chapter seven: Gone

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**Nicholas' POV continued**

*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Don and I continued to collide with each other relentlessly.

*Boom!*

Don and I again, but this time the strike was so strong that it pushed us apart.

"So you still remember our fighting style, huh?" Don asked, smiling while wiping the blood from his lips.

"You're in no shape to keep fighting, just give up," I said coldly.

"Well, screw you. Either you kill me or I kill you," Don said as he ran towards me, throwing a kick to my left side.

*Pak!*

I used my left hand to block it, then I sent a kick to the right side of his head which sent him rolling across the ground. Normally, it would have been impossible for me to hit him like that because Don's fighting style was always to be on the offensive, while mine was all about evading attacks and then striking when I saw an opportunity. But now that he was weak and injured after fighting the stone worm, it was easy to beat him.

I walked over to where Don was struggling to get up. I looked down at him; the wounds on his body kept bleeding profusely.

"It's over, Don. Just look at yourself. I know that you care about Mom and Dad, but that ring is evil. It's controlling you. You need..." I was suddenly cut short by the menacing chuckle that came from Don as he stood up.

"You really think that you can win?"

I looked at Don. There was a different glint in his eyes, one that I had seen a long time ago.

"You... You're back."

"Well, hello. It's nice to see that you remember me," Don said with a smile.

Of course, how could I forget the being that had possessed Don the first time he wore the ring?

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing. I just wanted to make sure that the Cage bloodline never continues, that's all," the being said. 'The Cage bloodline? What the heck was this bastard saying?'

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, forget it. You're going to die anyway," the being said, and I watched in amazement as the wounds on Don's body began to close. Even his missing left arm had regrown.

"Ahh, that feels much better," the being said as he swung his newly grown left arm while saying to Nicholas, "Now say your last prayers," then he took a step forward as he sent his lightning-covered fist straight for my face.

I couldn't even think of blocking because the attack was too fast. I closed my eyes. I couldn't dodge this attack, and I knew this attack could kill me, just a single punch.

*Am I ready to die here? No, no, I'm not. I'm going to live, no matter what.*

These thoughts went through my head in less than a second. It was amazing what the human body could do under dire circumstances.

As soon as those words left my mouth, I felt a warm sensation come from my chest, steeling my resolve. I opened my eyes only to see that the punch I thought would end my life was blocked by a weird silver-colored symbol that had appeared in the air in front of me.

The being—Don—had a shocked expression.

"You, how did you gain the serpent's recognition?" he asked in shock, his hand stuck to the symbol.

Seeing this opportunity, I balled my fists and planted five consecutive hits in his stomach.

The being—Don—groaned as he hunched over, blood seeping from his mouth.

"Why, you little fucker... Aaarrgghhhh," the being, Don, was murmuring when all of a sudden he screamed, and right before my eyes, the symbol that had blocked his attack morphed into a silver sword then pierced through Don's arm and was sticking out of his elbow.

The sword came out from the being's damaged arm and floated into my hand. As soon as my hand touched the silver sword, a flood of energy rushed into my body.

As I was feeling the energy, I noticed something. I felt something like a connection had formed between me and the sword, and through that connection, it felt like I could hear and feel the thoughts and emotions of the sword. A normal person would have freaked out, but not me, after all I've seen.

Although I couldn't hear most of its thoughts and feel most of the emotions, but one thing was certain, I could feel the anger and hatred the sword held towards the being that had possessed Don, and those emotions were rapidly clouding my mind, and I couldn't stop it.

The last thing that entered my mind was the look of fear that had appeared on Don's face.

*END OF POV*

In a very far away place, a huge ivory tower is seen floating in space. The tower had seven floors, and at the last floor where a large hall was located, a huge throne was there, and sitting on it was a man dressed in long, loose white robes. He had long golden hair, and his eyes were glowing white, and his otherworldly face was simply magnificent, and to top it all, he was wearing a gold crown with red gems decorating it.

Right now, the man is looking at a floating screen while smiling foolishly. On it, the image of a woman with lush black and almond-colored eyes was staring back at the man. She was wearing a long forest green dress, and she had something reminiscent of a crown on her head.

"Hello, beautiful. I'm surprised you called me today. You know it's lonely in my tower. Why don't you come over?" the man said with a smile.

"Fuck off, old man. I don't have time for your bullshit," the woman said in a calm voice while rolling her eyes before continuing, "Well, the committee members have requested your presence at the meeting concerning the upcoming War of Worlds contest," she paused, then continued, "The garden has already been opened; you would have known if you attended the last meeting, and we have started picking potential candidates for the contest, and I would advise you to do the same. Now get out of my face; I have work to do," the woman said as she looked down at the device she was holding.

"Sure, beautiful. I'll be there," the man smiled as he waved his hand, and the screen changed.

He put his head on his palm as his face showed that he was thinking.

"I can't keep delaying any longer. Seems like I would have to continue with the plan even though there is little hope of that 'Cage' child finding it."

The man snapped his fingers and vanished.

Back on Earth, Nicholas and 'Don' were still fighting, but from the looks of it, the fight was about to end. Don looked even worse than when he fought the stone worm; his left arm was cut off cleanly, and his body had several lacerations.

**NICHOLAS' POV**

I looked at Don through my own eyes, but it felt like I was looking through a window. I could see what was happening outside my body, but I couldn't control my body.

I looked at Don. I didn't feel sad, and I didn't feel happy.

I didn't know what I was feeling or if I was feeling anything at all. It was really strange.

'Don' and my body clashed again.

This time, 'Don' threw a punch. My body blocked it and sent its sword into "Don's" heart in one clean motion.

I watched as Don's eyes gradually lost their light, but before the light left, Don whispered something to me, not to my body but to me directly, inside my mind.

When the light was completely gone, I regained control over my body. As that was happening, the power I felt earlier was leaving as well as the sword, which burst into white sparks and vanished.

I knelt down by Don's side. I watched him for a bit before standing up. I looked at my surroundings; the sun was now out, the warehouse had vanished, the carcass of the stone worm was still there. All in all, the place was a mess.

I looked down at my tattered clothes that had become even worse after the fight.

Then, without a word, I turned to leave. I had only taken two steps when suddenly, I stumbled and fell. I thought it was fatigue, but as I tried to get up, it felt like there was a mountain on my back. My arms felt weak as they gave in, and I fell back down.

What is happening to me?

As I was wondering, 'Don's' last word sounded in my head again: "we will meet again in the garden."

What did he mean by that? Does it have something to do with what is happening to me? I doubted it because what was happening to me was the slumber, the thing that had almost destroyed the world, and I was sure it had nothing to do with a 'garden.'

"Wow, this is a really befitting death. And here I was telling my self that I would survive no matter what" I chuckled as I remembered my words.

These were my last words as I closed my eyes, succumbing to the call of the slumber.

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