The sunflower has the innate ability to pursue enlightenment. However, every flower bends to the same beacon. In order to be truly free...

A. Turn away from the light.

B. Embrace its warmth.

C. Transform.

****

The air itself seemed to vibrate with a subtle hum. I felt as if I could do absolutely anything. Rising into the air, I observed Ray standing at the cusp of the fissure. He maintained his firm stance, gazing up at me. He held his same serious and lifeless expression. I smiled at him, my eyes glistening with newfound power.

"I suppose you're not going to just let me take this, huh?" I was beginning to grow overconfident, however, it was impossible not to be. The constant flow of energy throughout my body was exacerbating my overconfidence with pure mania.

"..." He glared at me, bracing himself for combat.

A sword wasn't my weapon of choice, but the blade seemed to morph to the echo of my soul. I descended and charged at Ray, the blade morphing in length with the strength behind my slashes. I lifted the sword, swiping at him on downward diagonals. I was unaware with what my cleaving blows had made contact with, but the lack of a visible corpse didn't deter me. As I caught sight of Ray once more, I rapidly attacked him, the sword taking the appearance of a traditional Theic gladius. Ray parried each blow, the dark armor seemingly feeding off of the radiation.

He must be deriving energy from my own! How... Incredible!

"Hahaha! I wonder if he can see me now!" I was starting to lose control of my thoughts, my impaired judgment taking the reins. I leapt upwards, the weapon taking the form of a mace. I was ready to squash my final obstacle. Ray held up his right arm, countering the slamming blow with his forearm. The ground beneath him cracked, pushing him into a crater.

Ray advanced, closing in and landing a solid blow to my chest. I flew back, colliding with a nearby rock. I was dazed for no longer than an instant. Once I gained my bearings, I leapt into the air, summoning the Lambda Codex before me. The pages flipped, the techniques I had previously thought far-fetched and impossible becoming my arsenal. An entire new realm of possibility was within my grasp.

"You know, this planet, this light. Can you feel that pulsing? Have you ever heard of Cherry Noir? Oh, FUCK! I don't remember..." I began to hum to the beat, the energy reminding me of the bass line. For a moment, and a long moment at that, the fight was completely secondary.

Ray didn't respond, leaping into the air to match me. He didn't move, highlighting the abnormality of his behavior. Was he being courteous? No, he wasn't really feeling it. There had to be something holding him back, or perhaps he was holding something back. We're always holding something back.

"Ah, 'preciate the patience. 'The Infinite Expanse' as it is called. Oh--you don't seem impressed..." After catching a glimpse of his expression, my eyes shifted down to the Lambda Codex, scanning the open pages.

"Nonsense. Why?" Ray's tone was still more inquisitive than impatient, which was not something characteristic of my foes. I manifested a cube of energy and shot it forward at my opponent, who aimed to deflect it. As the tip of Ray's armored claw-like finger made contact with it, the cube divided into a countless number of copies, creating a field of them around us.

I slashed the sword in the direction of one of the cubes, firing an arc of pure energy into it. The beam refracted, bounding between different cubes until eventually connecting with Ray. The beam connected with his chestplate, slamming him into the ground. I immediately dropped down, attempting to drive my sword into his chest. However, Ray was incredibly fast. I connected with the ground, immediately slashing to my right side and connecting with Ray's exposed shoulder. Ray had just narrowly escaped the majority of the blow.

"You're strong, but you're just a warmup! Alpha...!" I advanced, striking Ray's chest once again and chipping this armor. He dashed back, clutching his head.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Stay back-!" Ray fell to his knees, seemingly writhing in pain. I stood my ground, brandishing the almighty weapon.

"I was just starting to have some real fun, what's up with you...?" I examined him, my eyes pulsating like stars as they met with his. He was hesitant, but I had given him no choice but to reveal his soul to me. I pryed beyond that dark shell, allowing us to communicate in a way that I didn't know I was capable of.

"Oh, I get it! You, you're like me! You want that freedom just like he has... Right! Right? Delta, dog! How could I let this call for freedom go unanswered? The universe is cruel, and it ignored you, but I won't Ray!" My voice boomed around the planet which we had made our arena. He clutched his head, breaking my gaze.

