Yohan was shaken, staring up at the tall, blue semi-translucent figure that towered before him.
With great, draconic wings spread wide on his back and sinister horns that sat atop his head. The great king Solaria had told him about now stood before him, brimming with killing intent and malice. It was clear now that what stood before them both, was Aurelius or better put, a fragment of him, made of the same blue energy from the grave, in the same form he took during his final stand. His face was featureless, save for his burning white eyes that looked at Yohan with an almost hateful edge.
Now that he finally comprehended that he was in danger, he peeled himself out of the indent he made to the crater wall, preferring to not be stuck there while facing such a fierce and very angry looking thing.
In the figure's eyes, Yohan was Zervas. This shadow of Aurelius was manifested from the deep sorrow and regret that was left behind when he died, now brought back into existence due to sensing another powerful soul that shared immense power, or perhaps a great potential.
What served to further aggravate the fragment, was the sensation of being absorbed. It sent it into shock. Back then, when Aurelius died it was instant. When he had reincarnated, he tried time and time again to find Solaria, to free his love from this wretched place.
Each time he had come back or even started to manifest memories of his past, Ventris would find him and take him to Solaria, then kill him in front of her, each and every time. Each time, the sight of Solaria's tears wore on his soul more and more.
The guilt and anger of not being strong enough to help her, to do anything else than to be killed and to be a continuous source of anguish for her broke him as he was left in an endless cycle time and time again. Reincarnated, just to die in front of her again. His soul had gone through an untold number of lives, withstanding the endless torture, until his soul was fragmented and frayed.
He could vaguely sense something from the soul standing before him but he hadn't the time to think on that, not when his anger was still raw, along with feeling that he was being absorbed. It all had coalesced and sparked his memories, calling him to manifest himself and to take this form to fight off the invader.
The only memory he had of himself was of the final battle and because of that, he saw Yohan as Zervas, the last enemy he fought before he died. Yohan on the other hand soon realized that he couldn't just stand there and do nothing. He glanced at Solaria as she stared at the dragonoid with wide, tearfilled eyes- then snapped his attention back to the dragon again once it growled fiercely at him. He couldn't rely on Solaria right now, not when she was shaken like this at the sight of him.
Something told him that to run was futile and well, running didn't stick well with him. So he only had one other option: Fight.
Seeming to sense this, the corporeal dragonoid gave a resounding roar before he lunged at the boy with killing intent; his claws sharp like curved daggers and his feet breaking the ground beneath him like a beast prepared to kill.
"Waitwaitwait." Panic made him falter which was rewarded with a solid punch to the jaw, the impact sending him soaring faster than Solaria does when she's excited, leaving him to slam into the ground then roll to a harsh stop some distance away.
Far away from the battlefield high on a cliff a figure cloaked in black watched the battle unfolding in front of him, a powerful wind blew the hood off his head and his long white hair with light green tips flowed around his shoulders, the vision of his friend reduced to nothing more than a rage filled spirit brought him great pain but all he could do was watch, after all he was the only apostle that could enter the black zone undetected.
He watched as the remnant went into battle with his newest incarnation, knowing that this would be his first test of many, this one being to defeat his old self and grow. "Good luck old friend." He said quietly as he looked on.
Yohan on the other hand was running for his life. "SHIT, SHIT, SHIT, SHIT!". He yelled as he ran up the wall of a crater dodging huge blasts of energy, each one evaporating the rocks they hit behind him leaving behind a burnt out hole. Even with his new powers and the small boost from what he absorbed when he first arrived, he was still no match for the old king, at best all he could do at this point was dodge and run but he knew he couldn't run forever and he would have to fight back.
As he ran, he was reminded of scenes he used to read in manga; the main character fighting the spirit of the person they absorbed power from, having to beat them in battle before claiming the great power they held, but reading and being in an actual death match are two different things.
He was scared and rightfully so. The other day he was a normal human and now he was involved in a battle of gods. He steeled himself and started preparation for a plan. He wasn't confident he could beat him hand to hand and in the barren wasteland of the black zone, he had nowhere to hide, making him an easier target.
With that disadvantage in mind he changed course and headed towards the castle where hopefully, he could lose the spirit and buy some time to plan a fighting strategy.
