Kael tried his best to battle against the pressure as it tore his bond apart; however, he was losing. Not because he lacked strength or will to stabilize the bond, but because concentration evaded him. Nar's constant screams kept eating at him, making it impossible for him to focus. It even started to cause him physical pain and immense guilt. He felt responsible for his suffering.

The pressure increased slightly causing his knees to buckle but Kael grit his teeth and tensed his muscles. The action managed to keep him from losing his balance, but his muscles trembled with exhaustion.

Kael stumbled again. As he did, he caught a glimpse of Brin on the opposite edge of the formation. Kael’s eyes went wide with disbelief. Brin stood—tamed beast at his side—as if nothing was going on around him. He turned to face Kael, smiled and the petted the wolf’s head. His with confidence and a hint of contempt.

Does he not feel the pressure? Kael wondered with frustration at the mocking glance. Watching Brin more intently, it finally struck him. Brin was struggling. The calmness and confidence were only for show. His muscles were contracting—in an almost spasmatic manner—and his veins bulged wildly as heavy loads of blood traveled through them. Yet, he still remained composed.

Kael felt inferior, but quickly got fired up. He knew he could be like Brin if he just managed to concentrate. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Don't worry about the screams. Kael soothed himself. Tune them out. Eztli will help Nar, so nothing will happen to him.

The effect was immediate. The pressure lessened and Kael could stand straight with muscles relaxed. However, the moment was short-lived. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Eztli sitting near the center stone…doing nothing.

Anger rushed through him and his concentration faltered. Wasn't Eztli supposed to be helping Nar? Didn't he say he would—

Suddenly, Nar's screams came to a stop.

Kael watched in horror as Nar shot out of the formation, leaving behind a trail of blood in the air. Without thinking, he rushed towards him. After a single step, however, the pressure increased exponentially and knocked him to the ground. He dove face first into the cold stone floor.

The pain spread from his face to the rest of his body like a shockwave, but Kael ignored it. He tightened his fist and pushed against the floor, in an effort to stand, but the pressure pressed him back onto the ground. It felt like mountain had been placed over him. His breath escaped him and a sharp pain assaulted his mind; his bond was tearing. All he could do was watch how the world around him slowly turned black.

Guess this is as far as I go…

"For heaven's sake, boy!" Eztli's voice rang in his mind. "Stop fucking around and focus on strengthening the bond. Fight back!"

The command registered immediately. Unconsciously, Kael's body brimmed with strength, his mind focused, his bond was reinforced. By the time he realized it, he was already standing firm. It lasted all but a second, then the sudden power was gone. However, that small moment had allowed Kael to come back to his senses. Still, his focus found its way back to Nar's unmoving body. Several disciples rushed to him, one slipping on the pool of blood that had formed under Nar.

No, Kael thought as his body trembled. Nar…he can't be dead. He can't!

"Focus!" Eztli commanded through their bond once more, guiding his mind back to the bond. However, Kael refused to listen.

"Nar is hurt. I have to help him." He yelled back, tears welling in his eyes.

"Look, I don't have time to keep commanding you to focus. Don't worry about the damn kid. Just focus on resisting the pressure."

"I don't care about the pressure. Nar needs—"

"Boy…" Eztli's voice turned murderous. "I swear if you fuck this up because of that brat and get ejected before I can get those memories…I will destroy you and everything you hold dear. That kid will be the last of your worries."

A chill ran down Kael's spine and his whole body shook uncontrollably. The only thing he could do was stare vacantly at Eztli as he sat still, looking toward the core of the formation. As if sensing Kael’s gaze, Eztli turned his head slowly and gave him a menacing glare that sent a wave of massive killing intent towards him.

Pure fear invaded Kael. A warm stream flowed down his right leg. At that moment, Kael forgot how to breathe and his heart stopped beating. Instinctively, his body stopped every function—even vital ones—and focused solely on fighting the pressure. Once Eztli turned his attention back to the center stone, a soft slow breath escaped Kael and his heart began to beat again. Soft and slow beats—only enough to barely keep him alive. It was like his body was afraid it would attract Eztli's glare again.

Kael closed his eyes, trying to erase the memory; however, those murderous red eyes were burned into the depth of his soul. Even just the imprint caused his heart to skip a beat.

Eztli was not joking. If Kael couldn't hold on until he got what he wanted…his world was going to be destroyed.

##

For Fuck's sake, Eztli thought. The boy was getting to him. He didn't know how Kael could get distracted by the screams. They were nothing but annoying. He sighed and shook his head, focusing back on the stone. He could only hope Kael would listen to him and be able to hold on until he defeated Ior.

If he didn't…his loss would be too great. From the looks of it, the soul would probably dissipate or go into slumber for many years after this one stunt. So he only had this one chance to extract those memories.

