Sacrifice

WARNING: Character death.

~*~

Every breath burned in Ryan's throat and his legs wouldn't stop shaking, but he didn't give a damn. That was the strongest elemental spell he knew, and it had worked even better than he'd imagined.

Screw Antler-Man for acting like only Sir Zenith made a worthy opponent. Ryan had taught him a lesson he'd never forget.

Panting, Ryan wiped his brow. His hood had fallen down and the rain plastered his hair to his skull, but he barely felt the cold through the triumph blazing in his body. His Levia flickered in his veins; no way he'd be able to pull off even a basic power-up spell after this. But it didn't matter, because he was sure he'd taken Hellebore down.

He was just barely in Avia's spellcasting range; from his line of sight, he could only see the curve of her unbroken wing a few dozen meters away. Well, Ryan figured he ought to head to her side. Fighting his aching muscles, he hauled himself to his feet.

But before he could get going, he caught a flash of motion from up ahead. His stomach flipped upside down when he saw Hellebore rising to his feet.

No fucking way. Even after all that, he could still stand up?

But the demon was swaying, obviously unsteady. Perfect. All Sir Zenith needed to do was finish him off.

As if on cue, Zenith lifted his sword. It glowed with a basic sharpening spell, but Ryan figured that might be enough.

Zenith tensed, preparing to lunge. As he did, Hellebore turned his head in Ryan's direction.

His black eyes pierced Ryan's, roiling with hatred. All the breath rushed out of Ryan's lungs.

The next thing Ryan new, a wave of Levia blasted over him. Heavy, dark, tinged with the wild scent of the forest. He stumbled and fell onto his ass.

Rough breathing filled the air, so loud it froze Ryan's heart. And no wonder. A demon loomed above him, crouching so low their noses were only inches from touching.

Like this, Ryan had no choice but to stare into those merciless dark eyes, at those lips twisted in a contemptuous sneer. With every breath, hot steam billowed from Hellebore's mouth.

'Move! Get away!' every voice screamed in Ryan's head. But his body wouldn't budge an inch. It felt like stones had replaced all of his muscles. Ice-cold stones.

With slow, deliberate purpose, Hellebore lifted his right hand and curled it into a fist. The vines creaked and rustled, wrapping tighter around his knuckles. The thorns twisted until every single one of them pointed at Ryan's chest.

"I told you and your scrap heap not to interfere, wizard brat." Hellebore's voice rumbled through Ryan's bones. "Kids these days never listen."

'Move! Move! MOVE!'

But Ryan couldn't. Couldn't move anything except for his eyes, following that spike-covered fist as it slowly drew back. This close, Ryan made out every muscle flexing in Hellebore's arm.

"If I get rid of you, that scrap heap will be useless." Hellebore's mouth stretched into a smirk, and the tip of his tongue licked his lower lip. "I've never had the honor of killing a wizard before. Think I'm gonna enjoy it."

Inch by inch, the fist crept further back. Ryan's panicked breaths whistled through his chest. Any time, any time now, that fist would surge forward, and – and –

Levia flashed through his contract, startlingly clear. Then solid metal filled his vision.

A sickening crunch. The screech of tearing metal.

Ryan stared. And stared. A huge fist protruded from the metal wall in front of him. No, not a wall. A back.

Avia's back.

Avia's remaining wing creaked and groaned. It was curved over Ryan as if to shield him. But it hadn't been able to protect its owner.

Hellebore's fist twisted. Metal buckled, crumpling beneath it. Tiny shards of armor broke off and hit the ground beneath Avia, glittering uselessly on the rain-soaked rocks.

Shuddering as if it took all her effort, Avia twisted her head around. Her face was impassive as ever – of course, since it was only a helmet. But the symbol – the contract mark – on her forehead was flickering like a candle in the wind.

Ryan couldn't breathe. He could barely think. Thunder filled his head, drowning out everything except a slowly rising horror.

"R...Ryan." Avia's voice, but unlike how he'd ever heard it before. Faded and staticky, like a radio with bad reception. "Are you...all right...?"

Ryan moved his lips. Yet the words wouldn't come, trapped inside his throat. He felt like he might explode.

Hellebore twisted his fist to the other side, breaking off more metal scraps. Then with a snarl, he yanked it out.

Avia convulsed, but all Ryan could see was the object clutched inside Hellebore's fist. It looked like a ball of light, flickering dimly through his fingers.

He squeezed hard, knuckles audibly crunching. The light scattered into hundreds of sparks that drifted away like fireflies.

Avia swayed. As Ryan stared in horror, the symbol on her forehead sputtered into nothing.

Then she tumbled face forward. She hit the ground with a sickening thud, her head twisting to the side. Her limbs splayed out at stiff, unnatural angles.

Yet through it all, her wing still curved above Ryan's head. Still trying to protect him.

"Hm." With a grunt, Hellebore straightened. He dusted off his hands, scattering a few stray sparks. "It wasn't the knight, but I suppose I can add destroying a homunculus to my list of accomplishments."

As he grinned, savage joy shining in those soulless eyes, an emotion finally pierced the numb blanket smothering Ryan.

Rage.

Before he could think, he jumped to his feet. All pain and fear forgotten. Only one thing was clear: Avia. Silent and still as a suit of armor. Because – because –

"What's that?" Hellebore tilted his head, smirk widening. "You wanna fight me, wizard whelp? Don't think it'll go well for you."

At long last, Ryan's voice broke free. It tore out of his throat in a scream that barely sounded human. He lunged at Hellebore –

But Avia was still lying there. Ryan tripped over her and tumbled onto her back, slamming into the metal hard enough to send stars in his vision. He could feel the jagged edges of the hole digging through his clothes, and it sent nausea lurching through his entire body.

Dimly, he heard Hellebore laughing. This time, this time –

Nobody would protect Ryan.

As his heart raced, he sucked in a desperate breath. Bitter smoke flooded his lungs, making him double over choking.

The smoke didn't stop coming, swirling around Ryan in clouds so dense they blocked all traces of the rainy night, let alone Hellebore. He could barely see Avia beneath him.

Suddenly panicked, Ryan flung his arms around Avia's torso. Just in time. The next thing he knew, something wrapped around his waist and squeezed tight.

Hellebore's vine? Ryan thrashed, but the grip didn't let up. When it lifted him from the ground, making his feet swing through empty air, he clamped down harder on Avia. Her weight strained his arm muscles all the way to his shoulders, but he'd be damned if he let her go.

His stomach swooped as the vine lifted him higher. No, wait a minute. Though it held him crushingly tight, it felt cool and soft and much thinner than Hellebore's vines. And he couldn't miss the faint bluish glow tinting the smoke around him.

His heart slammed. This must be Blue's tentacle.

She was taking him back to the craft. Away from this hellhole of an island – away from Hellebore. 'No!' Ryan raged inside. 'I can't leave yet, I gotta get my revenge – '

Ha. What could he do without Avia, anyway?

No, right now the most important thing was keeping her in his arms. No matter what, he refused to leave her here all by herself.