Although he had denied the woman her request with intent, his face had managed to change to a look of uncertainty. His eyes weren't as sharp anymore, and his body language had shifted to a more tense state. This was natural, of course, when considering the reaction that had unfolded before him. It was not the reaction he was expecting. When he had voiced his response, he had expected a reaction more so of lunacy and desperation. Yet, for some reason, the woman was instead frozen in place, colorless of all emotion and thought. It was as if his answer had actually hurt her or perhaps shocked her into solidity.
"Your receiver has reacted abnormally. Perhaps she is not under any illusion?" A female voice spoke inside his head, prompting him to sharpen his eyes again against the woman in front of him. Perhaps it was true, he thought as a response. Despite what the situation may have dictated, it was not his intention to deny a person of need, or at least, not in the manner he had done. His response was more so a test, a simple examination of her state.
Despite the locale's reputation, throughout the time the man had spent within the Wraith's Manifest, there would always be someone wondering about the haunted and deranged forest one day or the other. Due to its internal qualities, the forest would drive those who trespass mad, turning them irrational against all means. This irrationality was solid and imposing, capable of turning even the most innocent and powerless into complete demons with no aim. With their minds deprived of sanity, those trespassers would become monsters of their own, usually as a phantom of some sort, trying to kill or hurt whatever that may have been inside, if not themselves. It always came to the man himself to have to exterminate them.
The process was quick, and unless immediately combated, would result in the demonic transformation where only death could save them. As so, with death being the answer, it was up to the man himself to gift it to those who had no hope. It was that process that had driven him to meet the current visitor. As someone who had lived and experienced the process countless times, he had sensed the presence of the woman the moment she had stepped into the forest. Without hesitation, the man approached her, hoping to save her mind so that he could return her to the outside, if not kill her so that she no longer suffers.
However, now that he had interacted with her, he had come across a roadblock. The woman was still not insane despite the insanity that had plagued her deeply. Usually, whenever the man had interacted with a trespasser, he would be attacked by the demon who possessed their minds. One way or the other, the dark energy within their mind and heart would lash out. As so, depending on how much of it had consumed the trespasser, he'd pick between the two previously stated options. However, this time, there was no dark energy within the person.
In front of him was a woman whose heart and mind was still pure, unrelenting in their natural response to his interaction. It was out of the ordinary, so much that he couldn't help but feel tense as a result. Apart from himself, the man had never once run into another person capable of dispelling or repulsing the madness of the forest. Not only that, but she had dispelled it without any particular spell or weapon. She had dispelled it entirely by herself, if not unconsciously. It was a rare sight.
As so, the man had to change his approach, and he needed to interact with her more as his assumed verdict had been proven false.
"What do you need help with?" He asked. If she were still sane, that would mean that she still had her intentions and memories, and she'd be able to tell him her reason for having had risked her existence by wandering into the forsaken forest.
"Help..." She whispered back, and her face was still empty, void of any body language.
"Again, what do you need help with?" He repeated.
"Help..." She whispered again as if he had not made his question evident. Her lack of change prompted the man to grunt with frustration, causing him to kneel in front of the woman. Slowly and lightly, he then proceeded to cup her face with his free hand, piercing her eyes with his, looking into her so that she understood him.
"I understand you need help. But, I need you to tell me why." He said to her softly, caressing her smooth face as he activated a small spell on her. The magic was indeed a small one that could clear the immediate stress of a person's mind, granting them the ability to become instantaneously relaxed. Naturally, due to his spell, the woman regained her color and emotion, slowly realizing the slightly tight hold the man had her in. Her breathing was slow but constant, and her body had melted to his touch, causing her to slump into his body, prompting the man to drop his weapon on the ground so that he could catch her.
"There is... mayhem outside... The monsters of the night are bloodthirsty and strong. They tore through my home and my people; they are in danger. I need to help them. Please help. Or they'll die." Her voice spoke coherently but slowly, her words spaced out because of the sadness and panic that began to return to her. Tears began to swell on her eyes, causing her to lean into the man's chest, smearing them across his trenchcoat that had proved to be soft enough to hold her face.
"There's mayhem outside?" The man asked for clarification.
"Yes. The monsters, for some reason. They are strong. They're more mad and violent. They kept coming in large swarms, tearing everything in their path. My people couldn't handle them... everything... everything... is in chaos outside..." She explained, her words slightly muffled as she had yet to raise her face from his chest.
Her response caused him to raise one of his eyebrows in confusion, prompting him to shuffle her face off of his chest so that her voice could be straightforward.
