Chronicles of the Warriors

The Birth of Black Fire
By
Wiz
Chapter I

Five medallions, created by the most powerful wizard of all time. If you possessed one, you could destroy an army. Two and you could annihilate an entire solar system. But if you possessed all five, you could have the entire universe sitting in the palm of your hand. At least that was the legend. The true power of the medallions is unknown, mainly because they are feared so that none dare use their power. But the dream of collecting all five medallions and ruling the universe still holds true. And because of this dream their are a few people who dare to set out on the quest for universal domination, to collect the five medallions. People like me. But their are others still who oppose people like me and try to stop those in search for ultimate power. People like Tilon.

My name was inferno. I was the sole guardian of the medallions that myself and my followers had collected throughout the many years of my life. Of all the people working with me to find the medallions, I was the strongest, and also their leader. But even so, at my level of strength at that time, I dared not use the power of the medallions, at least not the two we possessed. The medallions had such power that if the controller wasn't strong enough, not only in strength, but in mind and spirit, they would lose their sanity and go insane. If I had one of the weakest medallions, I might have been able to control their power, but the two I possessed were the Black and the Rainbow medallions. They were two of the strongest medallions. The silver and gold medallions were the two weakest, respectively. The Rainbow and Black were the next strongest, both equal in power. And the strongest was the Crystal medallion. The Crystal medallion had the strength of all the other medallions combined. It was said that once four of the medallions were gathered together, excluding the Crystal medallion, they would form the Florence medallion. And when all five were gathered together, they would form the ultimate Crystal Florence medallion. This was my goal, to possess that.

Tilon, the Chosen One, and his small group of followers were the group of people selected by the high council of the universe to try and stop me and my followers from collecting all of the medallions. So far, they had collected only one of the medallions, the Gold. Only the Silver, the weakest, and the Crystal, the strongest, still remained. Even the Chosen One, who was arguably as strong as me, wouldn't use the power of the Gold medallion, despite the fact that it was one of the weakest medallions.

The Chosen One and I had never met face to face, but the time of our meeting was coming soon, I could feel it. And only one of us would be left standing. I didn't know whether or not that would be me, but I was determined to be ready for him when that time came.

Chapter II

I was sitting in my room quarters, meditating in the dark, trying to feel the other medallions, to search for their location. It was a very large universe, and trying to pinpoint the location of something no bigger than your hand was a great task, and nearly impossible. I had done it three times before in 15 years. Twice I was able to retrieve the medallion. The other time Tilon beat me to it. But my powers were growing stronger every day, and I knew it wouldn't be much longer before I found the location of both the missing medallions. And then it would only be a matter of stealing the remaining medallion from Tilon.

As I searched through the galaxies that made up the giant universe, I felt another presence. He too was searching the stars for the medallions through meditation. It was Tilon. I felt him, and I knew he felt me. The time will soon come for our confrontation. I though to myself. Just then I heard a knock on my door. I ignored it and continued with my meditation. Then I heard the knock again. I rose up, rather aggravated and answered the door.

"If I don't answer the door, it is for a good reason." I said in an angry tone.

"And if I continue knocking, it is for an even better reason." My comrade, Nahtanoj, smiled at me in the doorway.

"What is it?" I asked.

"While you were in there meditating away, trying to find the medallions the hard way, some of our guys were looking the old fashioned way." I rose my eyebrows in surprise and anticipation. Nahtanoj only smiled.

"Well??" I asked, waiting for him to tell me the what and where of the medallion.

"It is the silver medallion. It is on a small planet in the north Extorse region, sector 8199. There is a old tribe of people than worship it."

"Tsk, tsk." I replied, shaking my finger.

"What?" Nahtanoj asked in confusion.

"That tribe is worshiping a false god. I think we should show them the error of their ways." Nahtanoj smiled and I laughed. "Let's go. Gather up the others. If we have found this medallions, even if not by meditation, Tilon and his group are sure not to be to far behind. And they will be aware of our moving together. We must hurry if we plan to get the medallion before them." Nahtanoj, my right hand man, gather the rest of our followers, most of which I didn't even know their names. We then headed out toward the north Extorse region to get the Medallion.

Chapter III

As soon as we reached the planet I sensed that Tilon was near. The hard part was done. We had found the planet where the medallion was, but now we needed to find the actual spot on the planet where the medallion was. That wouldn't be hard, but it would take time. Time which we didn't have. All the while that we were searching for the medallion Tilon and his followers were growing nearer and nearer.

