“Disappear.”
A raging fire erupted from his palm, consuming all that lay in its path—both enemy and ally alike. The Demon of the Guard, Hugo Bagwell, had once again made his presence known.
Chapter 3: Hugo, Demon of the Guard
“Hugo!” Emil charged through the searing flames to face the man who’d destroyed his village. With his sword in hand, Emil dashed in range for an attack and expanded his aura’s range. The blue light that was once protecting Emil, Grace, and her family was now thinly layered around his body and the atmosphere around him, granting him, protection, and the others, an escape, as he dove recklessly into the inferno that was weakened from the townspeople’s distraction.
Hugo turned back to face the blood-clad warrior, only to see a stream of blue light piercing through his flames. Impressed by the young hero’s resolve, Hugo added his absent palm back into the equation, ushering in an onslaught of flames akin to his initial attack.
I can’t stop now. They died for me so that I’d have a chance.
Emil let out a thunderous roar as he pushed through the stream of flames that lashed out against him and continued his offensive until he was in range to strike. With a swift cut, Emil parted the torrent of fire that separated him from his foe. The flames had ceased, but his attack had missed by a slight margin. Hugo had managed to evade the blow with little effort.
“End this, Hugo!” Emil cried, slightly fatigued from his reckless pursuit.
Hugo scoffed as the dancing flames in his palms dissipated.
“And why should I be taking orders from you? You don’t seem to be doing too well from where I’m standing.”
The burns that covered Emil’s body throbbed against the sulfur-filled air. His breaths came hard as he struggled to maintain his posture.
“Charging through a fire to save the likes of them?” Hugo pointed to the three men and the others whose bodies lay burning on the scorched ground. “They do nothing for you.”
“Why...why did you kill them?”
“Oh, they aren’t dead. You know, it’s not the fire that kills you—it’s the lack of oxygen. Take a closer look.”
Emil glanced over his shoulder, fully taking in the sight of the victims forever changed by the king’s grunt.
“Of course, it’s not perfect, but with practice I’ve learned to control the flames...for the most part.”
“You monster!”
“Demon, actually...I’m sure you heard by now what they call me; a demon. The Demon of the Guard.”
“You killed your own men.”
The smile on Hugo’s face shrank as he calmly exhaled. “Unfortunately, there are causalities on the battlefield. Good men, they were. Good men indeed.” The laugh that he broke into brought on a sick taste in Emil’s mouth.
“You should have killed me when you had the chance,” Emil said coldly as he stared into Hugo’s lifeless eyes.
“The orders were dead or alive. The king would prefer you alive, of course.”
“Figures,” Emil snarled.
“Yes, your powers are rather interesting. We could use someone like you.”
“To massacre innocents, right? I’ll pass.”
Hugo’s eyes reflected blue as he stared at the energy aggregating on the inside of Emil’s palm.
“Oh, you really plan on fighting me? In your condition? I’m impressed.”
“I’ll kill you.”
“Humph, you really believe that, don’t you?”
Before Hugo could ready himself, Emil was already face-to-face with the demon with the use of his speed. The dagger in Emil’s hand crackled with energy as he plunged it towards the demon’s heart, but before it made contact, a veil of intense fire rushed over Hugo’s body, causing Emil to hesitate.
Shit.
“Not quick enough.” Hugo grabbed Emil’s arm as he tried to pull away. Emil struggled to break free but his efforts were soon diminished. Hugo squeezed tighter and intensified the flames that surrounded his body.
“Hurts, doesn’t it?”
Emil yelled in pain as he dangled above the ground, suspended by the demon’s hand that latched onto his wrist. Emil quickly reignited his aura, but with his drained stamina, his light did little to protect him as the fires engulfed him.
Hugo cackled at the sound of Emil’s distress while he burned through his energy, further depleting the desperate hero.
He took pleasure in breaking those who stood against him, and Emil was no different. Emil’s light quickly faded due to exhaustion and Hugo receded his flames, though his grip still burned with fury.
