A pillar of smoke rose in the distance as two figures blurred across a war-stricken battlefield. Their clashes sent sparks into the thick night air as a blade of purple energy met scales of maroon tint in a series of furious back-and-forth slashes. The two combatants eventually crossed blades in the center of the field and caved in the earth that had been demolished from their battle.
"You're slowing down, Jellal!"
Cobra's taunts went unanswered as the silent prick narrowed his eyes, sparks flying as the purple blade scraped against Cobra's scaled arm and yanked it downwards. Cobra's eyes went wide as a foot slammed into his unguarded face and shot him away, blood spilling from his nose as he growled and vaulted into the air, extending his arm at his opponent as poison seeped from his scales.
"Poison Dragons Scales"
A hail of poison scales shot from his arm, peppering the ground as they trailed towards Jellal, who shot forward regardless of the storm. He was weaving like a snake through the assault and slicing through the ones he couldn't avoid. Sparks flew with each quick swipe of the scythe, and the splintered scales flew into the background like deflected bullets.
Fucking tough bastard!
Cobra growled as he gave up on his assault, forcing poison to his legs as he shot off the ground right as the glowing blade sank into the earth. Cobra's eyes narrowed as he flipped and used the constant stream of poison to stay in the air, hovering as he tried to catch his breath before he saw the blade his enemy wielded flash with a purple light.
What the-
Cobra's eyes shook as blood flew through the air, his eyes slowly trailing the crimson droplets until he reached the new gash in his shoulder. His breath came out in a burning hiss as he immediately dove to the ground on instinct. The pieces clicked as he saw Jellal swing his scythe and fire another slash of purple light, the violet blade tearing through the air as it roared toward him like a lion's fangs.
He can use long-range attacks...
Cobra spiraled in his descent, dodging the flying blades, rearing his scaled fist, and slamming it into the ground when he landed. Immediately, a cloud of toxic magic bloomed from his fist, covering him from his enemy's sight.
I need to figure out how to get close.
Cobra's thoughts ran as he rested in the smokescreen for a mere second before his ears twitched, and a blade of purple energy crashed into the ground a few meters from his position.
He's close...
Another twitch and another flying slash, landing only a few inches away from him. The carving of earth pushed Cobra to move preemptively as the next flying blade cut through the air he had once been at, like a homing missile that saw him through the cover of toxic smoke.
Too close.
Cobra's ears caught the next blade as he vaulted over its path, his mind racing as he reached the only logical conclusion: He was forced to run about the toxic smoke, dodging violet blades that flew through the air without faltering or missing.
He can see me.
Whether by sight or some other technique, Jellal could pinpoint Cobra's location. In that case, this toxic cloud cover was just getting in Cobra's eyes.
This is just getting in the way...
Thankfully, Cobra didn't need his eyes to see.
Everything's just getting in the way.
Cobra took a heavy breath, his ears ringing with clarity as he barely dodged another slash and closed his eyes. Shutting off all other distractions as he listened to the noise surrounding him, and this time, he listened without any hesitation.
The toxins littered the air and shifted slightly as another blade barreled into it.
The thrum of the magic constantly vibrated even as it soared towards his neck.
The sound of bits of his hair being cut, falling towards the ground as the blade shot past his nose. The sound of it carving into the ground behind him and kicking up even more dust and debris. The sound of quick and steady footsteps dashing around the cloud of toxic smoke, charging another slash to send into the dense cloud of maroon chemicals.
Found you.
Cobra heard it all...
Now I can-
That's why he heard it.
What the... Who the hell is that?
He heard the light yet fast footsteps that echoed from miles away, barreling towards their location without a hint of hesitation or fear.
Why do they sound... oh.
The sound was so surprising that Cobra stopped for a split second before he realized who it was and gained a genuinely malicious expression.
So it's you...
Cobra almost couldn't believe his luck. If he wasn't confident in recognizing the stray runt running through the forest, he might have thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but he was confident.
Well, this changes things...
He couldn't mistake those footsteps...
First Generation.
Those same footsteps had run away from him what felt like an eternity ago.
