Chapter 23: Painted Face, Falling Hand

The words would collide within Agi like a swirling pool of differently colored paint, Samuel on the side had seemed personally affected, but he withheld his misgivings.

Agi stared up at his tangled brother, “Yes, the Temple is such a place, where the strong eat the weak. But I don’t care. I’ve never cared. I just want to survive, I just want to live another day.”

Samuel himself had never heard this from Agi.

It was a strange collage of words to hear from the mouth of a six year old boy, but from Agi–it almost felt right.

“You are the people who force me to crawl in the mud… you are the people who stain my hands.”

Adam grimaced—

“Agi… I wish I could do something for you…”

The monstrous boy received his silence, and with a humph he turned to Samuel, “Bring me a spear.”

Samuel nodded finding a nearby stationed warrior he sent the message down the line.

Adam felt the bindings on his body, they were surprisingly sturdy.

If he had been someone with a normal opened gift, he would have been able to free himself with a bit of struggle.

But his physique was much worse than average.

He could only watch as Agi called for a weapon.

The knife in his heart turning ever so slowly.

Adam had rarely felt betrayed–truly betrayed.

But Agi had acheived it.

He had gone above and beyond.

However the sixth lord still saw the same Agi.

The boy who could stumble over his own words and pretend it never happened, the boy who gets embarassed for drinking juice.

The boy who called him brother.

“Agi, forget about the Temple. I’ll take you out of here.”

The Second Lord didn’t respond, he only stared coldly.

Adam closed his eyes, holding back his grief.

The rainbow scale… if they showed up… wouldn’t he have to pick a side?

Time was a friend of none, and so it inched at its own pace.

The spear landed in Agi’s hand, who wasted not a single second, lauching it into Adams heart.

Adam’s eyes opened widely as he coughed a glob of blood.

“A-Agi…”

The spear pulled out in a sickening symphony, the wound promptly healing.

Agi looked to Samuel, “Bring the cracked spire.”

Samuel only nodded, returning with a group of men wheeling a large, black structure.

It had jagged edges, the top was split down the center, stopping about halfway down.

One of the initiates reached out to help lift it so they could set it down, but Samuel quickly grabbed his wrist.

“Don’t touch it.”

The initate was startled, pulling back his hand with a nod.

They wrapped a rope around it, dragging it from the cart.

“What is this, Agi?”

Adam asked with an even tone, his eyes growing almost colder.

“Asketill,” Agi called out to the boy who was still looking on in confusion, “Come here, you can’t stand so close.”

Asketill glanced at Adam with a frown before nodding and walking over slowly.

When he was finally over Agi gave Samuel a nod.

He used a long string to pull something from the side of the cracked spire, and immediately a change happened.

Blue tendrils began to scream out!

They lashed the world around them, their cry of agony filling the world with its electric hue.

Adam began to writhe and scream, the pain was ungodly.

His body was scorched and his skin would peel, before he would quickl heal, appearing completely healthy.

It was a tortuous cycle.

“Brother! Stop!”

Asketill called, gripping Agis sleeve as he tugged it a few times.

“You’re hurting him!”

Agi pulled his sleeve back with a snort, “Watch closely, this is how you survive.”

Asketill was tired of hearing it, “You can’t just–”

Samuel picked him up from his collar, “Give it a rest, Asketill.”

He stared at Samuel, before slumping, feeling the weight of powerlessness.

“Die!”

Samuel and Agi spun their heads, an enemy…?

Charging at them?

Agi frowned, how did they get so close…

Agi brandished the spear, pushing off the ground with incredible force he spun the spear in his hand,

As he neared he planted one heavy foot, spinning on it like an axis the spear shot out—

Swish!

The mans hardened visage was forever preserved, the crescent of blood creating a subtle beauty amongst carnage.

Thud.

The head rolled slowly, stopping at Agi’s feet.

All he gave was a glace, turning his attention to the forest.

He could hear it now, the sound of fighting.

“This was not according to plan… if Adam broke free….”

Adam watched in horror as one of his followers fell at Agi’s feet.

His voice had an uncanny clarity as he screamed, “AGI! You can still go back!”

The boy turned to him, blood coloring his face, “The only way is forward.”

Adam let out a billowing roar as he pulled on his restraints, the lightning rending his flesh.

