Axel looked at his hands with dismay, he wanted to deny it, but it was there, he could feel it.
As impossible as that sounded, he couldn't move his hands, no…he could, but to perform any action with the katana was impossible—it was like his hands had forgotten how to move the katana, the muscle memory completely erased.
The man twirled his spear lazily, amusement dripping from his grin.
"My anima, the Spear of the Pale Fang," he said. "At first, it only looks like ice manipulation."
He tilted his head, smile widening.
"But it freezes memories."
Axel felt his stomach drop.
"And sadly for you," he continued, laughter bubbling up, "it's frozen every trace of your katana wielding from your hands."
The laughter echoed, sharp and cruel, bouncing around the ice walls.
How is this possible?
Axel looked at his hand again, it was over, if he couldn't even wield the katana what chance did he have.
He looked up at the man, his blood stained face looked twisted as he laughed, like some monster straight out of a horror movie.
Axel clenched his jaw, it wasn't over, was he just supposed to lay down and wait to die.
So what if I can't use the katana, I still have my fist.
"Hey," Axel called out, his voice rough. "Asshole."
The man paused mid-laugh, eyebrow raised as Axel picked up the katana again.
"Who says I need hands to wield a sword?"
Axel lifted it, bit down on the handle, and locked eyes with him.
The man blinked… then chuckled. "Oh, this should be interesting."
Axel raised his fists, stance tight.
If he was going to die, he'd go out looking cool.
His muffled "Come on!" echoed through the handle.
The man vanished. No—moved. Too fast. Faster than Axel could track without the blade's help.
He appeared in front of Axel, crouched low, his spear driving towards his chest, his heart.
Axel gritted his teeth, trying to twist his body out of the way, but he was too slow.
His eyes helplessly traced the spear as it entered his chest, a stinging pain blooming from the point.
The spear slipped into his chest—
—and passed straight through him.
No blood.
No agony.
Nothing.
Rather he suddenly felt a distortion, like he was moving through the portal again.
The man's grin collapsed as he stumbled through Axel, momentum carrying him into the ice wall with a bone-rattling THWACK, spear head embedded deep.
Did he just pass through me?
Axel looked down. The hilt of the katana glowed red.
His hoodie had a small puncture, a thin line of blood. Nothing fatal.
The katana saved me again, turning me ethereal? That means…
He glanced over his shoulder, the man was struggling to pull the spear out, but ice kept crawling over it, rendering his effort useless.
Not wasting the chance, Axel spun around, katana in mouth, cutting through the air, aiming to take off the man's head.
The man abandoned the spear and leapt out of the way, panting.
He clutched his ribs and dropped to his knees, breath trembling, he quickly rolled out of the way, barely dodging Axel's kick.
The man couldn't believe it, he had used his ace move, for a non anima user at that, and worst, he was still alive.
At this point he didn't know what the boy in front of him was, so many things were wrong, from using an anima which wasn't his, to relentlessly fighting, just what was this.
"What are you…?" he rasped.
"How can you use an anima that already has a wielder?"
Axel looked at the spear lodged into the wall, a crackling sound around it, the ice crawling over the spear, trying to heal itself.
He looked down at his frozen wounds, the ice numbing the pain, somehow the man's power was helping him.
Although I wonder what it made my body forget. But it doesn't matter, I just have to kill him.
He dashed towards the man, leapt up and spun around, the blade racing towards the man.
The man tilted back, the Katana passing over the edge of his nose, cutting a bit of his blue hair.
Before he could regain his balance, Axel's leg slammed into his side, folding his body and sending him flying.
But Axel wasn't done, he chased after the man, as he landed, Axel's fist smashed into his face, sending him flying.
The man rolled on the ground and leapt away, creating distance, blood spurting out of his nose.
Axel smirked and followed him, closing the distance in a second, katana poised to stab.
But this time, the man leapt back, scrambling away as Axel got close, keeping distance, although he was faltering, trembling, losing speed and composure.
Axel closed in—relentless.
One last push.
He threw a punch. The man jumped back, airborne.
Perfect.
Axel spat out the katana and kicked the handle mid-fall, launching it like a bullet.
The Katana soared in the air, heading for the man's chest, the man's brows furrowed, he was in the air, there was no way he could dodge it, it was too fast and unexpected.
So his hands flew up in time, clasping around the blade, gnashing his teeth in pain, as the blade slid through his palms.
The man landed, panting, blood dripping from his hands, tightly clasped around the sword.
He had barely stopped it, the tip just a breath from his chest.
But his eyes widened as he saw Axel, fist already tearing through the air, slamming into the handle.
The blade sliced through his fingers, penetrating his chest, tearing through flesh and bone, erupting from his back.
The man coughed and staggered back, dropping to his knees, staring up at Axel with disbelief.
His gaze drifted to the spear behind the boy, stuck in the ice wall.
He couldn't believe it, he was defeated by a non-wielder.
The man tried to chuckle at the irony, but he ended up choking on blood, he looked at Axel's blurry figure.
Ice slowly spread over his chest, from where the katana pierced him.
Axel looked at him warily, wondering what he was trying to do.
That should have pierced his heart, it should be over. Ice cannot stop it.
His eyes narrowed with vigilance as the man's hand reached for his pocket, pulling something out.
"Hey," Axel shouted, breaking into a coughing fit.
But the man ignored him, fumbling something in his hands, he shoved it into his mouth.
The man looked at him and grinned.
The next second a cold wave blasted out of him, hurling Axel away.
The man slowly started floating, drifting off the ground, wind suddenly spiraling around him, forming a mini whirlpool.
Axel watched between his fingers as the air roared, and rushed into the man's mouth.
As the last wisp entered his mouth, the man landed softly, head bowed.
A thrum pulsed out of him as his eyes lifted—
Pure white.
Empty.
Inhuman.
His hands turned translucent. His smile stretched too wide.
"What are you?" Axel whispered.
No answer was given, rather the monster lifted his hand, the spear lodged in the wall behind Axel suddenly trembling.
Axel instinctively raised his hand in a defensive posture but nothing happened.
What's he doi… the thought was interrupted as the spear slammed into him from behind, driving the air out of his lungs.
It pierced through his abdomen, passing through completely, blasting towards the man, impaling his chest as well.
Axel doubled over and dropped on his knees, clutching his abdomen, warm blood washing over his hands.
He started wheezing, the spear had pierced something vital.
This was finally it, he had no anima–it was stuck in that thing, and no help was coming.
He was finished, yet he glanced at the man.
The spear melted into liquid and merged with his body.
His form shifted, turning glasslike, amplified, monstrous.
Axel's hands buckled and he sprawled on the floor, he couldn't move. Could barely breathe.
He watched as the being approached, ice spreading with each step, arm shifting—elongating into a scimitar.
It stopped in front of Axel and raised the weapon.
And then...
A chain snapped tight around the scimitar, stopping it cold.
The chain groaned under strain as the monster put more strength, pushing down, but it held.
Ice shattered behind Axel like glass. The earth moved like a wave beneath him, moving him to the WGDS building.
A figure in a dark cloak pulled him inside and slammed the door shut.
Outside, the monster moved towards the building, but the chain jerked him back.
He turned around and traced the chain to its origin.
Serif, his face blackened by soot, sleeves burnt, holes on his clothes.