"What do you mean when you say that they're violent?" He asked. Her explanation, by nature, sounded very simple and easy to understand. However, it was very vague in terms of the context. Were the monsters violent? Of course, they were; they always had been. So what was the difference now?
"They're crazy and far more ravenous now, and they're far more aggressive and significantly stronger. They possess so much strength now... causing madness wherever they go..." She spoke as he looked into his eyes.
"I see..." The man responded as his gaze grew sharper. He was unsure whether he should believe her and was on alert if she suddenly became insane. What she was explaining to him was pretty irregular, and as so, to believe it from simply hearing it was difficult for him. However, despite his doubts, he couldn't help himself from considering her thoughts and words. Perhaps what she was saying was indeed true. But, of course, deliberating on his own without action was fruitless, and as so, he decided to take action. In the end, regardless of what may come of the situation he's in, he was prepared to resolve it the only way he knew how.
Slowly, he pushed the woman and separated himself from her entirely before picking up his sword and standing up. Naturally, as a result, the woman did the same, all while staring at him with curiosity in her eyes. Afterward, the man began walking past her, calmly and slowly, prompting the woman to follow closely before he got too far away.
"Where... where are you going?" She asked.
"To see what you're talking about." He answered.
It was no longer up for any debate anymore. The man examined the landscape in front of him with a surprised look on his face, noticing the crimson tint all around as the monsters prowled about. In the far distance, he watched the lights and explosions soar and rip as the gates of the Sevali Union were being breached by what was a sea of endless monsters. At first, he couldn't believe it. His first assumption was that he was under a spell of the Wraith's Manifest. Unfortunately, that was not the case as the Wraith's Manifest could not muster up such an illusion on a victim. It was all real.
"Shit..." His swear was silent and restrained, full of worry and possibly even anger, causing the woman behind him to flinch out of surprise. However, before she could even react mentally, the man readied his crimson patterned sword and began to run. As a result, as if she was an imprinted chicken, she chased him anxiously, wondering why he would storm off so suddenly.
"Wait! Where are you going?!" She shouted at him, disregarding how such an action could've provoked the hostile mobs around. The man, however, ignored her question and continued running unfazed, facing towards the Sevali Union in the distance with a stern look on his face. "Wait! Please! Don't just leave me!" She shouted again, eliciting a groan from the man as he turned his head to face her for a split second. Unfortunately for him, before he could have given a more definitive response, the woman grasped his coat, causing him to stop in place immediately before he began to drag her unwillingly against him.
"What?" His voice was akin to that of a growl, showcasing his immediate distaste against her current behavior. Despite that anger, though, he didn't allow his displeasure to lash out entirely as he understood very well the nature of her actions. Unfortunately for her, he did not have much patience in indulging it as much as he could understand. As of that very moment, he had a far more critical concern to handle, one that he did not want to delay in any way. Still, he could not help but feel a tiny shred worth of sympathy within his burning anxiety as he looked at the helpless and desperate woman.
"My people, help them! Please! I beg of you! I'll give you whatever you want! I'll do whatever you may want me to do! Just please! Help them! Save them!" Her wails were grating his ears, forcing his anger to dissipate slowly but hesitantly. He wanted to leave, to let her be. A village in the middle of this invasion was not of his concern. He had something far more critical to do. And yet, guilt haunted his mind if he left her be. She was sincerely desperate. She was yearning for even a shred of hope for her home. He knew he could do it.
It was inherently selfish and ignorant. He knew that very well. He knew that avoiding her would accomplish nothing but loss, nothing but misery. Even if he had his concern to tend to, he knew in the back of his mind that he didn't have to prioritize it as much as he was. He had no reason to ignore her. If he did, it was only because he didn't want the responsibility.
"Rerouting your priority to help her has an insignificant effect on your main concern at hand. As so, there is no harm in doing so." The familiar female voice spoke inside his head again, advising him as he expected. This simplistic statement caused him to groan inwardly, slapping the reality of his insensitivity on his mind.
Ah, fuck it. I doubt this will affect anything like before.
"Where?" He voiced intensely, piercing her emotions with his steel-cold voice.
The sudden change in his decision shocked the woman momentarily, almost going over her head as if it was all another illusion. Fortunately, however, she came to her senses quickly and pointed towards the west of their location, towards the second point of conflict that could've been spotted across the land.
"My people are over there." With hesitation in his mind, the man wielded his sword in his hand, showcasing how its fiery etching was beginning to intensify, wrapping itself around his blade, and soon after, his own body. Within a couple of moments, the man was dressed in a fiery and crimson aura, pulsating as if the light had a heartbeat and will, growing stronger with every beat that passed. By his side, the woman watched him silently, reverently, noticing the sheer amount of power developing in front of her own eyes.
