by Andrew Ly
Nick waited as Daniel approached the center ring. He towered over the kid. Daniel’s chipper smile made it hard to believe this matchup would be worthwhile to see. Any way he saw it, it was one-sided, and would end with Daniel lying face down in a puddle of his own teeth. However, he remembered what Gabriel had told him. Underestimating his opponent could spell out disaster. To pass this trial, he couldn’t afford give up any type of advantage.
“It’s a real honor to have a match with the legendary Agrian,” Daniel said happily. “I hope I can deliver a good fight!”
Nick couldn’t hold his laughter anymore. He regretted it instantly once he saw the look on his opponent’s face.
“What’s so funny?” Daniel asked. “Was it something I said?”
“Sorry, it’s just I don’t know whether to be insulted or not. No offense, but you’re the smallest knight I’ve ever seen.”
Daniel’s eyes narrowed. Just like that, his cheery disposition vanished and he was a completely different person. “If I were you, I’d worry less about my size and wonder more about how I became an apprentice.”
“Hey look, I—”
Nick’s apology was cut off by the sound of the bell.
Almost immediately it seemed as if Daniel had teleported from right in front of his eyes. He made his appearance by delivering a clean punch to Nick’s face, causing him to stagger backwards out of the circle.
“Watch out!” Matt called, but his warning came too late.
Nick took a swing at his chest, amazed at his own speed in his new body. Daniel barely evaded it, dancing around the blow and moving to the side. The kid was fast, faster than even Matt. Another blow to back of the head by the small warrior, and Nick nearly fell on his knees. He turned, but Daniel had disappeared again.
Nick was getting frustrated. His insides heated up with anger. How could this little runt be giving him so much trouble?
“Nick! Fight back!” Matt yelled from the sidelines. “He’s just pummeling the crap out of you!”
Nick swung again, only to catch air in his fists once more. His failed strike went punished with a kick to the ribs. As Nick used one free arm to shield his side, another punch met his face and knocked him on the ground.
He hated being put on the defensive and he was getting even madder, but how could he stop the assault? He got back up but was immediately forced into a defensive position. He was trying his best to bide time. Daniel was faster, but weaker compared to other soldiers in his previous fights. Even still, Nick knew he wouldn’t last much longer if he didn’t have a chance to retaliate. Eventually, the small hits would accumulate and he’d be left as a bloody stain on the floor.
He swung at Daniel but missed again, leaving himself open to another clean shot to his face. His left eye was swelling. The small apprentice was the most agile person he’d faced yet.
Nick was running out of options, and he was losing, but for some reason, as the fight dragged on, he no longer seemed to care. Instead he felt wonderful. Being in the position he was in, and getting knocked around gave him a strange sense of pleasure. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt like a masochist, or someone who got sick thrills from getting beaten. The entire time his heart was pounding against his chest and he was excited, physically exhilarated. A voice spoke softly inside his head, telling him to push on through, assuring him that victory was within his grasp. He had to win. That was the bottom line; there was no other option. No matter what he had to do, he had to win.
As these thoughts poured into his head, Daniel kept the pace, steadily whittling down Nick’s defenses. The pressure was piling on, and Nick was getting tired, but he wouldn’t give up. He would never give up.
“Had enough?” Daniel taunted, continuing the assault.
“Stop the fight!” Matt shouted in the midst of the loud audience. “He can barely defend himself!”
However, no one intervened. Nick looked from the corner of his eye and saw Peter and the archangels watching intently, not saying a word. They were studying him, waiting for something to happen. Then he realized that they knew something. He had the power to win all along. Now was it time to use it. Agrian, the Lord of Rage was at his doorstep, waiting to be unleashed. He didn’t want to admit it, but a part of him knew that this was why Daniel was chosen. They needed someone with enough skill to free the beast within him. They needed to challenge Agrian in a way that would spurn his desire to prove himself. They got their wish.
