CH 30 Summary: Arcane's army arrives at Castla nu Craara, and the final battle for Justice begins...
And now... Aerobolt confronts the tyrant of his past for the very last time... in Chapter 31 of my first book... ...Only one chapter left until it is all over... stay tuned for the finale!
______________________________________________________________________
The Guardians of Life: Justice (Book I)
Chapter Thirty-One-
Justice

The Crossroads of Caslta nu Craara were eerily quiet when Aerobolt went into them. It was much darker than usual. Aerobolt realized almost immediately why. The fountain had stopped spouting its beautiful divine waters. Aerobolt knew that there could be only one reason. Arcane was here. But where was he? Aerobolt looked at the once beautiful fountain, as even the waters that pooled at the bottom lost their lustrous shine. The sounds of the battle outside were muffled enough to be almost unnoticeable, but Aerobolt could pick out a scream or two. Aerobolt began to circle the majestic fountain in the circular room. Is Arcane here at all? He had to be. Where else could he be?
Aerobolt began to think of his entire past. How he was forced to live in Hydyraen, forced to live a life that he was never meant to take part of. He thought of all the pain he endured there, all the paranoia, all the hate, everything. Then he began to think that all of it was Arcane’s fault, and that Aerobolt was not the only one hurt by his misplaced life. He’s also hurt the two thousand Guardians who lived here. He has hurt Fielra, Thor, his father Salamander, and most importantly, he hurt Shade. That was something Aerobolt could never forgive Arcane for. It was time for his revenge. Right here, right now.
The walls of Crossroads shook violently. There was more screaming outside. Aerobolt assumed someone created an explosion of some kind. He hoped it was caused by one of his allies. So far the Guardians appeared to have an advantage, but Aerobolt was not sure they still have it. Whatever happens, the battle will never end until either he or Arcane is killed. Aerobolt was too determined to let that evil vulpine get the better of him again. Just like Isrir, Aerobolt will overpower and destroy him. No one will get in the way of his life anymore. He thought that over and over as he circled the fountain, beginning to think maybe Arcane was not here. Or was not here yet.
Aerobolt thought of everyone he’s met so far in Castla nu Craara. He wondered of all of them, if any of them have been killed in this fight. He didn’t like to think of that. It made it worse when Aerobolt realized that they were all fighting for him, dying for him. That made his stomach twist up in guilt. Were these deaths his fault, he wondered? He shook his head and denied it. No. It was Arcane’s fault, not his.
Aerobolt had been waiting inside Crossroads for several minutes. Each minute that passed, he was tempted to go back out in the fray outside. What if Arcane had anticipated him waiting here? What if Arcane was outside killing his friends? Aerobolt felt tears forming in his eyes when he thought that. Of course Arcane is probably doing so… Aerobolt hoped the dastardly leader was just looking for him, as Aerobolt was earlier. Each minute that passed by amplified Aerobolt’s paranoia further. Aerobolt decided he had enough and looked outside. He gasped. The battle was evenly matched, but both sides have lost hundreds by now. Only two-thirds of each army remained. That was about two thousand deaths. How many more is this battle going to see before Arcane is dead? Aerobolt then began to think that Arcane was stalling for time so that more and more Guardians are killed. Oh that crafty reynard. Aerobolt turned around back inside and saw the familiar cape and scars. He nearly fell over in fright.
“This fountain is beautiful isn’t it? Did you know this fountain was more than just the inauguration place for the Guardians?” Arcane asked calmly as he stroked the rim of the fountain.
Aerobolt’s first reaction was sending hatred flying at Arcane. Arcane dodged with a flick of his head.
“Now, now, we shall have time before our fight, but for right now, listen to your superiors, Aerobolt,” he said, completely unfazed. Here we go again with the arrogance, Aerobolt had thought as Arcane went on. “As I was saying, this fountain is more than just any of that. This fountain is the Commander of Life itself. And it will be mine, the waters so pure can grant me infinite power…”
“Iridescence will never grant her powers to the likes of you!” Aerobolt snarled furiously. Oh how he hated this fox. Oh how he wished he could just kill him right now. Instinctively, Aerobolt fired more negative emotion at Arcane’s face. This time he didn’t dodge; he absorbed it! Like it was nothing! Aerobolt gasped.
