Inassea Chronicles: The Blighted Flame

by P. A. Peña

  “And why not?” Mifune asked. “Among the nine of us here, we have someone from nearly every branch of sorcery. It seems to me like it’s at least worth a try.”

  “Even with all of us combined, we couldn’t break through.”

  “You just can’t help being a wet blanket, can you?” Virgil replied.

  Logan focused his attention on Virgil. “Look,” he began, his tone stern. “No one wants to break out of here more than I do. My sister is out there right now, and while I can’t sense it, that anxious look on your face tells me some seriously bad shit is going down. That said, if you stopped to think, you’d realize this barrier is a prison. Whoever is responsible for this waited until the final round of the tournament. Our forces are either injured or focused on the battle. This means this cage was designed to hold the strongest Crusaders on the island, and in case you failed to realize it, that includes the kings.”

  “Logan makes a fair point,” Mifune said. “Assuming the intent of the barrier is to contain all of us plus the kings, there’s not a chance in hell we’d be able to break it.”

  Virgil turned away. He didn’t want to admit it, but Logan was right. Again. Still, he had to find a way out.

  Astrid stepped up. Even though the fair skinned blonde was short, she stood tall, brimming with confidence. “All right. All right,” she began, “Astrid’s here to save the day.” She waved her fingers, and a pink void appeared.

  Virgil turned back to Astrid, his nostrils flared. “You know allostry, and you only just now said something?”

  “I was enjoying the theatrics,” Astrid replied. “Now, there is one little problem.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “I’m still a little shaky on spatial magic. I’m afraid I’m only capable of transporting three people a few hundred feet. After that, my manas pretty low.”

  “That’s not a problem,” Virgil replied. “If you can just get me outside of the barrier, I can manage the rest.”

  “Not so fast,” Fynn jumped in. “Why do you automatically get to go?”

  Because she’s out there! Virgil thought. He cleared his throat as he folded his arms. “Well, because I’m the strongest one here.”

  “That has yet to be decided,” Mifune pointed out.

  Virgil groaned. “Whatever. Then Logan and I will go, and the rest of you can decide on the last spot.”

  “Umm, excuse me,” Astrid replied as she raised her finger. “Don’t you think I should have a say in how my magic is used?”

  “You are absolutely correct,” Logan said as he turned to Astrid. “This is your ability, and you have every right to decide how it is used.” He took a small step towards her, and clasped his hands together. “Please allow me to use your void. I have to make it to my sister.”

  Virgil rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the barrier. “We’re just wasting time at this point. Let me know when you’ve made a decision.” Virgil balled his fists as he stared at the barrier. “Let’s see if this prison can contain white fire.”

  “Are you serious?” Fynn said, his jaw wide. “You’re really skilled enough to produce white fire?”

  “I don’t know,” Virgil replied, his eyes narrowing, “but I’m going to find out.”

  Astrid burst out into laughter. “So much drama. I love it!” She took a deep breath and placed her hands on her hips. “Now here’s what I’m thinking. Despite being a total dick right now, Virgil is right.” Virgil stopped and turned back to the group. As he looked at Astrid, his face heated and he rubbed his neck. “He and Logan did make it to the final round,” she continued, “therefore, they will likely be the most useful outside. Unfortunately, neither of the runner-ups are here, so that leaves the C team.” Astrid then turned her attention to Angelica. “I’m sorry to say this, but seeing as you folded under pressure in the second round, I don’t think you’re up for the task.” Angelica’s face turned red as everyone’s eyes were fixed on her. She looked as if she wanted to speak, but as harsh as Astrid’s words were, they were ultimately valid. “So, that just leaves me.”

  “Then it’s decided,” Virgil said. “And I’m sorry. I just—”

  Astrid held up her hand. “Don’t. Just go out there and show these assholes who they’re fucking with.”

  Virgil nodded, and the trio approached the pink void. His skin was hot with anticipation, and his nerves felt as if they had been struck by lightning. A wide grin stretched across his face. It wouldn’t be much longer now.

  Virgil entered the void and reappeared into a pitch-black space. Not an ounce of light was in sight, making the darkness feel infinite and all-consuming.

