For Whom the Bells Toll

I quickly raised my axe and blocked the punch sent towards me with its handle. I gritted my teeth in a mixture of pain, effort as a tremor ran through my arms, and I flew backward, hitting the ground repeatedly like a ball, cracking it with each impact.

I spread my wings, stopping my advance abruptly and reorienting myself in the air before landing crouched on one knee, wiping the blood and sweat from my face as I watched the thing in front of me with fear, surprise, and nervousness.

Bartas became an angel, which was the best way I could describe it, a tall, thin being with chalk-white skin and no face.

He wore no clothes and there was nothing to define his gender, but he had a pair of glowing red eyes on his head, large luminous wings on his back, and a white halo floating above his head.

Fortunately, the severed arm did not regenerate, but the metallic arm and chest plate were still there, with the orb spinning and buzzing, emanating a blinding white light that burned my body like sunlight.

Bartas became my complete opposite. Hump! An angel of light against an angel of darkness, I think that would go down in the history books. That is if anyone survives to tell about it.

I abandoned these thoughts when Bartas flapped his wings and advanced towards me with his fist raised, his eyes, wings, and orb leaving a luminous trail wherever he went.

I assumed a combat stance and waited for Bartas to approach. I transformed into darkness from the waist down and allowed him to pass above me, before delivering a blow aimed at his stomach.

I watched curiously, as a white powder flew out of his body now of the cut, but left that for later when Bartas planted his feet on the ground, stopping his flight and turning around with his fist wrapped in magic.

I flapped my wings to take off as I returned to my physical form, escaping the direct hit, but not the resulting magical explosion. A crater formed the moment Bartas' fist hit the ground, followed by a wave of light energy, hurling me away.

I flew backward, partially blinded and burned by the light until my back hit something hard, I heard stone and glass breaking as something fell on top of me.

I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear the spots in my vision, and caught a glimpse of Bartas staring at me in the distance, his metallic hand pointed in my direction. I did not have to guess what he intended to do, magic accumulated in a luminous orb in Bartas' palm and he fired a magical blast in my direction.

I accumulated magic at the tip of each finger of my right hand and fired a series of magical projectiles toward the oncoming attack, hoping that I would hit it.

BOOM!

Fortunately, I got the result I wanted: our attacks collided in midair, creating a loud explosion followed by a cloud of smoke. I reoriented myself and advanced towards Bartas, with my vision still blurred, and spun around quickly in mid-run, throwing my axe like a giant buzz saw.

Then I turned into darkness and skirted around Bartas, watching as he focused on my axe, which approached through the cloud of smoke like a dark blur, and stepped aside, dodging the weapon, but allowing me to approach from behind.

I saw Bartas' eyes widen slightly in surprise, but I wasted no time in returning to physical form and grabbing my axe in mid-flight, spinning around as I advanced and delivering a heavy cut to his chest.

The same white powder as before flew from the open wound, which didn't regenerate, so I continued my attack, taking advantage of the opening in front of me and aiming the next blow at Bartas' neck, intending to end it right away.

"Nice trick, how about I show you mine?" Bartas said amusedly, setting off several alarms in my head.

I stomped the ground, stopping my advance, and flapped my wings, preparing to fly, but in the end, none of this helped me with what came. Bartas shone like a spotlight, making me scream in pain as my body burned as if on fire, and my eyes ached as if someone had pierced them.

I received a powerful blow to my jaw, biting my tongue and almost tearing it out as some teeth came off. I felt the blood trickle through my teeth as my axe slipped from my grip and my feet left the ground.

The world went completely white for a moment and I heard the sound of bells in the distance. When my vision returned, I saw my reflection in a glass window surrounded by hanging wires.

I also saw Bartas standing behind my reflection, but I felt a twinge of confusion at how small he seemed to me. Suddenly, Bartas flapped his wings, taking flight with his fist raised, simultaneously, I felt gravity kick in and pull me down.

My brain finally made the connection as Bartas' reflection drew closer to mine, getting bigger and bigger until we finally met.

The air left my lungs, as I let out a muted, agonizing scream at the punch I received to my spine, spitting out a mixture of saliva and blood, staining the glass above me as tears poured from my eyes.

The blow was strong enough to shortly break my fall and throw me upwards. I closed my eyes to protect them and listened as my body hit the window in a cacophony of breaking glass as I received several cuts around my body.

When I finally dared to open my eyes, I found myself staring at the ground ahead.

I do not know how much energy it took me to transform into darkness and escape Bartas' grip, but I certainly transformed slower than usual. I grabbed Bartas by the back of the neck and pointed his face towards the ground, but he flapped his wings, trying to reorient himself in the air and stop himself from falling.

