Chapter 92-Prometheus

"Everything will be alright now."

At least…that's what I was thinking to myself.

I'll be fine, my friends will be safe, and most of all…Smokey will be okay now.

I continue reaching my hand out towards Smokey's hand, and once we clasp our hands together, the two of us begin to shake. But then, as I peer down towards the hand that I'm shaking…my eyes widen.

Because the hand doesn't belong to Smokey.

"Whaaa…?" I ask, as I continue shaking the hand that took mine, the hand that has been dyed completely red in blood. Smokey's blood.

Slowly…Smokey peers down, and sees that a hand has pierced his chest.

Smokey's eyes widen, as tears begin trickling out of the corner of his eyes.

"My…Lord…" Smokey weakly croaks.

"Smokey…" I softly say, as tears begin to trickle out of the corners of my eyes, as well.

"Hello, little brother," a voice says, causing my entire body to tense up.

I tear my eyes away from Smokey's hand and peer up behind Smokey, where I see a short, red-haired man standing behind Smokey with a gentle smile. A blindfold is covering his eyes.

"H-huh…?" I ask, "Little brother…?"

Without another word, the red-haired man RIPS his hand out of Smokey's chest, and with it, comes his heart.

My eyes widen.

My entire body trembles.

"Sm-Sm…"

"SSSMMMOOOKKKEEEYYY!!!!!!!!!!"

Smokey's eyes roll back into his head as his eyelids flutter shut. And then…Smokey drops to the ground in a pool of his own blood.

"Prometheus…" Smokey weakly croaks out, "Why…? I gave my life to you…"

"Smokey," the red-haired man replies in a horrifying uncaring tone as he glares down at Smokey, from behind his blindfold, "That's why it was unwise to betray me. You gave your life to me, and therefore, it's mine to TAKE. I had such high hopes for you, Smokey, and yet…you disappoint me."

"I…" Smokey weakly croaks, "I sacrificed everything…I left my old life and my family behind, as well as my dignity…I MURDERED people for your sake…I've become an unredeemable MONSTER…"

"I HEARD EVERYTHING, SMOKEY!" The red-haired man roars, "YOU WERE GOING TO BETRAY ME, AND TEAM UP WITH MY LITTLE BROTHER TO KILL ME?! AFTER ALL I'VE DONE FOR YOU…AFTER I SAVED YOU FROM THE FAMILY THAT ABUSED YOU! WHY?! BECAUSE HE SORT OF HAS A POSITIVE ATMOSPHERE AROUND HIM?!"

Slowly…Smokey opens his eyes.

With his remaining strength, Smokey lifts a weak hand up and smashes his fist into the ground, summoning every last ounce of power in his body left to push himself up to his feet.

Smokey pants as he glares at the red-haired man, clutching the gaping, bleeding hole in his chest in agony.

"You won't…win…" Smokey says, his voice faint and weak and devoid of any life, and yet…STRONG, at the same time, "Noah…and his friends…"

"THEY WILL PREVENT THE ELEMENTAL APOCALYPSE-"

Before Smokey can finish, the red-haired man's hands squeeze his hand shut, CRUSHING Smokey's heart and one fell moment, and sending blood splattering everywhere.

"No…ah…" Smokey weakly manages to croak out.

And then…Smokey falls to the ground at last.

Smokey is gone.

"Smokey…" I say to myself, "You are no monster…"

The red-haired man stares at Smokey's body in silence.

After a moment, the silence is broken when the red-haired man lifts a hand and snaps his fingers.

"Divine Flame."

Instantly, Smokey's body is engulfed in golden flames, and as Smokey's body roasts into nothingness, the red-haired man presses his hands together, as if he was praying.

"Smokey too, now…" the man whispers to himself, and I notice a single tear trickle down his cheek from behind his blindfold, "I'm sorry…"

As Smokey's body continues roasting, the red-haired man reaches a hand into the golden flames towards Smokey's face. With delicate fingers, the man gouges and scoops out Smokey's left eye, the Eye of the Devil. With his free hand, the man reaches into the folds of his red gi and pulls out a jar with a myerscough green liquid sloshing around within it. The man unscrews the hand and plops Smokey's eye inside, which floats around in the green liquid.

"Perfect," the man smirks to himself, "Smokey's FREEZE Devil Eye is one of the strongest I've come across."

My entire body begins trembling.

Everything…everything feels numb.

So, so numb.

"Prometheus…"

"Oh?" The red-haired man jumps as he turns to face me with an astonished expression, "So you know who I am? This makes things a lot easier!"

"Prometheus…" I say again, my voice clearer this time. The recognition of Smokey's death has sept into my body. There's no going back now.

"And you...are Noah," Prometheus replies with a small smile, "My little brother and the E-Charger of Water."

"PROMETHEUUUUUSSSSS!!!!!" I roar, "GIVE SMOKEY'S EYE BACK! GIVE ME BACK MY FRIEND!"

"THEN COME AND KILL ME, MY DEAREST LITTLE BROTHER!" Prometheus cackles madly as he splays his arms out wide to his sides, "COME TOWARDS ME! LET US RUIN ONE ANOTHER!"

"You see, I woke up around two years ago or so, on some beach, with no memories of who I am, where I came from, and what's what!"

Those are the words that I spoke to Khione and Flint, when I first met them…

"When I awoke, I looked around and found that I was laying in what appeared to be some abandoned shipwreck. I found a map in the sand in front of me, and on a plank of wood next to me, was a plaque with the same 'Noah,' and I had assumed that was my name!"

"The truth is…I'm terrified…I'm terrified that who I was before…is a terrible person. And because of that, I'm trying to do as many good deeds as I can to make up for that."

"You see, I'm a man without memories. So I've always been interested in where people come from."

"Sometimes, when I close my eyes, I see…a village. But like…a really huge village, with tall concrete buildings with a lot of windows, and…strange buggy looking things with wheels that roll down a path. The village is bustling with people, and on the outskirts of the village, the world is green with nature, and I see HUNDREDS of animals that I've never seen before. But when I open my eyes…it's gone. I don't know if it's my memories, or…"

I…am a man with no memories.

But with the next words that I am about to say…for the first time in my life that I can remember….I felt like I TRULY I knew just who I was.

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU."