Book One: Fate
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Chapter Twenty Four: Better To Die
A clatter in the next room roused Karen from her slumber. A light night sky still hung outside the bedside window, but dawn could not have been an hour or two off. The noise was from the room to the left, which was the room given to Tylor. Sturdy footsteps were followed by the opening and closing of a door, and then steps echoed down the hallway outside the bedroom door as someone past it. Swiftly, Karen rose from her bed and looked out into the hall. She got a quick glimpse of Tylor’s fully armored figure disappearing down the end of the hall followed by the distant thumps of him walking down the inn’s stairs. Torra was not making his move on Tentra for a few hours yet, so Karen was confused as to why Tylor was up so early and was fully dressed for battle.
Something was not right.
She proceeded to get dressed as quickly as she could and then left her room to peruse Tylor. He was no where to be seen in the lower drinking or seating area’s of the inn, which meant he must have went outside. The courtyard was mostly empty, though a few knights on watch were still pacing around. Upon questioning one of the knights she discovered that Tylor had went to the north stables in search of a horse, apparently with Leon’s permission.
She found Tylor watching a knight prepare a large chestnut brown steed with riding garments. Karen pulled Tylor aside, out of sight from the knight, and demanded to know what he was doing. He did not answer.
“What’s wrong, Tylor? Why are you taking a horse?” Karen asked, confused by his demeanor.
“I’ve had enough,” he said without emotion. “I don’t want this life, this fake life. I will not be a puppet to be controlled by someone I have not even met! Tai of all people has helped me see sense. This is all pointless, all of it! There was never a choice, my father was wrong!”
“…What are you talking about Tylor?” she replied, getting more panicked. “Tai has said something to you? When? How? His only goal in life is to destroy ours! He will say things and do things that are intended to break our spirits! You cannot believe anything he has told you! Please, calm down and explain to me… What did he say?”
“We… we are monsters, Karen. All of us are… me, you, and Joel… the people of Pesmega cannot rely on us… not after we were created from the very people we are meant to kill!”
“Tylor, you are making no sense! Do not believe anything Tai has said. He is a lying maniac. There is nothing but murder on his mind…”
“…And a lust for power…” he said, trailing off. “…He can have mine, I don’t want it!”
Suddenly, Tylor turned and pushed the nearby knight seeing to the horse out of the way and sat up on its back. With a forceful kick, the horse neighed deeply and shot off out of Wex with Tylor sat atop its back. Karen was left standing alone and confused as she watched him disappear off into the distance.
Wasting no time, she informed Joel and Leon of Tylor’s actions and the frame of mind he appeared to be in. It was similar to the state he was in after his mother had been killed; he did not care about himself or anyone else. They had to act quickly and follow after him before he reached Tentra, else he would mostly likely die. Joel ran to his room to prepare his things and to fetch Karen’s weaponry. Leon stayed behind and was silent.
“Leon, we must hurry! Even on the fastest horses we must leave now if we are to have any hope at gaining on Tylor before he reaches Tentra!” she insisted.
“Karen, I am sorry, but I can’t go,” Leon sighed.
“…What are you talking about?”
“Ask Tylor when you find him. Say that I have allowed him to speak of the oath. I must stay with King Nega, and protect him when they march in the coming hours else he will never believe who I am. I am truly sorry, Karen.”
And with that Leon left Karen standing alone once again. Things were worse than even she had feared the night before. Leon had turned his back on them for some reason. It must have had something to do with the new king. And Tylor had been convinced of some lie that Tai had spoken to him.
Joel returned within ten minutes fully armored and carrying Samilo in hand. His quiver was full of the kingdoms best arrows and his sword was in its scabbard strapped to his back. Karen collected horses provided by the knights and quickly explained that Leon had opted to not follow. The kid was very disheartened at this news and equally confused. He, as Karen had been, was under the impression Leon had become close with them and would gladly help them save Tylor, but instead he followed after the new king, his sire. It was noble, but conflicted. Did he not care about Tylor’s well being?
The steeds carrying Karen and Joel rode out in hot pursuit of Tylor, who had already had a twenty minute head start on them.