We had split up into groups and were searching for the medallion. Nahtanoj and I were together.

"I sense a small village not far from here." Nahtanoj said.

"As do I. Let's go. Time is running out." I took flight and took off. Nahtanoj asked me something while we were flying to our destination.

"How will we know whether the medallion is there or not once we get there?"

"The energy of the medallions is faint, but it can be sensed if you are near enough, and, with enough time and concentration, it can be sensed from a distance as well. Which reminds me, how did you find out where the medallion was?" I asked. Nahtanoj laughed.

"Actually, some of the guys were watching a special on TV about the people who worship the medallion. It was pure luck."

"Yes, and pure luck that Tilon wasn't watching the same program." We laughed.

"Look, there it is. It looks a little too modern to be what we're looking for."

"I agree, and I can't sense the energy of the medallion either. We must go look elsewhere." And with that we flew off to find another village.

It had been about six hours and we still hadn't found the medallion. Night was growing near as the sun began to fall from the sky and the moon began to rise to take its place. Nahtanoj and I spotted another village and went down to investigate.

"This could be it." Nahtanoj said in a hopeful voice.

"I wouldn't get you hopes up. I'm not sensing the medallion." Nahtanoj let out a heavy sigh.

"Did it take you this long to find the other two medallions?" He asked me.

"No. But those two are much more powerful than the one we are currently pursuing. It was a lot easier to sense where they were hidden."

"Well it is kind of annoying flying around for six or seven hours and not achieving anything."

"I wouldn't say that. We have eliminated many possibilities of where the medallion could be. Be optimistic my friend. Besides, we have bigger problems." Nahtanoj looked wearily at me.

"What?" He asked.

"We aren't alone. Tilon has arrived." Nahtanoj cursed under his breath.

"Don't worry, we will find it first. We will be fine. Though I'm not sure I can say the same for some of our comrades. They have already encountered Tilon and his men. For them, this search will be their last. They will fall at the power of Tilon." Nahtanoj shot me a worried look.

"What!?" He said, sweat dripping from his forehead.

"Don't worry about them. Like I said, we will be fine. We can find the medallions ourselves."

"But they were...are our-"

"They were assets. Expendable assets. They helped us with our search, and now they are serving us by distracting Tilon and his forces, thus allowing us more time to find the medallion. We can find more people to help us in our quest. But once I find this medallion I will not need anyone to help me. The Silver medallion is much weaker than the other medallions, and I believe I can harness its power. And despite its being weaker than the other medallions, don't be mistaken, it is still extremely powerful, and with its power I will crush all those who oppose me. First I will find the last medallion, and then I will mercilessly take the last medallion from Tilon and show him who is the real chosen one." Nahtanoj looked nervously at me.

"And...And what would you do with me?" Nahtanoj asked, afraid of what the answer would be. I laughed and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Relax my shaky friend. This universe much too powerful to be ruled by one person, even if they do have the power to do it. I will need you to stay at my side and share in the pleasure of ruling the universe. It will all come in time, you will see." And as soon as I said that we arrived at another village. The village. "And with our patience, we have arrived at our destination, my nervous friend." I pointed to the center of the village and Nahtanoj saw we had been looking for. There was a golden shrine, and in the middle of it there was a small silver artifact.

"That's it!" Nahtanoj exclaimed happily. He flew down and went to grab it, but I stopped him.

"Don't touch that." I said in a calm voice.

"Why not?" He asked in a harsh tone.

"I, and only I am to touch the medallions. I was entrusted to be the Guardian of the Medallion by my Master before me, not you. You are not strong enough to even hold the medallion." Distrust and anger spread over Nahtanoj's face.

"You are just afraid that when I possess the power of the medallion not even you would be able to stand in my way!"

"You can't harness the power of the medallion. It will tear you apart. Don't do it." Nahtanoj laughed.

"You can't stop me! You can't stop me!" Nahtanoj reached for the medallion but before his hand reached it, his hand was grabbed by me. "How did you..." I swung Nahtanoj around and he flew into a nearby hut. Villagers were gather all around now watching in fear at the intruders who threatened to steal their god. Nahtanoj got up and looked at me in fear. "How did you get to me so fast?" He asked.

