Pyrus (14 page)

Chapter 20: The Hunt

Do you have any idea what you are doing right now?
Leo screams into my head. I feel his anger, but I don't care. I push his consciousness away from mine and release him from his sword form. As a matter of fact, I do know what I'm doing. I'm going to get revenge for Flizzle and Frizzle, who sacrificed themselves so that I could escape. I'm going to rescue Lyra from the Shinso. I won't let any more of my friends get hurt because I wasn't strong enough to protect them.

As I enter the forest, I notice my animal friends aren't around to greet me. They could always tell by the sound of my footsteps when I was here. I don't dwell on it; my main and only goal is to find the Shinso and make them pay. I channel my magii into my head chamber and close my eyes. The sound of the leaves as they collide with the wind fades away. I separate from the world, focusing only on the traces of magii they leave behind with every step. As I reopen my eyes, the wind slashes my face. The leaves from the trees blow around me, but I walk through it, a trail of smoke piercing my nostrils.

Repeating this trick Gron had taught me, I continue my hunt for the Shinso for three days, resting only when necessary. I don't get hungry, I don't get tired. Rage at my opponents and at myself are the only things keeping me going. I see Lyra's face in my mind—her eyes, her smile, the way her hair swayed as she walked. If something happened to her because I was unable to protect her, I would never forgive myself.

With this thought in mind, my pace increases. Leo tried to reason with me earlier, but once again I isolate myself from him. If he's not with me, then he's against me—plain and simple.
You are acting irrationally
, he says to me.
Think about what you are doing!
I chuckle at what he says. He replies calmly, but obviously annoyed at my arrogance.
I missed the joke.

If I wasn't thinking this through, then I would be blindly tearing down the forest, hoping I would get lucky. I am using what Gron has taught me to hunt them down, I reply.
Leo appears in front of me and roars. I'm surprised; he's never been able to come out to the physical world without me summoning him.

“How is hunting them down justified?” he screams at me. “If you kill those two, then you are no better than they are.”

“It's what they deserve.” I reply coldly, shoving past him.

“Then I will not be a part of this. You are becoming the very thing that you fought against. Do you not remember Ivan?” I stop, turn, and face him. The flames that make up his body thrash wildly with a crimson glow. “„Everything is either useless or dead weight.' Does that ring a bell? If you are going to try and use my power to satisfy your revenge, then I want nothing to do with you. What you deserved was to die in the back of that alley on Earth.” Then, Leo disappears.

“Leo? Please come back, I didn't mean for it to …” My voice sounds like that of a scared child. All of the anger that I felt, all of the rage, disappeared. It was like waking up from a dream. What is happening to me? I don't dwell on it, realizing that I've been wasting time gets me fired up all over again.

“Fine! I don't need you! I can hunt them down on my own!” I scream at the trees. I waited for a response, for anything, but he didn't reply. I stomp off, refocusing on my goal.
My magii chambers are ten times what they used to be! I can beat them easily
, I say, but through all of my optimistic words, deep down I know that I can't defeat them without Leo.

Judging by the state of the forest, I feel as though I'm getting closer to them. The trees begin to show signs of damage, from missing limbs to sheared trunks. Some magii residue rests on the forest floor and branches are scattered across the ground, signifying that I'm not even three days from conflict. I'm exhausted, but if I rest, then the whole purpose of tracking them becomes pointless. I didn't know how long Lyra could hold out against the Shinso, and hesitating only wastes time.

The forest seems unfamiliar to me as I walk, despite that I took this path while coming to the record house. Since I have nothing to do while I run toward probably the biggest fight of my life, I begin to analyze and overanalyze this strange feeling.
Does this unfamiliarity signify a change in me? Perhaps I shouldn't rush head-on into this.
My confidence begins to waver. I catch myself before I sink too far.
Shut up! Just shut up! You can think this over when you get back to the Core; for now, just remember what you are going to do.

Going for three days without rest is a bad plan; never try it. My eyelids droop, my energy is completely gone.
I'm sorry, Lyra … I don't have the energy to continue right now. Please hold out a bit longer.
The next tree I find, I collapse beside, carelessly leaving myself in plain sight. The moment I close my eyes, I pass out into the realm of my dreams.

