The Chronicles of Drakken

Chapter 8: The Test of Fire

Raz and Maz stood there in mid-air, literally staring Death in the face. It seemed rather bizarre to Raz that they would have to fight Death while his whole body was screaming to get away from this entity as far as possible. It took every ounce of courage to stay put.

Raz wasn't alone in this fear. Maz was right there with him, and the two took deep breaths to steady themselves. They knew that it would do them no good to flee now. Moreover, if they abandoned or failed to stop this Horseman in front of them, then millions upon millions of lives would be in danger. That idea was unacceptable.

Raz and Maz breathed out fire, shaping it into the form of weapons. They readied themselves, standing in the fighting position their father taught so many years ago. He was a strict teacher when it came to Fire Working, and while Mazial showed prowess at the ability, Razial had to struggle the whole way through.

Raz, however, was eternally grateful because their father refused to give up on him or let him take it easy. He remembered it like it was only yesterday, and he was learning a new technique called Fire Shaping. He was nine years old at the time and was out in the backyard sand-pit. Miles was watching his two sons as they practiced the first shape.

"Alright, you two. Try it again, and Razial, concentrate a bit harder." Their father said as they both nodded and tried to make a square out of the floating fireball in front of them.

Mazial concentrated, and instantly the fire responded to his command, shaping itself into a perfect square. Miles was quite delighted when he saw this and turned his attention to Razial.

Raz concentrated very hard on his fireball that roughly resembled a square. He had tears in his eyes as the frustration welled up deep inside. Suddenly, the fire took the square shape, but it became bright white as Raz closed his eyes.

"Raz, back down your flame. It's burning too much of your energy, and you aren't ready for that level yet." Miles said as Raz quickly opened his eyes, and the flame exploded in his face, knocking him onto his back. He was more stunned than anything as he looked up at the sky with anguish.

Raz slowly got up and saw his father looking at him with concern, then looked away, ashamed. He knew he had to control his emotions, but they got the better of him sometimes and what happened with the fire was a prime example.

"Raz, are you alright?" Their father asked as Raz nodded.

"Yes, but I overdid it with my emotions, didn't I?" Raz asked as Miles gave a nod.

"However, I will say you have made an improvement. The flame feeds off of our emotions, and courage is the most powerful ally of all. The flame exploded because you let emotions of negativity into your heart. There are two sides to the fire that we use: One can be helpful and a great light source. However, it can be the most destructive force upon the face of the planet. Don't beat yourself up over it, though. You are doing quite well. Just keep practicing, and soon you will see results." Miles said as Raz nodded and continued to practice.

Raz smiled because he knew his father had taught them well, and he now had his Fire Sword in his right hand that resembled a Cutlass. He looked over at his brother, who was holding two Fire Axes in his hands.

Death swung off his horse, which immediately dissolved into a cloud of black mist and reformed as a scythe. It was massive as it easily towered over Death's eight-foot frame. He gripped the handle that was made of a humanoid backbone. The eyes under his hood flashed a bright red for a second before turning back to black. It happened so fast that Raz didn't catch what laid under the hood and had the feeling he didn't want to.