Without further words, they glare at each other as if in a world of their own. The others who had retreated to the castle merely watch in anticipation of this battle between their king and the blue flamed hero, rumored champion of the gods.

They both take a stance at the same time, Gram holds his blade pointed towards Kokabiel, the blade supplies him with more power with every waking second, knowing that they can't underestimate this kind of enemy for even a moment. It might be their end if they do otherwise. 

He breathes through his nose, trying to figure out his opponent's first plan of movement. His sword pointed and ready. Gram and his sword also named Gram, convene inside the confines of his mind. 

The sound of wind blows between them, soon forming a cold mist that intends to obscure their vision. True night has come, the moon oversees the battle from the sky, illuminating this bout. 

But the roar and echoes of war do not stop. The forces of Frelasien still battle against the opposing army, desperately trying to hold them back from entering the capital. Though their numbers dwindle, their fervor does not wane, it being the only thing keeping them strong. That and the presence of their king, fighting for his people.

From above the castle walls where bow wielding soldiers are garrisoned- comes two women wearing worn out bridal gowns, panting heavily as they run across the wall for a view of the battle. 

"Charlotte! Princess Juliette! Please slow down!" yells a man from behind, desperately trying to catch up to them. He puts both hands on his lap as he bends over to breath in as much as he can. 

The guards take notice of his presence, and face him to salute quickly as if by reflex. "Lord Nerian! We are standing in attention. What do you require?" They ask frantically. They seem to see him with respect as their voices say genuinely. 

"Stop them! They're being reckless, but don't hurt them, just try and halt them," by that order, some soldiers muster into a group of three to catch the runaway princesses. 

His flames burn brighter than ever, scorching the earth around him in a ring of fire, and also engulfing his sword. The so called hero wears a cloak of a pure dark color, his eyes are cold and lifeless. He smiles. As fast as the wind, maybe even faster, he speeds forward intending to swing his blade from the right.

Gram reacts instinctively, imitating his enemy with a rush, his blade is drawn forward.

Kokabiel slashes to the left, forcing Gram to defend with his blade. It stops him in his tracks, giving him his opportunity to attack within striking distance. 

He barrages Gram with attack from every direction, each relenting slash becoming heavier than the last. 

Gram retreats back, breathing heavily at the toll he had been through with defending. His left cheek bleeds from a cut that had gone through from Kokabiel's attack. ("This truly is not one to be taken lightly. I was using every inch of my power to test the waters, but it seems that he may surpass me in terms of power,") his blade informs him of his insight.

Without Gram's notice, his enemy attacks again. But the moment he realizes this, he was merely staring at an afterimage as his enemy looms behind him. 

Gram's sword reacts to this in time by launching itself for at his enemy's sword, deflecting Kokabiel's downward strike. 

"How did you do that?" clearly mesmerized, Gram could not hold his curiosity even with death staring them down. His sword levitates back to him. ("I can protect you at times, so worry not if you make a mistake. I will compensate for that.")

"It keeps on getting interesting..." he closes his eyes, his flames grow brighter until it fills the darkness of the night sky, blinding the spectators as his continuous rise in power kept Gram and his sword grounded, staring at him in awe.

"Ah~ this power is immense. I never thought such a vessel could exist," he laughs menacingly, looking at the moon as he levitates into the air. "Soon I will be unmatched when I siphon every last strength this vessel possesses," he puts his hand out towards Gram, and a blue ball of flame starts to form in front of it. 

("Move! This attack will be the end of both of us if we don't evade it!") a panicked warning comes from Gram's sword, it is relayed to him, but he himself could not believe this with his own eyes. 

The sword glows, dragging Gram along with it. (You hesitate to much. Stay calm,") they retreat away from the general area of the ball of flame.

Kokabiel releases it, not knowing that Gram had retreated away from the attack. The ball of flame impacts on the ground, scorching it, then exploding to create a massive crater on the ground. The force either burned those around it, or simply blew them away.

The castle walls were almost breached just by the wave of power that came from the attack, making it crumble slightly.

A voice could be heard from above the walls. "Fafnir! Please stop! This is not like you," it echoes, silencing the battle between the two. 

Kokabiel stands still, looking up at the source of the voice. His eyes open wide in disarray once his eyes lands on her. "Char, Charlotte? Is that you?" suddenly becoming different than he was a while ago, he drops his sword. 

