The Limit

-2:11 P.M.-

I turned to look at Orion again when I felt a blade enter my stomach, right under my heart. I looked at the wound, but it was already almost sealed up like my other wounds.

"You should've known that stabbing me and not killing me was the stupid choice." I turned, surprised to see Nathan standing in front of me and cowering while walking backward.

"You weren't paying attention, Sky. I wasn't aiming for you... I was aiming for your friend." Orion said from the boat. I turned to my right to see Ullr scooping up blood oozing out of his stomach in the same place I was stabbed. I pushed Nathan out of the way and ran over to Ullr as he fell to the floor.

"XAVIER! HELP US!" I yelled out, looking up at him. When I looked up, his face was filled with some emotion I couldn't explain... like a negative form of surprise. Was that terror on his face? What was on his face?

What was on anybody's face? Why can't I make out any faces right now?

I looked down at Ullr, and his face was there.

"Bossman... something isn't right... this wound... it hurts really bad!" Ullr told me.

"It should! It's a tri-edged dagger, meant to kill no matter where you're stabbed. It spins in your body and tears you apart from the inside out. I hope you have a team of surgeons that can close the wound." Orion told me.

I snapped my fingers and Xavier threw the stim-shot we all had been carrying around. Tavian was hit with the same one after yelling out to me, so I'm sure he was alright... but the bleeding didn't stop after I hit Ullr.

"GET ME ANOTHER ONE! NOW!" I yelled out to Xavier. His face was still blank, but he shook his head. Charlie gave me his shot from behind and I hit Ullr again... but as it occurred the first time, the bleeding didn't stop.

"Why... why isn't this working... what's wrong with you, Ullr?!" I looked up at his face and his eyes were blank.

"Poison... that's something your flimsy stim-shots can't fix, right? Tell you what, I'll give you the antidote if you can rip that White Stone out of your hand." Orion told me. I instantly pried my fingernails against the stone and ripped upwards as much as possible... but it wouldn't budge.

"Don't listen to him... Bossman. Hey... I can't see anything... but you should know some things!" Ullr started.

"When you beat me up on that beach... I was impressed somebody as scrawny as you could be that strong... but over time... and don't make fun of me for being corny... but I realized that strength doesn't come from your muscles, Bossman. Strength doesn't come from that White Stone on your hand... it came from your bravery, your courage, and your persistence. Not once had I seen you sit down and give up on this Isle... you always fought no matter the circumstances, and so many of my boys wanted to be like you, including me..." Ullr paused for a moment to catch his breath. I found myself crying.

"I was impressed every single minute I watched you fight. And when we fought together... I thought you saw me as your equal. That made me so happy... a man who beat me within an inch of my life fought with me on equal ground and looked at me like I was his friend. That determination... that was all worth it! Red... Domin... I can tell they're smiling down at us right now. The things you've done will never let your name die in history... and I hope you won't let mine die out as well." Ullr finished.

"Hey, don't talk like that... Xavier and Helen are some of the greatest surgeons out there, you'll be alright. They won't even need Griff's help... just hang in there... Ullr..." I told him. Blood was starting to puddle under my knees as I held Ullr's head up. He smiled.

"Don't falter now Bossman. Tavian was right... this is it! This is your time to shine... I know you're unhappy with yourself because you carried that same look on your face that I always had. Don't be unhappy... Bossman... I'll be watching in Heaven as you win this war. I'll tell Domin and Red everything I can... so you keep on fighting!" Ullr told me.

"Stop... Xavier is on his way right now... just stay awake..." I told Ullr, but he was unresponsive.

"Ah... now I can't hear things. I'll be good, Bossman. You be good too. Don't let our flame die out... How do I even say farewell to somebody I don't want to leave? Ah... I got it... until next time... Sky..." Were the last words out of Ullr's mouth as he let go of all of the oxygen in his lungs.

Something started to stir in my brain as I watched his chest come to a standstill. Something... evil. Evil urges, violent mindsets... what I had once felt earlier in this war... an unexplainable feeling Deity help me put a name on.

Wrath.

"Aw, so sad! If only you were paying attention to-" I shut Orion up by grabbing Nathan's neck after running to him before he got onto the boat with his father.

"HEY! DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM!" Orion shouted out to me. "That's not very Hero-like of you... Sky! Don't worry buddy... he won't do anything to you, his friends will stop him." Orion said. He was stuck on the boat, refusing to walk any further.

"Sky! What are you doing? Put him down!" Mandi shouted out to me. Nobody joined her, however. I didn't plan on listening anyway.

Stop it! Sky... what are you doing?! This was different... Deity controlled my body to deflect the glacier... but I was in full control, yet I couldn't stop myself!

Before I knew it, Ellie jumped in front of me and kicked me down. I snapped out of the murderous feeling I had and watched her replace my hand with hers on Nathan's neck. She held him up and looked at Orion.

"I won't let you become a child murderer... this is for turning my sister against me, Orion. An eye... for an eye..." Ellie said. She dug her sword into Nathan's skull and scattered pieces of his eye all over the dock in front of Orion.

"You killed my friend... you killed Sky's friend... you've been terrorizing this Isle for FAR too long! You're lucky his eye was the only thing I stole from him... don't worry, Orion. After Sky kills you, we'll take good care of your children, so long as you don't take anything else from us again. But if another friend of ours dies... your boy will feel my wrath." Ellie told him.

I was lost and confused right now. Just thinking about Ullr and Tavian dying left a taste so sour in my mouth that I couldn't swallow it down. Drool dripped out of the corner of my lip as I looked up at Orion. The veil of red was getting darker and darker... I couldn't stand here anymore and look at him.

I know this feeling, I've gone through it several times. I was losing to the Wrath. I needed blood to satiate my desires. I was about to kill Nathan, but Ellie luckily saved me. I knew I would regret it, yet my body didn't care. I twitched in response to resisting these violent urges I kept feeling.

"Everybody on the boat!" Ellie yelled out to everybody standing behind her. Two people picked Ullr up and moved him to the boat, while Noboki picked Tavian up and moved him. The people who were asleep and injured were shuffled over to the boat as well while Orion sat in fear, not knowing what to do. The boat was big, and by the time we had placed all of our injured soldiers on the deck Orion stood on while Ullr died, he still hadn't moved from the opposite end of the boat.