User blog:Datadragon Seraphim/The New Kingdoms: Expanded Universe - Raydin vs Gideon.

This is a short story concerned with the battle between Raydin Steelfang and his brother, the Wishmaster. It was an unspoken event in TNK that impacted the lore slightly, which I feel should be brought to light.

In the void:

Raydin Steelfang floated within the inky blackness of deep space, or perhaps even the land beyond deep space. Wherever he was, be it the cracks between the planes of Oblivion, within the molecules of Mundus, maybe even a parallel space, Raydin knew only one thing. He was here with a mission, a very simple mission. Through his scrying, Raydin knew of his brother’s birth and childhood. He could see … see that Gideon was a threat to multiversal stability. He had to teach his younger brother the correct things. It wasn’t going to be the easiest task.

Gideon had grown strong. Very, very strong, even without the aid of his newly forged swords. He lacked any form of proper guidance, though. It was totally impossible to steer him on the right path through the use of normal speech and persuasion. Something more punishing and severe was required. Something that would force Gideon to reflect upon his life and his purpose, so he may find his way, in time to come. He was needed in the future, not now.

Raydin had came with a heavy heart. He didn’t like to hurt people, especially not his own family, but to save his brother, he had to kill him and become a kinslayer. Raydin sighed audibly, his voice penetrating the veils of the voids that he stood in. Above and below him, stars twinkled in the far distance, yet he was standing upon solid ground. Raydin raised “Fatality’s Endeavour” over his head and slammed the weapon down, creating a wave of energy that propagated through the multiverse, as he whispered Gideon’s name. His brother would hear his call, and come for him.

Light and shadows seemed to mix, forming into a man who looked almost identical to Raydin, save his armor, which was completely different. The man stared at Raydin through his beautiful, feminine eyes, the blue sparkle around the slit pupils indicative of ancestry. He opened his mouth to speak to Raydin, with a smirk “Brother … so free, despite having two children to care for and a whole College to run. I wonder what Astrid, Siris and Annalyse will think if I entered Mundus and dropped your dead body in their face.”

Raydin’s eyes narrowed in anger and hate, as he drew his sword with his left hand, after sheathing the “Fatality’s Endeavour”. He wasn’t here to prove who had the bigger sword, after all. He was going to show Gideon just how flawed his thinking was. To prove that, he would use his weaker weapon, to showcase his superior strength.

“Gideon, you are but a fool, stumbling around in the dark, groping around for light, ignorant of the fact that you are blind. Blinded by your greed, lust and envy. A man of weak mind, controlled solely by the same things that drive mortals” said Raydin as he pointed his sword at Gideon.

“Enough of your nonsense! Time to die!” roared Gideon as he ran straight at Raydin, a black katana forming in his hands. His immensely powerful, dimension cutting and shattering sword. The very sword of boundary manipulation. The Godkiller. Gideon performed a powerful downward blow, which Raydin avoided with a simple sidestep, following up with a sweep at Gideon’s neck with his blade.

Gideon maneuvered his sword to block Raydin’s weapon effortlessly, before shifting his sword, using Raydin’s sword as a fulcrum, as he spun around Raydin to cut him. Raydin countered with a duck, slicing upwards with his own weapon. This caused Gideon to switch to a downward cut, as the weapons entered a blade lock. Raydin swung his weapon, throwing Gideon back. Gideon recovered with a backflip, landing on the balls of his feet.

“Heh, brother, so mighty with the sword. Very impressive. However, you must realize, it’s time I stopped toying with you” smiled Gideon as he shifted his stance, holding the Godkiller vertically, as his wings formed on his back. Raydin dropped into a half crouch and kept his sword pointed at Gideon, with a perfect left handed stance. Raydin’s mouth never moved, as he stared at his brother with narrowed eyes.

