SWNOVELS Chapter 21: The Assault
I spoke to my Master about everything I felt and thought of. I spoke about the Spirits’ appearances and how they made me feel. And he taught me some powerful spells that cannot be shared to the public. Now the time had come to defeat Dylan. But first I must find him. And I know exactly the way.
I took a deep breath, latched onto Defender, and pulled myself off from the ground. As my staff made a crack sound as my weight, lend against it. Around me, there had been nothing but the never-ending trees. However, as I looked in between the trees themselves a clearing emerged. I started to walk over to the defoliated area, to call upon Dylan. He was a great follower of the Darkness. He lives with the Darkness and it lives within Dylan. He must follow my orders even though he does not want to do such actions. I can control the Darkness within him. But I will not permit myself to control him. As I proceeded to the clearing my footsteps broke every little branch, which made a loud snap.
When I entered the clearing, the air was so quiet. The stillness was my companion. The trees had more life in the woods than compared to this empty clearing. I went to the center of the clearing. Darkness had been lurking in the shadows, which had eeriness that accompanied it.
" Dylan!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. There was no reply. ” Dylan, it is Sky-lar; I know you hear me.”
“I was wondering when you would have whooped my name.” I turned around to see Dylan leaning on a dead, tree with his arms crossed. On his face appeared his wicked grin. “Well look at you now, let me take a good long look at you. You are not the same boy I met nights ago. Oh, sorry about what happened between us. I meant no harm at all; I assure you.” He noted with sarcasm.
“The past is in the past. What happened previous is behind us. Do you know why I am here?”
" I have my suspicions; that is all they are.”
" Maybe, this time, I can finally finish what I could not accomplish before. ”
“Oh, don’t be daft. Your threats do not scare me. You stole something from me, which I did not appreciate. But like you have mentioned ‘the past is in the past, what happened previous is behind us.’ Maybe you can finally give what you stole from me back! I am exceedingly tired of your lies. Give it to me now! ”
“I do not think that is remotely possible, Dylan.”
" I see.” He paused to hide his anger, from the response that I had retorted, ” Well, if you will not hand it to me I will not be so merciful as I was to you before. I will kill you. ” He stood up straight, to show his might.
" That is highly unlikely.” I grasped Defender into both hands. Pointing the blue jewel toward Dylan in a defensive position.
" Is that so!” And Dylan passed by me with his arms behind his back. I never took my eyes away from his gaze.
“Indeed.”
" You are just a boy; I am a man. I have more experience with this type of power than you do! Who do you think you are?”
" I am your nightmares that haunt you. You try to show your power with the pain you produce to other innocent souls. All of this, to shower your fear that you have.”
“How dare you speak to me as such!”
" How should I talk to you then Dylan. I have spoken the truth. ”
" You will fear me! As others, have feared me!” He screamed.
Dylan lunged towards me; I got out of the way just in time. He turned back around with hatred in his eyes. His true form came into existence. As for his next move, he once again pounced upon me. But this time with his hands going towards my throat. I couldn’t block his assault. We were both on the ground. He was on top of me. His hands were on my throat, squeezing harder and harder. I couldn’t breathe. As I looked at his face, his facial expressions made a crazy, mad grin. You could compare such grin to a person that has been possessed by a demon? But in truth Dylan was a demon. No one could deny it.
I couldn’t bring air into my lungs. I clenched my hands on my throat; where his hands were. I tried to break them free, but he was too strong. Then I reached toward his face trying to stop him from killing me. But he wasn’t just killing me as well. He was killing my Master. We were one, and if one of us is dying so does the other. The Black Crystal felt how I was feeling. He too was losing consciousness as I was. We were on the verge of death. My Master with all his might pushed some of his energy to me so that I can have a breath of relief. In that second I yelled, ” Flacără A zbura.”
Dylan flew up into the air, slamming into a tree. I rolled over coughing and wheezing, letting air finally into my lungs. I sucked in all the air I possibly could. The sweet air went throughout my lungs going into my heart. These few moments revived my Master and me. I was still coughing. And my Master was trying to refocus as well. I looked at where Dylan was. He got up, and his clothes were smoking. I suppose my spell, knowing my circumstances, only produced the action and a little bit of the effect. As he stood up properly, he wiped his clothes down, making sure to put out any fire that the smoke produced. He then glanced at me, with rage. More rage than before.
I quickly looked for Defender, trying to reach it before he could attack once more. I found my staff and once again shouted ” Flacără A zbura!” Unfortunately, Dylan deflected with his hand.
“You think that can work again?” He grimaced. He stretched out his hand and yelled,” vigoare fulgere, atac!” As he finished his spell, red, dark lighting came upon me. I deflected it and shot it back at him. He diminished his creation before it could harm him.
There was no hint of mercifulness that he had, so I could not be merciful as well. I remembered and reproduced the movements and motions that my Master taught me previous that day. As I commenced this ancient form, as well as before the same results occurred. A small lightning storm inside an Auburn, red hue was in front of me. And when it was ready I plunged it towards Dylan. It successfully hit its target. But didn’t hinder him. Only knocked Dylan down. Dylan was tootenacious.