“I’ll leave you alone! I won’t seek you out anymore!”

He shouted, trying to persuade Agi.

“Liar.”

He spat.

Adam had never felt such an intenst rage in his entire life.

His people—His family, were being take from him. Slaughtered on a field of corpses, and he stood atop it all.

“If Annika was here…”

He suppressed his thoughts as a billowing call sounded from outside the forest.

The loud horn sent waves through the forest as a voice called out, “LORD ADAM!”

Adam grit his teeth shouting, “Don’t come!”

He knew Agi’s strength, he felt it at the first blow of his spear.

Agi was not an opponent they could handle.

But not only that, he seemed to have an entire army behind him.

“I will stay and watch, take Asketill and watch over the battlefield.”

Agi gave his orders, and Samuel nodded.

The sound of shouts rang out as a longsword swung with abandon.

Rowen was appalled, they just didn’t stop coming.

He had long since wiped out the members stationed for the encirclement, so who are the newcomers?

He heard the roar and a look of acknowledgment crossed his features.

“What’s their plan?”

He found their rush to be incredibly foolish, it was nothing more than a suicide run against Rowen’s soldiers.

He had crudely set up formations, but even that was enough to deal with them.

“Group!”

Rowen shouted, as his forces began to converge.

“Fire!”

Rowen shouted, the stationed initiates, lighting the fuses as the booming sound of cannons roared fiercly.

A drove of enemy initiates fell to the ground.

It was an overwhelming enemy force, but the fifty initiates and seventeen warriors were fierce.

They were desperate to kill, desperate to win.

They had to win, or they had to die.

There was no alternative to them.

But to Adam’s army? They wanted to go home, to go lounge in that hall.

But they were also furious at the capture of who they considered their brother.

Alas, the presence of Rowen was simply too much.

He swung unbridled, his blade claiming a life at every swing.

He lept up, his foot finding a foothold on a nearby tree, pushing off an imprint was enforced upon its trunk.

And as his foot sunk into the air the eyes of shocked initiates followed.

He had stepped on nothing…

But their relization was nothing more than a fatal distraction.

His body turning as he entered the fray in the middle of their swarm.

He spun his blade reflecting nothing in its blanket of blood.

Atop a tree Asketill looked down with shining eyes as Rowen moved with precision.

He looked at Samuel in excitement, “How can he move like that?!”

He seemed to have entirely moved on from Adams peril once he was out of sight.

“He hails from the Tenth fold. It holds strange methods.”

But Asketill frowned, “Isn’t that kind of… inefficient…?”

Samuel looked down at him, “What do you mean?”

Asketill was watching closely, “I’ve been thinking this for a while… but even brother is like this… they lose so much strength when they swing.”

Samuel was interested in Asketills train of thought, in fact this was a common point of contention amongst the fighters in and out of the Temple.

Once you suprassed a certain strength, even with all your skill, you could rarely maximize the force you’re exerting.

Often times grandmasters will develop a singular technique they can use to end fights that function to preserve strength.

Samuel shook his head, “You’re right, but we have to keep moving. Rowen can handle this.”

Asketill let his gaze linger on the mans method of fighting,

“Rowen…” He remembered his name in a mutter, but his gaze lingered on his strange movments, “Something is… influencing him?”

Soma was breathing heavily, she was being completely suppressed.

She rarely felt so powerless, and her troops were barely holding on as well.

They were loosely spread out, barely a cohesive unit, and Soma herself, despite cleaving droves of opponents, saw no end in sight.

But the worst of it all was that man on the hill.

She didn’t know who he was, but he felt dangerous, and the troops he led were incredibly cohesive.

They worked together with an uncanny skill.

She couldn’t hold on for long, so she made a choice.

She had to kill the man on the hill.

Marius stared down at her coldly.

He saw the visage of the woman so fiercly culling her way up the hill, and he only scoffed inwardly.

“You had the entire hill, yet you settled in the basin? I’ve never seen a more foolish tactician.”

He wasn’t worried, not at all.

He believed he was stronger than her, and he also believed her to be foolish.

The sixteen warriors following her locked eyes, and they all came to a determination–

Abandon the innitiates!

They rushed forward, ignoring the initiates near them they billowed through.

