Battle to the Death: Mona's Decision...
A long time ago...
A man sits with his white-haired son by a homely fire out in the cold wilderness of the Boreal Forest...
The starry night sky pops out under the blanket of the New Moon's darkness as the strong and muscularly built, middle-aged man scratches his chin with the well-groomed stubble framing his jawline; he's a savagely handsome man. Those grey eyes of his are as suave and alluring as they are cold and fierce, as are his untamed features built into a fair-skinned complexion bearing a single and prominent scar; his lack of a right arm.
Kaine: The One-Armed Wolf...
He addresses his pouting child while watching them sharpen sticks with their claws.
"For someone that's never liked fighting or hunting, you've got an uncanny knack for it," Kaine says with a voice as fluid as water and rough as rocks; he's impressed while gesturing to the cooking rabbit, roasting over the open fire. "You managed to catch a Frost Rabbit without turning into a Beast..." Kaine chuckles in disbelief and amazement. He pauses when Aerin's eyes meet his, and Kaine can't help admiring his creation; a legendary son. Aerin looks away a few seconds later, his expression as shy and reclusive as always.
His father starts looking around dramatically until Aerin looks his way again in confusion before leaning close to whisper...
"Cyrus and I can't do that. We're only good at fighting..." Kaine snorts, drawing Aerin's laughter against the latter's better judgment. The father and son share this brief moment beside the fire in warmth, with the cold, dark, and quiet backdrop of the Boreal Forest. Their laughter soon falls silent, and Kaine's voice grows firm again. It's time to talk about this trip and why they're the only two on it.
"Aerin..." Kaine calmly says. Calmly; he wants his son to know he's not about to scold him. Those gentle grey eyes look over the large, dark fur cowl shrouding his missing arm instead of focusing on his eye-contact-evading child. Kaine keeps talking. "I brought you out here because your mother would kill me if she ever found out I said this to you. But, it needs to be said because there's too much riding on the choices I make before the Gods call me home..." he trails, and hesitates. However, his son cuts him off with a curt and yet tragically numb voice.
"You're going to tell me that there may come a day where I'll have to kill my brother..." Aerin correctly deduces, finally meeting his father's gaze as he keeps talking. "I know. Lycian's memories haunt me every time I close my eyes..." the young boy sighs, looking into the roaring flames with a tired expression that he's tired of hiding; he hasn't slept in weeks. Kaine's silent; he's honestly unsure of what to say. Aerin's always been too smart and mature for his age; shyness and doubt have always been his weaknesses. However, in this rare moment, Aerin shows none of these flaws when talking. His eyes stay focused on those moving flames with every word; it's the only thing keeping him awake.
"It's a different nightmare every time I close my eyes..." Aerin says in a hush and solemnly nostalgic tone. "Sometimes I see the night the Blood Moon stripped Lycian and our ancestor's powers away. Other times it's visions of Adam and Eve, although I can never decipher what they're doing or their meaning..." he chuckles as if disappointed in himself; he knows he's not as smart as everyone thinks. The little boy clutches his legs closer to his chest, his body clothed in the warmest and blackest furs, for it's always been his favorite color.
"I have nightmares of Historia, too..." Aerin's voice chills into a subtle fear, which draws Kaine's watchfully intense eye, but the father lets his son keep talking, which Aerin does. "The Mother of Vampires and Gatekeeper of the Abyss. I can never make out what she's doing or what her being in my dreams means. I get terrible headaches if I try and force it..." The boy cradles his head in a dramatic reenactment that the One-Armed Wolf acknowledges with a soft nod. He finally speaks.
"I can't tell you what's right or what's wrong, my son..." Kaine says and a pause follows, then Aerin suddenly looks up at his father. Kaine's grizzled voice is as rough as the cold truth leaving his lips. It's something that Aerin will never forget for as long as he lives.
"Judge your own Life, my son."
"And let the Gods judge everything else..."
----------------------------------------
The air burns with hatred, and a streaking blaze of stone-melting heat follows the Vengeful Hellhound in his pursuit of His traitorous Brother and that Curse making Human...