She didn't have much experience or knowledge when it came to the essence of magic. She had never wielded any, neither had she ever gotten to examine anyone who could. However, even a novice like her understood the scale of what was in front of her. The man was not just a regular wielder of magic, not by any means of her imagination. The crimson flames burned deeply, intensely with a force she felt was beginning to push her back. She could physically feel its mere existence, something that is not meant to happen. Instead, she felt its heat, its anger, its sheer power as it tried to sweep her away from collateral.
Surprisingly, it wasn't just her that was awestruck either. The monsters around could feel the pressure too. Those who the Wraith's Manifest no longer pacified didn't even dare approach the man. Their instincts knew better than to approach the burning reaper in front of them.
After a minute or so, she was more than twenty meters away from the man from having been pushed back, and in front of her was a pillar, a furious ball of a burning crimson light that was deeper than the red color of the moon on the night sky. The heat by then was nearly sensibly intolerable. She felt as if she was burning alive even though the flames were not even touching her.
Due to her deep captivation on the subject in front of her, she became stunned entirely when the flame suddenly soared into the sky, burning like a deathly star across the night sky as it flew towards her home. Behind it, the star left an ashen plot of land and a lasting field of heat distortion, making that small plot look like a land from hell itself. The star had covered all of the land in smoke, and the grass that was there before was burned into a jet-black of near-nothingness. If all of that wasn't enough to surprise her, then maybe the burnt corpses that were all around her would. Somehow, perhaps without even intending to, the crimson explosion had incinerated every creature around her, leaving her completely safe from any harm.
She had no clue who she had asked help from nor the implications of what that man could do. At that very moment, all she felt was a festered wonder of whether or not she had just seen a god.
Or an actual demon.
The explosion incinerated everything in sight. Everything that was a 'danger' to be exact. It was as if a meteor had landed. A red crimson aura of flames appeared within a sudden flash, and with a booming sound, it expanded outward and burned every hostile mob around. It was a wall of fire, a wave of fury and obliteration. It had no remorse, no qualm. It simply chewed and annihilated through its prey, leaving their putrid ashes behind as a denotation of their insignificant existences.
To the few and remaining survivors of the tattered village, the event had been mythical. To them, the man who had appeared and crashed was nothing short of an incarnation of their wishes. They were desperate, depressed, and defeated. The light of their peace was nearly extinguished. Their lives in their eyes had become blackened to the core, hopeless and empty beyond help, beyond any form of repair. They had given up. They had already accepted that they had lost everything worth protecting, everything that was worth fighting for. The only thing left as an imprint of their former tranquility and happiness was the bloodied ashes of their homes and friends.
And yet, within an instant, they were safe. Within a second, within a flash, they were saved. The spherical aegis of crimson fire that surrounded their home protected them, keeping any and every bit of danger outside and far away from what was left of their home.
The safety was offputting at first for the survivors. They were not expecting it to have arrived so abruptly. Some of them were skeptical of what had happened. They were not sure if whether what they were witnessing was an indication of safety. In their eyes, perhaps it was a sign of something worse to come, or maybe, it was all an illusion before their swift end. But, despite their skepticism, there was no danger anymore. The forcefield of flames was shielding them completely, incinerating every mob trying to cross through it to fight the villagers. Not only that, but it kept burning fiercely and brightly as if it had no intention of dying down any time soon.
From that moment forward, there was no need for worry anymore. As so, just as quickly as he had arrived, he vanished, leaving the village, heading away to tend to his concerns before anyone could even try to acknowledge who he may have been.
The Sevali Union, despite its immense size and grit, seemed to be in a desperate state. The main entrance at the west of the Union had been destroyed and soldiers were all about trying to push out the neverending bloodthirsty invaders. It was a hopeless and losing battle. For every one monster they took down, they'd lose a soldier to another, and afterward, another wave of demons would swerve in to pick their next target. Even with the might of the Sevali's best soldiers and mages the defenders were not capable of slowing down the trespassers. If anything, all they seemed to achieve was slowing down what was becoming inevitable.
Of course, the ongoing battle was not the particular concern of the man, and he couldn't have cared any less of the Sevali Union, its soldiers, or even its civilians. He had only one thing to worry about. That was nothing more than the wellbeing of a single person within the Union.
Finding her had proved to be a little difficult for him. Even as he soared quickly above the city, he couldn't spot the face or even the particular physical qualities of the person he was looking for. Naturally, the chaos going all around caused everyone to run around and flail about, either trying to find a safe space to survive or a place to defend, a factor that didn't help his cause.
"The eastern wall has been breached! We need immediate reinforcement on the east side!"
