On the Battlefield

Darius, his monstrous frame towering over the cityscape, clenched Artair’s neck with an iron grip, dragging him through a series of buildings with relentless force. The structures crumbled behind them, collapsing into heaps of rubble as they passed. The ground trembled beneath their sheer power, dust rising to obscure the chaos they left in their wake.

Artair, gasping for breath, managed to break the hold by snapping Darius’s fingers off his neck. He planted his hand on the asphalt, grounding himself, and then launched a powerful kick into Darius’s abdomen. The force of the blow sent Darius hurtling upward, rocketing into the sky with dizzying speed.

As Darius ascended, Artair clenched his fist, focusing his energy. In a blur of motion, he closed the distance between them, aiming a devastating punch at Darius. But Darius, with a quick sidestep, dodged the strike and grabbed Artair by the legs. With a savage grin, he swung Artair around like a ragdoll, building momentum before hurling him into a nearby structure. The building exploded into a cloud of dust and debris upon impact. Darius landed on top of the fallen Artair, his eyes burning with rage. He rained down heavy punches, each one shaking the ground beneath them.

Darius - What’s so special about you that you made him cry?

Darius growled, his fists striking like thunder.

Artair grunted with each blow, feeling the pressure mount. Summoning his power, he manipulated the space around him, forcing Darius away in a burst of energy. Artair quickly swung his arms, and the metal bars from the collapsed building far behind him ripped free, lashing out like serpents to coil around Darius, binding him in place.

With a swift, fluid motion, Artair controlled the metal bars to strike Darius repeatedly, the steel rods slamming into his body with unrelenting force. But instead of weakening, Darius’s eyes sparked with lightning, the repeated strikes charging him up. Artair paused, realizing the danger.

Darius, now brimming with energy, roared, unleashing a powerful energy beam from his mouth aimed directly at Artair. Artair dodged just in time, the beam scorching the air where he had been standing. As the beam sliced through buildings, reducing them to rubble, Artair leaped from one structure to another, barely staying ahead of the destruction.

The city around them turned into a warzone, with buildings collapsing under the relentless assault. Debris rained down, but Darius was undeterred, continuing to fire his energy beam at Artair.

Artair landed on the road, the ground cracking beneath him. He charged at Darius, his eyes narrowing with focus. Darius, seeing him approach, redirected the beam toward him. But Artair was ready. With a quick swing of his hand, he manipulated the metal bar from behind, launching it straight into Darius’s mouth, cutting off the beam.

Darius, momentarily stunned, ripped the bar from his mouth, fury blazing in his eyes. He roared, transforming into a beastly form, his movements becoming more primal and ferocious. He charged at Artair, his massive form tearing through the remains of the city with unstoppable momentum.

Artair leaped backward, his mind racing. With a wave of his hand, he pulled down the surrounding buildings, causing them to collapse onto Darius. But even under the crushing weight of the rubble, Darius pushed forward, his rage fueling his every step.

Artair swung his hands, and with a commanding gesture, extended his palm toward Darius as if to signal him to stop. The force was immediate and unyielding; Darius was hurled backward, crashing into the rubble of the fallen buildings. He gritted his teeth, struggling to regain his footing on the uneven ground, but his resolve was as unshakable as ever. Finally, he steadied himself, glaring at Artair with a burning intensity.

Artair met his gaze, his expression calm but tinged with a sadness that betrayed his resolve.

Artair - From the very beginning, I could’ve ended this in a flash… But I didn’t because I didn’t want to kill you… I really didn’t. But you’ve left me no choice... Time to end this.

Raising both hands, Artair pointed them directly at Darius. Sensing the finality in Artair’s words, Darius roared defiantly and began to charge. But his momentum was abruptly halted as he collided with an invisible wall. Confused but undeterred, Darius unleashed a barrage of punches against the barrier, each impact causing a slight ripple, but not breaking through. Instead, he noticed with a growing alarm that the invisible wall was slowly closing in on him as he continued to punch it.