Midnight could admit when he'd made a mistake, and he had mistaken the dark weight of his enemy's eyes as a signal of defeat.
"You think you're so clever..."
The roaring orange fire that barreled towards him like a starving dog showed otherwise.
"DAMN FAKER!"
Midnight growled as the flames twisted around him and flooded the surrounding trees. Lighting up their section of the forest like a torch in the night, the surrounding trees caught fire as smoke rose from their leaves and ash fell to charred earth.
This little-
"Earth Magic"
The billowing smoke covered Midnight's eyesight as dead words echoed through the burning trees. Midnight's eyes caught flickers of the injured figure dashing through the forest, holding a hand out as the ground heaved upwards and swells of charred rocks and stones flew forward in a shower of dirt, torn rubble, and smoking debris.
"Roche Concerto"
Midnight only scowled as the boulders crashed into his invisible shield before twisting and crumbling apart. The dust mixed in with the ash and soot to kick up even more smoke that covered Midnight's vision, only annoying him further as the flames grew, continuing to spread into a wildfire that might eventually eat the whole forest.
I can't see shit with all this smoke...
Midnight didn't care about saving the forest, but this fire made it hard to see his target.
"Invisible Magic"
Better to get rid of it.
"Twisting Scythe"
Midnight's eyes flashed red as blades of invisible magic shot in all directions, tearing through the air like machine gun bullets. Slicing through the trees and sending the burning lumber to the ground, the cohorts of tumbling leaves and dust snuffed out the worst of the flames. Eventually, Midnight stood in the center of a charred arena of burnt grass and trailing smoke. The fallen trees around him burned their very life away on the ground and away from the rest of the flammable forest, containing the fire to the immediate area, at least for now. The smoke was still in the way but no longer suffocating.
"WHERE ARE YOU!"
Yet the source of Midnight's ire was nowhere to be seen, and his anger wouldn't let that slide.
"YOU DAMN COWARD!"
Midnight's furious growl echoed through the night, his eyes burning as he was greeted with never-ending silence. Unable to hold back his seething rage, he gnashed his teeth and prepared to destroy the entire fucking forest if he had to until he heard a cacophonous rustle deep in the woods. He turned to see a swarm of white butterflies flying above the treetops. The cloud of white dots approached him in a harmless yet calculated fashion.
Are those...
It was only a few seconds before a cloud of white critters surrounded him, and he could see clearly what they were. They weren't white butterflies; they weren't even insects at all.
Origami?
They were Origami cranes, hundreds of them made of what looked to be book pages and other newspaper clippings. All fluttering around him created a smokescreen that was even denser and more annoying than the first one.
"You want to keep hiding..."
Midnight was fucking done with this shit.
"Fine!"
Midnight raised a hand and contorted his magic to the base of his palm before molding it. His magic twisted at a single point at its end as it flashed blue, compounding on itself until it seemed to suck in even air itself. The stray origami and smoke curled towards it as he guided the roaring vortex through the cluttered air, sweeping up the debris like a magnet in a field of coins.
"Invisible Magic"
The ball of twisting magic vacuumed everything: trees, smoke, paper, dust, and the tiny and dense ball of spell took it in. It was like it had its own gravitational pull, floating through the cluttered arena and collecting everything. The debris flew towards it like asteroids, getting sucked into its orbit and adding to it layer after layer until the tiny point of magic was surrounded by a shell of debris that put the earlier boulders to shame.
"Point Blue"
Midnight flung the giant ball of burnt trees, paper, and everything in between into the sky, letting it fly before imploding as the collected debris scattered and crashed into a nearby section of the forest. The distant sound of falling debris echoed as Midnight stood in a clean and empty field, with nothing but the moon overhead to witness his first folly.
"Lightning Magic"
Midnight had focused his magic on one point, which meant his body was open. So he couldn't respond quickly enough as he heard the crackle of electricity somewhere in the forest far behind him. Midnight could only flick back and see the flash of blue light from deep within the ring of trees.
"KAMINARI"
Thunder crackled through the air, and a blue lightning bolt burst from within the dense forest, arcing toward Midnight like a missile. It was so quick and violent that Midnight only had time to bathe his hand in magic to catch the bolt in his palm, knowing he wouldn't be able to get all of it.
