Every particle of courage I mustered dissipated within a second and a trembling fear mixed with a deathly chill locked my body up like I was in chains. I slowly raised my head, unable to make any sudden movements. A silhouette hovered above us covering the sun. The figures arms were placed by his side and the aura he emitted felt like I was in the presence of a Superior Being.

A greyish glow seeped out of the silhouettes body gaining brightness and brilliance. The aurora around me began to bend and move at will. I had never experienced control like this before.

Then, I felt myself become heavier. And heavier. The force on my body became more intense: I was forced to take a knee.

I gasped for breath. My body felt like a ball and chain connected to the floor. My head had been forced down and my chin pressed against my chest. Blood dripped from my nose, and I looked at the planks below me, a red pool of liquid formed and sank into the wood staining it a crimson tint.  

Heat rushed over me, and my body fell to the ground coughing, taking deep breaths of air.

It felt normal again.

I raised my head to look around. A dome of transparent fire encased me, negating the effect cast by the enemy leader. I sat back on my knees and looked at my surroundings. Dozens of domes littered the deck protecting the crew. And the stowaway stood defiant, facing up at the glowing enemy. A white flame whipped around his body and clothes, it seemed liberal compared to the rabid yellowy black flame earlier that had come from the rusty sword which was now slung over his back.

The stowaway readied himself and aurora welded around him.

He jumped and spun, releasing an emission of white flame. It spun toward the target flashing brighter and brighter.

It paused mid-air.

The monster had raised his arm and had stopped the attack dead.

In a split second, the stowaway flashed in front of him swinging his flame covered arm creating an arcing attack that struck the enemy right in the side of the neck, sending him towards the water. I scrambled along the floor climbing over the sea of bodies beneath me to the edge of the deck. I peered over the side. The enemy rotated around and halted his movement before crashing into the waves. He waved his arm and the stowaway, from his high ground position, was cannoned away smashing into the side of the enemy ship; engulfed by the wooden structure.

The grey glowing man hovered above sea level cumulating aurora to his will. He outstretched both arms with his palms facing towards our ship. A pulse emitted from his hands which knocked me metres into the air and I landed hard on the planks.

The edge of the ship I had just been seemed to be higher than I thought.

I was sliding.

A sudden gravitational change realised as an after effect of the pulse.

The ship was being capsized.

The side of the vessel I had peered over began tipping more quickly. I clawed at the ground and scrambled over to the mast placing my back on the floor and feet onto the large wooden cylinder. I could see my crewmates panicking. Some thought quickly and ran to the lower decks and others stood motionless in the remnants of the battle earlier. The capsizing ship began accelerating over and I heard screams of my crew falling into the water.

Focus Nori.

The ship now floated perpendicular from its original position, and I stood on the mast, poised to jump up to the side of the ship. Gathering all the aurora I could, I pushed my feet off and stretched out my arm. Wind pushed at my face and my body felt heavy.

“Arghhh come onn!” I shouted as my hand approached the edge of the deck.

Too far.

I wasn’t going to make it.

My fingers swung at air, and I free fell backwards.

Wind swept through my hair, and I watched as the edge of the ship became further and further away. There was no more latent aurora in the air I could control due to the battle of the two monsters.

I turned in the air and faced the water below to see that it was stained red.

What had happened?

Where were my crewmates bodies?

I felt the shadow of the ship creep up my back as the ship tipped further over. My eye caught a movement below me. An outline of an eel-like creature the size of the craft. Violent vortices of water swirled as the dark creature swam erratically, high on food, circling the bloodied water.

I was helpless.

Suddenly, the air calmed around me.

As the water got closer, I began to slow. White light and coolness surrounded me, and I was pushed upwards. I landed safely on the top of the capsizing ship.

I raised my head and pushed up with my arms at my side. There they were, a slight distance away from me the two monsters stood face to face about ten metres apart. Each producing aura’s that would put any normal person into a coma.

