Solsae Kingdom - Part 14

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Episode 8: Rex - Firefight in Noxnuo
 "Blazing Reunion"

Pitch-black smoke billowed from the source of the explosion. I didn't even get a good look at him before I intervened and deflected his flames. The ensuing blast, an eruption of heavy, black, inky flames all but blotted out my vision of him But no matter how surreal, they were definitely flames.

Even weirder… my eyes, eyes that cut through the cold to see heat itself, couldn’t make him out.

How the hell could this happen? Wasn’t Abyss supposed to be rallying Old Solsae? I was sure that in ten years he would have the chaos under his order… Could this Kite have killed him? Killed the man who I swore as my brother?

“Oh goodness, you're… so… heavy!” Amami strains, the weight of Demonix’s unconscious body slumped over her shoulders. Looks like he blacked out. He must have been straining himself just to stay conscious through that fight. When help arrived, his body did what was most natural with such a loss of blood, and such a traumatic experience: it shut down. She struggles to heave him to a safe place, but with surprising strength she does. She sets him down besides some ruins, and then from a satchel behind her crimson cloak, whips out a roll of gauze and some ointments and begins the treatment of this… enemy of Solsae.

No, that's not quite right. He was used. Manipulated. Solsae’s real enemy was…..

“These wounds… they are downright abhorrent! You shouldn’t even be breathing right now… just what are you, Demonix?” Amami asks, spraying heavy blasts of medicine over his blood soaked body, and tightly wrapping gauze around his wounds. His azure hair is sprawled like vines and dripping with blood, and his clothes are in tatters from the countless slashes and strikes he had received from a brutal and bloody combat.

“Rex…” She addresses me over her shoulder, her voice now filled with relief. “Thank you for believing in me. I promise, Demonix is not a bad man.”

“Hmph. Protecting his kingdom is the job of a King. Saving your friend just fit in with my agenda.” I tell her. It's the truth… but I knew I was not telling the whole truth. The Devil Hood… Deep down, I had great respect for somebody with his talents. And his sense of duty isn’t something you don’t come across all of the time - even if misguided. And I just had a feeling, in my gut. He will be a good person to have as a friend. A brother in arms.

“£√¢{! What happened to that &@$+@®) Abyss! I bite down on my tongue to stave of my anger and confusion. There would be time later to find the truth. For now, I keep my eyes peeled, leering through the smoke and the rubble, I can see him now… but more questions cloud my mind because of that! Because, amongst these blazing flames, one ice cold human blot moves. Because his very body is as cold as ice! I decide that I'll get my answers right from the centaur’s mouth, so for now, I wait for the smoke to clear so that I can clearly see the jester who dares to defy Rex’s rule! _________________________________________________________________________________

“Yo, Demonix!” Amami greets her wounded friend. His sapphire eyes had flickered open. They were filled with dread. Empty, not a shred of determination left.

“I told you to wait!” She complains. Demonix was vacant.. His attention is divided, partially in his own head, worrying about things that he can’t do anything about, part by the fight about to ignite anew right before his eyes. “Rex… Rex you don't stand a chance,” he whimpers.

Amami’s hand grips his digits like a vice. She trains her scarlet eyes upon him and with a scowl, asks, “It was… Myrrh, right? That's the only reason you would fly off the handle like you did, right?”

“Amami… Why did you come bac- Cough cough!” he starts coughing and choking, blood pouring in pools from his mouth, due clearly to severe internal bleeding, then after his moment, he tries to catch his breath, and that's when Amami clenches her fist and with all of the force in her body, smacks Demonix right in the chops. He spirals through the air and then hits the ground, skidding along, still carried on by the force of a very powerful sucker punch! Finally, he collapses in a slump. She doesn’t even seem to care about how one of his worse wounds tears back open and starts splurting from him like a man fountain.

“Because we are friends. And friends don't let other friends commit suicide!”

“That right? I had to avenge her. He killed Myrrh just for his own gain! She admired him! She loved him! And he used that! He used her and killed her! She’s… She’s dead...” he chokes. “And even then, I couldn’t even avenge her!”

“I thought… something like that is what happened… but…”

“No, there are no buts! I failed her… I'm worthless…” he utters feebly. Amami hops at him, her fist still clenched, and smashes it into his other cheek. Demonix yelps, thrown aside by yet another surprisingly powerful punch! I make a mental note just then, to train her when this ordeal is all over.

“Stop bloody punching me!” He yells.

“Gwahahahaha! Are you trying save him or kill him! I can’t tell, but if you want to save him, I would heed his warnings! Bwahahahaha!” I can't help but laugh tearfully amused.

“Shut it, Rex! I'll stop punching him when he mans up!”

“What? You think I should just ignore Kite? What he did?!”

“No! I'm telling you, I’m your friend! So when this happens! You have to rely on me too!” tears stream down her flushed cheeks, her teeth are gritted with frustration, and those same fists that had launched him now rain down pitifully against his bare, bloody chest.

