Underground town - Tower - afternoon

Buckling my knees, I hone my focus straight at my opponent, standing on a slightly elevated plane.

The silence this room gives off is nerve-racking, causing me to tense up, but it sort of helps me focus on my main target.

I run across a clean velvet rug that stretches from the entrance to where Walter is standing. He hasn't moved an inch at the moment, even when I'm closing the distance between us. On top of that, he's standing there with a condescending smirk.

If he’s as strong as Vzra said he is, then I need to end this quick.

50 yards away, I’m not closing that in a few seconds, so I have to ready myself for any attack. Getting closer, my sense goes off, but I see nothing coming at me. Just then, a quick, yet sharp pain thrones around my cheek. Blood rolls down my face as droplets soak the blue carpet, dying bits of it red.

“Villain, I have drawn first blood!”

How did he hit me? Was it with Source? If that’s the case, I didn’t see a thing, but my sense went off. The hell is going on!? No, I can’t get caught up in my thoughts right now. I’m close to reaching him, so all I need to do is get close and deck the shit out of him.

And doing just that, I closed the distance to 15 meters. He's mine now!

“Too rudimentary!”

Suddenly, the air around him rages, swirling around like a whirlpool. It pushes forward as an unknown force repels my body, throwing me back. My back hits the metal door in and out of this room. The bone-crushing impact leaves me breathless as all the weight pushed to my back.

Thoughts in my head almost went blank because of this crushing pain. But how did he do that? That power was overwhelming. It was like a giant flicked me away!

“What the hell did you just do!?” I demand an answer from him.

“I have no idea what you are referring to,” he plays coy, sporting a punch-able face.

“Bullshit! You did something!”

“Again, what do you mean?”

Guess he’s not gonna tell me. Fine, then I’ll just have to be careful this time.

Once again, I go charging off. Like last time, he’s just standing around. Closing in on my target, I do a fake out, darting past him.

Turning around to face me, he cackles. “Too slow.”

No, this is going to hit! I’m much faster, I know it. Before I can connect the hit, the wind around him roars, pushing me back against a wall. Repeating what happened before, my back suffers from hitting this stone wall. This time, it feels as if my limbs are going to pop off.

“You are quite too slow for a villain!”

My sense goes off. From the front, and it’s coming in hot! Dodging in the nick of time, debris flies all over, blinding my sight of the enemy. Another alert goes off. Planting my fingers on the ground, I pull myself forward. It hits a wall on the side of the room. More debris scatters into the air as I make my escape to the entrance.

“Wow, you were able to dodge that? Impressive! Truly impressive!”

It’s no use. Whenever I get close, he repels me. To make it worse, he’s using a projectile against me. If that’s not enough, it’s powerful enough to break the slash in the walls… Hey, why are there slash marks? I don’t see a sword on him, let alone anywhere in here. Actually, what is he attacking me with? I can’t see it, but it’s something sharp enough to cut a stone wall, and strong enough to push me back.

This all feels…familiar, and I think I know why.

“Come, villain!”

There's no way I'm going near him, not until I figured this out. Good thing I still have this boomerang. Even if this doesn’t hit, I'll hopefully learn something.

“Eat this!”

I spun around before throwing it, hoping to build momentum. It spins through the air, on course to hit Walter in the neck. Seconds from impact, the unknown force pushes the boomerang away. It's strong enough to direct airflow at me, causing the boomerang to come back.

I catch it while running towards Walter. Again, he just waits for me. The “unknown” force comes at me again, throwing me back. At this speed, I’ll end up as red chunks on the wall.

Now I see through his little trick. First, I'm gonna make sure I don't turn to crimson paste, then kick his ass.

I grab the velvet carpet, using that to slow my speed. It has a smooth, silk feeling, making it hard to keep a grip. Luckily, Walter is standing on the other end of it, weighing it down so it doesn't follow me. Stopping dead in my tracks, my stomach hits the ground first.

“Is this all you are capable of, villain? Mindless attacks? That is no good, ultimately no good! You must–”

“Shut your trap already. I got you figured out.”

His face goes blank with a single eyebrow raised. “Excuse me?”

“Your ability, I know what you’re doing.”

“Oh, really? Pray tell, what ability is it?”

