The Broken Flame

“Brine, what’s wrong? What happened,” Celina asked with audible fear in her voice. She didn’t understand. Brine had been fine only moments ago and now he seemed to be going out of his mind from something she couldn’t see. She could see him still approaching her with his swords at his sides and Celina felt herself beginning to back away. “Brine, what are you doing?”

The being shook his head and ground his teeth. He managed to hold back the urge to shove his blade through her throat. So many negative emotions filled his aching head. Rage was consuming him like nothing else and he could hear the same voice from before whispering words of destruction to him. He could see the human begin to back away and he began to speak again.

“You fool. You are weak! You really thought you could make me let my guard down and ‘befriend’ me?! You are a fool! You’re a traitorous creature! You’re weak! You really showed me fake kindness just so I wouldn’t kill you!? You will pay for all the memories and pain you have brought to me! I should have never shown you mercy!”

Celina felt herself trembling harder as the being spoke and she kept backing away. “Brine, what are you talking about? You know I wouldn’t do that! I’m your friend! I care about you! I wouldn’t hurt you ever, Brine!”

The Demi-God felt more anger boiling in his veins. “That’s what they all said to me, human. The ones who betrayed me. They said they cared, they said I was safe in their kingdom. I should have known it was lies, and what you are speaking of to me is NOTHING BUT LIES!” He pointed a sword at the human and ground his teeth to the point where he was sure he’d bleed.

Celina shook her head. Something was wrong, Brine wasn’t acting like himself and something had caused him to become the being she had known in those memories; the ones where he destroyed a whole kingdom and killed everyone in it. She knew that look, he looked just as angry as he did at Rose when he tortured her. Celina continued to walk back, away from Brine, until she felt her back hit a stone wall. She turned and looked back at the wall in a panic, but Brine’s voice made her snap her head forwards at him once more.

“If you think you can escape my wrath this time, you are gravely mistaken human. You will pay for all the pain you caused me, all of the fake sincerity you showed to me. I won’t let myself be used by someone as pathetic as you.”

Those words made her heart break and Celina felt tears welling up in her eyes. “Brine, what are you talking about?! You know I would never hurt you! I’m not using you!” She found the droplets in her eyes falling down her face. “I--I care about you, Brine! I’m not--”

“Speak no more, mortal,” Brine whispered in a dark voice. “You cannot put on this act and fool me any longer. You will pay for what you’ve done to me.”

Before Celina could say another word, Brine raised his swords. Time seemed to slow as the queen watched him approach.

Brine brought down one blade…

Only for it to be stopped by the queen’s enchanted diamond one.

Brine looked down in angered surprise, seeing the queen holding up her weapon to stop the crimson blade from hitting her.

When the being removed his sword, the queen pulled hers back and looked at her friend. “Brine, listen to me! I don’t know what’s wrong, but I don’t want to fight you! I don’t want to hurt you!”

Brine didn’t seem to listen as he reeled back, before charging at the queen again. He attempted to slash her with his twin swords but she managed to block them when he brought them down. The strong blow shook her whole form and made her grunt from taking the brunt of it. She quickly held up her blade again when the being attempted to strike her again, barely keeping her sword from flying from her hand. She took a few steps back.

Celina didn’t know what was wrong with her friend, but she knew he wasn’t going to listen to her right now. Something had taken him over, a rage she had only seen in his memories and that scared her to no end. She knew he wouldn’t listen to her if she didn’t fight. The queen really didn’t want to fight him, but it seems she had no choice. 

She had to make him listen again.

Celina got into a more ready stance with her blade held up near her chest. She saw the being sneer and she readied herself. 

Brine strode forward and suddenly jumped, preparing to bring one blade down onto the human. She managed to roll out of the way and stopped in a crouch, hearing his sword impact the stone. She snapped her head up to see the being running towards her with his other sword ready to strike. She quickly raised her sword up and blocked the blow, using all the strength she had to push Brine back and get to her feet.

The Demi-God blinked for a moment, before growling out and lifting his swords. He brought them both down and made Celina stumble back as she barely stopped them with her own weapon. “Brine, stop! I don’t want to hurt you!” she shouted out. However, she knew it was futile with whatever was controlling her friend’s mind. She could feel her arms beginning to ache from blocking powerful blows and she knew that her arms were going to hurt real bad once this was over.

Brine snarled and suddenly vanished from his place, making the queen’s eyes go wide. He quickly reappeared behind her, raising his leg and kicking her forward.

Celina cried out when a powerful jolt was dealt to her back. She tried to turn around to stop another but instead felt a kick to her face that had her dropping her sword and staggering back. She held onto her cheek with one hand, but opened her eyes quickly to see Herobrine standing only blocks away, seeming to be readying himself again. 

