The six combatants stood still, the weight of the moment pressing down on them.
The battle hung in the balance, with tension so thick it felt like the air could shatter.
They all knew the truth: whoever struck first would decide the flow of the fight.
Ivy's piercing gaze darted between Jay and Silver, her body coiled like a spring.
Silver kept her blaster hand aimed at Ivy, her metallic fingers twitching slightly.
Jay, flames flickering faintly around him, kept his eyes on Becca and her friends while glancing occasionally toward Ivy.
Becca stood strony with CJ and Philly, her grip on Axel's sword firm as they all braced for Jay's inevitable attack.
The silence broke when Ivy turn invisible.
She charged toward Silver, her silent movement forcing Jay into action.
Without hesitation, he unleashed a fiery beam at Becca and her companions.
They barely managed to dive out of the way, Becca retaliating with her own water blast but Jay blast a fireball back.
The two streams collided, hissing violently as steam billowed around them.
CJ and Philly took the opportunity to close the distance.
CJ swung his mace with ferocious speed, but Jay countered with precision, grabbing his arm and throwing him to the ground in one fluid motion.
As CJ groaned on the sand, Jay raised his hand to unleash flames on him, but Philly intervened.
His spear slashed across Jay's back, causing him to stumble.
Becca seized the moment, her vines bursting from the ground and coiling around Jay's legs, rooting him in place.
CJ recovered and charged forward, his mace smashing into Jay's knee, causing him to drop to the ground.
A second swing struck Jay's chest, forcing him to gasp in pain.
For a moment, victory seemed close. But then, a beam of energy ripped through the air.
Silver had fired, her blaster striking CJ and sending him tumbling backward.
Jay took the chance to unleash a fiery explosion, the force blasting CJ and Philly into the sand.
Jay, too, collapsed to his knees, panting heavily, his flames barely flickering.
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Becca advanced, sword in hand, her vines snaking around Jay to immobilize him once more, "You're only hurting yourself. Please stop this... your family wouldn't want this for you."
Jay's head lifted slightly, his expression dark. The air around him grew unbearably hot as the vines began to smolder and burn away.
With a guttural roar, he spat a fireball directly at Becca, sending her flying backward.
Jay staggered to his feet, his gaze locking onto the cave in the distance.
His face was grim as he conjured an enormous orb of fire in his hands, the heat distorting the air.
"Wait!" Becca cried weakly from the ground. "Don't do this."
But Jay ignored her, throwing the fireball with all his remaining strength.
A victorious grin spread across his face—until the fireball struck something invisible and rebounded.
The illusion of the cave flickered and dissolved, revealing nothing but rock formations. The fireball sped back toward him.
In the instant before the flames consumed him, Jay's mind flashed to something Pi had told him days ago.
---
The pink flames of the campfire danced in the night as Jay and Pi sat in silence.
Jay pointed to the names etched on Pi's arm, "Who are they?"
Pi poked at the fire with a stick, "The corrupt royals I've killed. Each one was a stepping stone to my legacy—the legend of the Royal Killer."
Jay frowned, noticing Axel's name etched onto Pi's chest. "Why not go after someone bigger? Like King Lorenzo or Jackie Valentine? Wouldn't they make your legacy more legendary?"
Pi chuckled softly, "Jay, you don't start at the top. Legends are built from the ground up, one victory at a time. The world doesn't hand you greatness—you have to earn it. Only then your name will be written in the book of champions."
Jay leaned forward, his voice low, "Then why isn't your name in the book of champions? You deserve to be remembered."
Pi's smile faded, replaced by a bitter look, "Because the world doesn't care about people like us, Jay. Those who start at the bottom rarely get remembered. History belongs to the chosen few—the ones born with everything handed to them."
His eyes shifted to Axel name, "And your existence is only there, to push their legacy."
---
Back to Reality
The fireball detonated against Jay's chest, sending him crashing to the ground. Smoke and silence followed.
Becca, bruised and battered, forced herself to her feet. She stumbled over to Jay's unconscious body, her heart heavy.
"Jay..." Silver's voice cut through the quiet as she limped toward him. But before she could reach him, Ivy appeared behind her, slashing her across the back.
Silver collapsed, her metallic arm sparking uselessly as Ivy's poisoned blade took its toll.
Paralyzed, Silver could only watch as Ivy turned her playful smile toward Becca. Ivy waved mockingly before vanishing into the shadows.
Becca rushed to CJ and Philly, her hands trembling as she helped them up.
"Is it over?" Philly asked, using his spear to steady himself.
CJ groaned as Becca pulled him upright. "Yeah. These kids are something else..."
Philly chuckled weakly. "We're getting too old for this, huh, Becca?"
But Becca didn't respond. Her face was blank, her thoughts distant.
"Becca?" Philly frowned. "Are you okay? Did he hurt you too badly?"
After a long pause, Becca finally spoke, "This year... I'm turning thirty."
Philly blinked, "That's it? Becca, come on, we're all getting older—"
She shot him a withering glare, "Thirty means I'm almost forty. Then I'll be an old hag. Gray hair, sagging everything, back pain—I'm not ready for that!"
CJ and Philly exchanged nervous glances, suddenly avoiding her gaze.
"What?" Becca demanded.
CJ sighed and plucked a strand of gray hair from her head.
"Ow! What the—" Becca's eyes widened in horror as she realized the truth.
Her hair was already starting to turn gray. The shock was too much, and she promptly fainted.
---
Meanwhile, Ivy stood on a tree where the Druid tribe home could be seen from the distance.
She reached within her dress and pulled out a red ring.
Once it was equiped on her left hand, she pointed towards the sky and fired a blue fireball, its smoke curling upward in as the fireball exploded.
Giving the signal to return back home.