Gideon opened his attack by firing a dimensional rift straight for Raydin, before he leapt forward again, his sword swinging at rapid speed, dimensional rifts flying out at great speed, all targeted at his brother. Raydin responded by stroking his right hand along the blade of his sword, causing it to disintegrate into a storm of rose petals, a whip of razor sharp corollas. which he swung in a perfect mirror to Gideon’s moves, intercepting everything. Gideon came in fast, performing a horizontal slash across the chest level.

Raydin’s sword resumed its material form as he blocked, causing a burst of energy as his wings opened, the blade of his sword glowing blue. Gideon pulled his weapon backwards and swung downwards diagonally, trying to cut Raydin’s shoulder and follow through. His attack was blocked with a quick parry, which Gideon exploited by changing sword direction suddenly, performing another spinning slash, that Raydin dodged by moving backwards. Gideon leapt up, slashing the area around him rapidly, as dimensional rifts built up around him, till there was an entire swarm.

Raydin knew what his brother was attempting, and he consequently held out his right hand, outstretched, as the dimensional rifts all flew at him simultaneously, Gideon following behind, very, very quickly. Raydin’s hand stopped every single rift, then he fired a blast of force that knocked Gideon back.

Raydin spoke “there is no need to do this … why are we fighting? There is no reason for us to hate each other like that. What would mother think? Would she really be proud if you killed me, or I killed you? Is this how it has to end?”

“Yes. We are mutually exclusive beings. If you live, I die. If you die, I live. It’s simple as ABC, and I intend to live, you know? Which means I have to send your body back to your wife and kids, watching the tears of anguish fall from their faces” laughed Gideon, as he fired a magicka flare straight at Raydin. It was a massive beam, capable of easily levelling a city.

Raydin countered with his own magicka flare, just as powerful. Where the two beams met, a colossal explosion ensued, as both combatants stopped their attacks. Gideon roared in anger and dimensional rifts started opening around him, as tendrils of ghostly white energy leaked out. From a thousand rifts that opened, Gideon channeled their powers, creating an enormous sphere of energy, which he flung straight at Raydin. The sphere collided with its target, exploding with the force of a trillion supernovae.

“Gideon … when will you truly understand, I am not left handed” said Raydin as he flew straight as his brother, Fatality’s Endeavour drawn, the sword glowing with blue flames, held in Raydin’s right hand. He swung the blade across, creating a massive blue energy crescent, that Gideon barely blocked. Despite the power of the Godkiller, and Gideon’s own abilities, he was sent flying backwards. Gideon got up, lunging straight at Raydin with the Godkiller, which split up into a thousand energy tendrils, each attacking from a different direction.

Raydin’s hand moved rapidly, as he used Fatality’s Endeavour to block every single attack, before he leapt at Gideon, the sword firing a massive blue beam from its tip. Gideon warded with all the magicka he had. Despite his enormous magicka reserves and his incredible warding powers, the ward broke, sending Gideon flying again. Raydin shook his head, sending energy waves from his sword or firing energy beams from his hand. Every time Gideon tried to block or ward, he was knocked back.

“Gideon … accept it. You have not enough training, or experience. You just think you are powerful, but there are people beyond you. Many people. People who can crush you like as if you are a fly” said Raydin, his voice cold and emotionless. He felt nothing but revulsion at his brother right now.

“Never!” screamed Gideon as he flew straight at Raydin. Raydin responded by drawing his other sword with his left hand and stabbing it clean through his brother’s chest, with no remorse or restraint. Gideon’s sword missed ever so slightly, as Godkiller scratched Raydin’s face, leaving a tiny wound that sealed up

Raydin stared at his brother, closing his eyes eventually. He spoke a short incantation, before his eyes opened again, glowing with fury and power. Gideon’s body was torn into eight fragments, all of which were sucked into the edges of the multiverse, as the Godkiller vanished… “I’m sorry, Gideon, but I had to do it” said Raydin as he turned and walked back into a portal of pure light, back to Mundus...