Inassea Chronicles: The Blighted Flame

by P. A. Peña

  “Surrender your match, and that way I’ll get to face off against him in the final round.”

  “You’re joking. You expect me to—”

  Logan turned to face Virgil. His eyes were hungry, desperate even. “Please, Virgil. This tournament is the only chance I have. If I go after him outside of the arena, I’ll be disbarred for sure.”

  He began to tremble. At first glance, it might appear that he was frightened, but Virgil knew that expression all too well. He had seen that look reflected back at himself so many times before. Logan was commanding every fiber of his being to contain his fury. Virgil remained silent, struggling to find the words to say.

  “I know I’m asking a lot,” Logan continued, “but I don’t have any other option.”

  Virgil proceeded to walk away. He opened the door and stopped. “I’ll think about it,” he said, glancing back. “I don’t know if I can sit back and do nothing. But if we do fight, I swear to you, he will pay for this.”

  Chapter 29

  Virgil entered the arena. He tried to keep his mind focused on the task at hand, but all he could think about was Aurelia. Each moment they had shared played in his mind. He smiled, but thoughts of her broken and beaten flashed before him, reigniting the fire in his gut.

  Could you live with yourself if you just let this go? he thought.

  “Here we are,” Roxanne called out. “The placement tournament semi-finals. If you would like to shake hands, do so now.”

  Although Virgil’s gaze was fixed solely on Lucious, he couldn’t get the image of Aurelia out of his mind. Each second that passed only added to the resentment building in his heart, until finally, Virgil took a step forward. You have to make this right, he thought.

  “I have to hand it to you,” Lucious called out as he made his way to the center of the arena. “I half expected to you to forfeit and tend to your little friend. Kudos on not being a total bitch.”

  Virgil didn’t answer and kept walking, keeping his pace. Lucious held out his hand, but Virgil didn’t take it. Instead, he cocked back and smashed his fist into Lucious’s jaw. Lucious fell back clear on his ass. He held his cheek in his hand, bewilderment slathered across his face. The siren rang, but it was entirely unnecessary.

  “Get up,” Virgil demanded as his fists became engulfed in blue fire. His tone was cold, and his glare even more so. “I can’t knock you down again if you stay on the ground.”

  Lucious summoned an ice wall around Virgil, breaking off his line of sight. Flames sprouted from Virgil’s body, melting the wall away. Lucious made a hasty retreat, and placed his palms together, one over the other. Virgil threw his hand in the air, and a pillar of fire shot up from under Lucious. Smoke trailed from his feet as he just barely managed to get out of the way in time.

  Lucious ground his teeth and his eye twitched. “I see you’re ready for a battle,” he said.

  Virgil walked towards Lucious, summoning a ball of fire in his palm. “This isn’t a battle. It’s a massacre.”

  Virgil hurled his fireball at Lucious. With a snap of his fingers, Virgil split the ball into smaller chunks like a blast from a shotgun. Lucious erected a barrier of water around himself, but it proved to be pointless. Not a single ember came in contact with him. Instead, they hung in the air around him.

  “I get it,” Lucious said. “This is your signature sorcery. Right? Well, bring it on!”

  Virgil laughed as he closed his fist and the fires grew exponentially in size. “This isn’t even close to what I’m capable of.”

  The fireballs swarmed around Lucious, dancing around him. His eyes darted around as he fortified his barrier, waiting to see which one would strike first. One by one, the fires descended upon Lucious, and steam burst forth as they struck the water.

  Amidst the chaos, Virgil flew forward. He closed the distance between them and threw another punch at Lucious. Once again, he aimed for his face. However, Lucious caught the strike. Virgil poured mana into his fist, and the flames surrounding it grew unruly. Lucious winced, hissing as he released Virgil’s hand. Virgil followed up with another jab. His fist connected, but he wasn’t satisfied. He threw another blow, and another. Blood trickled down Lucious’s nose and his face began to swell, but that did nothing to quell Virgil’s rage.

  Virgil pulled his fist back, mustering everything he had into yet another blow. As he threw it, Lucious coated his face in a thick layer of ice. Virgil grunted, flinching as his strike landed. Lucious spun around, and planted his foot into Virgil’s shoulder. Just like his face, Lucious coated his foot in ice. Pain shot through Virgil’s arm as he stumbled backward, but he managed to remain on his feet.

