Sayaka flickered, like a shadow across the battlefield. Some people would argue that a practitioner should hold the front lines. Those people are dead, she thought. Using her steps, she cruised through the sands, shadows and bodies were her cover. Occasionally, she would glance towards Jorish, he always stood out. He was tough however, tougher than anyone she knew, ignoring monsters like Tyran.

Every so often, her steps would bring her face to face with an unsuspecting opponent, Sayaka held her weapon, easily impaling the soldier who had the misfortune of standing on her way. As she pulled the weapon out, destroying the corpse of her enemy, she sensed someone rushing up from behind her. Without time to waste, she concentrated on her energy as she swiped with her empty hand, a green claw emerging from thin air lightly cutting the man who tried to ambush.

“Ugh… You.. I will…!” The man muttered about to jump back, ignoring the superficial cut on his body before Sayaka watched as his body started spasming, falling to the ground within moments. Sayaka ignored him as she kept moving. He was a goner anyway. Her eyes darted around the battlefield as she looked for her target. They were easily outnumbered and outarmed, but more than anything else they had more practitioners, and a candidate. Sayaka grimaced thinking of the implications of fighting such a force.

As her eyes darted all around, she finally found her target. She eyed a towering figure strolling around, crushing their soldiers as he came across them. So, this is their officer. Sayaka steeled her resolve, aiming to take down that officer, whatever the cost. Jorish had told her all about the situation, and as much as her life was tough, she belonged to the free cities, and owed Tyran for saving her from her previous life. No matter the cost.

She darted around, slipping between soldiers and bodies, getting closer and closer. The imposing figure got larger as she got closer. Finally judging to be close enough, Sayaka crouched as she started focusing her Energy covertly on her leg and weapon, preparing to bounce. She watched as the enemy officer laughed without care as he dispatched another one of their men. Come on! She thought as Energy started rotating inside her weapon, following its rotations and curves, giving the weapon a toxic green hue. Finally judging it to be enough, she let energy in legs explode, pushing her forward instantly as she aimed her weapon at the officer’s neck. At that exact moment, the officer’s eyes widened as he brought his hands up to defend himself.

Sayaka felt her entire body rattle, hearing a loud screech as her weapon tried to cut the officer’s arm, instead scraping against its surface, leaving white marks as if she was hitting a piece of steel.

Damn it, he is a peak practitioner! She thought as she prepared to jump back, abandoning her goal. Yet, she had to abandon her escape as she lifted her weapon to block the officer’s strike. She felt her entire body shake as the officer’s Energy was driven into her body, messing it up.

“And where do you think you are going, girl?” The officer smiled savagely as he stepped forward.

Damn it. Sayaka’s teeth cluttering as she tried to find a way out of her pitfall. Yet, the officer didn’t give her time to think as he pressed his assault laughing further.

“What’s wrong? Lost your spirit, girl?” He laughed, swinging his fist again.

Sayaka’s eyes flashed as she glanced an opening, sending all her remaining energy into a claw towards the officer, who had been too busy chasing her to notice, from his blind spot towards his neck. She smiled, the cut on the side of her lips causing her to look even more grotesque as the green claw contacted with the officer’s neck.

Slowly, Sayaka’s smile froze as her eyes turned wide. She watched as the officer smiled as her claw couldn’t even cut his skin, her poison now ineffective, she hurriedly blocked another blow coming towards her, sending her to the floor as her weapon flew out of her hand.

She watched as the officer stepped towards her slowly, finally standing just above her. He lifted his fist, about to finish her.

Her eyes closed as she awaited the inevitable. She had failed.

A moment later, a loud crash was heard. Sayaka felt her body shudder, as she slowly opened her eyes in confusion, still breathing. She looked as a body stood hulking above her, golden lines shining from his body. She looked at his golden eyes as they shone with majesty and rage. She felt her soul shudder as she muttered.

Son of the Sun.

- - - - -

Jorish stood, feeling the wind clashing against his body. Rage filling every fibre of his being. Those people, they… will pay!! He looked at the officer of the enemy army, slowly standing after being punched back by Jorish. He smiled cruelly as he look at Jorish.

“I am the great Altus, what is a freak from the sun-touched dumpsters like you doing here?”

Jorish’s eyes narrowed as he stepped forward, slamming the back of his spear on the ground. Moments later, a loud shockwave spread around him, freezing the battle around them for a moment as he spoke.

“I am the Son of the Sun, I’ve come here… to give you judgment!”

