CREED, The Fiery Storm

El Unicornio Negro

"We always have to do our best but even then, success cannot be guaranteed."-Constino

There was pain all over his body. But how was that possible?! He had just defeated the bad guy effortlessly. On opening his eyes, the picture he saw was very different but it too was familiar. He was lying on the ground with his body riddled with arrows-at least he remembered how he had got here. The archers were moving closer to finish him off and that's something he couldn't allow to happen-he was not allowed to be helpless, never! Slowly, he got back up to his feet and for some reason, the archers just watched as he did. Once he was on his feet, they were less curious and they each got ready to fire an arrow. This round of arrows would finish him off for sure and that's something he couldn't just stand and witness. Swiftly, he spread out his wings and made a sprint around the room cutting down each archer before they could fire a shot. The hall was full of bodies his personal doing and his body was full of arrows, a doing of those now lying on the ground.

It didn't make sense at all the thought he was having. He wanted to go on ahead even though there was no doubt that he would only find danger there. Moreover, he was sure that there was no danger behind where he had come from. But it is with all creatures, curiosity; a dangerous driving force. Even when he was very injured, Strost didn't even for a moment think of turning back. For Sauzwin and Patt, he had to be not just strong but invincible. For he wasn't like anyone else and wasn't allowed to be helpless. But even though he didn't want to accept it, the fact still remained that he was very weak at this point. The tunnel to the next stage wasn't very long but to him, it was an eternity of pain without much gain. Perhaps the problem wasn't the pain but the fact that he was trying to suppress it. He moved painstakingly slowly but he finally got there.

The next stop was a lot grander than the previous ones. A mega hall with an open-roof, its floor was properly tiled.The sky was beautiful, the air-fresh but the only thing Strost could think of was the next fight. By looking at the size of the hall, he imagined that the opponents would be very many, a lot more than he had faced in the previous rounds-this scared him a little. On his journey so far through the arena, he had learnt that only one rule applied;win or die. And when death had stared him in the eye, he had realised how much he wanted to stay always just a little longer. Time went by and no opponents surfaced, it was beginning to look like he would be his own opponent-he was in no shape to win such a fight. Suddenly, something hit him in the side of the abdomen and sent him rolling several metres away.

"I watched you for a while thinking you would be intelligent enough to just walk through." His attacker remarked, "But intellect clearly isn't one of your strong qualities. And neither is strength apparently!"

From the spot where he lay, Strost could see that his attacker was a black horse-a big black horse. Gently, he got himself back on his feet.

"Honestly, I was expecting at least a thousand of you." Strost responded, "I'm glad I didn't walk through! I would have missed the jackpot!"

"I hope that was a joke." the dark horse stated, "Though even as a joke it isn't funny at all."

The dark horse then hit again this time with its head and he hobbled stopping short of falling. 'He is too fast and so strong' Strost thought, 'how is he able to do that?!' The pain should have been unbearable but he was keeping it all out. He had to be strong, he had to be invincible.

"Are you even trying?! I can't feel anything!" Strost taunted him. If what he was going for was making his opponent angry, he succeeded. His opponent advanced angrily and tried to hit his abdomen with the head. Strost turned swiftly and put his own head in the way of the attack hoping the horn would deal some damage. There was a very loud click as their heads collided. Each of them moved back to re-evaluate their position. 'What caused the click?!'Strost wondered.

"I may be modest but I have one too!" The dark horse remarked. Strost looked and he saw it, a unicorn horn not unlike his! He was unpleasantly surprised and all the pain he had bottled up was let out in that moment of weakness. It hurt a lot but it was the best feeling he had had in a long time. There was a new strength that came with the pain and it was so intense, he ejected all the arrows from his body. After he had felt every ounce of pain he had been holding back, he was a new being. Gracefully, he spread out his wings and flapped them three times.

"You may be modest but i..."Strost tried to reply but the dark horse interrupted his statement.

"Have a cutting edge?! I do too." The dark horse said revealing his huge black wings; they were a little bigger than Strost's.

"Wait a minute, are you the one with the arms?!" Strost asked not appreciating the gravity of the situation.

"That was a mere shadow of mine." replied the dark horse.

"No matter. What I was trying to say earlier before you rudely interrupted me was that I am tired!" Strost revealed, "This ends now."

His eyes lit up and his fur became a shade or two whiter. The dark horse was not moved at all. As a matter of fact, he had a trick of his own; his eyes lit red and a dark aura formed around his body. Strost released a very bright beam of light that enveloped the hall.

"You're very naïve!" the dark horse remarked from the end of the hall where a spot of darkness was growing bigger and bigger. Soon the entire hall was totally covered in darkness. Strost couldn't see a thing except for the two bright red eyes. As he blinked, he felt something hit his head followed by a click-his horn was broken! This was followed by two slashes, one on each side. Then the soot of darkness fell to the floor. And there lay Strost's horn and his wings.

"Huh! Now you know that you're helpless...you were never any different from the rest." The dark horse taunted him. Strost stood still in disbelief! It was true; he wasn't any different from the others! He was kicked hard in the face and he fell to the ground.

"You're even worse than the rest! You're hopeless!!" The black unicorn yelled in his face. 'I am hopeless...'he thought to himself from the ground where he lay dying...

The raised front legs of the dark unicorn were the last things he saw. And that is how life is. Good intentions are not always enough. Self-belief is not all it takes to succeed. Where is the wind born? Where does it journey to? Is it life that gives you breath? Or breath that gives life to you? In the end, nothing matters unless you can somehow be saved. But you can't always be saved, can you?

Hello!! If you're one of those readers who have read all the 40parts, thank you very much-you're awesome;) This fight was real and as they say; Win Or Die is the only rule! Thanks for your time;)

-Constino