Chapter 64: Twin Dynasties
Malakai moved first. "Snow Magic: Winter Garden," he said coolly, putting his hands up to the air. Snow began to fall from the ceiling of the cavern they were in.
"Yul," the snow mage said, his gaze piercing into his comrade. "I need you to keep him busy while I optimise the conditions of the battlefield for our strategy."
"No worries," the steel mage said, his eyes glistening with excitement. "I was actually thinking the exact same thing!"
The cavern pulsed with the clash of elements, each resounding strike between Gore Valran's stone blade and Yul's steel-coated fists shaking the very ground beneath them. Sparks flew as Yul met the brute's unrelenting onslaught head-on, their blows resonating like thunder in the icy chamber. Overhead, the snowstorm Malachi had conjured grew denser, every flake glinting with an almost spectral light as it descended.
Gore's jagged blade arced through the air with terrifying force, its trajectory a blur of raw power. Yul narrowly sidestepped, his steel-clad boots scraping against the slick ice that now blanketed the battlefield. "This guy's a tank!" Yul called over his shoulder, his voice edged with a mix of frustration and exhilaration.
"Good observation," Malachi replied dryly, his hands outstretched as he continued to weave his spell. His snowflakes moved with precision, swirling in an intricate pattern that seemed to box Gore in. "Now keep him busy. I need more time to adjust the terrain."
Gore's deep laughter rumbled through the cavern like a landslide. "You think ice and tricks will stop me?" He slammed his stone blade into the ground, sending shockwaves of jagged rock spikes racing toward Malachi.
The snow mage leaped back, his expression calm despite the danger. "Predictable," he muttered, flicking his wrist. A wave of frost surged forward, encasing the spikes in brittle ice and shattering them before they could reach him. "Yul, you've got to stop reacting and start anticipating. He's a hammer—don't let him hit you where it hurts."
"Working on it!" Yul shot back, pivoting to deliver a swift kick to Gore's side. The impact sent a metallic clang reverberating through the cavern, but Gore hardly budged, retaliating with a wide swing that forced Yul to duck.
"Snow Magic: Frosted Barrage!" Malachi's calm voice carried over the chaos as another volley of icy projectiles rained down on Gore. Each shard struck with precision, tearing into the brute's exposed skin and further slowing his movements.
For a brief moment, Gore faltered, his massive frame hunched against the cold that now seeped into his very bones. He growled, his breath visible in the frigid air, but his eyes burned with unyielding fury. "You're making me mad, kid," he snarled, locking his gaze on Malachi.
"Good," Malachi replied, unflinching. "Angry opponents make mistakes." His hands moved deftly, the snowstorm intensifying. The icy terrain beneath Gore's feet grew more treacherous, forcing the brute to adjust his stance.
"You're all talk, snowflake!" Gore roared, surging forward with surprising speed. He swung his blade in a devastating horizontal arc, aiming to cleave both knights in one motion.
Yul stepped in, his grimoire glowing brilliantly. "Steel Magic: Iron Curtain!" A wall of gleaming steel erupted in front of him, absorbing the impact of Gore's blade with a deafening clang. Sparks flew as the shield held firm, but the force of the blow drove Yul back several steps.
"Hold on!" Malachi called, his snowstorm shifting in response. The falling flakes began to coalesce into sharp, crystalline shards that floated menacingly in the air. His voice was calm but laced with intent. "I'm almost ready. Just don't let him close the distance."
"Don't worry about me!" Yul shouted, lunging back into the fray. He delivered a punishing series of blows to Gore's chest, each steel-coated punch resounding like a hammer on an anvil.
Gore grunted, his movements slowing as the relentless cold sapped his strength. "You think this ice and tin can keep me down?" he growled, slamming his fist into the ground. Stone spikes erupted around him again, forcing Yul to leap back.
Malachi's eyes narrowed, his calm demeanor giving way to a faint smirk. "Yul, get ready to finish this," he said, his voice low but firm.
"About time," Yul replied, his grin widening.
The storm around them surged to a crescendo, the snowflakes shimmering with a dangerous light. Malachi raised both hands, his grimoire glowing with an intense blue aura. "Snow Magic: Frozen Nexus!" he called, his voice echoing through the cavern.