Adrenaline pumped into Celina’s veins when she realized she didn’t have her weapon on her anymore. Survival instincts kicked in as she made a run for her weapon, and when Brine began to run towards her again, she slid down on her side, barely avoiding his blades as he swung them out. She managed to slide to where her sword was and take a hold of the weapon. She then rushed forward as Brine turned on his heels from his missed swing.

A shout rang out as Celina lifted her blade and brought it down, only to be blocked by the duel crimson swords. She pulled back as Brine swung his swords forward, blocking one, then the other. The queen gritted her teeth as she swung again, this time aiming for his legs.

Brine saw this and quickly jumped to avoid her weapon, before spinning in place with swords out. Celina quickly held up her blade and blocked blow after blow after blow from the whirling Demi-God, struggling more and more with each strike. 

The queen saw him stop and she took a few steps back, watching Brine’s every move.

The being was furious at this point and he bellowed aloud in rage. He vanished from his spot before reappearing in front of the queen, too fast for her to catch. As soon as he was in front of Celina, Brine grabbed her by the neck and threw her as hard as he could, making her fly into a nearby wall of rock. The queen shouted out in pain and for a moment, he hesitated after her cry.

Celina felt herself slide to the floor after hitting the wall. She was almost sure Brine had broken something in her back and she was aching terribly. A small dribble of blood fell from the corner of her lips, and she quickly spat it out. She groaned a bit, but stopped and looked up when she saw Brine moving towards her at a quick pace. She looked around and saw her weapon was several blocks away, where she had dropped it when she had been grabbed.

The queen was trying to stand up and that caused Brine to force power to surge through his veins.

It happened too fast for Celina to process, far too fast for her to run or move or even shout for her friend to stop. Brine surged forward in one movement with one sword low at his side, just as the queen got to her feet. Before she could even say a word, a loud scream echoed down the cavern from her mouth, a molten sensation building in her chest as the crimson blade slid right through it. She could feel the fire of the blade slip through her back and out, and a heavy jolt stopped her in her place. 

Celina bravely opened her eyes after the initial pain toned down, but as she did, a terrible agony flooded her chest and she found tears streaming down her face. She could see Brine in front of her, a few inches lower than where she was, and she could see his hands still clutching onto the dark colored handle of the maroon colored blade. And that blade was sticking out of her chest.

The queen stayed quiet for what felt like an eternity and she almost couldn’t find it in her to speak. However, the pain worsened and she screamed out in agony again. She then let out several loud sobs, her eyes flooding over. A loud cough escaped her lips, blood falling from her mouth. She looked back up at Brine, her heart beginning to ache.

Brine had just stabbed her and was now pinning her to the stone wall with one of his swords. She couldn’t believe it. Something had overtaken her friend and now she was going to die because of it. She wanted so badly to try to talk to Brine again, to comfort him, to try and snap him out of it, but it was obvious to her now that her friend was gone. The Demi-God who had been her dearest best friend was gone now, the man who had tried to kill her had just about done so.

Celina blinked more tears out of her eyes as the being began to speak.

“Now do you see what your kind has done, mortal? You brought this upon yourself. You showed me fake sincerity and now, you will suffer for your actions. You do not deserve my mercy, I will gladly enjoy watching you die on my blade.”

Celina barely shook her head. “Br--Brine… I… I didn’t…” She coughed again. Brine was really going to let her die from something that she wasn’t able to stop… and it was her fault. She promised to protect her friend, and she didn’t. She failed him. And now with her wound leaking more and more blood onto the floor, she knew she was really going to die this time.

“Br--Brine,” she started with a hoarse voice. “I… I’m… I’m so sorry.” She closed her eyes as she felt her eyelids grow weaker. “I promised… to--to protect you. When… when we--became friends… I made a--a promise. I--I promised… to protect you. To list--en to you. To be… your friend. But… I--I failed you. I didn’t… I did everything I--could. I really--did.”

Celina sighed softly, then coughed again when she felt more blood flood her mouth. She could see Brine still giving her a furious gaze and it broke her heart. “I… I’m sorry, Herobrine. I promised to protect you. I--I just… I don’t kn--ow what… had overtaken… you. But… I couldn’t… stop it.” She blinked at her vision began to blur out and sway. “I’m… I’m so sorry… Brine. I--I didn’t… protect you.” She managed to open her eyes for a moment, looking directly into those enchanting white orbs of his. “Forgive me… Hero--brine.”

Brine stayed silent, smoke still drifting from his eyes, anger on his face… before he let go of the sword and backed away.

He had heard those words before.