Twilight of a Hybrid

by Ryan Johnson

  While Valverno saw Geraldus had intercepted the evil king, Belverda seized the opportunity and head-butted Valverno in his head. As she did, Valverno felt the impact upon his skull and once again not feeling any sort of pain and head-butted Belverda back.

  The witch quickly withdrew from Valverno’s head reach before he could land a blow on her head that could have sent her head flying from her body and to the far wall. As she did, her staff she was carrying lit red and from the other end of the staff, a magic energy was blown to Valverno’s hand.

  Valverno was pushed back by the surprise magic attack and sent Valverno back, as his kept his feet into the ground and leaving behind deep marks of his feet sliding on the ground.

  Just as Valverno went sliding, Sora jumped over him and aimed her spear at the witch. Both women landed heavy jabs and blows of their long sticks of magic. Unlike Valverno, Sora was skillfully waving her staff to and fro if she was a skilled ninja.

  Before long, Belverda used the ruby on her staff to easily break Sora’s spear. The White Knight of Charity jumped back and joined Valverno.

  “You’re becoming rusty already?” asked Sora, rejoining her brother.

  “I don’t want to cause too much property damage to this castle, and I don’t want anyone else dying from a fight a lot of people are not involved in. Although, I am quite surprised no guards are showing up.”

  “That is because I have set up a barrier by the front doors. The White Knights do have the ability to make their appearances scarce from other people’s view. Now that barrier has now crawled throughout this entire room, only the people within my barrier can only hear the fighting.”

  “Then am I glad I have you.”

  As the two half-siblings held their brief moment, Belverda cast a magic ball of great power energy at the duo, but suddenly changed direction: it was going to Marina.

  The Siren was paying attention at the king and Geraldus who were having their own fight. Marina wasn’t looking at what was coming to her. Marina looked distraught of hearing what King Uragiru had just said: the man who raised her as a daughter had suddenly turned on Geraldus, Valverno, and her.

  Valverno growled and charged in front of his Siren wife. Valverno jumped in front of the magic ball and punched it with a free hand. The magic ball dispersed and Valverno wasn’t hurt.

  “Vaeludar?” Marina’s voice called out.

  Valverno didn’t want to hear the name he never wanted to hear. The name of a science project wasn’t his proper name, as the woman in front on him was the one who gave him the disgraceful name. But he didn’t want let out his anger at Marina; after all, he did profess his love for her on their wedding day.

  “Call me whatever you want,” said Valverno. “If by that name or by Valverno, I am still her husband whatever you like it or not.”

  Marina had a few tears dripping from her eyes, both of joy and sadness.

  Valverno then flew to the air and let out a great icy wind. Little particles of snow came from his mouth and grew into ice glaciers. The large ice glaciers flew at Belverda, who waved her staff slightly and the glaciers suddenly turned to water.

  The ice melting into water gave Sora an opportunity of her own: she jumped forward and used both her hands to push the water dripping on the floor toward Belverda.

  The witch used the palm of a hand to block the water, making it wave into three angles and blocking herself from Sora’s water attack. As the water was being pushed into three different waving angles, Sora was the rebounding water coming to her. Then Sora stretched her left hand to her ride side as her hand glowed blue.

  Sora quickly wisped her glowing hand across the air in front of her, making the rebounding water coming to her and to attack Belverda once again.

  Valverno saw the water gushing through Sora and Belverda, as the two female magicians were fighting with an interesting way of trying to drown someone. Valverno’s eyes spotted a small opening through the sprouting water, directly opened to Belverda. He saw it as the opportunity to kill her; the spikes on his shoulders sparked into electric energy.

  Valverno channeled a great flow from his wings and drove the energy into his spikes that hung on his spinal cord. He was going to use the same plasma, electric energy he used to kill the Minotaur. Charging up the power he greatly admired, he unleashed the blazing blast from his mouth.

  However, Belverda swung her staff and the water swirling between her and Sora became a large sphere of a water ball and blocked Valverno’s powered blast into the water, making the water absorb Valverno’s power and somehow making pure electricity that only clouds in the sky make.

