A hazy mist surrounded Storm’s senses as Ronin’s face came before his own. Yet it was not of wicked eyes and curving lips. A great sadness was shown from the face of the old man and it was then that Storm realized his own imminent death … and he smiled.
A look of sudden confusion overcame Ronin. “Why do you smile Storm? Is this your truth? That you fight not to win, but to die?” Storm’s fingers slipped slowly from his own bloodstained hilt, and his weapon was lost to clouds of black.
Ronin felt a sudden grasp like cold iron overcome his forearms. “I think … your age is clouding your head … old man. It was the only way … to beat you,” coughed Storm. Blood floated upwards from his lips as the two hurtled to the ground, locked together.
A wicked grin curved across Storm’s face and all became clear to Ronin. It was a trick. The entire fight had been a trap. And he had fallen for it. A flash of Caim smiling rushed into his mind. He had misread it. He had misread them. His eyes grew wider. He knew what was next.
“The good thing about Caim …” Storm whispered as they fell, “Is that he’s predictable.”
“Storm! You’ll pay for that you bastard!!” A thunderous voice erupted from beneath them. Storm grinned.
A surge of rippling energy exploded beneath them. The silhouette of a swordsman with hair like silver fire rose from the depths; blue flames of aura surrounding him as he grasped his hilt and ascended like a shooting star. Ronin’s teeth clenched as he struggled desperately to pull himself free of Storm’s grasp.
“I thought you had caught on, old man … but it turns out my past haunts you more than myself!” With desperate force, Storm rotated Ronin to the ground. His eyes found his raging brother racing toward them. “Caim!” he screamed. “The bells!”
“Oh now you want to work together!?” roared Caim.
“Clever,” said Ronin, smiling. “But the key to strategy is sometimes not to see ten moves away, just the perfect move for every turn. Swordplay is a game of strategy, Storm.”
Ronin’s fingers slipped off his blade as he tried to stop their fall, but it was then that Caim came upon them, ripping forth his Fallblade and driving it diagonally across Ronin’s back. Blood splashed across the sky. The jingle of the bells became the only audible sound to the two brothers—Caim, who had taken one hand off of his hilt, was reaching for the white bell, and Storm, whose eyes focused only on the black.
Just as Storm was closing his hand, he felt Caim’s blade sink into his chest, drive through his flesh and cut straight out through his side. Blood arced before him as Ronin’s figure dissipated into nothing but air. He had vanished. The bells had been in his grasp and Caim could not stop his rising speed. Caim’s eyes widened as his Fallblade slashed across his brother.
“Storm …?” Caim shouted. “STORM!!”
Caim’s entire body was shaking as he tried to make sense of Ronin’s escape. He had no idea what was going on, or how to keep up with how Storm was acting, but he knew one thing. They had come close, but in their confidence they had become overzealous, not realizing that Storm would have to release one of Ronin’s arms in order to grasp the bell. Caim lowered his hands before him, shaking tremendously, and a great anger came over him just as he felt a devastating blow strike the back of his head.
“A valiant effort …” were the last words he heard as all faded to black.
II – The End of the World
Although Caim could not see or move, he could feel. A great cold lay beneath him, yet he was surrounded by warmth. Hazily he opened his eyes. A few feet before him something black and crumpled lay on the ice. Fire rose around the figure and Caim realized it was Storm on the ground.
He crawled toward his brother. The world around him was crumbling as meteors struck the ice around them, crushing the stability of the ground and his spirit with it.
“Storm …” Caim thought he screamed but he heard only a whisper. Lifting himself up, he found that Storm’s eyes were wide open, staring up into the sky, and for a moment, he thought his brother had died. Placing his palm down, Caim felt a sudden liquid warmth and turned his eyes to the ice, realizing that his brother lay in a deep puddle of blood.
“Sorry … Caim … I messed up our chance”
“We have to go, Storm … you’ll die if we stay here any longer.”
