Journey of the Soul Finale: Our Future
Foresight, it's a rare occurrence. The ability to see the future in brief glimpses is not common among the citizens of earth. In fact, only two people currently on earth possessed that ability. The first is Arawn, not quite a resident of earth. He mostly used it for viewing when he could possibly regain his full soul and finally move on from earth. For the other, Lila, it works a little differently.
If Lila were to truly focus, she could see a few possible futures that would happen in the next five seconds to her specifically. If she were in the state close to soulflame, then it would be in the next ten seconds. Occasionally, she'll get flashes of what might happen in the near future, but nothing specific enough to really affect anything. Despite its depiction in media, seeing the future is pretty useless if there's no context to what she's seeing. However, Lila managed to see one thing on her way to the hospital. Right after Hunter had just awakened and challenged Arawn, Lila saw a bright flash as her vision shifted to another scene. It was only for a moment, but she saw her vision blur before a massive white light encompassed her sight. What was that? She was running at something in the vision, hence why it was blurring, but why the light? Lila shook the thought from her mind and continued running. She didn't have time to think.
Time was the last thing any of them had right now.
…
Standing in the center of a whirlpool so large it goes to the ocean floor is neat and all, but being 500 feet below sea level creates a bit more distance to travel before actually reaching the floating ruins. Hunter looked around and flexed his fingers. This was different from soulflame, that's for sure. For one, he could move freely instead of violently shaking like the first time he used soulflame. For second, despite his shouting out Arawn, he felt calm. Soulflame activated whenever he feels a strong emotion, so what emotion was this?
"Questions for later." Hunter shook his head and stared at the floating ruins above him. There's probably a way to get up there, but not without a lot of effort and/or hurting himself.
So naturally, he jumped for it.
Jumped for it isn't really the right term. Hunter brought his fists down on the ground below him. The resulting explosion of flame created a massive updraft. The wind carries him upwards quite bit, but it didn't carry him all the way. Hunter caused one massive fiery explosion after the other, all the while not making a sound. Eventually, he peaked over the edge of one of the chunks of the floating ruins. His feet touched down on the ground lightly, and made no sound when they did. He looked up at the floating chunks of earth above him. At the top, there was a shining light than was nearly blinding to look at.
"You got up here rather quickly." Arawn's voice came directly from the light source.
"If I didn't, you would have destroyed the world."
"That is fair enough, I suppose. Now then-"
"No. You had your turn to talk. Now it's my turn." Arawn chuckled.
"Go ahead then."
"I won't bother trying to convince you to stop. You're exactly like zongazonga. No matter what, you think you're in the right…..to be honest, I have no idea why I'm even trying to talk to you."
"Hmm?"
"I should be angry right now. I should be so angry that I should already be up there trying to snap your neck. For some reason, I'm not."
"That is the effect soulflame has on the body. Your emotions have magnified greatly. Perhaps you aren't truly angry at me?"
"I am. I am angry, believe me. There isn't a doubt in my mind that you deserve to die painfully….but, at the same time, I don't feel angry. I'm not thinking about how many people you've hurt, or how many you're gonna kill if I fail, or how much you've hurt me and the people I care about. All I'm thinking about right now is…..is the world."
"That's quite a bit to think about for someone like you."
"Not really, I used to think about the world all the time. I thought about how much it hated me. I didn't ask to be here. I didn't ask to be the one to try and save the world. I didn't ask to be hated, to be a murderer. All this time I thought that fate just didn't want me to be happy. But no, it was YOU. It's been you since the beginning, hasn't it?"
"I-"
"It was a rhetorical question. I already know the answer. The more I think about it, the more I realize that the world really didn't have anything to do with me. Police chasing me down, everyone getting pushed away, all of it. It's either been my fault, or yours, and I've already forgiven myself. The way I am now still isn't the best version of myself, but I can work in that. You and I could talk for days in end and I know for a fact nothing I say will change your mind."
"Who knows? Perhaps If we continue, you'll be the one to see things differently."
"Okay, then let's put it this way. I'm not fighting you because of our conflicting ideals. I'm fighting you because you're the goddamn ugly-ass bastard who killed my parents and my best friend."
"OhHo!" Arawn mused, "those are some rather cutting words Hunter. What would Spinax say?"
"Spinax would say much worse. Unfortunately for you, Spinax isn't here to tell me this is a bad idea." Hunter's eyes blazed as he launched himself from island to island until he finally landed at the top. Arawn, in his form of pure light, was sitting at the top in the throne. He looked mildly surprised.
"That form….I see." Arawn rested a hand on his chin, "your soul is resonating within you. Or perhaps it is simply the piece of my soul. I suppose I should congratulate you. You are now the strongest mortal I've ever met."
"Damn, what a compliment, so you admit that I'm stronger that you."
"You mistake yourself. I am no god, but thanks to my abilities, I am immortal."
"Well then." Hunter closed his eyes. A mask of blue fire flared up from his eyes. When he opened them again, they were a bright, blazing blue.
"I guess you'll be proven wrong when I rip your soul out and crush it in my hand." He started running.
…
"Sir, you really shouldn't be moving."
"I know! That's why I'm moving in the first place!" Lila heard shouting as she ran across the long halls of the hospital. It was Todd's voice that was protesting as multiple nurses were trying to restrain him. He was losing traction, but made sure to hold on to the small object in his hand.
"Todd!" Lila shouted when she rounded the corner and saw him. Todd attempted to break away from the group around him, which was easy since they were trying to avoid hurting his arm. He ran over the Lila and crouched to her level.
"Take it." He passed her the object and she checked underneath its cloth wrapping to make sure. Yep, it was the fossil.
They could bring back Spinax.
"Sir, you really should return to your room, especially considering that this hospital is now the safest place on the island." The nurse gestured to the influx of regular people that could be heard down the hall. Todd stood up with a dead serious expression in his eyes. He almost looked scary.
"A good friend of mine needs my help. Compared to that," he pointed at the cast around his arm, "this is nothing. I understand you're trying to do your job, but I can't sit around and do nothing when people are counting on me." The nurse stood silent for a moment.
"I….understand."