  Valverno ceased his blowing power as he saw not exiting through the water ball Belverda made as a defensive weapon. With one power flap of his wings, a large wave of wind gushed the entire throne room. The water ball squirted from Belverda’s magic grip from her staff and slashed down like real rain.

  Everyone was pushed away by Valverno’s sudden wind power. Sora managed to stand on the ground while her feet were dug into the ground. Geraldus and King Uragiru were pushed to the far wall where the king’s throne was before being thrown. Belverda tried to use her magic staff to block but her might wasn’t enough to block Valverno’s attack. The wind sent Mariana rolling back.

  Valverno quickly charged downwind from his high altitude, still having his vengeful eyes on Belverda. His mind wasn’t focus on anyone but Belverda. With the Crystal Sword in his hand, he broke it into two halves. He wasd ready to slice up a despicable witch, who he planned on to end with two swords and his dragon fire.

  Valverno landed into the ground right above Belverda and swung down his duel-wielding swords. “Now you die, old witch!”

  Belverda was quick enough to block Valverno’s attack. Though she blocked Valverno’s attack, she couldn’t help but see Valverno exhaling out fire from his mouth.

  Before Valverno’s fire could scorch Belverda’s hands touching the staff, King Uragiru launched a sneak attack from Valverno’s back. This made Valverno withdrew his fire attack from Belverda and breathed it out at the king instead.

  Valverno unleashed his dragon fire at the king in the hottest, steaming, smoking way the fire could get. Very hot enough to incinerate a human body to statue-like state like a body molded by volcanic smoke erupting from a volcano.

  King Uragiru held a long broadsword with the steel blade glimmering of bronze and silver and a golden hilt of a crescent moon with diamonds curved-in and a bear’s head as the pommel. With this sword, the king sliced through Valverno’s dragon fire.

  Valverno swung the sword from his left hand to an oncoming mad king with a magic sword the king has. This sudden distraction gave Belverda to roll away from Valverno’s other sword blunting on her staff.

  The witch rolled away far enough from Valverno’s gaze as he focused on the king. As she got up, she pointed her staff at Valverno’s back and casted a green ball.

  Valverno flapped a wing and blown away the green ball if it was just a puff of a cloud. Valverno spun his body half way, with his tail trying to whip at the king but jumped away from the whipping tail. His head had spun and charged toward Belverda with two swords aiming at her.

  At far behind him, the king followed. King Uragiru caught up with Valverno as he slashed one sword to the witch and the other to the king.

  Valverno found himself fighting one-on-two. Belverda swung her staff like a spear and casted out many magic spells at once while King Uragiru was fighting like a young man. Valverno used his wings to cover his upper torso from Belverda’s magic spells and used his dual-wielding swords against her every time he wanted to cut her down.

  Not just taking on two people, but two old people with lots of heavy experience in doing battle. With his whipping tail and his flapping-and-folding wings, Valverno couldn’t bring to land a scratch on his two opponents.

  And every power he conjured to injure his enemies ends up not hurting them. His power was two-thirds restored and that kind of power could be enough to
take down his two enemies he was longing to take down.

  But they did seem to have enough experience in dealing with enemies holding skills with a sword and skilled in the art of magic. For the moment, he was fighting against the two fallen people now fighting for an ancient darkness and he was equally skilled as they were.

  He could see another reason why he wasn’t taking the duo down very easily. He didn’t to unleash his divine power upon the duo. The divine power he used when he fought with the Five-Headed Dragon; his battle with the giant lizard left quite a large and wide landmark of torn mountain terrains and a few valleys.

  Valverno’s battle with the large beast was like an earthquake and no civilians were killed during the battle. If he would unleash his godlike power at the current moment, he would crush the entire capital city down, and its people living in the city. Basically, he would destroy the entire city with his power.

  Valverno didn’t want to risk bringing down an entire city, and due to his change of appearance, he would be remembered as a monstrous, power-hungry hybrid trying to kill the king. He would be placing himself as the island’s tyrant; he would become a reimaging of Lusìvar, in a human dragon hybrid form.