"You have never seen me truly demonstrate my power. Even now, you haven't. Pray that you never have to. Do you see what you have done? The medallion can warp the mind of anyone who isn't strong enough to wield its power. Nahtanoj, I have known you since I was a child. Even a black-hearted fighter can have a friend. And you are my only one. Don't make me kill you." I looked at Nahtanoj, ready to attack if necessary.

"I...I am sorry." Nahtanoj lowered his head in submission. "I will never oppose you again." Nahtanoj walked over to me and then we made our way to the shrine. "My arm...it is burned from when you touched me. Why?" Nahtanoj asked.

"My body is made and surrounded by flames. So when I touch someone, unless the are immune or have a strong tolerance to fire, they are burned." I reached the shrine and picked up the medallion. The villagers all gasped and screamed as we took what they believed to be a god. I rose my hand into the air. "Sword of Agony, come forth!" I shouted to the sky. Dark clouds covered the already darkening sky. Lightning danced back and fourth through the sky and to the clouds. A bolt of lightning came directly down upon my and struck me. I closed my eyes as I sensed the presence of the dark sword being formed in my hand, and Nahtanoj shielded his eyes from the blinding light. The light from the lightning faded, but the clouds still hovered over me. Nahtanoj uncovered his eyes and saw the sword of darkness in my hand, the Sword of Agony.

"What is that!?" He exclaimed.

"This, my friend, is the legendary Sword of Agony. This is one of the only things capable of containing the medallions powers. The other thing capable of this is the sword Tilon possesses, the Chosen Sword." Nahtanoj looked at the sword in awe. "See the black and rainbow colors in the swords blade?" Nahtanoj nodded. "Those are from the Black and Rainbow medallions that are already hidden within the sword. And as soon as I put this Silver medallion in it, it will also be silver. I raised my sword and the medallion both into the air and with a flash of lightning the two became one. A single silver streak came down from the tip of the swords blade down to the hilt. I smiled. "Well, Tilon, one step closer to victory for me, and one step closer to annihilation for you." I laughed aloud at my victory. Nahtanoj laughed along with me, but our rejoicing was cut short by my realization that Tilon was very near. "We don't have time to celebrate. Tilon draws nearer."

"But you have the Silver medallion now! Use it to defeat him once and for all!" Nahtanoj said.

"No. The Silver medallion is stronger than I anticipated. I require more training before I can use its power, but fear not. The time for the uniting of me and the medallion is near. It won't be long before I can fuse with the medallion. But now, we must go. I may or may not be stronger than Tilon, but they have us far outnumbered." Nahtanoj nodded and we left. Seconds after we left Tilon arrived at the village to find nothing but a bunch of frightened, frantic people and an empty shrine.

Chapter IV

I was resting, and at the same time meditating, back in my room at my fortress with the Sword of Agony resting in a stand nearby. My quest was so close to coming to a conclusion I could almost taste it. Ultimate power was nearly mine. I could sense the location of the last medallion. It wouldn't be long before I found it as well. Nahtanoj was in the room across the hall from me. He...he was searching for the last medallion as well. But not for me. For himself. He was beginning to become a hindrance. If he posed to be a problem, I would have had to deal with him. He was a friend, but, even friends are expendable. I sensed Tilon searching for the medallion. As long as I was at large, he would be right there along side of me searching for the medallions. That was what made him such a good Chosen One. But he didn't have the years of training in looking for the medallions like I had gotten from my teacher many years ago. That was why he had only one medallion and I had three. Tilon's time was running out.

I was in my room for 48 hours straight, without sleep and without food. My determination was what was driving me on. I emerged from my room and found Nahtanoj sleeping in his. I laughed, and he awoke from the sound of my laughter.

"Did you think you could sneak around while I was meditating? I see everything you do, and I know your true intentions." Nahtanoj looked up at me dumbfounded.

"I...I was just looking for the medallion to help you, through meditation like you said."

"Yes, you were looking for it, but not for me. You selfish pig, you seek the power of the Crystal medallion only for yourself." Nahtanoj looked at me in fear, because he knew that what I spoke of was the truth. I rose my hand and the Sword of Agony appeared in my hand. "So, you want to experience the power of the medallions, Nahtanoj?" The colors of the medallions swirled around in the blade of the sword. Nahtanoj waved his hands in front of his face and shook his head.

"No! Please no! Please my friend-" Flames from my body engulfed the sword and tears rolled down Nahtanoj's face.

"I'll see you in HELL!!!!" I screamed, and with one quick slash, the traitor’s life was taken. "That's as close as you'll ever get to the power of the medallions." And with that I left. I was one step ahead of Tilon. In my last hours of meditation I found the location of the last medallion. My destination: Tilon's fortress.

