The Gardens transformed into a hellish battlefield. Burning cherry blossoms floated through the air in peace as flames consumed them whole. Nina stood across from me. Her chilling eyes stared into my soul as I gripped my sword tight. Nina grinned with malice as flames sparked and ignited in her palms. Silence draped over us like a sheet. The air grew thick with overwhelming tension. Terra lay motionless on the ground, watching what was about to unfold.

The veil of tension was torn apart the second we took our first steps toward each other. The ground beneath me erupted in a burst of fluttering embers as I dashed forward. Nina continued to light the floor ablaze as I stormed forward. I dashed towards Nina and readied my blade. A whip of flame lashed out from Nina’s palm and swirled around her body like a vine, blocking my strike. I pulled back immediately and felt my body dash to the side as Nina’s whip struck the charred wooden floor. I watched as the floor collapsed next to me. I felt my body move on its own as Nina’s whip lashed at me yet again.

"What is happening to my body?"

"You’re too slow kid!" responded the "other me."

I blocked the next strike of Nina’s whip and dashed towards her once more. Our weapons clashed blow for blow as I felt the "other me" influence my movements.

"I can fight on my own!" I thought in anger.

I suddenly felt the "other me" relinquish his some of his control over me. Finally, I had free reign over my actions. I was able to go all out. Vague shards of the sparring matches I had with my father began to flash in my mind as I readied myself. I ran towards Nina prompting her to launch a flurry of fire bolts toward me. Instinct kicked in and I parried my way through the hailstorm of projectiles. Embers showered off my blade as I blocked any bolt that came too close to me. Finally, I was close enough to strike Nina. I saw her prepare to lash out her whip. I dodged the strike and went for her gut. My sword glided through her stomach, splattering blood onto the charred floor. Nina clenched her teeth in frustration as she gripped her wound. Had I won?

My sense of victory diminished once I saw her wound heal within seconds. My eyes widened in shock, but before I could react I felt a burning fist gliding across my face. I was knocked to the ground by an immense force. Nina approached me with anger in her cold eyes. She was cocky enough to believe I couldn’t even land a small prick on her skin, let alone slit her gut open. She stood over me before picking me up by my collar. I could see the fiery glow in her eyes more intense with her desire to kill. I struggled to break free only for her to slam me face first into the smoldering ground. I tried to scream, but Nina only pushed my face in further in an attempt to stifle my cries of pain. I forced my head up against the strength of Nina's palm and looked to see Terra attempting to crawl closer to me. Nina screamed out in anger as she slammed my face into the floor once again.

"You insolent son of a bitch!"

Nina rested her thick boot heel upon my back. I felt my whole body brace itself before feeling the forceful impact of leather and rubber. I felt the crushing weight of her blows contest against the fortitude of my own spine. All I could do was scream out in strained gasps. Nina brought her heavy heel down into my bruised and battered back like a hammer. With each impact, I could feel the full weight of Nina's leg crashing into my vertebrae. I had no idea how much more I could take before my body would snap in half.

"You pile of shit! You honestly thought you could win!? You thought you were special because Genesis decided to protect you!? You are just as worthless as any other pathetic human! You should have died with your father!"

Terra struggled back onto her feet. She couldn’t bear to hear my screams. They were a chorus of her worst nightmares. Every cry of pain I released was a knife to Terra’s heart. Each piercing wound my screams inflicted fostered hatred in Terra's heart. She couldn't stand to watch me bleed any longer. She knew just how much I had suffered and couldn’t bear to let misfortune befall me once. Terra channeled as much strength as she had left in her body. She unleashed a raging cry from the top of her lungs as she raised her fists.

"Leave him alone!" she cried before slamming her rock entombed limbs into the smoldering concrete beneath her.

Terra leapt towards Nina with her stone fist raised back and ready to smash into Nina’s body. Nina dodged the valiant strike only for Terra to take another swing at her. Nina dodged Terra’s frantic strikes with a smile on her face. I struggled to stand back on my feet while Terra bought me as much time as she could. Nina grinned as she weaved her way through Terra’s rain of blows and grabbed her by the throat.

"Aww! Do you love him, Terra?" Nina asked in a cold voice.

Terra’s eyes filled with emotion just as an explosion detonated in Nina's palm. The blast ripped through Terra's body and sent her flying into a wall.

"Terra!" I screamed as I did my best to ward off fatigue while leaning on my blade.

"Look at you kid. You look pathetic." Nina said in a menacing yet almost seductive voice.

It became clear how much Nina was enjoying every moment she spent tormenting us.

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"You never deserved Lockhart's blessing and yet here you are trying to be a hero!" Nina shouted as she charged a ball of flame in her palm with a twisted grin on her face.

"You survived only because someone saved you! But no one is coming to your rescue now, you are all alone!"

Nina dashed towards me in the blink of an eye and grabbed me by my throat. She lifted me off my feet whilst coursing flames through her free hand. I felt the heat of the flames swirling in her palm as it drew closer to my face. Sweat dripped down from my pores as I felt the heat of Nina’s fire grow closer and closer.

"No one will hear you scream as I slowly burn your flesh off your bones. I am going to boil every fluid in your body until you cook yourself inside out."

