THRANDAL: The Phoenix and the Siren [UNDER EDIT]

THE BRAVEST AND THE STRONGEST

CHAPTER 15: The Bravest and the Strongest

The Black Cloud charged towards her with his sword and Kitara prepared her flames to counter his attack. Her own sword burned to ashes a while ago so she had to rely on her own power. She whisked away his sword everytime he lunged it towards her.

She was struggling, she can't hold out her flames for too long because his sword was engulfed with black fire. Kitara had no idea how they will defeat him but she knows that they have to do it together. Even with her new strength, he still overpowered her. She can't do it on her own.

When she saw an opening, he blew her flames towards his weak spot, sending him flying upwards while Kitara stumbled to the ground. Nero ran towards her and helped her up.

"I'm sorry if I'm not much use", he said.

"No, love. I wouldn't be here without you", Kitara smiled at him which made his heart flutter. It was the first time she called him that.

"We will fight this together. I'm with you 'till my last breath", he said as he held her hand.

"No one else is dying today", she said and smiled up at him.

"One more time", he said.

Nero knew her strength and when it unites with his, it was dangerously powerful. But even that power is not enough to defeat this man. However, he was confident that if the power of every nation comes together, they would be invincible.

But what worried him was the look in Kitara's eyes.

Kitara spread her wings and soared up to the sky again. The Black Cloud was charging towards her but she evaded and flew past him. The enemy stopped in his tracks and he was right where Kitara wanted him to be.

"No matter what you do, there's no defeating me, Fang. Your people defied me once and they failed, though they thought they succeeded. And where are those people now? Dead and gone; their souls trapped as long as I live. And you are about to follow them!", he let out an evil laugh as thunderclouds began to form again.

"You're right, I can't defeat you, not on my own", she said as she gathered up all her power and threw it at him.

Blazing fire came snaking towards the Black Cloud, but he countered it with his own magic. Nero, charged his wave towards him and again, the Black Cloud was trapped in the middle. But this time, the enemy knew what to do. He held out his palm towards the incoming wave and stopped it.

This was it. Nero turned his head towards the people and screamed, "Now!"

Kitara looked down and watched as the people came together. They held hands and one by one, they shot concentrated mana towards the Black Cloud. First was the Amazons, then the Sirens, followed by Phoenix, and lastly, the Lunars.

The Black Cloud screamed as their power reached him. It was burning his skin and he had to retreat both his arms. Kitara and Nero's power surged with everyone else'.

But he wasn't giving in. His body released black flame to hold off their attack until they their mana runs out.

Kitara breathed in as an idea emerged in her mind and she knew exactly what she had to do. It has to be her, this was her fate from the very moment she lived. This was what she was destined to do.

She let out a sigh before averting her gaze towards Galen. The Lunar caught Kitara's eyes and he did not like what he saw in them. He repeatedly shook his head at her, telling her it was a bad idea.

But she had made her decision, and there's no stopping Kitara Fang when she does that.

"Please", she mouthed.

Galen closed his eyes and lowered his head as he gave in to her request. He knows nobody can stop her, not him, not her mother...

Not even Nero.

He raised his free hand and shot a summoned sword towards her. Kitara caught the sword on her palm and Nero's eyes grew wide when he saw her.

"Kitara, don't you dare!", he screamed at the top of his lungs. This was what he was afraid she might do. This was what her eyes were telling him when she stared at him a while ago.

Kitara looked at him and her gaze softened. The night at Pallacine flashed in her mind; the night when she was honest, the night when she felt happy, the night when she learned to love, the night when she forgot everything and focused only on that Siren staring back at her. That was the night when she gained something she could lose.

Nero was everything she could lose.

She wished she could hold him in her arms again and be with him for time and eternity. She lived a life full of regret but this was probably the biggest regret she ever had to face.

She regrets not being with Nero a little sooner.

"No!", she heard Nero scream.

Kitara held out the sword in front of her and zoomed towards the Black Cloud. His eyes widened when the blade struck him, but he laughed when it didn't dig too deep.

"Ha! If you think this is enough to kill me then-"

"This is how we defeat you", she said as she pushed the blade even further and it struck through the Black Clouds heart,

But her hand was engulfed in the black flame.

Ethoran screamed in pain when his flames retreated and the power of the Thrandalians burned through his body.

"No!", he screamed before he disappeared into ashes.

When the power united, it created a giant explosion that sent everyone flying backwards. Kitara was caught in that explosion and she was struck to the ground. She shook her head before she slowly stood up and lifted her hands.

When the people regained their strength, they saw Kitara standing in the middle of the battleground as she watched her palms slowly turn black.

Her eyes searched Nero from the crowd and when their gaze locked, Nero froze when he noticed her hand. She then flashed him a gentle smile, like the one she gave that night at the Isle of the Dead, before her knees gave in and she dropped to the ground. Everyone gasped as Nero ran towards her.

"No, no, please don't", his trembling hands held her weak body. Caspian, Jace, and Erina knelt before the two and tears were beginning to escape their eyes as they told her that she became selfish again.

Kitara let out a weak laugh when she saw her friends. "It was the only way", she said.

The people of Thrandal gathered around them as tears began to fall from their own eyes as they watched the scene. Kitara raised both her arms and saw that half of it had turned black.

"You told me no one else dying today, Kitara. But why? Why did you do this to us?", Nero broke down and he held her face.

"To me?"

Kitara again flashed him her gentle smile as they stared at each other eye to eye. "Atleast he's gone", she said.

Nero winced at her words, "I don't care about that damned monster! Kitara please, I need you", he lowered his head as tears endlessly streamed down his face.

"Please, don't", he whispered.

"I love you so much, Nero Siege", he lifted his gaze to see her face slowly turn black.

"I love you so bad, Kitara Fang. I always will."

The black flames engulfed her entire body, but before she disappeared she mouthed,

"Goodbye."

"No...no... please don't leave me", and with that, her entire body turned to a pile of ash.

Kitara's friends broke down to the ground as they screamed, but Nero lost the ability to hear. It's like his world died with her. He stared down at his palm where he once held her.

They were able to defeat the Black Cloud but the cost it came with was the life of the one person he loved. Kitara payed the price with her own life.

And that was where it sank in to his mind

She's gone...