Chapter 19
“Do not let your anger get the best of you,” Eliot said. “If you do, you won’t be able to properly Morph Shift and defeat him.”
But Thomas couldn’t heed the former Wielder’s words. As he clashed over and over against his former friend he could feel no other desire except to kill Kyle. Their fists collided against one another every time they threw a punch, each one more than willing to kill the other.
Kyle kept chomping at Thomas with his dragon’s heads but Thomas was too fast and side-stepped every attempt. The dragon’s jaws growing from his hands would be something the Village chief was wary to avoid, knowing it would take his limb off with a single snap. Sometimes, instead of directly confronting the jaws with another punch, Thomas would leap away before attempting to attack Kyle from a new angle.
Thomas was actually able to get more hits on his opponent than Kyle was on him. The agility the Lion Armor gave him allowed Thomas to be a step ahead of his opponent in terms of speed and both claw and punch away at Kyle’s scales. The Dragon Armor was very durable but Thomas’s Lion Armor gave him just enough strength to continue leaving cracks and dents in the silvery scales.
Thomas’s anger had revitalized his bravery. In this moment, his fury had boiled over into complete fearlessness. Without such inhibition, the Lion Armor’s strength was naturally enhanced to its highest point. Thomas’s Access Armor was at peak performance.
“My anger has given me the strength to take him down,” Thomas said as he watched the Dragon Armor’s scales crumble. “Last time I was too scared and afraid for the Village’s safety to properly focus. Now…”
The Dragon Armor wielder was hunched over, sighing deeply as he tried to catch his breath.
“Now,” Thomas seethed. “I’m ready to murder him. I want to tear him apart and feed his flesh to my lions.”
Kyle was obviously growing so frustrated with the state of the battle he tried something pretty risky. At one point, Kyle outright attacked him with the jaws growing from his right hand gaping wide. Thomas recognized this for what it was, a double edged sword that Kyle was hoping would tempt Thomas.
“He wants to see if you’ll try and pry that mouth of his open and attack the interior of his body,” Eliot said. “It’s bait for an obvious trap.”
“Well,” Thomas said. “Might as well spring the trap.”
The village chieftain grabbed one jaw of the dragon head with one hand each. This stunned Kyle for a moment as he was unprepared for such an action. He tried to wriggle his way out of Thomas’s grip but by that point, the wielder of the Lion Armor was already prying the two jaw pieces apart.
“Gaaahhhh!” Kyle screamed in agony and surprise.
He continued crying in pain as Thomas tore the mouth pieces apart before the village chieftain was holding one jaw in each hand. Orange blood spewed from the pried off jaws as well as Kyle’s stump of an arm. He crashed to the ground, holding his bleeding limb as more orange fluid gushed from it and onto the floor. Thomas dropped the two rows of teeth as he tried to catch his breath, exhausted.
“See…” Thomas said within his Soul Chamber. “I-I-I-can…defeat him without…your…help.”
“You know it will take more than that to defeat Kyle Ayers,” Eliot replied. “The Dragon Armor is one of the strongest Access Armors there is and you know it.”
He looked up at Eliot to find the former wielder’s face resting on the wall opposing Thomas. The background of it was the bark of an oak tree. Branches grew from it to surround the otherwise featureless black room and give the Soul Chamber a youthful, lush feeling. Oak bark and branches covered most of the wall Eliot’s face was on and half the walls to his left and right.
The Lion Armor had far more wielders stored inside than Eliot as this armor was passed down from one Seshi clan member to another. However, Thomas pushed them all out to focus on Eliot. Too many voices and other personalities within the Soul Chamber could cause a wielder of an Access Armor to lose their focus.
Eliot Seshi was his grandfather, the strongest and most resilient man Thomas ever knew. He was almost always calm and stoic, rarely feeling fear or insecure. It had come from years of training and discipline from Eliot’s father as well as taking the burden of caring for the village from a young age. He saw himself as a strong, sturdy tree not just because of his bravery and resilience but because he saw himself as a caregiver as well. And that was the reason Thomas could not Morph Shift.
“We need to combine our wills now,” Eliot said. “Before he does. You know it’s coming.”
“I can’t and you know it,” Thomas replied. “I’m too afraid. Too angry to harmonize with your being.”
Morph Shifting was where a former, dead wielder combined their will and persons within the Soul Chamber. This caused an outer transformation of the Access Armor to become entirely different from its base state. After Morph Shifting, the Armor was always stronger than its base form and had many more capabilities.
However, as powerful as it could be, it was difficult to initiate and even harder to maintain. Both wielders had to be experiencing the same emotions and have the same goals in mind. If one wielder experienced an emotion the other didn’t then the bond between the two would break and the Armor would revert back to its original state.
