Prologue
[THE BATTLEFIELD]
He staggered. The last explosion shook the grounds, blowing apart everything in front of Jace. Unfortunately, that included the men who put themselves between it and him.
His legs trembled, the ringing in his ears enforcing the vertigo. Everything was covered in smoke. Even the sun's boiling heat, which diluted, simmered softly as dark clouds shrouded its golden visage. The repugnant smell of iron, blood, and death, ate up the air around him, nearly causing him to vomit. It was stomach-churning. Nauseating.
It was there, on the precipice of life and death – There, where hundreds of hungry eyes searched for him in the fog, Jacender Ashfield was struggling to stand.
Slowly, his hands unclenched, causing his jagged blade to sink straight into the ground with a thunk. Ryo… Noe… He thought, fighting off the urge to fall.
The taste of metal erupted from deep within his throat, swelling inside his mouth. His legs buckled, and quickly – before he could throw up – Jace covered his mouth and forced it back down. "D-Damn it…" he coughed. Somewhere, in the mist, something called out eerily. "Kaaaaa…"
Jace's brilliant blue eyes bored into the distance, eyeing the approaching carnage. Though he was the last bastion -- the proud son of the Ashfield line -- he could do little but watch in horror at what lay before him: The aftermath of the bloody and gruesome battle.
The mist slowly dissipated, unveiling dozens of strewn bodies as far as the eye could see. Some were impaled, some drained of their souls, and others were blown to pieces. They were all his men. And he was frustrated to be the last standing.
"Ahk!! Ahk!!" he hacked through teary eyes.
"KEKEKE!" several voices cheered, ripping through the silence. Jace strained his eyes and knew immediately what it was. Laughing haughtily, an army of skinless demons -- Ravishers as he and his men would call them – stood a few yards away. They each clutched several different weapons, ready to attack. By all rights, they should have; He was weakened after all. But why didn't they?
Jace dug his fingers into the ground, ignoring his exhaustion, and soaked his bruised knuckles in the blood of his fallen comrades. He closed his fist and breathed in carefully, whispering, "You all did well.", and propped himself up by the hilt of his sword.
He grabbed the blade, releasing a heat from his hand that affixed the weapon to his palm. His gaze told one thing – he refused to drop his weapon a second time. "You guys can leave the rest to me"
With a sharp inhale, Jace let loose a furious battle cry and pointed his cracked blade upwards. "RAAAAH!!"
WHKOOM!
The mist around him fragmented, parting the sky with the sudden energy surge and returning the sun to the battlefield. It felt even hotter than before as if it were bathing everything in Jace's ardor.
His blade had shattered in the process, but he was content. He focused only on recouping his spent energy when a dark and confident voice cut through the air. "That won't help you." someone announced. Jace's eyes traveled past the Ravishers, searching for its source. His search led him to a rocky plateau behind the army.
A figure clad in a black overcoat stood atop it. His hair was jet black with one long streak of hair falling down the left side of his face. He walked towards the light, becoming more pronounced as he entered Jacender's sightline. He wore a white mask.
"You're outnumbered," the Masked man told him, a tone of condescension creeping into his voice. "And low on Sanctum Energy... Not to mention that broken blade." he continued. He thrust forward his arm and opened his palm, allowing several charred and disfigured objects to fall. "I'm curious to see how you'll justify these deaths!"
Jace recognized the fallen objects immediately as other dead humans. Despite his anger, he had finally grasped why the Ravishers weren't attacking. The man must have ordered them not to.
"You're still on about that, huh?" the white-haired teen asked, smiling in disbelief. "You're a real nut job, ya know. Killing people to make a point? Ha!"
Behind the mask, the demon's thin pupils glistened against his dark iris. "Your bravado won't get you anywhere, boy. Do not forget that I warned you to stand down."
Outlining his frame, a dark tinge of red energy lashed out around him and crackled through the air. The force was akin to that of an earthquake.
Damn, Jace worried, he's not even trying and he still has this much strength?
He fought the urge to grip his chest though every heartbeat was agony. Instead, Jace raised his blade and rested it on his shoulder. My heart feels like it'll explode… I have to make this quick!
He relaxed, inhaling slowly. Similar to the Masked Man, energy surged from Jace's body too. Though dim, it gripped his body like a suit of protective armor and started to amass at the tip of his broken sword.
