Kindles of War

by Nicol Terra

  “D. J, hurry, or he will leave without us!” Ariel said. Duran couldn't help and giggle as the flakes of snow pelted and covered his head. She growled. D.J pulled out a giant box of luggage, courtesy of his new friends. He swung his hand over.

  “Come on guys. We did not park far! Let's get going back already.” Duran shouted. Ariel and D.J gave him the thumbs up as he continued his walk in the snow.

  The snow cloud stretched for as far as he can see. He knew what he saw, a demon. A Demon on Alatorem? He heard rumors they still lived on the moons, manipulating our lives from afar, the dark deities of Era Zero and One. Riha and Nicholas were the only persons capable of defeating them, with Riha fighting all eight at once. After that, she banned crystals in her nearly global empire. The snow of the clouds was flushed with magical energy, he felt a strong impulse of Nether, yet it didn't harm him. In fact, it damaged the path around the ship and their group; the snow was forming as the death inched further and further away...

  He pulled out his Holosphere and few meters away, the ship reappeared with a staircase slinking out. As soon as he climbed up, walked into one of the living rooms. The winter roared outside; he closed his eyes and released Blue Aura. The storm was continent-wide too, with the blizzard stretching even further beyond. The cold snow sprinkled across, killing trees, Leviathans, Demons, Angels, Elementals. It did not matter, the snow killed you. It didn't kill Ariel or D.J however, probably because of Nen Resistance. The most terrifying thing, however, was that he couldn't tell the source of the storm.

  Ariel was first in as she dropped a giant suitcase of new items.

  “You know, for someone who is supposed to use Aura, you two sure are shit at carrying two new suitcases.” He said.

  Ariel flipped him off. “Piss off. I didn‘t ask for these.”

  “Where is that bottle?” Duran inquired.

  “Fridge in the Kitchen,” Ariel said. Duran waltzed over to the fridge and took out the bottle of Vodka and a Mio.

  “Yo, get the glasses,” Duran said. Ariel walked past the door to her room, and D.J dropped his even larger suitcase on the ship.

  “God damn I know we get cold weather back home but damn!” He said.

  “This isn‘t natural…” Duran said.

  D.J frowned. “So our general beats an ancient and powerful demon and this is the only consequence?”

  Duran squinted, putting the bottle on the desk. He walked over to D.J.

  “Use Blue.” He said. D.J blinked.

  “I'm sorry?”

  “Just do it.” He scolded. D.J rolled his eyes and closed then, flashing Blue Aura. He flashed Blue Aura too. The storm only got stronger. A few hundred Kilometers tall and extended across the continent, he felt a rotating hurricane of heavy snow poured heavily down. The massive blizzard from above mostly tapered off in strength as all Duran felt was a strong wind. In the eye of the storm; however, the snow was so fast it was he felt it dilated time, rotating five times in a second. His storm was nothing near to this one in strength, it would have to been made by someone similar to Eraz in strength. It strengthened this snow with Nether. It killed regular people with no defenses upon touch. He turned to D.J, his Nen, kept him safe. D.J and Ariel also had Nen, the ability to resist Warp or Bend effects. He scoffed, if they couldn't resist this effect naturally, they likely would have died instantly. And this is proof, it is man-made. Someone, or Something, or Some demon was creating this storm.

  “That..is not natural.” He said, taking a step back. The two opened their eyes.

  “It has only been five days since our duel, and we got the portal up today… this storm has been here for three days, and it is dense. It probably is to serve a barrier. If anyone tried to fly out, even me, we probably could die.” He said, cursing. Winter coated with instant Death and Destruction of Natural Reality. The storm is a singularity of raw power, twisting and dropping snow. Then, the wind picked up above, as sound cracked thousands of times in a second, the storm rotating more and more quickly.

  “Maybe you are right, but it’s okay.” D.J said. Duran leaned on the frame of the ship.

  “You trust me that much?”

  D.J nodded, and then he let out a sly smile. “Nah, I think you are too stubborn to die.”

  “Oh, thanks,” Duran said, the two laughed together as he looked briefly back up. He will learn to understand that storm.

