Ryker was forced back, but remained on his feet.

"...allllll right then." he said, cracking his knuckles.

"I like a challenge." he said further.

"You shouldn't have meddled here." a voice said in the distance.

"This does not concern you." they added.

Ryker just laughed out loud.

"You have NO idea!" he declared in response.

"...looks like the little whelp is about to die." the necromancer laughed.

Ryker didn't respond to him.

Instead, he jumped up high... until he was over top the crystal, and clapped his hands together.

"We'll see about THAT!" he yelled.

He then formed a massive ball of energy between his hands, and fired it straight down towards the crystal.

"SHATTER INTO SHARDS!" he yelled further, as the energy pushed hard against the crystal, trying to break into it, and through it.

"NO!" the necromancer shrieked, as the cavern started to rumble and cave in.

"Let's go." Ryker said, grabbing the man by the collar, and running with him. As he ran, noticed something and raised an eyebrow.

"Hm?" he muttered, grabbing it as well and seeing it was a jacket.

Eke's jacket.

"Neato!" he said, as he and the panicking wizard exited the cave, Ryker throwing him off to the side, and dropping the jacket.

"Why!? Why did the darkness betray me!? I was controlling it! It was mine!" the man said.

This caused Ryker to chuckle.... very darkly, before turning and walking over towards him.

"...you think you own the darkness? You're nothing more than a mere fool that got a taste of what it is... and then thought you had the whole meal." he continued, lifting him up by his neck.

"Meanwhile, I lived in it all my existence..." he continued, the demon taking over fully now. "I understood it... I respected it... I learned it. I lived it." he went on, his grip tightening around the man's throat, as he threw him against a nearby boulder, pinning him there.

"The darkness betrays you... because it belongs... to ME..."

"......" Ryker was silent, before looking over towards Eke.

He said nothing, and just silently crushed the man's throat, before leaving him to suffocate and choke, making his way over to Eke.

"Wow." he said.

"Daddy dearest did a number on ya." he commented.

"I can probably heal you." he then commented.

"It'll leave WICKED scars, though."

Ryker then shrugged, and summoned energy before him. The energy blasts Eke's wounds, sending pain shooting throughout his body, but the wounds were being closed at an amazingly quick rate, and it also seemed like Eke's blood production had increased temporarily, to try and combat the loss of blood.

"That should do it." Ryker said.

"Yer outta the woods." he told him.

"For now, anyway."

Ryker didn't even seem to react to the snapping.

However, when he looked at the bones, he sighed.

"...damn." he muttered.

"Just... damn." he said.

He then got close to Eke, and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"At least it's over." he told him.

"It's over. For sure."

"........" again, Ryker was silent for a moment.

"I'm not sure what he would have said." he admitted.

"Other than he's proud of you. That he's glad you have people that care about you, and people you care about in return. How you're doing something with your life, and how you're living it to the fullest." he continued.

"Know how I know?" he asked.

"Because it's how I feel." he told him.

"And if you want to bury the bones, we'll bury the bones." he added with a small smile.

"....." Ryker was silent, before the demon took over.

"Eke." he said, addressing him by his name for the first time.

"Don't waste time lamenting what could have been." he told him.

"Focus on what's ahead, and push forward." he finished.

He then pointed a finger to the ground, and a laser-like beam of energy shot out, which he then started to 'drag' through the soil.

"I'll cut a hole in the ground for his bones." he went on, before closing his eyes and sighing.

"Although if it'll REALLY bother you... there's a chance I can get you a chat with him." he muttered.

"....." again, Ryker was silent.

"All right then." he muttered.

"Finish this up, then get back." he said to himself, as he continued to carve into the ground.

When Eke awoke, he was back in his bed, with Aly sound asleep beside him.

He had no idea how much time had passed, but it was night outside, and Aly looked exhausted. Odds were she was staying awake to make sure he was all right, before passing out from exhaustion, and decided to lay beside him.

Aly moved slightly, but was still asleep.

However, she moved closer, and held him.

She held him close, and hugged him.

It was easy to tell she'd been worried, and she wanted to be with him.

Even asleep like this, she wanted to still be with him.