Ray was busy training, trying to go as fast as he possibly could, he felt himself filling up with energy, he approached a tree, and hit it as hard as he could. He made an impact on the tree that left a crater, and a huge bang that could be heard. He massaged his hand which was unharmed. He looked at the sky, it was still afternoon; He wiped the sweat off his forehead.

{That should be enough for now. Charles told me to hunt for something before I head back. I wonder when the guy who is supposed to train me is coming?}

It took some time before Ray managed to find a deer. The one he found was a full-grown deer. He took the bow he grabbed from Charles, and aimed it at the deer. Due to his strength he could pierce the deer more than any human can, and he let loose the arrow.

The deer buckled and ran off. Ray chased after it, whenever he lost sight of it, he followed the blood it left behind. Soon he found the deer laying on the ground. Ray stood over patting it, and quickly pierced the deer neck. Ray tied the deer's feet together.

Ray threw the deer over his shoulder, the weight not being an issue due to his strength. He headed back down the mountain, when he entered the clearing where he usually trains, he saw a man standing in the middle of it. He was staring right at Ray. Ray continued walking until he was a few centimeters away from the man, adjusting the deer over his shoulder.

“Quite the deer you have there.” The man said.

“Yes, I just hunted it.” Ray replied.

“You also live at the cottage at the base of the mountain, right?”

“Yes,” Ray said.

The man slowly circled around Ray, “that deer seemed heavy, you must be pretty strong to be carrying it with ease.”

“...Who are you? I don’t recognize you from the village.” Ray said.

“I am James, I’m a knight. What about you? Who are you? Or should I say what are you?’

“...What are you trying to say?” Ray asked, he forced himself to calm down, his muscles instinctively tense up when he heard the man was a knight, he couldn’t show any kind of suspicion to him.

“Who are you?” James demanded.

“I’m Ray, what do you want!?”

“Well Ray, I heard a bang a few minutes ago, I was wondering what it was.” James said.

“Who knows? Couldn’t been anything on the mountain.” Ray told him.

“Really now? Well I’m sure you have things to do, but before you go, do you mind if I confirm something?” James said.

“Huh?” Ray said, confused. Ray stared at James, when suddenly James dashed towards Ray. Ray dropped the deer, and instinctively jumped back, and got ready to fight.

James appears in front of Ray, ready to throw a punch. “No regular human can jump that far. So you and that man are filthy hybrids.”

{He tricked me!} Ray jumped back again, dodging the punch, James hit the ground causing a shockwave.

Ray engulfed his black aura, while James did the same, but his aura first became blue, but it was slowly changing to red, a small thin red line was forming on his visible body parts.

“Where is your mark?” James demanded, while the two study each other.

“I still haven’t-” Ray stopped himself before he said too much. “I really don’t want to kill you, if you ignored-”

“I will never ignore a hybrid; I will kill you where you stand.” James stated.

{Remembered everything Charles taught me.} Ray thought to himself as he prepared himself.

They dashed towards each other, exchanging blows, Ray noticed James punches were stronger than his, but he was faster. As they kept fighting, Ray noticed James' pattern of fighting was similar to the teaching Charles taught him.

{He is still using basic knight fighting, he still hasn’t developed his own fighting style, I can use that!}

While Ray still hasn’t decided how he wants to fight, he knows what kind of moves James would use on him. He used that to his advantage. Purposely setting himself up, so he can counter James attacks. Ray threw an underhand punch, knowing James was going to catch it, and send him flying.

When James caught his punch, Ray quickly grabbed his other hand, and threw him, James rolled on the ground, he quickly got himself up, but before he could ready himself, Ray appeared before him, with all his strength Ray punched James in the stomach and sent him flying until he hit a tree.

James hit the tree, and he fell on his knees, grabbing his stomach and coughing violently. His aura disappears. Ray stood over him, his black aura more intense than he ever felt. James looked at Ray with hateful eyes.

“Dammit, how did I lose?” James silently whispers to himself.

“What!?”

“That’s enough! Leave this place, go back already! Leave me alone!” James loudly spoke out.

{What should I do? I can’t kill him, should I drag him to Charles? No,} Ray looked around until his eyes spotted the top of the mountain which was covered in mist. {That should do.} Ray got closer to James, and raised his hand.