Tentra looked dark even in the glow of fresh sunlight caressing the snow sat on the ground. Smoke still rose from some wreckage that had once been houses even though they had been started the night before. No birds flew over head and no noise of a bustling community was heard within its walls any longer. It had the same feel as Noctern did. Though Tentra was not in as much of a state of decay, it was well on its way. Without friend or foe wandering the streets Tylor was free to ride his steed all the way to Tentra castle which loomed high before him.
That was where his fate had led him, most likely to his death, but in death he would find solitude and peace away from the forced destiny and unwanted linage. Tai would probably be waiting in the throne room, and possibly the other Sect that he had mentioned back in Wex; the Sect known as Kass and Luther. The chance of defeating one Sect was low enough, but against three there was no hope at all.
As the castle grew closer, Tylor was confused that Tai’s Aura was not presenting itself. He would recognize the feeling when the Sect was close and if close enough even his exact location, but for now there was nothing. A dreadful evil Aura was coming from the castle, but it was not Tai’s. Tai concealed his full power most of the time, making him harder to track, but whoever now stood within the old castle walls openly and proudly allowed their power to be felt by all. Also, the power that was flaunting its greatness was slightly more potent than the power Tai had unleashed in Noctern when his anger grew. Did that mean Tai was one of the weaker of the Sect? It did not bare thinking about.
Taking one last look at the street opposite the first courtyard of Tentra castle Tylor could not help but consider turning back. The street was clear, an open path all the way back out of the capital. That was the route to safety. And then there was the path across the courtyard into the castle, the path to death. Tylor’s decision was made only after a moment’s consideration. The single thought that his life was not his own decided for him that the castle was the way his fate laid, not the route out of the city.
The Destined’s legacy was not worth the pain, nor the constant battles. His father had died for it and his mother had died because of it and countless others as well. Joel’s parents, Karen’s parents, Leon’s father, and the Queen of Atra, they too died because of the Destined. Zan Sabre had fallen believing in what he died for, and because of that was at peace. But he did not believe in the legacy, it was not the way to save Pesmega. The people of the world rallied once to stop Yggdrasil, they could do it again without their help. Calmly and with decided resolve, Tylor entered Tentra castle.
The interior of the castle was untouched for the most part, the battle that had raged through the various districts had not spread inside the walls. All the beautiful statues, paintings, and other art were pristine as if intricately cleaned just moments before. The throne room was probably the only room that had been damaged, everything else seemed unmoved. It was deserted also, not a living soul anywhere. It had been empty even as the group originally escaped from the throne room, the fear of the undead attack obviously to much to bear for the servants.
At last, after climbing many stairs and walking along many halls, Tylor reached the once perfectly polished doors to the throne room. They lay broken on the floor after falling outward. Holes where blades of energy from Tai’s attack struck were plain to see. Inside, two voices were talking. Neither of the voices were Tai’s, so he entered without care to see who it was.
A man and a woman dressed like Tai looked at Tylor with disbelief as he entered. The man was not Tai; he was of lesser build, figure, and strength. They both wore their masks, but it was obvious the woman was Karen’s likeness. They crossed their arms across their chests and stood examining Tylor in the same way Tai did, it seemed to be an inherent trait of the Sect to look down on their enemy with such a pose.
“He is not my double, that one is Tai’s, the Center Point” the man said. “He would not come alone, perhaps they are elsewhere… Do you wish me to stay and assist you, Lady Kass?”
“No,” the woman uttered. “I do not need help disposing of this one, go now and find your double and kill anyone with him. Have fun.”
And with that the male Sect was gone, vanishing in a similar fashion as Tai had done on many occasions, leaving Tylor and Kass. She did not move or make any motion of attack, instead her stance stayed loose and her gaze transfixed on him as he walked through the door and closer to her.
“…You are alone, aren’t you? Very foolish,” she said in a voice not dissimilar from Karen’s, but with a more dark undertone. “Are you that eager to die?”
“You are Kass, Tai told me about you. And that must have been Luther,” Tylor said unemotionally. “Where is Tai?”
“I was about to ask the same thing of you. I had hoped you had killed him again, but alas it seems you are even weaker than I had anticipated. Has he lured you here?”
“He wants me to kill you,” he responded.
