Fade to black

Søren

Stoyan’s greatsword bears down on me, I let it slide along my blade and retreat a few steps. “Now I see it clearly—back then, he let me escape.” My arms tremble faintly, I tighten my grip on the hilt.

I launch myself at Stoyan, he greets me with a slash, I dodge with a feint. His strength is the same as that day, but the shockwave doesn’t throw me this time. I seize the chance and cut his arm. «Do you really think you can wound me with such a feeble upswing?» he scoffs, sweeping me back several meters with the motion of his arm.

«Why don’t you use your powers?» I ask.

«Force me to.»

Thunder roars, I glance for a second in that direction. I see Kenji transforming into that fox-dragon form. I sidestep. «You’re too distracted!»

«Sorry, first war.» I remark wryly. I dart forward, fighting as Kenji taught me to when facing someone like Stoyan: patiently, evading, exploiting every small opening. Yet the thunder keeps gnawing at my focus.

At the last moment, I catch a strike, parry with the ricasso, grasp the forte, sliding closer to his arms—but I can’t pierce through. He raises his blade, and I step back, panting.

«What’s wrong? Did I scare you?»

«No. But it seemed stupid to just stand there and wait for you to hit me.» “I’m focusing too much on defense… my attacks are faltering.”

A tremendous blast. A shiver races down my spine. I turn toward the battlefield. Even at a distance, I see it clearly. «KEN!» I scream as his obliterated body falls.

Suddenly Stoyan’s bulk eclipses my vision. I try to parry the slash—my sword shatters. My left sight is gone. I catch the broken piece mid-air, hurl myself at Stoyan, and drive both halves of the zweihander into his eye slits.

He seizes my torso in his massive hand and flings me away. I can’t breathe. I tear off my helmet, seeing the left side of the visor torn apart.

«You disappoint me,» he says, pulling the sword from his eyes. «You’ve reduced yourself to fighting like a beast.» He tosses the two broken pieces at my feet.

«SHUT UP!» I roar, forcing myself to my feet. «I… I have to save him!»

«Very well.» he replies, resting his sword on his shoulder.

«What?» I demand, straining every muscle in my face, ignoring the agony on my left side.

«I came here to fight a warrior, but it seems he never showed up.»

«What are you saying? I’m right here!»

«No. You’re everywhere in this war… except here.»

«What do you mean?»

«What is it you want to do, now?»

«I want to save this kingdom from you!»

«No. You just want to throw yourself at Goran and drag everyone else to their deaths.»

His words make my face ease. “He’s right… I’ve underestimated this war. All that training made me feel invincible. I only ever wanted to know what was happening to my comrades. And without noticing, the closer I came to the castle, the stronger my hatred for Goran grew… I lost sight of the true purpose that brought me here. Because of me, Kenji is dead. I’m here to protect Nadia, Laila, Lili, and every friend I’ve made in this world… I always thought the ‘power of friendship’ in anime was stupid…” Slowly, I draw my one-handed sword and my dagger. “But maybe I thought that way because I never had anyone worth defending—someone I would entrust my very life to.” «Sorry for being late,» I say with a calm smile. «Stoyan.»

°°°

Akanke

Vuk hurls a dagger at my leg. I leap back, but the blade sinks into my shadow on the floor and an instant later is spat out, burying itself in my right leg.

I grit my teeth not to scream; rage is the only thing keeping me standing. I yank it out and press healing herb to the wound. “I can’t waste any more time.” I look up—but he’s gone. I glance behind me: the glowing thorns are still intact; he hasn’t fled the corridor.

Something stabs my side. A hand emerges from the shadow of my fur cloak, clutching a dagger. I wrench free and fling the cloak away, skull and all.

I scatter more thorn seeds beyond the cloak, wiping out the shadows cast on the other side.

Using blood from my side wound, I scrawl complex sigils on the stone wall. The marks are absorbed into the bricks. My head spins, too much blood lost. I press another herb, but it works slowly.

Strange. He hasn’t done anything for a while. I edge toward the cloak I threw aside. I lift it—there’s a hole. «He escaped!» I’m shoved violently from behind, I stumble and fall into the chasm. My hand catches the edge desperately. «How?»

«I slipped into the skull. Your arrogance betrayed you.» With his sword, he slashes my fingers, sending me plummeting. In desperation, I fling a bean downward; it sprouts instantly, I seize it and climb back up. The corridor is dark again, the thorns where Dakarai fled have been cut through. I limp forward, but he slashes my other tendon. I collapse, crashing into a wall. From the shadows, Vuk emerges. «Soon your brother will join you.»

“You’re mine!” I bite down on a nut, shatter it between my teeth, and slam a fist into one of the sigils carved on the wall. All of them blaze. Vuk lunges, but a shell grows from my mouth, enclosing me, blocking his strike. The chamber detonates in a controlled blast.

I crash heavily, the shell shatters. My head smacks the ground. I wheeze—but I’m alive.

Vuk rises behind me. «How is it possible I didn’t kill you?!» I toss a vial at him. He slices it mid-air. He lifts his sword, ready to finish me—then a harpoon spears his shoulder, flames engulf him instantly. He has no time to react. Thyra bursts from the shadows, a brutal double kick slamming him, driving the harpoon straight through his body, pinning him to the stone wall.

«He’ll stay put for a while.» she says, pointing at the general. «Let’s go.» She reaches out her hand with a grin.

«Unfortunately, he hit my tendon, and I’m wounded in the other leg too.» I answer weakly, quickly applying more herbs.

«No problem, I’ll carry you!» she exclaims. Before I can object, she lifts me in her arms and dashes off. We reach Dakarai, who is setting the last charge.

«Are you alright?» he asks, worry in his eyes. He checks my body, then strokes my head. I can’t remember the last time he looked at me like this.

«I’m fine. Let’s get out and meet Nadia.»

We run toward the exit—but the ceiling collapses ahead. Towering in gleaming silver armor stands King Goran. «You handled him well, I’ll grant you that.» he says, tossing Vuk’s skull-shaped helmet at our feet. «But now—you belong to me.»

I crush another nut between my fingers. Dakarai snaps his wooden trigger stick in two. The castle explodes, collapsing on top of us.