Storm was quiet while he lifted himself up. Blood spilled forth from the sword still notched into his ribs and his muscles contracted violently as he tried to stand. Yet he did not falter. One finger at a time, one hand first and then the next, Storm stood to his feet, his body trembling. Caim gazed upon his brother, standing in a coat of blood, with a long silver blade protruding from his stomach. A memento of their grandfather’s victory.
“No, Caim …” said Storm. “We’ve … lost this fight too many times. I’m so tired of losing to him … our entire childhood we spilt blood in this world, and never once have we been this close. We must fight on, no matter what. I don’t care if it looks hopeless.” Deep down, Storm couldn’t decide if he really believed they could win or not. Is this all that am? Storm thought. Is this my limit?
A booming voice broke their concentration as a figure came before them in the sky. “A shame to have come so far, only to grow impatient in the final moment.” The long black cloak of Ronin blew fiercely in the wind as Caim’s eyes locked on the blade in his hand. It was his own Fallblade. He quickly searched the ground around him. Sure enough, he had lost his sword. Everything seemed to be crumbling around them. Defeat was closing in around them as night on dusk.
“Hey!” screamed Caim. “Give that back, you thief!”
Caim clenched his fists tightly and Storm spit on the ground at their grandfather’s words.
“It would seem that I have underestimated you two,” Ronin said. “Although I should have been keener to the signs. No matter. Storm can no longer fight, and I think we both understand what happens when one of you attempts to fight one whose strength lies in a different realm than your own. It would seem you have reached the pinnacle of your strength as swordsmen.”
“Curse you, old man,” Storm spit. “Good thing you reached your pinnacle like a thousand cycles ago!”
Ronin grinned. “Curse me as much as you like – although I am already cursed as you two are. Caim, Storm, you will never have the true Soul of the Swordsman. Now is the time for you to retreat. That is, if you value your lives, for if you stay and attempt to fight me as you are now, Death is the only thing you will find.”
“Maybe Death is what we seek,” answered Storm. “Maybe Death is better than losing to you again.” A blast of fire and ice erupted behind him, bringing forth strong winds.
Caim’s eyes fell on his bloodied brother. “Storm, we have to go. You won’t survive another attack. We must leave this world, now. You know what will happen to us if the world is destroyed.”
“I know,” said Storm through a hideous grin. “And you won’t survive another attack either. But I’m not backing down from this, not this time.” He leaned his head to the side and looked at Caim. A long, deep gash was split open across Caim’s chest. “Guess we’re even, then.”
Caim took a deep breath and grinned. “You sure about this?”
Storm nodded his head, “I’m not running away this time. No matter what.”
“Fuck it then” said Caim, “Let’s take him down. Once and for all!”
“That’s the brother I know.” Storm placed his hand on Ronin’s hilt, feeling its blade sunk into his stomach.
“Oh?” taunted Ronin. “It seems you have found what remains of your courage. Well … let me take the pleasure of shattering it for you. I’ll show you something you’ve never seen before.” Lifting Caim’s Fallblade out before him, the two brothers watched as a strange energy wrapped around the blade, engulfing it in a bright light before fading suddenly.
Caim’s eyes focused intently on his b
lade, or what he thought was his blade. The sleek silver edges glowed ravenously in the dark and the whisper of a voice unveiled seemed to call. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The blade had changed in shape, and was now nearly the entire length of Ronin’s body. A bizarre new power flowed forth from its edges, as if an ancient force had been awakened: a force that sought only ruin. He felt his hands clench tighter and tighter as their grandfather seemed to grow more and more powerful by the second.
“I was wondering why you never took your blade to its true form, Caim. Judging by your look of surprise, it would seem you never knew it could change forms. Well, this is it. The ultimate destructive form of the Fallblade. The beauty of this weapon is that it plays to both ends of the battlefield. A short sword will always serve better as a defensive weapon, whereas a longsword serves better on the offensive. A shame you could never fight with your blade in its eldest form.” Ronin pointed the tip of the blade at Caim. “This is your last chance …” His eyes glinted in the dark. “Saa, what will you do?”
