Damn it! Why was the trading center closed of all days! Emerald crossed both of his arms, his lips pouted, and his back hunched. Why did someone have to shove several rolls of toilet paper into their pipes!? Who is this madman?!
His clasped fists both rested on the ragged surface of the stone ledge of the fountain. Up from his shoulders down to his arms, they wavered as the thought of the toilet papers went through his mind repeatedly like a steam train on its metal tracks. His body shrank once more as he let the breath he had held exit his mouth. Never in his lifetime had he heard of someone doing such things.
He shook his head side-to-side and rubbed his palm across his head, letting them then rest on his laps. Oh well, he shrugged, I doubt I would’ve even seen the man there... I mean, who even goes to the trading center? Only rich business people go there and do their... business-y... stuff...
Along with his head, he twisted his head to the side and gazed into the water that flowed within the boundaries of the fountain’s stone rings. The water clear like glass and a color similar to the hue of the blue sky that soared above the kingdom enchanted his green, beady eyes; and soon after, he felt the warmth on his heart become ablaze. On his lips, he beamed with glee as he stared down on his reflection becoming warped across the surface of the water.
One of his closed fists ascended from the stone ledge and out of reflex, he opened his index finger. It lowered down into the water at a slow pace, and seconds later, a tingle that crawled up to his skin the moment the tip of his finger tapped the water let a childish giggle come out from his mouth. He let his hand flow through the water freely as if it were a leaf blown against by the cold autumn breeze.
Moments passed by in a flash, while the smile Emerald wore remained on his lips, a tickling sensation snuck through his arm as a school of goldfish swam in circles around the wrist of his hand. More child-like giggles seeped through his fine lips as the school of fish continued to brush their fins against his soft and white skin.
Whilst his hand flowed free inside the crisp and shallow water, he lifted his other fist and moved it to the level around his eyes. He leaned his head closer to the silver watch bound to his wrist by one, smooth, brown leather strap.
His head winced and angled down to one of his shoulders, one of his brows lifted itself from its former position as confusion dazed his train of thought, Eh? It’s only been an hour? Wow... time is so, so, slow today... Man... I could’ve played with rocks...
He let his wrist descend back on top of the ledge and turned his sight back towards the water that remained within the boundaries of the fountain. All of a sudden, the ground beneath his feet quivered. Not even a single minute later, the sound of an ear-piercing ring made him bash his teeth together, and soon after, an enormous explosion followed the ring.
What in Jonathan’s name...?
From his thin lips, a soft gasp escaped as he turned his head towards the direction of the explosion. His jaw unhinged, his eyes widened, his mind came to a halt, his pupils jittered, and his body froze from the sight ahead of him. He couldn’t believe what he saw.
Pillars of dark smoke that was as broad as his eyes puffed out from the roofs of the Auburn Palace, soaring high into the once-clear sky. The longer he froze in place, the more pillars rose high into the air, with each one being bigger than the last. Soon, several rounds of explosions burst through the rooftops. The loud thumps of the collapsing parts of the rooftops echoed throughout the various city districts.
The city folk who wandered about in the city square stopped and diverted their attention over to the palace. The loud banter of the many citizens around Emerald all of a sudden now became soft chatter that gossips filled which soon then spread like wildfire across the crowd, to the nobility down to the group of working-class.
“Good heavens, what in God’s name could have that been?” a pale woman asked the tall man suited in a tux who stood right by her side.
“I haven’t the faintest clue, Mistress Sophia. I have no doubt that it is yet again, none other than that fiend Jason. Excuse me for my language, but good Jonathan, why is that we must deal with a third war, of all times? Come on, m’lady, let us go back to the Albero Manor. Young master Clay is waiting for your return,” the man fixed his monocle and walked away along the pale woman’s side.
