~Windflame~

Chapter 11: An Oni unveiled

Hey guys:)
Enjoy the chapter!

Eifa, Apollo, and the ever so annoying Aspen, stood on the ice pedestals beside the throne.

"Law 44.5 Article B26 yeah yeah blah blah blah- I don't study law for heaven's sake! Let me just announce the fight!", Apollo said to Eifa.
"Tsk tsk tsk- that's why you're such a bad Chief, Ape", Eifa whacked his head with an icicle.
Ape?! What kind of nickname is that?!

"Shut up, Elf- just let Apollo do his job without a pain in the-"
"That's enough Aspen", Apollo said ruffling the boy's hair- for like the hundredth time.
"Yeah 'Spen", Eifa smirked.
"Whatever", Aspen said, his blank eyes suddenly finding something that interests him.

Apollo sighed.
"Uhh- hey Apollo!", Kai yelled to the white-haired boy.
"What are you doing?!", I hissed at him.
"Uhh...I don't know- offering some older brother advice", Kai said, raising an eyebrow.
I flushed red- why did I have to be this vulnerable to brown eyebrows?!
*awkward silence cues*

Apollo turned around like the male lead in a movie and walked towards us all high and mighty.
"Hey, strawberry", he said too Kai, smiling a toothy grin.
I wheezed.
"Hey sour grape", he said, turning his attention to me.
"Very funny...And hey, frostbite", I gritted my teeth.
"BWAHHAAHAH- Elfie- get a load of this kid...he's hilarious!", Apollo burst out laughing in a practiced, kingly manner.

"Uhh...this was not what I called you here for", Kai said, frowning.
"Ahh yes- why was it you needed my attention, again?", Apollo said.
"Look uhh we don't mean any harm and we don't want to get killed...so what is the Ring of Fire anyways?", Kai said.
"Woww- great older brother advice, kid", I said to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Shut up!", Kai hissed, smiling nervously at me.

"The Ring of Fire is a miracle left to us long ago by our ancestors. If one shall ever trespass into these forbidden caves, they have to duel the fiercest warriors in out tribe-", Eifa began.
"You mean that scrawny little-"
Kai shut my mouth.

"FOR THE LAST TIME- WATCH YOUR MOUTH! I AM NOT AS WEAK AS I LOOK!", Aspen said- geez, was his voice a speaker or something?
Eifa sighed and shook her head.
"As I was saying- it's just a deep part of the cave where fire shoots up from random places and the legendary phoenix awaits the trespasers. You will meet her and she will decide your doomed fate, don't worry", Eifa's smiled curled into a malicous smirk.

"Uhh...right- death is guaranteed, I'm afraid, Kai- it was nice knowing you", I said, my eye twitching at him.
"It was nice knowing you as well", Kai said back, a worried smile on his face.
"Right- I've seen enough- now I want to see the fight", Apollo said, stuffing his face with popcorn...

Made of ice?!

"As you wish, brother", Eifa smiled again at us, now Aspen at her side.
I wish I could just dig a hole and jump into it.

The cage we were in meanwhile melded into a terrifying shade of black. I saw two blank eyes smile as the hands moved rigt and left, making the cage into the monster it was.

This was Aspen's doing...oh boy- we were in trouble.

We heard footsteps and me and Kai were soon lifted by a group of soldiers from Apollo's tribe, I suppose. I couldn't really see much.

"I've never fought worms and ice-creams before! Why did life have to be so...so-"
"Weird?", I offered.
"Shut up, Windbag- everyone's weird", Kai shot back.
"I-I know that...but that's what makes everyone different", I said clasping his hand for the warmth I needed.
He looked up at me- the same boy who I had fought in Master Wu's tea shop, then met at the museum, now who I had been trapped with for a week...

He's changed a lot- that's all I can say.

Our cage was opened to reveal us in an Arena with thousands of Apollo's tribe sitting on the gigantic ice apmhitheatre of the stadium. In the middle was an Ice rink, with cracked bits of ice floating on a river of darkness.

One wrong step and we could fall into it. I gulped.

The pieces of ice led to a cave where the amphithetre could no longer see. And there stood in the middle of it all- Eifa and Aspen.

They looked different- much more terrifying. Aspen's hand trickled with darkness that reached for our faces (a bit like how Venom works- omg I love Venom sm! Anyways let me shut up). 

Eifa was not so different to him. She transformed right into...
An Oni?! But in order for-

She pierced a dark staff made of obsidian on to the ground, causing a gigantic tornado. The crowd cheered- "EIFA. EIFA. EIFA!".
She smiled- "I warned you".
"You little shit! You never did!", Kai said. I looked at the monstrous girl...

In order for a Stag to turn into an Oni...
They had to absorb the blood from another Oni...
And since Lloyd-

I fought back as much as I could- Eifa was a threat but she was nowhere near Aspen's level of villainy.

Aspen's frail body got lost in this vast cloud of darkness. It made him nor difficult to spot and thus the pestering tendrils shot from everywhere and anywhere.

"I thought you said we won't die, Apollo!", I yelled at the white haired kid.
"You won't! Don't worry! Aspen's just being nice!", Apollo waved at us through a mouthful of ice chunks.
Being nice?!

Before I got to ask Apollo what he meant, a hand interwined mine and we were both enveloped into darkness...