The dark lady Kass laughed to herself.
“All he has done is sent you to your death, you foolish little boy.”
“Good,” he retorted instantly. “It is what I want.”
“Come then, and let me give it to you!” Kass cried.
Tylor unsheathed Pesmega and charged at Kass. He took three powerful strikes at her, but in each instance she seemed to be one step ahead and was able to side-step the swipes. A slash at her throat met with nothing but air as her upper body leaned backwards. She firmly struck her leg into Tylor’s stomach knocking him backwards to the ground. Pesmega slid along the marble floor some distance out of reach. Instead of trying to grab his sword, Tylor jumped sideways behind a pillar and waited for Kass to walk slowly round. As she neared the elegant column Tylor pushed his hands out in front of him and dented the rock causing it to crumble and topple on the side at which Kass stood.
Completely relaxed, Kass moved her hands from the crossed position on her chest and caught the falling pillar with one flat palm. It did not bear down on her at all; it was as if it was a feather. Playfully, she pulled her hand back and tossed it to Tylor, who rolled sideways to dodge. As he rose from the roll he stood up to find Kass standing directly in his face once again piercing his soul with her dark eyed gaze.
Moving faster than Tylor could react she grabbed him by the neck and tossed him the length of the throne room to the opposite side of the hall. Tylor landed with a bump as his back struck a sturdy wall. Kass began walking slowly towards him, seemingly highly amused.
“Perhaps Tai had a point. I forgot how invigorating playing with you Destined is!” she laughed.
With a grunt, Tylor got to his feet and readied himself as his opponent drew closer. When she was no more than a meter away Tylor kicked high with his foot causing Kass to pull her hands up to dodge. However, Tylor stopped mid kick and instead bent his knee back and lowered his attack to the chest and struck as hard as he could against her breast plate with his other leg. There was a hallow thump as he did.
Not waiting to analysis any possible damage, Tylor slid below Kass and pushed his hands up at her face. An invisible force struck the bottom of her mouth knocking her body backwards as she fell to the ground.
As she got back up, Tylor fetched Pesmega. Kass still had her back to him as he lunged forwards bringing the blade down high from above towards her head. Suddenly, Kass turned half circle and caught the falling blade with one hand. Tylor tugged at the sword trying to break her grasp, but she held it firm, and without injury due to the thick gauntlets she wore. There was faint cracking sound as Kass slowly twisted her hand ninety degrees. To Tylor’s horror he watched as Pesmega’s blade snapped below where Kass’ hand held it. The top of the blade dropped to the floor along with millions of small crystal shards as Kass threw the shattered dauraniam away. Tylor fell to his knees and let the hilt and what remained of his half of the blade drop from his grasp.
“Did I break your toy?” Kass laughed.
Striking out in anger, Tylor punched Kass across the face with all the might he could summon. His fist felt as if it had struck three meter thick rock. He pulled his fist back and saw that Kass was unmoved, but very amused. She then took her turn to strike and punched Tylor in the chest. The force of the blow knocked him backwards into the center of the room. He coughed and spluttered as he tried to catch his breath.
“Not that I do not welcome the sport, but why bother resisting if you really do welcome your own death?” Kass questioned with a sneer.
“If I kill you then Karen won’t have to fight,” Tylor said as he winced with pain.
Lady Kass continued her approach. Tylor pushed forwards with his hands and pounded her with an invisible force, but it only halted her momentarily and did not knock her feet out from under her. Tylor had used what little strength he had mustered. He had struck with the entire Aura he could and now he felt tired and drained from expending too much. Karen would have to fight Kass after all, as he was too weak. Perhaps she would see things the same way he did and give up as well, but then she had always been stronger than him and had more faith in the Destined.
Suddenly, someone called Tylor’s name. The voice came from the entrance to the throne room where Karen and Joel now stood. Joel fired a shot from Samilo narrowly missing Kass as she darted out the way.
“Move Tylor out of the way and see to his wounds, Joel,” Karen instructed. “I will hold her off.”
Joel complied and took him by the underarms and tugged him along the floor as smoothly as possible before leaning him up against the wall adjacent to the shattered doors.