One would think that my mind was racing. That I was in an immense state of panic. The strange thing was, I wasn’t panicking at all. I didn’t even wince as the flames drew ever closer to my flesh and I could feel my face begin to burn. For some unknown reason, my mind was clear. It was clearer than it's ever been. I didn’t want to die at the hands of Nina. But not once did that thought ever cross my mind. Instead, I kept thinking of something different. I kept thinking that I wasn’t going to die here. I was going to live.

"This is the end for you, brat. Any last words?" Nina asked with malice as she prepared to melt my flesh.

For the first time since rebirth, I felt like I was in control. It was at this moment that I accepted everything that had happened to me. I chose to stand. I had brought myself this far. Now was the time to accept what had been given to me. Gift or curse, it was something I had to live with. For once I became thankful that I was alive. That I was given a second chance. A primal desire to fight and kill consumed my very core. I felt my reason to keep living glare into my soul with sapphire eyes. I could see myself in her bright gemstones as I lifted my head up in a glare. My left eye had turned completely black and my right eye had developed a white iris. The red left eye was gone. The "other me" had returned to the interiors of my mind. A sly grin stretched from cheek to cheek as I glared into Nina’s eyes with a murderous glint in my own.

"My name… My name is Heaven!"

I felt my hand press into Nina’s chest as light matter began to pulsate in my palm. In a split second, a beam discharged from my hand and blasted Nina back. I continued to fire beams of light forcing her to ignite the air around her to shield herself. I dashed forward, faster than I knew I could and summoned a new sword to my free hand. A sword that was almost identical to its light counterpart, but made of black matter. I swung the blade and watched as a rift appeared, sucking in Nina's raging flames with no effort. I had created a black hole in a single swing. This power surprised me at first, but I had little time to gawk. Nina lashed her whip out at me which I blocked with my light sword. I swung my dark blade and created a rift in space that I dashed into. Within a few seconds, I emerged behind Nina and caught her in the back with a slash of my light sword. She lurched forward from the stinging blow and turned to lash her whip. I blocked it with my dark sword, cutting it in two. Nina clenched her teeth in anger as she tried to punch me with a flame-imbued fist. I dodged the strike and returned the favor. A beam blasted from my hand and struck Nina square in the forehead. Nina growled in anger as she stumbled back with her hand clutching her skull.

"You fucking bastard!" she screamed as she unleashed a torrent of white flames.

I swiftly swung my dark blade and shielded myself behind the rift. Nina’s breathing was heavy and sporadic. She glared at me in an unfathomable rage as she saw me still standing.

"How!? How did you survive that!?"

"You can’t kill what is already dead."

I dashed at Nina with my blades ready. Nina blocked my strikes with her whip. With deft movements, I dodged Nina’s counter attacks and struck her gut once more. Nina flinched and blasted the ground with fire bolts. I dodged out of the way as fire ripped through the air in front of me. I ran towards Nina once more blocking fire bolts with my light blade. I leapt into the air and prepared to bring my swords down on top of Nina. My light blade cut into Nina’s shoulder as I landed on my feet. She was in complete shock. I quickly ran my dark blade through Nina’s gut while she was stunned. I pressed into her body as my sword hilted within her stomach. A vengeful grin carved itself into my face as I stared into Nina’s eyes.

"I am a ghost of vengeance here to haunt you," I muttered as Nina stared at me dumbfounded.

In one swift motion, I severed her body in two with my dark blade. Nina’s halves and fell to the ground stunned as a pool of blood began to gather. The fire would claim her body and reduce her to ash. A fitting end to the fire starter.

As I watched Nina’s halves burn I felt my newfound strength deplete as fatigue took its place. Terra rushed to my side and we soon found ourselves leaning on each other. Terra and I limped together as we attempted to escape the burning garden. We were going to make it.

*****

Meanwhile, outside the Center City Gardens. Rain drops began to hurtle towards the earth while embers soared towards the heavens. Genesis stood idle as aqua beads bounced off his coat. Ahead of him stood a man in a business suit carrying a shining metal rifle case.

The man wore the attire of a professional business man. But the black leather gloves on his hands spoke the words "trained killer." He looked to be in his late thirties with a slim yet sturdy frame. The suit shielded a body built to face that which was greater than man. The man's face fell on the borderland of youthful and aged. Deep brown eyes dipped into the man's skull while still glaring outward in an almost permanent rage. Well-kept black hair swept to the side of his forehead like a wave of jet. Small streaks of grey creased through his locks as his age began to catch up with him.

The man’s suit was highbrow and professional. It almost seemed like a sin to wear such an expensive thing in stormy weather. The entire suit was jet black and fit the man like a glove. A simple white button-up shirt was tucked underneath the black suit jacket. A contrasting black tie sat against the white shirt completing the portrait of a businessman or government official. On his feet were shoes polished to perfection, the light of the city glistening off their leather bodies.

After placing his case on the ground, the man pulled a handgun from inside his coat. The firearm was a chromed black Desert Eagle that matched his ensemble perfectly. In a single flourish, the man switched off the safety and the pulled back the slide. The man then pointed the gun straight at Genesis who seemed to be completely unfazed. Genesis scoffed and adjusted his glasses as he stared down the gun barrel. Genesis then smiled as he spoke to the man in the suit.

"Looking for someone, Agent?"

"Not anymore. I already found him."