  “Logan?” Virgil called out. “Astrid? Are you there?”

  “I’m here,” Astrid replied in the distance.

  “Where are we?”

  “I don’t know? My void should have placed us just outside the coliseum.”

  “Logan?” Virgil called out again. “Can you hear me?” Still, no response.

  “I got a bad feeling about this,” Astrid said.

  “You and me both. Stay where you are. It’ll be easier for me to make it to you.”

  “Y-yeah. Sure. Sounds like a plan.”

  Virgil closed his eyes to tune his aura perception. Before he could locate Astrid, the sound of her screaming echoed through his ears, springing him to attention.

  “Who, who’s there?” she shouted.

  “Hold on!” Virgil shouted as he flew through the darkness, heading towards the source of Astrid’s cries.

  “Stay back. I said, stay back!”

  Virgil pushed himself to go faster. He closed his eyes once again and locked onto Astrid’s aura signature. His eyes burst open, and he came to a screeching halt. He narrowed his eyes, searching the darkness ahead for the slightest bit of movement. He took a deep breath, his hair standing on end.

  “Virgil!” Astrid called out. “Where are you? I-I need your help!”

  Virgil shrouded his fists in fire, lighting the darkness. Sadly, the light only reached a few dozen feet. “I don’t know who you are, but you are not Astrid.”

  Everything fell silent. The darkness only seemed to amplify the sense of dread looming in the air. Virgil looked closer. It was faint, but there were two glowing slits in the distance. They were as red as freshly drawn blood. Virgil couldn’t help but tense up and intensify his flames. His eyes widened as he shifted to the side. While his reflexes were sharp, they weren’t nearly fast enough. He hissed, and blood began to trickle down his cheek from the freshly sliced patch of skin.

  “Oh my,” Astrid said. “I didn’t expect that. I can usually get a clean shot. Right between the eyes.”

  “Who are you?” Virgil demanded.

  “Who I am doesn’t matter. After all, you’ll be dead soon enough. Just like all of your little buddies.”

  “You couldn’t be more wrong,” Virgil scoffed. “If you’re the Scarlet Mage—”

  He jumped to the side, but it was no good. He flinched, grunting as a blade lodged in his arm.

  “The Scarlet Mage,” the voice sneered, but it was different from Astrid’s. It was now deeper and full of contempt. “If only. You might have stood a chance then.”

  Virgil grasped the hilt of the blade. “That’s too bad. Now, there’s nothing to hold me back from roasting you alive.” He yanked the blade out, wincing as the cold metal pulled against his flesh. As soon as the knife left his body, it disappeared from Virgil’s hands. He held his palm over the wound, burning it shut. The pain was intense, and he hissed as the flames seared his skin, but of course, he was no stranger to being burned.

  Virgil lifted his palm up and summoned a massive ball of fire. With a snap of his fingers, the ball dispersed into countless orbs. They spread throughout the darkness. The glowing slits of a creature’s eyes became clearly visible. His skin was a pale blue and appeared to be as smooth as silk. He wore a black robe held together with red chains, and skulls were draped around his neck.

  “Y
ou’re a demon,” Virgil said, his eyes narrowing. “Clearly not the friendly type.”

  “Ouch,” the demon replied. “You sound so harsh. Careful. You might hurt my feelings.”

  “Like I give a damn about your feelings.”

  “Oh. Would you care if I looked like this?” The demon began to morph and change. Even his clothes shifted. In a matter of moments, the demon was the spitting image of Astrid.

  “Why didn’t you help me, Virgil?” the demon teased. “I’m dead now because of you.”

  Virgil tensed up, his shoulders stiffening. “You’re lying.”

  The demon laughed as it shifted back into its original form. “Believe that if you want. To change my form, I need to drink the blood of my victims.” The demon then licked his lips. “Trust me. I have quite the thirst.”

  The demon charged towards Virgil, and he followed suit. As the demon moved, he summoned a short sword in each of his hands. He drew in close and swung one of his blades. Without the darkness hampering his vision, Virgil could evade the strike. The demon swung his remaining blade, and again Virgil dodged the steel. He grabbed the demon’s neck and pinned him to the ground.