  The three clanked their shot glasses and leaned them back. The inside the Airship was far warmer than the cold outside. Fresh Air breezed through, heating them as a toasty fireplace would. A Holocube that has perfect control over climate? Thanks, technology.

  “So did you guys hear?” Ariel started, pouring them another shot as D.J shuffled a deck of Poker Cards. “A Zynthian Legion Commander was granted early retirement.”

  D.J raised a brow. “Who?”

  “Yukari Unmei, no other details were given. Although it was stated that another quit, her name was Yuki.”

  “Well, we are doing a good job on helping our ally.” D.J snorted.

  “Well, we mounted an attack on Idera.” Ariel started, only for her to shake her head. “But it is not like it was a good attack. Eraz has been unusually passive this war.. Even Zynthia can't be this stupid.”

  “They haven’t called us back either.” D.J sighed. “And if I am honest, Warzone sounds more fun than Frozen Death above.”

  Duran smile grew as he let out a giggle. “Sure. I also heard if you were in a Warzone you would end up like Zalima.”

  “Zali is dead?” D.J said, his eyes widening. “Damn, he was the Six… ya know?”

  “Guess that makes five,” Duran said grimly. Ariel smiled.

  “I don‘t care as long as you two still live and Mudath too.”

  “Speaking of, surely he is helping..right?” D.J said, turning to Duran. Duran felt his throat grow more hoarse.

  “We aren‘t on speaking terms, but last I checked he was still in Kulso..somewhere.” He said. Kulso controlled Areron though, and Mudath did like his peace and quiet, he could be anywhere on the continent.

  D.J said nothing, only for Ariel to pull out a pack.

  “This is a fucked up world we live in. We drink and smoke to forget what kind of hell it is?” Duran said Ariel nodded.

  “That's right, now light up.”

  Duran listened, as he took off the gold wrapping of Jays and flipped the green top off. The Black and Green pack always popped out to him. He snatched a roll and lit it ablaze.

  Eraz isn't doing anything, Zalima is dead, they retire Yukari, and we are fighting over a rock? A rock that raised people into deities?

  If only he were a deity so he could make Eraz stop his crusade.

  He pushed that thought out within a second and lit it ablaze.

  “So how was your duel?” D.J cooed. “You never told us.”

  “I was curious,” Ariel added

  Duran sighed as he exhaled a massive puff. “A hard match, but I still won.”

  “You never liked telling us details..” D.J said

  “Ain‘t that the truth,” Ariel said, pouring a shot for the three

  “Well, this one I do not understand. I saw a demon, what can I say? I need to know more.” Duran said.

  D.J dealt everyone two cards and flopped. Duran peeked at his hand, two aces

  The flop was a king, a jack and queen. If he gets a ten, he can get a straight flush.

  “Anyone folding?” D.J asked. Ariel shook her head.

  “Not with this hand!”

  “Neither am I.”

  D.J flipped the next two cards up the river; it was a nine and a seven.

  Maybe he can bluff for a three of a kind of kings?

  “Call?” D.J asked

  “Four queens.” Ariel smiled. Duran threw his cards down.

  “Damn it.”

  “Four Kings.” D.J said

  Ariel's veins popped as he slammed his hands down. Both Duran and D.J laughed

  “Damn it!” She said,

&
nbsp; “Oh hey, I get the next shot.” D.J, grabbing his glass and knocking it back.

  “Fuck you are so lucky,” Duran said, knocking his shot back and Ariel popped hers too.

  “Fuck you, you and me. I wanna see you fold!” Ariel pointed. D.J smirked and rolled his eyes.

  “All right, Duran you wanna deal?” D.J asked. Duran picked up the cards and deck started to shuffle repeatedly.

  Duran shifted his eyes to the two as he dealt their cards and flop the first three cards. Ariel had a stern, calculating and serious look. Her black hair framed her head to look more intimidating than she was. Her black eyes gazed at D.J blue eyes. He looked far more relaxed, and it filled his smile with confidence and happiness.

  “I fold.” D.J said.

  Ariel turned to him in confusion. Duran looked at the three cards, a four, five and six.

  “What?”

  “Well, you saw me fold, wanna call it even?” D.J asked

  Duran snicker became a raging laugh.

