Man vs Demon

One man versus one demon battling on the edge of the Earth. They stare at one another with a deep-seated hatred that at one time wasn't there. At one time the man and the demon were one. They were friends who have now become bitter enemies. What exactly happened is anyone's guess. Rumor is that they were once one person who split into two. Another rumor was they both wanted the same woman, and the demon killed the woman after she chose the man over him. But the truth is probably somewhere in the middle as it usually is.

The demon with his bright red broadsword with the skull at the base of the handle swings at the man's head who ducks and rolls behind the demon. The demon is quick with his sword and easily blocks the man's attack. The demon locks the man's blade to the ground and delivers a hard kick to his face. The man falls back into the dirt with blood coming from his cheek. The demon rushes throwing his sword down upon the man, but it's blocked. The man pushes up with all of his strength against the demon's sword. The two enemies are standing toe to toe, trying to get the upper hand on the other. Here is where the mind games begin from the demon.

“My old friend, you should give up now. I promise your death will be quick and painless. Well as painless as my sword being drive through your chest can be.” The demon said smirking.

“I'll never give up. You unleashed is bad enough. I can't let you run this land free. You'll destroy everything in sight.” said the man.

“Now, now. You know I will rule this world fairly and justly.”

“Fairly and justly? You'll leave this place a burned shell just because you can.” The man said pushing himself back to get some distance from the demon.

The demon dropped his guard, almost teasing the man to attack him. The man is fakes an attack, but the demon doesn't even move. The confusion on the man's face is evident and in that moment he drops his guard enough for the demon to surge forward. The demon swings again for his head but changes direction mid-swing, and just barely misses connecting with the man's arm. They both swing at one another connecting their blades multiple times. Neither one can gain advantage enough to go for a kill. The sweat is running down the man's face as his energy is being consumed by every deflect and attack he does. The demon seems to be feeding off of the man's tiring state. He swings harder and harder driving the man backwards.

“You can't keep going like this, my old friend.” The demon said driving his blade towards the man's stomach.

“You can't beat me. You are me and if I die, you die.” The man said spinning around driving his elbow into the demon's back.

The demon stumbles forward and almost gets the man's blade driven through his back. The man with a renewed sense of determination drives the demon back with multiple attacks. The demon for the first time is on the defensive and looking concerned. The man breaks the demon's defense and catches his arm. The cut is deep and the blood is running out of his arm. The demon falls back clutching his damaged arm. The demon wipes away the blood then brings it to his lips. The demon's look turns sinister and drives with fury towards the man.

The demon delivers rage filled blows upon the man who is slowly becoming overwhelmed by the power and speed of the demon's blade. In one instant, the man slips on a rock tumbling backwards. The demon drives his blade into the man's leg and follows through with a punch to the face. The man is now on the ground, bleeding from his leg, his face, and is worn out. The demon is smiling as he kicks the sword away from the man.

“I would have waited an eternity for this. It's over.” The demon says as he brings his blade overhead for the deathblow.

The man grabs a dagger from behind him and drives it into the demon's chest. “Never!” the man screams.

The demon drops his sword behind him, and stumbles backwards realizing he's been defeated. The man stands swaying from side to side as he watches his former friend hit the ground hard. The man stands there, watching the fallen demon, and collapses.

Reviews

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. absolutely perfect and brilliant writing, jeff ... read it thrice since yesterday ... so powerful this is ... of course there is good and bad inside us ... but to me this is about the destruction that precedes the best reconstruction ever ... i'm 36 ... thought i don't have corresponding maturity ... but it was only in the 36th year ... after being guided by the poetry of ed hart ... my heart's father ... that i began to piece it together ... it was a simple thing ... that had escaped me ... we have twenty four hours in a day ... and what we fill those hours with determine everything ... and too long is our life merely a response to the demon ... instead of being proactively about the man ... a very important message i see here ... in a deeply moving, transformational and profound piece of writing ...