Moments later, shouts and cheers came from Jorish’s squad as they fought with even more ferocity. Jorish glanced at Sayaka momentarily, checking if she was fine before putting his focus back into Altus. Altus laughed as he spoke. “An early practitioner here to pass judgment on me? Hah!”

Altus punched forward, Jorish could feel the strength packed in his strike, deciding to parry it instead. He was pushed back a step as he parried the strike, he stepped forward again, preparing to counter attack. He swiped his spear, generating force and momentum as he aimed the spear’s blade at Altus’s neck. Altus smiled as he lifted his arm to defend himself.

Jorish heard another loud crash as Altus was sent backwards, yet his eyes widened up as he saw his strike had barely made a thin cut across his arm. Altus laughed as he spoke.

“All talk, aren’t you? You can’t harm my Steelborne body, trash.”

Altus jumped back in as Jorish braced himself, he sent his left hand in a punch, Jorish prepared to parry that strike before he felt a pain in his chest as Altus’s right hand connected with his chest, causing him to step back as a gash appeared in his chest. Jorish looked at Altus’s fist, looking jagged. Must be an effect of his body, Jorish concluded as he stood up, feeling sunlight fill his body as it rebuilt it slowly. Against a peak practitioner, he wasn’t able to keep up for a long time, he had to dispose of him and immediately.

Jorish stepped back, before rushing forward, putting his entire momentum and energy into the spear’s tip, aiming it at Altus’s eyes. As Altus raised his arm to defend again, Jorish slammed his foot on the ground, twisting his body as he redirected his hit towards Altus’s thighs. Jorish felt as his spear bit into flesh, yet he immediately pulled it out as he jumped back.

Not enough! Jorish knew as he felt his strike. His opponent seemed almost unaffected by pure force, and he was unable to harm him enough to disable him. Jorish felt frustrated as Altus kept punching towards him, slowly accumulating injuries. Finally, patience running out, Altus lunged forward, punching towards Sayaka who was too injured to escape behind Jorish.

Jorish’s fists tightened in rage as he was forced to block Altus’s strikes. In a few minutes, Jorish felt every fibre in his body protesting, asking him to just abandon his pursuit and escape. Jorish’s teeth ground in frustration. He felt his energy dwindling as he kept blocking and attacking. His body protesting as it broke and rebuilt itself over and over again. He heard Altus’s mocking voice as he spoke.

“Heh, you dwellers of the cities are all the same. You should’ve kept the old name your lands carried. The sun-loathed cities. Because that is all you are, people who were cursed by the sun, fated to burn and be insignificant.”

No. Jorish emotions ignited. We were blessed by the sun, and we fought to earn the right!

Flashes of sand appeared in Jorish’s mind, many scenes of his life flashing before him momentarily. As a certain sight settled in his mind, taking his focus out of the battle.

He saw as particles of light flowed, following intricate webs as they went from one ring to another. He saw scenes he never experienced before, understanding sights he couldn’t understand before. He felt Energy flow in each ring, moving faster before it flowed to the next ring. All the forces focusing until in the end, it cast the Sun-touched cities’ glory upon the world.

Jorish almost moved on instinct, as all his energy and sunlight appeared as specks of light gathered towards his fist. Yet, he didn’t drive them to the spear’s tip immediately as he always did, instead, he drove all energy to the back of his spear, gathering more energy before moving it forward, layer by layer. Jorish stepped forward as the golden markings on his skin crawled, tightening around his body. Jorish shoved his spear forward, accelerating the energy towards the spear tip.

Jorish stabbed with his spear towards Altus’s neck. Altus put his arms in the front to block, a look of panic in his eyes. As Jorish’s spear touched his arm, it stopped, a beam of light extending into the skies as it pierced through Altus’s neck as he fell the ground, clutching his bleeding neck as life flawed out of him. Jorish looked down on him as he spoke.

“Those who dare oppose the sun-touched cities face its Eyes. And that, is the Eye of the sun!”

Jorish could spy a look of hatred and confusion on Altus’s face before he finally fell, lifeless.

Jorish turned back towards Sayaka, he looked as she was trying to say something.

Careful? He read her lips before he heard several loud explosions.

Jorish fell into his knees as he looked behind him, looking at six soldiers holding pistols with smoke coming out. He felt extreme pain as his entire back bled like rivers, he turned slowly, ready to face his opponents, knowing how most pistols could fire only once.

His eyes widened as he saw all six throw their pistols before grabbing another one, as he heard loud booms sound once again.