Karen drew her dagger from its sheath and met Kass in the center of the room. The Sect pulled at the base of her face mask and took it up over her head revealing a face almost identical to Karen. The mask fell down her back, slightly caught on frail strands of her hair.
She thrust forwards with her dagger, but Kass grabbed the arm holding the dagger by the wrist and held her stomach in so it could not reach. She twisted Karen’s wrist sideways causing her extreme pain, enough to make her drop the dagger to the floor, before pulling her up over her head and tossing her towards the thrones at the top of the room. Karen landed with a clatter at the base of King Nega’s throne. Kass materialized before her and tried to follow up with a kick to the gut, but Karen caught her foot and pushed it away before battering the Sect in the chest with an invisible Aura strike and following it up with another to the side of the face, knocking Kass down the small set of stairs to the thrones and back into the center of the room.
Another arrow shot through the air, but this one was caught by Kass as she spun to catch it using almost a sixth sense to know when to grab. Regardless of the Sects ability to defend, Joel readied another and pointed it directly at her heart.
A pair of arms suddenly pulled up round Kass’ shoulders and joined behind her head. Karen had come down from the thrones and grabbed the Sect as her attention was distracted. In a furious rage Kass began swinging her arms and pulling her body from side to side.
“Fire!” Karen shouted.
As Joel’s slender fingers released from the flight of the readied arrow Kass stopped tugging and pulling and instead closed her eyes as if in meditation. Suddenly, her body was consumed in a glowing purple Aura, the force of which knocked Karen from her back. The arrow met with the barrier of purple energy and turned to nothing but splinters as it burnt straight away. Kass brought her arms down level with her sides and bent forwards slightly as she summoned more and more strength from the Aura. It was just as Tai had done in Noctern when he had been angered. That was how the Sect summoned their power. The dark purple light continued to grow more intense, the evil energy flowing from it consumed all light in the room turning it into a dull purple. The marble beneath Kass broke apart and became upturned as sections rose into the air and were turned to dust just as the arrow had been.
Just as the dark colored light had reached its peak it receded into a soft glowing fire like shroud that stayed close around Kass’ body. It was as if she stood amongst a blaze as the ember shaped energy flickered and danced around her coming to a peak above her head. This was her real strength. She was not playing or toying with them anymore.
Karen struck at Kass’ back with all her might, but the Sect was unharmed. Confidently, Kass turned and smiled evilly. She cast Karen aside into the nearby left side wall with a swipe of her hand. Joel readied yet another arrow but quickly had to duck as a small ball of energy shot over him, blasting into the rock that had once held the throne room’s door hinges. The blast had come from Kass, who had partly twisted her body round and was pointing a spread out palm at Joel. Smoke flew up from her hands from where the ball had fired.
Joel dropped Samilo to the ground and drew his short sword before charging at Kass. As he neared, she grabbed the blade as she had done with Pesmega and crushed it with the force of her hand. She picked up Joel as if he was nothing more than a doll and threw him into a pile of debris next to Tylor’s body. Joel rolled to a stop against the wall with rock piled over some of him. He coughed hard as blood slid down the side of his mouth. He did not move. Kass stood over Karen and sneered at her likeness’ face. She firmly placed a boot onto her stomach and applied enough force to keep her from getting up.
“Do you know why you were given the form of a female? Tell me and I may spare you,” Kass instructed.
“…Even if I knew… I would not tell you,” Karen replied.
A firm hand formed round Karen’s neck as her Sect likeness lifted her off the floor and knocked her into the nearest pillar, causing its very foundations to shake with the force of the strike. Karen was winded instantly, but still tried to break from of Kass’ grasp. It was then that Kass’ gaze broke from her eyes and began to stare off into the distance. The Sect mumbled something and pushed a flat palm against Karen’s stomach.
“This? This is… whose is it?” she screamed at Karen. “It’s one of theirs, isn’t it? It was no mistake you were made. Seka is using you to try to reproduce with another to make a mixed blooded warrior, a dangerous endeavor and unlikely to work… but genius none the less. I must tell Kain!”
