REWRITE Tale of Origin Chp16-The Familial Duel

Tale of Origin
By Arecus. Conberma
Chapter 16: The Familial Duel

---

Previously:

The sea witch crawled over to the place he indicated and pressed her hands against the wood. A circle glowed, then she vanished in a flash of light.

“Was that a teleportation circle?” Darren wondered, staring at the alchemic design etched into the deck.

“Of course,” Rakar answered, “Did you honestly believe I didn't have a plan for escape if things went awry? But I myself am not quite ready to leave. I was hoping to settle things with your brother. Wouldn't you like that, Nephew?"

Kaze gave him a deadly glare as Sapphire helped him sit upright. "Yes, Uncle, you and I both have unfinished business with one another.”

---

Although Kaze wanted nothing more but to avenge his father when the murderer and the tormentor of his kingdom was right in front of him, he found himself exhausted. The previous fighting with the beast and the energy he had just used to dissolve himself and Sapphire into wind had pulled on all his reserves.

His two brothers helped the azure hedgehog up and he used their shoulders for support, but Kaze still wanted to appear strong and independent due to his pride. Sapphire crawled a few paces away and grasped the Trident, looking anxiously between it and the prince.

“I have to free my father, Kaze. I think he’s still alive, but I can’t be sure how much longer he has. Please don’t do anything foolish. I don’t want you hurt.”

He looked at her and nodded toward the ocean. “Go, Sapphire.”

She was over the side an instant later, and the red-brown hedgehog scoffed. “I notice you didn’t make any promises. I can always come back later when you’re less vigilant or we can settle things now.”

“You’re not going anywhere, Rakar,” Kaze angrily spat the name, no longer bothering to address him as a member of his family. Then he pointed one finger at him, “I challenge you to the Imperial Duel!!”

Surprised gasps filled the air from those on the ship and those in the water surrounding it. Rakar only raised one eyebrow as though Kaze had challenged him to a game of chess. He casually shrugged, showing no respect to the importance of the ancient duel.

“Why not? I’ve got time to kill. Although I doubt very much that you are in any condition to participate.”

Kaze let go of his brothers and tried to stand tall, but the way his legs trembled betrayed him.

“Don’t be an idiot!” Darren hissed in his ear. “You know you’re too weak!”

“Oh, you can’t refuse now, Kaze,” Rakar smirked. “I’ve already accepted. But surely you are not planning to place your own head on silver platter for me. That would be awfully generous of you, but not very sporting for me.”

His dark chuckle earned glares from everyone on the ship.

“Save your breath for the duel, Rakar,” Kaze retorted, but cringed when he felt burning pain in his side. When had he been injured? He couldn’t remember, but pressed against the wound in the hopes that it would fade away.

However, the action caught Rakar’s attention and he paused, thoughtfully stroking the scars beneath his right eye. “You know what? As much as I want to kill you, I want to enjoy this as long as I can. So why don’t I give you a hand?”

“I’d sooner trust a Rorais bat!” Kaze shouted.

“I’m not going to take ‘no’ for answer,” Rakar icily replied, and without a sound he flew towards Athena.

Only Benonic reacted fast enough, throwing himself between them.

“Not this time, little devil!”

Benonic barely raised an arm in time to avoid being struck in the face. Even so, the strength of the blow flung him toward the ship’s rail where he landed hard, holding his arm at an awkward angle.

“Ben!” Darren cried, leaving Kaze to see how badly his older brother was hurt.

Several soldiers who had dashed forward to protect their queen suddenly froze, an unnatural force gripping them. Rakar stood there, hands stretched outward and looking rather unconcerned. All the shadows on the deck around him had grown darker, almost like oil that reflected no light, and leapt up to seize hold of the unsuspecting Coizards.

Athena tried to move, but she too was a prisoner. Fear squirmed about within her breast as Rakar sauntered forward until he was only inches away. He’d never before acted in any way that would have frightened her, so now seeing the wicked smile on his face made her feel that she would see it again in her nightmares...if she survived.