My mental realm looks destroyed. There are gashes on the floor. The flames have disappeared and have been replaced by a giant black hole. The floor trembles with every step I take.
What is happening here?
I ask myself as a giant chunk of the floor flies right at me. I don't dodge in time and get carried away with it.
My whole realm is collapsing around me!
I realize as I charge across, heading straight for the black hole. I scream in terror as I get swallowed by the endless abyss.

I wake up screaming. I quickly pinch myself a couple of times to make sure I'm not still dreaming. Pyre was up in the sky still, so I couldn't have slept that long, unless I had slept for a couple of days. Just to make sure, I close my eyes and search for the remainders of the Shinso's magii. I wait…and wait…but nothing happens. I try again, but get faced with the same result. With a sigh, I decide to do it the old fashioned way.

“Trublind!” I call out. The world remains the same; my eyes remain the same.

“Trublind!” I yell again, angry and nervous at the same time. Still nothing happens. The forest remains the same.

“Why is nothing happening?” I ask myself. “Do I have a clog in my magii chambers?” Just to check, I try to channel some magii into my right fist. I feel no change. I punch a tree, but the only thing that happened was that I hurt my hand. I realize with horror that now I am a regular human once again.
How could I have been so stupid? The title of Kreydur is given by the Kreysor. When Leo left, I lost my power.

To make matters worse, I could hear the sounds of fighting close by. It's hard not to mistake the sound of clashing steel when it becomes your rhythm. I stand still, staring in the direction of the sound. There was no point in trying to fight them as I was; I would just end up killing myself. Lyra's voice screams out in pain as I stand at the fringes.
Human or not, I can't just stand here and watch her die! Leo may be the source of my magical power, but my physical strength is my own.

“
If you charge in against two men with magically enhanced weapons and hope to win by brute strength, then you can think again,” Leo calls out from behind me. I turn around to gaze into his red eyes. He is as tall as me now, his flames still pulsing crimson. My heart leapt for joy, and I turned away from him at the same time. I was a tornado of emotions.

“Leo, I'm…” I begin. He roars at me, showing all of his teeth and cuts me off before I finish.

“You apologize because you believe you have learned your lesson, but I am the one who is sorry, for not seeing it through your eyes. If you have the resolve to see through this fight and protect her, then I will be by your side until the end.”

“Leo … I'm grateful for that; don't get me wrong.” He raises an eyebrow, obviously curious. “But I can't fight anymore. Magic no longer flows through my body. I am as useless as when I first came here.” He laughs at me. I am being dead serious here, and he finds my situation a riot.

“Jack, the only reason why you can't use magic is because you are afraid of it. Let go of your fear. We have a job to do, and fear is merely an obstruction.” I nod, and we stand together, Kreysor and Kreydur. In a split second, it is just me and a blazing sword resting upon my shoulder as I walk toward the battlefield to protect the ones I care for and to destroy all those that stand in my way.

The screech of the Shinso's flaming swords is a sound I hadn't forgotten, and it beckoned to me from across the battlefield. Only a cloud of dust separates me from the enemy.
Are you ready for this?
Leo's voice rings in my head, tensely and a little concerned.
No, I'm truly not ready.
I reply honestly.
But we need to do what must be done. Let's roll!

The dust causes my eyes to water, but I walk on. I can make out the shape of three shadows outside the cloud, but I'm too far away to be certain who's who. A few more steps and I walk into what looks like the eye of a hurricane. Lyra was on one knee, in the exact same position I was in when I first fought them in the village. Her face is masked in blood, and I wouldn't have recognized her if it wasn't for her fiery red hair. The Rider raises his sword as I dash toward the scene.
I can't let her die now. No …. I won't!
I channel enough magii in my legs to propel myself in front of her.

His sword collides with my own, the screech silences as Leo's flames engulf the blade. The Shinso staggers back in surprise, and noticing my chance, I pick up Lyra in my arms and carry her outside of the cloud. Her breathing is faint. I lay her next to a tree and try to see if she can hear me.