Arcane sniffed and took a deep breath. “Ah, the negative emotions you have had in your life are so strong and overpowering indeed. Too bad I love seeing pain and inflicting it, otherwise I would be dead right now. No. One whose soul is made of nothing but darkness can withstand Hyda nu Crarara…”
Aerobolt felt his heart pacing faster. Arcane was immune to Hyda nu Craara? Aerobolt began to lose more hope over his situation when Arcane continued. “Hahaha! You do not know what can vanquish me, do you? While I know what will end you… Your paw pads… they are red, are they not?” Arcane pointed to them on Aerobolt’s handpaws. Aerobolt growled. Arcane laughed more. “You simply will never defeat me… Darkness was always meant to rule over Nyethra. Embrace our new world or… die like your fellow comrades outside?” he said ominously soft.
“If you continue piling Darkness like that, the imbalance is only going to get worse and destroy Nyethra! Taking you and me with it! There won’t be anything to rule, you fool!” Aerobolt cried.
“Insolent cub! I do not care about the fate of Nyethra as long as Darkness makes everyone suffer for what they did to me. Justice never existed for me, so why should it exist for anyone else? I never understood why a concept such as justice become so hypocritical as to decide who’s guilty and who’s not without any evidence!” Arcane hissed.
“The evidence was in your actions, Arcane,” Aerobolt said flatly.
“Oh? And my actions are a crime? I am not quite as iniquitous as you think. Sure I am eliminating Justice, but it is for the sake of justice. I never had any, so is it justified for others to have it in my stead?” Arcane looked at the fountain again. “Yes… a new Nyethra with no Justice… a land where all is meant to be purely fair, or unfair, and not a mix of both…”
“You’re insane!” Aerobolt shouted.
“Am I? And whose fault was that? This damn citadel and their pathetic foxes are at fault. Especially Nova. Especially our mother,” he snarled the last word.
Aerobolt shook his head. “It was your fault for having such beliefs that simply are not right for this world. They showed you what would happen if your beliefs were to be enforced, so why didn’t you change?”
“Why should I change who I am to please what others want from me? It is my belief to stand up for what I think is right, despite what others think!” Arcane spat.
“That is exactly what I am doing now, what I did before. I ran away from Hydyraen to live here. I believe it is right to live here away from you!” Aerobolt yelled.
Arcane laughed again. “Don’t be so foolish, brother.”
“I could say the same thing to you, brother.”
“You know what that means though? To have our beliefs clashing with one another’s like this?”
“One of us has to die.”
“Precisely. It is my duty to subject Nyehtra unto iniquitous ruination. No matter what happens to me or everyone else on this land,” Arcane said.
“And it is my duty to protect and preserve justice, as well as protect all of Nyethra to any and all threats to its condition and all who live upon it!” Aerobolt called.
Arcane slammed his paw onto the fountain and it immediately turned black. The earth began to shake instantly. “I have already contaminated the Commander of Life haha! It will only take minutes for the imbalance to spread to all of Nyethra, and no one shall face justice ever again. It won’t matter if you kill me! I have already won!”
Aerobolt was looking for an opportunity to launch Arcane into the fountain to expose his Bane, but Aerobolt wasn’t sure when or how he was going to do so. Whatever it was, he had to act now. Taking one bold charge, he ran right at Arcane at full force to body slam him into the fountain. Arcane realized what he was doing a second too late. As Arcane dodged to his left, Aerobolt turned his right elbow and knocked him back before giving him a great shove into the Iridescent Waters. Arcane’s scream was immediate. Aerobolt knew the Goddess was making him suffer rather than imbuing him with her powers. Aerobolt smiled when Arcane jumped out of the pool laughing.
“You stupid fool! I now have the Guadians’ power of… wait. Where is it!? Has that Goddess forsaken me too!?” Arcane wailed.
