The dance continued on for a while until Isaac found himself forced back against a window. There was a wall to his left, William in front of him, and the stairs leading up to the sniper to his right. The stairs were no good; he couldn’t put his comrade in danger. Isaac's options were slim, but his situation was quickly resolved as William planted his boot firmly into Isaac's chest. The action had come so quickly that Isaac hadn’t been able to prepare himself as his body was propelled backward through the glass pane. He fell backwards, landing in the snow bank before quickly readjusting his weight and flipping up onto his feet again.
William stepped out onto the porch of the small house and surveyed the damage. Shards of glass and broken wood were strewn about the side of the house. In the middle of the debris Isaac was at rest upon his left knee. He slowly pulled himself up as he cracked his neck. He retrieved his combat knife and spun it in his right hand before pointing it toward William.
“Not bad.” Isaac praised as he collected himself. “Wasn’t expecting that.”
“My apologies, but I don’t have much time to waste here.” William stated. “I’m on a tight schedule.”
“That so?” Isaac wiped his nose with his free hand. “We’ll-“
“Isaac!” The sniper shouted over the edge of the rooftop, interrupting him and catching both his and William's attention. "What's going on down there?"
“Don’t worry about it!” Isaac shouted towards the man. “Get out of here, I got this!”
"Don't do anything stupid!" The sniper shouted back down before moving down and out the back of the house, away from all the action.
"Yeah, real bad at following orders.”
Isaac clenched his fist tightly around the hilt of his combat knife before he rushed forward. William raised his greatsword in anticipation and brought it down hard, the heavy chunk of metal cleaving through the air and slamming down into the snowy ground. Isaac had juked to the right, his small nimble frame letting him easily dodge the man’s oversized blade. He thrust the knife forward intent on driving it deep into his opponent’s chest, but the blade never made contact. In a flash, William had vanished before him. Isaac looked left and right rapidly searching for his target before he remembered something. He quickly turned around to guard himself, but moved all too late. William’s greatsword struck his chest, cutting into the combat vest that he wore. He staggered back partly in shock, his hand shooting up to his chest to feel for blood. Thankfully the armor had been enough and his life had been spared.
"Damn, guess I really can’t fool around with you." Isaac analyzed his situation and found it to be grim. He tossed the large knife to the side and pulled his tattered clothes off. He stripped down to his t-shirt, discarding the damaged vest and armor, revealing a rather well kept physique. "Haven't done this in a while, bear with me if I'm a little rusty." He said with a smile as he clenched his hands into fists.
William watched with interest as Isaac concentrated hard, focusing deeply on his inner self. The air around him seemed to shimmer and stir as something that hadn’t come to life in a long while surfaced. Embers appeared on the ground by Isaac’s feet as the snow began to melt into small puddles. Suddenly flames burst around him and his body was consumed by a fire that whirled around and lashed about violently. As the flames subsided they revealed a different man. His appearance was much the same, save for his outfit. He wore black pants with holsters running down each leg, small knives filling each one. His chest was covered in a black vest with no sleeves, many similar holsters adorning it as well. The muscles in his arms seemed to be slightly more toned, and his hair stood on end as if held in place by the power radiating from his body. While his appearance had changed, the biggest difference was in his personality. The air around him was positively confident, maybe even cocky, and he wore a smirk on his face as he stared at William.
"Slayer." William muttered at the show before him. "I see. Your speed, your skills, they're far too great for that of a simple human being."
"Sorry to keep you waiting." Isaac unsheathed two long slender knives from his lower back. He twirled them around his fingers before bringing them down by his sides. "Shall we begin?"
Meredith dumped more energy into the barrier to counter the Throne's excessive attack. All around her white hot beams of light spilled across the barrier like an ill contained waterfall. It impacted into the ground and into the houses around her, burning random holes into whatever it touched. Something was changing though, the beam seemed to be growing ever so slightly thinner, and the Throne's steady humming had become a high pitched whine. This was the moment she had been waiting for.
In an instant, she concentrated the shield into a large projectile that fired right up the middle of the Throne's beam. Meredith rushed forward, following closely behind the shield, and closed the gap between her and the Throne in seconds. Her large black wings unfurled behind her and with one strong beat, she was off. After gaining enough altitude, she began to assault the Throne with a barrage of attacks. Dozens of small fireballs flew toward the Throne, but it countered every single one with pinpoint precision. Meredith knew she wouldn’t be able to inflict a fatal blow upon the machine, but as its whines grew louder she knew she was pushing it toward its limit.
Her plan didn't work out as she intended though. The Throne hit what she knew to be its limit, the very moment it should have shut off to cool itself down. This moment never came, however; instead it seemed to grow stronger, perhaps pulling from some reserve power. Nonetheless, it went on the offensive once more. It fired multiple blasts, a far cry from its usual high energy beam. Meredith did all she could to avoid these smaller shots as she dodged mid-flight.
The machine didn't let up, not even for a second, and the onslaught only grew worse. It fired blast after blast in rapid succession until suddenly it ceased its fire. The Throne let out a high pitch squeal and reverted to its disk-like form before collapsing onto the ground. Smoke rose from its charred backside and Aerin stood above it triumphantly, her left arm pointed toward the device.