The Hellhound covers the distance in mere seconds and attacks Aerin with several vicious close-range swipes at blinding speeds. Garmr's claws are so hot that they melt everything they slice. Aerin backsteps the entire assault, narrowly weaving and dodging the swipes before finding an opening in the Hellhound's rush attacks and seizing it. The monstrous wolf misses its last horizontal slash as Aerin effortlessly vaults over it, his airborne form now around the bipedal monster's eye level. A rush of energy coalesces in Aerin's left fist before he swings with all his might and lands another Primordial Flash on Garmr's jaw. A phantom snarl accompanies the flashing blue aether, and the impact recoil staggers the monster and repels Aerin a fair distance away out of range.
Aerin touches down with a backward slide till his boots plant themselves firm. His face twists into a shell-shocked expression while gazing upon that large monstrosity glaring at him. The rage and hatred in those burning red eyes fill Aerin with a fear he's only felt once before.
That Vampire woman flashes in Aerin's thoughts when Garmr attacks again...
Garmr lunges into another frenzied assault of swipes and slashes while hounding after the smaller and more agile Aerin; the latter's barely evading the Beast's attacks thanks to the rush of strength blessed to him through that Primordial Flash. However, Aerin's on borrowed time with no room to breathe and gather his bearings. Garmr is so fast, powerful, and aggressive that it takes all of the white-haired King's focus to survive.
"CYRUS!" Aerin screams at the monster, trying to reach his brother buried beneath a sea of hatred. Garmr misses another bite when Aerin dives to the side out of reach, then vanishes like a ghost in a flash of aether. He dashes away for distance while camouflaged in plain sight, but freezes when the Beast turns its attention on Mona; she's about fifteen meters away from Garmr and staring at him with wide eyes of her own. The dim illumination of Tyr's Coffin pales in comparison to the burning embers and smoldering fissures decorating this muscular monstrosity's intimidating form. It's a Demon pulled straight out of the deepest and hottest pits of Hell.
It takes all of Mona's might to not tremble in fear...
"It's insane for you to even think you'd be able to do this without dying!"
Marcus' words echo in her psyche as Garmr attacks her...
She's too scared to move; her eyes are wide and she's frozen in both fear and...
Awe...
"CYRUS!"
Aerin's voice snaps Mona out of her shock moments before the young man hits subsonic speeds in a burst and intercepts Garmr's attack. His boots smash into the Hellhound's boxy skull with a bone-shattering impact for any other receiver. The force and momentum hits Garmr like a boulder, and takes Him to the ground, but does next to no damage; Aerin's nothing but a nuisance. Still, the heavy blow buys them time, and Aerin rebounds off the impact into a vault that lands him near Mona's side in a sliding crouch with his partial claws slicing the stone for traction. He keeps his eyes on the recovering Garmr while talking to Mona; they've got about ten seconds before the Hellhound attacks.
"I'll protect you from my brother for as long as I can..." Aerin assures as the gleam in his eyes intensifies. He feels Fenrir's rising tenacity inside his soul; the God-Eater wants to come out, but Aerin can't let him.
Garmr growls and starts circling the two like a hungry predator; He's about to attack...
Aerin makes his decision and looks at Mona, who's looking back at him with hesitation clearly written across her face. It's a contrast to the rare level of intense motivation painting Aerin's increasingly agitated and stressed-out expression. He snaps at Mona! "I promised to protect you and I'm going to keep my promise. If you want to keep yours, then figure out a way to keep me and my brother alive, because I'm not killing him," Aerin says, then rushes Garmr without hesitation, drawing further shock from Mona. She starts reaching out for her companion, but Aerin's too fast and is already out of range. This is suicide; Aerin can't fight that thing without trying to kill it. Mona can't get herself together.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Aerin rushes Garmr in a sprint leading into a perfectly timed dodging vault over the Hellhound's slashing claws. Strips of burning red sear the air as they miss, a briefly bright flash of flaming light brightening the vicinity. Garmr snarls, spinning around to attack again only to see Aerin vanish in plain, appearing again at the beast's flank. Sparks of energy flash around the young man's fist when he sways under another swing that misses his head by inches then puts his ALL behind this blow!
