All Is Fair in War

I looked down at the people below me. I couldn’t see their faces but I knew there was hope in their eyes. They wanted this to end too. Maybe not as much as I did, but still, there they were looking up at me praying for a miracle. Hovering in the air was so liberating since I could go almost anywhere I pleased. I wasn’t restricted to the ground or forced to follow paths like the humans were.
There I was, meditating on the thought of how it would all end soon, when I heard a loud hollow drum sound and felt vibrations from the echo push me back. The crowd below me gasped in shock. I regained my balance and pride and looked into the eyes of the man who tormented me nearly every day of my life. They were cold and determined, but so was I. Everything I tried to accomplish was destroyed by him. Why wouldn’t he leave me be? Why did he feel the need to take away everything I dreamed for? Everyone I loved?
Before I could think another thought I felt a rush of air by my side before a hard blow struck my ribs and sent me propelling into a hard metal wall. I felt a sharp burning pain in my side when I gasped for air, but I knew I had to shake off the pain. Filled with rage I lunged forward toward my enemy and forcefully slammed my fist into their jaw. I could see the stunned expression on his face for only a slight second before he regained his balance and kicked his heavy boot into my chest. I breathed in hard trying to return air to my lungs. I was strong, but unfortunately he exceeded me in strength.
There were abilities my kind had that his didn’t. Something which the humans considered to be magic. I focused all of my energy into a golf ball sized red orb. I could feel it growing stronger as my anger increased. I inhaled deeply and on my exhale I let the orb fly from my hands. It was only mere milliseconds between it leaving my body and striking into his. I was already forming another orb, this one slightly larger than the first, and I could feel the toll it was taking on my body. The orbs required my energy to form which is why I had to keep them small in size and reduce the amount needed. One mistake would prove fatal. If this one wasn’t strong enough or missed, I wouldn’t have the physical strength to defend myself from one of his blows. I concentrated on making the orb stronger. I could feel the energy pooling from my body into this small glowing red light. I knew now was the only chance I would have. I pushed the orb from the body and watched as it struck his chest. The momentum was so powerful it sent him crashing onto the rooftop of a building.
I knew I had to act now and end all of this. I hesitated before allowing my feet to hit the ground of the concrete floor. I wasn’t physically strong enough yet to take him on, but I still had enough strength left for one more spell. He could easily break free from it, but right now he was still dazed from the impact. I concentrated all of my energy and lifted him off the ground. He gasped for air as he clawed at the force wrapped around his neck. I hovered above the floor now, knowing that he would have better luck escaping if he had a solid footing. Just a few more moments and I knew he would start to feel the effects of barely breathing.
But perhaps my energy wasn’t enough because I felt him break free from my grip. He lunged at me and I wasn’t quick enough to evade him. We were in the air now with nothing below our feet. My neck was sore and constricted as his large hands grasped firmly around my neck. I struggled to inhale and could feel my lungs begging for as much air as I could allow them. I could hear the mix of gasps and encouraging cheers from the people far below us. I stopped focusing on my need to breathe just long enough to push a short but powerful force of energy from my body knocking him off me.
It had to end now. If not now, I don’t think it ever would. I focused intently on my goal and felt the remaining energy swell up inside my body into a pool in my chest. All of this, all of the pain, it had to end. I couldn’t take much more of it. I allowed the orb to escape from my chest. This light was far brighter than the previous orbs and much larger. I could feel the warmth of the red hot glow increasing with each moment. I braced myself and focused on my target. I pulled myself back like the string on a bow and in one swift motion I lunged all of my force into his body. I used myself as a slingshot allowing the orbs strength to take over.
I could see his body falling rapidly to the Earth and crashing hard. The large crowd gasped and some even screamed as the remainder of his strength broke the rock hard road where he impacted. I looked down at his mangled body. It was over. I breathed a sigh of relief and it felt like this heavy weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. That’s when I heard the cries and screams. The people were surrounding his body now. He was gone. Their hero.