The Wolf stalked through the woods between the broken and decayed trees that once used to be its brethren.

Its head was low as it walked, its tail now missing, but the creature retained its impressive size—frail as it now seemed.

It came near the center of the woods, where it then stopped walking.

Across from it, a giant walked into view, casually holding a monstrous axe as his feet destroyed whatever crumbs of remains the ground had to offer.

The man stopped after eyeing the Wolf.

He cracked his neck from side to side.

Then, he focused on the beast.

"I ain't here for you," Steinith said, raising and holding his weapon. His chin lowered. "Just the kid. Huh. Lots of ancient history here." He stared into the animal's eyes. "History that'll die with you."

The Wolf, however, stretched out and shook, tilting back its head and howling at the sky—the sun unnatural as wood ground together. Its muzzle lowered after that, and it stared at the man.

Steinith moved his head and smirked. "Is what it is, I guess."

The Wolf made the first move as it charged at the man, nearly limping on its steps as it moved from side to side, attempting to betray from where it would strike.

Steinith breathed the cool air and nearly squatted like a baseball player. He remained calm and relaxed, watching the beast slightly larger than him charge.

As it ran, parts of it fell off, the green, magical essence floating elsewhere.

Steinith shook and blinked but wasn't knocked off his game, sensing how the Faul moved. Once it was close, it hopped from place to place, almost quicker than the eye could track, the movement and motion trying to distort Steinith's vision.

The man deeply breathed as, when the animal did leap in the air to tackle the man and claim his throat—Steinith, without having to track, swung the side of his axe at the torso of the soaring creature, catching it at its center.

BOOOOOSH!

The blunt side of the axe broke through most of the creature, smacking it aside and shooting it off to slam against a tree, with most of its body falling apart at both impacts.

When it soared, it was already reduced in size, and Steinith turned like a baseball player after a swing, hummed, and grinned at making contact.

But then, he was made aware of a force behind him: a smaller creature launching itself from behind and whipping its neck and muzzle into the giant's side.

It bit good and it bit hard, driving as deep into the flesh as blood splashed and gushed inside the creature's mouth, which wiggled in, trying to tear out a chunk of meat.

Steinith, repressing the need to howl, was forced to drop his weapon to grab the Faul's snout and jaw, opening them and releasing his captured flesh—growling as he was going to tear the two apart.

But as he did so, the first Wolf, the one knocked against a tree, had green, magical tendrils shoot out from its body's core and touch the bark—prying off chunks to restore and thicken what had been lost.

And recovering enough to stand, it charged after the giant, a straight shot that the man saw too late—the creature leaping and latching onto the wrists of his lowered arm.

It dug its fangs in there, barely making any progress despite the blood seeping from the puncture holes, the two creatures of the same soul working together.

"Splitting yourself into two?" Steinith grumbled, hunched into himself, dealing with the attached wolves. "How cute."

Steinith kneeled and, without caring for himself, raised the arm with the affected wrist and yanked the attached Wolf into the air.

Then, he slammed it hard against the ground, the thing exploding into chunks upon impact, the free essence floating back to the first wolf.

And the bits of broken wood gravitated toward it as well.

"I don't think so." Steinith, with a freed arm raised and wiggled, captured the creature's muzzle before it skirted away. He lifted it off his wound and the ground as he stood, barely wincing despite the impressive marks left on his side, brunting the injury and the pain. "You'll pay for that."

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Effortlessly… Steinith pulled the creature apart… tearing and ripping down its form… until the beast was in two, each tossed aside from the other.

The exposed center of the Faul revealed its swirling, floating core, which was trying to glide to the ground in a frenzy and gather what wood it could.

But Steinith, clenching his arm in place, summoned a dark, swirling current of his own, one spawned from the creature's despair.

Chuckling to himself, he aimed his palm forward, connecting to and pulling the frual's sphere, and started to draw it backward as the dark tendrils of his energy sought to latch onto the creature's last remaining life.

Despite increasing its internal pace to try to fly away, the ball of life was trapped in the suction and brought back to its doom. Steinith grinned harder as this extra surge would settle all his doubts.