  Both men breathed heavily, seizing the opportunity to rest. Although it pained him to do so, Virgil flexed his shoulder, forcing it to stay fluid. Lucious wiped his nose and looked at the blood on his hand. When he saw it, he ground his teeth and looked to Virgil.

  “Okay,” Lucious said, his tone low and harsh. “I’m done playing games with you.”

  Virgil focused his mana, pooling it into his fists. Massive towers of fire rose into the air. They were ferocious, but they paled in comparison to the fire that burned within him. Virgil took flight, charging straight for Lucious, but he stood unwavering. He summoned a barrage of ice shards around him and threw them at Virgil. One after the other, Virgil weaved past them. As he approached Lucious, he prepared his strike.

  An overwhelming force struck Virgil’s gut as a pillar of ice shot out of the ground and into his stomach. Virgil gasped as the wind was ripped from his sail. The column rose in the air, lifting Virgil along with it, all while encasing him in ice.

  Lucious placed his palms together, almost as if he were praying. As he closed his eyes, he recited an incantation. “Freeze where you stand. Glacial Wind!”

  Clouds began to form in the air, and the temperature in the arena dropped. Despite being underground, wind started to blow, carrying a frigid chill. Virgil released a burst of fire around him, melting the ice holding him back. He breathed deep. His breath was as visible as smoke.

  Damn it! he thought. He has another signature.

  A stiff gust blasted Virgil, and the polar wind cut his skin like hundreds of tiny blades. He enveloped himself in a layer of thermal energy, but even so, the freezing gusts chilled his skin. His muscles tensed as he ground his teeth.

  This is bad. At this rate, I’m gonna run out of mana before I can take him out.

  “What’s the matter?” Lucious shouted from the ground below. “Lost your nerve?”

  Snow fell from the clouds in bulky clusters. One fell upon Virgil’s shoulder, and he cried out as a piercing pain shot through his arm. It was like he was trapped in the artic without so much as a scarf to shield his body. A mound of ice sprouted from the spot where the cluster had landed and began spreading across his arm. Virgil engulfed himself in flames once again, managing to melt the ice. Only this time, it required much more mana to do so.

  “This is it,” Lucious gloated. “There’s no way you’ll be able to beat this technique. Your little friend certainly couldn’t handle it.”

  Virgil’s nostrils flared. The orange glow around him turned blue, and fire erupted from him. The fire kept growing, with no end in sight. Virgil’s skin blazed as if it had been set on fire, but he didn’t care. He charged at Lucious with everything he had. “Don’t you dare talk about her!”

  Lucious was unfazed. He raised his hand to Virgil and fired off a barrage of icicles. With a mix of fury and finesse, Virgil blew past the ice and snow. He hurled his fist at Lucious, focusing his fire into the attack. Had it connected, Virgil would have certainly crushed Lucious to dust, but Lucious pulled back just in the nick of time. Virgil’s fist crashed into the floor. He grunted, pushing the pain flaring through his knuckles out of his mind. Fire shot out of the ground like a geyser. A blue luminescence glowed bright, and the clouds above them parted from the rising heat. Another snow cluster landed on Virgil’s leg. He cried out once again as it crus
ted over with ice. He held his hand towards it, and melted it with another blast of fire.

  Lucious laughed. “You should actually feel quite honored. I developed this ability just for you, and after testing it out on your little friend, I knew—”

  Like a rabid dog, Virgil lunged at Lucious. “I TOLD YOU NOT TO TALK ABOUT HER!”

  Lucious fired off more shards. One pierced Virgil’s arm, and blood gushed from the wound, but it was as if a mosquito merely grazed him. Lucious froze, his eyes wide as Virgil took hold of his neck. He pinned Lucious to the wall, and a loud clang rang out as his back struck the metal.

  Virgil channeled his mana into his fingers. Another cluster of snow fell upon his arm. He hissed, but kept his grasp. Ice spread over his arm. Still, his hand did not so much as budge from Lucious’s throat. The pain was immeasurable, and the logical move would be to melt the ice as quickly as possible. However, that was the furthest thing from Virgil’s mind. Instead, he allowed the ice to consume his arm and ignited his hand with fire.