I pointed my left hand at his left wing and accumulated magic on the tip of my index finger, frowning at the delay and the size of the projectile, but my attack was more than enough to get what I wanted.

I blew a hole in Bartas' wing with the magic shot, creating a trail of smoke as we sped towards the ground.

"You bastard!" Bartas screamed, trying to escape my grip, but I held onto his neck with both hands with all my strength, keeping him on his trajectory toward the ground.

"It isn't funny when... Fuck it!" I sighed tired, mentally and physically, to the point that I could not come up with an intelligent response. I just watched with an apathetic gaze as the ground approached and kicked Bartas' back, accelerating his fall and using him as a springboard to jump backward.

I watched as Bartas hit the ground with a thud, creating a cracked crater surrounded by a cloud of dust as the chamber where we fought shook. I pointed both hands at the crash site while trying to create magical projectiles on my fingertips, but I only managed to create them on my index and middle fingers.

Then I fired the projectiles while hovering towards the ground, watching as the explosions got smaller and smaller as they hit the crater until the point where the projectiles disappeared in mid-flight, never hitting their target.

I landed next to my axe and screamed with all my might, hurling every insult I knew as I processed all the pain in my body.

The bruised and swollen flesh after receiving so many blows begged me to stop for just a minute to rest. The broken bones creaked and crackled with every movement, crying as they turned to dust.

The skin burned, sizzled, and ached as if cooking in oil, smoking, and screaming for mercy. The blood flowed in a red waterfall in complete silence, knowing that it would never return to its rightful place. The organs worked at their absolute limit, like an engine about to melt down, just seconds away from its final stop.

I have never felt so much pain in my life, the pain of all the cuts, falls, fights, and accidents combined in my entire life did not amount to a tiny fraction of the pain I felt now.

I would give anything for a second of relief, for a person telling me that everything would be all right, for a moment of comfort, be it a soft bed or a hot bath, but that was not possible, because I only felt pain, my existence was pain, my life was pain, I was pain.

Unlike my body, my mind was strangely at peace. No, peace was not the right word, because peace made you feel something, but I did not feel anything.

It was like a hum, a constant static in my brain. I concluded that I did not feel anything anymore. As much as some people liked to say how powerful and wonderful feelings were, the brain chemistry limited them.

I could not feel anger, joy, fear, sadness, or anything else, because I did not have the energy for it anymore, I could not be angry, joyful, frightened, sad, or anything else, because I had reached a limit.

It was impossible to feel these feelings burning forever, anger had to end at some point, happiness would last until something bad happened again, fear could be overcome, and sadness was natural until something sent it away.

There was only one outcome when someone's feelings reached their absolute limit, and that was apathy.

I raised both hands in front of my face and opened and closed them repeatedly, watching as the color disappeared from the world and familiar bells sounded in the distance, the world turned gray, there was something wrong, and frankly, I didn't care anymore.

It was during this lack of caring that I realized how ridiculous the situation was.

Bartas and I had no reason to fight other than a useless promise made years ago, we held no grudge against each other, Bartas' loyalty to the Lords was questionable, and he didn't seem interested in the Mercury Gate, we were killing each other for no reason, violence for the sake of violence.

We were two fucking bastards spilling blood for fun!

It was at that moment that I remembered how happy I was in Lyllenas; I had a job, a home, friends, a purpose in life, and a family... Elyon and Thessalia treated me as if I was their grandson, and how did I thank them? By embarking on a deadly journey after exchanging a few words!

Alan, you son of a bitch!

How must they be feeling? Probably worried, wondering if something happened to me if I will ever come back, or if I am dead.

My God, what have I done?!? How many times will this happen again? I had everything and I have lost it all again! Tokyo, Cagliamola and now Lyllenas! Every time I achieve normality, something happens to take it out of my hands.

I want to go back! I want to go back to Lyllenas and beg my grandparents for forgiveness! Shout how sorry I am! To promise that this will never happen again! However... However, I think that will be impossible...

I focused on my hands, watching as they slowly disappeared into gray particles, starting from my fingertips and moving down to my arms.

Well... I guess that is it... I will not escape this time... Why I am not scared?

I saw something move amidst the cloud of smoke, and then Bartas flapped his wings, creating a gale that blew throughout the chamber and dissipated the smoke.

I noticed that Bartas was not in the best condition, cuts and wounds leaking white powder covered his body, the light on his body flickered like a light bulb about to burn out, the speed at which the orb spun had slowed down, and his wings were crooked and bumpy.

"Hump! Do not think you have won! Are you ready to continue?" Bartas asked excitedly, assuming a fighting stance, but I just watched in silence.

"What? Tired?" Bartas teased me, jumping with childish glee, but I did not answer, I remained silent, formulating my words and pondering the question, I would ask.

