A Blaze So Righteous and Brave

The Enhanced State.

“You feel an itch in the stomach, then you pull. And when it pops, you feel the world not like you’re part of it, but like you’ve become it.”

The words that not only confused him, but got Yuushin so lost, all he could do was try to understand their meaning. A way to get to that point.

I finally understand it now, master.

And you were right.

To feel not part of the world, but one with it.

To have his senses so connected and in sync with his surroundings, an ant's steps became no less silent nor less important than a boulder rolling down a cliff.

Yuushin could sense everything.

Every single organ in his body. Every drop of sweat running down his skin. Every bit of Soma that escaped through his pores.

The coolness of the air that hit his nails, and how different it was from the one that left his nostrils. The blood coagulating on his injuries, and the one flowing within his veins.

How the shakes and tremors in space around them differed from each other—the vibrations being heavier or more sparse depending on the type.

And it was because Yuushin could sense those things so well—because he was so in tune with his own body—that the man knew with precision. With undeniable certainty.

I can stay in this state for three minutes.

And he had to make each second count.

He heard in the same second they happened. The knight letting go of her breath, the sound of the greatsword moving through the air as she moved, the scraping on her feet in the floor, his own heartbeat slowing down before started racing again.

Then Yuushin charged.

And used a total of seven seconds of his time.

*CLAANK*

A metal bar right at his feet—he kicked it upwards, knowing where to put his weight, how much force, how fast. The bar blocked the blade that was coming toward him, the air vibrating as both metals collided. Yuushin saw the sound waves.

*SWOOSH*

An air current on the right coming from a crack in the ceiling—a current that gave less resistance to his movements, that allowed his body to move just a little bit faster, one that allowed him to be a bit more fluid. As Yuushin appeared on the knight’s side, he saw her muscles flexing. Her eyes flickering to the side, left foot moving together.

*THUMP*

*SWOOSH*

He blocked her elbow with the left palm—the closed-fist punch that came toward his face right after with his right. When she swung the sword again, Yuushin was already mid-air, knowing how distant the blade was from his feet as it passed beneath him.

And the second he took that jump, Yuushin reached out for his sword—the Tuning Weapon that had its own low-pitched sound as it reacted to the Soma around the room. When the knight’s greatsword cut the air beneath Yuushin, the sword had morphed into a staff.

*THWACK*

*THWACK*

*CRASH*

There were two strikes to the head and one kick to the chest. Spinning the staff in both hands, Yuushin first struck her on the right side, moving and shifting the staff to hit the right side the second his feet touched the ground. Before the knight could react, Yuushin spun his own body around to gain momentum and kicked her flat on the chest.

Yuushin saw the air bending with the impact—how its particles reflected the Soma’s glow, how its waves moved alongside the golden energy—while the tiger knight was sent crashing to the stone wall.

Finally got to do this with her for once.

Right as he was about to go back to his stance, a pain tore through his head. A striking headache, pulsing, throbbing, screaming, lessening the Enhanced State for a moment.

A moment the templar knight embraced thoroughly.

The man continued to dodge her attacks, doing his best to push the pain away to observe. Sense. Every time her muscles tensed, the seconds her pupils changed, the moments her grip tightened.
She was faster than him, yes, but as long as Yuushin knew where and when she was going to strike, he could dodge her.

But those three minutes were passing. Surely, without hesitation.

Changing the bo staff’s size depending on his needs, Yuushin sometimes used the metal weapon to pull himself up, others to gain momentum and force on his kicks. And bit by bit, not only was the man pushing her back—

He was surprising her.

Still, I need a finishing move.

I need to end this fast.

Because the vibration coming from above was getting more aggressive by the second. Yuushin knew that, whatever was happening on Vel’s side, it was getting worse. So Yuushin kept ignoring the splitting headache.

He listened. Observed. Felt them.

The knight. The room. The Soma. The weapons. The rubble. The cells.

Embracing the blaze even more—the headache worsening, getting sharper, even more intense.

