The Phantom Riser

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE - MY CHILD

“Break,” Kiro said. His tone was imposing. A command that Kelleher had no power against. His body acted against his own will. One by one, they moved in the most awkward of ways, like a human transforming into a werewolf. The excruciating pain of having every bone in his body break one after the other soon became unbearable. He yelped. There was no way to contain the torment that didn’t seem to end any time soon. Revik tried to speak against it. Kelleher was his enemy, but he wasn’t a fan of t*****e. There was no honor in it. He rose his hand to beckon to Kiro, but the glance that followed prompted him to drop his hand immediately. In his eyes was death itself!

“Reassemble,” Kiro said. His tone was unwavering and his eyes; dead set on Kelleher. He didn’t blink for even a second. He was not letting Kelleher out of his sight for even a moment’s worth. Not until he was through with him. Kelleher’s broken bones came together in the same manner that they had separated. There was a reason he said to reassemble and not heal. Because he wanted it to as painful for him as possible. He would grant him absolutely no repose. Kelleher was a lot tougher than expected. Well, he was a Ranger after all. His pain tolerance was ridiculously high. Kiro wasn’t just trying to kill him. He wanted to break his spirit. But Kiro was far from successful in that regard. Kelleher was still pretty much himself. It was a testament to all the things he had gone through. The pain was nothing new. Painful as it was, he would get over it just like he did with the others. That realization only infuriated Kiro even more. How could he still remain so calm? What could he do to make him hurt without killing him? He thought breaking him to bits would do the trick. All that pain achieved was force Kelleher to sweat with the occasional scream. Nothing forthcoming came after that.

“Break,” Kiro said once more. If it wasn’t enough the first time, it was only a matter of time before it worked the treat. Kiro continued the cycle of break and reassemble so many times that Revik lost count. Finally disgusted by Kiro’s actions, he put a hand on Kiro’s shoulder. He understood the pain he felt. But he was turning into a monster. If this was what he risked his life to defend, he would rather join Kelleher before he became any worse. It was important that Kiro proved that he was worth protecting, rather than giving his enemies every reason to keep chasing after him, or revalidating whatever fears they had of him.

Kiro stared at him with contempt. Why was he trying to stop him? If he had done his job well, they wouldn’t have been in this situation. But rather he decided to show up fashionably late. Did he think he was some sort of superhero or something? He was also to blame that Karenia was dead. If only he had gotten there sooner. Or if he had found Kelleher before they even crossed paths. He was a Beast type but he could track down an enemy. An appalling sight. A sight that was not befitting to be before a king. Begone, foul sight! “Move,” Kiro said.

Revik was pushed far away by a tremendous force. It took some time to get to his feet. But he knew better than to approach Kiro in his current state. Kelleher looked like he would pass out at any point. It was a miracle he was still conscious. His tenacity was actually quite impressive. But while Revik thought the worst was before him, an even more terrifying aura resonated. It was difficult to pinpoint where exactly it was from but the Mesh was being ripped to shreds by its presence alone. Slowly, the energy seemed to diminish as the Mesh slowly regained its original form. It was still a bit shaky, but at least it stood.

From a distance, Remi appeared. In a second, she closed the distance between herself and Kiro and placed her hand on Kiro’s chest. At that moment, Kiro found himself unable to move. He was wide-eyed like he had seen a ghost. He recognized who she was. But why was she there? Remi of the Eight, came personally to stop him. If she wanted to kill him, he’d be dead already. So, if she wasn’t there to kill him or kill his enemies, then why did she come? Why did she show her face after the damage had already been done! It was already too late!

“Out of my way!!!” Kiro yelled. A large force blew at Remi. Her hair was scattered all over her face but she didn’t move a step. Her hand was still well on Kiro’s chest. She arranged her hair before attending to Kiro. “I might have toned down my ability significantly to be able to stay here but know your place. The fact that use command spells shouldn’t get to your head. Now, rest my child,” she said.

Kiro went to sleep in an instant. A deep trance he was in but Remi caught him before he fell. She looked at an exhausted Kelleher. He dared not to stare at her. He couldn’t move a step from where he was. “You have a job to do, and I’m in your way right now. What are you going to do about it?” she asked.

He fell into a bow. “I shall do as my lady commands,” he said swiftly.

She watched him for a few seconds. “Leave. And please, leave him alone too. You might not know it, but I’m doing you a favor. If you need help, let me know. I owe you one for sparing him.”

“My lady, you are entitled to whatever you wish for. You owe me nothing.”

“Don’t be an i***t. You won’t get such an offer again,” she snapped.

“You are too kind,” he said. Revik helped him up as he slowly walked. He felt pain in every step he took. It would take months before he fully recovered. Or it would have.

“Heal,” she said to him. Kelleher felt the pain slowly disappear and his injuries vanish. He was speechless. Whatever he said after that, Remi paid no heed to. She only had her attention fixed on Kiro. “What exactly are you up to this time, Aaron?” she said.