Primordial Flash!
The air howls as crackling aether mingles with a powerfully concussive impact, and another surge of incomprehensible strength fills Aerin's body; he's in the zone again. Garmr staggers backward in pain but quickly shrugs off the blow that once took Cyrus by surprise. The Hellhound barks, spitting an explosive Fireball at point-blank range that catches Aerin off guard. He shields his face with his arms a second before impact, and the fiery explosion engulfs him before the kinetic impact blows him away. The man hits the ground in a chaotic tumble, eventually slamming into a large rock, and then slumping over.
Aerin tries standing up but collapses under his own weight...
The only reason he's not a charred corpse is because he covered himself in his energy before impact...
He almost died...
"AERIN!" Mona screams and dashes toward the injured Lycan, but Garmr attacks her. She reflexively teleports when the Hellhound attacks, seemingly ignoring the monster after baiting it away from Aerin when she reappears at the injured man's side. The ability to teleport short ranges is both exhausting and energy-intensive; she can't do it too many times.
"Aerin, you need to get up!" Mona pleads while helping the Lycan to his feet. Aerin's taken a lot of damage from that Fireball, but he's still capable of fighting. He spits in annoyance while watching Garmr turn and pace around them again. It's almost like this Hellhound's playing with its food; savoring its vengeance in this moment. It pisses Aerin off for some reason.
"Stop worrying about me and figure out how you're going to keep your promise, Descendant..." Aerin reminds his black-haired ally before pulling away from her and stepping toward that thing again. "Because my brother is going to kill me at this rate and I can't bring myself to..." he trails, then dismisses it; his expression hints that Garmr's about to attack. Mona hears Aerin's words and watches him rush that monster again, the two engaging in another lethal game of cat and mouse that's just intense enough to keep Garmr focused. With every passing second Mona spectates without action, though, Garmr gets closer to hitting Aerin, and the Lycan King might not survive another attack.
Mona looks at her hands in disgust; she's shaking. Why is she shaking!? Why is she being such a coward now of all times!? Why can't she stop being scared!? Those blue eyes glance at that terrifying monster as it chases Aerin around the cave, and Mona's frustration grows as she watches Aerin hit another Primordial Flash, which staggers Garmr again and gives Aerin time to yell at Mona; he's tired of her standing there!
"WHY ARE YOU HERE!?"
Aerin snaps at the cowardly woman, and Mona's breath catches in her chest upon seeing that irritated look in his eyes as he screams again...
"IF THERE'S ANY TIME TO PROVE YOU WRITE YOUR OWN DESTINY! NOW IS THE TIME!" Aerin yells at the top of his lungs before jumping away from another assault of claws and teeth, and something clicks inside of Mona...
In that moment all of her fear and anxiety turned into background noise...
Something new sparks into a roaring flame in her heart as her eyes discharge aether and those markings spanning her body start glowing...
"Who are you, Human?" Kraven's question rings in her head, and Mona remembers her answer.
The young woman's expression goes from scared to locked in within a second as if a switch flipped inside her. She ignores the Hellhound, focusing on her hands instead when she raises them to chest level and curls her fingers toward each other as if trying to contain something. She's so focused and intense, her arm muscles tighten like the tendons in her fair-colored fingers, predating a flash of aether that starts as a small spark of red lasting only a second, then slowly progresses until the air crackles around her. She needs something that'll do damage and stun Garmr. She also needs something fast and frightening. She needs...
Mona recoils in pain as the surging red aether singes her fingers...
"FUCK!" Mona curses aloud, her eyes filling with anger and frustration; she needs this fucking spell to work. "Come on! Spark. Spark. SPARK!" Mona keeps trying, repeatedly clutching her hands and caging her fingers as more sparks of red crackle to life, the peculiar sound of flowing electricity echoing around her as she tries and fails three more times; every failure hurts beyond comprehension. She screams again in anger, cursing the Gods and ignoring everything else around her. She's got no choice. There's too much interference...