"Tell me, was it worth it?" I sighed audibly, lowering my arms that seemed to weigh tons as I bent forward, my back and head becoming impossible to lift.

"What the hell are you..." Bartas asked in confusion as he breathed heavily, but I did not allow him to finish.

"You're pathetic, Bartas, I feel sorry for you." I interrupted him, taking a deep breath, and enjoying this small moment of relief.

"How dare you..." Bartas exclaimed, but I interrupted him again.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, I HAVEN'T FINISHED TALKING!" I screamed with all my might, feeling my throat burn as if I had drunk boiling water and my chest hurt as if a bus had hit me. I coughed intensely, staining the floor with blood.

Bartas widened his eyes and jumped slightly, stepping backward at my sudden response. I took advantage of his surprise to continue my speech.

"As I asked before, was it worth it? Was all that death and destruction worth it to you?" I asked, watching my opponent through the bloodied hair that covered my face.

"Of course, it was worth it! Can you not feel it? Your heart beating at full speed, your blood rushing and boiling through your body, the sweat dripping, the muscles fighting! A man can reach this pinnacle before his death! The blows that crush the flesh, the hot blood splashing on his face, painting the earth red, the bones breaking! Is there any better feeling than that pain? For it is on the brink of death that human beings show what they are capable of! To disappear from the world bathed in glory! Few have made me feel this pain, and even fewer have brought me so close to acquiring the glory I desire! I struggled for decades to feel something, and to finally get what I want!" Bartas exclaimed in distorted joy, a mixture of sadism and childishness, as he made exaggerated gestures and walked toward me.

I could not help but curse and shout mentally how stupid Bartas sounded with every word said. I have never met anyone as blind to reality as the being in front of me. If there was a God, he hated me for making me talk to such a mentally debilitated person.

A second meant nothing on the clock that counted time in the grand scheme of the universe, but I wasted minutes talking to the retard in front of me. If there were any way of putting myself out of my misery so that I did not have to listen to him talk, then I would do it without a second thought.

"You're pathetic, Bartas, I feel sorry for you. You have wasted decades of your life pursuing such a ridiculous, pointless, stupid, and idiotic goal. You could have found a job, had a house, made friends, pursued a dream worthy of admiration, and built a family, but you wasted time looking for something unattainable to fill the emptiness in your chest. Moreover, guess what? I felt that emptiness too, but unlike you, I had friends to help me and put me on the right path. In addition, to think that I almost became like you, a hollow man obsessed with violence, that is why I feel sorry for you because you never found happiness, and that is why I find you pathetic because you allowed bad thoughts to consume you and turn you into a monster. I found happiness, Bartas, special people who care about me and that stopped me from falling into the abyss, but you, and you're just a lonely old man taking your anger out on the world, begging for your five minutes of fame before everyone forgets who you are again." I finished my rant, pointing at the luminous angel in front of me, the world turned completely gray and the bells were deafening, but none of this hid what Bartas felt.

Bartas's anger and frustration were visible, even though he had no facial expression. His metallic fist closed with a sharp crack, throwing sparks everywhere and the orb in his chest accelerated.

Bartas stared at the ground in fury as he shook like a leaf in the wind and growled as if a rabid animal, then he stomped the ground violently, throwing rock and concrete everywhere, shaking the chamber with a bang and creating a crater beneath his feet.

"AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT LONELINESS?!? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CHASING AN UNATTAINABLE DREAM?!!?" Bartas shouted, throwing a tantrum as he continued his destruction.

Hump! He got mad, how delightful! Looks like I hit a nerve.

Bartas then flapped his wings, propelling himself forward as he sent magical shots everywhere, filling the chamber with blasts and explosions, and changing his trajectory repeatedly with the recoil, making an unnecessarily complicated path.

Show off!

I showed no reaction when Bartas appeared in front of me with his fist raised, nor when he punched me directly in the face and I had to lean on my axe to stand up as the strength in my legs disappeared.

The chamber disappeared for a moment, replaced by a completely white void stained with my blood before everything returned to normal as quickly as it had changed.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT FEELING AN INFINITE VOID IN YOUR CHEST?!? WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WASTING YEARS ON VIOLENCE AND HATRED?!?" Bartas demanded in fury, punching my face again, and I saw the white void again.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT FRIENDS AND FAMILY?!? YOU ARE NOT THE ONE WHO WOKE UP ALONE IN AN EMPTY ROOM WITH NO MEMORIES OF YOUR PAST! IT WAS NOT YOU WHO SPENT YEARS PROTECTING A USELESS GATE FROM SOMETHING THAT NEVER CAME! IT WASN'T YOU WHO SPENT YEARS BEGGING FOR HELP OR WONDERING IF THIS WAS SOME KIND OF PUNISHMENT!" Bartas shouted, continuing his attack, but I did not care anymore.

