(TATB) Ch 31: A Clash Of The Soul, Blade Of Fire Vs The Crimson Spear!

My heart was pounding so hard I could barely hear anything else over the rhythm of it. The heat from my sword pulsed up my arm, licking at my skin like it was trying to match the fire boiling in my chest. Vu lay behind me—his blood still warm on my hands—and in front of me stood the smug bastard who put him there.

"Viral!!!" I screamed, and I didn't wait. No fancy speeches, no hesitation. I ran forward, fire crackling at my side, blade raised high.

His spear glowed brighter as he lifted it, the red energy crackling along its length. His smirk deepened like he enjoyed this. Like watching me burn with rage was just another afternoon for him.

"How dare you!" I shouted, slashing downward, the flames trailing after my blade like a comet. "Vu trusted you—he trusted us! And you—!"

"He left me no choice," Viral interrupted, voice calm and irritatingly casual as he blocked my strike with a metallic clang! Sparks exploded from the clash, dancing in the filthy air between us.

"You stabbed him!" I snarled, slashing again, my blade a blur.

He blocked once more. "He chose a Brob over his people. Over me. That's not betrayal—it's delusion."

I didn't care. My feet skidded against the slimy ground as I pivoted, swinging horizontally. He ducked it, spinning his spear behind his back like a show-off. I barely ducked the return jab, the crimson point hissing past my cheek like lightning.

"You're the delusional one!" I growled, crouching low and swinging up. He blocked it again—damn him—and our weapons locked, metal grinding against energy, heat blooming between us.

Each time we struck, the force cracked the ground beneath us, sending dirt and debris flying. Our blades flashed so fast they blurred, sparks shooting off in every direction. My legs burned, my arms ached, but I refused to stop. Not until I dropped him.

We clashed again—then again. I shouted as I brought my sword down from overhead, but he sidestepped, pivoted like a dancer, and slammed the blunt end of his spear into my side.

I flew—literally flew—across the tunnel, skidding and tumbling until I slammed into the colony wall, barely catching myself on one knee before I could crumple.

My chest heaved. My sword trembled in my grip. And there he stood... tall, confident, that same smirk on his face like he was already planning his next dramatic speech.

"Look at you," he said, resting his spear over his shoulder like we weren't in the middle of a death match. "You don't understand the Brobs, Nemu. You think you do, because you met one who's too soft to squish you under her thumb. But they're all the same in the end."

I slowly pushed myself to my feet, still leaning on my sword. My legs were shaking, and I might've been slightly dying, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"They took our world," Viral said, pacing like a professor giving a lecture. "The soil we stand on? It used to be ours. Then came the giants. And when they weren't too busy ignoring us, they were crushing us like bugs. Burning colonies like ours just because we dared to exist without their permission."

He turned to face me fully, eyes glowing faintly with the red energy in his veins.

"And now, you want to bow? To kneel? Because one of them smiled at you?"

I didn't blink. I didn't look away.

"Skylar is different," I said through gritted teeth. "She's kind. She listens. She cares."

That smirk finally faded just a little.

"Kind?" Viral asked, one eyebrow twitching upward. "There's no such thing. Not in their world."

I straightened up, ignoring the searing pain in my ribs.

"You know, for someone who talks about betrayal so much, you're awfully good at betraying your own people," I said, my voice hoarse but steady. "You stabbed Vu in the gut, tried to kill Sawyer, and you're about to do the same to me. But sure, we're the delusional ones."

Viral didn't answer right away. His fingers flexed around the shaft of his spear. I could see it—his pride boiling, his thoughts racing. He didn't expect me to last this long. He didn't expect anyone to fight for hope.

"You think she's your savior?" he spat. "She's a giant, Nemu. You're just a toy to her."

"Maybe," I admitted. I glanced down at my hands, still coated in Vu's blood. "But I'd rather take a chance on kindness than let hate be the only thing we pass on to the next generation."

For a moment, he hesitated. Just a moment before walking towards me and leaning down, looking straight into my eyes. 

"You don't know anything, you don't know a damn thing." Viral said his eyes wide and crazy looking. 

