“Reyz,” Arylos said in a hissing growl, clenching his fists tight.

“Arylos, I don’t know what I expected to find, but this was not what I expected,” Reyz said with a sarcastic tone. “I certainly did not expect to see you here, sipping on wine at the beach while I rotted in that forsaken prison.”

“I wanted to be diplomatic with you yet you didn’t want that; something tells me that hasn’t changed,” Arylos said while gesturing to the destruction around him. “I wanted us to resolve this peacefully, but each time I try, you are insistent on killing first and asking questions later.”

“What is there to resolve between us?” Reyz said while lifting his sword and pointing it towards Arylos.

“Everything,” Arylos said softly while approaching Reyz. “I hoped that my words would reach you, that you would know that I understand. I know what I took from you and while I’m sorry, that won’t change anything. But that doesn’t mean we have to chase each other like this.”

“Don’t tell me you mean to beg for my forgiveness,” Reyz said with a disgusted scoff.

Arylos couldn’t help but scoff followed by a soft laughter. He shook his head as he knew the position he was in. “Oh no, I know we’re well beyond forgiveness so I won’t give you that lie. I only ask for your empathy just as I empathise with you.”

“Empathy huh?” Reyz asked while lowering his sword. “And what makes you say that?”

“I know why you are angry; I know what I took from you and I know how much it hurts,” Arylos said with a soft voice and lifting his hands in an attempt to calm Reyz. “And I know because if I was in your position, I would be doing the same thing. I would want vengeance and wouldn’t rest until I get it because my only purpose in life was taken away from me. I know what that’s like.”

“Do you really?” Reyz asked with a scoff, trying to keep a straight face.

Arylos nodded while trying to remain calm. “I do; I’ve lost a lot of people in my life. Now I have someone precious that I can’t afford to lose. I know what that pain is like; I only want to try and help if I can.”

Reyz laughed and shook his head, amused by Arylos. “Do you really mean to try and help me? Do you really mean to give me that shit while in my brother’s body?”

“I’m trying to give us a way out,” Arylos said calmly. “You can’t die until you kill me, and as much as the old me would let you, I can’t let you kill me.”

“This will only end when one of us dies, and I do not intend to die first,” Reyz growled while lifting his sword.

Arylos groaned and lowered his hands, shaking his head in disbelief. “So this is really how you want to do this? You’re willing to kill innocent people if it means getting a shot at me. You’re ready to die over this no matter what the resolution could be.”

“I was ready to die for this three thousand years ago,” Reyz growled without a hint of fear.

“Yeah, I figured you were going to say that,” Arylos lamented with a deep sigh. He took a deep breath and straightened his back, preparing for the fight. “Honey, my sword!” he shouted with a heavy howl.

Reyz’s moment of confusion was interrupted as blue lightning shot across the marketplace and struck his side, ripping away flesh and muscle and leaving a gaping hole in his torso. Reyz forced himself back up to his knees and looked up and saw a vaguely familiar woman with silver hair standing next to Arylos. Reyz gritted through the pain as he slowly rose back up to his feet.

“Well, someone’s defiant,” Iris said as she watched Reyz with glowing blue eyes.

“I’d say; how much longer were you going to make me stall?” Arylos said to Iris while rotating his shoulder to stretch.

“Who the hell is she?” Reyz groaned while readying his sword as his side slowly healed.

“Oh her? Remember how I said that I can’t let you kill me?” Arylos said nonchalantly as Iris gave him his sword. “She’s the reason why. So let me explain how this is going to go down.” Arylos drew his sword from its sheath and threw the sheath away as the sword became bathed in searing flames. “You can’t die until I do and I can’t let you kill me. Since you are not interested in us sorting this out like adults, we’ll have to sort this out like the monsters we are.”

“Finally resorting to violence then? Do you really think you can stop me?” Reyz said with an entertained growl.

“I’m not interested in stopping you, Reyz, but you are becoming a problem,” Arylos said while readying his sword. Before Reyz could react, Iris ran forward and ran her sword through Reyz’s knee, severing the limb before Arylos came beside her and grabbed Reyz by his neck. “But I am interested in beating the shit out of you until you stay down,” Arylos growled with a fanged grin.

Arylos lifted his sword and ran it through Reyz’s chest, cauterising the wound in a single strike. Iris took her chance and swung for Reyz’s neck, cleanly decapitating him as his body fell to the ground. Iris and Arylos watched closely as Reyz’s body stopped twitching and blood pooled under him.

“See? Why didn’t you just cut off his head before?” Iris asked in a sarcastic voice.

“Do you think cutting my head off would kill me?” Arylos asked as he lifted his sword.

Iris tilted her head, confused by Arylos’s question. “What do you mean–”

Before she could finish her question, Reyz’s body grabbed his head and jumped backwards, holding his head in one hand and his sword in the other. Reyz’s body slowly lifted his head and put it back on his neck as the muscles danced like worms under his skin, reattaching his head. Reyz couldn’t help but laugh as he regained control of his body and lifted his sword.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me,” Iris groaned, realising just how difficult of a task this would be.

