City Of Blood (War Of The Elements Book 2) Read online

  Jumping to his feet without thought, Dusk prepared his cursed blade for a downward drive on his wicked opponent. But X sunk his foot into his torso, sending him stumbling backwards. The two were at a standoff.

  "I haven't slaughtered anyone yet, but I'm going to slaughter you. You've killed countless people here today." Dusk raised his sword, glaring down his opponent with hatred smoldering in his eyes. "I'll kill you so you can never kill anyone again!" He rushed at his enemy like a hurricane, sending a bladed uppercut in his direction. Parried. A sideways swipe of the sword. Pushed off. X's blade of darkness swung at his world, threatening to cut him vertically in two. Dusk accelerated, leaping to the side as the peerless blade flayed the outermost layer of his right arm. A path of blood etched itself upon his arm. A painful fire seared within, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. This was nothing. Not letting pain's influence take hold of him for even a moment, he spun around like a whirlwind with his blade, pushing X back as he blocked yet again.

  Dusk released his frustration in an exaggerated grunt. He couldn't seem to land a hit on this maniac. The two were locked in a dance of blades yet again, generating quaking strikes through the room, sending objects flying in their wake. A struggle of strength as the two fought to gain leverage. With their swords pressed against one another, the light in X's blade become more pronounced. The bloodlust had heightened, it bayed for his blood. The brightening glow had become a blinding wave of crimson, engulfing Dusk in its destructive entirety. All he could see was red, searing into his skull, charring his nerve endings to black, flash-frying his brain into ash.

  His body had become fire, but it didn't burn. The bloodlight flowed around his body as if a raging river pounding against an anchored rock. X merely stood there, smirking at him knowingly as Dusk struggled to comprehend this unexplainable turn of events.

  "Do you believe me now? I am you. This blade chooses one user every few lifetimes, and one user only. The fact that both of us hold this blade is proof positive we are in fact, the same being."

  Dusk's eyes crunched into slits, still clutching onto skepticism for dear life. There was no way he would believe he was the same person as this sadistic monster. Besides, how would that even be possible? How could one person be two? He spat at the ground, his symbol of disgust landing at the charred floor.

  "If we're the same person, then why are we so different?"

  "We're not as different as you think, my kindred spirit. I used to be like you once, long ago."

  "Yeah? Then what happened? What could have possibly caused you to turn into this?"

  X closed his eyes and smiled. "The truth."

  "And what is that truth?"

  The dark swordsman sucked in a pocket of air, expelling it in a great gust as he prepared his answer. He certainly had his reasons and he hoped, perhaps foolishly, that his more forgetful half could understand that.

  "...Humans. They think they are so significant. So special. That they are the center of this universe. Until recently, it was thought that the Earth was the center of the universe. Seriously, how conceited is that? We are nothing. You, me, Raven, everyone. We're not even shit on the bottom of the universe's shoe. This tiny little marble you call Earth wouldn't even be visible in the eye of the universe. Not even the size of an atom. And yet there are humans infected with narcissism and greed. Those who think they alone are the center of an entire universe. This is the very height of arrogance!"

  A chuckle's breeze blew from Dusk's lips. This was it? The motivation that was supposed to justify the bloodshed? Then again, no answer would've been good enough."So what? What do you care? What harm are they doing to anyone else? What kind of a reason is that to murder?"

  "Interesting that you speak such words, when you yourself think the same way. Don't bother denying it. You know you do."

  "And you think that gives you the right to kill? I've never wanted to kill those people. Live and let live."

  "Well, if you'd let me finish my story before interrupting..." X hissed, showing a flicker of annoyance under the ruby fire in his eyes before continuing.

  "Somewhere along the way, you forgot. But I remember. When we took this blade in hand, we were shown everything, you and I. The vastness of the universe. It shot through our spirit, leaving a lasting wound. Ignorance is bliss? Perhaps. Once I found out the truth, I could never go back. And you'll never be able to, either."