Karen was thrown in-between the former king and queen’s thrones where she lay still and silent trying to hold in her pain. Slowly, she rose to a kneeling position and noticed that during the battle her dagger had been moved to the base of the stairs leading to the thrones. She squirmed down the stairs and stretched out to reach her weapon, but Kass got there first, picking it up in her hand and examining it. Karen sat back up onto her hands and knees and knocked her fist off the ground.
And then she felt something, a strange sensation, a tingling and warm feeling. She bent backwards off of her hands and felt along her stomach with them. It was then that she realized what Kass had discovered.
“…This, this is why I am a woman, I wasn’t…I wasn’t a mistake… Father, Mother, I wasn’t…”
She looked up to see Kass pointing one hand out at her side facing away towards the west wall. In the hand was Karen’s dagger, her precious dagger. A purple ball of energy surrounded and consumed the dagger before the sphere blasted out through the castle wall sending a shower of debris through the air. The dagger was gone. No trace was left; it was disintegrated by the blast. As Karen watched on, helpless and powerless, she felt a single tear run down her cheek. It fell from her face down onto the smooth floor below.
A flash in her mind made her jolt upwards. Something had happened. Something had changed. A door had been opened. It had always been there, wallowing in the back of her mind locked and secure for so long, but now it was open. Memories which were not her own suddenly flooded her mind. The memories were of training and of mastering crafts to become skillful warriors. These were the memories of the Destined that went before her, and the images were of the training the warriors under her star had gone through. She knew everything now and for the first time truly understood what the Destined were.
Her Sect likeness walked slowly up the stairs leading to the thrones, transfixed on the wide open eyes of her enemy. She seemed to be looking off into the distance, lost in a trance. Kass had no intention of showing pity and leaving the crazed weakling to live as Tai might have. Her left hand moved closer to Karen’s neck.
Without a word, Karen’s hand hastily moved to catch Kass’ before it could form around her neck. She pulled it outwards, away from her, fighting back against Kass’ physical strength. Karen suddenly screamed as she was consumed in white fire. It was her Aura, strong and true, finally surfaced in all its greatness. It rose and shaped like a fire around her, just as Kass’ dark purple blaze had. Karen hopped up onto her feet and punched Kass across the face with her free hand. The Sect flew backwards and smashed through the pillar that Karen had been held up against not long before. Kass skidded to a halt behind the remains of the pillar, which was now toppled and smashed.
“So, you have uncovered your power. No matter, you are still no match for me,” Kass sneered as she cleaned some blood from the side of her mouth.
Without warning, Kass fired another small purple blast at the thrones, but Karen’s image disappeared into small flickering lines. The thrones erupted into a flaming purple blast toasting them into burnt kindling. The red carpet below caught fire as well but the eerie purple flames died out leaving only scorch marks. Karen reappeared on Kass’ left and jumped up to kick at her face, but the Sect quickly counted and pushed back the attacking leg before trying to follow up with a strike of her own, only to find she was once again hitting at nothing but air. Karen appeared again, this time behind Kass, and quickly ducked as she turned and punched with a flat palm into her breastplate. The Sect was knocked back into the wall causing the rock to fall and break away. She did not get struck all the way through, but her body had been put through most of the thick stone.
Her image appeared in front of Kass, who was trying to pull herself from the wall. She held her two hands out in front of her where white energy began to collect, forming a glowing sphere. As Karen thrust her hands forward Kass vanished. The white energy ball burnt through the wall as if it were cloth and shot off into the sky. Kass reappeared some distance away from Karen near where the thrones had sat.
A small purple beam of energy suddenly struck Kass in the side knocking her off balance and down to one knee. She winced with pain and placed her hand on a bleeding wound on her side as she stood up to see where the attack had come from. On the opposite side of the throne room Tai stepped out into full view wearing his black mask with one hand out in front of him with his index finger pointed at Kass. A small amount of dark smoke rose slowly from the tip of his finger. Kass cursed his name as blood dripped through the gaps in her fingers onto the floor below.
“You bastard, what are you doing!?” Kass cried.
Tai only sneered and turned his attention to Karen instead. Outside, there was a sudden mighty thunder crash followed by the walls themselves howling as some mighty force bashed against them. It sounded as if they had been stranded in a boat during a mighty squall. Kass looked round and then back at Tai.