"Not possible! We already lost the west side, and we can't spare anything else!"
"If we don't get help now, the entire east side is going to fall soon! We don't have the workforce to suppress the monsters!"
"The western wave has already passed the third checkpoint in the west side! We can't split the troops, or else they'll reach the center of this damn city and destroy us from the inside!"
"Then where the hell am I supposed to get help from?! The north and south have all of their troops already mobilized defending their sectors!"
"Defend your sector as best as you can, you dipshit! All you can do is hope that someone can come along to help you at some point!"
"Fine! Whatever! I guess I'll see you in hell when this place falls flat on its shit!" As he flew, the stress and desperation of the soldiers around was severe. Just as the conversation implied, the Union was stretched thin of its security. The unprecedented invasion had forced the entirety of the Union's army to deploy and defend, all without any preparation or thorough planning. The disorganization, as a result, cost them the whole of all of their fronts. They were trying their best, but it was all in vain. The only thing the army could do was delude themselves into thinking that they were making a difference.
Fortunately, the wellbeing of the army was not of concern to the man either.
"Where the hell is she?" Despite his stoic demeanor, the man was deeply entrenched with worry. He could not bear the suspense of not knowing the wellbeing of his concern. If anything had happened to her, he knew very well that there would never be an end to his grief, anger, and hatred for himself.
"Don't worry! You'll be fine. Just relax and stay with me, okay?" There it was, the soft angelic voice that he knew from all else in the world. As he turned his attention to its origin, he noticed the characteristic dark purple hair imprinted in his mind for as long as he knew. She was crouching in the middle of a street, providing medical assistance to a child who seemed to have a burn wound on his arm. The kid himself was crying, but with the serenity of the woman's voice in front of him, he was slowly calming down. Within seconds, he was silent and attentive, minding any and every bit of action from the woman as she healed him.
Without a shred of hesitation, the man flew down. He landed beside them, making sure that he suppressed his magical aura before he touched down to avoid injury or destroying anything around unnecessarily. As a result, despite his landing being gentle, he startled both of them, causing them to face him with surprised looks on their faces. At first, the woman was shocked, her healing power having had stopped due to the sudden disruption to her concentration. On the other hand, the little boy stared blankly, wondering who the menacing-looking man could've been.
After a moment, however, the woman regained her bearings. She recognized the man in front of her, showcasing both a smile of happiness and a smile of relief, a response which was mirrored by the man himself, albeit far more restrained.
"Victor! Oh my god, you're okay! Well, not that you wouldn't be." The first line of speech that she delivered was a slight quip meant to lighten her mood more than anyone else's.
"It seems you're the same. What the hell is going on?" His rough voice strained to be heard through the boundless noise going all around. It was so low that the child could not even listen to it. Only the woman herself was able to, only due to her familiarity with it.
"I wish I knew. One moment everything was okay, and then a moment later, the entire country was at war and losing. Everything had fallen apart. If anything, it would be a godsend if this war could make even a shred of sense throughout here." She responded as she resumed her healing. "All I know is that the Union is nearly at its breaking point and that this invasion is near, if not already, unstoppable. Not even the elite soldiers of the Union are lasting against this madness."
"If not even the elite are lasting here, then we need to get away from here. It'll only be a matter of time before everything here caves in on itself." The man suggested, causing the woman to stop healing so that she could look at him. She faced him with a look of surprise and perhaps disbelief. It was as if the man himself had said something heretical.
"Vic, you know we can't just leave everyone here. Do you know how many casualties will result if we leave?" Of course, he knew that. He knew that better than anyone else.
"Val, we need to leave. What else is there to do?" He asked with sarcastic curiosity.
"Protect everyone here; that's one." She responded, albeit with some annoyance in her voice. "Is that not a common response to madness?"
"You must be insane if you think all of this can be helped. The country has nearly fallen apart; what type of protection can even be provided here?" Victor returned her scorn.
"Ah god! Why is it always the same with you? Every single time, your reaction and attitude have always been the same." Her words rung deeply in Victor's ears, so much that he had grown sick from his familiarity with them.
"Valkyrie, this isn't the time for such child's play. Tell me, what protection can even be offered here?" His voice remained calm, but it didn't take a god to know the sparked fury that began to burn behind them.
"Vic, you know best what can be done here. Don't stand there and begin to act as if you don't know anything." Her eyes were piercing his, allowing their irritation to become communicated, a festered emotion that had grown between them for an essential portion of their lives.