"COME ON, SPEAK UP! TELL ME HOW WRONG I AM! TELL ME HOW YOU ARE BETTER THAN I AM! SAY ANOTHER ONE OF YOUR ALTRUISTIC SPEECHES! SPEAK!" Bartas demanded his voice cracking as he raised his fist again.

As I left the void, I found myself staring at the ground with my hair blocking my vision as blood fell towards the ground, becoming colorless stains.

"YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A... AAAHHH!"

I did not allow Bartas to continue, as I was tired of listening to his bullshit. I used what little strength I had left to raise my axe and drive it into Bartas' foot with its thorn, stopping him in his tracks.

Then, still leaning on my axe, I lifted my head and pulled it back, throwing it forward to head-butt Bartas.

I found myself in the white void again, my vision blurred and doubled, but I saw Bartas staggering backward with his trapped foot tearing free with the force of the blow.

I returned to the real world in less than a second and raised my axe, or at least I tried to, because it looked like I tried to lift a building. I dragged my weapon along the ground, tearing up the earth and throwing shrapnel in an arc until I hit Bartas with the flat of my weapon.

I stumbled forward, losing my balance as Bartas staggered backward, but I planted my axe in the ground, using it to keep me upright, and repeated my previous action, hitting Bartas with the flat of my axe before using it to stop me from falling.

"Yes, you're right, I don't understand your pain, I haven't been through what you've been, but I felt certain empathy for you, until now. Life has fucked us up in different ways, but that is no reason to throw a tantrum like a spoiled child. We could have been much more Bartas, but now you're burning up and I'm falling apart, threw our lives away for nothing, so why don't you shut up and accept it? It'll hurt less in the end." I spoke between heavy, painful breaths, my body slowly sliding down the handle of my axe, until I saw Bartas' foot coming towards my face.

I found myself lying on my back on a piece of rubble, giving me a slightly elevated view of the chamber, where I saw my axe lying on the ground and Bartas approaching with slow steps.

"Last words?" Bartas asked angrily, pointing his hand at me as he prepared a magical shot.

"I hope we don't go to the same place in the afterlife because I'm sure we'll continue our fight there." I muttered, using what little strength I had left, my throat burning with the great effort required to utter each word.

"Hump! Why don't you shut up and accept it? It'll hurt less in the end." Bartas laughed with a mixture of sarcasm and amusement, intensifying the power of his next attack.

"You bastard..." I stammered, coughing blood into my chest.

"Cheer up, you'll live on in my memory for the short time I have left, and few have managed such a feat. See you later Al..."

CRASH!

I heard a noise and a blur passed in front of me, hitting Bartas and sending him sprawling until he hit the wall on the other side of the chamber. My vision was too blurred to understand what had happened, but a familiar voice made me feel a pang of joy in my chest.

"Lord Alan, what he did to you?!" A certain Dark book spoke in a polite, concerned tone as it floated in front of me.

"What do you think Noir? I took the biggest beating of my life." I said sarcastically, trying to smile at the book.

"Don't worry, Lord Alan, we'll take care of it from now on!" Noir replied, using a Dark Hand to help me stand.

"We? So you mean..." I asked in surprise, standing up with difficulty while focusing on where Bartas had ended up.

"Yes, Rubrum is here too." Noir said looking at the floating book wrapped in a semi-transparent bubble.

Rubrum pinned Bartas against the wall with her bubble while the angel of light punched the barrier repeatedly, cracking it with each blow; it would not be long before he broke free.

"Noir, Bartas won't stop until one of us is dead. He'll fight with everything he's got until the end."

"I can see that, Lord Alan, that's why I beg you to allow us to finish this fight."

"Noir, do you still have magic?"

"I still have a considerable amount, why do you ask?"

"Then we'll fight Bartas together."

"But Lord Alan..."

"Noir, we started it together and we'll finish it together, but without holding back this time. We need to work together for our magic to reach full power, just like when we escaped from the Institute. I know I cannot do much on my situation, but I can still serve as a catalyst. Can I count on you?"

Noir remained silent, probably pondering my question. Simultaneously, Bartas broke Rubrum's bubble and hit the grimoire with a magical blast, creating an explosion followed by a cloud of smoke and sending the book flying away.

"Yes, Lord Alan, you can." Noir replied seriously, but with a touch of sadness in his voice.

"Thank you, Noir." I replied, smiling at the book.

Rubrum regained her flight before hitting the ground, swaying from side to side, brushing the dirt off her cover before returning to our side, focusing on Bartas who approached.

