“I guess, it’s over,” Ilec mumbled with a broken smile on his face as my attention shifted towards the shaking upper layer of the cavern.

Boom!

An explosion more powerful than anything I had ever seen shook the ceiling, breaking it in the process. And amongst the falling debris, something descended, closely resembling Ilec’s avatar.

Clad in sleek black armor and a blood-red cape that matched its eyes. The figure's pale gray skin matched the clouded sky in the background. The horns were different, though, as this entity had two horns that curled down and under its ears, lining its chin.

Ilec immediately raised his hand creating a barrier to protect us as the monster touched the ground.

"Lord Ilec! I advise you to stop your stubbornness and hand yourself over. You have already caused us quite the trouble after hiding yourself! If you submit, the Lord may forgive you." The entity reasoned impatiently.

“Are you gonna repeat the same shit, huh Arias?” Ilec shouted in a tone full of anger and hatred.

“It is my Lord’s order that I must apprehend you by any means.” The beast named Arias responded with an equal shout. “Now stand down along with your human minion.”

“Can’t you say something new? Something fun, not this bullshit every time.” Ilec sighed massaging his forehead and my gaze flicked between him and Arias.

Just who was he? An acquaintance, a friend, or an enemy?

“Hey Ilec, who is this?” I asked, getting back on my feet as the pain disappeared and my senses returned to their full potential.

“My friend and foe.” He winked glancing at me before swirling his hands to open a portal behind me. “Now get the hell out, it’s gonna be bloody.”

I looked behind, towards the giant hole of light simmering in a golden hue, sucking the very air in at a rapid pace.

“It’s your only chance, kid. Get out of here right now.” Ilec gritted his teeth taking a position before me.

Heaving a deep sigh, I kneeled and touched the ground, summoning a dual-handed ax made of stone.

Gripping the ax tightly and channeling mana into it, I did some stretching and stood beside Ilec. “You know what, let’s see how bloody it is.”

Arias lazily took a few steps against us. “You two seriously think winning against me is a possibility.” He feigned ignorance with a too-loud sneer. “Give up Ilec, your time is over.”

“Well…” Ilec did his signature thoughtful expression but soon clasped his hands a few times dismissing everything. “How about No!”

“What did you say?” Arias tilted his head to the right as his tone went harsh and cold.

“I said, how about you go back and tell Kali to get lost,” Ilec spoke everything with a too unrealistic smirk on his face. It was as if he was proud of his words.

“You imbecile!” Arias roared in anger stomping his foot on the ground, shaking the entirety of the cave. “You dare badmouth my Lord. You will pay the price with your blood.”

“I think we are fucked.” I muffled anxiously, witnessing the shitshow.

“You think so,” Ilec mumbled looking at me for a split second before doing the worst he could do.

“Hey dickhead, fuck your lord,” Ilec yelled, pushing the Asura to his breaking point.

“That’s enough!” Arias screamed on top of his lungs striding towards us like a bison charging.

The ground beneath us shook violently with each step he took and I moved forward manipulating the surrounding mana.

Wielding the Earth attribute element which allowed me to do whatever the hell I want with earth, I summoned spikes out of the ground.

The thin pointed layer of spike jotted out of the floor in an instant as Arias’s foot touched the ground.

I hoped the stony thrones would pierce his legs or injure him but they did nothing. In a matter of seconds, they emerged and instantly he swayed to the side dodging everything.

“What the…” Utterly dumbfounded by Arias’s reaction speed I looked up to Ilec, but he was not there anymore.

Boom!

The ground shook again as Arias flew backward crashing into the wall behind him.

Some sharp gravel fell over him and Ilec turned around giving me a thumbs up.

It seemed Ilec used my spikes as a distraction to throw a punch and it worked. Still, his speed and reaction time was beyond me.

“How did you…” I wanted to know the secret but my words disappeared into thin air as the ragged voice of Arias quivered the entire structure.

“You son of a bitch!” Roaring like a lion he shot forward, breaking every stone that fell over him.  And within seconds he was before Ilec who was already prepared to take him.

Arias’s hand ignited with fire as he threw a straight jab toward Ilec’s face, but blocked it by raising both hands and reinforcing them with ice attributes.

Boom!

The surrounding air was blown away as Ilec skidded backward from the excessive force applied to his body.

“Is that all you got?” Ilec contrived a wry smile transforming his arms from icy to steel as his fists glowed red. “Come on!”

Like a bullet shot through a gun, Ilec lunged forward at an insane speed obliterating the very earth he stepped on.

