Shadowy Burn

"Ahahahaa!! Here catch!!"

Whizz

A red fist sized object flew at one of the boys. By instinct he caught it only to realize, to his horror, it was his friends heart.

He shuddered as it was still beating and warm in his hand.

Taking advantage of his stunned state, Mort dashed towards him and,

Wham!!

The boy's face cushioned a punch from none other than Mort, snapping his head back from this surprise hook from his blood covered right hand, smearing the blood on said boys face.

A tooth flew out of his mouth, a testimony of Mort's crazy strength. Not giving him a second to react, Mort spun on his heels and let out a devasting uppercut, snapping his victims head up with such speed it seemed like it'd fly off from the blow.

The uppercut caused him to drop the heart on the ground as he flew a few feet backwards his back hitting the ground, not breathing.

Crunch

Mort appeared in front of another boy, his elbow finding it's way to his neck hitting him hard in the Adam's apple.

He clutched his throat in pain and stumbled a few steps backwards, not giving him a moment to breath, Mort jumps up right in front of his dazed opponent knees him hard in the nose with his right knee, a crunching sound rings out.

His nose clearly broken, the boy fell face first into the ground with a thud.

"Two down, three more to go!!"

A happy voice announced.

Snapping out of their daze the remaining two boys and James began to act.

A boy with dirt blonde hair slammed his left foot onto the ground, forming spikes that shot at quick speeds towards Mort who just yawned and side stepped it.

The blonde panicked and stomped more randomly shooting out stone spikes at the monster in front of him who proceeded to move like a snake, dodging narrowly with a crazed look on his face, his toothy smile and widened bright eyes were too creepy looking.

Mort appeared right in front of him fist cocked back, ready to punch his head right off only for a rock sized water bullet to hit him on his right cheek slamming him face first into the wall of the alleyway, dazing him. Grunting angrily he gripped unto the wall and slowly gets up with the support of one the objects which caused his pain.

Quickly, James swings out his arms yelling out his attack as it sounded unintelligible to the dazed Mort who got slashed across the back by what seemed like wind blades, cutting a few centimeters into his back bleeding profusely.

The sting of the air hitting his freshly cut back snapped him out of his insanity.

'What the hell?!, what was I doing?'

He thought to himself confused, as he winced turning around. To his shock he saw his bullies downed; Jake in a crater unconscious, a boy sticking headfirst into the concrete with a hole where his heart was supposed to be, another knocked out his neck looking like it was about to be ripped off his head, wiping his eyes to see if he was dreaming, he smelt something metalic almost like blood.

'Wait..this isn't my blood'

Realization dawned on him as his right eye was smeared in almost dried dirty blood from his right hand.

Not giving him a moment to think, James charged at Mort and slashed at his head, his arm covered in wind, looking sharp as it sliced throught the air.

His body moving without his consent, Mort moved backwards dodging the attack which gave him a few cuts on his face.

The pain snapped him out of his confusion but it was too late.

The ground shot up around him and held him, wrapping around him tightly covering his feet up to his head.

"Gotcha!"

Was the last thing he heard before a water bullet hit him hard in the face knocking him out.

"Well that was boring"

Mort got up abruptly as he looked around all he could see was darkness.

"Over here boy"

Turning to face the familiar voice Mort saw two lean figures in the dark.

"You got knocked out" the voice continued to speak answering his question.

"Now you have ten seconds to decide else you will die"

A small screen of some sorts, a hole in the darkness appeared in front of Mort as he looked, he noticed he was seeing James swinging a large sword sized blade at his head, getting ready to kill him.

"10"

'Why should I live? I killed people, even though they made my life hell. I am no better'

"9"

Mort felt sick in his stomach recollecting what he did a while ago, the feeling of their faces being crushed by his fists. The stench of blood hitting his nose, the crunching of bones felt by his body parts responsible for them. The muffled screams and groans of pain inflicted by him.

He wanted to puke out his guts.

"6"

"Oi snap out of it brat!! I don't wanna die!"

That psychotic voice!. It was the one that made him do this, but he was at fault for letting himself be played.

His eyes dead looking as he gazed on his hands, the ones responsible for taking the lives of his abusers.

Regardless of what they did, they were humans.

Yet he was the one that killed them like they were animals. What does that make him?

"A survivor! If you didn't do it, who knows when you will be the dead one!?. Act brat!! If not for yourself for your mother!" The crazy voice yelled at him, panic present in his voice.

