Kindles of War

by Nicol Terra

  “Drunk people shouldn't fight.” He said. “At least, not unless they are gods amongst men.” He thought, but even then, being drunk seems like a huge disadvantage.

  Then, he felt himself bump into someone. He readied a blade of earth, only to see Rachel covered in gray soot.

  “Oh wow, thought you were Maldition for a second.”

  “That's racist.” She said, smiling as she rubbed her face with a scrub of water. Then Illevetar bolted around. The camp as on fire, the cries and orders of soldiers, flooded the air. The scent of burnt coal reached his nostrils as he let out a small cough.

  “We are winning.”

  “Not yet, I have yet to find Xin,” Rachel added.

  “So Let's split up again, they have to be somewhere!” Ahn shouted

  The two nodded as they bolted away. “See ya on the flip side.” Rachel said

  “Don't die, cutie,” Illevetar said.

  Ahn blushed as he took a hard left into the burnt camp. The red sun peaked in the distance with the blue soon following closely behind.

  Dawn began. The clouds shrunk aside; it was a perfectly sunny day. He gulped.

  “This one fight will dictate fate.” He said to himself, running quietly to his self, while is squad followed closely behind him.

  “Sir, shouldn't we meet up to other squads and provide backup?” One of his Majors asked. Ahn nodded, as he felt a faint flash of Yellow Aura ring inside him. Did he see the future again? He shook it off.

  “Fine by me, you are in command, Major.” He said. He didn't know what future he saw, but he at least knew they would be safe.

  "But!" The Major said, Ahn smiled and patted her on the head.

  "Group up, you will be safe. That is an order."

  “Group up with Zane and half the army!” She said the other squad darted away from Ahn as he felt a smile form across his tired face.

  Ahn rolled to the back of the camp as he flashed the last of his Blue Aura, he saw a large and powerful soul with another in the camp's end, near a forest of trees.

  “It's okay Xin, We can run the rest of the way,” Ra said. Ahn blue Aura ran out as these were the last words he heard. Ahn shook his head, rushing through the woods.

  He zig-zagged through the trees, blitzing through as fast as possible. When he made it to the forest, he coated his foot with Red Aura and kicked Ra in the back of his head, just hard enough to make him fumble on the ground. The forest around had no life around him for miles, with Xin unconscious body leaning on a nearby tree. Ra took a step upward, stumbling as he shot Ahn a disgusted glare.

  “Fucking hell, you three are more annoying than flies.” He said. Ahn shook his head and shrugged.

  “I guess you should have done a better job at killing us in Ramas.”

  Ra sighed “Jon and Sam never reported back did you kill them?”

  “Not sure, I forgot,” Ahn smirked. Ra snapped his neck to the right side, then doing it for the left side.

  “You want that duel, you got one kid.” He said, flashing Yellow. Ahn eyes narrowed, he can see into the future too.

  Ahn was out of Blue Aura and was running out of both Orange and Red. He grumbled. He instead created a blaze of flames. A small, narrow blade of fire. Ahn jumped forward, thrusting. The man darted his head to the side, then ducked, then jumped, and kicked Ahn in the face. Ahn took a stagger back. He felt his vision narrow as Ahn released his blade into a ball of flames. He threw it forward, only for an explosion of flames surround him. Ra spat out some blood, skipping backward as he created a green blade of wind. He cut through space, and then he felt a large gash cut through his chest. Then, he saw a wheel of Yellow, circling and releasing a large pile of energy. The wheel of Yellow flushed his body with Yellow. He saw it, the future, and he jumped to the side, as Space severed to the right. A large gash in space revealed a small window from hundreds of miles away, in a distant land of snow. He smiled.

  “Aww, you planned to send me to my room?” Ahn smirked. "How cute!"

  “You little.” Ra flashed Orange again and sliced space again. Ahn saw space slide and slash away. He ducked his head and turned to the right. The slice cut through space as both repaired In a few moments. Ahn saw Raza cut once more through space again, only for him to stop his diagonal slash to a horizontal slash. All of these repeated efforts and his talent with this ability was no doubt beyond most with range. He must be a Bender, not a Warper.

