A Dying Flame

A young warrior kneeled before the ledge of a prominent cliff, broken and bruised. Yet, the ferocity nonetheless remained in his eyes as he stared at the rows of soldiers in silver armor before him. Beneath the cliff lay a grand river with rampant currents that pushed against the rugged wall. Alongside the river were soft dirt and dense shrubbery that stretched endlessly beyond what the eye could see.

Behind the river was a boundless forest that housed a myriad of unknown and dangerous creatures that mastered the art of stealth - a necessary skill for survival. High above the earth were enormous land masses that seemingly levitated in the sky. Dark clouds blanketed the vast sky and darkened the land for miles. The distant sound of surging water echoed as millions of gallons of water continuously smash into the river from the hovering lands. One could also hear the chirps of small birds and the buzzing of insects.

A barrier of luminous flames surrounded the young warrior and prevented the soldiers from advancing. In his hand, he wielded a straight sword that was imbued in flames. The young warrior had hair as dark as the shadows and a pair of orange eyes like the rays of a setting sun. Cuts and bruises etched across his face from a fierce battle. His face has yet to mature as hints of baby fat remained. However, the young warrior is at the age where patches of hair grew on his face. Blood trickled from the warrior's face and stained the ground beneath him. His ruined helmet laid beside him with dent and cuts riddled across its surface.

"Viktor, why are you doing this!" The young warrior bellowed; his face contorted in rage. He slashed his sword across, and a bright wave of fire rushed towards an unknown figure.

However, the flames died out as it struck a shield made from pure energy. After some time, the smoke settled which revealed a young man who was around the same age as the haggard warrior. His eyes were also orange, but they were darker in comparison. Instead of black, the young man's short hair was brown like the bark of an oak tree. Viktor gazed upon the haggard warrior with ridicule as he removed the energy shield around him.

"You will never understand me, Creed," Viktor slowly approached the warrior as rage built up in his voice. He unsheathed a sword from his waist with a sinister grin on his face.

"You traitorous bast-"

A beam of energy pierced through the armor of Creed's left shoulder, and he cried out in pain. He gripped his shoulder in an attempt to ease the burning sensation, but to no avail. His breath grew heavy, and he felt sudden dizziness from the excruciating pain.

"You and father will never understand me," Viktor creased his brows as he lowered his right arm. He stared emotionlessly at his brother's pain.

Streaks of lightning flashed across the sky, and a roaring thunder echoed soon after. The birds stopped singing, and the insects halted their buzzing instruments. Drops of rain soon fell from the sky. A looming tension swirled in the air between the two brothers. Creed's wet hair fell to his face in a messy fashion as he glared at Viktor with murderous intent. The barrier of flames that surrounded him now burned brighter with intensity despite the falling rain. The rain quickly turned into smoke as it touched the raging fire.

"Speaking of our father," Viktor quickly snapped his fingers.

A middle-aged man with black hair stepped out from the row of soldiers. He carried with him a wooden box as he walked towards Viktor. An incredible aura radiated from this man through his experiences in countless battles; a man who does not hesitate to protect his country and die for his Emperor. Over the course of years, he has spilled the blood of many of his enemies and received the highest honor from the Emperor. Soldiers respected him while citizens revered him as an idol. He enjoyed the spotlight given, and the honor received with a bright smile. However, this time, his face is riddled with guilt as he hesitatingly handed over the wooden box to Viktor.

Creed stuttered in disbelief, "Tannen, y-you betrayed me too?"

Tannen turned towards him with pity in his brown eyes, "I-I'm sorry."

Tannen turned his back to him and walked back towards the rank of soldiers. Viktor stared at Creed with mockery in his eyes; he wanted him to suffer before he killed Creed. Viktor opened the wooden box which revealed a decapitated head with grey hair. The face of the decapitated man had a look of horror and shock.

Viktor grabbed the head and tossed it to Creed, "I believe you should be able to recognize him. After all, mother said you took after him."

The decapitated head flew through the flame barrier before rolling toward Creed - its eyes now staring back at him. Creed's body shuddered uncontrollably as he stared at his own father's eyes. Tears streamed down as he reached for his father's head with shaking hands. Before he could touch it, a yellow energy beam smashed the head into pieces right before Creed's eyes.

"Our father had what's coming to him!" Viktor laughed maniacally. "He betrayed the Rythall Empire by committing such heinous acts. Such a foolish man, he is!"

Viktor continued with eager in his voice, "With him gone, I'll replace our incompetent father and become the Commander of Rythall's Army!"

"All of you!" Creed screamed; a blinding rage now consumed him. "I will kill all of you!"

The raging fire around him now rushed towards Viktor and his squadron of soldiers. The grass scorched black as the fire consumed them on its path of destruction. Soldiers, with an affinity for water magic, created a large water barrier to halt its devastating impact. However, the power of Creed's flames was too much for the soldiers to handle, and it broke through the water barrier. Cries of pain bellowed from the soldiers as they retreated back to safety. Tannen creased his brows. With the wave of his hand, a large gust of wind burst forth and instantly dispersed the ferocious fire.

"You can't win this, Creed," Viktor leisurely spoke as the energy shield around him disappeared. "You may be strong, but it won't be enough to defeat me."

Creed roared as he charged towards Viktor and aimed his sword for Viktor's heart. Viktor stood nonchalantly with a sneer on his face. The soldiers behind him moved forward in an attempt to stop Creed.

