Chapter 86: Rising Flames

Ty's eyes blazed with a bright green fire as the cloaked man, bending to one knee and gasping for breath, remarked with a tinge of disbelief, "Well, this was a turn for the unexpected, huh?"

Suddenly, the arm that lay on the man's shoulder began to grip tighter, searing into his flesh.

The man's robe started to burn away, eliciting a cry of pain as he desperately slashed it off.

The fire around his shoulder dwindled and then surged back towards Ty, a blue cord of energy pulling Ty's severed hand back into place with a resounding click.

Looking down at the small metal object in his hand, Ty mused, "I wonder if I can make clothes with this." He then shook his head, redirecting his focus to the cloaked man before him.

"So, from the memories I got, you call yourself Thunder Clap? Pft, now that's a pathetic name." Ty's voice dripped with disdain. "I didn't get much of your early memories, but to call yourself Thunder Clap?"

"I assume that's because your weapon allows you to control 'Thunder and—" Ty's words were abruptly cut off as the blade, rattling along its chain attached to the other blade, came flying in. It sliced across Ty's jawline, stunning him for a moment with a jolt of pain and surprise.

"Wind. You know, I'm a skeleton. I can speak even with a broken jaw," Ty retorted, his voice unphased despite the injury. The orange flames in his hand slowly faded away, and the protective barrier that had been encircling his feet dissipated.

The man's smirk deepened, his bloodshot red eyes gleaming fiercely against the backlight of the sun. "You think too highly of yourself because you're some abomination of a monster," he sneered with contempt.

"Every creature has its weakness, and you're no different. Given the recent revelation of your true self, I won't allow you to meet Master Legato. You will be dying here," he declared coldly. With that, he dropped the crystal to the ground, where it clinked.

He then raised his foot, attempting to crush the crystal under his heel.

Ty, reacting with lightning speed, shouted, "NO!" He took a slight knee before stepping off, his skeletal foot pressing into the soiled ground and leaving a trail of small black flame residue.

In a swift motion, he attempted to throw a punch toward the man's head, aiming to throw him off balance.

"Wh-What's going on?" the man struggled, attempting to reach for his blade, but an invisible force pushed against him, blinding him.

Ty, now fully rebuilt but obviously wobbly and a bit disoriented, stated slowly, "I have more than one trick up my sleeve. How does the ability to slow things down sound?"

Ty got the idea from a random thug when he first arrived. The man looked up to find Ty's eyes burning a bright orange, his voice tinged with a crackling edge.

Ty grabbed the robed man once more, who was struggling to react, his movements impeded by the surging pain and loss of blood. "Kill him, absorb his soul," a voice echoed in Ty's head, insistent and dark. "It's only right; he attacked you first, after all."

Ty, hand over his skull, demanded, "Who the hell are you?!"

Thunderclap, looking bewildered, watched as Ty seemingly talked to himself. Then, with a swift motion, Ty threw him to the ground, picking up the crystal. His eyes gradually returned to their normal green, but exhaustion swiftly overtook his body.

"I can't let myself pass out here," Ty muttered, aware of the man's movements gradually speeding up as the slowing effect wore off.

Weighing his options, Ty addressed the bleeding man, "Don't mess with me again." His voice was a gasp, strained from exertion, before he quickly activated his barrier ability.

Using his black flames, he propelled himself into the sky, seeking distance from Thunderclap. His vision blurred as he flung himself into a nearby crater.

"Why didn't you kill him?! I fed you the bloodlust you needed," the voice in his mind demanded, frustrated and urgent.

Ty, maintaining control over his thoughts, retorted blankly, "Because I don't like being told what to do. And you seem like a jerk, so screw you." The green flame in his eyes dimmed as he passed out, his body lodged into the side of a snow-covered mountain.

The voice slowly growing weaker simply stated "All in due time" Leaving Ty alone on the edge of the mountain top lodged in as a pile of snow slowly fell over head

slowly he fell in a sleep exhausted from burning his energy source.