Blood and Embers

Chapter 18Malick took a deep breath, summoning a swirling ball of black flames in his palm. With a swift motion, he launched a torrent of dark fire at Helen. She sidestepped effortlessly, dodging the attack as the flames rusted and disintegrated everything they touched.

Without missing a beat, Malick shifted his focus to Janice. But Helen was faster—before he could react, she was in front of him. He recovered quickly, coating his fist in black flames and throwing a straight punch. Helen dodged and countered with a heavy blow to his stomach, forcing blood from his mouth. She followed up with a sharp knee to his gut before flinging him across the road.

Janice closed the distance in an instant, her fist hurtling toward Helen. Helen caught the weak punch with ease, but ice began creeping over her hand. She immediately withdrew, shaking off the cold.

"Janice!" Malick shouted.

Both Helen and Janice turned their attention toward him as he unleashed a barrage of black flames at Helen.

"You really are a pesky little thing," Helen muttered, tilting her head with that ever-present, unnerving grin.

She charged through the fire without hesitation, emerging on the other side—her skin burned away by the decaying effect of Malick's flames, leaving muscle and bone exposed. She threw a left hook at Malick. He barely dodged.

Janice seized the opportunity, cold air swirling around her hand as she formed two ice daggers. The frost spread rapidly, encasing her arms in crystalline gauntlets. She slashed at Helen, but Helen barely reacted, glancing at Janice with mild annoyance.

"Stay out of this, normie," she sneered, black flames igniting in her outstretched hand.

Janice and Malick's eyes widened in shock. Helen grinned and fired a concentrated stream of black fire at Janice.

In a split second, Janice encased herself in ice armor, shielding against the attack. The sheer force still sent her skidding backward.

"My mutation allows me to absorb pain," Helen said casually. "I convert it into raw physical power. I can even replicate any attack that injures me, though it's never as strong as the original."

"No wonder you keep getting stronger," Janice muttered.

"Then the solution is simple," Malick said. "We just have to stop attacking you."

Helen let out a laugh. "And how exactly do you plan to win like that?"

She flexed her fingers, her grin widening. "Besides, I've already taken in enough damage to finish this fight with ease."

She stretched both arms outward, palms aimed at Janice and Malick. A massive surge of black flames erupted from her hands—wild, uncontrolled, and far more chaotic than Malick's. The battlefield was engulfed in darkness, ash swirling in the air.

Helen's grin deepened, almost satisfied.

"That's more enemies down for Lucien," Helen said.

A shadow appeared behind her.

"Oh..." Helen turned toward it. "You survived that?"

Malick and Janice stepped out of the darkness. Helen's eyes flickered to Malick, immediately noticing the change in his body—black veins crisscrossed his skin, bones forming a half-crown on his head. He panted heavily.

"You still have a long way to go, kid," she smirked. "You can't use more than one of your abilities without slowly unleashing your Revenant side."

Her gaze shifted briefly to Janice. "That girl by your side... I can tell she's holding you back. Accepting what you are is the first step to realizing your true power."

"I'm—" Janice began, but Malick interrupted, his voice hoarse.

"Janice is—"

"Don't lie to yourself, kid," Helen cut in. "Is she willing to stand by you when the whole world turns its back on us?"

Malick said nothing. 

For a split second the thought was tempting, he knows by accepting his Revenant side he had a better chance of winning but…

Helen averted her gaze, then turned toward the exit of the dome. As she walked, a silhouette appeared in the distance. Her face lit up—then slowly darkened as Isaac's form became visible. He was dragging Lucien, unconscious, across his back.

Malick's altered form gradually faded as he laid eyes on Isaac. His expression softened. Janice, meanwhile, remained seated, staring at the ground. Her eyes burned with emotion before cooling into silent tears that fell one by one.

Helen stopped beside Isaac.

"Is he dead?" she asked.

Isaac exhaled, then dropped Lucien's body onto the ground. "I told you I'd bring him back to you." Without another word, he turned and walked away.

"Thank you," Helen murmured.

"Isaac!" Malick ran to him, throwing his arms around him.

"Ow... ow... ow," Isaac groaned, though a smile played on his lips.

"Sorry. You really did win," Malick said, grinning.

"Of course. Who do you think I am?" Isaac chuckled. "Where's Jani—"

Janice stood up, brushing away her tears, and smiled. "Welcome back, Isaac.":

Inside the ColonyGiovanni stood squarely before the intruder.

"Aren't you gonna say anything?" he asked. "Have you suddenly turned into a calm person, Sebastian?"

Sebastian remained silent.

Giovanni smirked. "We both know you inherited your dad's crazy love for battle. Yours might be even worse than Harvey's. I just pray your sister, Janice, doesn't end up like the two of you."

"Sister?" Sebastian scoffed, running a hand through his spiky dark blue hair. "Janice isn't our sister. The Flynn family boasts powerful heroes. Janice is a failure—a disgrace in both strength and ideals."

Giovanni chuckled. "So, let me guess. You used this opportunity to take the position as the head of the Red Veil to satisfy your family's ambitions. I always suspected you had your eye on my seat, but to think that inkling was true..."

Sebastian adjusted his glasses. "Your position is as good as mine. I've already instigated the civil war in Sierra to eliminate the Novan pigs once and for all. The Red Veil exists to maintain peace and stability in the Colony. And shadows... they win the largest battles."

"No doubt about that."

Giovanni stretched out his hand, the air around him distorting before condensing into a small ball of fire. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled it at Sebastian. In a flash, Sebastian dodged and closed the distance, driving his fist upward for an uppercut. Giovanni parried the strike and countered with a kick. Sebastian blocked cross-armed but was still sent skidding across the pavement, crashing into a steel pole.

"I'll finish this before you can use that annoying mutation of yours," Giovanni said.

Sebastian only grinned.

Giovanni unleashed a barrage of massive fireballs. Sebastian sprinted to dodge the incoming blasts, weaving through the flames. Giovanni pressed forward, closing the gap and landing a devastating punch to Sebastian's chest. Sebastian recoiled from the impact.

Dragon's WrathGiovanni whispered the name of his attack with a calm finality before releasing a massive stream of fire. The inferno incinerated everything in its path, smoke billowing into the sky.

Then, a wheezing sound caught Giovanni's attention.

"Not dead yet?" he mused. "Your agility is impressive."

Sebastian coughed violently, clutching his chest as he struggled to breathe. Giovanni approached him. Sebastian collapsed to the ground, gasping for air. Giovanni crouched in front of him, eyes gleaming with confidence.

"This—"

Sebastian suddenly grabbed him, the fire's reflection dancing in his eyes.

"Synchronization complete."

Giovanni immediately threw himself backward, a rare look of worry flashing across his face. He cursed under his breath as Sebastian slowly rose to his feet.

"Thanks for the meal," Sebastian said with a grin.

Scorched VeilThe air around Giovanni distorted once more, forming a blazing aura around his body. He dashed toward Sebastian.

Sebastian stretched out his hand, releasing a thin stream of fire. The attack struck Giovanni, but the flames bounced harmlessly off his heat aura.

"You really have..." Giovanni trailed off, eyes narrowing.

Sebastian simply smiled. "Now this is gonna be harder than I thought."