The moment the bolt impacted, a sonic boom popped Midnight's ears. His teeth grit as he tried to redirect the stream of electricity away, holding it like a writhing snake in his magic-laced grip. He eventually succeeded as the bolt curled off his palm and over his shoulder, yet the flickering static that shot off from the bolt scorched his fingers and burned a scar right below Midnight's right eye.
This bastard loves to hide...
Midnight had never been so furious in his life.
Well then...
Yet with that rage came a sense of clarity.
Two can play that game.
A sense of clarity that arrived with twisting air and shimmering illusions to let him vanish into the smoky night.
Mystogan didn't sense it at first, hidden in the nighttime and speeding towards him through the darkness from the depths of the forests they were surrounded by.
Something changed...
He had been too focused on his enemy, too busy waiting for the dragon slayer hidden in the toxic smoke cloud to make a move to notice the other dragon slayer's approach far in the distance.
He stopped moving.
Mystogan didn't notice it until the maroon cloud shifted, and he sensed his opponent shooting off in a seemingly random direction. Mystogan acted instantly as his violet blade flashed, and a slash of purple magic soared toward his enemy.
There he- what?
Mystogan watched with surprise and caution as his attack clipped the dragon slayer in the leg, yet his opponent didn't seem phased. The flying blade whizzed past his opponent's leg and claimed an inch of his skin, yet Cobra didn't even miss a step.
What's he doing?
Mystogan watched with growing surprise and suspicion as the dragon slayer that had been aiming for his head a few moments ago shot a fanged smile before those maroon eyes flicked toward the forest.
Is he really...
Then Cobra proceeded to dash without hesitation into the dark cover of the forest's greenery.
Retreating?
Mystogan didn't understand; from his point of view, it looked like his opponent, who had been trying to kill him a few moments ago, had run away.
What's going-
'Shiver'
Mystogan's baffled thoughts may have circled continuously if not for the new presence that prickled the back of his neck, the new mage that had come into the range of Mystogan's senses and alerted him of all the new dangers.
Shit!
Mystogan didn't waste a second as he dashed after Cobra, blurring through the shrubbery as the moonlight trickled through the leaves overhead.
He's going after Wendy.
The thought made Mystogan's body pulse with adrenaline; the injuries and constant pain numbed as his feet blurred along the ground. His muscles tensed with each step and movement because he couldn't be late. Not even a moment late.
Move...
He couldn't let Wendy become a target.
MOVE GODDAMN LEGS!
Mystogan gritted his teeth as his eyes glinted at the trail Cobra left behind, his footsteps leaving impressions in the ground as he dashed forward at speeds most couldn't keep up with. His body from Edolas was strong enough to be considered impeccable, even by mage standards.
MOVE!
Mystogan wouldn't lose in a foot race to anyone.
HE'LL KILL HER!
The scenery blurred past his brown eyes as he caught the tail end of his opponent's bruised back in the distance and crouched low, leaving cracks in the ground as he shot forward with his scythe scraping across the floor. He spun in the air, becoming a twister of sharp purple light that aimed to slice his opponent in two straight down the middle. He would end the fight right there, morals be damned. He would kill his opponent before Wendy got caught in the crossfire.
"Bout time..."
Yet, as his opponent's eager voice hit the air, Mystogan realized he'd been hasty. His swing missed utterly, sinking into the ground as Cobra sidestepped the attack as if it were expected.
"I was wondering when you'd catch up."
As if Cobra had been expecting him.
He baited me.
Mystogan's folly and mistakes were realized too late as he watched a clawed hand shoot towards his face. Mystogan was only able to tilt his head so it didn't tear rip a hole in his face and instead carve through the thin skin of his cheek. Leaving twin lines of blood as Mystogan's right cheek and ear were split apart; the ripping flesh and toxic smell might have knocked him out right then and there if it wasn't for the successive knee that hit his gut.
"NEVER TOOK YOU FOR A SOFTIE, JELLAL!"