"Thank you. Lila, let's move!" With his good hand, Todd grabbed Lila's hand and the two of them started running back out the hospital. They weaved through the crowd and eventually made it back outside.
"We gotta get to the fighters station." Todd was talking to himself, but Lila understood, "the revival machine's there."
"Right. After that, we need to get Duna. She said she might need help."
"Alright." The plaza of cranial island was an absolute mess. Massive crowds were scattering, trying to find any form of shelter against what they believed would be the end of the world. Others were breaking into stores and stealing whatever they could grab.
"Gee, for how much I told Hunter to have faith in humanity, they aren't really doing a good job are they?"
"Exactly." A voice resonated in both Todd and Lila's minds. They knew exactly who it was.
"Humanity is far from the golden standard of a species," Arawn lamented, "so, from a certain perspective, you could say I'm doing a favor to every other species by eradicating them. A sacrifice for a much better future is quite worth it, wouldn't you say?"
"The future….it's not for you to decide!" Todd shouted back, "the future should be determined by everyone, not just one person. If we're all going to be a part of it, then the future should be up to us to decide!"
"You would postpone the extinction of your species? Humans, if not left to be eradicated here, will instead fall to their own hands. This is the only future I have seen for them. You would knowingly go towards that future?"
"YES!" Todd shouted, "because that's the future we chose together! That's our future! Not yours!"
"I'm afraid you and I will never see eye to eye then. A shame, now I have to prevent you from bringing back Spinax. Hunter will be quite sad about that." Lila saw a bright flash come from the floating ruins. It was a beam of pure light that had shot out from the top of the ruins. And now that beam was coming straight at them.
"Lila! Run! Barbaros, Rallying cry!" Barbaros appeared in a flash of light and put up a shield around them.
"Todd, that shield didn't work last time!"
"I know! Run!" Todd was pushing her now, forcing Lila to move towards the fighters station.
"I don't want to-"
"GO NOW!" The beam was almost upon them. Lila got a flash of the future again. A bright light filling her vision. Oh, so that's what it was.
"Interesting. Todd, will you accept whatever future happens," Arawn sounded like he was laughing, "even if that future will kill Lila?"
"….what?" The light filled both his and Lila's vision.
"I'm sorry Todd." Lila sniffed, "I couldn't….I couldn't do anything to help." The light shattered the shield instantly. Todd grabbed Lila and covered her with his own body.
They couldn't help. They failed.
"Well that's depressing. Need some help?"
"….Hunter?!"
"Hey. Turns out now I'm just psychic with this new soulflame form. I'm thinking of calling it 'soulflame resonance'."
"Why do you sound so calm?"
"Turns out I also literally can't feel strong emotions right now. That's kind of bad I guess, but what I get in return makes up for it."
"Any chance you can use what you got in return to help us out?"
"One condition first."
"Yeah?"
"Don't give up. You never gave up on me, I don't want to see you give up on yourself."
"…thanks."
"Hmm?"
"You never gave up on me either." Todd looked behind him to see blue flames engulfing the light. They were acting as a counter force, holding it in place.
"Move now!" Hunter shouted. Todd picked up Lila and started running. Once they were far enough away, Hunter released the light. It drilled straight into the ground, creating a massive crater before dispersing.
"…" Todd could tell Arawn was listening in. Why wasn't he saying anything?
"Todd, I don't know your plan," Hunter talked quickly, "but whatever it is, go ahead and do it. Do you know what we just did?"
"?"
"We changed the future." Lila answered, "we were….supposed to die there." The words hung in the air for a moment.
"Stay alive guys, I'll finish this." Todd felt both Arawn and Hunter leave his mind. He looked towards the fighters station again.
"Lila, you need to go to the fighters station. I'll be right back with Duna."
"Duna?"
"I remember Hunter said she's amazing at cleaning fossils. We need the best score possible."
"Okay….but I feel like we're missing something."
"A miraculous fossil rock?"
"Yeah."
"Don't worry." Todd reached into his bag. Lila could see the golden glow even from the small opening in the bag.
"Where did…."
"Let's just say, part of me is going to be up there helping Hunter fight." Todd smiled, "and I don't have a teffla anymore. Now let's go."
…
That entire exchange, where Hunter and Arawn struggled in the attempt that would kill Todd and Lila, was only a few seconds. In those seconds, Hunter had reached Arawn while he was contemplating, and the fight began.
Hunter spun on his foot and kicked with the other. Unlike before, Arawn was physically pushed backwards. This was confirmation; he actually had a chance. Arawn fired a beam of light directly at him. Hunter held out his hands and, like before, flames engulfed the beam and it stopped coming towards him. Hunter couldn't hold it in place forever, he learned that very quickly. Instead, he dived out of the way and let the beam of light shoot past him. Hunter ran up and spun, his hand engulfed in blue flames. Like a knife, Hunter brought his hand to Arawn's neck.
"Interesting." Arawn grabbed Hunter's hand, "that hurt a bit."
"….shit." Arawn threw Hunter directly into another floating island. He crashed straight into the side and heard something crack.
"Welp, that's one more rib I've broken." Hunter shook his head as he lay in the newly made dent in the rock. He looked up to see another beam of light coming at him. Hunter engulfed it in flames and thrust his hands upwards. The beam tilted upwards and drilled into the spot right above him. Hunter could see Arawn staring down at him condescendingly. That was about to change.
He braced his hands against the rock wall behind him and created a fiery explosion to shoot him back up to the top. He cupped his hands together and brought them down on Arawn's head. It didn't necessarily hurt, but it made Arawn bend downwards. Hunter braced a foot against Arawn's back and kicked him down, sending him flying downwards.
"See how you like it." Hunter stood and watched Arawn fall. It felt nice to knock him down a peg, even if it was a little petty.
"In hindsight," Arawn looked like he was slowly floating back up. Hunter scowled, "perhaps it would've been best to not humor you with this little fight."
"Say what you want, I don't care." Hunter lunged at Arawn as he rose to his level. The two spiraled back down to a lower island. Hunter felt his skin burn as multiple beams of light shot from Arawn's fingers into him. Hunter kicked Arawn away in midair and the two landed.
