Flame Rider II: Rise of Chaos

Past Regrets

“How in the Dark Galaxy could they have repulsed such a force?” Hell-Bringer fumed.

I looked at the holographic map before me, and shrugged my shoulders. In all honesty, I hadn’t the foggiest of ideas.

“They are few in numbers, their technology is primitive,” Hell-Bringer continued, “And yet they were still able to repulse an attack from a far superior force.”

“To be frank,” I stated, “The squad that looks like a flaming night, are veterans in fighting those kinds of situations. That might have not helped the Klanoats.”

“And yet Blaze is weak,” Hell-Bringer muttered to himself.

I walked around the holo-table, so that was standing behind Hell-Bringer, and whispered in his ear seductively.

“Maybe you should stop trying to defeat him,” I husked, “Maybe try going after a more achievable goal.”

I could feel Hell-Bringer relax slightly as I continued to whisper into his ear, until I slipped, and I felt the muscles in his back tense again. He then shoved me away, before glaring down at me.

“Don’t you get it?” he asked rhetorically, “If Blaze is still alive, that means that Cre^dus won’t be able to return the Aether to its rightful place in the Dark Galaxy, once again reawakening the Dark Races from their eternal slumber.”

He then waved for two of the Dark Clones closest to me, and they picked me up, before dragging me out of the building that we were in. When we got outside, they swung me once, twice, three times, before launching me into the air.

I was forced to open my wings slightly, so that I wouldn’t land face first or shatter any bones. When I looked back at the door that the Dark Clones had tossed me out of, I saw one of them holding his hand against his throat, pulling it across in a cutting motion.

I collapsed to my knees, suddenly regretting everything I had done in the past three years of my life, and for falling in love with a madman.

*-*-*-*

I walked into the main, and saw Shadowflame milling around, talking to each other quietly. As I got closer, I noticed that the talking immediately stopped. I looked at Price, and saw the look on her face.

“What happened?” I asked, “Where’s Anna and Blaze?”

What the hell did I just ask? Where is Anna and Blaze? I knew that showing concern for Anna was natural, but why was I suddenly feeling worried about Blaze’s wellbeing; it’s not like he did anything to help me.

Come to think of it, he didn’t even try stopping the glassing of my home world, Ralsco. But when I looked at Dragono or Delpha, I knew that there was definitely something missing from everyone and everything around me.

Price looked me in the eye, before stepping to the side, revealing an exhausted Anna leaning over a pale Blaze. I rushed forward, and wrapped my arms around Anna. She leaned into my shoulder.

“You don’t like him much, do you?” Anna asked, almost in a whisper.

“I…I don’t know,” I said, “On one hand he sacrificed his life to create, and then free mankind when we were first born. But then at the end of the Ralsco Operation, he didn’t do anything to stop the glassing of my home world.”

Anna turned around, so that she was looking me in the eye, and I had the strange feeling that she was about to say something that would crush my heart.

*-*-*-*

I could see it in his eyes. He was afraid of what I was going to say, and to be honest, so was I. But it had to be done, right? I glanced back at Blaze’s pale face, and took a deep breath.

“He was the first, and possible the only, person to stand up for me,” I explained slowly, “though, he definitely was the first to believe in who I was, he was the first one to openly admit that I was better than him.”

I looked at Josh, and saw that there was a conflict in his eyes. He cared for me in two ways as I saw it. On one side he wants me to be happy, but on the other side he wants me to be safe and well.

But I didn’t know which I wanted to be.

“I loved him for a time, before being captured by Cre^dus,” I explained, “And I guess it was because I loved him, that I left him for you. But know that he has come back, I don’t know what to do.”

Josh stared at me for some time, before glancing down at Blaze, whose chest had started to rise and fall at a more regular rate. I opened my mouth to say something, but Josh interrupted me, placing his lips on mine.

*-*-*-*

I savoured the kiss, as it was one of the few that I had managed to get out of Anna. I could feel her freezing cold body soften, as she leant into the kiss and her arms as they wrapped around my neck.

I pulled away shortly after initiating the kiss though, glancing at Blaze. I then looked down into Anna’s eyes, and knew where our hearts truly laid.

“There is something between you two,” I said, “Something that I can’t replace, try as I might. He loved, may still love you, and you feel the same for him. I can’t, won’t get into between the two of you.”

“Josh…” Anna tried to say, but I placed a finger on her lips, forestalling her words.

“I shall stay at your side, help you even, as Blaze slowly comes back to us,” I explained, “But I know that, while you are beautiful, I can’t show you the love that you deserve.”

Anna pulled me closer to her, as our lips met once again. This time though, I knew that there was something different in the way that the Elf’s body was placed against my own. And I knew that I had managed to convince Anna of where her heart lay.

“Thank you,” she whispered as we broke apart, “I didn’t want to break your heart, nor did I know where my own lay. What you’ve said has shown me where it lays.”

I nodded, before saying, “I know that the person who I love will come to me soon.”

Anna laid her head against my chest for a moment, letting me hug her closely one last time, before going back to Blaze’s side.

*-*-*-*

“Yo, Doc, we need a little help here,” Dingo called out, “We’ve got something that could help us save ammo.”

I stepped out of the room I had been in, and saw Cole and Stephen dragging in a Klanoat Elite. Upon seeing it, I sucked in a short breath. It looked like an insect alright, but it only had two arms and two legs, with a hand and foot on each respectively.

One the right arm though, I saw what looked like a Sigma and Alpha converging into one. I shook my head though, and quickly followed my two squad mates as they marched the damn thing towards the main lobby.