Roaring Thunder

Chapter 5: Stronger (Part 2)

A gigantic fist thrusts at me. I jump backwards in time then dash. In lightning mode, I reach Dane instantly with a fist ready to strike. Dane has prepared for this and raises a black wall from the ground, blocking my punch. I follow up with another quick jab to his head but is deflected with his arm. He does a round-house kick and I duck, then step in with an uppercut which slightly grazes his chin. A second later, I notice the rising wave of shadow behind me.

'Got you.' Dane grins.

'Charge,' I mumble and the currents on my body amplify. It is only about a finger away from me when... 'Discharge.' A blinding flash of light engulfs the shadow as the currents disperse. Dane manages to roll away before the attack hit him. Immediately, I recharge and strike Dane with a variety of punches and kicks which he too counters with. It is a long fight. Punches getting pushed away and kicks being blocked. It is indeed a violent exchange of strikes that last for almost half a day before both of us call it a day.

'This is good!' Dane exclaims as he munches on the cookies Aquae bakes. Aquae simply smiles in response. Hex smiles and compliments on the cookies as well. I sit back in my chair, chewing the bread in my mouth. I stare at the ceiling.

'Rex?' I do not notice. 'Rex!'

I shake my head then, look at Hex. 'You called me?'

'What's in your mind?' He asks.

I shift my attention to Dane and ask, 'Those black wolves you summon, do they have souls of their own? And intelligence?'

Dane looks at me for a moment before answering, 'No, they don't. Why ask?'

'Well, there goes my hope.'

Aquae regards me with a suspicious look. 'Why are you trying to do?' She puts down her piece of bread onto the plate and stares.

I swallow the small chunk of break and reply, 'I am thinking of reviving Raijin.' Aquae's eyes widen before relaxing a second later. She shakes her head.

'Like what Dane said, those creations are merely our imaginations in their physical forms. There are no life or souls embedded into it. Give up, Rex. If it's possible to revive a dead god, this world would be littered with them.'

I rise from my chair and walk to the door. 'Well, thanks for telling me that. But... giving up is really not my style.' There is a surprised look on her face. I turn and leave the cottage.

Three weeks have passed since then.

'THUNDER FIST!' A deafening clap accompanying a violent earthquake, rouse the rest from sleep. They come hurrying out of the cottage to the nearby grass plain where the crater now lies at.

'What the-' Hex says.

The crater is now a massive hole with a who-knows-when end. I brush the soil off my tunic and greet them. Dane rushes over to my side and asks, 'You alright, Rex?'

'Yea, somehow.'

Hex joins in and says, 'You have brought your strength up to the next level, it seems.' And, taps me on the shoulder before having his eyes fixed at my hands. 'Your fist... Your knuckles. They are bleeding badly.' He is right. The skin covering my knuckles are torn and the flesh underneath are not in a good condition either with some bits of it scraped off.

'Some medication and bandages will do.' I assure him.

Aquae interrupts the conversation. 'It's time to depart.'

I nod agreeingly. If we are to stay any longer here, it is very possible that the other Holy Knights may encounter us here. Which indefinitely put Aquae on the wrong side for aiding our escape.

It is in the late afternoon when we finally take off from there. Hex stays behind with Aquae. After confirming that our distance from them are more than enough, Hex says, 'You can remove that mask now. They are gone.'

'You should too, then.'

'Nope. I have gotta go soon.'

'Already?' She asks.

'Yup. Duty calls. I have got to report my findings at the palace.'

'Rex and Dane included?'

Hex smiles then calmly says, ' Nah. I can make up some fallacious stories. No one will suspect a thing.'

Aquae smiles back. Her old lady face melts away into a puddle of water on the floor, and the wrinkles on the body do, as well. She now bears the look of a young woman in her twenties with her blonde hair hanging loose in the air. Slowly, she leans forward against Hex's chest.

'When will you kill them?' She asks.

'One day, my love.'

B-but, their meat are growing more tender and mouth-watering by the day. You got to-'

'Can't my sweet, little Unbeing be a more patient?' Hex teases her in a soft tone, his arms wrapping around her waist then, pulling her closer. 'Soon, you will have them.'