Mystogan's breath escaped his lungs, and his vision flickered instantly before a heel slammed into the side of his head. His head snapped sideways as he flew away, switching places with Cobra, and tumbled to his feet. The blood sprayed from the right side of his face as he wavered and heard the faintest echo of a vile sound from somewhere in front.
"POISON DRAGONS"
Mystogan could hear it, the gargling sound of another breath attack. Yet his body was too tired; his eyes were heavy, and the fresh wind that had made its way up his face through his open mouth carried a pain he couldn't describe. It felt like there was a knife stabbing directly into his skull, using his bleeding gums and teeth as a gateway.
It hurts...
Mystogan was in pain, so much mind-numbing pain he wanted nothing more than to fall down and not get back up.
I can't let it hurt.
Yet his will kept him up even as his consciousness flickered on and off. He forced himself awake as he dipped towards the ground because he could see the deep breath that Cobra had been holding and the flickers of poison that escaped his fanged lips as he went to release it, and suddenly Mystogan was aware of how important it was that he didn't fall.
I can't let him get past me...
Mystogan's hazy mind circled one thought, one burning thought, as he planted his feet and roared through a split mouth that sputtered with tainted blood and revealed his stained teeth beneath it.
Wendy's behind me.
Mystogan's expression turned feral as if his instincts had taken complete control, as he flicked his scythe with his left hand, circling it underneath his dead right arm and yanking it upwards. His poisoned arm rested on his staff like a crossbow bolt as static flowed from the glove and melted to his right hand.
"ROAR"
Mystogan braced himself as he watched Cobra release a breath attack from only a few meters away, the maroon torrent tearing through the earth as purple light flashed from the glove on Mystogan's poisoned fingertips.
"Right Wing of Beezlebub"
There was a shimmering in the air as a rectangular barrier of purple, translucent energy formed in front of Mystogan, the symbol of a giant fly on its surface facing down the breath that barreled forward like a giant train of poison death.
"Sorath Samekh"
The roar of poison crashed into Mystogan's shield, and his heels dug into the ground as the force of the attack pushed him back. The collision pushed even the air back as Mystogan's body was highlighted by the maroon light trying to devour him, and his hair and tattered robes whipped in the wind.
Mystogan's eyes regained full cognizance as he watched cracks form in the center of his barrier, spiderwebbing across the rectangular wall before he came to a simple conclusion.
I can't let him get past me...
Even if it cost Mystogan...
I can't let Wendy get dragged into this.
Even if it killed him.
I won't.
Mystogan wouldn't fall until he won.
So, as the blast continued to billow and spew into Mystogan's shield and cracked it inch by inch, he braced himself for the outcome. As Mystogan witnessed the air heat and sizzle around him from just being near the toxic attack, he chose the best option to win that he could see in that dire moment.
Don't hesitate...
Mystogan yanked his scythe upwards, and the scent of his blood bathed the air.
This is my burden.
In the same instant, his shield shattered, and poison spewed from the other side, rushing to claim Mystogan's body in a billowing explosion that painted the world a sizzling maroon.
Siegrain's world had been painted a flashing blue after his lightning strike, and the forest was silent in the aftermath. Left with only the buzz of static in the wake of the attack and the ensuing darkness, he'd lost sight of his opponent.
Where'd he go...
It was like Midnight had vanished into thin air, and as the seconds turned to minutes, there was no sight of the dark mage. No matter how much Siegrain looked and listened, he could only hear and see the surrounding forest beckoning him with its subtle temptations of false peace.
He has to be around here somewhere.
It was as if Midnight's presence had been erased, just like back at Cait-
Where-
The faintest sound from behind prickled Siegrain's senses, and his body moved on instinct. He dodged swiftly to the side, yet the smell of blood still hit his nose, the sneak attack leaving him with a new gash along his side instead of a hole in his heart.
"Someone's perceptive."
Siegrain grits his teeth as a cocky voice hit the air, his eyes flicking back to Midnight, who stepped out of a cloud of shimmering air. Midnight's ring finger extended, and a blade of twisting energy flowed out of it before fading, the specks of blood falling to the ground as Midnight met Siegrain's cold gaze and spoke with a manic grin, "Too bad for you..."
