Marcus/Rocco
The journey to the final marker was eerily quiet.
The engine hummed beneath us while snow drifted lazily
across the windshield, blanketing the ruined roads in white. It was beautiful
in a cruel sort of way.
The world looked peaceful again, as if it had
forgotten everything that had happened.
It hadn't and neither had we.
When Darren finally slowed the vehicle, the silence
only deepened. "We're here."
I stepped out first, the cold bit through my jacket
immediately.
Ahead of us stretched what had once been a city park.
I remembered coming here a while back when it was filled with children, music
and food stalls.
Now every tree stood blackened, their branches twisted
like skeletal fingers reaching toward the sky. Grass had long since died
beneath the corruption spreading from the enormous tear suspended overhead.
It was different from the others. It didn't flicker or
pulse. It simply existed. And beneath it…
Malachar.
He stood exactly where Darren's marker had placed him,
his massive sword resting against one shoulder. his cloak moved gently in the
wind while his face remained unreadable.
He didn't greet us or speak to us. He simply looked at
each of us. His eyes paused on Riley. On the empty sleeve pinned neatly against
her jacket.
Then they moved to me. Slowly, he lowered his sword
and drove its tip into the earth. The metallic sound echoed across the empty
park.
He raised a closed fist to his chest. A commander's
salute.
Then he drew the blade out. The battle had begun.
He covered the distance between us in an instant. The
first swing shattered the frozen earth.
We scattered, but even the shockwave knocked us off
balance.
I recovered first, snapping two chains from my
bracelet. The hooks shot toward him from opposite directions, wrapping around
his sword arm and shoulder.
For a heartbeat, he stopped. Then he pulled. The
chains snapped tight.
Instead of resisting, I sprinted toward him, letting
his strength drag me faster than I could ever run on my own. Just before
reaching him, I planted a foot against a broken slab of concrete, using it like
a springboard.
Both knees slammed into his chest. The impact forced him
half a step back.
Before my feet touched the ground again, my elbow
crashed into his jaw and both swords flashed toward his ribs.
Steal screamed. He blocked one, the second left a
shallow cut across his armour.
Noah charged before Malachar had fully recovered. His
tonfa struck like hammers, forcing the commander to give ground for the first
time.
Every blow flowed into the next with practiced
precision, leaving almost no room for a counterattack.
Almost.
Malachar twisted his body just enough to catch Noah's
final strike, then drove the pommel of his sword into Noah's ribs.
The crack echoed across the battlefield. Noah stumbled
backwards, coughing hard, but refused to fall.
Callie darted in immediately. Her whip snapped around
Malachar's wrist before he could raise his sword again. She pulled with every
she had, not expecting to overpower him but only to interrupt his rhythm.
It worked, for a fraction of a second. Long enough for
me to slip inside his reach. I caught the back of his neck in a clinch.
Right knee, left knee, right elbow. His head barely
moved. His fist answered with frightening speed.
It slammed into my side and threw me several metres
through the air. I rolled twice before regaining my footing, every rib
screaming in protest.
"Marcus!" I looked up. Noah had already re-engaged.
Callie circled behind Malachar, her whip constantly
forcing him to shift his footing while Noah kept him occupied from the front.
They're adapted. Without saying a word. Exactly how
Seraphina had taught us. I smiled despite the pain.
Then I noticed Riley. She hadn't moved from her spot.
Her breathing had become shallow. Her eyes…
Weren't looking at Malachar but were staring at his
sword. The same one that had severed her arm.
"Lily…" she didn't answer. Almost like she couldn't
hear me.
Malachar noticed and without hesitation he abandoned
us, turning toward Riley with deliberate steps. Like a commander eliminating
the greatest weakness on the battlefield.
Callie saw it first. "No!" her whip lashed toward him.
He caught it in one hand. With a sharp pull he sent her crashing across the
frozen ground.
Noah intercepted before Malachar could follow through,
forcing the commander to redirect another devastating strike.
I threw both chains again, wrapping them around the
blade itself. He pulled. Exactly as I'd pulled. I flew toward him.
Halfway through the pull I released one chain, swung
around the other and used the momentum to spin behind him.
One sword cut across his back. My elbow followed
immediately. He barely reacted. Instead, he drove the hilt of his sword
backwards into my stomach.
Air vanished from my lungs. The commander pressed
forward relentlessly. Noah blocked the first three strikes.
On the fourth his tonfa slipped. The sword came down.
Callie threw herself between them, her whip wrapped desperately around the
blade, slowing it just enough for Noah to escape.
She couldn't stop the full force. She was hurled
aside. Blood stained the snow beneath her.
I forced myself upright. Everything hurt. Noah was
limping and Callie struggled just to breathe. And Malachar…
Still stood as though the battle had only just begun.
I'm starting to wonder if we'd actually lose again.
Then, I heard footsteps running toward us. Riley was
crying. Silent tears streamed down her face as she sprinted toward us.
She was terrified, I could see that. Every step she
took fought the instinct to run away but she kept running.
Malachar raised his sword. This time, she didn't stop.
She slid beneath the swing, driving her baton into his shoulder.
A sharp crack echoed across the battle. His grip
faltered. That was all we needed.
"Noah!" he understood instantly. Both tonfa locked
against Malachar's blade. I crossed my chains around his sword arm.
Callie, ignoring the pain, snapped her whip around his
ankle and yanked. For the first time…
Malachar lost his balance. I stepped forward with one
clean strike. Silence settled over the battlefield.
Malachar looked at the sword plunged in his chest. His
grip loosened, the sword slipped from his fingers and buried itself in the
frozen earth.
Slowly, he lifted his fist to his chest one final
time. His gaze swept across the four of us with respect.
His voice was rough, barely louder than the wind. "Do
not waste…"
The rest disappeared with him. None of us celebrated.
Because we all understood what he'd meant.
A quiet sound drifted through the park. Clapping
sound. My blood ran cold before I even turned around.
I knew that smell.
The man stepped into view wearing a black coat and a
calm expression. "Well done, Rocco."
The wind stopped. The snow froze in mid-air. The tear
trembled violently. A pressure unlike anything I'd ever felt descended over the
battlefield.
My knees threatened to buckle. Callie instinctively
took a step back. Riley looked utterly helpless.
I glanced at Valen. He was staring straight at Aldo
and for once he's expression was extremely serious.
Aldo's smile never changed. "I was wondering," he said
softly, "how long it would take you to seek me out, Rocco."
The ground beneath his feet crumbled into dust without
him moving another inch. The tear behind him spread across the sky like ink
spilling through water.
And in that single moment…
Every victory we'd fought so hard for suddenly felt
very, very small.