Pyrus (6 page)

“He has done enough already!” she shouted at him. “You cannot expect him to perform two major healing spells consecutively—he will die!” Death didn't sound too good. I had just escaped him not even five minutes ago; I didn't think he would be so forgiving a second time. How strongly she was defending me was also surprising.

“Everyone is either useful or dead weight,” he replied in a steely tone, resuming checking out his fingers. “That is how our society functions, and the sooner you realize this, the better.” Lyra said nothing, but got up and started walking toward him.

“Bolt!” she called out. The man just stared at her and then started to laugh.

“So, you want to handle this the hard way then,” he stated after calming down. “Very well. Glace, show these fools your true power.” Snow from the cloud above him started to fall, and as it landed on his hand, it began forming into his weapon. I looked like a whip, but the lace had spikes protruding from every angle, followed by a blade-like point at the ends.

Lyra was handling her emotions rather well, unlike me, since she could read me like an open book. I stared at Glace and thought,
Oh we are dead, so very dead. Well, maybe not her, but I will be. She has Bolt. I have nothing!
But all she did was tighten her grip on Bolt's handle. The ground started to shake as these two fighters powered up, and before I even knew what happened, Lyra was gone.

The speed she was travelling at was phenomenal, because as I watched her disappear, not even a second later, she was behind him, ready to kill. But as she swiped, the man was able to see the attack and block it without even turning to face her. Both of them, I realized, were not playing around anymore, they were channelling all their magii into all seven chambers. This was a fight to the death.

I wanted to help Lyra, but there was nothing I could do. She was still locked inside of Glace's lace. She seemed to be overpowering him, until he shouted out, “Extend!” Lyra instantly retreated. It was a good thing she did too, because the spikes started growing and becoming crystal clear, almost as if they were sharp blades made of …

“Ice!” I said aloud. He looked at me, as if amazed that I actually could speak, but then quickly returned his focus just in time to block Lyra's vertical slash. They clashed multiple times in those few seconds, I don't even think I saw half of them, but then the man pushed away Bolt, raised his hand, and shouted, “Tundriemoy!” or something like that. A wave of snow started flowing from his hand. Lyra appeared shocked by the ferocity of the avalanche, and before she had time to react, it buried her. I thought it was all over for her, and it was as if something broke in me, because I started to act as though I was in a trance.

“Waste of my time,” the man said. “Magician! I need you to replenish my magii. Get over here!” My feet quickly marched over to his spot. I knew what I was about to do was wrong, but I didn't care. My mind was protesting, willing my body to stop, but I forced its influence back. Right now, nothing really seemed to matter. I saw one of the only people I actually liked in this place get killed.

“Hurry up! I'm getting impa—” He was cut off. Up until now, I've been avoiding eye contact with this man; I was so ashamed of myself that I couldn't bear to look at him, for him to know how pathetic I really was. When I looked up, though, I saw probably the most disgusting thing since that half-eaten arm in the forest. A spike of some kind was protruding from his stomach.

“Well, this is rather inconvenient,” he said, clearly annoyed by this spike. A pool of blood was forming on his armor, and I was getting so disgusted that I had to look away.

“You underestimated me.” Lyra's voice called out. “After a week long battle, I thought for sure that your expectations of me were higher.” Lyra was alive! She had little snowflakes in her hair, but I didn't care. She was back but looked more menacing. The look she gave that man would make even the strongest man on Earth piss himself.

“What … have you done?” he cried out. He was struggling so hard to move his body, but he could only manage a slight movement in his fingers. I could actually tell that he was enraged at Lyra.

“Bolt's stun effect, it should wear off in around ten minutes or so, but I do not think you will live that long,” she replied in a calm voice. I was now terrified. She had adopted Kris's creepy calm tone of death, and it suited her well. This was the first time I saw this part of her personality, and it turns out that she has a quiet nature.

When she had finished speaking, she finally retracted Bolt from the man's stomach and he didn't even flinch.
Well, he's stunned; I don't think he'll be feeling anything for a while,
I thought.

She immediately fell to her knees after retracting Bolt, probably because of magii exhaustion. For some reason, my insane exhaustion from before had no effect on me at the moment; it was as if I was running on someone else's energy other than my own.

“You … cannot defeat me! I have come too far, lost too much, to be denied!” He started screaming with rage, his veins pulsing from the effort of trying to move his body.

“You will kill yourself if you strain anymore.” Lyra spoke without even looking up at him, “Everything you have worked for is now finished; you cannot win; just give up.” The man continued to yell. The ground started to shake violently from his efforts. A white aura formed around him and then disappeared. Nothing short of death would stop him.

