Chapter 36: Fighting Till The End
Fayden Leywin was breathing heavily while he tried to nurse his wound. Tartarean Vitality wouldn't be healing that. He would have to live with one arm, that is if he even survived this.
Kiros casually hurled his severed arm away, as calm as ever. "Now, do you see? It would be less painful for you if you just surrender."
"..." Fayden didn't reply, focusing more on closing his gushing wound. But when nacht started flowing towards his shoulder, he was taken by surprise. This wasn't his doing.
[It's me, relax.]
He did, knowing that 'Markus' wouldn't harm him unless necessary. The black particles shaped themselves into what seemed suspiciously like a hand.
'Are you doing what I think you are doing?'
[Yes, and enter the stable phase 3 when I'm done. We can't survive otherwise.]
He nodded subtly, 'I will.'
A familiar black armour covered his body, wreathed in white flames. His hair grew several times. His runes cracked and dissipated. But he was nowhere near as confident as before.
Kiros raised an eyebrow, "Interesting transformation, however that will not save you."
A radiant white sword materialised in his hand, the stars in the blackened sky falling at it. A black glow overtook the blade and the dark sky funnelled into it.
[The union of dark and light.]
"Slayer of Gods and Monsters alike."
[Face the wrath of the fallen!]
The earth split open as a chasm was created, but the Vritra was nowhere to be found.
"A dangerous ability, it has the potential to incapacitate even deities. I see why Lord Agrona called for your execution," his voice sent chills down my spine, and I whirled around just to see him staring nonchalantly not even 5 foot away.
In an instant he Void Stepped away.
[...The wrath of the fallen!]
He dodged it again.
[It's almost instantaneous, how does he dodge that?!]
'I guess that's an asura for you.'
[I don't see us escaping here.]
Zeke emerged from Fayden's shadow, leaping at the asura.
'I should be able to hold him off for a while, escape while you can!' he mentally yelled at his bond.
'I am not going to sacrifice you, Zeke.' he shot back vehemently.
'Do you have a better idea!' the wolf asura snapped, circling Kiros.
'I'd rather die here than do that.'
Zeke growled in frustration, 'Please, just listen to me this once.'
'I can't.'
Fayden advanced to attack while Kiros was vulnerable, but Kiros closed the distance between him and Zeke in a split second. Holding him by the scruff of his neck, Kiros hurled Zeke right at Fayden, sending them both flying through multiple walls.
"Ugh," Fayden groaned, getting up from the rubble. He glared at the Vritra.
Kiros glared back, but where was the cub?
Widening his eyes, he snapped his head back and brought up his arm just in time to stop the canine asura from biting into his neck. He may be young, but he was still an asura.
A burning pain racked his back, and when he glanced back he was met with the smug face of Fayden Leywin. It was a minor wound, and unlike his subordinates, he would keep his calm. A few minutes would be enough to heal him.
"Is that the best you can do?" he mocked.
Fayden still had the grin on his face, "Perhaps, why don't you come closer to find out?"
Kiros narrowed his eyes at the obvious bait, but answered with a grim smile, "Of course."
Fayden stumbled backwards as he was now face to face with the asura in less than a second.
"Come on, show me what else you can do."
Panicking, he thrust his sword forward, surprisingly biting into the asuras flesh. But that's all it did, no matter how hard he tried, he could not stab him any deeper.
Kiros tilted his head, "Was that all talk then, a shame."
His red eyes glinted momentarily, and the same wispy fire wreathed his entire body, spreading unto his sword dangerously fast.
Not wanting to see if he could survive that, he leaped backwards.
At the same time, Zeke attacked from behind, intending to bite the asura's head off.
Kiros grew annoyed, this godling had been distracting him from his goal for a while now.
And so, when he turned back, he grabbed the wolf's neck. Cocking his hand backwards, he let it sail ahead, but he hit only air.
Fayden appeared in a flash of black, holding Zeke in his arms. That was close. He could not let that happen again.
'Markus, I need your help.'
[I know, and even though I don't agree with you on this, you can leave it to me.]
'Thank you.'
An ethereal white glow encompassed Zeke, who struggled to get free of it.
'Dad! No, don't!'
'Farewell, Zeke. Until we meet again.'
'No-!'
His voice cut out as he was teleported far away.
"Thank you for allowing me to send him away," he turned towards the asura.
"He did not need to die, I had no reason to interfere."
I sighed heavily, "Well, if I am to die anyways I'd much rather go out in a fight."
Kiros narrowed his eyes, nodding, "I can respect your wish. So come at me Fayden Leywin, knowing that this is the final fight of your life."
Fayden smiled weakly, a faint silver aura surrounding both his body and eyes.
[You're nearing critical point.]
'I know.'
And with a new sword in hand, he charged.
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Perhaps by a twist of fate, Ezekiel was transported where he was needed the most.
A brown-haired man was meditating when a mini sun materialised in front of him. And even though his eyes were closed, he flinched in pain, shielding his eyes with his hand.
After the glow died down, he sent an intrigued look at the doglike beast in front of him.
Was this another one of his trials?
Yet when the beast stood up, he couldn't help but blurt out, "Zeke?!"
Ezekiel's ears twitched, he recognized that voice, "Wait, Reynolds?"
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Fayden Leywin was surprisingly putting up a decent fight, his speed and strength had improved by leagues ever since the silver glow befell him and the asura was actually having slight trouble against him.
Fayden felt exhilarated, this power might just be the key he needed to survive this, but little did he know that the very same power might end up being his downfall. The shell around his core quivered.
[...] Markus remained silent, telling him this would do no good.
Kiros would still be deflecting every hit with his bare hands alone, but they were beginning to get bruised now. Maybe he would finally need to bring out his weapon...
