Generations

Chapter 4: Blood of Hatred

Chapter 4: Blood of Hatred

Justin felt the familiar presence all around him. A gaze up to the sky revealed where he was, a land filled with magic, a sky filled with red, and most of all, a world filled with Nightwings. And though every thought had told him these days were long past, something released the time he spent here. He smiled, in anticipation of the challenge that awaited him. It was one thing for someone to retire early, to enjoy life with friends and family. But it was another to be called to something greater, to be the hero even if the world didn’t know him. That was okay with him, even before he knew who he was; he wanted to do something great. And once more, he was given the chance to do so. And while some would say he was too old for this, well, he’d just remember what it was like to be young.

And as the heavens shook with their presence, Justin stood, a rock among the tides of coming war. Despite all the battles, all the scars, his resolve had endured their countless onslaughts. If there ever was a time to remind this unseen world who he was, it was now.

He held his hands out, the furious powers of the elements coursing through his body once more. “Fire,” he said, and the magic that filled this realm energized him, and a blazing inferno shot out in front of him, something that would have destroyed any nearby foes were they nearby.

Justin smiled, oh more than that, he laughed. It had been so many years since he had to opportunity to unleash such devastating power. Despite the few times he called upon them during his life, he always had to hold back, keep the destructive power under tight control. But not here, not now.

Oh yes.

The warrior of the elements was back, just waiting for the Nightwings to become foolish enough to attack him. They may have thought he’d get rusty over the years, and well, maybe he wasn’t as strong as he used to be. But he was sure he’d be more than enough to remind them who he was.

And as the air quaked with their presence, he knew they saw the blaze he’d unleashed. Good, he wasn’t one to go looking for a foe. It was much more satisfying to draw them out, to give them a reason to strike him down. No one else had to get hurt, an honorable battle between good and evil. The stronger ones would live to fight another day, and the losers, well if they were lucky they would relay the fear to the rest.

Justin never was one to kill; breaking his opponent was much more satisfying. A broken foe was as passive as a corpse, but they could still carry a message.

“Where are you?” he shouted into the sky, knowing full and well what the black wings over the horizon meant. A dozen of them if he had to guess probably sent to dispose of this invader. And they would have to be sure that they would win, out numbering him so.

A cocky foe was a vulnerable one.

It took them only seconds to surround him, his eyes darting among this younger generation. He would have been shocked if any of them were half as old as him. “Human, you were a fool to come here.”

“I could say the same thing to you. Apparently you don’t know how strong the air around you can be.”

Before they could respond, Justin clapped his hands together, his will focused on the gentle breeze that blew through this land. And as his energy erupted out all around him, a vortex formed, the mighty wind sharper than any blade wrought by human hands.

A half dozen Nightwings fell lifeless.

The five remaining ducked to the ground, but Justin was ready for them just the same. With a heavy stomp of his foot on the ground, massive spikes burst from the earth beneath them, impaling several of the Nightwings, only one was able to get in the air fast enough. But Justin wasn’t about to let one of them get away unscathed. Gathering the force of the wind once more, he spun it around his feet and leapt into the air, his aim perfect as always as he collided with the Nightwing. With a tight grip on his foe’s chest, he incinerated the Nightwing with a burst of fire.