She didn’t have a chance to speak when he reached out to lay a finger lightly against the blue fur at the base of her throat. A gasp jerked its way out as she felt a ghostly hand stab into her chest. Athena knew intimately that the core of her body had been invaded. A moment later when the invisible hand retracted, her strength seemed to drain away. The only thing keeping her upright was the solid grip of Rakar’s Shadow Tentacles.

He stepped around her and clamped a hand on his nephew’s shoulder. At first Kaze thought his uncle was going to kill him, but a shock of surprise went through him as he felt new energy welling up inside.

“What did you do?!” Kaze demanded, pulling back.

“You’re useless when you have already exhausted yourself. So…” Rakar gestured to Athena, “I took half of your dear mother’s soul to give you enough strength for the duel. Be grateful I don’t want a battle that’s a waste of my time.”

He waved his hand dismissively, releasing everyone held prisoner by his Shadow Tentacles at the same time. Kaze slipped a quick glance to his mother who gave a subtle nod, granting permission for the use of her soul. Though he had no idea how Rakar had done it—or even whether he was telling the truth—Kaze decided that questioning him would not be useful at the moment.

Every Coizard soldier moved to the edge of the ship, making a large space in the centre. Many of the Atlantians came closer, and those who could do so levitated themselves with water orbs to watch the duel. Queen Athena clutched both her sons’ hands to hide her nervousness, despite the way her expression remained neutral. Darren and Benonic prayed their brother hadn’t made a fatal mistake.

The azure hedgehog tossed away the cape of his Karok outfit, for it would be in his way here. The duo stepped forward, faces close, both straightening their backs like warriors. Each summoned weapons from their Elements: Kaze’s twin sabres and Rakar’s scythe.

At just that moment, two more merhogs appeared at the edge of the ship. King Posiden and Sapphire stared in surprise, the princess calling out his name at once.

Kaze turned to look at her. If he didn’t kill Rakar, he had no doubt he wouldn’t survive…

“Having second thoughts, Nephew?”

Kaze tightened his jaw. The younger hedgehog began to chant the traditional words. “Our weapons chosen, unto yield or death. By the ancient rules of the Imperial Duel…”  

“Let the ‘honourable’ fight begin,” Rakar finished with a mocking smirk.

The two simultaneously plunged their weapons down to strike the deck. As the sacred ritual was initiated, a circular force field formed, trapping the challengers inside until one stood victorious. To prevent any distractions from without, no sounds penetrated the dome, which is why Sapphire’s voice went unheard as she screamed in protest and pressed her hands against it.

Kaze and Rakar remained still for a few tense seconds, but once the ritual was completed they stepped apart.

“I hope you don’t die too soon, Nephew. I want to at least enjoy myself a little before it’s over.”

Instead of being intimidated, Kaze only felt more rage and hatred. He crossed his blades and snarled, “You wish.”

With that, the Imperial Duel began.

Kaze started with a quick slice towards Rakar’s chest, but the other dodged it with a backward leap.

"You don't know how long I've waited for this day!"

"More than those nine years of plotting, I presume?" Kaze said sarcastically.

"I’m glad you still have that sense of humour before your death. Mine is slightly different. It would make me laugh to kill you first, then your precious merhog."

Kaze's eyes snapped wide. "YOU BASTARD!!"

They exchanged more blows as the young hedgehog surged forward, blocking the scythe high and trying to swipe at his opponent’s legs with the other sword. But the shaft somehow deflected it.

“Power and control are everything. That’s what my father taught me. You should honour his tradition! It’s the only way to rule a rabble.”

“You’re wrong, Rakar,” Kaze said, a new strength building within him as he tried to slip past his uncle’s guard. “Over the years I’ve watched Cosium in pain beneath your reign. I don’t know exactly what you learned from my grandfather, but I’ve seen my people suffering under nothing other than cruelty. And I won’t sit by watching my kingdom fall because of you!”