And Thomas had been nowhere near as confident and stoic as his grandfather for the last few years. In fact, he felt weak and vulnerable. Ever since Kyle’s betrayal that caused them to lose almost all the Remnant Villages, Thomas felt like a worthless leader.
Times were hard and his leadership had been questioned more than ever. Thomas often thought it would be better for him to step down, considering how trying these times were. He’d aged considerably in the last few years as they felt like decades considering how hard the last Remnant Village was trying to maintain its existence.
“I am a failure to my village,” he said. “I governed poorly in comparison to you and my father. I single handedly allowed in a Trojan horse that destroyed eleven of the twelve Remnant Villages. You…”
He shook his head.
“Would have done better,” Thomas said.
“The time for self-reflection and self-deprecation is over,” Eliot said. “I cannot stand by and allow your own state of sorrow to sap you of what little strength you have.”
Thomas was trying desperately to catch his breath as Kyle slowly stood up, the enemy Armor Wielder still reeling from his impairment. He knew that this was the opportune time to kill the traitor but he didn’t have the energy to keep fighting. The battle, as quick as it was, had worn them both out. Kyle backed away slowly, trying desperately to stop the bleeding of his arm with his free hand.
“Kyle is desperate,” Eliot said. “He’s going to Morph Shift soon, you know that. He’s crippled in this state so he’s going to attempt to transform to get the upper hand. We’ve seen him do it before.”
“Well then why wasn’t transformed when we first started fighting him?” Thomas asked.
“Because of the maintenance required to harmonize with a former wielder,” Eliot answered. “Those of us who can’t stay the same emotion at all times can stir up an emotion in a single instant by thinking hard enough.”
“You’re speaking of temporary Morph Shifting,” Thomas answered. “A state where you harmonize with a dead wielder for a short time. The emotions we share can only be temporary as the two naturally don’t have the same mindset.”
“You have to try,” Eliot said. “Try not to be angry, try not to feel insecure about yourself, try not to even think about the future of the Remnant Village. Think only of your duty right here, right in this moment. Just like I am. In this moment I cannot change the past, nor even the future, necessarily. Only at this present moment can I do what’s right for my village.”
Thomas lowered his head, thinking of Eliot’s offer.
“Fine,” he answered. “But there’s one thing I must do first.”
As Kyle seethed in pain while grasping his injured arm, Thomas spoke up.
“Kyle,” he said.
The enemy Armor wielder looked up.
“Why?” Thomas asked.
Kyle took in a deep breath, obviously not sure how to respond. He merely stared back at Thomas, the orange blood continuing to pour from his stump. He finally managed to eke out a word.
“What…?” he asked.
“Why?” Thomas asked. “Why did you betray us?”
“Betray…” Kyle asked. “Is a strong word.”
“But it was what you did, nonetheless,” he answered. “When you first arrived at the Remnant Village, trying to escape Fulir, we invited you in with open arms. Then you left the Village only to sell us out to Fulir after you left. Why? Why do that?”
Kyle shook his head, angered by Thomas’s words.
“You wouldn’t understand,” he said. “Your point of view is so small. You, an ordinary human, could not grasp what I was convinced of.”
“Convinced of?” Thomas asked. “By who?”
Kyle didn’t respond at first, merely staring back. The silence was deafening, as if their locked gazes tuned out everything else in the world. Then Thomas realized something.
“Wait…” he said. “The former wielders…”
The Lion Armor wielder shook his head in realization.
“You’re talking about one of the former wielders of the Dragon Armor,” Thomas said.
Kyle’s position didn’t change in the slightest. He remained as unmoving as stone and yet somehow that was as revealing to Thomas as a flinch. He had hit a sensitive spot, he could feel it.
“Which wielder?” Thomas asked. “Which dead wielder talked you into abandoning the Remnant Village?”
“Thomas,” he said. “You don’t understand…he didn’t just talk me into it. He revealed something to me…he showed me a world and a purpose I had never considered before. His name was Ramon and-”
“Ramon?!” Thomas shouted. “The wielder before you who you said was the most inhuman and cold person you’d ever met?! When you still lived in the Remnant Village you would complain that he was like a machine, almost robotic in taking orders! Ramon sacrificed all of his will to Fulir at the cost of his individuality!”
“And isn’t that the highest stage of nobility?” Kyle asked. “To give up one’s will for their master? For a greater cause they know is bigger than themselves?”
“Is that how he coaxed you into it?” Thomas asked. “Because of his nobility? He mentally tortured you so much he just wore down your boundaries?”
“He explained to me that the people of Fulir are victims of Mulus!” Kyle shouted.
His words were a gutteral roar that sounded as loud as a wild beast.
“He showed me all the horrors that Mulus inflicted upon them!” Kyle shouted. “He showed me how the people of Fulir are in constant danger of being conquered and annihlated by a greater power! Mulus…”
Kyle’s voice began to shake.