Marius cursed under his breath, this was the one problem, they had a lack of Warriors, they had thirty at most, spread throughout their entire army.

And they were not elites like the six captains of Agi.

The warriors pushed through with personal might.

The first human blockade was overcome as two warriors lost their lives to a drove of pikes driving through shields.

The Warriors were surrounded, Marius only looking down coldly.

Soma felt indignation, suppression… suppression…

She whirled her blade, narrowly avoiding a pointed tip she stepped in, her rapier piercing right through a shield, the man behind collapsing.

The now fourteen immediately capitalized, they piled through slaughtering on their way.

The initiates behind them were all but wiped out, the forces encroaching on them.

But she did not relent.

The fourteen turned to ten.

They fought, their swords clashed, their teeth gnashed, and their blood spilled.

Soma cursed, the cannons handn’t even had a chance to be used.

They ambused their camp and focused first and foremost on dealing with their cannons.

Luckily they didn’t know how to use them, but it was problematic regardless.

They pushed forth and Marius sighed.

“We have an overwhelming numbers advantage… and they are still getting so close. I’m impressed. It’s rare to find soldiers willing to step over their comrades.”

He looked to his left,

“Take our seven, crush the remaining forces.”

He got a curt nod, and quickly seven warriors flooded out.

Typically their duty was to protect Marius with their lives, but he felt it was pointless here.

It was more effective to stop them before they reached him.

The seven warriors snuck through the fields of initiates, and they managed to get behind four.

Miraculously, they struck at the same time!

Three died in a single strike, while the last one managed to barely dodge with a heavy injury.

He slowly healed while huffing.

The Seven immediately launched their offensive, slashing and stabbing at their opponents.

the droves of initiates crowded into the area, the slashing swords killing some of their own by mistake.

The first to die was one of Marius’ warriors.

The remaining fought fiercely, and Soma made a decision,

Abandon the warriors!

She left them to fend for themselves her movements unopposed as she steadied in front of Marius.

They exchanged no words but the drawing of the silver blade left no room for a misunderstanding.

She shot forward piercing at him.

He took a step back, pivoting on his leg he averted her blade, directing it up before his foot slammed heavily into her side.

She slid back, staring with a bloodshot gaze.

“Always like this…”

The calm visage of Marius struck a chord in her.

She was tired of living as she had.

Wasn’t that why she came the first fold?!

She dropped her sword, to Marius’ shock.

“Giving up?” He asked with a raise in his brow.

She stared at him for a moment.

Finally, she decided–she would abandon etiquette.

She rushed at him again, but he was frowning slightly.

She striked at him, but he just slashed at her fist.

She pulled back, changing her elevation she rushed into him.

BAM!

In a burst of power she pried him from his firm footing, tackling him into the ground.

In his shock he whirled back, slamming heavily into the ground.

She immediately tore at his wrist, clawing the sword from his hand.

In a gasp of pain it fell from his grip, and she grabbed it.

Not wasting a second she stabbed it toward him.

He grabbed the blade, groaning at the pain sliding across his palms.

He tilted his waist, throwing her off.

Whirl!

A silver sheen flew past his head as he tilted slightly.

blood slid down his ear before he lunged at her.

She rolled, grabbing his leg and pulling it.

He fell forward, only to meet her snapping head halfway.

He let out a struggled sound and fell back.

She lunged at him again, only for his heel to dig into her abdomen.

He finally stood up regaining his foot.

He reached down, picking up the rapier at his side.

She lunged again, avoiding his stabs, and managing to land a heavy blow into his side.

He tiled his body, snapping his elbow forward!

Cah!

He head jerked, she became momentarily daze and he thrusted the rapier forward!

“Agh!”

She let out a cry as the blade pierced her eye.

She stumbled back, holding her bleeding eye.

She glared at him, but he didn’t care, he took stable steps, attempting to stab again.

She grabbed its blade, not afraid of the rapier blade in the slightest.

With a strong grip she pulled it, knocking him off balance he stumbled right into her raised knee!

He coughed dryly the blade falling from his hand.

Soma felt some strange feeling in her heart vessel, but ignored it.

She secured the blade and at Marius’ finally frightened gaze, she pierced.

A simple straight pierce.

It shot through cleanly, sliding through his head.

