Chapter 150: Book 1 – Epilogue.

Nolan Salvatore took the strengths of the child made by the dragons. He felt incredible power surging through his body, allowing him to perform feats that weren’t possible for him. He was using the power of the wraith, to pass through the attacks that were being made by Ciara.

“You became a time wraith.”

“I had no choice. If I want to end my fate then I only have one choice, and that is to surpass you, and defeat you.”

“We can still talk this through.”

“No,” he shook his head. “There are no more words I am willing to lend.”

He blinked in front of Ciara. Ciara parried with the flat of her blade, and strike with her pommel. Nolan blocked, and pushed her with his sword’s guard. He was using the sword of the half-dragon.

“You should take me on,” he said. “I am going to kill you.”

“Can you?”

Nolan stroke his sword. The edge of the sword cutting Ciara’s cheek.

“I planned on it.”

Nolan thrusts his sword where her vitals were. She dodges and didn’t hesitate to bring out her might. However, Nolan blocked her, took out a bottle from his pocket, and smashed it on her torso.

“Anti-magic potion, rooting poison, wraith’s bane and devils subdue; you old me how those things can make you weak once in the many timelines. Fighting you isn’t fair, and that’s why I’m stooping this low to kill you.”

“I see, you really want to kill me, huh.”

“Do you understand? If so, then let us not speak!”

Nolan attacked his swing wasting no movements. Ciara countered, but she couldn’t pull her strength with the fluid that seeped on her body. She sliced the air and commanded her elements to levitate her away from Nolan.

“It pleases me to spar with you, but I shall leave now. The passage will be mine, and we can have our talk once you calm down.”

She was going to leave.

But she underestimated the desire of a man who wanted to kill.

“You always look down on me!”

Malice coated the words of Nolan, his sword wounded Ciara’s back, creating a wound on her back that trailed from her right shoulder to her left side of her hip. Nolan then gave her a roundhouse kick, dropping her to the shoreline of the island where the passage leading to the other realm was.

Nolan dropped down on her, stabbing his sword through her body. Ciara’s eyes widened, the thought of Nolan truly killing her had finally settled in. She couldn’t allow him to continue, she blasted him away, pulling out the elemental fire, and however, the fire that should have been summoned wasn’t there.

“The blade of Kaiser possessed the power to seal abilities, I know that you think of me as a joke, but you shouldn’t have turned your back on me while I have this. I understand that you think of me like an ant, but do not underestimate me!”

He swung his sword and aimed for her heart. Ciara sheathed the sword hanging on her waist, blocking, and parrying, countering as she could. Nolan, who had strengthened his body to fight her, was keeping up, his movement was not wasted, and his attacks were fierce. His soul was flickering, and the fire that burnt inside him was stronger than the fear that the War Maiden gave.

He was using the hesitation on her heart to kill her. He needed to land the killing blow while she was hesitating. But, Ciara was no fool, and noticing that he was going for it, she lunged back, changed her stance, and cleaved downwards. Nolan narrowly dodged, he stepped on her sword and struck her using the pommel of his blade. He turned his sword around and stabbed through her armor. Ciara leaped back, throwing her armor away, she redirected the blink attack and landed a kick on Nolan’s chest.

Nolan was flung back, his body rolling twice before he regained his balance. Ciara pounces, her sword cutting up the obsidian skin that covered Nolan like scales, she easily cut through and tried land a haymaker on Nolan. Nolan ducked and plunged her sword at her. However, she took a step sideward, and palmed the draconic blade of Kaiser, bending the blade.

Nolan moved his body, pivoting it towards Ciara, he made use of his borrowed strength, and with all the power that his wraith body could afford, he landed a blow on her face, smashing her face, causing her to be flung back violently, her body breaking through the giant tree that was on the island. Nolan blinked, his body appearing to where Ciara was. He was about to strike when she suddenly elbowed him on his ribs. He could tell something broke, he weaved through her blows and exchanged punches as well. Nonetheless, even though he had done some damage to her, the different was heaven and earth. A few attacks from her had caused Nolan to suffer greatly.

His body felt like it was being torn apart. He knew that if he didn’t seal her abilities, she would have destroyed him easily. It would end up in him losing, and that was something he refused to do.

Even if it meant breaking apart his body, and tearing his soul apart.

Nolan Salvatore roared, his body exerting all the power that he could.

To beat this woman and reach the sweet release of death.

To end this loop he was willing to do anything.

So he moved, not minding the pain that was breaking him up inside.

He ignored the pain, he threw all of his fears away as he continues this unsightly brawl.

Ciara didn’t give in, her senses focused, her hands moving to defeat this man who was after her life.

She had many reasons.

She wanted to save her family.

She would win here and take this man as hers.

That was all to it.

In the timelines that past, he had never opposed her. But now, he was fighting her, for the sake of being released.

Their bodies are broken, at the ends of the world, the greatest lovers quarrel was on its last stages.

“You!”

Nolan gave a straight punch right on her face.

Ciara cringed, twisting her upper body, she countered with a left jab.

Nolan didn’t back down, he took a step forward, grabs her collar, and smashed his forehead against hers.

Ciara took a blind swing.

Nolan blocked with his left arm and palmed her below the jaw. She gritted her teeth, took a step in, grab his wrist, turns him using his arm as a lever, tried to throw, but Nolan bent his legs, twisted his upper body, and wrapped his legs around her arm, intending to break it.

She threw him with the last of her strength, his body smashed hard on the floor. She attempted to slam her right foot down on torso.