Viktor gestured the soldiers to stop, "No, I'll handle him alone."

Viktor sidestepped to the right as Creed cut through his original position. After hitting empty air, Creed summoned flames on his left leg and attacked Viktor with a high roundhouse kick. Viktor instantly formed an energy barrier around his hands and caught Creed's foot that nearly reached his face. He then swept Creed on his backside while laughing.

"Oh, how the prodigy has fallen," A yellow sphere of energy formed on the palm of Viktor's hand as he spoke.

In an instant, Viktor shot the energy ball towards Creed's chest. Before it reached him, Creed instinctively rolled his body to the side and narrowly avoided it. The energy ball struck the ground and disintegrated it, leaving behind a small hole. Creed quickly lifted himself up and fired a chain of fireballs at Viktor - each of them the size of human heads. The barrage did not do anything as Viktor evaded them like a slippery eel. Viktor closed the distance between them and swiftly lunge his sword toward his brother's stomach. Sparks flew from the swords' collision as Creed hastily parried him.

Blood trailed down from Creed's mouth, "I will make you pay for murdering our father!"

"The last words of a dying man," Viktor swung his sword again. This time, he slashed downward at Creed's head.

Thus, the two brothers were locked in a fierce battle. A deadly, yet beautiful ballet of magic and swordplay ensued. Their magic attacks created beautiful swirls of orange and yellow lights that brightened the surrounding area. However, each clash wore Creed down, and his breath grew heavier by the second. Sweat now dripped from his forehead. He struggled to parry and evade every attack from Viktor. New cuts and scratches appeared on his silver armor after that heavy exchange. It was quite the opposite for Viktor as he remained poised. There is no sign of fatigue on him, and he continued to send a barrage of energy balls at Creed.

***

In a land far distant from the clash of the two brothers lies an enormous palace with an aura of grandeur. The palace was the largest architecture built in all of Rythall. In there housed the royalty of Rythall that governed its denizens. A large and spectacular waterfall appeared under the bridge of the palace that leads to its front gates. A multitude of royal guards, donned in exuberant armor that glistened in the sun, walked along the bridge in an orderly and routinely fashion. They serve as the first line of defense against any invaders from barging through. Only the most elite are allowed to have such a pristine position to guard the palace.

The pouring water plunged to the river below which streamed through the city of Rythall. The river flowed through a series of canals in the city and brought marine life and enjoyment to Rythall's citizens. Boats were used as transportation to move across the city besides carriages. Fishing and swimming were primary leisure times for many. Many businesses flourished and boomed because of this river. Rumor spread around the city that the Great Goddess Xona had blessed this river. Thus, the Emperor took it upon himself to rename this sacred river, 'the Xona River'.

Surrounding the grand palace were beautiful residences and large mansions where the nobles and merchants reside. The streets were usually quiet and peaceful. Occasionally, carriages, dragged by strange creatures, were seen moving back and forth. Instead of shopping for themselves, the nobles would have servants to do the menial work.

A magnificent wall separated the nobles from the commoners. Marketplaces and street stalls were commonplace amongst the commoners. Taverns and restaurants were popular social hubs. The streets are always bustling at daytime. Vendors yelled out their sales of goods to attract potential customers. Children in dirty clothing played in the streets without parental supervision. Loud chattering was heard amongst the citizens as they go about their day without worry. Occasionally, scuffles occurred between two ruffians over some trivial matters. Eventually, guards arrived on the scene to arrest those particular individuals. Such is the life for commoners in Rythall.

On the bridge of the palace, an elderly woman walked towards the gates that led to the throne room of the Emperor. Her body was frail, and she carried herself with a wooden cane. Her hair was grey like the ashes of wood, and her eyes were almost as white as snow. The elderly woman was dressed in a black robe that covered her small stature. To an ordinary citizen, the woman would appear blind and decrepit; an elder waiting for her time to come.

One of the royal guards spotted her and exclaimed, "Halt! Who are you!"

The elderly woman did not respond. However, she slid the sleeve back from her shriveled left arm that revealed a glistening, gold ring. A large ruby was embedded in the middle of the ring with the carving of a beautiful phoenix.

The guard understood the importance of the ring and bowed, "I'm deeply sorry for not recognizing the Prophet!"

The guard stepped to the side and quickly shouted towards his men to open the gate.

The guard spoke to one of his subordinates, "Alert the Emperor of her presence, quickly!"

"Yes, sir!" The subordinate saluted and immediately made haste inside the palace.

The elderly woman ignored the guard's presence and silently walked through the gate.

***

Creed finally fell. His armor now riddled with holes from Viktor's barrage of energy attacks. His eyes grew weak as blood poured out from his armor. Viktor grabbed him by the hair and pulled him up with one arm.

"Go ahead, you traitorous maggot," Creed coughed up blood. "Kill...me!"

"That's quite funny." Viktor chuckled at his words. "The Emperor wanted you dead as well."

"Perhaps I spoke a bit too much, but..." Viktor smiled menacingly. "A dead man can't seek revenge."

Creed simply spits in his face. Viktor grew furious and quickly stabbed Creed's chest with his sword.

"Have fun in Hell, dear brother," Viktor spoke his last words as he threw Creed off of the cliff.

Creed closed his eyes as he waited for his death. His body splashed into the raging river and was nowhere to be seen again.