A Desperate Struggle

“ Well then, shall I retaliate?” Menkera asked, a sinister smile spreading across his face. Kronos and Acacius tensed, a bead of sweat racing down the face of Kronos.

“ As a reward, I shall show you two my true form. Prepare yourselves to witness fear itself!” Menkera exclaimed before he began to grow. Kronos and Acacius gasped as his body grew countless crimson red hairs. No, Kronos thought, watching in horror. Those… are spiders! Menkera’s body bloated, four crimson spider legs, made entirely out of chattering, scrambling spiders burst underneath a spider bulb that formed under his waist. As Menkera continued to grow, his eyes turned into golden orbs, jet black hair, all hair on his now crimson upper body gone. Four tentacles made entirely of more crimson spiders shaped like spider legs sprouted out of his back. And his underbody…

“ By the warm sands!” Acacius said in a sickened voice. “ His underbody is that of a spider’s abdomen! And his legs….”

“ Made entirely out of living red spiders,” Kronos muttered, looking like he was going to be sick. Menkera was at least twelve feet tall now, his two eyes now six, three on each side of his face. His teeth had become jagged fangs.

“ Behold! The true form of the Anansi!” Menkera roared, his voice now heavily distorted.

“ Kronos, I think I’m going to be sick!” Acacius said.

“ Well, come, little friends. Come and meet your doom!” Menkera invited. Kronos gulped and then flew at Menkera, punching him to the chest, but the Anansi didn’t even flinch.

“ Is that all you have?” He asked before one of the tentacles shot forward and pierced his chest. Kronos wailed in agony as he was sent crashing into a labyrinth wall.

“ Kronos!” Acacius shouted before he too was struck by a tentacle. The tentacle then wrapped around Acacius and slammed him into the room’s ceiling before tossing him to the side. Kronos stumbled to his feet, one hand clutching the hole in his chest. Need to form a plan, need to form a plan!

Menkera let out a screech and ran at Kronos but stopped suddenly when he created a blinding light from his palms. Both Menkera and Acacius had to shield their eyes. Thinking fast, Kronos grabbed his brother by the arm, and the two stumbled down the hallway. Once the light died down, Menkera found himself the only one in the room.

“How adorable,” Menkera growled. “ They think they can elude me. But I do enjoy hunting down my prey. So I will give them a few more minutes to think they got away before I snuff out their lives.” Kronos collapsed once he and Acacius had managed to make it to a new room.

“ Are you okay?” Acacius asked.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not sure how much further I can go,” ,” Kronos grunted, removing his blood-soaked hand from his chest. “ I can seal up this wound with Mana but it's the last time I’ll be able to do so. I won’t be able to provide much support afterwards,”

“ That’s fine, just do what you have to do,” Acacius said. Kronos nodded and began to seal his wound like before. “ Of course, we still need to find a way to deal with this fiend. Any ideas?”

“ I wish. I can’t think of anything that can take this guy down. He’s stronger than both of us several times over,” Kronos replied, looking surprisingly pale.

“ I was afraid you’d say that,” Acacius said, shaking his head. “ The only thing I can think of is we both hit him with our best move.”

“ I doubt that will do anything, but I can’t think of anything else,” Kronos said, getting to his feet. “ Other than running away, trying to find the exit without being spotted.”

“ I’m not sure we could get away. Someone as strong as he is should be able to sense our Mana and track us that way. If he’s not already on his way, I’ll be amazed,” Acacius said. Kronos muttered a curse.

“ It seems we have no other alternative than to make our stand here. Don’t you dare hold back, brother.”

“ I was just about to say that to you, brother,” Acacius said. The two shared a smile, a moment of calm before the fast approaching storm. If only we had been able to grow up together, Kronos thought to himself. His thoughts were interrupted when Menkera stepped into the room.

“ A nice little trick, but it’s only bought you a couple of moments,” he said in a mocking tone. “ But I suppose I should reward you for getting away, if only for a brief moment. So I shall let you each attack me once more. There’s no way either one of you can truly hurt me, so there is no real risk to my well-being. But, I’ll admit that I do have a habit of playing with my food.”

Kronos gritted his teeth and began to charge his Mana, Acacius following suit. I don’t think this will accomplish anything, but it may give us some opening. At this point, it’s the only hope we have! Kronos thought as he focused his Mana in his palms. He outstretched his arms, palms facing Menkera, a white ball of white lightning forming and growing. Meanwhile, Acacius had his arms spread wide open, palms facing the left and the right, green fire building.

