No—I won't let him take her away from me.
I lunged forward, letting go of my sword that dropped back into its scabbard.
I pulled Mim away with my right, while I used my left to stop his right arm in its swing.
I felt my wrist fold back as I took the brunt of his speed.
"Mim hide in the corner!" I grabbed my sword once again, and revealed my bl—
The reflection of light had stopped, feeling a weight press back against it.
I glanced down and saw his foot pressed against the handle.
The moment my eyes moved he reached for his back, and drew another curved knife.
I drove my leg into his stomach as his blade descended, the air from his blade made my hair flutter as he flew back.
There was no weight behind it. He jumped over the two bodies that lay behind him.
As soon as his foot touched the floor, I closed the distance—pulling my sword during the rush.
I followed up with two rapid slashes, he deflected them both with ease.
At least he left the room.
I pulled the door behind me, while facing him—he stepped in after seeing an opening.
I followed his lead, nullifying all of his strikes, and struck the opening I saw, hitting nothing but air.
"Tsk..."
"Huff... huff... huff..."
I am out of breath already? How?!
He followed up, not giving me a moment to rest, combining strikes using both hands—fiercer and heavier than the ones before.
I put my blade up, anticipating his next strike, but nothing came.
The knife appeared in the corner of my eyes,
I jumped back, and felt the cold steel cut through my skin.
Then something solid hit my back mid-jump,
Shit!
Can I even win against him? A fight in an enclosed space would always favor the strong.
As soon as I bounced off the wall he was already on top of me.
I couldn't see his face, even his eyes were hidden by the dark.
I was deflecting every single one of his hits,
Why do his hits feel so unpredictable... he could've finished me already.
No opening went past his eyes, he followed up with an attack heavy enough to strain my wrists, or a storm of strikes.
But never at the same time.
I need space to beat him. I had seen how he moved—this enclosure was another advantage for him.
If he was like water—finding every gap—then my style was one that leads the water.
I won't win a battle of speed...
But my sword does feel lighter than ever.
I will lead him.
I struck him down, following it up by another attack.
Perfect.
His back faced the outside,
I just need to push him out.
I attacked before he could move, eliminating all space around him, with two horizontal slashes.
He parried them both, and I struck downwards,
Finally...
He had jumped backwards, moonlight slowly dawned upon him.
The moment the first rays reached him I followed.
The rays reflected off his blades—reflecting something else alongside it,
I knew it.
Two shadows were shown, following after the first strand of my hair that crossed into the outside.
I dove right, and cut through his hand as I carried the strike through, his head fell alongside him.
The splash of his head taken by the ground was followed by his ally landing.
I launched forward before both legs reached the ground, cutting his right arm off,
"ARGH—" Interrupted by a stab through his throat.
"They are trained adults, and you show them no mercy?!" The man clad in black said, narrowing his eyes through his cover—he had watched me dispose of his own allies.
I held my blade out, and followed the man once again—striking in quick succession.
How?!
He kept dispersing my strikes using just one of his knives.
"You kn—"
The sound of steel rang through the air, readying his blade for my second attack,
But nothing came.
I followed his example, and disrupted my rhythm.
But the only thing I struck was the air he once stood.
He landed on the roof behind him, and said,
"You really are amazing! Just like your father... uhm... what was it again?..." He tilted his chin at the dawning sky.
He shifted his eyes down towards me, with a big grin that shone through his eyes,
"Oh yeah, of course—Sir Ewan, that was it!"
My lower lip started to bleed, reminding myself to breathe.
"He really proved his name there... I even had to sacrifice some of my shadows, but I still had to waste my energy... it was quite tiring, sigh..." His voice muffled as he buried his head in his palms.
My blade trembled with each word I heard, followed by my lower jaw—unable to keep it closed any longer.
It felt as if my eyes could fall out at any moment as I stared at him.
"His wi—your mother, even after I stabbed her husband, she didn't look at me with even a speck of hatred—" His grin broadened as he saw my face,
"Exactly like that! She should have fo—"
"ARGH!!!" My scream echoed through the entire alley while I jumped up—my blade raised behind my head.