  “Heads up, Valverno,” said Geraldus voice.

  Valverno rolled away from King Uragiru so Geraldus could take the fight away from him, so Valverno could focus on the witch.

  When Geraldus landed in front of the king, the evil king swung his sword at Geraldus’s neck. Geraldus suddenly grabbed the king’s sword in one hand, taking the king by surprise of his sword was caught by the blade in the palm of one man that should have been sliced through.

  “Geraldus, what are you?” asked the king.

  Geraldus had reverted to his White Knight’s armor uniform. “You kept a secret from as I have kept a secret from you,” said Geraldus. “I am the current White Knight of Loyalty, descended from the bloodline of Herus: the original White Knight of Loyalty.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me, your Highness; I am a White Knight, the protectors and teachers from old times. They are the ancient followers of Valverno, therefore I am a follower of the demigod, no matter what side he is on or unless he switches sides to Lusìvar. I loyal not to a single demigod but to the people living on the island, and it is my sworn duty to protect the people from any tyranny, if it means you, my old friend.”

  Geraldus head-butted the king and sent his old friend all the way toward the far wall. Ironically, where the king’s throne stood before the king flung it at Geraldus.

  Valverno heard the king’s impacting into the wall and now he had to deal with the witch. Smiling, Valverno flew into the air and aimed his eyes and the two swords at Belverda, who had a small barrier defending her entire body.

  “NOW YOU DIE!”

  Suddenly, Belverda smirked.

  Valverno’s eyes had widened, as he suddenly smelt a familiar odor, and he smelt it coming from above. While Valverno looked up as he saw a shadowy figure falling upon him. He rolled out of the way of the figure, but not before seeing two knives his right eye saw flinging hidden from a dark cloak.

  Valverno loudly growled, as he had felt great pain erupting on skin around his right eye. His body landed as he felt the body pressure of the shadowy figure jump off the demigod. Valverno stumbled into the ground and released the swords.

  “Valverno!” Marina and Sora shouted.

  Soon, Valverno’s wings folded into a position where he had stopped suddenly, and his head was facing to the ground. Valverno could feel something aching on his skin, aching so irritating and painfully as something he’d never felt before. This aching was itching around his right eye as he placed both his hands upon his eye. He growled in an annoying agony as he bent his front body close to the ground.

  Sora gasped in great horror and dashed to the down hybrid she heard crying in agony. As she dashed to her half-brother, she grabbed one of the two swords Valverno held. She slid down to his side, dropped the sword close to his kneeling his legs, and placing her hands around her half-brother.

  “Valverno? Valverno? Can you hear me?”

  “Y-yes, but I c-c-can’t see,” said Valverno, slurring in his speaking. “I feel something I have ever f-f-felt before, and it… it…I don’t know how to even describe it. And I feel it going deep on my skin surrounding my right eye.”

  Sora looked at the witch, who was smiling evilly and a hooded figure holding two long, curved, nicely-shining, silver daggers sharp enough to cut through a skull.

  “What you’re feeling is physical pain, and it seems this is your first time feeling it,” said Belverda.

  Sora spat in disgrace and looked back at her brother. “Try to stand up.”

  Valverno could stand yet he couldn’t. What he was feeling on his right eye must have what Belverda said: pain. He’d never felt it before on his skin, and this was his first time feeling it. Feeling this pain on his eye made his legs feel paralyzed. He felt unable to stand on his own dragon feet.

  “It seems the demigod is weak after all,” laughed Belverda. “Just as it, weakling, without your full potential, you are nothing. You are Vaeludar, a failed science experiment.” The witch had burst into laughter, as did King Uragiru walking away from a hole he created in the wall he was flung in.

  “Don’t listen to them, my brother. Don’t give into despair. Come on, brother, get up!” Sora shouted from the top of her lungs for Valverno to get back up. She tried to use her arms to pull Valverno up, but his body weight was very heavy for her to carry on her own.

