Ronner

An eerie full moon watched over the burnt field, where Ronner loomed over Alayna, who lay on a pond of blood, with half of her chest stained by dark red splotches and deep wounds.

Ignoring his prey, Ronner fixed his gaze on Viper. The Doman brother stood tall, a white mist swirling around his body like crystal powder, glimmering under the moonlight. No matter how hard Ronner tried, he couldn't detect fear in his eyes.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Alayna sprang from the ground and smashed her fist against Ronner's jaw, pushing him away as she broke free from his grasp. She bolted away, keeping a safe distance from him. Her breath was short and heavy, but her eyes burned with hatred and desire for revenge.

Ronner giggled as a red line trailed down his lips, his gaze still locked on Viper. "What are you doing here? Is death such a tempting fate for you?" Ronner wiped the blood from his mouth and cracked his neck, his hair waving against a gust of dry wind. "Honestly, I thought you were smarter."

"Honor brought me here," Viper said coldly, "something you know nothing about."

"Honor?" Ronner guffawed. "What is honor when you're dead?" He charged a magnetic field around his body, melting the last layer of ice around his legs, which exploded into gelid needles shot like bullets. Alayna struggled to dodge them, her moves slow and clumsy due to her wounds.

"As I said, honor is something a man like you would never understand. I promised to fight, and I will."

"Honor . . . " Ronner sneered. "Kidnapping my woman and my kid and using them as bait to lure me here? Where's the honor in that, Viper?"

"I saved your woman and your kid, and even Remnya," Viper shouted, scowling at him.

"Remnya?" Alayna asked, her eyes widening.

Viper gave her a sidelong glance and continued, "The little harm I caused Brisa is nothing compared to what you did to her, or the young girl."

Ronner took a moment to process his words, his expression darkening. "Where is Brisa? If you tell me, your death might be quicker."

"On her way to safety."

"WHAT?" Alayna bellowed, gaping at Viper. "What the hell do you mean by that, Doman?" Alayna struggled to stand still, the veins in her forehead bulging with anger.

"I'm sorry, Captain." Viper let out a deep sigh. "I decided I don't want to use an innocent woman and her baby as tools for a pointless war."

"Fucking traitor! How could you make such a decision behind my back?" Alayna's voice echoed throughout the field, but Viper's expression was stone, unreadable.

Ronner's mind became blank, trailing off as mixed feelings wrestled in his brain. Unable to understand his own feelings, he hesitated to speak.

"If that's true . . . " Ronner started, his pupils piercing into Viper's soul, "what are you doing here?"

"I already told you. Honor." Swords of ice engulfed Viper's arms up to his shoulders, and the white mist turned into a vortex, lifting dust and pebbles around his body. "I promised Alayna I'd fight alongside her and help her avenge her comrades, the ones you murdered. I gave her my word, and I plan on keeping it."

Silence.

"I see . . . " Ronner whispered, clenching his fist. "Is Rem okay?" he asked, charging electric arcs around his arm.

"She will be okay." The ground beneath Viper turned into a carpet of crystal, glimmering like glitter, and then a smile forced its way across his face. "I have a feeling someone will protect her."

Realization fell on Ronner's shoulders like an iron cross, crushing everything he knew until that moment. So, he allowed Zeo to reach Remnya . . .

The image of Brisa flashed before his eyes for the last time, and the turmoil in his head dissipated. I wonder if we'll ever meet again . . .

"Alright," Ronner said, nodding as a grin covered his face. "Killing you might not be as enjoyable as I thought, after all." He glanced left and right, locating his prey.

Facing the moonlight, Alayna trembled with fury. Most of her armor had been destroyed, and only her ragged coat covered her body. An orange blaze engulfed her arms, crackling and shooting sparks.

"You'll have to give me a few explanations after this," Alayna told Viper through clenched teeth, then her eyes locked on her target.

"As you wish, captain," Viper replied, lifting his gelid fists into a fighting stance. "I'll take responsibility for all my sins tonight."

"As I will," Ronner interrupted, smirking.

The time stopped.

The calm before the storm.

A war cry, and the silence shattered.

Fire and ice clouded the sky like the children of honor and revenge, while a blue demon stood tall in the middle of the battlefield, laughing and taunting them like the grim reaper about to take the whole world to the depths of hell with him.

*°*°*

An earthquake boomed throughout the night, and the ground shattered beneath Ronner, who charged electricity in his fist. Flames neared him like blazing snakes from his right, and from his left, several blades of ice approached him, with their sharp edges gleaming under the moonlight.

Ronner jumped, impulsed by a cobalt stream shot from his arm.