“Mulus…” he said. “The empire of Mulus is horrible. Earth has never known tyrants as horrid as Mulus. And Fulir’s resistance against their oppressors was futile until they created us.”
“Created Access Armor?” Thomas asked.
“No,” Kyle said. “Humans.”
Thomas groaned in exasperation.
“I don’t believe they created us,” he said. “In my opinion, it’s just a story they use to justify their slavery of us.”
“But it’s true,” Kyle said. “And Ramon showed me that the purpose of a human is to be the guardian of the people of Fulir. We are to be the chivalrous protectors against Mulus. Knights in shining armor against a force so large the universe is practically under their fingertips.”
Kyle straightened himself up, trying not to hunch over in pain.
“In the same way dogs are meant to serve mankind as protectors and hunters for their masters,” he said. “We are to defeat the armies of Mulus as protectors of an otherwise defenseless people from a threat that has hounded them for all eternity.”
“Two alien factions fighting each other in space a million miles away?” Thomas said. “Do you think I’m supposed to care about such things? I care about those directly around me!”
“Then that’s selfish!” Kyle said. “You’re admitting you only care about those closest to you instead of people in far greater numbers! A true leader would never do such a thing!”
His remaining jaws for hands roared.
“You should surrender yourself to a higher purpose of protecting those who created you!” Kyle shouted. “Ramon showed me my purpose! A purpose you renegades flagrantly ignore!”
“Well forgive me for not fighting for a regime that has kidnapped, enslaved, brainwashed and experimented on millions more,” Thomas said. “Stop pretending like fighting for Fulir is morally superior to us trying to live our lives free of being guinea pigs and soldiers. You’re not even your own person. You’re just a simple, rudimentary pawn.”
“I knew you would never understand,” Kyle said. “All you care about is the burden of leadership placed upon you by your ancestors. You tell me I’m not myself because I’m Fulir’s pawn. But have you ever considered you’re a pawn for the Seshi clan? After all, you were raised from birth to be head of the Remnant Village by the clan. Have you ever considered any other options for your life’s avenue?”
Thomas let out a roar that reverberated the air around them.
“No,” he said. “I never have felt any regret being the leader of the Remnant Village.”
“That is not true,” Eliot said within Soul Chamber. “You lost all your confidence in your position after you failed to stop Kyle’s betrayal.”
“And neither do I feel any regret allying myself with Fulir,” Kyle answered. “It is a greater cause than helping humans.”
“I don’t believe that for a second,” Thomas said.
Another gutteral growl emitted from Kyle’s dragon head.
“And why is that?” he asked.
“Because you haven’t Morph Shifted,” Thomas said. “If you are truly one with Ramon’s will and have fully allied with Fulir then I see no reason you can’t harmonize yourself with him transform. Am I right?”
A low, angry growl came from the enemy Armor Wielder.
“What’s wrong?” Thomas asked. “Having second thoughts? Doubting your noble purpose or whatever? Regretting you destroyed those who saved you and serve those who abuse you.”
“Shut up!” Kyle shouted. “Shut up!”
Thomas laughed.
“Appears I have struck a nerve,” he replied.
“No…” Kyle said. “I…I merely did not feel the need to Morph Shift facing off against you. After all…the last time I battled you I won handily.”
“And this time I did,” Thomas said. “What’s wrong…lose your vigor?”
A strange, low roar emanated from Kyle’s remaining dragon head.
“Oh…” he said. “I see you want to test me. To see if you really can handle such power. Fine…Fine let’s play.”
“Thomas?!” Eliot shouted. “What are you doing?! You’re goading him into getting stronger!”
Fear began rising within his Soul Chamber. Eliot’s distaste for Thomas’s actions began flooding into the Lion Armor wielder. Apprehension and anger flowed from Eliot into Thomas.
“Yes,” Thomas said. “I am.”
“Why?!” Eliot shouted.
“Because…” he said. “I want to know if he can harmonize with Ramon. I want to know if he’s truly in tune with that snake. I-I-I-...can’t imagine that Kyle does not have some regret for what he did.”
“So you wanted to use his capability of Morphing Shifting as a way to determine that?!” Eliot asked. “You-You-You-!”
“Insane?” Thomas asked. “Dangerous? Reckless? Maybe…but I want more than ever to see if the Kyle I once knew is in there?”
“And what if none of him is?” Eliot asked. “What if there is no regret or sorrow for his past actions? What then?”
Within his Soul Chamber, Thomas walked over to Eliot’s face covered in bark. He closed his eyes within the mental dimension and tried to feel the confidence and calm demeanor of his grandfather. He began absorbing the peaceful, yet strong-willed power of the old man. After Thomas felt as though he could focus enough on Eliot’s personality, the living wielder then tried to bring up memories that made him feel confident.