"Aerin!" Meredith shouted gleefully. She landed in front of the girl and gave her as much of a hug as she could manage. "Thank you!"
“I was gonna leave it to you, but then it did something weird.” Aerin stated as she returned the small gesture quickly.
Before Meredith could respond she was interrupted by the sound of loud clapping. Both girls let go of each other and followed the sound to its source. High atop a house across the street snow white hair flowed in the cold Russian wind. It glistened like ice in the sunlight that shone through the few breaks in the clouds. Irileth sat on the roof gazing down at the two girls. She lifted her right leg up and brought it to rest atop her left before speaking.
“Well done!” Irileth praised. “You dispatched my Throne quite nicely.” She said with a smile as she brought her right hand up. Her attention seemed to waver as she began to inspect her nails. “Strange little creature, never really liked it myself, but it has its uses."
"Irileth!" Meredith snarled, her childish demeanor completely gone.
"Hey, Sis." Irileth uncrossed her legs and leaned forward with a smirk. "You're still two steps behind, just like always."
"I may be, but that's never stopped me before!" Meredith shouted.
"And I wouldn't have it any other way!" Irileth giggled. "You know, you can't stop this Bloodstone. It's almost finished."
"Sammy will stop it before then!" Meredith fired back.
“Samuel?” Irileth titled her head quizzically before smiling. “Oh don’t you worry, William will see to him. Now then…”
Irileth suddenly swung her legs forward and up, pulling herself into a rather well coordinated handstand. Before her black dress could fall down, she let herself fall backward onto her feet in a manner similar to a gymnast. Now upright, Irileth balled her hands into fists and slammed them together in front of her.
“Let’s begin.” The snow white haired girl announced with a look of fire in her eyes.
As the icy dance in the sky continued, Irileth's attention gradually shifted slightly more toward Meredith. Fewer attacks were being directed toward Aerin, and so she used the opportunity to fly in close for a surprise attack. Aerin clapped her hands together and created a spell strong enough to knock the white haired devil flat on her rear. She unleashed the spell towards her target and watched as it slammed into her back. Suddenly, Irileth changed. Her entire body seemed to freeze, turning a light blue before bursting into a thousand pieces of ice that shimmered in the sunlight.
"Aerin! Look out!" Meredith called at the top of her lungs.
"Nice try."
Aerin could hear the words just behind her. They struck the back of her neck with a frigid chill that locked her entire body up. She felt a pressure against her back, just between her shoulder blades. Irileth's index finger was pressed into her back like a small gun.
"Leave the fighting to the adults, alright?" Irileth giggled as she fired her makeshift finger gun into Aerin's back.
"No!"
Meredith flew forward at breakneck speed in an attempt to catch Aerin as she fell, but Irileth would have none of that. She cut Meredith off, forcing them into combat once again. Explosions blasted all around as the two Angels fought viciously.
Aerin fell nearly two stories to the ground below. Luckily her fall was cushioned by a heavy snow drift that had collected at the edge of a house. A battle raged high above her as she lay there on her back. Her mind slowly drifted out of consciousness while her body grew ever so numb from the freezing snow that surrounded her.
When she finally came to, Aerin was no longer cold. She opened her eyes to a warm summer sky above her. The sight was odd, and she had to wipe her eyes to make sure it was real. She sat up slowly, surprised to find that the pain in her chest had vanished. Aerin examined her surroundings before her. She was on a grassy hillside overlooking a large stretch of farmland. Something seemed familiar about the place, though she couldn't quite place it, like a memory long forgotten.
"Hey there, Kid." A voice echoed behind her. It was a voice from her past, one she had nearly forgotten. It was a voice so far buried in the back of her mind that she had to pause to recall it. Slowly the gears in her head turned, drawing the picture of a young man in her mind she hadn’t seen in a very long time.
"I-Isaiah?" She said in disbelief.
Aerin turned around to see the silhouette of a man behind her, sitting atop an old stone fence. She shielded her eyes from the sun as he slowly came into focus. She couldn’t believe what she saw. It was him, the same man she had watched die so many years ago. The same man she had failed.
“No…” She muttered. “No way…”
“What’s the matter?” He cocked his head slightly to the right with a smile. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
"You..." Aerin attempted to rationalize what was happening before her. “How is this…? No. No this isn’t real.” She said, trying to clear her head. “I watched you die.” A mixture of confused emotions welled up inside of her.
"Yep." Isaiah hopped down from his perch. "You’re right. It was your little white haired friend. She brought me back.” He explained.
"So…” She looked down and closed her eyes before facing him. “You're not the real Isaiah at all then.” Aerin's voice was suddenly different.
"Oh no, I'm every bit the real Isaiah you remember." He drew his sword from his side and held it toward Aerin. "I’m here to kill you."