The blades were buried into the soil, freezing it and shattering into thousands of needles. One snake of fire exploded nearby, raising burning debris and smoke, while the other followed Ronner into the sky.

An electric arc clashed with the fire, causing an explosion that covered the battlefield with an orange glow, followed by a thick smoke cloud.

Cutting through the smoke, two ice blades flashed before Ronner's eyes. He threw his head away, dodging the first one, which sliced his cheek with a gelid edge that seemed to freeze his skull.

The second blade was already under him, about to impale his body.

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A magnetic field surrounded Ronner, followed by a shockwave that shattered the ice into a rainbow of frozen crystals.

Unable to stay airborne, Ronner landed on the ground, only to feel the intense heat of a fireball roaring in his direction. He dashed through the smoke, trying to simultaneously avoid the attack and close distance with Alayna.

Noticing his intentions, Viper rushed after him and froze one of his legs from behind.

Ronner let out a groan of pain as the tendons in his leg threatened to break due to the brutal force he had to use to break free from his trap.

The fireball roared by his side, burning part of his arm and leg, but he managed to avoid most of the damage.

BOOM!

A shockwave of intense heat and burning debris shook the night. Ronner could feel his skin melting.

Ronner realized a ranged battle would be his doom. He had to close distance with at least one of them and kill them before they got a lucky hit. He eyed Alayna; she looked worn out, panting and limping behind a mountain of debris and flames. Despite her wounds, she looked decided to end that battle, even if that meant her own death. Viper was fresher, but Ronner concluded he wasn't as dangerous as her.

Ignoring the pain in his leg, he charged like a furious bull toward Alayna.

Viper tried to stop him by freezing the ground beneath him but using his electricity, Ronner impulsed himself into the air and flew at her, leaving a cobalt trail of electricity and sparks behind him.

Alayna reacted with two whips of fire, and from his right, a path of ice chased him, threatening his legs.

Since Ronner was using his arm to keep himself airborne, he couldn't protect himself from Alayna's attack.

As the intense heat approached his face, a crazy idea lit his brain. "Of course," Ronner murmured, halting in the middle of those two deadly traps.

Twisting in the air, Ronner landed with his arm on the ice, which quickly froze up to his elbow, but he used an electric discharge to shatter it like glass.

Before the fire reached him, Ronner summoned a magnetic field around his body and deflected most of her attack toward Viper. However, the heat burned part of his chest, arm, and legs. It was a small price to pay for his suicidal tactic.

Ronner clenched his teeth as his skin hissed against the flames, but he managed to deflect the blaze toward the ice path, melting it and forming a trail of water between him and Viper.

Quickly, Ronner buried his hand into the water and smirked at his victim.

Viper's eyes widened, realizing his mistake.

Releasing massive energy, Ronner struck the ground with a brutal lightning bolt, which shattered the land in half.

A cobalt flash turned the night into day, blinding everyone like the sun on earth.

The electricity traveled through the water and reached Viper's body.

Electric arcs emerged from the ground, engulfing his body and shattering one of his arms. Lightning pierced his flesh, slowly burning his skin.

Despite the sight, his scream was short and cold, followed by silence.

Ronner smiled.

When the hellish lightning faded into sparks and smoke, Viper's body was still standing. However, half of his body had been destroyed. The flesh of his right arm and chest was falling apart up, and one of his eyes had exploded.

Viper fell on his knees, trembling with smoke coming out of his mouth, eyes, and nose.

"Dammit, is he still alive?" Ronner questioned, unaware of his surroundings.

"DIE!" Alayna roared behind him.

As he whirled to face her, he witnessed Alayna charging at him like a furious lioness ready to tear him apart.

Having used a dangerous amount of energy, Ronner couldn't react in time, and Alayna crushed his jaw with a powerful punch, followed by a sidekick that drew a mouthful of blood.

Ronner's body crashed into the ground, and she hopped over him to release a flurry of heavy blows against his skull.

The whole world shook as if concrete blocks smashed his cranium, and crimson colored his vision. Alayna's curses and screams blared in his ears like the cries of an angry and sorrowful beast.

The punishment seemed to last hours, yet the pain was a feeling Ronner had forgotten.

A crack echoed in Ronner's head, and the night fell still again.

Ronner took a moment to allow his eyelids to wipe the blood from his pupils and then glanced from the corner of his eye at Alayna.

The captain sat over him with her face, arms, and knuckles covered by his blood. She was still and panting as if about to collapse. Her right fist was still buried into his face, so Ronner reached for it, but when he touched it, he realized the crack he had heard hadn't come from his bones.

