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My mind took me back to a memory of my father and a young Zorro sparring on the training grounds.
Zorro held a spear, while he had a regular sword. "You know, in combat, having some sort of range is important." Zorro said, as he gripped the spear confidently and attacked Solomon.
Solomon Herakles, in that moment, did not have the same range of attack as the spear that Zorro had far more reach Solomon's measly sword.
Zorro was dominating the fight, and I was distraught at the thought that my dad would lose.
"Dad! Don't give up!" I screamed, trying to cheer him up.
Watching Solomon fight was beautiful. I quite couldn't put my finger on it, but it was so elegant, and smooth. I was just enamored by it.
The regular sword in Solomon's hand seemed to transform, it's seemingly uninspiring edge somehow transformed in his hands.
This very normal sword, despite being disadvantaged, but with the grip of Solomon, it was extraordinary.
Zorro, despite his best efforts, appeared barbaric in contrast to Solomon.
Despite the spear being the superior weapon with more reach, Zorro and his spear slowly but surely fell to the methodic way Solomon worked his position through Zorro's attacks.
With a single smooth move, he deflected the one of Zorro's desperate attacks, and I watched on in awe as the spear broke in half, the tip gleaming in the light.
"When you're fighting someone who's ranged, close the distance." Solomon said, looking back at Ed and winking.
My mind raced, as everything clicked into place for me.
"That... is a pretty nice idea there, Ed." The voice in his head "Go for it!"
"Hagen!" I screamed out , and pointed my hand towards her, as I dodged another blast. He appeared visibly tired.
Hagen looked at me with a mix of shock and gratitude, panting heavily. "What the hell, Ed? How did you...?"
"I have a solution!" I shouted. "Shut up! I can do this myself!" He screamed as he placed his sword on the ground to support himself. "I... Will... Take her head." He growled.
I couldn't quite understand why Hagen sounded so angry. It was one of my first times I've seen him sound this angry.
Perfect Ed in my mind, chimed "Make your brother come back to his senses somehow. He's being driven by anger."
"How do I do that?" I asked aloud, as I stood beside Hagen, and before he could reply, Hagen interjected "You don't have to. I... I can do... do this myself." He groaned as he stood up, and pointed his sword towards Selene.
"Follow me." Hagen said under his breath as he took off in a cloud of dust, launching himself towards Selene.
"Okay, he's one of those." Ed groaned. "Someone who thinks they carry the burden of the world alone."
"What?" I asked as I followed up Hagen, going by his side to also close the distance.
Selene was far enough that it would have taken me some time to get to them, but even now, Hagen was much faster than me.
"Faster." He urged me. "Worst case, you eat up most of the damage, and Hagen deals the finishing blow. Second worst case, Hagen eats the inferno, and you take Selene out." He said, in a very narcissistic tone.
"Is there a way to end this without none of us taking damage!?" I thought to myself as we closed the distance, and Hagen looked back at me with a determined smirk.
I could just read his mind. He wanted to go Right, I would take left.
I quickly directed myself to the left, only to see Hagen right next to me.
"What the hell are you doing this side!? I thought you wanted to go to the right!?" I shouted, my voice cracking from the stupid mistake we made.
"It's your blunder! I thought you were going right you twat!"
"Uh-oh." Perfect Ed cuckooed as I could feel another heat wave right behind us, but this one was different.
It wasn't a single beam of heat, it felt like the entire side of where we were standing was heating up.
"Fuck." was the only word we could collectively let out as Selene charged up a massive blast. "How nice for both of you brothers to come to the same side." She said with a cocky voice, as I got temporarily blinded with the white light that Selene was generating.
We were going to get incinerated.
In the background, I could see a familiar brilliant green light charging at Selene, with a bunch of soldiers hot on her heels.
Hagen was faster, fearless even in the face of this adversity, ran towards Selene, determined to stop.
But the fastest of them all, was Selene. She had fully activated her technique before Valeria or Hagen could get to them.
"I should have gone right." I cursed myself for the big blunder, and my mind continued to race. "Is there anything I can do? Is there anything, anything that I could do to change this situation?" I thought to myself, as time slowed down to me.
I felt the scorching heat creeping closer, and a strange sense of calm washed over me, and I thought it was my mind just accepting my fate.
"Is this going to be the end for me?" The thought crept up in my mind.
Just as despair threatened to consume me, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye.
It was someone in a white robe, fluttering in the wind. It seemed as if my guardian angel had descended. What I also noticed were the rich locks of ebony hair.
The figure held out a hand, and mouthed one word "Dispel."
Before I could comprehend what even happened, the cascading beam of inferno disappeared just before reaching us, only leaving a lingering warmth.
Just then, the wind knocked the top hood of the robe off, and I recognized the ever so familiar face from the silver serpent tavern.
It was Lyra Monyet.