Playing With Fire

by Jordan Mendez

  “You have the same eyes as your mother,” he said finally, sort of reminiscently. “A very light kind of grey, so much so it’s almost white.” I was about to give him a smart remark, but the look in his eyes stopped me. I couldn’t read his expression at all, and what it reminded me of was a blank page. Enzio reached into his pocket with his true flesh hand and took out a small silver chain, the silver glinting so brightly that it turned white. A small silver trinket dangled from the chain, taking the form of a tiny flame. Enzio took my wrist and slipped the small chain onto it, and suddenly it came alive. It shrunk, until it was tight on my wrist, as if insuring that it would not be removed. I flinched, though it did not hurt. Enzio turned away quickly, his cape snapping behind him as he retreated down the hallway.

  “What is this?” I called after him, picking up my sword. Enzio stopped in his tracks, and seemed to take a moment to find the right words.

  “Your mother’s dying wish.” Enzio said it plain as day, and continued walking away.

  I watched him go, staring in shock until he was out of sight. The little chain weighed virtually nothing, but I could feel it on my wrist as if it were a full grown grizzly bear. My thoughts were spiraling from question to unanswered question, until a cry of pain penetrated my ears. With a jolt, I rushed for the doors, pushing them open with all my might. Nothing was going to stop me. Nothing was going to stop me from killing whoever had make Al scream like that.

  ~

  The first thing that met my eyes was my worst nightmare. Velkire had my brother Al lifted off the ground by his neck, choking. By Velkire’s hand a black mist retreated and a silver sword laid just below Al’s feet. Al clawed at Velkire’s hand, and Velkire threw his head back cackling. It all seemed like a sick game, which it probably was from Velkire’s perspective.

  Velkire released my brother and drew his free hand back, punching Al in the gut creating a loud snap. Al’s eyes went wide as he fell to the ground, clutching his rib cage. Velkire looked down at him, smiling with murderous glee. Smoke enveloped Velkire’s hand, and a black saber appeared in his grip.

  “It looks like I win,” Velkire sang as he raised his sword over his head. “You really shouldn’t have left your parents in that house alone, Alphonse Lucelles. When that wretched messenger brought you back to your bed, your parents’ home caught fire, and they were dead by morning.” Al stared at him in horror, tears welling up in his eyes. What Velkire was spouting made no sense to me except for one thing: it hurt Al.

  An angry cry escaped me, and the two turned in shock. Fire exploded around Velkire as I charged forward. He jumped back before the flames could singe more than his clothes, but I didn’t care. My only concern was my brother, who was staring at me with disbelieving eyes.

  “You…you were dead…” the pained words left his lips with hardly any movement at all, so softly I could scarcely hear them. I dropped down to him, and took his arm, slinging it over my shoulder. I strained myself to smile cockily as I stood the both of us up.

  “Yeah?” I said in the most laid back voice I could manage, mixed with a tone you would give to a ranting two year old you wanted to see happy. “Well, I was a lot of things.”

  Al cracked a smile, and almost laughed too, but his pain overwhelmed him. Al passed out cold, leaving me to drag him into a corner by a glowing blue sphere. To my horror, I saw the soft yet bruised face of my Guardian within it. I searched around, realizing that there was not only her, but a man, Kyra, and Yuki in similar spheres at each corner of the throne room, each casting a ghostly blue light. I set Al down, leaning him against the wall. It wasn’t just my life I was gambling for. It was everyone’s. Nothing like the lives of five unconscious allies to say ‘no pressure’, especially when the lives of the people you were gambling with were the ones who actually meant something to you.

  Mad cackling echoed through the throne room, and I spun around, sword in hand. Velkire was on the opposite edge, doubled over clutching his face as his lunatic laughing and giggling filled the room, seemingly choking him. He threw his face up, and with the shadows casted by the demonic candles I could only see his wide, twitching, grey eyes. If I had ever had doubts that he was insane, they were gone.