Realizing the danger, Darius pressed his hands against the barrier, channeling every ounce of his strength and energy to push back. His muscles strained, veins bulging, but the wall continued its relentless advance, forcing him to retreat step by step. As he poured more power into resisting the barrier, his breath became ragged, and a sense of desperation began to creep in.

Artair, his face a mask of concentration, watched Darius’s struggle. His hands glowed with a fierce energy, the air around him shimmering with the raw power he was channeling. Blood trickled from his nose, his eyes reddening as the strain of maintaining the force intensified. But still, he kept his focus, his hands unwavering as they continued to press forward.

Artair (mutters to himself) - I really didn’t want to use more than half,

Artair muttered, almost to himself, as he felt the toll his power was taking on his body. He was closing in on his limit, but there was no turning back now. The invisible barrier pressed tighter around Darius, trapping him like a vice.

Darius, now fully aware of his entrapment, felt his back hit another invisible wall behind him. He was completely surrounded, contained within a shrinking space of energy. His breathing became labored, his movements restricted as the walls closed in from all sides.

Artair’s hands began to tremble slightly as he started to squeeze his fingers together, an act that would crush Darius within the invisible barriers.

Artair (mutters to himself) - I wish there was another way,

genuine sorrow in his voice as he prepared to finish the fight. But just as he was about to close his fist, Darius let out a primal scream that reverberated through the air. His eyes, once filled with determination, now glowed with a fierce purple light. Energy began to surge from his body, wild and uncontrollable, forming a vortex around him. The pressure inside the barrier intensified, and Artair felt an unfamiliar resistance.

Confusion flickered across Artair’s face as he tried to close his hand, to finish it, but the force emanating from Darius was immense, resisting his grip. The energy pouring from Darius was unlike anything he had felt before—raw, chaotic, and growing stronger with each passing moment.

Darius continued to scream, his voice echoing with the pain, anger, and desperation of a man pushed beyond his limits. The purple energy enveloped him completely, pulsing outward with such intensity that it began to warp the space around him. The barrier, once unbreakable, started to crack under the strain.

Artair’s eyes widened in shock as he struggled to maintain control, but the power Darius was unleashing was far beyond what he had anticipated. The ground trembled, and the air crackled with energy as Darius, fueled by an unyielding will, pushed back against the crushing force.

Artair realized that Darius was far from defeated using this weapon of his. The energy continued to build, and Artair’s control slipped further with each passing second. Finally, with one last, earth-shattering scream, Darius unleashed the full force of his power. The barriers shattered like glass, and a shockwave of purple energy erupted from him, sending Artair flying backward, barely able to shield himself from the blast. Artair struggled to his feet, blood dripping from his nose, his body aching from the strain.

Artair watched as Darius unleashed a torrent of energy, his scream reverberating through the battlefield. The raw power radiating from Darius formed a Dome of destructive energy, expanding rapidly and obliterating everything in its path. Buildings burned to ashes before crumbling to dust, and the very air crackled with an ominous energy. The Dome grew larger with each passing second, threatening to consume the entire city.

Desperation gripped Artair. He knew that if Darius didn’t stop, not just the city, but the very people Darius sought to protect, would be annihilated. Artair’s voice cracked with urgency as he screamed,

Artair - At this rate, you’re going to kill everyone around the city as well—including those outsiders you care so much about!

In the white void

Darius was lost in a swirling red cloud of rage and anguish. The world outside was a distant echo. But Artair’s words pierced through, reaching the part of Darius that still clung to reason. The red cloud thickened around him, pressing in, suffocating. The strain on his body was unbearable, his muscles twitching from the immense pressure. In the depths of his mind, he heard himself call out to wake up.

