— Haha… You're truly pathetic, Arvien. You talk like you're invincible, but you're about to learn never to speak to me like that again. — I taunted, my voice dripping with sarcasm as I walked slowly toward him, every step laden with unbearable tension.
We moved like predators in an inevitable duel, our gazes clashing in the air like sparks. The forest seemed to hold its breath, waiting for the impact.
— Do you really think that if you start trouble with me… you'll walk away alive? — I asked, unable to suppress a cruel smile that stretched across my face, reflecting the growing excitement in my chest.
My clenched fists trembled — not with fear, but with an insatiable hunger for combat. I felt my sanity slipping through the cracks of my rage. My hands itched, eager to crush Arvien's ego. If he'd bothered to investigate my past, as any good spy should, he would have known that crossing me wasn't even remotely a good idea.
— HAHAHAHA! You're less than a worm from the lower dimensions, filthy trash that doesn't deserve to exist! — Arvien laughed, his arrogance growing.
We stopped face to face, so close our breaths mingled. The atmosphere froze in oppressive silence, and the tension was so thick it could be cut with a blade. Then Arvien shattered the quiet.
He raised his hand, transforming it into a draconic claw with sharp, glistening talons. Magical energy swirled around it, glowing ominously. He pointed it directly at me, his gaze brimming with hatred.
— Listen closely, you bastard. Today, I'll show you what we're capable of. Your kind shouldn't even exist. You only breathe because of our mercy, and now, I'll take pleasure in correcting that mistake. I'll crush you and prove to the Princess what trash you truly are. — he growled, his voice boiling with contempt.
I inhaled deeply, letting the rage take hold of me. My eyes darkened further, locking onto him.
— Oh… is that so? — I asked calmly, with a disturbing smile spreading across my lips. Slowly, I shifted into my human form, the sound of cracking joints echoing ominously.
— Tsk… Hahaha… Fine. Just don't blame me for what's about to happen. — I finished, laughing with excitement.
The Clash
Arvien attacked first, lunging with a swift, precise slash of his claws. His skill was notable but predictable. I dodged with ease, my body moving as though I already knew what he would do before he did it.
— Hahaha… faster… FASTER! HAHAHA! — I taunted, sidestepping another strike.
— YOU WORM! STOP RUNNING LIKE A COWARD! — he roared, unleashing a blast of divine energy directly at me.
But the game was just beginning, and unlike what he likely expected, I didn't retreat or hesitate. Instead, I kept laughing, unable to contain the excitement boiling inside me. My laughter echoed, tinged with an evident madness that began to take over. It was as though a darker, more primal version of myself was finally surfacing — a part of me even I feared to face.
Without warning, I surged forward at an absurd speed. Before the divine energy blast could fully form in Arvien's claws, I extended my hand, catching it mid-air with supernatural ease.
— Hahaha… IS THAT ALL YOU'VE GOT? — I asked, feeling the energy pulse against my palm.
Then, I tightened my grip, crushing the energy as if it were nothing, and in the next instant, it exploded in a blinding flash. The shockwave tore through the area, scattering dust and debris in every direction. Arvien, caught completely off guard, was thrown back, his body slamming into the ground with immense force.
— Huff… Huff… What the hell… was that? — he muttered, dazed, as he slowly got to his feet.
As the dust from the explosion began to settle, a sinister laugh echoed through the forest.
— HAHAHAHAHA… — I laughed, with a otherworldly sound.
The sky began to darken as if a storm was brewing above us. The wind picked up, whipping through the trees, while distant thunder rumbled closer with every passing second.
— Tsk… What the hell is going on here? — Arvien whispered, looking around in alarm as his confidence slowly evaporated.
From within the dissipating dust, my voice emerged. But it was no longer just my voice, It was deeper, layered, as though multiple beings were speaking at once.
— Let's… start… playing...for real. — I said, slowly emerging from the mist, my eyes now black as emptiness, and with slits shining like a light about to be extinguished.
— W-What? — Arvien stammered, instinctively stepping back.
In the blink of an eye, I appeared before him, too fast for him to follow. My smile was somber, almost demoniac.
— Y-You… — he began, but before he could finish, I struck. My uppercut landed squarely on his jaw, sending him flying into the forest. Trees shattered like twigs, and his body carved a deep trench in the ground that stretched for hundreds of meters.
Arvien hit the ground with a heavy thud, his body battered and broken.