  “So not even torturing you to death will get you off my heels I see?” he howled, gripping his saber at an awkward angle close to his torso. “I guess I’m just going to have to take care of you personally then!”

  Velkire disappeared from sight, and my eyes shifted around the room warily. His laughter still bounced off the walls, coming from all directions and never settling on just one point. The candle light from the chandelier flickered, and a shadow darted in and out of sight beside me. I turned sharply, but too late. The tip of Velkire’s saber was already jutting out of the air, pushing towards me at speeds I could never dodge. I swept my sword in an arc, parrying the oncoming blade and causing it to sail forward a little ways away from my right shoulder. Its owner’s body followed, appearing from thin air as if entering from an invisible door way. A crazy grin swept across Velkire’s face as he stumbled forward a few steps due to the momentum.

  “It seems you’re not a baby anymore,” he said while straightening his back.

  “Indeed,” I hissed as I glared at him, holding my sword defensively. Velkire laughed, and flinched towards me, as if to lunge. I stared at him unfazed, and his smirk faded, as if my lack of fear spoiled his fun (which, to my satisfaction, it probably did).

  “You’ve always ruined everything you know…” Velkire hummed quietly, a small smile playing across his lips as the words met my ears. He disappeared again, reappearing by the throne. “Not only are you the reason our mother is dead, you’ve also caused pain to those who made the mistake of loving you.”

  My shoulders clenched up, and my hands shook a bit. It would have been one thing if Velkire had been lying, but telling the truth was another. Velkire smiled and lowered his saber with a loose grip. He turned and walked slowly to the center of the throne room, his movements and posture like that of a snake about to kill its prey.

  “Take your brother Jake, for example,” Velkire hissed softly, his words slipping around my throat, threatening to choke me with an unforgiving grip. “It must have been painful, receiving that permanent scar at such a young age. Even after that he still took you in and loved you as if you were blood related.”

  “I was only a baby, I couldn’t control myself,” I said in return, but in my mind I was uncertain. Velkire whipped around, his cape snapping behind him, and stared at me with a stone cold look.

  “Does that change the fact that it happened?” he responded indifferently. “Does it change the fact that to this day he spends every waking moment thinking of the wellbeing of a treacherous brat who’s only ever brought him suffering?” His words cut like a knife, and I could feel them stab my heart. I didn’t answer.

  “And what of your vampire friend, Gabriel?” Velkire continued. “If you hadn’t intervened, he may have had a chance to save his parents and reclaim the throne. His sister wouldn’t have had to feel that pain, and her smile would never have faded.” The thought of Jezebel and Gabriel filled me with guilt.

  “You’re wrong…” the words only came out as a whisper, so scarce I could hardly hear myself. Velkire glared at me like an angry parent, and took a step towards me.

  “Am I?” he accused, his voice rising. “Is it not due to your utter stupidity that the nymphs are dead because their forest is burnt to the ground? Is it not because of that same reason that the rebels are now without a home? Tell me, is it not because of you your brother lies there unconscious and hardly breathing because he came here to rescue you?”

  My heartbeat pounded in my ears, but it felt as heavy as stone. With all my failures laid out before me, my sanity was threatening to break. My whole body shook, and my legs felt as if they would fail. I looked up into Velkire’s blazing eyes, and couldn’t believe that someone like him could point out all my failures to such a horrible extent.

  �
�Answer me!” he bellowed, and disappeared, leaving a hissing sound as he materialized beside me, sword raised. Velkire brought his gleaming black blade down in a powerful arc, and I locked swords with him, struggling under his surprising strength.

  “Did you know that Al had found his parents?” Velkire growled, leaning over our swords close to my face. He forced me back, causing me to hit the wall and duck as he swept his sword across where my neck would have been. I rolled out of the way, and jumped back to my feet in time to parry his next swing.

  “They’re what he’s desired for so long, you know that full well, but he gave up his chance to be with them to rescue you!” Velkire let out a flurry of slashes that drove me back as I dodged, blocked and parried, leaving no room for me to land any of my own attacks.

