Chapter 21 – The Weight of Fire
The impact threw Damon through the gym wall.
Brick and metal folded beneath him as he hit the ground outside, his body skidding across shattered asphalt.
The noise was deafening—a single, crushing boom that silenced everything else for a moment.
Then came the pain.
Slow. Heavy. Crawling through his ribs, his back, his skull.
His breathing was uneven—each inhale a reminder of bones that didn't quite heal fast enough.
He could taste the iron in his mouth.
His ears rang, faint and sharp, the kind of sound that didn't stop even when everything else did.
For a moment, he didn't move.
He just laid there, staring up at the broken wall in front, dust and smoke dancing through the light.
Then—
A scream.
High, terrified, raw.
Rika.
The demon's massive arm had wrapped around her torso, steam curling from her skin where its claws burned through fabric.
Her voice broke.
"It hurts—!"
Natsuki, one step away from safety, turned back.
"Let her go!" Natsuki shouted.
She grabbed the nearest chair, hurling it at the demon's head.
It struck—but only for a second.
The creature's gaze snapped to her, molten eyes swirling, the heat from its body devouring the air.
It roared.
The shockwave threw Natsuki back, sending her tumbling into the benches.
"No…" Damon's voice came out hoarse.
He tried to move.
His hand pressed against the asphalt, trembling.
His muscles screamed.
But he saw her lying there, and that was enough.
Every other thought vanished.
Light flickered faintly around him.
His heartbeat slowed, then steadied.
The air trembled as the ground beneath him cracked.
He didn't think.
Didn't plan.
He just moved.
Light exploded from his feet as he shot upward, the sound barrier and the ground cracking behind him.
The world blurred into streaks of white and gray.
He hit the demon mid‑charge.
The collision shattered the wall behind it.
The two bodies tore through the concrete, sparks igniting the air as they crashed into the open parking lot.
The ground split under the force.
Natsuki's breath caught as she saw them vanish.
"Damon—!"
But he was already gone.
The demon rose first, its limbs twitching unnaturally, its body pulsing with molten veins.
Damon stood opposite, one arm limp, his chest rising heavy.
It roared again.
He didn't flinch.
He stepped forward.
One foot, then another.
The monster lunged.
Damon met it halfway.
Their clash shook the ground.
Each punch from the demon carried enough force to crush steel, yet Damon blocked, redirected, countered.
Each strike from him left burning cracks across the creature's hide.
Still—it healed.
Over and over.
Damon didn't.
His knuckles bled.
His vision blurred.
But he didn't stop.
Inside, Natsuki staggered to her feet.
She could see the fight through the shattered wall—two figures locked in a storm of fire and light.
She wanted to go to him.
Her legs didn't move.
Her chest ached from the fall.
Then the demon's arm caught Damon, flinging him back into a half‑destroyed car.
Metal groaned as he coughed, spitting blood.
It charged again.
But before it could strike, a small figure dashed forward—Nyra.
Her foot met the demon's jaw with a burst of blue flame.
The force sent it stumbling back, jaw dislocating with a sickening snap.
"Get up, Damon!" she shouted.
He looked at her—his eyes unfocused, his breathing ragged.
"Nyra… get out of here."
The demon's jaw twisted, cracking back into place with a hiss.
It swung its arm—fast, brutal.
Nyra dodged once, twice—then the third hit sent her flying into the bleachers.
It turned back toward Natsuki. Its teeth only a few inches from the face Damon adored.
That was it.
Something in Damon's mind snapped.
There was no thought.
No logic.
Just the sound of her name echoing in his skull—
Natsuki.
He vanished. Reappeared midair.
And drove his fist straight into the demon's face.
The impact was blinding.
Flames scattered across the court as the creature tumbled through the parking lot, smashing through concrete and cars.
Damon didn't stop.
He followed, light gleaming from his fists, each punch faster, heavier, more desperate.
The demon tried to regenerate—but couldn't keep up.
Natsuki saw it from the corner of her eye—the flicker in his aura, the way his light had started to darken.
"Damon… stop…" she whispered.
He didn't hear her.
His speed grew.
His strikes blurred.
The air burned.
The creature's body began to melt under the sheer force of each hit.
When its roar finally cracked, it wasn't pain—it was fear.
