My vision blurred, a filter of red blanketed the one being that was the center of my attention. It felt as though my body began moving on its own, as if I had lost all control over it, and yet I was aware. My body lunged at the faceless being. I didn’t care to stop the reckless attack.

Zahramiik vanished once more, reappearing a moderate distance away, with a finger raised to fire a beam at me as a counter attack. As the beam came within reach, my body swatted at the beam with the claw weapons. The beam fully dissipated, as if a mere illusion.

“Ohhh! They really do work! Magnificent! Hahaha!” He said loudly, and followed with another barrage of beams. I swatted those away just as easily as the first. I countered with a ranged spell of my own. It was complete chaos, a random mix of mana that was congealed into a flashing ball of energy. I ended up executing the attack like a Street Fighter hadouken. I berated myself mentally for that.

“Wha- Are you trying to blow everything up? Hahaha, as irrational as always, friendo.” Zahramiik opened a dimensional space within this dimensional space in front of him - ‘you can do that?’ - and my attack flew into the opening that appears like a hole in existence. Once the attack was inside, Zahramiik hurriedly closed it. The very air where the dimensional space was cracked like a window pane.

“Ohh, that almost became a black hole. You really should be more careful! What would your only friend from earth think if he were alive to see you?” Those words broke me out of my rage for a moment.

“Don’t you dare speak of him!” I screamed at Zahramiik.

“What’s wrong friendo?” His grin widened yet again. He knew exactly which buttons to push… Why was he pushing me into a corner?

“Don’t mock his manner of speech!” Hearing him say “friendo” was really tearing at my heart. I could feel so much blood rushing to my head in fury that I actually lost consciousness for the briefest moment.

I attempted another spell. It was more controlled this time, and actually had a purpose other than chaotically blowing up. I shot multiple beams of shadow and light mana out in the general direction of Zahramiik. The beams abruptly traced Zahramiik the moment they got close.

The dark mana beams were designed to wrap around and immobilize the target, while the light mana beams were designed to pierce the target. Zahramiik attempted to teleport to avoid the attacks, which seemed to be his favorite evasive maneuver. Unfortunately for him, the beams just locked onto his new position.

Whilst Zahramiik was busy teleporting around, I made more beams. This time however, I switched their functions. It was now dark beams that pierced and light beams that immobilized. This would serve to misinform Zahramiik of their functions.

“Why do you even - have a problem with me - taking or killing - the girl anyway? It isn’t like you haven’t killed a demon - before. Or are you saying you are trying to - make up for killing those people? Maybe you you don’t even consider - them people? After all, you have never - killed a human, yet you so easily killed a - handful - of demons already.” Zahramiik said in between teleportations.

“Enough!” My temper was reaching its peak once more. I thrust forward my left hand, and from my fingertips lightning made of primal mana coursed straight for Zahramiik, destroying my beam attacks in the process.

Zahramiik countered with his own lightning, creating a power struggle between the electrical charges. “Oho! Force lightning, friendo? I thought you were more partial to force choke! You always played the Sith Marauder after all!” He was mocking my friend again, referencing our time together on the game Star Wars The Old republic. That brought up painful memories.

I had only made one friend back on earth. At first we were rivals in opposing factions of World of Warcraft. Somehow, we would continue to find each other in other games, after moving on from a previous game. Our rivalry slowly became a friendship. The guy really loved cliche situations, and always cheered on the hero, while I despised the cliche and cheered the villains.

Then came the fateful day that I was told by a family member of his over skype. He was dead. I grieved. I grieved like I never had before. I never knew my parents, so I had no reason to grieve when they were brought up. I was ostracized at the orphanage and at school, so I had no reason to grieve when something untoward happened. When I learned of his death, I could not stop grieving.

I searched for him in all the places we had met in the past, beginning with the most recent game we played, SWTOR. I hoped against hope as I searched for him, that it was some cruel joke, or that I was misinformed. Instead, I continued to run across other friends of his, all telling me the same thing. That which I did not wish to hear. He is dead.

And this man in front of me dared mock him. He dared mock the only person in my previous life to make me consider life was worth something. My anger for him surged. I put all my power behind the lightning. For a moment, I was winning the power struggle, but just as abruptly, I was pushed back. I was steadily losing ground as my lightning spell was steadily eaten away by Zahramiik’s own lightning spell.