“Tell me, Emil, do you love them? Those people you protect... What are they to you?”
Hugo lethargically tilted his head to the side and looked past Emil, who’s aura of light was now only a thin glimmer of hope. In the reflection of the demon’s hollow eyes, Emil could see Taeo, Serenity, and Grace running into the forest where the fire had not yet spread.
Hugo’s smile widened as he raised his free hand parallel to Emil.
A swirling ball of fire emerged from his palm, feeding off the oxygen that freely floated in the atmosphere. Emil wailed in a frenzied panic as he wrestled with the hand that suspended him, racing to break free.
“Shut. Up!”
A slosh of blood spurted from Emil’s nose from the impact of Hugo’s head. The shock of the blow dulled his senses as his head ricocheted back before ultimately falling limp. Specks of blood dripped from Emil’s face onto the scorched earth as he hung suspended in the air.
“That burden you have...let me free you from it.”
In Emil’s sunken head, visions of past times flooded his brain as he struggled to find the will to fight on. Serenity, Grace, Taeo, the people of the village; he wasn’t just fighting for himself anymore, but for the people he had grown to love. The people he had sworn to protect.
No!
The faint aura that surrounded Emil grew in intensity as he held his head up high. Using his free hand, he reached for the sword that dangled at his waist and swiped at Hugo’s midsection, cutting through his flesh from a clean strike.
Not deep enough!
While Hugo was still stunned from the wound delivered to his body, Emil kicked off of Hugo’s open abdomen and escaped Hugo’s grip with a backflip.
“Ah!”
Hugo released the ball of fire he had amassed before falling to his knees. With great speed, the fiery projectile accelerated towards Emil, catching ablaze everything that was in its path. Unable to dodge in midair, Emil cut through the sphere of flames, splitting it in two, but its progress still remained uninhibited.
As the remnants of the sphere trailed separate ways, Emil momentarily looked back towards the forest to see if anybody was wounded from the stray flames. The two separate entities of fire floated upwards to the sky, where they passed on from view.
Moments later, the sky’s blood red hue changed to a fluorescent orange. Noticing the change, Emil looked up to the sky as he drifted through the air at the peak of his jump.
No, the village!
A chill ran down his spine as he watched a cluster of tiny fireballs stemming from Hugo’s recent attack pierce through the veil of smoke that lingered over the burning village. Emil then immediately grounded himself, anchored his legs into the scorched earth, and launched an enormous wave of energy into the heavens above towards Hugo’s surprise attack. Emil’s aura of light that surrounded him faded as the blast traveled towards Hugo’s rain of fire. The hero’s breaths came heavy as he watched the flames fizzle before making contact with his energy.
Before Emil could fully process the reality of the situation, a fiery fist landed flush against his face, propelling him back as his body tore through the rubble. Battered and bruised, Emil’s consciousness returned only after his body settled.
The giant towered over him, amused at the situation at hand. Through the veil of fire that surrounded him, Emil took note of the scars that ravaged the demon’s body, including the newly fo
rmed one given to him from their battle.
He...he cauterized the wound?
“Why do you protect these people? They don’t even care if you live or die. Why does a god like yourself mingle with mere beasts?”
Emil slowly stood to his feet as the demon continued to speak.
“They cause baseless wars, they are fickle, they are ruthless, and...they make you weak, Emil.”
“Tell me, Hugo, what do you fight for? The beck and call of the king? Outside of that, what do you live for? Is this really even you I’m talking to, or are you just another one of his puppets, now?”
The demon paused and reflected silently before answering.
“My reasons are none of your concern, but know this, Emil, they are far better than protecting the very people who threw you out to die. How long did you honestly think this was going to last? Did you plan on settling down, getting married, having a family of your own? Don’t kid yourself. People like us aren’t afforded that kind of luxury. You of all people should know.”
“There has to be another way. Listen to yourse—”
“Enough talk...or do you need more time to gather your strength before you make your great escape?”