  This X person was rambling, but Dusk couldn't deny his rant caught his interest, even if slightly. Very well, he would play devil's advocate for now.

  "What truth could possibly be so Earth shattering that I would turn into you?"

  "Human nature."

  "What about it?"

  "Greed, lust, pride, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth. These things will always be a part of nature. We will forever be slaves to our vices. And because of those vices, we will ultimately destroy ourselves one day. Even you and I have given in to pride and wrath. No matter what we do...no matter how hard humans try to fight it...no matter how morally evolved they pretend to be, at the end of the day we are just animals, slaves to our base drives. Just like the dinosaurs, we too will go extinct one day, unless we stop it from happening. The Earth would be better off without us. There are multiple things right now that could end our race. The Earth itself will one day purge us if we continue our course, that is if we don't kill each other first. Firestorms and hurricanes will sweep through the land, bringing widespread devastation and famine. If not the Earth itself, then we may one day destroy ourselves with our own weapons, our lust for power." X paused for a moment to take a breather, ready to present new information that he knew his blue-eyed mirror image hadn't considered. "Or we may overstep our bounds and tread into territory where we don't belong."

  A grudged eyebrow lifted on Dusk's visage. "Tread into territory we don't belong? What are you talking about?"

  "I'm talking about space. We've already made the first steps. Man has already landed on the moon, we've even seen Pluto. But it doesn't stop there." The evil warrior extended an outstretched arm to the heavens, as if he wanted to pull the solar system down from the skies above. "One day we will traverse galaxies. One day we will meet other races. But we're not ready for that. Our technology has evolved far beyond our social structures. This will be the end of us if humans continue on that path. Just as humans believed the Earth was the center of the universe and were proven wrong, humanity will once again be in for a rude awakening when we make first contact. Most aliens aren't like us. They don't desire to take and take just because they can. They don't enjoy drawing blood."

  "But you seem to." Dusk countered.

  "It's all to save people from driving themselves to complete extinction. Better a few humans survive than none, right? Besides..." X's shining white teeth flashed again as he embraced his malicious nature. "I am just a human, after all. Furthermore..."

  He kicked off his feet, ramming into Dusk, hurling him into the wall. Dusk's form ripped through the wall like tissue paper before falling clumsily onto his back. X slumped down, placing a knee on Dusk's chest, lunging his neck forward until his breath blew against his opponent's face. He hushed his satisfied voice down to a whisper.

  "You enjoy it too. Don't try to play it off like you're above killing. Don't tell me it repulses you. I know you. Better than anyone else. When you think about Raven, you want to wring his neck, don't you? You want to torture him, to make him suffer endlessly, bathed in his own blood. You want to snuff out his subordinates with your own hands. Am I wrong?"

  Silence. Dusk would not admit defeat to this red-eyed demon. But X wasn't satisfied. He smashed his knee into the defeated fighter's chest, digging his hands into their torn shirt as he brought them even closer.

  "Am I wrong? Admit it! Admit you want to see him suffer and die! You love murder just as much as I do!"

  Dusk's conquered voice could barely be heard in the fray, but X was in his face. He could hear every word with crystal clarity. />
  "...You're not wrong."

  X's face lit up with victory. Beating your opponent in spirit was so much more satisfying. That was a true win. He rose to his feet, kicking Dusk in the ribs and launching him into a nearby wall.

  "Finally you admit it!" He shouted boisterously.

  Dusk propped himself up, cringing. The dull pain was throbbing through his ribs, an unpleasant and unfading ringing in his bones.

  "You're not wrong. At least when it comes to Raven and his lackeys. But why would I want to kill people who have done nothing wrong? People who are just trying to live their lives the best they can?"

  X's face scrunched in shock as if he had just been stabbed.

  "Nothing wrong? Simply allowing themselves to willfully remain in ignorance is a crime in and of itself. The masses are forever sleeping in a government controlled dream, content to be controlled like puppets while their brain atrophies. Real people rebel when they're being oppressed, but people today are blind sheep. That in itself is a crime. Such people do nothing to progress the human race."

