*Bam*
*Bam*
*Bam*
*Bam*
*Bam*
*Bam*
The furious fire wielder kept pounding away on the charred flesh of the fallen prince. Abe's body had stopped showing any signs of life, yet the angry fire wielder wasn't done venting his frustrations. The armor that once shielded the prized body of the Western Empire's Prince had long withdrawn and returned to its dormant form as a harmless bracelet. Since Abe wasn't feeding it any inner energy, their bargain was ended. Due to its surrender, Abe's body was no longer protected from the fiery flames that had long threatened to consume him. His body was burnt beyond recognition and any who knew the young boy – his father included – would be hard pressed to identify him.
"Hah-hah-hah-hah" the enemy wielder panted as he finally ceased his maniacal abuse of a corpse. He took one last look at the boy who had taken the life of his friend and set the boy's corpse on fire. As he watched the boy's body burn, he underwent an introspection. 'Was he satisfied with his revenge?' 'Would his friend be thrilled that the little brat who took him down had been sent to him?' He didn't know. What he did know was that he had done the right thing. It wasn't pretty, but he had accomplished Master's mission and avenged his friend. He took one last look at the boy and turned to leave.
The fire wielder wasn't in the right state of mind. If he was, he would have realized that it was taking too long for Abe's body to be reduced to ashes. It only took him a few minutes to turn his old friend's intact body to ashes. Yet this little boy who was even weaker than his friend was still intact.
"Can we please move faster" Captain Zakai pleaded with an exasperated expression. The reinforcement he was told to bring seemed totally unconcerned about the wellbeing of their Prince. The other two members of the Royal Guard shared the same looks of worry. However after Mane's dominant display in the inn earlier, they were fearful to make any requests.
"We are just a minute away from the venue, aren't we" Mane enquired as he lazily picked his teeth. He flung the toothpick he was using once the little piece of meat that had tortured him for a while now as finally dislodged from its position. In their worry none of the members of the Royal Guard noticed that the little pick was burnt into a crisp before it could even land on the ground. The strangest thing was there were no flames accompanying the bizarre heat change.
"Yes" Captain Zakai was surprised that the boy knew the place they were going to all along. If he did, why was he taking them along? They were only slowing him down.
"You people have no faith in your Prince, but I do. Abe is the most strong-willed person I have ever met. However his formerly immovable will has been diluted by my presence. The more I show up to rescue him from situations like a princess, the more he would depend on me" Mane confessed his reasons for showing no eagerness to help his friend. Over the past few years that they hunted members of the Dar Kingdom, Mane had been the one getting the group out of tight situations. This had gone on for so long that even Abe, the most dependent person in the group if Mane was excluded, had slowly grown to depend on the boy. Mane knew that it was dangerous to leave Abe to fend for himself. But he was convinced that his friend would be fine. This was because of his own trust in his friends, and the words Sir Indra had spoken to him before he left – words his mother seemed to agree with.
"No friend of a Supreme is average. If you keep treating your friend's like feeble eggs, who would be their downfall." So Mane was doing the hardest thing he had ever done. Leave his friend's in danger when he knew perfectly well that he could be their salvation.
"Besides, I have bet on Abe. I have bet that he wouldn't let me down. My power is at stake here." Mane smiled mysteriously as he proclaimed. Those around him, the twins included, didn't understand what he meant. But they didn't need to. They were going to find out what Mane meant soon.
*Boom*
They all reacted to the loud noise. The thunderous sound was hard to miss, especially when it was right in front of them. There was a red pillar of light that had pierced the sky and split the clouds apart, seeking no permission to do so. Even though they weren't so close to the pillar of light, they could feel the heat it brought.
"And I was right. I wonder how much I gain" Abe smiled gleefully. The others still didn't understand what was going on. "Enough delaying" Mane stated. "Jake, John; each of you should grab one of them and move towards the pillar. We don't want to miss a good show" Mane commanded as he held on to Captain Zakai before the older man could even say a word. The twins heeded his commands quickly, each of the small boys moving to grab the hand of a Royal Guard.
"Forgive our impudence" Mane apologized to the Captain, who finally understood what was going on and was only too eager to get to his Prince. The older man nodded to show he had no complaints. Immediately he did, Mane and the twins took off at impressive speed.
"What the-" the fire wielder rubbed his eyes to ensure that he wasn't hallucinating. The boy who was supposed to be dead was standing firm. Although he was still on fire, the fire didn't seem to be hurting him. The fire wielder watched as the flames slowly died out, revealing the slender form of the boy who was 'dead' only a few minutes ago. The boy had no clothes on. It was clear they had been burnt off cleanly by the fire; proof to the fire wielder that it wasn't a hallucination. The boy had truly been on fire.
"I should thank you" Abe coldly remarked as he assessed his body. His earlier injuries had all disappeared. His broken ribs were strong and compact, and his formerly burnt skin was as white as snow. Apart from the fact that he was naked, he was pretty much okay. He balled his fists and relished the feeling of the edict making its home in his body once more. Although it had betrayed him before, Abe was more than happy to take it back. The combat bracelet was still intact. The flames hadn't caused any damage to it, causing Abe to marvel at the material that was used to create it. He had no clothes on, so he summoned the armor. It was strange feeling it directly on his skin, but it was better than being an exhibitionist.
"Now I repay the favor" Abe remarked as he disappeared from the fire wielder's view. The man's eyes went wide as he witnessed the impressive burst of speed. He quickly turned around, correctly anticipating where the attack was going to come from.
*Boom*
Unlike their earlier clash, things weren't quite the same. The tables had turned. The fire wielder was sent flying backwards. He experienced what Abe had experienced as he crushed painfully into the dome. Although Abe was bursting with energy, he didn't bother to fix the dome. The fire wielder coughed up some blood as his face went pale.
"I can't sense his power" he realized! He was even more terrified when he saw Abe's outstretched arm. It was still in the same position. The boy hadn't withdrawn his arm yet. That's right. Abe had only sent a slap the man's way, yet he couldn't do anything about it.
"You played around with me earlier. Now I am going to do the same." Abe coldly remarked as the aura of a profound wielder scattered all across the battlefield.