Panic erupted amongst the crowd of citizens. Frantic with worry, some screamed all of their air out of their lungs as they rushed out of the city square and hid inside shops. The many screams of the citizens roared louder with each second that the pillars rose to the air. The explosion set the domino effect in action. On the other hand, several parties of adventurers formed into their positions, equipped their armor and summoned out their weapons. Each held a different one, from staffs used by archimages, to the long swords used by the knights.
One of the muscular men stepped out of the pack and stood in front of his party, who still grasped their weapons in their clutches. He was clad in heavy, white armor, and a red bandana wrapped itself around his neck. A black eye patch obscured anyone’s view of his left eye, and through the tiny slits in between his head and eyes, trails of dark soot escaped.
Hey... isn’t that a fire-type? Why isn’t his ability activated? Emerald questioned himself as he turned towards the man.
The muscular man turned around to face the battalion and stood erect as if he were part of the Royal Guard. The man unsheathed his steel rapier off its black sheath and aimed its sharp, glistening tip towards the heavens.
The man then raised his deep voice as he spoke to his crew, “Ravens of the West, we’ve received word from Duke Barnett that a horde of undead is inbound. Rush to the capital walls and set yourselves into position! Prepare for any ambushes, I expect that not a single undead be left alive, is that understood?!”
“Yes, Lord Harold!” the crew yelled back to him.
“Mages, ready your spells! Priests, ready your prayers! Knights, prepare to fight to live another day! Dinner will be on me if you lot kill them all, long live the Kingdom!”
“Long live the Kingdom!”
What the heck is going on in the palace?! Emerald asked himself. He was now in a state of panic.
His body rose from the stone ledge he sat upon. He then grabbed the bag situated right beside the toes of his hard, black, leather shoes and without a second of hesitation, sprinted down the dirt path that led back to the palace’s gates.
As he followed the path, his breathing now became worse, his pumping heartbeat against his chest like there was no tomorrow; the only thing his body relied on was the adrenaline that bolted through every vein coursing in his body.
Over the horizon, rose two figures stood right before the metal gates of the palace the higher he got up the hill where the palace remained built for hundreds of generations. He took a few steps closer to the figures ahead of him, and the shadows of the trees that cloaked the figures’ body dwindled to unveil them.
On the left side of the metal gate, Ruby was only a few inches away from it as she shook it with all her might, and pressed against the bars of the gates were the pads of her wooden sandals. A few steps beside her was Phoenix; who in his hands gripped a metal crowbar that was as long as his legs, and around its shaft was his fingers wrapped tightly.
His hand was as red as Ruby’s eyes, and his salty sweat drenched the light, beige skin that made up his face. His shining teeth gnashed against each other as the grip he held on the bar only tensed further.
Grunts broke free from the prison inside his throat with each swing he flung at the metal bars of the gate. Across the rugged surface of the bars, scratches appeared as the sharp edges of the crowbar grazed against them, yet smack after smack, not a single dent bent any of the bars of the gate.
Time passed by a few seconds, and Emerald now caught up to where they were. His hectic breathing was worse than before and huffed out from his mouth were wisps of the autumn air around them. The many beats of his heart were as audible as the explosive roars of drums. He bent his body over and let his arms droop closer to the floor; both of which swayed freely along with the breeze that flew by them.
“Wwwwhat the heck happened?” he stammered.
Phoenix threw a glance over his shoulder. Both his teeth grated against each other while he continued to smack the bars with his crowbar. “We don’t know!” he turned his head back to the gates and groaned as he smacked it again, “Somebody broke the Kalasag Arcanum Barrier. They summoned out explosions and locked us all out!”
“Where’s Obligous?! I-is he okay?” Emerald added, his legs quivering.
As Ruby turned her entire body to face the sweating Emerald, her feet slid off the railing. A frown distorted the many features of her face as her pupils lowered down to the floor; her arms shivered as she rubbed her elbow with her palm.
“We’re... not sure. I’ve tried contacting his number... but he won’t even pick up. I hope he’s alright...” her voice trembled along with the shivering of her arms as she replied.