At the same time, the voice inside his head grew louder and deeper. It was Agrian saying telling him that the time had come. The Lord of Rage could no longer be ignored.
Something surged in his body: his heart palpitated violently against his chest, until he felt like it would explode. He screamed at the top of his lungs and as he did, his arms burst with flames, the power of his transformation pushed Daniel a few feet back.
Nick’s arms became a dark crimson color—spikey, scaly appendages protruded from them like demonic gauntlets. They seemed to be a cross between his human hands and reptilian claws. Fire burned at a constant and controlled rate around his arms, glowing brightly with his desire. Strangely, it didn’t hurt him at all. His heart returned to normal, the pain in his chest disappeared. He only felt relief, like the built up pressure valve was finally released. Not only that, but he felt stronger as well. His senses were seemingly enhanced and all the damage Daniel inflicted was nothing. This was the power of the legendary demon. This was the power of the Inferno Bearer.
In the stands behind him he heard Peter say to his disciples, “His eyes…look at his eyes…” Nick turned his head, and saw the shock on their faces at the drastic change in appearance. Everyone was silent now.
“They’re red!” Somebody gasped. “His eyes are red! Crimson red!”
“He’s not human!” a girl cried.
“He’s a demon!”
“A monster!”
The audience became a mix of emotions. They were afraid. They were angry. They were anything but pleased with this turn of events.
“There’s nothing to fear! Everyone remain in their seats, this is an exercise!” Lucius shouted, trying to assure everyone in the stands. But even his silver tongue was impossible to quell their horror now. Soon everyone fled in panic at what they had witnessed.
Peter retained a calm disposition. “Nick, try to control Agrian. Remember who you are despite all the anger you feel.”
“He loses more control as the fight drags on, until he will stop at nothing to destroy Daniel,” Gabriel said. He too was monitoring Nick’s behavior very carefully. “It is in his nature.”
The nature of all demons was destruction. Fitting, considering all he wanted to do now was to scorch the earth and send everything around him to fiery ashes.
Meanwhile, Daniel, who was caught off guard by a punch, refocused himself and attempted to attack Nick once more, but he was stopped abruptly by Nick’s vice grip. His reflexes were astounding, his speed now surpassing the archangel’s apprentice.
“Wh-what are you?” Daniel’s eyes reflected pure horror as Nick clenched his fist over his adversary’s hand, increasing the pressure. He felt joy watching Daniel crumple to his knees, the pain stricken all over his face gave him a rush of excitement.
“Had enough?” Nick asked mockingly.
Nick could hear his voice clearly now. It surprised him at first, as it sounded as if there was another person standing next to him speaking the exact same words at the exact same time, echoing him. One voice he distinguished as his own, but the other was deeper and gravelly. With that, he punched the baby-faced knight in the stomach, sending him reeling, before delivering a swift kick to his jaw. The force took him across the field, crashing through the opposite stands and into a wall. When the dust settled, he was sitting unconscious, caved into the wall like a mounted trophy.
Around him the audience was all but gone now. Only a few brave spectators and the ones who already knew his secret were left. Matt was among the few who had stayed, a
nd he was looking on with shock and awe. Nick’s secret was out. Now the whole world could see he was a demon. Good, there was no use hiding the truth anymore. If they wanted to see his powers, then he would oblige.
“You all wanted to see a show? I’ll give you something to stare at!” Out of instinct Nick produced a fireball in his hand and hurled it into the stands. Metallic chunks hit the ground with harsh clangs, leaving the arena lit with smoldering debris.
The burning inferno that came from his onslaught was pure ecstasy. Nick grinned and threw another fireball at the opposite stand. As the fire raged on, so did his desire to watch it all burn. He created a whirl of flames around him, a barrier between himself and the rest of the world. They could try to drag him out, but it wouldn’t be easy. The voice that came from his mouth was the same one in his head, telling him to continue, fueling his anger. He had to engulf this arena. Behind the fire stood a single figure—it was Matt!
