Chapter 88-Noah vs Smokey, Part Four

The fight between Smokey and I resume once more. The two of us exchange martial arts blows, with spells of water and steam flying back and forth.

"WATER CHARGE, LEVEL THREE: RAPIDS CLAW!"

"STEAM CHARGE, LEVEL TWO: WHITE FANG!"

With a roar, I smash a water-cloacked fist into Smoeky as he slashes me with a steam-covered sword. The force of our spells sends both of us flying backwards, our backs slamming into the walls behind us.

As the smoke settles, Smokey and I stand up to face one another, staring each other down and panting heavily. Neither of us have the strength anymore to use a spell or tap into the power of our Devil Eyes.

A launch a powerful kick at Smokey, which he parries. Smokey launches a job towards my stomach, which I block. The two of us then both thrust our hands forwards, and the two of us lock fingers as he attampet to shove the other away.

"You know, you're not too bad to deal with without your Devil Eye," I smirk as time resumes.

"You're the one who needs hacks to beat me," Smokey growls.

"You have a Devil Eye and can turn yourself into your element," I reply, "It's only fair that I can do the same."

Enraged, Smokey attempts to sweep me off of my feet with a powerful sweeping kick, but I swiftly leap over Smokey's foot in time. As I land back onto the ground, I launch an elbow jab into Smokey's chin, but he catches it with one hooked hand.

"Why are you doing this anyway?" I growl, "I don't know WHAT you guys want with my friends, but what are you after us?!"

"Beceause…" Smokey begins to say, before looking away in shame. Smokey has a certain, genuine sadness in my eyes that has me taken aback. I'm too starstruck to capitalze on Smokey's confused state to alnd a blow.

"Because…the Lord asked me to…" Smokey whimpers.

Smokey's eyebrows then narrow as rage returns to his glossed over expression.

Smokey then fires a powerful palm thrust to my nose, catshung me off guard, and causing me to stumble backwards as I clutch my broken, bleeding nose.

"What is it to you?!" Smokey roars, "Why does my reasoning matter to you?!"

"You don't want to do this, Smokey!" I roar back as I crack a knuckle jab into Smokey's nose, causing him to stumble backwards as well, "You had SO many oppunritntiues to kill me, yet…you didn't! Why didn't you kill me instantly, Smokey?!"

Smokey looks away again.

"ANSWER ME!"

Enraged, Smokey turns to face me again and clocks me in the jaw, causing my head to violently whip to the side, and nearly knocking me off balance.

"DON'T MAKE ME DWELL ON THE PAST, WATER CHARGER, AND I'LL SOTP BEING SO NICE!"

In return, I whip my head back towards Smokey and jab him in the gut, causing Smokey to wince and double over, clutching his stomach.

"DON'T EVEN BOTHER TYRING TA' KILL ME IF YOU'RE GONNA HALF-ASS THIGNS!" I roar as I kick Smokey straight up in the chun, causing his neck to snap upwards, "Tungsten…Gambino…Wood…Zippy…SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO KILL ME IN ORDER TO MONOPOLIZE THE DISROTED STATE OF THE WORLD! SO IF YOU'RE GONNA COME AT ME WITHOUT THE CONVITION TO KILL…THEN WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GONNA BE ABLE TO DO COMPARED TOT HE PEOPLE WITHT HE DRIVE TO SLAY ME?!"

"RRRAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!" Smokey roars in frursturation, before socking me in the chest, nearly knocking the will out of me.

But then…Smokey slumps over, as if the will to fight had left his body.

"I was…an unwanted child…" Smokey sadly answers, "I was born…to a wealthy family in the Land of Water, the BILAL Clan."

My eyes widen.

"So that's with the tan skin, huh?" I ask.

Smokey gloomily nods.

"I was…born with this eye," Smokey admits as he pats his left Devil Eye, "And because of it…I was SHUNNED by my clan. Everyone feared and was disguting by my eye, and thus, they locked me away in the cellar, for no one to see. I rarely interacted with my family, other than when they'd bring me my weekly scraps of food and cups of water…"

Smokey chuckles sadly.

"It's funny, no? In such a distorted world as this, I was blessed to be born to a powerful family, yet cursed to never be a part of it."

I frown.

"I'm…sorry to hear that…"

"And so, the first fifteen years of my life came and went, just like that," Smokey continues, "Until one day…HE appeared. I awoke one day to the stench of smog and the heat of fire. My entire family screamed as our ludicrous mansion burned to the ground. But there, basking in the fire as if it was merely air, he stood. He approached me, and with a single snap of his fingers, melted through the bars of the cell that I had been staring at all my life."

"Who?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow at Smokey.

"The E-Charger of one of the four original elements," Smokey answers, "Prometheus, the E-Charger of Fire."

My eyes widen.

"So you're telling me-"

"Yes," Smokey says, cutting me off, "The Leader of the Children of Fire, my boss, my lord, and…my GOD…is the man you've been searching for all this time…"

A wave of dizziness rushes over my body as I stumble backwards.

"And why…are you following him…?" I ask.

"I owe everything to the lor, err…PROMETHEUS," Smokey admits as he looks away, "When the lord freed me, he told me that he needed my power, my EYE. After I was freed, Prometheus took me in as his "son" and dubbed me the "First Sun" of the Prometheus, and the captain of the growing organition the "Children of Fire. Prometheus took me in for my impressive ability to freeze time, and taught me how to weidl my steam element. But for the ten years I trained under him…Prometheus has looked the same. It's as if…he doesn't age…"

"The Children of Fire…what are you guys all about…?" I ask.

"You know how the blood of us all E-Chargers steam from the original weilders of the original four elements?" Smokey explains, "Currently, there are seven of us. We are…the seven strongest "suns" of Prometheus. We pretty much just act out everything Prometheus wants to do, and work to ensure his plans and dreams come to fruition."

"Smokey…" I say, "Why…are you telling me all this? Why didn't you kill me…?"

Smokey gives me a sad smile.

"You remind me…of myself," he answers, "Maybe it's the white hair and tan skin. They way you fight for your friends, the way you keep getting back up after being knocked down, the way you choose your own destiny rather than being a pawn for someone else…everything about you, Noah…makes me wish that I was YOU…"

My hands begin trembling.

"Smokey…" I softly say.

"Yeah…?"

I reach a hand out to Smokey.

"Will you…join us…?"

Smokey's eyes widen.

"Join us, Smokey," I say again, more firmly, "Join Team Noah and help us defeat the Chilren of Fire and prevent the elemental apocalypse. We will revive the world back to how it was before the flood."

Smokey's hands begin trembling as well.

Slowly, with tears in his eyes, Smokey begins to lift a hand.

"I never wanted to kill anyone…"