The Legend Of Black Eyes

I let go and fell to my knees, out of breath and out of energy. The ground kept furiously shaking beneath us though and the other guards, despite being back to normal, couldn"t make a step forward toward the witch.

Then the ground beneath Raiya"s feet broke. Fire spewed out in long jets, aiming for the sky. Raiya didn"t move though. She kept a calm standing stance, eyeing all the guards with cold, murderous eyes. More fire spewed from the ground. Then fiery limbs started climbing up the hole.

The ground gave way in a fiery explosion. Then a giant monster, about twenty feet in height, emerged. The explosion propelled Raiya twenty feet in the air. I saw her land with great ease on the beast"s shoulder, and the monster gave her an approving nod.

It had two long horns made of obsidian rock. Instead of eyes, it had two orbs made of molten lava that kept swirling in place. It had a muzzle, much like a deer"s, but bigger and far more frightening. The beast screamed, and the ground beneath us shook once more. Its magnificent body towered above us all.

The previously confident guards panicked. Some of them, the wisest, decided to flee the premises. Others, who felt bravely stupid, decided to attack the monster"s legs. It had beastly feet with claws that were roughly the size of a regular human being. I could see liquid fire swimming through the beast"s glowing veins.

On its chest, it had a glowing orb that kept pulsating, much like a heart. Liquid fire would enter it then leave, only to travel through all its body then get back to the orb in the blink of an eye.

Those who reached its feet first were instantly reduced to burnt meat. The others, who had panicked and ran away, didn"t escape punishment either. The beast only pointed its gigantic fiery hand at them, and a ball of fire followed. It would travel through a guard"s body, roast it then move on to the next one.

The fight was over in a matter of seconds. A towering beast made out of obsidian rock and fire obliterated Bodrick"s forces that night. I found myself staring at the thing Raiya had just summoned to come to our rescue. The feeling I got from it resembled that of Adalphos, the Aeon that came to my rescue against the demons. I felt a mix of awe and deep terror toward that towering monster.

"Destroy that house," I heard Raiya tell the beast.

"Are you out of your mind?" I immediately got in touch with Raiya to intercept the attack. "We"ll end up killing Bodrick. We need him alive, remember?"

"Don"t be a crybaby," Raiya said. "I know what I"m doing. You can"t easily get rid of Aetherbane."

"And destroying the house is your answer for that?" I snapped at her.

"Just watch," she said then repeated her order to the beast called Ifrit.

Ifrit gently held Raiya with its gigantic left hand and put her on the floor, next to the b.l.o.o.d.y baron who was staring at the monster with a gaping mouth. Ifrit roared to the heavens then, and the skies responded with a jet of lightning bolts that illuminated the night sky. Raiya helped the old man to his feet then rushed to my side.

"We"d better go looking for Beatrix," she said. "I can"t sense her presence anymore. Ifrit will take care of the rest."

"What is that thing anyway?" I asked.

"It"s an Aeon, a creature from the Primordial Realm." Raiya replied. "Sisha and I saved his life once. He allowed me to summon him thrice for help. This is the first time I ever thought of summoning such a magnificent beast to our world." She was smiling like a fascinated child.

"You could have used its power against the Church back then, you know," I mumbled. "It would have saved us a lot of trouble."

"You"re still as naïve as ever, Darkstar," Raiya retorted. "Look at what it can do, tell me that someone we both know wouldn"t do anything to steal that power from me."

I looked at Ifrit, who was still roaring at the heavens. Its mouth was wide open, revealing sharp fangs that could easily crush the house in one bite. The lightning shower above us had stopped, but something else was happening just above the beast"s open mouth.

I felt a cold chill run down my spine as some type of foreign energy began condensing before the beast"s open mouth. The energy swirled. Then it took shape. It started as a small fireball. Then it grew. It kept growing until it illuminated the house and its surrounding walls. I was certain that if I stood atop the walls, I"d see the entire hill as though it was day.  

Ifrit had created a giant fireball the size of a mini sun. He closed his monstrous mouth then, and the ball stayed airborne, as though waiting for the Aeon"s orders. Ifrit didn"t send the ball anywhere though. He jumped high up then landed behind the residence"s walls. The ground shook beneath us once more as the beast tore out a huge chunk off the wall and held it high up.

He slowly walked toward the house. Then, with a swift motion, hurled the chunk he just tore off toward Bodrick"s hiding place. The wall landed on the house"s front façade, but nothing happened. It just bounced off then flew past Ifrit"s head. It was then that I heard the beast"s majestic voice.