"Sand Magic"
"That was your last chance to die quickly!"
"Sables Dance"
A tornado of sand whipped up around Midnight, who looked at the entire thing like an annoyance more than anything. His red eyes burned with a vengeance as he cocked his arm back and tore through the whole tornado with an invisible whip. The falling sand hit Midnight's ears at the exact moment as another, quieter voice, "I won't die."
Midnight growled as he turned, tilting back as a bloodied fist tore through the curtain of falling sand and nearly clocked him in the face. Midnight felt his body heat up in adrenaline and anger as he saw the blue-haired mage barrel forward with blue flames roaring from his outstretched fingers. Siegrain spoke without hate or emotion, just casually stating through a mat of bloodied blue hair.
"I refuse to die here."
It wasn't a threat or even a promise, just a fact. It would have made Midnight laugh if he wasn't still annoyed at the fact that this fucker was still alive. Still alive and trying to live to tomorrow?
"Oh..."
How funny.
"Just try to stop me then."
Midnight snarled as he let his magic curl around his arm, bracing it into the oncoming fist laced with blue flames. The thrashing magical fire bathed his arm and sucked the heat out of the air as his invisible magic failed to stop the frost that had crawled up his arm; all the while, Midnight met his opponent's gaze and sneered through the numbing pain, hiding his now frostbitten arm with steaming smoke that left a freshly 'healed' appendage in its wake.
"Try and stop me from killing you..."
Invisible magic twisted around Midnight as he let the air shimmer around him, this time bigger and brighter. Pulsing out with power as the moonlight shone ever-brightened overhead, Midnight's words became gnarled and twisted with a venomous rumble that seemed inhuman.
"If you can even manage that much..."
Underneath the pale moonlight, as the clock struck twelve, an image of Midnight's body bursting at the seams was born. His skin ripped apart as hulking muscles took their place, his human eyes turned a monstrous red, and his muscles bulged as he towered over his opponent and the nearby trees with an excited and demonic snarl.
"You damn weakling."
Midnight basked in the surprise that flashed through his opponent's eyes before he swung his gigantic and monstrous arm forward, and Siegrain was sent flying into the surrounding forest. His body crashing through the nearby greenery echoed for miles and sounded like music to Midnight's ears.
"Congratulations..."
Midnight grinned as he tensed his cannon-sized thighs and jumped into the sky, soaring over the forest as he fell towards his opponent, who had left a line of fallen trees and splintered wood in his wake—Midnight grinning from ear to ear as he descended like a falling meteorite towards his enemy.
"YOU'RE THE FIRST PERSON TO DIE TO ME IN THIS FORM!"
An enemy that he would enjoy killing more than he initially thought he would.
One of the best parts of battling Cobra was the moment after he won. When he could hear the silence and sickening sizzling that followed the corpse of whoever he ended up fighting, this was no different. Just like all his other fights, he heard the results before he witnessed them.
Finally...
He heard the explosion tear through skin and bone, the subsequent sizzling of flesh, and the sound of dead meat hitting the ground. The charred and poisoned skin came from deep within the aftermath of his attack, a blooming smoke cloud that was thick and noxious yet fading with the coming breeze.
He's dead.
Cobra's head was pounding, yet his smile was more expansive than ever. An ecstatic laugh escaped his lungs once he saw the smoke start to fade, billowing into the moonlit sky and revealing a charred crater in the ground with a corpse curled up in its center. The dull brown eyes are unrecognizable on the pitch-black corpse that had been charred beyond recognition, just another body left to dust.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
It was impossible to describe Cobra's utter joy at that moment. His laughs echoed through the forest as he marched towards the corpse; he wore a manic smile tinged with the same madness laced in his maroon eyes.
"FINALLY!"
Step after step, he marched through the fading smoke as his footsteps were laid on the soot-stained ground. His heart beat out of his chest as he approached his target and smelled the burnt flesh that matched the sound that hit his ears.
"HOW DOES IT FEEL JELLAL!"
