He saw Midnight approaching him, his palm flat open. The look in his eyes spoke a thousand words. His expressions were plain and rigid, but his eyes radiated intense rage, a fury burning so hot it radiated onto the boy as he cowered in fear and anticipated his doom.
His senses all shut down. He couldn’t smell, hear, or feel. But in that moment, all that flooded his mind were memories of the life he lived, and it only plunged him more into the pit of disbelief at Tommy’s supposed death.
‘Supposed’, it was…for there stood a figure in the veil of night; from behind the trees, facing Midnight.
“Begone.” Tommy’s voice uttered.
A wave of pressure, a transparent tornado, or more fitting: a phantom comet, an invisible power so great and overwhelming shot towards Midnight and eradicated everything in sight. The ground was dug up and clouds parted overhead. All living things caught by the attack were flung away. The trees caught in it were torn from their roots, while the ones near were flattened and pushed. The resulting shock wave and wind spread far beyond and swayed leaves from their trees nearly a dozen kilometers away.
Midnight braced for the attack with his right side, but the devastating power within it shattered the bones and mangled his right limbs into a grotesque, gory sight before he was sent flying away.
All was affected and all was damaged, except for Adrian, who sat on a patch of grass which was left untouched. As the boy sat there, a waterfall of tears streaming down his cheeks, threads of chains extended from Tommy’s shadowy figure and towards the former, wrapping him and carrying him gently towards the man before they receded into the hathphool.
Frozen with fear, Adrian was speechless as he turned to face him. He began to sob at the sight. Tommy, the hero of the world, was standing injured. His forehead was painted red, and his mouth leaked blood. Dust and ash coated parts of his body, and his right arm was torn, but not entirely. It was dangling, held into place by a piece of his shirt which was wrapped tightly around the slash and kept the arm intact.
The boy threw himself onto Tommy, hugging him as he sobbed, unable to speak, but his cries spoke instead. He felt guilty, he felt a sharp pain clutch his heart it almost burst, but it eased with the gentle touch of the man who ruffled the boy’s hair.
“I told you that I will always protect you.” He said. He spoke so naturally; as if he weren’t injured. He spoke as he always did, with confidence and a comforting tone. “I’m not angry, and I’m not dead. You did your best.”
“But-…” The boy stuttered.
“Hush, it’s not your fault. My injuries are light, and I would gladly sacrifice all my limbs if it meant keeping you safe. I’m just glad you’re unharmed, and I’m sorry that I left you alone.”
The boy’s cries grew quieter now that his savior was here. But his ease was short-lived as Tommy’s eyes fell upon Midnight, limping back into view with his limbs less damaged than they were left. However, a noticeable change in his expression was clear, for his face twisted in rage unfathomable yet palpable as he shouted.
“TOMMY!” His voice echoed, “You, you! Why won’t you die?! YOU!”
Then, his words became incomprehensible. They were words, indeed, but they didn’t sound like any language ever heard, nor did they sound like one at all. His gibberish was drowned out by a screeching, screaming voice. It sounded neither human nor beast, but an eldritch wail of pain and anger gargling out from his vocal cords which it destroyed and filled with blood; like the sound of a million sirens.
Even with Tommy’s presence, Adrian felt a fear so deep and great it made him sick, it made him throw up, but the former was unfazed. He ruffled the boy’s hair and took a step forward, guarding him with his body. He stood tall and powerful, an aura of unimaginable power emanating from his back.
“You should try harder if you aim to kill me.” He smiled, “I’m Tommy.”
Midnight’s fingers twitched, and his body tensed. If his anger wasn’t apparent before, then it was now as his teeth sank deep and punctured his bottom lip. He raised his hand overhead, and a dark force began to materialize into a massive, shadowy spear with no substance.
It shot towards the two, but Tommy raised his hand in the way. The two made contact, and the spear shattered into energy as a brilliant light emanated from the man’s hand. Midnight was visibly furious, while the former’s smile was unwavering.
Suddenly, the two men dashed towards each other with their fists clenched, but Tommy was faster and delivered a stunning blow to the other’s face, only to follow up with a hail of blows and kicks; then placing his palm flat on his chest, a wave of unimaginable power shooting Midnight crashing past dozens of trees. The blue-haired man was in pain, but he mustered up the energy from his burning rage, and with a hand gesture of his, the broken trees around him dissolved and reassembled into spikes and shot like cannons toward Tommy.
