“What happened?” questioned Mistilia while they were taking a break. “Why do you suck at your sword now?”

It was an exaggeration on her part. In fact, Shaden’s skills hadn’t faltered at all. Yet, it also meant that it hadn’t improved either. Because of Mistilia’s progress, she felt immense dissatisfaction when clashing swords with Shaden.

Shaden scratched his head. Now that he’d thought of it, this was the first time he was touching a sword. His tutor had insisted on keeping the weapon within yourself, and a sword was too large and clunky for that.

“Sorry,” Shaden replied with a meek smile. “I was training something else.”

Mistilia puffed out her cheeks and stretched her legs. The day was cold, and both children were clothed in long sleeves and pants. They were inside of their old training room—Shaden had visited almost every day to spend time with the lonely wolf girl.

She had insisted on a spar after she became bored with training alone. Needless to say, she didn’t like Shaden’s mundane skills with his sword. The blows behind his weapon were too sluggish, and his wrist movement was wasteful along with the way he twisted his shoulder to deliver a blow.

“So, you’ve stopped practicing with your sword.”

Shaden nodded. Mistilia let out a long sigh. But while Shaden’s skills had felt unpolished, he had still managed to dodge every single one of her strikes. It was unnatural, as if the weapon was merely a shield for him to block her blows.

“What exactly did you practice?” she asked. She was ready for another round, and she wanted to face Shaden at his greatest potential. Otherwise, it just felt half-hearted. She swished her tail and picked up her sword, swinging with her arm, making sharp noises in the air.

“Unarmed combat. And some dagger skills.”

“Unarmed—and daggers?”

The wolf girl narrowed her eyes. “Are you planning on becoming an assassin? Or thief?”

“Well…something like that.”

Her sigh grew deeper. According to her instructors, people who fought with short-ranged weapons were vulnerable to people who held long ranged weapons. Unless they caught you off guard, a sword master would easily be able to overpower an assassin. They were also vulnerable to projectiles as wearing decent armor would only slow them down.

And unless one was an expert at altering the mana structure surrounding their body, unarmed combat was a horrible choice when fighting someone with a blade. Simply, Shaden wouldn’t be able to give her a good fight.

She had come to appreciate swordsmanship during her time here. She was frustrated at Shaden for not doing the same.

“I can always fight with my hands,” suggested Shaden.

“Against my sword?”

“Yep. I think I can manage somewhat. Since it’s not a real blade, won’t it be fine?”

Mistilia crossed her arms and furrowed her eyebrows. “You’ll get hurt.”

“So?”

The wolf girl smiled, her canines sticking out from her mouth. “I won’t go easy on you.”

“Please don’t.”

“Then—want to start now?”

Shaden stretched his back and arms. “Sure.”

The two fighters got up and faced each other. Like before, they positioned themselves opposite from each other—this time, Shaden missing a sword. Mistilia grabbed a rock from the floor and tossed it in the air. The rock accelerated towards the floor as it made a downward descent.

Mistilia felt Shaden’s mana surge within him, so she did the same. She wasn’t going to go easy on him. She just really hoped that he wouldn’t disappoint her. Her pupils dilated and she took a stance with the tip of her sword pointed towards Shaden’s forehead.

Shaden’s right palm was faced towards her, and his left hand was rigidly next to his side.

The stone hit the floor, and Mistilia gained a burst of speed as she ran towards Shaden.

Shaden took a deep breath and focused the mana into his hands. He was facing off against someone with a blunt sword. Compared to his tutor’s merciless strikes that could split thick trees in half, he hoped this wouldn’t be as difficult.

Mistilia swung her first blow, and her sword slid harmlessly off of Shaden’s hand. She let out a yelp as Shaden struck her exposed back with his left hand. Instinctively, she swung her left leg towards Shaden’s face, only to have it be caught.

But she used it to her advantage. Shaden had caught her off guard the first time he had repelled her sword, but she was wary of it now. Twisting her body in the air so that Shaden would lose his grip, she delivered a kick at Shaden’s chest and jumped back from the momentum.

Shaden had blocked it with his palm again—and it had felt like a block of stone.

She realized that Shaden had grown monstrously. She took a stance again and breathed in deeply. Then exhaling sharply, she dashed to Shaden once more.

Shaden had restrained his blows in fear of hurting the girl, but she was true to her beastly instincts. He felt adrenaline go through his body and prepared to block once more.

