Chapter 37: Death II

  Opening his eyes, Slava saw himself. Through his hazy vision, he saw his unmoving body being held by a focussed Angel, moving her hands across his wounds, focused, a soft yellow glow surrounding her. Her back was glowing, a shining yellow double helix seemingly shifting across the surface of her skin. Beside them was a familiar figure sitting, her legs crossed while facing the now massive black hole. It had grown a meter wide, but somehow, its growth seemed to have stopped. Sasha was frowning. He could clearly see a purple aura spreading from her towards the singularity, trying to suppress it. No matter how hard he looked though, he couldn't find Kolya.

  Wait, but what was this? And where was he? This all felt like a dream, he could see himself and move around as he wished, he could even fly, but he couldn't touch anything, his body was ethereal. As he pondered this, a loud reverberating sound resounded through his ears. Following its source, Slava was presented with a horrifying scene. Kolya was laying in a crater filled with his own blood while being bombarded by endless rays of light. Seeing this, Slava rushed to his side. He tried everything, from blocking the rays to attacking Lightbringer, but nothing worked.

Wearing an ugly expression he looked up in desperation. In this foggy world, one thing shone brightly, the moon. Realizing he was unable to help, Slava screamed.

  "Why? Get me out!" Flying over to his unconscious body he started to punch through it. "Wake the fuck up!" He said looking up one last time, his tearful gaze piercing ours.

  Kolya and Lightbringer were still fighting. Kolya had managed to escape the bombardment. His body was riddled with sizzling holes, but he was still moving. Even though the wounds didn't seem to bother him, he was literally falling to pieces.

  "When I picked you up in that arena, I never thought things would end up like this," said the man facing Kolya, wiping some blood off of his freezing face.

  "Likewise General," Kolya smirked, bowing comically. His burning body shimmered as he stood just before the event horizon. Despite his aura getting seemingly absorbed he looked unfazed. Honestly, it was quite odd to see this old man facing a giant like Kolya. It looked comical, like an old David facing an angelic Goliath. And just like in the tale David seemed to be winning. Although Kolya stood tall, he was slightly swaying. His opponent didn't miss this.

  Spreading his arms, Lightbringer abruptly smacked them together. A bright glow formed from the shock and at the tip of his fingers, a huge ray of light appeared heading straight for Kolya.

  Seeing this, Slava screamed. He tried everything, but Kolya didn't react. Instead, he moved contrary to his indications. As the ray of light was about to reach him, he ducked to the side, letting it graze his charred skin, where his arm used to be. Despite his successful evasion, Slava's expression didn't change. He still tried to grab him to no avail. And that's when what Slava seemed to fear so much, came to pass. From Kolya's blind spot, a drone revealed itself, its surface glimmering under the moonlight. At that moment, time seemed to slow down.

  Slava had come between the drone and his friend in a desperate attempt to save him. For a moment, their gazes crossed. Before Slava could digest what had just happened, time resumed its course. A thin ray of light passed through his ethereal forehead creating a sizable hole right in between his friend's eyes. The impact made him stumble back into the giant ray of light.

  At this sight, Slava slowly floated to the ground, landing on his knees. No… this couldn't be. He…

  "Ha, I thought I could extend this for a little while longer, but it seems I don't have that leisure anymore." Looking up, Slava was met with his friend's dashing figure.

  As soon as the assault had stopped, Kolya lunged toward his opponent. His armor was no longer visible on his body. He was almost naked, some of his skin charred to the bone. Surprisingly, he still didn't falter. The hole in his forehead looked to be healing and the burning aura around him was brighter than ever. With the little skin he had left on his face, he looked to be smiling.

  He didn't know why but Slava's lips also curved up. That's right, Kolya wouldn't be brought down by something like this.

  Maybe it was due to shock, or something else, but General Michaels didn't react in time. He tried striding to the side, but he was caught by Kolya's now bone wings. As soon as one pierced through what was left of his armor, the other one followed. His expression soon turned ugly.

  "A true monster," he strangely grinned.