“Wha-” Before James could finish his sentence, Ray brought down his hand, and knocked him out. Ray grabbed his body, and put him over his shoulder. {Heavy! Alright, I’ll leave him somewhere on the mountain, the mist is getting worse, he should stay up there, lost for a day or two.}

Ray left the clearing, heading to the top of the mountain.

***

After a couple of minutes had passed, a knight was hiding on top of a tree, he started climbing down, trying his best not to raise any noise. It was the knight Henry.

{Dammit! I knew that bang we heard wasn’t normal. Where did that hybrid take James? Dammit I should have done something… No James said those words for me, so I wouldn't interfere. I have to get everyone. I’ll send them to that cottage, while I look for James.} Henry thought to himself.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Henry walked to where the two fought, inspecting the damage, his shoes getting all muddy. {All this damage caused by two people; I wonder what those above even James can do, the damage they can do to their surroundings. I have to get back.}

Henry took another look at his surroundings before taking off towards the village. He ran as fast as he could. He tumbled a few times, but he still got up. When he finally reached the village, he headed towards the other knight's location. Ignoring the looks of the villagers, he saw one of the knights.

“Henry what’s wrong! You look horrible, where is James?” The knight asked.

Henry grabbed the knight’s hand and dragged him until they wouldn't be heard. “Listen to me, get the others who are looking around the village, tell them to go to the forest entrance. I will send the others there.”

“What’s going on?”

“The others will tell you, we don’t have much time, go!” Henry pushed the knight, the knight looked back at him, and started running towards the other knights. Henry ran towards the construction of the church, he saw his comrades, and started screaming at them.

“Hey! Hey! All of you, there is an emergency!”

The knights stopped what they were doing, and raced towards Henry, all ten of the knights surrounded him, asking what had happened.

“Be quiet all of you!” Henry shouted at them. When they were silent, Henry told them what happened. How James lost the fight against the hybrid, and the hybrid taking him somewhere, as well describing the hybrid to them.

“Listen I need all of you to head to the entrance of the forest, wait until the others meet up with you, follow the trail, until you find a cottage, the hybrid lives there with an old man. The man is most likely a hybrid too. So do whatever you have to do, but don’t die. I will go look for James. I’m the only one who knows the direction of where he took him.”

“Let some of us go with you.” A knight said.

“No! That hybrid managed to defeat James, a blessed knight. Who knows how strong the man living in the cottage is. I won’t rest until I find James. The rest of you be careful, if you do find the old man, kill him, if you meet the other hybrid take him alive, in case I can’t find James. I didn’t see a mark on him, and James managed to tire him out. Twenty people should be enough to beat him. If he proves too dangerous, kill him instead, we can’t have him coming to the village.”

The knights nodded their heads, they got their weapons ready, and headed towards the forest. A group of villagers had formed and were looking at them. Most of them seem worried. Suddenly Cassian came running.

“Henry! Henry, what is going on?”

Henry quietly whispers everything that has happened to Cassian. Making sure none of the villagers could hear him.

“I need you to distract the villagers. Make sure none of them follow the others to that cottage. I don’t want innocents dying on us.”

“Be at ease, with this we can further our own plans. Once we kill those disgusting hybrids, we will be heroes in this village.” Cassian stated.

“Whatever, you know what to do, I will search for James, good luck Cassian.”

“You as well Henry, I will pray that you find him.”

As Henry took off, a sly smile formed on Cassian’s face. “What an opportunity, I must tell other knights to surely kill those hybrids. The villagers will be thankful, and I can tell the church how I did. I might even get promoted.” Cassian quietly said to himself. He looked at the worried villagers, with a gentle smile on his face.

“Do not worry, the knights of Sez will protect you, I will protect you, now follow me if you want to be saved.”

***

The sun was about to set when Ray put down the body of James in a small cave near the top of the mountain. As he walked out of the cave the mist was already reaching his waist.

{This should be enough, by the time he wakes up he won’t be able to see anything. Nobody should be able to find him in this mist. I have to head back, it’s already turning dark. Should I still hunt for something? No, I’m far enough as it is. I’ll head back to the clearing, see if I can still take the deer with me. When I get back, I have to explain everything to Charles.}

He started running down the mountain, but the fight with James, and carrying him all the way to the top of the mountain has tired him. Ray was breathing hard when he reached the clearing where he, and James fought. He walked up to the deer, but it was being picked at by worms, and other insects.

