by Luca Braña
Before they could even scream, the mages who were closest to him got cut down just as fast, their bodies falling to the ground like puppets with their strings snipped. By now, most of the mages were aware of the sneak attacks and stopped chanting for their barrier, knowing it wouldn’t work without their full numbers. Instead, they focused their magical energies on both defensive and offensive spells. After all, they are elite mages of one of the most prestigious mercenary groups in the world!
Magical projectiles of all elements streaked across the arena, racing towards the last known position of the enhancer who had just finished off another mage and had looked up just in time to see a particularly large fireball approaching his face. The explosion of energy engulfed the area in a large cloud of smoke. As the mages were about to breathe a sigh of relief, several of their numbers let out death hails as they fell down, their hastily erected magical defenses not even slowing down Cyko’s blades, who had appeared behind them.
“Hey now, I can’t just let you guys interfere,” Cyko scoffed, giving off a bloodthirsty grin as the mages all turned towards him with fear in their eyes. “I have business with big, green and ugly down there… And you guys are in the way, just like you were when I tried to save Myo,” Cyko said pointing a finger towards the leader of the mutants, who had long since stopped gloating and was now watching Cyko’s every move.
“J-Just because you got some of us, doesn’t mean you can take us all! We are elite mages!” a robed female threatened in a fearful rage, using her staff to create a large magical circle in front of her, to which Cyko raised an eyebrow. With a shout of desperation, she activated her spell, causing a beam of light to soar across the Coliseum towards the enhancer, whose smirk still hadn’t left his face.
The spell hit with full force, causing a huge, spiraling dome of light to form as the energies of the beam expanded in all directions, vanishing after a few seconds to reveal a massive crater in the place her spell hit. The mage who had cast it was left panting, her magical energies almost depleted.
“Hey now,” a voice she wished to never hear again spoke in her ear, causing her and many of her colleagues to turn around in terror.
The boy pursed his lips in annoyance. “That was dangerous. You put the kids behind me in danger. Thankfully, I managed to save them all just in time. Can’t say the same about the guards, however.” Cyko’s eyes twinkled for a moment before he vanished.
“Oh, and just so you know,” the enhancer said, his voice back in the female mage’s ear, “just like with Myo… No one can save you,” he whispered before she felt a piercing pain in her lower back.
Leaving the woman to bleed out, he giggled and threw himself towards the other mages. It was a one-sided slaughter. The mages’ elite status meant nothing when they were drained from a long day of barrier maintenance, proving to be their ultimate weakness. Weaving around them in a dance, Cyko dodged their desperate attempts to put him down. The mercenaries had long since given up casting non-lethal spells and instead tried to hit him with everything their exhausted bodies had. One tried to end him with powerful orbs of dark energy, but Cyko tricked it into killing a dozen of his colleagues instead before finishing him off by surprise. Another tried to slow him down with weakening hexes but found himself dead before he could even properly finish his spell.
In the end, only three mages, huddled together in horror, remained from the large group that had maintained the barrier, the corpses of their colleagues staining the ground of the Coliseum in blood. The pained moans of those still barely alive hung in the air, diminishing by the second as they took their final breaths. Amidst this show of blood stood a child, covered in crimson, beaming like it was Christmas morning.
“S-STAY AWAY, YOU MONSTER!” the mage in the center shrieked. His hood had fallen down, revealing a grey-haired man in his forties. “O-ONE MORE STEP AND WE WILL KILL YOU!” the man yelled in fright, trembling alongside the other two who were holding their staffs in a feeble attempt to appear intimidating.
Cyko smiled mockingly at them. “Oh? You and what army? Oh wait, I think I already took care of them,” he said with a smirk, enjoying the fear he could feel from the man and his two remaining friends. He stepped towards them, watching with satisfaction as they took a step back for each one he took forward, the terror in their eyes increasing by the second.
“S-STAY AWAY!” The grey-haired mage tried again, bringing his staff up to protect himself. Cyko’s smile widened, making him look even frightening to the trio.
“AAAAHHHHHH!” The middle mage, finally having snapped, made a desperate move, using all that was left of his magical energy to snare his two surviving colleagues in imprisoning magical sigils.
“H-HEY! WHAT THE—” one of the mages cried while the other tried to free himself. Cyko raised an eyebrow at the grey-haired man’s actions, curious how he would get out of this alive.
“I WILL NOT DIE HERE!” the man sobbed as he covered himself in blood-red energy, causing the two paralyzed mages to spasm in pain as their forms also turned into pure crimson energy.
With a shout, the man willed the energy to move towards him. In the place where the two mages had been snared, only skeletal remains were visible.
Cyko blinked in surprise, what did that fool do?
“Converting organic life into pure vital energy, a spell that was outlawed a long, long time ago in this world… But, with this, I CAN KILL YOU!” the man’s wild, deranged voice shrieked as he willed a dome of red energy to surround him. He fired off blast after blast of intense magic at the enhancer who dodged his attacks with a grin on his face.
“DIE! DIE! DIE DIE DIE! AHHH!” the man yelled with increasing desperation, raising the frequency and potency of his spells. When he felt an experimental attack on his barrier coming from behind him, he snapped again and fired off in all directions with projectiles and beams of magical energy, causing Cyko to let out an annoyed growl as he saw himself having to save many children who were in the way of the mad mage’s attacks. Nevertheless, Cyko took satisfaction in seeing the guards, who were busily getting into position to shoot him, run for their lives and still get incinerated for their troubles.
The Coliseum was chaos. With the guards deciding to leave to get reinforcements and children yelling and crying in fear of being hit, there was no time to think. Cyko made sure that not a single child got hurt, even if he had to block the attacks himself, which, he noted, were not that strong. Soon enough, the man’s spells were less intense, eventually stopping altogether. Finally! Now he could finish off that bumbling idiot and move on to the real business.
Approaching the man who had fallen on his knees in exhaustion, he could see that the mage was sweating profusely and seemed much thinner than a minute ago.
“Oh, is that all? I almost believed you would actually cause me trouble,” Cyko mocked.
“N-no… Nonono! Please… don’t kill me! Have mercy!” he said between gasps of air, struggling to stand. The mage cursed at his own idiocy. He had wasted too much energy in his desperation!
“Hmm… Let me think about… Nah, I want to kill all of you. For Myo.” He shrugged before raising his arm up high as the man’s whimpers increased until he was outright wailing… Then, he was silenced as the sound of a blade cutting through his flesh echoed around the Coliseum. All mages who had formed the barrier and stopped them from saving Myo, along with several guards, were dead.
“Now…” Cyko said as he surveyed the arena, looking right into the eyes of the dragon leader who had been silent until now, glaring at him, “it’s time to avenge my little brother.” The enhancer’s face conveyed his hatred louder than his voice did.
As for those who had witnessed Cyko fighting, their reactions were many and varied. Some were afraid at how easily he killed those people; others were surprised at his newfound strength. His siblings from the orphanage had been watching him with both awe and sadness. Their brother had finally snapped, and they could only hope he remained the same person he used
to be.
Magy was looking at the carnage Cyko had caused. On one hand, she was happy that her dear friend could avenge their little brother, bringing justice to him, but… Scythe told Magy that Cyko’s soul changed, that he was no longer the same person he used to be—in exchange for his increased power. She only hoped that her friend would be all right.
Tela, however, stared at Cyko with heaviness in her heart. Even as weakened as she was by the restraints, she could still feel what he was feeling… His desire to kill was much stronger than before, a change in his soul that signified the complete loss of his innocence. He would never have a normal life ever again… and it was all her fault. Tears of regret slipped down her face as she thought of what he was forced to do, and what he was forced to become, and she promised herself she would support him and help everyone so such a thing would never happen again!
Still, she couldn’t help feel that the mages and guards that died in his rampage deserved it. Others may call her sweet and friendly but even she can feel hate even if it hurt her heart. She could see that Cyko was moving to confront the mutant leader and if he could take him out, then everything would be easier. She only hoped that her friend would be fine, that he wouldn’t suffer the same fate as Myo… He deserved to live, just as much as all the children trapped in this prison did.
