Flare let out a rage-filled scream. The prison exploded with the sound of thunder striking the ground, releasing a shockwave that knocked Nomad to the ground. He immediately stood back up and waited for the dust to settle. The sound of lightning arcs filled the room. Standing in the middle of the debris was a being— A brand new being that looked nothing like Flare. A being made entirely out of lightning. Its head was completely blank. No eyes, hair, or any other facial features— Just lightning.
"Ooh, that looks cool," Nomad remarked. "I didn't know you could do that! Oh, Maybe I can—"
The being suddenly teleported forward. It moved at a speed far beyond human comprehension and punched Nomad in the face. Time slowed down for Nomad as the being's fist collided with his head. Time resumed, and Nomad was sent flying across the room. The punch blew a huge chunk out of his head. He felt the space where a section of his head used to be. "Woah! Hey, hey hey! It wasn't that—"
The being teleported forward once again. It grabbed Nomad by the legs and began slamming him into the ground and the walls. It ended the attacks by throwing Nomad into a nearby pillar, ripping his legs off in the process. Nomad began to feel fear. He began regenerating as fast as he could. "Flare, I'm sorry!" He pleaded. "I just wanted to make you angry so that you would fight better!" He looked at the being. It was walking to him, thunder crackling with each step. It grabbed Nomad by the throat and swung him over its head, slamming him back into the ground behind him. The force separated Nomad's head and body.
The head melted into a sludge-like substance, and a new head appeared on Nomad's body. He shot up and tried to stab the being. His spear bounced off of the being's body. It retaliated by punching Nomad numerous times. In its view, Nomad didn't move an inch, and it only punched a few times. In Nomad's view, the being was unleashing a flurry of attacks, punching hundreds of times in only a few seconds. The final punch sent Nomad flying back across the room.
After the horrible beatdown, Nomad only had one extra soul left, and he needed to make this last one count. He began to morph as the being drew closer. It raised its arm and prepared to send it through Nomad's body.
"Wait!" Nomad yelled. He retook the form of Venti, Flare's father. "It's me. It's your father, Flare. This was all just a bad joke."
The being stopped its attack and slowly lowered its arm. Nomad saw this and smiled. He prepared to go full-on father mode. "There you go... You're a good kid, Flare. You're being very good. Do... Would you like a hug from your father?" Nomad stood up and went to hug the being. His arms were horribly burnt by the heat of the lightning that made up its body. He knew his plan wouldn't work if Flare remained in this new form. "Please... Bring my son back to me. I just want to see my son," He pleaded. Nomad wasn't sure if this was working or not.
However, it was working. The lightning began to grow dim and soon, Flare had returned to normal. He stood there with his head looking to the ground. Something about hearing his father's voice changed him. Nomad wrapped his arms around Flare and hugged him. "I'm sorry, son," Nomad whispered. "I won't be this way anymore. Let's just go home."
Flare began to cry. "You're... sniffle... You're not my real father." He decided to return the hug. "Why do I feel this way? Why am I accepting you?"
The two stopped hugging each other. Flare wiped away his tears and looked back at the ground. Nomad waited, thinking something would happen. The coast seemed to be clear. He took a few steps back. Flare was still looking at the ground, letting his tears fall from his eyes. Nomad took a deep breath before taking action. He suddenly summoned his spear and lunged forward, trying to kill Flare while he was off guard.
Flare's copper arm jolted up in front of his head, moving at the same speed as the thunder being and catching the spear's tip before it hit him. Flare turned back into the thunder being out of nowhere. Nomad began to fear for his life again.