While Phoenix continued his attempt to pry the gates open, the foliage of orange leaves crunched from behind them; with each crunch that hit the leaves, its volume only grew louder. The three ceased their actions and turned their heads around to face their backs, and over the distance, they saw a dark figure of a man scampering towards them.
Moments later, the dark shadows of the setting sun that showered the man in darkness disappeared. The man was Obligous. The sweat that covered his face broke free from the constriction of his skin. Tied around the level of his belt was his black jacket, portions of it torn away. The buttons on his waistcoat were now loose, with some now gone from the constraining of the white threads. The chains of his golden bandolier rattled as he got closer to three.
Seconds later, he stood only a few inches away from them. He gasped for air and wrapped his arms around his stomach, soon, out from his lips, he spat out his saliva along with a tiny drop of blood. His chest puffed in and out as he struggled to catch up with his trembling breath. He straightened his posture and stared at the three who stared him back into his eyes.
“I came here as fast as I could—” he coughed, “what’s the matter?”
“No idea, Obli,” Phoenix let out a harsh grunt and swung his crowbar once more. “From what the Royal Guards told me, somebody caused an explosion inside the castle systems and summoned out several hordes of wraiths and undead outside the capital walls... We have some adventurer guilds dealing with them right now.”
Phoenix readied himself to swing the crowbar once more towards the gate, but right before the moment the tip of his crowbar could scratch the bars, Obligous nudged him to the side. Obligous then approached the gates and leveled both of his closed fists up to his chest.
As he stood frozen like a statue, several deep breaths went in and out from his lips, both of his eyes shut tight as he continued to maintain his breathing. Moments later, a yellow aura emitted out from his skin and enveloped his legs, accompanying the glow were crackles of fire that sparked like bolts of thunder. With each time he exhaled out his air, his upper body quaked like the mountains; on the other hand, his legs remain still like the pillars that held up the castle.
Soon after his yellow glow had now fully enveloped his legs, he swung one of his legs up and barged the gate with a barrage of kicks and stomps. With each kick he landed, large dents bent the integrity of the gates, with some bars now split into two like twigs. The lock that held the two gates shattered into large chunks, and along with it, flew several more bars that fractured into pieces off the frames. Obligous rendered the three speechless as he continued to break the gates.
“Enjoy my appetizer, you metal good-for-nothing! Mega-kick!” he yelled out loud and threw one last kick.
In the blink of an eye, the aura that surrounded his left leg slithered into the bars and created a large gust of wind from the soles of his feet that blew in every direction. Each one of their hairs flew along with the breeze created by the impact as the gate gets released off the grasps that the stone pillars held onto them.
The kick hurled the gates towards the large, wooden door, and through its trajectory, left behind trails of air visible in broad daylight. All over the entire surface of the wooden door, cracks appeared. Splinters stuck all over the pillars, and crumbs of wood sank to the stone floor. The golden doorknobs on it shattered into pieces that fell along with the crumbs of wood.
The four ran towards the gate, pushed it aside, and placed their palms on the door. Phoenix looked over to the three stood beside him with a grin curved on his lips. “At the count of three, let’s all push this together, got it? 1... 2... 3... now!”
The door creaked as they pushed it inward through the halls of the castle until a gap fit enough for them formed. While they kept their eyes keen over their shoulders and their minds wary of the surrounding area, they crept through the sizeable gap between the two doors on the tip of their toes.
The four then froze in place; out from their mouths, a soft gasp exited as the sight before them let fear overtake their consciousness. Scattered inside the main hall of the palace were rubble that fell from the ceiling above, the wooden pews that faced towards the golden throne now crushed under the weight of rocks, and a thin layer of haze mixed with fog blocked a quarter of their sight. Portions of the four panes of stained glass designed like the previous kings behind the golden throne were now shattered, with pebbles and shards of glass dispersed all over the red carpet that lined the floor beneath the throne.
