A Final War

by J D Dench

  Even as he said it, it seemed too good to be true. The wolf Demon’s words echoed in his head. We will fight again, Hammer Holder.

  Leif ducked to avoid the slash from Dream’s dagger, then rolled to his left and landed on his feet to avoid her following kick. He could read her moves before she threw them. Unlike Hanika, he had something to fight for. He had to avenge Liz. He gave Hanika credit for being there for him. And she had given Dream a run for her money. Dream had tried the mind games on Hanika, but the Elf was able to read through the tricks and focus on the fight. And had fought bravely and swiftly until Dream kicked her back into the barrier, knocking the girl out and shattering the barrier.

  I’ll finish this, Hanika, Leif thought to himself. With a warcry, he ran forward, ducking under Dream’s attack and throwing out his dagger at her kick this time. The deadliest dagger to exist shot into her thigh and dug into it, leaving a deep and long cut along her leg and tripping her up. She rolled to the ground, quickly catching her balance again and ripped the blade from her fresh wound.

  “Who do you think you are, cutting my perfect skin?!” she snarled. Her face that had been so perfect was stuck in a sneer, and those gorgeous eyes cut into him like a knife. “Why won’t you just love me, like your stupid sister did?”

  He knew what she was trying to do. It wouldn’t work. “My sister was a warrior and a hero, unlike you. You say she failed her Kingdom? I say she defended her Kingdom the best she could until her death, and my only regret is I never got to tell her so.Your old tricks won’t work on me. I see the ugly beneath your skin. You can’t get to me. Not anymore.”

  “You think so?” she asked with a smile, her eyebrows raised. Her tongue darted out and licked the blood from along the impossibly sharp blade. “You think I can’t get in your head? Break you? Ask Kayla about how good I am.”

  “I’m sure you are good at tormenting people with something to lose. But you and Tortuine took everything I care about away from me.” His eyes stared into hers. And slowly, he could see she was understanding what he was saying. “You can’t get to me because there is nothing to get to anymore. But I can feel it. I’m under your skin.”

  Her sneer deepened and she ran at him, ripping the dagger from her leg and swinging it at him. “You can’t get to me!” she screamed, though it sounded more like a hiss as she swung the two daggers with untraceable speed.

  Leif was trapped as he had to defend the two fast blades with the Eternal Flame, which was a great weapon but far too slow for the two weapons. He deflected each attack so they each just missed him, using the speed of his body to dodge most of the attacks he couldn’t strike against.

  “You can’t break me!” she shrieked, and with each shout her speed seemed to skyrocket. “I am Dream! I am Death!”

  He almost tripped over the body of his sister. Looking down, he spotted Liz’s blade, Frostbite.

  Do I dare?

  He swallowed hard as the image played in his head. He could see what would happen. He would tire out and slow down, and she would cut him like ribbon.

  Do I have a choice?

  He snatched up Frostbite and blocked his own dagger with it. At the same time, he swung the Eternal Flame at her blade and caught it in midair. He had felt the power of the flame inside of Rizza’s weapon. But never before had he felt the chill of Frostbite freezing through his bones, as if adding another layer of strength to his entire bone structure. And when the ice met the flame inside of him, the power was unimaginable. He felt reborn, as if blessed by the Gods and granted immortality.

  These swords! Were they destined to be together? Were they destined to be used as one?

  The blades were weightless in his hands, almost as if they were limbs resting in his palms. Dream swung at the Eternal Flame with one dagger and aimed the other at Leif’s throat, hoping to end the fight quickly.

  He blocked both with Rizza’s blade and swung out with Liz’s, cutting open Dream’s shoulder. It happened in an instant, and Leif hadn’t planned the attack. The blades guided him. Dream fell back and released both of her daggers with a cry, her hand grabbing for her shoulder.

  She could feel the ice running through her veins from the power of Liz’s blade. One bite from the weapon and it would be over. From either of the Elf’s weapons. Either she would freeze to death or burn to death.

  “It’s over,” Leif growled, aiming both blades at her again. “It’s all over.”