“Have you seen the error of your ways yet, brother?” Aerobolt asked softly, trying to get a look at his paw pads.
“What error!? My beliefs are right and true! I won’t let anyone stand in my way! Not even that spiritual being!” Arcane cried. Then he shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what this Goddess wants. I will always win in the end. She has not sapped the powers that I was already given… and with them, I shall kill you!” Arcane raised a paw to hit Aerobolt with a Force. Aerobolt saw it. The white pads. The ultra rare Bane. Light. Arcane fired off his attack as Aerobolt gaped at his paws. Aerobolt noticed too late and took it clean to the left shoulder. Aerobolt cried out and fell backwards. He looked up at Arcane, who was already about to attack him. Aerobolt quickly got out of the way as the marble that was immediately under him was shattered. He scrambled to the right, behind the fountain from where Arcane stood. Heart pounding in his throat he wondered what he should do next. Arcane was so powerful; Aerobolt found himself doubting his power again at the wrong time. He was gasping when Arcane called from behind the fountain, “Oh brother! Come out and play!” he said in such a creepy songlike voice, it sent shivers up and down Aerobolt’s spine.
Aerobolt knew he had to do something. He turned around he statue and concentrated Light and fired it at Arcane’s form. Arcane dodged it.
“Is that the best you can do!? You are a lot weaker than you think!” he roared. Arcane whipped around and shot what looked like and arrow of pure fire out of his paws. It crackled and burned as it flew past Aerobolt, barely singing his nose tip. The soreness from where the lightning scraped it came flaring back even stronger. Aerobolt smelled blood. His own, he knew. He looked back at Arcane and briefly thought.
‘Damn it! I am too weak with Light! I won’t be able to overpower him!’
Aerobolt and Arcane exchanged Light and Fire for who knows how long, before Aerobolt eventually tired. Arcane was just too strong. Aerobolt couldn’t hold up much longer. Several times their Forces hit the fountain and chipped it. The gorgeous Iridescence in the center was becoming more unrecognizable. Aerobolt wanted Arcane to pay for it, but knew he was getting to weak to continue.
“I shall force you to see my ways! I shall force you to see the Darkness!” Arcane yelled, not even breaking a sweat. Arcane’s power changed. Now he was firing off black fire that hissed eerily as it flew past where Aerobolt stood milliseconds prior. Aerobolt couldn’t keep this up; he knew he had to fight back or keep dodging until he was too exhausted to move.
“I already have seen the Darkness Arcane! It is you who needs to see the Light!” Aerobolt shouted with exhaustion plaguing his voice. He fired off a brilliant flash of bright light that only lasted an instant. Arcane yelled, blinded temporarily. Now was his chance! Aerobolt ran up to the Arcane covering his eyes, and tackled him to the ground. From there, Aerobolt pounded his face with his fists, reinforced by the positive thinking and determination that made up his Forces of Light. Arcane wasn’t yelling, why wasn’t he screaming in pain!? That was what Aerobolt was wondering as he continued beating up his old leader relentlessly. Arcane’s nose broke severely and blood poured from it like a river out of a cave. It wasn’t long until Arcane finally regained his ability to move, and suddenly, Aerobolt was under his footpaw.
Blood pouring out of his nose and landing onto Aerobolt’s arm, warm and sticky, and ominous, Arcane spat, “Remember this? Remember being in this position when you first met Shade? Remember how she came to your rescue? Remember when Isrir did this to you again? Remember how you used the sun to repel him? Well guess what? There is no help here. You are alone and helpless… at my nonexistent mercy.”
Aerobolt put his handpaws to his footpaw and tried to pry him off. That only made him step harder. Aerobolt looked up at him with a furious glare. No way he was going to let Arcane get the better of him here. Not here. Not now. Not ever. He growled low and furious. He refused to be helpless, yet Aerobolt couldn’t help but agree with him this time. There really was nothing he could do other than try to fire off another Force, but Arcane will detect it right away and block it. Arcane stepped harder down into Aerobolt’s chest, making him cry out in pain. He heard his ribs beginning to crack, and he knew if he didn’t do something now, he’d die right there. He looked around the Crossroads best he could for an answer, but found none.