"Time is running out Hunter." Arawn shrugged dramatically, "I'd estimate that my power has increased significantly in the time we have been fighting. In fact." He gestured his hands towards himself.
"Why don't we see if you can still fight?" Hunter took a deep breath, the flames disappeared from his face and returned to within his eyes. He responded by charging directly at Arawn and taking a swing. Arawn rotated and dodged. Another swing, another dodge. Again and again, he was now untouchable.
"You've grown quite a bit stronger Hunter, I'll give you that. But now that brief foresight has returned to me, I'm afraid this game is nearing its end." So, Alvis can see the near future again…that's less than ideal.
Hunter stomped on the ground in front of them, kicking up loose rocks and sending them towards Arawn. He weaved through all of them, but blocked rather than dodged when Hunter went for a kick. The flames around his ankle flared up as Hunter kicked off of Arawn into the air. Hunter held his hands out and triggered an explosion of flames on the ground below. As he dived back down, he cupped his hands together and slammed them onto the ground. He felt that rock crack underfoot. He saw a shadow form in front of him and jumped just in time to avoid a light beam. Using a burst of flame, Hunter propelled himself backwards and spun for another kick. He felt his foot swing through the air as Arawn bent backwards to avoid it. Hunter landed and then immediately charged back at Arawn, who responded by holding out a hand. Hunter swung his first and collided with Arawn's hand, which had moved almost instantly to the point of contact. Flames flared up from Hunter's wrist as the two pushed against each other.
"It truly is fascinating." Arawn lamented, "humans are a doomed race, but you cannot deny their determination. To live knowing that you will eventually die. The overbearing futility of it all must be quite a bit to handle."
"That's why humans do what they can in the time they're given. You just can't accept that you ran out of time a while ago."
"Unlike the humans, I have a purpose to perform. I am a servant to this world, and to all other worlds I encounter."
"You say that, but all you do is destroy them with your little pet guhnash. And now that you can't do that, you throw a fit and can't move on."
"I must think of the future. It is a very real possibility that I am the last of my kind. If I do not erase old life, there will be no space for new life to grow."
"And this makes you a servant?"
"Indeed, and if I'm a servant, then you should consider yourself a tool at the very best."
"A tool huh…as much as I wouldn't like to admit it, you're right. I've been a tool for way to many people. I was supposed to help the Dinaurians destroy humans, I was supposed to help you destroy earth, and now I'm the tool the earth is using to protect itself." Hunter could feel his fist going numb.
"It seems you understand."
"Yeah, I've been a tool. Not anymore."
"Hmm?"
"I've decided something. I don't know what I might do in the future, And I definently don't know what I want to do with my life. But I do know one thing; I want my future to be decided by me. Whether it's being the best fossil fighter, being there for the people I love, or just living life one day at a time. My future should be decided by me, just like how everyone should be able to decide their own future. The future of the world is our future, and you're not a part of it."
"That is just it Hunter. You're future is not for you to decide. The only reason you exist is because of me. My soul is what is made you. Your future is mine."
"Oh really? Last time I checked you creating me isn't my fault."
"…"
"You have no hold over me. Consider this the consequences of your actions."
"The consequences of my actions are too insignificant to warrant concern."
"…."
"No more words for me?"
"I've got quite a few actually." Hunter's voice sounded different. His eyes were sharper, his expression was darker, and he was very clearly angry, "for one, you're a bitch."
"You….that can't-"
"Can't be? Guess what, you're wrong. Thanks to your little consequences, you get to deal with me again." Dino smiled, showing their teeth.
"And I'm a lot less forgiving than Hunter."
…
Duna ignored the pain as she ran. As soon as the golden light had shined in the revival machine and the medal was revealed, she had grabbed it and started running. Lila was trailing behind her. And Todd, in his exhaustion, was attempting to gather people rather than rushing to help Hunter. Duna remembered the conversation well.
"Are you sure you don't want to come with us?" Lila asked him, "we might need your help!"
"I'm sure." Todd handed the Dino medal to Duna, "I don't think there's anything I could do now. Besides, someone has to stay behind and make sure people stay sane." Todd gestured to the chaos outside."
"Alright. Good luck Todd." Duna nodded and left. That was only a few minutes ago, but it felt like a lifetime compared to what was happening now.
The fight between Hunter and Arawn had created massive bursts of sound. When Hunter had crashed into another island, it felt like a sonic boom with an echo effect. The ground shook slightly with each impact. People were in disarray all throughout the city. One stray beam of light came down directly toward the city. The screams pierced the air as it had almost landed.
"Harden! Rallying Cry!" Several large Ankylosaur vivosaurs jumped in front of the impending attack. The light slammed into them and instantly returned them to medals, but when it reached Barbaros' shield, Barbaros was able to repel the beam long enough for it to disperse.
"Everyone! Listen to me!" Todd's voice rang out over the panic. He was on top of the outcropping on the fighters station. Barbaros let out a roar, gathering the attention of the people.
"I know you all are scared. Believe me, I am too. But did you all see that? It's not hopeless, we can still save ourselves. So don't you dare give up!" Todd threw several Dino medals into the air. One by one, multiple vivosaurs appeared.
"I'm sure there's a lot you guys don't understand right now. But all we need to know is that something is trying to destroy us. It's time we show them we'll fight and win. That we'll protect not only the islands, but the entire world if we have to. We're all fossil fighters, and what do fossil fighters do?" The crowd responded with a cacophony of roaring. Practically hundreds of Dino medals were tossed into the air. Vivosaurs of all types let out their different battle cries. It was a sight to behold for sure.
"That's right. WE FIGHT!" Todd shouted and led a charge towards the western edge of the city. That way they could strike with beam attacks while putting up a solid defensive shield. Flying vivosaurs began flicking towards the ruins.
She wished Hunter was there to see it all. Still, Duna kept running while she practically dragged Lila by her hand behind her.
"Where are we even going?!" Lila shouted over the chaos.
"To get a boat." Duna replied almost calmly. They were running towards the ocean for a very specific reason.
"Boat? There are no boats!" Lila shouted as they ran outside the main plaza behind the wildwest tower. The beach was farther out, but she could close the distance easily.
"Lila, jump on my back."
"What!"