“Then I’ll know,” he said. “And that’ll be enough for me.”
Thomas then thought of the first day of his reign as head of the Remnant Village. His father had just died and a celebration was held a few days after his father’s funeral. Thomas gave a rousing speech celebrating the history of the Seshi clan for their commitment to honest, integrity-filled leadership.
He then thought back to his first battle with the changelings that Fulir had sent after them. Eight skeletal changelings had grabbed up many children that had been separated from their parents. Thomas took each one down that day and returned every individual child to their families. Not a single child died or was kidnapped that day.
He remembered making a decision where his Remnant Village was forced to give food to Remnant Village 5. Many under Thomas’s rule were unhappy with the decision as it meant less food for their village but those closest to him were pleased as they saw it as selfish and altruistic. It was one of the many decisions that gave Thomas the reputation as being a wise and kind ruler rather than being strict and stingy as his father had been.
His confidence in his own abilities and kindness was bolstered by the memories he stirred within himself. As Thomas opened his eyes within his Soul Chamber he saw chains forming from around Eliot’s face. Two chains materialized from each side of the former wielder’s face that stretched out to float in the air.
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They were purple in color and every link shined with a bright luster, as if they were made out of violet crystals. As Thomas looked at the chains’ he could see not only his memories but Eliot’s. Images of his grandfather’s battles and important political decisions played out atop the smooth surface.
This was causing him to gradually transform. Thomas could feel thick muscle build on top of his already strong body. His claws were growing longer and his fingers were bending to appear more like a true animal’s rather than a human’s. The furry helmet protecting Thomas’s face was beginning to sink into his head and further attach as it became a true lion’s head rather than a protective mask.
“Good,” Eliot said. “We’re beginning to connect. Your memories are making you remember how good a ruler you were for the Remnant Village. Just as I was.”
“Yes,” Thomas said. “It really is.”
However, a loud roar from the outside shook Thomas’s nerves. His focus was taken away from within his Soul Chamber to find that Kyle was already transforming. His armor was rapidly evolving.
His body was becoming more reptilian by the minute, the broken scales along Kyle’s body quickly returning to their unblemished state. The silvery scales with a bluish tint were turning as black as obsidian and he was now becoming a quadruped. After standing on all fours, Kyle’s fingers elongated into scaly digits and claws almost as long as Thomas’s.
Kyle’s stump of an arm had grown wicked looking claws while the dragon head on his other arm had retracted for the new claws. New, bare bones grew from his back before leathery wings sprouted from them. Kyle’s head was tapering as well.
“Oh no!” Thomas said within his Soul Chamber. “He-He’s changing as well!”
“Don’t focus on that!” Eliot said. “You can’t divert your attention away from this! If you do…everything you worked for will die in this instant!”
Thomas looked back at Eliot’s wooden face. It was an expression only his grandfather could make. It wasn’t one of no fear. It was a defiance of fear. He was refusing to give hopelessness and despair a place within his heart. And as Thomas stirred up his inner memories that made him feel proud and bold, his Soul Chamber began changing as well.
The oak wood that had covered only half the walls to Thomas’s right and left were now overgrown with bark. The featureless black floor was being taken over by roots that seemed to stretch endlessly. When they grew from the wall Eliot’s face laid against to the opposing wall, they merely climbed the vertical surface like vines. Branches sprouted from the walls to both his left and right as bright green leaves budded.
“My presence is taking over the Soul Chamber,” Eliot said. “The harmonization of both our beings is nearly complete.”
And there was growing evidence for that with Thomas’s physical being. His entire body was coated in bright yellow, almost golden hair while silvery fangs jutted from Thomas’s mouth. Teeth that were sharp enough to tear through flesh like swords through tender steak now lined his jaws.
As Thomas brought up a memory of him successfully stopping a quarrel between two Remnant Villages over food rations, he found the purple chains had finally reached him. The chainlinks ended in cufflinks that wrapped around Thomas’s wrists. And with that, he was fully bound to Eliot’s being.
Sharp pains rocked both sides of his head as he felt something grow from each side. Thomas was confused before finding horns curling out of the corner of each eye. The growing muscle bulging from every portion of his being became too heavy for him and he finally fell onto all fours. However, rather than human hands and feet, Thomas had paws. His body was twice as long as normal lion’s and his legs making him twice as tall as an adult.
The last part of his transformation was what grew from his posterior. From the very end of his back sprouted a bare tail that then grew sharp quills. The tail itself ended in a scorpion stinger. Thomas felt powerful enough to take down a battleship with one swipe of his paw.
“The manticore version of the Lion Armor,” Thomas said within his Soul Chamber. “Always my favorite.”
“Yes, now attack!” Eliot said.