“Use your strength… our strength…We are with you… Arrabalta…”
That voice! That time Aerobolt knew it was Iridescence. The Goddess hasn’t left him. She was granting him her strength. No. Aerobolt remembered that he wasn’t strong alone, but strong when he discerned his rightful place. His rightful place… He knew he would be powerful if he knew what he was fighting for. What was he fighting for? Not his life. Not for revenge. Not for the Guardians either. It could only be one thing…
Aerobolt gave a furious roar and lurched upward suddenly. Suddenly enough for Arcane to temporarily lose balance and Aerobolt gain his back. Arcane got his back before Aerobolt could do anything, however. Arcane was staring at him, his red eyes almost unreadable.
“What compels you to continue fighting even when there is no hope for you? I do not understand your actions, brother.”
“As long as I still stand, brother, I shall always defend what I need to defend. I do not care who stands in my either,” Aerobolt said in a low voice.
Arcane shook his head. “Why must you refuse my demands and submit to the Darkness?”
Aerobolt smiled.
“What is the matter with you, brother?” Arcane seemed genuinely confused.
“Well it’s just that,” Aerobolt began shakily, “I remember hearing someone say that I should always defend myself. That I should always take charge of it all myself. To become the authority. Isn’t that what I am doing now, sir?” Aerobolt smiled.
Arcane blinked. Clearly he had no sufficient counter to that. “Even when all I say is clearly true?” he flustered.
Aerobolt laughed a little. ”Especially because of what you claim is right.”
“I have already decided that this time I will win. No one is going to “protect” what is rightfully mine to control,” Arcane said.
“Hehehe… You are running out of things to say, Arcane. What’s the matter? Finally beginning to realize what you are doing is wrong?” Aerooblt taunted.
“Silence fool!” Arcane hissed.
“I will never be silenced as long as you are still alive!” Aerobolt retorted, remembering what Shade had said.
“I said silence!” Arcane snarled.
“And I say no. You are going to die today, Arcane. I will make sure of it,” Aerobolt pressed on fearlessly.
“What happened to those days of being a pacifist? What made you think you should fight? Especially against what is right for Nyethra?” Arcane demanded.
“You did Arcane. You did. You tried to warp me and force me to fight for you. You tried to change everything about who I was. You succeeded. But it backfired on you worse than you could ever imagine,” Aerobolt said quietly. “You tried to change my morality… but you failed that. And therefore…” he looked over to the pool in the fountain.
Arcane moved first. He was far from done yet. Suddenly the room grew even darker. “If I cannot make you suffer, then I will just kill you right away. Seeing your eyes open with no life will give me so much joy… Oh spirit of Aerobolt Nova Arrabalta, I command thee to abandon thy host and never return!”
Aerobolt remembered. The dream he had a few nights ago where Arcane spilled out what looked like liquid darkness all over the ground. He remembered how agonized his face looked just as it swept over his paws. Aerobolt knew then and there that Arcane was about to do it for real this time. Aerobolt had to react fast. Aerobolt saw that Arcane’s footpaws were covered by a liquid yet gaseous dark aura. Aerobolt looked over to the Iridescent Fountain. He knew what he had to do. He just hoped the almighty Goddess would forgive him. He shot the Fountain with the first Force that came to his mind, Wind, and the stone containing the holy waters cracked apart. The water spilled everywhere before Arcane could cast his deadly darkness everywhere and gave Aerobolt the insurance he needed to take the advantage.