"This isn't the time to bring this u-" As he responded, Victor felt his nerves spike. This internal reaction warned him of imminent danger. As so, frantically, he turned around and away from the woman towards whatever it was that had spiked his attention. Within an instant, due to pure instinct, he found himself high in the sky, and with a bright red flash, he made magical contact with the source of danger that had been approaching him.
It was as if two asteroids had clashed together in the atmosphere. The dark-red skyline above the Union had been completely distorted from the two gigantic magical reactions within it. One side was a flame-like explosion, crimson in color, rippling inward. The other half was a dark blue, calm, and constant glow that idly warped the space it occupied, somewhat as if the blue aura was a black hole, turning and shaping as it wished. It was an extravagant scene, albeit incredibly imposing for anyone and everyone that had stopped in their tracks to look at it all.
Victor did not know who it was that he was facing. The other being had no face, no features to recognize. The only thing that he did know was that whoever he was going against was remarkably strong. He felt an immense field of pressure from his skin down to his bones. Within seconds, he felt his own body begin to burn from overexertion as he attempted to maintain the aerial stalemate he was in. Little by little, his crimson flames were beginning to etch into his skin, proof that he was already in the deeper stages of magical tensity.
"Caution Victor: Your use of magic in this scale will result in rapid incapacitation." A familiar voice in Victor's head reminded him, his etching on his sword breathing as it spoke.
"To think that I'd get to find you so easily, Failed Hero." The insulting words were dark and twisted, almost incomprehensible. Yet, despite that, they rang deep and clear inside Victor's mind. The words, despite how little he had ever heard them, were trigger words, triggers that lighted a distaste that he constantly refused to confront, even if he rarely had a reason to worry about doing so. "Haven't you drowned in shame yet? Or do you find pleasure in living a worthless life?" The figure continued, lighting the anger that he felt within Victor.
"Who the hell are you? And why are you picking a fight with me?" Despite the growing distress of his body, Victor began to rouse more magic from within, both in response to his agitation and his pride. While his mind was utterly fogged and distracted, he did not forget that he was still over the Sevali Union. The person he was meant to protect was still around, and with the growing intensity of both his own and his opponent's magic, it meant that she was in danger.
"You should know the answer to that question, Hero. Or perhaps, have you sinned so much that you've forgotten your greatest transgression?" Suddenly, the calm and blue aura that surrounded the mysterious opponent began to warp violently, lashing and twisting its space as if it was attempting to eat everything alive. Slowly, his aura began to crawl into Victor's area, seemingly trying to consume both Victor's magic and himself. He felt it, the way the magic was starting to push and crush his own body, trying to reduce it to atoms.
"What do you want from me?" The question was half-heartedly rhetorical as Victor had no real intention to listen to whatever he could've possibly been told. All he wanted was to get rid of his opponent and leave the Sevali before it fell to ruins.
"You misunderstand, Hero. I don't intend to take from you. Instead, I aim for you to receive." As his opponent spoke, Victor's crimson flames began to roar chaotically, forming an implosive reaction that burned violently at the center. As he grew hotter, his flames began to repel his opponent's magic, burning away the magic force and consuming it, allowing Victor to grow stronger. Unfortunately, as much as it helped him, the magic tensity on his body had gotten worse. It was only a matter of time before he'd genuinely become exhausted, if not consumed by his own power.
"Perhaps you've truly forgotten. Or perhaps, you've deluded yourself away from your shameful feats. Do you truly not remember? Does the phrase 'The Sacred Hero of Volstance' not remind you of anything?" There it was again, an echo within his mind that blistered his thoughts. Slowly Victor's mind began to unearth the dark origin that had been buried deep inside.
"Who are you? Why do you know that name?" He had no clue as to why he was being approached, seemingly about his past. That phrase was one that he had not heard for decades. It was one that only brought displeasure as it was filled with internal hatred. It was the type of thing that Victor hated to think about, let alone have to be confronted over.
"Your failure took everything from me, Hero. Everything in my world was burned to ash. And what did you get to do? You got to run away and live as if it never happened, to pretend as if it was not a part of your history."
Suddenly, hazy memories began to flash within Victor's mind, each one bringing a tremendous amount of pain to his head and chest.
"Why did you run away?"
"You left us!"
"You're a traitor!"
"I trusted you. I believed in you. I had hope for you. So why? Why did you leave?"
"I can't believe you were someone I admired."
"Look at it all! All of the spilled blood! All of the piles of ashes! You were meant to keep this from happening, not allow it!"
"Why did you desert us?" It burned. Every single sentence, every single word scorched his mind and heart. Why? Why was he being confronted over such a foregone past? Why now of all times?
