The air grew thick and heavy.
The moon shone its light through the long window on the right,
Casting both Kuro's and Thomas' shadows to one side
"Kuro..." Thomas muttered, eyes locked onto him
Kuro didn't say anything
He stood there, cold eyes glaring at Thomas
Neiher moved
Briefly, on the right, through the long window
Yellow specks began appearing in the sky, right in front of the moon
Kuro side-eyed the appearing lights
But he didn't say a word
Suddenly
Thomas groaned, clutching his belly.
He fell to his knees, clenching his jaw.
He stared at the cold, icy floor, vision blurring
Eyes unsteady
Drool began falling from his lips
Kuro watched from a distance
Black smoke began seepinh from Thomas' skin
Above him, a figure slowly formed from the smoke
A body of black smoke, empty eye sockets that burned like flames
It looked like an animal, a beast.
One of its front legs stood on Thomas' head, while the other just floated
Its mouth was partly open, a deep yellow glow coming from inside
Each time it breathed, the glow briefly grew brighter
Its hind legs weren't fully formed, its lower smoke body was fused to Thomas
A deep crack ran through one of the walls of the ice palace
It was melting.
The beast growled, like a predator that just found its prey
Despite this, Kuro was unfazed
"Argh!" Thomas groaned, fingers digging into the ground
Kuro smiled
"Good," Kuro said. "I refused to speak to your dog.''
"Enji," Kuro said, a smirk forming on his face
At the sound of its name
Another crack ran through the wall. Water began dripping from the roof
The beast growled louder, the glow rapidly getting brighter
Another part in the wall cracked. Thomas screamed louder
His right arm suddenly snapped, his bone sticking from his skin
Another snapped
His bones began shifting beneath his skin
Each time this happened, the beast shrank further inside Thomas
Suddenly
Shouts from outside below could be heard
"Oi! Flints incoming!" some guard shouted
Then
BOOM
Kuro turned to look
Flames began raining from the sky.
Some of the Ashkari rocketed downward to the ground like missiles.
The whole building began to shake as everything below began to glow with yellow and blue colors
Kuro clenched his teeth and hissed, turning toward Thomas
He was already halfway standing, heads low
Red, ancient marks glowed on his skin
"You see, Kuro?" Thomas said, his voice slowly fading into Enji's
"We can never be one." he said, voice completely transformed
He raised his head, ancient tattoos covering his face
Smoke emanated from his skin
"Come, Enji," Kuro said calmly
At the same time, the two took a step forward
Their feet cracked the ice-made floor
The two vanished, appearing in the middle
Both their fists cocked backward
Before they could clash, Kuro shouted
"I'll exterminate you all!"
LEO'S POV
Another prisoner in a nearby cell had just dropped dead.
Blood slowly leaked from their lips, their eyes rolled back
Everyone was screaming
Leo woke up instantly. His eyes scanned for the source of the screams
The first thing he saw was a guard, slowly freezing a chained prisoner
The guard's smirk never faltered
Then another body fell lifeless to the floor
Another was just speared four times
His breathing grew faster and faster
His heart pounded against his chest
Autumn was in her cell, pulling against the ice chain trapping her
A prisoner desperately tried to summon his flames
For a second he felt it- the warmth he almost forgot.
He smiled
But
It looked like nothing more than a candle between his palms
He froze, smile fading, eyes flickering.
A finger slowly poked his chest, slowly the prisoner turned.
He didn't react. He looked back at his dying candle flame
A single tear ran down his cheek
BOOM
The ice bomb detonated in his chest
Leo tugged against his chains, but they were double-strapped
Every time he saw another fall, he pulled harder
Teeth grinding
Briefly he kept glancing at Autumn,
She was safe.
For now.
He pulled harder, but it just wouldn't budge.
Then
A guard locked eyes with him. It was the same guard who exploded the other prisoner's chest.
A huge grin appeared on the guard's face
Leo pulled harder. The chain barely squeaked
The guard began moving toward Leo. Blood from another prisoner splashed on his face.
He didn't care
Immediately-
The guard entered the cell, the ice prison shrinking away almost automatically
"You're the ugly freak I heard about," the man said
He wasn't even blinking. His grin never faltered
"I'll enjoy killing your friend just as well," the guard added
That did it
Adrenaline flooded through Leo's system. His heartbeat became faster and steadier
Instantly, the chain holding his right hand snapped
The guard didn't realize. Calmly, he rested his finger on Leo's chest
His heart began to contract, but it never failed.
His heart pumped normally
A confused look slowly formed on the man's face
He looked at Leo.
He was calm.
"Big mistake," Leo said.
Before the guard could blink, Leo grabbed the man's throat
Raising him with one hand, Leo didn't even wait
He just squeezed, feeling bones and cartilage crumble between his fingers
The guard went limp
Leo struggled slightly, and all the ice constructs shattered.
Just two of the chain circles remained around his ankles
Leo walked out of the prison while rubbing the back of his neck
The guards stopped instantly. All eyes were locked onto Leo.
Their eyes traveled to the guard lying limp behind him
Eyes wide, his throat crushed completely
"Leo," Autumn called softly
A guard was just at her door
He could feel his chest tightening. It didn't explode.
Leo's breath hitched slightly. Slowly, his face began to harden.
He charged
No one had to give an order. All the guards turned to attack.
Spiked ice was being fired at him. Most crumbled on impact
He grabbed the guy at Autumn's prison cell, using him as cover
The other guards didn't stop as they shot their own teammate
Leo threw the guard toward another
"Look out!" A prisoner shouted
Leo turned. One of the guards had just materialized from snow behind Leo
A dagger constructed by ice was in his hand
Leo twisted to the right, dodging the man's downward slash
He followed up quickly by shoving the man in the chest
He could feel the guard's ribs crumble under the pressure
The guard slammed into another cell
Leo turned to attack the rest
But they were gone
He turned to Autumn's cell. He gripped the bar and pulled
The whole cell entrance gave way. He stepped inside, ripping her chains off
She didn't say anything. Just stared.
She closed the gap, hugging him.
"T-thank you," she said
Her body was cold, trembling slightly.
Mid-hug, a warm wet sensation dripped onto his arm
Twice
Leo looked upward.
The roof was severely cracked.
Water dripped from it
"I think we need to go, now," Leo muttered.
The building was shaking. Tiny explosions could be heard outside.
The two turned to exit the cell
"Hey, don't leave us here. Please!" a slave shouted
Leo looked at the four remaining who were still alive
He quickly destroyed the cells and chains that bound them
The slaves stepped out of their cells
The six grouped at the center of the room
One of the slaves looked at Leo
"I'm sorry I treated you unfairly," the slave said
"You're a good guy."
The slave bowed slightly
He never got to stand up, though.
A giant explosion rattled the palace. Instantly, the walls crumbled.
Blue and orange energy seeped into the crumbling room
Violently washing over them
The sudden change was quick.
At one point it was freezing cold, then boiling hot.
The whole palace crumbled
The last thing Leo saw was huge chunks of rock falling on top of him
End