"Now!" Lila immediately did as she was told. When Duna was shouting, it was serious. Duna transformed into her vivosaur form and carried Lila to the edge of the water. Lila braced herself, expecting something. That something ended being Duna jumping into the water. Moving her tail like a crocodile's, she began to cut through the water at a surprisingly fast speed.
"Where are we-oh." Lila didn't bother finishing that sentence. Partly because Duna's head was fully submerged, but also because it was obvious. Duna was going to get directly below the floating ruins, which would take maybe 15 minutes of swimming. Waiting at the bottom would mean one of two things. One: Duna knew a way to get up, Or two: Hunter was going to fall.
Eventually, water element vivosaurs began to join them as Duna swam towards the destination. Lila tried to make herself seem as small as possible to not attract attention from the other vivosaurs. Eventually, they did arrive at the bottom of the floating ruins. Occasionally, Lila could see a beam of light shoot through the gap in between two chunks of land or a small burst of blue fire. Hunter and Arawn were fighting up there, fighting for the future of the world. Meanwhile, they were down here, waiting for something that might not happen.
"What if he needs the medal now? Do we even know if the medal will work?" Lila looked down at the medal in her hand. The thing about reviving vivosaurs twice is strange. The revival machine registers every individually revived vivosaur to ensure that more bones can be added to the individual skeleton each fighter can find. Duna was the one to complete the revival, but it revived as a new vivosaur instead of adding to Hunter's registered revival. Was this Spinax even the original Spinax? Did they do all this for nothing? The medal might as well be blank for all they know.
Suddenly, Lila felt her vision blur into another image entirely. Another glimpse of the future? But this scene was the same as before: her vision blurring as she ran before her sight being engulfed by light. What was happening? Lila looked up. Dozens of colored beams were being fired at the ruins. When a beam of light would shoot down, fifty lasers from the vivosaur force would come up to meet it. It was insane to think that Todd was the one who was able to organize this in such a short time. Still…what was going to happen from here. Hunter needs help now…what can she do?
….
All things considered, Dino thought he was doing a great job at staying calm. Of course, Hunter had to disagree when he engulfed Arawn in a fiery explosion the size of on of the floating islands.
"That, personally," Arawn spoke as he pushed himself up from a pile of rubble, "was uncalled for."
"I'm pretty sure it was called for. You're just too stupid to realize it." Dino stomped downward on Arawn, who rolled out of the way. Not wanting to miss, Dino spun his other foot around and felt it connect with the now upright Alvis. Before he could regain his footing, he felt something grab his ankle.
"Shit." Dino let the flames on his ankle flare up, but it wasn't enough to stop them from being rag dolled into the ground.
"While I admit I don't have any personal grudge against humans, I suppose I do hold a bit of animosity for you Dino." There was a loud cracking noise as Dino was slammed into the ground again.
"Time and Time again, you fought against Hunter. It was so bothersome. If not for you, I most likely would've had Hunter fulfill my task without any of this occurring. At one point I even tried to intervene and force Hunter to get rid of you, but no, nothing would work."
"So you admit you're the one who drove apart Hunter and Spinax." Arawn heard a cough, then a gasp, and then, Dino started laughing.
"Oh boy, you're in for it. Hunter can't even have emotions right now and he's pissed at you."
"It matters not." Arawn held a hand out as it glowed with blinding light, "goodbye."
"Don't think so." Dino closed his eyes. The mask of flames dissipated. When he opened them again, they were softer, but burning with a fiery intensity.
Hunter braced a foot against the ground and swung his entire body up. He slammed his head into Arawn's. Just touching Arawn's body of light with his bare skin burned like hell, but that wasn't going to stop him. Before Arawn could recover, Hunter grabbed his face.
"Now that's hardly mat-" He was cut off when a stream of flame shot straight into his skull and out the other side.
"I'm so freaking selfish." Hunter laughed. It was a dark laugh that didn't sound like him at all. Arawn felt something, something he didn't recognize.
"I won't lie, this is revenge. Saving the world's just a positive side-effect at this point." Hunter shook his head, "I shouldn't think like that. Saving everyone takes priority. But then again…" the mask of flames flared up again.
"I'm gonna enjoy this way more than I should." Hunter rushed Arawn and brought his foot up to his face in a blistering kick. Hunter felt a beam of light go through his shoulder, but there was no pain. Arawn seemed surprised almost. He was even more surprised when Hunter reared back and struck him directly in the face.
"That was from my mom." Hunter kicked Arawn in the chest as he was tilted backwards
"That was from Spinax." Hunter spun on his other foot and set his entire lower leg aflame to attack Arawn again, sending him reeling backwards.
"That was from Dino." With a shout, Hunter released a massive explosion of flames directly in front of him. A plume of smoke and bright blue embers rose into the sky slowly.
"And that was from me." Hunter felt his skin burn.
"You dumbass."
"Yeah, I am. Why right now though?"
"You do realize you're burning through your own soul right?"
"Our soul."
"Whatever. You pull shit like that again, it's gonna start causing problems."
"Didn't you just make a bigger explosion like ten minutes ago?"
"That's irrelevant."
"I wonder," Arawn's voice echoed out over the smoke cloud, "would you still have the same resolve if you could see what futures lay before you."
"Shut up." Dino shot back, "the adults are talking."
"On the contrary, I believe I am very much involved with what is happening." Hunter noticed the embers around him turning to dust and dissolving. Small sparks jolted out from the dust particles. He felt pressure on his mind. Something had just happened. Something bad.
"Tell me Hunter." Light began peering through the smoke cloud, "out of all the possible futures I have seen. How many do you think end well for you?"
"I don't care."
"You should. Because there are NONE." Two massive fans of a shining white material unfurled from through the smoke. Hunter jumped backwards, but still couldn't get out of the way and was struck backwards. He saw the fans move up and down, dispersing the smoke, almost like…..wings?
Then it occurred to Hunter. Zongazonga could transform into a vivosaur, and he and Arawn were the same species. There's only one difference. Zongazonga became a dinosaur.
Arawn became a dragon.
A dragon that shined like platinum and had scales that looked like they were made of pure light. A dragon that looked like the guardian made flesh and blood.