"Rubrum, we need you to protect us while Noir and I prepare to end this. Can you help us?" I asked the red book, receiving a nod in return.

Then we didn't exchange any more words, I pulled out of Noir's grip, almost falling to the ground and making the book scream in worry, but I reassured him that I was fine, and concentrated, focusing on our connection.

A red and black magic circle appeared beneath my feet, expanding until it surrounded us all. Strange letters and sigils glowed in this circle, floating up into the air before disappearing.

Simultaneously, Noir floated above me, flipping through his pages as magic flowed through the paper and around us.

Bartas wasted no time in attacking, spreading his wings and sending a shower of magical projectiles upwards, which soon fell toward us like a shower of shooting stars.

Rubrum opened her pages and returned the attack in kind, firing a flurry of red orbs toward the oncoming attack. Some of the attacks collided in the air in an abundance of explosions, then I realized how muffled the sound of everything became.

The remaining projectiles continued their trajectory, diving towards us, but Rubrum created a barrier, blocking the attack at the last second.

I watched as the barrier rippled with each impact, cracking until it could no longer stand. Bartas leaped out of the resulting cloud of smoke, closing the distance with his raised fist.

Unfortunately, for him, Noir and I did our part. We cast Dark Whirlwind, surrounding ourselves with floating magical sigils with a large spike sticking out of each one.

Bartas stopped his advance abruptly, but not before the sigils spun rapidly, turning the spikes into a buzz saw and cutting Bartas deep in the stomach.

A Dark Hand appeared below my feet, extending out of the magic circle and remaining on the ground like a shadow. Rubrum, on the other hand, bombarded Bartas with magical orbs, forcing him to move away.

Noir and I cast Dark Execution while Bartas dodged the various explosions, and as his feet touched the ground, dozens of dark stakes rose toward the sky, piercing his body and suspending him.

Rubrum took advantage of the opening to hit Bartas with everything she had, creating a large magical orb and hitting the angel of light squarely, throwing him off the stakes with a powerful explosion.

A second Dark Hand appeared, extending in the opposite direction from the first and remaining as a shadow on the ground.

Bartas stood up as he landed and repeated his trick of propelling himself with the recoil of his shots, moving forward like a blur and dodging the shots of Rubrum who couldn't keep up with his movements.

Bartas appeared on my left with his fist raised and eyes wide in fury, but his attack never reached us, because we cast Dark Phantasm, creating a copy of myself, who then landed a crushing punch on Bartas' face, sending him flying away.

We created four more copies and soon they advanced towards Bartas, closing the distance at blinding speed while picking up things in their path to use as weapons, pipes, stones, pieces of metal, and more.

Bartas soon found himself surrounded by the copies who lynched him like an angry mob, punching, kicking, or striking him with their improvised weapons.

The third Dark Hand appeared as Bartas punched the ground, releasing an absurd magical explosion, destroying the copies.

Bartas screamed in rage, slamming his hand into the ground as he ran towards us, creating a wave of rubble in his path that he promptly threw in our direction.

Rubrum destroyed the larger pieces of rubble, but when the dust cleared, Bartas was no longer there. I laughed mentally at how obvious this strategy was and looked up, seeing Bartas falling towards us with a magical shot ready.

However, the shot never hit us, we cast Dark Gluttony and Noir absorbed the magic from the attack, transforming it into a large red orb before returning it to Bartas.

This time he had the reaction time to propel himself out of the way, but it did not matter as the fourth Dark Hand became present.

Bartas did not wait to touch the ground before sending in his next attack, firing magical shots like a machine gun as he fell, but Rubrum created a barrier in the way, blocking the attacks to the point where the barrier almost collapsed, but Noir and I reinforced it by conjuring Dark Wall.

Four red magic circles filled with strange symbols appeared in front of us, stopping just behind Rubrum's barrier and keeping it standing. Bartas disappeared again after his attack.

Hm... If coming from the front, sides, and above did not work, then there was only one option left, from below.

I looked towards the ground, watching as some stones bounced repeatedly, and then Bartas jumped out of the earth, with a punch aimed towards my chin. Nevertheless, the attack never reached its target, as three large magical spears pierced Bartas around his body, courtesy of a spell called Dark Lance.

Bartas stood with half his body sticking out of the hole he had created, trembling and mumbling incoherently, but Rubrum did not care about his litanies and enveloped Bartas with her magic, surrounding him with a red aura and hurling him away.

The fifth Dark Hand materialized and I knew that this would be the end of the fight, but who would emerge victorious was a mystery.

"Really? How many accursed tricks do you have left?!?" Bartas exclaimed, standing up with difficulty while breathing heavily as the spears piercing his body disappeared.

