The Villain's Story

It was hot, really hot, like molten metal was being poured on his skin, but at the same time, it was also cold.

He knew his skin had been charred, but his golden fire was still keeping him alive. Though useless on the outside, inside, it was keeping his organs in line, his bones where they should be and worst of all, regenerating his nerves.

It could never compare to Alan Peccator’s near instantaneous regeneration… and Edward wished it was just somewhat faster, or didn’t exist at all.

For he felt the pain of the burns continue when his nerves regenerated, each nerve ending that was regenerated, one by one, the intensity of the fire increased. His mind was going insane.

Worst of all, within the heat was brutal cold of an origin he couldn’t explain. He felt as if it didn’t impact his body much other than restricting him.

But it did more than that, his mind felt dull the moment he came into contact with it, and it reached a level beyond that as well, though he was still unsure.

Nevertheless, He didn’t think he would survive this. What an unfair matchup, He thought he would be coming here to fight himself, not this abomination.

Not this fierce beast, not this damn abomination that could wield both fire and ice, along with this fearsome strength. He was supposed to be fighting himself… a damn shadow that ran away. Not this darned fox.

[WEAK.]

Worst of all, it was still bickering in his mind. It still continued to scream in his mind, giving him not even a moment of peaceful silence.

[BOTH A DISGRACE.]

What?

Both? What did it mean by both?

[MUST END BOTH DISGRACES.]

“What…”

‘Do you mean?’

His body wasn’t able to speak clearly yet, only a single word left his mouth as the rest circled around his mind. He kept thinking about it again, and again.

And somehow, the beast heard him clearly, it understood his mind, and grinned.

[BOTH OF YOU, SIBLINGS OF DISGRACE.]

‘The fuck… you saying?’

He tried to raise his head, but to no avail. Not only the pain, but the pressure on his chest aching to crush it, was too much to bear.

[THE SISTER WILL FALL AS WELL.]

For a brief moment, enraged at the wolf. Edward raced to any ideas that may help in his current situation. He recalled many conversations he had.

‘I’m sorry to say this, kid, but you can’t use the bloodline abilities of your family well.’

The spirit that the big dragon summoned.

‘You, simply, don’t have the aptitude to use the golden fire for what it is truly meant for. The nearly broken abilities of creation, and support.’

‘I’m sorry, but you can’t.’

But he remembered something else.

‘Can you fire that off like a breath? You cover your body with it, why not try? Like I do it, concentrate it in your throat, and just poof! Breathe it out? I think I do it like that.’

Alan once asked that question, but Edward didn’t know the answer. Could he fire his golden fire off like a breath? Like Alan and Kazikato did?

He never tried it, and he never even thought of it. But now? Where all of his limbs were useless? He couldn’t move them… but his mouth, some of it was open.

‘Worth a shot.’

It was all he thought, before focusing his golden fire in his throat. The fire keeping him alive was redirected from that purpose to something he wasn’t even sure would work. Well, if it did, he had a means of recovering.

Only if it worked, though.

[BOTH MUST DIE.]

‘Shut up.’

Was the fox choosing not to hear him this time? Or was the previous interaction merely his crumbling mind finding ways to give him strength? He didn’t know, but he was not going to let this thing get near his sister.

Never.

And so, he did it. He unleashed all the golden fire he concentrated in his mouth. He couldn’t open his mouth fully, so some of his teeth and the flaps of skin went with it.

It wasn’t a magnificent pillar of pure energy, rising high into the skies like an indomitable force that illuminated the entire area with a heavy blue, It didn’t have the power to freeze everything, like Alan Peccator’s.

It wasn’t the mightiest force, a roaring dragon of pure fiery energy that rose into the sky, appearing like a small sun, it didn’t have the pure power and might to hit like a hundred ballistic missiles like Elijah’s.

It wasn’t a slow stream of death and decay, a dark green poison that brought the opponent to the brink of death, that rose to the skies like a pillar of might, a breath of death that no one would want to face, like Kazikato’s.

It was just a puff compared to those mighty breaths, but a mere flamethrower that went out after two seconds, a flame which tore through his teeth and his skin and found its target.

The black fox turned golden for a mere moment, letting the golden flame touch it, but only a part of it. The shadowy beast jumped back, as the remnants of Edward’s fire fell down to the ground like a solid material.

It landed on his body, all of it. But Edward didn’t see nor feel such a thing, his mind was already racing on what to do next, ignoring the pain.

Sending the remnants of his energy towards the spatial rings on his fingers, the only one that hadn’t melted into his own skin yet… he took out potions. A dozen and more.

The first fell in his hand, and with crippling might he crushed the glass, letting the liquid heal his hand, which he used to throw the rest of the potions all over his body.

In the distance, the beast of shadow writhed in pain, as the golden fire that touched it stuck onto it. The ghostly blue fire it produced was useless against Edward’s golden fire. It stuck to its figure like a parasite.

It was like the black ice on Edward, it continued to move, the only difference being that the fox could not stop its propagation, unlike Edward.

His golden fire, though he could not use it to its full potential, was greater than the black ice of the fox. That was a fact.

“HAA!”

He ran to it, screaming as he covered his fists and legs with golden fire. His aura was running out, he had to end this quick.

Or he really was going to die.

The fox let out a roar, as pillars of blue fire emerged from thin air once more, they raced towards Edward like serpents lunging at their prey.

He evaded them, blocking such a fire was useless, it was just better to dodge and close the distance between him and the beast of shadows. He pushed his feet deep into the ground, braced himself and set into the right posture.

And then, he punched the damn thing, right in the throat. The beast had opened its terrifying maw to rip Edward’s face off, but he was a step quicker, he let out a punch right into the mouth, deep enough that it couldn’t close its jaw in time.

“HA!”

Like a martial artist, he let out another yell, as his golden fire surged from within the beast’s mouth. He took out his fists, and began his rhythm.

A jab! A straight! A Left! A right! A hook!

A flurry of blows that repeated again and again right at the snout of the beast, covering more of it’s face with golden fire.

A jab! A straight! A left! A right! A hook! And then, an uppercut!

The beast’s front paws lifted off the ground, as a few black teeth dropped to the ground. Edward jumped, grabbing the ears of the fox as he landed on top of the fox!

He knew he had only a few moments, before the pillar like tails would crush him, so he just punched, as his entire body was clad in golden flame.

He clenched his fist, his middle finger protruded from the rest, slightly, and he punched the skull. Likewise, he just kept on punching.

A straight, a Straight! A straight! Was it even a straight punch like this? In this sort of form and position? He didn’t care, he just kept yelling those same words in his mind, as his golden fire consumed the beast.

[WEAK!]

It continued to cry in his mind, as the Pillar like tails crashed down on his shoulders. He used his legs to secure himself to the beast’s neck even tighter, and bit the tails that crashed into him.

It was just a race against time, against whose body would fall first. Would the beast be consumed by his golden fire? Or would Edward’s bones be crushed to dust by its fearsome blows.

Ironically, the very first thing to break was his fists, moments before Edward saw a message appear in front of him.

[You have conquered your shadow.]

[You have gained a slight affinity to the shadows.]