Ezra's POV
Our battle raged on inside my brother's desaturated domain. Every strike that my brother threw was drenched with bloodlust, each slash moving faster and harder than the last. He had become something I couldn't recognize. He had become the very thing we gave an oath to protect the world from. There was only one way for me to stop him, but I don't know if I have the heart to do it—despite all that he has done.
When our blades clashed again, our eyes were deadlocked as we fought for position, trying to overpower the other. But my strength was starting to fade. The effects of his domain were beginning to take their toll, and his strength seemed to grow. His eyes flickered with delight as he saw me backtrack from his oncoming onslaught of attacks. I never knew he was this good with a blade.
He smoothly glided across the ground as he struck and evaded throughout his domain. His perception of my movements felt as if he was omnipotent, knowing the weak point in every action I performed. This had to be something new—in all the years, he was never this perceptive. It was hard to fathom that someone a stage lower than me could have the upper hand. But then again, he was my brother. If anyone could, it would be him.
After several rounds of exchanges, I had finally started to catch on to his cadence. To the naked eye, it seemed random, but that was the beauty of it."So this is what you taught Cyrus," I asked as I took an explosive step, preparing a diagonal slash to the chest.
"More or less. He was rusty. I assume that was your doing—trying to re-right all of the work," he responded as he prepared to block my attack. The attack was a feint, as I smoothly transitioned into a sweep. But Theron was keen on my tactics and jumped over my attempt.
"If you planned to do all this, why look after him the way you did? Why take him under your wing and teach him how to wield a sword in my stead? Why, Theron?" I asked, while I unleashed a powerful strike, catching him while he was midair. He blocked the attack once again, but the residual force sent him crashing into the ground beneath us.
Quickly, I followed the attack and relentlessly unleashed a flurry of strikes aimed at his torso, once again not allowing him to rise from his prone position. For every five strikes I threw, only one got through. I felt like I was punching a mountain made of steel, and I was barely breaking through the exterior.
"I looked after him while you were off being the clan leader because I knew a young boy needed that presence. No matter how I felt towards Father, you, and the rest—I knew he was worth the time and effort. I made sure to talk you up and reinforce that he was loved no matter what, even though it pained me to. He is different from the rest of you. I'm sure you can see that now. But I recognized it when he was little. I wanted to save him from the prison of being a part of the Solaris clan. The prison none of you ever thought to break away from."
This entire time, that was the only time I heard sincerity come from my brother's mouth. It caught me off guard as he caught my next punch and threw me off of him. As I picked myself up off the ground, I noticed that the layer of cosmic energy I had enveloped around myself was thinning. It wouldn't be long now before the decay effect started to take hold on my body.
With my reserves and strength being drained in this domain, I only had one option—my trump card. It was something I still hadn't mastered, but there was no time to worry about the backlash of using it. Activating this ability required more cosmic energy than activating my domain and placed a great deal of strain on my soul and mind. Before I fully went through with activating it, I noticed Cyrus had made his way back to the battlefield.
"Goddammit, what is he doing?" I muttered to myself, taking my eyes off of Theron.
But that was a mistake I should not have committed. Theron seized the opportunity and forced his domain to attack me—spikes coming out from all ends, piercing through my layer of cosmic energy. A deep, gurgling yell left my body as I experienced searing pain radiating throughout me once again.
"Dad… NO!" I heard Cyrus roar as he charged with reckless abandon for me.
"Stay away, Cyrus!" I yelled, pleading for my son to take my direction. But my cries fell on deaf ears. He was already lost in an overwhelming tide of rage.
Helpless, I watched as my son's chest glowed magenta. I saw Theron's body start to rise slightly—just enough to cause annoyance as he launched himself to strike my brother.
But an uncanny thing happened. Theron deactivated his domain and stabbed him out of the air.
"Go, Solmane. Get my dad."
Before I knew it, Solmane manifested before me and entered my core.
"Let me return some of your power, my lord," my new companion said, as a surge of solar energy washed through me to fight and counteract the decay. "I can focus on counteracting the foreign energy while you focus on winning." With my pain subsiding, intense emotions started to rise in response. Whatever happened next, I was no longer in control.
"THERON, HOW DARE YOU! THAT WAS THE LAST STRAW—I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS!"
With the last of my cosmic energy, I activated my fourth rune.