The orb of white lightning kept growing and growing until it touched the ceiling of the room before slowly beginning to shrink. The green fire on the palms of Acacius has become two whirling discs. Menkera smirked, then motioned for both of them to give him all they could muster. That’s right, keep smirking! We’ll see if you keep doing so after this! Kronos thought as the orb condensed into a small white sphere of lightning that pulsed, vibrated, and crackled. Acacius combined both fire discs and held a larger disc of green fire over his head with one hand.

“Let him have it Acacius!” Kronos shouted. As he threw the orb of white lightning, he heard Acacius shout as well.

“With pleasure!” Throwing his large disc of green fire. Kronos watched as both attacks raced towards Menkera. Slowly, the two techniques began to merge, the white orb of Kronos gradually absorbed into the center of the Acacius technique, causing it to crackle with green lightning. As it approached Menkera, his smirk grew, and he extended a hand. Once the combined attack reached him, he sliced it in half with just his hand.

“ Pathetic,” he said. Kronos felt himself deflate and sank to his knees, starting to tremble. I put everything I had into that! Acacius fell to his knees as well, shaking violently.

“ This guy… he’s not mortal…” he hoarsely whispered. Menkera laughed coldly, his cold and cruel laughter echoing throughout the room.

“ Well now, was that it? Was that your full power? How disappointing. Now I suppose it’s my turn. Brace yourselves, here I come.” Before Kronos and Acacius could react, Menkera rushed the both of them, sending Kronos flying with a tentacle, sending him crashing through several labyrinth walls, then grabbed Acacius by the face and slamming him into the ground. He began to pummel Acacius laughing as he brutally hit Acacius repeatedly.

“ Come on, Half-Breed! At least provide some entertainment!” He gleefully yelled. He then paused mid-punch after a weak white lightning bolt connected with his back and looked over his shoulder to see a bruised and tattered Kronos with a finger pointed at him. Menkera picked Acacius up with a tentacle by the neck and threw him at Kronos with a growl. The young Half-Breed caught his brother but could not react before Menkera charged at him. Kronos choked as Menkera slammed into both of them with his shoulder, then sent them both flying upward with an uppercut.

Kronos’s vision started to go fuzzy as he felt his body crash through ceiling after ceiling. Blood burst from his mouth as Menkera flew after them and head-butted Acacius, unconscious in Kronos’s arms. The two brothers flew through the air upwards even faster, crashing through even more labyrinth ceilings until they were sent crashing out of the labyrinth and back to the Earth’s surface. Kronos coughed up even more blood and crawled over to Acacius, who lay motionless a few feet away. The scents of night filled his bloody nostrils. The moonlight bearing down on his being his only light source. Weakly, he nudged his brother, feeling utterly drained of strength.

“ Hey… you need to wake up. Come on; I can’t do this without you.” For a few terrifying heartbeats, he thought Acacius wouldn’t wake up. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Acacius’s eyes flutter open.

“ Where are we?” He muttered.

“ Outside,” Kronos said. “ I’m not sure where that bastard went.” With a pained groan, Acacius sat up.

“ You look terrible,” he said, looking at Kronos’s tattered clothing and his heavily wounded body.

“ And you don’t?” Kronos asked, looking at his brother, who was in even worse shape. The two brothers shared a brief laugh, then cautiously looked around.

“ We should move, I don’t think that fiend will let us rest for long, and there’s no way we can defeat him. Our best chance is to find Calypso; she may be able to fend him off,” Acacius said.

“ Dust and cinders,” Kronos swore, the thought of voluntarily asking Calypso for help making him feel ill. Or, gods forbid, Thora. “ I hate to say it, but you’re right. Come on.” Kronos forced himself to get to his feet and then helped Acacius stand. Leaning on each other for support, the two sniffed the air.

“ I’m getting Calypso’s scent a few miles off that way,” Acacius said, nodding to the southwest.

“ At least there’s a dirt path for us to walk along. I don’t think the two of us are in any shape for a trek through the woods,” Kronos remarked.

The two made it a dozen steps upon the dirt path that would lead them to their destination before the ground began to rumble under their feet. Menkera burst from the ground and landed in front of the brothers in his Anansi form.

“ You two didn’t honestly believe I was going to let you go, did you?” He snarled, eyeing them with malice. Kronos gritted his teeth and leaped at Menkera only to be swatted aside as if Menkera were brushing away a fly.

“ Wait your turn,” he hissed before turning his six hungry eyes towards Acacius. “ Although I suppose it doesn’t matter which one of you I kill first. But as you are on your last legs, I suppose I’ll end you first. Die!” He roared, lunging for Acacius. The Half-Breed found himself too hurt to move out of the way. He sank to his knees with a chuckle and looked at the ground.

