Rupture: Rise of the Demon King (38 page)

The man bowed his head in defeat. He spoke again, his voice cracking: “So you don’t know.”

“You are sad and pathetic. Why are you admitting all this to a stranger?”

A hollow laugh, then, “You aren’t a stranger.” Cerris’s head rose high.

Seeko looked at the mask, becoming angrier and angrier.

“Do it! Kill him! He’s killed so many! His hands are stained with the blood of your friends!”

Seeko lost control, immersed in Kerodesis’s rage. Before he knew it, the blade pierced the emperor’s heart. For a moment, time stopped, and Seeko became aware of his own heart, still beating.

Cerris’s heart stopped and time began again. The man fell, silent.

“This war is over.” Did Seeko say that? Or did Kerodesis?

Then, a sound—the sound of someone clapping slowly. Seeko turned.

“Very good, Seeko,” Yoshino said from a bedroom doorway. “You just killed your father.”

34: Rupture

6 Nyss, 112 AV: Day 225

“What?” the hero said.

“Remove the mask, Seeko.” Yoshino said, pointing to it.

Seeko did so with a slow, trembling hand. The mask slipped off easily. Cerris’s brown eyes had been crying behind the mask, Seeko saw. Seeko raised a hand to his own face and found that he was crying too.

“You see,” Yoshino said, “the Halcyon and the Irenic Empire used to be just one empire: the Halcyon Empire. Ruled by Emperor Phycer and his dynasty, the Halcyon Empire flourished for decades. At its peak, it even sent an expeditionary force that returned with an amazing gift: magic. But all was not well, for Emperor Phycer did not have the heir he needed. No, he had two: twins, named Physis and Cerris.”

Seeko looked down at Cerris. The emperor did indeed look just like Physis. The only difference was a scar that crossed Cerris’s nose. Seeko pulled the man close, hugging the stranger who was his father, crying into his bleeding chest. Seeko felt more alone than ever before.
I just … killed … my own father.

“The two brothers fought over everything,” Yoshino continued. “Toys, trainers, women, and eventually kingdoms. Emperor Phycer died and did not specify an heir, which only drove the brothers into more fighting. Eventually, Emperor Cerris declared himself heir of the Halcyon Empire and exiled his brother from the kingdom.

“Physis struck back a decade later. He raised up an empire in the east, with Asilis as the capital, declaring the Irenic Empire the true empire. They fought, with the Irenic Empire eventually capturing land all the way to Vicussa.

“And so began a cycle of revenge that ended with the kidnapping of Seeko, son of Cerris. Irenic Commander Todd personally led the kidnapping, taking the young boy all the way to Asilis.

“Desperate, Emperor Cerris reached into the legends of old for help. He found demons. He summoned two sages, named Moses and Yoshino, to create portals to the demons.”

Seeko had calmed down a little bit by now. He was still heartbroken, but he knew that Yoshino had to have planned this. Now he fueled his feelings into something else: hatred. He imagined Yoshino dead before him, and shook. He took a deep breath.

“Those are the two names from my memory … but one is you!” Seeko said.

“No. I have figured it out. That Yoshino is a future version of myself! Don’t interrupt my story, hero.” He nodded. “Out of that first demon portal came past me, my brother, and some other trusted demons. Moses gave five of them necklaces that could open portals to the demon world. Using my knowledge of the Kikoeru and the allies I had made, we made a pact with Emperor Cerris.

“After that, Moses and my future self traveled to Asilis, eager to see the new Irenic Empire. There we met a young boy. The boy was happy at first, but in time realized that Physis was not his father and wanted to go home. Yoshino told the boy that he knew a way home, but it would be a long and tumultuous journey and that he wouldn’t be the same. The boy didn’t care; his mind was set. And so Yoshino—future me, that is—sent the boy home.” He smiled again. “And see, now you are home, Seeko Dris, son of Cerris.” He pointed to his temple. “Very clever, right? Anyway, welcome home, Emperor of the Halcyon Empire!” He was clapping again.

Seeko began to hyperventilate. His blood pounded within his balled fists, soon pulsing across his entire body. His jaw clamped so tight he felt like he cracked a tooth. Seeko looked to Yoshino with tears streaming down his face. Kerodesis echoed his feelings, rebounding them across the link, feeding each other.

“Yoshino!” Seeko roared. “You planned all this!”