“Nick, you have to stop this!” he said, coughing and hacking from the smoke. His face was pale as a ghost. “You’re destroying everything!” Seeing his friend and the fearful look on his face reminded him of the night with Quinn. The same look she had right before he passed out the morning of his birthday. For a second he was back in control.
“Matt, h-help me!” Nick gripped his head. It was painful trying to resist. It felt like he was stuck between two chain-linked ropes pulling at him from his sides, ripping his entire body in half. “I can see what I’m doing…but I can’t stop myself. I’m having terrible thoughts, and I can’t get them out of my head! Agrian is inside me!” He screamed at the top of his lungs, trying to expel the demon with this moment of clarity. By the end, his voice was hoarse and he dropped to his knees. He was himself again.
A gust overhead blew the smoke and flames away and there, standing before him was Gabriel. His white angel wings were fully extended as he glided down in front of them. The archangel looked as Nick imagined a Herald would appear like. The large, feathery wings cast a shadow that blotted the sky. He looked absolutely majestic, a strikingly awesome figure as he held his sword out in defense. Nick had heard stories of the archangels taking flight, but he had never witnessed it until now.
“This trial is over. You’ve won, Nick. There is no reason for you to continue. I suggest you surrender and gracefully take your punishment for damaging base property,” Gabriel said.
Even as he heard the words coming from Gabriel, and the solution to his discretion given to him plainly, Nick’s grasp on humanity quickly slipped away again. Overconfidence just like he was warned. The demon inside was not one to compromise.
“I refuse,” Nick said his other voice added steel to his words as he got to his feet. “The fight is over when I say it is!”
“Nick, stop!” Matt said, but it was of no avail. Nick’s eyes were burning crimson as his desires were still unsatisfied. Daniel was merely a small morsel of an opponent; taking on Gabriel would be the main course. He relished the thought of besting Glenhaven’s champion knight. To defeat their greatest warrior was too tempting an opportunity for his inner demon to pass up.
“Matthew, don’t get any closer! That is not Nick!” Gabriel shouted. “He’s possessed, now move back before you get hurt! That’s an order!” Matt reluctantly obeyed, walking back to what was left of the stands next to Peter and the others.
“Good, I didn’t want him to get in the way,” Nick said.
Gabriel did not budge. “Arrogance and ruthlessness are traits of a demon. Are you going to stand by the very ideals of those you wish to vanquish? You are a member of our Garrison, it’s time you prove it!”
Nick shook his head, stepping closer to him, “I’m not fighting for any demon. I’m fighting for myself!”
“Wrong! You are not the same person you were before!” Gabriel shouted. His words stopped Nick in his tracks. “The Nick Emberson I know would never let his emotions control his actions! You are letting Agrian control you!”
“Silence fool!” Nick snarled. His voice was darker and deeper than ever, the fire on his demon hands was blazing fiercely. “Agrian is what I was missing my entire life. And now that we are reunited, I am whole again. I am complete!”
Gabriel sheathed his sword back at his side, “Then I will not fight you, Agrian. Not like this, when you are acting like nothing more than a petulant child.”
“Child?” Nick screeched. “Then tell me how it feels to have your heart ripped out by one!” He lunged forward, aiming for a swift kill by piercing him through the heart with his claws.
Before he could reach him, Paul intervened with his broadsword, parrying the attack and pushing Nick back. “If you won’t face him, then I will, Gabriel. I won’t let this demon tarnish the reputation of our Garrison. The holy knights exist to exterminate vermin like him.”
Peter looked to Nick, who glared back. With some reluctance he finally nodded. “It appears we’ve yet to see Agrian’s strength at its fullest. Perhaps it would be suitable for Nick to fight someone with much greater experience. But if only if he battles according to our rules.”
“I accept this challenge,” Nick said.