The way he’s able to push me away without lifting a finger sounds mysterious and powerful, but that’s the trick. It’s not an invisible force. I remember the feeling all too well. He’s not the first to use it on me.

“You’re using the wind!”

Shock slips out through his expression while he stumbles over his words.

When he hit me the first two times, I noticed the air around him pushed against me, but I thought little of it. But when I thought about it, that part was a dead giveaway. Plus, it didn’t feel like I was suspended in the air or something like that. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was like the air itself didn’t want me to get near him, the opposite of how Selena used the wind.

“Ah, indeed, I am using the air. Well done. You’re smarter than you appear.”

“No duh, never underestimate my battle awareness skills!”

But now, how am I going to hit him? Understanding what’s going on is kinda pointless if you can’t counter, but I guess you need to know to counter, so what the hell do I know, huh?

“Since you were able to deduce my ability, I’ll have to finish you quickly.” He places his flute at his lips. “Hopefully, my song shall clean that filthy soul.”

The second he played a note, my sense went off. It’s coming in too quick! I barely jump out of the way. The attack and the door meet each other as the sound of metal being torn apart fills the room.

“What was…that?”

The metal door has a wide hole through it. His wind did that?

“That is my power. The power of a hero of justice!”

Another note plays. Shit, no time to think! He keeps playing notes, shooting rapid air bullets at me. Their power is destroying the wall beside me as I try to outrun it. They’re catching up to me. I’m not fast enough to escape. Getting anywhere near him is a bad idea, but I need to land a hit somehow, anything just to get the edge. Who am I kidding, there’s no way to get him with his pants down unless I go fast enough to slip past his notice. That’s the only way, so I better hop to it, or I’m dead!

As much as I’d love to get close and personal, he’s using his attacks to keep me away. Come on, there has to be a way I can make an opening. Then the bulb in my brain flickers on. Bringing out the boomerang, I chuck it at Walter. It’s my fastest attack, yet he’s able to block it with a gust of wind. Bingo, just what I wanted, you dip. Running with all I got, I close the 20-meter gap between us. Right when he saw me, I elbowed his gut in. He spits out saliva as he stumbles back.

“You…you touched me?”

“Aww, is the man-baby gonna crwy cause I found your widdle weakness.”

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“Weakness…? I have a weakness?”

“That’s right, you piece of shit! So you better get ready for me to–”

“Justice is not weak!” Huh? “Justice is a beautiful, flawless concept, one with no equal! One who is just shall never be wrong, and they shall never be imperfect. An imperfect justice is a worthless justice! And our justice is not worthless.” There’s no point in arguing. He’s a psycho, but he’s getting riled up. Too riled up for my liking. “...Our justice is right! Our justice is bright! How dare you insult that!”

A note plays, cuing my sense! Dodging it is a bit difficult, but I pulled it off. Landing on my feet, a shadow looms over me. No way… He came to me!? A single punch rocks my head. Blood runs out of my nose, my head is pounding like mad. More of his punches bash my chest and head. All of them are packing in power and weight, making it feel like he could cave in my head or punch a hole through my chest.

“Die, you piece of trash!”

The screams of a madman fill my head as he hits me with a nasty uppercut to the gut. Air swirls around my stomach, causing a whirlpool effect on my shirt. Rage filling his fist. This last hit kills all thought in my head. This blow knocks around all the organs in my body, creating the sensation that someone tore open my stomach with a cannonball. My knees buckle from the pressure…

“Trash like you should learn that justice is above you. Only those who are worthy may be saved, and those who are evil shall perish.”

This is…too much. He’s too…powerful.

“You gotta run! Take her with you. Fightin’ a guy like that is gonna kill you!”

Now I get it. He didn’t say that to insult me, or to protect Vella. That gray-haired swordsman said it because already seen the outcome. A Source-user will beat a normal person any day of the week. This is the cruel reality of this fight. Other than my sense, I can’t compete with a Source-user... But I can’t just give up! Even if that’s what reality is, I have to keep moving!

I stop my descent by putting a foot forward. Pain howls around my chest and head from the slightest movement. I need to bite down on the pain and move!

“You still stand? Why?”

“Why? Ain’t it obvious? Villains are only cool when they keep getting back up to challenge the hero, over and over again.”

