The sound of crushed leaves under his feet echoed throughout the area as Arion lifted his gaze, catching a faint glimmer of sunlight barely penetrating the dense canopy above. A strange sensation stirred in his heart, one he couldn't quite grasp. Choosing to set it aside for the moment, he redirected his focus. “I don’t feel any different… Just that you are inside my head now,” Arion remarked as his eyes meticulously surveyed his surroundings, leaving no detail unnoticed.
"You are wrong, human. I have completed my side of the bargain; you have gained the eyes of truth in return for your own," a voice echoed inside Arion, its tone calm. The strange feeling intensified steadily, morphing into a sudden urge to take cover. Arion dashed towards a larger tree to his left, seeking refuge from a danger he had yet to discern.
"No evil will be hidden from your eyes, as your gaze sees nothing but the truth," the voice stated calmly, as Arion's instinct kept warning him of something. "The green knights are in the city. If I attack them, I can get information about the priest," Arion whispered, gritting his teeth.
"You lack the strength to fight that battle," the voice said in a mocking manner. "So why am I here? To train?" Arion whispered, even more angry than the last time. "There is no better training than combat," the voice added, sounding as if smirking while speaking.
As Arion began collecting his thoughts, a boulder suddenly collided with the tree he was standing under. Arion saw the branches of the tree breaking apart and falling down. Just in the nick of time, Arion jumped out of the way. The sound of his feet landing on the ground got masked by the loud sound of branches crashing down.
Arion’s eyes widened as, just behind the large boulder, he saw a huge creature standing seven feet high. It had the face of a wolf, its eyes were pure black with black covering every inch of its body, other than its palms and feet, which had sharp claws inches long, shaped perfectly to tear flesh apart. Its ears twitched as the last few remnants of the branch fell.
"If you can’t defeat this Nightcrawler, then I’ll consider you unworthy of my time," the voice said in a serious tone as Arion saw the creature slowly step towards the branch. ‘It can’t see me...’ Arion thought as the creature only focused on the branch while growling. "Good job deducing that," the voice inside Arion’s head replied, as if it had heard his thoughts. "Nightcrawlers have poor vision during the day, but their sense of hearing is incredible. They can even hear the heartbeat of their prey from the same distance as that one is standing from you." The voice added.
The Nightcrawler suddenly moved towards Arion, followed by a nearly immediate jump. Arion barely managed to escape its claws, which were aimed towards his heart, by jumping just in the nick of time. "Remember, human... If you disappoint me here, I’ll let you die without a second thought," the voice echoed inside Arion’s head, sounding quite eager to see the unfolding battle. But before Arion could even properly focus on the voice’s words, the Nightcrawler slashed its claws towards him. Arion ducked, narrowly avoiding the claws slicing through the air. He attempted to move away, but the Nightcrawler kicked him squarely in the chest.
Arion was flung back and crashed into a tree, coughing up blood with intense pain coursing through his body. His vision was getting blurry. That moment of weakness brought forth the desperation Arion felt while watching his father and brother get murdered. ‘I… can’t die here...’ With every heartbeat, this single thought coursed through Arion’s entire being. Just as he began to collect himself, the Nightcrawler lunged at him once again. Arion summoned every ounce of strength he had and dodged, causing the Nightcrawler to slam its head into the tree.
"Ho?" The voice exclaimed in surprise. The tree was broken from the spot where the Nightcrawler had crashed into it. Shaking its head, the creature turned toward Arion. Arion furrowed his brows as he scanned the area ahead of him. His eyes locked onto a straight stick that had broken off from the fallen tree. Sheer determination surged through every corner of his mind as he prepared himself to jump forward. ‘It’s stronger than me… but not smarter,’ Arion thought as he observed the Nightcrawler glaring at him.
