All of these thoughts running through my mind. The thoughts of how to defeat them and the ideas of how to defeat them that are currently out of my grasp. It’d be so much easier if I had magic instead of whatever this is. I can’t think like this. I need to figure out a way of victory that’s unique to me. That usually just means me beating them in hand to hand combat but there’s one bit of a twist here.
“REMEMBER ME, TWERP?!” The large hooded figure took off his mask.
“Glen?! I thought you were exiled from the city?” I asked.
“Exiled from the Guild. YOU DID THIS!” He jammed his finger at me.
“How did I do that? went berserk, not me.”
He cracked his neck and dashed forward. He carried his sword in his hand, keeping it level but slightly above the ground. For how big and muscular this guy was, he was quick.
I backpedaled, keeping my distance away from him. I’ve felt his power firsthand and it isn’t something you want to get hit with.
“Why’d you go crazy anyways?” I asked, dodging his left hook.
“I DON’T EVEN REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED THAT DAY!” He shouted as he struck over and over—only hitting the ground.
Suddenly, it hit me.
There’s no way a person like Glen, who made his living off of being an adventurer, would attack a student at an academy and throw it all away. Someone must’ve been controlling him or blackmailed him or something that made him act in a way that wasn’t befitting of his character.
“It was you, wasn’t it, Alchemist?” I asked.
"Impressive," the Alchemist said coolly. "Yes. That was me. A touch of Vermind's blood, a hint of chemical persuasion, and he became my puppet."
Glen didn’t seem to hear any of it or the potion made him not care. He stomped, sending me flying into the air. He bent his knees and leaped up into the air—he soared above me and clasped his hands together to make an axe handle and smacked me back down with a deafening THUD
I rolled out of the way as he tried to stomp my face into the ground.
“Geez,” I groaned, “What’s your issue with me, Glen?”
“YOU RUINED MY LIFE!” He trudged towards me, his eyes devoid of any light in them. Hell, devoid of anything. He had the eyes of a dead fish.
He swung a heavy right hook. I put my arm up, blocking his strike with my arm but he had such immense power. I hit him with a body shot with my open hand. He showed signs that he felt it but he didn’t budge. His attacks kept coming. And my entire body was weak. I’ve been fighting and being experimented on.
That divine power was a crutch, I relied on it entirely too much and now I’m powerless against magic as I am now.
My arm began to slowly drop. I tried my best to will myself on but there’s only so much you can do when your body is too weak to keep itself upright. It’s taking everything in me to not pass out right here and right now.
“Finally,” The Alchemist groaned from behind Glen.
“What do you mean finally? DID I SAY I WAS DONE?!” I ducked underneath Glen’s attack, my head right underneath his chin, “For everything you’ve done, for all of the bad things you’ve done since arriving at Lixarts… I know there’s a good person in there.”
I mustered every ounce of power I had, surpassing my limits, surpassing everything I thought possible until now and struck him square on the chin. His body flew upwards, at least 50 feet into the air before crashing down with a bone-rattling slam, the stone beneath him spider webbing on impact.
Smoke curled around us, from underneath Glen who’s body laid still, rolling in like storm clouds around me and The Alchemist.
I couldn’t even feel proud. I couldn’t revel in this moment because my body was so My arms hung like tree branches in the wind. I wanted to desperately fight him but I couldn’t.
He walked over and kicked my leg out from underneath me.
I collapsed onto the ground.
“This is it? I’ve heard stories, hell, I’VE SEEN THINGS ABOUT YOU! I THOUGHT YOU WOULD PROVIDE SOME SORT OF CHALLENGE BUT YOU’RE WEAK! AS I THOUGHT, YOU’RE USELESS IN A WORLD THAT RELIES SOLELY ON MAGIC! YOU DON’T DESERVE TO WALK THE SAME WORLD AS US. WE’RE GODS AND YOU’RE… You’re nothing more than the dirt that clings to my shoe. Nothing more than the shit from a wild animal. Nothing more than… anything, really. You really thought you mattered?”
My strength fled from my body in an instant. My colosseum, I can’t hold on. It came crumbling down, like dominos falling.
The Alchemist smirked at me.