One of us shot out an incantation. Soon sparks had been flying, with little ribbons burning our flesh. As we battled some of our spells deflected, others hit their targets. I received broken ribs, bruises and deep cuts all over the body. Even on my head. While the blood ran down into my eyes, it burned and blinded me for a few seconds before I could wipe it away. Dylan was not out of the clear either, he got burned from the fire that I brought forth, and a broken nose. I lunged at him, successfully got him pinned between a gnarled tree and Defender. He used all his strength to push me onto the same tree. The pain from my ribs exploded when my back hit the wall of the tree. I let out a mild groan. Soon we fought over Defender, but the brawl didn’t last long. I reached out to my Master.
" I cannot do this all by myself! Help me; you were the one that wanted me to destroy him.”
" Yes, but he is blocking my connection with you. Bring him down first.”
" How?”
"Knock off his center of balance in his min...” The connection had been lost.
I took Defender into both hands and started using everything I knew. Spells after spells after spells. Letting him have no break whatsoever. He deflected all of them; then he too had vengeance upon me. With stronger and more proficient skills than I, I tried my best to ricochet them all. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do all of them.
In a moment, I had been flown up and down, hitting the ground harder than before. The pressure of the ground each time had dislocated one of my joints. With my inflictions, brought my misery to the next level. When he had stopped to enjoy my agony, I could hardly breathe. Discomfort and pain sheathed my body.
“How are we during here? Are you ready to surrender yet?” He said with his grin on his face.
I looked at his gaze with pain as I croaked, “Never.”
I had noticed Defender by my side; I must had dropped it, when I had been plummeting to Mother Earth. I reached to it and weakly grabbed hold of it. Ever so slowly I got up by using Defender as a crutch. Dylan kicked Defender out of my grip; I collapsed to the ground. Unimaginable pain surged all over my body. Dylan seized the staff from off the ground.
" This rod will make an excellent piece to my collection. Are you ready to die? It is only right. You stole something from me; now I can remove your life from this Earth.”
How could this be the end, everything I been through led me to this moment. I couldn’t let Dylan win. I called out once again to my Master, but I couldn’t reach him at all. Dylan severed the connection completely. An idea emerged into my thoughts, I put my hands on the ground, feeling the Earth. The Earth had a life. The plants and trees that surrounded me did not succumb to Dylan’s wrath. I took all their life away from them and put into my wounds; healing them instantly. I could feel them dying while I regained strength. My bones popped back in place; open wounds closed. Only the remnants of blood remained. The moment is now to finish what I was made to do.
With much difficulty, from the power of the environment, I went onto my knees. I placed my hands on the ground sucking all the energy around me. Dylan had been shocked in amazement. He did not know what his impending doom will be. I looked at him with rage in my eyes. I stood up from my knees, with pure, white energy coming up forth from the ground. All around us trees were dying, the moss was shrinking, and Dylan was fearing.
Then, with all my might, I pushed the surrounding’s sacrifice onto Dylan. This action had to work. It was the one weakness that Dylan had, the light. As I did this, I let out a scream. An intense luminescence gripped hold of the moment.
There was peace that came over the forest. I heard birds chirping for the first time since I entered this immoral place. Dylan had no control over this site anymore. Smoke had been clearing. Dylan was on the ground. Next to him was my staff, I retrieved it.
“Now?” The connection had been blocked no longer.
“Now!” Screamed my Master.
Dylan was the ground; he was about to be defeated.
“Dylan, what had happened to you. You were David’s pride and joy. He thought of you as a son. Jim thought of you as a brother. You rewarded them with betrayal. You know why I falsely acclaimed my past unto you when I encountered your group, many years ago. When the Black Crystal figured out what you did, it needed to stop you from harming any more souls. It chose myself to finished its work on you. And to replace you, from what you could not rightfully achieve. The Crystal showed me your weakness and how to extract it from you. And through the power of it, I took it away. Ever since then, you were looking for me, almost killed me even. ” Dylan now turned his weak, bruised, and bloody head toward me. Since this time his face was in the other direction. I assume he was too weak to move at that point. But he mustered all the strength he had to pivot his head towards me.
Dylan then said in soft, hoarse voice, ” You will never know the power that I possess. Or to know what my real motives are. If you only knew. We would not be here. I know what you about do to me. Know this; my time has not yet been completed. I will come back. And when I do, you will be the one in my shoes.”
I continued, “I do not believe what you are proposing. You are a master of lies and deceit. You have killed hundreds and tortured just as many. You must be condemed for your crimes! ” Then at that moment, I finished my task that was in front of me. A deaf defining scream entered the forest. Making the Earth quaked for a few minutes. Then a rush a wind blew. Replenishing the Forest. Making it how it once was. Peace and happiness replaced the evil. But not all of it. But over time the light will defeat what remains of the Forest. I looked back over to Dylan who was just lying there. Still, like a tree, his soul had left, his body just remained.
“You can no longer to any more harm, farewell Dylan. May God have mercy on your soul.” My task was complete after all these years.