Mona dispels Adam's power as she closes her eyes, those archaic tattoos fading to nothing...
She's never willingly tried using this side before...
Can She Control Her?
Mona's Mother flashes in her head; why's she thinking about Her?
A red rush of sinister energy swirls around her, flowing into her body and empowering her as Mona tries one last time...
She cages her hands together again, and the surges of red manifest before crackling with power beyond her understanding...
The Scarlet Curse awakens within...
Eve's Lightning...
Aerin raises his arms as Garmr finally slashes him, though narrowly. The monster's claws melt through the padded fur of Aerin's clothing in seconds, setting the air ablaze and gifting the Lycan King three deep burn wounds to his left arm. Aerin hits the ground in a painful tumble, clutching his arm in unbelievable pain. It feels as if his arm's melting from the inside out; it's such an excruciating pain that he nearly attempts to rip his arm off to stop it. A rush of Primordial Aether forced into his flesh from Fenrir's intervention purges the Hateful Flames of Garmr from the wound before rapidly regenerating it. Aerin's healed and on his feet shortly after, but Garmr's not done.
The Hellhound starts walking toward Aerin in a way implying it's mocking him; a slow advance to build the looming fear of confrontation in its prey. Aerin sucks his teeth and braces himself for another exchange that'll likely be his last, then doubles over in agony as a burst of Fenrir's Energy arcs from him; something is gnawing on his willpower. The white-haired King grabs his head in pain, flailing and thrashing in resistance as Fenrir tries to force a Full Transformation upon His vessel; the God-Eater wants to kill Garmr, but Aerin refuses to let him out. The man pleads and screams for Fenrir to stay back, but is rapidly succumbing to his Deity's overwhelming influence. He can't hold Him back anymore. Fenrir's going to...
A flash of Scarlet Red predates the sound of crackling thunder...
A lance of Karmic Lightning hits Garmr's flank...
BOOM!
The explosion engulfs the monster in a torrent of Karma magic that blasts Aerin away and disrupts Fenrir's influence, sparing the Chosen from a forced Transformation. Aerin tumbles for a little before rolling to his feet and looking at the dust cloud in awe, then notices Mona across the cavern with her arms drawn back in that all too familiar pose of her drawing an arrow. But the Karmic Arrow grasped in her hands this time crackling like lightning instead of roaring like fire. Aerin can't believe what he sees. He sees Mona's red eyes while sensing her corrupted aether and can't help wondering if he is looking at a Goddess or another Devil.
What is this feeling...?
"AERIN!" Mona calls out to him but keeps her eyes on the dissipating smoke cloud in front of her. She's giving the orders now. "If you want to save your brother's life then I need you to Transform," she yells in a tone that's predominantly demanding but still has hints of pleading; she needs Aerin to understand this. "You need to let Fenrir out. Do this and I swear that I will save both of you and keep my promise," she assures, finally glancing Aerin's way with a look that the Man will never forget from this day on. Mona ends it with a simple line, and that's all Aerin needs to hear.
"Trust me," Mona smiles.
Garmr's roar of anger blasts back the thick dust cloud at long last, its terrifying Form in full view to the two again. Aerin stares the Hellhound down with a newfound intensity in his facial features; he's calm, quiet, and focused again. He nods at Mona, then faces his brother for one more exchange. As Aerin slowly raises his arms and crosses them over his face, a gleam of energy discharging from his eyes accommodates a distant howl after he commands...
"Fenrir..."
Aerin whispers as leylines of Primordial Aether push from under his flesh, and his eyes mirror the visage of that Monster...
"Awaken..."
An explosion of energy erupts from Aerin, and from the depths of this swirling dome of chaos emerges a lunging white-furred God-Eater.
"It's do or die..." Mona says.
"It's time to come out and play..."
"Eve..."
A woman's gleeful laughter echoes in the Abyss...
Next Chapter: Do or Die: The Three-Way Deadlock