  “And now, both of his parents are dead!” Velkire howled as he continued his relentless attacks. “A careless candle was left burning as they both drifted off to sleep. It fell to the floor, eventually engulfing their whole home in hungry flames!”

  Velkire parried my sword, creating an opening as he swiftly kicked me in the gut, sending me onto my back with my blade still in hand. Velkire raised his sword up to attack again, this time his grin was back. “Their lives ended because of that fire, just as your brother’s will because of yours!”

  Sparks flew off our blades as they made contact, the force nearly shoving me into the floor. Velkire twisted his blade around mine, and flung it away. His murderous grey eyes danced with malice as he pointed his sword down at me. The black blade seemed to growl almost, as if the thought of my blood running across its steel gave it great joy. I could only look up at him, and beg with my entire soul for a miracle.

  “May your soul burn in hell for all eternity,” Velkire hissed, brought his blade down on me.

  ~

  Cuts and bruises, flesh wounds and possible permanent burns across the torso—the new assortment of injuries Vaze had acquired while fighting the demon Raven were endless, but the number of injuries the demon sustained was zero. Vaze had contributed more than his fair share of killing blows to the creature, but it kept coming back being healed by the demonic fire. For possibly the fiftieth time, Vaze swiped his sword across the demon’s throat midair, severing its windpipe. The demon fell to the ground with a loud thump, but just as soon it was back in the air with red eyes focused only on Vaze, intent on killing him.

  The cold wind stung Vaze’s burn as it boiled his bare stomach, and the chill to the rest of his skin did no help at all. At one point in the battle, the demon had almost cut into his torso with her claws, but only succeeded in tearing his shirt as he zipped away.

  Vaze had tried every possible method he could think of to kill the demon, but none on his mental list had succeeded. His sword felt heavy in his hand as he flapped his wings, almost as if it had grown heavier every time it made contact with the demon.

  Vaze stopped in his place, flapping gently to keep aloft. He waited for the demon, but she did not attack. There was no sign of her, not even the clumsy flapping of her wings. It was quiet, much too quiet. And that was when Vaze realized the demon was playing with him.

  Melancholic laughter bounced off the towers and through the court yard below, making it seem as if it were coming from all directions. Vaze looked from side to side with his peripheral vision, but not moving enough to let the demon know of his distress. He would not let her have the satisfaction.

  “Silly Vaze,” her voice echoed, making it seem as if she were right next to him, yet at the same time at the farthest reaches of the castle. “You’ve more than found out that you cannot kill me by now.” A tip of a claw lightly grazed Vaze’s bare shoulder from behind, and without hesitation Vaze swiped his sword. It caught only air.

  “There is only one thing that can kill me, but so many that can kill you,” the demon sung in a million different directions. Vaze couldn’t hide his nervousness anymore. He began to look around, searching for the demon with his sword held defensively. The minute he turned he was staring into scarlet red eyes, only an inch away from his own.

  “Like this.” There was no time to react. The demon grabbed him and together they descended at dangerous speeds. Their path of destruction was towards the smallest throne room window in the shape of an ever burning sun, erected over the other three large windows to signify the Healer over the three ancient ruling kingdoms of the past. Vaze never thought he would see the tribute, and especially not in his last moments.

  Vaze’s wings disappeared, and with one final attempt he stabbed the demon through her stomach. The demon smiled a toothy grin before coughing up blood and going limp. Even though the demon’s wings were not forcing the two through the air, they were still on a collision course with death—or at least Vaze was.

  As a last ditch effort, Vaze used the only solution that came to mind: pray like crazy.

  ~

  One thing happened in the instant that my life flashed before my eyes that I absolutely owed my survival to. I personally hated flashy things, but I couldn’t help but love when Vaze made a ‘flashy’ appearance. And by flashy, I mean busting through a window.

  The sound of shattering glass snapped me out of my trance as Vaze and a dead demon busted through the small window above the three larger windows, sending a shower of deadly diamond like glass into the air. The shards of glass looked more like water falling from the sky by the way they twinkled, but by a quick guess one could tell there were large lethal pieces among them.