"I'll k—"
"Kugh."
Before I could find the roof, I found myself lying on the ground instead.
I was by corpses on all sides, covered in dirt and things I couldn't name.
Before I could process anything, a knife appeared.
I deflected, and cut through the red fabric.
Alongside my strike a stabbing feeling rushed through my body, followed by a sour taste nestling in my mouth.
Unable to hold it back, I spat it out.
I'll have his throat—no matter what. I'll have him.
"I'LL KILL YOU!" I screamed as I leapt onto the roof next to me, and ran over to him.
Nothing flooded my mind any longer, with only one thing repeating inside,
I will kill him.
I readied my strike with my final step, once again opening my entire body up before my sword descended.
But he did not move, even when my sword came at him.
The only thing he did was point his finger down,
"You forgot something."
My foot found nothing—and I fell through the roof.
A hole gaping above me as I was surrounded by rubble.
Four flashes appeared in the corners of my eyes.
All blades came in sync, and as if my body moved by itself—I deflected every blade, striking through their opened up posture, while evading their attacks.
It repeated twice more, until no one was left standing—beside me.
Blood was raining down on me as I breathed through my teeth, with my own blood streaming down my palms.
A shadow reached over me through the hole above,
"Didn't you forget something—alongside yourself?"
Huh...
Mim...
"MIM!" I drove through the door on my left, looking down the alleyway for our house—it was right ahead.
"AHHHHHH!" I readied my blade at the wall.
Might collapse...
I rushed over to the broken down door, stepping into the room where three men lunged at me from all sides.
One strike per person, I cut through them—from their crowns to their spines.
I continued on, holding my sword in one hand, while I grabbed a knife with the other.
I kicked through the door on my left, and threw the knife left of me before he could attack, followed by the blood that spilled from the two men standing between Mim and me.
"Huff... Huff..." I clenched my teeth between my huffing.
"BEHIND YOU!" Mim screamed with her jaw trembling.
I turned around, and cut him down.
I was too late—in that same moment his knife pierced my left arm.
I turned back, and dropped to my knees, running my bloodied hand through her hair.
"Mim... Are you alright... please say that you're alright... Nothing happened right!?"
As I looked at her I noticed something.
"Huh? Why are you covered in blood?"
Silence had fallen—I was the one who cut the men.
It was theirs.
"Brother... you are hurting me..." She said, unable to look at my face,
"Hu—" I interrupted myself—noticing my fingers which had nestled into her shoulders.
"B-Brother what was happening to you..." Her eyes widened while her lips tensed together.
What happened to me?
Her hands started to tremble,
"You—You didn't look... human!" Tears welled up in her eyes as she spoke.
Not human? Me...? My eyes widened with my grip loosening, before I took hold again.
"Sorry Mim... I am not sure what happened, but I promise you—I won't scare you again."
"Look I am normal now, right?" I said, lifting my arms up in the air—blood coloring my clothes.
The tears had fallen down her eyes, followed by a small cough—having held everything back even when she saw me.
It's my fault...
I slapped both my hands against my face,
She has gone through the same thing as me today...
My breathing calmed down, with my heart beating now for another reason.
I'll kill him. I lowered my gaze at the girl on her knees,
No—I'll protect you.
"Please wait here, okay?"
"You will come back right...?"
"Of course. You don't have to worry, I'm really strong after all!" I said, pointing my trembling thumb at myself.
That sounded a bit—
"Okay... big brother..." She said, looking up at me as she wiped her eyes—taking some of the shame I felt.
I returned a smile, forcing myself not to look beside her.
I stood up and gave her my back to look at while I walked back.
I could hear sounds behind me, but I couldn't place them, and left the room.
I walked past the corpses that filled the middle room,
And continued outside—where the man was waiting.
He sat on top of the roof he was at before—
His legs swinging off the roof.
"You're behaving like a human again, right—big brother" His legs stopped swinging.