The village chieftain then turned his attention back to Kyle. To Thomas’s dismay, the Dragon Armor had transformed into a truly hideous beast. It was no longer an Armor but a true dragon.
The black scales covering every portion of Kyle’s body gave the surface of his skin a gemlike quality. He had magnificent wings that spanned more than twenty feet across with his reptilian, somewhat snake-like body in between the two black masts. Thomas couldn’t tell whose claws were longer as they both looked dangerously sharp. Kyle’s serpentine neck stretched forward to give Thomas a good glimpse of his slitted eyes.
However, Thomas recognized that he was not entirely transformed. The rows of teeth jutting from Kyle’s jaws were still growing. And his wings were stiff to some extent, the Dragon Armor wielder having a hard time flapping them. His scales were bristling, almost like a cat’s fur as they were still growing across Kyle’s body.
“Attack while he’s still not fully transformed,” Eliot said.
Thomas wasted no time in doing just that. He raced forward with all his might and slammed his body into the dragon. Kyle roared in pain as he crashed into the wall of the warehouse behind him. Kyle attempted to get back to his feet before Thomas grabbed ahold of his serpentine neck with his teeth. Their resulting clash broke many glass containers, the experimental creatures flopping on the floor as a result.
He then shook the dragon in his jaws before swinging his neck like a rope. Kyle was slammed into the wall of the warehouse to leave a deep depression in the metal surface. After Thomas slammed his body into the interior of the building he then began to chomp down on neck with the greatest amount of force he could.
“Gaaahhh!” Kyle roared in pain.
The hard, durable stones began cracking under the sharpness and pressure of Thomas’s teeth before he tasted blood. The orange fluid leaked into his mouth, driving his inner predator. This drove Thomas to slam Kyle’s neck into the floor as the dragon weakened.
“Yes,” Eliot said. “Yes. You’re winning. You’re actually winning!”
Thomas felt him nearly penetrate the scales armoring Kyle’s throat before seeing his reptilian face raise itself up to the side of his face. His jaws opened wide. Thomas was confused at first before watching a blast of orange flames spew from his mouth. It caught him in the left side of his face.
“AAAAHHHH!” Thomas shouted.
He let go in pain as the intense, stinging sensation of fire obliterated every other sensation in his body. His predatory hunger was gone as he stumbled backward and accidentally tumbled into the right wall. Thomas could smell burning fur with his enhanced senses. He could see smoke rising from the left side of his face, a sight which terrified him.
“No, no, no!” Eliot shouted.
The chains connecting Eliot to Thomas were shaking, as though a loud wind was rustling them. Cracks could be seen forming in the various links. This was a sign of the connection between them loosening as Thomas’s fear greatly outweighed Eliot’s. His physical body began slumped to the floor as the Lion Armor wielder struggled to get to his feet.
“You have to stay focused!” Eliot said. “Please! Whatever you do…focus!”
Thomas raised himself up, trying to ignore the pain as best he could. He looked to see Kyle was standing on his hind claws. A large, mouth-shaped series of piercings could be seen on his throat, the black scales pierced.
But despite his wound, Kyle was still glaring at Thomas, ready to fight. He was gritting his fangs before opening them wide. Thomas could see red flames in the back of his throat as he readied another spray of fire.
“This pain…” Eliot said.
Just as Thomas felt like he was about to fall down, memories of Eliot’s past soared through his mind. Within his Soul Chamber he found his grandfather sitting in his manus house, gripping his hair in frustration and yelling at his subordinates. He saw his grandfather standing up to a crowd of another Remnant Village as the men there demanded to be given wives from Eliot’s village to compensate for their lack of women.
His grandfather forced them to stay back with a single glare. It then transitioned to a scene of Eliot wearing the Lion Armor and on his knees. Much of the protective hair that was his armor was ripped or burned off.The bowels of Seren were alit with fire as changelings from Fulir and the Remnant Village clashed.
In this memory, just as Eliot was trying to catch his breath, an Armor Wielder walked up to him. The Wielder was nearly twice Eliot’s height and covered in mouths full of sharp teeth. The mouths kept snapping and sticking their tongues out, looking desperate to eat something.
The enemy wielder’s head was covered in rows of sharp fangs. He laughed as he held his fist up. The fist was decorated with teeth that jutted out. Just as he aimed a punch at Eliot, his grandfather leaped up in a final burst of strength and struck the Armor Wielder in the head. His claws tore off the fangs protecting the wielder’s head and he was sent tumbling to the ground. Eliot stood over him as his enemy cried in pain, covering his scratched face before his grandfather stomped on his head.
These memories had a very strange effect on Thomas. As it played out he both related to Eliot more and felt more proud of his grandfather. For some reason he couldn’t explain, confidence was welling back up in Thomas.