But he was steadfast, stood his ground, and a grand translucent barrier materialized in front of him. It shattered the incoming spikes before it scrapped the ground as it moved to Midnight. The barrier slammed against the man, but with a hand gesture of his, the barrier shattered. Right as it did, Tommy jumped in the air before landing atop a small, invisible platform, like a step in a staircase. The platforms multiplied, and the man began jumping from one to the other, like a staircase. Upon reaching the final step, he leaped from the air and aimed his palm flat towards Midnight.
“Begone!”
A wave of energy shot from him and flattened the blue-haired man into the ground as it dug up the soil thirty meters deep. Tommy stood overlooking the hole, and with a gesture from him, bolts of lightning shot from the sky in the hundreds and into the hole. But the other’s rage increased even more! The hole in which he was trapped shot out with a volcanic magma that burnt parts of Tommy’s arm.
Then came out crawling Midnight, and with seething rage, he shouted: “Die!”
Tommy’s body shivered with goosebumps, and a sickening feeling overcame him. He vomited but regained his composure immediately after.
“It will take a lot more than that to kill me.” He smiled, “Be blind!”
And the other man went blind for a moment, his pupils disappearing entirely. Tommy ceased the chance and summoned a formless saber of pure energy which he slashed across the man’s chest with. But the man countered with a dagger of the same energy which he stabbed through Tommy’s shoulder. The man winced, but in his fashion, he smiled back as he spoke once more: “Be gone!”
But the energy wave had no effect this time, for the other man was prepared for it. With a gesture from him, a green, nasty liquid came overflowing from Tommy’s eyes, nose, and mouth. He choked on it, he struggled for dear life as he collapsed onto his knees before the man stabbed him through the neck.
“How does that feel?!”
But Tommy simply vanished from view, dissolved into nothing. Much to Midnight’s dismay, he hadn’t even the time to worry, for he heard a sound behind him.
“Begone to eternity!”
Another wave of energy, this time tenfold, a hundredfold in strength shot out from his palm! The magical attack punctured through Midnight’s skull, blowing away a quarter of his face as he suffered the whiplash.
The pain was excruciating, but his anger was unfathomable, beyond comprehension as he saw Tommy standing, nearly uninjured except for the slash on his arm. For the entire time, he only fought a clone, and his seething rage burned hotter upon the realization. He let out another scream, that inhuman shriek that brought nausea to those who heard it.
The ground shook, cracked, and rocks flew in the air! The lighting bolts shot from the sky towards Tommy, and blizzards of fire and wind, water, and dust all erupted in the dozens around the latter. He dodged and weaved to his best attempt, not a single scratch landing on him. He leaped out of the chaos before chains extended from his hathphools and wrapped Midnight. The chains bound him tightly as Tommy dashed towards the former before breaking his nose with a mighty blow. Then, he grabbed onto the chains and swung them in circles before throwing Midnight hundreds of meters into the air.
Midnight, though he was injured, mustered up the energy to break out of the chains and shatter them. With a clawing gesture from him, waves of energy shot down and slashed the ground, the rocks, and nearly Tommy. The attack not only cut whatever it touched, but it exploded into a fiery ball and a fiery tornado after.
Midnight stood in the air and summoned a bolt of black lightning into his hand. He hailed it at the ground, and a dark blast of energy evaporated the surroundings, except for Tommy and Adrian. The latter was feeling more exhausted than before as the protective wall he summoned dissolved into energy. He halted, taking a few deep breaths, but Midnight couldn’t let him rest.
Stolen story; please report.
“Be blind!”
And Tommy’s pupils disappeared from his eyes, blinding him. But he retaliated: “Combust!” he said, and a fire combusted from Midnight’s body and engulfed him. He screamed in pain and furious anger, but right before he could respond, the former followed up: “Be quiet!” and Midnight was mute, unable to utter a word.
The fire from within him died down as he hurled towards the ground, a sword of energy materializing into his hand. Right before he could stab Tommy, smoke engulfed the latter before he sank into the soil, phasing through it. And right as Midnight’s feet touched the ground, the ground opened up and swallowed him before an explosion erupted from deep underground.
Tommy phased out from the ground, in an entirely different part of the forest, and took a few deep breaths as he anticipated another attack. Much to his displeasure, Midnight was already on his tail, albeit half of his limbs were charred and gone, along with half of his face. In his remaining arm, he carried a sphere of energy so great it warped the space around it into a twisted spiral shape.
“Say goodbye.” Midnight said, a sinister smile plastered on his face.
He threw the sphere at Tommy, the power unleashed from it vaporized half of his body in an instant. But much to his dismay, the former simply dissolved into thin air! He turned, left and right, scanning his surroundings, only to look up at the sky.
Tommy stood in the air, carrying a ball of condensed energy same as Midnight. His smile stretched from ear to ear as he looked down at his foe: “Same to you!” then threw i at him.