“I’m not running away,” Emil declared to the brute that opposed him. “I’m going to put an end to all of this once and for all, starting with you.”
“Really? You can barely stand, let alone fight.”
“Think so? Well then.” Emil’s left hand ignited as the spark within him rekindled yet again. “Why don’t you try your luck?” Emil stood defiantly, ripped and bloody garments, his only armor. His physical condition meant nothing to him. In time he would heal, but the dead would not. By hiding in Nerai, he had brought destruction, and through him, it would be saved.
Hugo rushed Emil with his body enriched with an aura of feverish flames. The punch he threw missed, but his momentum carried his body forward, causing his fist to rupture the ground.
From the shattered earth, a fissure rippled through the terrain en route to where Emil now stood.
Spotting an opening, Emil dashed towards Hugo but was met head on by a stream of fire that rose from the parted earth.
He’s controlling the flames!
Emil sent a wave of energy in front of him, disfiguring the flames, allowing him free passage to the demon who destroyed Nerai. Passing through the scattered flames, Emil struck the giant in his wounded abdomen, piercing his hand through the newly formed scar he had created with his previous attack.
Hugo’s body fell limply against Emil’s as he gasped feverishly in an attempt to bring oxygen into his lungs. On the other side of the demon’s body, there was only destruction. As Emil looked over the chaos that had fallen over the village, his heart grew cold. Hugo chuckled weakly, his body resting against Emil’s shoulder.
“You killed them all; you do know that, don’t you?”
Emil removed his hand from Hugo’s bleeding body and flung him to the ground, but, still, the demon’s laughter continued.
“Call off the flames!” Emil’s blade met the face of the demon, crackling with sky-blue energy, empowered by his rage.
Even at the brink of death, Hugo’s laughing persisted. Emil ignited his hand with energy and shot an orb of light that landed only inches away from the demon’s head.
“Hahahaha!”
“Call off the flames or I’ll kill you!”
The hero’s plea fell on deaf ears. Instead of making the fires recede, Hugo placed his hand over his open wound and began to cauterize it, looking cynically into Emil’s eyes as he spoke.
“You can’t kill me, or else your beloved village burns.”
The demon’s laughter echoed throughout the burning village as Emil stood over his body, helpless to do anything.
“Shut up!”
The sword that Emil held at the demon’s face trembled as his body pulsed with bouts of rage.
“Or what? I’m still in control.”
Damn it.
A gush of blood erupted from Hugo’s mouth as he attempted to laugh once again. From the center of Hugo’s body, a sword stood erect, piercing through the demon’s hand and midsection.
Emil’s breaths lagged, almost as if he too had taken the fatal blow he had just inflicted.
The hero crouched beside the bleeding giant, anchoring himself above his face using his rooted sword.
“Call...off...the flames.”
“Never.”
Emil twisted the blade that was lunged deep within the demon’s gut. Hugo yelled in pain as the blue, burning blade contorted his insides. The hero waited to see if the flames around him died off before he turned his sword once more.
“Mmmm, right there. Grind it in deep,” Hugo mocked.
Emil channeled his energy into his sword and zapped Hugo before calling out to him again.
“The flames, Hugo!”
Hugo lethargically drifted his head towards Emil’s and whispered.
“All of this is...because of you.”
Emil squeezed the hilt of his sunken sword tighter and channeled another wave of energy throughout his blade. Hugo’s body rattled against the earth as he violently shook.
“The flames!” Emil desperately cried.
There was a silence between the two of them as the demon’s body lay still on the scorched terrain.
“Please...Hugo,” Emil begged, “the flames.”
Hugo mustered up a laugh before he weakly responded. “I want to see your world burn.”
Suddenly the flames that had surrounded them grew brighter. Emil looked in horror as the forest caught ablaze. The reflection of the burning forest lingered in his tear-filled eyes. Beside him, the demon smiled with delight, knowing that everything Emil had loved had been taken away. Emil grabbed his heart as he hunched over, fully aware of the hole that he felt inside.