"I AM YOUR FUTURE. I AM YOUR GOD." Hunter felt something drive into his shoulder and he was sent backwards. He screamed in pain as Arawn used his new tail like a javelin and bore a hole through his already injured shoulder. Hunter was flailed around helplessly like a rag-doll while Arawn laughed.
"So much…gah, for this being not personal." Hunter managed to sputter the word out, half choking on blood.
"I will admit. This is now a personal matter towards both you and Dino. Or rather, it was."
"…"
"Goodbye, Hunter Cloud. Of all my creations, you were truly the most disappointing." Arawn used his tail as a spike to pin Hunter to the ground. He opened his now massive jaws and an orb of light began to form. Hunter tried to pull the tail out of his shoulder, burn it immediately singed his hands, leaving them scarred and numb.
"Why….ugh. If you could just do this from the start. Why bother." The light filled His vision.
"Because." Arawn sounded like he was holding back a laugh as he spoke directly into Hunter's mind, "I enjoyed watching you strug-"
"SPIRAL CUTTER!" The beam of light crashed down directly in front of Hunter. He felt his shoulder regain movement and quickly got up and stumbled away.
"WHO DARES?!" Arawn shook his head around furiously. His response was the screeching of a Ptera. Hunter looked up and his eyes widened when he saw who was leading a charge of Arial vivosaurs towards Arawn.
"HUNTER! RUN!" Todd shouted from on the back of the Ptera just as hundreds of colored lasers began piercing through the ground. Hunter looked on in amazement for a second before Dino took over and started staggering away. His vision was blurry and he could feel himself losing blood. He needed a healing Vivosaur quick.
"Damn it, Move!" Dino shouted at himself. Arawn was bombarded by Todd's force, but he was slowly stomping towards them. With a soul-wrenching roar, a barrier of light exploded outwards from Arawn. The Barrier blasted away every vivosaur attempting to attack him. Leaving just Arawn and Dino. Eventually, Dino reached the edge of the chunk of rock they were on. He could see aquatic vivosaurs spiraling around the water beneath them, firing beams of energy.
"Think we could survive another fall?"
"Not likely." Hunter replied from within the soul, "we wouldn't have a vapor shield like last time unless I burn away at our soul again."
"Yeah, we're not doing that."
"JUMP!" This voice was different. It wasn't Dino's, it wasn't Hunter's, and It wasn't Arawn's. It was Duna's
"Wait Hunter don't-DUMBASS!" Hunter took control and flung them off the edge just as Arawn's tail spiked through the place where they just were. His body spun through the air wildly. It felt like he was being torn apart from the inside. Blue flames streamed out from the hole in his shoulder, creating a trail of fire.
"…You jumped off a cliff because your girlfriend told you to."
"Yes, that is correct."
"Any actual plan?"
"Nope."
"Great. Nice knowing ya." Hunter watched through blurry eyes as the water rushed up to his face. He'd probably die on impact. That'd be a nasty way to go out for sure. Still, Duna had to have some kind of plan. Although, the plan Duna had certainly wasn't what he was expecting.
"Thousand Islands!" Hunter heard the shout below him. Then there was a noise that sounded like something striking the water rapidly. That's when he felt water pressing against his back. He tries to turn and see water was happening, but all he could see from the corner of his eye was something firing a stream of water towards him.
"Gah!" Salada filled Hunter's vision. It was using its legs to strike the ocean again and again to rise. The small vivosaur braced her head against Hunter's back and slowly, he was lowered to sea level. He felt his body float, the salt water stinging his wounds, until a vivosaur pushed him onto their back. It was Duna in vivosaur form. Lila was also there and looked like she wanted to hug him and smack him at the same time.
"Hey guys." Hunter smiled as blood trickled from his mouth, "how's it going?" Lila immediately called out hypsi, who was supported by another vivosaur as they began to heal Hunter. He felt his wounds close, but it was still a struggle to move at all.
"See what happens when you don't have my help?!" Lila half joked, half sniffed back tears.
"Sorry. I couldn't….stop him." Hunter felt the tears coming, but pushed them back. He can't cry. He can't cry. He can't cry.
Duna swiveled her head to look at Hunter. He wanted so badly to say 'everything's fine'. That he could handle this. That he wouldn't fail, but he couldn't. He wasn't strong enough. He was useless without….
Duna moved her head to look at him. He tried to smile as her felt her eyes bore into him. Duna shook her head and slowly swam to the back of the vivosaur hypsi was on. She changed back into dinaurian form and let Hunter drift back into the water for a moment before slowly pulling him up.
"I gotta…. get back up there." Hunter slowly pushed himself up to his knees.
"You just said you couldn't stop him."
"I should still try, I might be able to-"
"You don't believe that."
"…"
"You lost hope."
"Maybe I did. That doesn't matter. I can't-"
"Yes, you can't."
"…?"
"You can't. Not alone. But you aren't alone. Look around you." Hunter stated at the scene. Hundreds of vivosaurs, all fighting against Arawn. All fighting in order to preserve their future. Should he just give up when so many people are still holding onto hope? Hunter buried his head in his hands. He felt Duna put a hand on his hair.
"I….I'm not strong on my own."
"That is correct."
"I make way too many mistakes to be reliable"
"That's why I am reliable for the both of us."
"I don't think things through."
"You don't have to."
"I'm selfish."
"You say that as you are actively trying to save the world."
"…I was never supposed to be alive in the first place." Hunter felt the hand move down to his cheek and lift his head up. Duna was smiling at him with tears in her eyes.
"Then We are all very lucky that you are alive." Hunter broke down. He latched onto Duna and cried openly into her shoulder.
"Didn't we already do this whole song and dance?" He tried to laugh, "I swear I've cried on this shoulder before."
"Yes, that's also where you said you will always struggle against the impossible." Hunter looked up at the floating ruins.
"Yeah, that does seem pretty impossible."
"Which means it'll be easy, right?" Lila hugged Hunter around the waist.
"of course! Just watch me kid, you haven't seen anything yet!" Hunter gave a thumbs up, Lila laughed while Duna looked like she was trying not to.
"Hey! What's so funny?"
"You!" Lila cracked up while Hunter pretended to sulk. Then, her eyes widened.