  “You think so.” She took a deep breath, and the ice evaporated into the air. Leif could sense the amount of energy it cost her to do so, but she would live.

  “I will fight another day.” Before he could dart forward to a killing blow, Dream had darted halfway toward where Oth’tuun had stood. Leif saw the wolves running in circles and saw Dream vanish between them. And soon, the army vanished with them. The army, with Azzaan’s strongest warriors, had abandoned their God.

  “Demons think they’re so strong. But we are so much stronger.” Leif examined both blades with a smile. “And I will use that power to fight for you, Liz. And Silvia. And Rizza. For all of those who have fallen.”

  Azzaan was the Demon God, the man who had ruined entire Empires and nearly taken over the world. And yet, the fight was too easy for Kayla. The man fought with strong strokes of his sword, almost the same way Galruman had fought. And she had overpowered him with her speed all too quickly.

  It wasn’t until the shadow attacked that Kayla realized how hard Azzaan was to actually battle against. Only then did it occur to her she was fighting two against one. Breaking the Sword into two, she was able to block them but could never find an opening to use for her strike. She was stuck on the defensive, and if they both got her pinned against the barrier, she knew for a fact the battle would be over in a heartbeat.

  She had to memorize their two unique fighting techniques, deflect them, and always be aware of where she was standing. The shadow was lightning fast, making Kayla put on her armor and lose her Sword in exchange for speed. Her finger blades were able to keep up with the blade just fine, but that’s when the human body ran forward with his bash and break mentality. He was strong and slow, so Kayla had to keep up with the shadow’s speed while dodging the strong attacks that would cut through the vulnerable and exposed weaknesses of her armor.

  She jumped back and threw out the finger blades like daggers. They dug into the shadow, knocking it back a few feet. They fell out of the shadow and returned to Kayla’s fingers just in time for her to spin and stop an attack from the human body. The attack had been aimed at her arm, right where her shoulder was exposed. Too close.

  “You can’t win!” he snarled, pushing down. His nostrils were flared as ferocity pierced from his eyes. “You will die here, and then all will fall!”

  Kayla grunted and pushed back with all of her strength. “I have to win!”

  She quickly spun away from where the blade had been and let the metal slice through the air. As it whistled past, Kayla completed her spin and reached out with her claws. The instant she saw the human body, she shot her arm forward.

  Lillian, please guide this!

  The human looked down at the blades as they entered his chest. He let out a broken breath and stared at the blood seeping from his wound. The eyes of the man were wide. The sword fell from his fingers and tried to come up to Kayla’s hand. “You….how could you…” he said between breaths.

  Kayla pulled her blade away, leaving the wound open and pouring out blood. She looked down at his injury. It was deep. It would be fatal.

  “It’s what you deserve,” she muttered. She turned to block an attack from the shadow and saw it standing a few feet from her.

  It didn’t move. Its head was turned toward the human, the shadow of a blade dangling from its side. It released the blade, allowing it to vanish into the ground. It took a step toward the human before freezing in place once more.

  “I…I can feel…the pain…” His words were barely distinguishable from his breaths of pain. “I have…I
have never felt pain…”

  His eyes.

  Lillian said it to Kayla. Kayla followed the Elf’s advice, looking into the man’s eyes. They were dark, as if all signs of light had been snuffed out. The pain was beyond that of mortal pain. There was something human in those eyes, but more than that even.

  “What are you?” she asked, her voice suddenly gentle. “You two...you both can’t be Azzaan. So what are you two?”

  The shadow approached the human. It rubbed its shaded hand along the wound, but the blood kept falling. The shadow can’t save its host. The shadow turned to Kayla, and she could sense something dark and sinister in its gaze.

  The human took a deep, shuddering breath. He completely ignored the shadow at his side. “I’m a host,” he cried out, blood falling from his lips. “The shadow is Azzaan. I am Jam’aal. I have… power. I have the power to…make my Kingdom great again.”

  He coughed and the blood fell again. He looked to the shadow. “I failed you,” he cried to the shadow, putting his hand out. “I failed you…I am so…I am so sorry, master.”