Storm sighed, shaking his head. “Told you your swordsmanship was wasted on this battle … couldn’t even awaken your blade.”
Caim didn’t hear him. He was staring up at his sword in awe. “That is … so freaking awesome!”
“Snap out of it you moron, we’re about to die!”
The stars in Caim’s eyes vanished. He inhaled deeply and clenched his fists. “Oi, Storm,” he spoke softly, “remember that time with the Kushala Flares? It felt a lot like this, didn’t it?” Storm grinned. “No idea how we survived that.” Caim turned to his grandpa, clenched his fists and roared at the top of his lungs, “This is the last time we enter this world, grandpa! No matter what, we will take those bells from you and overcome this!”
“Even if we have to beat Death himself!” cried Storm.
Ronin’s eyes grew bright and his smile curved. “Now, that’s the spirit. So be it. I will become Death and grant your wish.” The aura of Ronin began to stir the natural energy of everything around them.
Storm and Caim braced themselves as Ronin’s power shook the entire world. They struggled to hold their balance on the cracking of ice beneath their feet as Ronin lifted the Fallblade above his head. Falling meteors suddenly disappeared into thin air as their remnant wakes of energy and flame seeped through the sky like fiery streams, twirling and surrounding the risen Fallblade as if its voice called all that flamed.
“It’s almost as if the stars are giving him power,” Caim said in wonder. “I’ve never felt anything like it before. Brace yourself, brother … this isn’t going to be good.”
“Keen as usual,” choked Storm. In one horrific pull he wrenched Ronin’s blade from his stomach. Blood poured from the sides of the wound. He felt unconsciousness pull at him but he resisted. “Now, where is it?” Storm asked. His eyes darted all around, seeking his fallen blade. High above, the energy gathering around the awakened Fallblade was causing hurricanes of wind that split clouds of black, while cracks of jagged lightning brought flickers of light to their collapsing world.
“There it is!” yelled Storm. His eyes fell on his blade that lay at a distance. The ice around it was breaking and withering and he watched as it began to slide down towards an inferno of rising flame.
“You weaklings will never have what it takes to overcome this place!” Ronin’s voice thundered. With one swift motion of the blade, a curved arc of black energy engulfed the sky and descended upon what little remained of an already dying world.
“Starless Night.” A cold whisper fell from Ronin’s lips as the devastating wave of energy erupted from the blade.
Instantly realizing that Storm could not dodge such a blow, whose sheer size seemed enough to slice the moon in half, Caim Flashed towards his brother with a speed he thought impossible. “We can’t outrun it!” he screamed. He grasped Storm’s arm and Flashed away from the descending arc of Death. The air surged frantically all around him as the energy wave exploded down towards the melting ice.
“Caim!” Storm screamed. “My blade!”
Caim searched frantically until he saw it. His heart dropped as he realized it was lying directly in the path of Ronin’s attack. He let go of Storm and with a final Flash, he dashed back towards the falling crescent wave. There was no time to think. He could feel the surging heat from the immense wave of aura. His hair was singeing. His senses were failing. His ears deafened. Fear and drive became all that existed. Storm’s blade came before his eyes, and soon before his hands, but it was then that Ronin’s attack struck the world, and a tidal wave of wind and destruction roared over Caim and Storm until they were lost in the world’s end.
Darkness was all that remained.
What … happened …?
Why can’t I move my body …?
So … cold …
Caim wearily opened his eyes, barely able to recall where he was. Excruciating pain ran through his body as if all his bones had been shattered. Blood smeared his eyes and the smell of ash threatened to choke him. A second later, Storm’s body came into sight before him. Reaching forward, he touched Storm’s shoulder. Storm coughed blood into a small puddle. Turning his eyes away from his brother, Caim’s heart froze as a new world rose before him. Everything was different.