Ruby tip-toed to her left, her eyes remained to dart across the surroundings now damaged around her. She approached the set of light switches built into the wall and flicked all its levers all at once. The multitude of chandeliers powered by electric magic that hung from the ceiling flickered for a mere second; a dim light twinkled right before their bulbs all went dark.
“Weird, why are the lights not turning on?” she continued to flick the levers up and down, yet the lights remained dead.
“That—Yeah, it is weird. The staff had already checked the electric crystals in the power systems yesterday, and they said they were still brimmed with mana...” Phoenix’s body went a full 360-degree turn, his eyes drifting from one place to another.
Chills suddenly went up to his spine as the breeze from the metal vents skimmed through his warm skin. He pulled up his scarf to cloth his jittering mouth and buttoned his coat. Fucking hell, why is it so cold here? My senses are not detecting the Torch of Liberty’s flame... did that person turn that off as well?!
All of a sudden, each one of them jumped out of their skins as a scream filled with nothing but pure agony echoed into the halls where they were. Their pupils shrank to a minute size as they shifted their heads towards the scream. Their stomachs churned as the screams a man let out only grew worse and louder the closer it approached them, and along with it, came the heavy clanking of metal boots.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
From the western hallway, a man clad in steel armor fell into the hall and crawled on his back. He turned his body and reached his hand over to the four who were still frozen as he cried out loud, “Your Majesty, help! The wraiths have broken in!”
Not even a second later, an apparition of a skeleton drifted into the room. The skeleton garbed in a dark robe with all the ends of it torn away. From its eye sockets and the sides of its chin raged a trail of fire that was the tint of blue. Its jaw gaped open as if reaching for a large bite. Hovering in the air, it screeched as it rushed towards the man, its skeletal arms reaching out for the man’s head as its fingernails sharpened,
A tint of red flared in Ruby’s eyes as she sprinted towards the wraith, her palm aiming at it as she yelled, “Petals of the Phoenix God, assist me and purify this beast!”
From the lines in her palms, a blinding light escaped, and along with it, red petals that were set ablaze flew along with the beam of light. The beam propelling towards the wraith impacted on its skull. The petals then consumed the wraith, daggers made of light stabbed it from every direction, and rays enveloped it from the inside-out.
“O’ God, which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name. Brighten this soul and bring it to rest, for thou have damned it, for it has sinned,” she then crossed her arms to form an x, pressing both of her wrists against each other, “Humina.”
As it tried to break free from the clutches of the light rays and petals, the wraith let out its ghastly screams for mercy. Despite its best efforts, the rays and petals engulfed its body whole and crushed it into pieces. What remains of his skeleton has now been turned into chunks that disintegrated into dust, flying into the sky. The dusted black robe it clothed itself in slowly fell to the floor, leaving behind no noise as it landed.
“T-thank you very much, Lady Jasper!” the man knelt on the floor and bowed down before her.
“No need to thank me. I’m just doing my duty,” Ruby smiled.
Obligous tapped Phoenix’s shoulder, “What do we do now?”
“Split up, I know it sounds dumb, but trust me. You three go ahead and check the source of the explosions and rescue any injured, and then we all come back here. I’ll try to find the perpetrator,” he then rushed out of the hall, his arms swinging back and forth as he ran. Looking back at them from only the edge of his shoulder, he cried to them, “Now go!”
/***/
On one of the many halls built on the eastern half of the palace, Phoenix sauntered down the red carpet rolled on the marble floor. The sounds of his eerie steps bounced off the polished surface of the floor beneath him as he trudged his shoes across the carpet. The dim rays of light that passed through the many panes of stained glass carved to replicate the form of previous Mythics shone down on his face.
On his lips, he suited a frown. His brows remain slanted, and his magenta eyes already half-closed. His arms swung ever so slightly. He turned his head to the right and enchanting his eyes were the armor stands clad in the armor that former Mythics before them wore.
However, he then faced back to his front, as the enchantment faded away. “God fucking damn it!” he finally snapped. First, I get sent on an unannounced hunt, now we have people trying to destroy the palace?! What kind of masochistic dumbass can handle this much?! he bemoaned to himself, gnashing his teeth against together as on his head—a vein bulged.