  While I was only hit with small pieces that caused minor cuts, Velkire had the misfortune of a larger shard sticking itself into his shoulder, staining his silver tunic red. With a grunt of pain Velkire grasped his shoulder with his free hand. Another shard embedded itself into his sword hand, causing him to involuntarily drop his saber. Velkire’s black sword clattered to the ground and our eyes met. The expression in our eyes matched.

  Velkire gazed at me in disbelief, and I looked straight on back with the same amount of shock. Our minds were in sync, and our thoughts were the same. Our second long glance told everything: the tides had turned. The flick of my wrist changed everything.

  Never before had my fire roared so loudly, burned so brightly, or seared as hot as it did then. Velkire’s cries of agony mixed in with the crackling flames. The fire devoured him until his figure only a black silhouette writhing around in pain, crawling and wriggling as he tried to free himself. The whole throne room was illuminated with blinding light, leaving no shadow for anything to hide in. It would have been a beautiful sight to see, but my entire being was concentrated into my fire.

  Destroying his body would not be enough. I could remember my instructions clearly. His body can be replaced and remade. To kill Velkire, you need to burn his very soul to ash. My fire howled in delight as the words chimed through my mind, as if they were born for the sole purpose of killing Velkire. Nothing else had my attention besides the burning body of Velkire. I didn’t realize how much I would regret that.

  “Scarlet!” the voice croaked over the roaring flames. I knew the voice well. It was the same voice I had heard practically since I was old enough to walk. It was Al’s. My eyes darted to the center of the throne room, where my mind could scarcely comprehend what I was seeing.

  Alastair stood holding a frightened Al restrained by his neck with one arm while the other was bearing a sword at his side. I recognized the cursed blade almost immediately: Alma Ladron. Alastair’s head was turned at an angle where I could not see his face, but Al’s was as plain as day. It was bloody and bruised, and looking at me horrified. Al reached out to me with a trembling hand, and the whole world seemed to slow down as I stared into his wide eyes.

  I saw his mouth move to scream my name, but I could not hear him. The raging flames killing Velkire forced warmth into me, but I felt like ice.

  It couldn’t have lasted more than five seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Alastair took Alma Ladron and ran it through Al’s lower back. There was a gut wrenching sound as the b
lade ripped through him. The white blade turned red with Al’s blood, but his eyes did not leave mine. My fire sizzled out of existence, leaving a charred unrecognizable body. Al’s outstretched arm fell slowly, his entire body relaxing with a slow exhale. I heard my own cry, but it seemed very far away as if it were only an echo traveling across mountains. I knew he couldn’t hear me.

  Time sped up as Alastair withdrew the sword from my brother making a wet slipping noise as it exited. Al’s body slumped over in Alastair’s grip, and Alastair tossed him over his shoulder. Sudden rage building up inside me, I scrambled to my feet, sprinting straight for Alastair. I screamed every foul name and insult I could possibly think of, but Alastair only stared at the ground. I rose up a shaky hand, a ball of fire igniting in my palm.

  With a cry consisting of shock, rage and agony, I sent the deadly ball of flame sailing for Alastair’s head. In the last moment, Alastair looked up, and I had a momentary glance of his face before my flames exploded into a white hot display. I could only make out one emotion on his face: remorse. I didn’t care. I wanted compensation. I wanted revenge. I wanted him dead.

  Tears seared my eyes as I watched Alastair dodge my fire, disappearing before I could throw another ball of exploding flame. Through the corner of my eye, I could see him reappear next to the charred corpse of Velkire with my dead brother still slumped over his shoulder.

  Before I could set him aflame, Alastair raised the bloody Alma Ladron over his head, and brought it down on the corpse. The moment the blade made contact Velkire’s body burst into a pile of ash. Alastair disappeared once again, but he did not return.

  “Alastair, you coward!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. My face was wet with tears, and my heart clenched in the pain of loss and hatred. “Come back and fight me, traitor!”