But by doing so, Yuushin was able to see it. The knight’s weak spot.

The place in her body where the crimson Soma was fainter. Yet to hit that place, Yuushin would have to make a compromise. And it would hurt.

While baring her fangs at him, the tiger knight kept brandishing her sword. Aiming at his head, his torso, his legs, his arms. Again and again, Yuushin kept dodging and leaning away, his eyes never stopping moving, his feet never going still.

Not yet…not yet…not yet…

It had to be the perfect moment.

And when the pain intensified again, when Yuushin was less than ten heartbeats away from ending the Enhanced State—

Now

She swung the sword, her yellow gaze burning with hatred and loath.

Yuushin didn’t defend. He pulled back the Soma, the blade sinking into his shoulder until its metal cut into his shoulder blade. Then he moved the Soma back to that place, making his muscles harder—holding that sword in that place.

She tried to pull her weapon free once.

They locked eyes right as Yuushin made his move, moving all his remaining Soma toward his leg—his foot—a second before he struck her in the chin with a high kick.

One

Two

Three

“…four.”

As the word slipped from his lips, the templar knight’s body began to wobble. And when she fell backwards, the second her body hit the ground, the world went back to normal. Gasping, sweating, without barely seeing anything as he fought the dark spots in his vision, Yuushin used the staff as a support.

“Hah…can’t believe…I actually…did it…shit…!”

A laugh crawled its way out of his mouth, its sound joyful, amused.

*BOOOOM*

Then a sound reached him. One that made the entire room shake as if it was about to break apart.

You’re still not done, Yuushin.

Without wasting any more time, Yuushin finally made his way out of Veritux’s dungeon.

Hoping he would be able to find his way back, without Kez.

                                                           ˚₊✧ ‿︵‿₊ ♱ ₊‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

A ruthless coldness.

A pungent pain.

Yet amidst all that darkness, suddenly…

A light.

“…ar…lith…es…”

And as his body kept fighting against that coldness and that pain, something kept trying to reach him. Something that, he could feel, was warm.

“…ear me…relith…”

Ah…I think I recognize this scent. Yet I must be wrong.

She couldn’t be there.

“…aid…hey…can you…”

“….aybe…space…for now?”

Bit by bit, the coldness went away. The pain lessened. And though neither disappeared, their presence got faint enough to give him hope. Give him enough strength to dare to reach for that warmth. Seek that light.

“…onsense. OI! Open your eyes already, didn’t you rest enough?”

Lyrelith opened his eyes, the act still painful. And when he did, his first thought still felt like it belonged in a dream.

Ah, I knew it…it was her…but why is she here…?

“Yes…! Our wolf boy is awake! Yo, Heidi, you know it’s all thanks to me, right? You got your furry priest all patched up thanks to the amazing Johnny.”

“….just…please…no.”

There were others there. Slightly familiar faces he couldn’t quite connect with names. Yet when he heard shifted his gaze and met those golden eyes once more, when he smelled that scent once more…

“Kez…vethra.”

…somehow, it got easier to breathe.

And as it did, his mind began to clear—Lyrelith becoming more and more aware of his surroundings. They were outside, yet still somewhere in the city. Yet things was far from quiet.

And suddenly, Lyrelith became all too aware of where he should be, and where they shouldn’t.

“W-what are you doing…?! The a-alarms, they shouldn’t—you shouldn’t…!”

A touch. A grip on his shoulder that was firm yet caring.

Warm.

When Lyrelith saw that face again, it was as if all the knots in his heart went loose. As if the rocks weighing in his mind had turned into dust, tears welling up in his eyes.

“Y-you…you truly are alive…”

Yuushin smiled, relief spreading across his face.

“So are you.” Another explosion reverberated through the air, stealing their focus. Casting shadows on the man’s face. Yet when Yuushin met Lyrelith’s gaze again, there was no fear. No hesitation. “And we will save one more person.”

Somehow, Lyrelith knew exactly who Yuushin was going to confront.

And he didn’t like it—not even one bit.