He took one step forward towards the doors that led into the palace’s kitchen when a pair of footsteps that echoed from behind him startled him back into his senses. The pent-up anger he had kept to himself diminished in an instant. His pupils dilated as adrenaline rushed throughout his bloodstream, and his body trembled at the thought of whoever could be behind him.
He slowly tilted his body to his left and moved his head to turn to his back, but yet again, there was nobody but himself. All that was with him were the armor stands and the paintings of the Mythics drawn with varying hues of oils.
He turned back to his front once more; however, his heart dropped as the rustling of a scarf hit the back of his ears. That couldn’t be me. Hell to the fucking no, that wasn’t me... please God tell me it was me...
His hands clasped into a fist, his body readied himself for a battle—bending one of his knees forward—, and the brows in his face snapped into one. He pivoted his body, putting his sight to one portion of the cold area that surrounded him, then shifting it to another. His already-hectic breathing now became frantic with panic, his mind at a state of unrest as it struggled to be at peace.
“Alright, quit playing games, show yourself!” his jittery yell made him sound pathetic. His voice was comparable to that of a helpless child.
A man’s muffled laughter bounced down the hallway towards where he stood, and with it came the same set of footsteps that had come for him from behind just a few seconds ago. A cold, unnatural breeze grazed against the many strands of his hair and landed on the doors as he remained stood motionless like a bamboo.
Phoenix lifted his fists to the level of his shoulders, his knuckles aimed towards the cloaked teen. On the farthest end of the hall, a young teen basked himself under the dark cover of the walls, his hands hidden inside the pockets of his dark trousers, and his sly grin glistened like a gleaming star as rays scraped his white teeth.
The teen leaned his back to a wall and turned his head towards Phoenix. As he dampened his laughter behind the barriers of his lips, he said, “Finally, we meet face-to-face, Phoenix Vermond Amber. What a beautiful day we’re having, isn’t it?”
Phoenix moved one of his feet back, his body now slanted to the side with one of his shoulders closer to the door. He bit his lip, but let go of it to yell out, “Who are you and what do you want?!” He swallowed down the saliva that settled in his mouth as his heart continued to beat his ribs like a xylophone.
The teen then began his slow approach to where Phoenix was. His hands remain tucked inside his pockets as he cackled, “Please, you may call me Dayne. However, I’d really like it if you’d instead call me...” Dayne stopped in his tracks, lifted his chin, and scorned at Phoenix with a mocking smile now arched on his lips, “the true King of Raycania.”
The ends of the grey scarf wrapped loosely on his neck waved like a flag behind him as he continued his slow approach. His piercing, purple glare shook fear into Phoenix’s soul as he inched closer.
“Excuuuse me, but you must be having some weird delusion, because the last time I checked, my dad crowned me king, not whoever you are! Do you need some appointment with a doctor, because I’ll be fine paying for your medical bills,” Phoenix tensed his fists.
“Oh please, save the jokes. You call that man your ‘dad?’ You don’t know what he has done, you don’t know the terrible things he did, and most especially, you don’t know what he has done”—Dayne pointed to himself as he held back the tears that welled upon his eyes—“to me. I know the many lies your family put out there, and it’s time I put an end to it all!”
Phoenix’s teeth bashed against each other, his knees quaked, the blood flowing in his veins boiled as he heard the words Dayne blathered out, “Who do you think you are to say things like that? You’re batshit insane! My family has sworn to uphold the virtues Mr. Jonathan believed in, and guess what? We did! We’re the royal Amber Family, and I will never, never hold back to those who say shit like that to us!”
“Is that so?” Dayne laughed and opened his arms, “Fine then. Come, approach me, and hit me with all that you can. I hope you don’t ‘hold back.”
