Echoes of the Past

Chapter Nineteen - Part Two

Chapter Nineteen: Inner Demons - Part Two

Evan coughed and mastered his breathing. He looked up to see the demon approach the pillar and pull on the sword handle. The blade shifted but remained in the rock. Grunting, he pulled again. The force of the sword releasing pushed him back, but he steadied himself and stepped towards Evan.

The static air buzzed in Evan's ears, the throbbing vibrations shaking his skull. He dropped his head, feeling the urge to vomit. Through his pained mind he thought he could hear screaming. Countless voices crying out in torturous pain.

"I will be glad to rid myself of your pathetic mind," his darker self said, the demonic part of the voice now stronger than his own. "You will be nothing but a prisoner in your own body, witnessing all that I do."

A trembling rage shook Evan. His hands curled into tight fists.

An image flashed in his mind: Reisa's soft, blank expression looking up from her bed, showing no signs of awareness or intelligence that made her who she was. What had happened to her at Moon Bay had taken everything she was, but left her alive. Barely. Evan would not allow this demon to take his mind, like that monster had taken Reisa's.

Hot tears flowed down his face, dripping onto the rocky earth. Evan looked up into his own eyes, seeing them widened with a glaring resolve. The black sword rose.

Memories of Reisa's smile and her hooded eyes flooded Evan's mind. Her deep, hearty laughter echoed in the caves. The echo increased so strong that it shook the pillars. Evan cried out, releasing a bestial, rage-filled shout. He shot to his feet.

Evan grabbed the sword handle as the blade swung down. He wrestled with the hands that held on, and pushed and pulled for possession.

"I will destroy you!" Evan cried, tears streaming his dirtied face.

They grappled and shoved each other, their boots shifting through the soft earth.

"You fight the inevitable," the demon shot back. "Your soul is already mine."

The sword came down to the side and then swung up and down to the other side of them. Pushing back, Evan lifted the sword and swung it back the other way. When the blade struck the ground, the handle jolted and the demon's grip loosened. Evan swung the sword up and back the other side and the motion released the sword, sending it spiralling into the darkness among the pillars.

Evan stepped back and glared at his dark reflection. His hardened, cold features sickened him. Evan lashed out, swinging a fist across the demons face and knocking him to the ground.

He reached down and straddled his darker self. The throbbing sensation returned to him and the air electrified with an intense static buzz.

Twisted with rage, Evan struck another blow, bloodying the demon's nose. He pounded him again, and again, raining down blows on the face that disgusted him so much. The face of the person who had been too weak to protect his land and his people. Too weak to save his parents. Too weak to save Reisa. A worthless, hollow Prince. Spit flew from Evan as he cried out and threw another punch, his knuckles bloodied and bruised. The throbbing in his head had caused his own nose to bleed.

Not content with the damage he inflicted, Evan grabbed the demon's throat and squeezed. His darker eyes, bruised and swollen, bulged as they looked up at him.

"Die!" Evan shouted as tears filled his eyes.

He squeezed harder and pushed down.

Tendrils of wavy, purple energy began emanating from the demon, curling up and encompassing them both. The dark power ebbed and convulsed over them.