He rolled from the side, and leap back, dashing again, tackling her.

His words were exhausted. She didn’t have anything to say.

Their fists hit hard, Ciara, however, was hitting harder than Nolan. She had the strength of a War god, while Nolan was compensating with the tricks he learned from his previous world and making use of the last of his soul as bonfire for this last battle.

He pulled his right arm back and struck Ciara right on her nose. He pulled back again and did another jab at her face. His face was stern, his eyes determined to end the woman that he loved most in this world.

This was the same woman he had chased for thirty years and loved for many timelines

This was the woman he loved more than anyone.

Yet, he didn’t hold back. No, it could be anger, it could be frustration, and it could be fury that all of his efforts were just nothing but a delusion. He didn’t think of holding back at all, nor did he have a reason to do so. He felt his heart breaking into pieces, like a piece of vase slowly breaking apart into tiny fragments.

“Fall already!”

“Never!”

Ciara caught his collar and slammed her forehead against his. She used her legs, and kicked his chest, flinging him away. She rolled forward and slammed her right elbow on his stomach.

Nolan didn’t breathe out, he caught her arm, pulled on her hair, and slammed his knuckles on her face. She didn’t falter, and slapped his right cheek, and hammered the back of her hand on his face.

Nolan’s eyes had a glint, his knee then smashing on Ciara’s gut.

He pushed her backward and mounted her. He raised his arm, and stuck it on her face, one, two, three blows came and she was snorting blood.

Ciara glared, she gave Nolan a right hook that shook his spirits for a second. That second alone was enough for Ciara to counterattack Nolan, landing four blows on his right rib, and a liver blow that ruptured a part of his organ.

Nolan clenched everything that he could clench, he spat on her eyes and landed a cheap blow on her throat. She couldn’t take in the air for a second, and so he landed five blows on her ribs, hoping to puncture her lungs. However, she slapped down his arms and landed multiple blows on his face and upper body.

Nolan did a blind swing, and she countered it with a left hook.

Nolan’s eyes dilated, his eyes went blurry for a second, before he crouched down, and rolled for the dagger that he threw when they arrived in this place.

Ciara had the blessings of a War God.

He was the fool facing a Goliath.

In a few exchanges of desperation, she has been slowly recovering. It was like all the unfairness that she has suffered was getting healed, while Nolan was struggling to properly see and regulate his breathing. He could only smell the blood pouring out of his forehead and inside his nose. His eyes were shaking, and his heart was slowly beating.

He can’t lose right now. He was not willing to lose. Even if he burns his soul to cinders, and even if he left it in tatters, Nolan Salvatore wasn’t willing to repeat the timeline of this world. He wasn’t willing to repeat this endless play that had been playing with her.

He wanted to end this prologue and move on. She was not willing.

Nolan advanced, his dagger targeting her vitals. She easily slapped the dagger away and slapped Nolan right in the cheek.

“It’s over, let us talk. I’ve recovered. You can never beat me.”

“I know, but you know me, I never give up. I never retreat even if it puts my soul into oblivion. You should of all people knows what I would do to reach my goals.”

“That’s right,” she said. “That’s why I’m putting a stop to this. Here I go, my Bleak Walker, let me put an end to this quarrel!”

She drew her blade of light. The same blade of light that she used earlier. It was refined, purposely made to kill a time wraith.

Nolan’s breathe hasten. However, he clenched his right hand, pouring the last fire that was dwindling inside his soul to manifest an obsidian sword. He was going to stake all of his life into this deathblow.

The two ran at the same time.

They pulled their arms back and thrusts forward.

Blood spurted, and the blade made of obsidian fell on the ground.

“You lost, my love,” she said. “I’m sorry, to save my family, I have no choice but to kill you, again.”

Nolan glared.

However, his eyes didn’t look at Ciara.

“You tried, didn’t you?”

The face of the woman who wanted to accompany him on that island spoke. Their time was short, yet it was sweet. He was sure that she only wanted to soothe a troubled soul, and even if it was a little. It allowed him to find a resolve to continue through this farce.

“I did,” he said to that woman. She turned to where the light was.

The fire that kept him alive grew dim.

He had no more words to speak.

Not to the War Maiden who was still on the top of the mountain.

***

Ciara stood alone inside the passage leading to the next realm. She could hear the static on the radio on her pocket.

“I will go ahead, have everyone move out, and secure this passage. Everyone must be prepared, this is a new realm.”

She turned the radio off and turned to the lifeless body that worked to fight her. He wasn’t breathing and his candlelight soul was wrapped by two souls. She could tell that they were glaring at her as if they want to protect the candlelight soul of Nolan.

“Why did it ended like this?” She said. “I was doing this for all of us, for you, and my family. Why do you have to be so stubborn?”

She took his body, carrying him within her arms.

“Even if we enter a new loop, you will lose all of your memories, and you will crumble. I cannot let that happen to you. So, forgive me, I have to do this to you.”

She caught the soul of Nolan and turned towards the passage leading to the realms. She could feel the abundant realm and the realms for the dead. She took his soul and blew air, letting the candlelight soul enter the passage leading to the next realm. The male soul who was with Nolan was turned into fuel, while the other soul managed to pass through without a problem.

Ciara Alician could see Nolan’s candlelight soul swim in the river of souls. Before she could lose sight of the soul, she whispered with resolve:

“I’ll find you again, Nolan, like I always do.”

She smiled, turning her back away from the passage, watching over her family’s airships that were nearing the island.

karsev