“You'll be safe here for now. I'll heal you once I get back.” I try to make my voice as gentle and reassuring as possible. She looks like she's about to speak but instead coughs up a major amount of blood. Ignoring what I had previously said, I try to heal her with as much magii as I can spare. She falls asleep, her chest rising and falling slowly as she struggles to breathe.
She'll live, but not for much longer unless I do something.
I race back into the arena.

“Shame on the both of you!” I call out to them. “You broke a major law: never,
ever
, attack a woman!” They face me motionless as I talk to them. I wait a few seconds to hear their reply. All I get is a fist to the stomach. Temporarily winded, my knees buckle as I gasp for air.
You idiot!
Leo screams at me.
Never drop your guard.

“I didn't even see it coming!” I yell back at him. “Just concentrate on the fight, okay?” The Shinso draw their blades, the screech returning as the metal merges with the air. The flames form and encircle us, preventing my escape. I wasn't going to run away though—not this time. I take a deep breath, preparing myself as I usually do before I train with Gron.
No one escapes. If I strike, it's to kill. If I block, it's to counter. There is no mercy behind my sword.

“Trublind!” My eyes change before the first lunges at me, its sword pointed at my heart. With a spin around his back, I dodge the first strike, only to run into the second one. It attacks from the air, and I roll to the side instantly. The sword plunges into the earth, and a pillar of flame is released as it removes the blade from the ground.
If we continue fighting two on one, we will lose
, Leo tells me.
You need to find some way to split them up.

Before I can come up with a strategy, they attack again. The first one charges at me from the front, while the second comes from behind: the basic pinscher movement. I jump into the air right before they slash, only to have the front one jump higher than me, while the second stays on the ground. They're in complete synchronization and are ready to counter any movement I make. Focusing a short burst of magii, I use Leo's flamethrower to push myself out of the crossfire.
We need to go on the offensive if we want to win, Jack!
Leo nags at me.

“I know, I know!” I yell back at him. “It's kind of hard to do that when they keep on attacking me nonstop!” Proving my statement, a Shinso appears in front of me and slashes me across my chest. Blood drips onto my clothing from the gash, and the second one slashes at my back. I feel the pain of the cut on my back as the heat burns the skin. I think I'm beginning to recognize a pattern, but there's only one way to test my theory.

The first one jumps and brings its sword down upon me. I raise my own in defense, but I'm not focusing on that one right now. As our swords collide, I step to the side and allow my opponent to pass right by me and crash into the second one. Proud of myself, I decide to correct my previous statement: they are
almost
completely synchronized—the second attacker delays for about a millisecond, probably in case I decide to dodge the first strike.

Don't get too cocky!
Leo scolds.
They will realize you know their weakness and will probably change their strategy now.
It takes them a while to stand, so I'm feeling pretty confident that they don't suspect that I'm on to them. They attempt another pinscher movement after they stand. Obviously, I block the first strike and prepare to move out of the way, when the second falls from above and brings down his sword, slashing right through my left side and creating a gash like I have never felt in my life.

Leo drops from my hand as I stagger away from the Shinso. I trip on my own feet and land on my butt, my eyes still locked upon my opponents. My eyes widen as my body trembles with fear. They were going to kill me, and it was because I had given in to my pride yet again. That was how I got here, and that was going to be how I end. I close my eyes, too tired to watch them finish me.

I feel something furry upon my wound. It tickles me and makes me laugh. I open my eyes, only to wind up staring back at the yellow eyes of the cutest golden armadillo. I rub my hand across its scaly back, only to draw it away. Tiny lightning bolts were pulsing all around his body making it seem like it had fur.

“Fuhrhealminok,” I whisper to him, placing my hand upon my gash. I feel the tingle and the slight discomfort as my muscles and bones reform themselves. Slowly, the blood begins to cease, until the only way you could tell I was wounded was from the blood on my hand. I reach for my sword, for Leo, so I can finish this fight. I look past my furry little friend, but I can't see Leo anywhere.