Will of Fire - 5

"Grgh… dammit… she's barely awakened and is that strong?" Soleil planted a hand to the ground, but trying to rise almost felt impossible. His body felt like lead, and he could probably be sure a bone or two was fractured if not possibly broken. "Dad always said a Herrscher wouldn't play around… but, dammit… come on! I'm not letting Kiana fight alone, so get up!"

"You know, I'm right here," Soleil growled as his "other" spoke. Managing to move his head, Soleil was greeted by the figure of this "other."

A perfect reflection of himself, the only difference being his ruby red eyes and black, red-toned hair. "Other" knelt, putting his chin to a hand as he looked down at Soleil.

"All you have to do is ask, and I'll help you out," "Other's" voice was almost teasing, just at the edge of mocking Soleil as he kept trying to force himself to stand. "Come on, you can barely move in this state. You won't beat her as you are. Sure, you can use some of that power, but it's not enough as is. You need more. So why not embrace it a bit?"

"And what, let you take over?!" Soleil spat the words out. "Like hell! You heard what I said to her too! If I am using this power, I'm using it to help humanity! I'm not on that side!"

"Hagh… all these years and you still don't know why I'm actually here. Heh, whatever. For the record, I couldn't take control if I wanted to. There're a couple annoying old men interfering with that in this head of yours."

"Shut up… so I can get back to the fight!" Soleil managed to find some leverage, forcing himself to his knees even if it made his arms shake.

"You're not getting it, dumbass. Look over there."

Soleil followed "Other's" gaze, his eyes widening to find that Kiana and Mei were frozen in place amid their fight.

"What the… why…?"

"You can see me because you're right on the edge. Thunder hit you pretty hard back there, so your mind slipped away a bit. But, I wasn't lying about what I said. I can't take control, but you also can't beat her without my… no, without our power," "Other" knelt again, smirking as Soleil growled. "You want to help them both, right? This power is yours after all… it's up to you how to use it, just like you said."

"Other" reached his right hand out, a dark red and black flame forming in his palm. Soleil stared at that flame, "Other" chuckling.

"If you end up duping me, there's gonna be hell to pay, y'know that?"

"Trust me, those two have been very clear about that. I'm just here to help. So, let's get it started, Herrscher of Flames."

"Tch, fine! I'll trust you for a bit!"

Soleil clasped his hand to "Other's", and the dark flame changed as it was pressed between their palms. Dark changed to light as the flame took on Soleil's blue colors, but the dark was mixed in there just enough as the flame grew and surrounded the two, light and dark blending together into a dome.