Arias’s face turned bitter as he prepared himself to defend himself from the incoming meteor.

Crash!

I could not see what happened but the result was clear as day. Arias flew backward just like before and Ilec stood in the middle of a small crater breathing heavily.

“How about you go back to your mother Arias?” Ilec said in a sarcastic tone walking out of the dip. “She won’t like a dead son you know.”

“We will see about that.” Arias gritted his teeth rising from the rubble. “For now, let me kill you.”

“Why not?”

Snap!

Immediately the world around me shifted to a plain field that spanned infinitely. The earth beneath me was burning from the heat emitted by the red sun hanging in the dim sky.

My body burned from the temperature as the smell of ashes invaded my nostrils. My vision too went blurry for a second as my eyes adjusted to the light. 

“Ugh-” I groaned in pain putting my hands to protect my face but soon a shelter stood over me upon the command of Ilec who gave me a subtle nod.

“You and your cheap tricks!” With an intimidating scowl on his face, Arias spitted some saliva onto the ground which evaporated instantly.

“If it works then it works.” Ilec raised his hand with a chuckle, his tone carrying the same sarcastic remarks. “Let’s end this.”

Rupturing the ground hundreds upon hundreds of catapults emerged, modified to shoot long spears made of steel with pointers that breathed fire. They surrounded Arias from each and every side.

“What do you say now?” Ilec smirked as his opponent observed his adjacent area with a deadpan look in his eyes.

“Do it!” Arias’s voice became colder as his face carried the demeanor of a dead man.

“With pleasure!”

Ilec lowered his head and hundreds if not thousands of spears were launched at Arias who just stood there motionlessly, his fiery eyes burning brighter than ever.

I poked my head out and channeled mana into my eyes to not miss the action like before. And in the next second, I saw something that forced me to rub my eyes twice and look again.

The spears whizzed past in the air and Arias just disappeared into nothingness, but appeared right before Ilec who was taken aback by this turn of events could not evade the attacks.

Boom!

Despite having enhanced vision and squeezing my eyes to the fullest, I could not make head or tail out of their fight. It was so fast that the only thing my eyes caught was dust and occasional trails of electricity.

The ground kept trembling but no one emerged from the dust. It just went more aggressive with each passing moment.

Suddenly the gravitational pull around the area reversed and I began floating in the air along with every other object. I tried my own manipulation but it did not react.

Soon the pull returned and I hit the ground with a thud but that did not last long as the effect returned with more power this time.

“Wooo…” I was flung onto a thousand feet like a rag doll with no control over my body nor eyes to witness what was going on.

Once again, gravity returned and I fell to the ground at a rapid pace. I did the same manipulation and it worked as my legs safely touched the ground.

Breathing heavily, I looked to my side where Ilec lay, his face bloodied and body torn apart.

“No… No…” The dread within me rose as I tried to dash towards him, but the weird gravity shit did not let me do that.

I was flung into the air but this time the return was not under my control. The downwards pull was so heavy that I felt my body getting ripped in midair.

“Shitttt….” Screaming on top of my lungs I tried to save myself but nothing worked. I hit the solid earth like a meteor, more than enough to rob me of my consciousness.

---

I did not know how long I was out but the moment I opened my eyes I saw brutally wounded Arias sitting over a dying Ilec, carrying a spear to pierce his heart.

‘What is going on…’

I tried to open my mouth to say something but failed, as I too realized my not-so-good shape. I could not feel any of my body parts nor had the power to even lift my head. Even keeping my eyes open felt like pulling a hundred-ton truck.

“You really are a pain in the ass!” Arias mumbled in annoyance and Ilec chuckled, tilting his head to face me but averted back instantly.

“Still... I won!” Ilec replied, in a voice full of pain and agony, letting out a broken laugh.

“No, you did not.”

Arias thrusted the spear into Ilec’s chest with an evil smile on his face. Soon a blood-curdling scream shook the vicinity as my entirety shuddered.

“How does it feel huh?” Arias asked again, gritting his teeth in anger, and punching Ilec’s already dismembered face.

“Good!” Ilec whispered, spitting blood, but the smile never left his face.

It was evident that he was clinging to the very last thread of his life but still managed to say something that forced me to pry open my already closing eyes for the last time.

“Write yo-ur o-wn story, Tim W-alker… pro-tect the o-nes you love…  they are worth dying for.”

Snap!

As soon as his words reached my ears the world around me wrapped and I sensed my consciousness slowly drifting away.