"I could say the same; after all, you've wasted no time in inventing new ways to attack me." I replied, feeling the magic coursing through my body as I prepared my next attack.

"I still have a card up my sleeve, and so do you!" Bartas spoke, his voice faltering with every word as he struggled to stay on his feet.

"So why don't we just get this over with?" I asked emotionlessly, exhaustion preventing me from feeling anything other than mild irritation.

"I couldn't agree more!" Bartas shouted.

Then, the orb on Bartas' chest spun rapidly, releasing wild sparks and lightning that drew molten lines on the ground, becoming a blur similar to when he transformed earlier, however, something different happened this time.

A gale blew through the entire chamber, kicking up dust and debris, the magic in the air flowed to a single point in luminous particles, leaving temporary trails in the air in this gray world, the hum of the orb intensified, surpassing the ringing of the bells.

The ground around Bartas cracked with a few floating pieces spinning around him like a stone tornado as magic enveloped his body like electricity. His attack would be on the level of a certain anime where the protagonist's hair color changed with each new transformation.

However, the weight that this attack had on Bartas was visible, as the degradation of his body accelerated, starting with the tips of his wings and moving on to the rest of his body, everything crumbling to dust.

I found myself in a similar situation, apart from my fingers, the rest of my body crumbled into particles, arms, legs, feet, wings, chest, and everything disappeared into nothing.

Well, time to do my flashy attack too.

The five Dark Hands on the ground stretched away in their respective directions, becoming huge shadows without a light source to create them. Then the hands bubbled like boiling tar, abandoning their two-dimensional form, and taking on a physical shape like a painting come to life.

The hands struggled for a moment with their shape-shifting, leaving dark, glue-like trails on the ground before breaking free with a pull, growing before closing their fists and striking the ground around us.

The chamber shook with the resulting tremor, as the ground cracked and split open, accompanied by clouds of dust and showers of debris. I felt my body shake violently and my legs almost gave out, blood dripping from my nose and mouth as I continued my actions.

Then the hands opened their fists and showed their palms before rising and coming together above me, taking on a flower-like shape, with the fingers forming five large petals and the palms forming the center of the flower as they touched.

Finally, a sixth Dark Hand emerged from the center of this flower, using the fusion of the smaller hands to grow, taking on a colossal shape like the fist of a giant. The hand grew and grew until it touched the ceiling of the chamber and covered us with its shadow, moving its fingers repeatedly before closing into a massive fist.

I closed my fist and pulled my arm back as the hand repeated my movements, dragging across the ceiling of the chamber and creating a shower of glass before stopping beside me like a punch about to be thrown.

"Hey, Bartas, would you like to hear another reference that you will not understand?" I asked, feeling an overwhelming pressure trying to take me to the ground, to the point that Rubrum wrapped me with her magic so that I would not fall.

"SHUT UP!" Bartas shouted in fury, firing a gigantic magical beam in our direction, an attack so powerful that it obliterated everything in its path, consuming it in its blinding light.

"GEAR THIRD!" I shouted as I grinned from ear to ear, lunging forward as I threw a punch. The giant fist repeated my move, shooting out with a blast and speeding towards Bartas.

Our attacks connected in the center of the chamber, releasing a powerful shock wave that swept everything in its path. Luminous cracks appeared on the Dark Hand, covering the fist and extending down the arm.

However, my attack pushed Bartas's beam back, causing smaller magic rays to leak out to the sides and hit the surroundings as it retreated.

"AAAHHH!" Bartas screamed in a blind rage, intensifying his attack and increasing the beam in size and power, pushing the giant fist back and creating more cracks.

My arm shook with the sudden stop and now the return of the Dark Hand, but I stood my ground, gritted my teeth, and stomped forward as I thrust my fist into the air. The sound disappeared completely, along with the color of the world, I could not help but scream with the overwhelming effort I made, but no sound left my mouth.

The giant fist moved again, returning to its advance and closing the distance towards Bartas, transforming its attack into a luminous spiral. Bartas probably shouted something as his attack glowed even brighter, possibly after using all his remaining power before failing.

The Dark Hand hit its target and I could not see Bartas behind the fist, but the white void returned and I heard his voice.

"Hey, remember when you asked if this was worth it?" Bartas asked with childish glee.

"Yeah?" I replied hesitantly.

"HAHAHA! It was worth every goddamn second!" Bartas laughed before his voice disappeared.

Wait! He just made a...

BOOM!

CRASH!

I did not finish that line of thought, the world returned to normal and I heard an explosion followed by the sound of something breaking, there was a blinding light, and the world went dark.

The darkness disappeared a few seconds later and I never thought I would be happy to see sunlight again. The opposite side of the chamber disappeared, revealing a destroyed passageway overlooking the buildings of the cathedral city.