  "All thanks to you, old man," answered Kolya, staring right into his eyes as they walked towards the black hole.

  "I never thought it would end like this," the General chuckled when they reached the event horizon.

  "Oh, this isn't the end, it's only the beginning old man," Kolya strangely laughed, unimaginably strong winds surrounding them. Before he had the chance to understand his words, Kolya shoved him into the singularity, losing his wings in the process.

  Following his actions, a bright light escaped from it. Like magic, once the surroundings dimmed back down, it was gone, nowhere to be found. In its place sat Sasha, her legs crossed, slightly floating behind her scythe.

  Her frown soon turned into visible pain and when she landed, the purple glow around her dissipated. She was visibly panting, her scythe fell to the ground and that's when a cry of sorrow resounded throughout the city.

  In the next moment, a figure materialized next to Kolya's disintegrating body. It was Serena. She carefully embraced what was left of him.

"I shouldn't have left for the Saharan jungles… I…" she was interrupted by Kolya's weak barely audible voice.

  "Don't do that…" he wheezed. "It isn't your fault…" he raised his head to look at the starry sky. "I wanted to see it through to the end." And that's when his gaze landed on the unconscious Slava. "I wanted to pave the way for the future…" he coughed. "No matter what it might be." Slowly turning his crumbling head, he looked into Serena's emotional eyes. It was as if her mask had crumbled, she could no longer hold back her tears. "I'm glad you respected my wishes…" he closed his eye. "We've both grown so much… Promise me… You won't let it go to waste." To his words, she nodded and as he saw this, Kolya tilted his head back.

  The following moments were the most painful Slava had ever experienced. He watched his friend's body slowly be overtaken by cracks before he finally turned to ash. When the cinders fell into her wide-open palms they were still burning. For a moment, Slava thought to have seen the image of a Phoenix materializing above her head, but before he could get a closer look, all kinds of vegetation began rising from the ground accompanied by a melodic voice:

Through the sorrow and pain,

You became ingrained.

In the back of my mind,

As a beacon of light.

An unwavering light,

Unbearably bright,

Shining through my

Darkened sky.

When I was lost, you, I found.

In the darkness, bound

In the chains of your woe,

Fighting legions of foes.

Within a dying breath,

Under the shadow of death.

I kept bringing you back to health.

Through the sorrow and pain,

You were ingrained.

In the back of my mind,

As a beacon of light.

An unwavering light,

Unbearably bright,

Shining through my

Darkened sky.

I taught you to live,

You taught me to feel,

Then we fell in love,

It never felt real.

When I was with you,

Moments so few.

I could feel my mind,

Released of its binds.

No more room for the pain.

Not anything to gain,

From endless bloodshed,

And experimental subjects.

Through the sorrow and pain,

You are ingrained.

In the back of my mind,

As a beacon of light.

An unwavering light,

Unbearably bright,

Shining through my

Darkened sky.

  As his body was dragged away from the growing vines by Angel, a vivid memory sprung from the back of Slava's mind.

  "Hey, Slava!" Slava heard Kolya say in the darkness. "Hmmm," he answered drowsily. "Have you ever heard of a melody so mesmerizing that it enraptured your soul?" In his voice was a sense of longing that he didn't pick up on at the time. "Shut up with your soul bullshit, we need to wake up early tomorrow." Kolya ignored him, continuing, "well I have and it's…"

  Slava was brought back to reality by the tears flowing down his intangible cheeks. For the first time in his life, he felt his soul, its core enraptured by the song.

  He hadn't realized it, but he was slowly following his body, getting closer and closer to it until the melody took over his senses and he gradually closed his eyes.

Now I see,

In front of me,

Your blazing ashes.

Still burning from the clashes.

Who would've thought,

That even in death,

You would illuminate my path,

Burning, from Phoenix breath.

Through the sorrow and pain,

You will forever be ingrained.

In the back of my mind,

As a beacon of light.

An unwavering light,

Unbearably bright,

Shining through my

Darkened sky.