He began to find the strength to stand on all fours, finding his legs almost rising on their own. Within his Soul Chamber, things were looking even better. The purple chains connecting Thomas and Eliot within the chamber stopped waving wildly in the air and the cracks began to mend.
“What…?” Thomas asked. “What…? What is this?”
“I am trying to use my memories to create the best possible emotional stasis for you,” Eliot said. “The emotion that connects is confidence and bravery. However, after Kyle burned you, you lost much of your confidence, which I did not lose. It created an instability as we were experiencing different emotional states. So…I had to improvise.”
“You had to show me times in your life when you felt afraid to maintain the harmonization required?” Thomas asked. “Because I was feeling afraid you needed to stir up fearful memories?”
“Sort of,” Eliot said. “But even if I just showed you fearful memories our bond would break because our the emotional state our harmonization was built on top of was emotional stability and bravado. So, in order to maintain it…I had to show you memories where I was fearful but eventually returned to my calm demeanor. This way I could match your emotional state and keep up the feeling that bonded us. I needed memories from when I transitioned from your current emotional state of fear to my current emotional state of stoicism.”
“Huh,” Thomas said. “Pretty clever, old man.”
“Now roar!” Eliot shouted.
Just as Kyle breathed another series of red hot flames, Thomas opened his jaws and let loose a powerful growl. The sound waves he emitted dissipated the fire Kyle was breathing, like a small flame blown out by a strong wind. The dragon looked perplexed at this before Thomas flexed his tail at him.
“Ah!” Kyle shouted in pain.
An quill growing from his tail was launched at Kyle to pierce a part of his throat that Thomas had cracked with his teeth earlier. The dragon roared in pain as he stomped his feet in anger, flexing his jaws in agony. He pulled at the quill to try and drag it out before Thomas rushed him again.
Kyle was thrown to the ground after Thomas tackled him before the manticore bit into the shoulder of the dragon. After another grunt of pain from Kyle, Thomas bit into him again with all his might. This time he pierced through his black scales even deeper this time to draw out more orange blood.
“Watch out!” Eliot shouted.
He looked to see Thomas had raised his neck up again as he slowly widened his jaws. However, Thomas was prepared this time. With Kyle’s shoulder still in his mouth, he tossed the dragon with all his might into the dent in the wall earlier. An even deeper depression in the interior of the warehouse was made as Kyle groaned in pain. Just as he attempted to walk out of the immense crater in the wall, trying to wriggle free of it, Thomas charged forward with all his might.
Kyle had no time to react before Thomas pushed hard enough to cause the wall to break altogether. The two of them landed outside the warehouse where the metal beneath them slid on the concrete. After they crashed outside Thomas quickly looked around to find no one was around. He was glad to find that no one could be potentially injured in their fight.
Just as Thomas slammed his right paw into Kyle’s chest, the dragon knocked him back with his wing. The wing was surprisingly powerful and tossed Thomas across the pavement. He groaned in pain as his freshly burned face skidded across the sidewalk and he could feel the wing itself had created a gash across the right side of his body.
Thomas slowly stood up to see an injured Kyle flying at him, flapping with every bit of force his wings could carry him on. Thomas had no time to react as Kyle’s claws raked across his face, scratching him in the eye to somewhat blind him before further scratching him. Kyle flew right above Thomas before he began slashing his claws all across his body.
“Gaaahhh!” he shouted.
He roared in pain as blood spread all over his back, forcing Thomas to collapse on the pavement. He attempted to stand back up before Kyle punched his balled up claw directly in the middle of Thomas spine. A strange sensation spread throughout all of his body. He could only describe it as every nerve in him suddenly being zapped with electricity.
It strangely energized Thomas, as he now no longer had trouble standing on all fours but could not for the life of him stop wobbling. His vision blurred where nothing looked still, his environment nothing but gray paint being quickly washed away. He couldn’t really feel anything in his paws as they’d gone numb, almost giving Thomas the feeling he was walking on air. He couldn’t walk much more than a few steps forward as he’d quickly lose his balance.
“Thomas!” Eliot shouted within his Soul Chamber. “He cracked your spine! He’s damaged your entire nervous system with one blow! You won’t be able to stand or move properly from now on!”
As Thomas was still reeling from the blow, he saw the dark shape that was Kyle floating above him. He could barely make out anything but the vague blob circling above. If it hadn’t been for Eliot’s clear voice within his Soul Chamber, Thomas would not have known what to do.
“He’s trying to damage you using an aerial advantage!” his grandfather said. “He stays in midair to avoid your attacks and then comes down to strike at you!”
“Yeah,” Thomas said, clearly fazed. “I-I-I get that.”
The oak wood within Soul Chamber was breaking apart after that blow. The bark and branches covering the walls were beginning to crack and have long slashes in them. While the chains didn’t have any cracks in them, the layer of wood was in the first stage of being destroyed.
