Fighting Spirit (The Final Barrier)

The War Part V (The Odd One Out)

Kevin knelt on the cold, broken ground, his eyes blank as he clutched the quarter in his hand. Sapphire was gone, the last glimmers of her energy fading into the night like embers blown into the dark. Blue cracks of corruption pulsed across his face, each one a testament to the torment clawing at his soul. He felt hollow, his will shattered, his strength drained. His heart ached with a loss so profound that even his powers couldn't mend it. Her body now slowly turning into gold, glimmering dust blowing in the wind.

Standing before him, his mother watched with disdain, her twisted smile curving in a grotesque mockery of the warmth she once held for him. Shadows danced around her, thick with malice and darkness.

"Look at you," she spat, her voice sharp and cold. "My son, the warrior, who once battled the original six and won? Reduced to a sniveling wreck, groveling in the dirt over a single girl"

Wayne stood at her side, silent but visibly disturbed. The mention of Kevin's strength, the praise their mother had once showered on him, seemed to sting. Wayne's fists clenched, a faint ripple of doubt flickering in his dark, shadow-infused eyes.

"Wayne," she said, turning to him, her tone dripping with scorn, "Is this the brother you were always so envious of? The one that Jiu praised endlessly? Look at him. Weak. Broken."

Kevin's head hung low, his shoulders shaking as each word chipped away at him. He barely flinched as his mother took a step closer, her hand raised, dark energy pooling in her palm. A bitter emptiness swallowed his ability to respond, his powers barely a spark now, flickering and fading.

She struck him once, a vicious blast of shadow that threw him backward. He tumbled across the ground, but he didn't make any move to get up. The pain barely registered.

"Fight me!" she demanded, her voice cutting through the silence. "Show me something, anything, that would make you worth saving."

She advanced, shadows coiling like vipers at her feet, preparing another attack. She lifted her hand, dark energy swirling, a sinister smile curling her lips. "Perhaps it would be best to rid the world of this... pitiful excuse for a warrior."

At that very moment, miles away, Gabriel and Sofia ran as fast as they could, the landscape blurring as they pushed their limits. Just ahead of them were Ramona and Ennui, both skilled magick users, their faces pale as they sensed Sapphire's energy disappear from existence.

"Gabriel!" Sofia gasped, her eyes wide with fear as she felt Kevin's life force dimming. "We have to move faster... Sapphire's energy is gone!"

Gabriel's jaw clenched, flames igniting around his body. "Hold on, Kev. Just hold on."

Ennui's face was grim, the dark circles under her eyes more pronounced as her mind raced. She could feel Kevin's life slipping further into darkness, the creeping corruption taking over. Her fingers tightened around her necklace, the Lazarium pendant glowing faintly, as if aware of the urgency.

The four pushed themselves harder, a fierce determination in their eyes as they tore through the land. Every passing second, every heartbeat, brought them closer to Kevin—but time was slipping through their fingers like sand.

Miles ahead of them, Kevin's mother raised her hand once more, the dark energy intensifying. Kevin lay sprawled on the ground, his breath shallow, his gaze unfocused. The glowing cracks of corruption had spread, crawling along his skin like jagged scars, a painful reminder of his loss.

His mother scoffed, her eyes narrowing as she looked down at him. "This is the son I came back to? The son who was supposed to be protecting his little brother? I'm disappointed, Kevin. At least be angry and fight back."