"Oh…." She started to cry, "so that's how it is."
"Lila?" Hunter held a hand out.
"Is something wrong?" Duna asked, "did you see the fu-" they were interrupted by massive roar. A beam of light ripped through the floating ruins, disintegrating anything it touches. It was in them in seconds. Hunter didn't have time to react.
"Bye Hunter. Save the world for me, okay?" He heard Lila's voice before he felt something get pressed into his hand and pushed away. He could see something through the blinding light.
It was Lila's face, smiling as tears blotted the corner of her eyes.
And then she was gone.
Just like that. No triumph. No dramatic flare. Nothing, not even a touching final moment. Even as Hunter felt his back hit Duna as they both fell into the water, he wanted there to be something else. No way, Lila wouldn't die. Not like that. There had to be something more. If that's really how she goes, then it had to have been fake. There's no way Lila's dead. He's supposed to be this big damn hero right? He supposed to save everyone right?
"She just….that doesn't….why?" Dino asked. He sounded confused, "why for us?" Hunter's head surfaced again. He frantically looked around. Where was she. He heard Duna surfaced behind him. Where was she. He heard shouting. Where was she. He heard Duna screaming, or was it crying? Where was she. Where's Lila?"
"Do you want to see her?" Arawn said in his mind. That's when Hunter saw it. A small white flame emerged from the water. Green embers trailed off of the fire as it rose into the sky, to Arawn. The embers slowly trailed into Hunters hands. They faded away silently, almost as if they were absorbed into his skin like droplets of water.
"Then why don't you join me? I'm sure it will be a lovely reunion." Hunter looked directly up.
"You're gonna regret that." There was no malice in Hunter's voice. He sounded incredibly calm. Arawn felt that same feeling as before when Hunter spoke. What was it?
"….why? Why me? My life isn't worth more than yours. What the hell Lila?" He bit down on his lip to the point where it started bleeding.
"If you're gonna leave, at least give me time to yell at you for how stupid that was you jerk! Now I can't even be mad!" Save the world for me… those were her last words. Her final wish. That was the future she wanted him to make.
Hunter looked down at what Lila put in his hand. He wanted to shout, but he didn't. This wasn't a fair trade. Why couldn't it have been him? It was meant for him. He should've-
"Don't talk like that."
"…Hey Spinax."
"Hey…."
"It's good to talk to you again."
"….I'm angry Hunter. I'm really freakin angry. I couldn't protect her. I was trying, I couldn't get out of this damn medal."
"Then let's do something about that."
"Trust me, I will."
"…I'm sorry. I should be so much more emotional. I got my best friend back and I can't even work up tears at this point."
"Love you too buddy."
"Thanks. Do me a favor."
"?"
"Don't die ever again."
"Alright, I won't."
"Promise?"
"Promise, and I'm going to keep it."
"Good…..I want to cry."
"….me too." Memories came flashing back to Hunter. Memories of Lila. Of her smile, her laugh, her getting angry. That all seemed so strange now. A single tear appeared on his face.
"Just watch me kid." He said, looking up, "you haven't seen anything yet."
Hunter looked towards Duna. He tried to comfort her, but didn't think he was making much of a difference.
"Duna, I'm going back up there."
"What?! Why? So you can die? I won-"
"And I want you to come with me."
"….."
"I know it's dangerous. I know I might just be leading both of us to our deaths. But….I want to stay by you. I know it's weird, but-"
"Then let's go kill that bastard."
"Damn, when did she learn that word?" Spinax mused.
"Alright," a mask of flame burned into Hunter's eyes, "then let's go." Hunter stood on another vivosaur, but his mind was elsewhere. His mind was showing him a stadium, a roaring crowd, an opponent standing at the end of the field. He took the medal in one hand, held onto Duna's with the other.
"I believe in you." Hunter said aloud.
"Thanks kid." Spinax replied, "let's give em hell."
"ARAWN!" Hunter shouted, "WE AREN'T DONE YET! THIS IS OUR HOPE! THIS IS OUR FUTURE, THE FUTURE THAT LILA TRUSTED ME WITH!"
"LET'S DO THIS SPINAX!" The medal spun like a discus across the air. It flashed a blazing blue color as it was engulfed in flames. Spinax appeared with his crystals burning with fire on the inside. His own eyes were adorned with trails of blue flames. Their hearts Resonated. Hunter could feel his sense sharpen, his skin burn, and his resolve stronger than ever. Hunter and Duna jumped onto Spinax while he was still in midair.
"RRRRRRROOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRRRR!" The ocean churned upwards violently with spinax's roar. Explosions erupted from his feet, sending Spinax rocketing towards the floating ruins.
"Duna, hang on." Hunter said quietly.
"Hmm?"
"This is going to be rough." Spinax spiraled away as Arawn fired laser after laser at him. Hunter's bones rattled, yet he felt focused and calm. Spinax rose offer the edge of the ruins and stared down Arawn.
"Tell me, what's it like in hell?" Arawn asked.
"See for yourself." Spinax shot back.
"Now that's har-"
"SHOOTING STAR!" Instead of falling, Spinax shot straight across at Arawn. The barrier shattered the second Spinax came into contact with it. It quickly reformed itself, blocking any outside interference, and the two dragons collided. Spinax's feet skidded against the ground as he dug his claws into Arawn. Arawn respond by stabbing his tail into Spinax's gut several times. The bladed edge of the tail shot sparks everywhere as it slashed against the crystal hide, chipping away at small chunks of it. Spinax dig his feet into the ground and let out a roar as he pushed Arawn into the ground, slamming his neck into a crag in the rock. He reared up to crush Arawn's head with his foot, but a beam of light shot straight through his foot and Spinax was forced to recoil.
Arawn slashed at Spinax with the sharp edges of his wings. Hunter and Duna struggled to hold on as Spinax shook violently, spreading bright blue flames around him and burning Arawn's wings. Hunter saw out of the corner of his eye that Arawn had opened his mouth.
"SOULFIRE!" Spinax met the laser with his own cascade of fire. The two forces collided and fire spread everywhere. Hunter felt himself slipping as Spinax reared back. Duna grabbed his hand and held him in place as the two beams finally dispersed. Arawn flapped his wings furiously again to launch himself at Spinax.