  Dusk closed his eyes and let an amused smile take hold of his face. "I really can't understand you."

  "That makes one of us, because I understand you perfectly. Listen, it's not wrong to kill if you do it for the right reasons. But you...you want to kill the wrong people for the wrong reasons."

  The wrong reasons? As if there was a right reason to take someone's life. "I want to kill the sociopaths who made millions of lives pure hell. Compared to you I'm a saint."

  Despite the conviction Dusk held in his stance, those red eyes locked him in an opposing gaze. In those eyes he was the fool, and X was the sage. "For what reason do you kill? To better this world? No, you kill for pure revenge. How petty that is, letting yourself be consumed by hatred."

  "Better than killing people whose only crime is choosing to be ignorant and lazy."

  X shook his head in aversion, refuting his counterpart.

  "My kills are to purify this Earth, to purge our overpopulated world of the refuse. I don't do it for personal reasons. You would be killing those who could make a positive difference in this world. All because you can't control your emotions."

  "Who knows how many Raven will kill if I don't stop him. I think we'll have to agree to disagree on this one."

  "Raven is the only one left who can save this world. I can't let you kill him."

  For all of his adversary's claims that they were both the same person, so far they hadn't agreed on a single thing. "I will kill him," Dusk growled, "and you can't stop me."

  X's eyes gleamed in fascination, sparks of laughter escaping his being.

  "You think you even have a chance against me? Despair, Drake, for though we may be the same being, you are the weakness in me. I am strength, and I'm going to prove it to you."

  Crimson radiance materialized in his other hand, bending and molding—taking shape in his pale hand. The particles of blood condensed into another blade. Each of his hands now housed a sword within.

  Even in other worlds, he couldn't escape this fighting style. "I should've known." Dusk chided himself. "I am a dual wielder after all."

  "Oh my, did you just admit we are the same person?" X taunted. Perhaps he was making progress on this stubborn idiot after all.

  "At the very least, I've accepted that you like to copy me." Dusk negated him as he too, summoned a second blade from the beyond. X's sadistic grin had stretched to its limits. His blood was dancing, his nerves were raging. It had been too long since he fought a real battle.

  "It seems we've both raised the stakes. Well then, let's have some fun!" X screamed in exhilaration as he launched himself at light speed towards his opponent who took the force head on, crashing through the building and out into the open street. After regaining his bearings, Dusk planted his feet in the ground, stopping them both cold. Taking advantage of his enemy's brief second of confusion, he swung his blade down at X's shoulder with ruthless efficiency, but X blocked, throwing him back.

  The two fierce warriors had become a tornado, ravaging every building that stood in their path. Glass windows shattered, sending shards plummeting down in a deadly rainstorm of jagged edges. Craters marked the path of battle. Steel beams and supports bent from the sheer force of their strikes.

  The avatar of darkness swung his blade for a horizontal cleave, but Dusk leapt into a front flip sending a stab at the peak of his skull. X jumped backwards, lunging forward at his torn enemy while he was still in midair, but Dusk vanished as if an image on a projection. The malicious blade user closed his eyes, taking a calming breath. He sensed his other self's presence, taking refuge on the roof of a building.

  "There you are!" He roared with glee, sending a massive blood wave towards the heavens. Dusk leapt off before the building could crumble beneath his feet. The entire top half of the building had just been chopped off as if the psychopath was merely chopping vegetables with a kitchen knife. Dusk landed with a loud smash on the concrete floor below, leaving a small crater in his wake.

  "I bet you can't do this!" X boasted as he slashed at the air mightily.