  “Like I said before, there’s nothing to keep me from killing you.”

  “W-Wait,” the demon gasped between choked breaths. “If you kill me, you’ll, you’ll never escape this place.”

  Virgil tightened his grip. “I’ll figure something out.”

  The demon drove his blade down, only it didn’t crash into the floor. Instead, it entered the shadow cast on the ground. A stinging pain surged through Virgil’s shoulder. He hissed in pain as blood slid down his back. He couldn’t help but release his grip on the demon.

  The demon fell back, retreating to safety. “That was a close one,” he said, relieved.

  Virgil stood back up on his feet. He didn’t bother trying to remove the blade. It was far too deep in his back for him to reach it anyway. “That was my mistake. I should have known you were an adept alloster. After all, you managed to reroute Astrid’s void. Right?”

  The demon smirked. “That was mere child’s play. Your friend could really use more training. Oops. I suppose it’s too late for that now.”

  Virgil forced out a laugh. “It’s funny. I always imagined my first fight with a demon would be a lot different. I’ve heard so many terrifying stories.”

  “Oh,” the demon replied, tilting his head “Am I not living up to your expectations?”

  “Honestly, you’re not even close.”

  The demon’s eye twitched, and anger filled his face. He began to shift once more. He grew larger, and extra limbs sprouted from his flesh. His smooth skin turned nasty and rotten as if it had been slowly eaten away by maggots. A powerful odor emanated from the demon’s body, and his eyes merged into one massive orb.

  “How do you like me now?” the demon taunted. “Am I terrifying enough for you?”

  Virgil didn’t so much as blink as he looked at the monstrosity standing before him. “All you’ll accomplish now is making a bigger pile of ashes.”

  The demon lunged at Virgil, but he simply closed his fists. The demon burst into flame and screamed. Despite his tearful wails, he swung his massive arms at Virgil, but it would have been nearly impossible for Virgil not to dodge his slow, brutish blows. Virgil cranked up the heat, turning his orange fire to a luminous blue. The demon stopped in place, his cries of anguish growing louder. He began to shrink. Virgil called off his fire as the demon knelt on the floor.

  “I’ll only tell you this once,” Virgil said, his tone cold. “Let me out of this place, and I might just let you live.”

  The demon looked up to Virgil. Through the charred and seared flesh, it was difficult to make out, but it was clear looking in the demon’s eyes, he had taken Olivia’s form.

  “Virgil,” the demon uttered.

  Virgil ground his teeth, his eyes narrowing as he closed his fist once more. “Wrong answer,” he said, and a roaring inferno consumed the demon.

  Chapter 33

  Virgil recalled his fire. There was nothing more than a pile of ash on the floor. He exhaled, relaxing his guard. The room began to shake, throwing him off balance. The darkness shifted, and was replaced with the evening sky. Virgil was so high above the ground, he could see the edges of Akata Island.

  He stabilized himself and looked around. Chaos surrounded him. Trees collapsed in the distance, and massive boulders flew around as if they were merely wads of crumpled paper. From the corner of his eye, Virgil saw a blur spiraling. He turned to face it and found Logan falling to the ground. Only he wasn’t alone. With him was another demon, this one nearly twice Logan’s size.

  “Not this again,” Virgil said as he took off. Virgil caught up to Logan and the demon, and threw a kick, knocking the demon away. “Grab on to—”

  Before Virgil could even finish his sentence, Logan latched onto him. “What the fuck!” Virgil exclaimed, barely able to breathe.

  “I, I’m sorry,” Logan said, his eyes shut tight. “I’m afraid of heights.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me. You were fine just a second ago.”

  “I had something to keep my mind off it. You have to get us to the ground safely.”

  “You know, I think I preferred this when you were unconscious.” Virgil’s eyes grew wide as a terrifying realization popped into his mind. “Wait a minute. If we both appeared in the sky, where is Astrid?”

  Virgil closed his eyes and focused his mind, tuning his aura perception. With his attention diverted, they plummeted, prompting Logan to let out an ear-shattering scream. Virgil’s ears rang as he slowed their descent. “Seriously, Logan. What the fuck.”