  “You trolled me!”

  “Yeah, and it was a good one too! I took five seconds to come up with that!”

  Duran laugh became a howl. “Oh god, I can't breathe!”

  “This isn‘t a victory, I..don’t even know what this is!”

  “Nah, it is a victory, because I am giving up.”

  “No, this isn’t! It feels like… someone has cheated me!”

  “Well fuck, how did-” D.J started, only for Ariel to flip his cards up, it was a three and seven. A straight.

  “You sneak! You could have won there!”

  “I wanted you to win,” D.J admitted. Ariel blushed turned crimson.

  “What-”

  “Oh, come on girl it is a goddamn win!” Duran tried to push out his sentence if only his wheezing throat stopped him mid-sentence.

  “Let's go, Duran! I'll take the bottle back with me, and we can see you in a week?” D.J finished, getting up from his chair as he stretched his arms behind his back, popping his bones into place.

  “Fuck it, two shots, and I feel like I can conquer an army myself.”

  “That's the spirit!” D.J said, the two shaking hands and bumping fists. Ariel still looked annoyed at her victory as she whispered into Duran’s ear.

  “Come back soon, okay?”

  “I promise,” Duran promised.

  The Portal to Nieth was an emerald hue, with the other side of a vast meadow and black mountains to his east.

  The snowy sky and the endless expanse of space instead of sky intrigued him. He saw thousands of stars, some the faintest of lights and others large and enveloping — Blue, greens, and oranges of the remnants of a supernova illuminating the sky instead of stars. The ominous remnant of a nebula enveloped the and stretched to more and more galaxies, with faint stars dotting the beyond.

  He gulped, as he felt his heart race.

  “Ariel, when was the last time anyone in recorded history crossed one of these ancient portals and came back?”

  “Never.”

  “So I am the first,” Duran said chillingly. He took the first step on the black pedestal as he got closer, Duran looked down at the portal, the circle grew into a sphere as Duran felt space wrap around, he took another step back. The other side felt no different from Alatorem.

  “Hey, Ariel.”

  “Yeah?” She said, staring at him. Her eyes for the first time he saw in a long while, were saddened. A single tear. He swung around and walked back, wiping away her tear.

  “It is okay. I will be back. Give me a week. I wanna explore as much as I can, take the rock and come back..” He said, pulling her closed. Ariel wiped away her tears.

  “Okay. I'll see you then. We can go back home, right?”

  “No, I'll come back to you.” He said,

  Ariel took a step back as she let out a small giggle.

  “Corny, but okay. I get it. See you soon.”

  “Hey.” D.J interrupted. “Bring back pictures.”

  Duran nodded, swinging back around. “Yeah, got it.”

  Duran made his way on the Pedestal and enveloped his entire body. The window of space-time grew to a sphere. Streaks of white light and darkness as he felt his body teleport forward. He felt..nothing. Then, he made it to the other side.

  The bluegrass and the purple sky felt like an alien world to Duran. The winds felt softer, more benign. The taste of the air felt a little irony, but it was nothing out of the ordinary on what he might expect. He raised a brow in this confusion as he headed forward; the portal closed behind him as he made his first steps in a larger world. He looked above, and his eyes were star struck.

  The sky was faint, almost non-existent. There was no sky blue, but the planet of Alatorem and the Two Suns, a ball of Blue and Orange stars, ready for his sight. He could breathe, but not too well. He used White and Ether to flush himself with Lifeforce, as his body washed with Ethereal Energy. The Energy compensated for the lack of abundant oxygen, providing him safety.

  Then, he saw it. A giant city, something he would never have ever expected in his entire life. The city of the black building, shooting high in the sky, with large cylinders and cubes to form a city that linked from building to building. He saw the clouds of the above block his vision of the tallest buildings of the largest city he ever saw. It stretched for hundreds, no thousands of miles. He flashed blue; he sensed not hundreds of millions, but tens of billions.

  He inched forward as a giant bolt of light pierced through as he landed directly on his feet. He looked up as he summoned Sazun to his side.

