Micheal stood at the center of the battlefield, golden fire encircling him like a living flame. His presence itself grieved a power he had never felt before.
The ground beneath his feet burned, molten cracks opening from the sheer force of his power.
Before him, the Crimson Warlord stood, his massive sword pounding with brute destruction. His red aura, once suffocating, now seemed less fearsome.
And for the first time ever… the warlord took a step back.
Micheal's lips twisted into a sneer. "Then let's be done with it."
"Do you think you can end me?" The Warlord shouted. His sword slicing down in a diagonal arc, attempting to cleave Micheal in two.
But Micheal shifted.
A golden blur.
One instant, he was still. The next, he was behind the warlord, his sword slicing through the air.
A black slash of molten depth opened on the warlord's back. Black blood hissed as golden fire engulfed his flesh.
The warlord roared in agony, but he wasn't done.
With a maddened bellow, he spun, his blade sending a crimson shockwave.
Micheal steeled....
BOOM!
The punch sent him stumbling back, but he remained on his feet. The golden flames that engulfed him flared, neutralizing the warlord's attack.
Selene, Kai, Riven, and Jade stood at the edge of the battlefield in stunned silence.
Kai whistled. "Fucking scary, okay."
Selene's grip on her daggers tightened. "Micheal. what are you?"
Jade did not speak, though.
Her fists were bunched at her sides, her breathing erratic.
Because she had witnessed this sort of power before.
And it scared her.
Now the Team Enters the Fray.
The Crimson Warlord was not retreating.
Despite his injuries, despite his fear, he launched himself again, his sword sweeping in great arcs, his blows fueled by desperation now.
Selene moved first.
Her body flashed out of sight as she cut across his exposed side, her daggers embedding themselves in his flesh as she reappeared.
The warlord roared with rage, only for Kai to leap down from above, his glaive crashing into the warlord's shoulder with bone crunching force.
The strike shook the warlord, sending him reeling.
Then Riven struck.
His two swords cut into the warlord's leg, toppling the giant onto his knees.
Jade kept back, watching cautiously, her mind spinning.
"It can't be....I thought they were all dead. but this power, this flame...Micheal,Who the hell are you?"
She moved closer. "Enough waiting."
She was at the warlord's other side in an instant of speed.
Her dagger sank deep, twisting before she sprang back to dodge the returning swing of his huge fist.
The warlord was encircled, wounds appearing all over his body.
His rage turned into something else.
Desperation.
He swung his sword aloft, blazing energy engulfing him. The sky turned to a blood-red hue, the air throbbing with sheer power.
Selene's eyes went wide. "He's gonna do something legendary!"
Kai gritted his teeth. "We intercept him before he—"
CRACK!
Warlord's sword struck the ground, releasing an unprecedented deluge of madness outward and flattening everything to nothingness in its wake.
The battlefields wildly oscillated with debris and fire filling the heavens.
Micheal didn't retreat.
He stepped forward.
The golden flames around him flared, forming a shield that negated the power of the shockwave. The others had little time to defend themselves, but Micheal stood untouched amidst the chaos.
The warlord's red eyes went wide with disbelief. "No… No mortal can survive this…!"
Micheal exhaled, his golden flames altering. growing denser, more controlled.
"I am no mere mortal." His voice was one of utter finality.
The warlord struck again, his strongest yet,
But Micheal vanished.
A golden streak went by the warlord.
Then...
SLASH!
A golden slash ripped through the warlord's body.
Nothing for a moment.
Then, his massive sword fell from his hand, plunging into the ground.
The warlord took a step forward.
Then another.
His red eyes went wide with horror.
His body was ripping in half.
Golden flames tore through him from the inside, consuming his very life force.
The Crimson Warlord let out a final, earth-shaking roar.
And then he was gone.
Nothing remained but ashes.
The battlefield was supernaturally silent.
Micheal exhaled, his golden aura trembling before finally dispersing. His sword,now dull once more felt impossibly heavy in his hand.
Selene, Kai, and Riven approached slowly, exhaustion heavy in their footsteps.
Kai let out a shaking breath. "That… was crazy."
Selene's violet eyes gleamed with awe. "Micheal… that power…"
Micheal turned to Jade.
She hadn't moved.
She was staring at him, her usual sharp confidence replaced with something else.
Micheal moved closer. "Jade." His voice was softer now. "You knew, didn't you?"
Her eyes twitched.
"You knew about this power. About me."
She hesitated.
Then, after a long silence, she finally spoke.
"Yes."
Micheal's heart pounded. "Then tell me. What am I?"
Jade's mouth remained closed. Her usual smirk was nowhere to be seen.
She exhaled slowly.
"I don't have all the answers." Her voice was less harsh than it had been previously. "But… I know this isn't the first time I've ever seen a power like yours."
Micheal frowned. "What do you mean?"
Jade's eyes wandered off, staring at the burned battlefield as if seeing something else.
"Many years ago… there was another warrior who had golden flames. A warrior who burned brighter than anything I'd ever seen."
She turned to him again, her eyes more pointed, more analytical.
"And now you have that same power."
Micheal's heart quickened.
This wasn't merely about his newfound powers.
This was about who he was.
And Jade… she knew something additional.
But she wasn't going to mention it yet.
Selene stepped forward. "What does this imply?"
Jade sighed. "It means… Micheal isn't simply some skilled warrior." She looked at him, her voice nearly tentative.
"He may be something more."
Micheal exhaled, looking at his own hands.
The golden flames had vanished… but something inside him had awoken.
Something ancient.Something frightening.
And he knew, without doubt,this was only the beginning.