The snowflakes coalesced into massive, spiraling chains of frost that lashed out at Gore, coiling around his arms and legs with crushing force. The brute roared in defiance, struggling against the icy binds, but the cold had already taken its toll. His movements were sluggish, his breaths labored as the frost encased him further.
"You're not strong enough to break free anymore," Malachi said, his tone almost clinical. "This is the difference between us. You rely on raw power, but I create the conditions for victory."
Gore snarled, veins bulging as he strained against the icy chains. "You smug little—"
"Yul, now!" Malachi's sharp command cut through the brute's tirade.
Yul's grimoire flared with mana, his fists glowing with a brilliant silver light. He charged forward with blinding speed, his steel-coated arms raised. "Steel Magic: Vis Ferri!" he bellowed, delivering a relentless flurry of crushing blows to Gore's midsection.
Each punch landed with devastating force, the sound of steel against stone reverberating through the cavern. Gore's defiance began to crumble, his roars of anger giving way to pained grunts as he staggered under the assault.
Despite the punishment, Gore managed a guttural laugh, blood dripping from his mouth. "You... think this... is enough?"
Malachi stepped forward, his eyes cold and unwavering. "It already is."
The ice chains tightened, their crystalline edges biting deep into Gore's flesh. The brute let out one final, earth-shaking roar before collapsing to his knees, his stone blade clattering to the ground.
Yul stepped back, his fists still glowing as he caught his breath. "Well... that was fun," he said, flashing a weary grin.
Malachi didn't respond immediately, his sharp gaze fixed on Gore. "It's not over until he's unconscious," he said, raising his hands to summon another wave of frost.
Gore's head tilted back, his bloodshot eyes locking onto Malachi. A savage grin spread across his face, even as his body trembled from the cold. "You... think you've won?" he rasped.
Yul tensed, his steel-clad fists ready for anything. "What's he planning?"
Malachi's expression hardened. "Stay alert. He's still dangerous."
The battle wasn't over yet.
…
The cavern roared with life, the clash of fire, sound, and ash transforming the hollow space into a battlefield of opposing elements. Each breath was thick with heat and grit, and the flickering torchlight painted shifting shadows on the jagged walls. Elijah and Ezequiel stood side by side, their contrasting magic styles forging a precarious balance against the veteran mercenary, Caine Hallow.
Elijah was the first to break formation, a reckless grin splitting his face. Flames danced wildly at his fingertips, flickering with his unbridled energy. "Let's see how long you can dodge, old man!" he shouted, his voice dripping with cocky bravado.
Caine met his charge with practiced calm, the ash around him swirling like a living thing. "I've faced storms fiercer than you, boy," he said, his voice deep and gravelly. With a sweep of his hand, the ash condensed into a shield, absorbing the fiery arc Elijah hurled at him.
"Careful, m'boy," Ezequiel warned, his tone even, his grimoire glowing faintly as Sound Magic began to ripple through the cavern. "We can't afford for you to waste your mana showing off."
"Relax, Mr Zeke. I'm just warming up!" Elijah replied, undeterred. He slammed his hands together, sending a column of searing flames toward Caine, but the mercenary sidestepped with unnerving ease.
Caine chuckled, his eyes glinting in the flickering firelight. "Wildfire, huh? Flashy, destructive, but no control. You'll burn out before you even touch me."
Ezequiel frowned, his eyes narrowing as he observed Caine's precise movements. "He's right," Ezequiel muttered, almost to himself. "He's been baiting us this entire time, conserving energy, waiting for an opening."
"Then I'll make one!" Elijah interjected, vaulting over a plume of ash that surged toward him. "Wildfire Magic: Ember Spiral!" He twisted midair, a vortex of flames spinning outward from his body and forcing Caine to retreat several paces.
Caine's smirk widened as he slid back, his boots grinding against the stone floor. "Not bad. But you're too impatient. You fight like a boy trying to prove something."
The comment struck a nerve, but Elijah didn't falter. He pushed forward, fire blazing brighter. "And you fight like someone who's too scared to take risks!"
