Ultraviolet

Chapter 19: Painfully Human

(Author's Note: In some places, you will see three dashes in a row. Those are meant to resemble an em dash. I just put them there because there's not an actual character on the keyboard for the em dash, so I would have had to go copy one to paste every time I wanted to write. It was easier for me to replace them with three dashes.)

I wasn't stupid. I knew what he really was, but my love for him exceeded any intent to win the battle.

"Clarence! I've missed you so much!"

"Dianne, put down your sword, please, it's scaring me!"

It was impossible to try to stop myself from doing what he said. When all I could see him as was my little brother who had passed on, who was I to deny him a simple favor? I dropped my sword beside me, and it hit the tiles with a clang.

"Thank you. Dianne, come give me a hug. I haven't seen you in so long."

"Clarence, who killed you? It's all I want to know! I can't live like this anymore, in a world where such a heinous criminal runs loose!"

Of course, if I killed him I could find out that way, but why go through all that trouble when maybe, just maybe, the Wuntoile knew. It would be so simple! I couldn't wait any longer.

"Just come over here, and then I'll tell you, okay?" said Clarence, his hands behind his back.

I ran over to him and held him in my arms.

"Dianne, why are you here?"

"It's because I---"

A knife sunk into my back, and I slumped onto the floor. I slid backward and fell off of the platform. My life flashed before my eyes as I realized that this moment was life or death. I could hardly move, but with the little strength that remained in my body, I caught myself with one hand on the edge. Luckily, I wasn't using the arm that had been bitten, but my back felt like it was going to melt off of my body. The wound burned like a wildfire. I felt dizzy, and my heart was beating faster than it ever had before. I felt as though time had been simultaneously stopped and also sped up by ten times. Hanging onto the edge felt like I was trying to lift an entire mansion.

"Let me lift you back up, you seem like you need help."

He kicked my head and my hand slipped off of the platform. Miraculously, I reacted fast enough to reach out with my opposite hand, and I caught the edge.

"Impressive, but it won't do you any good. I could just leave you here by yourself, and you would still die. You know what, I think I'll do just that! It's not that you're weak, it's just not humanly possible for you to get out of this, Dianne. Have fun. I know I am," he chuckled.

"Gah! Please, help!"

He ignored me and turned around, jumping from platform to platform, furthering himself from me. I had held on to my life a second time with the arm that had been bitten. My shoulder ached terribly, so horrible in fact that it made me want to scream, but I was too weak to do anything. I also knew that if I focused on anything other than trying to hang on, I would certainly fall to my death. I looked down and saw my feet dangling above a void of nothingness. I did not want to join the stars and planets orbiting around in the empty universe. If I failed here, I would fail everyone. I had to do something. I looked in every direction, searching for something to cling onto, rescuing everything I've ever known. All I could see to the left was an endless stretch of tiled platforms. I looked to the right. All I could see was yet another stretch of endless tiled platforms. I tilted my head back to look behind. Surprisingly, there were more endless tiles. There was one anomaly, however: the Mighty Blade.

I had dropped it upon the request of Clarence, abandoning the only power I had. The tanzanite embedded in the hilt of my sword was emitting an indigo light. A film of color washed over my eyes, and I felt every ounce of strength that had been drained from me be restored. What was this? Whatever it was, I had to make good use of it! I pulled myself up onto the platform, suddenly feeling like I was as strong as a bodybuilder. What had I been thinking when I let myself be tricked by the Wuntoile? I knew what was happening, yet I still fell right into its trap! It was still heading off in the same direction, clearly unaware that I had somehow narrowly avoided death. I ran over to my sword and held it out in front of me. I swiped it through the air once, just to ensure that my coordination had not been tampered with when the tanzanite had given me the energy I needed to save myself. Fortunately, that was not the case, my swordsmanship was in fact much more precise. I leaped from platform to platform like a ballerina, reaching out in an attempt to come closer to victory. The Wuntoile would not get away now, I would make sure of it.

I began to swing my sword like a baseball bat, preparing to deal the final blow, when by some incredible instinct, he dodged. He whipped around, and I could see the rage in his eyes, like the flow of lava as it tried to scorch anything and everything in its path. He drew his knife from his pocket and held it in front of him with hands trembling in fury. In one swift motion, he tried to plunge his blade into my chest, but I ducked before it could pierce my skin. This was it. Everything I had gone through up until this point boiled down to my performance here. I was sure that this was the Wuntoile's final form because it knew that Clarence's disappearance was the subject that hurt me the most. I never showed it, but I was petrified. Not only was I scared of being physically injured, but I was also scared of disappointing everyone. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to make this moment mean something. Everything boiled down to this. but would I be able to deliver?

I jumped around like I was walking on a bed of hot coals, dodging the tip of his knife by less than an inch. I turned around and swung my sword multiple times, but he was too fast to beat that easily. His knife came dangerously close to scathing me a few times as well. As our battle drew on, my newfound strength never dissipated, and I found that the longer I held the Mighty Blade, the more powerful I became.

"You think you're better than me, don't you? Soon enough, when you are dead, you will see that you've been in the wrong all along. You are just like the rest of humankind, perhaps even worse. You fail to realize that one day, no matter how hard you try to be the hero, I will gain control of the universe. It is unavoidable, but of course, someone as oblivious as you would never be able to understand this. When you leave this mortal coil, maybe you'll finally be able to see what I mean."

"You are blinded by contempt. I think you'll be the one leaving this world here soon. Yes, it's true that you won't be gone forever, but there will always be someone like me who's willing to challenge you. The ability to make sacrifices for those we love is what makes us painfully human, and that can never be taken from us. No force, no matter how corrupt, could ever even begin to overcome this utter devotion."

"Oh, look at you and your self-righteousness! You can only see what you've been shown. If you were able to fathom my lifestyle, you wouldn't feel that way. This I know for certain. Now, I have no more time to dilly-dally anymore, I need to make sure you are dead in the ground before you have much time to consider what I have told you."

How could he call me self-righteous? The Wuntoile had gone far enough when it disguised itself as Elizabeth. This monster could no longer escape my wrath. I pretended to fall down in pain, letting out a desperate wail. The Wuntoile looked down at me with a satisfied smirk, thinking that I was finally done for. It stood over me, evaluating what it thought to be its kill. Finally, it could take over the world, or at least that's what it had convinced itself of until I jumped back onto my feet until I sliced off its head. Like a volcano, his decapitated head erupted into purple smoke, and the rest of his body dissolved into a black puddle. I was standing there, looking down at the evidence of my triumph, when a small photograph fluttered down into the puddle.