Chapter 26: Chapter Twenty-Five: What Was Once Undone

Come on... Hold...!
Valdus repeated in his head, attempting to maintain his focus on controlling the ball of magic held in the palm of his hand.

A flow of wind suddenly threw him off, and the purple fire burst from its shape, lighting his entire arm on fire.

“Argh! No, no, no!”
Valdus shouted out in a panic.

He stumbled back and shook his arm, before holding it still and taking a deep breath. The flames began to flicker away, until they faded completely. Valdus then sighed and tried once more. At this point, he was at about his fifth try, and had been training in the plains for quite some time. He held his eyes closed as he formed the ball of purple fire once more, then reopened his eyes. He crushed the fire this time, causing it to vanish in a near instant.

“Finally, got it!”
Valdus laughed.

He shook his arm and wiped away the blood that had trickled from his left eye. Another gust of wind then shot through the plains, this time with a faint chill - a powerful Essence creeping up on Valdus as well. A low-pitched roar rang out, following the gust of wind and aura, and the grass surrounding Valdus began to wither.

Kaenrae...
Valdus’s thoughts ushered.

He stepped back a little, still holding his left arm. Purple fire spiralled in front of him where most of the grass had withered, and right at the centre of that spiral, Kaenrae landed. The flames shot up higher - the dragon spreading his wings and causing the flames to dissipate outward, before raising his head. The two faced each other, both glaring. Then, Kaenrae grinned.

“Looks like you finally made it here...”
Kaenrae spoke,
“...to where we truly fight!”

“This time I’m prepared...and I’ll take you down. That’s what I promised.”
Valdus responded.

“I can actually sense the change in your strength, but that will only become true once we see how you fare.”
Kaenrae bore his teeth and dug his claws into the ground, psyching himself up for the imminent battle.

Valdus took in a deep breath, staying on guard as he drew his sword. Kaenrae grit his teeth, no longer smiling, and purple fire began to surround both him and Valdus.

“It’s about time we get to what we’re really here for.”
Kaenrae snarled.

“We’ll settle this - no holding back!”
Valdus shouted.

Purple fire flared from between Kaenrae’s teeth, and spiralled around the blade of Valdus’s sword. The plains came to a standstill. Silent, and unmoving, the winds no longer flowing. Valdus shifted his stance, focusing his magic to his legs and feet before leaping forward. He maintained his control and stopped directly in front of Kaenrae, this time with his legs managing to withstand the sudden impact. As Valdus swung the blade down, Kaenrae took in a deep breath, building fire at the back of his throat, then released it. Both of their attacks clashed, knocking them back, away from each other. In that instant, more marks began to form upon the Valdus’s blade.

He leaped at Kaenrae once again, and Kaenrae flew forward. Strike after strike, from blasts of fire to clashes against blade and claws, their attacks continued to collide with equal power. Valdus’s sword then fell into a lock with Kaenrae’s fangs, both battling to throw the other off. Kaenrae manage to sweep a set of claws upward, disarming Valdus and launching his sword into the air. Readying to strike Valdus down here and now, he swipe downward next, but before contact was made, Valdus’s desperation to dodge forged a new Ability. Practically vanishing from Kaenrae’s sight, Valdus found himself having warped into the air, right by his sword. The dragon glared up, seeing the markings on Valdus’s blade lit up with a purple glow.

“You lucky brat!”
Kaenrae roared.

A large, violet, translucent dome then expanded from Kaenrae’s vicinity, reaching up to Valdus. He felt himself pass through it, trapping him in with Kaenrae. The moment he was inside that field of magic, he noticed almost everything drastically slow to a near-stop, but only within that field. His body moved slower, yet what he could see, and his thoughts, did not slow at all. Nor did Kaenrae. The dragon flew up, unaffected by the magic trapping Valdus in time, and raised his claws. As if with another streak of luck, before Kaenrae struck, Valdus broke free - his left iris shaping into a dark purple circle, with three curved strokes of different shade inside of it - and reached for his sword, parrying Kaenrae’s attack. Despite stopping it, the force still threw Valdus down downward, and Kaenrae flew in for yet another attack.