Just like his tutor had stated, people who fought with weapons were exposed when their weapons were knocked away. Therefore, every skilled fighter knew a basic form of unarmed combat. Mistilia’s kick from before had proved that. Not that she was very skilled, but she had her basics down, enough to retaliate in an instant.

This time, she would be on guard.

Mistilia thrust another strike at Shaden, but this time, her leg went first. Shaden was shocked. If this was a real battle, her legs would be targeted, and they would possibly be broken. There were always protective patterns, but he doubted Mistilia had the experience to cover her whole body with thick mana.

Fearing for her safety, he restrained himself once again as he pushed her leg away with his palm. Then he spotted something at the corner of his eye and instantly ducked back as Mistilia’s backhand slash swung right past his vision. With his right arm, he blocked another kick.

She wasn’t giving him any time to retaliate.

Her sword made an arc in the air as she used her body weight to slash straight down on Shaden’s head. Shaden raised both arms to block the blow.

His opponent was terribly exposed at the moment. Her front side was open to attack.

Mistilia gasped in shock as Shaden’s palm smashed into her chest, making her fly across the room. She quickly recovered, and using her sword to skid on the ground, landed on her feet.

Shaden smiled. At least she hadn’t let go of her sword.

Mistilia got up and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

“I thought you were going to block with both hands.”

“It was a feint.”

Well, if he had faced a skilled opponent, he would had used both arms, or just dodged. But considering Mistilia’s strength, he could manage to repel it with one, even if she had slashed down with all of her power.

His right hand throbbed intensely. Needless to say, it still hurt. He probably should have used mana; it was his fault for underestimating her. He winced. Darn, it really hurt.

The wolf girl noticed his pain, and a smile crawled up her face.

“Guess you aren’t perfect!”

Shaden rolled his eyes. “Of course not.” Using circulation to ease the pain, he gripped and relaxed his hand a few times. “You’re pretty impressive too.”

Mistilia’s smile grew bigger, and she hopped over to him. Her sword still in her hand, she pulled at Shaden’s arm.

“I lost today, but tomorrow won’t be the same. Let’s go eat something,” she suggested.

His pain was slowly subsiding, and he let himself be pulled by the girl. “Okay, okay.”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

The two of them went to search for something to eat in the cold.

〄 〄 〄

Another day and another fight. Demund got out of the ring as his friends and a few other club members sent him their cheers. So far, everyone he had fought were normal people, so he didn’t feel that accomplished, but from an outsider’s view, a disabled person defeating a normal one was something to be cheered for.

It was only his third fight, and a significant crowd had watched him. He was becoming more known within the club, and possibly the school. The atmosphere had changed somewhat, from disapproval to a sort of awe. People couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

What was he now, rank 71? Still very low, but impressive for him, nevertheless. That’s what the students believed.

Demund high-fived his friends just as a tall teen who was slightly bulky walked towards him. The student stopped in front of Demund and stared down.

“Fight me,” said the stranger.

Demund slowly turned his head around and looked at the figure. He had short brown hair and his body seemed to be a combination of muscle and fat. Defined in some areas, chubby in others. His posture looked strangely hunched over for his large figure. Not too much, but Demund’s keen eyes noticed it.

“What rank are you?” asked Demund.

“Forty-two.”

“You can’t do that,” stated Rhyne. “You can’t ask people who are lower ranked than you.”

The teen snorted. “I want him to ask me, dumbass,” he snarled.

“Woah, woah, language!”

The teen clicked his tongue. “Well, what do you say. You in?”

Demund frowned. “And you are?”

“Davis.”

“But why?”

“No reason.”

Demund frowned even further. The crowd was dissipating, so it was only the student, him, and his friends.

“There’s nothing you can gain from this,” said Demund.

“I don’t care. I just want to fight you.”

What was this guy’s deal?

Demund tried his best to give the rude student a smile.

“I’ll think about it. Besides, your rank is too high for me. Let me go up more.”

“Hmph. Do whatever you want.”

Davis walked away from the area without a further explanation.

“What was that?” whispered Rhyne.

“That was weird,” muttered Riley. “Demund, maybe you’re catching people’s attention too much. There are more people who want to fight you.”

“Who is he anyway?” asked Demund.

“No clue.”

“I don’t know.”

Demund scratched his head. “Anyways, let’s continued what we were doing yesterday. We need to hurry before the other students take up the place.”