6
In front of Cyko stood the mutant leader, Drago, in all his glory, looking no worse for wear despite the punishment Myo managed to inflict upon him. The dragon had been watching Cyko intently since he broke free of his restraints, not saying anything even as he killed those around him—just glaring with his serpentine eyes.
“So now you stand in front of me,” the dragon drawled out his words, “do you see now? The power you have gained? How easy it was to crush those considered strong by the outside world? This is the power they are granting us! Power to overcome even the strongest!” Drago yelled with pride, baring his teeth.
“That… ‘friend’ of yours was nothing more than an ant compared to our strength! Unworthy of the privilege of being part of our glorious army! In this world, only the strongest thrive, by trampling over the weak! Swear loyalty to me, and the world will know our might!” Drago thundered, his deep voice heard all across the Coliseum.
Cyko, whose hair had been covering his face, looked up at the dragon, eyes full of emotion. For a moment, the reptile thought the boy would accept his offer, becoming the first non-mutant to join him, but alas… Cyko started to laugh.
In shock at being chastised for his offer of power, the dragon stood dumbfounded as he watched the blue-haired boy catch his breath.
“Hahaha… Through the eyes of madness, I see…” Cyko said in a voice just loud enough for Drago to hear, looking at him with a full-blown mocking grin. “You are nothing but a cheap villain of a cliché children’s cartoon!” he declared, causing Drago’s eyes to widen in shock.
“Oh yes, the big dumb dragon that believes he is a hotshot. What? Did you hear those lines you keep spouting over and over and over in some sort of cartoon, thought they were cool and felt like it would be a good idea to repeat them?” Cyko mocked, relishing in the look of indignation on the mutant leader. “Let me guess, you used to either be a bully or be bullied and now that you have power, you feel like the strongest thing in the world? What now, big guy? Want me to hand over my lunch money?” the enhancer continued, pleased at how Drago seemed to be losing his cool.
“INSIGNIFICANT CHILD! YOU DARE MOCK ME?! I AM THE STRONGEST OF THE MUTANTS!” Drago bellowed, uncrossing his arms and letting them hang at his sides, fists clenched.
“I CAN EASILY CRUSH YOU, JUST LIKE I DID WITH THAT WEAKLING YOU CALLED A FRIEND!” the reptile said, bolts of lightning running across his shaking arms with each word.
Cyko however, looked at him and sighed, a smirk still in place. “Look at you, you are so dramatic—you flaunt too much! Acting all high and mighty while spouting lame lines about power and survival of the fittest, blah blah blah blah!” Cyko said with a sneer.
“I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU! IF YOU WON’T JOIN OUR SUPERIOR ARMY, THEN YOU SHALL PERISH LIKE THAT BABY DID!” Drago roared, the lightning over his body even brighter than it was before. He charged towards Cyko, punching the ground where he was seconds ago, leaving a crater the size of a boulder in his place. Removing his arm from the ground, Drago snarled and turned around to find the enhancer, whose gaze was turned towards the ground.
“You are just a child. A monster, but still a child. A spoiled brat that needs punishment,” Cyko whispered, although Drago’s enhanced senses still managed to pick up his words. His head snapped up, revealing a murderous expression on his face, a look of loathing so strong it made Drago pause for a second. “Say, how about we bring the child out from inside you? Give you a nice dose of REALITY!” Cyko disappeared.
The mutant leader’s eyes widened before he instinctively brought his massive left arm up to protect his head, just in time to intercept a slash from Cyko, who left a deep gash in his scaled arm. The dragon roared and launched a wave of fire at the airborne enhancer who was engulfed in the fiery cloud with nary a reaction.
Already aware of his tricks from observing his fights, Drago, once again, chose to sacrifice a limb, his right arm this time, to block another slash.