Lyra, probably convinced that he'd die as soon as he broke free, stood up and started walking toward me. She didn't even turn around when the ground shook.

“Not yet,” the man said. “I will not lose just yet!” And Bolt's effect just disappeared, because he was charging right at Lyra. She didn't even notice until she turned around, only to be met by the charging line of ice that his whip had become. Her reflexes kicked in, and she instinctively raised her axe as if to block, but it was too late. The tip passed right through her left arm, and ice began to form from the hole, freezing her arm. The whip passed through the ice as if it was never there and immediately went back to its master.

“The real battle starts now!” he cried out and then practically teleported in front of Lyra. She backed away, barely avoiding another stab from the whip. Her left arm was immobilized now, and her axe was a two-handed weapon. She continued retreating while he frantically attempted to stab her, probably as a way to freeze her in place.

He had completely forgotten about me. I'm now channeling as much magii as I can into my palms. Forget running away; she's in trouble! I put just enough magii into my thighs in order to get a good speed to approach and find an opening. Without a countdown, I'm rushing into the fray. I'm almost at him when I raise my right fist.

“What the hell?” he said while turning around.

“Die!” I scream, punching him directly in the cheek. The effect was amazing. As soon as I made contact, he went spiraling into a frozen tree, crashing right through it.
That gives me a little more time.
I don't think he's dead after that one blow, but I knew it would take him a while to recover.

I race right toward Lyra, hoping to get to her before he comes back, when I start to feel cold, . I look at Lyra, and her right hand is covering her mouth, her eyes widened in horror, and when I look down, I notice what the problem is.

“It is impressive that you are able to still channel so much magii.” The man spoke behind me. “It is a shame that I have to kill you; you could have been very useful to me.” He retracts Glace, passing through my stomach as it does so, but stopping half way. Already my heart's starting to slow down, and I'm beginning to lose the feeling in my extremities.

“Impressive is she not?” the man says. “Glace, retract! This boy's done.” As Glace passes through my body, it freezes me more. Ice is pouring out instead of blood, and it's freezing my body in the process. My legs are frozen, and now it's almost at my head. All I can do is stare as the man approaches Lyra, about to give her the same fate.

Chapter 10: The Transformation

For some reason I've ended up returning to my inner world to find the flaming walls replaced by frozen pillars. Even the floor is completely covered in ice. I wouldn't be surprised if it started snowing! I now know the basic drill whenever I come here, so I stand in my spot, waiting for my reflection to appear—only he's not showing up.

Annoyed with waiting, I decide that I'm going to go and search for him. So, making sure not to slide and fall, I carefully begin to make my way across the floor. I never really realized how big my world was, but then again, I never really left the entrance spot. As soon as I start walking toward a pillar, I end up getting stuck right in the middle of a maze. Where's the entrance, or the exit? I have no clue. Using the techniques passed down through generations of movies, I place my hand on the left side of the wall and begin to walk. Either I'll reach the center or the end.

My hand's beginning to freeze after about ten minutes of contact with the ice, so I have to pull it away, but I still continue following the wall. It wasn't until another few minutes that I started to hear voices. I'm now jogging, excited about finding the exit, and following the voices until they start to get louder.

“You are forbidden to enter this place!” a female voice says. “It is under my control now, so find someone else.”

“Judging by what you just said, I do not think that Jack would appreciate being taken over,” the other voice replied. It was my reflection, my older self. I was getting very close now. I just needed a few more walls. Until then, it would be better to listen in and get a grasp on the situation.

“The boy is finished. If you have not already noticed, even his mental realm is now corrupted by my influence!” she continued.

“But have you actually finished him?” my reflection countered. “You can talk about it, but right now he is probably on his way to get his body back.”

“Unfortunately, you will not be around to see him,” the woman replied in a nasty tone. As soon as I turn the corner, now at the source of the quarrel, older me gets thrown at me by a giant white snake. Frost came out of the snake's mouth, and she coated whatever she breathed on with ice. Black markings ran all the way down her back.

“Jack! Glad to see you have arrived. I apologize for the circumstances of our meeting, but I suppose that you already know the reason,” older me stated. I push him off of me—I think he may have almost broken a rib—and walk toward snake-lady.

“I take it as this is your animal form, Glace?” I ask her, trying to sound more confident than I actually was.

“I am impressed you recognize me,” she responded. “Too bad! I was hoping to hunt you down rather than have to kill you—it would have made it so much more amusing for me!” She instantly lunged at me, barely missing my chest as she did so, but it didn't go without a price. My ripped shirt from Earth, which had survived worse trials than this, was now frozen solid. I did the only thing I could do: punch it in order to give me more mobility. The only thing I had left of Earth now was my jeans and boxers.

