Storm had nearly caught up to Caim when it happened. Out of the shadows, a midnight beast with eyes like fire lurched out of Neverend. He watched in utter shock as the beast leapt into the sky from the highest tree, sinking its sword-like teeth into the tail of the unsuspecting chameleoth.
“CAIM!!!”
Storm was forced to immediately cover his ears as the chameleoth released a deafening scream. Standing on one of the branches of the taller trees, the sight before Storm was clear as day. Caim had been flung into the air, and the chameleoth was fighting with all its might to stay airborne, desperately trying to shake the black beast from its tail.
Storm could see the enormous wolf-like predator clearly, its crimson eyes flaring in the night, its dark black scales smeared with blood. With a sudden tear of its jaws, it ripped off a huge chunk of flesh from the chameleoth and fell back to the forest. With surprising dexterity, the beast latched onto the side of a tree, its claws gouging into the trunk. It hammered its black spiked tail through a thick branch and roared, releasing a putrid stench that made him feel instantly nauseous.
Storm’s face filled with horror, for he immediately knew what had befallen them.
“Caim!!!” Storm screamed at the top of his lungs. “Run!!! It’s a flare!!!”
Caim swore as he fell from the chameleoth’s head. Mid-fall, Caim caught a branch, swung his body underneath it, and flipped back up and onto it, landing on his feet. His hand instinctively shot to the hilt of his fallblade, and without a second thought, he was flying straight at the flare. The beast leapt once again, sinking its bloody fangs into the chameleoth’s tail a second time. Blood splattered across the treetops, and the cries of the chameleoth became all that could be heard.
“Let him go, you bastard!!” In a flash, Caim was upon it, unsheathing his blade.
“Are you crazy!?” Storm saw his brother swatted out of midair by the beast’s tail.
Caim’s body shot into the forest and disappeared. The screams of the chameleoth echoed across the lands. In a sudden motion, the flare twisted its great head and ripped the chameleoth’s tail from its body. It fell with the tail still locked in its mouth, plunging back to the forest floor, and snapping massive branches like twigs along the way. The chameleoth let out a long-winded roar of pain as it struggled to keep flying.
Always trying to protect everything like an idiot! Storm’s thoughts raged. And now I have no choice but to back you! Against a flare! Of all things!
Storm dashed across a long branch, placed his hand on the hilt of his blade, and flashed at the massive flare, which was clawing its way up another tree trunk, destroying it in the process. Just as it reached the top, he caught up to it, drawing his blade and spinning his body to increase his momentum.
Storm felt like he collided with a mountain as his katana screeched across the metallic black scales of the creature. His hands shook violently as he tried to pierce the flare’s armored body, but to no avail. Not much further ahead of them, the chameleoth was losing altitude, its tail was gone, and blood was pouring out over the forest. Backflipping away from the flare and narrowly avoiding one of its claws, Storm landed on a branch and watched the chameleoth fall past the last lining of trees. The entire forest shook as the chameleoth crashed into the clearing beyond Neverend, along the banks of Lake Senyria. Hearing a rumbling growl that vibrated through his bones, Storm looked up just in time to see the flare nearly upon him.
Storm ducked, and flipped along the branch, swaying from side to side as the beast’s claws came inches away from taking his life forever. Flashing away and landing on a different tree, Storm turned to face the monstrous flare. It had stopped, watching him with its fury-filled eyes. A small feeling of relief ran through Storm as the tree cracked beneath the weight of the creature and broke, causing the flare to retreat into the darkness of Neverend.
“What the hell is that thing? It’s twice the size of a normal flare, and its bloodlust could probably be felt all the way back at the Edge . . .” Storm stopped as he realized the truth. “No, it can’t be . . .”
A flash of silver caught Storm’s eye as Caim dashed beneath him along the forest floor. A hundred feet ahead, trees were getting torn down one after another as the beast ran in the same direction, both of them towards the lake, towards the fallen chameleoth. Storm flashed along the treetops, hoping to catch his brother before he did something even more rash. Moments later, he landed softly on the ground before the vast lake of Senyria.
Feeling a sudden burning pain run throughout his body, Storm fell to his knee. The last bits of silver steam faded from him, and the entirety of his energy faded in an instant. Overwhelming fatigue passed through him, and the pain of Blood Aura’s dissipation became all that existed.
Realization struck Storm like a dagger through the heart.
“No!” he grasped the dirt with his fingers. “Why, of all the times, now!?” Wearily lifting his head, Storm looked back into Neverend, feeling the beast getting closer and closer. He heard Caim scream from the forest, and heard the same sound of a sword clashing against the armored scales of the flare.
“Dammit, Caim! We have to get out of here!”
Storm felt a great surge of pain and his hand shot to his chest. He collapsed to the ground as the agony and exhaustion overcame his physical strength. Not far away, he could hear the crying of the great chameleoth as it dragged itself across the cold dirt, leaving a long trail of blood in its wake.
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“You and me both, chameleoth.” Storm spit, tasting blood in his mouth. “This isn’t looking good . . . for either of us.”
Caim suddenly shot out of the forest, appearing next to the maimed chameleoth. Growling in pain, the creature tried to move, but one of its rear legs had been broken in the fall. The sight was horrifying. Storm stared into the eyes of the creature that was no longer fierce, bold, and dragon-like, but clinging desperately to the last embers of its life. The smell of blood was thick in the air, smarting his senses.
“Leave me be, young ones . . .” Storm heard a foreign voice invade his mind, and although it was weak, it had a certain air of pride left in it. “You do not have the power to withstand the might of that which hunts me.”