"Don't stand there and begin to act as if you don't know anything." As Victor tried to maintain his bearings, Valkyrie's words appeared in his head. At the same time, his opponent mentioned them out loud too. Without even a warning, Victor's mana aura lit entirely on fire, encasing his entire being in flames and filling the atmosphere with seething hot air. Within seconds, half of the skyline above the Sevali Union was nothing more than a crimson storm of fire, burning and shining as if a thunderstorm of flames was about to rain down.
Despite Victor's mental efforts, he was not able to keep these forsaken memories from rising. The memories were old, nearly forgotten within the depths of his mind. They were memories that only one person could've kept reminding him of them. There was only one person who could've concerned themselves with such a thing. Despite that fact, he had just found someone else who was capable of bringing them into the light. It was both unbearably shameful and irritatingly disappointing how quickly they were coming back to him. He had an entirely different problem to worry about. He had no patience to dwell on what he had deemed no longer relevant to think about.
"Don't pester me with such insolent garbage." Following his words, Victor backed away from his opponent momentarily to wield his sword, etching it with his flames and igniting it with magic. Afterward, in a broad but precise motion, he swung his sword forward and at his opponent. His sword released an enormous wave of fire with his magic, dominating the sky in volume as it flew toward his opponent.
As if it was nothing but a gust of wind, his opponent trapped his fire in his aura and broke the wave apart, shattering its magical field and dispersing it all into nothing. "Ah, so you do remember, after all, Sacred Hero?" As a counterattack, the unknown figure lashed at Victor with various blue appendage-like arms of magic, all of which homed in on Victor, crushing the space and magic aura in its way. Right as they were going to make contact, their ends expanded into multiple spheres that began sucking in everything in their surroundings, most of it being the crimson fire burning around.
Not wanting to be killed, Victor surged past and between the attacks, narrowly avoiding death from compression before lunging at his opponent with an insurmountable amount of speed. It was as if he was a lighting strike made from fire. He traveled within a blink of an eye. Unfortunately, his opponent was as responsive as Victor was quick. As so, he managed to warp the space in his immediate area, seemingly allowing himself to create a wormhole that enabled him to teleport behind Victor, safe from his attack.
"Warning: You're reaching critical levels of magical tensity. Your continued use of magic on this scale will end with lethal consequences." There it was again, the female voice that reminded Victor of his internal status. Not yet, Victor responded internally even though it wouldn't have yielded a response.
Avoiding a window for a counterattack, Victor turned around while swinging, releasing another wave of fire, only that this time, he fused significantly more magic on his swing, causing the wave to travel not only with a more prominent form but with considerably more speed. This time, due to the enhancements on the attack, his opponent couldn't teleport away unscathed. As a result of his imperfect dodge, half of his body had been charred by the fire. It was burning with low intensity, limiting his ability to maintain his magical aura around.
"Well, at least you're as strong as you are disgraceful." The unknown figure commented as he tried to neutralize the small flames on his body, only to find out that he wasn't capable of doing so. "Luckily, fighting you to the death isn't my intention." This time, in an attempt to predict and counter a follow-up attack, the unknown figure cast and strengthened a field of blue magic around his body, engulfing anything in its space, namely the magical streams currently going haywire from Victor's body.
Instinctively Victor understood what this meant. If he tried another attack, whether it was a direct one or a ranged one, it would likely be rendered futile. Regardless, with his magic already bursting far from a balanced state, Victor wasn't going to back down. As a means to test the empowered field, Victor focused and pointed his sword upwards while waving the tip of his weapon in circles, inscribing a ring of fire into the sky that was rapidly expanding in size. As the spiral grew, a vortex of electric fire began to form, lashing violently within and outside the circle.
The fiery current was monstrous in magical power. It slowly ripped apart the mystical blue field around his opponent, a result of magical contention. Within time, the blazing vortex had become so grand it had covered almost the entirety of the skyline above the Sevali Union, suppressing and tearing all of the magical fields in the entire country. Every soldier, mage, and even monster on the ground looked up to the ceiling of crimson flames, marveling how it sucked and destroyed every single spell and magical field that had been cast previously cast.
Once the electrically hot whirlpool stopped growing, Victor prepared his jet-black broadsword and infused it with crimson flames. At first, it looked like one of his standard physical enhancement spells. Still, after a couple of seconds, the traditionally crimson flames on it began to turn dark red, deep and almost void of their original color.
Without warning, Victor lunged towards his attacker, wrapped in the dull flames as he dashed. Like a thunderstrike, the air resonated a loud sonic boom from his extravagant speed, and this time, due to his magical enhancement, his opponent was struck and began to burn alive. Even though he was pierced, the unknown figure cast another field of spatial magic, trapping them both in place as it began to crush Victor and his flames.