I smiled as I let out a nervous laugh, which soon changed to concern when I could no longer feel my legs and fell towards the ground, but a red aura enveloped me, stopping my fall.

Rubrum floated in front of me, keeping me in the air as she swung happily from side to side.

"Thanks for that Rubrum; you've saved my life more times than I can count today." I spoke to the red book, feeling joy flow through my chest.

"We've only done our duty, Lord Alan." Noir spoke politely, storing my ax inside himself.

"Accept the thanks, Noir!" I replied, irritated by his mania for demeaning himself.

"But..." Noir stammered.

"That's an order!" I shouted, making the book nod vigorously.

Then I remained silent, wondering what my next action would be until I reorganized my thoughts and decided what I would do.

"Noir, Rubrum, could you take me to where Bartas ended up?" I asked uncertainly, pondering whether it was a good choice.

"This is dangerous, Lord Alan! You're seriously injured and there's a chance that Bartas is alive!" Noir protested.

"Please..." I begged the book.

Noir was silent for a few seconds before sighing and nodding slowly. I thanked the book and we left the chamber through the passage created while Rubrum carried me, following the trail of destruction left by Bartas.

We passed through streets, alleys, building interiors, and more until eventually, we found Bartas' legs and his body further on, resting on a partially collapsed building overlooking the cathedral.

Only Bartas' torso, head, and metal arm remained. Considering all the shit he had survived, I expected Bartas to say something or try to get up in a show of absurd stubbornness. However, that did not happen, the light in Bartas' eyes went out and he crumbled to dust, leaving only a pile of the substance and his arm behind.

"Rubrum, can you put me down?" I asked the red book and she nodded in return, setting me down next to what remained of Bartas. I felt a jolt of morbid curiosity and touched the remaining powder, taking some into my mouth and grimacing at the taste.

"Salt... I wonder if Bartas and I came from the same place." I said more to myself than to the others.

"Noir, can you store Bartas' arm?" I asked the black book and he grunted in acquiescence, doing as I asked.

Therefore, I stood there, leaning against a pile of rubble while I waited. Each breath harder than the last, but I could not help but let out a few insults when I laid eyes on the cathedral and the rest of the city, as the sight could only be described as apocalyptic.

"Noir, Rubrum, the world is gray, isn't it?" I asked them both.

"Yes, Lord Alan, the world has lost its color, we can see that too." Noir replied as Rubrum nodded.

"Can you hear the bells too?"

"Yes."

"Good, I thought I'd gone mad. Tell me, can you also see the giant hand descending from the sky?" I asked a third time.

"Yes, we can." Noir answered seriously after a few seconds of silence.

Dark clouds covered the sky of the Cathedral City, flowing towards the large building in the center of the city and forming a whirlpool just above it, but with a large luminous portal in its center.

A gigantic hand came out of this portal. No, that was not the right word, because the last Dark Hand I created was no match for the colossal hand that came out of the portal and moved towards the ground with its index finger extended.

However, something stood in the way of this hand, a huge flying fortress surrounded by large luminous magic rings and with five barriers just above it, blocking the finger's path.

At least I thought there were five, as the barriers diminished in size until they reached the fortress, with the cracked remains of the first to the third floating around the giant index finger.

As if that was not enough, great cracks opened up in the earth, releasing an unimaginable light while some of the city's buildings floated away and disappeared into the portal through which the hand emerged, with the non-existent bells ringing incessantly.

"The girls stayed in the cathedral, didn't they?"

"Yes." Noir replied.

"SHIT!"

"But we can still help them, even if we can't do anything about the hand and the portal."

"I guess you'll have to go without me, Noir." I muttered as my eyelids grew heavy and my vision darkened.

"What do you mean, Lord Alan?" Noir asked as Rubrum and he looked at me worriedly.

I could not answer, I just showed them my disappearing hand, and that was more than enough for the Grimoires to understand what I meant.

"Lord Alan, hold on tight, please, we'll get help!" Noir exclaimed, trying but failing to hide the fear in his voice. I felt ashamed to disappoint them, but I would not last until help arrived. The weight in my eyes became unbearable and I closed them, embracing the darkness.

"No, Lord Alan!" Noir shouted, but his voice became muffled.

"Lord Alan!" I heard the book's voice again as I felt my body leave the ground.

"Lord Alan!" The screams returned as the wind blew in my face until everything fell silent.

-XXXXXX-

Then I heard a voice.

"Alan!" A childish female voice shouted as I felt a poke in my side.

I woke up startled, opening my eyes and getting up immediately as I scanned my surroundings, filling my lungs with air. Confusion overtook my body as I found myself in a comfortable bed in a 21st-century bedroom.