{Yeah, I’m not taking that, let me check where we fought, I have to explain to Charles how the fight went.}

Ray walked towards the damage he, and James caused when he noticed something on the ground. Tracks. He put his hand on the tracks.

{These are fresh! They are smaller than James, someone was here! Did they see me? Wait, he wasn’t the only one here! No! No! No!}

“I have to warn Charles.” Ray said, as he took off.

Ray ran as fast as he could, as he got close to the cottage, he smelled burning wood. His worries grew. He pushed himself to go even faster until he reached the clearing of his new home. He saw the cottage he lived in with Eda, and Charles going up in flames, a group of knights in front of the burning of the cottage were throwing things into the fire, while a few knights behind them were cheering them on. All of them were wearing their armor.

“What are you doing!” Ray yelled at them.

The group of knights turned to look at Ray. They drew their weapons, swords, and bows, aiming them at Ray.

“Where is he!? What have you done with him!?” Ray demanded, he looked everywhere but couldn’t see Charles.

The knights that were in front of the house moved. The mist was barely covering their feet, but Ray saw a sword sticking out of the mist, as if someone planted it on the ground.

“Take a closer look.” One of the knights mocked.

Ray focused his eyes, the mist in front of the house was clearing, and he saw the sword wasn’t sticking out of the ground, it was impaled out of the back of an old man’s body. The old man’s face in the dirt, with a pool of blood underneath it. It was Charles.

“You. You killed him?” Ray said quietly.

One of the knights started laughing, he walked to the body of Charles, putting a foot on his back and grabbing the hilt of the sword that was impaling his back. He pulled the sword out of the body, and aimed it at Ray.

“Now then everyone, he fits the description Henry gave us, let’s have him tell us where James is before we kill him. Hurry up and shoot him.” The knight ordered.

Ray looked at the knights, he could hear his blood running in his ear, the pain, and exhaustion he was feeling went away, he felt numb. He prepared himself.

Three knights took a step closer to Ray, aiming their bows at him, they shot their arrows at Ray, but before they could hit Ray, he vanished. The three knights lowered their bows in confusion, before they could ready another arrow, Ray dashed through them from the left side with speed they couldn’t see, he put all his energy into his arms. With three single strikes their heads left their bodies.

Blood spurted from the three beheaded bodies, then the bodies collapsed. Before the others could properly ready themselves, two more heads were seen flying, then three. Something was passing the knights taking their heads as it did. Some of the knights fell on their behind, but before they could stand up again, their heads were flying off as well.

As more knights lost their heads, the remaining knights started running, but through the eyes of Ray they were slow, he couldn’t hear their screams, their desperate look on their faces meant nothing to him. He only heard his blood roaring in his ear, and he only felt the grinding of his teeth, as he took their lives, his arms were covered in their blood.

Ray decapitated all of them except the one who took out the sword from Charles’s back. He was on his knees, he seemed to be begging. His eyes wide open as they were crying.

Ray walked up to him, his whole body shaking in anger, he saw the knight moving his mouth, but heard no words. Before the knight could react, Ray passed his left hand across his neck. The knight's head fell to the ground with a thud.

The knight mouth open, trying to say anything, but he couldn’t form a single word, he watch as the hybrid turn his back towards him, he blinked his eyes trying anything to confirm he was still alive, until his head stop moving, he was forced to accept reality, and he never moved again.

Ray walked towards Charles. He lay on the ground, the pool of blood got even bigger, Ray got on his knees and turned Charles’s body. Ray checked his pulse. Nothing.

“No! No, you can’t leave me, please. Please you can’t. Please he was innocent, he always followed your teaching, don’t take him away from me. I beg you Sez, I’ll do anything, just please, please not him too…I, I can turn him; I need my blood.” Ray said, despite the fact that he couldn’t.

As Ray was about to cut open his arms with a sword that was nearby, the memory of Charles wished came back to him.

“Right. He never… Wanted to be one of us.” Ray sobbed, as tears were coming out of his eyes.

“Why? Why did this happen?...Oh.” Ray looked at his blood soaked hands. “ It’s because you’re a filthy hybrid.”