Ezequiel sighed, his grimoire flipping pages as Sound Magic built to a crescendo. "M'boy, you're a menace," he muttered. "But I suppose that's part of your charm." His voice sharpened as he cast his spell. "Sound Magic: Subito Forte!"
Waves of concentrated sound exploded outward, slicing through Caine's ash cloud and momentarily dispersing it. The mercenary's eyes flicked toward Ezequiel, narrowing. "You're the methodical one. I'll have to take you out first."
Without warning, Caine surged forward, his ash forming into jagged blades that darted toward Ezequiel like serpents. Ezequiel countered with precise sonic pulses, each wave deflecting an attack with surgical accuracy.
Elijah saw his chance. "Wildfire Magic: Blazing Surge!" He thrust both hands forward, unleashing a torrent of flames that engulfed the space between them and Caine.
But the mercenary wasn't caught off guard. The ash twisted around him like armor, shielding him from the inferno. "Fire feeds the ash," Caine reminded them with a low chuckle. "And your sound waves just keep it moving. You're not fighting me. You're feeding me."
Ezequiel frowned, calculating their next move. His voice was calm, measured. "We need to control the battlefield. Your recklessness is making it easier for him."
"Recklessness is kind of my thing, Mr Zeke," Elijah replied, though the fire in his tone wavered slightly. "You sound just like my brother."
Ezequiel's gaze flicked toward him. "Your brother's not wrong. And you'd do well to listen more often."
Elijah's grin softened, the cockiness giving way to something quieter. "Yeah, well, I'm not him. I don't fight with precision or logic. I fight with everything I've got."
Caine, watching their exchange, let out a booming laugh. "Sibling drama on the battlefield? How quaint. Let me guess—big brother's the golden boy, and you're the one always trying to catch up?"
Elijah's flames flared dangerously, his grin returning with a sharp edge. "You don't know anything about me."
Caine's ash surged again, forming a massive scythe that he swung toward Elijah. "Then enlighten me, boy. What drives you?"
Elijah sidestepped, his movements less reckless now. His eyes burned with a fierce determination as he locked gazes with Caine. "There's someone I need to prove a point to."
The words hung in the air, heavy and raw, as the battle momentarily paused. Caine's smirk faded for the first time, his gaze lingering on the young mage.
Ezequiel broke the silence, his voice steady and commanding. "Elijah, focus. We're not done here."
Elijah nodded, the flames around him roaring back to life. "Right. Let's show this guy what wildfire and sound can really do."
And with that, the battlefield erupted into chaos once more.
…
Malachi wiped sweat from his brow and cast a sidelong glance at Yul. "This guy's not slowing down," he muttered.
Yul smirked despite the pain in his arms from blocking Gore's relentless strikes. "He's just another brute. We've got this."
Gore chuckled, his gravelly voice cutting through the cavern like a jagged blade. "You're tough, I'll give you that. But I've got something you don't—experience." He spat to the side and grinned. "And a hell of a lot more power."
Malachi narrowed his eyes, a rare flicker of doubt crossing his usually composed expression. His mother's words echoed faintly in his mind: Think before you act, Malachi. Overconfidence is a killer.
He shook off the memory and raised his hands, summoning a whirlwind of snow. "Doesn't matter how much power you've got. I've got something to prove," he said quietly, his breath visible in the cold air.
"What was that?" Gore growled, stepping forward.
Malachi's voice grew louder, his icy resolve hardening. "There's someone I need to prove a point to."
The air snapped as he unleashed a storm of snow and ice, the sheer force of it surging toward Gore like a tidal wave. Yul followed immediately, charging in with his steel armor glowing faintly under the spell of his grimoire.
Gore, however, wasn't fazed. He swung his stone blade in a wide arc, smashing through the icy assault and meeting Yul head-on. The force of the collision sent shockwaves through the cavern, shaking loose chunks of stone from the ceiling.
"Not bad!" Yul grunted, pivoting to deliver a series of rapid strikes to Gore's midsection. Each punch rang out like hammer blows against a forge.