"Harden! Then Spinax Mega!" Spinax's crystals shined brilliantly as Arawn made contact. To Hunter, it felt like the entire earth was shaking.
"Damn that hurts." Still, Spinax endured the hit. With a roar and his claw cloaked in a flaming tornado, Spinax dealt Arawn an uppercut that sent him spiraling backwards. Spinax looked at his claws for a moment.
"Hunter….that was."
"I know. Sorry, it's the only way." Hunter felt his vision blur and focus again. He had burned away at his own soul again to help Spinax.
"No it isn't. We'll get through this without it." Hunter sighed.
"What'd I tell you." Dino growled, "you dumba-…..idiot."
"Fine, but it's still a plan B."
"Then for once," Spinax turned his head and grinned, "let's make sure Plan A works."
"Hunter, what are you three speaking about?" Duna put a hand on his shoulder.
"We were trying to avoid an outcome to this fight that would end up killing me."
"Oh….let's avoid it then, shall we?"
"Right. Spinax Giga!" Spinax charged at Arawn, flames trailing from his mouth. Arawn folded his wings like a shield and Spinax's fangs slid off the side. Spinax used his momentum from sliding to swing his tail around through the fold between the wings. He caught right below the base of the wing and knocked Arawn off balance. Arawn swiveled to bring his own tail around and slash it across Spinax's face. Spinax roared as he bit down on Arawn's tail before it went out of reach. Hunter suddenly felt practically sick to his stomach as his vision blurred in and out of focus again.
"Pull!" Hunter shouted. Spinax wrenched the tail backwards and threw Arawn sideways. The dragon used its wings to balance itself before firing another beam. Spinax launched himself out of the way of this one. Hunter nearly tripped over and felt his vision blur for a second before he turned his head. The beam was coming back around!
"Spinax! Behi-" the beam went straight through Spinax. It all looked like it was happening in slow motion. Hunter's head slowly turned to see where the beam hit precisely.
It had gone straight through Duna.
…
"Pull!" Hunter shouted. Spinax wrenched the tail backwards and there Arawn sideways. The dragon used its wings to balance itself before firing another beam. Spinax launched himself out of the way of this one.
"Wait, this just…" Hunter turned and watched the beam shoot past Spinax. It started to tilt slightly.
"SPINAX! It's coming back around! SOULFIRE!" Spinax swiveled on his foot and fired a jet of flames at the beam before it could fully turn. In a panic, Hunter burned away at his soul to add energy to the fire. It felt like his blood was boiling from the inside, but the light dispersed fairly quickly.
"Good catch, but DON'T do that again." Spinax commented as he locked claws with Arawn.
"You mean…you didn't."
"You didn't see that?" Dino finished for him.
"See what?"
"You saw it too Dino?"
"Yeah. That was….the future."
"What the hell are you two talking about?"
"You, how do you have that power?!" This voice wasn't Dino's, Hunter's, or Spinax's. It was Arawn's.
"If I knew, I wouldn't tell you." Hunter shot back, "but guess what? All it means is that now I can stop you even easier." Duna looked at him confused." Arawn broke away from Spinax. Even though his face was much more reptilian, Hunter could make out the look of shock.
"That's not what I'm referring to. How, how did you change it?" Arawn pointed a claw accusingly at Duna.
"You! YOU SHOULD BE DEAD!"
"….we can change the future." Hunter commented, "we did it once before and we can do it again. That's why he's shaken up."
"Then I guess." Dino started, "the future he sees is one where he wins."
"Of course I shall claim victory. That is the will of the world. There will be no other future! What gives you the right to change it? WHAT ARE YOU?!" Arawn finally recognized the emotion he had been experiencing. That feeling that occurred whenever Hunter spoke.
It was fear.
"I think I've figured it out." Hunter held a hand to his chest. "The reason my vision has blurred. The reason I can see the future, and the reason I can change it, no matter how bleak it is." Hunter thought back to just a short time ago. Lila's soul falling away from the price of Arawn's. How the embers melted into his hands, almost as if they were absorbed….
"Y'know. Zongazonga said it was possible for two souls to exist at the same time within one vessel. He did it with Duna. And now, I'm doing it. You aren't fighting Just us Arawn." Hunter was on Spinax's head, pointing at his enemy.
"You're fighting Me, Duna, Spinax, Dino, and Lila. Whether they're here facing you down or I carry their soul with me. Not just us either, you're fighting every single person in the world. This world is worth fighting for. This world…and every other world…doesn't need you in it!"
"I DECIDE WHAT THIS WORLD NEEDS. IT NEEDS TO BE DESTROYED!" The wind swirled violently, nearly knocking both of them off Spinax, as Arawn took to the skies. It was majestic in a way, how the setting sun made his wings shine. Hunter didn't care about any of that though, there was only one thing on his mind. His vision blurred again. He saw Arawn swirl in a circle as a missive orb of light formed in the middle. Like a meteor, the orb descended. Spinax held his arms up to block, but it wasn't enough. He heard himself scream as the world disintegrated around him.
And then he was back.
"Up!" He shouted Spinax rocketed upwards just as Arawn began to form the orb. He quickly gave up on it and instead rushed at Spinax. The two titans spiraled through the air as they slashed at each other.
"RAGING SOUL!" Before Arawn could fling the unfinished orb at Spinax, he launched Hunter and Duna into the air.
"Hold on!" Hunter felt Duna's hand close around his. As Spinax erupted with blue light. Hunter created a small burst of flame that carried them out of the blast radius. If Arawn was damaged by the attack, he didn't show it. Instead, he dived straight into the explosion and bit into Spinax's neck.
"Bad call. SPINAX GIGA!" Spinax responded by opening his own, larger jaws and crunched down on Arawn. Hunter and Duna landed on Spinax's head.
Hunter's vision blurred again. He saw Arawn pull away from Spinax and soar straight into the air. Spinax fired a beam of energy at him, but didn't slow him down. With an unearthly shriek, Arawn dived while enveloped in light. It looked as if the sky itself had lit up and started falling. That was it, that was his final attack.
And Hunter was going to stop it, no matter what.