  Lucious shrieked as the fire scorched his neck. The pungent scent of sizzling skin flooded the air, making Virgil’s eyes water. The ice crept up to his shoulder and onto his neck, but he continued pouring out fire as if the pain were gasoline. His breaths were heavy and elongated and accompanied by several pain-filled grunts. Still, he kept the fire burning with as much intensity as he could muster. The clouds in the sky disbanded, and the ice that covered Virgil’s arm cracked. Finally, he released his hold on Lucious, and the ice coating his arm shattered into a pile on the floor.

  Virgil stumbled backward, collapsing on the ground as he held his arm. It was cold to the touch, and stiff to move. His skin was as hard as stone, and so blue it was nearly purple. But his hand, his hand was charred, completely covered with varying shades of black, brown and white skin. Lucious, however, was writhing on the ground, his cries of agony incomprehensible.

  Slowly Virgil rose to his feet. Although his body was trembling, it was impossible to tell whether it was due to the pain pulsating through his body, or the wrath coursing through his veins. “Get up,” he commanded, his eyes teary.

  Lucious didn’t respond, the searing pain radiating around his neck clearly too much of a distraction.

  “I said, GET UP!”

  “I-I can’t,” Lucious cried.

  Virgil walked over to Lucious, each step heavy. “No.” He grabbed Lucious’s shirt with his good hand. “You don’t get to quit.” Virgil pulled Lucious up and pinned him to the wall once again. “You don’t get to surrender. Not after everything you’ve done.”

  Virgil’s handprint was painstakingly burned into Lucious’s neck, clear as day. Virgil looked into his eyes. They were sunken and pathetic, red with anguish and overflowing with tears.

  Virgil shook his head, closing his eyes tight. “It’s not enough,” he said as he let Lucious go. “It’s not nearly enough.” He took a few steps back and raised his palm.

  Lucious’s eyes grew wide. Sweat formed upon his brow, and he cowered on the floor. “I’m sorry,” he whimpered.

  A fiery inferno swallowed Virgil’s hand. “No, you’re not,” he said. “But you’re going to be.”

  Lucious put his head down, raising his hands above his head. “I-I surrender. You win. Okay? You’re the better sorcerer.”

  The wall opened up, and the tournament attendants rushed in.

  “You think I care about petty shit like that?” Virgil exclaimed, his flames intensifying. “This has always been about you being an insufferable, conniving, just a fucking cunt of a human being. No. You’re worse than that.”

  “You’re right,” Lucious pleaded. “I’m a horrible person. I’ll never bother you or your friends again. I swear it.”

  Virgil looked down at Lucious, cowering like a frightened puppy. This was too easy. After everything he had done, it couldn’t end like this.

  “The match is over,” one of the attendants said.

  “Stand down, or you will be disqualified,” the other joined in.

  Virgil looked at each of them before returning his attention to Lucious. His heart was pounding so hard in his chest, it was a miracle the whole coliseum didn’t hear it.

  Clayton shot up from his chair. “That’s enough, Truesdale! Consider this your final warning.”

  Virgil looked up at Clayton, and they locked eyes. Everything within him begged Virgil to finish what he started. He looked back down at Lucious and ground his teeth. He took a deep breath, rescinded his flames, and turned to walked away.

  “Wait,” one of the attendants said. “We have to treat your injuries as well.”

  Virgil didn’t bother looking back. He left the arena, his pace slow and cumbersome as he walked through the halls. Although he had won the fight, he felt empty inside. Nevertheless, he headed straight to the infirmary, but it wasn’t for his own benefit.

  Chapter 30

  Virgil shambled his way into Aurelia’s room. She was fast asleep, enveloped in the healing glow of Cordellia’s Saint’s Breath. Logan sat by Aurelia’s side. Cordellia, however, sat in a chair along the wall, reading a book. As Virgil approached, she looked his way. A frown crept into her face, and she resumed reading.

  “It’s done,” Virgil said as he held his frostbitten arm.

  The room remained quiet. Logan stood up and walked towards Virgil.

