The Consequences of One Hit

Neo's body ached. His breath came in ragged gasps as his feet dragged across the dirt. Each step felt heavier than the last, his body barely responding as exhaustion clawed at his limbs. The weight of Still pressed down on him like invisible chains, dulling his reflexes and slowing his reactions just enough to make escape impossible.

Alden didn't rush. He didn't need to.

The Blessed Knight stepped forward with calculated ease, his boots pressing into the earth with a steady rhythm. His sharp blue eyes remained locked on Neo, his demeanor calm—controlled.

Then, in one smooth motion, Alden reached out.

Neo barely saw the movement before a crushing force gripped the collar of his shirt. He was yanked forward, the ground beneath him vanishing as Alden's knee drove into his stomach.

The impact sent a violent shock through Neo's body. His eyes went wide as air was forced from his lungs, his ribs tightening under the brutal strike. His mouth opened to gasp, but nothing came out—only a choked wheeze. The pain burned through his core, twisting deep into his muscles.

"I can't breath... I can't move..."

Alden let go, letting Neo stumble back—but there was no time to recover.

A heavy fist slammed into Neo's ribs.

Crack.

A sharp, searing pain exploded through Neo's side. His balance shattered as his legs faltered, boots scraping desperately against the ground. He nearly collapsed, but a gloved hand gripped his shoulder, yanking him upright just long enough for another blow to drive into his ribs—the same spot as before.

Neo screamed.

His body convulsed as he was sent tumbling to the ground, rolling across the dirt in a mess of limbs and breathless agony. His fingers dug into the earth, clenching the soil as if to hold himself together. His ribs ached, each breath a reminder of the punishment his body had endured.

"Move!" his instincts screamed. "Get up!"

But his limbs refused. The pain had swallowed him whole.

Alden stood over him, the knight's presence looming like an immovable force.

Alden's Doubt

Alden tilted his head slightly, watching Neo's feeble attempts to move. His voice was calm—dispassionate.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"You didn't use your power. Even when facing death."

Neo barely heard him. His ears rang, the words distant, like echoes through water. His vision blurred in and out, his body unwilling to obey him.

Alden sighed. "If you're truly the cause of Dawnstead's anomaly, why would you let yourself fall like this? You're protecting someone, aren't you?"

Neo gritted his teeth, forcing his eyes to stay open.

"Lena... He's going to hurt Lena."

"Sacrificing yourself... for a sinner."

That word sent a new surge of frustration through Neo's veins, but his body could do nothing to match it.

Alden stepped back, exhaling softly. "Someone who doesn't deserve it."

Neo's chest burned, his heartbeat loud in his ears. His fingers twitched against the dirt.

Alden turned toward his horse, his decision made. "If you won't confess, then I'll find the answers myself. The baker... She's next."

The words struck Neo harder than any of Alden's blows.

Neo's Resolve

Neo's blood turned cold.

Lena... He's going to go after Lena.

His fingers twitched harder, clenching into a weak fist. His battered body screamed for him to stop—to give in—to let unconsciousness take over.

But Neo refused.

Summoning every ounce of willpower, he forced his hand to move, scraping against the dirt as he pushed himself up just slightly. His breathing was ragged, uneven, but still alive.

"We're not done yet," Neo rasped.

Alden paused, glancing over his shoulder.

Neo collapsed again, his body convulsing, but his trembling hand reached for the bag at his side. His fingers brushed against the familiar texture of his journal. "This book... it's not normal. There's something about it. Something I don't understand."

His mind raced, struggling to recall every strange occurrence—every moment the book had felt alive. The way it wrote on its own, the way it recorded things beyond his control.

"If it can draw animals...maybe it can do more."

The journal's pages began to flip rapidly, faster than Neo's weak hands could manage.

Alden's eyes narrowed, watching the strange occurrence from a distance. His stance shifted slightly, his fingers brushing against the hilt of his sword.

The pages stopped abruptly.

Neo's blurred vision focused on one word, repeated across the parchment:

Loop.

Neo's lips quivered as he forced the word out.

"Loop!!"

Alden's Final Attack

The journal lifted from Neo's grasp, hovering in the air as if carried by an invisible force. The pages turned endlessly, glowing brighter with each rotation. The air around Neo shimmered, and Alden's composure finally cracked.

The knight's fingers tightened on his blade.

"Whatever you're doing, it ends now."

Alden lunged, his radiant sword cutting through the air, a decisive strike aimed directly at Neo's heart.

But before the blade could connect—

The world shattered.

The forest, the dirt path, the sky—everything dissolved into nothingness. A thick, consuming darkness spread from the journal, swallowing all light, all sound, all existence.

Alden's blade stopped mid-motion, his form frozen as the void devoured them both.

Neo's body collapsed fully, the last of his strength drained.

Then—nothing.

A Sudden Return

Alden's vision snapped into clarity. His breath came sharp and quick, his pulse steady—but something was wrong.

The surroundings weren't the dim forest where he had nearly struck down Neo.

He was standing in the middle of Dawnstead.

Exactly as he had been a moment ago—his sword mid-swing.

But there was no opponent in front of him. No signs of battle. Just the lively sounds of merchants selling goods, of people chatting, of the world moving as if nothing had changed.

His fingers gripped his sword tighter as the full weight of what had happened settled in.

Then, from a distance—

"Sir Alden?"

A group of patrolling knights approached, one of them raising an eyebrow. "You already returned? Did you capture the sinner?"

Alden's jaw clenched. He stayed silent for a long moment before exhaling sharply.

"No."

His voice was even, but his mind raced.

His horse. It wasn't here.

He had left with it.

Yet now, he was on foot.

Neo was gone.

There was no way to catch up to him now. At least, not without returning to Valdris first.

Alden sheathed his blade, exhaling slowly. "I will report back to Valdris."

The patrol knights exchanged looks but nodded. "Understood, sir."

As they walked past, Alden turned his gaze toward the horizon.

This was no mere trick.

Something far greater was at play.

And this wasn't over.