I was reluctant to use the fighting prowess of the person responsible for murdering my mother, and nearly myself on top of that.

But I saw it as an honour, to put their powers to use in service of myself and my future.

The fighting technique I had been searching for was one that couldn’t be reacted to without using your brain to predict it first, thereby bypassing the instinctual reactions of Delechor and giving me an opening.

This came in the form of a fake out attack, based on what I saw from the memories it used some simple tricks to manipulate the brain into seeing an attack that would never be made and whilst the defendant was trying to guard the non-existent attack I could perform my real move.

I immediately did it, I moved my sword back and forth rhythmically. The after image was the key component to this fake out, if i continue to swing the sword to and fro and then suddenly move the sword slightly further forward it would trigger the response in the brain as if an attack was made.

It worked flawlessly, Delechor put up his guard to defend against a non existent attack and during his moment of vulnerability i dashed to him and struck his head with the back of my sword handle, knocking him unconscious immediately.

“I can’t believe you actually overcame Delechor’s nightmare, even among the guards there’s only a few who can go toe to toe with him when using his nightmare”

“I can’t take all the credit”

Veckti looked at me questioningly, when i didn’t elaborate he just shrugged and walked over to Delechor who was laying on the ground, still unconscious.

At that moment my head started pulsing with pain, the waves of torment got worse and worse until I eventually passed out.

***

Morning practice today was the same as always, In the week since my fight with Delechor it became abundantly clear that Veckti was correct in saying that very few guards could stand up to Delechor when using his nightmare.

This new guard was much thicker in build, and shorter in stature almost giving him the look of an overinflated balloon.

I assume that this thicker guard was their way of making it more difficult for me since he could take the brunt of my attacks better.

I had yet to lose any of my training bouts so they must’ve been throwing anyone and anything they could at me to try and win.

I imagine that continuously being bested by a child would be frustrating for these well trained guards.

However, considering the combat knowledge that i had received from the people of Sheol and the bandits who had attacked them, and also my abnormally high strength. It was fair to say that i’m no ordinary child.

Lindon was saying something when Veckti announced for us to begin our training.

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The portly man didn’t come at me, instead he waited for me to make a move, my first instinct was to hang back and wait for him to get bored enough to attack.

But i knew that for me to get stronger and i needed to stop talking the defensive approach.

I decided to rush at him and tried to take him by surprise but despite his size he was still incredibly fast.

He grabbed my wrist, i halted and jumped back which made the portly guard stagger forward and whilst he was off balance i punched him in the face, he brushed it off and got back up. I was fully expecting the man to be knocked unconscious.

The rotund guard launched a counterattack, his rapid strikes hit me like a boulder sending me stumbling backwards and then he appeared behind me and kicked me in the back of the leg which made be fall to the ground.

I felt a weird kind of pressure building in my chest and a tingling sensation in my hands, when i looked down i saw that my hands were covered with a green substance and my opponent seemed to notice it too.

I stood up and got back into a fighting stance but the guard was backing away slowly, like he was scared of me.

I slowly walked towards the horrified man,

I caught up with him and began beating him down with a barrage of punches, I tried to stop myself but I couldn’t, it was like someone else was controlling my actions.

The green stuff on my hands began to melt through the guards clothes and sink into his skin but I just kept throttling him until the he was barely recognisable.

The world started to spin and i could feel myself losing consciousness.

I woke up in a bed surrounded by Lord Greenfeather and his children.

The first to speak was the Lord.

“How do you feel?”

“I’m fine Sir, what happened?”

Lindon grunted.

“You went into a rage during your training, you’re lucky that the guard you pummelled is still alive. Barely.”

I suddenly remembered the fight from before i blacked out, I wanted to understand what happened and why i couldn’t control my actions but now wasn’t the best time.

I looked to Lord Greenfeather, signalling for him to continue.

“Considering the strange poison flowing through his body right now he probably will die if we don’t find an antidote.”

“What do you mean? What poison?”

“So not only did you almost kill a man, you have the nerve to forget it?”

Lindon was clearly furious at me, but if its true then i couldn’t exactly blame him.

“Lindon please go help your mother”

“But fath-“

“I said go, and Lillian go with your brother.”

“Do i have to?”

He gave her a stern look.

“Fine”

Lord Greenfeather stood in silence for a while, maybe he was pondering what to say next.

“Is what Lindon said true”

“Yes”

“I don’t know what kind of potential you see in me but i agree with your son, i almost killed a man and i don’t even-“

A sudden surge of pain radiated through my head and i saw flashes of my fight with the man but it wasn’t through my eyes, it was through his.

Lord Greenfeather looked at me, a puzzled expression on his face

“Are you okay?”

“The guard, i think he just died”

“What? How do you know that?”

“I don’t, but theres been something weird ever since i woke up in Sheol.

I have memories that couldn’t possibly be mine.

My suspicion is that people who die because of my poison become part of me”

The realisation that i had killed my whole village was strange but the worst part was, i didn’t feel guilty at all.

“Memories you say? thats a unique ability indeed. Perhaps … ”

The Lord was lost in thought for a moment before he began to speak again.

“I understand how you feel, well actually i don’t but i can empathise with you.

I don’t think it’s fair to blame you since its not under your control, therefore i want you to meet someone.

He will be visiting in a few weeks and until then i will personally train you.”