Rise Of Pandora

Rise Of Pandora: XLVIII. The End Will Not Be Beautiful

"But, I did not give in. Honestly, it was more that he was not fighting with urgency. He wanted to enjoy each bit of it, savoring all of the moments. That was when he shot one single bow into the air, it had a white glow to it. He eyed me with depravity. It was then I knew what he had done. The raining arrows Maddard and I discussed earlier...I that was how he did it."

"The sky became filled with arrows again and that was when I knew I had to push beyond any limit I had already met. Still, I was just too tired to do much. I honestly relied on him not wanting to end me just yet in order to keep on fighting. I'm not so naive to believe I truly stood a chance against him, there was too much to him to so easily overcome with swords, even if they are fine weaponry crafted by a Purple Man. I used that to my advantage. I kept plunging the twins, I kept up the pressure and intensified it. That was when I noticed a tree just behind him, it was big, big enough for me to pin him to it. I knew if I just kept his attention to me and kept him backing up then I would pin him and that is precisely what I achieved."

Baccus let out a soft chuckle, "You should have seen his face; how terrified he was once he realized what happened. I kept carving away at his face, the only spot that he protected. I knew that I could cut through it. At this point, I didn't care for defeat, I did not care to capture him, I just knew I needed to kill him there. He'd be less trouble dead. I kept hacking but he stopped nearly all of it, though I caught him a few times. And when I got him I got him good. He bled all over. He tried running off but the way he was running was bizarre. He had his arms wrapped around his torso like he was hugging himself."

"But really it was some form of charge, he was tightening his muscles and discharge an invisible force like some kind of violent air. It did not touch me as you can see; however, the same cannot be said for the countless lives that must have been eradicated in its reach and for meters is what it appeared. It was as if they were never really there to begin with, I have never seen anything so perfectly erased ever in my days. I'm still shaking thinking about how close he had come to doing the same to me. If I had moved even a second late, I would be no more. These are some powerful forces that are antagonizing us. All I know is the end will not be beautiful."

XXVIII. Stoic

Baccus rolled his eyes to the corners with a clear look of vexation.

"I survived. But after I reveled in what he had done. I won't lie, it was almost beautiful, seeing the polar opposite of creation: destruction. In less than an instant, all the trees, animals, rocks and precipitation all blown to oblivion. There was not even a sound to it, they were just annihilated. I was almost frozen observing it all, my body felt like weighed down. Then I felt his large fist bludgeon my face. He busted my mask and my face, I nearly lost consciousness but I suffered through it, it was too important. I stayed on my feet and I plunged my dagger into his armpit, I thought as much that an area like that would not be armored for practical reasons. He succumbed to the paralysis almost immediately. Then that was it, all of the pain and the passion led to this moment. I wanted to take him back but he was just too dangerous so I had already made up my mind to kill him but I could not walk. With my mask destroyed, I had to catch my breaths regularly."

"I fell down on by a tree. I was staring at him the entire time. My hatred had piqued. But that was when the impossible happened, I noticed his eyes were tracking mine, something that should be impossible to do once I had plunged the dagger into him. And then he spoke. He actually was able to speak to me. I demanded to know how he did it and he actually told me. He said his head and body were not connected. I did not know what that meant and still, it boggles me but that was what he told me. But essentially what that meant was although his body was paralyzed, his neck to his scalp was not. I do not know how that works but I saw what I saw. I was shocked he answered me at all, to be frank, I know I would not have. But it was just that look of depression and insouciance that partly convinced me he did not care to lie to me. There was something about him...A sadness to him."