  What is he doing? Dusk pondered to himself. In but a moment, he would have his answer. The air distorted, melding itself into a massive razor-sharp crescent of crimson, shooting straight at him with lethal momentum. Bogged down for an instant by the overwhelming danger, he sidestepped the deadly half moon by just millimeters. One more flash or second of indecision, and his blood would be painting this street crimson along with the rest of the dead, the poor souls. As it was, a sonic boom popped his eardrums, rattling his brain, rocking his world. Instinctively he turned his head back to see a gigantic gash tearing into the building's midsection, leaving a gaping wound.

  It was then he would realize the fatal mistake in taking his eyes off of his opponent. X was in his face, ready to rip through his soul. The two exchanged rapid sword swipes, the boom of explosions shaking their bones, threatening to shatter them. Dusk was on the defensive, and he was slipping with each swing of the sword.

  "Don't worry, I'll make sure you wake up Drake! Just give in, I'll make it all stop! Your misery, your pain. I'll take over your body so you won't have to worry about a thing."

  No way I'm letting him take my body! Whether it's true or not, I'll never let that happen.

  Dusk resolved to go even faster, to slice this madman to shreds, but his body lost the battle.

  After a barrage of blows, X's blade tore through Dusk's shoulder. X, capitalizing on his opponent's weakness, slammed his boot into Dusk's stomach, shooting him like a bullet nearly a mile away before he scrapped across the ground, his body leaving tracks of blood that led to his wounded form. The ground had shredded him, leaving bits of skin scattered about the unforgiving pavement. He couldn't move. His arms and legs were torn. The world was starting to blur, his focus was becoming faint. Pain's power was dulling his senses, nearly sending his sight into red. He shook, struggling to get up. A swift kick to the jaw dashed any hopes he had of ascent. X's cursed blade was pointed at his throat.

  "I told you, you're the weakness in me. Your fluidal energies are waning swiftly."

  More blood flowed from Dusk's mouth as he spoke between coughs.

  "So, you won. You're going to kill me, right?"

  X's mouth hung open, a jolt of surprise poking him. "Kill you? How would that benefit me? You're me, remember? If you die, I die too."

  "So what, you want to take over my body then? That's it? And then you're going to kill billions?"

  "You act like that's a bad thing. Starting anew is the only solution."

  Dusk let his head lay back on the gravel, staring up at the blood colored sky above. He had accepted his defeat, yet to even think on his opponent was depressing. Just what had X gone through to make him fall so far? His brain still had trouble wrapping itself around such boundless evil, yet here he was again, forced to fight it head on. "How can you give up on people so easily? Not everyone
is the same. People have hopes and dreams, there are those who wish nothing but good for humankind. Yet you would kill them all."

  X sat down next to Dusk, sighing into the wind. He was determined to make this idealistic simpleton understand, because he was the future.

  "Earth doesn't have the time for me to sift through an ocean of mud to find a few drops of freshwater. Within the next few decades, Earthlings will be doomed, one way or another. I can only hope to create a new society from the remnants after I purge the planet. Naturally, I would keep all of the brightest minds and strongest warriors alive. One of your scientists came up with this principle. Survival of the fittest. In every other animal species, only the strong survive. It's cruel, but effective. Humans weren't ready for this wealth of technology. It has made them weak, inadequate, ignorant, and most of all, arrogant. They think themselves above nature. Nature doesn't abide by such weakness. By all means, this rapid ascent in innovation was not natural. It was by the intervention of a more advanced human that Earthlings attained this. She came. Intervening in matters she shouldn't have, she passed down a mere fragment of her knowledge."

  "She?"

  "A Sirian woman by the name of Lenajara."

  Sirian? Was he speaking of Syria, the land that had been harboring extremist groups? What would they have to do with this? Dusk's curiosity was relentless in its pursuit. Even if this villainous know-it-all was making this up, the story peaked his interest. "Sirian... do you mean Syria? Also, why would she do this?"

  X turned his head towards the wreckage and laughed, unable to look the oblivious swordsman in the eye. Then again, neither Raven nor the others had told him anything. Still, it was beyond infuriating that Dusk had forgotten everything. Having to reteach matters to someone who should already know brought him to the brink of his patience.