Valdus quickly sheathed his sword before concentrating magic within his left hand again. He held it in a fist, throwing a punch upward and hitting Kaenrae directly across the face - his hand covered entirely in white fire. The mark on his hand burst out briefly with blue fire as well the moment he landed that clean hit, causing the translucent dome and its effects to disappear too. But, instead of being launched by the impact, Kaenrae suddenly vanished, appearing behind Valdus a split second after. He swung his tail around, slamming Valdus in the side, cracking a rib or two. Having been caught off guard, Valdus was swept off his feet. He tumbled across the ground, skidding then struggling to stand back up once he’d stopped. All of a sudden the fight then reached a standstill, Kaenrae huffing and almost out of breath, spitting out a bit of blood and holding a hand to his now-bruised cheek. Valdus held a hand to his side, and spat blood as well, wiping his face.

The two just glared at one another, catching their breaths whilst they had the chance. They found themselves beginning to wear out from the combat, but they shook it off, aiming to end the fight one way or another. Kaenrae’s claws then dug into the ground again, and Valdus gripped the handle of his sword tighter. More purple fire began to streak across Kaenrae’s body, and his right iris formed into the same mark as the one in Valdus’s left eye. Valdus’s left eye lit up with purple fire as well, while more of it surrounded his left arm. Purple dust rose from the ground, swirling around the battlefield. A violet, translucent field of magic expanded outward from between Valdus and Kaenrae, enveloping the entire battlefield, and various sections of the sky began to seemingly crack like glass.

The more I fight with him...the more it feels like this power is becoming stable. The flames don’t burn...
Valdus thought, keeping his focus on Kaenrae.
I can win!

The two then leaped at each other. Where they leaped from cracked like glass as well. Valdus threw a punch with his left hand, and Kaenrae blocked it with a punch of his own. A wave of energy shot out, and they were thrown away from each other. Valdus then threw his sword at Kaenrae and warped to it, striking the blade downward. Kaenrae evaded the sword and swerved behind Valdus, but he swung around and slashed at Kaenrae again, only to be stopped when Kaenrae bit down onto the sword. He then threw Valdus aside and flew toward him. Stopping his momentum, Valdus stabbed the sword into the ground, and the ground surrounding him exploded. Kaenrae backed away and snarled.

The purple dust began to swirl around in front of Kaenrae as he took in a deep breath, building fire at the back of his throat again. More of the dust swirled with the rising purple fire surrounding Valdus’s sword. Kaenrae bit down; the flames between his teeth bursting out, burning brighter and stronger. The two of them then leaped at each other one last time. As Valdus slashed at Kaenrae, Kaenrae exhaled a powerful blast of fire, raising his claws as well. A black and white aura formed as their attacks collided, and the fractured air shattered. The blast from the black and white aura struck both of them and threw them away, wisps of darkness creeping from within the cracks in the sky. They tumbled and skid across the grass, struggling to stand back up when they stopped tumbling. In that instant, they felt their exhaustion reach their limits, and once they managed to stand back up, they stumbled toward each other. With their Essence exhausted, they headbutted each other, and finally collapsed.

 

Hours later, back in the Canyon of Flames...

“Come on, kid, get up!”
Mythriln called.
“This isn’t funny!”

“Stop, just let him rest! They’ll wake up soon, I’m sure of it!”
Lilith shouted, holding a hand against Mythriln’s chest.

Ignis sat in silence, watching over Valdus and Kaenrae as they lay unconscious in Lilith’s den. They had been knocked out until sundown since the battle, and no signs of recovery had arisen. The purple fire from Valdus and Kaenrae had long faded, but the warmth from their bodies hadn’t. Their Essences were becoming difficult for even Ignis to notice, though.

“Why was he with the Blight Dragon...!”
Mythriln questioned.

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“Valdus and Kaenrae were fated to meet... I just hope that history does not repeat itself here...”
Ignis replied.
I can’t bear losing these two, next... Not again.

Silence fell over the group, before Valdus and Kaenrae opened their eyes in a flash and gasped for air. They panicked for a moment, the Essence within their bodies gradually beginning to restore. Valdus held his head as he sat up, whilst Kaenrae shook himself off.