“You’re nothing but an ungrateful, blind brat.” He batted a blade away almost effortlessly. “Give it up, Kaze. You know I am the better fighter,"

"That makes no difference to me. I swear I’ll avenge my father!"

Rakar chuckled, "After all these years you still haven’t learned a thing about self-control. Your anger may give you strength, but it's also your weakness."

Kaze gritted his teeth. He couldn’t let the words occupy too much of his attention.

"I can see it growing inside you, gnawing at your soul," Rakar continued, eyeing Kaze’s chest as if he was inspecting something there.

Kaze felt disturbed by that piercing gaze, but he kept his focus on the battle. He hated to admit it, but Rakar was right about being a more experienced fighter. However, so far his opponent had only been blocking or dodging his attacks; not making a move to fight back.

The prince was confused, asking himself what Rakar was planning. He knew the other was cunning and always kept at least one trick up his sleeve.

Plus, that confident smirk on his uncle’s face was getting on his nerves!

---

Meanwhile outside the barrier, the audience couldn’t take their eyes off the battle. Sapphire’s whole body quivered, every muscle straining as she watched Kaze fight, but he never managed to get even the tip of his blade past that wicked scythe.

The rest of the Cosium Royal family were just as worried as the merhog. Athena prayed that Kaze wouldn’t let his temper get the best of him, and she couldn’t help wishing she could hear what they were saying. Although Benonic hadn’t been with Kaze for the past three years, he hoped that his younger brother still remembered how to concentrate during combat, especially when he was this distraught.

Darren, on the other hand, was mentally dissecting their fighting styles. His brother was trying to remain calm and probe for weaknesses in Rakar’s defence, but as words passed between them he kept dropping into more erratic behaviour that left him wide open. The crimson-brown hedgehog never once took advantage of it, though, making Darren wonder if he was just toying with Kaze. Rakar had defeated him so easily the night before, but maybe the result would be different this time since magic wasn’t permitted during a duel. He turned to Sapphire.

“I’m sure he will be victorious,” Darren assured her with a smile, pushing down his own misgivings.

Sapphire replied with a weak grin, but worry returned to her sea-green eyes when she turned her attention back to the love of her life inside the barrier.

“I don’t care if he wins. I just want him to live.”

---

Their weapons clashed and they braced against one another. Kaze was a little impressed that his uncle managed to hold that position even against his own herculean strength. But nevertheless, he wanted honest answers, and so he took this opportunity to question him when no one else would overhear.

“I don't understand you! Father always told me and Darren he hoped we could be best friends the way he was with you. Why would you murder him when he thought so highly of you?!”

As if the mere thought of it insulted him, Rakar shouted back, “I had to stop him before he made a mistake he couldn't undo! He was planning to send teachers to train the commoners how to use their magic—but even worse, he wanted to educate them! He would have started a chain reaction that ended in the dissolution of Cosium’s monarchy.”

Kaze’s eyes widened in bewilderment. Of all the stupid reasons—! “You killed him for that?”

Rakar growled, replying, “He betrayed everything our father raised him to be! Why would he suddenly change his mind about everything he learned? That deposed princess you call a mother did that to him. I would rather have killed her and the rest of you than my brother, but that wouldn't have fixed anything. His death was all that could prevent events from spiralling out of control.”

“He loved you! Even at his final breath, he still loved you!” Kaze yelled in rage, but also with a hint of envy. “On that night you murdered Father, his face was covered in tears. But now I realise those tears weren’t for me—they were for YOU!”

A small glint of shock appeared in in his face. But Rakar shook it off, once more regaining his aloof composure. He sent a condescending look towards Kaze.

“Do you truly believe I did what I did out of hatred? Mortesen drove me to master my gift when I would have gladly pretended I didn’t have it.” His coal-like eyes smouldered. “But after he married, he started emphasising the need for limits. Just when I began to understand what I could do, your father discouraged me from ever manipulating souls without permission.”

A derisive sneer twisted his features so that for an instant Rakar looked different, almost unrecognisable.