“ I never imagined my life ending at the hands of such a monster. I’ll take some pride in the fact it took the likes of you to send me to the netherworld.” He closed his eyes, waiting for the end. A gasp and a gurgle caused him to open his eyes, which widened in shock. Kronos had jumped between Menkera and Acacius and taken the blow meant for his brother, Menkera’s fangs buried in his chest. Acacius stared in horror and disbelief as Menkera just threw him to the side, Kronos’s body landing hard.

“ KRONOS!” Acacius yelled, crawling towards his brother, all pain in his body turning numb. Menkera laughed and stepped back.

“ How adorable. Go on, pay your last respects. I shall give you three minutes. Then, I shall send you to the same place as I sent him.” Acacius ignored him and stared down at Kronos, his breath shallow.

“ You idiot! Why?! Why would you do that?!” Acacius demanded. Kronos spluttered and gave a weak laugh.

“ I couldn’t let him kill my only sibling, could I?”

“ You should have saved yourself! I’m already one foot in the grave!” Acacius said through gritted teeth. Kronos coughed and sputtered more.

“ I wouldn’t have been able to live with myself had I done that. Look, Acacius, when I met you, I was… happy. Happy that… there was someone like me out there. Someone who understands what it’s like, being… like me. If only we had grown up together, brother. But, at least we got to meet. For that, I’ll always be grateful.” Acacius watched in horror as he watched Kronos slowly close his eyes.

“ Kronos? Come on, Kronos, get up! Kronos! KRONOS!!” He yelled. He watched as his brother was unresponsive; his heart began to beat faster and faster, his mind going blank. Unforgivable!

“ Alright, that’s enough. No need to mourn him further; you’ll be seeing him soon. On the other side, that is!” Menkera roared. However, before he moved towards Acacius, he stopped, his eyes widening. Where is that Mana coming from?! It’s even more insidious than my own! He backed up as a tall vortex of green and black Mana surrounded Acacius as he let out a roar of fury and grief towards the heavens. Menkera gritted his teeth as he covered his ears with his hands. What’s going on here?!

Black dragon scale markings covered the now healed body of Acacius, his eyes a crimson red. The Half-Breed glared at Menkera with such ferocity that the Anansi backed up a step without realizing it. Acacius snared and rushed him, sending him skidding back with a punch to the jaw. Before Menkera could respond, Acacius punches him twice more. With a snarl, Menkera tried swatting Acacius away with a tentacle, but he caught it with one hand and slammed him into the ground.

Acacius followed it up by jumping up in the air then flying down to lunch Menkera in the chest so hard it created a small crater. The Half-Breed jumped back and began to conjure a giant orb of green fire in his mouth as Menkera started to stand. What got into this one?! A few moments ago, he and his brother couldn’t even scratch me! Now he may cause me to exert myself! His thoughts were cut off by Acacius firing a burst of green fire to his face.

Any hope Acacius may have had of that being enough to defeat Menkera were surely dashed when the Anansi rushed straight through the blast for fire and knocked Acacius on his back with one of his tentacles and held him down with one of the spider legs.

“ Well, aren’t you full of surprises? Perhaps I should take you with me for experimentation.” After taking a moment to ponder he shook his head. “ On second thought, that's not a good ideBut as a show of appreciation for a good time, I shall give you a present,” he told the struggling, snarling Half-Breed. He opened his jaws and sank his jaws into the temple of Acacius, injecting his venom into the brain. He withdrew his jaws and watched Acacius grow limp, then paused when he sensed more Abnormals approaching.

“ Ah, I can sense Calypso among them. While I’d love a reunion, I can’t spare the time. So for now, I shall take my leave,” he looked down at Acacius with hungry eyes. “Perhaps we shall meet again one day.”

Kronos found himself standing in a lush meadow on a bright, warm sunny day. A gentle breeze tickled his ear, the scent of sweet pollen tickled his nostrils. He could hear the sounds of children playing and singing and a bubbling brook nearby. He felt no pain or fear, just serenity.

“ Kronos?” His eyes widening, Kronos turned around to see Icarus staring at him curiously.

“ Is that really you?” Kronos asked, tentatively reaching for his friend. The boy smiled and grabbed his wrist.

“ Come on; everyone’s waiting for you.” Kronos had only taken a few steps when he felt a hand on his opposite shoulder, pulling him from the grip of Icarus.

“ It is not your time yet,” whispered a soothing feminine voice. Kronos tried to resist, he wanted to be reunited with Icarus once more, but the grip was too tight. As it led Kronos away, the meadow gave way to blinding light.

When Kronos awoke, he was lying heavily bandaged on a cot in a medical tent.

