Adrian watched as Romulus straightened atop the rune-carved pillar. The faint, thrumming sound in the chamber deepened, vibrating through the air as the glow of the runes intensified. Romulus arched his back, his body convulsing with a sickening crackle of bone and sinew.
Romulus's visage twisted as horns erupted from his skull, spiraling upward like the gnarled branches of a long-dead tree. His skin darkened, turning ashen gray, with a texture that gleamed like polished stone. The sinewy muscles beneath his robes grew larger, his frame expanding as leathery wings unfurled with a sharp snap.
His eyes blazed crimson, twin pits of malice that locked onto Adrian with predatory intensity. When he spoke, his voice resonated with an unnatural depth, as though layered with the growls of countless voices.
"You were always out of your depth, boy," Romulus growled, spreading his wings wide. "Now you face the true power of the Blythes. Kneel, and I might grant you a quick death."
Adrian clenched his fists, his bluish flames surging in response to the challenge. Demon magic? I didn't think he'd stoop so low, nor did I think that such magic still existed.
Regardless of his doubts, Adrian launched himself forward, his flames erupting in a torrent that spiraled around him like a comet's tail. Romulus leaped from the pillar, his wings propelling him forward in a blur of gray and black.
Adrian swung his fist, blue flames roaring with each strike, but Romulus met him blow for blow, his movements unnervingly fast for his massive form. Claws raked against Adrian’s fiery aura, sending sparks and embers flying with each exchange. The chamber quaked as they fought, every impact shaking the ground and sending cracks racing up the walls.
Romulus drove a wing forward and slammed it into Adrian’s side. The force hurled Adrian backward, but he caught himself midair, flipping to land in a crouch. The ground beneath his feet hissed as his flames scorched it. He’s faster than I thought.
Adrian thrust his palms forward, unleashing a focused wave of flames that tore through the air with a deafening roar. The inferno engulfed Romulus, swallowing him whole, but a guttural laugh echoed through the flames as Romulus burst free, his wings folding protectively around him before snapping open.
"Is that all your fire can do?" Romulus sneered, claws dripping with molten residue. "Pathetic. Let me show you power."
He surged forward with a burst of speed, closing the distance before Adrian could fully react. A clawed hand slammed into Adrian's chest, the impact shattering his aura and sending him hurtling backward. Adrian smashed through one of the towering pillars, pain lanced through his body as he hit the ground hard, debris raining down over him.
Get up. You can’t stop now. Adrian thought, gritting his teeth as he pushed himself to his feet.
Romulus descended like a predator, his wings casting a looming shadow. His claws flashed again, tearing through Adrian’s defenses and driving him into the chamber’s wall. The impact cracked the stone, dust and shards falling as Adrian slumped forward, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
"You fought well," Romulus said mockingly, leaning closer as his wings flared behind him. "But you're nothing against what I’ve become."
Adrian’s chest heaved as he pushed himself upright, his body trembling from the force of the blows he’d taken. His vision blurred for a moment before snapping back into focus, locking onto Romulus, who loomed before him with a mocking grin etched onto his monstrous face.
Yet, when Adrian forced himself fully upright, Romulus darted forward and slammed a fist into his jaw, snapping his head to the side. The impact sent him staggering, but Adrian caught himself, growling through gritted teeth.
Romulus didn’t let up. He drove another blow into Adrian’s gut, then another into his ribs, each strike like a sledgehammer against his battered body. Adrian’s flames flickered wildly, struggling to hold as Romulus pummeled him again and again. Blood sprayed from Adrian’s mouth with every hit, spattering the cracked stone floor beneath him.
"You’re pathetic," Romulus snarled, his claws raking across Adrian’s chest.
Adrian stumbled backward, slamming against the wall once more. Yet, despite the brutal beating he's taking, the boy no longer felt much pain. Instead, he felt ashamed, disappointed by the fact that he was losing this badly. Something in me is screaming that I should win this fight. I can't lose here… no, it is impossible for me to lose here.
Romulus cocked his arm back for another blow, but Adrian’s hand shot up, catching the monstrous fist mid-swing. The impact shook the chamber, a shockwave rippling outward as Adrian’s grip held firm. Romulus’s eyes widened, his sneer faltering.
“That's enough,” Adrian growled, his voice low and dripping with menace.
With a roar, Adrian’s flames surged to life, engulfing his form in an inferno of blue. His other leg snapped forward, driving a devastating kick into Romulus’s chest. The force hurled the demonic figure across the chamber, slamming into the far wall with a deafening crash. The stone cracked and buckled under the impact, dust and debris raining from the ceiling.
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Adrian straightened, blood dripping from his wounds as his aura burned brighter. His breath came in ragged gasps, but his gaze never wavered from Romulus’s crumpled form across the room. With slow, deliberate steps, Adrian advanced.
As he neared Romulus, Adrian began to chant, "the gods abandoned you… but I shall not. Take from me my flesh and bones, so that the world shall quake in fear forevermore.”
The air grew heavy, thick with an otherworldly pressure that pressed against the crumbling walls. Blood flowed freely from Adrian’s wounds, but instead of pooling on the ground, it defied gravity. The crimson streams twisted and coiled around him, swirling before rushing toward his left hand. Strange symbols and lines burned into his flesh, glowing faintly as they settled into place.