“Mortesen never once asked permission to use his truth-telling on others. He never had to explain himself first, but he expected me to? If I had accepted those restraints I never would have discovered my full potential.”

“Potential for what?” the prince interrupted. “All you’ve ever done is harm people. Now I’ll do everything in my power to keep you from doing it again!”

“How exactly do you intend to stop me, Kaze? I could have killed all of you years ago before you were old enough to threaten me. The only reason I didn’t is because I realised the reward wouldn’t be worth such little effort. It’s all too easy.”

“So everything you’ve done as regent—everything you’ve done to our family—it was all part of some game to keep you from getting bored?!”

“That’s a highly accurate assumption,” Rakar smiled.

Kaze tightened the grip on his blades and shoved forward, only to be thrown back by a fierce strike. For the first time, his opponent fought instead of only blocked. The scythe spun with a low whistle, blurring as it came within centimetres of Kaze’s cheek. He staggered back and struck out wildly to defend himself, but Rakar seemed to find this amusing.

“I have more power over you than you know. This absurd duel is over, and I don’t even need to defeat you to win.” Rakar took a step back and stared at the prince in a way that made him instantly cautious. “Tell me, Nephew, what is it you fear most?”

For an instant Kaze's eyes grew wide as the words echoed in his ears, then the trigger phrase that Rakar had repeated and reinforced within his psyche for years suddenly evoked the images it was meant to.

Kaze dropped to his knees, hands clutching his head as the most painful moments of his life replayed in his mind. His father dying—fire searing his left wing—a sword slicing into the other—Benonic leaving—his people suffering—the knife drenched in Darren’s blood—Sapphire’s merhog tail—her mutilated eyes—!

The scenes and sensations kept repeating in an endless loop until nothing else existed. They played over and over, each time adding to the frenzy of agonizing torment. Kaze's fingers dug deep into his skull and sobbing shouts for all of it to stop—please stop!—poured from his throat.

Just as something vital was nearly ready to break inside his mind, the assault was blocked. Everything ceased at once, and Kaze found himself somewhere that was not a place so much as a state of being. Arms were around him and he looked up, gaping in astonishment as he recognised the figure there.

“Papa?”

King Mortesen smiled at him, whole and unstained by blood. “I only have a few moments here, Kaze. May I speak through you?”

A stunned expression covered his face, but he managed to answer, “...Y-Yes.”

He couldn't refuse anything his father asked, even if he didn't understand. Mortesen pulled back and held out his hands, prompting Kaze to place his own on them, palms down. For some seconds they stood this way, simply staring at one another and seemingly doing nothing.

His father looked so different from the way he remembered… younger and no longer the huge hedgehog that used to tower over him.

“Papa, I...”

“We can speak,” Mortesen assured him. “I can divide my attention between you and my brother.”

Kaze gulped. “...Am I going insane?”

“Only someone who is sane would ask that,” his father said with the slightest amount of humour. “No, Kaze, but your sanity would have been shattered if I hadn’t been given permission to intervene.”

Kaze felt his throat constrict and he tightened his fingers on Mortesen’s hands. “You...you should be alive right now.”

“I am not. Dwelling on what might have been can ultimately be just as destructive as this attack Rakar thrust on your mind.”

“But, Papa…everything would have been different...”

“Oh? Are you saying that losing me didn't change you for the better?” the former king asked, one eyebrow raised. “Don't you remember how cruel you often were to Darren before? My death forced you into the realisation that he, Benonic and your mother could all die so easily. You stopped taunting him, and he became your most devoted source of comfort in a way no one else could have been.”

Memories of crying silently into his pillow at night returned, especially the feeling of small arms reaching around to hug him as Darren did the only thing he could to help: just be there. Then on those nights, once the pain had dulled, Kaze's wings would fan out, folding over them both like a blanket...

He nearly choked. “But my wings! Papa, my wings!”

Mortesen gripped his wrists, keeping him from falling as new waves of grief nearly overtook his son.

