14. Dagon

14

DAGON

A s I move to walk away, Tagar grabs me by the front of my shirt. He gives me an obscene smile as blood coats his teeth.

"This isn't over brother," he taunts, yanking me to him.

My heart races as the delicate control I have over the lurking darkness shatters. The line I've been walking blurs as the anger begins to rise. I let out a growl and slam Tagar back against the wall. I'm done holding back and I let go, ready to unleash the depths of my wrath upon him.

Tagar's head snaps back against the stone with a sickening crack, but his grin only widens, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "Come on, Dagon! Show me what you've got!" he spits out, his voice dripping with madness and provocation.

His words spur the anger in me, and I grab his collar, lifting him slightly, my face inches from his. "You want to see what I've got? You'll fucking regret it," I snarl, the darkness within licking at the edges of my restraint, eager for release.

I throw him down the alleyway. He crashes against the ground, scrambles up, and charges at me like a wild animal. We collide as I lunge at him. Punches fly, each one infused with my pent-up rage. Tagar manages a few hits, his nails scraping across my cheek, drawing blood. The pain is sharp, a crimson streak of reality that only feeds my fury.

"Is that all, brother?" Tagar laughs maniacally, wiping blood from his lip. "I expected more from the mighty Dagon."

His taunts echo in my skull, fueling every explosive blow I land on him. "You know nothing," I retort, my voice cold as steel. I catch his fist, twist his arm back, and with a fluid motion, kick him in the chest. He stumbles back, gasping, the impact reverberating through the alley.

Tagar recovers, lunging at me with a broken piece of pipe. The metal glints under the dim streetlights as he swings. I dodge smoothly, grabbing his arm and using his momentum to hurl him into the wall. The brick crumbles upon impact, dust clouding around him.

"You're fucking insane," I hiss, advancing on him as he struggles to rise, his eyes wild but undeniably fearful now.

"I'm what you made me!" he retorts, coughing up blood, trying to push himself up.

"No, Tagar. You chose this path. And now, I end it," I say, my voice a low rumble of finality. I pin him against the wall, my hand around his throat, squeezing just enough to hold him in place, my other fist raised.

"Any last words?" I growl, my anger a palpable force.

Tagar smirks, his breath ragged. "Fuck you, brother."

With a final look into his eyes, a mix of pity and resolve settles over me. I pull back my fist and with all the force that the darkness and anger provide, I drive it forward and pause hesitantly, my fist stopping before making contact.

Tagar slumps against the crumbled wall, defeated yet defiant, his smirk fades into a grimace of pain and frustration. I stand over him, my breath heavy, feeling the weight of every strike I delivered. The alley is silent except for our labored breathing and the distant hum of the nightlife that continues oblivious to the dark showdown that has just unfolded.

From the corner of my eye, I see Calista. She stands at the mouth of the alley, her face pale and eyes wide with shock. There's a helplessness there that twists in my gut. Our eyes meet briefly, and I see the worry, the fear for what I've become in this moment, and what might still come.

Turning back to Tagar, I know this needs to end now, once and for all. But as I prepare to deal the final blow, a deep, resonating voice stops me.

"That's enough, there's no need for more blood."

I spin around to see a figure stepping out from the shadows near the bar we had been at earlier. Despite its small stature, the soz'garoth demon commands the alley with its presence. Its long ears frame a narrow face, and its eyes glow with a red hue. The aura of potent magic is palpable around it, making the air thrum with power.

"Let me offer an alternative," the demon continues, its voice smooth like velvet but edged with a threat. It gestures gracefully with a slender hand, and with an intricate movement of its fingers, it produces a swirling portal, the edges crackling with dark energy.

"Send him to Aerasak. Let him be someone else's problem," the demon suggests, its gaze piercing into mine.

Tagar, hearing this, begins to laugh, though it's laced with desperation. "You think banishing me will change anything, brother? You think you won't see me again?"

Ignoring his taunts, I look back at Calista, seeking some semblance of approval or at least acceptance. Her expression is unreadable, torn between relief and continued fear. Turning back to the demon, I nod once, decisively.

"Do it," I say firmly.

The demon moves towards Tagar, who tries to scramble away but finds his injuries too debilitating. With a flick of its wrist, spectral chains appear, binding Tagar's arms and legs. He struggles against his bindings, cursing and spitting blood, but it's futile.

As the demon drags him towards the portal, Tagar's eyes meet mine, filled with rage and betrayal. "This isn't over, Dagon. I'll be back," he seethes.

"Perhaps," I reply quietly, my voice steady despite the chaotic emotions inside me. "But not today."

With a final shove, the demon throws Tagar into the portal. The edges of the portal pulse once, twice, and then close with a sound like thunder, leaving a faint smell of ozone in the air. The demon gives me a nod, almost respectful, before it too steps back into the shadows of the bar, disappearing from view.

I stand there for a moment, the weight of my actions settling around me like a heavy cloak.

"I've got the upper hand now," I murmur under my breath, the realization hitting me like a surge of adrenaline. "I can be the whole fucking storm, not just the calm or the chaos." It's a raw, powerful acceptance of every shard of my being. Overcoming Tagar, I've not only silenced a ghost from my past but taken the darkness as my own—an ally, not a captor.

My chest heaves as the weight is lifted, the solace in closure from my past settles over me, and I close my eyes, letting out a sigh as the chaos of the darkness I've tried so hard to control begins to calm.