Within the roaring inferno of violet flames, the skeleton surged forward, bone sword in hand. It raised the weapon high and appeared before Rei in the blink of an eye.
A wall of fire erupted between them, violent and blistering, but the bone sword devoured the flames with a sickening hiss as it came crashing down.
Rei gritted his teeth and raised his sword just in time. The two blades collided in a thunderous clash, sending a shockwave through the ground that shattered the soil and split the earth beneath their feet.
Both combatants leaned into the clash, sparks bursting between them as the jagged edge of the bone sword cut into the flaming blade. Rei's muscles strained, arms trembling beneath the weight of the strike, the heat searing across his skin.
With a sharp breath, Rei kicked off the ground and disengaged, only to launch forward again with renewed force. The skeleton met him mid-charge, and the swords collided once more, the sound of hissing from flames and bone ringing through the flames.
Rei ducked beneath a sweeping strike, pivoted, and jabbed upward with his flaming sword. Heat burst from the arc. The skeleton twisted, avoiding the blade, though its ribcage caught the edge. Fire licked across its bones,
The skeleton glanced at Rei, and struck back with an elbow to Rei's side, sending him skidding across the blackened ground.
He coughed once, then grinned through the smoke. Snapping his fingers, the fire along the skeleton's body flared brighter, pulsing with his control. Violet flame surged, hungry and wild, attempting to consume the undead frame.
The skeleton reached into the fire without hesitation. Its sword absorbed the heat, luminated a glowing red at the core, lines of molten energy creeping through its surface. The sockets in its skull lit with an eerie glow.
They clashed over and over, blades swinging in brutal rhythm. Slashes carved the air. Rei spun to the side, ducked under a blow, and slammed the hilt of his sword into the skeleton's skull. Bone cracked, but the creature didn't falter. It retaliated with a sharp upward swing, the blade grazing Rei's throat.
Rei flipped back, landing low, then dashed forward with a rising strike. The skeleton caught his wrist, lifted him effortlessly, and hurled him into a nearby burning tree. Bark shattered into sparks and smoke.
Rei groaned, forcing himself upright. His chest rose with each heavy breath. He raised his hand, flames gathering into a vortex above his palm, spinning faster with each heartbeat.
Flames roared around Rei's body, whipping through the air in spiraling torrents of violet. He pulled the vortex of fire into his hand and hurled it forward. The infernal sphere twisted and spun as it raced toward the skeleton.
With a single, effortless swing, the skeleton's sword cleaved through the vortex. Fire split apart like fabric. Behind the explosion of light and smoke, Rei surged forward, concealed within the moment of destruction.
His flaming blade came crashing down like a hammer of thunder. The skeleton's sword warped mid-motion, shifting into a curved shield that caught the blow with a burst of sparks and heat. The fire from Rei's sword began to soak into the shield, its glow dimming as the flame was consumed.
"Tch, absorbing again," Rei muttered, gritting his teeth.
He broke contact and leapt backward, hitting the scorched ground hard. His boots skidded, but his balance faltered as he clutched his left arm. Pain shot through his nerves like lightning. One eye clenched shut as he hissed between his teeth.
The skeleton's eyeless sockets focused in on him, reading the moment of pain. Its shield dissolved and reformed into twin daggers. In an instant, it dashed forward. Rei tried to raise his blade but it was too late.
The first dagger sliced into his right arm, cutting deep. The second slipped beneath his guard and stabbed just under his ribs. Rei gasped sharply, stumbling back, blood running down his side.
His vision blurred, his pulse spiked. The skeleton struck again, faster. It blurred into his peripheral. Rei lifted a trembling hand, his fingers sparked, and a ball of fire erupted point-blank at his side.
The explosion consumed them both. A storm of smoke spiraled into the air. The blast scorched the earth, leaving a deep crater as if a meteor had fallen. Trees buckled and cinders rained down.
Rei flew backward and crashed into a tree. Bark splintered and heat surged across his body. His left arm, already broken, caught flame. Skin sizzled. The skin peeled away in layers, revealing the raw muscle twitching underneath.
Still, he forced himself up.
'My fire... it's eating me alive. My own damn power... turning against me.'
He couldn't form words. For a moment, his mind was blank, burning, pulsing, tearing apart from the inside. Then a single thought settled.