Cobra grinned viciously as he got to the foot of the corpse, raising his boot as the poison burned from the soles of his boot. The maroon light highlighted his vicious expression before he stomped his foot and watched it descend towards the body. Nothing would stop him from enjoying this moment.
"TO LOSE TO A SLAVE LIKE-"
Except when his foot phased through the corpse like it wasn't even there. That shot his glee in the chest, and his voice became confused.
"Me..."
Cobra watched with wide and confused eyes as the air shimmered, the magic spell fading and revealing a staff standing before him. The eye staff was now open and planted in the ground, with a blackened appendage at its feet. The source of the noise and the smell that had made him so sure he had finally won against the enemy he so despised.
That crazy bastard...
It was just an arm, severed at the shoulder and shriveling in on itself from purple toxins. The bone and skin flaking off like ashes off a burnt log.
Cut off his arm.
The twitch of his ears accompanied Cobra's wide eyes, his head whipping backward as his opponent, caked in blood and soot with his teeth and gums showing through his torn cheek, blurred into existence with a gust of speed. Cobra backed up instinctively before there was a flash of purple across his vision, and blood covered his eyes.
Eh?
Then his eyesight flickered off, and his vision turned black.
Why's it dark?
There was a second of confusion, an instant where Cobra's mind hadn't caught up with what happened to his body. Then he realized that he wasn't dead, and the warmth that was pooling from his eyes was his own—stemming from the blade that had cut through his eyes, less than an inch through his skin, leaving a gash from his left temple to his right.
Oh...
The second he realized there was now a bleeding wound over the bridge of his nose, cutting across his eyes and leaving him blind, the pain kicked in.
"ARRRRRGGHHHHH!"
And it arrived like a freight train.
"RAAAGHHHHH! FUCK!"
Cobra screamed in agony as he shot a stray whip of position in front of him, fighting through the dark world that greeted him after his opponent's surprise attack had claimed his eyes. So Cobra could only hear as his attack hit wood, and he assumed the wooden scythe in his opponent's hand was sent flying in a different direction.
Kill him! Kill him! KILL HIM! KILL HIM NOW THAT HIS WEAPON IS GONE!
Cobra's instincts took over as he fought through pain and charged forward, leveling a scaled fist that crushed the ground but missed his opponent. His hearing caught up too late as a foot slammed into the side of his head and sent him tumbling because even if he could hear it, he was too jarred by the everlasting pain to react in time.
KILL HIM BEFORE-
The first break in his increasingly desperate thoughts came once the sound of static filled the air, and Cobra heard the raging buzz of magic collect near what he summed was Jellal's left hand, the only remaining one. Gliding through the air, Cobra heard Jellal mercilessly close the distance.
"YOU BASTARD!"
Cobra roared in despair, defiance, and everything in between as he tried to swing his clawed arm as slashes flowed from his dagger-like fingernails. He could hear the poison swing from his claws in a razor-sharp attack, and he heard it greet nothing but air, slicing the trees nearby in half but no flesh. No, his opponent had slipped under it and was now at his feet, whispering a final word.
"Palmyra"
Cobra couldn't see it but could feel that gloved palm of thrumming energy had slammed into his chest. The glove sent shockwaves through his body like the epicenter of an earthquake and caved into Cobra's chest in the process. Cobra's ribs shattered like glass, and his bones broke one by one as he was sent flying from the trail he had once raced down.
Ah...
Cobra's conciseness flickered as he ricocheted off the ground for an eternity, skipping like a stone through the dark forest grounds. The stinging in his eyeballs that now hugged the back of his eyelids in a bloody embrace was the only source of warmth as his body finally reached its limit. Going limp as he landed in one of the many craters of the original battleground, his bones broken and his muscles unable to do anything but shake.
Sorry Coballios...
Cobra's body was broken beyond repair, and he could only hear and feel it break down even further. The magic that had claimed his snakelike arm faded as his breath came out in a bloody rush, and the ringing in his head turned from a chorus to a symphony. Cobra was dying; there was nothing he could do about it; he had lost.
I couldn't avenge you.
