Tayo advanced through the shattered judicial plaza one deliberate step at a time, the crunch of broken marble beneath his feet the only sound in the haze. A thick gust of dust rolled over him like a wave, swallowing his vision entirely, but he kept walking—slow, unhurried, as if the chaos around him were nothing more than the early morning mist.
Inside the ruined hall, Sewth clutched his skull, head throbbing from the savage headbutt. His vision blurred; his eyelids sagged heavily as he fought to stay upright on his knees. Blood trickled from a split above his brow, flowing like a stream against his skin.
Then, through the swirling dust, a dark silhouette emerged—slow, predetor like ,stalking toward him.
Sewth's heart hammered. *What the hell is this ?* he thought as he could sense the danger that was slowing encapsuling him, forcing himself back to his feet. *It has to be him. The kid Damascus kept ranting about.*
The figure stepped clear of the dust.
Tayo.
The two boys stared at each other across the cracked floor, eyes locked, neither blinking.
"You're actually not the one I'm after," Tayo said, voice steady with confidence. "I was coming for Damascus's head."
Sewth gave a faint, crooked smile. "Looks like you'll have to make do with what you've got."
"As long as you keep me entertained," Tayo replied, grin sharpening, "it'll be fine by me!"
He never finished the sentence.
A flash of blue flame roared toward his face. Tayo twisted instinctively, swaying right, then surged forward in a blinding counterattack. He seized both of Sewth's wrists, trying to overpower him with raw strength.
"Do you really think brute force is enough to beat me?" Sewth shouted. A massive sphere of blue fire erupted from his mouth, engulfing Tayo's face in searing heat.
Tayo leaped back, desperate to escape the inferno, but before his feet touched ground a barrage of flames slammed into him—chest, arms, legs—each impact a thunderclap of agony. When the onslaught finally ceased, he dropped to one knee, staggering, smoke curling from his clothes.
Sewth cracked his knuckles, eyes wide with disbelief. "What kind of body do you have? Someone your age isn't supposed to withstand my flames. What are you, kid?"
Tayo pushed himself upright, brushing ash from his sleeves. "Compared to what I've faced, your flames are gentle."
Sewth barked a hysterical laugh. "Wow. You must have been through hell, then."
"Exactly," Tayo said, with a wild grin
"Taking you serious is inevitable then." Sewth's expression hardened. "So show me your curse and stop wasting my time."
Tayo tilted his head. "Curse? What's that?"
Sewth stared, genuinely shocked. "For real? You don't know what a curse is?"
"Curse or not," Tayo said, clenching his fists until the knuckles whitened, "I can beat you with these alone."
"You're serious."
"Damn right." Tayo's smile was all teeth.
Sewth's face darkened, but something almost like respect flickered in his eyes. "I see. Then I'll give it everything I've got. And if I fall, at least I'll know I went down swinging."
Blue flames exploded across the entire chamber, licking walls, ceiling, floor. Fire cloaked Sewth's body, growing hotter by the second. He extended both hands; the flames surged toward his fists, compressing into two searing orbs of concentrated firery fury.
"Hey," Sewth called, voice cutting through the roar of fire, "why do you fight? What drives you?"
Tayo didn't hesitate. "Right now? I'm definitely not compassionate like Sango, or honorable like Captain Rosewalt. Even Bachi's more selfless than me. I'm living for myself and myself alone. I'd choose my freedom over my life any day."
Sewth's eyes narrowed. "Then how will you ever die in peace?"
"That's far in the future," Tayo shrugged. "No reason to worry about it now. I live in the present."
He flashed a wicked grin. "So, Mr. Honor—why do you fight? You must have some noble reason."
Sewth's expression softened into something bright, almost joyful. "I fight for one person. And fighting for that person means I'm fighting for the entire world—because I can't protect him without protecting our whole world."
"That person must mean a lot to you."
"Yeah." Sewth's smile widened, proud and fierce. "He's my brother. And don't think I'm strong—he's far stronger. My flames don't burn half as bright as his will. When he finally blooms, the whole world will shake."
"I'd love to meet him one day," Tayo said, genuinely curious.
"Well, it was fun talking," Sewth replied, left fist now blazing with highly-compressed flame, "but I'm ready to end this."
"Let's end it," Tayo echoed.
They charged.
Fists collided in the center of the chamber with a deafening crack. The shockwave rattled the already-ruined walls, sending cracks spider-webbing across stone.
Sewth roared. His body erupted with even more heat; the floor beneath them began to glow, then melt. Walls blackened and slumped as marble turned to slag.
Tayo's fists held firm, unyielding.
"Hey, Sewth," he said quietly, voice somehow carrying over the inferno, "do you really want to go out like this? Come with me. We'll head to the Royal Capital—have some fun. Along the way, you can even introduce me to your brother."
Sewth's eyes glistened—sweat or something else, it was hard to tell. "I'd have loved to," he admitted, smiling wide despite the pain. "But I'm no traitor. Good or bad, this is the side I chose. Still… thank you for trying to reacb out to me but im too far gone."
The flames intensified beyond bearing. Burn marks blossomed across Tayo's skin; his hands charred, yet he refused to yield.
Then Sewth's fist broke through.
"I WON!" he shouted in triumph as the blow landed square on Tayo's face.
Tayo rocketed backward, crashing through the outer wall of the judicial plaza in an explosion of stone and dust.
Sewth stood alone in the molten ruin, chest heaving.
*So foolish of me,* he thought, a soft chuckle escaping cracked lips. *I never even asked his name… wait. He told me as he flew out.*
His body began to corrode—flesh blistering, bones showing through where his own flames had overtaxed him. He sank slowly to his knees, then to the ground, still smiling like he'd just completed a grand quest.
"Tayo," he whispered to the empty, burning hall, "you sure are a weird one. I really hope my brother meets someone like you someday. He'll be in good hands."
And with that, Sewth closed his eyes, the blue flames flickering out around him like dying stars.