Phoenix lowered both his fists down to the level of his hip and approached Dayne. His resting fists that swayed slightly remained tensed as blood pumped through it. His sharp eyebrows twitched the longer he leered into Dayne’s glare. Never in his life had he gotten a powerful urge to dig his fists into somebody’s mouth.
A few ten meters away from him, Dayne’s piercing glare, along with the sly grin that arched on his lips as he cackled, remained in the mind of Phoenix. In front of his eyes, several vivid hallucinations of Dayne appeared; with each one becoming worse with each inch he came closer to the awaiting Dayne ahead. Try as he could to fight back, Dayne had etched the hallucinations into his mind.
What the hell..? Why do I feel like...I know this guy? Why do I feel so close to him? he questioned himself. Doubts sprouted in his mind.
Time passed by a few more seconds, and the two now stood side-by-side away from each other only by a few three meters. Their two gazes pierced through each other as faced head-to-head.
A shrill cry all of a sudden emerged out from the deepest areas of Phoenix’s throat as he thrust one of his tensed fists, directing it towards Dayne’s jaw. In his mind, he had set a simple goal; knock out Dayne.
Unfortunately for him, Dayne swiftly dodged to the side, Phoenix’s jab missed by a huge margin away from Dayne’s chin. The grin Dayne put on his face only widened, his pupils dwindled to a teeny size, and the cackles he let out bolstered. Euphoria teemed in his systems.
“Well, well, well, this is becoming fun!” he clapped, “Now, my turn! I hope you enjoy the taste of pain, the pain I’ve suffered through these years!” he chortled and clasped both of his hands together.
“What are you—“
“O ‘Darkness below, lend me thy strength, lend me thy courage, for I shall eradicate him!”
Both of his fists unclasped as he ended the chant for his spell. At ho-hum speed, the engraved circle on the palm of his glove sucked in air from the surrounding area. Soon enough, a vortex shaped into the form of an orb materialized from the brass palm of his glove.
On his fingertips, he grasped a purple orb that flashed a black glow every few seconds. Within it, a black liquid flowed which warped the vortex that was in the middle of the orb. It looked like it had come from the Realm of the Forgotten.
He turned his head towards the wall to their left and aimed the vortex that continued to expand towards it. He pulled his arm back and swung his entire hand to the direction of the wall, hurling the vortex off the latches of his claw and sending it away.
The orb then crashed through the wall, leaving behind a humongous hole on its surface that was fit for a single person’s body to fly through. At this point, Phoenix figured out what Dayne had schemed for him.
Shit, I need to get back on my feet! I’m not dealing with back pain—
Before he could even react, Dayne gripped his claw-like fingers around Phoenix’s neck and pummeled him with his free hand in the stomach. Exiting from his lungs was his air, knocked out from it with the help of Dayne’s punches. Spat out from his mouth was a tiny splash of his blood, and along with it spewed out his saliva with each punch Dayne landed.
Dayne let go of grasp on Phoenix’s neck, and yelled out loud, “Vortex, be reborn once more for I shall eradicate him!”
Without giving a moment for Phoenix to breathe, he formed yet another vortex from the palm of his glove. The mechanisms inside his glove clicked as trails of air began to be sucked into the engraved lines, and a vortex still in the shape of an orb materialized, albeit being bigger than before. Soon after the moment the vortex touched the sharp tips of his claw-like fingers, he flung the orb back onto Phoenix’s now exposed stomach.
The buttons on the coat Phoenix wore popped off the threads restraint, one-by-one like firecrackers. Soon enough, the vortex ripped through the cloth of the cyan tee he wore, shredding it into tiny pieces like cheese. After the vortex tore through the fabric that clothed his stomach, it scraped Phoenix’s skin.
Pieces of his tender skin flew all over the place, his blood spilled all over the floor and walls, and scraps of his coat and tee sank to the floor. Screams escaped from his lips, his body couldn’t resist the pain.
Lady luck came once more to Phoenix’s side, as right before the vortex could puncture through his organs, it dissipated into the cold, thin air that hung on the area around them. However, the vortex then burst into a purple explosion that sent his entire weight flying towards the wall on the far end of the courtyard.
