Sibling Bout

“I have to say,” Dadilda said, looking straight at Yusato. “I didn’t think you’d still be alive. Yusato.”

Yusato’s neck stiffened and his jaw tightened. “Sorry to disappoint you. So, you’re really going along with King Aster’s plan?”

“It’s as I said.” She opened her spellbook and closed her eyes. “It’s just a part of my job.”

Crimson flames burned around and spiraled towards Yusato. Mira got in front of him and raised her shield. The flames met with the shield and began to disperse.

Chunks of wood came flying at Dadilda. Hands of flame clapped onto the wood and burnt it to a crisp.

Vines came from behind her, striking her in the back. Dadilda groaned, rubbing her back in pain. “Ow, that hurt.” She shot a sharp glare towards Saria. “So it’s that one. She’s practically a Sirhix already.”

Mira kept her shield ready and nodded to Yusato. “Go on.”

“What?”

“One of us has to keep going,” Mira said. “Azalea said King Aster is the top priority, remember?”

“Mira is right,” Saria agreed. “The rest of us can catch up with you. But that madman needs to be stopped. Please, Yusato…Don’t let him hurt them. The people like me.”

Yusato swallowed harshly. Mira and Saria both had faces full of conviction. They were determined to see this fight through. He didn’t want to leave them. They were two of the biggest targets in this extermination.

However, he knew what they were saying was true. That mad king has definitely already caused some causalities at the very least. If he didn’t go to stop King Aster now, who knows how many more he would kill?

“Alright,” Yusato said with a resistant nod. “Just be careful, okay guys?”

Saria clamped her hands together as wood and vines curved and arched out of the ground. “You don’t have to worry about us. After all…right now…it’s four against one.”

Mahina lunged at Dadilda with crackling lightning surrounding her fists. Azumi fired off a round of water bullets at her, bursting right through the women’s flames.

There was something about seeing his old friends and his new friends work together like that that brought a warm feeling in his stomach. He tilted his head a bit and smiled. “Don’t keep me waiting too long.”

And with that Yusato ran off.

***

Black sand billowed around Azteros’ feet. It grew larger and more volatile. Azalea leaped back evading the swerving sand. It came down at her, ready to impale her. The and stuck into the ground, creating giant holes as Azalea continued to dodge.

She threw more daggers at the sand, but the sunk into it and disappeared entirely. Azalea gasped at that. She wiped some sweat from her forehead and inhaled deeply.

There had to be something she could do to take care of that sand. Someway, somehow, she needed to overpower it.

She somersaulted underneath an oncoming wave of the black sand and kicked her feet up. Azalea’s feet struck Azteros in the chin.

She delivered a series of quick rapid punches to his stomach. Azteros grunted and returned the favor. Their knuckles collided with a pop.

Azteros’ fist whizzed past Azalea as she dodged to the side. Azalea’s fist caught air as Azteros ducked underneath it.

They continued to punch at each other. Defending, deflecting and countering each other’s blows as the smacking sound echoed throughout the area.

Each punch grew fiercer than the last as they kept up their relentless assault. Azalea’s knee jutted into Azteros’ gut and Azteros elbowed her gut in return.

Black sand gathered at his fists and he pummeled away at Azalea. Her blood pressure heightened and breathing quickened while she moved her head from side to side.

She slapped Azteros’ wrist, avoiding touching the black sand. Her knuckles smashed into his jaw. The sand came up like a worm and hit her in the chest. She coughed up blood, but clenched her teeth to bide the pain.

She swung her fist forward again, knocking Azteros to the ground. Her arms and legs screamed in pain, but she ran forward. There was no time to worry about pain. This wasn’t a fight she could afford to lose. She could still hear the explosions in the distance.

“What’s the point in fighting it?” Azteros asked as he hunched over. He spit out some blood onto the grass and made a malicious grin. “The Sirhix don’t deserve to live. They’re nothing but a danger to our kingdom. And themselves. We’re doing them a favor.”

“There has to be another way,” Azalea said. “I’ll find another way to save them all.”

“Good luck with that. There is no other way! You and everyone who is trying to fight the inevitable are nothing but a bunch of ungrateful fools.” The sand gathered around Azteros’ body and acted as a suit of armor.

“You seemed to be particularly fond of that Yusato fellow. Maybe I should kill him first.”

Azalea growled at her brother. “Don’t you dare.”

The thought Yusato dying struck her heart. She brought a hand to her chest as her lips quivered. She felt queasy and lightheaded just thinking about it.

She thought back to what Yusato said to her back then. When he defended her against Nix. Those words remained with her even now. She would never forget them. He said he would protect her. She would do the same.

Azalea grabbed the center of her cloak and then tossed it up into the air. She sliced one of her daggers through it and the torn fabric fell into pieces at her feet.

“Don’t you dare hurt Yusato!” The magic daggers in her fingers grew and became sharper. She chucked them at Azteros while spinning through the air.

Azteros evaded the first set, but then a second came at an even faster speed. He gasped in shock as pins and needles glued his feet to the ground.

The daggers penetrated the black sand and ripped into Azteros’s shoulder blades. He fell to his knees as more and more daggers sunk into his back.

Azalea stood over him and kicked her legs clean across his face. “Take a nap, brother.”