  “I-I’m sorry.”

  “You’re lucky I found her.”

  Virgil looked over in Astrid’s direction. She was a few hundred feet above them. Thankfully, she didn’t have company with her. Unfortunately, it would be impossible to save her while Virgil still had Logan in his arms. Virgil looked down. A collision with the ground was imminent, and they would soon be approaching the treetop foliage of the forest biome.

  “All right, Logan,” Virgil said as calmly as he could. “I need you to listen to me.”

  Logan shook his head vigorously. “Why does it sound like you’re about to hit me with some bullshit?”

  “Listen to me. Astrid is falling over there, and I can’t save you both.”

  “Yes, you can. Don’t say that.”

  “Logan, I’m going to have to drop you.”

  “No, no, no, no, no, no. That’s bullshit, Virgil. I knew you were going to come at me with some bullshit.”

  “Logan, I have to drop you. We’re approaching the trees. I can slow down as much as I can, but I have to drop you, and you have to grab onto one of the branches.”

  Logan didn’t respond but intensified his grip on Virgil.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Virgil slowed down and shrouded his body in fire, keeping the flames just hot enough to force Logan to let go of him. “You can do it!” Virgil shouted as Logan fell. “Just reach out and grab a tree!”

  Virgil turned his attention to Astrid. She was falling rapidly, but if he hurried, he could still make it. He took off, funneling his mana into flying. A shining pink light formed under Astrid. As she touched the light, she disappeared, and not long after, so did the light.

  Virgil came to a halt. “She overcame her limitations.” He then looked down at the forest below and frowned. “Sorry about that, Logan. I guess I could have helped you down.” Virgil took in a deep breath and released it, closing his eyes. “Okay. Now, where is she?”

  It didn’t take long for him to find her again. He flew faster than he ever had before. Even so, it wouldn’t be enough. He lit his fists and feet on fire, releasing streams of flames as if his limbs were jet engines. Dull pain pulsed in his back from his previous injury, and his mana was far from full. Still, his eyes were unblinking.

  Danny. Danté. Both of them were plastered in his mind.r />
  Virgil tried his best to shake away those thoughts. They would only serve to hamper him, dulling his senses when he needed them the most. Casting them aside was his best chance at coming out on top, and yet, he could see them both so vividly.

  Danny. Danté. His family.

  Virgil approached the grassland biome situated just beyond the forest. His chest grew tighter as the aura he despised so much became clearer. Time felt like it was slowing down with every breath he took. Finally, he saw her, and his heart skipped a beat. Virgil pushed himself, forcing his body to go even faster. The thought of delaying the moment for even a second longer was an indignity too great to bear.

  Virgil landed on the ground a few dozen feet behind the woman. She kept her pace, unfazed by Virgil’s arrival. For a moment, he paused. Surely she recognized Virgil’s presence. How could she not? He waited for her to acknowledge him, his body tense and his stomach tied in knots.

  He tried to keep his composure, but his nerves got the better of him. “CECELIA!”

  She didn’t respond. Virgil threw his hand into the air, summoning a massive wall of fire blocking Cecelia’s path. She sighed and slowly turned around. “All right,” she said, her voice smooth, almost soothing, “you have my attention.”

  Virgil grinned, his eyes narrowing “Finally. I’ve finally found you. This time things will be different.”

  “This time?” Cecelia replied. “Pardon me, but do I know you?”

  Virgil’s eyes widened as Cecelia’s words echoed through his mind. There was no doubt within him. He had felt her presence even before escaping the coliseum. This was it. He had finally found her. “Do you know me?” he said, unable to gather his thoughts beyond those four words.

  “Yes. You clearly know me, but I’m afraid you’re not ringing any bells, sweetheart. Have we hooked up before or something? You certainly look like my type.”

  “You don’t, you don’t recognize me. Do you?”

  Cecelia laughed. “Obviously not.”

  Virgil swallowed the lump in his throat. “You took everything away from me,” he said, his voice hollow. “My brother. My father. You ruined my life, and you don’t even remember who I am.”