The Soul Keeper

I didn't need to see, to realise who I was up against.

"Run!" I shouted at Aoife and Inspector John with the last bit of air left in my lungs. My feet dangled in the air, high up above the sea below.

"Run?" The Ereth asked with a sly voice. "As if I would allow them to."

I noticed their eyes widen as A golden light radiated from the Ereth behind me.

"What…?" Aoife whispered as she stepped back. "I can understand him."

I gritted my teeth. I knew exactly what this was – the same spell Aelith had cast upon every single player. A spell to let a human understand their speech.

"How far the Pale Demon has fallen." The Ereth laughed. I felt the thing around my wait and chest wrap itself tighter around me. It was going to crack my ribs if this kept up.

"Stop calling me that." I hissed as I released my magic. Flames erupted from me, burning off the tendrils around me. I caught the edge of the cliff just as I began falling down, and with my magically enhanced strength, pulled myself up.

The Ereth laughed. His bellowing laughter echoed across the hills and cliffs. 

"What's going on?" Aoife whispered, clearly still in shock. "Why can I understand him?"

I shook my head. "It's a spell. You need to run, now!" I pushed her away, towards Inspector John. "Run! Don't stop until you can't hear us!"

I turned my back on them just in time to block a blade of light descending upon me from the sky. 

"You stand no chance against me, Kai Friseal. You are no longer the Matriarch's Champion, nor are you the feared Pale Demon." He raised his hand as another blade made purely out of light formed high up in the air. His eyes flashed golden, and at that moment, I recognised him. 

"Rohir, the god of vengeance…" I whispered. "Fuck."

"I will avenge those you have killed, Keeper of Souls!"

My eyes widened. He wasn't just any Divine – he was the Divine who gaze Erik his paladin powers. He was the person who sent the phoenix after Erik.

I threw myself aside as the blade of light hit the ground where I was just standing. The earth shook, and I nearly lost my balance. 

"What about all those you killed?" I shouted as I ran towards the side. I glanced at Aoife and Inspector John. They hadn't moved much, they were watching us wide eyed. I gritted my teeth, I needed to get Rohir as far away from them as I could.

"Demons are filth of the world. Those snakes would use anyone and throw them away the moment they outlived their usefulness." Rohir's shout was accompanied by another blade striking the earth. I stumbled and nearly fell as the ground shook and trembled. 

"How is that different from what you and your kind does?" I replied as I finally regained my balance. Turning my back on the cliff right behind me, I faced Rohir. "You used so many of us – humans, from this world. People who had nothing to do with your conflict!" My flames began dancing on my skin. I could feel wrath, rising within me. His two-faced words had triggered something inside of me. 

"You are the ones who are invading our world!" My shout echoed across the fields and hills. I fired a bolt of darkness towards him. He didn't even try to avoid it – it simply sizzled and disappeared after hitting the faintly visible golden barrier around him. 

I couldn't even put a dent in his defences.

"What do you chase me for?" I shouted, hoping to at least buy some time as I tried to figure out what to do. "I'm no longer who I was before!"

He laughed, again. "Lies, your power proves your identity." He raised his hand once more. Another blade of golden light, another near miss, and another rumble of the earth. I took a few steps back but had to stop as I finally reached the edge of the cliff. 

"Your death shall be the beginning of our new dynasty!"

I rolled my eyes. Wasn't he overestimating my importance by a lot? After all, I was just one guy in the midst of a war. I glanced at the sea below. I could see the think stretch of black sand covered beach. If I fell, it seemed like it was certain death. 

Rohir raised his hand once more, and I summoned my own power to counter his. Perhaps, I could have a chance. Perhaps, if he ran out of mana before I did, I could kill him. Because as he was now, he wasn't feeding off a Divine Pillar. I still had a chance.

With renewed confidence and plenty of recklessness, I dashed forward as soon as he tried to hit me again. Tightly grasping the shaft of my scythe, I allowed my flames to go ahead of me. They burned the grassy surface as they reached the Divine. 

His lips formed a thin line as my flames started consuming his barrier. "Is this all you can do?" He asked with an almost disappointed voice. He raised his hand. I prepared to dodge, but to my surprise, he didn't create a sword made of light.

Instead, I felt power slowly gather in his palm. So much power that I felt my mind go numb because of it. 

"No!" I shouted as I finally reached him. I leapt high into the air and struck the barrier surrounding him. For a moment, we froze. The air grew thicker, slowing my movements, but it didn't happen fast enough. The crystalline blade of my scythe touched the golden barrier, shattering it to pieces.

Black mist spread from the scythe, enveloping both of us.

"Too little, too late." I heard the Divine's voice. As my eyes widened, the power gathering in his palm exploded.

I found myself in flying high up above as pain jolted through my body. For a moment, I felt as if I was suspended in the air, floating peacefully. Then, gravity caught up, and I plummeted into the sea down below.