  Ra had a few Yellow silhouettes doing actions, each of them differed slightly from each other. His real body morphed and merged with an outline as Ahn knew what he had to do. If he slashed right, he dodged left. If he cut left, he dodged right. Ra cursed, slashing and becoming more and more frantic. Ahn bolted forward, grabbing his right arm with his own, holding it in place.

  “L-Let go.” He said.

  “No,” Ahn said he pulled him forward. Ahn channeled all of his Red Aura into his left hand and shattered the bone within a second. Ra, let out a loud scream, circling around the forest as he instantly released his Darkness Aura. His right arm limped downward.

  Ahn flashed Yellow Again, and all the futures he saw was Ra, running away. Sure enough, moments later, Ra ran away, bolting further into the forest, crossing it within seconds. Ahn formed two flames around his hand and thrusted them backward, lunging him in the air. He flew a few thousand meters in the air as he saw nothing but forest and ocean in the far north. He burst downward once again. He flashed Yellow, and he snapped his head backward, dodging a beam of darkness. He then saw new futures. Instead of shadows, he saw himself, darting north-westward, falling a few feet from Ra. He shook his head, as he burst north-westward. The chilly wind snapping across his skin, his body was livid with energy and adrenaline. He fell, his legs sliding on the soil below. He saw Ra, holding his arm, frozen. Ahn saw his eyes narrow and his smile was nonexistent. He walked, and Ra took a step back. He clenched his fist together as he intensified his glare.

  “You dare run? What do you think of the thousands you chained up, ready to kill because you had no mercy? No mercy, yet you expect me to let you go?” Ahn said.

  Before Ra could say anything Ahn gave him a simple punch across the nose, he felt a spurt of blood cover his fist as Ra fell to the ground below.

  “I don’t have the relaxed nature of Rachel nor the innate kindness of Illevetar,” Ahn said, holding his neck in place and he lifted him off the ground. He stopped using Yellow Aura and instead rolled his eyes at Ra, who was shivering.

  “Ra, you should be scared. I wanna kill you. So you can never hurt anyone ever again." Ahn said. He flashed Yellow Aura as he took a step back, still holding him in place. He was gone, did Ahn kill him? Ahn darted to the side once again, dodging a sword of darkness in the nick of time. He cursed to himself.

  “So being able to see the future is not infallible.” He said. Ra cursed and scoffed.

  “Arrogant little shit, you dare scold me?”

  “Yeah, I do, because unlike you,” Ahn said, releasing Yellow Aura as he shook the ground beneath him. The forest started to uplift itself as tree around him fell and threw up in the air from the roots. The ground started to form small crevices as the ground folded. A tidal wave formed right next to him as the large ocean blue formed a long wave over one hundred feet tall. When serious, he had far more power than Ra ever did. “Unlike you, I don’t use my power to kill others to prove a point, I use mine to defend my friends and people I care about."

  Ra, let out a small laugh as a gallon of water fell on the two. The wave inched through as the wave stretched a few miles inland, wiping away the forest and land with ease. One month of hiking on this island, exploring its nature and meeting new people, he never thought he would see the ocean again. The tsunami flushed through the forest and soil, turning a light brown. The suns peaked in the distance as morning settled. Ahn flashed Yellow as he slid down with the wave with Ra directly across of him, ready to float down to a small canyon in the land. The canyon ran wildly with water as a new-formed lake appea
red beneath the two. Ahn screamed as he fell a few dozen feet into the ravine and landed face first in the lake. The water was a few dozen feet deep and was overflowing to flood the nearby forest. Ahn tried to form a blade of flames, only for the water to extinguish them with ease. He cursed, instead he swam upward and took a large breath. Ra followed, taking twice as long with only one arm.

  “You think, that using your power to kill others for protection makes you different? You are hurting others by your actions around you. Hypocrite!"

  "Intentions matter!" Ahn gargled.

  "No, they don't! Not in this world!"Ra said Ahn swam to a nearby patch of land, barely held up by the scornful waves of water. Ra raised his left hand and formed a black sphere, the water floated upward into a small black hole, wrapping around into a few kilometers sized ball. He gulped.

