(Ezra's POV)
"Cyrus, are you alright?"
"I'll manage, my insides are burning a bit. I kinda lost the duel," he said to me, wheezing, trying to catch his breath in between words. "He's strong. His power reminds me of Malakar's—the same essence flows in him."
"I know. That was the reason we were able to find you."
"So, the Ezra Solaris finally showed up. I was beginning to wonder if you would ever appear. Today really is special. I have two members of the Solaris before my very eyes. You know, it's kind of a rare thing nowadays to stumble across one of your kind," Lord Enzo said as he dusted his cloak off, heading back to where Cyrus was kneeling.
"You know, I have been looking for you for quite some time."
"Why is that?"
"To kill you, of course. The world doesn't need the Solaris clan anymore. The world needs someone new to be in charge."
"And you think you can do that?" I retorted.
"I already have. I've done more in less time than your clan has in centuries. Arthenos is respected and revered the way it should be. For the past few decades, the region has been a laughingstock, letting more pass than it ever should."
"So you're ruling with power and an iron will. That will never be the way to peace."
"In the world my master and I aim to create, it will. And the largest hurdle will be gone with your death, Ezra."
"You can try, Enzo."
"It's Lord Enzo."
"You are no lord in my eyes."
"Let's change that then. You will bow down to me by the end of this," Enzo said as he vanished from his spot.
Kael was confident he could defeat me because I was depleted of cosmic energy. I didn't understand why Enzo was going after me head-on. "What is he hiding?" I wondered as our fists clashed, creating a shockwave that tore through the walls of the building we were in.
"You know, I paid a lot for this building, Ezra. Well, I guess we won't be claustrophobic anymore."
"Just shut up," I commanded as I channeled solar energy into the form of a blade and began my assault. In the blink of an eye, I was above him, preparing to land a devastating vertical slash.
"You should have really checked your surroundings before doing that," Enzo said as he pointed to the sky above. Dozens of crimson arrows manifested, surrounding us. "Fall," he commanded, sending the arrows on a one-way track to me.
"Dad, do not let those touch you. It's over if you do!" Cyrus yelled out.
Canceling my attack, I redirected the solar energy to my feet and flew from the area. I had to twist and wind my body through the array of oncoming attacks that seemed endless. Annoyed, I didn't continue to try and dodge them.
Quickly pooling solar energy into my hands, I blasted all the incoming attacks away from existence, enveloped my body in a shell of solar energy, and used my Solar Step ability to appear behind Enzo, with a miniature sun already formed—prepared to finish the fight.
"You know, you are kind of predictable, Ezra," Enzo said as he sidestepped my sneak attack.
"Cheap tricks won't work on me. If you really want to win, you can't hold back one bit. Because I sure as hell won't," he said as I felt something pierce my solar shell. "You still fight like you did when you were a boy. Over-reliant on the power of your constellation. What would happen if I took away your biggest advantage? What are you then, Ezra? I'm curious."
I knew that my opponent was just trying to get into my head, but mentioning my struggles as a child burrowed deep into my consciousness. How did this man know that? Who told him? A myriad of possibilities ran through my head as I retreated to the sky once again.
"Who are you really, Enzo? That isn't just something you could've known from reading an article or from word of mouth," I asked as my solar shell mended itself.
"I was just someone who watched from the background," Enzo said as he manifested another batch of arrows that painted the sky crimson. This time, he didn't stop at a few dozen. The number grew to the hundreds. The very essence of death became prominent and almost tangible. I could sense that the resolve of the man before me was solidified.
"Solmane, gather Cyrus and get him out of here. He won't be able to withstand the backlash of our attacks moving forward."
"Yes, my lord," the relic guardian responded as a mote of light left from my core. I watched until I saw Solmane manifest near Cyrus's body and carry him away. Afterwards, I turned my attention to the veil man before me.
"So you finally found it, the ancient relic of the Solaris clan. I'll be sure to take that from your dead corpse as well—along with your son," Enzo said as he commanded the arrows to come for me once again.
As I created my counter to rid the attack, my mind kept returning to the idea of who this man was under the mask. He knew about things I did when I was younger, and he knew about ancient relics and their history. I was starting to become agitated at the notion that someone close to me was under the mask.
As I destroyed the volley of arrows, I immediately called for Dawnbringer. I was going to end this quick. With the radiant katana in my hand, I began to unleash the fury I had been suppressing with a maelstrom of solar flares heading his way. I didn't wait to see if the attacks landed or not—I pressed the issue, Solar Stepping all throughout the sky, launching slashes made of solar flares from every angle possible.
When I finished my last barrage, I performed one last Solar Step to appear right where his body should have been so I could watch the last of his breaths leave his body.
"That was for all the innocent members of my clan you killed in cold blood. And this last attack was for ridding the world of a wonderful woman and taking her life in front of her child. In the afterlife, I hope every soul you took haunts you for eternity."
"That was a great little speech and all. But you never answered my question earlier—what are you when your biggest advantage is taken from you? Can we really call you the Emperor of the Sun when the sun doesn't fulfill your commands?" a calm voice said as the smoke and dust settled to reveal Enzo standing, unscathed.