I saw a bed made of a material that imitated wood, with a mattress, blanket, pillows, and sheets made of the materials I was familiar with.

A bedside table next to my bed had a black alarm clock with red numbers flashing and sounding an alarm, while a television with a video game connected showed static in the corner of the room.

The room also had a white closet with partially open sliding doors displaying modern clothes, a study desk with a chair and school supplies, and a bookshelf full of books, mangas, and action figures.

"Alan, you will be late for school! Noir has already prepared breakfast!" The female voice exclaimed again.

I tilted my head in confusion as I saw a little girl with long golden hair, brown eyes, and wearing a red school uniform staring at me angrily with her hands on her waist.

"What?" I muttered in confusion and sleepiness.

However, my answer displeased the girl, as her face turned red and she grabbed my hand, trying to pull me out of bed. I laughed lightly at her actions and got up, putting on a pair of slippers and looking at my light blue pajamas.

The little girl sighed with relief and pulled me towards my bedroom door, taking us into a small hallway with four doors. Walking down the hallway, I realized that we were in an apartment with a mix of living room and kitchen, with a dining table in the corner.

There was one person in the living room, a tall adult man with a well-built physique, dark skin; wavy black hair combed back, black eyes, a serious face, and wearing a business suit.

"Oh, Rubrum, did you wake Alan up? Great, I have to work, but I left breakfast on the dining table, I see you two in the evening!" The man said happily, his serious face changing when he saw us.

"Bye, bye Noir!" Rubrum smiled, waving to the man as he left through the front door. I waved back hesitantly, still confused by my situation, and Noir waved back, closing the door behind him.

I stood there like a statue, waving at nothing as I tried to process everything, but a sudden pain in my arm snapped me out of my stupor.

"What are you doing standing there? We will be late!" Rubrum exclaimed, crossing her arms and stomping on the floor, but I could only smile at the adorable display.

So I got ready for school as quickly as I could, ate my breakfast, had a quick shower, brushed my teeth, put on my school uniform, grabbed my backpack, and left the apartment with Rubrum beside me.

Coincidentally, we found two people waiting for us outside the apartment, a boy and a girl with white hair, both younger than me.

"Nier, Yonah, hi!" Rubrum waved to them both while holding my hand, and they both waved back.

"Rubrum!" Yonah shouted, running towards her friend and embarking on a long conversation.

"Are you ready to go?" Nier asked, pointing to the stairs of the building with his thumb.

"Of course!" I replied, nodding in confirmation.

"You overslept again, didn't you?" Nier asked, smiling teasingly.

"Tisk! Shut up!" I said angrily, grabbing the hood of his jacket and pulling it up to cover his face.

Nier grumbled at my actions, but soon put it aside and together we went to drop Rubrum and Yonah off at school before heading to our own. We left the building and walked along the sidewalk, past the crowds heading to their respective jobs.

We passed stores, markets, businesses, houses, and more, chatting casually amid the noise of the constant traffic on this sunny day. Eventually, we reached our destination and left Rubrum and Yonah at school, watching the other families doing the same with their children.

However, I did not pay attention to my surroundings and bumped into someone as I turned around.

"OUCH! Pay attention to where you're going, you idiot!" An irritated female voice shouted.

A pale girl with long white hair, pink eyes, and wearing a white uniform owned the voice. In addition, surrounding her were five little girls, each with different colored hair and hairstyles.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that! It was my fault, I wasn't paying attention." I apologized quickly.

"Hump! I noticed!" The pink-eyed girl replied, crossing her arms.

"Sister Zero, we need to go." The red-eyed girl said, tugging on her sister's sleeve.

"All right, behave yourselves." Zero replied, nodding to the girl, and receiving a nod in return. Then the five little girls disappeared into the school, leaving Zero, Nier, and me alone.

"I know we didn't get off to the best start, but my name is Alan and this is Nier. What's your name?" I asked, already knowing the answer, but preferring to remain polite.

"My name is Zero, but you already know that." Zero replied, smiling slightly.

"Sorry, I couldn't help but overhear. We all seem to go to the same school, judging by the uniforms. Would you like to come with us?" I asked hesitantly, trying to ignore the nudges Nier gave me with his elbow, and the teasing he whispered in my ear.

"Sure, but I'll knock your teeth off if you try to hit on me." Zero laughed.

"You don't have to say it twice!" I laughed back, so the three of us went on our way, laughing, talking, and teasing each other.

I couldn't help but enjoy the scenery and this little moment we'd spent together, but one thing I was sure of, I'd never felt so at home.

Ending A: Dreams of a Fallen [A]ngel.

END OF CHAPTER