"Aetherbane…" Ifrit"s voice reverberated in my mind. It was a deep voice akin to the rumbling of earth, right before a volcano"s explosion. "Humans toying with the limits of their powers… Pathetic…"

Ifrit jumped high again. He kicked the ball he had left hanging in the air toward the house. He then opened his mouth once again and created several, smaller fireb.a.l.l.s. Then he hurled them at the house in turn. They all collided with the house and the area of effect of the Aetherbane.

Several explosions ensued, and the ground shook even more violently. It felt as though the hill was about to collapse and burry us all underneath the resulting rubble. It didn"t though, and the house didn"t show any sign of collapsing.

Ifrit landed, his muzzle contracted into an angry snarl. The beast roared once more, and the heavens shook in response. Another shower of lightning ensued. Then I heard multiple thunderclaps far off in the distance. Ifrit punched the ground with his huge hands and buried them underneath it.

More rumbling followed. Then the earth cracked. Fire and molten lava spewed out of the cracks. The house before us started shaking, followed by a loud noise. It sounded like a giant mirror had just been shattered. Fire engulfed the walls, and more guards started rushing out of house.

"There," Raiya pointed at the first group that left the house. "They have Beatrix."

The first guards that ran out of the burning house were indeed carrying an unconscious Beatrix. We heard screams from inside the house. Then multiple doors sprung open, and people rushed out like c.o.c.kroaches.

"My mission here is done," Ifrit"s voice reverberated inside my head.

"Thank you, almighty one," Raiya replied. "You have answered your first task successfully."

"Fare thee well, Raiya of the Willowing Tree," Ifrit replied. "May we see each other again."

The beast roared one final time then it started vanishing from sight. In the meantime, Bodrick"s house had caught on fire. It had also sunk a little below ground. Perhaps that was the factor that broke the old man"s defenses. Either way, we had to make a move, and fast, before Bodrick ran away.

"You take care of Beatrix," I told Raiya. "b.l.o.o.d.y baron, you"re with me. It"s time we got our hands on the target."

We ran toward the back door then. Bodrick had no more tricks up his sleeves. So the only option he had left was to run away. Sure as h.e.l.l, I spotted the old man running toward the back door. He was accompanied by five guards, one of whom I recognized as Franz, the dark haired guard I first encountered in Sosalk.

Franz spotted me and the b.l.o.o.d.y baron running toward them. He tapped another guard on the shoulder and jerked his head toward us. They both stopped to face us and ordered Bodrick to keep going.

"You go ahead," I ordered the b.l.o.o.d.y baron. "Your men are by the backdoor waiting for you. Don"t let Bodrick escape."

The old man nodded, shot one last look at Franz and his companion then rushed in Bodrick"s pursuit. I unsheathed my sword and walked toward Franz and his companion. Facing two seasoned fighters was bound to create problems for me, but I had the power of time to help me out. Despite running out of all the essence I had stored in the Fragment, I could still use the remnants of time energy in the air. I had a shot at winning this fight.

"Long time no see, Darkstar," Franz said.

"Darkstar?" the other guard asked. "This is the man known as Zedd Darkstar?"

Franz nodded, and the other guard guffawed. "That"s the lamest name I"ve ever heard in my life," he said, still laughing out loud.

I gripped my sword tighter. "Are we fighting or bickering?" I asked.

"Let"s talk first," the other guard said. "Let"s discuss this ridiculous name you"ve picked for yourself." He turned to look at Franz then went on, "you see, I know this little man here. His name"s Myles Stalwart. I thought he died. I guess I have grandpa to thank for this surprise."

A heavy frown formed in my forehead. I looked at the man who hadn"t removed his helm yet. "Since you know me so well," I said. "Why don"t you reveal the face beneath the helm? Let me see who it is that mocks my name."

The man chuckled, then proceeded to removing the helm. He had long, dark blond hair, and clear blue eyes that reflected the fire which engulfed Bodrick"s summer house. His defined jaw and large nose seemed vaguely familiar. He stood there, grinning stupidly, probably waiting for me to finally recognize him.

And the realization came, terrible and sudden. I started recognizing his features. He was slightly taller than I was. The condescending look in his eyes never changed. It all came back to me at once, and my heart jumped to my throat.

"No…" I mumbled under my breath. "You can"t be… How are you…" I was at a loss for words. My hatred and anger came rushing back again, while the man"s grin grew even wider.

"Long time no see, little brother," he said, still grinning.