The power that unleashed shot a beam of immense power that cracked the ground, vaporized the entire right half of Midnight, and shot deep into the ground, so deep that heat emanated in an extraordinary amount from the hole caused by it.
Tommy collapsed onto his knees, gasping for air, for he was exhausted by the battle. But he could only last for so long, for he saw him. His eyes saw even through the ground with his magic, and he saw Midnight crawling out from the hole. His body was charred and mangled, half it that is, but his right side began regenerating, so very slowly—only bones, for now.
Tommy smiled, determined to keep fighting until his last breath. No, beyond that! He stood tall and breathed deeply, and a saber of pure energy materialized into his hand. The blue-haired man did the same, a sword materializing into his bony arm.
They sprinted towards each other before they clashed into a spark of fire and shock waves and wind! Both of their attacks were blocked and parried by each other, and with each block, the winds grew stronger and more powerful. A booming sound, like a thunderclap, resonated with each blow and thrust from their swords.
But that wasn’t enough! With their free hand, they attacked as well! Spells of magic, punches engulfed with fire, spheres of energy! They used all that they could, but Tommy had the upper hand. He wasn’t injured, unaffected by all attacks, while the other was affected by most. A tornado of fire appeared lightning struck, the ground shook, the wind blew, and the men’s attacks grew fiercer!
But Midnight’s manic frown of unfathomable rage was overwhelmed, overpowered by Tommy’s confident smile. That was, until a clone of the former appeared next to the latter, carrying a spear. But much to his dismay, a clone of Tommy appeared, and parried his attack! Not only them, but a second clone, a third clone, a fifth, and even an eighteenth clone appeared for each of the men! Some with weapons, some with magic, others only with their fists, but they fought each other! And in every one of them, Tommy had the upper hand!
If a punch was directed at him, he caught Midnight’s fists and electrocuted him in response! If a fire appeared to engulf him, frost erupted from his body and froze the blaze away! And if a sphere of energy were to attack him, then he paired it with one of his, greater in strength and power!
“Be gone!” The original Tommy said, but nothing happened.
“That won’t work anymore!” Midnight replied, “Die!”
But nothing happened!
“Neither will that!” Tommy replied before he stabbed through Midnight’s chest, “Be without fear, for all evil that is near shall, with the grace of I, no longer be here!”
Tommy’s sword shone brighter than the sun for a moment as it punctured deeper inside Midnight’s chest. The former grabbed the blue-haired man by the throat and slammed him into the ground, then a wave of devastating power shot out from Tommy’s flat-open palm.
It shot through the ground, with absurd speed and power. The wind leveled trees and smote clouds far away in the sky. The ground shook and shattered, hundreds of meters away, even the trees were sent flying upwards! The rocks flew like bullets into the sky, and the resulting shock wave sounded like a million thunderbolts striking one tiny patch of the ground all in unison! Midnight disappeared deep, very deep into the ground and out of sight, leaving only a hole greater than a galleon ship in size where he last was.
Tommy collapsed onto his back, breathing heavily as blood leaked from his mouth and nose. He spat it out and wiped it from his nose, but sat there gasping for breath for another five minutes before mustering up all energy remaining in his body to stand up.
He made his way through the terrain of dead trees, dust, rock, charred ground, craters, and so much more destruction. He felt guilty, a saddened expression shrouding his face in melancholy as he pondered this fight, and how the nature caught in it didn’t deserve it. However, happiness washed away those thoughts, happy to have protected Adrian, to have made it out alive with the little boy unharmed.
As he reached where Adrian was, he found the boy lying on his side. He knew that the fight might affect the boy, but thankfully no physical injuries were present, nor was his body lifeless. Tommy knew that he most likely went unconscious from the pressure waves and extreme winds. Regardless, he was happy, ruffling the unconscious boy’s hair until he blinked his eyes awake.
“Tommy?” He uttered, then realized what had happened. His confused face shifted into a frightened demeanor as he frantically turned left and right only to throw himself onto Tommy, hugging him tightly. “I’m happy, I’m so happy you’re alive! Oh my god, Tommy, I’m so sorry.”
The boy cried, his words interrupted by hiccups and gasps. The man hugged back Adrian, gently stroking his hair while patting his back.
“It’s okay, you don’t have to worry anymore. I’m here.”
The fight ended a few minutes ago, and the boy had finally calmed down. Tommy sat on the ground, on whatever grass there remained, and breathed slowly and deeply to regain his strength. Adrian was beside him, viewing the decimated terrain before his eyes, finally understanding how truly strong his friend and protector truly was, and how hell he hid it.
