The End of The Beginning (5)
"Sora, are you not listening to me?!" Remi yelled out for my sake, making sure I stayed calm enough to think clearly, but that only got worse...
"Remi, what the hell are you doing here?" I was shocked; she can't be here, and I can't lose anyone else.
"There's no way I could leave my friends to die." She pulled a sword and slashed it against William's armor, cutting a chunk from its surface and revealing a section underneath. But the cut was small and didn't amount to much damage overall, unfortunately. "ARGHHH!! DAMN! How do you have such armor?" Remi gritted her teeth and clanged his sword loudly against the Williams barrier, sparks flying between the two metallic surfaces before he staggered backwards, crashing onto the dirt behind his back, rolling sideways, and stopping next to my face, landing on her hands.
She winced in pain and cradled her arm, turning toward me slightly. Her expression darkened and she showed obvious signs of internal struggle. "He's really strong." I observed quietly, letting the situation sink in for a minute. I sat up and massaged the back of my neck with my fingers, attempting to alleviate some of the remaining tension built up from all that fighting, and I quickly cast another spell that was completed a minute or so later when a spark popped before disappearing from sight and leaving the space empty.
"VOID BEAM." Williams pointed his finger at Remi, and before he could do any harm, I jumped in front of the blast and blocked it with my arm. It cost my bionic arm in the process, but I didn't feel any pain.
I knew what would happen. My newfound knowledge didn't take long before confirming my suspicion, though, when an orb formed underneath William and surrounded him completely. "REMI, GET AWAY FROM HERE. YOU CAN'T DEFEAT HIM, AND YOU SURE AS HELL CAN'T STOP THE BLAST, EVEN IF IT HITS YOU." I was shaking from the adrenaline rush and exhaustion combined.
My chest rose and fell rapidly with each breath I inhaled, but before my lungs could fill with air, the explosion knocked me several meters back, leaving me sprawling on the floor motionless. "Fuck..." I managed to wheeze through my gritted teeth. Blood trickled from various injuries, staining my clothing and pooling under me while creating puddles below, which seeped into every pore as though my whole body was absorbing the fluids, nourishing me with energy and replacing nutrients needed for survival, revitalizing cells within that required sustenance.
"I think it's time we end this, Williams. I've lost an arm and an eye; you're about to lose your life." I gritted my teeth once again and tried to stand up, only to collapse due to fatigue and injury sustained from our previous encounter, a brief recollection of thoughts rushing through my head, and replaying events from previous conversations. Remi screamed loudly in anguish, and I felt numb. The realization hit me then. This will be the last time we see each other.
Blood poured down my temple, where blood vessels burst due to the increased force exerted upon my brain tissue. Sweat dripped down the sides of my face, mixing in with the rest of the fluid spilling down onto my clothes, creating large wet spots that eventually dried as the warmth of our bodies evaporated it within seconds. This is going to hurt badly; it'll probably leave me severely injured again, though. I flash-stepped in front of Williams and pinned him to the ground. I realized the only way to defeat him is by sacrificing my lifespan; therefore, I have created a spell that uses Oblivion Magic and halves my lifespan; I call it "Final Smash.".
"WILLIAMS! It's time to meet your end. FINAL SMASH!" I infused all of my mana and all of my life force into my fist and punched him right in the face. I continued holding it there as the fibers of my arm began to tear and my body began to burn up, feeling like my whole body had ignited into flames that seemed as if they were devouring me alive from within. But no matter what, I didn't flinch or even react at all; rather, my face remained stoic and unmoving throughout it all. "IF I GO DOWN, I WILL BE TAKING YOU WITH ME, WILLIAMS."
Just a fraction of the energy needed to keep my magic working at full power was barely enough to sustain me anymore. I had used up every ounce of mana and every drop of blood left inside. But now... I could see why it was called the ultimate magic because now the only thing holding me together is the few strings left. Finally, my spell was in it's final form and created a massive explosion. Before I let that happen, I cried out to Remi. "Run, please, Remi." I whispered, crying a bit. And that was the last thing I remember before the void consumed me, sending me to sleep for what would seem like forever.
Remi's Perspective:
I watched as Sora used everything he had to take down The Voidwalker. Before it all went into flames, he told me to run, and that is exactly what I did. As soon as I got close, Sora noticed, and then, without thinking twice, pushed me away just before the explosion hit him and his opponent. Everything was just an enormous, bright ball of crimson, scarlet, and ruby flames. I saw shadows of those flames engulf Sora, burning his body and the Voidwalker's.
That scene would play over and over in front of me. Over and over, I could see Sora fighting with all his strength. How could this be possible after he'd been tortured by Williams? Why wasn't I strong enough?! What kind of hero am I, huh, Sora? We had a goal, and yet we didn't make it to that point. I am just an amateur! That is no way to call myself a hero. No, no, this can't be happening. We were just starting! I can't think of this.
Leo's voice rings in my ears: "What are we, my little idiot, We are friends who stick together through thick and thin, until the end." The voice kept saying over and over again. Why?! Why can't it just end already! It hurts seeing my friend like this! "Friends will always fight for their friends; don't forget what you fought for. What did Sora tell you? He said the friends he cares about are not something to be taken for granted." Both of my friends were dead; I had nothing left. I kept running with Rayne back to the school as we cried together. So much was lost this day. I couldn't believe what I had just witnessed. This was our failure; I couldn't help him or Sora; that's all there was to it. They're both dead because of us. No, it was because of me!
Rayne gave my shoulder a slight tap to get me going, snapping out of her trance of being still in shock. With my mind on overload, the thoughts came, but they weren't enough to hold my tears back. It was hard to breathe anymore because the pain was growing inside of my chest, like it wanted to choke the life out of my body. Why did everything go wrong so fast! What the fuck did Sora get himself into anyway?! This sucks! We failed in the end; what else would we have done? Sora knew his abilities could kill him; why was it important to save himself instead of us? Was he trying to make a point?! Is he saying our lives matter more than his own? I didn't want to lose anyone; I never did, and he's made me cry way too much. The blood loss and the physical trauma alone are going to kill me.
Rayne looked at me and wiped some sweat from my forehead as it was pouring like no tomorrow. I shook and sobbed harder. We both stood up slowly, trying to recover from the beating that happened to us. In that instant, a fierce gust of wind rushed over our skin as a soft white light emerged from Rayne's body, healing and taking away the pain and fatigue, not a moment later. "REMI! RAYNE! WHAT HAPPENED?" Enzo said as he ran towards us.
Enzo approached Rayne and held her. She rested her head on his chest, still and silent, eyes open as she stared ahead into space, blinking once in a while when it was necessary. "LEO DIED, I COULDN'T SAVE HIM AND SORA...HE WON AGAINST THAT POWERFUL BASTARD, VOIDKILLER OR WHATEVER YOU'D LIKE, CALL HIM. The problem is Sora's gone and couldn't make it, and...I don't know what to do anymore." She said it softly as she cried some more. "Don't worry, Sora, Leo. I will live in your honor; I will live up to what you guys were going to be. I am indebted to you two for the rest of my life."
END OF VOLUME 2.