His body tumbled down to the grass of the courtyard, his clothing now stained with the tint of red from the dark blood that bled from the scrapes and cuts on his stomach. His life flashed right before his dying eyes, his breathing now slow, and the beat of his heart fading away. As much as he wanted to scream his lungs out again, the pain that numbed his lips kept them zipped tight.
Through the hazy vision of his eyes, he could make out Dayne’s figure approaching him yet again as he formed another vortex from the tip of his fingers. More blood spewed out from his mouth as he shielded his stomach with his hands.
With what strength lingered in his body, and what adrenaline had rushed to his head, he tried to force his body up from the sharp grass, yet it wasn’t enough. His arms shook as he descended back to the lush foliage beneath his dying body, his legs deprived of any sensation as they throbbed, and his body now left immobile.
Shit, shit, shit! Didn’t dad say this kid was the same age as Emerald?! Was he high or something?! Fine then, time to use one more trick up my sleeve!
Phoenix opened up his fist to reveal his bloody palm covered in cuts. Aiming it towards Dayne, he released his frigid breath out from his mouth as he chanted out loud, “Fury of the—“
Forced out from his mouth was a sharp yelp as Dayne interrupted his spell. Dayne slammed Phoenix’s head back into the floor with the help of the hard soles of his shoes. He then trampled all over his hair, letting out peals of cackles as he looked down upon Phoenix’s body. Meanwhile, lying on the chilly floor, Phoenix continued to let out tormented screams as he felt his skull being crushed under the pressure of Dayne’s shoe.
“Well, didn’t you say you wouldn’t hold back? Is this it? Aren’t you an Amber descendant, if so, why are you so fucking weak?!” he pushed the toes of his shoes into Phoenix’s mouth, plucking off one of his teeth, “Why are you King, huh? Is this the person they call fit to rule Raycania, huh?!”
Dayne continued to bash the sole of his shoe onto Phoenix’s head. Another tooth popped off from Phoenix’s jaw, the swelling of his left eye forced it to close, and the blood from his head showered into his face.
Please... have mercy on... me... I’m just... sixteen... Father... please... help...
“You’re a piece of shit, ‘King’ Phoenix. You’re inferior compared to your ancestors. Hell, you’re way out of their league,” he then turned the expanding vortex, targeting the direction of Phoenix’s head. “Now die, you lil` rascal. May you rest in peace knowing that somebody better has taken your spot, and that would be me.”
Right as Dayne was about to thrust his arm to bash the vortex into Phoenix’s skull, a young female voice wailed, “Vines of Gaia, come forth to life!”
Vines sprouted out of the ground where Dayne stood atop and restrained all movement for his body. The vines then wrapped around his legs and bound both his wrists together and soon wrapped around his neck. Thorns sprouted out of the slender body of the leafy vines and pierced through the fabrics he wore and stabbed his skin.
“Portalia, Meteria Ruby!” the young woman yelled once again as she slammed her fist onto the grass a few inches away from her. A portal formed beneath Phoenix’s stained body, and moments later, he descended right in front of the young woman who had saved her.
“Phoenix, are you alright?!” the young woman asked as she knelt over and placed her hand over the cuts in Phoenix’s stomach.
It was Ruby. Her face was pale, tears welled up in her eyes, and she continued to sob as she chanted a spell. Phoenix hoped to give her a reply, yet his throat could only croak. All that he could give back to her were groans he spouted out from his mouth, mixed in with it were the incomprehensible phrases he tried to babble to no avail.
She let out a sigh, “Fine. Don’t worry Phoenix, I’ll heal you up with a simple spell and you’ll be good to go, but we still need to bandage your stomach since your skin will still be fragile until a few hours will pass.”
The light emitted by her hand blinded Phoenix’s sight, and soon after, the ritualistic chants of the angels who were the overseers that observed them echoed in his ears. The angels relayed upon him incomprehensible words in rapid succession, one after the other. Utter confusion disoriented his mind as the words buzzed in his mind.
