Chapter 15:
“Even monsters can be hypocrites”
Lichtfall: The Light At The Worlds End
Iris stood frozen.
She couldn’t follow the fight anymore.
The two figures flashed across the ruined camp faster than her eyes could track.
One moment they were fifty meters apart.
The next…
Blade and fists collided.
A shockwave burst through the broken streets, sending dust and loose stone into the air.
Then they vanished again.
Only shattered concrete marked where they had been.
“…What…”
She whispered to herself.
“…What are they?”
They no longer looked human.
Not even close.
Then…
She heard it.
A distant screech.
Another answered.
Then another.
The sound rolled across the ruined city like thunder.
The ground trembled.
Small stones bounced across the pavement.
The horde.
Her heart stopped.
She spun toward the sound.
The streets beyond the makeshift, ruined arena were filled with movement.
Hundreds.
No…
Thousands.
Dark silhouettes poured through collapsed buildings.
Revenants.
Abominations.
An endless tide.
Her face lost all color.
“THE NYXFEL ARE COMING!”
Her scream echoed through the camp.
Neither of them looked at her.
Neither of them slowed.
Licht stepped inside the boy’s guard.
His fist shot forward.
The boy twisted just enough for the punch to skim past his cheek.
He answered with one of his own.
Licht caught it on his forearm.
The impact cracked the ground beneath their feet.
“…Why?”
Licht asked quietly.
His hand shot out.
He seized the boy’s wrist.
Pulled.
The boy stumbled one step forward.
Licht’s fist drove into his stomach.
THUD.
The air burst from the boy’s lungs.
His body folded.
His knees nearly touched the ground.
Licht spun.
His heel whipped toward the side of the boy’s head.
The boy raised one arm.
CRACK.
The kick slammed against his guard.
Pain shot through his shoulder.
He ignored it.
His free hand grabbed Licht’s ankle.
With a sharp pull, he dragged Licht off balance.
Before Licht could recover…
The boy’s fist crashed into his jaw.
Licht slid backward across broken concrete.
His boots carved two deep lines through the rubble before he finally stopped.
Neither charged.
Not yet.
“The dead…”
Licht wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
“…don’t feel no more.”
The boy’s breathing grew heavier.
“SHUT UP!”
“The man you’re trying to avenge…”
Licht’s voice remained cold.
“…is already gone.”
“He can’t hear you.”
“He can’t thank you.”
“He can’t come back.”
“Your rage…”
He took one slow step forward.
“…has nowhere to go.”
The boy clenched his fists.
“…Shut up.”
Licht didn’t stop.
“You’re throwing your life away…”
“…for someone who’s already dead.”
Silence.
The boy’s vision blurred.
For a heartbeat…
The ruined city disappeared.
A little girl stood.
Too small for the oversized jacket hanging from her shoulders.
His older brother laughed.
“Here.”
He pulled the zipper closed for her.
“There.”
She tilted her head.
“Why?”
He puffed out his chest proudly.
“’Cause it makes you look strong.”
He flexed one arm dramatically.
The little girl giggled.
“…Okay.”
The memory vanished.
The ruined camp returned.
The boy looked up.
Tears burned at the corners of his eyes.
“You…”
His voice shook.
“…You’ll never understand.”
He pointed at Licht.
His breathing hitched.
“You’ll never understand what it means…”
“…to lose someone.”
Silence.
Licht froze.
Just for an instant.
A crimson-haired girl smiled.
“Come on, Little L.”
A lollipop.
A missing arm.
A promise.
“…You have…”
His voice almost disappeared.
“…no idea.”
The words barely left his lips before both of them moved again.
The distance vanished.
Their fists collided.
Their elbows crashed together.
Their shoulders slammed into one another.
Neither gained an advantage.
Neither gave one.
Then—
A Revenant burst from the rubble behind the boy.
Its jaws opened wide.
It lunged.
The boy never saw it.
One punch.
He drove his fist straight through the boy’s guard.
The boy instinctively leaned aside.
The punch missed him completely.
Instead—
CRUNCH.
Licht’s fist exploded through the Revenant’s chest.
Its heart burst apart.
The creature collapsed before it even touched the ground.
Black blood splashed across the ruined street.
Licht slowly pulled his hand free.
His eyes never left the boy.
As he thinks
“I have to be…”
“…the one…”
“…who kills you or this feeling will ever be laid to rest”.
Iris stood exactly where she had been.
Unable to move.
Unable to look away.
The screams of the approaching horde grew louder.
Closer.
Closer.
Still…
She remained.
Somewhere deep inside her…
She felt she owed them this.
To witness the ending.
No matter how terrible it became.
End of chapter 15TYSM FOR READING
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