Chapter V

I quickly arrived at the location of Tilon's fortress. I was the only one left out of me and my followers. But I was determined to find the last medallion. And I would find it. I snuck into the very core of the fortress. It was heavily guarded, so it was easy for me to infiltrate the place. I peaked around the corner and saw my advisory. I had never before seen his face, but I could sense it was him. He stopped walking and looked around. He sensed something too, but he didn't yet know it was be he sensed. He leaned over to a nearby guard.

"Something doesn't feel right." He said.

"What is it?" The guard asked.

"I'm not sure yet. Just keep a look out. If you find anything suspicious, sound the alarm."

"Yes sir." He replied.

I looked a little more closely at Tilon. Then it hit me, and I knew exactly where the Crystal medallion was. It was pointless to stay concealed any longer. The medallion was right in front of me. I stood up and walked out into the light. Tilon turned to me, and at first looked confused, but then he realized it was me.

"It's Inferno! Close down the fortress!! I don't want him to escape!" Tilon shouted orders to all the guards, and soon the place was shut down.

"Don't worry Tilon, I have no intentions on escaping." I said to Tilon calmly.

"I assume you came here for the Gold medallion? I'm afraid I can't give it to you. I will protect it with my life." Tilon said defiantly.

"Then your life will be foolishly wasted. But that is not my primary concern for being here. I am here for something much...bigger than the Gold medallion. But I suppose I should collect that while I am here as well." I laughed.

"What are you here for then? It isn't...the Crystal medallion is it?" I smiled. "Believe me when I say that it isn't here. If it was then I would have already sought you out."

"You are wrong, Tilon. Though you are unaware of its presence, it is here. And it is much closer than you think." I looked intensely at Tilon. Tilon returned an uneasy look. "You have it, Tilon."

"What!? I think I would know if I had it!" Tilon replied.

"No. It's powers are dormant. I can barely feel it, and I am no more than 20 feet from it. It is the strongest of the medallions, but it is the most concealed. Only because of my training with my former master could I sense the power of the medallion. And it is time for me to take it from you." I began to walk towards Tilon, but all his guards stepped in my way. "How many casualties do you want there to be. I can easily destroy every one of these pitiful weaklings." Tilon looked around and nodded his head.

"I have to take this fight on solo." Tilon's guards looked at him with pleading eyes. "I will either single-handedly save the universe from destruction, or I will single-handedly be the cause of its destruction. The fate of the universe rests on my shoulders." Tilon shot me a angry look. "Try and shake it from me!" I growled and flew at him. Tilon flicked his wrist and the Chosen appeared in his hand. He swung his sword at me, but I gracefully dodged. I rose my hand in the air and called upon the Sword of Agony. "I see." Tilon said. "You are the one who possesses the legendary Sword of Agony. The so called twin to my sword. They were made by the same man, at the same time." I laughed.

"You know your history Tilon." I replied.

"Yes. But just because they are twins, doesn't mean they are equal in strength. My sword has an infinite power supply. Yours doesn't." Tilon smiled, but I smiled right back at him.

"So you think. As long as my sword houses the power of three of the most powerful artifacts in the universe it has an unlimited power supply just like yours!" I swung my sword over my head and Tilon blocked with his sword. I swung my sword again parallel to the ground, but Tilon ducked under it. I smiled at Tilon's mistake and rose my knee to hit Tilon in the forehead. Tilon's head jerked back and he fell to the ground. I got up quickly and I saw the burn on his head from my knee. Shook my head at Tilon. "I thought a fight such as yourself would have master the element of fire."

"I have learned to generate and tolerate fire."

"That burn on your forehead begs to differ."

"The flames on your body are much hotter than anything I have ever felt or could generate."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I shot a wave of fire at Tilon. Tilon jumped up to dodge it, but the flame caught his leg. His pants caught on fire, and when he landed he struggled to get it out. But I wasn't about to allow him the time to. I swung my sword at him and he was forced to block with his. I kicked him in the leg that was burning. Tilon clenched his teeth to keep from screaming in pain. I slashed Tilon with my sword and it caught him in the side. He groaned in pain as blood poured from the deep would, and his leg continued to burn. I grabbed his arm and threw him into the air. The he flew into the air, the air fueling the fire on his leg all the while. Tilon rolled on the ground when he landed, extinguishing the fire and revealing one heck of a burn on his leg. Much of the skin had burnt of and his bone was visible in many places. Tilon struggled to his feet, determined not to give up. His leg was almost completely useless, and the only thing keeping him from going into shock was the thought that he had to keep the medallions from me, even if he didn't know where one of them was. I lowered my sword and laid it on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Tilon said through clenched teeth.