“My Ouraset Jelosk,” she said. “You… used it to summon…. the storm…”
“End the circle, kill her,” Tai said to Karen. “It is in my interest to see you dead, Lady Kass. You will not have your chance to use the crystal on me!”
Lady Kass felt under the fabric at her lower back with her free hand and brought out a shining crystal. She held it tight in her hand and cursed again. Karen spread one palm out and held it low at her side. White beams of light and small specs of silver began to draw into a central point and slowly expanded into a shimmering ball of energy. She pulled it behind her and began charging at Kass, preparing the final strike to kill the Sect. Kass could not defend; the wound Tai had dealt had rooted her to the spot.
“What will you do now you pathetic dog? Will you bark for your master’s help?” Tai laughed.
Kass pulled her bloodied hand from the wound and let her blood flow out. Weakly, she stood up onto two feet, though her knees were bent and the pain was intense. The crystal remained in her other hand and seemed to have started glowing with an intense and centralized Aura. Her bloodied hand was held close over her chest. With a blood gurgling scream, Kass’ Aura erupted around her. The purple fire was thicker and darker than it had ever been and seemed to be growing. Karen had reached Kass. She leapt into the air and pulled her hand holding the energy ball up and round above her head. However, as she prepared to release the blast, Kass’ Aura suddenly turned into a huge explosion spreading out from around her and consuming Karen’s body.
The blast continued to grow until nearly a quarter of the throne room had been engulfed. Everything caught within it could not be seen through the thick outer coat. The blast caused a mighty upwind which blew Joel and Tylor’s body from where they lay and knocked them into the wall opposite the large blast. Tylor regained consciousness and tried to look on at what was happening. Tai stood with a hand over his eyes resisting the force of the blast. Within the purple explosion one thing could be seen, a faint shining light, like a beacon. But then in an instant and with a mighty flash it was gone.
The full force of the storm outside was now clear. What had once been a clear sunny day was now a horrible stormy night. It was raining heavily and the wind roared like a mighty beast hungry for victims. The wind mixed the downpour and the fallen snow into a blizzard. Thunder and lightning struck one after another hitting points all around the city. Tylor picked himself up from the rubble he had been blown into and looked at the large hole. He had to shield his eyes to stop the mighty wind nipping at them, but he could just about see the savage storm outside. Tai had used the sphere he had seen in Tillsen, the same type of sphere that was used to destroy Samilo. And now the capital would meet a similar fate. It was then that Tylor felt a deep foreboding and sickness within himself.
Karen was no where to be seen.
The purple energy field slowly decreased in size until it no longer existed. The floor, ceiling, pillars and walls which had been caught in the blast were no more. They had been disintegrated by the mighty explosion.
Karen saw a wilted flower. It was sitting before her, in a darkened room. It was cold, as cold as death. She shivered and hugged her sides. Where was Kass? Where was the battle? It was then she felt her stomach with a soft stroke of her hand. Pulling it back she saw that it was covered in blood. She stood up and gazed at the red stains in shock.
“I’m…” she said out loud, “…I’m…dying…”
She fell back down as her legs gave way and sobbed to herself. She knew what had happened, it was all clear now.
“No…no, not yet, please not yet, I have to help him…” she cried weakly.
It was too late. She was gone. The darkness was closing in from all around and as it did the flower before her seemed to retract and disappear into nothing. Her legs began to fade, as did the tips of her hand as the darkness crept along her skin.
“Tylor!” she cried. “Please help me, Tylor! Please…”
Her voice fell silent as she felt the darkness consume the rest of her figure. In the last flickering moments of life she gazed upon her parents. They were there before her standing hand in hand with a warm smile across their lips.
She smiled back.
“I wasn’t a mistake, Mother, Father, I wasn’t…”
Tai brushed the dust that had blown onto him off and then summoned up a purple Aura around himself to protect from the wind. He calmly crossed his arms across his chest and let out a hearty laugh.
“Mijin Gakure? She was as much a coward as the rest of Kain’s pets, she chooses a dishonorable end, suicide,” Tai spat as he said it. “No matter, at least now their cycle has ended, a pity both had to die, I was very fond of the girl.”