So Cobra continued to search for his friend's heartbeat and crawled towards it. His bloody eyes were stained with burning tears as he dragged his crumbling body through the dirt and threw it over the cold body of his friend, his only friend, whose heartbeat was as light and fleeting as the night breeze. Like a ripple in his now lightless word, he focused on it until it was the only noise he heard.
I'm sorry...
Cobra curled in on himself, nestling his dying friend in dying arms as he fought off the desperate calling for sleep. He knew he wouldn't wake up again once he fell under its spell, so he would fight it for as long as possible, as long as he could manage.
'...thump...'
Even if it was just a few minutes longer.
'Thump'
Cobra would listen to the heartbeat that meant more to him than his own.
Siegrain felt blood rush to his ears as he crashed through the forest, his heartbeat ringing in his head as he tried to protect his arm. The arm that he'd barely gotten between himself and the giant fist that came out of nowhere, courtesy of the demonic form his opponent had taken without warning.
It's broken.
Siegrain's limb swelled a dark blue as he crashed through the trees of the lonely forest; stars danced in his vision on the third tree. The world flashed white once he smashed through the fourth one.
What happened to him...
He felt it a flashback to color on the fifth.
He became a monster.
By the seventh, he had at least three concussions and a deep desire to go to sleep even if he might not wake up, but he didn't. Once his sudden trip through the woods ended, with his back buried in the splintered tree bark at the end of a line of its fallen brethren, he forced his eyes open to see the aftermath.
"WHAT'S WRONG!"
Then, he immediately looked upwards as a roaring voice hit his ears, and he noticed the shadow falling over him, his legs moving in hazy directions as he jumped to the side right as the demonic form of his enemy fell. Midnight was towering over the ground like a giant monster as he fell to the earth, and it nearly crumbled underneath his weight.
"NO MORE TRICKS UP YOUR SLEEVE!?"
Siegrain's breath stuttered as he tilted his head back and watched a giant fist swing over it and take out a nearby tree. Siegrain's head numbly ordered him to fucking move as he vaulted backward and into the nearby treetops, letting magic course to his palm as he aimed it at his suddenly massive target.
"Water Magic"
A water ball rushed into Siegrain's palm, rushing and billowing until it shot forward in a geyser, roaring like a streaming dragon of pressurized water.
"Torrential Downpour"
The weight of his water spritzed the air with enough force to punch a hole through a tree, yet with just a raised arm from Midnight, it seemed utterly useless. Only able to push the demon back slightly before Midnight grinned and smacked the attack away, tensing his thick legs before shooting off and snatching Siegrain's leg midair.
"DOWN YOU GO!"
Shit!
Siegrain clenched his teeth, pulling his arms behind his head as he was thrown toward the ground and crashed into the dirt. His lungs were screaming in agony as he bounced off the ground, and his back muscles were put through the absolute worst pain.
I have to move...
He saw stars that danced in his vision and didn't seem to mind staying there indefinitely.
MOVE!
Siegrain was very tired, yet he knew he couldn't stop moving. So he threw himself from the ground that beckoned him like a tempting coffin and avoided the stomping fall of his enemy. Lighting up his palms with blue electricity, he struggled to his feet and moved his magic in a new direction.
"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT!? CHEAP TRICKS AND WORTHLESS MAGIC! THAT WON'T WORK ON ME!"
He let his enemy's booming voice echo while he held the current in his palm, watching with a tired breath as he was taken in a giant palm. He was lifted off the ground like a toy before he was held at eye level with the monster that seemed all too ready to break him like an overused action figure.
"YOU'RE PATHETIC..."
The colossal fingers around him tightened like a vice.
"ANY LAST WORDS SPARKY?"
Siegrain's lungs screamed and his breath came out in a pained hiss.
"Lightning Magic"
Siegrain watched the monster's eyes quirk in interest as the blue sparks collected towards Siegrain's fingers. A flash went off as they shot upwards in a stream of snaking electricity before curling down and crashing into a head of blue hair still held in Midnight's soaked grip.
"BOLT"
Siegrain clenched his teeth as he was shocked with volt after volt of electricity, firming through the pain as he'd done back in the lab and watching the current snake up the water on Midnight's arm. Spreading like spiderwebs until Siegrain's grunts of pain were joined by a jarring scream from Midnight, who released him the instant the electricity bathed the monster in a buzzing strike of blue lightning.