Glace was taller and older than me, but it may be just here in my world that she's taller. We're fighting in a square room that has pockets of ice around the floor, and she's set herself up in the best position by covering all the exits and maintaining a range so that she can strike us. I've been underestimating my opponents and suffering massively because of it, but they also haven't given me enough consideration. I could be deadly when I actually wanted to be, and I am formulating a plan.

I rush recklessly at Glace in a straight path, channelling enough magii for one big punch, when she whips her tail at me. In normal circumstances, I would be screwed right now, but I remembered is that this is my world. I could make myself invincible if I wanted to, but I'd rather keep that ace in the hole for later—the less she knows about how much I know, the better. Instead I decide to barely dodge the strike, and I jump on her tail and aim directly for her face.

As I flew toward her face, I speed up time and get at least fifteen punches instead of just one. The one thing that I'm counting on is that she thinks I'm using magii to do everything. If not, I may lose my advantage. She's glaring at me now, hopefully unaware of my plan; if not, then I'll have to finish her off quick.
How can you say think about that so casually?
I question myself.
Do lives not matter to you anymore? Are you so afraid of dying that you're willing to kill others to survive?

Glace doesn't give me time to ponder on these thoughts, because the moment I zoned out, she hit me so forcefully with her tail that I fly across the room into the ice wall. I cough out some blood, stunned by the force of the smash. My vision is getting a little blurry, but I refocus. I was running out of time, Glace was slowly inching toward me, but I couldn't move at all. More importantly, older me has done nothing to help me. He's just observing a few feet away from her tail, and she hasn't even attacked him yet.

“It has been fun, boy. I cannot remember how long it has been since anyone has actually put up a real fight.” Glace gleefully cried out, “Once these fangs touch your skin, though, you will be finished.”
Wow, you'd expect someone this powerful not to exploit their secret weapon so soon
, I thought.
Oh well, whatever keeps me alive, I guess.
I clench my fingers into fists but don't move—not yet, anyway.

I slowly push myself off the wall. My heart is racing as a plan begins to form in my mind. It was an okay plan—I mean there weren't any special instant kill motions in it. It all depended on how good of an actor I was.

“What are your goals?” I scream at her. “Why target me of all people? I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time!” I try to make my voice sound as scared as possible, and she stops. It takes every single bit of self-restraint to crack a smile. If I gave her even a tiny hint that I was acting, she would kill me.

“The magii waves emanating from your body resemble that of a Pyrus magician, meaning you did not show up at the scene of the battle by accident. Also, it has been a while since I have tasted Pyrian blood; Ivan hasn't let me kill any Pyrians since the Pyrus Kreydur, so it will be nice to have a refresher,” Glace said in an overconfident tone. I listened to what she said, but it took another twenty seconds or so before the words actually hit me. At first I'm shocked that the Kreydur was a murderer, but the shock was quickly replaced by rage. I didn't even know the person, yet somehow my anger's burning, rising, until I lose control of my thoughts.

I scream some sort of war cry, momentarily stunning her in the process, and then I whale on her. At first she laughs at my punches lack of effect, but then she starts to retreat as I play my trump card: my imagination. My fists now begin to land on her like blocks of concrete. I can see indents from where my punches are making contact on her skin, and she is completely stunned. After a few more minutes, I regain enough control to say five words “This … this is
my
world!” By now, she's almost dead. Seeing her almost motionless makes my fury drain away, but not before I deliver one last blow to her head, crushing her skull. There was no blood, not even a scream of pain, just silence.

Then there was a clapping sound. I look to my left to see older me giving me a round of applause. I thought of bowing, but immediately scratched it out of my head—the deed I just did was not something to be proud of.

“That ended rather well,” was all he said.

“Well?” I replied in a steely tone. “Because I killed her? I'm no better than she is! None of this would've happened if I'd just stayed in the cave.”

“That is true,” he responded. “But think about it this way: if you had not gone to investigate, would the girl still be alive right now?”

Lyra …
My mind goes back to when we first met; how she yelled at me; she even looked beautiful while doing that. I really know nothing about her, so I have no idea why I feel the way I feel toward her. But then my thoughts almost instantly switch to home, and I wonder how things truly are back there. If the image I saw of me lying on a bed dead is true, was my family worried about me?

“Of course, she will not be alive much longer,” older me said. “Not unless you do something about it.”

“Me? What can I do? I'm frozen solid back in reality,” I counter. “And unless you have a flamethrower, I don't think I'll be getting out anytime soon.”

“If you want to save her, you need to find a reason to fight. Here, time is extremely slow compared to the real world, so you have about three minutes to decide before she dies.” He said, and with a wave of his hand, a timer appears, counting down from three minutes.