His friends nodded. “I’ll go get the weights,” said Rhyne.

Demund looked back at the tall teen who was walking away to a group of people. He squinted his eyes.

“Demund, you coming?”

“Yeah,” he called back to his friends. After taking one final glimpse of the student, he turned around and went to join his friends.

〄 〄 〄

“Demund,” said Enariss while looking out of the window. “Want to come over to my house this weekend?”

Demund looked up from his notes. “What for?”

“You seem to review your notes even more than before.” She raised a hand and tugged at her hair. “And since we’re in the same class, I thought we could study together.”

She paused, observing Demund’s reaction through the reflection on the window. He seemed to be in thought. Enariss hoped Demund would pick up on her signals. They already had a study group, so it was weird for her to invite him to another time.

“I…guess we could,” he stated. “There are a few things I don’t understand completely, so it sounds good.”

Demund smiled. “You’re always helping me out. Thanks, Ena.”

Enariss tugged at her hair more and was satisfied. Little by little, she would gain control.

A hooded figure caught her eyes.

“…stop.”

“What?”

“Stop the car!”

Enariss desperately pressed the parking command on the screen of the car and unlocked the doors.

Demund had a confused expression on his face. But his eyes were searching. “What’s wrong, Ena?”

Without replying, Ena jumped out of the car before it fully parked itself. Not thinking too much about her friend’s confusion, she ran through the streets as fast as she could, determined to trail the figure that had vanished into the neighborhood.

Demund got out of the car after her, but by then, she had already disappeared behind some buildings. But he knew what he had seen. She had been chasing some kind of hooded figure.

He scratched his head.

〄 〄 〄

Enariss’s heart roared as she jumped across the neighborhood, chasing the figure that was fleeing from her. She could never forget that figure. She had seen it in her dreams, and it had deeply imprinted itself on her mind. She clenched her jaws as the distance between them grew shorter.

The figure made another turn, and when Enariss did the same, she spotted him entering a large, run-down building. They were at the outskirts of the town.

When had she traveled this far? She hadn’t been paying attention to where she was going. And the figure was moving at an impossible pace. If it was the same person, he shouldn’t have the ability to escape from her.

She slowed her footsteps and scanned the building. Some kind of abandoned warehouse. It looked terribly suspicious, so she flicked on her phone and began recording. Sliding it back into her pocket, she took a deep breath, directing her footsteps into the building.

The rusted doors squeaked as she pushed it wide open. The roof of the building was virtually non-existent, and the sunlight filled the area, leaving nothing hidden from her scrutinizing eyes.

And in the distance, above a stack of old, cracked concrete, sat the hooded figure with his right arm raised as if to greet her. She gripped her fists but stopped.

“Rayn. Is that you,” she forced through her teeth. She had to calm down. She couldn’t risk losing him.

She saw the figure’s lips smile underneath the cloak, and Rayn revealed himself by taking his hood off.

“It’s been a long time, Ena.”

His voice was calmer than she had expected. She still didn’t understand how he had moved so quickly. She had to be wary.

Perhaps she should have called her dad or the police, but they had failed to catch the figure before her for several years. There was something up his sleeve.

“Was that you in my dream? A month ago?”

Rayn nodded.

“How?”

“I can’t be telling you, can I?”

He sighed and crossed his legs.

“I know that you want to capture me, maybe even kill me right now. And believe me, I’d turn myself in if it weren’t for the responsibilities I'm bearing.”

Enariss glared at Rayn. There was no exit to the back, so there was probably another route for him to escape through. She had to spot it fast.

“Don’t you want to know why I did it?”

Enariss froze, shifting all of her attention on Rayn. Noticing the change, Rayn put his hands together.

“The fire, the screams, the smoke—I won’t ever be able to forget it.”

He looked up. “But I can’t say that I regret it. Looking back at everything I’ve done so far, the results outweigh the costs.”

“What do you mean?!”

Enariss half-screamed and half-choked the words out, her voice thick with fury. Her heart trembled. “You’re telling me, you don’t regret anything?!”

“Don’t get me wrong. I know my actions were horrible.”

He put his arms out to Enariss. “But I want you to know that there was a reason. So many things I’ve done so far wouldn’t have been possible without that night.”

“You’re a criminal,” spat Enariss. She couldn’t listen to his rambling any further. She had to do something.

“I want to show you why. Come with me and see what I’ve accomplished, and I’ll let myself be arrested by the end of it, if that’s what you want.”