“The powers of Justice I call forth from the lost realms of which this tyrant had chased you away!” Aerobolt exclaimed without any of his intention. Arcane looked at him in shock and saw the Iridescent Waters pooling around their paws. “Iridescent Waters I beseech you to call forth Justice and purify the one that deserves your divine retaliation!” Aerobolt’s paws were encased in the bright light that the waters gave him. Being in these waters, this pure power of the Guardians, gave him exactly the power he needed to call forth Justice just as Iridescence proclaimed he would so long ago. It was time! Now was the time to fulfill the Prophecy! Now was the time for Justice! Now was the time for freedom! Aerobolt didn’t realize how bright the whole scene became, because he himself became the light. Arcane backed away, trying to find a solution to the problem, muzzle gaping in fear. Fear. An emotion that Arcane never knew, and all Aerobolt knew… Justice was making its first appearance. Aerobolt glowed even brighter as the pure essence of light enveloped his entire body. This is it Arcane. Say your goodbyes for the last time. Aerobolt was not sure he even said that, but he meant it. Aerobolt was about to destroy Arcane with the very powers that Arcane had attempted to control. It ends right here and now.
Within a few more seconds, the waters began to glow brightly as well. Arcane tried fruitlessly to summon his vile darkness, but none came to his aid. For the first time in his life, Arcane is powerless. Thus makes Justice’s second appearance. Arcane began to scream. A sound Aerobolt never thought he would ever hear. It sounded so different than what he had expected too. The powers of the Iridescent Justice that Aerobolt was wielding was simply too powerful for the tyrannical leader of Hydyraen. Arcane looked down at his paws and saw the light beginning to creep up his legs. Arcane’s eyes bulged in fear and pain. The light was consuming him. Aerobolt, who failed to realize until just now that he was floating a few feet in the air, took one last glance at Arcane.
“Goodbye brother. You shall haunt me no more,” Aerobolt said inaudibly. Arcane seemed to hear it because he glared at Aerobolt one last time before the light began to creep past his knees. Aerobolt decided it was time to finish his old enemy off. His family shall be free of this scourge, he promised. It will be free from this day forth. He outstretched his arm and pointed at Arcane. “Arrabalta nu Craara I command you to finish this tyrant off and seal the revival of Justice!” Aerobolt yelled. The pure Justice surrounding his body swirled and coalesced around his arm and concentrated into a single orb in his handpaw. He took careful aim at Arcane, whose body was covered up to his ribs in light. Arcane looked back, and Aerobolt could have sworn he saw a tear fall from his scarred eye. Aerobolt shook it off and took his final aim, right in the neck.
Everything happened in slow motion. The firing of the beam of Justice was instant, but the beam itself seemed to travel very slowly towards Arcane’s neck. The two of them watched, as the beam seemed to inch ever closer to ending Arcane’s life. Arcane’s eyes were wide in fear and anger. He would defy death, but even he knew there was no escape, no way to survive. Aerobolt’s eyes were focused with sharp gazing glare as he watched the Justice beam fly closer and closer. He knew the beam would only take a half a second in reality, but for him, the death of his enemy was slow. He did not know why, nor did he care; he just wanted to be free at last.
The beam flew closer and closer to Arcane’s face. In all the time it seemed to take to them, to the outside world it took less than a second. The beam. It was yards away. Feet. Inches…
A bright flash of light. A scream. The sound of divine power. The dazzling display radiated throughout Crossroads and illuminated it as if the sun had decided to pay a visit. The light literally blinded Aerobolt. All he saw was nothing but white. The sound of the Justice he had summoned was louder than Arcane’s dying scream. This was all he could hear. Then when the sound faded out, all he could hear was his own heartbeat. It was beating astronomically fast. The whiteness blurred among Aerobolt’s blacking out. Aerobolt willed himself to stay conscious a little longer. As his consciousness began to fade out, he could barely feel himself being gently lowered to the floor. As his paws touched the floor, the whiteness began to fade at last, after what seemed like hours. And as he collapsed to the ground to faint, he saw nothing where Arcane used to stand. As his mind slipped, Aerobolt thought to himself, weakly. ‘I am free now. Everyone… everyone is free now…
…
‘Justice is now reborn…’ and he was out.
____________________________________________________________________
Wanna start from the beginning? Here is chapter one! http://www.furaffinity.net/view/11187661/
Here is my series' index! http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/5340298/