Damon caught its arm mid‑swing, twisting until joints tore apart.
The sound echoed like thunder.
He didn't even blink.
Darkness leaked from the edges of his eyes, veins crawling across his temples.
His heart pounded hard enough to shake the air around him.
Hazel hovered in the distance, shouting through her communicator, her voice frantic.
"Your Majesty—if you do not grant me permission to use Eterna, your son will die!"
Silence on the other end.
Then Bravira's voice cut through—sharp, calm, cruel.
"If he cannot kill a low‑level, then he is not my successor."
Hazel's hands trembled.
"He's untrained! You can't—"
Bravira's tone was colder now.
"His father could destroy one at that age."
Hazel's breath caught.
"He only has his father's childly experience at a lower age, not strength at that age. Please—"
But before she could finish, the demon kicked Damon away, caught Nyra mid‑run, slamming her into the ground.
Rika's limp body rolled across the floor, heat still rising from her burned skin.
Hazel turned back to the portal projection, desperation breaking her voice.
"Majesty—please!"
Silence again.
Then finally—Queen Thessa's reply, barely above a whisper.
"No."
That one word froze the air.
Natsuki, bleeding and bruised, saw Damon's silhouette through the flames.
He was staggering—but still fighting.
Still standing.
And then she saw something else—his eyes.
The light was gone. Replaced by black veins crawling outward from his pupils.
"Damon…?"
He didn't respond.
He moved faster than sight, catching the creature's punch, twisting, breaking, ripping.
Then, Hazel saw it coming. It was too late.
"No—no, Damon, stop—!"
A portal behind the demon opened like a tear in space, Eterna reacting to his unstable rage.
The creature tried to retreat.
Damon caught it by the neck.
He didn't hesitate.
He punched it straight through the portal, vanishing with it in a trail of light and shadow.
The gym was silent.
Only the sound of Natsuki's breath remained.
She sat, trembling, staring at the hole he disappeared through.
Her chest rose and fell slowly.
Nyra staggering up grabs Rika "Earth cannot heal her." She faces Natsuki "We'll be back" as she jumped through the portal.
She pressed a hand to her heart.
"Please… come back."
Hazel gave a reassuring nod while forcing the portal from closing. She goes it.
On Woewyn, the sky cracked open.
A body fell through it—then another.
The demon hit first, its screeching form tumbling across the marble plains of the royal courtyard.
Damon followed, his fists crashing down with every blow.
The ground cratered beneath them, purple energy surging from each strike.
The Queen stood at the edge, silent.
Behind her, rows of soldiers and the royal tutors—Varnex, Thorpax, and his younger brother, Draven.
Each strike from Damon grew slower but heavier, until the last one drove the demon's skull into the ground, splintering the marble.
Then silence.
Damon stood over its corpse, his chest rising, veins dark.
When he finally let go, the remains of the demon turned to ash, scattering like dust in the wind.
He exhaled—a sound closer to a scream than breath.
Then he fell.
Hazel and Nyra emerged from the portal right after, Nyra clutching Rika's unconscious body.
The moment she saw Damon on the ground, she dropped the girl and stumbled forward.
"Brother—!"
Her foot hit the crater's edge.
Her body collapsed mid‑sentence, exhaustion catching her like a chain.
Hazel caught her before she fell completely, lowering her onto Damon's chest.
"Damon…" Hazel whispered, her voice trembling.
The Queen finally stepped forward, her cloak brushing against the marble.
Behind her, Thorpax's brother folded his arms. "He really loves that girl."
Varnex exhaled. "That's what you're focused on?"
Thorpax's voice carried a faint laugh. "Let him have some fun before he becomes like us."
Their words faded as the Queen stopped beside the crater. Her eyes—cold, silver, and unreadable yet proud— watched her son.
Nyra's hand rested weakly on her brother's chest. The small flicker of fire pulsed beneath her palm.
For a moment, the world seemed still.
Then Queen Thessa spoke, her tone low, the faintest trace of curiosity hidden beneath the frost. "This," she said, eyes fixed on Damon and the faint traces of blood leaking from his wounds, "is the beginning."
And the wind carried her words away, like it carried a prophecy.
End of Chapter 21 – The Weight of Fire