Tylor walked slowly to the edge of the gap in the wall, fighting off the wind as best he could. There was nothing left, no trace.
“Karen…” he said softly, “Karen,” he said again, louder, “Karen!” he cried so loud that even the mighty wind pulled back in fear.
A white flame consumed Tylor as he fell onto one knee. Tears trickled down his face as his mind lapsed into a dream like state. Suddenly, he knew things he had not known. He was a master of the combat style of his father. He was an expert with most forms of weaponry. He now knew how to tap into the Aura that had lain within him for so long. Finally his full power had unearthed, but it had come at too high a price.
“Karen…” Tylor said again, as he wept to himself.
“Your power has been discovered, perhaps this is how all Destined grow,” Tai muttered to himself. “Come, Tylor Sabre, son of Zan Sabre, let us break our endless circle!”
He got up and turned his head to face Tai.
“I won’t forgive you,” he said. “I was a fool to think all was lost, I thought it was better to die, but I should have believed, just as Karen did. She believed in the Destined, she wanted us to discover our power. …But I… I ran away, and now everyone I hold dear is gone. I feared that if I pursued this life of endless battles that it would happen, but in running away I have brought it about myself. It is my fault, it’s my fault she’s dead… I wish none of this had happened…” Tylor cried. “I won’t give up now, I won’t dishonor her! I did have a choice, I just never realized it. But now I do and I choose to fight you.”
“Your words may be strong, but you are still a weak little boy. I have killed many with your new found strength, you have no hope. Fate has decided that your life will end here!”
Tai sped across the room and met with Tylor. They exchanged a lightning fast fury of blows in a blur of swift movements. It was Tylor who won the first exchange, breaking Tai’s stance and delivering a punch to both chest and then face. As Tai’s body flew backwards Tylor grabbed one of his boots with both hands and begun spinning on the spot. After picking up momentum, Tylor released Tai’s boot sending him hurtling through the wall at the opposite side of the large hole. Tai’s body flew straight through the rock sending debris everywhere. His body disappeared out of view. Tylor took one last look at the hole in the throne room and then slowly began walking towards the new gap.
He stopped just a couple of meters from the hole and noticed Joel’s body squirming in pain amongst some rocks. Tylor kneeled over him and wiped some dried blood and dust from his young friends face.
“Your fight is over for now, Joel. My brother, let me take it from here. You were brave, much braver than me. Throughout this whole ordeal; you were the true warrior of Samilo, not I.”
The hole opened out over the edge of the castle. There were no ledges, Tai had fallen the whole length of the castle to somewhere below. He was not dead, Tylor could feel it. Aura could make your body lighter than feathers, you could sore through the air like a bird. Tylor stepped out the hole and let his feet fall from under him. His body did not descend, nor was it shoved or cast aside by the mighty winds.
From the streets below he caught a glimpse of a small purple light. Suddenly, a ball of energy shot up from below straight towards him. Tylor summoned more of his Aura, extending the mighty white flames around him, and then knocked the ball away as if it were a toy. Another fired up but this time Tylor fired one of his own. The balls met in mid air and twisted into one another before bursting into a large explosion.
As the smoke cleared, Tylor charged downwards through it and struck into Tai with all his force. The Sect slid down the whole length of the street, but as he neared the top he threw his arms out at his sides and stopped abruptly as if something had just struck his back. Tai charged back down the street towards Tylor and as he did purple smog formed round his hand revealing his familiar black bladed sword. As Tylor readied for the assault he summoned his own sword which appeared with a white flash. It had a small white hilt and a long thin glowing white blade with an elegant curved gold spire twisting all the way around it.
Two swords clashed sending sparks formed from metal stroking metal in all directions. There was another clash, this time to the side, and then again above and below. The two exchanged strikes as fast as they had done when fighting hand to hand. Tai knocked Tylor’s sword sideways and while holding it down with his own span on the spot and kicked him across the face, knocking him to the ground. Not giving him time react, Tai struck him again and tried to follow up with a thrust of his sword, but Tylor blew the sword from his hand with the force of his Aura. As he stood up, Tai returned the favor and knocked Tylor’s sword away. He then jumped forwards, as did Tylor.
