Humanity's Hero Of Despair

The room's last working light flickers, exposing the Emperor of Light's cold, unforgiving eyes.

He wears a twisted expression of satisfaction on his face. It's like he's enjoying our suffering to the max. My hand struggles against the floor as I try to lift myself up from the ground in desperation.

Nothing is working. It's up to my sister and friends now to save us.

Ignis lays sprawled on the ground, breathing slowly, barely conscious. Leena and Matteo kneel next to him, their faces a mix of rage and grief. He has sacrificed so much already. More than any of us could ask for in someone. I can see in Leena's and Matteo's eyes the same resolve I feel. We will do whatever it takes to get revenge, to kill the Eradicator.

Even if it costs our lives.

The emperor smirks at us, his body glowing brighter. He knows Ignis has used every bit of his magic. The emperor also knows that I am all out of magic as well. The Emperor of Light is ready to strike again at anybody who defies him. Although injured, he remains immensely powerful.

"You all are nothing compared to the power of light," the emperor taunts us, gesturing for one of us to attack him. "These two couldn't defeat me, much less that traitor of an Eradicator who I killed just a little ago. What makes you think you all can?"

Maura glances at me with a worried expression.

She knows the emperor is referring to Justus. My friends all look at each other and me. A silent understanding falls between all of us. Leena and Matteo stand up from the floor and nod at my sister to speak on behalf of them.

"We are more than you think. You will find that out soon!"

With a sharp cry, she launches herself at the emperor, her twin swords of darkness cutting through the air. The emperor creates his shield of light, which prevents my sister's swords from penetrating it. My sister continues her whirlwind of slashing at the shield of light to prevent giving the emperor an opening.

Zephyr sneaks into the emperor's blind spot. "Take this!" he shouts as wind bursts forth from his wand. The force of the wind temporarily makes the shield of light flicker, as the emperor is not very prepared for it. The wind makes the emperor lose balance temporarily.

Matteo seizes the opportunity presented by this vulnerable moment, swiftly intervening with his fist ablaze. He stands in front of my sister, blocking off her barrage of attacks. He shouts so loudly that everybody around us can hear him. "Seventh Affinity Level Magic, Dragon Punch!"

His fist full of flames turns into the shape of a fire dragon which collides with the Eradicator Emperor's stomach, making him temporarily have the wind knocked out of him. This moment of victory isn't long-lived as the emperor grabs Matteo's head, lifts him up from the floor, and chucks him to the side like a rag doll into the wall.

This amount of strength shouldn't exist.

"I'm sorry…," Matteo wheezes out as he coughs up blood. "I just wanted… revenge."

"It's okay. We will avenge you," my sister says as she takes advantage of the emperor looking at Matteo.

Slash!

It isn't huge, but my sister's sword of darkness makes a gash into the emperor's side. A few drops of yellow blood drip out from the emperor which frankly looks disgusting. The Eradicators aren't just superhumans; they are monsters who altered their biology by consuming too much power and giving in to the element's will.

The Eradicator Emperor staggers back, his face a combination of anger and a little bit of fear. It's the first time I see him look afraid or not invincible. Like all things, this is temporary. The emperor roars out loud, causing more light to pour out of himself. I turn my head away from the light since I am still exhausted, lying on the floor.

When my face turns back around, the emperor's longsword of light slams into both of my sister's twin swords of darkness. Maura turns to look at Leena, who is gathering her fire magic. "Leena, do it now!"

"Flaro! Flaro! Flaro! Flaro!" Leena yells out in anger. Huge fireballs emerge from her wand, being shot at the emperor one by one. My sister jumps to the side to avoid being hit.

"AGHHH!" the emperor screeches as the fireballs hit him with point-blank range. The fireballs upon impact on the emperor cause smoke to fill the air. Some fireballs land behind the emperor, setting the house on fire. We have to end this quickly, otherwise we will all be consumed by the flames.

I have a feeling those fireballs didn't kill the emperor.

Sadly, I am right.

The Emperor of Light gets up from the floor and dusts himself off. The fireballs indeed affected him, but not enough to keep him down. Zephyr and Leena join hands together, their elements combining. My eyes widen at the sight. I have never seen this. Both of them raise their free hands together with their wands, pointing at the emperor. Both elements of fire and air are in harmony.

"Eight Affinity Level Magic, Tempest Blaze!" they shout out together.

Fireballs encased with wind emerge from their wands. They launch them quickly at the emperor. This time, the emperor attempts to stop their attack with his shield of light. The shield blocks the fireballs, but not without damaging it significantly. The wind strikes encased around the fireballs make the shield break and cause the emperor to be knocked back, making him fly across the room right into the kitchen.

Leena and Zephyr give each other a high-five. It seems like the technique worked fine. They are getting quite comfortable with each other, I might add.

"We will be back for you soon, Nico and Ignis," Leena says to us as she goes with Zephyr and Maura into the kitchen to continue fighting with the emperor. The sounds of the battle fade slightly as the conflict moves further away from me.

As the sounds of fire, darkness, and light clash on with each other, I claw my way toward Ignis. The fiery light in his eyes is fading. I force myself to sit up and lean against the wall with him. He is about to fall sideways onto the ground. I catch him before he falls all the way.

His head rests on my lap, his breaths coming in more shallow, each one softer than the last. The debris of war covers his skin. His eyes fighting for life lock onto mine. Near me, Matteo is slumped against the wall, silent sobs shaking his body, unable to come to terms with his dying brother.

Across the room, my sister, Leena, and Zephyr battle the emperor. The air fills with blinding light and raw magic. My sister's origin magic rips through the air, illuminating the room with a rainbow of shifting colors, casting a fleeting celestial glow over Ignis's face. In the light, he seems almost at peace, as if the warmth washes away the pain for a moment.

A scream shatters the room as the emperor falls, breaking apart into dust. Outside, cheers erupt as the Eradicators vanish in waves melting in the air like shadows at dawn.

Ignis's gaze holds mine. His voice is barely above a whisper.

"Did…we win?"

I swallow hard, my vision becoming blurry. "Yes," I murmur, my voice breaking. His eyes close and his lips soften into a final, gentle smile. With a quiet breath, he is gone.

I don't even hear the footsteps of my friends approaching me as I hug the corpse of my fallen friend while crying. There one moment, gone the next.

Why does this have to happen to us?