“You know Jackal you always did have a knack for being late” the Stowaway exclaimed satirically. Jackal stood with an expressionless face and didn’t respond. “Aw come on, have a little joke. For old times’ sake.”

Jackal once again didn’t move. Instead, the grey aura around him radiated more wildly with every exhale.

“Artrix tell me where you put it and you will die painlessly.” Jackal seethed, in a monotonous, cold tone.

Artrix shrugged and Jackal responded immediately, rushing at him like a starving predator. Jackal threw a barrage of gravity manipulated blows that Artrix deflected but each time he was pushed back. Every blow reduced the intensity of the white flames. I kept my distance. Anywhere in close proximity to them, the auroral pressure would be too much for my body.

Jackal had a gravity affinity, a rare speciality that I had never come across before. Black streaks appeared in the space around his blows which showed evidence of gravitational manipulation. He unleashed a powerful punch which Artrix blocked but it knocked him back across the underside of the bottom of the ship. The vessel was now completely turtled.

Artrix landed on his feet and forced his palm into the ground to stop himself, creating a tear in the floorboards.

“Argh,” Atrix grunted, coughing up blood. He held his side with his other hand. By now the white flames around him had extinguished leaving only a bruised body under the now-extinct armour of fire. As the dust and debris cleared, I saw Jackal inching forward almost sadistically with a slight curve on the end of his lips. Artrix reached for the sword slung over his back, I could sense the air change as he grabbed the hilt. He paused.

“I used to believe in faith, but I've realised faith is a concept known to cloud clear judgement…. My faith in you all that time ago is my biggest regret. I should have ended this back then.” Artrix cried.

The stowaway unsheathed his rusted blade and the yellowy black flames writhed around the metal. In his other hand, the white flame appeared, wisping around his arm in a calm turbulence. Jackal roared and the grey aura that covered his body became a spotlight reaching up into the grey clouds. Artrix stood upright and brought his white flamed arm in front of him. His fire covered palm faced his other arm holding the blade. He lifted his sword to the same level as his palm in the other hand. The blade started shaking and the two types of flames connected. A brilliant light shone, and I squinted to see what was happening.

Jackal charged.

The light grew brighter and brighter.

“ARTRIX!” Jackal roared.

I could just about make out that Jackal had spun and condensed the cylinder his aura had erupted into, making a shaft that he threw towards the blinding light.

Yet Artrix’s flames shone more brightly until I couldn’t see through my squint.

 ***

From then on, I couldn’t remember anything.

 I woke up with my hair drenched, lying messily over my ears and face. I was face down on what seemed like a section of the hull from the ship.

Rain pattered on the driftwood, and I sat up to see the remnants of the duel all around me. Debris from the battle littered the sea. It was like a graveyard.

“S…S..Son.” a voice coughed from behind me. I spun around and saw Artrix. Or what was left of him.

I couldn’t react.

I stood there motionless looking at the leftovers of the man who had saved my life.

“D…Don’t b..be shy c..ome h..ere” Artrix weased.

My body followed his request and walked forward kneeling by his side. I suddenly remembered to breathe, and I let out a burst of sharp breaths.

“H..aha t..h.at wa..s some f..ight” Artrix said breathlessly. “L..ist.en Kid, t..ak.e my s.wo.rd. You meet the qualities it looks for. “

I knelt there speechless. Unable to comprehend what he said or the situation he and I were in. He grabbed my arm, his grip limp and fingers withered.

“I’ll leave you with just one piece of information because I’m sure you can figure out the trick for that sword on your own.” Artrix turned his head to look at me in the eyes. “Find the third side of the coin.”

He smiled.

And with that, his grip on my arm loosened and his limb hit the wood. As it did, his hand turned to grey powder that crept up his arm. Soon swallowing his body and head. Leaving nothing but a pile of matter.

He was gone. 

Reduced to ash.