“Tommy?” The boy asked.
“What is it, Adri?” The man answered.
“Who was that man?”
Tommy was silent, caught in deep thought. With a deep breath, he wiped the smile from his face and recounted in a serious tone of voice.
“Remember my last great adventure?”
“Yes? Wait, is that-”
“The ruler of the seas, the most evil ‘man’ to have ever lived.” He said, putting emphasis on the word. “But no man he is, not that I know of, nor anyone does.”
“And what is he? What does he want from us? Why did he-”
“There are some questions that are better left unanswered for now, Adri. I’m sorry.” He explained, “But I assume he wanted the mercenaries’ help to kidnap so that he can kill me and close my chapter. He won’t, ever, I shall tell you that. But he was very close to doing it today.”
“Didn’t you kill him? Back in your last great adventure.”
“…That is what I had hoped.” He explained, “He’s far weaker than before, so am I, in fact. But I hadn’t imagined he would even live, let alone come back, even in a weakened state.”
“And what about now?”
“Now?” He chuckled, “I’m sure I warranted at least…huff…at least a year of immobility.”
“I see.” The boy said, hugging his legs. “What about the orange-haired girl?”
“The what?”
Adrian raised an eyebrow at Tommy’s confusion. Neither uttered another word as the man rummaged through his memory, only to smack himself in the forehead, nearly knocking him unconscious.
“Oh no!” He groaned, “For the love of magic, I hope she wasn’t caught up in the fight. Oh god, I hope she didn’t die.”
Though he hadn’t rested enough, Tommy stood back up and immediately made for where Ora last was. As he and Adrian reached the spot, they found the girl lying on a patch of grass, unharmed and untouched. But she was unconscious.
“Wait, she’s still knocked out?” Adrian remarked, “Then how was she untouched?”
But as the boy turned to Tommy, awaiting an explanation, he was taken aback by his wide-eyed gaze, deep in thought as he scrutinized Ora’s body.
“So it was right…she is the one.” He gasped, “Adrian, I found it. I found the answer.”
“To what?”
“To-”
But their conversation was cut short by a booming sound that nearly ruptured the men’s ears. Tommy turned back towards the sound, resonating from the hole in which Midnight was buried. A pillar of flames erupted, soaring thousands of meters into the sky before it splashed down onto the terrains like waves, burning with it all that lived. Ground, trees, animals, all that is was charred by the blaze that burned hotter than any normal fire could. It stuck onto whatever it consumed, and it burned through the biome as a whole.
Tommy summoned a translucent dome of energy just in time, stronger than all previous ones, engulfing and protecting the three inside of it. With a powerful wave of his hand, and veins bulging in his arms, Tommy summonsed a gust of wind that blew the wave of fire away. The initial wave was blown away, but the rest was stuck and burned through the grass, bushes, trees, and parts of the soil.
The hellish landscape was frightening, but no more than the fiery, bloody, and torn-apart body of Midnight which crawled out from the hole. Most of his body was charred, bone protruded, blood spread across, and his face was divided into a bony part, a skinless quarter, a burnt piece, and a bloody section in which the eyes were.
He screamed once more, the noise ripping through Tommy’s ears as he protected Adrian and Ora from it. Blood leaked from them, and he was distraught as the disfigured, horrific body of Midnight staggered towards them, twitching and contorting.
“You…make me sick.” He said, his voice seething with rage, gurgling on the blood which filled his mouth. “Just thinking about you rips deep into my being, just knowing that you even existed makes me want to rip apart your very atoms and torture them for eternity!” He ceased, then began to laugh, a sinister, wheezing, pained laugh. “But not anymore.”
He took a deep breath, the earth shook, and the night suddenly grew darker, nearly pitch black. An aura of unease and death lingered in the air as if the reaper slowly stroked the souls of the living from their bodies. Then, with a terrible voice, he said: “I Love You!”
The night grew darker and the air seemed to shatter. The moonlight turned dark and dripped blood as if it were alive. The ground shook, and the soil was replaced with a black substance and filled with skulls of the dead. Suddenly, the air seemed to choke Tommy out of breath as he tried to keep Adrian safe, that is before he saw the figure of a shadowy, shapeless being of imposing stature, and a sight so horrific and ugly it shook Adrian’s core as tears trickled down his eyes. sh
The figure trod carefully towards the two men and extended his claws to reap the boy’s soul. Its presence alone distorted the space around it, twisted it, and ruined its natural state. It embodied death in its ugliest, most sickening form, and its grasp was aimed towards the little boy, set on choking the life out of him.
“I Love You.” It said, with a gasping, wheezing, horrible voice.