Seconds later, he felt his skin tighten, and soon, his vision returned into its normal state. He saw everything around him crystal clear, from the blooming patches of flowers to the blue sky above them. It was like nothing had happened to him.
He raised a portion of his body off the grass and immediately fixed his gaze to his stomach. The blood that had escaped his body had turned into dust, the hundreds of scrapes that covered his skin now away, and the pieces of flesh formerly shredded away from his body were now back to where they once were.
A loud wail all of a sudden boomed towards their direction, “Darling, I’m here~!”
The two turned their heads towards the direction of the sound, and right a few meters ahead of them, a figure descended from the clouds above and landed by Dayne’s side. It basked itself under the dark covers of the shadows of the large tree rooted in the middle of the courtyard. As a leaf flung right before the figure’s purple eyes, it snapped its fingers.
The vines that constrained Dayne’s body disintegrated into stars that shattered into glitter. Tiny meteors the size of a fingernail plucked the thorns of her vines off Dayne’s skin, detonating them into a pop of glitter similar to the ones that drift across the cosmos.
Ruby took a step back, the size of her pupils diminished to a teeny one, a soft gasp escaped from her lips as her heart dropped to the deepest regions of her body, “What the hell? How did you—“
The faint taps of the figure’s high-heels as she revealed herself off the shadows shook the two down to the deepest point of their body. The figure who stood before them left Phoenix and Ruby speechless. The figure was a young girl who clothed herself in a long coat similar to the one Dayne wore. Beneath her coat was a tee that was the same tint as her grey trousers, and in the center of it was a yellow star. Her purple hair was down to the level of her two leather belts, and as the breeze grazed the many strands of her silky hair, they flowed like the waves of the deep, blue sea.
She approached the fallen Dayne, whose eyes were now half-closed, blood flowing out from the cuts on his body, and foam settling in his mouth. She turned her head towards the tree behind her and opened a portal from one of her fingertips. Across the sharp and lush grass, she dragged Dayne’s immobile yet conscious body towards the opened gateway.
Before she stepped through, she looked over her shoulder and glanced at Ruby and Phoenix, who stood a few ten meters from behind her. With her back now shown to them, she waved at them.
“The name’s Zenia, by the way. Sorry for the trouble my little darling brought you, he’s a bit rash,” she giggled as she looked to the two over her shoulders, leering at them with the gaze of her purple pupils.
“Wait—did you say your name is Zenia?! Are you the Zenia of the Capella family?! Haven't you been missing for two years?!” Ruby’s mind was now in turmoil as she questioned Zenia.
“Excuse me, Capella? No, no, no! I’m Zenia Amber!”
“Wait, what? Amber?! Amber, as in Phoenix Vermond Amber...? What the fuck is even going on?!” Ruby pulled on her hair. She hadn’t a single clue as to what was going on, and by the second, she became more bewildered. She struggled to assemble the puzzle pieces into one complete picture.
“I don’t want to fight now. I want my fight to be a little... bombastic, not some basic fight like the punchy-punchy ones you see on the television. I want a fight with our lives at stake. Ta-ta, for now. I and my darling are going to play our favorite game, house! Hope we meet again!”
Gripping the back of Dayne’s coat with her left hand, Zenia stepped through the portal as she dragged Dayne with her, all the while humming a rhyme. As the two disappeared into the distorted liquid that made the portal, it then closed it on itself.
Phoenix stood up for a few seconds, before then falling back to his knees that were still covered in scars and scrapes. The swells that remained in his eyes forced them to shut once more, and the darkness of his fading consciousness eclipsed his vision. Moments later, his body fell flat to the floor, and his arms twitched for a moment before they then also become lifeless.
A deep gasp escaped from Ruby’s mouth. Following her gasp was a spine-chilling cry that then burst through her red lips, “PHOENIX!”