Josh and Frost made their way up a spiral staircase.
"How high up does this thing even go?" Josh wondered "This castle's layout is weird as hell."
He looked up, seeing a figure at the top of the stairs. Both took battle positions.
Less than a second later, Josh found himself no longer standing on the stairs.
"Wha-"
He began to plummet, before swinging his scythe around. The blade caught on the edge of the stairs, barely holding him up.
He looked up while trying to climb back on.
"Terrence? Is that you?"
Without a word, Terrence raised his arms. Josh took notice of the greatsword he held. It swung towards the part he was hanging onto. Frost swung his tail around, allowing Josh to grab on before the weapon made contact. He swung him back around, crashing into the wall but finally reaching solid ground again.
Josh got back up and turned to face Terrence.
"Hey, talk to me! What's going on?"
"...Go away."
"Huh? You're the one who started approaching us… wait, that's not the point here. We can't."
"I'll make you."
He disappeared from view. A second later, Frost howled from the pain of an attack.
"We've gotta move somewhere less cramped!"
Frost understood, flying past the attacker and up the staircase. They found themselves in a more open space, overlooking the rest of the castle.
Terrence followed them out a few seconds later.
"Are you more willing to talk now?"
"Talking… won't change anything. I just have to become Aron. Quickly."
"...What?"
Terrence disappeared again. The same attack.
"What the hell is he even doing? Teleportation? Oh well, I'll work it out eventually. For now, gotta fight."
Josh jumped off, facing Terrence. The warrior turned to him, seeming annoyed.
Josh swung overhead. Terrence disappeared again, the scythe crashed into the ground. Josh went to turn around, but was knocked over by the side of a greatsword.
Terrence stared down at him.
"There won't be another chance. Leave now."
"What was… that?"
Frost charged at Terrence, who was too slow to dodge, getting knocked away. Josh realised.
"His power's like jumping forwards in time!"
Frost turned back to him with confusion.
"It's like… uh… when he disappeared my scythe hit the ground, but before he did it was in the air. The entire part where it swung down was missing. So it's like he skipped me doing that and got behind me."
Frost still didn't get it.
"I don't know either. It's like… wait, I got it! It's like Aron's, cause that's his thing. But he's not freezing us, he's just freezing our perception of time. So he can move while we're unconscious."
"You worked it out quicker than I thought you would." Terrence replied, getting back up "But so what? You still don't know how to counter it."
"Ah, I guess I don't." Josh thought, before getting ready to fight again.
As the fight continued, Josh and Frost could barely hit their opponent. They kept accumulating damage, while he was barely harmed.
Josh paused.
"I don't think… we can win here." His thoughts shifted "If he killed me… would that help? Cause if that'll help snap him out of it, then…"
Frost growled at him.
"...Yeah, I hear you. That's not an option, huh? We'll just have to go all out and survive, then."
He raised his scythe, ready to attack, while Frost lowered the temperature around them. The entire arena became coated in snow and ice, changing completely.
Terrence stared at them both, his eyes seeming to light up.
The ghost of Aron controlled his every move, driving him forwards.
A demon of snow, a freezing battlefield. This was the moment he had been waiting for. The moment he had been raised for.
The replacement advanced towards them, intent on fulfilling his purpose.
More clashes.
The snow only served to slow their opponent down, he wasn't stopped completely.
"Why are you doing this?" Josh asked once more.
"I already said. I have to become Aron."
"I'm asking why the hell you're so focused on that!"
"It's all everyone wanted from me, back in the village. That was why they kept me around. So I could replace him. And now he's gone. The life of Terrence Gandor was only a temporary one, and now it's over."
"...Is that what you want?"
"That doesn't matter. I have to become one. Because it's my fault."
"Huh? What are you-"
"You remember that the one he wanted to kill was me, right? I asked Joseph about it, since he took Aron's memories. He revealed everything to me. The reason was that I'm the one responsible for my mother's death. She died protecting me. If I hadn't been there, she would've lived. And… the demon wouldn't have been created. So, this was all my fault. All of his life from that point onwards, up to the moment of his death. It's only fitting that I should be the one to continue things."
Josh was silent at this.
"When we first met, you were part of a group that went around judging criminals who hid behind their status as hunters, right? Don't think that I could just forget. So, there's no more need for words. I am what you sought to destroy. So judge me. Enough explaining. Let's fight."
He went on the attack again. Josh and Frost fought back.
Still, there was nothing that could be done against him.
They injured him, they slowed him down, but he still overpowered them.
