Ragmar would have directed his blade at Nathan, if not for the fact that he was completely immobile. “Hm, I can’t move at all. Is this the blue-haired boy’s power?” Nathan had frozen Ragmar in place, but was completely unaware of this fact. Jake heaved himself up from the ledge, regained his footing and dashed toward Ragmar.

“He’s completely frozen, this is my chance!” Jake clenched his fists and delivered a powerful strike to Ragmar’s chest, by human standards at least. Jake looked up at Ragmar’s face, only to be met by his unfazed expression. Ragmar chuckled. “You… you think you can hurt me? Demons outclass humans in every aspect of life! That is the objective truth!” He broke free of his binding, and lunged at Jake with his fist, knocking him to the ground once again. He then turned around, whipping his tail and knocking Nathan to the ground as well. 

“I’ll admit, you far exceeded my expectations. But considering how low the bar was, that’s barely an achievement on your part.” Ragmar grabbed Jake’s arm, hard, tossing him aside like a child’s plaything.

Jake crashed into a nearby tree and had painfully struggled to regain his footing. “I assumed killing you would be able to satisfy me, but this has just been one, giant bore.” Ragmar scowled, turning to Jake. He strode slowly towards him, with a cold look on his face. Jake could tell that Ragmar was done playing games. He was serious.

He raised his blade once more, but then placed it down on the ground. “My blade will be more than enough to end you. So I'm going to tear you apart with my bare hands. And then, I’ll deal with your little sidekick over there.” Jake finally mustered enough strength to stand up again. “Not giving up, eh? You are just like your pathetic excuse for father.”

A flame of fury had been lit inside Jake. “Don't you dare say that!” He exclaimed. “Ha, so quick to defend him yet you barely even knew him.” Ragmar retorted snarkily. “I never knew him but I know he was a great man!” Jake charged at Ragmar like he had done before. “Same old tactics huh?” Ragmar rushed at Jake, but was met with a surprise. Jake sunk down and slid between Ragmar’s legs, using all of his strength to grab his sword.

“Not such a pathetic excuse anymore am I?” Jake

had a proud smirk on his face, which was quickly wiped off when he felt the sword pulling away from him. “You think you can use MY powers against me?” He extended his arm, slowly pulling his fingers inward to reclaim his weapon. Then he yanked at the air, bringing his sword, and Jake towards him.

Ragmar struck Jake’s chest with a powerful blow, seemingly knocking him out for good. He grabbed the sword with his other arm, holding it close to him. Jake hit the ground headfirst, dealing a significant amount of damage. Nathan watched on with fear, his best friend writhing on the floor in pain, with nothing he could do about it.

Jake tried to stand up again, only to immediately be kicked down by Ragmar. “Give. Up.” Those were the only words he spoke, as he was now seething with rage. Jake’s breaths drew heavier, and he felt a sudden warmness. He couldn’t tell if his powers suddenly decided to kick in again, or if he was really reaching the end. Whatever it was, he didn’t care, he just wanted this all to be over.

Ragmar grabbed Jake by his shirt collar, staring him dead in the eyes. “This time, I’m going to make sure you’re dead.” Jake thought those would be the last words he would ever hear, but it seemed luck had shone down upon him for another time. He felt a sudden jolt go through his entire body, and then everything felt as if it was in slow-motion. Ragmar’s sword drifting toward his neck, Nathan watching from afar, grief-stricken. And then he felt that burning feeling again, the one that had saved him before, and was about to save him once more.

Jake gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and unleashed a powerful burst of bright, brilliant orange flames. The impact sent Ragmar flying, near the cliff edge Jake had nearly fallen to his doom from. Jake’s hands were still covered with flames, so he did as much as he could to use them.

Ragmar became dead silent, his aura becoming even more irritated and sinister. Then, he let out an enraged scream.

He picked up his now partially damaged sword and held it high in the air. He swung down hastily, a dark-violet wave of energy coming from it. Jake reacted quickly and dodged the slash, retaliating with a less powerful burst of fire. Ragmar used his sword to reduce the impact, but it wasn’t enough to stop him from being pushed back even further. Jake ran towards him, releasing a rapid flurry of punches, kicks and fireballs at Ragmar. His efficiency and power was starting to fade, and Ragmar could see this. He blocked Jake’s now weakening attacks, then swung at his face with extreme force. They were both now dangerously close to the cliff’s edge.

Nathan took his chance, running at Ragmar with a sharp piece of debris from a nearby boulder. He leapt into the air and grabbed Ragmar by the head, covering his eyes and obstructing his vision. Then he plunged the rock into Ragmar’s thick skin. He let out a wince, but it was not enough to take him out for good. Ragmar grabbed Nathan and threw him to the ground, then gave him a powerful kick to the ribs. Nathan let out a cry of pain, but he fought through it, getting back up and using his power to freeze Ragmar once more. “Jake, Now!”

Jake knew what he had to do. The flames on his arms had started to die out, so he used the last of his power to ignite them on his legs. He stepped back, then ran at Ragmar, raising both of his legs to deliver a finishing blow, kicking him off the cliff edge. Ragmar had been frozen by Ragmar and knocked unconscious for a few seconds, which prevented him from flying back up to continue the fight. They heard a loud crash at the bottom of the gorge, which sent a wave of relief washing over them. They both limped solemnly back home, saying nothing the entire time.

Once they finally made it back, they started to go their separate ways, until Nathan turned to Jake, a smile starting to form. “Hey, remind me to never question you again, alright?” Jake then turned to Nathan. “I’ll make sure to. For now I just need to figure out what the hell I’m gonna tell my mom.” Nathan chuckled, then sighed. “See you tomorrow, man.” Nathan replied. “See ya.” Jake turned and walked to his house, then stopped at the doorstep.

Jake reached for the key in his pocket, hoping it hadn’t been lost amidst all the chaos. To his shock, it was still there, completely intact. He entered it into the keyhole, letting out a large sigh. “This isn’t over, is it?” There was no one else around, no one to answer his question. He was asking himself. The part of him that wasn’t trying to repress that feeling, that anxious feeling that nothing would ever be the same again. Then he turned the keyhole, opened the door, and stepped inside.