“Why? Why did you do this? Why now?”
The words came faint, as if carried by the wind. He looked to Hugo for an answer, but his body lay still. Even in death, the demon reigned as victor.
Chapter 4: For the Ones He Loved
Thirty...forty...how many people did I just kill?
Emil pondered as he sank his knees down to the ground in exhaustion. His breath was heavy. His hands trembled. The once blackened night sky glowed blood red as the flames from the burning forest illuminated his surroundings. The place he once called home was no more.
A series of tears ran from his charred cheeks, carrying the smeared blood and ash as they fell to the ground. His clothes were tattered; his dagger bloody. The fire that once lit his eyes was no more.
From his sunken position, he released his last bit of will and fell to the ground face first, weakened from both the battle and the loss of his friends. The ambush was over, but once again, Emil was unable to save anyone.
Emil laid there motionless, waiting for death to come, but the reaper never answered. He was tired of running, tired of fighting, and tired of the pain that followed him wherever he went. For some time he laid there, until the sound of two distinctive pairs of feet raced towards him.
More?
With his body still against the ground, the sounds of the rapidly approaching entities grew louder.
“Help me! Somebody! Please!”
A woman? From the village?
With new life, Emil opened his eyes and stood to his feet. He glanced over at his left hand, examining his palm as it dimly glowed before sparking out. Emil grasped at his arm, wincing in pain as the light faded to a faint glow.
It’ll do.
Emil clenched his fist, harnessing everything he had left into his palm, before running off into the forest.
With the constant screams as his guide, Emil raced deeper into the woods until he gained eyes on the situation. It was a girl, not much younger than himself, backed into a tree by one of the ambushers.
Why is she here? I’ve never seen her before.
She was an outsider, and by now she probably realized that coming
here was a bad idea. Emil, still wounded, hid behind a tree not far from where they stood, waiting for his chance to ambush them. A direct fight wouldn’t be in his favor in his current condition.
The guard lowered his sword as he approached her steadily.
Move. Move!
From the depths of his soul Emil wanted the girl to keep running, but her nerves got the best of her, causing her to freeze.
“Well look what we have here!” the guard said as he stroked his hand alongside her cheek. “What is a fine young lady like yourself doing out here in the middle of all this?” He came in closer to her, pressing his body against hers and pinning her to the tree. Her knee-jerk reaction to his advances was a swift punch that landed flush against her target’s nose. The guard stumbled back, momentarily stunned by her resistance. The girl then broke free from underneath him and attempted to run once again.
While her escape was spirited, it wasn’t enough.
Before she could put viable distance between herself and her pursuer, his hand flung out, grabbing her by the hair, and raked her to the ground.
“You bitch!” the guard yelled out in a fit as he cupped his bleeding nose with one hand and drew his sword with the other. From the ground, the girl crawled away, desperate to avoid what was to come.
“I tried to be nice, but it seems like you’re the type of whore who likes it rough. Fine by me.”
Emil watched from behind the foliage. He saw the twisted smile grow across the guard’s face as he drew closer and closer to his victim.
“Leave me alone!” She drew a dagger that had been hid in her boot, but compared to his sword and armor, her weapon was of minor threat.
The girl threw a composition of dirt and leaves in the guard’s face, hoping that it would blind him, but it was to no avail. In a panic, she attempted to rise to her feet and run again, but her plan was thwarted when his blade was lain across her chest.
“Drop your dagger,” he said sternly as he raised the blade from her breast and lightly dragged it across her neck. In an eerie calm, he sheathed his sword. “Now, make one more move and I’ll kill you.” He drew closer still, but this time, the girl didn’t move.
The Last Light Series Omnibus One: - The Dreamer and the Deceiver - All Things Eternal - Ode to the King: A Superhero Epic Fantasy Collection (The Last Light Collection Book 1) Page 3