There was something holding his soul back. He was restraining himself for sure, but why? I sought to clear his being of all incertitude, delivering a mighty uppercut to the core of his being. He didn't bother to fight back, his body being flung into a nearby rock. There was an imprint of his armor chisled into it, revealing itself as Ray fell down to his hands and knees. His breathing was heavy, but it slowly began to stabilize. He raised his head, a look of confusion shifting to one of understanding, then fading into an expression of concern.

"Well, Ray? Do you feel it?! Well, if you don't, it may serve to..." I raised the blade, eager to assess the immortality of my opponent.

Ray raised his arm and opened his mouth as if he were going to interject, but he stopped himself as I raised my sword to attack.

With a quick twinge, I felt a jolt of energy rush over my body. Ray locked eyes with me, showing me the an uncharacteristic amount of emotion through genuine concern. This was proof that my attack had worked: his soul was free to move to his own whim.

An overwhelming surge of power once again took hold of my body, raising me into the air. Wind gushed around the battlefield, threatening to tear away the surrounding landscape.

"Delta, huh? If you know Alpha that can only mean... Damn. I'm sorry, kid-" Ray was murmuring beneath me, his insignificant voice no more than a whisper before mine.

"That's right, Delta of Theia! And I've come to claim my right to live how I deserve! I can do anything now!" My voice boomed across the battlefield as I slowly descended to once again face Ray. He met my gaze, regaining his stern demeanor.

"I see... Not only is it feeding on your strength, but it's directly boosting your power. Heh, well, I gambled..." Ray assumed a stance, ready to conclude our bout.

Eager and with an overwhelming sense of purpose, I raged forward with a series of slashing attacks, mindlessly waving my weapon at Ray. The sword grew exponentially with each attack, though, every slash was easily deflected by Ray's armor. Each clash reverberated through the planet, threatening our battlefield. I was beginning to lose control of myself, more than I had been already. My mind was racing, bent on a goal that seemed to be overtaking my body. I had an uncontrollable desire for power, and it felt as if there was an imaginary tether pulling me towards it.

It can be said that the soul is the engine that burns passion, and that the soul is directly powered by desire. I could feel the very essence of my being growing into something beyond itself, my passion doubled--no, tripled! The tether did not pull me away from my battle, but it reminded me that the fight was not my true desire. Tugging away from it, I came to my senses and observed Ray still standing before me.

"You survived that--?" I was cut short by a powerful straight to my left cheek which forced my head to recoil. The dense layer of energy between his fist and my face protected me from the bulk of the damage. Ray followed with a fast right hook, one that sent me flying across the battlefield. I tumbled, quickly rising to my feet and clutching the spot. I took a moment to think:

He had somehow connected, even despite the barrier. No, he had bypassed it somehow. He knows how to manipulate electromagnetic fields! No, wait, then why would he be concerned about the atmosphere, couldn't he hold it? It's not manipulation, it's radiation! His power is purely destructive!

In a swift maneuver, I lunged at Ray, the blade of the celestial sword elongating to reach its target. The blade found its mark, piercing through Ray's defenses and penetrating his chestplate.

In an unexpected turn, Ray's hand shot out, grabbing the celestial sword embedded in him. I began to understand the scope of his ability. I could feel the edge of the blade vibrating inconsistently, the once harmonic echo of the blade becoming sour. While it seemed chaotic in nature, Ray wasn't manipulating any the chaos itself, he was inducing it. He was causing atomic instability within the artifact.

"S-stop! Let go of me, idiot! We'll die like this!" Realizing the imminent danger, I attempted to retract the sword, but Ray's grip held firm. His expression was as solid as his grip. The celestial sword, once a beacon of cosmic power, now became a vessel of potential destruction. The very composition of the artifact succumbed to the chaos sown by Ray's powers.

As Ray continued to exert his control, my weapon became a volatile cauldron of energy, its form contorting and fluctuating in tandem with the destabilizing atoms. Such artifacts are akin to complex machinery; to remove any of their divine energy is to remove a cog. It was a recipe for disaster.

With a burst of cosmic energy, I disengaged the sword from Ray's grasp, momentarily creating a short distance between us. The divine artifact, its integrity compromised, became a ticking bomb. Discarding the partially damaged sword, I retreated, bracing for the explosive release that would redefine the contours of the desolate planet.