Storm forced himself to look in the direction of the chameleoth. Did something just speak to him? Then he saw it in the eyes of the chameleoth. It was the creature. It had spoken. He could feel the voice by looking in its eyes. But before he could think to say anything—
“Never!” Caim said, facing Neverend. “I won’t leave you here to die!”
Trees shook as their trunks were cracked and torn in the dark. Storm could feel the vibrations in the ground as the beast neared them. Taking the deepest breath he could, Caim bellowed at the top of his lungs.
“If you want to hurt my friend, you’re going to have to go through me!!!”
A deafening roar tore through the forest like thunder, and the flare stalked out into the moonlight. Its heavy clawed feet sank into the dirt as it came closer, saliva dripping from its bloody fangs. Standing nearly twenty feet at its shoulders, Storm had never seen so big a flare in his life. Fumbling his way to his feet, he reached for his katana, but his hand was trembling so violently he couldn’t take hold of it. The flare eyed Caim for a long moment, its gaze flickering back and forth between him and the bloodied chameleoth.
Caim walked forward, unsheathing his sword and standing between them.
“Caim, no . . .” Storm spit out. So much of his strength had been drained, that even his vision had blurred. Memories of himself as a child bleeding alone in the forest came into Storm’s mind. A flare had once stood over him in the same way it was now standing over Caim. Beneath its jaw had been a patch of silver fur, and the memory became clearer than ever. Looking up at the flare before them now, he saw the same patch of silver fur, and newfound fear ran through him.
“Caim . . .” Storm tried again. “We have to run . . .” But he could no longer stand.
The flare began to stalk closer to the chameleoth, its eyes dead-locked on Caim, whose body began to light up in bluish flame. The warmth of Caim’s aura fed into Storm, giving him barely enough energy to stand. As his vision cleared, he could see that Caim was completely glowing, the twisting white and blue flames rippling forth and burning like a hearth fire on a cold winter’s night. Yet, despite the burn of Caim’s aura, his brother looked tiny before the might of the great flare, a single star before a blanket of night.
“Caim!” Storm tried to shout, but his voice was weak. He couldn’t stop looking back at the silver fur, the most distinct mark on a flare he had ever seen. He had been a child back then, when he had first seen the beast, perhaps no older than eight cycles young. He had been crying. It had been raining on that night long ago, and all he could remember was the beast stalking towards him from the shadows. . . .
“Caim!” Storm choked. “He’s the same . . . the same one from long ago!”
“It seems fate has brought us together once again, Fangless.” This voice was different than the chameleoth’s. It was deep and sinister, sending chills throughout Storm’s body. The voice tore at his insides, and the fear jolted Storm’s strength enough for him to finally scream.
“Caim!! It’s him!! We have to get out of here! Leave the chameleoth!!”
Yet Caim did not turn. He did not move. He stood his ground before the great beast.
“How long has it been since that rainy night, I wonder? Too long, I imagine . . . Yes, I remember now. I remember the sound of your pathetic howling. If it weren’t for the Ghost of the Forest, neither of you would be standing before me this night.” The flare turned its evil glare to Storm, who froze beneath its gaze.
“Black Rains . . . my, how you’ve grown.” Its gaze flickered back to Caim.
“And you, Silvers Fangless, this would be the second time you stand arrogantly before me.”
Caim gazed long and hard up at the flare, as though he were contemplating something of deep significance. Then without warning, he turned to look back at Storm, his face carrying an oddly confused expression.
“Storm! Isn’t this the biggest tree spirit you’ve ever seen!? It’s huge!!!”
“Are you kidding me, Caim!?” Storm whisper cursed. “It’s not a—”
“I am no tree spirit!” The flare’s voice growled through their minds. “I am Kreitos, son of Beliosr, and descendent of Cerberus! You would dare to make a mockery of me? The Master of the Forest?” His tail crashed into the ground several times, and Storm struggled to keep standing from the tremors.
“Hmm . . .” Caim said, stroking an imaginary beard. “Sure looks like a tree spirit to me.”
“You idiot, he doesn’t look anything like a tree spirit . . .”
“But I didn’t think tree spirits could talk,” Caim suddenly hit his fist into his palm. “Are you a magic tree spirit? That’s it, isn’t it? You’re the master of tree spirits! Amazing!! Storm! Storm!! It’s the master of tree spirits!!”
A faint grin curled Storm’s lip. “You silly bastard, you’re gonna get us killed out here.”
Kreitos bared his fangs angrily. “You will pay for your insolence, Fangless! One cannot insult the Master of the Forest and expect to live! But before I kill you, I will devour that which you protect! I will smother the last embers of life from the cloaker you so foolishly defend! Never forget that this is our forest, Fangless!!!”
“Like I’ll let you,” Caim said, his voice becoming a quiet snarl. “You won’t touch him.”
“Oh? You think you have the strength to protect the cloaker? It has been bitten. It will die whether you want it to or not. And so will you, Silvers Fangless! You two will not escape me again . . . the Ghost of the Forest is not here to save you this time, and I will drink your blood beneath the light of Night’s eyes!”
Kreitos towered over Caim, snapping its jaw ravenously, yet not approaching, as if it were strangely intimidated despite its own threats. It slammed its tail down again and again, pacing back and forth, eyeing him carefully. Storm watched in surprise as two great wings lifted from the flare’s withers, completely hidden until seen, and the fullness of the monster came completely into being. It’s eyes glowed even fiercer as it stood to its full height, and the winds rose as Caim stood tall before it, his own aura glowing brighter and warmer by the second.
“I do have the strength,” Caim said, unfaltering. “Try me!”