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"Finish this quickly."

Even if Kel hadn't spoken up, it was clear that Calix already intended to do just that.

He yanked his sword out of the deadlock, sending Leif flying backward.

The boy immediately began to gather himself but froze as Calix stomped toward him.

"W-What is this?"

With his mouth gaping, Leif glanced bewilderedly between Calix and Kel before shaking his head and jumping to his feet once again.

At first, Kel didn't understand what had thrown the young king off momentarily, but then she noticed something strange.

Along the Emperor's hands and neck, webs of orange glowed from beneath his skin--as if the blood flowing through his veins had been replaced by fire.

"Urk!"

Leif barely had the time to raise his sword again as Calix lunged.

With a crack that echoed through the hall, both men were thrown back. Shimmering fragments of Leif's sword rained down, slicing any exposed skin on the unfortunate onlookers.

Kel scrunched her eyes shut and whipped her hands above her head, preparing to be pelted by the vicious sparkles.

But none of them hit her.

Hearing a grunt, she glanced up to see a body bent over her, blocking the entire scene.

".. Dash?" Kel questioned as blood dripped from the man's back and arms.

"Let's get out of here, Kel," Dash hissed. "I'll protect you, s-"

His emerald eyes widened as his feet suddenly lifted off the ground.

Thud!

Dash's bleeding body landed against the floor off to Kel's right, revealing Calix, standing with eyes the same fiery color as the veins under his skin.

Behind the Emperor, Leif was laying uselessly on the ground, his injured arm now torn almost completely off.

The commotion in the rest of the royal hall slowed as eyes turned back to the Dragon Emperor.

'Monster.'

Kel couldn't tell if the word echoing from the crowd was directed at her, the Emperor, or the both of them.

Had Calix possessed the same power as her all along?

No. This was different.

He wasn't creating or controlling fire. It was more like the fire inside of him was fueling his inhuman strength.

Briefly Kel wondered if she also looked like that. During the times when she felt she would explode from the heat surging from her chest, did her skin burn with webs of fire?

Did her eyes become aglow with flames the same way the ones locked with hers were glowing?

Eyes that were.. heavy. And full of pain.

"Calix?" Kel asked, walking toward him. "Calix, are you hurt?"

"Kel! Look out!"

Dash leapt in front of her again as the Emperor's grip tightened dangerously around the handle of his blade.

Kel's heart sank as Calix became blocked from her view. He was in pain; she was sure of it.

"Move out of the way!" she demanded, trying to peer around Dash.

But Dash moved with her, preventing her from going around him.

"No! It's dangerous!" he shouted, holding his arms out as a barrier.

Kel already knew the danger, but she wasn't afraid. She wanted to go to the Emperor and was annoyed that Dash had planted himself firmly between them.

Like he always did.

His version of protecting her was locking her away without letting her decide what she wanted. Even as blood poured from the many slits on his back and arms and his body was beginning to bruise from where he'd been thrown, he was still treating her like she was fragile.

Like she was weak.

"Ugh! I said stay out of my way!!" Kel shrieked, bringing her knee to her old friend's abdomen.

Since he was already heavily injured, Dash instantly sank down from the blow.

With a resolute stomp, Kel stepped around him, pausing to shoot him a glare.

"I don't need you to protect me," she growled. "I never did."

Ignoring Dash's protests, she ran to the Emperor, who was still frozen in the same position, gripping his sword so tightly that a scarlet stream trickled down his palm.

The battle for the throne of Mevani was all but over anyway, with the citizens down below finally surrendering to the Serin soldiers. Now everyone was watching the Dragon Emperor, waiting for him to make the last blow.

"Calix.." Kel approached him cautiously. "I know you're hurting."

There were no visible wounds on his body, but his mouth was pressed into a grimace and occasional tremors shook his arms.

"Can you hear me?" Kel softly wrapped her hand around Calix's, causing him to flinch. "You have to finish this, ok?"

She motioned to where Leif lay, his eyes closed and pale face coated in sweat. Evidently, he'd already gone into shock from the state of his arm.

Kel didn't know whether her words reached the Emperor, but he began to turn around slowly, his heavy gaze focusing on the incapacitated king.

When the man's back was to her, Kel gasped.

Half of his shirt had melted away, leaving the large black dragon exposed. The skin over and around the tattoo bubbled like boiling water, with blisters rapidly rising to the surface and then bursting.

Now she understood why Calix seemed to be in so much pain.

Still, in spite of what must have been agony on his back, the Dragon Emperor strode confidently, if a little slowly, to Leif.

"The Dragon Emperor claims this kingdom in the name of the Serin Empire," Calix announced, raising his sword.

His voice was deep and gravelly to the point of being unrecognizable. The movement of his arm caused the tender skin on his back to tear, beheading the boiling black dragon.

Kel contemplated looking away. Aside from the sickeningly grim state of the Emperor, could she really watch her friend die?

She knew Leif had committed innumerable atrocities, but she still felt a pang in her heart as the Emperor's sword began to fall.

No, I should watch, she told herself. I shouldn't look aw-

"Don't watch."

Dash's voice whispered in her ear as his hand slid gently over her eyes.

Ha.

It seemed her old friend would continue getting involved when she didn't ask for it. But this time, she may have been the slightest bit grateful to have been spared from whatever scene accompanied the stomach-churning squelch that came from Calix's sword.

And so the reign of Mevani's final king, both the youngest and shortest-lived king in the country's history, came to a gruesome end.

Before he could celebrate his victory with his soldiers, however, the Dragon Emperor, too, collapsed to the floor.