Written By: Epicstu Wyyvernwriter

Watching from a large monitor in a holding cell, “Your ‘The Blizzard’ is doing great,” Leon Aventis chuckled, as he paced the holding cell where he had Nid, Ranger, Wizard, Scoundrel, Gentleman, and House chained to the walls. “He promised me a good fight. I rooted for him. And this… This is what I get.”

“Keep watching,” said Nid.

Leon Aventis came close and pulled taught her necklace, “you still believe? He has no bottom jaw,” he laughed.

“Keep watching,” Nid repeated and Leon Aventis returned his attention to the screen.

*          *

“While you hang there dying is there anything you’d like to say to your believers before you become mine forever? Any last words to your Heaven, before I claim you both?” Searl put an open hand to his ear, “I’m listening,” he taunted. Edward responded with incomprehensible words under gurgling blood. Searl’s men laughed not just at Edward, but also at those who followed him. 

Zesrial could only watch. A single tear fell from her, but it was wiped away quickly by a gentle breeze. “I said, you should have killed me quickly,” Edward’s voice could be heard by all and all became silent. Searl took a step to turn around and heard the crunching of snow under his boot. He looked down to find the once hot dry ground was now covered in it. Winds roared over him as his gaze followed the ground to Edward’s severed bottom jaw just in time to watch it disappear into the Blizzard. It was not long before Searl could no longer see his own hands inside the raging storm. Whirling white snow smothered his light until the only illumination was the snow’s teal hue. Taking a few steps he bumped into something. The Blizzard cleared and Searl’s light shown again revealing an empty cross. Suddenly cheers filled the coliseum and Searl looked up to find his men gone and Edward’s people had been freed. Knowing Edward was right behind him, Searl turned around crashing his fist at full force into Edward’s gut. Falling to his knees Searl observed his bloody broken hand in disbelief. The bones in his for arm had broken and were sticking out the back off his elbow. Edward grabbed hold of them, twisted them loose, and pulled them out before smacking Searl over the back of his head with them to silence his cries. His right forearm a limp tube of of skin covered in armor, Searl, slowly returned to his feet. Edward ran him through the gut with his own bones, left them there, and held Searl by his armor’s collar. “It was foolish to make me suffer,” Edward had no visible injuries. No holes in his hands or feet and no broken jaw. “As long as I am alive, any suffering I endure makes me stronger. I will always get back up. I will always survive. You should have killed me quickly.”

Searl spat in Edward’s face before disappearing into blinding light, “I will not make that mistake again,” his voice echoed and the ground beneath Edward’s snow began to quake. 

Edward looked up to the bleachers, but Zesrial was gone too. His people cried out to him as the coliseum crumbled. “Iron!” he shouted and with a unified “Ram!” the Iron Ram Knights, led by Sarah Iron, came and got Edward’s people to safety as he held the shaking coliseum together refusing to allow it to fall until all his people had been removed from the danger. The great structure fell down upon him and then he was lifted up. A massive being like a man, but made of earth and stone, stood where the coliseum had been. With Edward Michael Dimir in one hand he brought the other down with a fist to crush him. Edward caught the mountain sized fist and with tremendous force pushed the giant’s hands away from each other. He leaped toward its face with an “Iron!…” but was smacked back down to the ground. The great being sought to crush Edward under foot and lifted its leg to strike, but Edward had already climbed to its head and, holding on to it with his six-inch retractable claws, brought the giants head down hard upon its own knee. As it reared back Edward, “Iron,” headbutted it to the ground. Then “Ram!” landed upon its face.

Watching Edward walk out from the clearing debris, “that was amusing,” Sarah commented.

“I am surprised you did not join in,” Edward replied.

“You looked like you had things covered,” Sarah rebutted. “Anything I can do? We can all help you now without irritating your brother or his plans.”

Edward could feel all the friends he had made from the start of his journey till this point. All of them were eager to follow him, “no,” he said unto them. “You are to do nothing but watch. Searl is mine.”

“Alright,” Sarah nodded her head in approval. Then she asked him, “why is that thing’s chest flashing red?”

Edward turned around and saw a great red light blink. It started out slow and then gradually flashed faster and faster until, “you have to be…” the entire realm was engulfed in an explosion.

*          *

“I did not want it to come to this.” Forged of his own light made metal a gauntlet replaced Searl’s entire right arm, “my hand has been forced.” Grasping Zesrial by the throat, “I need you now.” He slammed her down beneath himself, “you will synchronize with me one way or the other, and I will be your God.”