“Wan’t to know something very funny, friendo? I killed him. Your friend from earth? I deliberately killed him to get you here. How does that knowledge make you feel? He died because I needed to manipulate you to this pla-”

“RAAAAAGH!” I abruptly released my spell, while simultaneously blocking his own lightning with the left hand of my claw weapon. I created a dimensional space while charging forward, as large as I could manage. The dimensional space ended up just large enough to swallow us both. Now in a tiny dimensional space, I clawed at the god. He had nowhere to run to. His eleaborate robe was being torn to shred. Blood began to paint the invisible walls of the dimensional space.

Zahramiik however, just continued to smile. “No no no, that isn’t how you kill a god, friendo.” With those words, he threw a swift strike to my stomach. It was a mighty strike that expelled all breath from my lungs. I felt my ribs shatter and my sternum crack. I was knocked flat against the invisible wall of this dimensional space.

My consciousness threatened to fade. I could not regain my breath. I was desperate to win though. I had to win somehow. I could not find the strength to throw a fist or a kick. I could not steady mind to cast a spell. I used the only tool left available to me. I released my shapeshifted form while simultaneously biting his throat.

Zahramiik’s smile abruptly faded and he seemed surprised, as much as a mouth on a featureless face can express surprise.

“Gah...Geck…” Zahramiik grasped my jaw in an attempt to pry me off, but I held on with every ounce of strength and will I had left. I could taste his iron blood, but also something else, something I have never sensed before. It was delicious, and I wanted as much of it I could get. It drained into me, and I welcomed it. I could feel my strength grow and Zahramiik’s strength lessen as the substance was consumed.

Zahramiik eventually stopped struggling, and I released my grip on his throat, letting his body fall to the ground. Even in the end, the bastard ended up dying with a smile on his face. It was insanely difficult to breath. I cast a healing spell on myself, but it only helped marginally. Whatever he hit me with was going to take time to heal it seemed.

I stepped out of the dimensional space that was within the dimensional space, and crawled my way to Sival. It was easier to crawl in my mana spirit form than humanoid form fortunately. I reached Sival after great pain and suffering, only to find she didn’t have a wound on her anywhere and was breathing… ‘But I could have sworn that Zahramiik… Well, she is safe now anyway.’ I felt my consciousness slipping. I had to get us out of here before I lose my chance.

I looked for a way out. It was very difficult to see, but there was a shimmering space not too far away from where I (probably) entered the dimensional space initially. I grasped Sival by the collar of her shirt and dragged us toward it. As we approached, it abruptly activated just as it did before.

We were deposited back into the room at the castle. The landing was a bit much for me, and I finally passed out. Darkness overcame my vision, but was soon replaced by the image of that faceless bastard. He wore a grin that would put the cheshire cat to shame.

“Well done, friendo.” He said to me.

“But… I killed you!”

“Not quite, more like you assimilated my essence with your own. It is what the mana spirits call ascendance. It is the epitome of your power, the power that makes you the natural predator of gods. More simply put, my power is now yours.”

“Fine, whatever, how do I get rid of you?”

“Whoa there, friendo, calm down. Getting rid of me would require ripping your soul to pieces. That’s some dangerous and messy stuff.”

“Would you at least stop doing that then?”

“Doing what, friendo?”

“That. Stop mocking my friend, you piece of shit.”

“Mock myself? Why would I do that, friendo?”

“What are you on about?” Zahramiik was beginning to thoroughly confuse me.

“You don’t recognize my voice friendo? I never died you know, I staged my death. Had to manipulate you appropriately and all that. Can’t get something for nothing after all.”

“Whatever stalker god.”

“Believe me or not, but if you have questions, I’m right here in your head!”

“... I really wish you weren’t…”

“Well, I wouldn’t be if I hadn’t planted that punch. I basically made a copy of myself and forced it into you.”

“Tch.” I clicked my tongue in exasperation.

“Well, just call for me and I’ll pop up. See you then…” With that, Zahramiik’s stupid grinning not-a-face vanished from my dream-like state.

Was tired when I wrote this - sorry if it isn't the quality you were expecting XD