Glaciers of icy black rose up from the devastation as swimming streams of lava engulfed their surroundings. Ronin’s attack had shattered the surface of the planet, causing a current of swirling energy, lava and madness, all of it twisting and twirling towards the core of destruction. He could hear the cries of the world as if it reeled in pain.
Caim realized that they lay upon a floating chunk of melting ice, surrounded by an ocean of inferno. The heat was unlike anything he had ever felt, and his body felt like it might turn to ash. Feeling a sudden spike of pain from his left arm, he looked down to see that his left arm hung completely limp by his side—the bones were shattered. The world trembled and shook as if its axis had been broken and huge waves of dust and ash coated clouds stained of crimson. High in the sky, Ronin’s silhouette floated, all powerful and all knowing. The end of the world threatened him not.
“I have destroyed the core of this planet, and there are only a few precious minutes before everything else goes with it!” Ronin roared. “You once said that you would face Death? Well, Death has come and accepted your challenge … So rise! Do not fail me! Defeat me with everything you have, or be lost with this world forever!”
A cold sweat came over Storm. How could Ronin be so powerful? And how, after everything they had done, was everything so meaningless in the face of the true revelations of the old man’s strength? “We’re going to die here,” he whispered, terrified of his own words. Is this what it means to face Death? I won’t give up. Because of this I will die. But I cannot run from this anymore. I’m scared, but maybe not of dying. I’m scared of not being strong enough … Dammit!!! Fear had finally risen upon the throne of his mind and poisoned his heart. He collapsed to his knees.
“He is … beyond us.”
Caim couldn’t disagree. Not in the condition they were in, and Ronin’s strength truly had no bounds. Yet, somewhere deep inside his heart, his fear was dwindling and he didn’t know why. A sense of boundless excitement and anger rushed through his blood as he stood to his feet. This was a fight worth dying for. A smile curved across Caim’s face as he spoke to his brother. “If you want to die here, then you can go ahead and leave him to me. I’m not giving up.”
Storm’s eyes froze at his brother’s words. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that if you want to just stop fighting, right at the end, without glimpsing who you are meant to be, then you never had what it took to master Inner Depths in the first place! I won’t die here. And for the record, kneeling before Death doesn’t suit you. Get up, Storm. I don’t give a shit if the world is about to die. I’m going to live. And so are you!”
Storm’s heartbeat accelerated and a seething anger grew within. How could Caim have no fear? A single tear slid down his cheek and landed on the cold ice. He was losing to Ronin and his brother. He dragged himself to his feet. His fear began to melt away, as if the words of his brother had brought on an emotion stronger than fear. “This has got to be the stupidest idea you’ve ever had,” said Storm. “And that’s saying something.”
Caim lifted Storm’s katana, “Here.”
Just as he held it up a flash of silver caught his eye. Looking to his side, he saw his Fallblade stuck into the black ice.
“Take it,” said Ronin. “If you are to sacrifice everything, then you should die with your true weapons at your side.”
“Well isn’t that noble of you,” said Storm. With those words, Storm flung the old man’s cane blade up into the sky. Ronin seized the spinning blade out of the air by the hilt. Storm looked back at his brother and took his katana from him. “Thanks, Caim.” Caim reached out and grasped the hilt of his Fallblade, pulling it free from the ice.
“Thank me by living” answered Caim. They both turned and gazed up at the cracked and broken moon, and the silhouette of their grandfather floating before it.
“It would seem that you two have found true courage!” Ronin shouted. “But that is merely the beginning! Less than two minutes remain before this world falls to its grave!” He paused, scanning a world broken before him until he found what he sought. “And look—it seems that they have awoken. They’ve come to destroy those who threaten the safety of this world. They will not relent, and they will fall with it!”
Curseborn Saga - Fade to Black Page 3