Reyz laughed as his sword made clicking noises and the blade began to glow with a bright white light. Arylos grabbed Iris by the arm and pulled her away as Reyz swung the sword in the air and a blade of white energy burst forth from the sword. The energy screamed through the air before colliding against the buildings, climaxing in a thunderous explosion that shook the ground as liquid flames and melted stone rained in the air as the building collapsed.

“What the hell is that?!” Iris screamed as she watched the destruction.

“You don’t want to know,” Arylos groaned as he let go of Iris. He charged at Reyz, dodging similar blasts of energy until Arylos got within striking distance. He deflected a strike from Reyz and followed up with a sharp punch to the throat and lifted his sword to defend.

Reyz lifted his sword and howled as he brought it down but was knocked aside by a blast of blue lightning as Iris rematerialised, shoving her sword into Reyz’s side. Arylos followed up with a heel kick to Reyz’s chest and spun around with his sword as it cleaved through Reyz’s torso like it was butter, stopping at just above his waist. Reyz growled as he lifted his sword again but Iris reached around from behind and twisted his arm, fracturing the bones in his forearm.

Iris tried to pull the sword from his limp hand but found that it refused to move, even with Reyz’s relaxed grip. As she pulled, she saw dark black and copper colored wires stretch from the sword’s hilt into Reyz’s hand.

“Arylos, the sword is stuck to him!” Iris said as she continued to pull.

Arylos’s attention was seized as he ran through the possibilities of what Iris could mean. “Get back,” he ordered as he pulled his sword from Reyz’s torso and aimed it at Reyz’s sword arm.

Before Arylos could complete the strike, Reyz’s arm twisted back around and snapped back into place and blocked Arylos’s sword. Reyz then kicked Arylos’s knee, knocking his kneecap out of place and fracturing the joint. Arylos howled in pain as he collapsed to the ground and Reyz lifted his sword up yet was cut short by Iris as she took out her sword and ran it through the back of Reyz’s skull. She screamed as she turned the sword around, twisting Reyz’s head violently until his neck snapped and the Paladin hit the ground.

Iris ran to Arylos and warped the two of them far away from Reyz. She panted as she checked Arylos’s broken leg, frantically trying to help him. Yet before she could examine his wound, Arylos rested his hand on her shoulder and laughed.

“I’m fine, but thank you for helping me,” Arylos said with a smile.

“I still don’t like seeing you hurt,” Iris said while trying to contain her anger.

“If you don’t like it, you might as well leave me here,” Arylos said while laughing. “But I know you won’t, so there’s no point in trying to convince you otherwise.”

Iris laughed as she reached for Arylos’s knee and felt it reassembling itself as the joints popped back into place with a series of disgusting cracks. “So, any idea on how we kill him?” she asked while turning back around and watching Reyz slowly get back up.

“The same way he thinks he can kill me; beat the shit out of him until he stops moving,” Arylos said with a growl as he rose up to his feet. “We’re beyond me imprisoning him again; one of the two of us will die before the day is over.”

“So merciful of you to guarantee me such a punctual death,” Reyz laughed as he twisted his head back around the right way. “I would guarantee you the same, but I’d rather enjoy your death, or maybe I can sweeten it up by cleaving the girl into pieces while you watch.”

Arylos clenched his teeth as he growled in a deep sound that shook in Iris’s chest. Iris jumped up and rested her hand on Arylos’s chest in an attempt to calm him down. “Focus,” she whispered softly. “He’s trying to goad you; don’t worry about me.”

Arylos’s growling slowly faded as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes, his pupils had formed their carnivorous slit shape as fire churned in his eyes. Iris grabbed Arylos’s hand but realised his muscles were relaxed and his breathing was deep and calm.

The Titan wasn’t mad; he was furious.

Iris realised her situation as she turned around to face Reyz. She secretly hoped that Eir and Bellona could evacuate the whole city as she knew just what Arylos was waiting for. Bellona was right; she put a leash on the strongest creature in her universe. At this moment, she controlled him and could order him to do anything she asked.

No, it wasn’t control; it was knowing when to let the monster loose. She could never control him, only contain him. And now was the time to take off the leash.

“Kill him,” Iris ordered in a stern voice. “Consume him like the carnivore you are until there’s nothing left of him.”

Arylos laughed as he charged forward with his burning sword. Iris watched the Titan charge towards Reyz with murderous intent and she remembered the two men Arylos killed earlier in the year; she felt the same fear and confusion come to her. Was she a monster just like him now?

As quickly as the fear came to Iris, it quickly faded and was replaced by confidence. She didn’t care anymore; her people were attacked, her family was attacked, her peaceful life was attacked. She burned with hatred as the desire for vengeance grew in her.

Iris could only laugh as she bathed in the hatred.