  Kayla could almost read what the shadow, Azzaan, was saying. You didn’t fail me. We failed, but you fought valiantly. And I am happy to have you by my side.

  Kayla swallowed the lump in her throat. Could this shadow actually feel sympathy? Did he care about human life? And is this what Dream meant when she said he was weaker than her? Because he cares about the people he possesses?

  “A host,” she said out loud. I called myself a host, or at least a vessel, for all Elves who had fallen and who live in the Elven Kingdom. Azzaan and I...how different are we? Our intentions are different. He wanted to take over the world, but only for his race. What if Lillian had wanted to take over the world? Would I be seen as evil as he is?

  A long pause sat between them, as if the shadow and human were talking in a silent language. After a long time, the human turned to Kayla.“Kill me,” he told the shadow with a sob. “Kill me, sir, and use my life to make yourself stronger. Use my life to grow stronger and take what you deserve.”

  The shadow looked at Jam’aal. But it didn’t move. It cares about him. They ruled together. Shared a mind. A body. This is the only Demon that actually cares about human life.

  “Azzaan,” Kayla said directly to the shadow. The figure didn’t move, but she continued, “I can understand how much pain you feel inside. You have felt human after human, host after host, die before your very eyes. And you can’t save them. That hurts you, doesn’t it?”

  The shadow didn’t move an inch. Kayla pressed on, “I can end your life. I can end that pain. Your Demonic Empire cannot rise again after today. Look outside.” She gestured to the barrier, where Olap and Matias were standing side by side. Leif and Hanika were beside them, Hanika leaning against Leif.

  “Your army has abandoned you. Oth’tuun and Dream are gone. Everything you fought for has vanished, and now your host is going to die, Azzaan. I can imagine your pain. And I can extinguish it.” She took a deep breath and looked directly at the shadow, who had turned to face her. “But I need you to let me.”

  The shadow didn’t say anything. It looked at Jam’aal, its hand caressing the dying man's wound. Jam’aal was looking at the shadow in turn, as if they were having a conversation nobody else could understand. And finally, after what felt like forever, the shadow turned to her and nodded its head.

  “Azzaan will always be known as the greatest of all Demons,” Jam’aal said with surprisingly minimal coughing. “If you think you can end his life, he is willing to let this be his final resting place.”

  Kayla nodded her head, her eyes flickering to the group she had fought alongside for the past few days. This is who remains, she thought to herself. Azzaan killed so many of us with his powerful companions, but he couldn’t finish the job. We survived. Because we are strong. She took a deep breath and pressed upon the marking on her skin.

  Arrieta’s Bow flashed into her hand.

  The armor broke apart and left her holding the Sword. She put the Sword against the strong string of the Bow and pulled it back, feeling her soul push against the Sword as it took on the form of a giant arrow. She closed her eyes slowly, letting her breathing settle as she aimed the arrow at the two men.

  Arrieta and Lillian working as one, just as Liz and I had worked as one. This I do for Liz.

  “Thank you,” Jam’aal said quietly as she released the arrow.

  In a flash of light, as the arrow met the shadow and shattered it into countless pieces, a hush consumed the world and bathed Kayla in a wave of peace as the silver from the shot returned to her.

  “It’s over,” she said out loud as the barrier broke apart. Matias turned to Olap and picked up the Dwarf in a bear hug. Hanika turned and hugged Leif. Both of the Elves were crying for their fallen comrades and destroyed lands. The Dwarf and Matias let tears fall for all of the Dwarves who had died at the hands of Rezuman.

  Kayla watched them from a distance. She felt disconnected from them all of a sudden. No joy of victory swept over her, but rather a feeling of loss.

  That Demon. He got in my head. But I can’t help but wonder...

  “It’s over.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The Demon God, with his army, were defeated. The number of people who had lost their lives were uncountable. All of the Kingdoms were in complete and utter ruin. Thousands of individuals were without shelter, let alone food. It was in Minicule where the defeaters of Azzaan planned their next move.

  “Liz left me in charge of the Elven Kingdom,” Kayla informed them. “So I’ll be heading back there. And Hanika has accepted my offer of being my new Royal Guardian.”