For some seconds, he lay unconscious as if the blow had erased not only his consciousness but also his arrogance. Slowly, he began to regain his senses. His vision was blurred, and every fiber of his being screamed in pain. He coughed, gasping for air, his eyes darting around desperately for anything familiar.
Gradually, he raised his head, gazing at the ruined forest ahead. From the shadows of the destruction, a silhouette emerged. The figure walked slowly, each step resounding like a death knell, wrapped in an unsettling silence that swallowed the world around it.
— W-What… the hell… is that? — Arvien murmured, his voice trembling as he struggled to comprehend the approaching figure.
Even dazed from the impact, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the figure approaching him, emanating an oppressive aura that seemed to suffocate the very air around it.
As I, the shadowed figure, drew closer, Arvien forced himself to stand. His legs trembled as he made an almost superhuman effort to stay upright, and his wide, confused eyes reflected the despair of someone who had finally realized the magnitude of their mistake.
— Damn it… it's that bastard… Tsk… How did he… do this? — Arvien muttered between ragged breaths, his mind scrambling for answers that wouldn't come.
The environment around him felt alive, draining his energy and vitality with every passing second. It wasn't just the physical exhaustion of the fight that was wearing him down — there was something deeper, a force in the air itself that corroded his essence.
Finally, after a few moments, I emerged from the shadows of the forest, stepping into view. Each step I took toward him made the terror in Arvien's eyes more and more evident. He tried to mask it, but the bravado he had clung to was crumbling. I could see the fear rising within him like a fire about to consume everything. And that… that amused me immensely.
— Ah, that smell… it's so good… the smell… OF FEAR. — I murmured, my voice dripping with dark malice.
The thrill was becoming overwhelming, a spectacle of destruction reaching its climax. The frenzy inside me grew, an insatiable hunger to keep going, to push further, to utterly crush the worm who dared speak such words about me and my kind. The thought of stopping didn't even cross my mind. And, honestly, I wouldn't have let anything stop me, or so I thought.
Suddenly, before I could take the next step toward my long-awaited entertainment, a familiar presence entered the battlefield. Before I could react, something pierced my back like a lance of pure energy.
— AAAAARGH! — I screamed, collapsing to my knees as unbearable pain overtook me.
The ground beneath me seemed to dissolve, and my breathing came in ragged gasps as a flash of memory forced its way into my mind. That pain… I had felt it before.
— No… not again… — I thought as I struggled to turn my head and see who was responsible.
And there he was, standing tall, exuding an aura of overwhelming authority.
— Aertharion… — I murmured weakly, my vision blurring further.
In his hand, he held an artifact that radiated divine light, an object I would recognize anywhere.
— The Orb of Dawn… — I whispered before everything went dark.
That artifact wasn't just a legendary relic of the Void Dragons — it was the only known object capable of stopping me when I lost control. It had been used before, some millennia ago, when a far more unhinged version of me had destroyed everything around me, including members of my own race. Back then, Aertharion had been forced to intervene, just as he was now, to protect not only my kind but the very universes from the chaos my fury could unleash.
The Orb was a divine, golden medallion, but its true power lay in its lance-like tip, which concentrated its energy. To subdue me, Aertharion had to drive the artifact into my back and activate it, sending a wave of divine energy directly into my soul.
He sighed heavily, holding the artifact as he knelt beside me. His hand rested on my head in an almost paternal gesture.
— That was close… again. — Aertharion said, his deep voice heavy with the weight of ancient times.
— Thank the heavens I felt the vibrations of your power in time. If I had arrived a few seconds later, not even the Orb would have been able to stop you.
He paused, narrowing his eyes as though reliving old memories.
— But don't worry, kid. I won't let this happen again. — he concluded, his voice softer this time.
Rising to his feet, Aertharion turned his attention to Arvien, who was now slumped against a tree, his body trembling with fear and exhaustion.
— And as for you… do you realize how lucky you are that I arrived in time? — he asked.
Arvien looked at Aertharion, his gaze fearful and exhausted, but he remained silent. Aertharion continued.
— If I had been even a few seconds late, boy, you'd wish you had never existed. You're lucky… — Aertharion said, taking a step forward.
— No matter what you said or did to provoke him, you should be grateful for this second chance. — Aertharion continued.
— And keep your eyes wide open. Because despite his calm demeanor most of the time, he holds grudges for a very, very long time. Understood?
Arvien nodded frantically, unable to utter a single word.
Aertharion, then, turned back to me, unconscious on the ground, and effortlessly lifted me. He gazed at the horizon with a serious expression before disappearing into the sky, flying swiftly and carrying me away to deal with whatever came next.