This time he reacted much faster, reaching out with his left arm before Cyko was able to react, strangling him, causing the enhancer’s eyes to widen in surprise. “YOUR TRICKS WON’T WORK ON ME!” he yelled before sending a powerful charge of electricity down his arm.
“GHHHAAAAAHHH!!” Cyko screeched as the electricity, much more potent than any charge he received during the experiments, coursed through his body.
“I-Is that the b-best you can do, you oversized gecko?!” he asked before his body’s blue aura increased in intensity. With a loud snap, Cyko freed himself from the dragon’s grasp, breaking all the fingers on his hand in progress.
“AGH CURSE YOU!” Drago choked, grasping his broken left hand with his right, glaring as Cyko landed on the ground.
The enhancer snarled at him before vanishing once again, this time appearing right behind Drago’s head, ready to cut it off in his moment of distraction.
Cyko let out a surprised shout as a massive object slammed into him just before he could attack, sending him crashing to the ground. He barely had time to realize he had been hit by the dragon’s tail before he had to dodge a torrent of flames, courtesy of the irate dragon.
He clicked his tongue; of course, he wouldn’t be as easy as the mages were.
The dragon rushed at Cyko’s airborne form, left arm raised ready to strike. Thinking fast, the enhancer deactivated his holo blades and brought his arms in front of him in time to protect most of his body from the massive fist, though he was sent reeling in the opposite direction. Not letting up, Drago charged with speed betraying his size, stopping just in front of the flying child, ready to strike, this time with his now healed right hand.
Unable to turn around in time, Cyko took the full brunt of the attack with his back, ploughing to the ground like a meteor, a huge cloud forming at the point of impact. In a show of viciousness, Drago launched a wave of white-hot flames towards the crater, causing the heat of the entire Coliseum to turn up several degrees as the ground around the point of impact melted into lava.
Stopping his stream of flames, Drago fell to his knees in pain, the heels of his feet having been slashed by a grinning Cyko, who had appeared behind him on the ground, still looking in great condition despite the punishment he received. The same could not be said about his armor, however, as it looked dented in several places.
Cyko and Drago fought for what seemed like an eternity. Regardless of how deep Cyko cut him, Drago was a fast healer, and Cyko was running out of creative ways to hurt him. The dragon wasn’t fast enough for Cyko, whose biggest strength in the fight was being able to disappear and reappear elsewhere. They were a perfect match, neither one of them able to fatally injure the other.
&
nbsp; Meanwhile, in the stands, those watching the fight had varied reactions. Both Magy and Tela had felt their hearts almost leap out of their chest at some of the stunts Cyko had been pulling off, and how outright suicidal he was progressively getting, running straight into fire, taking the mutant’s lightning attacks head on, all just so he could inflict more damage on him, damage that healed itself in seconds! Magy wished that her dear friend would be all right and could avenge little Myo. Tela, while desiring much the same, was more concerned with Cyko’s state of mind, being able to feel his emotions of hate and elation during the whole fight. She was concerned by how thrilled he felt whenever he hurt Drago.
A particular pair, however, was watching the fight with great interest. Ellyn had long since stopped crying, ever since Cyko broke free of his restraints and massacred the mages, she had swallowed her sorrows for the time being and had focused on observing the fight, trying to understand what the wind was telling her.
“Can you feel it, Ellyn?” Reddox whispered as he too was glued to the fight. Being more intimately connected to energy, the mage could feel something very different in Cyko, something he didn’t have during their fight.
“Y-yes… It feels like something changed within him, I mean… more than just his increase in power or a new personality…” she said in a small voice, wincing as Cyko took another fireball to the face without hesitation just so he could land a deep gash on the dragon’s chest, which only earned him another punch to the face.
“Ever since he broke out, his energy levels skyrocketed. I would’ve preferred to be less restrained to run a better diagnostic but…” Cyko had stopped trying to dash directly at the dragon and was now evading his attack as he analyzed him for an opening. “I believe he may, in fact, be in the same category as me,” Reddox whispered, observing how Cyko seemed to be in deep focus, the glowing aura surrounding him increasing in intensity.