"Spinax!" Hunter called just as Arawn began to soar, "don't fire! And cut the tornadoes!"
"I don't know what you saw Hunter, but I can FEEL that." He gestured to Arawn as he began to glow, "we gotta stop it."
"We will. Trust me."
"….alright."
"You sure you want to do this?" Dino caught on to what Hunter was about to do surprisingly quick. He didn't sound angry, or even sad for that matter. He sounded….calm. Calm for the first time since they met each other.
Spinax dispersed the tornadoes at his feet. They began to fall through the air.
"THIS IS YOUR END!" Arawn screeched as he dived towards them. He was faster, he would catch them.
"Hunter, what is you plan?" Hunter couldn't help but notice how Duna's hair would fan out in this really pretty way.
"I'm sorry Duna. I can't keep my promise."
"…promise?"
"I promised I wouldn't let go. Never again. But now, I have to. The flames trailing from Hunter flared up dramatically.
"You sly bastard," Spinax Chuckled, but Hunter could hear his voice break in the middle of it he had been transferring small amounts of power to Spinax by burning away at his soul. This was the last of his strength. They win now, or not at all.
"You….you can't do that! I won't allow it!" Duna grabbed on to Hunter. The flames didn't burn her. No matter how much destruction he caused, he didn't burn her. Hunter hugged Duna like he was about to lose her. It was selfish really, especially when it was about to be the other way around.
Hunter's entire body was engulfed in flames now. Lines of fire shot across Spinax's back. And from those line, a pure blue light Emirates outwards.
"This is goodbye I guess….it's been fun."
"Hunter….please, don't leave." He felt his heart break all over again.
"Goodbye Duna. Tell Todd I'm sorry. I love you." If Hunter didn't have soulflame, he wouldn't have been strong enough to push Duna off of himself and Spinax. The light trailed out from Spinax, creating a sort of buffer that would keep her safe until she landed onto the ruins. Hunter turned back to Arawn. When he spoke, both his and Dino's voice echoed outward.
"SHI-"
"If you say that lame ass name I will let us both die."
"…..SHINING HOPE!"
"….okay, we'll roll with that one." Spinax let out one last earth shaking roar before his crystals shattered. Instead of exploding. Each individual shard was guided by the light into a position around him. Lines of fire shot out from the crystals, connecting them in a way. Spinax had grown wings. Wings made of raging blue fire. Bathed in light and flames. Spinax shot upwards to meet Arawn head on. The two shooting stars collided. A shockwave of energy pulsed outwards. The entire world stopped for a second.
"YOU WILL NOT-"
"For the love of god, just shut up." Hunter ran off of Spinax's head and jumped.
"Wish me luck."
"How about hope instead?"
"That works too….bye partner."
"Nah. Just…see ya later." Hunter smiled as he put a hand on Arawn's head.
"You want my soul?" He said, "THEN TRY AND TAKE IT!"
….
They were standing on the same black plateau this entire mess started on. The inside of Hunter's soul. Arawn, in his original form of light, stood at one end. Hunter stood at another while he was practically burning alive.
"…this was your plan? Invite to the place where, when I kill you, I can also take your body as a vessel?"
"You don't want my body."
"Fair enough. Even now, you've cause near unimaginable damage to it. Still, I suppose I should thank you." Arawn began to glow even brighter, "I shall take your soul piece and finally be complete. This is-"
"DINO! NOW!" Dino emerged from the shadows behind Arawn with flaming eyes. He kicked Arawn forward as Hunter began running. With a shout, he let loose a flurry of attacks.
"You seriously thought I was gonna let you talk?!" Hunter and Dino released all their anger, all their rage, towards Arawn. For lack of a better term, they beat the shit out of him. Fire exploded out in all directions. There was no time to recover. There was not time for Arawn to do anything.
"You aren't my god, you aren't my future, you don't control this world, you don't control what happens to any other world, AND YOU DON'T CONTROL ME!" Hunter grabbed Arawn's head.
"I am-" Fire exploded from the back of Arawn's head as Hunter blew a hole through it.
"Dead." He finished for him. Arawn's body slowly fell to the ground. A shining orb of fire rose up from it. It was a blazing ball that was missing a small piece within. Hunter grabbed it and, with a burst of flame, crushed it in his hand.
It was over. Everything that has started from Arawn. Guhnash, Zongazonga, Lila, and Hunter. All of it, was over.
Hunter could feel himself fading. Dino remained stone-faced, yet he could see something in his eyes. Something he hadn't noticed before.
"Sorry, you probably wanted to do that more than me." Hunter smiled apologetically. And the fire burned away at him.
"Well, technically I am you, so we both did that. And holy shit, was that cathartic." Dino laughed, then shouted.
"So long bastard! You died first! HAHAHA!"
"I'm…sorry Dino. I couldn't help you nearly as much as I wanted to.
"You kidding? This was great!" Hunter recognized the energy in Dino's voice. It was the same energy he had.
"I finally got to live a little. I wasn't even supposed to be able to do that!"
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Hunter laid down on the floor. He watched the stars sparkle in the sky. He felt hot tears trail down the side of his face.
"Oh….right." Dino sat down next to him.
"It's been one crazy journey. I can't believe I've finally reached the end of it." Hunter smiled.
"It was filled with ups and downs, Dramatic twists and turns, and I'd say that was one hell of a climax, wouldn't you?"
"Don't talk like it's over. We both know there's so much more you wanted to do."
"Yeah, I know. But I used up all my last chances. Hunter held his hand up. A blazing blue light was in his hand. His soul.
"Dino, you deserve to have another chance."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying take your chance, have hope. I'm saying it's it for me, but not for you."
"That's not….that's not fair."
"What happened to you wasn't fair."
"…..I'll get you back."
"Damn, does that mean we're friends?"
"We kinda literally have to be." Hunter laughed for what he thought would be the last time. Slowly, he placed his hand in Dino's, and his soul slowly moved to him.
"See ya around Dino. Tell Spinax I called him pointy."
"Will do, see you later….Hunter Cloud." The flames burned spectacularly until slowly, they faded away. Faded away first to embers, then to dust, then to nothing at all.
(The Journey will finally conclude next chapter.)