***

(Fifteen years ago)

The Emerald Plain shimmered with golden-green light as the sun filtered through towering blades of grass, each one the size of a skyscraper. The wind shifted in lazy waves, causing the entire field to sway like a slow-moving ocean. Somewhere above that verdant canopy was the sky, broad and blue, so far away it might as well have been another world.

To most, this place was a sanctuary. A natural shield for the hidden colony of Lilliputians who lived beneath the Brobs' notice. But young Viral knew the truth. Knew the name that loomed like a ghost over this place.

"Silverleaf Grove," he muttered under his breath, the name of the Brob park this place really was.

The Emerald Plain was just a pretty lie. A patch of a giant's lawn.

"Viral," came the low, serious voice from behind. Abel, his older brother, tall and lean with a face always stuck in 'serious mode.' "Focus. We get the supplies, we get out. That's all."

"Yeah, yeah," Viral said, rolling his eyes. "I know. Been on, like, a dozen runs with you."

"That doesn't mean you get to be sloppy," Abel snapped. "One mistake, and you don't get a do-over. You get a giant boot to the ribs."

Viral smirked. He didn't want to be reckless. He just... couldn't help but feel powerful out here. Dangerous even. He darted ahead, weaving through the grass with boyish enthusiasm, calling back over his shoulder, "So what? If a Brob shows up, I'll be ready this time."

Abel groaned. "What are you talking about—"

Viral spun around and clapped his hands together. A sudden pulse of crimson light flashed between his palms, and with a shimmer like reality itself was splitting, a glowing red spear materialized in his hands. It pulsed faintly, as if alive.

Abel stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes widened. "That's... Viral—"

"Cool, right?" Viral grinned, twirling the spear like he'd been practicing for years—which, to be fair, he totally had. "Geist Élan. It came to me last week."

Abel circled him slowly, eyes locked on the weapon. "You have a soul weapon." His voice was barely above a whisper.

"Damn right I do," Viral said, puffing out his chest. "Now I can fight like the Five Warriors. Give those Brobs a taste of their own medicine."

But Abel's wonder faded. He sighed, and with a shake of his head, walked past Viral without another word.

"...What?" Viral said, blinking. "Why are you giving me that look?"

Abel didn't turn back as he answered. "The Five Warriors weren't real."

Viral's jaw dropped. "What?! Of course they were! Everyone in the colony talks about them—how they stopped the advance of Brob General Varos and forced her army to retreat!"

"Yeah, sure. That's what the stories say." Abel turned back, his expression heavy with something older than his years. "But think about it, Viral. Five Lilli's? Against an entire army of Brobs? Even with Geist Élans, it's not enough. A single Brob could level our entire colony with one step. The math doesn't add up."

"It's not about math!" Viral shouted. "It's about will! About not rolling over and hiding like worms in the dirt! You're always saying we should be careful, cautious, grateful to survive—but what if we don't want to just survive? What if we want to live?"

Abel didn't flinch, but his eyes flicked down toward the ground. "I want to live too, Viral. That's why I say those things. Because I've seen what happens when we don't."

"They were heroes," Viral snapped, gripping the spear tighter. "Maybe you're just too afraid to believe in them."

"No, I used to believe in them," Abel said quietly. "Back when I was your age."

That stung more than Viral expected. He wanted to say something—anything—but the words never came.

Then it happened.

Boom.

The ground trembled beneath their feet. Not like a little shake from a falling branch. This was something deep. Heavy.

Boom.

They both froze. The tall grass rustled from the sudden gust of wind that followed the step.

"W-What was that?" Viral whispered, tightening his grip on his weapon.

Abel turned slowly, eyes scanning the horizon. His voice dropped to a hushed, urgent whisper. "We need to hide. Now."

Another boom, this one louder, closer. The sun dimmed slightly, the way it did when a cloud passed overhead—but there were no clouds today.

Just a shadow.

"Come on!" Abel hissed, grabbing Viral by the arm and yanking him toward a thick cluster of grass stalks.

And just as they dove into the undergrowth, a massive foot—its toenails painted a soft pastel pink—descended in the distance, flattening a section of grass like it was nothing.

Viral didn't need a reminder. He didn't need math.

The spear in his hand suddenly felt very, very small.