"How the tables have turned."
The spirit towered over the entire hunter army, but the spirit was staring at one man in particular.
"You're wrong about that." There was no trace of fear in Ashtem's voice. "And as we created you, now we can destroy you."
Phi laughed, his multicolored eyes blazing like fire and ice. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."
His brother laughed nervously. "My lord, I'm afraid we are severely outnumbered.
Phi's eyes blazed even angrier. "Very well." He eyed Ashtem distastefully. "Consider yourself lucky. You may live for a few more days, at most."
An eerie smile emerged. "Yes, I see it now. You would be the most satisfying prize I will have collected in centuries."
. . .
"I can't tell you anything else."
The pair stood. One brimmed with a hidden curious energy, while the other radiated a defiant aura.
"I already know," Free pressed. "Why not tell me?"
"He would kill me," Shu whispered.
"Don't tell me what you can't," Free reasoned.
"And that would be everything."
Fear was alight in his eyes. "You wouldn't understand... Even I don't understand," Shu mumbled.
Next thing Free knew, he was gone.
What scared him so bad?
Inside the Anzen, Shu was trying to smooth over his fear.
Don't let anyone see. It's bad enough Free saw. Don't let anyone see...
Valt was trying to round up Toko and Nika. Unfortunately, the strange encounter with Phi hadn't dampened their enthusiasm, leaving Valt to deal with two hyperactive nine-year-olds.
But luckily for him, Toko was beginning to calm down, as was his sister.
"I'm bored," Toko grumbled. "Me too!" Nika chimed in.
The two of them raced off to find their friends Kit and Honey.
This is going to be a long day...
. . .
He should have known there would be an assassination attempt on his life.
After all, he had just met one of the biggest threats of the world. The very threat he had hoped to eliminate more than a year before he knew of his existence.
The deadly, silent assassin slipped through the night.
He wasn't going to risk another attempt on his life. He would pay. If he wasn't a heartless monster, only killing him would destroy him.
The shadows enveloped him. He welcomed it. He would welcome even death, but only after his purpose was fulfilled.
The room was dark and empty. It was silent, as it should be. And silent it would remain, until morning came, at least.
He unsheathed his knife. A small metallic sound rang around the room, but it was nothing too loud, and would be muffled by the walls.
A glow shone from his eyes, illuminating everything for him. Well, not everything, but it illuminated the most important thing.
The man who was sleeping in that room.
He didn't make a sound. Quiet and peaceful, it looked like he was dead. But then again, he had been trained to do that.
I started this.
The first let his knife wander closer.
I'm going to end it.
He slit the throat of the sleeping man. He did not cry out, not give a sign he was dead. The slit was tiny. Hopefully, the others would think he slept late.
The man walked out of the room.
Now to deal with him.
. . .
Phi was enraged.
And naturally, he decided to take is rage out on burning parts of the kingdoms.
The Kaen Kingdom, for one. Even its fireproof abilities didn't stand a chance against Phi's white-hot, rage-fueled flames. A whole village was licked up in Phi's fury.
A quarter of the Mizore Kingdom got turned to water as well. Once beautiful structures of ice and snow were now puddles of water. Even a tower of the palace had been reduced to liquid, although most of the palace had remained intact.
For once in many years, the Kage Kingdom was lit with light during the nighttime. An eerie glow emanated from the burning kingdom, casting shadows and lighting up all over the land.
The Hikari Kingdom was a blaze of light. Their natural light from Zeutron's blessing as well as the flaring inferno of Phi's work burned into the other eyes and blinded them.
The Heiwa Kingdom had not escaped unscathed either. Groves of forests were blazing with fire, and entire meadows had been caught up in the flames.
Phi stood on a cliff overlooking the kingdoms. His eyes burned with anger. One was a blazing red, like the color of the flames beneath him. It was an expression of outright fury. The other was a frosted blue, a hidden coldness and resentment that would give way to destruction and death. It was an expression of carefulness and cunning and a plan that would soon be put into action.
"Have you not learned the art of destruction yet?" he gloated. "Be thankful. The worst is yet to come."
A dead carcass lay behind him. Upon thinking about the killed, Phi's lip began to curl.
"You will be punished, Ashtem," he hissed.
The hunter drew his bow calmly. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."
The arrow that flew from Ashtem's hands pierced straight and true through Phi's heart. But Phi was a spirit. It took more than an arrow to destroy his soul.
He threw back his head and laughed. "Nice try, but it won't work."
Phi morphed into a phoenix and lifted into the clouds again. The phoenix's fiery tail thankfully did not catch any forests before it disappeared into the sky.
Ashtem let fly another arrow, which arced through the air.
"You heard him," Gold Eye said dejectedly. "It'll do nothing."
"That was an enchanted arrow," Ashtem said calmly. "I had Black Eye make a whole quiver of them. If it has to, it will follow Phi until it harms him. And if he does not fall, I will shoot some more."
As if on cue, a pained shriek echoed through the sky.
Powerful wings of fire stiffened with pain. A tail of flames lashed desperately. Apparently Phi was not as strong in phoenix form.
Rain of ash fell from the clouds. Phi's phoenix form was dissolving.
"Quick!" Ashtem snapped. "Burn the ashes."
The Snake Hunters did as he asked. A pile of ashes that had fallen down on their camp went up in flames.
To the east, a new phoenix was rising out of the unburnt ashes. As soon as it did, the ashes crumbled and were licked up into the phoenix. But this new bird was smaller, slower, and less powerful. It had lost nearly half of its power, which had gone up in flames just seconds before.
Ashtem shot another arrow.
Instead of harming the phoenix, the arrow merely skimmed its head. It wasn't even enough to daze Phi.
The phoenix landed gracefully. As soon as it touched the ground, Phi turned back into a human.
His form shimmered like a mirage, but his eyes were firm and filled with anger.
"You will pay the price."
Sorry for the placeholder chapter! I kinda had writer's block for this one. Hope the next one will be better!
YOU ARE READING
(DISCONTINUED) Skyfall /// Beyblade Burst Fanfiction
Hayran Kurgu(Sequel to Kingdom Come) A vengeful spirit. A nearly won war. A plan that must succeed. They lost. They won. They will take it all. Fire. Ice. Light. Dark. Peace? No. Their time is past. It is time to reign again. - His name was poison on his tongue...