It was enough the disorientate him momentarily, enough for her to shove a fist into his chest, and pry his heart from his body.

She felt the beating heart, and with a gaze of steel, crushed it mercilessly.

She heaved a sigh, turning back to her slaughtered warriors, and dead initiates.

But as she ran a blooded hand through her hair, the bloodied mangled mess that was once an eye was revealed. She looked toward the covered, dark sky with her only working eye.

“I survived!”

She laughd loudly, a joyus, carefree laugh.

She slowly settled, reaching down to pick up the sword which marus’ had carried.

She looked to the army, and grinned wickedly.

For once, she was going to really let loose.

Samuel and Asketill only arrived as Marius dropped lifelessly.

Samuel observed with a faint smile, “She’s not bad.”

But asketill had a frown, “So inefficient.”

Samuel flicked his forehead, “A kid shouldn’t use big words.”

Asketill held his forehead with a deep frown.

“Come, an army of this strenght won’t be enough to deal with a warrior.”

Asketill rode on Samuels shoulders with a tilted head, “But Uncle, how can she defeat that many on her own?”

Samuel explained calmly, “So long as the heart or brain aren’t completely destroyed an initiate level gift can still heal, albeit slowly. But she reached some kind of checkpoint, her healing has boosted considerably.”

Asketill nodded, “I get it.”

Samuel said nothing more, carrying the boy with him as fast as he could.

The sound of booming cannons echoes nearby.

But that was of little importance to the heaving Ananda. The opponent before her was a force to be reckoned with, however she was confident in winning.

The burly man in front of her didn’t wear a shirt, he said something about it being torn, she didn’t care.

It was all nonsense anyway.

She would win her battle, the enemy soldiers had nearly all fallen, the cannons doing their job wonderfully, on top of Kael’s utter lack of care for his soldiers.

She held her sword tightly, they had exchanged two blows, the man had actually punched her sword.

What a psychopath.

He held no regard for his own body, appearing to have an incredible regenerative capability.

He had not opened his gift, but she believed it had to do with the strange blood he produces.

From a gash on is side she could faintly make out expanding lotus patters, they were only a slightly darker shade of crimson compared to the rest of his blood,

but it was undoubtedly there.

She had no time for distractions, striding forward she thrusted at him, but he grabbed her blade, pulling it without regard and launching a heavy fist at her face.

She let go of her sword, sidestepping and sending a kick into his side,

He chuckled as her strike did next to nothing.

Tossing her blade aside he flashed a grin, “What now?”

She huffed, losing her weapon… wasn’t an issue!

“Fire!”

She shouted, lunging to the floor.

A drove of cannons fired off, launching a barage toward the man.

He only looked on with a wide mouth, “Wha…”

SLAM!

His head jerked back before the pressure won over.

CRACK!

His head exploded like a watermelon, meaty flesh, and hard bone scattering in every directon!

She stood up, looking down at him with a grin, “Miserable fool. This is a war.”

She arrived back in her camp, awaiting further orders.

In another location, Malachi was swinging his sword with abandon.

“Slimy bastard!”

He huffed, striking furiously.

Jude raised his shortsword, sliding it alongside the blade of Malachi’s sword he stabbed right into his wrist.

“Gah!”

The sword fell from his hand, but Jude didn’t stop, he spun his body, driving his blade all the way up his arm before Malachi Finally grabbed him.

He slammed his head into Jude’s!

Then he twisted his body, slamming him into the ground he stepped ferociously into his chest.

Jude gasped but quickly regained his barrings.

He stabbed his blade into Malachi’s heel forcing him to pull back slightly.

Malachi stumbled back, but as his heel slowly healed he pivoted, spinning and slamming his other heel into judes jaw as he attempted to stand.

He reached down, grabbing his throat, “Die.”

He said coldly, attempting to crush his skull.

Jude glanced behind Malachi and with a cold grin he stared into his eyes.

Malachi was momentarily startled, but reinforced his grip.

Then his body lurched forward.

His soldiers had been defeated, and the droves of enemies were grasping his limbs pulling him down.

“AGHH!”

He shouted not releasing his grip in the slightest.

Even as blades shoved through him, even as fists bashed against him.

His eyes were bloodshot and finally as they managed to dig to his heart, Jude’s skull collapsed under the force, dying instantly.