“I want you to hear the truth, Kaze, because otherwise you will never see that they became nothing but a crutch. At some point you started to misuse them. Whenever things became too hard or you didn't want to face someone, all you had to do was go to an open window and leave your troubles behind. Flight may have helped you feel better, but it prevented you from resolving matters too.”

The black hedgehog's eyes bored into his, and Kaze found himself unable to look away no matter how much he wanted to.

“Once they were gone, you couldn't run away anymore. You had no choice but to confront your problems. Finally you started taking your role as crown prince seriously.”

“I...”

Kaze felt drained, emotionally. He knew his father was right, and even recalled Athena accusing him of using his wings to shirk his responsibilities—but just to show her how little he cared about that opinion he would fly off, leaving her angrily calling after him.

“I know... But I miss them, Papa! I miss them every single day…”

Mortesen touched his shoulder, the sternness turning to empathy. “They were good to have, better to lose, and someday you may find them again.”

The words impacted him with enough force to make him stumble. Kaze swallowed twice before he could say anything.

“You mean they’ll heal?”

“Perhaps, but perhaps not. That possibility resides completely in you.”

His father released him and stepped back, his body beginning to fade as the world grew blindingly white. The blue hedgehog stretched out one hand after him.

“No, wait! Tell me how! Papa!”

---

Meanwhile, Rakar watched, arms folded and a complacent expression on his face while his nephew thrashed on the ship's deck. A short distance away Sapphire beat against the barrier and called her beloved's name, but he was beyond reach both physically and mentally.

Without warning Kaze went limp. Rakar started toward him, wondering if the young hedgehog's mind had really broken so quickly or if he had simply passed out from weakness and the psychological onslaught.

Before he had gone two steps, though, Kaze pushed himself back up. He no longer appeared to be suffering from memories that ought to have crippled him beyond repair. He slid the two sabres onto either side of his belt as though he no longer intended to fight. Suspicious.

"This isn't what your gift was meant to do, Little Brother."

He turned and Rakar faltered, recognising Mortesen's brown eyes staring straight at him. "What—? You can’t be—!" 

"You have no idea how disappointed I am in you, Rakar."

The former regent’s gaze hardened, fists clenching. He refused to be fooled.

"Once he understood why I did all this, my brother would agree with me. I don't know what you are, but you aren't him. I have half his soul and I feel no connection to you."

Mortesen shook his head sadly. "Mortals cannot hold onto a soul for very long. And you are no god. All you have are the strength and memories left behind by mine—which you have no right to keep. So I take back what you stole from me that night and give it to my son."

He moved so fast that his figure was a blur, then he seized hold of Rakar's forearm. The crimson-brown hedgehog let out a grunt and his eyes shut tight, then he fell back, grabbing hold of the mast. 

Never in Rakar’s life had he experienced the effect of his gift in reverse, feeling some part of him being torn away.

“Your gift could have brought a great deal of good to this world if you’d used it correctly,” Mortesen said, his voice laced with sadness. “Why would you instead ally yourself with those who dwell in darkness?”

Rakar bristled, refusing to look straight at the spirit that claimed to be Mortesen.

“You want to know the truth? If my brother hadn’t turned soft, Cosium would have been the strongest country—the greatest! This isn’t the way it ought to have happened.”

“Father taught us wrong, and Athena helped me to become a better ruler—a better man,” Mortesen said, trying his best to reason with his sibling. “I apologise for not seeing what was happening to you. I don’t know if I could have made a difference, but I didn’t understand that you still needed guidance. Brother, please, it’s not too late to—”

Rakar finally regained his feet but he still kept his gaze averted. “Don’t lecture me, you fraud! You have no right to do so! My brother is dead and you are nothing more than an illusion!”

Mortesen’s spirit sighed in defeat. “I’m sorry that I couldn’t be a better brother to you, Rakar.”

His brown eyes made their way to the side where the Royal family stood. Athena pressed herself against the barrier, desperation all over her face. Stepping over to be directly opposite them, Mortesen gave a paternal smile to his son and Benonic. One hand reached forward, touching the invisible wall to mirror his wife's.