“I think… I'm sure she would be smiling over you right now. Because you fought for her sake! You fought with everything you had to protect her memory. That's enough, isn't it? To keep her memory alive?”

“Don’t put words into her mouth! I… I wasn't strong enough to do anything else. I couldn’t think… it's like all I could do to take away the pain was to kill him or die trying! No… I'm kidding no one. I couldn’t kill him. All I could do was to die. And… Sniffff” he snorted back pitiable tears, “And if you hadn’t stopped me, even her memory would be dead with me now… wouldn’t it…?” He finishes weepingly.

“We’re friends… so why don't you let me help? Why would you take what we have and toss it aside like that?! Your life isn’t just yours… everyone you meet, everyone who believes in you, cares for you, even those who loathe you, we all share in your life… don't be so selfish and throw it away so easily!”

“You... what?! It's my life,” he wept, “and I'll do what I damn well like with it!”

“No! That’s not true at all... And also… also…!” She sniffs back her own tears and glares at him fiercely. “Myrrh wouldn't want that either! For the life she saved to be thrown away! So give up on giving up and stick with us! We’re in this together!”

“Bwahahahhahahahahaha!” I can't help but burst out as Amami argues with that Demonix. They complicate things so much. I smack my fists together a couple of times. Only one thing matters to me right now though, and that's defeating this ‘Kite’ fool. The smoke was gone now. I knew where he was with thanks to my heat vision, but I have no need for it now. The curtain of reds and blues lifts from my eyes and I see clearly once again.

“Come out, you son of a harpy!” I roar with rage like fire. I hear a clapping. It echoes all around the ruins. Clap… Clap... Clap… Clap…

Slowly, he ascends, one step at a time up onto the stage where he had made his speech, overlooking the ruins of old Solsae.

But when my eyes fall upon the man - Kite, who is responsible for this travesty, I’m overcome with burning rage!

I lunge, vaulting up the steps in threes, then throwing myself with explosive force at him and with all of the intent to kill, I conjure a firebomb and ram it straight for his smarmy face! He pushes my arm aside and the explosive fireball flies off into the horizon, detonating with a blast so bright that it illuminates the whole night sky. His crimson orbs fall upon me and a smirk laces his thin lips.

“Hello, Brother!” He mocks, thrusting his blade of black flame like a rapier at my throat. I avoid it narrowly, stretch out with both arms and grab his shoulders then dragging him into a violent and explosive headbutt that sends us both flying away. I skid to a stop and retrain my eyes to him, now flying in the air like a flag hoisted by some unearthly power.

“It's been a while!” He finishes.

“Kgh… grr…! Abyssssss! I’ll murder you!” I spit violently, and with each hand, I grasp firebombs from the air and sling them one after another after another in a violent volley of explosions. He dodges with astounding finesse, with each dodge inching closer and closer until he’s right in my face! He raises his left palm up between my eyes and a surge of jet black flames swallows me whole! It burns, damn it it burns all over! But I don't hesitate to press through and when I’m in range I reach out and strike him with my hand closed in a tight fist clad in my own flames. His attack ceases but he doesn't take even a single step back.

“Wasn’t that just a little violent for a practitioner of the hououken?” He sneers, wiping a bloody nose. My teeth grind together, it takes all I have not to lash out again, but I force myself to stop, to speak.

“Just what the £~¢√ is going on here, Abyss?!” I roar.

“It's obvious. Just like you, I ascended beyond the level of a lowly human - I’ve become a man worthy of leading! A King!”

“You have become nothing of the sort! You aren’t even alive now! You killed those who might claim to be your subjects! A king of what?! Ashes! That's what!”

“No - A king of men who relinquished their mortal shackles to claim their true selves. You can't tell that just from looking?” He seems completely serious. Convinced of his ridiculous delusions.

“Just like you did Rex, years and years ago! But you and I are also opposites…”

“Damn straight! I’m still alive. You’re nothing more than a deranged corpse with an agenda! Is that what you're getting at?! You insane psychopath!”

“You’re on point, King Rex! I become a very aspect of death! A force of nature, if you will! When you ascended life, I clawed my way to hell and I ascended  death ! Rex, you are the Rizen who can never die! But I… I am the Relinquished, who can never live. To be like you, to rule Noxnuo as I vowed to you, I attained this power… Aren’t you happy for me… brother?”

“Brother?! You dare call me that? You're not the brother I grew up with! You're not that Abyss! You're insane - and you're a danger to Solsae. I’ll put you down like a rabid Fenrir! Prepare yourself!”

“Yes… when I attained this power, I understood that we could never see eye to eye. But I did this just for Solsae. Because Solsae deserves enlightenment. Because Solsae deserves freedom. You claim that I am a King without subjects… but let me show you otherwise! Dyoni and Nero, come forth!”