Yoshino smiled a half smile. “What can I say?” He shrugged. “There’s only one thing left for me to do now.”

Seeko lowered his father and rose shakily. “And what would that be?”

“Kill the Irenic hero!” Yoshino said as he shifted into air. He reappeared behind Seeko, blade in hand. “Sorry, Seeko, but I need those necklaces. I couldn’t kill my friends, but you could. The Voice would warn them if I tried. But you … you were already the enemy.” Yoshino’s blade flew toward Seeko.

He avoided it, turning to flame.

“Impressive,” Yoshino said.

Seeko reformed, a burning emerald blade in hand. He knocked Yoshino’s blade away and pointed his blade to Yoshino’s neck.

Then Yoshino sent a pressurized ball of air into Seeko’s stomach, sending him flying into the fireplace. Seeko pointed his palms at Yoshino and the fire behind him flew into the demon, sending him through the open doorway and into the hall.

Seeko teleported to Yoshino as he rose, blade in hand once more. Seeko pointed his blade at his neck again.

“Teleport too? I underestimated you.” Yoshino faded into black smoke and reappeared farther down the hallway, running.

“Where are you going, Yoshino? Scared?” Seeko shouted, chasing after him.

Yoshino’s response was to send a sheering wave of air at his pursuer. Seeko narrowly avoided the wave and continued to chase after him.

They ran through the castle, climbing higher and higher. In the straight hallways, Seeko would launch fire at his foe, but Yoshino would either dissipate it or send it back to him.

Seeko slowly gained on Yoshino despite the demon’s attempts to flee. Yoshino kept climbing and eventually went through a doorway that led outside. Seeko burst through the door after him, catching his breath.

He stood atop the citadel, a large, square area with crenellations and battlements all around. The ground was seventy feet below and the view of the surrounding inner city was incredible. Seeko could see the Irenic army beyond the outer city, readying for battle.

Yoshino smiled, turning around. “Just like how I first met you. Chased me to a dead end.”

Seeko sent fire at Yoshino’s face, green streaks of light racing forward in the setting sun. He roared as Yoshino blocked the fire, so Seeko sent more his way.

Yoshino dodged the assault easily. “Not even a response? A question?” He cocked his head. “Come now. You’re always full of questions.”

“Why the roof?” Seeko yelled, still firing at the demon.

“So that your friends will find your corpse in a couple of minutes,” Yoshino said, laughing. He teleported to Seeko and began to duel the hero.

Seeko’s practice with Keith’s quick strikes conditioned him well against the lightning-fast demon. He was put on the defensive, but managed to keep his cool and was soon rewarded. Yoshino overstretched and Seeko parried the blade away, then brought his back in, slicing across Yoshino’s arm. Yoshino made a face and brought his blade around to Seeko’s left. Then he feinted and stabbed instead.

Seeko knew how to deal with a stabbing attack, blocking Mori’s rapier thousands of times. He knocked it away again and spun around the blade, flinging a fireball into Yoshino as he did so. Yoshino jumped back, extinguishing the fire that started on his clothes.

The duel went on, Seeko and Yoshino evenly matched. But Seeko soon slipped and Yoshino cut into his leg. Seeko screamed and Kerodesis echoed him, then an orange pillar of flame appeared under Yoshino. Yoshino was caught unaware and began to burn. A whirlwind appeared around the demon, put out the fire, and sent Seeko flying.

He collided with a battlement, cracking it. Dazed, Seeko reached into the necklaces and soon dark hands gripped the demon that was approaching him. Before Yoshino could escape, Seeko sent a twirling green-and-orange cylinder of fire straight at him, crashing into the demon with incredible force.

Seeko’s eyes refocused and he looked to where the demon was. There was nothing there, however.
There’s no way he’s dead …

Sure enough, Seeko was right. Yoshino appeared in front of the searching hero a moment later, kneeing him in the stomach and sending him back to the ground.

“I hate to admit it,” Yoshino said, “but you’re a lot stronger than I gave you credit for.”

Seeko teleported away from the demon, appearing on the other side of the roof. He leaned up against a crenellation, grabbing his wounded leg.

Yoshino turned slowly toward him, calmly approaching the hero.

Seeko smiled, then snapped his fingers.

An emerald explosion appeared behind Yoshino, blossoming almost instantly. The blast flung Yoshino forward, and Seeko advanced, blade ready to skewer the demon as he came down.