“You don’t have time to launch a physical counterattack,” Eliot said. “Here’s what you need to do. You need to inhale as much air as possible and then roar. Roar like you’ve never roared before.”
“What will that do?” Thomas asked.
“Your roars have are enough to break the sound barrier,” Eliot said. “Intense amount of sound can do things even a punch to the head couldn’t accomplish. With as weakened as Kyle is now, those kind of soundwaves would be enough to down him.”
Thomas nodded as he inhaled as much air as possible. He could see the dark blob that was Kyle flying down at him. Just as the black shape neared Thomas, he let loose the grandest roar he could.
Eliot was right. It was very powerful. Thomas could feel the air around him shake with the force he was screaming at. The vague shadow flew back up into the air, clearly rebuffed by that attack. However, just as Thomas was feeling vindicated by the counter, he found Kyle was continuing to fly down towards him again.
“What?” Thomas asked.
“No!” Eliot shouted. “Kyle must have quickly flown upwards to avoid the brunt of the attack! After he avoided the roar, he’s now charging back down!”
Thomas attempted to roar once again but it was too late. He could feel Kyle’s claws dig into the right side of his body, once again scraping against his spine. Thomas let out a loud scream of pain before he fell over onto the pavement, screaming in agony.
His blood began dying the sidewalk red as he slammed his head against the ground in pain. Thomas’s entire world was pure pain as he could sense nothing else. Every part of his body from his head to his stomach, chest, legs and even tail felt like they were on fire. The stinging sensation in every portion of his being would just not go away.
“You…” Eliot said. “You need to de-morph. It’s the only chance you have of surviving now. You know an Armor Wielder can recover most any injury they sustain by reverting back to human form.”
“And what of Kyle?” Thomas asked.
As if on cue, the flying shape above him fell to the ground. The black blob landed pathetically on the sidewalk as it squirmed about. A strange relief mixed with sorrow spread through Thomas.
“I think you can see he doesn’t have much time left,” Eliot answered.
“Yes,” Thomas said, a tear flowing down his cheek within his Soul Chamber. “I know.”
The wood covering his Soul Chamber was breaking apart. The bark was being shed bare as the branches sprouting from the walls were falling to the ground. The roots crawling their way across the floor and wall were drying up and withering.
The purple chains connecting Eliot were cracking again. Soon, the cuffs around Thomas were crumbling before they began to loosen. The emotions Thomas was experiencing were regret and sorrow, the relief from having defeated a powerful adversary now absent. Only Eliot felt glad at Kyle’s death.
Thomas willingly reverted back to human form as the harmonization between him and Eliot disappeared. With the amount of oak wood within his Soul Chamber returning to its previous state and the purple chains disappearing, the transformation wore off. Thomas soon was a regular human once again.
He stood up from the blood smeared pavement to look at Kyle. He had reverted back to his human form but was still squirming in pain. He screamed and kicked in agony. Beside him lay the black quill that had pierced his throat.
Thomas walked over to the dying man to find him glaring at the village chieftain. Kyle tried desperately to form words in his mouth as his heated gaze fell squarely upon the one who stood over him. After a little bit more squirming, he could finally speak.
“Wh-What is this?” Kyle asked. “I-I should be healed after demorphing. Why am I not healed?!”
“The quills of my manticore form carry a very fatal poison,” Thomas said. “Once the poison enters the bloodstream, it shuts down all bodily functions. The more movement and exertion the target uses after entry, the more it fills their body. Demorphing from one’s Access Armor can potentially cure one…but only if they have remained mostly still.”
“What?!” Kyle shouted. “A poison strong enough not even Armor reversion can cure it?!”
“I’m afraid that’s the main strategy of the manticore version of the Lion Armor,” he answered. “To hit the enemy with a poison and then struggle with them enough that there’s no way the toxins haven’t filled everyone of their vital organs by the end of the fight.”
“So…?!” Kyle said. “So…?! You were fighting a war of attrition this whole time?!”
Thomas shrugged as tears rolled down his cheeks.
“Yeah,” he said. “Sorry…”
“No…” Kyle said. “This is not the way it was supposed to go. I was picked to fight you because…because you knew no one from the surface of the Earth. We…We couldn’t gather data on your soul because…because no psychic changeling we could have made existed while you were alive…”
Thomas’s eyes blurred from tears. His throat began to ache with the pain of grief. Everything in him went from feeling anger towards Kyle to wishing he wouldn’t die. How odd the change of emotions felt for him.
“I…I don’t want to die here…” Kyle said. “I want to die fighting…fighting for what’s right…not poisoned by…by some arrow or whatever…”
“There’s nothing I can do,” Thomas said as he tried not to choke up. “You or I. If there was a way for me…for me to heal you…”
It was getting harder for him to speak.