Even Fayden realised his body was getting weaker, he could feel his bones creak under the pressure, they would soon start breaking. He had lost count of how many muscles he had ruptured, yet he fought through the pain.
In his next hit, his radius and ulna split, and his humerus groaned. But he wouldn't stop, yes this would ruin his hand but it's better than dying isn't it?
He barely held back a yell when he used that hand the next time, he could feel his broken bones dig into his flesh and poke his skin. He used his replacement hand, growing razor sharp spikes on them.
The shell began pulsating with nacht.
He jumped back, opening his jaw as much as he could. A ball of pure nacht swirled in it, and shot forward near light speed.
Kiros moved fast enough that it only caused a flesh wound on him. He breathed out in relief, that really could have crippled him.
The shell imploded onto his core, and he doubled down, howling in unimaginable pain. Why was his transformation so painful?
[It's...bound to...pain when...your soul is-GAH!] he paused, fighting back the pain, [...being ripped out...of your body.]
Kiros cast him a single glance, and he knew that his work was done.
He levitated down, in front of Fayden's fallen body, "You were strong for a lesser, but this is where your path ends. Farwell, Fayden Leywin."
Fayden grunted, trying his best to get one last hit in, but he could move no longer. His nacht hand dissipated into the atmosphere and the light left his eyes mere seconds before his brother came rushing through.
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Cracks began appearing on Faydens body, spreading rapidly as his brother mourned his passing. Arthur glanced up, noticing the wispy black cracks that covered Fayden's body, his skin peeling off. But rather than exposing flesh, all it exposed was a hollow black interior.
Arthur panicked, trying wildly to get closer to him, but when his finger was but an inch away, his body disappeared, turning into black smoke.
He stood in this position for a few seconds in disbelief. His bond wrapped her arms around him, sending him soothing thoughts to reassure him, but he saw through her farce. She hadn't been unaffected by Fayden's death. Or Uncle Fay, as she called him.
A single drop of rain fell on the bridge of his nose, and he looked up at the stormy clouds over the demolished castle.
He couldn't help but think, 'Was all of this for naught? Were all the sacrifices meaningless?'
He slumped down, 'In the end, were we always destined to lose...?'
'No, their sacrifices were not in vain, Arthur,' his bond replied. 'We were never destined for anything, you know better than most that war takes a lot more than it gives. All you can do to honor his memory is to move on. He wouldn't want to see you like this would he?'
Arthur chuckled mirthlessly as he pondered what his brother would say if he could see him right now.
"Get your ass up, I didn't die for you to mope around. Go, find your girlfriend, and remember I want at least five nephews."
His chuckles soon turned into laughter as he reminisced the times Fayden would tease him and Tess.
'Come on,' Sylvie nudged his shoulder. 'We need to move before the castle collapses on us.'
Arthur nodded weakly, allowing Sylvie to hoist up his battered body. His actions of manipulating aether had left his body in a bad state.
________________________
'Your family is going to be okay, Arthur.' Sylvie consoled him as they flew away from the crumbling castle, Virion's prone form lying behind him on Sylvie's back and Bairon following them.
Arthur clenched his fists to stop them from trembling, 'I have to save them, Sylv. No matter what, I can't let what happened to my father...to Fayden, happen to Mom and Ellie.'
He almost broke down again at the mere mention of his brother.
'I know. We're going to do everything we can.'
They descended by the Sehz River, a few miles northeast of Etistin. He could not let the masses see them like this, that would cause mass panic.
Bairon remained silent as he prepared a campfire, Arthur conjuring a stone tent to act as shelter while Sylvie began healing Virion once again.
After about an hour or so, the worst of the damage had been undone, and they were able to rest peacefully. None of them spoke another word, maintaining a calm exterior, but inside was a whole nother story.
Both of the lances were filled to the brim with unstable emotions, Arthur more so than Bairon, and they knew talking would only result in them going for each other's throats.
The sun had set; and their camp was lit only by the fire's flickering orange light. Arthur prodded at it with a stick, not because he had to, but because he would go crazy if he wasn't doing something.
'What do we do now?' Sylvie asked quietly, reading his thoughts.
'Find Tess, Ellie, and my mom', Arthur replied tiredly.
Sylvie turned to face him, her topaz eyes reflecting the flickering of the fire, and, despite her best efforts to keep her thoughts from leaking out, Arthur could hear the question she wanted to ask: 'Is the war over?'
Before Arthur could respond to that question, a pained groan drew their attention away.
"Commander!" Bairon was instantly on his feet, but halted upon noticing Virion's spooked expression.
"Calm down, Commander."
Virion had bolted to his feet, a sinister aura enveloping him as he ignited the first phase of his beast will.
"Virion. Virion! It's okay," Arthur held his arms up in surrender.
Virion glanced around once more, realizing they were no longer at the castle.
"What...what happened—the Scythe!" he gasped. "My son! Tessia! Buhnd!" He reached out and grabbed Arthur's collar with one hand, his face a mask of panic. "We have to help them!"
Arthur pulled Virion in a hug, ignoring him frantically telling him that they needed to go back. And once he had expended what little energy he had left, he dropped his first phase. And once he had calmed down, Virion wept. The commander, the very pillar of Dicathen, broke down completely.
Arthur pondered on Sylvie's unasked question as he tightened his grip, tears overflowing from his own eyes.
It certainly felt like it was over, that the Alacryans had won, and even outsmarted the Dicathians at every turn.
Arthur cursed himself for being so arrogant, 'What was a mere two mortal lifetimes of experience when compared to an ancient asura's lifetime of intellect and wisdom?'
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