"Jin is dead. As is Cassius. Their souls now live within me, constantly reliving that fateful day. Forever in battle, forever at odds. But as long as I live, I still have a choice."
As Dust spoke those last few words, Gaius stared at him with a mix between a glare and a scowl. "Then what are you!?" he shot back angrily.
Dust clenched his fists and stared straight at the general with hatred shimmering in his pale-colored eyes.
"I'm justice incarnate, brought to this world by forces beyond your comprehension. A cleansing storm to sweep across the land and purge it of your foul presence." Dust paused and looked up to face Gaius and his two soldiers, his blue-green eyes glowing from under the shadows of his hat. "I am Dust. And your campaign ends here, now." He raised his sword-wielding arm and pointed his blade at the soldiers. "Throw down your weapons and surrender, or you will face an enamy unlike any this world has ever seen."
Gaius clenched a fist and stared at Dust with what looked to be a pleading look on his face. "Cassius, please - don't do this. You know you cannot win."
Dust said nothing, only glaring and raising Ahrah higher in response to the threat. "Let's end this." He said with an unreadable look on his face.
•••
"You… You're not Cassius…" Gaius murmered, his eagle-like golden yellow eyes dimming sadly. "I see that clearly now."
Dust blinked up at him and slowly nodded his head. "Yes, I am." He said firmly.
"Yes… You are. But Cassius is gone… As is the world we once loved. Cherish it." And with those last few words, he ripped his hand away from Dust's own and let himself be swallowed up by the quickly rising lava.
Dust's eyes closed in grief at the loss, but soon the exhaustion of the previous battle had finally taken it's toll on him.
He sighed and slowly, yet painfully, used what strength he had in him and rolled onto his back, teal-green eyes dull and lacking their usual spark. His soul felt heavy, body pushed to the brink, beaten down and exhausted, his body ready to give out at any given second.
The young fox Warmbload sighed tired and let his eyes slip shut. His remained closed for a few more moments as he laid there on the ground, wounded and sore, all the while the nagging voice in the back of his head was screaming at him to get up and get out of rhis place that's more like a firey gravesight.
Dust can fell his mind is still screaming at him - yelling at him to stay away abd get out now while he had the chance. Get outta here, and stay as far away from the lava as humanly possible. Force only knows how true that thought is - knows how much he would absolutely love to do nothing more than escape from here, not wanting to be stuck here, and being shrounded by lave, no less.
He doesn't want it ti end like this. Dust knew that death was alwas lerking in his shadow, but he dodidn't want to go like this, cridickly woynded, and left on this firey-rock with lava growing closer by the second, and beinf left with no choice except the looming threat of getting swallowed ip up by the lava.
Dust shuttered at the thought. He didn't want to be swallowed by the lava. He-He already watched it happen once - he didn't need a repeat of that. But the hope was unfounded, and Dust knew it.
The longer he lingured here - the higher the chance were of coming to the same fate he had persanaly witnised with his own eyes. He may very well end up just like General Gaius.
Lava would most likely be what kills him in the end. Well, aside from the (Falling to His Death) part Wich is not much better in the context of things, if this was the inly option Dust had.