Chapter 59 Metamorphosis
The kneeling person slowly lifted his head.
It was Malouf.
Before Kennedy could react, Malouf lunged forward like a wild animal and sank his teeth deep into Kennedy's nose. The crunch of cartilage echoed sharply in the silent temple. Kennedy screamed in shock and agony as blood poured down his face.
He tried to pull away, but Malouf's grip was iron. His arms wrapped around Kennedy in a crushing embrace, locking him in place. Only then did Kennedy realize what he had stepped into. A large ceremonial circle drawn with dried blood covered the stone floor beneath them. Strange symbols glowed faintly as Malouf began to chant in a low, guttural voice.
Kennedy headbutted Malouf hard in the face, but the young man did not flinch. Blood streamed from Malouf's broken nose, yet he only buried his head deeper into Kennedy's neck and bit down viciously. His teeth tore through flesh as he continued the incantation between wet, sickening bites.
The symbols on the floor flared bright red.
"No! Let go!" Kennedy roared. He tried to drag them both out of the circle, but Malouf's hug tightened like a vice. Kennedy felt his spine creak under the pressure. Panic flooded him as he realized his resonance energy was rapidly draining away. He desperately tried to summon his water echo, but the power slipped through his fingers like sand.
His stage nine resonance began to collapse.
Kennedy's body started to change. His skin sagged. Wrinkles formed rapidly across his face. His once strong frame grew thinner and frailer. Years of vitality were being sucked out of him and poured into Malouf.
Malouf's severed stump twitched, then regrew into a full hand. His muscles swelled with new power. His posture straightened. His face became more handsome and youthful. He grew slightly taller as raw energy coursed through him.
Kennedy's eyes widened in horror as fragmented memories flashed before him. He saw his son Jasper's smiling face. He remembered the burning desire for revenge against the monster who had taken his boy. He recalled how he had searched desperately for anything that could give him an edge. For a brief moment, he even thought of Vandal, the boy he had tortured and discarded. What a waste. That child could have been useful in rescuing his son.
So much wasted potential.
Tears mixed with blood on Kennedy's face.
Crack!
Malouf's crushing hug finally snapped Kennedy's spine. The old poison master let out a soft, broken sigh as his body went limp. Life left his eyes.
Malouf released the corpse, which collapsed to the floor like an empty sack. He stood tall, breathing deeply. His eyes glowed with stolen power as fresh strength filled every part of his being.
He looked down at Kennedy's withered body with cold satisfaction.
Then he turned his head toward the entrance of the temple, where Vandal had just arrived, still burning with rage. He quickly noticed the body on the floor and Malouf standing hale and healthy. Moving quickly towards the ritual circle, he instantly recognised the symbols.
"You… you used soul sacrifice on him?" Vandal asked. When he got no answer but a snicker, Vandal clenched his fists. Knuckles cracked.
"Malouf, you have fallen so low, so low that you used such an evil and forbidden way just to gain more power… to what end?"
"You were the one that started this, that tried to kill me, that tried to kill all of us. We didn't have to be friends, but why did you have to pretend?" Vandal shook his head, jaw slack.
Looking at the corpse that was Kennedy, his rage had calmed down. Kennedy looked like a badly broken and mangled corpse, barely recognisable. He died so horribly. Vandal would never have thought of a more gruesome way to go, but it was so bad he felt pity for him, remembering he did have a son he actually cared about, a son that looked up to him.
Malouf's laughter started low, then rose in baritone. He held his stomach as if Vandal's words were the funniest joke he had ever heard. The sound snapped Vandal back to the present. How incredibly dangerous he is.
"First of all, don't call me Malouf. I am reborn. Malouf was an alias. My name is Divine… yes, Divine. I am Divine Young, and you shall address me as such," he said as he walked around the altar with purpose.
"I have to thank you for pushing me this far. I needed to dig deep within myself to find out who I really am."
Vandal was confused even more. "I don't understand. Who really are you?"
"Good question. I am Divine Young. The person you killed was indeed my brother, but…" Divine moved so quickly he seemed to teleport. Before Vandal could react, a kick slammed into his gut. He flew into a nearby pillar.
"We are not really members of the Resonance Council. We infiltrated them and got what we needed. This mission here to this valley was our exit plan, and I… I met you. Something about you infuriated me… that smug smile, that confidence."
"You acted like everything was under your control, and then I saw your group of friends, how they all looked up to you, even the so called self proclaimed leader looked up to you without realising it."
"You reminded me of someone I hated. That's why I wanted you dead… that and you have a space ring that I want. I am also thinking about whether I should drain you too." Divine sauntered toward the debris where Vandal had crashed.
Only to realise Vandal was not there. Then he quickly turned around, sensing a kick coming, and blocked it in time. In that same motion he grabbed Vandal's leg and tried to smash him to the ground, but Vandal used his other foot to kick his hand away and leapt back abruptly.
"Nice reflexes, but… let me let you in on a little secret," Divine said in a mock whisper.
"Your energy is delicious, quite dense too."
Vandal cocked his head in confusion. "My energy?"
"Yes… your energy." Divine suddenly palmed his hand. The pull hit Vandal instantly. His strength left him, and his resonance energy drained gradually.
"What? What did you do?" Vandal said as he felt weakness coming upon him.
"I have ruin echo, and I use two elements now."
"Impossible!" Vandal shook his head in disbelief.
"Well, since you are going to die to me, I might as well educate you. I lost part of my memory as a result of using this damn ritual in the first place, but somehow my brother's death was all the trauma I needed to remember what I used to do."
"Alright, enough chit chat. You can die now." Divine charged up a watery echo coated in a fiery echo coated in his ruin echo, all made stronger by the amount of resonance energy coursing through him, everything combining to form a pale green dragon which he then shot towards Vandal.
Vandal tried to create distance but he tripped on a stone and fell.
"Farewell."
The pale green dragon struck. The temple floor cratered. Stone and blood rained down.