"Athena, my love," he whispered, leaning close to look at her with a tenderness she knew so well.

The breath caught in her throat and her lips framed his name in near-disbelief. At this moment, Athena saw Mortesen’s spirit coming out of her son’s body then vanish into the air. Kaze sagged forward like a stringless puppet. An instant later his head shot up, eyes once more their normal colours.

“Papa!”

Kaze looked around, confused, only to suddenly stare at his mother as if he’d never seen her before. Her face looked different, almost like she was his own age, but then she was herself again—only to change back once more. He could hear scraps of conversations of which he had no memory. Whose…?

“How dare you!”

He spun around to see Rakar seething at him, so infuriated that his eyes seemed lit with a dark fire.

“Were you trying to trick me into changing? Becoming weak, the way she made him?” A guttural noise ripped from his throat. “Pretending to be Mortesen—insulting his memory—! For that alone I’ll make you suffer, Kaze. Much more than I intended before.”

He had no chance to respond or sort through the strange thoughts and words that were crowding about in his head. Kaze forced himself to ignore the way Rakar’s appearance flickered, sometimes into a child or a teenager, and he drew his swords, barely raising them in time to block.

The clash of the scythe on his weapons drove him down to one knee and his hands went completely numb. The prince tried to tighten his grip, but the fingers wouldn’t respond properly and he fumbled. At once a force struck him broadside across the face as Rakar threw a kick at him. Kaze found himself lying on his stomach, hardly able to breathe.

"Any last words, Nephew?" Rakar’s taunting voice nearly drove him mad.

"Go to Hell!"

"Already been there. Your turn now."

He felt the blades knocked from his hands, skittering across the deck as his uncle kicked them out of reach. Then he was pinned to the deck beneath a heavy boot. Rakar dug the toe into Kaze’s back, making him grunt. He wished with all his heart he could turn into wind to escape, but magic was barred within this space.

The one other time anyone had thrown him down into this helpless position was the last day he’d been able to fly—

Kaze clamped his teeth together, the painful memory giving him a desperate idea. He braced himself and twisted a little, prompting the brown hedgehog to put more weight on his spine.

An instant later his only wing snapped straight up! Its bone slammed directly into Rakar’s face and he reeled back. As soon as he was free, Kaze dove for his nearest sabre and whirled around to disarm his uncle.

The scythe clattered a short distance away and its owner tripped over some loose rigging, falling to the deck. Rakar was still having trouble seeing straight when he felt the keen edge of a sword slide along his throat.

But Kaze stood over him without moving. He wanted so much to finish this, but images of a much different, unscarred Rakar kept overlapping his vision. Words he’d never heard before echoed from some far-off place.

— You don’t have to be afraid of yourself, Rakar. I promise I’ll help. — Just ignore them. They don’t know anything about you. — We’re brothers. We’re supposed to take care of each other no matter what. —

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he growled. “Surrender, Rakar. I won’t let you go free, but I know Papa never would have wanted me to kill you.”

The brother of his father glared with a frightening intensity at Kaze, lips drawn in a thin line. “...I yield.”

With that cue, the invisible dueling ring dissolved. Coizards and Atlantians let out cheers, and the Royal hedgehog family just gave a collective sigh of relief. Sapphire nearly collapsed, she was so glad he was alive.

Kaze quickly made the shreds of his wing disappear, noticing that so many of the soldiers on both sides were staring at him. In that moment of distraction, the loser of the duel jerked out of his sword’s reach.

“You think sparing my life makes me indebted to you?” Rakar snarled. “I swore to make you suffer, Kaze. Nothing outweighs that.”

Kaze saw violet fire crackling along his uncle’s hands and a new scythe materialized, swinging instantly towards Sapphire. He moved faster than he ever had in his life—

She felt him slam into her, then the Atlantian princess rolled across the wooden deck, her protective water orb shattering as she lost concentration. Just as Rakar began to laugh she looked back, letting out a horrified gasp as she saw blood sprayed out around her loved one.

