The Golden Soldier

The light blinded Jäwell and Zuline for a moment and Jäwell could feel Zuline shivering. He couldn't determine if it was due to hatred or fear but, as she was trying to keep her calm, she and Jäwell remained sitting back to back. They didn't rush to stand up and place themselves in a fighting position immediately, preferring to enjoy their moment of peace for the little time left they had. The Golden soldier landed unexpectedly very delicately in front of them. There was no shock, no trembling floor, no explosion, and no crater on the floor. He came like a feather on the surface of the water, floating softly above the ground. 

The stomach ache Jäwell previously had intensified, the man in front of him was the one who killed him in a battle after toying with him like a paper doll, but this was before he abducted and killed Miroïr under torture. Jäwell closed his fist in rage, there were no words anymore to describe what he could feel at this moment. The creature in front of him was responsible for every tragic episode of his life and he was here in front of him, ready for a second round in his shining golden armor. 

"Are you going to cry like your little brother did?" Archanium said to taunt Jäwell and push him to act impulsively. 

Jäwell stood up followed by Zuline. She was expecting Archanium's appearance, it was surprising that he didn't come earlier since he was losing the war. It would have been not surprising that he joined the battlefield to show off his powers, yet, he took his time. Zuline thought this sadistic evil being probably enjoyed the view of the corpses falling dead.

Archanium stood in front of them with gritted teeth, letting a wave of obvious anger run through his veins while Jäwell had a rush of excitement to finally take his revenge. With Zuline by his side, Jäwell was sure he had all his chances to kick Archanium's ass for good and when he saw the dark hateful gaze she had towards him, he had the confirmation she would give everything she had and even more. This was no war anymore, this was personal.

The confrontation would be a success, he was sure of it. Jäwell believed in Zuline's power more than she did herself, he believed in them as a team and what they could accomplish together. The prince squeezed her hand shortly and winked at her. They could not lose to him.

"We made Clyss together, we can do this," he said to her without hesitation. 

Zuline nodded in acknowledgment. She was tense but ready to beat Archanium. The god did too much and for too long to the world, manipulating people and bringing desolation to her people. 

They engaged in the fight quickly but Jäwell noticed that something was wrong. The last time he met Archanium, he only used an avatar and his force was superior to everything Jäwell could have seen in his life, yet, this time, it was the real Archanium but he didn't match Jäwell's memories. Zuline had the same impression, the god was slow and driven by his emotions. Archanium was a great warrior and he knew what he was doing, it was unbelievable that he would be making so many mistakes. 

Zuline had seen him fighting before, she was well aware of Archanium's powers and he was the equal of Zarkhaïm if not more powerful. Archanium was the burning sun of the worlds, the fire in the heart, and the rage itself. Jäwell threw himself and was not blocked by the god's wings, he pierced his defenses without issues. Zuline and the prince were disturbed.

After a parry, she slid on Archanium's back while Jäwell attacked him upfront. Her face turned pale and her jaw dropped when she saw Archanium's armor from behind. The god turned quickly and slapped her face with the back of his hand. Zuline was projected a few meters further, Jäwell didn't understand what happened and why she let him such an opportunity. 

Zuline stood up rapidly, feeling a bit dizzy after the impact. Jäwell joined her and laughed at her to try to lighten the mood while giving her a hand to help her stand up.

"What are you doing? You are not a bird, you can't fly."

She didn't laugh at his joke, "Archanium is wounded in the back," she said in a dark tone before adding, "There are marks of Zarkhaïm's claw. They fought recently."

Jäwell's eyes sparkle with a mixture of hope and excitement. Almost like a child on his birthday, "He came back?!"

"No, I don't feel his presence" she answered, "I think he may just have won us time. This was probably the reason why Archanium didn't attack us before and gave us the time to create canons and lines of defense."

If Jäwell didn't know the exact nature of the relationship between Archanium and Zuline, he could observe that they didn't like each other much especially when Archanium walked to them applauding and laughing with sarcasm.

"You are right, little one. Your master came to meet me in the Golden City when I was ready to leave to join the fights and he kept me occupied. Without him, you would never have been able to finish your dragon."

In a fight between Archanium and Zarkhaïm, it would be impossible to predict the outcome of the combat. It was like betting on life and death themselves. They were equal, if Archanium always had a superiority over Zarkhaïm, it was only because Zarkhaïm was sensitive and he didn't want to destroy their environment or take the risk of wounding someone around while archanium didn't care for casualties. 

This time had been different, Zarkhaïm fought Archanium in the Golden City where there were no innocent civilians and he fought him to gain time, not to kill. This had angered Archanium greatly. About this, Archanium and Jäwell could have agreed together. There was nothing else worthy than a fair fight to death. 

Zarkhaïm was made differently, he didn't care about honor, he only wanted Jäwell to be the rightful heir of the world. Supporting him in obtaining a full victory was, for sure, the last rampart before Jäwell would be acknowledged as the only ruler of the Ombrae. Archanium fell into his trap. He lost time, energy, and resources, he was exhausted by the situation and Jäwell enjoyed every moment of it, seeing his nemesis panting in front of him was like a sweet melody to his ears.

Jäwell, Zuline, and Archanium had no mercy for each other, but to the general surprise, Archanium was the one who fell to the floor almost unconscious, his eyes open contemplating the battlefield covered in the bodies of the angels and diverse demons. Jäwell was screaming his victory with a powerful yell but Zuline saw this one single tear in Archanium's eye. He had made every single angel lying dead here, she had a thought for the creatures she had made herself and lost their lives and she felt a hint of pity for him, it was a pain she knew.

Archanium was dizzy, he tried to stare at Jäwell with a cold gaze and speak.

"I already killed you once, I recognize you are hard to kill. You are like a cockroach, but I will kill you again eventually."

At these words, Archanium stood up in an intense burning light and spread his gigantic feathered white wings. 

Jäwell turned his look to Zuline with excitement. Now, things would be really serious.