With the flick of a wrist, half a dozen vials rose into the air—each one swirling with a volatile glow: acid green, burning crimson, sickly violet. They pulsed like twisted heartbeats, orbiting him like a crown of poison.
“You thought you could be some sort of hero? A hero?! DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH,” He kicked me in the stomach, his boots crashing into my ribs as I rolled on the ground. Pain echoed throughout my body, it bloomed like fireworks. A metallic taste settled onto my tongue. Blood. My blood. I tried my hardest to stay conscious and it worked—barely.
“THIS ISN’T SOME FAIRYTALE. The strong devour the powerless. You are powerless in this scenario. You think you’re some sort of hero? You’re not a hero. You will never be a hero. Your story will never be remembered because this is where it will end,” he laughed, manically.
“Forgotten before your body even cools,” he sighed, grabbing the bridge of his nose.
“Do you know what this one does?” He plucked the vial with the swirling storm of flames encapsulated inside.
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“Obviously,” I groaned.
“SHUT YOUR MOUTH,” He delivered a swift kick to my face.
My jaw screamed in pain, I wanted to scream in pain as it sent ripples throughout my body. I wanted to get up and fight. I needed to get up and fight but my body told me no. My will wasn’t strong enough. I needed it to be. Please. Get up. FIGHT. GET UP AND FIGHT NOW.
.
..
…
Nothing.
“A slow, painful death would be the best way for someone like you. It is time to cleanse the world of this stain,” he looked up to the sky.
The sun beamed on his face, like he was in the spotlight of a play. He acted as if he was the chosen one. Chosen by Void to doll out his punishment.
He tossed the vial at me. I willed my body to roll to the side. Away from the blazing inferno. The flames kissed my back, seering my skin in a burning pain. I might be down but I’m not out.
Suddenly, a thought came to me.
I looked over to the raging fire, something I could use had to be there. My eyes were swollen and bloody but that didn’t affect my vision. My eyes landed on a thick molten residue sizzled against the stone but the core it still bubbled in a slow crawl. A trail of it had stuck to my side, scalding my side in a fiery pain. I reached down and gripped it. Pain surged throughout but I bit down, on the scream. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of that.
I didn’t need much. I just needed to hit the vial.
“You know what’s your biggest flaw?” I goaded him on.
“Oh, do tell, please,” He bent down to eye level with me.
“You’re just one big,” I threw the molten residue. High arc, perfect throw, at least perfect what I could muster with what I had left.
The molten residue blob started to fall in front of him. He cackled at me, mocking me because I missed him but I wasn’t throwing it at him. But at his Where one last vial remained.
It doesn’t need to hit. Just one spark will do.
“One big bomb yourself.”
The glass bottle shattered. The second it made contact, it burst. Fire met chemicals, chemicals met fire, a mutually assured destruction. BOOM.
It exploded. The explosion sent him flying into the air, wild arcs of unnatural flames, smoke trying to claw its way through the raging inferno. The vials, one by one, cracked, and combusted in a series of chain events.
Just like I said.
“YOU—AHHHHHHHHH!”
The screams of anguish filled the room for a while and it was unbearable but eventually he stopped. I sighed as the screams of The Alchemist died down.
I’ve finally won.
I rested my arm across my eyes and lifted my fist in the air as I laid on the cold, stark stone floor.
“I’ve won,” My fist fell to the ground as I lost consciousness.
“ACK!” Kasen slammed onto the ground with a sickening thud as the man stood over him. He gripped his gigantic hands around Kasen’s neck and began to squeeze.
“You’re pathetic,” he sighed.
Kasen clawed at his hands, trying to pry them off but the man’s grip was too strong—like iron bands gripping around his throat. It was like a bear trap had gotten trapped on his neck.
“Struggle all you want, it will be in vain. I was really hoping it was you who poked your head out. I wasn’t too particular about who died but that man seemed like he would’ve put up more of a fight than you.”
Those words fell on deaf ears. Kasen was trying to get his hands off and thinking of a way to defeat the monster of a man who stood before him. His breathing slowed, Kasen tried to gasp for air but it was to no avail, the man had blocked off his trachea. Kasen’s eyes looked as if they were about to burst—like a dying lightbulb on the verge of shattering.
