ALISTER (Tales of evolution)

The Devil's Requiem

“My name is Tharros, and I’m a Devil,” he declared, his eyes blazing with an otherworldly glow.

Alister’s heart skipped a beat as he stumbled backward, his back pressing against the wall. A could sweat ran down his face as fear gripped his soul, chilling him to the bone.

“Tha…that can’t be!” Alister stammered, his voice trembling. “You’re…you’re Evil incarnate!”

Tharros smirk grew, his presence commanding. “Evil incarnate, huh? That’s not very nice, considering you summoned me into this world.”

Alister’s expression shifted from fear to shock. “What are you talking about? Why would I summon a Devil? And how could I forget?”

Tharros snapped his fingers, and a chair materialized behind him. He sat down, crossing his legs.

“Let me start from the beginning,” he said. “You’re Alister, and this house is where we first met. You were a powerful man, and my siblings and I signed a contract with you. We’re now forever bound to you.”

Alister’s confusion deepened. “Contract?

Forever bound?

I don’t understand.”

Tharros tail sprouted from his back, stopping an inch from Alister’s iris. It transformed into blue light particles and faded away.

Alister gasped, his heart racing.

“What was that?” he asked, composing himself.

Tharros explained, “As you saw, I’m unable to harm you due to our contract. If I break it, I’ll be erased from existence.”

Alister felt a semblance of security.

“Why did you agree to the contract?” he asked.

Tharros replied, “When a Devil is summoned, it needs a host to draw manna from or risk dying.”

Alister’s confusion persisted. “But that doesn’t make sense. I’ve been mourning my parents’ deaths for months. When did I summon demon siblings?”

Tharros assured him, “I’ll explain. After you summoned us, we served you for years, witnessing your incredible power, which grew as moments passed. But one day, trouble came knocking”

“what do you mean?” Alister asked unsure of what to expect.

Tharros expression turned grave, like he revived an unpleasant memory. “He appeared out of nowhere, you seemed to have known him, his presence was overwhelming, his aura deadly, filling the air with murderous intent. For the first time, I saw a look of worry on your face. You looked at me and told me not to interfere with whatever came next.”

IN A BLUR THE SCENE THEN SHIFTED TO A FLASHBACK

Two men stood before each other, both with overwhelming intensity. The first, a tall, handsome light skinned man, with raven black hair and ocean blue eyes. He had a smirk of confidence on his face, his eyes gleaming with power, this man was none other than Alister. The other, a tall, handsome man with white Hair and emerald green eyes. He too had a grin on his face with an aura of confidence.

Their lips began to move, they were saying something that Tharros couldn’t make out from the distance.

Suddenly, a fight broke out.

In seconds, the plain erupted into chaos as Alister and the man collided fist’s. Their movements were lightning-fast, their blows causing shockwaves that shook the surrounding area.

The man, with the wave of an arm, unleashed a flurry of lightning, striking the earth, but Alister dodged like it was child’s play.

With precision, Alister teleported behind the man, landing a one inch punch that sent him crashing into a mountain. Smoke quickly came out of the man’s wounds, he’s regeneration quickly kicking in.

“Come on Alister!!, is that the best you’ve got?, show me what you can do” the man yelled Alister’s determination fueling his strength, as he dashes at Alister with lightning speed.

Alister’s arms spread out wide, his face edged with excitement, a malevolent grim on his face. “Come then!!...Come and dance with the Devil!!”. Alister yelled, rushing towards him, his speed overwhelming.

Their punches, colliding in midair sent a shockwave the demolished mountains, sending debris flying.

Tharros, trying not to get swept off his feet by the shockwaves stood at a far distance, his mouth open in amazement and disbelief “ so this is the power of Alister!, incredible!” he said, overwhelmed.

Breathing heavily, the man stood a distance from Alister“ you’re beginning to make this interesting”. “ Diamond slasher!!” he panted .

“what did he just do?” Alister pondered, looking left and right, unsure of what to expect.

Suddenly, blood splattered into the air, we see Alister’s left hand bleeding from a long, deep flesh would.

“Grr!, I see now” he said softly, his face folding from the pain.

The man’s eyes narrowed. “You’re stronger than expected, the amount of manner I put into that attack was suppose to cut your arm clean off.”

Alister smiled. “ honestly, I wasn’t expecting an attack like that.”

“oh you ain’t seen nothing yet” with a smile, the man unleashed a flurry of slashes, one’s more powerful than the last, his invisible blades slicing through the air with deadly precision, slashing down trees, mountains, and even animals around. Alister dodged and weaved, his agility and Chronomancy allowing him to evade the attacks by mere inches, limiting his injuries to just mare grazes.

But the man was relentless, his strength and speed seemingly unmatched. Alister stumbled back, his chest heaving, as the man’s diamond piercing slash bit deep into his flesh in multiple places.

Alister retaliated with an outburst of manna, his right fist coated with manna, Alister, in a blink of an eye demonstrated his unmatched speed by appearing behind the man, covering a distance from fifty kilometers before 0.00mili second.

“Heavenly Impact!!!!” he yelled, unleashing a punch that sent him crashing down like a meteorite, followed by a shockwave with energy that demolished the entire landscape.

The environment was reshaped, a once blossoming forest, now a wasteland with a giant curator.

The man stood up from the center of the curator, his body beyond recognition, his jaw and right arm were severely broken, and his left arm and leg were missing, his right eye was blinded, enveloped in blood and his ribs stuck out of his chest, the rest parts of his body was covered in blood, burs and deep cuts “When will you realize Alister” he yelled, his body, quickly engulfed in white smoke as he regenerated swiftly. His body glowing with green energy, looking fresh like nothing ever happened.

Witnessing this, a cold sweat ran down Alister’s face as he knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. The battle raged on, the two warriors exchanging blows that could shatter steel. Alister's Chronomancy slowed time, allowing him to land critical hits, that would bring even god’s to their knees, but the man’s regeneration accelerated, healing his wounds in seconds, like it was nothing.

As the fight intensified, the plain itself began to shatter. Cracks spread, and boulders shattered, as if the earth couldn't contain their fury.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Alister stumbled, his manna waning. The man seized the opening, unleashing his magic, diamond piercing splashes, biting deep into Alister’s flesh, leaving him crashing to the ground.

As Alister struggled to rise, the man’s magic sliced open his stomach, separating his intestines and leaving him seated in a pool of blood. Alister's vision blurred, as he vomited blood.

With one final blow, the man sent Alister crashing against a wall. Alister slid to the floor, his back resting against the wall, his body a canvas of bloody slash marks. The man was merciless, ripping his internal organs apart.

His eyes, once gleaming with confidence and power, now held only a faint sparkle of life. Alister's wounded chest heaved, each breath a struggle of pain.

The man stood over Alister, placing his foot on a deep cut on his shoulder, his chest heaving, his eyes blazing with triumph. "Without a doubt Alister, you are strong," he said, his voice dripping with respect. "Maybe in another lifetime you could have won, but you see, In this life, there’s no room for weaklings, as a law of nature, the weak gets crushed under the heels of the strong, as you are experiencing right now." He said, squishing Alister’s shoulder beneath his feet.

Alister's gaze locked onto the mans, with reverence, his body a rollercoaster of pain, his heart holding on to faint beats, and all instincts telling him to run. "Wh… What manner of man are you!!?”

The man smile grew wider. "I am a force not of this world, and believe me, I am no man!". He said his eyes emitting an otherworldly glow.

Alister was scared beyond reason, his very soul trembling at the sight of the man before him. “Hmm!, I see, the next time we face each other, I’ll make sure I cut out your heart” he muttered, coughing blood.