But Gore laughed, the sound rumbling like an avalanche. "You think you're strong, boy? Let's see how you handle this!"
From his belt, Gore pulled a dark, ominous-looking amulet—a jagged black crystal set in tarnished metal. The air grew thick with malevolent energy as the artifact pulsed, its dark light seeping into Gore's body.
"Ravenna sends her regards," Gore sneered, his grin turning feral. The forbidden magic surged through him, his muscles bulging grotesquely as veins of dark energy snaked across his skin.
"Yul, that's—" Malachi started, but he was cut off as Gore slammed his foot into the ground, sending jagged spikes of stone racing toward them.
Yul threw up a steel barrier just in time, but the sheer force sent him skidding backward. "Malachi, we're in trouble!" he called, his voice uncharacteristically strained.
Malachi didn't respond immediately. His mind raced, calculating their options. "Focus, Yul. We stick to the plan. Control the battlefield."
Gore roared and lunged forward, his speed now monstrous. He swung his stone blade with brutal precision, smashing through Yul's defenses like paper. Yul grunted in pain as the blow sent him crashing into the cavern wall.
"Yul!" Malachi shouted, his usual calm replaced with alarm. He raised his hands, conjuring another flurry of ice. "Snow Magic: Frosted Bastion!" A massive wall of enchanted ice erupted between Gore and Yul, buying a precious second of reprieve.
But Gore wasn't deterred. He slammed his blade into the wall, shattering it with ease. "You think you can stop me with tricks?" he bellowed, dark energy crackling around him.
Malachi gritted his teeth, his mind racing. He's stronger, faster… but he's not invincible. He's reckless now, drunk on that power. There has to be a weakness.
Yul staggered to his feet, blood trickling down his forehead. His steel armor flickered as his mana reserves waned. "Malachi… we've got to hit him together. Full force."
Malachi nodded, his icy gaze locking onto Gore. "Agreed. But we need to buy some time first."
Gore grinned, his distorted form towering over them. "Time? You don't have time. All you've got is pain!"
With a guttural roar, he slammed his blade into the ground again, sending another wave of stone spikes toward them. Malachi and Yul moved as one, dodging and countering in perfect sync.
"Snow Magic: Polar Surge!" Malachi cried, unleashing a torrent of freezing wind that encased Gore's legs in ice.
"Steel Magic: Vis Ferri!" Yul followed up, his fists glowing as he delivered a punishing series of blows to Gore's torso.
For a moment, it seemed like they were gaining the upper hand. Gore staggered, his movements slowing.
But then the amulet pulsed again, and Gore let out a bone-chilling laugh. "You can't stop me, boys. Not with this power." He shattered the ice around his legs and swung his blade with devastating force, sending both Yul and Malachi sprawling.
Malachi coughed, struggling to push himself up. His mind raced, searching for a way to turn the tide. I can't let him win. Not now. Not when I'm so close to proving I'm more than just the weaker brother.
Gore loomed over him, his blade raised high. "Say goodbye, runt," he growled.
But Malachi's eyes glinted with determination. "Not yet."
…
"You've got guts, kid," Caine said, his voice like gravel grinding underfoot. "I've seen soldiers, mages, and even other assassins try to take me down. They all burned out—just like your little wildfire will."
Elijah grinned, his hands wreathed in fire. "I'm not them. Let's see if you can handle the heat."
Without waiting, he launched a blazing arc of Wildfire Magic, the flames tearing through the cavern toward Caine. The assassin spun effortlessly, his Ash Magic condensing into a swirling barrier that snuffed out the flames in an instant.
Caine's smirk widened. "Fire feeds ash, boy. Didn't they teach you that in magic school?"
"I didn't exactly ace the theory classes," Elijah shot back, his grin never faltering. He darted forward, fire surging from his feet as he closed the distance between them.
Ezequiel's voice cut through the commotion. "M'boy, don't get too reckless!" His grimoire hovered beside him, the pages flipping as he raised a hand. "Sound Magic: Sonic Shackle!"
A deafening pulse of sound waves tore through the cavern, targeting Caine with unerring precision. The assassin flinched as the sonic force rattled his concentration, briefly disrupting his Ash Magic.