"2"

But his mother... No, he can't keep being selfish. He was coming home, even as a monster. He will be the monster that his mother loves, a monster she won't need to know about. The whole city will definitely come for them. But first..

"1"

"Help me..." He pleaded sounding pathetic, he hated how he sounded, but what choice did he have? These two can help him. But after that, he will never be under anyone's foot again.

"Never thought you'd ask hehe"

the crazy one said his voice now full of cockiness. He begun to make his way to the kneeling Mort, only for the calm voice to stop him.

"Enough +#-+_+#+#@, I will take over now"

Stomping his foot like a child the crazy voice whined.

"It's not fairrrr, I was having fun" he began, only to be silenced by the look he got from his counterpart.

"You wasted time, time which we don't have."

Looking in Mort's direction he spoke calmly, almost soothing.

"It's okay child, nothing bad will happen. I will take care of it."

A black tendril shot out of Mort's mouth and gripped the wind blade. Stopping it 12 inches away from his exposed neck.

Slowly lifting his head higher, he looked into James face, making eye contact, looking into his soul.

A cracking sound was head as the blade broke into multiple shards that blended back into the air without a trace.

The rock trap holding him in place started shaking before it blew outwards flying towards James and his two remaining friends who quickly raised elemental barriers of water, earth and wind to block the debris.

Out of the debris shot out multiple black shadowy tendrils, that looked dead yet alive. They made their way towards the three boys. James quickly dashed backwards with the water boy. But the earth boy was not as lucky.

The tendril wrapped around his legs and proceeded to lift him up by ten meters slam him hard into the ground forming a crater the shape of his body and leaving him barely moving. As the dust cleared from the slam, the boy's body was barely moving, eyes bulged out, blood leaking out of his orifices.

"K-kyle" James couldn't believe what was happening.

Before he could react the water boy was stabbed in the throat by a tendril, which seemed to come out of his own shadow.

'How? What's going on? They can't all be dead... they can't be'

Tears were dripping down his face, he wouldn't want anyone to even see him soft but.. his friends were dead, he doesn't even..

'I can't breath..'

 Mort walked by him, like a shadow phantom, stopping beside him he whispered.

"Any last words?" He asked coldy as he looked him.

"Yeah!! Die you spawn from hell!!, Hellfire!!"

A large ball of fire shot at Mort, James seeing the opportunity retreated as it slammed into his back.

Jake smirked as he looked at the burning body of Mort.

"Tch died standing, what a freak"

But his smile died as he looked closer, something black and shadowy was holding the fire, like a giant palm.

Mort turned around calmly and just then, the shadowy palm extinguished the fire like it was nothing.

"Was that all?" Mort asked, sounding confused, looking at Jake who breathed heavily.

"You know, you're just like my father said, a monster.." James drawled as a smirk appeared on his face, a mark started glowing on his right bicep, it was a sigil. A mark of the gods, a mark that allowed those with elemental powers to have control and use of the elements.

"You should have ended me back then, but now, it's too late!!" He yelled and focused all his life force energy into his sigil as his body caught fire, but the flames werent hurting him, the sigil seemed to burn the most almost like it's about to peel off.

"From the flames, come life.. Phoenix rebirth!!!"

A large explosion of fire spread out of his body catching Mort offguard as the fire engulfed him, burning him forcing a roar of pain out of his mouth.

Mort dropped on his left knee as the fire burnt at his life force.

Without wasting anytime a sheath of lightning came from his skin and pushed the fire away from his body.

Jake looked back in shock as the explosing took the shape of a pillar and went upwards hitting the clouds in the sky and parting them.

'He used the forbidden ability...'

His bestfriend was, fighting and he was running.

'No more. I have to help him.'

He swang out his arms his sigil glowing through his jumpsuit appearing over his left shoulder

"Wind blade!"

Two green crescent shaped blades flew at Mort who was still pushing the flames off himself as the flames acted like cuffs, trying to hold him in place and burn him to ashes.

The blades reached him and cut into his back, causing him to wince and lose concentration as the flames fully engulfed him and burnt him, his screams piercing through the alleyway.

Panting, James huddled to Jake whose skin glowing golden orange, pupils red in color.

"The scum is gone, this ability of my family kills everything, burning it till it exists no more, there is no known counter. In exchange for this, I lose my connection to the Phoenix."

He explained as the figure of Mort screamed out in agony as the flames burnt everything, his clothes, flesh, muscles, blood and life force.