  “Well, well. It looks like Belial wasn’t losing his mind.” Someone said. His booming tone and demanding presence were enough for him to take a step back. A demon with red wings and a black body floated above him, flapping them in the air. He held a blade of Light in his right hand and a sword of ice in the other. Duran's eyes widened, and then he stiffened. Sazun shook as Duran raged.

  “You, you are the reason for that storm!” He pointed, grabbing his blade and readying his position.

  "Oh no, that isn't me. That is our king, Razulman." The demon snarled.

  Another demon, this one with a gold body and orange wings appeared next to the red one as space around him twirled and warped, before reverting to its normal state.

  “Sir, Liam did not use the portal this time, it was.-”

  The demon shooed his hand. “Yeah, yeah, I can see who this is. Not Liam.”

  “Who is Liam?” Duran asked himself. The Red Demon shook his head.

  “You beat Belial? I can see it.” He said, shaking his head. “God, he is so weak though, being beaten by a measly member of humanity.

  “What?” Duran stewed.

  “Regardless, you are not Liam, and you are not welcome.” He said, he waved his hand as hundreds of small portals opened in the sky, as thousands of demons floated and covered the air as far as he could see. Duran saw hundreds of thousands, and then millions wrap around him in a second. His Blue Aura intensified. There was about five million. Then, he saw his crystal being lifted by the large Red Demon. The Demon created a bubble of Light. Time cracked, and so did the crystal. Duran reached, only for the Crystal to form another Demon. The Demon grew a few feet tall, naked and with his red tail.

  "Alright, take care of Zyga. Tell him he owes me one." The demon said, passing the baby demon to the other, who nodded.

  He swung his head back to the larger Red Demon as the Gold one disappeared, grumbling to himself. The more he used Nen, the more he could not process his existence.

  “You know, you should be grateful. It has been over three thousand years since we last had a visitor. Now, you will be the first to die on this planet in millennia.”

  Duran smirked as Sazun brought the Red Demon to him, warping the distance between the two and transporting within an instant. Duran clocked his face in with a right punch, and the Demon took a stagger. The punch warped and echoed Sub-Atomic Particles outward, disassembling the particles in his skull with the punch.


  “Oh wow, I am sorry, Did I interrupt your monologue?” He asked. The Demon winced as he raised his hand in the air.

  “You know what..death is too great a mercy for you.” He readied his two blades as Duran swung Sazun around.

  “Change of plans, whoever brings him back unconscious will get a raise from Iafaezon.” He said, snapping his neck in place as he floated away.

  “Hey, I am not done!” Duran said, teleporting in front of him with Sazun. A few quick hits, blocks and grabs and Duran floated to the side, as gravity brought him down. The Gravity on this Planet seemed to be one-fifth then what he was used too.

  Then, one demon smacked him back down the ground with their tales. Duran grabbed his head ringing as he scanned his eyes right to left.

  “Oh boy, I can't wait to use my new raise!”

  “No wait, I am bringing him down!”

  “No, it will be me!”

  “Oh, you fucking annoying-” He started, then he looked to see the Red Demon gone from his sight. The surrounding demons inched closer and closer. He flashed Yellow, and then he felt his face turned ghost white. He saw no future where he would win and make it back to his friends. He rushed back, using Su as he felt time slow around him from sheer speed. His hand reached, and the portal flew up in the sky. He looked to see the Red Demon, grabbing the Portal and destroying it.

  “Whoops, forgot about that.” He said, then he was gone, teleporting away. The other demons inched, and now he saw no future where he wasn’t knocked out and taken to a strange palace. "I knew I should have destroyed that three thousand years ago when the last guy came in."

  For once in his life, Duran was scared.

  “Well, time to enjoy my last moment of freedom.” He said, as he grabbed his Holosphere and spoke into it.

  “If you are tracking this, Ariel and D.J. I am sorry. Don’t come here, it is not a welcoming place!” He said, pressing the button once and throwing it a mile away, chucking it like a baseball into a small wormhole that teleported it back to Alatorem. That drained him of around half of his power, he didn't expect to use his ability to send a message across interplanetary distance. This was a mistake. He sighed, he had to live with it. Duran’s price for his own pride. Their hungry faces and their dark skin was hard to take in, and their weakest soldiers were much, much stronger than the ones in Kulso.