“The hell...?”
Valdus mumbled.

“Ugh... You gave a few good hits. Hehe...”
Kaenrae chuckled,
“I never thought I’d feel so...at ease...to be able to think so freely.”

Ignis gave a sigh of relief and spoke,
“I’m glad to see that you two are safe now...”

Kaenrae immediately glanced at Ignis, returned a small snarl, then faced away.

“Mythriln, Lilith? Some time, please.”
Ignis requested.

Lilith glanced at Valdus and Kaenrae, worried about their injuries. Ignis simply gave her a nod. Mythriln and Lilith nodded back and left Ignis’s den. Meanwhile, Valdus looked at Ignis, then back at Kaenrae.

He tilted his head.
“What-...?”

“I see you still remember a few things from your past, young dragon...”
Ignis spoke softly,
“There was nothing I could do back then...and all I can do now is say that I’m... I’m sorry...for all of this...”

“Really, Ignis...? ‘Sorry’? That’s all you have to say, after you abandoned me? Just like everyone else!”
Kaenrae faced back at Ignis and snapped.

Ignis flinched, and a worried expression fell upon Valdus.

“I tried to stop them... Your fathers fought each other in hopes of finding the fate of Eldoria; to stop the Corrupt in their own way. They had strayed from their paths and found each other as enemies. In the end...they struck each other down...”
Ignis explained,
“After their death, they became Fallen.”

“Our...fathers...?”
Valdus mumbled.

“You both know what being Tainted is already, but... When a Tainted has lost control of their powers, they can become what is called ‘Fallen’. These Fallen are barely any different from a Corrupt itself, but normally, all their powers are deteriorated once Fallen.”
Ignis replied.
“They become a husk, practically void of Essence.”

“How does that explain why you left me...?”
Kaenrae suddenly questioned.

“Your father, Umbra, had left you only months after you had hatched, and I...”
Ignis sighed, hesitating to continue speaking,
“...after having failed to save both your fathers, I felt I couldn’t take care of you, either. I had not known what the Corrupt had planned, believing they were after me...not you.”

Unable to blame Ignis any further, Kaenrae simply bit his tongue and faced away again.

“What...was my dad’s name?”
Valdus asked.

“Erenum... Erenum Aetherius. There was something else that happened as well, at the final moment of their fight. Somewhere, out there in the plains, lies a faint Fissure nobody’s even noticed... It’s dormant as of now, but it’s the worst I’ve ever known... It wasn’t right of me to keep quiet about it...”
Ignis responded.
“It now seems that the fate of Eldoria lies within your hands... Valdus, Kaenrae. What your fathers failed to do, you two must now decide on next.”

“What?”
Kaenrae shouted.

“Hey, wait! This just gets placed on us?”
Valdus snapped.

“This is why I kept quiet about it...! I wish to not place either of you into the same situation as they were in. I want you both to be free! You both have already fought against each other, and I’m more than glad that you’re safe now. I feel as if keeping it this way could be for the best...but, it’s like I said... All of this...now lies within your hands. You both must choose what will be done, but I pray you let not a single soul sway that decision. Even if it is to do nothing at all... Even if my hopes lie with you saving this realm as well.”
Ignis said,
“I doubt that even the Celestials could intervene with this... In the end we are to simply observe what you two will do.”

“We...decide... Is that why Sailus was so intrigued? These...powers that I have... I can’t just find an answer like that, though!”
Valdus replied,
“How am I supposed to know what to do?”

“Powers that we have, Valdus... Not just you, now. Either way, I’m more like an outcast around here now... Some things can’t be undone. I’ve caused losses, wreaked havoc...”
Kaenrae asked,
“What am I to do, then?”

“Young dragon, you will find a new path, I promise you. You must search for it, and take that first step together. Not all is lost...and you are not an outcast. Not anymore. It will take time for many to adjust to these changes, especially for Mythriln, but I am sure things will settle.”
Ignis explained.

Kaenrae sighed then tapped Valdus,
“Guess I’m with you then.”

Valdus chuckled a little and smiled slightly.
“Yeah...”

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