“ Where-“ His words were cut off as he felt bile rush up his throat, and he turned his head to the side, violently throwing up. He felt weak and dizzy afterward, as if he might faint. The singular blanket felt heavy, pinning him down. Kronos heard the sound of people entering the tent and focused his blurry eyes on Thora, Arai, and Calypso. Thora looked at the puddle of vomit with a look of disgust.

“ Lovely. I’m not cleaning that up, Scale-Back,” she said. Kronos’s eyes widened in shock and anger at that. I swear, if I were able to, I’d choke the life out of her! Arai looked at Thora, mouth agape, but Calypso punched her in the gut before she could say anything, causing Thora to drop to one knee, gasping for air. Wearing a cold expression Kronos had seen only a few times, Calypso moved her mouth to Thora’s ear.

“ One more word out of you, and I’ll end you personally. Are we clear?” Thora said nothing but gave her an icy glare of pure hate.

“ Where is Acacius?” Kronos croaked. Calypso looked back at Kronos, eyes narrowed.

“ He’s in a separate tent. You should be fortunate Arai here is gifted in medical treatment. She’s the one who patched both you and your brother up. We found you two severely injured, barely clinging to life. What happened to the two of you?” With a deep breath, Kronos told the three women what had transpired. The horrified looks on their faces caused Kronos to pause his tale where Menkera transformed.

“ What?” He asked. Calypso gulped and spoke in a shaky voice.

“ Menkera, the demon of the Anansi. He was exiled nearly a decade ago for performing experiments on children. While they varied in nature, they all had one singular purpose. Menkera sought to transcend mortality and become something more. He was so twisted his own people branded him a demon. And now, he has chosen to reveal himself. May the gods be with us all.”

“ He spoke as if he knew you. Or at least you had dealings in the past,” Kronos said, narrowing his eyes.

“ Impossible!” Calypso said, jerking back. “ I would never!”

“ Uh-huh,” Kronos said, not believing her. Calypso glared at him and snorted.

“ Believe me or not, Kronos, it doesn’t matter. Anyway, on to more important matters. Besides you and Acacius Thora and Arai are the only ones who made it through my labyrinth. Meaning you will receive the reward I mentioned. You get to live the rest of your days in my prison. Congratulations,” she said, exiting the tent. Thora followed her out with a glare, leaving just Kronos and Arai.

“ So you survived both Calypso the Eradicator and Menkera the Anansi Demon. Mighty impressive for one of mixed blood such as yourself,” Arai said, folding her arms.

“ I was too weak to even put up a fight against him. He let me survive because he viewed ending my life as too much effort. If only I were stronger!” Kronos snarled, clinching the blanket with both his hands. Arai was silent for a few moments before speaking again.

“ Being a Half-Breed is a harsh reality. One’s birth is nothing but a burden. A Half-Breed’s hopes, dreams, and goals only lead to futility. Listen. There is no room for love for a Half-Breed in one’s heart. Hatred is reserved for them. Peace cannot exist for them.

Their entire existence is nothing but their own personal war. This world has deemed them unworthy to be victors; their role is to be the conquered. That is their purpose. Half-Breeds are not meant to be wanted; theirs is a fate not to be envied but will forever be unchangeable. The only things that exist for Half-Breeds are pain and suffering. That is their curse.” Kronos stared at her, unsure of what to say. He recoiled when she extended a hand.

“ I am willing to help you change that, you and your brother. If you will allow me, I shall train both of you.” Kronos stared at the hand, making no move to accept it.

“ What’s in it for you?” He asked. Arai gave him a sad smile.

“ My former mate was half Kitsune, half-human. I witnessed firsthand what he went through. We knew each other since we were children. I was the only one to stay by his side his entire life. Mintaro was his name.”

“ What happened to him?” Kronos asked. Mate? I wasn’t aware Kitsune bothered with that sort of thing. As far as I knew, Kitsune couples only form to create pups then break up. Arai gave him a small, sad smile.

“ During the last mating season, he ran afoul of a noble who declared he tried to force himself upon her. In my culture, Abnormals of mixed blood aren’t given trials. They are guilty as charged from the moment they are accused. It didn’t matter that my mate was away when the accusation was made. As soon as he returned, he was arrested and executed that very day.”

“You have my condolences,” Kronos said, unsure of what else to say. Arai waved it off.

“There’s no need for that. I always suspected something like that would happen. Mintaro had a habit of attracting trouble. I vowed at his grave I would do whatever I could to aid any Abnormal of mixed blood who needs it. I spent years working to smuggle condemned Half-Breeds out of my homeland before I was arrested and handed over to Calypso.

I am willing to help you and Acacius. What do you say, Kronos? Will you accept my aid?” Kronos stared at her hand for several minutes before wordlessly shaking it.