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The Nightcrawler lunged at Arion with its mouth wide open, aiming for his heart. This time, it seemed a little slower than before, giving Arion more than enough time to leap out of the way once again and grab the stick. Arion began running, with the Nightcrawler close behind. The distance between them rapidly decreased.
Suddenly, Arion turned back and raised the stick between himself and the Nightcrawler. The Nightcrawler slashed at him, but Arion managed to duck while holding the stick defensively. The Nightcrawler’s claws easily sliced through a quarter of the stick, causing the broken piece to fall some distance away.
"Are you certain, human?" the voice asked in a curious tone as Arion began running toward the branches that had fallen the very first time due to the boulder crashing on the tree. Arion remained silent as he felt the Nightcrawler close behind him. Suddenly, Arion ducked under the branches and slid out of the way, causing the Nightcrawler to jump past the fallen branches and fall directly above him.
At that moment, Arion turned back and positioned the stick in front of his heart, with the end sharpened by the Nightcrawler’s previous attack facing forward. The Nightcrawler lunged with its mouth open, attempting to devour Arion’s chest. As it closed its mouth, the stick pierced its lower jaw.
“GRRRR!!!!” The Nightcrawler growled in pain, attempting to move its mouth away. Arion held onto the stick with his right hand and grabbed the Nightcrawler’s upper jaw with his left hand, wrapping his legs around the Nightcrawler’s neck. “Every night those temple maniacs sleep, my soul will burn. No matter how many and for how long I have to kill…I WILL TAKE AWAY EVERYTHING FROM THEM, JUST IT WAS TAKEN FROM ME!” Arion loudly declared, summoning every ounce of strength in his body to push the sharp stick deeper into the Nightcrawler’s jaw. As he did so, his scarlet eyes began to glow slightly, while the Nightcrawler desperately tried to escape.
“AAAARGH!!!” Arion screamed as the Nightcrawler, in its last desperate effort to survive, began slashing at him with its claws. It slammed its mouth repeatedly on the ground, crushing bones in Arion’s body. Despite the pain, Arion gritted his teeth and pushed harder, stabbing the stick past the Nightcrawler’s jaw and into its neck.
After a few moments of further struggle, the Nightcrawler fell flat on the ground, black blood rushing from its mouth and bathing Arion. He released the stick as the last signs of movement disappeared from the Nightcrawler’s body. Pushing the large jaw up, he crawled out from underneath it, dragging his body a short distance before collapsing on his back.
“Haaah….haaah..” Exhaustion weighed heavily on his eyelids, while unbearable pain began to numb his mind. Suddenly, memories of his last moments with his mother flashed before his eyes. "Human… Each being in this world has a special ability attached to its existence… and yours is the ability to grow and adapt…" The voice inside Arion’s head said in a pleased tone. Arion closed his eyes and focused solely on the voice. “Grow and adapt?” Arion asked, his tone curious, as he sensed the pain slowly becoming bearable.
"You have grown tremendously in this one battle," the voice concluded in a calm tone. “Couldn’t I have just fought with the temple’s knights and gotten stronger that way?” Arion asked, his tone a mix of confusion and intrigue. “No. Your adaptability has its limits. If the difference is too big, you’ll die before being able to adapt,” the voice replied almost immediately.
Then suddenly, Arion once again felt the same uneasy feeling return. He opened his eyes and swiftly stood up. Without hesitation, Arion pulled the stick out of the Nightcrawler’s jaw. He scanned his surroundings. "Heh… The one you just killed hadn’t grown fully," the voice said, clearly sounding excited. Arion saw dozens of pairs of glowing white eyes in the darkness around him.
Arion clenched the stick, feeling the final traces of pain disappearing from his body. “I’ll ask one last time, did you choose me because of my ability?” Arion questioned, raising the stick in front of him. "Not entirely. I chose you partially because of your ability…and to see just what a human lusting for revenge is capable of," the voice replied, suddenly filled with excitement.
“Get ready human… The sun is setting.”
[END OF CHAPTER: 6]