Naturally, due to Victor's already existing maelstrom of fire, the field was no longer potent as it struggled to maintain its strength and form against the chaos of dispersing magic. Not only that, but Victor himself was starting to emanate a similar form of chaotic magic, trying to push back and neutralize the spatial magic and burn it apart before it got too intense. At this point, it could've been argued that Victor had already won. Unlike his regular crimson flames, his nearly black flames were enhanced with dark magic, allowing them to achieve a result deemed heretical to most mages in the world: the ability to burn eternally.
There was no apparent escape, neither was there a chance to overcome with victory. The unknown figure had seemingly lost the encounter.
"Just like before, your shadowy flames have risen to incinerate as they please. It seems habits never change, do they, Hero?" As he spoke, the blue aura around the sky began to fade, weakening in their form before being dispersed and eaten by Victor's flames. Following their gradual disappearance, the figure himself was rapidly being engulfed in the deathly fire, slowly turning his body to ash. "Tell me, Hero. What does it feel like to redo the past? The crimson whirlpool in the sky. The beacon of flames that you've wrapped yourself with. The prey that is being consumed by the vile flames. Say, there is still one thing missing, isn't there?" His last question was slow, pronounced delicately to emphasize its implication.
Without letting Victor begin to question his connotation, the unknown figure lit up incredibly bright, blinding Victor momentarily and ruining his sight. Within that brief moment of blindness, Victor lost control of his magic, allowing it to weaken for a split second, a second that was just enough for his opponent's magic to strengthen, giving him the ability to warp himself away from Victor, out of his field of view. Once he had regained his sight, Victor took notice of his enemy's absence and began to look around frantically, trying to look for his opponent, albeit failing to do so as he couldn't spot him anywhere.
Knowing the danger of having had lost his opponent, Victor, for once in decades worth of time, was began to feel panic at the core of his heart. Say, there is still one more thing missing, isn't there? The words couldn't have been vaguer, but to Victor, they were clear. If his history was to repeat itself, then he knew what was going to happen next. A failure from the flames. But what type of failure was it going to be? There were so many things that he could have been referring to, so many things that he could attempt to execute.
"Let us see if you can handle the misery you had given to me, to my people, to my land. To feel the wrath of your own flames. The recklessness of your choices. The ignorance of your mind and heart. The sorrow of being robbed of what you treasured the most. Show me, Failed Hero, if you can atone for your sins." Within the blink of an eye, all of Victor's flames in the sky had their crimson color replaced by a deep and dark blue color. Shortly after that, they all condensed into a tall vertical stream of fire that flowed upward, far above the line of origin where Victor's maelstrom was located.
"Show me, Victor. Prove to me that you can at least endure what my precious world could not. That you can at least protect what you decided was worth sacrificing everything for." Along with his words, the figure seemed to have cast a gentle spotlight for Victor, highlighting the location of a single person who happened to be right below the gigantic stream of fire. The light was nothing more than a guide and a declaration as it emphasized no one else but Valkyrie, the one and only person Victor cared about in the entirety of the universe.
The figure had made an explicit declaration that Victor understood best out of anyone else in the world. "Go ahead, Sacred Hero. Show me your determination..." Without wasting a single second, Victor flew over to Valkyrie and landed next to her, completely ignoring the blatant fear, worry, and confusion that she had on her entire face and body.
"Or perish." Within an instant, Victor's unknown opponent flew straight down towards Valkyrie and Victor with a magical force that was nothing short of godly in power. As he flew straight down, the pillar of blue flames he had created had broken apart and followed his path, crashing down on their location. Naturally, as a counter, Victor cast both a field of fire in front of him to intercept the incoming attack and a forcefield that encased only Valkyrie within.
At the very moment both of their magical attacks collided, the blinding flash appeared. Throughout the entirety of the Sevali Union, a thunderous explosion was heard before a colossal aftershock roared through the country, surging through the land as it leveled and obliterated everything in its travel path. Within a few seconds, what was an entire nation's worth of infrastructure and life was utterly charred and annihilated. It was all nothing more than a graveyard of the country that once stood in its place.
It was all nothing short of a doomsday event. At the explosion's origin existed a hazardous field of fire magic that stretched far enough to claim the majority of the country from within. The fire that constantly flowed erratically throughout that field caused even more explosions and wildfires, completely incinerating anything that could've been burned down to ash within milliseconds.
Of course, this aftermath was nowhere within the thoughts of the two who were in their ungodly stalemate. The two combatants at the center of it all were both dispersing an unearthly amount of magic as they tried to push the other to their limits. Victor's crimson flames roared and lashed wildly, trying to gain space for Victor as he tried to bear the atrocious amount of pressure his body was going through. On the other hand, his opponent was pushing down, trying to crush him as the black flames on his body consumed his flesh and magical power.