Suddenly, Darius’s consciousness snapped back to reality. He opened his eyes to find himself in the midst of the chaotic energy storm, his body screaming in agony. He looked up and saw Ztabay, standing unmoved amidst the destruction, his form surrounded by the same red cloud that had filled Darius’s mind. Ztabay appeared calm, almost serene, as if the chaos around him meant nothing.

Darius - What are you doing?

Darius screamed, forcing his body to move through the searing pain. He ran toward Ztabay, his heart pounding in his chest. The closer he got, the more the red cloud got thicker, but the pain only grew sharper.

Ztabay turned his cold, unreadable eyes to Darius.

Ztabay - Giving you what you need,

his voice eerily calm in contrast to the chaos surrounding them. Darius, driven by a surge of emotion, swung his fist at Ztabay. But when his punch connected, it felt like hitting solid air—no impact, no resistance. Ztabay remained unmoved, unaffected. Darius shouted, his voice cracking with a mixture of anger and fear.

Darius - I don’t need my people to be dead!

Ztabay’s gaze remained impassive.

Ztabay - Didn’t you listen to what I said?

he responded, almost condescendingly.

Ztabay - The mere thought of losing someone can cut your heart deep. But you need to understand—there is no avoiding that pain.

Darius stared at Ztabay, his breath coming in ragged gasps. Ztabay continued, his tone almost mocking.

Ztabay - Isn’t it clear? Someone is holding you back from getting what you want,

Darius (retorted, his voice trembling) - But I want to live with them……They are my home.

Ztabay - A home is something you can make anywhere. Once I finish this, you can make a new one.

Darius’s heart stopped for a moment, his body going cold with fear.

Darius - What?

he whispered, the word barely escaping his lips.

Ztabay’s voice was devoid of emotion as he delivered the final blow.

Ztabay - If you get a new problem, you can always start with a new home. You’ve already done it three times.

Darius’s mind reeled. He felt as though the ground had been ripped out from under him.

He stared at Ztabay, his eyes wide with shock.

Ztabay - You don’t understand anything about the principles of home or family.... Once everyone around you dies, you don’t need to worry about anything.

The weight of those words crushed Darius’s spirit. His legs buckled, and he fell to his knees

Ztabay - So step back for a bit and let me handle it for now.

Darius (Whispers to himself) - But I don’t want to.

Somewhere on a mountain

Mark trying to regroup to the others sees a dome of energy destroying everything in the city

Mark - C’mon Darius, don’t be so stubborn.

In the City

Artair began, his voice carrying over the roar of energy,

Artair - I don’t know your name, but…... if you can hear me, I want you to understand this: There’s no one who can stop us. So it has to be us who stop ourselves.

Darius’s entire body shook as he struggled to rise, the energy ball pressing down on him like a mountain. With a primal roar, he pushed against the crushing weight, trying to find his footing. The ground beneath him cracked and crumbled as his power surged one last time, his eyes glowing with a fierce, desperate light.

In the White Void

Darius listens to the words of Artair, “Don’t let your actions from the past pull the strings of your future…. What’s done is done…. But you can change, right from this moment”.

Darius remembers some of his memories from his childhood, He Remembers her moms saying, “Don’t hide from your problems, If you want them to get solved”, He remembers Mark saying, “Whatever you need just tell me.”, He remembers Hugo’s words, “It’s better to hurt yourself before you hurt others”, He remembers Miko slashing her hand on his head, He remembers Claire saying, “Everything will be alright, you just have to make the First Step, OE”, Darius stands up and calls to Ztabay.

Darius - Ztabay, please stop this.

Ztabay - NO!

Darius - Ztabay look at me.

Ztabay turns back and sees Darius holding a gun, pointing it on his head.

Ztabay - What are you doing boy? If you pull that trigger… we both are gonna die.

Darius - My Mind, My Body, My Will, why would I let you pull the strings.

Ztabay (Screams) - No Don’t do it.

Darius pulls the trigger, his eyes getting close looking at Ztabay as he hears the guns' sound.