Chapter 36: Death I

  Angel was fighting as best as she could, but to be honest, her situation looked grim. Even in a two versus one, they were struggling. Lightbringer really was a powerhouse. With his overwhelming firepower, it was almost impossible to get close to him. Angel wasn't fast enough, all she could do was act as a meat shield for Kolya to be able to land a blow. But even then, Kolya wouldn't come out unscathed.

  Recently, she'd started to fall behind them, her exhaustion was becoming more and more noticeable, her back slowly dimming in the process.

  She was about to spread her wings and join back with Kolya when she abruptly turned around.

  Good, she didn't seem on guard. It looked like she'd recognized him. Not wasting any time, Slava tackled her, swiftly sweeping her off her feet.

  "What are you doing, kid?" She asked as he carried her away at incredible speeds.

  Slava didn't answer, he was wholly focused on his body right now. He could feel some cracks spreading along his skin where his ripped muscles were. The violent storm around him was becoming unstable and as they reached what he considered to be a safe place, he tried to stop himself.

  With his current condition, he had no choice but to focus on his movements. He tried extending his will over his domain, but he was met with overwhelming resistance. A resistance that soon turned into a headache. Before he knew it, his feet slipped. Gritting his teeth, he, with all he had left, moved his chains to cover them both.

  However, before they could fully cover them, he met Angel's gaze, and with her irises flashing before his eyes, his chains broke, her wings extending to take their place. They felt soft to the touch, soothing enough to make his eyelids falter. He was about to fall asleep when the impact came. The wings softened the blow, what shook him out of his daze wasn't the impact itself, but the cacophony of sounds that followed. So this was what happened when he lost control. The wings slowly spread apart, pushing the rubble off of them to reveal the sight of multiple buildings slowly crumbling to the ground, their foundations gone.

  He had not only slipped, but he'd also lost control over his domain, letting all the movement he controlled loose at once. If Angel hadn't been there to shield him, he doubted his chains would've done the job. There was no guarantee he could've pushed away the rubble like she just did. He was exhausted, his eyes were still bloodshot from his fight with the Blood Queen. His body was covered in scars, blood flowing from every hole in his body, freezing over before it could reach the floor. Standing back up with difficulty, he began slowly walking back towards the fight.

  "What are you doing?" Angel asked. "You're in no condition to go anywhere!" She screamed, struggling to her feet. He didn't listen. Slava had a goal, and he couldn't let anyone or anything stop him. He knew Kolya, he knew what he would try, and he didn't want to think about the outcome. His body was in shambles, his legs were numb, he could barely walk, and he didn't even know if he was healing anymore. His domain was long out of his reach, and his natural body was nowhere as resilient as Sasha's. The suit that used to cover his entire body could barely be called a suit anymore. It now only covered his essential body parts, leaving most of his skin exposed to the coldness of the night. Unlike Angel, he couldn't change his physiology to adapt to this environment, so patches of ice quickly formed around his skin.

  There were many things he didn't have compared to most around him, but what he did have was his resilience. Looking down, he started picking up the pace, his legs picking up momentum, the ice breaking off of him, his broken chains retreating into his back, morphing, allowing his suit to cover more of his body. He never gave up. No matter what it was, he would push through. The now visible hourglass on his back shifted, and with the chains pulling on it, it flipped, exuding an overwhelming storm that swept through his surroundings. He got faster and faster until all he could see was a black and white blur. He didn't need to see, he knew where he needed to go. Raising his head, he closed his eyes.

  Why? Why did it always end up like this? He was always backed into a corner, unable to fight back. No matter how strong he got, and how much knowledge he gained, it would never be enough. Slowly opening his eyes towards the blurry sky, he was presented with the rough outline of the bright moon. Averting his eyes, his gaze landed in front of him, and that was when he saw it. A black dot of unfathomable darkness, surrounded by a purple hue. He knew what it was, yet he didn't want to believe it. Was he late? No, it had just formed, he still had time.