  Olap sat across from her with his hands folded neatly on the table. “I have to return to my people,” he grumbled. “In times like these, they need someone to turn towards. They turned to me. I cannot and will not abandon them like that.”

  “Nor should you,” Leif answered with a nod. “Which is why I will be going to BlueCrest. The warriors there already listen to me. Maybe having a non-human leader is what they need right now. Besides, I think Rizza and Liz would want me to return their weapons to where it all began.”

  “And I will stay here,” Matias said quietly. “Minicule needs to rebuild. I will help them here. A human leader may be what they need to finally put this race war aside and live in peace.”

  Kayla looked at her comrades with sad eyes. Is this it? Is this the last time we will sit in the same room together? After all we have been through, and after all of the battles we have faced, is this the end of the journey of the warriors? Or is there more that we don’t see coming?

  The two Kingdoms that were harmed the most by Azzaan’s ruthless attacks were BlueCrest and the Dwarven Kingdom. The Dwarven Kingdom stood strong, though, and all of the Dwarves from the small cities throughout the mountains moved into the main mountain to serve their new leader, Ruler Olap, in the best way they could. They were the first land to recover physically from the injuries of the Demons, but their numbers would take time to grow.

  The people from the neutral territories moved into BlueCrest and its lands to provide protection in exchange for shelter and food. Leif immediately began plans for reconstruction on the castle and the new cities around it. The change would take a long, long time to finish constructing, but the new designs would provide much more shelter to many, many more people. The large castle was broken down and replaced with several smaller buildings, which would serve as homes for some while also providing places for weapons and armor in homes known as Armory Chambers.

  The Demons left the lands and returned to the Demon Lands, where nobody dared venture to hunt down and eliminate the threat. It was decided that the best course of action was to leave the Demon Lands alone and prepare for defense against them. It was figured that it was better to know where the threat was than to eliminate it and have to prepare for a surprise attack, such as Azzaan. Kayla was urged to hunt down and finish off the Demons before they cou
ld rebuild, but Kayla refused.

  “They won’t leave their lands with no leader. Not now that they have been defeated twice.”

  But did she really believe that? Or was that sympathy guiding her? Sympathy for the Demons. Wiping out the Demons would make the Elves as bad as they were. Genocide was genocide, no matter which way it went.

  Nobody knew what happened to Malkina after the death of Jam’aal. No people were found in Malkinian territories. Elves were sent through the forests as BlueCrest explored the lands between themselves and the lands of Malkina, but no humans were found. They decided it was best to leave Malkina alone. Either they were all dead, or they were rebuilding in secrecy. In either case, leaving the Kingdom alone was the best course of action.

  The Palace had burned to the ground from the inside while the metal holding it up was ruined beyond repair. Kayla began operations to rebuild the Palace with new improvements. The bridge still stood, but Kayla knew she wanted to reconstruct it in a better way. The projects would take years upon years, but to repair an entire Kingdom would not happen overnight. And it helped that the cities of the Kingdom came to the main city for shelter, offering assistance in the reconstruction of their new Palace. Hanika took over the training of the Elven warriors. She taught them the new weapon of Ti’a’s nunchucks, known as Tiannas, and taught them the way Ti’a had taught her. Together, the Elven people learned a whole new way of combat.

  Olap had also brought Kayla to the Hole and signed a peace offering with the Elven Kingdom to allow them as allies, and together they would share Minicule. The first order of business Olap and Kayla agreed on was to tear down the prison that had held Ambloyde and Tony so long ago, and that had imprisoned Elves to their deaths even before then. Minicule would also be shared with the humans that had already lived there. Leif signed the peace offering with Olap and Kayla.

  Matias stayed in the Palace and had messengers put in place at Minicule. Only once in a while did he need to actually go there. He established a small battle unit to protect the lands and reinforce the laws Matias had put in place. Soon, small cities everywhere emptied in Minicule. Minicule became so populated, it needed to stretch its lands to just on the outskirts of the Dwarven and Elven lands, as well as just outside the Dwarven Lands. Cities were established throughout the lands, but they were all known widely as Minicule’s offspring.