Kaze lay on his side, staring without comprehension at his arm...a few metres away.

“This is too funny! I think I just might like this result better. Quite a souvenir.”

He watched as Rakar picked up the severed limb and gave it a critical look just before dark energy crawled over it. Within three seconds the flesh and bone had been eaten away, leaving nothing left but the stomach-churning scent of burnt fur.

The dishonourable hedgehog disappeared in a swirl of dark smoke just as Captain Alexei attacked from behind. A moment later he stood atop the teleportation circle and gave a regal bow toward the two Royal families.

"Well, I believe I've won the duel. I would love to stay and kill the rest of you, but I'm afraid I'm a bit late for my appointment. I look forward to our next meeting. There is a chance it will be even more entertaining.”

The alchemic markings glowed and then Rakar was gone.

Everyone had rushed forward to surround Kaze, but they allowed Sapphire to approach when she dragged herself over. He was breathing erratically, eyes wide and unseeing, left hand clutching the stump where his arm used to be. Bending over him, Benonic signed something so quick that she didn’t understand it, but Athena shook her head.

“Not until we stop the bleeding, otherwise you won’t be able to help him at all. We need a tourniquet.”

Sapphire noticed that Kaze had begun to shake and she leaned forward, placing her hands against his chest.

“Not good, my Queen,” Alexei said, kneeling beside him. “He’s going into shock. We have to staunch the bleeding and keep him warm.”

Posiden’s hand glowed with a milky blue aura and the blood flow stopped. “I can’t do much, Athena, but that may help until you get a healer.”

The hedgehog queen smiled at him, grateful. “We have one here. Ben?”

But Sapphire paid no attention to anyone else as she looked down into Kaze’s wild eyes. She carefully placed her hands against his cheeks.

"You stupid idiot!" Sapphire sobbed in both anger and grief. "Don't leave me like this! You can't die!!"

"I'm sorry I can't fulfil our promise, S-Sapphire…" Kaze panted. He could hardly talk because his breaths were so ragged. "C-Can I make one request of you?"

"Anything."

"Kiss me."

As much as Sapphire wanted to kiss him right there and then, she couldn’t keep herself from faltering.

"But… I don't want our kiss be the first and the LAST!" the princess cried, her tears soaking his chest. "If this is how it ends, then I'd rather die with you!"

"NO!" Kaze jerked, making Benonic shove down to keep him from moving too much. He continued shakily, "Don't do that. Please don't! Believe me, I tried, and just the attempt brought so much sorrow to those around me. Don't make the same mistake."

The words appeared to pull on his strength so that he dropped flat, but he gripped her arm with his left hand. Or at least tried to. His fingers slipped off in weakness, leaving a thick, red smear on her fur.

"Kaze…"

"Please, I want to know…to feel…what it's like…to be truly loved…"

Sapphire's mouth tightened, but then she gave a weak smile and nodded. The merhog lowered herself until their faces were nearly touching. Both of them slid their eyes shut, and a moment later her lips tenderly met his.

At the same time she poured out all her memories of the last two weeks, all her feelings, all her soul into this one kiss.

Somehow Kaze could feel all of these emotions. He let a single tear run down his cheek, and kissed back with all the strength he had left.

It was far better than he ever imagined! Despite the dizziness that crowded in on his consciousness, he could feel heat swamping his body—all just from one kiss.

So warm…

Then something mysterious and magical sparked between them. They could see…

The two of them would marry, signifying their eternal bond and alliance between land and sea, blessed by their parents and citizens…

And they would make a better place for their two kingdoms…

They would have children. Beautiful children. They’d have two, three, perhaps four…

Sapphire would hand him their firstborn child while she held the younger twin, and Kaze would gaze down with immense pride and joy.

They would grow old and grey, and die in peace together, surrounded by their children and their grandchildren to bid them a tearful farewell…

All of these visions seemed so fantastical, a dream that could never be, but at least it was a lovely, comforting one.

Lying there, Kaze could see a blinding light, as if heaven awaited him, along with his father…

---

To be continued....