"Amazing, Hero. Nothing short of amazing. This power, this desire for perseverance is nothing less than what I expected of you." The words had barely registered in Victor's mind. He was too consumed by the blistering pain his body was suffering through. Even though they were both struggling and nearing the ends of their wits, it was yet to be decided who'd be triumphant. This fact was infuriating to Victor as he no longer had it in himself to hold out much longer. At this rate, he would die without guaranteeing Valkyrie's safety.
"You..." The word barely escaped his lips as he tried to maintain his bearings against his opponent. "will..." He spoke again, his throat burning from exertion. "not..." Suddenly, all of Victor's flames began to flicker in intensity, changing from a bright red shine to an utterly dark void of darkness. "beat me." On cue with his words, the entirety of Victor's flames turned void black, engulfing his body completely, making him look like a shadow among the fire. His eyes had turned completely red, shining brightly with an emphasis that contrasted with the blackened flames throughout the land.
For the second time in his life, Victor had broken entirely through his inner magical balance, showcasing the deep and true nature of his ingrained magic. These flames were only ever previously shown once in his entire life, a visual that only a handful of people have ever gotten the luxury to observe within the entirety of the world. These flames were nearly mythical to those who dwelled within the academics of magic and its existential theory. They had only ever been officially recorded once in the history of the world. They were deemed the most extraordinary form of dark magic, considered so dangerous that even God himself could not control nor master. It was the only form of magic that He had ever shown fear to wield or oppose as only these black flames could do what no other magic could: Consume Him indiscriminately and indefinitely.
"Ah, how nostalgic. The Dark Flames of Eterna." The figure commented. Ironically enough, his statement was one of reverence, of endearment almost. He seemed enchanted by the reality Victor had allowed to set in.
At this point, the fight had been decided. With his magical limits broken through, the Darkened Flames had once again proven their ferocity in battle. Within a minute of their existence, the unknown figure's entire existence was incinerated. Slowly but surely, his body was turned to ash, unhindered and unwavering in their consumption. Before Victor knew it, all of his enemy's magic had been consumed along with their host, leaving nothing more than the bare land of the Sevali Union and the sea of black flames that remained on the ground around him.
Usually, Victor would have been ecstatic, ready to move on and continue with his plan with the knowledge that he had won. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to be the case, not this time around. His body, despite his efforts, would not move. He couldn't move. There was no way he'd ever move anymore, for he was at the brink of death.
"Victor." An angelic and soft voice he recognized called to him. He wanted to turn around, to check on the person who had spoken, but once again, he could not. "Tell me that you'll be fine." He could hear the tears build up as she spoke, a reality that hurt far more than the wounds he had just forced himself to bear.
"You promised me that you'd never do this again." Indeed he had. This was a forbidden choice. He knew that very well. But despite that she was blaming him, she understood he had no choice. She just didn't know what to say. She was in shock, just like anyone else would've been.
"Don't do this to me." Her words were weak, almost inaudible. Perhaps it was because of her sadness, or maybe it was because of the fact that he was losing his sentience. Regardless, the words were not replied to.
"Don't leave me alone." He didn't want to. There'd never be a day in the entire universe he'd choose to do so.
"Please..." As she begged, she began to trace his body, causing it to crumble down, showcasing how he was rapidly turning to ash. Even though it had brought her to tears, she kept tracing his body, trying to maintain the last bit of physical contact she knew she'd never get to have again.
Little by little, Victor's ability to stay 'awake' was disappearing, his vision slowly becoming cloudy and unfocused as every second passed. Within minutes, he was no longer able to hear, feel, or see.
It was a cold reality. Although he had accomplished his one and only goal in life, he still felt empty. It was an agonizing experience for him to have succeeded, only to feel pain equal to failing.
Perhaps things could've been different. But they weren't. He lived a life whose end was going to be the same regardless of what he did.
This was it. This is how it was meant to be. There was no escape.
A man like him didn't deserve a different fate.
He didn't deserve peace.
After all, how could he?
When he had long failed at what the world wanted him to be the most.
Even to his very last moment, he only brought suffering to those around him.
This was no more than the circle of life.
"Rest in peace..." Even he couldn't hear anything, he felt her emotions. The unnecessary little things in her heart that she should've abandoned long ago.
What an idiot you've been...
To the very end...
You stood by my side...
You are truly...
An idiot...
Once his last second of life was spent, all that proceeded afterward for his soul was eternal darkness similar to the flames that had consumed him.