"I don't need this to win. But you do. Come and get it." Tilon looked down at the sword. He knew I was right. When the Chosen Sword and the Sword of Agony were joined together the fused and became the Chosen Master Sword of Agony. But the Sword of Agony was truly an evil sword, and it would corrupt almost anyone who used it. But Tilon had no other choice. Tilon tried to walk to the sword, but he couldn't. So he took flight and made his way to the sword. "Oh, you didn't think I was just going to give it to you, did you? No, no, you have to fight me for it." I smiled, and Tilon spat at my feet. He raised his sword over his head, but I quickly sped to him and thrust my fist into his stomach before his was able to strike me with his sword. Tilon coughed up blood onto me, and it sizzled when it hit my flaming body. Tears rolled down Tilon's cheek from the pain, not only from a uneven object being thrust into his body, thus creating not a slice but a hole in his body, but from the flames from my arm and my arm stayed in his stomach. Finally Tilon pushed my body away from his and my arm left his stomach. Tilon landed on the ground, beaten and battered. He snarled as blood poured from his stomach, as well as from his mouth. He smelled the burnt flesh from his leg and organs, and he heard the sizzling of his intestines.

"Where.....is.....the.....medallion....." Tilon struggled to get the words out.

"You poor idiot. You get to die knowing that you had it all along, from the very beginning. And you could have used it to beat me. But now it is too late." I walked over to him, and bent down to one knee. I looked at Tilon’s neck. There laid a small crystal stone attached to a chain.

"N....Nooo...." Tilon said in almost a whisper as he realized. I ripped the stone from his neck and stood to my feet.

"I hold in my hand the strongest of all the medallions: the Crystal Medallion. And with your dying breath the last medallion will be purged from your sword. And then I will rule the universe. You have failed, oh Chosen One. You. Have. Failed." I wrapped the chain on the medallion around the hilt of my sword and walked back to Tilon to deliver the final blow. I bent down and picked up Tilon's sword. "You will die by your own sword." I laughed and thrust the sword in Tilon's neck. His eyes opened wide and he began to choke on the blood that was now pouring from several places, and into his lungs. I removed the sword and watched in delight as Tilon slowly bled and choked to death. I a few short minutes, it was finished, and the last medallion dropped from Tilon's sword. Without Tilon's will and spirit to keep the medallion bonded to the sword, the medallion fell from the sword. I let out a triumphant laugh, and Tilon's guards could only look at me in horror as I laughed over the body of their fallen master. Victory was mine, and there was no one who could stop me now. Or so I thought.

The very dimension I was in seemed to tear open and a tall figure stepped out surrounded in light.

"It couldn't be! Is it...a Mystic???" I asked in disbelief.

"I'm flattered, but....no." The light faded to reveal Tilon's trainer: Tyfoonica. "You....what are you doing!? You are a member of the high council! It is forbidden to for members of the Council to interfere with the Chosen One's affairs!"

"Why are you telling me!? Don't you think I already know that!" Tyfoonica replied harshly.

"You are facing definite ejection from the Council!" I shouted at him. Tyfoonica glared at me.

"Some things are more important than what is considered 'right' or 'wrong' by the Council. I only wish I could have been here sooner. I was too late to save my dear apprentice. I am sorry Tilon. I am so sorry." I laughed.

"Well, since you don't plan on leaving, I suggest you kill yourself, Tyfoonica! Otherwise you will share the same agonizing fate as him!" Tyfoonica turned to me and his eyes lit up and rage filled him body, I could feel it.

"You think you are all powerful, is that it!? You think just because you have the medallions you can't be beaten! Not until you become one with all five will you be invincible, and at your present level, you cannot bear all five of them."

"With or without the medallions, what makes you think you can make a difference. You are even weaker than Tilon." I said.