"Thank you for waiting..." I clenched my teeth together, forcing myself to look up at him.
He is still playing with me... My grip tightened around my blade.
"I almost joined in, waiting got quite boring..." He sighed while looking up at the sky.
"Don't worry, I won't bore you any longer." I raised my blade.
"How? Your arm is pierced through—you aren't even able to hold your sword in both hands."
"That's not a problem anymore." I said, and I took my stance.
"Let's hope you keep your promises..." He dropped down, with a grin on his face.
I lunged forward, meeting him before he even found the ground.
As expected.
He deflected my blade without losing position, landing exactly where he wanted.
"The ground should be easier for you."
I breathed out with my strike while saying,
"Both are fine." I hit nothing but the air he left behind.
I evaded the first strike, while deflecting the follow up,
"Indeed. You're moving a lot better than before!" He roared through his laughter.
My blade sunk into flesh as I struck back,
Shit—too far.
I couldn't hold my blade descent back, hitting the corpses that lay on the ground.
Blood sprayed off my blade as it came back up before he could strike me unguarded.
He jumped along with my blade, and I said,
"When are you going to show all you have?" I could feel my expression changing outside of my control—a grin had started to appear.
"You are a strange kid... but I'll show you when you're worth it."
No sound was made as he landed on the roof.
Should I follow him? And leave Mim here...
"I promise you—I have no one else waiting anymore." He brought his hands up, pressing his knives against his palms using his thumbs.
I leapt onto the roof, leading with a quick strike to my left, making space for me to land.
After I landed I continued pushing him,
An opening.
I drove an inward slash, followed through with a downward one—but no matter what I did, he turned everything away.
Am I gaining ground...?
Each attack drove him a step back, my eyes widened with each step he took.
But, no matter what I did.
None of my strikes were hitting.
"Hm... are you done now?"
Another opening appeared,
"No, you are." A strike more powerful than the ones before, aiming for the opening.
My mouth opened as he twisted his knife,
"You are." It was a voice that had lost all emotion.
He deflected my blade, using its curved side.
My arm flew back, widening my eyes.
"It was fun for a bit." His eyes had lost all color it held before.
He followed the deflection through, aiming for my neck with the hollowed side of his blade.
I twisted the tip of my blade towards myself—thrusting it past my collarbone.
Blood soaked my clothes, as my blade stopped moving, driving deeper into my own skin as it stopped his—reaching his blade before it could reach me.
But before I could even take my blade out, something blunt pierced through my gut— loud bang echoed as I flew back through the walls of the houses behind me.
It's not healing...? The cut he gave me at the start had healed, but this time pain coursed through my body.
Am I too injured?
I could feel a pulsing pain in my back as I tried to move past the debris.
"You did your best—bug." He walked over with a speck of color still coursing through his eyes.
Bug?
"It wasn't enough." I clenched my teeth with the fight flashing through my mind.
"Don't worry I enjoyed myself for a bit." His eyes lowered as he spoke, hiding behind his narrowed eyelids that smiled.
"Did you ever feel threatened..." I asked him, unable to see his feet yet.
"Not really... maybe at the end... those were pretty intense! I can't even use essence here."
Not even he can...? The pain pulsed once again as I clenched the sword that lay in my trembling hand.
"But you still stopped all of them..."
"Hahaha, of course I did." He said, daring to close his eyes as he approached me.
"..."
"Wait? Did you really think you had a chance?" His eyes squeezed together as his head jumped back.
He looked at my face and started laughing once again—until I got into his range, where the smile disappeared, and he said,
"You should have been better choosing your fights. You should have run, you know this place better than me—" A slight snicker sounded,
"No wait, I'd still have found you."
I was voiceless, unable to look up.
The only thing I saw were his legs and the knives he held to his side.
He lifted his knife,
"This is a goodbye then, young boy." And his blade began its descent.
"And give your parents my condolences... and don't worry. I will painlessly send your sist—"
I couldn't hear the end as blood had filled the air in front of me.