Reality says I have to lose, that beating a Source-user is impossible. But you know what? Who the hell gives a shit what reality says!?

“I’m quite serious. Continue to fight me and I shall kill you.”

“Come on, heroes shouldn’t be saying that stuff. You should be positive and all that crap. Smile a little.”

“Why do you continue to oppose our justice? Don’t you see how pointless this is? Reality, justice, and the world says you can’t best me. So just submit!”

“If that’s the case, then I'll resist reality, and I’ll crush your justice!”

Even if it kills me, I’ll fight. Not for myself, not to come out as a hero, or to even prove that swordsman wrong, but to save Vella’s heart! Nothing is going to stop me, not justice, and not this guy!

“You’re like a persistent bug. Very well, come, you bug of a villain!”

I have to focus everything on this fight, these feelings, all my thoughts, and every fiber of my being on that shining road to victory. My focus narrows on him, my breathing goes silent, the dull pain around my torso and head goes away, a sense of calm blankets my mind, and my body becomes lighter once again.

“Then bring it, you man-child of a hero. I’ll put your justice to rest.”

Instantly, the air around him rages as he places the flute on his lips, playing a single note. Sense kicks in, telling me what’s coming. It’s much faster than before. It could travel across 50 yards like nothing, so doing 30 is no different. Except I’m in full gear. I shift out of the way, leaping to my side. 2 seconds later, it hits the wall I was standing in front of.

“You dodged at such a distance!? No matter, take this!”

A rapid set of notes plays. Air bullets speed through the sky, trying to rip my body into pieces. Each one is fast enough to contend with a real bullet. Seconds ago, I would’ve died, but now, I can do this. I’ll be able to do it like this!

I throw the boomerang at him. Naturally, he summons a gust of wind around him. It’s okay, I knew it would not hit him, but it was going to distract him! With my increased speed, I moved into his blind spot, reaching him right after he summoned the wind. He’s too late to notice my presence. There’s no way for him to guard me. With the sudden increase in speed, my punches are faster than usual, letting me hit him multiple times before having to retreat.

“You hit me! How dare you!”

Crude notes that aren’t meant to be used by a flute echo throughout the room. Forcing its way into my ear, it rattles inside my brain, doing its best to disorientate me. Before it can get worse, I smack my ears with the palm of my hands, sort of deafening myself. Sound suddenly going out makes me wanna puke, but it’ll be fine since I didn’t hit too hard.

I run off to engage my enemy. I can’t hear too well right now, so I’ll have to rely on sense to know if he’s attacking.

Of course, it goes off. Something large is coming from above. It’s pieces of the roof, he’s going to crush me... It’s okay, this is all okay. Right before impact, I kick up the speed, running out of the danger area, only to run into another set of collapsing debris. Each time I slip past them, I manage to get under another set, but it doesn’t matter, I’m faster than I was before.

A bit of my hearing is coming back. I can hear him yelling about how this is impossible and asking why I’m still alive. There’s no big secret behind it. I just don’t want to. I can’t lose.

Within reach, he shoots the roof again, trying to hit me before I can reach him. I slow down a bit to let the debris hit the ground. They blind his view of me. I only have a few seconds to get this done. I throw my boomerang one last time to the left side of the room. An air bullet shoots it down, destroying the thing.

“A boomerang!?”

Slipping through the falling rocks, I’m in his range now. Who’ll reach the other first isn’t assured. But even so, this is my only chance, so I need to go.

“Get away, you monster!” Not yet, I come too far to stop! My fists or your wind? Let’s find out here and now! “I said get away!”

The wind in front of me turns visible, twisting into spears to pierce me. It’s too late to dodge them. They’ll impale my brain at this point. That’s okay, I’ll just give up my arm. It’ll probably hurt like a bitch. However, I’m risking my life on this, so what’s an arm?

“Don’t go givin’ up your limbs, kid!”

A linear stream of water whisks past me, flowing right above my shoulder. It rips apart the twisted air, doing away with the spears. I don’t know why he did that, and it doesn’t matter right now. All I need to do is hit this bastard!

The sense of calm ends, allowing all my rage to surface. I let out a battle cry, pouring all my strength into this one attack. “Here I come! Grit your goddamn teeth!”

