into the very corners of Izak's mind.

Izak, not going against the magic landed gently onto the ground. "He's gone." The Angel sighed. "He would...like to be alone for sometime." He said, looking at the ground. "Kazi wants to think about what you said to him."

Izak looked at Lex, giving him a tired smile. "Lex...he didn't disappear because he doesn't like you, I know he still believes that you are his friend, but...if he continued on like he was...my life would've been shortened until there was nothing left." Izak finished.

"Would you like me to take his place?" He asked, giving him a friendly smile.

'There is no other difference between us, Kazi - I never said there was. I never said it was a bad thing not being pure did I? There is no real difference - it's all in the mind' he said exhasperated.

'I didn't say that Kazi...' Lex started, unable to finish as he noticed that it wasn't Kazi any more. He didn't mean that it was Kazi tainting his whips, he meant tainting them using magic on them because it didn't work anyway so he was just wasting his valuable energy!

'Hi... Izak.' he murmered, not unhappy to see him but just wishing he could explain to the demon what he meant.

Sensing that Izak was worn out the elf put an arm under his arms and helped him over to a nearby log.

'I hope Kazi didn't take offence...' he murmed, 'I don't think he really understands what I meant though... I must talk to him, no...' he paused for a moment, thinking, 'Is he back to his normal self yet? Tell him what I said was not about him, but his demonic, evil side.' Lex sighed in utter frustration. Kazi has obviously taken everything the wrong way.

The soft breeze of the afternoon circulated through the trees making a lovely rustling sound... like a symphony of leaves and twigs and blue bell-birds.

'Before you let him continue his brooding, tell him also that he is a creature of the devil and that you are a creature of god and I a creature of the earth. There is no denying that, Izak. But that doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with him. You and I love him for who he is, what he is makes no difference whatsoever. I do not hate the devil, I love both him and god - one cannot be without the other. No matter how much he denies it Kazi -the sane one- is a good man.'

The elf absolutely hated this! He sounded like he was sucking up, pleading whatever you will, but he just didn't want to destroy the friendship he had just created. Even though it was all Kazi's fault by turning into his demonic side. That was a foolish thing to do, nevertheless it happened so now it was, onece again, up to Lex to repair it.

The elf sighed once more and stared dubiously at Izak.

'Battle? I was planning on battling you before, but instead I got a crazy Kazi!' lex chuxkled with affection, 'Maybe a bit later, I want to make amends with Kazi first. Never start another thing wothout having finished the first...'