'My skin is crumbling. My heart is in flames. My body... is collapsing.'
He looked ahead. Through one half-lidded eye, he saw the skeleton emerge from the crater. Completely unscathed. Its sword gave off a thin trail of steam.
And in that moment, it clicked.
'I get it... this entire time. This bastard... it's the perfect counter. That weapon, it's not just bone. It's from a fire dragon, isn't it? It eats my flames like it breathes them. I should've realized sooner.'
A bitter laugh escaped his lips. It grew louder, cracking in pitch. It twisted into something ugly, something mad. A laugh that would have any sane man labeled a lunatic, imprisoned, or burned for heresy.
A new sword of flame burst into Rei's right hand, trembling with unstable power. Rei's laugh slowed before coming to a stop and raised his sword, his body moved before thought caught up.
Every form, every technique, every instinct he had ever honed came together in a blur of motion. His mind faded, replaced by movement and reflex. The skeleton raised its sword to intercept the jab.
Rei stopped just short, dipped low, and vanished from the skeleton's sight.
He reappeared behind it. A low sweep carved toward its ribs. The blade made contact and the ribcage lit in flames while bearing the mark of a hole inside the bone. Before the skeleton could fully react, Rei spun again, lifted his leg, and roundhouse kicked its skull. The bone fractured instantly, reduced to ash as the creature's frame was driven into the earth.
Rei leapt back, landing at a distance, breath heaving.
His sword dissolved. Several orbs of fire formed around him, swirling like moons caught in orbit. He raised a hand and pointed toward the downed skeleton.
Each orb shot forward—one after another—each one exploding on impact. The earth shook with each detonation, smoke and debris clouding the battlefield as violet fire painted the crater in pulsing light.
Rei stood alone. The only sound was the hiss and simmer of flame as it coiled through the air, swallowing the landscape in heat and smoke. His gaze remained fixed on the scorched ground where the skeleton had fallen.
He looked down at his left arm. It was going numb. The blood had begun to dry, dark and crusted. By reflex, his hand clenched and pain surged through his nerves and drew a sharp grunt from his throat. It faded just as quickly, leaving only a cold throb.
"For someone to be called grand... a story has to be written." He muttered the words under his breath. "In those stories, the grand one usually kills the evil. Not always, though. Sometimes the hero dies instead."
A low chuckle followed and he walked over to where he had kicked the skeleton. He crouched down, finding a single bone remained, split clean down the center. A subtle chill crept down his spine as the crack widened. From within, something emerged. What he found was a book.
Rei reached forward, grasped it, and read the title.
"I... found it."
His breath caught. The Book of the Dead sat in his hands, untouched by flame or heat. The scorched earth didn't burn it. Not even his own violet fire left a mark. He stared at it for a moment longer before dropping the book. It hit the ground with a dull thud and stayed still, impervious to the blistering air.
His eyes shifted back to emerald. Above him, the spirals of flame that once danced like dragons had begun to fade.
'There's a reason he never wanted me using the bond,' Rei thought. 'I guess I just figured it out the hard way.'
He sank to the ground, lying back into the violet blaze. A new blade formed in his right hand. It was long, glowing, and releasing a hiss. He raised it above his left arm, just above the elbow.
His mouth felt dry. His lips were cracked, and his left arm became completely numb to any pain he was feeling within it.
He didn't want to do this but the skin was missing, completely removed from that explosion, and the risk of infection creeping through his bloodstream was too high. He wouldn't survive it, not out here in the middle of nowhere without any medical treatment for several days away, possibly weeks.
'Can I even go back to investigating after this? Zay... you better make this out alive.. for both of us.'
He inhaled slowly then answered his question for himself.
'Hell if I know. At least Ironcloud's pain tolerance training won't go to waste.'
With a quiet exhale, he drove the blade down.
His teeth clamped against his lips, screams muffled as searing fire split through flesh and bone. He cut through his own arm. As the limb fell away, Rei forced the flame into the stump, cauterizing the wound with raw heat. It hissed violently, sealing the torn skin through sheer agony.
It wasn't the right decision in his mind but it was the only one he had left to ensure no possible infections. His eyes closed after a second, listening as the flames slowly died around him.