Alayna's right hand and wrist were completely broken.

Ronner stifled a chuckle and clenched his fingers, shattering the rest of her bones. She didn't make a single sound, but her eyes displayed pure hatred.

He tried to sit up, but Alayna slammed her head against his nose, breaking his bridge.

Ronner winced and cursed between teeth, "Fuck! You won't give up, will you?"

She said nothing, and Ronner took advantage of the moment to recover some energy. Leaning his hand against Alayna's chest, he released an electric shock into her body.

Her whole body convulsed, and her eyes glowed with lightning and sparks before she fell on her side, half unconscious.

Ronner sat up, the whole reality spinning around him, and his jaw on the verge of falling apart, yet he still felt no pain. He swallowed the blood in his mouth and glanced at the prideful captain. Alayna lay next to him, breathing heavily and covered by blood. Her eyes had lost their fire; they glistened under the moonlight.

"Why . . . " Alayna murmured, her voice trembling while her expression shattered like crystal, giving way to a hint of despair. "Why does a disgusting man like you exist . . . Why?"

Ronner shrugged, wiping the blood from his mouth. "You should've disappeared when I gave you a chance, dear." He twisted his lips and spat on the ground next to her. "Trying to join The Hunters was your last mistake."

"Why you of all people?" Alayna shouted, her whole body quivering with frustration and anger. She squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her lips. "You don't deserve anything you have . . . Not when you took everything from me!" A red tear trailed down her cheek.

Ronner giggled and stood up, staggering until he managed to regain balance. "Don't worry, if either of you tells me where Brisa is, I'll allow you to live another day." He stepped on her chest and loomed over her with an arrogant look.

Tears left a trail of desperation along Alayna's face, yet her fiery voice was the one of a warrior. "I have no idea where she is . . . and even if I did, I would never tell you, fucking piece of shit!"

"That's ok." Ronner buried his foot into Alayna's wounds. She let out a wail of pain and contorted on the ground. "I still have enough energy to cause you a lot more pain before your death." He smirked.

"Despite everything, you haven't changed a bit," Viper murmured, his eyes still locked on the ground and his knees buried into a pond of blood.

"Ah, still alive? You're a tough motherfucker, aren't you?" Ronner sneered, increasing the pressure against Alayna's chest.

"Let her live . . . " Viper lifted his gaze at Ronner. His right eye was gone, burned along with half of his face. "I'll tell you where Brisa is heading if you give me your word and allow Alayna to live."

"I am all ears." Ronner opened his arms and looked down his nose at him with a contemptuous smile. "Once you speak, I'll decide what to do with her."

"If you can't even do that . . . " Viper stood up, fury flashing in his eye. For the first time, Ronner witnessed rage in the Doman brother. "If you can't even do that . . . you don't deserve to call yourself a warrior!" His voice boomed. "No matter how strong you are. You'll never be a man!"

Ronner scrutinized Viper from head to toe. "I don't care about being a man, and I don't care about being a warrior. All I want is seeing her again."

"Wish granted," a voice echoed across the burning ruins of the field.

Ronner whirled to face what he realized would be his last enemy.

A man clad in The Hunters' uniform stood in the middle of the night. Next to the stranger, a wounded man lay on the ground, bleeding from a deep cut across his stomach. Ronner recognized him: Danny.

Ronner's breath ran short as he lifted his eyes, and his heart sunk to the bottom of his chest.

Held by a massive arm wrapped around her neck and with a gun aimed at her head, Ronner acknowledged his fate.

Brisa.

Her golden eyes fixed on Ronner, who froze at the sight of the woman he loved.

Yet, he saw no fear in her. He could no longer read her beautiful golden eyes.

The man tightened his grip around her neck, fury in his gaze. Familiar eyes. Eyes Ronner had witnessed when he destroyed Alayna's army six years ago.

"You might want to consider your choices now," the man said coldly and cocked his gun.

"Kira?" Alayna murmured, trembling as she raised her head with painful difficulty. "You're still alive . . . How?"

The man glanced at Alayna and tightened his lips.

Hiding the turmoil in his mind, Ronner smiled and spoke calmly, "Oh, Kira, was it? Alayna's favorite dog. I was sure I had killed you back then."

"You got it right. Kira, the dog as you call me, and also," He looked at Brisa and then glared at Ronner, "the owner of her life."

Before Ronner could reply, Viper interrupted them with a sorrowful murmur, "Danny . . . Why?"

"I'm sorry, Cassius, " Danny whispered, trembling on the ground while blood stained his blue shirt. "They found us. . ."

*°*°*