He lifted his hand up.
“You give up? Finally.” The man began to squeeze his neck even harder.
Kasen smirked and snapped. A dazzling glow appeared in between their faces. The man’s face twisted from confidence to confusion. He let Kasen go and jumped backwards.
“Too…” Kasen coughed, “late.”
Light erupted—pure, radiant incandescence—searing his skin. It was too bad that he had dodged any damage to his vitals but it was little consolation. His skin bubbled and peeled, melted by the raw brilliance that tore through the air.
Kasen stood up and delivered a thumbs up.
“ALL THAT TALK FOR THAT?! YOU COULDN’T BEAT A FIRST YEAR?!”
BOOM
He delivered a right hook to Kasen, sending him flying into the wall.
The man quickly followed up on this attack and grabbed him by his face. He smashed his face through the stone—and threw him into the air.
“DOUBLE JUMP!
The heart wrenching difference in their power. This man was different from anyone he’s ever faced before.
“YOU THINK SOME CHEAP LIGHT SHOW WOULD STOP ME?!”
He assaulted Kasen’s ribs in the air, the bones crunching beneath each blow. He struck him with an uppercut to his stomach—sending him higher into the air.
“YOU WON’T GET AWAY UP THERE, BOY!” He crushed his fist. A powerful gust of wind sent Kasen flying back down. The man landed on the ground.
“You’re gonna love this,” he started channeling wind on his fist, the air swirling around in a violent vortex.
Kasen’s thoughts swirled in his head as he fell to the ground.
“Why am I doing this?” His mind flashed to Rose, “No. That wasn’t it. It was something else,” the air began to pull him towards the man’s fist.
“I WANT TO FIGHT STRONG PEOPLE! I WANT TO FIND SOMEONE WHO CAN BEST ME IN BATTLE!” Kasen shouted, “I’M SO GLAD YOU BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF ME! YOU CAN ONLY EVOLVE IF YOU’RE PUSHED TO YOUR LIMITS!”
Kasen’s hysterical laughter filled the room, his bloody bright smile angered the man who was on the ground—staring up at him.
“OH YEAH?!” He jumped, impatient.
“Yeah. GRAVITY WELL!
A cataclysmic blast roared out, the sound so loud it had felt like gravity itself had intensified. That’s the thing though.
The man froze in the air before plummeting down to the earth. The heavy gravity pinned him to the ground as Kasen slammed into the cold stone beneath. His eyes fluttered.
“I need to stay conscious. I can’t let this spell go or I’m dead,” he kept his hand held up toward him—one eye open while the other one shut from the blood seeping into it from the wound on his head.
“KASEN?!” Aura ran into the room and stood next to him, “What happened?”
Kasen pointed over to the man stuck underneath the gravity.
“Who is that?” She asked.
“He—” he broke into a coughing fit, “killed Nomad.”
Aura’s color drained from her skin. Her heart started beating rapidly, “There’s no way… You’re kidding,” she chuckled nervously.
“I wish I was,” he whispered.
Aura’s face turned into one of fear. One of fear for her own life. Her life that she had yet to live, the fear of losing everyone else.
“We’re not authorized to kill. We’ll spend the rest of our lives locked up if we kill him here and now. Yet, something is telling me to.”
“Can you heal me?” Kasen muttered, his voice barely a whisper, “I can feel my magic draining.”
“Yeah,” Aura bent down on one knee and started chanting.
“WIND BLADE!
The man was standing on the opposite side of the room as the crescent blade made up of wind flew towards Aura. She ducked underneath it as it took down yet another wall.
Aura’s eyes turned to him.
“All I needed was that moment of weakness. That moment when I knew he would eventually crumble underneath the pressure. His power is too much for him as it is and I knew that in terms of raw magical ability, he beat me. However, I’m much stronger,” he cracked his neck.
“Well, damn,” Aura stared at him, then at Kasen on the ground, then back at him.
“COME,
A thunderous boom echoed in the room, followed by lightning that struck down from the electric gold magic circle on the ceiling. The luminous surge flooded the room with blinding light.
The man smiled, his thirst for battle was blazing ever so fervently.