"Nice one!" Elijah yelled, using the opening to unleash a fiery uppercut. Flames exploded as his punch connected with Caine's jaw, sending the assassin skidding back.
But Caine recovered quickly, his predatory grin returning. He wiped a trickle of blood from his lip. "Not bad, kid. You're faster than you look." His gaze shifted to Ezequiel, who stood calmly with his grimoire aglow. "But I don't like noisy ones."
Caine's Ash Magic coalesced into a dense cloud that surged toward Ezequiel with alarming speed. Before the sound mage could react, the ash enveloped him, choking the air and muting his voice.
Ezequiel's eyes widened as he struggled to dispel the oppressive cloud. He managed to unleash a desperate sonic pulse, scattering some of the ash, but it wasn't enough. Caine's hand shot through the darkness, striking Ezequiel in the chest with brutal precision.
The sound mage staggered, coughing violently as the ash dissipated. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, his grimoire falling silent.
"Ezequiel!" Elijah shouted, his flames flaring wildly as rage overtook him.
Caine stepped over Ezequiel's motionless form, his expression as casual as if he were strolling through a park. "Relax, kid. He's alive—though he'll wish he wasn't when he wakes up."
Elijah's fists clenched, the heat around him becoming almost unbearable. His usually cocky grin was replaced by a look of grim determination. "You shouldn't have done that."
Caine raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And why's that? You're angry now? Good. Anger burns bright—but it burns out even faster."
Elijah's flames surged, spiraling around him like a living inferno. "You don't get it, do you? I'm not just mad." His eyes burned with an intensity that matched his magic. "I've got something to prove."
Caine tilted his head, his grin fading slightly. "To who? Me? The world?"
Elijah's voice was steady, his words cutting through the crackling fire. "There's someone I need to prove a point to."
Caine smirked, the predator in him sensing an opening. "Big talk, kid. Let's see if you can back it up."
Elijah didn't respond. Instead, he charged forward, his flames roaring to life in a concentrated blaze that lit up the entire cavern.
Elijah stood amidst the smoke and flames, his fiery figure cutting through the haze like a vengeful specter. His flames roared, spiraling and dancing in the air, each flicker a reflection of his restless spirit. Caine Hallow, the mercenary with dark eyes and a deadly grin, struggled to keep up. His Ash Magic, swirling and smothering, couldn't contain the inferno Elijah unleashed.
"You talk too much," Elijah growled, stepping forward, his hand raised.
Caine's smirk never faltered as he gathered his magic once more, preparing to extinguish the Wildfire Mage's relentless assault. But Elijah wasn't done. His face twisted with a fierce joy. "Wildfire Magic: Pyroclasmic Burst!"
A deafening explosion erupted from his chest, a flood of flames spilling outward like the rage of a beast unleashed. The fire swept across the cavern, overwhelming the shadows, engulfing everything in its path. Caine barely managed to raise his hands, his Ash Magic futilely attempting to block the inferno, but the flames tore through it, consuming it with an insatiable hunger.
Caine staggered back, his cloak singed and his skin scorched. "Impressive," he coughed, wiping the soot from his face, but there was no fear in his eyes. Instead, there was a calm amusement, the eyes of someone who had seen too many soldiers burn themselves out in the heat of battle.
"I'm not burning out," Elijah said, his voice steady despite the toll the fight had taken. "I told you. I'm just getting started."
In the same breath, Malachi's precise movements, as always, were the calm before the storm. The snowflakes in the air danced to his will, his every gesture controlled and deliberate, like a conductor leading an orchestra. His gaze was unwavering as he fought alongside Yul, steel and ice converging against the brute force of Gore Valran, the giant warrior whose strength was unmatched. But even as Yul's blows rained down upon the stone blade, even as the steel mage's punches reverberated through the cavern, it was clear that Gore's resilience was only growing with every strike. The brute's laugh echoed as his massive weapon clashed with Yul's armored form.
"You think you can outlast me, knight? I've been through worse," Gore bellowed, his laugh booming through the cavern as he swung his blade downward, sending shockwaves of stone spikes toward them.
