Horrors of Fire and Skulls (Mystical Warriors book 2)

TALKING TO SOULS OF THE PAST

"He is gone and dead, along with his dreams of being a deity of Fire," stated Matthew. Matthew, who was now turning back into a Mystical Warrior himself and returning to his Kasai persona: Vaskàr Kasai, had picked up the Sword of Fire where Ra'siar had dropped it.

The spot where the portal stood and Ra'siar's body was ultimately destroyed by the awesome yet wicked power of the Kasai ancestors. Minutes after the destruction of Ra'siar and his portal, the red sky across the Earth's atmosphere ceased and the blue, clear skies with the white-grey clouds returned.

The ghosts that came from Ra'siar's portal have retreated back to the Netherworld, with a mysterious power of the Sun that vaporized the demented spirits. Årvondor's forces had also retreated back to the core with their master.

For the ghosts of Vaskàr's ancestors, the Kasai ghosts had faded back to the paradisiacal afterlife where they reside. However, one ghost came forward to meet Vaskàr. This Kasai has the splinting image of Vaskàr Kasai.

Vaskàr knew what this ghost was: his father Vaskaldo Kasai.

"You have done it, my son," said Vaskaldo. "You have overcome the trail of my brother and dared not kill him."

"Thank you, father," replied Vaskàr. "All my life. All of my years I lived. I would trade one day to see the sight of my father, even if it is only one small, short glimpse. I always wanted to see my true father."

"You are taking the opportunity right now. You are seeing me right now. I'm still sorry I couldn't be there for you. I'm sorry I wasn't the father I was meant to be, and I never was the man my father wanted me to be. Ra'siar and I led the family's legacy down to a total disaster. We used our father's fame to make our own fame and glory. I never known of the choices I made in my lifetime were evil, until you were born."

"We all make mistakes," stated Vaskàr.

"I've learned from mine. Ra'siar did not. He stayed on the same side while I switched sides. I was ashamed of what I've done: I left you alone in the world with no real father, not even a mother to love you. I shouldn't have confronted Ra'siar when I tried to turn him away from the darkness. Instead I should have stayed with you and your mother in the Temple. I should have been the father you needed to protect you and your mother from Ra'siar and Hanno. I was never there for you when you needed me."

"You may have not been there, but you did the only fatherly act: you did protect me from Ra'siar the day he killed you."

"Death is part of life. Death took me, and death took your mother a few months after I died. But you can undo what Ra'siar and I did in the past: repair my father's legacy and unite the planet. What took my father years to build was destroyed by me and Ra'siar in days. Do not make the same mistakes I've made. Otherwise, you will have a future that no one will be unable to fix."

"I won't, father, and thank you for showing yourself to me, this one time."

Vaskaldo nodded and walked backwards. In three steps, Vaskaldo's ghost faded. The father's ghost left the planet to join his ancestor's in the afterlife. "Go forward and let the Fire be as it is," whispered Vaskaldo's voice.

Vaskàr teared down a tear from his eyes; he spoke and saw, this first and only time, to his father. I will be the Fire to ignite the spark that'll burn down Årvondor, Vaskàr signed happily; he got his one chance to see and talk to his deceased father. Then he turned to his teammates who seemed happy for him, seeing Vaskàr talking to his father he never knew made them blush in tears of joy.

"That was such a touchy reunion," whispered Årvondor.

Årvondor appeared in his ghostly form again to Vaskàr. "A father-son reunion to be witnessed this one and only time."

"Årvondor," said Vaskàr, hostilely.

"There is no need for hostility, Vaskàr Kasai," stated Årvondor.

"What are you here for then?" asked Brade. Brade, Titus, Haira, and Harth walked up to Vaskàr.

"Here to congratulate you all for participating in a battle where an evil force teams with a good force to fight an evil force. Rarely would an archenemy team with an archenemy to take down another archenemy.

"It was my dream to rule the planet for thousands of years. And if anyone is to rule this planet, it is to be me. I won't tolerate anyone trying to take that plan of mine from me. It's taking me millennia to rule the planet, and I won't be backstabbed by anyone else trying to rule, like Hanno with his five hundred-thousand solders or Ra'siar with his undead portal.

"No, I will be the true ruler of the planet and all you Mystical Warriors will be pushed aside."

"Then I suggest you head back to the core, Årvondor. It would be a shame if I summon you here now and all the mythical creatures and the Mystical Warriors would surround you and annihilate you."

Årvondor hissed at Vaskàr and vanished into thin air.

Vaskàr signed as Årvondor's ghost submerge into the dust. Then Vaskàr turned to see Ryol and dozens of Ra'siar's worshippers. Vaskàr strolled to them, seeing the looks on their faces. He saw signs of realization of Ra'siar not being a god and being killed by the power of the Kasai ancestors. Vaskàr strolled in front of Ryol. Vaskàr quickly turned away to see where the portal once stood and let his mind reach out for a certain object.

A burnt skull soared across the yard and Vaskàr grabbed it in his hands: the skull of Ra'siar Kasai.

"This is your god of Fire." Vaskàr held Ra'siar's skull inches away from Ryol's eyes. "Now you'll see what happens if you worship a false god!" Vaskàr dropped his uncle's skull and smashed it into small pieces with his foot: Vaskàr had destroyed the last and only body fragment of Ra'siar's human body. With the complete destruction of Ra'siar's skull, as with the Crystal Skulls being destroyed completely, Ra'siar no longer had a chance of coming back from the dead again.

Then Vaskàr vigorously slapped Ryol on each facial check with the hilt of the Sword of Fire, thrice. Three times Vaskàr used the hilt of the flaming sword to strike Ryol across the face.

Ryol had taken a bad beating from Vaskàr's sword, bleeding cuts and a bloody nose dripping blood from his face. He felt pain across his face like a face being torched over a weak, dying fireplace. He fell after Vaskàr struck him the third time around. Ryol's followers stood back as they watch Vaskàr beat the fire upon Ryol.

As Ryol knelt to the floor, Vaskàr threw the Dryk'gar katana back to Marlene who was standing next to Haira. Then Vaskàr's mind leached out to his personal katana and grabbed it in his free hand. Vaskàr sheaved the katana and faded the Sword of Fire, letting it become the Mark of the Sword.

"If you ever dare worship a false god made from a human torso again, I will transform back to my living, breathing Dryk'gar form, and personally execute you. Right now, I'm giving you a chance to redeem yourself of this evil cult. Ra'siar was never a god, only a human like me. Don't disappoint me!" Vaskàr puffed and walked away from the downed, defeated Ryol.

"Harth, contact the Detective Jason and the secret police force my grandfather had made and hack all accounts to say Ra'siar has been killed and the cult ultimately disbanded," ordered Vaskàr. "Brade, stay here and make sure these people are sent to prison so they can rethink their lives."

Harth nodded first and flew, and he tried to call Jason and the police force to tell them what happened and where to arrest the leader of the now defunct "Guardians of Ra'siar's Fire."

"Haira, use your healing powers and try to heal whatever wounds we may carry," continued Vaskàr. "The rest of us must try to repair what damage Ra'siar inflicted upon Simura's body. We'll regroup at Rin's Temple. And someone find me find Roy."

"Already there," said Divra. Divra landed over the temple's top summit. "Roy is at the Temple. Apparently, I put him there after he took a head knockout."

"Obviously," grunted Vaskàr.