“I taught you were scared!” Darius huffs as I reach to his side,

“I needed some time to think,” I reply

“Can you make arrows with that magic of yours?”

“Best I can do are really thin rapiers,”

“That will have to do!”

….

“You have to explain that to me someday,” Darius says as I retract the bow,

Checking the magic stone slot, I see its empty now as I’d used up all the water magic from the blue stone earlier, along with rest of my arrows,

Vwoom!

Flint launches a fireball at Darius and I,

“I may not be allowed to kill you Darius,” the king growls,

“But I am quite irritated right now,

Move aside let me erase the outsider at least,”

“I can’t help you with that!” Darius deflects the attack,

“Axe slash!”

………

“Lyra!” I shout to girl in the distance, she currently briefs Zinnia on the current situation

“What!” she shouts back,

“You have any magic stones on you!”

“Why!”

“Do you or don’t you!”

“I have one!”

“Throw it!”

Lyra chucks the stone in my direction,

I superbly miss it.

“You are so bad at this!” Lyra mocks,

I refrain from answering, picking up the silver stone,

(Hopefully this works)

Inserting it into the slot a stinging pain surges through my hand, signaling its connection,

Extending the bow, I fire a test ‘arrow’ it doesn’t go far but creates a piercing wind,

(Wind magic this time,)

“Eeeyyyaaahhh!”

The queen shrikes, Karina has her pressed to the ground,

Repeatedly scratching at her face

“Why!

Why!

Why!

You were the last person I looked up to!

You gave me idea to start the Sewer rats you helped me through every step!

Why!”

Patricia’s lips curl into a sly smile

“Because I needed you, to build up strong magic users

You see this wasn’t Murdoc’s doing, he wanted to raise powerful people to serve him, himself,

But I told him it would not work

Only intense emotions can build strong people,

Be it traumatic events or extremely happy events they both can change you,

That’s why I organized the events of ten years ago,

The plan was to show you all hell, quite literally, thus forging you into the perfect weapons,

Then break you mentally so that Murdoc can use you as he sees fit,

It is sad that my experiment didn’t work as intended though, almost everyone here became borderline useless due to their own depression,

Why is it that the people with most potential are always held back by themselves?

That’s why I got you to create club Hedon, a place of unbridled pleasure,

If I can’t get them with trauma,

What about pleasure, addiction?”

Punch!

Punch!

Punch!

Karina continually pummels her fists down on Patricia,

“Was my whole life to you an experiment!”

“I…I’m afraid so,” the woman coughs up blood

“One by one we planned to bring each of you up,

Sadly, we’ll be taking you all to Murdoc at once.”

“Who is this Murdoc you keep mentioning!?” Karina presses

“…..

Murdoc is God”

Queen Patricia’s body begins releasing a dense fog

“Head priest!” she yells,

“All of them!?” he answers

“Except the outsider I want him dead!” she replies

“Very well!”

“What are you talking about!” Darius demands, close to exhaustion, no matter how many blows he lands, the king does not falter.

“Well, this impromptu sparring session has finally reached its climax,” Flint smiles

“I give to you all a-”

Royal Explosion!”

KABOOM!

Flint extends his arms, and draws his legs close forming the shape of a cross,

An outpour of crimson flames flow from him like a tsunami

It consumes us.

This fire, it takes me back to the desert once more, Omari, his son had done something similar,

How poetic is it,

Back then I had narrowly escaped death,

“Kage!” Lyra’s voice screams through the fire,

The heat gets hotter and hotter,

Ripping into my skin,

Like a rabid beast hungrily consuming its prey

I-….

The fire….