He gathered his energy, spreading it to his heart and feet in an attempt to empower himself. With a great boost of speed, he ran then slammed himself feet first into a boulder, the impact kicking up a huge cloud of dust to act as a smokescreen for him.
For a second there was nothing but then, in a flash of blue and purple, Yohan shot out from the cloud and headed for the castle, his bare feet pounding on the ground while Aurelius followed him from the air, still blasting at him with huge beams of energy. He ran past a frozen Solaria and for a brief second, he smiled at her to convey that he would be ok.
Solaria hesitated for a moment before she nodded at him, deciding to trust him and see how this would play out. Yohan sped towards the castle, running in zig zags in an attempt to not to get hit. Just as he jumped over a part of the castle wall a thin beam went through his leg, the pain hitting him like a bolt of lightning, but he kept going.
If he faltered here, he'd be dead again. He crashed through a window then made his way through the grand ballroom and bolted around the corner to hide, his hair feeling on end while knowing that Aurelius had just almost grabbed his locks when he entered through the castle window.
He sat in a dark corner of the kitchen, holding his breath as he saw Aurelius' glow approaching the door. His heart nearly fell into his stomach when the glow stopped at the door but then thankfully moved on.
He breathed a quiet sigh of relief and let himself fall back onto the floor. He couldn't hide forever and he needed a plan to fight, he knew this was his first test and he knew he was failing miserably. He needed to defend himself. A weapon would do perhaps?
He remembered that in the grand ballroom there were weapons hung on the walls. Maybe he could find something there to help him fight. Just as he was solidifying that idea and about to think of a backup plan, a blue clawed hand busted through the wall beside his face and grabbed his hair, pulling a surprised scream from him. Before he could fully react to think of freeing himself, he was yanked through the wall and thrown through another.
The force and strength behind the throw had him crashing through four more walls and into another room. Finally, he slid to a stop across marbled floors with the debris from the walls trailing after him.
He coughed as he peered an eye open through the light dust then blinked when he realized where he was now. High ceiling and walls, a large, magnificent crystalline chandelier above him… It was the grand ballroom where he wanted to go originally. How convenient.
"Well shit. That's one way of getting around. At least I'm where I wanted to be." He murmured to himself as he sat up.
Just then, Aurelius' spirit slowly walked in through the hole in the walls he made with his body. His blue glow lit up the entire ballroom as he strides towards him, each step making a resounding thud throughout the entire room.
Yohan looked on, frozen in terror as the approaching dread of the king's wrath was getting closer. The weight of his power, his presence was pressing down on Yohan, increasing the closer he got. In the king's eyes, Yohan was Zerav, his vision filled with that fateful day all those eons ago. Looking down at him from his place on the ground, looking as cowardly as he had always thought him to be after what he had done.
He was silent, but his killing intent that was thick in the air said it all. Yohan could sense it too, it was impossible not to. He felt a chill down his spine as the hairs on the back of his neck and all over him stood on end. When they were but a few steps apart, he stopped, as if waiting on Yohan to make the first move.
The tension in the air made seconds feel like hours as the king stood in the starlight under the broken roof of the ballroom. Yohan struggled to his feet, his face beaten and bloody. His clothes were ragged and torn from it all. He glanced to his left and saw a sword nearby, leaning against the wall. He grabbed the large sword and used it to help support his weight as he tried to calm his mind. The beast in front of him was far weaker than he had been in life, but no less dangerous now.
Just then, Solaria landed on the roof of the ballroom to continue spectating their battle. She wanted to help Yohan, but she understood now that this was something he had to do himself. She'd trust his will and not interfere.
Yohan on the other hand, was shaking. He now felt the fear of impending doom. He knew that one mistake here would cost him everything. Gathering his courage, he put his full weight on his own feet and gripped the handle of the blade, holding it up now to fight as he took a deep breath. His fingers tightened around the hilt as he closed his eyes trying to focus.
His body was trembling, but not just from the fear he felt. Alongside that fear, was the feeling of raw power surging through him. He felt the energy build within, wild and unyielding. His opponent also felt the shift in him and entered a fighting stance, his claws growing a bit longer and his eyes narrowing.