Malachi's voice was steady, cutting through the noise like the calm of a winter storm. "Steel is good, but it's not enough to break me."
Yul took a deep breath, his arms pulsing with magical energy as he threw another barrage of steel-sharp shards toward the massive warrior. "We need something more. Let's turn the tide."
Malachi, without a hint of hesitation, stepped forward, his hands outstretched. "Snow Magic: Cryogenic Rampage."
A piercing chill spread through the air, the temperature plummeting as the ground froze beneath them. Gore's massive form slowed as his body became encased in a shell of ice, his stone blade frozen in mid-swing. The brute's ferocity remained, but now, it was hindered, trapped in a battle against the very elements he couldn't control.
Yul, sensing their opportunity, didn't hesitate. His hands blazed with raw steel energy. "Steel Magic: Iron Storm!" He summoned a whirlwind of spinning steel shards, each one slicing through the air with blinding speed. The storm battered Gore from all sides, forcing him back step by step, his power beginning to wane under the onslaught.
But even as they pressed on, a low rumble echoed through the cavern. Gore's body began to vibrate with a dark energy, his eyes gleaming with malice as he reached for a forbidden artifact hidden at his side. Ravenna's gift—the cursed relic—glowed ominously, and Gore's body surged with forbidden power. His muscles bulged, and his stone blade grew larger, a twisting, dark energy suffusing through it.
Malachi's eyes flickered toward the artifact, his expression unreadable. "So it begins."
Gore roared as he swung his blade downward, sending an explosion of dark energy through the cavern. The force was overwhelming. The ground cracked beneath their feet, and the very air twisted around them. Yul was thrown back, his body slamming against the cavern wall. The sheer power of the attack left him breathless, but the spark of determination in his eyes never wavered.
Malachi stepped forward, his stance calm and deliberate as the storm of ice and metal swirled around him. "You've underestimated us," he said, his voice cold as the ice surrounding them. "Snow Magic: Arctic Tyranny."
The air around him turned frigid, and a tidal wave of ice erupted from the ground, encasing Gore's massive form in a cocoon of frozen crystals. His struggles were futile. For the first time, the brute's body slowed, the energy draining from him as the forbidden magic was countered by the relentless cold. Malachi's gaze remained fixed on their opponent as he raised his hand, his grimoire glowing brightly in the dim light.
At that exact moment, Elijah's flames flared once again. His body surged with fiery energy, his magic roaring around him as he faced down Caine's smirking form. Elijah's eyes gleamed with the same fierce determination that had burned in him from the start.
"You've seen enough, Caine," Elijah said. "You won't walk away from this fight."
Caine, though singed and battered, chuckled softly. "I see the fire in you, boy. It reminds me of the soldiers I used to know. They thought they could burn forever, but the fire always consumes them in the end."
Elijah's eyes hardened. "I'm not done yet." With a sweeping motion, he raised his hands, flames pouring from him in a devastating wave. "Wildfire Magic: Infernal Dominion!"
The flames surged with impossible intensity, expanding outward, engulfing the cavern in a roiling inferno. Caine's Ash Magic tried to fight back, but it couldn't contain the wrath of the wildfire. The heat, the force, the sheer will behind Elijah's magic overwhelmed the mercenary. Caine's body collapsed under the weight of the flames, his figure consumed by the roaring heat.
As the fire raged, Malachi's ice continued to encase Gore, the frozen storm trapping the brute in an unyielding prison of cold. Both battles reached their climaxes in tandem, two forces of nature, fire and ice, clashing in their purest forms. The cold stole the strength from Gore's muscles, while the heat seared the last vestiges of life from Caine's form.
And as the flames died down, and the ice began to settle, the two knights stood victorious, their bodies weary but their spirits unbroken.
Elijah wiped the sweat from his brow, his flames finally simmering down to a dull glow. "I told you I had something to prove, Mr Zeke."
Malachi's gaze never wavered from Gore Valran, his expression as calm as ever.
Yul pushed himself off the wall, his body battered but resolute. "Nice one, strategist."
A/N: i love the twins
i wasn't a fan of them at first, but writing about them has endeared me to them