“Kill me?” Aerin echoed. “No you’re not Isaiah. Isaiah would never-“
Aerin's statement was cut short as her instincts kicked in and pulled her to the right. Isaiah's sword passed a mere inch from her face. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the metal blade passed by her. She could see her reflection in the cold, unfeeling steel, her eyes wide open in astonishment. The sword slammed into the ground, sending dirt up as it dug in. Both Isaiah and Aerin stood frozen next to each other.
"No, Aerin. This is exactly what Isaiah would do if he could see you now."
Aerin jumped back quickly as he swung his blade again. He pressed the offensive, swinging wildly at where Aerin had just been. She backpedaled as hard as she could until she found herself against a wall. It was her father's old barn, the one she had watched go up in flames along with the rest of her old life. She didn’t have time for nostalgia though, as Isaiah drove his sword into the wood right next to her head.
"Stop it!" She screamed. "Stop it now!"
"You know, Aerin." Isaiah spoke merely a few inches from her face as he breathed heavily. She could see the scars on his cheek and feel his breath against her. "All you had to do was take the book back, but you couldn't even do that!" He drug the sword through the wooden wall, tearing the whole thing to pieces as he chased Aerin.
"Y-You!" She couldn't formulate a proper sentence as she ran.
"You let me down, Aerin!" He shouted with each swing. "Not only did you lose the book, but you read from it too?!"
“Shut up!” Aerin shouted.
She turned suddenly and fired a wave into Isaiah's chest that sent him flying back hard into a fence post. The post bent backward and Isaiah's body flew up into the air like a ragdoll. The impact would have been enough to shatter every bone in his body, but it didn't seem to affect him. He flipped himself upright in midair as two wings suddenly appeared behind him, holding him aloft above the ground. Something about him was different. His appearance shifted as his face changed into something else Aerin hadn’t expected to see.
“You’re a monster.” Ambriel stated as he floated above her, his white wings outstretched. “I warned you about that book, but you wouldn’t listen.” His voice became a mixture of Ambriel and Isaiah that shifted between the two occasionally. “It corrupted you, and then you let it corrupt another. And you even had the gall to lose it?!.” He stared down at Aerin with eyes filled with hatred. “You even got me killed. An Angel. You don’t deserve those wings.”
“You… I… You’re right.” Aerin admitted with her head down in shame. Everything they had said was true. "I did fail, I'm sorry."
"That's the spirit." Isaiah praised as he readied his sword. "But an apology won't fix what you've done."
"I know." Aerin agreed. "I have to pay for my sins."
"Yes, you do."
Isaiah twirled his sword around as his wings folded behind him. He rushed down with great speed toward Aerin, who stood with her arms open ready to receive her punishment. Just as Isaiah brought his sword down to strike, Aerin clapped her hands together. A white ball of raw energy circled in front of her, almost against Isaiah's fully exposed chest. The ball exploded in a directive blast that severed the man in half. His abdomen vanished in the explosion as his torso flew into the ground behind Aerin.
“You’re a fool if you think I’m the same little girl from back then.” Aerin said with her back towards Isaiah. “I cried over you, both of you, until there was nothing left. I hated myself for what happened. And you’re right, it was my fault. I wasn’t strong enough then, but I am now.” She suddenly turned towards him. “I’m going to make this right.”
"Holy..." Isaiah suddenly coughed up a great deal of blood. Aerin stepped back, surprised that he was still in any way alive. “I… I didn’t think… you had it in you…”
"Isaiah...
" She kneeled down beside him and spoke. “For years the thought of failing you was the only thing on my mind. It ate at me and burned me to the core. But I can’t keep living in the past…” She paused as a smile crept onto her face. “I have a family now, Isaiah. I have someone to live for.”
“You…” Isaiah struggled to speak. “You finally grew up… Aerin…” He forced as much of a smile as he could manage. “Al-Alright… jeez.” He said with a heavy sigh. “I wasn’t expecting… you to be so… so strong… You better wake up. There isn’t… much time…”
“Thank you, Isaiah.” Aerin said as she held his hand.
The world around them both began to splinter and break apart. The reminders of a life Aerin used to live began to fade away into nothingness. Finally, the last thing to disappear was Isaiah. The feeling of his hand in hers faded away until he was gone completely. Aerin stood, turning her gaze toward the void ahead of her. She was ready for whatever was on the other side.
William and Isaac's violent dance of blades progressed deeper into the village. All around them, signs of fighting between the Marines and Richard's soldiers could be seen. The two men seemed to silently agree on a new locale for their battle, and they came to rest in the open ruins of a large set of houses. Isaac's style of fighting had changed completely since his transformation. His movements were far faster than before, and he ran circles around the larger man before him; however, he still had yet to land a satisfying blow.
"Impressive speed, Slayer!" William praised.
He parried a series of attacks as Isaac took the initiative. He used his left blade to hold William's large sword at bay while he stabbed with his right. He wasted no time in going for a kill, and aimed straight for William's head, but William's reaction times were insane. He dodged each thrust side to side, each time denying Isaac his kill. Finally, Isaac pulled away from the attack and allowed them to once again stand on equal ground.
Slayer: A Demon Hunter's Tale Page 42