"Argh, damn, what happened?" Gram shakes his head back and forth. He lies a few meters away from Kokabiel, surprised that he seems to have stopped all movement. 

("This is our golden opportunity Gram. Let us strike.,") His sword vibrates, glowing pure white as if generating power. It levitates by itself, flying towards Kokabiel without further hesitation.

"Wait!" Gram reaches his hand out to his sword that flies towards his enemy's direction, piercing the wind with its speed.

His body flinches forward, but he still looks at her. "You're... Alive?" tears slowly starts dripping down from his eyes, still unaware of what's happened to him. 

Charlotte and Juliette on the other hand looks at Fafnir with shock. Eyes wide open, and jaw dropped. They too slowly tear up for some reason. 

He slowly looks down at his body. Finally, he realizes what had happened to him. *cough* *cough* blood starts spewing out from his mouth as he coughs wildly. Gram's blade had pierced him from behind, right through his torso. 

"So this is where it finally ends... I guess even in the end I was too weak. I even ended up being possessed," he forces out a laugh while looking at both Juliette and Charlotte from above. "You've brought me back here. Thank you..." he closes his eyes, falling off the levitating blade and onto the ground with a loud thud. 

"What are you doing!?" shouts Gram from behind. He sprints towards the blue flamed hero, putting his head on his arm, cradling his bloodied body. 

A thick, dark cloud of smoke comes out from Fafnir's mouth. A devious voice speaks out in irritation. "A weak minded vessel just as I predicted. I should have erased his memories when I possessed him. "

Just a cloud of smoke without a certain form to be identified with, yet it speaks out like a normal person would. "I have no need for you anymore. I siphoned enough power from you to put my plans into action," he laughs loudly into the night sky, his voice makes its way into the ears of the kingdoms around us.

"Now my campaign against heaven will begin, and my allies from hell with aid me in that. ha ha ha!" he disappears into the clouds, leaving silence in his wake, and his dead army, slowly reverting into humans once more. 

"Everyone take the injured into the city. Start repairs immediately, and confirm if the enemy has stopped moving," We can't let this distract us, otherwise we're inviting trouble for being unprepared. 

Gram takes the body of Fafnir in his arms and enters the city to meet the people, reassuring them that the threat has passed for now.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Hours passed. People familiar with Fafnir gather around his bed as he still lies unconscious. The two maidens tear up, unable to hold their emotions when they gaze upon him, thinking that he might not make it because of the severity of the wound he took from Gram's blade.

The only one not present was Gram. He was lamenting the injustice his sword had done to him. Though he was the enemy right? His thoughts are in conflict between him being his brother, and him just being someone else; as the blue flamed hero named Fafnir. 

("I apologize for attacking without your discretion, but if we did not take that chance, then it might have been too late,") The blade also named Gram apologizes.

Their conversation takes place inside Gram's mind. Though so far it has become a one sided talk, Gram stays silent.

*sigh* "I'm losing my composure. I'm sorry. I swore not to hesitate as long as it's for my kingdom, but... I just couldn't," It seems as if though he's confessing a sin.

He looks over the city of Atlas-Azure from a balcony. Though it has not taken a lot of damage from the so called war, it did damage the people itself. it has become quiet. Though some lanterns can be seen roaming around the area. The war didn't take place inside the city, but it took the lives of many people Gram treated as brothers and sisters. 

Suddenly footsteps storm the silent halls. "My lord!" a maid who looks to be in training makes her way to the balcony where Gram is. "The hero has awakened!" she shouts. Grams eyes open in disbelief. He takes his sword by the hilt and follows the maid to the room where the victim of this was rests.

Gram pauses before he opens the door, gulping, and taking in deep breaths. Then finally opening the door, slowly entering the room without anyone noticing. 

Though it looks like he's awake, he can barely open his eyes. Pale as a ghost almost, grasping for air, but not moving... Just staring at the ceiling. 

"Where am I?" he manages to squeeze out a few words from his mouth. Those few words meant everything to the people around him, knowing that he still lives among them. 

"Fafnir!" The only name said as they crowd around him even more. The two girls beside him practice restraint, instead they hold his hands gently.

"Fafnir! You're finally awake," Nerian's voice trembles as he speaks. But his face shows relief as he smiles, his closed eyes somewhat tear up, but he holds his emotions back. 

"Thank Ylur that you're awake young one. You had us worried the entire time," Lazarus's fatherly voice reaches Fafnir's ears. He also feeling overjoyed, but suppressed his feeling before they got out of hand.  