The two met each others hands and grabbed one another’s. They both began to cry out as their Auras grew and mixed together. Purple flame fought against white as Tylor and Tai struggled to push back one another. Each of them was summoning more and more strength digging deep into their sleeping power.
“You are still weaker than you were in Noctern, boy!” Tai shouted.
The two powerful warriors continued to push against one another trying to make the other lose footing. But then, Tai broke off voluntarily and vanished. Tylor walked into the middle of the small crater that had formed around them and closed his eyes. Tai reappeared and soared out of a dark ally and punched at Tylor, but he knew the Sect was coming and back flipped up and over him. Tai turned just in time to catch a foot across the side of his face knocking him skidding along the floor once again. He crashed to a halt inside the wreckage of a home.
His Aura blasted the pile of rocks around him into rubble. The mask over his face had been torn and twisted by the kick. Rather than adjust it, Tai took it off and tossed it into the wind, it was instantly caught up in the squall and swooped high into the air and out of sight. Tai pushed his palm forwards and blasted another ball of energy and Tylor and, as he did so, vanished. Tylor stood still and deflected the blast with his fist as he had done before. However, during that time Tai had reappeared behind him and grabbed Tylor’s body from the back, bending it backwards and over his knee, cracking it. Tylor called out in pain as Tai then twisted his body in the air and kicked it into a nearby wall. A blinding white light blasted from the rubble as Tylor stood up, seemingly fine.
Tai charged once more and the two went into hand to hand combat once again. As the blows, counters and deflections continued Tylor got the upper hand again and knocked Tai backwards some distance. Rather than attacking again, Tai spread his feet apart and dug them hard into the ground. He twisted his top body ninety degrees and stretched out one hand and pointed its spread out palm directly at Tylor. Purple specs of light began twisting and swirling around an increasingly large sphere that formed in the center of the palm. More and more energy was drawn in from around as the sphere grew darker and darker. Tylor knew the attack, it had killed his father. Mimicking Tai’s moves, Tylor took a similar stance, but held both arms forwards and began drawing in his own power.
At the same time, both combatants released their energy spheres from their palms which spread into a large beam. They met in the middle of the two and folded round one another, they began pushing one another back fighting for precedence but neither beam faltered. The area consumed in the blast disappeared instantly creating a large crater and the all rock in close vicinity was caught up in its swirling backlash of energy and was up torn and cast away. Rain that flowed like a river burned into steam as it came in contact with the fighting beams and was quickly blown away by the strong winds.
He felt a drop of sweat run down from his brow then past his eye, and then another on the opposite side. His head pounded and his body felt tired. Expending so much energy was draining his very life away whereas Tai seemed unaltered. Slowly, Tylor pulled one of his hands from controlling his beam, immediately allowing Tai’s to gain some ground, and pointed it out to his side. A thin small beam of white energy shot out from it and twisted round in a semi circle, blasting through three walls in the process, and hitting the dueling energies directly from the side, triggering them both to explode with a mighty bang. Both fighters were blown back by the force of the blast. Tylor skidded to a halt further down the street at the base of what was once a cream colored two-story home. The crater from the blast had expanded even more when the blast was triggered, consuming almost four buildings leaving nothing but charred remains and black dust.
Though their heated battle was doing damage, it was nothing compared to the damage the elemental sphere of the Sect was causing. Tentra’s tallest buildings save for the reinforced castle had all but collapsed, crushing smaller buildings below. It was a mixed blessing that the survivors had to evacuate, else they would have died just as some of Samilo’s villagers had. A rumbling thunder above Tylor’s brought him back to his senses. He searched for Tai amongst the rubble.
The Sect had flown into another building, which slowly began to tilt before crumbling down on top of him with a loud crash. The street filled with dust upturned by the falling rock. As the dust settled nothing moved. Nothing could be heard over the roar of the wind and rain, but Tylor knew Tai was still alive. They were even in strength, but Tylor seemed to have the advantage in hand to hand. As before, Tai blasted his way out and stood uninjured waiting for Tylor to walk over to him. Tai was smiling as their gaze met, as was Tylor.
“So, you enjoy the heat of a battle as well, boy?” Tai questioned.
“I am just glad you are not dead yet,” Tylor replied.
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