"Ah, that is a common misconception. Why, because I am the old teacher, should I be assumed to be weaker than he? It is just the opposite. All throughout his life, Tilon trained to be my equal, but he wasn't even able to achieve that. Maybe if he had lived he could have even surpassed me, but because of him, we will never know. Well, now is the time. The time for vengeance. I swear to you, Tilon Tyfoon, YOU WILL BE AVENGED!!!!!!" With that all the rage and hatred was released from Tyfoonica and his power rose to an unbelievable height. Past Tilon's, and past mine. I fell to my knees, knowing I was already beaten, even before the fight started. I lowered my head and prepared to join Tilon in eternal rest. But I couldn't. My will refused to quit. I would not be so easily killed. Not after everything I had been through, after everything I had achieved. I refused to be put down. As Tyfoonica made his way to me, I rose up to meet him. I back away and picked up my sword. As I picked up my sword, unknown to me at the time, the Crystal medallion fell off the hilt onto the ground.

"I won't be killed. Not now. Not by you." I said defiantly.

"I see, you want to die fighting." Tyfoonica said.

"No. I. Will. Not. Die." My sword rose to the air and disappeared.

"There is no where you can go. This place is sealed off." Tyfoonica said.

"I can teleport."

"No one can teleport through walls as thick as these. You don't know what is on the other side, and you can get trapped and killed in the process."

"It is possible. But not in my current state." I lowered my head and laughed. "How ironic that in my search for the Crystal medallion, I would become a Crystal myself." Tyfoonica looked at me with confusion.

"Huh?" Tyfoonica watched as, in the twinkle of an eye I was encased in a Crystal. I laughed at Tyfoonica and mouthed the words "I WILL BE BACK". The Sword of Agony flashed and then vanished. Tyfoonica had no way of getting the sword so long as I had it locked away in its dimmension, and thus the medallions in the sword would be safe from him as well. The last thing I did before going into a deep hibernation was focusing all my energy as well as the energy the crystal around me provided into teleporting to a random location in the universe. I a flash I was gone. My body went into a deep hibernation. While in that state my energy would be untraceable. It would be as if I was never there. Tyfoonica looked on the ground and picked up the Crystal medallion.

"I will make sure you never fall into the wrong hands."

Chapter VI

How many times have I told myself that story? I have lost count. Thousands of times, perhaps. Hundreds of thousands of times. I don't know anymore. How long have I been asleep? Too long I suppose. It may have been a mistake to have pulled this maneuver. There are very few things capable of breaking the crystal tomb that covers my body. It is possible I may be here for eternity. I suppose death would be a good alternative compared to this endless sleep. But what is death if not an endless sleep. Yes I suppose this is what it is like to be dead.

I....I feel myself drifting. Yes, I am asleep, but I can still feel my body being pulled toward something. I am in the endless space where there is no gravity. I should not be moving. But I am. It is an amazing feeling. To have been still for thousands of years and then to move. I have felt this before. The power of what moves me. Yes. This could possibly be the thing that will set me free after all these years. I am so near it. And I can feel my power. My power has grown so much through the years. I am stronger than anyone in my time. Stronger than Tyfoonica was, but, could it be that he still lives. Would he still be stronger than me? No, not now, he couldn't be. I feel the pressure of this thing that draws me near to it. I am inside it now. I feel the crystal tomb cracking, breaking. Yes, the time has come. My rebirth, I can feel it. The time has come. I feel a piece of the crystal cracking, and breaking, and falling off. But what is this. The crystal disintegrates as soon as it breaks free. Whatever this things that promises to free me will threaten to kill me. With one final crack my crystal fortress shatters and disintegrates.

I open my eyes for the first time in thousands of years to see.....nothing but....blackness. That's it! I am in a black hole. I feel my body pressing on itself as the pressure builds. But I have not come this far only to be beaten by the very thing that saved me from eternal rest, from death itself.

As I struggle to stay alive, I also struggle to beat this thing, the black hole. As my body begins to shrink, so does the black hole. We are both being hurt. But I am winning. The black hole grows smaller and smaller, but my form now stays the same, not changing.

I begin to see light from out of the black hole, a glorious sight indeed. Then in one magnificent burst of light the black hole is gone. But not gone from existence. Its presence is still in me. And its power is in me as well. I have not only beaten the black hole and survived, I have absorbed the black hole and its power. The flames around my body turn black from the black hole. The black hole is now a part of me.

I am back. I......what is my name. I struggle to recall my name, but it doesn't come to me. But that does not matter. I am not the same warrior I was so long ago. Thousands of years of silence and the victory over a black hole has molded me into a new warrior. And with a new warrior comes a new name. My name....is Black Fire.