As Yohan's eyes snapped open, they burned with an electric fury and in an instant, they both launched forward. Claws clashed with blade as Yohan fought with everything he had, fainting right then slashing left but Aurelius was there to block every blow with ease. Though he was now empowered, using the energy he had absorbed previously, he could feel that it wasn't making much of a difference.
His attacks were fast and strong but he had no prior fighting experience while the spirit in front of him was of an experienced warrior. He began to feel a bit hopeless as he felt his opponent was almost playing with him but he pushed on. He didn't have a choice. He swung his sword at Aurelius' head which he ducked , delivering a punch right into his left cheek. He reeled from the pain, vision swimming momentarily, but he clenched his jaw and quickly recovered himself, countering with another swing of the sword.
He had never swung one before so he was aware that his swings, his techniques were sloppy. But for some reason, someway, he was somehow matching Aurelius in speed attacking and dodging, almost as if it were muscle memory. But he needed more. This alone would not allow him to win this fight.
Already his body was starting to tire and ache after all. Yes, he was fast enough to watch his movements and strong enough to parry and block but he knew he wouldn't last much longer like this. A grotesque sound of flesh being pierced rang in the air, momentarily stilling the fight. Yohan heard the sound before it registered to him that Aurelius's claws had pierced his shoulder. Without a chance to react or recover, Aurelius pulled him in by the wound, claws still embedded in his flesh, then threw his fist at an even faster speed, landing a powerful punch to his face that had him seeing stars and shooting like one across the room.
Before he could even get close to the ground, Aurelius had disappeared from his current position then reappeared behind him to deliver a double hammer fist to his back. The impact sounded like thunder, crashing into him with devastating force. It ripped the air from his lungs and sent a shockwave of pain through his entire body. A split second of agony in that moment, felt like eternity. His body hit the ground with a heavy thud and bounced briefly back into the air.
Aurelius didn't let that opportunity pass, using it to deliver a blitz of attacks mid-air, every blow devastatingly painful and hitting him all over his body. Finally, a hard kick aimed at his ribs sent him flying into a wall, leaving a perfect imprint of his beaten body there. His broken, bloody body slumped over in a bloody pool, no longer moving.
Slowly, Aurelius walked over to Yohan's unconscious body then grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him off the ground. He stared at the boy in disappointment for a moment before he extended his claws, ready to make the final blow.
Solaria watched on in agony, fists clenched tightly as she saw Yohan there, bleeding and broken. She shook her head. Forget the promise to trust him, he needed her help! She unfurled her wings to jump in but didn't have a chance when a sudden pressure hit her.
She didn't have time to process what had happened, only registering that Aurelius was sent flying across the room this time. In that moment, the unconscious Yohan's fight or flight response had kicked in, giving him the strength to land a decisive blow. Even Yohan himself had to take a moment to process what had happened as he found himself standing where he was once crumpled on the ground a second ago, now conscious where he was once unconscious.
Standing there now as he assessed himself. He now felt a new strength surge through him, his energy overflowing violently. It almost felt as if he was a new person.
He looked down at his hands in amazement. Even he didn't know how he was doing this, but he knew that now was not the time for questions; he had an opponent in front of him.
Solaria watched on with tears stinging her eyes as she had believed that he was about to be killed. He looked on at the spirit of the old king who was lifting a part of a wall he was punched through that collapsed on him and narrowed his eyes at him. He launched towards Yohan with claws outstretched, slashing at his head but Yohan had already dodged and in counter delivered a precise kick to the back of his head knocking him down into the ground.
"Woah! Alright, I could get used to this."
He grinned as Aurelius who had temporarily retreated to recover from the last hit and was now walking slowly towards him.
Yohan blinked then as he realized that for some reason, he felt even more energized after hitting him.
"I think I'm absorbing the energy when I come in contact with him." He whispered to himself.
For some reason, all those hits from before as much as they did hurt, seemed to have awakened something inside the boy.
But the danger hasn't yet passed.
"He can still hurt me and he's still more experienced than me. Those claws are no joke, I could die again here…but why am I getting excited?"
A devilish smile creeped its way across his face.
"You came here for a fight didn't you? Well now you got one."