Author's Preface
Cairo tilt his head as he stared deep into Naren's golden eyes, wondering why he got such a familiar feeling from him. Though, setting that vague feeling aside, he immediately raised the temperature of his legs, Naren's own foot pulling away in pain.
He was already pissed having his katana taken, now even more so with whoever this guy was holding him back.
Naren stumbled back, blowing on the ember of flame that had lit on his pant legs. His voice escaping between blows.
"The hell man?"
Slowly the flames scattered, catching onto his crimson scarf. And suddenly, Naren's vision went hazy. His breathing haggard as he saw the scarf begin to wither in the small bouts of ember on its frayed edges.
A little voice in his head shouted at him. Screamed that such an act could not go forgiven.
Cairo, on the other hand, was dashing at the princess, flames dancing along his oil-covered arms. A twisted grin etched on his face. His hands going for the hooded woman's throat. Before he could though, she took out a cloth scabbard, stopping him in his tracks.
Yuna threw the scabbard right at Cairo. The one-eyed man stumbling back in an attempt to catch it. Along with it, several kunai, shuriken, and steel wire were all poured atop him.
Yuna spoke through the wisps of her hood:
"I have no use for these anymore."
Cairo titled his head, sharp grey eyes trying to see through the shadows of her hood.
"You think this is gon save you?"
Suddenly, the back heel of a foot drilled right into Cairo's shoulders throwing him staggering to the ground. Naren returned to the balls of his feet, his golden eyes in a cat-like predatory shine, wide open as they scanned Cairo.
Cairo got up to his feet, putting his scabbard on his waist as he picked up a kunai from the ground.
"Don't play with me piss-eye."
Naren stepped forward, hopping on the balls of his feet, he faked a jab. Cairo instinctively flinched to dodge, but just as he did, Naren twisted his hips, shooting a straight right at his jaws.
As he took the straight head on, Cairo kicked off the ground, driving his left knee right into Naren's jaw.
They both stepped back, spitting blood out of their mouth.
Naren grit his teeth, his golden eyes reflecting Cairo's ember sparks:
"Watch my scarf prick."
Cairo wiped the sweat off his brows:
"Like I give a damn."
The one-eyed ninja lunged, an amber arc following his glowing kunai sweeping through the air in a horizontal motion. Naren ducked right under, his eyes watching a knee aimed right for his nose. But he expected as much.
Naren disappeared from under Cairo, appearing right atop the glint of reflection cast by the kunai. Midair, he flicked his heel back, letting his body follow the motion as he drove it right at the crown of Cairo's head.
Right before it connected though, Cairo waved out of the way, throwing a sharp elbow at Naren's ankle.
Slipping through the air, right before he touched down, Naren disappeared once more. This time reappearing right underneath the kunai. He clenched his hands tight, his fingers burning as it connected with the underside of Cairo's chin.
Cairo toppled over on the ground, rolling over his shoulder, springing to an upright stance. He twisted and cracked his neck, massaging his chin.
'Teleporting, huh?'
"What a squirmy fuckin bug."
Naren shook off his own knuckles blistered from the abnormal heat of it all. Right as Naren drove his fists into Cairo's chin, he grabbed onto Naren's hands for a second, charring it black.
'Increasing body temperature.'
"How annoying, you freak."
At that moment, Theron climbed back up from the alleyway behind Cairo, the metal plates stitched onto his skin bent and chipped off.
Behind Naren, Dian rose from a pillar of withering eels, risen high above the terrace. His feathered cloak ruffling in the wind.
Ignoring them both, Cairo and Naren both continued exchanging blows. The arcs of embers swaying along with the swishes of swift kicks and punches. They were both evenly matched as can be. As one took a blow, the other would sneak one in.
Exhausted and tired the two stepped back from one another sizing each other up.
Theron's creaky movements stopped, towering right behind Cairo, letting the ground shake a little with his final step.
At the same time, Dian summoned an army of eels above him, flicking his hands and sending javelins piercing towards Naren. The rings on his arm glistening from Cairo's flames below.
Both Naren and Cairo clicked their tongues as their gaze continued locked on each other.
Theron grabbed onto Cairo's head, his hulking arms wrapping around it entirely. He began squeezing. Dian, as well, summoned another set of eels directly above him.
Unfortunately for Theron, he hadn't been exposed to Cairo's ability in this loop. So he had no idea about the dangers of touching the one-eyed man.
Cairo instantly increased his body temperature, even more so than usual. Theron's metal plates melted, exposing a layer of fat and tissue underneath as the hulking man quickly turned intangible, overcome with immense pain.
However, damage wouldn't disappear with his phantom fable. The burns scorched on his body as the melted metal seeped into his skinless body, thrashing around until he fell off the terrace, disappearing into the alley below.
Atop Dian, Naren's bare feet touched down on the tips of his metal rings, toppling the feathered man over.
Dian, though, already accounted for Naren's teleportation. Immediately flinching back as a wall of eels grew from thin-air to protect him.
Naren glanced at the rings just before they disappeared behind the wall:
"Cool rings."
The wall disintegrated as Dian stood behind, his hood off, while his eyes widened behind his shades. To him, this feeling that had lingered in his chest. This was his soulmate. Someone he'd been intertwined with since his past life.
Dian's mouth hung in a grin as he completely let his guard down, only able to let out one word:
"Soulmat—"
Before Dian could finish, three sharp snaps rang out as Naren's right foot whipped through the air three times. Once at Dian's knees, once at his ribs, once at his neck.
The malformed body of the short man crashed onto the ground, at almost the exact same time Theron's did.
Naren landing on the balls of his feet as his eyes resumed their golden attention on Cairo.
Vera tried running out in front of the two, her eyes quivering in pain. The only thoughts going through her mind was stopping them. She had to stop Naren from getting hurt.
Though, before she could, Yuna stopped her. Pulling her back and sitting her down.
Yuna took the small palm-sized white box connected to the buds in Vera's ears. She pressed a button and a slow melody began playing. A song that Vera scarcely remembered ringing out.
A song that her mother would sing to her at every opportunity. A gentle soft melody.
The twilight lights scattered about slowly picked themselves up and returned to the darkness. Bioluminescent blue hues filling up the lively town as a cold breeze blew through Lastlight.
Yuna, pat Vera's head. Even though her face wasn't visible, Vera could still feel a subtle smile coming through as the princess spoke:
"Those two are monsters, aren't they?"