“I-I-” Thomas said. “I can’t say I’d…I’d do it for certain…but I’d be awfully tempted too!”
He broke out into a great sob, shutting his eyes as they stung with tears. Thomas knelt down beside Kyle as he took his wilting body into his right arm. Kyle gritted his teeth, clearly angered by this display.
“Kyle!” he said. “You…You were one of my best friends…down there. When we lived in the Remnant Village I…I remembered how you’d used to mourn over your wife and children that were taken from you. It…It drove you to help others. It drove you to help others!”
Thomas wiped the tears from his eyes as his body shook.
“Why?!” he said. “Why did you throw it all away?! Why did you join the very force that took your loved ones away?!”
Kyle gritted his teeth before speaking.
“Ramon…” he said. “He wore me down. He kept showing me visions…horrible visions of battle after battle where innocent people were enslaved, killed and experimented on…because…because that’s what he experienced. He told me that if I didn’t fight for Fulir…millions more would do from being without the Dragon Armor. With-Without it…more lives of the kingdom of Fulir…nnggh…would be lost without my aid in the battle against Mulus.”
Kyle shook his head.
“I didn’t want to believe him at first,” he said. “I thought…I thought he was just making it up to guilt-trip me but…but eventually I realized…I realized it wasn’t. And when I went to join Fulir back up at the surface…”
He shook his head.
“They made me a soldier,” Kyle said. “And I saw all the horror. All…All of them.”
He began coughing as his body became more limp.
“And Ramon did not lie to me,” Kyle said. “Or even exaggerate. The people of Fulir needed help and…and I was more than happy to give it once I saw what their people had to endure.”
“So…” Thomas asked. “You betrayed us…to help those you thought needed even greater aid?”
“Yes,” Kyle said. “Stolen Access Armor…especially the Absorption Armor…desperately needed to fight Mulus…I just…realized my destiny was greater than to be a father and husband.”
Kyle shook his head.
“It was to save lives,” he said. “Which is what soldiers do. In that way we are no different from doctors.”
“But…” Thomas said. “Why couldn’t you Morph Shift?”
Kyle sighed, shaking his head.
“If you believed in the cause so much,” Thomas said. “Why couldn’t you harmonize with Ramon?”
Kyle coughed as tears rolled down his cheek.
“Because you were right,” he said. “No matter how much I tried to repress it…I regretted it. I regretted…allying with Fulir. Not all of me did. Not even most of me. But some part of me that I kept tucked away in me…in me did.”
His shoulders began to relax as his body became more limp.
“I kept it hidden from myself,” Kyle admitted. “Trying…Trying desperately not to think about it. Trying not to think about all the friends I made in the Remnant Village and…and how Fulir took my family from me.”
More tears rolled down his face.
“But…” Kyle said. “But it was always a hesitation I had nonetheless. And it prevented me from completely harmonizing with Ramon time and time again. So now…”
A faint smile could be seen in his expression.
“You were right,” Kyle said. “I did regret. Or at least part of me did. And it…prevented me from…transforming into my Black Dragon form.”
Thomas could feel Kyle straining himself to stay alive, hoping to continue speaking.
“In the end…” he said. “I don’t…I don’t…I still don’t know which was the right choice. To…To stay with you in the Remnant Village…or become a soldier for Fulir. Either way…I’d be neglecting somebody. Lives would be taken and destroyed whether I chose you or Fulir.”
He shook his head one last time.
“I don’t know if I would call myself a good man,” Kyle said. “Or not. I don’t know…if…if I’m truly noble. I guess I’m just like the rest of you…lost and confused about my place in the world…and not being wise enough to know which decision would have produced the most good.”
A true, real smile spread across Kyle’s face.
“Thank-you,” he said. “For-For being a friend to the end. Even when killing me. That…That takes a great…nobility…that almost no one has left. So…whatever you do…Thomas…”
His body suddenly went completely limp, no strength to be found.
“Do what is right for everyone else,” he said. “And think nothing of yourself.”
And his neck hung over his armor, devoid of any vigor. Kyle’s mouth was ajar, his eyes lifeless and sterile. Thomas tried to hold back tears and a yell of pain as he watched.
“He was a good man,” Eliot said. “Too bad he decided to take evil actions. What a twisted fate for a man to endure.”
Thomas removed his arm from beneath Kyle as his body hit the pavement. He glared at it, not knowing how he should feel. There was no great wrath or sorrow that welled up in him now.
Only something Thomas could call a numbness to all thought and reason. A silent horror spread over the Armor Wielder’s mind as he realized Kyle, even to his death, fought only for what he found pure and upright. And with that Thomas surmised that was the cruelest fate that could befall a man.