Adrian felt no pain as the sigil took shape. If anything, there was clarity. The marks condensed, shrinking down into a single, ornate sigil on the back of his hand. It pulsed faintly with power, resonating with the fiery aura surrounding him.
Romulus staggered to his feet, his chest heaving as he glared at Adrian with wild eyes. “Is that all you have left? You’re—”
“Shut up,” Adrian interrupted, his voice resonating like a war drum. The simple command carried such weight that it silenced Romulus instantly.
Adrian raised his left hand, the sigil glowing brighter as the chamber shuddered. The temperature plummeted and spiked at once, the very air vibrating with raw power. From the flames surrounding Adrian, a massive form began to materialize.
Bones forged of bluish fire erupted into existence, their sheer size dwarfing everything in the chamber. Ribs arched high above, jagged and impossibly vast, each one glowing like molten steel. The ground cracked and heaved as the skeletal body of a titan took shape, its immense spine curving upward into a massive, hunched frame.
The skull formed last, a gargantuan, hollow visage that loomed over Romulus. Its empty eye sockets burned with the same blue fire as Adrian’s, staring directly into the demonic figure as though gazing into his very soul.
The ground beneath them trembled violently, fissures spreading outward from Adrian’s feet as the sheer weight of the manifestation strained the chamber’s integrity. Pillars toppled, sending massive chunks of stone crashing to the ground. The walls groaned and split, chunks of masonry falling as the titan’s body expanded, pressing against the ceiling and shaking the earth.
Romulus took an involuntary step back, his wings spreading in instinctive defense. “What… what is this?”
Adrian’s flames flared brighter as he raised his glowing hand, the titan mirroring the motion. “This. my foolish enemy, is what you’ve brought upon yourself.”
The titan let out a soundless roar, its presence overwhelming as the chamber buckled under its strain. Dust and stone filled the air as the walls began to collapse, the ground shaking as if the world itself were recoiling from Adrian’s wrath.
Romulus launched himself forward with a roar as he swung a devastating punch toward Adrian’s chest. The blow connected with a resounding crack, a force that would have obliterated stone. But Adrian didn’t flinch. He stood firm, his body unmoving as the punch dissipated against him like a futile gust of wind.
Romulus staggered back, eyes widening in disbelief. "What… what are you?"
Adrian raised his head, the glowing sigil on his left hand blazing brighter. When he spoke, his voice was unrecognizable, a booming, guttural resonance that filled the collapsing chamber and shook the very air. “Those who wield the power of the titans are also blessed with their strength.”
Romulus barely had time to react before Adrian closed the distance between them with impossible speed. Adrian’s hand shot out, gripping Romulus by the throat like he was no more than a child’s doll. His glowing eyes burned into Romulus as he spoke again. "And your stolen power means nothing in the face of true strength."
With a mighty roar, Adrian slammed Romulus into the ground with such force that the entire chamber buckled under the impact. The floor fractured, radiating deep cracks outward like veins of destruction. The trembling intensified, and a moment later, the ground gave way entirely, collapsing into a yawning void beneath them.
Adrian fell, his blue flames illuminating the chasm as he descended. The half-body of the titan he had conjured moved with him, its massive skeletal arms reaching out. One fiery hand shot forward, digging into the crumbling walls of the ravine, slowing Adrian’s fall with an ear-splitting screech as it scraped against the rock. The other hand swung outward, stabilizing him as chunks of the destroyed chamber rained down around him.
I need control. Focus, Adrian. He twisted his body midair, forcing the titan to adjust its position. Its massive form shifted, turning so its skeletal back faced the depths below. The titan’s immense body absorbed the brunt of the debris, shielding Adrian as he descended further into the abyss.
The ravine walls streaked past, the heat from the flames scorching the rock as the titan’s arms clung to the sides, slowing their fall with each violent impact. Sparks and molten fragments exploded outward with every strike, the sound reverberating endlessly in the enclosed space. But the strain on Adrian’s body grew unbearable. The blue flames flickered, weakening as his strength drained away.
When the bottom of the ravine finally came into view, Adrian released his hold. The titan’s fiery arms shifted one last time, curling around Adrian protectively as its massive frame crashed into the ground first. The impact sent a deafening shockwave rippling outward, cracking the rocky floor beneath them. Dust and debris exploded into the air, obscuring everything in a choking cloud.
Adrian rolled free of the titan’s dissipating form, just in time to shield his head as large chunks of stone rained down from above. The skeletal hand of the titan rose instinctively one last time, catching a massive boulder that threatened to crush him. But the flames faltered entirely after that, and the titan’s form dissolved into nothingness, leaving Adrian exposed.
He hit the ground hard, his body slamming into the cold stone with a final, sickening thud. Pain radiated through him as he lay motionless, his breaths shallow and uneven. The sigil on his left hand flickered faintly before dimming, and for the first time, Adrian felt its absence, a silence where the raw power had been moments before.
I can’t move. But I can still breathe at least. His muscles refused to respond, his body completely paralyzed.
For hours, Adrian lay there, staring at the faint cracks of light far above. His mind churned with thoughts of failure, of frustration. Is… this really it?