  “Fine! Let's see you try to protect people from this!” Ra said. Ahn flashed Yellow as he saw the water around him float upward, the soil soaked ground was free of the flooding he made. Ra threw the giant ball at the city of Ramas. Ahn cursed. He struggled to form fire with his right hands. He grabbed the nearby water instead and created a small whip, latching back on to the above land. He swung upward and falling on the cliff he once was. He saw the new lake disappear as the bomb of water formed above him.

  “If I land this, most of that city will be gone, and the flooding will be so great that not even that floating city will survive.” He said, laughing like a mad man.

  “You are crazy! I thought you wanted that city.” Ahn shouted.

  “Yeah well, mission failed, time to roll again.” He said. Ahn cursed. Ra is literally crazy. He slammed his feet into the ground, lifting the rocks and muddy soil from below to form a giant wall, wrapping around the cliff and stretching for miles. The wall rose ten miles long in the shape of a rectangular prism. Ra threw his ball at him, with Ahn planting his hands inside the wall. He used all of his energy to stop the water, he felt small holes of water shoot through, leaking out parts of his newfound wall. Then, those holes became cracks around him, shooting large gashes of water outward.

  Before he knew it, the water smashed through him, sending him uphill. He fumbled, rolling with the wave as he struggled to maintain balance. He tried once again as he formed a new wall of earth, this time much shorter. Within a few seconds, a wall a hundred feet tall and the same length wide shot upward. This time, the water stopped pushing him backward, lunging him at a tree on dry land. He spat blood as he saw Ra fly above him, floating above with the black orb of gravity guiding him.

  “No… No! Not again! Why are you so intent on protecting these people!” He yelled, Before Ahn could respond, he saw Ra fall downward. He passed out as he landed in the ocean below. Ahn ran right over to him, as the new, two walled dams kept the water inside, forming a new river that wrapped around, slashing and creating a canyon. He saw Ra float downward, heading southbound, not dead, just unconscious, drowning from his own technique.

  Ahn fell on the ground as he felt his eyes grow weary.

  “Good riddance.” Ahn said.

  Illevetar rushed forward, floating herself upward with a massive explosion, instantly knocking a few aside. She felt a shot brushed back her cheek. She was covered with various minor wounds, mostly cuts, and bruises. In a few hours, hundreds rushed at her, some getting lucky shots. Others, Illevetar incinerated. She shook her head; the suns rose a little in the east, the blue sun peaking through the campsite. The camp was lit mostly on fire, with half the army rushing now toward the camp to reinforce them. The smoke flushed the floor beneath her, choking everyone except Illevetar. The soldiers rushed out tent after tent, often their blades and guns in hand, which Illevetar would slice their blades or guns in half. Sometimes, she would knock out people with the spine of her blade and other times; she sliced them clean in two. Her mother taught her to be quick and efficient. Killing was a tragedy, but it started to become second nature.

  “Rush her, rush her!” A few dozen soldiers said, rushing toward her. She rolled her eyes “Yeah, what good what can you do, you slowpokes?“

  Illevetar saw them, sluggish and slow. In a few seconds, she coated her blade with red flames as she sliced through half of the four squads. Screaming, the soldiers remaining alive retreated, parting every direction in the camp. Illevetar smiled, as she leaned on a nearby boulder, panting for as she spat out blood.

  “Now that was a pain in the ass.” She said. She flew up with a pillar of flames as she looked southbound. She saw the army pour out from the city, meeting the now overextended and distracted. Both sides of the military pinned the Maldition Soldiers, Rachel in front, and an army behind them. Illevetar rushed forward, crossing a mile in a microsecond, slamming into the ground and creating a newfound crater. She saw her Holosphere float upward.

  “Yo, perfect timing!” Rachel’s hologram said, the sounds of swords clanking together in the background. Illevetar ducked from a blade.

  Illevetar smiled. The army still shocked and disoriented as they fire blasts from the gun randomly. Thousands of shots, ringing past her ears. She rolled on the floor, jumped and sidestepped as many as she could. Some of them landed, but they felt like a punch more so than a piercing beam. Her multi-colored hologram also darted from side to side, kicking soldiers aside through a few hundred kilometers.

  “I know right. It is like we planned this.” Rachel said.