I sat down and said no more. There were no hints for this question, no clues. This was something I needed to figure out on my own. I remember the first time I showed up here, how I watched all of my battles take place from the sidelines. I've been fighting for myself really; there was no good reason, no justice or anything the hero in a movie fights for, just fighting because that was the way to solve my problems.

As I continued reflecting, time seemed to stop. I didn't need to look at the clock; I already knew how much time I had. The question was could I forgive myself and change my beliefs? I realize now that the fights I've been picking were always because things didn't go the way I wanted them to, but I need to truly accept it. My thoughts turned to Lyra and the predicament she's in. She needed me right now, and I had to help.

“You have ten seconds left,” older me said. “Have you made your decision?” He stared at me impatiently; his eyes burning into my skull. I stared at him, looked at the clock, and nodded.

“Yes,” I said, “I need to fight to protect her.” Older me gave me a huge smile, and the whole room erupted into flames. The pillars of ice melted, and the maze itself melted, replaced by the walls of flame. As I spun around, watching my mind as it changes back to its original state. I heard older me's voice. “It is time to finish this. Do not let me down.”

Life returned back into my eyes, and I stare at the scene in front of me. The Kreydur called Ivan was advancing on Lyra, who had fallen and is now pushing herself away from him, trying to escape. It didn't look like she would get very far. Ivan was now without a weapon for some reason, though; I suspect it's because I killed Glace in my mental realm. The ice between my fingers has melted, and I clench my hands into fists. I can't break free from the ice, but at least I'm not dead!

“Call me, Jack.” Older me's voice rung in my head. “Just shout this and I will come to you: Kreysire! You can do it! Say the word!” he shouted.

“Kreysire!” I scream at the top of my lungs, but since I'm stuck inside the block of ice, my voice is inaudible. Nothing happens, so I wait. Then I start to feel very, very hot. It was like I was right beside the sun, but it kept getting hotter. The heat was driving me insane. I needed to find somewhere to cool down, but where could I go? I started shaking violently, urging the heat to subside. I end up shaking so much that the ice begins to crack. Ivan turns his head to look at me, and he actually looks rather scared.

“Glace, Kreysire!” he cries out, and she materializes out of a snow cloud in her weapon form.
Wait a minute, if that word makes the Kreysor go into weapon form, then that means…

The iceberg explodes, shards flying in every direction, followed by a cloud of steam forming a veil around me. All of the heat in my body subsides into a warmth that flows down into my right hand. All the heat is concentrated into my palm, and I instinctively clench my fist. I feel something in my hand, something soft, and when I turn my palm and look at it, I notice a rectangular handle wrapped in blue cloth.

“Focus your magii into the handle, and I will do the rest,” older me's voice said. I did as he asked, channelling every last ounce of energy I had left in my other chambers into my palms. As I did so, the top of the handle opened up and expanded and a flame burst out of it. I was so astonished, I lost my concentration, and the flame immediately died and the handle closed back up. I concentrated on releasing my magii into the handle, and it reopened with the flame, and when I cut it off, the flame died again.

This is so cool!
I thought. I'm experimenting with the flamethrower like a three-year-old at his own birthday party. All this is interrupted when Glace brushes right past my face, freezing parts of my hair in the process. Ivan definitely wasn't letting me find out the abilities of my Kreysor—he'll probably kill me before I have the chance.

Maintain a steady flow of magii, Jack!
Older me's voice rang out, nagging me.
Sure, you can use it as a flamethrower, but watch what happens when you give it a steady flow.
I first considered my options, but during that time, I felt my magii leaving as if someone else is taking it from me. The box reopened up and the flame shoots out. This time though, the flame condenses somewhat and is becoming less wild. The box then expands, the base stretching upwards and the flaps growing larger and stretch sideways, forming a hilt. In the center of the hilt, a red gem blazed, beckoning me to touch it.

I touch the gem, and the flames stop wildly thrashing, and they form the outline of a sword. The flames then cool, and the template fills with burning steel. I stare at my newly made weapon, flames dripping off the steel like blood. It's a fiery red color, while the guard and hilt retain their ocean blue color, and the handle is still wrapped in cloth. I give myself a few practice swings. The blade feels as light as a feather in my grasp, and its easy to manipulate. I have no idea what I'm talking about right now, or how to even fight using a sword, but it can't be that difficult, right?

I turn to face Ivan, who looks like he's about to launch another attack on me. If I had been a moment sooner … No! I can't think about it. I need to focus. He launched Glace at me, extending her needles until they were at their full size. I had nowhere to go, nothing to protect myself against the onslaught. I had fought through so much to get here, only to die. It can't end this way … I
won't
let it end this way.