I have to buy some time...
Siegrain fell limply, tired, towards the ground a few meters below. His mind ran as he made a last-ditch effort to buy him some time to recover and hopefully outlast whatever magic had taken hold of his opponent's body. He would collapse at this rate.
Make it blend with the world...
Siegrain only had this one chance when his opponent's eyes were shut from the electricity coursing through his body to pull it off.
Just like he did...
He couldn't afford to mess it up.
Make it feel like a dream.
Siegrain let his magic escape his body in droves, as close to raw ethernano as possible and twisted it. He molded it fluidly and freely like a painting until the air shimmered gently and eerily familiarly around his body. It was not nearly as good as the original, but it was close enough, given the time frame.
"Illusion Magic"
It just had to be enough to trick his opponent.
"Mirage"
Siegrain fell to his knees as the air shimmered around him, and the air itself cloaked him. All the while, an image of himself shot towards the woods, with the enraged monster following shortly after, sporting an electric burn on its hand that steamed and healed even as it lumbered away.
"WHERE ARE YOU RUNNING BASTARD!"
Siegrain felt his breath escape quietly as the monster walked deeper into the woods. He felt safe enough to let his magic fade, the air cracking as his hidden world shattered and he was left in the open.
That should buy me a few minutes.
Siegrain was alone and finally able to get a few minutes of rest, where he could assess his injuries and recover the hearty amount of magic he had expended. His arms hung limply by his sides as he caught his breath quickly; he could only spare a few moments before his opponent figured out he was chasing a fake. He needed to make them count.
My ribs and my arm are probably broken...
Siegrain frowned as he looked at the black welt that had grown on his arm, hiding a canvas of bruised and probably broken ribs where the first swing had connected. Leaving him stranded somewhere in the woods, where he could lick his wounds with the bit of time he had to himself.
Just a few threads and-
"Not bad."
Siegrain's breath stopped as he felt a finger at the back of his head, his eyes shaking as he heard his opponent's twisted words hit the air. Echoing through the open air, Siegrain glanced back and saw Midnight's human form staring back at him with a nasty smirk: "For a copycat."
Siegrain didn't have time to run; his adrenaline faded after he stopped moving.
"Invisible Magic"
Siegrain couldn't escape this spell; he knew he couldn't escape the magic traveling towards the end of Midnight's outstretched index finger. So, instead of trying to defend himself from the inevitable attack, he let a cascade of colored fire bathe his palm, aiming it at Midnight's body the moment the air twisted into a roaring vortex around Midnight's pointer finger like a violent tornado.
"Fire Magic"
If Siegrain were going down, he would ensure he took his opponent down with him.
"Spiral-" / "Rainbow-"
"What a harrowing sight..."
Siegrain's final moments, what he expected them to be anyway, were extended as an aged voice cut through the air, and the picture-perfect pale skin of Midnight seemed to crack. Siegrain's multicolored flames flickered out in surprise at the same moment the air around Midnight trembled until it shattered like cold glass. Then, the image of Midnight's unblemished skin faded like an old coat of paint, with the twisting attack at the edge of his fingertip following soon after.
"Why must every generation need to have children fight its wars..."
Midnight's body was now littered with minor bruises and electrical burns, as well as frost that had crawled up his arm. Midnight wasn't as injured as Siegrain, but he wasn't as healthy as previously projected. The battle had taken its toll, case in point the labored and shaky breath that escaped Midnight's lips and the fierce scar seared underneath his right eye, which had gone wide from shock at being exposed so effortlessly.
"Leave this kind of nasty fighting to the adults."
Midnight's broad-eyed expression only deepened as he turned to see the new intruder. It was an older man walking with a cane, Racer's limp body floating behind him. Held by the older man like a balloon, the man with tan skin and a feather headdress stepped out from the cover of darkness, the moonlight showcasing his weathered body and wrinkled expanse of a face.
"You're both far too young to make those scary expressions."
Raubol, guild master of Cait shelter, had stumbled upon such a tragic sight in his backyard.