Excellent. Forget Gabriel, what he really wanted was a shot at Paul. Now with Agrian at his side, he couldn’t lose. He smiled malevolently and walked to the center of the circle. The original announcer had fled. It was Bartholomew who would call the battle.
Bartholomew waited until they were both ready and situated in the arena and that everyone else who wasn’t involved was safely behind the lines of combat. Paul looked as smug as ever with a mocking grin on his face as he stared Nick down.
“This duel shall be hand-to-hand. Winner will be chosen by knockout. No time limit. Go,” Bartholomew said.
Nick was the first to strike. He drove forward and delivered an upward kick. He was still getting used to this type of law-defying fighting. It was time to test out his limits.
Paul blocked with both hands, grabbed Nick’s free leg and swung him across the field. As he sailed, Nick dug his hands into the ground, clawing into the dirt to slow his speed and then used the force to lift himself into a back flip, landing perfectly on his feet.
However, Paul was already in range and delivered an uppercut aimed straight for his chin. Nick leaned to the side, narrowly avoiding the punch. He countered with a quick to sweep from below.
Paul easily jumped over the kick and grabbed Nick’s arm, pulling him in for a clean shot to the face. The shot was much more powerful than anything Daniel had thrown. Nick jumped back, allowing his arms to burst into flames as he threw a fireball at Paul.
Paul ducked and spun to a kick into his chest. The force lifted Nick in the air, defenseless. Paul gave a smirk as Nick fell closer to the ground and into range.
Nick smiled back, as he straightened his body, and extended his fist, allowing the flames to mold around his body into a flaming arrow that was aimed down on his foe. He became more aerodynamic and felt himself speed up significantly.
Paul’s eyes widened with surprise as the force of the drop collided with him, and a cluster of dust and debris filled the air. As the smoke cleared, they were both at a standstill, locked into a fierce grapple. Nick and Paul glared at each other with great ferocity, neither letting up.
“You do realize you don’t stand a chance against me, don’t you?” Paul said. “I’ve killed over a hundred demons while you were playing messenger!”
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you, if you played with fire, you’d get burned?” Nick’s hands blasted fire into Paul’s, burning his hands and knocking him over. Sounds of shock echoed in the audience at the sight of the second apprentice to fall that day. Nick had just won.
Paul howled with pain, rolling over, much to Nick’s delight. But the thrill was short lived, as Paul was back on his feet almost instantly.
“That was the best you could do, wasn’t it demon?” he huffed.
His hands were deeply charred. He whispered some words, and a bright light covered his hands. The
luminous glow was painful to look at, forcing Nick to raise his arms and shield his eyes. When the light finally disappeared, the burn wounds were gone. Paul’s hands had completely recovered. It was then that Nick realized he had used, an angelic healing technique, to speed the recovery of wounds. The perks of being an apprentice.
“Nice trick, try mine,” Paul said with a smirk. His hands began to glow with the incandescent light once more, but this time Nick knew at once he was about to fire the Luxilight: a projectile beam of light. It was one of the most powerful techniques passed down by the angels in order to combat demons. Enough skill in this technique could take down even the most resilient demons. Most knights struggled to master this advanced move, but Paul wasn’t the type to fake his strength. He unleashed a pillar-like beam that Nick tried to block with his hands, only to find that they pierced his flesh like razorblades. It went past and into his chest, inflicting cuts all over his body.
Now it was Nick’s turn to crumble to the floor. The agonizing pain in his arms and chest was like getting hit by the full force of a train—that blast was unbearable. What did he just do? He was bleeding profusely all over the dirt, there were several large cuts dispersed on his scaly flesh.
Paul walked casually to Nick, raising his arms in preparation for the finishing blow, “That was just a preview. Allow me to give you a full demonstration!”
Nick was as good as finished, but he was in too much pain to care at this point. Before any more fighting could continue, Gabriel shouted from the sidelines. “That’s enough Paul!”