The stone vibrated and began to crack, sending waves of pressurized air into the atmosphere. Eztli turned serious, he could feel the immense soul energy blasting out and filling the space around the stone. It was fearsome and tinged with the same strange aura he had failed to penetrate or fight against. It grew to the point to which Eztli knew it would take everything he had to rival it. But instead of worrying, all Eztli could do was grin wickedly. For the first time in years, he felt alive. Truly alive.

The rush and thrill of battle consumed him, reminding him of his previous self; the one who could destroy thousands with a wave of his hand like in his recent vivid memory.

Powerful. Almighty. Emperor of the world.

He let out a powerful laugh and he gathered his soul energy, condensing it into a sphere, preparing for an all-out attack once the soul was out for he intended to end the battle quickly.

An arm—made of pure soul energy—burst out the stone, grinding it to dust in an instant. The dust cloud then fell to the ground and settled revealing a human form. Ior floated several inches off the floor, arms spread wide and eyes focused on Eztli. Energy particles swirled in the air around Ior as they drifted inside him. He glowed with an elegant bright red as a protective layer of energy—several inches thick—began to form around him.

Before it fully materialized, Eztli launched his attack. The colorless sphere shot through the air, leaving ripples in the atmosphere from the sheer force it contained and hit Ior's soul. The blast burst the incomplete energy shield and destroyed part of Ior's arm. He screamed in pain and narrowed his eyes at Eztli before laughing.

"Your attack was good, but it's not enough to defeat me." He said, glowing red once more. As he did, the shattered soul particles quickly returned to his body—his arm healing. He smiled and extended his index finger. "My turn." A beam of pure red formed on his fingertip and shot out fast—leaving a trail of waves in air.

Shit! Eztli thought, staring at the energy and realizing that it was too much for him to handle. Immediately, he gathered all of his energy and blood qi—forming a triple layered shield around him. The beam hit the shield, breaking the first layer instantly, passing through the second without much trouble and almost shattering the third. The beam didn't lose strength, however, and cracks spread across the shield, threatening to break his last layer of defense.

Fuck, it won't hold on much longer. Eztli cursed to himself. He expelled part of his blood, covering himself, and willed it to harden; it was the last thing he could do to protect his life. The third layer vibrated in a high pitch as it turned to shards. The beam then hit against his hardened blood.

He slid backward several feet, his blood wasting away fast—evaporating into mist. Eztli willed more of his blood and reinforced the blood shield. With a growl, he pushed the blood shield sideways and managed to deviate the beam.

The beam struck the floor, causing the whole tower to tremble as runes hissed trying to dissipate the power. A sudden weakness gripped Eztli.

He had used too much blood.

Oh, how I hate this damn body. He thought, slumping to the ground. He had pushed his tiny body to its limit.

"Seems like I used too little energy," Ior said, walking calmly towards Eztli. "But it looks like you can't fight anymore. I shall be merciful and end you now. Send my regards to Keres once he joins you in the underworld."

Eztli laughed like a madman and expelled the last of his blood—convulsing in the process before falling still. "You think…this…is enough to stop me?" Eztli's voice rang with pride. "I am, Eztli, the Blood Emperor. This was just my warm up."

"Spouting nonsense," Ior said, shaking his head. "You bleed out and your life force is dwindling. Your body is at its limit only hanging on due to your strong soul. I can hardly see how this is your—" Ior's pupils contracted and he took several steps back. "Impossible. T-this can't—"

Eztli gave a wicked smile. "You talk too much and don't focus on the battlefield. Guess that's what happens when you are locked up for thousands of years."

Tendrils of blood rose into the air. They twisted and turned until they connected with the blood mist—forming complex runes in the air. The blood runes shone and resonated. Becoming alive, they swirled into a sphere around Ior then solidified. Once it completely enclosed him, it started to vibrate—adding a force dissipating effect.

Ior roared and bombarded the blood with his soul energy. The sphere shook and cracks appeared on its surface. "This is your triumph card?" Ior laughed and continued to blast the sphere with attacks. "I admit I got careless, but this little sphere of yours won't be able to trap me much longer. When I break out, your fate is sealed."

"How naive." Eztli laughed. "It was never meant to trap you. It only needed to hold you off for a moment so I could break out of this limiting shell of mine."

"What do you mean? Even if you break out of your body, you are not a match for me."

"That's where you are wrong. You forget, you are just a soul remnant. On the other hand, I am an ancient human soul. My power is currently limited severely by my body as I had to morph my soul in order to adapt to it." Energy seeped out of Eztli's body into the air and slowly started taking on a human shape.

"But now, you will face the true strength of my soul."