  Quickly, he got closer, and as he did, he could feel the pull on his body and on his domain. No! He'd gotten this far, it wasn't about to end like this! He pushed through the pain, frantically looking around. Where was he? Where the fuck was Kolya? He kept repeating the question inside his head, distracting himself from the almost unbearable pain. His body was being pulled apart, the only thing keeping it together being his focused mind. He was concentrating on his domain, the movement of the particles forming his body when he finally caught a glimpse of what he was looking for. Beyond the black dot, that had now grown to the size of his fist, he could catch the distorted, battered figure of his old friend. Even compared to his accelerated state, how was the singularity growing this fast? He couldn't believe it, there was no time to waste, he had to act fast.

  Ending his aimless dash around the black hole, he moved toward his friend. He couldn't stop, if he did, he knew he wouldn't be able to move again, he couldn't lose his momentum. Seeing his target getting closer, he squinted his eyes. He could barely see his friend's towering figure standing over a helpless Lightbringer getting pummeled into the ground. Not to say that Kolya was in a better state. Since he'd last seen him, Kolya now looked more broken. Literally, with every punch, a piece of him broke off. Seeing this familiar scene, Slava flinched, his eyes widening, and he accelerated. As he got closer, he began to feel the heat, they were both glowing, gold clashing with red, slowly getting siphoned by the purple aura of the singularity.

  Slava could feel himself slowing down. No! Not now! This couldn't be! He just had to get a little closer! But, his feet got heavy and with every step, it felt like they were getting further away from him. No! His eyes watered.

  Closing his eyes, memories flashed before his eyes, his sister crumbling to dust, Despira's fear-stricken expression, Sasha's unconscious battered body. Frowning, his eyes snapped open.

  "Aaah," screaming louder than he ever did, lightning spread to his now tearful glowing white eyes. Finally, the world moved once more, he was once again getting closer, fighting the forces pushing and pulling at him, through the searing heat burning his exposed skin. He was right there! Just a few more.

  "What are you doing here? Who are you?" Hearing this voice his legs faltered. Gazing up, his eyes met with his friend's. His crimson eyes brimmed with energy and despite that, they looked hollow.

  "You…" Slava said with difficulty, his eyes growing wide in shock. And that's when his friend's previous words flashed in his head.

  "If you're not careful you might lose a part of the link to your domain. It can go from memory loss to literally shatter into nothing." This couldn't be…

  "I asked you, who are you?" His glare was ravaging. This feeling, the heat scorching his skin was nothing compared to it. He was at a loss for words and that's when a golden light flashed in the corner of his vision. A light had left the body Kolya was standing over. Kolya didn't avert his gaze. Swiftly moving his arm, he grabbed something, smashing it back to the ground.

  Averting his gaze, Slava looked towards his friend's sole remaining arm. The space around it shivered to reveal a familiar figure. It was Lightbringer. A completely beaten Lightbringer. His helmet was nowhere to be seen revealing a familiar old face. With shock written all over his face, Slava looked back up. Kolya wasn't looking at him anymore, instead, he was looking down as a tear slowly sizzled on his burning cheek.

  "Ah, I lost some time again." Still holding onto Lightbringer's neck, he turned his head. "Don't look at me like that," he grimaced. "Promise me one thing will ya? Don't look back too much and don't lock yourself inside your head." Smiling he turned around, dragging Lightbringer with him. Before Slava had the chance to reply, his booming voice thundered through the streets. "Sasha!" He screamed. In the next moment, Slava felt familiar energy surround him. No! He tried to move, but his body didn't answer, even his domain had left his grasp. Gritting his teeth, he watched as his vision blurred.

  "Now, where were we… Father." Kolya said, raising the old man to the black hole. Slava couldn't see his surroundings anymore, he was focused on Kolya's back. On it was depicted a burning black phoenix whose wings spread out of his body to form his own. He could also see the light being drained away from the two figures and that's the last thing he saw before the world shifted before his eyes and he felt all strength leave his body.