Though he was the enemy. They did not believe he had done it. Those who knew him stayed with that premonition in mind.

He tries to get up, but his face contorts as the pain from his wound still lingers. "Argh! Damn," he flops down painfully in his bed. Fafnir grits his teeth, but unable to do anything about the pain he feels other than to let it subside, and not move to avoid the pain. 

"Please don't move!" the two ladies scolds him in unison, their grip on his hands become tighter. Their eyes focus on him much more intently, not taking their attention away from him.

Nerian steps forward, confronting Fafnir as if he knows that something is troubling him. "Please tell us what you know."

"I can't stay here. I know that Kokabiel had left my body, and I must stop him at all cost," Fafnir speaks with desperation, breathing in after each word.

Fafnir grows silent, closing his eyes. He opens it with a renewed glow of yellow. It feels like the aura around him had changed from a solemn one to an omnipotent one. 

Without much effort, he stands up from his bed as if he never received the deep wound from the sword. 

He wears only trousers to cover his body. The wound from his chest had healed, and it was as if never there in the first place. 

Gram draws his sword on instinct, thinking that he might have reverted back into being a notorious villain. "Don't move!" he shouts, alerting everyone in the room of his presence. 

By a flash of nostalgia, he sees the image of his brother from this man's face as he turns his head to the side. His sword arm trembles, but he tries to remain composed, not letting emotions choose his actions. 

"I'm glad to know that you are alive and well, Charlotte. I am happy that you are safe as well Juliette. Nerian, and Lazarus too," he stares at the open balcony where the wind breezes through him, slowly enveloping him in a veil of air. He continues. "If I want things to stay this way, then I have to go... I wanted to stay here and be with everyone, but I guess that's just being selfish."

He walks slowly towards the balcony. There he stops and whistles by putting two fingers by his mouth. 

From the distance comes a galloping sound. Seemingly getting closer, Fafnir further goes to the edge of the balcony until he is on the ledge. 

"Fafnir! What are you doing? Tell us, we can help you!" Nerian pleads with him, knowing that in these kinds of moments, Fafnir will definitely do something rash, just like what he did in Zarakiol, against Former Ardrasthrur attackers. 

On the top of her lungs, Charlotte clings to Fafnir's back, embracing it. It seems that she's caught up to what he might do, so her grasp tightens. 

Juliette also pursues him, taking his arm with a brave face. "Please stay... Don't bear anything alone. I'm here, we're here to help you," her voice trembles slightly as she forces out the words she wanted to say. 

Fafnir, surprised by the sudden change in Juliette's shy attitude into a more confronting one. "I guess five years really does change a person," he lets out a chuckle under his breath. 

He turns his body to face the two, pulling them towards his naked torso for an embrace. "I won't ever forget you two..." he beckons to Gram, who still has his sword drawn in the corner of the room, still acting suspicious. 

The two maidens tighten their grasp even more, but it doesn't faze Fafnir now that he had used his mysterious power once more.

Gram in the end lowers his blade, approaching Fafnir. "Protect these two... They get scared pretty easily, so don't worry them too much," he smiles at him, showing his teeth. 

He hands them over to Gram, but they don't let go. So Fafnir tries a ruse. "Argh! It hurts! Please let go for a while," he shouts, falling to his knees while he clutches his stomach. 

The two of them let go, successfully deceived. He retreats to the very edge of the balcony, preparing to jump off. "See you Charlotte, Juliette, Nerian, and Lazarus... And you too, new king of this kingdom... Gram," he turns around, staring at the sky. "Wait for me, Andour, Father. I'll finally get to see you two again," he jumps off. 

everyone in the room approaches the balcony where Fafnir had jumped off, seeing that he landed on a horse down below. He gallops off into the night, his objective is a mystery to them. 

"Fafnir! Come back!" Nerian reaches out to him knowing that he won't do as he says, yet to tries. The two maidens who remain in Gram's hold both break down into tears, finally releasing the pent up emotions that have clogged their senses.

Nerian runs off to follow him in a heartbeats notice. 

"Stop Nerian!" Gram shouts from behind. Making in freeze in place. "But he hasn't told us anything. We're oblivious to what's about to happen to this world. Are you alright with that?" he lashes out at Gram.

"Calm down. I was thinking the same thing. I can explain it for him..." the room goes quiet as they stare at Gram, having an infamous idea of some sort.