  “Did something happen?” Virgil asked.

  Still no response. Logan walked past Virgil and left the room.

  “What did I miss?” Virgil asked, turning to Cordellia.

  “Nothing happened,” she replied, although she kept her nose in her book.

  “Then why are you both acting so weird?”

  Cordellia closed her book and set it down on the end table next to her. “We’re disappointed in you, Virgil. Albeit for two very different reasons.”

  Virgil scoffed. “Let me guess. Logan’s pissed I didn’t bow down for him, and you’re upset that I’m upset.”

  “That more or less sums it up for Logan, but you couldn’t be more wrong about me.”

  “Really? Because when we last spoke, it seemed like you wanted me to just bottle everything up and forget about all the bullshit I’ve been through.”

  “And that only furthers my disappointment in you.” Befuddlement washed over Virgil, prompting Cordellia to shake her head. “Virgil, the purpose of my words was to relieve you of your frustrations. That’s not to say that your anger isn’t valid. You have every right to feel the way you do, but you also have every right to move on and be happy.”

  Virgil’s shoulders tensed up. “So, what? Are you saying that I should just let it go? You think I should forgive him for all the terrible things he did?”

  “Refusing to let anger consume you does not equate to forgiveness. Anger is a powerful force, Virgil. It can fuel you, drawing out strength you never knew existed within you. But anger is destructive. It can lead you to do terrible, indefensible things.”

  Virgil’s eyes widened as his stomach began to knot. “I’m fine,” he said, turning away. “My anger doesn’t consume me.”

  “You don’t believe that. It’s written all over your face even now. You may not want to admit it, but deep down, you know it to be true.”

  Virgil remained silent, unable to think of a response. The longer the silence held, the more exposed he began to feel. He couldn’t see Cordellia, but he could sense her looking at him. She wasn’t glaring, and her actions certainly weren’t malicious. Still. It felt as if he were caught under the lens of a microscope, and he needed something, anything, to put an end to the moment.

  Cordellia let out a heavy sigh and stood up. “Take a seat.” She gestured at her chair. “I’m sure you want to know all about your friend. I’ll fill you in while we fix you up.”

  Virgil looked over to Aurelia as he limped his way over to the chair. She was looking much better, prompting him to smile. However, Logan’s remarks shot into his mind, snatching away the happiness he felt. “We’re not fri
ends.” He grunted as he slowly lowered himself into the chair. “Not anymore.”

  Cordellia looked Virgil over. Her gaze sank low, and she looked as if she wanted to cry. Virgil’s face heated as he turned away, placing his focus on Aurelia.

  Cordellia took a deep breath, and conjured the Saint’s Breath on Virgil. “If you and her aren’t friends anymore, then why are you here?”

  Virgil remained silent prompting Cordellia to grin. “That’s what I thought,”

  Virgil shook his head. “Logan made it abundantly clear we were never friends.”

  “Of course he did,” Cordellia said, rolling her eyes. “As much as I love molding you young Crusaders into upstanding warriors, you’re going to work me into an early grave.”

  “Do you really like it that much?”

  “I do, although I wager Roxanne enjoys it more than me. Anywho, try to take what Logan says with a grain of salt. He has some serious baggage, and he’s going to take an abundance of patience.”

  “What kind of baggage? I swear he acts more like Aurelia’s father than her brother.”

  “That isn’t for me to say. The good news is, I think you are just the catalyst he needs to finally unload that baggage. I know it sucks. He’s going to hurt your feelings, probably more than a few times. If you can bear through it, you can really help him and Aurelia both. But even if you and Logan never see eye to eye, you and Aurelia are certainly friends. Anyone watching you can tell that, so don’t you ever take it for granted.”

  Aurelia turned in her sleep, prompting Cordellia to pick up her book, the title of which made Virgil blush and turn away. “Looks like she’s waking up,” Cordellia said as she began walking towards the door. “Why don’t you get her up to speed on what’s going on? I’ll be just down the hall. Close enough to keep the Saint’s Breath in effect, but far enough to give you two some privacy.”

  Virgil let out a puff of air then smiled as looked at Cordellia. “You knew this was all going to happen, didn’t you?”