He concentrated on his victory… until he sensed a presence next to him.

His head snapped to it at once, and as the blade swung down toward his wrist, he yanked it back and moved the same way—glaring at Rodent beside him.

Rodent, who had appeared out of nowhere, danced back the same way—maintaining a distance.

Steinith, snarling, reached and picked up his weapon, reassuming his height and glaring down at Rodent, coming to walk around him.

Rodent matched him, the two walking in a circle, carefully watching the other, all while the floating orb sent out little green bolts of energy and tried to reassemble a wooden body from that which was left on the ground.

"Not bad for your first fight," Steinith said with a palm pressing against his jaw to crack his neck as needed. He then did the same to the other cheek. "But a runt like you should be out of juice now."

Rodent stopped matching the giant's steps, choosing to remain in place, head lowered but gaze raised, staring down the larger man. His form was proper, tall, consistent, unflinching, dedicated, and focused.

His glare revealed a new side to the young man. His hand was tight and relaxed while holding his sword.

"I have just enough to settle this."

"Do you? Where were you when the Fal'qu army was recruiting?" Steinith also stopped circling to tower and loom over his foe, and though his head was tilted back with scorn on his expression, he held a certain level of respect. "You would've been an interesting recruit. More than what your joker persona lets on."

Rodent shook his head. "You talk like there's different versions of me. Different faces. Different masks." He steadied. "There's just me. Different components that make me. One is not more important than another. They all compose my existence."

"How eloquent." Steinith sneered. "First time I've heard you speak properly." He smirked. "Where'd you pick that up?"

"Someone important to me," Rodent replied, pointing his sword. "Why can't you just leave this village? Why do you need me dead—the sword broken?"

Steinith chuckled. "I don't speak for free."

Rodent's head shook. "We don't have to fight."

"We don't?" Steinith laughed, scratching his throat, seeming faint from his wounds. The previous Deskar from his palm flowed to his bites, not healing or closing them… but almost pulling from them. "What then? I spill. We work a deal. Everyone's happy?"

Rodent looked back at the giant. "Why can't it be like that?"

"Because this world is coming to an end," Steinith said. His shoulders lowered, and his voice was normal. "And this Age nears its completion. The Challenge will come soon. And none will be ready."

Rodent blinked. "Challenge?"

"Some do still pay attention," Delt said from nowhere. It sounded like he was processing something. "Way I saw it? You all blissfully die unaware."

The sword chuckled. "So… what? Y'all give up on the Challenge? Or have you found a loophole?"

Steinith opened and raised his arms high. "If the world shall drown... become the water that fills it."

"That's fuckin' stupid," Delt said. "What? You wanna become Deskar? That's your endgame?"

"I won't answer." Steinith resumed his battle stance. "This world hurries to its end. You are nothing more than blips that slightly delay our overall fate." He turned his axe within his grip. "Without you two… all will become what it should be."

"Sounds like someone's too scared of what's coming and decided to join the tidal wave," Delt returned. "What are you afraid of? Death? Losing? What does your heart truly have to say?"

Steinith glared at the sword.

"Because... if you were fully into this Doomsday shit... I'd believe you," Delt said while pointed at his target. "But the thing is... you aren't fully about that life... and that's why your Dekar—even when used by a trained soldier—is so weak."

Delt chuckled. "Hence why you're getting your ass kicked by a nobody from another world that has an idealistic heart."

Steinith gritted his teeth.

"Your size... strength... knowledge and experience... willpower... all to be used by someone else." Delt's metal body made a strange clicking sound. "But this kid? His heart is in everything he does. You? You're all over the place."

Stenith squeezed the weapon to the point it nearly cracked. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you."

"And I'll break your knee when you try." Delt would have spat if he could. "And thanks for being stalled. Our 'friend' is all patched up."

Steinith, turning his head, saw the Wolf in the distance. A little creature was running across the ground, growing over wooden pieces and breaking open stumps that added to its form.

Soon, it had reached the size of a dog, turning around and growling at the giant.

Steinith, with a chuckle, shook his head.

"Oh," he began. "I'm going to enjoy destroying this whole fuckin' area."