Glancing through each other, one of sun red, the other of sterling silver, one born anew, the other born of old.
Reed Riddance stood up, the metal sounding at every muscle he used to force his feet to push him upwards. However, he felt lighter, his pain, although not fully gone had eased a bit. His body, the same as the first time he beckoned his medallion in Penburn's room felt featherweight.
He glossed over his silver arm holding the blade now part of his palms, and twisted the blade around to witness its royal brightness.
Rhewl Prodomor cracked a smile as his eyes widened in awe.
"You are like me aren't you," he said, "royally beautiful you are, Reed Riddance, but let's see whether that persona is of use or not."
And as Rhewl finished his statement, he had already released the force needed to push him, the weight of his sword had not hindered him as he already neared Reed. Reed watched him as he appeared closer, he felt as if he witnessed it initially this time, he saw the pressure Rhewl put on himself and wondered how amazingly quick he was considering his brute visage.
Reed, however, had not witnessed him approach the velocity of that kingdom's she-devil who had utterly annihilated him. Yet he was certain that in raw power alone, she had not equaled Rhewl.
With not a second to spare, Reed's vision was filled not by the thin edge of Rhewl's thick blade, but its flat side as he was about to be smacked cleanly. Something, however, stirred its force within Reed as he attempted to evade.
With the slightest movement to dodge Rhewl's attack, Reed found himself not in front of Rhewl but rather to the side. Yet he hadn't stood still; instead, he was hurtling towards the wall.
He groaned in pain as the newfound speed he had just discovered propelled him hard against the stone wall. The clang of metal against stone rang out, loud and belated, as Rhewl's blade finally struck not Reed, but the empty ground.
"Remarkable speed!" Rhewl called out, his eyes finding Reed to the side. "But what good is it if it batters you instead of me?"
"Oh, stow it," Reed muttered, rising to his feet, his thin silver blade lifting with his arm. "If you're set on finishing me, you'll need to try harder than that."
"Finish you?" Rhewl echoed, then broke into a peal of laughter, deep and unfamiliar. This was not the Rhewl Reed had come to know recently; this was a man of darker shades, a figure of menace.
"Were I to do that, I'd have to answer to Ghunter's rage." Rhewl's face grew grim as he regarded Reed. "I'm not so far gone as to invite that storm."
While Rhewl prattled on, Reed had vanished, reappearing at his flank with a flash of silver in tow.
The blade bit into Rhewl's side but to no avail. Reed's strike packed a punch, but Rhewl's armor proved the tougher customer. Reed's momentum carried him past the failed blow, catapulting him into the far wall with a thud.
"I might as well stand here and let you destroy yourself, Reed!" Rhewl bellowed, eyeing a fresh crack in the stone only to spot Reed blitzing on his opposite side. Another futile strike, another resounding crash as Reed kissed the wall. This time, a flicker of pain crossed Rhewl's face. Reed knew he'd struck home. Forcing his battered body into motion, Reed surged forward in a silver blur, but instead of stone, he found himself wrapped in Rhewl's embrace.
Rhewl had splayed his arms wide, transforming himself into a living barricade for Reed's runaway momentum.
"Gotchu!"
Rhewl tightened his grip against Reed and heard bits of silver crack from Reed's silver torso. Reed roared in pain as his muffled masked voice crackled in fury as he had no choice but to headbutt Rhewl.
Rhewl loosened his grip in reaction to the pain and Reed found a glimpse of escape as he took it. Quicker than Rhewl could react, Reed burst out from his grasp to find himself on the other end of the room before bouncing on the wall this time, preparing his feet before landing and propelling back towards Rhewl with a strike to the neck.
Cleanly and deadly, Reed sliced dark metal that had now covered Rhewls face.
Rhewl had taken cover just quick enough to survive, both of them knew that if the attack landed, there would be a victor.
"I hate low ceilings," Rhewl muttered, he dropped his large weapon as it vanished into dark smoke before landing, along with his persona of red armor. Slowly he was back to himself in his normal, now tattered clothing.
"I do apologize for the intent to kill, Penburn told me to make it believable," Rhewl said.
Reed was dumbfounded, he somewhat lost all thought of this possibly being a test and went for the kill. Dropping to the ground and laying on the wall, he sighed in relief.
"Your speed is something else, but I should warn you that you'd be gone in a second if not for this confined space," Rhewl advised.
"Also, learn to control that damn speed or you'll just destroy yourself, kingdom devils are not to be taken lightly, they will kill you the first second you falter control of the medallion."
"I understand." Reed heaved, "I have experience."
"You are twice-born."
In the blink of an eye, Reed flickered towards Rhewl with a swing before missing unintentionally.
Rhewl dodged a little too late yet lucky enough that attack missed, he rushed to the wall to grab a sword quicker than he could beckon his medallion and turned to find Reed already in front of his face.
"Kar'Miros!" Reed shouted with a grim smirk and a language unfamiliar to either of them.
Reed instantly found himself on the other side of the room against the broken wall in pain. Looking forward he could see the blurry vision of Penburn with a familiar-looking Khopesh in his arms and a look of utter evil.
"Who are you?" Penburn muttered as he slowly walked up to Reed.
"I forgot to tell you something and came back just at the right time, now tell me, who are you?"
"Wha-" Reed groaned, he had no clue about the events that had recently just transpired.
"Not you Reed," Penburn told him, "the thing inside you."
"Aghhh!" Reed shouted in pain, gripping his chest that had now burned hot, his medallion burned orange now as he fell into a void, his vision gone, but the feint voices of someone talking to another, as if he was in the distance overhearing a conversation.
"Speak!" the voice of Penburn shouted in blackness.
"Oh." A voice responded, high pitched, yet gravelly in despair echoed. "The living maker, I am, breath giver I give, mortal feign I confer. Who am I? Deathly roots barred I pollute, who am I? A blockage not of black, but white, a giver of a second scent, a second touch, a second everything. Miros the Profaner is I, for the courtesy you will gain forcefully, will contain only much effort if not for time. I will be seeing you again Sheiff Toma."
The voice turned from Penburn directly to Reed, using a name he didn't think he would ever hear again, his birth name. A name he discarded of himself.
Not long after the voice went silent, his vision blinded him as the light came through and he could see again.
There in front of him stood Rhewl in the back, still recovering from his near death, and Penburn standing right in front of him.
"I'm sorry, there was no control, I don't know what that was." Reed stood up looking at Penburn, and glancing behind at Rhewl.
"You were talking to us, to yourself, you're Profaner spoke out, but why?" Penburn told him.
"I just came to learn of them, I don't get the answers."
"In such a way as well, but why would this Miros do such a thing."
"You came at the right time Penburn, if not for you, I'm afraid I would've done something grim."
Both of them just thought in silence for a moment before Rhewl approached.
"Don't underestimate me, Reed, but If anything, he's a dangerous fighter, Penburn, better to keep an eye on him."
"I don't know if he'll lose control again," Penburn said, "just tell when you know the feeling, Reed."
Reed nodded, unsure of what to honestly do.
"One thing," Rhewl asked, "why did the Profaner call you Sheiff?"