Two shadows well up either side of him, like cocoons of tar. They ooze disgustingly like popped zits, blobs of slime dripping from the gooey shells. They creak and groan and slowly peel apart and from within the shells, two human-shaped things step out. Black as the cocoons they were birthed from, sticky and dripping, and expressionless except for two spiraling white pits where the eyes should go. The pair of them charge me, so I take a ready stance - but both of them fly past me.

“Amami!” I gasp and turning round quick as I can, but before I stop them, Kite slings a black firebomb at my exposed back as though to say “Don’t look away from me!” And then rushes in, his black flame sword at the ready. He is quick! He thrusts no less than sixteen times in the blink of an eye. I feel the searing pain when the tip penetrates my flesh, my right arm falls limp from nerve damage, but I still manage to launch him skyward with a left handed palm uppercut.

I throw my wounded body towards where Amami and an injured Demonix face off against the shadowy doppelgangers, but when I see what's happening, I feel reassurance wash over me. She’s fighting great! I wouldn’t have guessed it, but she has some skill after all. Demonix picks out his moments, defending Amami when she is most vulnerable, but she is the one holding them off, and I can’t help but grin broadly.

''What was I worried about after all? I picked her myself! Bwahahahaha!''

Flames begin to engulf my body, all around where Abyss’s sword had moments ago pierced. The flames licked the wounds, especially congregating around my defunct right arm - and the wounds burn up violently and become ashes. Those ashes spiral and twist like a snake coiling around an invisible arm, they fill the countless little wounds upon my torso and they get to work, repairing me almost as quick as the damage was done in the first place. I rotate my right shoulder to check my newly attached arm, ensuring it’s all in working order then I kick off the ground and bound over to my enemy again, catching him by surprise! With both palms filled with burning aura, I thrust wildly - again and again, my hands a blur in the heat, the air crackling, set ablaze by my violent attack. His body convulses from each hit, he spasms left and right, thrown like a rag doll between the countless strikes.

Each hit is filled with my burning aura, condensed and focused, repeatedly pressed into him, filling his vessel with the scorching flames of my hououken. He is knocked aside but I don’t let up, I press onwards and Abyss almost winds up drawn back into that barrage.

Vwum!

The blade of black flame is emitted from his two fingers again, just in time too!

A fierce exchange of blows takes place, my palm-strikes vs his finger blade. Each hit I take, my body repairs the damage from ashes of the wound, just like the mythological phoenix would. This is the immortality that I gained six years ago. The immortality that drove my brother to become this monster of jealousy and madness... Grrah! I can't think about that now! I rain down blow after blow, bit by bit pushing him further back. When he aims for my knee, I counter by smashing his chin, when he comes for my head, I throw all of my weight and aura into a scorching body blow, each hit accumulating within him, bit by bit!

He yells, over the hum of his blade, “Brotherrrrr! Show me more! More of your luster! More of your radiance!”

His emotions get the better of him and he swings wild. I twist under the attack, turning my back to him, and with that same momentum I smash my back, and shoulders into his chest, then both elbows into his stomach, propping him up! Then with a twist, I throw out both of my palms, all of my might, all of my spirit, everything I have, imbued in these two hands!

“Take this! Hououken: Soaring Phoenix Twist!” I roar, as my palms impact with an explosive shockwave and a scorching heatwave erupts violently through Abyss’s body. He is flung high into the sky twisting like a tornado, and unable to move due to the immense inertia, and all the while he doesn’t cry out in pain, no, he cackles like the madman that he is!

“that's it! That's it!” He yells, drunk from the last attack, entranced with a bizarre, masochistic euphoria, his pupils dilated to pin holes, his mouth twisted in a wide grin.

Just as the inertia wears off and he’s able to steady himself, with the moon as his whiteness, all eyes turned to him, with a roar and a wave of explosive power, all of that aura my rained attacks had charged within him erupts outward! Kite is ripped asunder, destroyed by my finishing blow. He’s killed, rent to ashes with a destructive blast!

My flames pour out of him like a fireworks display complete with pops, screeches and bangs! And when the light is cleared, when even my heat-sensing eyes can’t pinpoint his freezing cold body, only then do I collapse to the ground, spent from the battle. I breathe hard and deep as my wounds that were unable to repair as quick as he made them, now started to patch themselves up. I feel my power leaving me. After such a fierce battle, I was done. Burned out.

Fierce flames envelop me in their scorching warmth. The last of my flames. I embrace the heat and light as always, letting it mend my ragged and battered body as it had so many times before. I close my eyes and expelled a final massive breath. I blank my mind.

I hope that's the last I have to see of that man-turned monster.

The rest is in Amami and VyeBlaze’s capable hands now.

With those final fleeting thoughts, I pass the torch over to them, and enter the scorching hot meditative trance of those who bear my curse. My power. Those few who know eternity - The Rizen.

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