  For Valverno, he was feeling even: a great darkness was now growing in his mind while his heart was being mixed with hope. He could hear the laughter of the witch and the king and the cries of Sora and Marina. He was taking in every sound he was hearing, and he felt many emotions of hate and hope filling in his mind and heart at once.

  Suddenly, his back bent back upwards to reveal his right hand covering his right eye. The pain he felt was suddenly gone and he felt like a newborn infant born without crying.

  “Valverno?” said Sora, softly. Her voice was soft and meek it sounded like she had no hope.

  Valverno, with his right eye still covered, turned to see Sora with his left eye. She looked unharmed without any scratches.

  “Valverno, are you still there? Are you still yourself, the demigod of Light?”

  “I don’t know,” said Valverno. “I never felt something anything like I have felt since being reborn seventeen years ago. And right now?”

  Valverno removed his right hand from his right eye, which made Sora gasp loudly: a scar had been slice across his eye. Valverno’s face still remained the same, but an inch-wide, crescent moon shape cut rolled down his right eye, and his right eye hasn’t been harmed.

  “Oh, Valverno,” said Sora. Sora slowly raised a hand to touch this scar that has been sliced across his eye, going from the eyebrow and curving downward close to the right side of his chin. Then she touched the scar with her own hand.

  Valverno let Sora touch his newly, cut scar he felt coming from the daggers of the shadowy figure. Then, after Sora rolled her figures down his scar, Valverno turned to see the hooded figure and saw the face of the Piper.

  The man, who once served the three witches, was working with the king and other witch.

  Valverno growled fiercely and loudly like a real Dragon. The room shook and cracks began to crumble in the ceiling. The long table had crushed of a certain beat every time there was a sudden quake had erupted.

  Valverno picked up the sword standing next to him with his right hand, and he raised his left hand and the second sword from out of his reach came soaring back into his grip. He was armed with both swords and ready to fight again.

  “Ready for round two?” asked the witch.

  As Valverno wanted to be, he wasn’t; his face wasn’t showing determination in fighting. He has discovered his skin can be cut and sliced. Since his battle with the Minotaur and the Dragon with five heads, Valverno had thought hi
s skin could never be sliced-and-diced. Now, he knows there is a metal that can pierce through his skin, and he didn’t want to stick around to be killed by the Piper with two daggers.

  Then he lowered his swords and widen his wings, ready to fly out of the throne room.

  “Valverno, what are you doing?”

  “We are retreating!”

  Sora raised her eyes. “What? Why?”

  “I said, we are retreating!”

  With no time to spare and a shocking realization that Valverno’s skin had been pierced by a pair of daggers, Valverno turned the two swords back into one and flung the Crystal Sword into the scabbard hanging on his back. He took a quick glance at the book and raised his hands, which made a gushy air and the book flew from the table to his hands. With a snip of his fingers, the book shrank.

  He flapped his wings and grabbed Sora by her waist and gave her the book to carry. Sora quickly tucked it away in her robe. He flew from the direction of the witch and the Piper and to Marina, who he grabbed with his second hand.

  “Hybrid, what are you do—” Marina stayed horrifically silent, gazing at Valverno’s scar given to him by the Piper with his two daggers. “What-what has happen?”

  Valverno paid no attention to Marina’s question and aimed to get out of the throne room. As Valverno rose high into the air, he inhaled a large sum of air and exhaled down a large sum of a blazing orange of fire.

  The fire splat onto the ground and covered the entire throne room in a blaze of hotness. From the fire, Geraldus flew up to join the hybrid. “What on the two islands are you do…ing?” Geraldus too looked at Valverno’s right eye, and his scar.

  Valverno blinked at the White Knight of Loyalty.

  “Getting out of here, and going to see your family in the Western Region, and to discuss about a certain metal that can pierce my skin and may pierce my brain or my heart.”

  With a sudden warning, a few magic blasts were fired from the fire. The two flyers dodged out of the way and the Piper jumped through the heavy fire covering the entire throne room’s floor, engulfing the king and the witch out of view.