Malachi only roared out, “I WON!”

Before his heart was crushed.

Samuel landed nearby, sighing deeply,

“If I was faster…”

He says looking down at them.

The initiates immediately jumped in fright at his appearance.

“You won.”

He nodded, before carrying Asketill on his shoulder and going on a slaughter.

Their bodies flew around, their heads rolled.

And Asketill was mesmerized by the killing method of Samuel.

Suhail, meanwhile, was in a position similar to Rowen, but not because the enemy feared him as they had Rowen, but because they thought he was weak.

He wasn’t upset, preferring the leisurely pace.

Amongst it all Agi stared coldly at his brother.

Through the thick tendrils Agi could see his brothers visage.

Tears of blood burned stains into his skin, even as his body tore to shreds he struggled desperately.

His gift blood was drying up and he could no longer delay.

“Agi…”

He muttered.

SNAP!

Agi jumped slightly,

the first of many had begun to snap.

SNAP! SNAP!

He pulled, his eyes darkened and bloodshot, and finally he stepped onto the floor.

The sound of sheath cried out like a war cry as the cracked spire split down the middle, the incessant lighting coming to a halt.

The tears of blood poured down, and he only looked at Agi with a deep sorrow.

He struck out, his sword nearly faster than Agi could register.

He slammed the spear down forecfully, his expression contorted in surpise.

BANG!

The spear collided heavily with the longsword.

But Adam spun the blade, trapping his spear he sent up a knee, snapping it in half.

Agi leaped back, making distance, but Adam only looked at the broken spear, his mind in despair.

“I tried to be a good man, little brother.”

He said, walking toward him slowly.

“I wanted to be respected.”

Step.

“I wanted to share my joy with my family.”

Step.

“I just wanted to hear another call me brother.”

“That was all it took to keep me happy.”

Agi took a step back, slightly trembling.

“Little brother, did you know? I still can’t kill you.”

Agi stopped, his hands trembling, “Wh–What…?”

Adam dropped his sword, looking at the ground in defeat.

“How can you ask a man to kill his family?”

He clenched his fists at his side,

“You’re too cruel, Agi.”

Agi opened his mouth to retort, but nothing came out.

“I’m a pathetic failure of a lord.”

He stared at his little brother,

“I’m a failure of an older brother.”

He finally reached Agi, falling to his knees and hugging him tightly,

“I’m a fool, and a coward, But I can never hurt my family. Please Agi, Come with me, let’s leave this place behind.”

Agi’s eyes shook, his eyes slowly losing their bite.

They had become a childs once again.

“You’re lying…”

He said with a breaking voice.

“I have never uttered a lie to you, and I never will.”

“But Ramana…. but I..!”

His eyes were lost in confusion,

“Little brother. At least, if you can’t survive as a coward, then you can live as a guardian.”

He pulled back, smiling with those black tears of blood eroding his soft features.

His forced smile would falter, the subtle tremor in his hands betraying his proclemation.

SPLAW!

Agi stared with wide open eyes,

“ADAM!”

He shouted,

His elder brothers body slumping heavily against his own.

“What a good brother.” Annika snickered.

She shook her head with a shrug, “At the end of it all, that was all he’s worth.”

She flicked the blood off her hand, “Honestly, I’m kind of disappointed.”

Agi glared with hatred, “I’ll kill you.” he hissed.

She huffed, crouching down, “Oh come on, we work well together.”

He glared, “What are you talking about?” There was a slight tremble in his voice, the subtle relization breaking at the edge.

“Oh come on, you’re not that dumb, are you little friend?”

Agi held Adams body, shouting, “Shut up! It.. I–!”

She tilted her head with a dull, cold expression, “Seriously? You can only blame yourself kid.”

She pressed a finger to his forhead, “I used you, but you let me use you. You’re even more pathetic than that fool in your arms.”

She stood up, ruffling his hair as she walked by, “The will of the mind is the strength of the body.”

“You hold strength in body, yet your mind is weak. You’re like me Agi, just a bit too young. You understand, don’t you?”

she would ask again, “Let’s be friends.” Her wicked grin evaded him as she finally vanished.

She came like a storm, but left like a ghost.

Agi clutched Adams body, crying silently,

“Brother… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”