Enariss kept her eyes on Rayn, and her leg muscles tightened. Her power multiplied, and she prepared herself for a jump. There was no one around the place, so she could proceed without being interrupted.

“The boy you’re always with. The loss of his leg was not an accident.”

Enariss froze, her power seeping away.

“What?”

“There was a perpetrator. That boy was someone’s target.”

“What are you talking about? Why Demund?”

Rayn crossed his arms. “I’m not too sure of it myself, but my ability tells me that it’s because he…”

Rayn frowned and blinked his eyes.

“Never mind. It’s too vague to tell. But it’s a fact that someone targeted him. There should be evidence.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

Rayn pulled his hood over his head.

“To earn your trust. I would never want to hurt you. You’re part of something very large, and I want you to realize it. Something tremendous is coming, and we need to prepare.”

Rayn got up, and Enariss put her guard up once again.

“I’m not running away. Determine if what I’ve said is true for yourself. When the time seems right, I’ll visit again. It’ll be soon. Please, think about this carefully. There are some things that are bigger than yourself.”

He paused, and Enariss noticed his figure tremble.

“I’m really sorry. I was immature. And I’m even more sorry that I don’t regret it. But some things have to happen.”

Enariss leaped towards Rayn, but suddenly, a hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed Rayn’s cloak.

“See you soon.”

Then like the wind, Rayn vanished out of thin air along with the hand. Enariss skidded on the concrete as she landed, and all around her was nothing but abandoned walls.

She smashed the floor in frustration and glared at the area where he had last been. Of course he had help. He'd never have shown himself without being prepared.

He would come back?

She put her hand over her face. She didn’t trust him. She still wanted to throw him into jail after smashing his face in. But a part of her…wanted to know. Why he, a helpful boy who had always been there for her, had destroyed their lives at the orphanage.

She bit her lower lip. Why did he have to come back? Why?

She stood there in silence and looked at her hand—and gripped it.

Why.

Why. Why. Why.

All this time, he had never said anything. Now, he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

Thoughts ran through her mind like a turbulent stream.

〄 〄 〄

“How did it go?” asked Drema after Rayn and Lumina materialized in the room.

In one corner, one member was furiously tapping on his laptop. Another member was slicing some fruit with his knife and oversized arms.

Rayn took off his coat and sat down, his shoulders sagging.

“I don’t know. Things have been weird lately.”

He held his forehead as Drema fetched him a drink. The teleporting girl, Lumina, wordlessly vanished off to somewhere else.

“The thing is…”

Rayn waved his hand in front of his eyes, as if organizing something invisible.

“Have I told you about probabilities?”

Drema nodded, and Rayn took a sip out of his cup.

“Just until yesterday, there was a very high chance of Enariss joining the team. But suddenly, around 2 in the afternoon, it dropped drastically.”

He placed his left hand on top of his right one and leaned his chin against it.

“And I have no idea why. I’m not so certain of her joining anymore.”

“You’ll find a way,” soothed Drema, placing her hand on Rayn’s shoulder. “You always have. Whether your friend joins or not, you’ll find a way.”

“Dreamy! You flirting with the Boss again?” shouted someone from the back.

Her cheeks reddening slightly, she lifted her hand from Rayn’s shoulder.

“No, pig muscle!”

A burst of laughter roared out from the back, and Drema ignored his taunts. She glanced at Rayn.

He was still lost in thought, unfazed by the teasing. It was as if he didn’t notice it at all.

〄 〄 〄

“Hey,” called Demund, seeing Enariss in the distance. Her expression looked grim, and her clothes were lightly covered with dust.

Without answering him, Enariss got into the car, so Demund followed her example. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that her eyebrows were twitching, like she was trying to frown but was failing.

“What’s wrong?”

“I—”

Enariss looked into Demund’s eyes, and he noticed something like worry lurk within her.

“Never mind.”

Enariss sunk back into her seat, hugging her backpack like a little kid.

She had never acted like this before. But her face told him that she didn’t want to talk. So Demund sat next to her silently, waiting for her to begin talking. If she didn’t want to, it was no big deal. But something was very off with her.

In the end, Enariss told him that she didn’t want to run for the week.

He got out of the car and said goodbye. The car drove off, containing a figure of a small, weak girl.

Demund knew a distressed animal when he saw one. He had seen them countless times in his hunts.

“What the heck is going on?”