Unnatural Disasters: The 100 Year War (Fin)

Chapter Twenty-Five: White Hot Fire

With a roar, Agni unleashed a wave of fire at Bobina, the heat and force of the flames so powerful the ground beneath his feet began to crack. The flames collided with Bobina's magma body, and she let out a shout of pain. Even though her body was guarded by magma and lava alike, the heat from Agni's flames was so intense that it was beginning to penetrate both layers of her armor.

"How is this possible..? Fire that's hotter than lava and magma..?!" Bobina increased the output of her element as a means to protect herself.

"You must not have done your studies when you were in high school huh? Fire is the purest form of heat. Not a solid, liquid, or gas, but a form of plasma. Of course fire can get hotter than both of them!" Agni's wave of fire only got more intense, and it slowly began shoving Bobina back, cracking her armor inch by inch.

"If this keeps up, I'm going to lose to him... I can't fail Atiyama. I refuse to die like that failure, not after all I've been through..!" Images of her past began to flash through her mind; A life of having to gain acceptance from her family and friends by proving she was a talented individual, meeting someone who saw her for her and not her skill set, and ultimately losing it all just like every other element user.

"I WILL NOT DIE!" With a shout, Bobina created a pillar of lava to launch her into the sky, soaring above Agni's flames. She then created a wall of magma, kicking off of it and charging right for Agni as her magma armor completely collapsed, leaving only her body covered in lava.

"No, you won't die. I would never kill you, Bobina. However, you're not going to win either." She would realize her mistake far too late. For in Agni's free hand, another ball of powerful flames were being gathered. "You lose, Bobina." Agni pointed his palm at her, and an even more powerful wave of intense blue flames shot out from his hand, colliding directly with Bobina.

This time, she had no rocky shield to defend her. The liquid lava around her body was blown away with ease, her body flying back through several trees before she finally collapsed on the ground, unconscious. Her body was smoking, the smoke the blackest Agni had ever seen, and for a moment, he had thought he had killed her.

Agni wanted to go over to check on her, but he found he could barely move himself. The pain in his arms was unbearable. He had pushed his body to the limit, and for his enemy no less. Looking down at his arms, they were charred black, and cracking in several places. "If I don't get to Hanako, I might not have arms here soon..." He chuckled, but as he took a step towards the cave where Kazane lay unconscious, his vision blurred and his body gave out. He fell to the ground.

"Shit... I can't...pass out... Not yet..!" He tried to force his body to move, struggling with all his might, but all he could manage to do was raise his head. However, that was all he needed to do.

"Agni!" An array of bright yellow sparks filled Agni's vision as Sanda landed seemed to just appear in front of him.

"God...am I lucky or what..?" He chuckled again.

"Don't talk, I'm gonna get you home." Sanda lifted Agni up, throwing his arm over his shoulder. "Damn you're heavy..." He said with a grunt.

"Sorry..." Agni muttered in return.

"Where's Kazane?" Agni nodded toward the cave she was in.

As Sanda started making his way over, Agni spoke again. "Wait..! I need you to...do something else first..." Though he was weak, he spoke with urgency. "Bobina...I need you to check on her..."

"You can't be serious Agni... Look at what she did to you..! If she's dead, then good riddance, that's one less enemy we have to deal with." Sanda glared at her unconscious form.

"What would your brother say if he heard you talking like that..? Last I checked, we only have one enemy... As far as we know, he's manipulating them all with his darkness... I'm absolutely certain that Bobina has been possessed too."

At the mention of his brother, Sanda's gaze went dark. How could he have forgotten? As far as he knew, they only did have one enemy; Atiyama. As far as he was concerned, maybe the rest of those dark element users were also innocent. And how would he feel then if he ended up killing them all before they had a chance to prove themselves? Just like he did with his own brother.

"Alright, I'll check on her, but I'm taking you to Kazane first to make sure she's okay." Sanda continued onward without letting Agni argue.

From the looks of it, Kazane was resting peacefully in the cave, her breathing soft, but quite audible. "Looks like she's just fine..." Sanda looked at Agni. The way Agni looked at Kazane; the look of relief that washed over his eyes as the girl he loved was going to be just fine, it reminded him of how Jinny looked at himself.

Sanda smiled softly and gently laid Agni beside Kazane. "I'll be right back." Sanda said before turning away, going to do as he promised Agni he would.

Though Agni had lost all feeling in his arms, he still managed to move one of them. He gently brushed Kazane's hair out of her face, resting a hand on her cheek and turning her head to press his forehead against hers. He then closed his eyes, and let sleep take him. "I love you...so much..." He muttered just before passing out completely.

As Sanda exited the cave and walked over to where Bobina was laying, he was met with a most unpleasant sight. Sanda narrowed his eyes into a glare as a dark shadow wrapped itself around Bobina's body, lifting it into the air ever so slowly as it formed into the shape of a human being. "You..."

"Yes, I've come to pick up my companion." Atiyama stated, holding the unconscious Bobina in his arms, expression as blank and dark as always.

"Is she..?" Sanda found himself speaking with concern in his voice. Seeing Atiyama hold Bobina in such a way...it disgusted him.

"She's alive, if that's what you're wondering. My Allie's wouldn't expire so easily. I'm sure you would know..." Atiyama stated with a hint of venom in his voice.

"My brother was not your ally. You possessed him with that dark element of yours and made him do your bidding!" Sanda's element sparked to life, making his hair stand on end.

"My element merely makes someone's darkest desires stronger. It does not control them. These people chose to be my allies. They did not need me to accomplish the dark goals deep within their hearts."

"Maybe not, but in a world like this, you were their best option. And you knew that when you corrupted them, didn't you?" Sanda's fists were clenched tightly at his sides, his body releasing more sparks by the second.

Atiyama did not answer. Instead, he changed the topic. "If you truly believe corruption to be my strongest weapon, then why not corrupt all of you as well?"

Sanda hated to admit it, but he had a bit of a point there. "Because we have Akari, who can break your corruption easily."

"Ah, but if it is so easy to break, then why hasn't she yet broken the so-called corruption on all of my supporters?" At this question, Atiyama smiled, and Sanda was left speechless.

"You're going to lose this war. None of you have the will to do what needs to be done to win. None of you have what it takes to kill." Atiyama spoke coldly, his shadow growing.

"I killed my own brother. Though I didn't mean to, you really think I'm gonna hesitate when it comes time to off you..?" The look in Sanda's eyes was...dark, as he said this.

"Do you really think you can stand toe to toe with me, boy? Don't go getting a big head just because you bested your brother. I have 100 years on you. I could kill you with a thought."

"Oh yeah? Why don't you go ahead and try it then?" Sanda's sparks became a full aura of electricity around him. There wasn't an ounce of fear in his eyes. Even his brother's hoodie seemed to glow with conviction.

However, Atiyama did not activate his element. Again, he merely smiled. "Because it's not your turn yet, boy..." And with that, his shadow consumed both him and Bobina, leaving nothing but the memory of their presence.

Sanda stared where Atiyama once stood, still glaring as his sparks zapped the ground around him. "We're going to beat you. Even if it takes my life, I'm ending this war."