"My friends, they knew what they signed themselves up for when they took on with me." he retorted. "They gave their lives all so I would have a chance…"
The Masked man could see it – the energy condensing around him. It materialized like wisps, taking the form of various faces; Jacender's allies.
He narrowed his eyes spitefully. "You expect me to believe that? You're insan–"
Jacender brought down his glowing sword with enough force that his overcoat flapped in the air behind him. The energy had changed now. Its blue hue roared at the enemies before him like a lion.
"So long as I'm still kicking" he interjected angrily, "They didn't die for nothing."
He matched his glare. "And if I were you… I'd be more worried about how I'm gonna die. 'Cuz it ain't gonna be pretty."
He spit on the ground and sized up the army, resting his sword on his shoulders with a cocky grin. "And about this 'boy' business! I didn't come here, risking everything, and losing it all… just to be called boy. Got it?"
Even through the mask, Jace could tell the man was scowling. Good.
He began walking forward, his footsteps echoing with anticipation. "But… if you want bravado, I'll give it to you bravado."
The Ravishers ahead felt a chill run through their spine as they looked at the teen's hollow eyes.
"I'll beat my name into your mouth so hard your teeth'll taste every damn syllable!"
The masked commander thrust out his hand, summoning an unknown weapon with his Sanctum Energy. "You humans, you're all the same," he said through gritted teeth. "You brush aside death and act as if it has no meaning. You don't know what it truly means to lose a loved one. And that's why…"
He faced his weapon at Jace – a duel-wield jagged sword – and terrifyingly snarled, "You'll die here."
Jacender tucked into a running position, amassing as much momentum as he could. "Don't patronize me."
The ground beneath him shattered with the weight of his step. "I know damn well what it means to lose the ones you love."
He recalled his comrades and those who died to protect him. That's why I'm here. To stop it from ever happening again.
"Is that so?" the Masked Man challenged, motioning his forces to rush forward. "Even if you'll be losing your life here?!"
Within an instant – before the closest Ravisher could reach him – Jacender blew past dozens of demons with his sword, ripping them all in half with one wide stroke.
SKHHAAAA!
"Come and get it, dumbass!" he asserted, "I've got plenty for all of you!"
He blew through each Ravisher, one after the other, dodging and lopping their heads off with one cut each. It was almost like watching a butcher desecrate a pen full of pigs.
Something is off, the commander brooded. A reckless charge? Now? At this rate, he'll be overwhelmed and snuffed out before he makes it halfway through. Nor does he have the Sanctum reserves to trigger another detona–
He thought back suddenly. Jacender had exclaimed to his fallen allies that he would handle the rest. He had even done something as pointless as wasting his energy moments before by blowing away the mist.
"Come and get it, dumbass! I've got plenty for all of you!" Jace had yelled.
It dawned on the Masked man. "No! He wouldn't!" he cried aloud. He sprang forward faster than lightning and dove down the plateau. Noticed have you? Jace smiled, watching him come down as he dealt with the forces around him. You smug bastard…
Jace grinned widely as a dark shadow covered his face. "Checkmate!"
"Get back, all of you! He's going to–" the Masked man warned, finally landing.
Jacender swung his sword through the air, causing an explosive smokescreen, and blasted the Ravishers away from him. If I'm gonna die here...
He gritted his teeth and pulled his sword back, pointing it at the Masked Man like a thunderous lance. Within seconds, blue and white wisps of energy formed at its tip, creating an unstable orb of sunlight. "Then you're all coming with me!!"
The commander leaped with his blade, aiming for Jace's neck in an attempt to kill him in one fluid motion. He was the only one who had understood why Jacender had willingly thrown himself amid a field of dangerous enemies. He had depleted his Sanctum Energy by parting the skies earlier purposefully. If he were to pull off another detonation of energy like that on a grander scale, then he would combust – taking them all with him.
Unfortunately for the Masked Man, he was a step too late. Jacender ruthlessly laughed, discharging the orb at point-blank range, and ignited a causal nexus of blue sunlight that blew away the entire army before him.
BZZZTTTLEEE!
They all disappeared within the combustion, fading into obscurity as the land was rocked by the shockwave. Would you look at that? Jace thought to himself. I managed on my own, didn't I…
…'Lex?
[Prologue]