  Rachel laughed, Illevetar continued to run toward her, only to be cornered by ten soldiers. She covered her body with flames, exploding outward. Illevetar flashed Blue and weaved a ball of water. In a second, she threw five soldiers aside. “Ahn was fighting Ra, so ignore the west side of the army.”

  “Want me to burst over there?” Illevetar asked.

  Rachel smirked. “Oh please, I can get to where you are five times faster than you could get.”

  “Guilty as charged.” Illevetar whispered.

  “I am fine. Xin is mine. I want to punch him in the face for breaking my crystal.” Rachel said.

  Illevetar smirked. “Good luck, also, try to ignore the southernmost tip of the Army.”

  “Why?” Rachel asked.

  Illevetar darted to the side and knocking a soldier aside with the blunt side of her blade. “I am on cleanup duty.”

  Rachel nodded. “Got it.” The Hologram disappeared as Illevetar pocketed the Holosphere back into her pocket. Illevetar looked forward as a single soldier looked at her. She wore a cap on her head, a single star marking the cap only with the Kulso flag on it. She was short, five foot. Her gray skin looked exhausted and tired. Illevetar looked at her and then she shook her head.

  “You don’t look so good.” Illevetar said.

  The woman said nothing, reaching for her gun as she pointed it at Illevetar. Illevetar felt her power, she was weaker and a little slower, but she felt a strange feeling from that gun. Illevetar held her sword together with both hands as the woman shot a blast at Illevetar. She knocked it aside, the jet of water shot through and froze a nearby soldier. Illevetar cursed. That was the feeling.

  She closed her eyes for a moment; she can't use Fire. She coated her blade with a current of wind. She felt a storm brew above her, lightning crackled, and rain poured. The sun was no more, hiding under a now a sky filled with clouds. In a second, a storm formed and in a few more, rain rushed downward.

  The woman shot another blast at her, running around to the side. Illevetar followed her movement, tracking her to the left side. She dodged the first blast and then deflected the other with her blade. She grabbed her blade as she jumped to the right side, shooting a gust of wind at her. The woman's eyes widened as her body was enveloped with a yellow aura, dodging the blast of wind. Illevetar raised a brow. She can freeze people, and she can avoid my attacks. She was a Major; she was skilled. Illevetar needed to know what that Aura did. She recalled Ahn’s ability, as her eyes widened. She pointed her blade at the Major, shooting various gusts and blasts of wind at her. The slivers of cutting blades of air rushed at her,
only for her to duck, jump and evade all of blades and currents of air. She dodged all of them as if she could see briefly into the future. Illevetar cursed, then the Major rushed forward, pointing the gun at her face.

  “Say goodnight.” She said.

  Illevetar disappeared before her eyes, appearing behind her as she sliced through her. The woman coughed blood as she fell to the ground. She stopped midway as the woman passed out from the blood loss. Then, Illevetar heard a loud bark from behind. When she swung around, he saw a man with a half burnt face look at her.

  He twitched, and he let out a small snarl like a wild animal. Illevetar slinked her blade forward as she let out an excited smile.

  “Good god I should have aimed higher.” She said.

  Miguel's face was burnt black on his right side. He was missing his eye and his arm. He held a blade with his left hand, an obvious disadvantage. This girl was immensely talented, and she was not here as a warrior, but out of order. This man, he wanted to be here. His twisted smile and his white stained eyes shrouded with deep anger and anxiety. He shrieked as he surrounded himself with flames. She shook her head, her eyes saddened.

  “I feel sorry for you, continuing to live a life of anger, just for the sake of bullying humans who cannot fight back.” She said.

  “You do not understand, how much pleasure I get from proving my superiority.” Miguel snarled.

  Illevetar’s eyes twitched. “Superiority?”

  He cackled, hacking and coughing soot of smoke. “You should know, we are magically inclined beings, yet Humans using magic is rare. They cannot weave nature and the mind, instead of indulging themselves in greed and trade.”

  Illevetar spat on the ground, her eyes darkened. “You are not superior to them because of that. You are just a coward.” She pointed “You know greed is natural, it isn‘t aligned to crystals, magic or aura. It just is.”