Walter screams from the tops of his lungs, getting fired up. He throws a fist my way, wrapped in a layer of wind. “Don’t you get in my way, you villain!”

All or nothing! For everyone in here who’s chained to this dickwad and his awful justice! I’ll break it and set you all free!

One breath, that’s all it takes for our fists to hit the other. A loud thump resounds, repeating inside this quiet empty room full of stone... Am I dead? Was a normal human never meant to fight a Source-user…? Dead wrong! My fist made it, knocking him out in one go. His body collapses over, hitting the ground with a thud. Of course, he still got me. But it only broke my shoulder. Intense pain surges throughout the area. It’s also a bit stiff too, but I don’t care about that.

I…beat a Source-user. I did that. I was able to… Me! Words bubble up in my throat. Anything I wanted to say is losing form. Then, a visceral scream forces itself out of me. A primal scream that symbolizes that this is my victory. “I DID IT!”

I did it, Vell, I got him for you. So…please…

“Whoa!”

My body collapses. All my energy is gone. My legs feel as if they’re being torn apart by the seams. An excruciating burning sensation is spreading through both my legs, making it hard to gather my thoughts or even breathe. Moving makes this heat burn even hotter.

“Shit. Agh! What’s…going on!?”

“Looks like your body’s pretty banged.” Great, as if I had nothing else to deal with. The swordsman towers over me, curiously eyeballing me. “...You pushed farther than you should’ve gone. Now your body is sufferin’ for it.”

“Why...did you…help me?” He simply shrugs his shoulders, acting as if he doesn’t give one squat about this whole thing. “Then…what do you…want?”

“Easy, I want the book.” Of course, I already knew he was gonna say that, but I thought there would be more to it.

“Fat chance. I won’t…let you!”

He sucks his teeth, looking down at me with a frustrated glare. “Why not? Give me one reason.”

“You see… Finders keepers.”

“I said a good reason!”

“It is.”

“No, it isn’t, you moron! Be serious about this!”

“I am! It’s ours, and you can’t have it.”

In the blink of an eye, he draws his blade, pointing it at my neck. “Not even if your life is on the line?” The cool edge presses up against my neck, ready to slice it open at a moment's notice. “I won’t hesitate to kill you, just so you know.”

This guy is probably with the dude who used me and Richard as delivery boys, so I can’t give it up. Besides, I’m ready to risk my life, so what’s the difference now?

I challenge his merciless eyes, ones he used to shake up my heart. Words don’t mean shit, looking away or not is all that matters. If I can’t challenge the eyes of a seasoned fighter like this, then how can I say I’m ready to risk it all.

“Would you look at that,” he says to himself while sheathing his sword. A grin sneaks its way onto his face as he nods. “...Not bad, kid, not bad at all.”

“Not…bad?”

“Yeah, you got the heart of a warrior. I see that now.” He squats in front of me, looking at me with a creepy yet joyful smile that makes my skin crawl. “Tell you what, I’m gonna let you go, for now.”

Wait, just like that? He’s gonna let me go? Did I miss a step here, or am I just not getting it? Don’t tell me this is some cruel prank?

“Why?” I loosely ask.

“Call it a whim.”

“Whim my ass. Just tell me why.”

He picks his nose, dull in expression. “I don’t need to tell you.”

“The hell you don’t, you old bastard! You almost killed me, you need to tell me!”

“Nah.”

“Yes!”

“Nope.”

“Uh-huh, you do!”

“Shut up, and don’t call me old!”

He lifts me off the ground, slinging me over his shoulder.

“Hey! Let me go, old man!”

“Chill out, I’m gonna take you somewhere safe.”

“Can you at least give me a piggyback ride?”

“I do that for kind, beautiful ladies. You ain’t ain’t kind, and you certainly ain’t beautiful.”

“My stomach hurts, though!”

“Tough shit, deal with it… Oh, I almost forgot.” He grabs Walters, carrying him like a handbag. “Alright, let’s hop to it!”

As soon as he moves, his shoulder pad pushes against my stomach, touching one of my sore spots. My legs still feel terrible but I have feeling in them, so that’s a good thing, even if the pain is overwhelming. This guy said ‘I pushed farther than I should’ve gone’. But how did I? This stuff is so weird, I don’t understand what’s going on with my body anymore… Man, I just want to go to sleep…