Josh swung while Frost attacked at the same time. Terrence disappeared once more. Frost was slashed at, Josh struck the opponent in the back, but was countered a second later.
Frost crashed into the ground because of the previous attack. Terrence raised the greatsword once more.
"Stop!" Josh yelled, running towards him before his legs gave out and he tumbled to the ground. Terrence turned for a second.
"I… can't-"
Less than a second later, he heard the sound of the blade clashing against something.
Josh looked, and saw the blade being pushed back by an Ash Kecha Wacha.
Confusion.
"Why are you here, Demi?"
An angered roar in response.
"I already told you I can't go back. I have no choice. Terrence Gandor can't exist anymore. There's only Aron left."
Demi roared again.
"Seriously, you're too stubborn. Fine, if you won't listen to words… then I'll have to show you."
Demi hesitated for a second, before covering his eyes with his ears. Those ears formed a pattern like a skull.
Josh struggled his way towards Frost, checking that he was still breathing. Now that he was no longer Terrence's target, he could see the ability in action.
The aura moved in a similar way to Aron's, but targeted only the head. After a few seconds, it moved back to him, which is when Demi was allowed to move again. There was always a short pause between uses, as if he had to regain focus.
That short pause was all that Demi had to fight back with.
Demi attacked. Terrence froze him. Yet, he was prepared. As Terrence went to swing, mucus was shot from Demi's nose.
"Did he already start the attack before he got frozen?" Josh thought.
Slowed down by both the mucus and the snow still surrounding them, Terrence's movements became less effective.
He froze Demi again, but was unable to attack again. Demi countered. They continued like that, the monster slowly making a comeback.
Frustrated, Terrence only pushed himself further, attempting to overcome his foe with brute force.
They continued.
Both sides injured each other, over and over again. The battle seemed like it would never end.
Terrence came to a stop, gasping for breath.
"Why… I can't… why can't I-?"
Josh finally spoke up.
"Cause you're not him, obviously."
Terrence looked over.
"That… I can't let that stop me. It's not about whether I can or not, it's that I have to."
"Listen, already. I'm getting sick of you deciding things on your own. You're not able to swing that thing around like he was. Your ability's just a workaround for that fact."
"And? So what?"
"I'm saying that it's only holding you back. That's why you can't win here. Your style's more relying on outsmarting the opponent, not brute force."
"I can't go back. I have to move forward. Otherwise, I can't repent."
Demi cut him off with a roar again.
"Roaring isn't gonna stop me!"
"You're still on that?" Josh asked.
"Of course!"
"Well, you already called me out before, so I might as well follow up. Sure, I used to care way too much about justice. So that's why I can say with certainty, that you've got nothing to be judged by."
"Huh?"
"Don't act like it's surprising. You didn't kill her, she just protected you until the end. Plus… if you couldn't even remember it, then I doubt you could've been much older than like three at most, right? You didn't do anything wrong. Nothing there you can repent for, idiot."
"B-but, if I hadn't been there, then Aron wouldn't have-"
"That's on him. You weren't controlling his every action or something. He just… couldn't get over her death. So he must've blamed you to cope with it. But, to be honest, I wouldn't consider him the most reliable. So don't listen to what he had to say. Just live your own life. Even if his death hurts, if you don't stop this you're gonna lose everything else."
Terrence tried to find a way to deny what he was saying.
"Even… even if I returned now, then would that be fine? I mean… I mean, I've… I've hurt you all, so much. Just out of my own stupid way of dealing with something."
"Well, it'd be pretty hypocritical of me to care about something like that. And Frost here… well, he doesn't really care how much you beat him up."
An annoyed grunt.
"Am I wrong, then?"
Terrence still seemed unconvinced.
"But… Demi…"
"Ask him yourself. Though if I had to say, isn't that what he's been after since the start?"
Terrence turned.
He faced Demi. A long silence.
"Demi, I…"
An expectant look. Terrence felt more guilt than he knew what to do with.
"I'm sorry!"
Demi still seemed unsatisfied.
"And… and…"
His mind scrambled for the next line, before finally settling on an answer.
"I'm finally… back. Thanks…for being here."
With those words, Demi couldn't hold himself back anymore, pouncing straight at Terrence to hug him.
"Hey, stop- Demi, you're too heav-"
Terrence was knocked down to the ground. As he did, the aura flew out of him, towards the sky.
Josh watched as the two played around, seeming relieved. He then focused his efforts to not passing out from his wounds.
TO BE CONTINUED