The Birth of Dubhán

Standing opposite each other, Andromalius and Andrius took their time to start the duel. On one side of the arena was a beast of wind and ice and, on the other side, a being of pure shadow. They were so focused on the other that they would have reacted to the most minimal of movements, perhaps even a twitch. Their senses sharpened over millennia of battles and wars, if anyone had seen it, the hairs on the back of their necks would've stood on end. Such was the tension created by those two in the environment.

The first to strike was Andrius, dashing towards Andromalius using the Anemo element to increase his own speed. Andromalius bid his time, waiting for Andrius to get as close as possible and, when he was finally too close to react, he teleported to the shadow behind the Lord of the Wolves. He tried to slice Andrius' back foot, but the other had read his intention and struck with his tail, infusing it in Cryo. The Umbra Archon retreated back into the shadows quickly, the tail missing him entirely.

Without giving each other space to breath, Andromalius and Andrius rushed towards each other once again. Andrius clawed at his opponent's torso, but got his paw blocked by Sin Devourer. In spite of his bigger physical body, Andrius was unable to move Andromalius by even an inch, now both being caught in a stalemate. Seeing their current predicament, the latter sent a whip of shadows towards Andrius, who had no choice but to retreat in order not to get hit.

A fierce howl came from the depths of Andrius' as he summoned both Cryo and Anemo and began to shoot sharp blades of elemental energy from different parts of his body. Andromalius quickly reacted, infusing Sin Devourer in Umbra energy and answering in kind, sending his own blades of elemental energy to intercept the incoming attack.

As the energies clashed mid-air, The Umbra Archon teleported below Andrius belly, sending four tendrils of darkness to hold each of his paws. Realizing how dangerous the current situation was for him, Andrius overloaded his body in elemental energies and exploded them outwards, creating a huge Cryo Swirl that send Andromalius crashing towards a wall. Before he could hit it, though, he entered the shadows on it and came out unscathed.

"Yeah, this is how it should be." Andromalius said while grinning wildly. "Come on! Put more into it! Make my blood boil!"

As Andromalius shouted with fervour at Andrius, waves of Umbra energy erupted from his body. It was as if in front of the Wolf of the Northern Wind there was no longer Andromalius, Umbra Archon and God of Punishment, but a simple man who wanted to test the limits of his strength against a worthy opponent. For five hundred years he had laid dormant. For five hundred years his blade had not been tested. He had to resharpen a chipped edge.

And he got in exchange exactly what he had asked for. Andrius, who had a noble demeanour and appreciated both strength and chivalry, had his blood boiling. He remembered all those centuries ago the countless spars he and other gods had to hone their strengths, the wounds he had sustained in battle and healed to become stronger, the enemies he had slain. He was Andrius Boreas, the Wolf of the Northern Wind, and now Lord of Wolvendom. The Cryo and Anemo energies in Andrius grew, each weaker than Andromalius' own but strong enough together to rival his.

"Fine then, Vanquisher!" Andrius growled at his opponent. "I shall take this challenge with all my power!"

The two simple rushed at each other. No fancy techniques, no tricks under the sleeve, no thought at all. All the two did, was rush at each other with their entire being put into one attack. And so they clashed. At first they seemed to be caught in yet another stalemate yet, if one looked carefully, Andrius seemed to be losing ground. And he was indeed being pushed back. As much as the Lord of Wolvendom wanted to deny it, Andromalius was his best. He always had been. And so their clash ended, with Andromalius putting a bit more power into his attack and overwhelming Andrius.

He was careful not to actually hurt his friend in a simple duel, so he stopped before he could actually slice through him. Even if this physical body of Andrius was made from pure energy Andromalius could, as an Archon, actually hurt his spirit. Releasing a sigh, Andromalius called back all of the energy he had released, returning the area to its usual nature. Andrius, on the other hand, simply lay down on the spot once again, being quite spent from the exchange.

"I had forgotten what it felt like to fight with my all." Andrius commented, satisfied in spite of having lost. "It has been far too long since I let go."

"I can understand that feeling." Andromalius said contentedly. "I'm just happy to know that I haven't lost my edge."

Andrius simply chuckled, a sight so rare that many would've looked at the scene in pure shock. Andromalius though, could understand exactly why his old friend had laughed.

"You could've ended the fight whenever you wanted." The wolf said, looking at the Umbra Archon with amusement.

"Ah, it's not like I was trying to hide it or anything." Andromalius answered plainly. And in fact, that was the truth. Andrius, as powerful as he was, had long lost the power he once held during the Archon War.

The pair of friends spent a few more hours talking as if they hadn't just fought. They chatted about the times of yore, when the gods walked freely amongst mortals, when the world was in a state of utter chaos. Like that, they spent most of the day. When the time for Andromalius to leave came, Andrius had but one think to say to him. A piece of advice or, depending on how one thought about it, a warning.

"My dear friend, we can no longer walk the mortal world bearing our godly names no longer." Andrius explained. "Even Morax himself has crafted a pseudonym for himself."

"Is that the case, old wolf?" Andromalius inquired, though he already knew as much. He knew many of the names of the other Archons.

"It is unfortunate, but it indeed is the case, Andromalius." The Lord of Wolvendom answered. He himself hadn't used his godly name since the Archon War, leaning towards Andrius.

"Then say that name no more." Andromalius said calmly, his expression one of deep thought. He closed his eyes and focused for a few seconds, and then he opened them as if he had come to a great idea. He then enveloped himself in shadows and, when he had come out, his godly garments were replaced. He now wore a black suit with red accents, ornate in gold linings and teal gemstones, with a white sash hanging from his right shoulder.

"Andromalius is now reserved for people of trust. As for mortals..." He said while gazing at the clear blue sky, "... they may call me Dubhán."

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Heya there guys! Author-san back with another chapter!

Quick note: MC's mortal name is pronounced /'du-an/

So, quick question: what did you think of the fight scene?

Pop Quiz of the Chapter: How many five star characters are there in Genshin Impact?

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