Yoshino recovered in midair and teleported to Seeko’s side, blasting him to the ground with a slanted pillar of stone. The hero slammed into the ground hard, but had no time to rest, for Yoshino was before him, swinging his blade. Seeko rolled to the side and sent a fireball back at him, which Yoshino deflected.

Seeko kicked the distracted demon in the chest with both legs, knocking him over. He rose, called on Kerodesis, and sent dual flames emitting from his palms into the downed demon. He shouted as he did so, desperate to defeat Yoshino.

The demon shouted as well, twirling as a whirlwind surrounded him, shielding him from the worst of the assault. Yoshino waved his arms and the whirlwind expanded in all directions, buffeting Seeko. The whirlwind ended and Yoshino was gone again.

Seeko scanned the area for him, trying to find him in the dying light. He found him after a moment.

He was right above him.

Yoshino fell to the floor, augmenting his fall with his mastery of wind magic. He slammed into Seeko at an unbelievable speed, crushing him into the rough citadel rock. Yoshino hopped off the hero, blade reappearing in hand.

The stunned hero hurt everywhere. After a moment, he rose like a puppet, dark hands supporting him. Seeko’s dark hands released him and he stood shakily on his own feet. He pointed at Yoshino and the dark hands obeyed, launching themselves at the monster with sharp claws.

Yoshino cut at the hands as they approached, and while he did so, Seeko teleported behind him. Their duel started again, but both were much slower than before.

Yoshino was fighting from two directions and losing. He put a priority on blocking Seeko’s burning blade, and as a result was cut multiple times by the dark hands. Even when he cut a hand down, another would appear and take its place.

The demon brandished his blade, cutting two dark hands and leaving himself momentarily open. Seeko pressed the advantage, jabbing at Yoshino’s chest. The demon shifted just enough and was cut on the arm instead.

The tired and aching hero made mistakes as well, however. He was too slow now and Yoshino made him pay with cuts across the upper arm and again on his already wounded leg.

Seeko stumbled back, disengaging his dark hands. Yoshino fell back as well, blade disappearing.

They circled each other, two foes on the edge of exhaustion.

Yoshino was scowling. His white hair was disheveled and he was breathing hard; his clothes were burnt and his stance faltered.

Seeko echoed him for the most part, but the hero was worse for wear, bleeding and losing consciousness.
This is it,
he thought, trying to calm his mind.

He reached for his dim spark one last time.

Seeko conjured a ball of darkness, mirroring Yoshino’s. They flung themselves at each other and raised their palms, a parallel movement. They screamed as the orbs connected … and all went silent.

/ / / / /

Seeko awoke, facedown, on the ground. He opened his eyes, dazed and disoriented, and rose to one knee. The world around him looked badly painted, colors and streaks swirling in randomness. In the sky, he saw a humongous, brilliant orange sun, adding more streaks to the sky as he moved.

Yoshino spoke from behind Seeko. “Where are we? Is this some type of new magic?”

Seeko turned to Yoshino quickly, which sent the world spinning. He quickly lost his balance. Yoshino looked unharmed from the previous fight, whereas Seeko still felt dizzy and scarred.

“Ah, I know where we are,” Yoshino said, hand to his chin. “This is a version of your mind!”

What?
Seeko thought. As he thought it, the world echoed it.
This is just an illusion …

“I think so too, Seeko. “Very interesting, though. This is how you’re coping with what I’m currently doing in your mind.”

“What do you mean?” Seeko said, slurring his words slightly.

“Well, obviously my last attack succeeded. I am currently standing in front of you, palm to your head. This version of me is your depiction of the invasion of your mind.”

Seeko looked at Yoshino. “I won’t let you take over my mind!” He charged at him, sword suddenly in hand.

Yoshino also had a sword out of nowhere and they traded blows. They were still evenly matched, for Yoshino was moving in slow motion, even though Seeko was still dazed. Seeko jumped back and stumbled, but sent orange fire into Yoshino nonetheless. As he did so, the orange sun faded slightly.

As the fire connected, Yoshino tumbled to the ground. He rose, patting himself off. “Seeko, you are doing so much better than Lorissa or even the Mother. Your spark fights valiantly, even on the edge of collapse.” Yoshino teleported behind him and shoved him over. Seeko rolled and countered, cutting Yoshino’s leg. “Very impressive.”

Then he teleported again, this time far to Seeko’s right. Seeko looked over to him, dizzy once more.