As I run through the hallway during the night, I feel like I'm in a horror movie. The fear of Ranell catching and killing me overpowers any terror I feel. After a few minutes of running without a break, I finally arrive at the training ground, which looks like an abandoned fortress straight out of a horror movie.
As I gasp for air and enter the gates, I can't help but hope that there are no ghosts in this world. The darkness around me is oppressive, and I can't see anything. Suddenly, a massive amount of force and heat hits me from the inside of the training ground.
"What the hell? What's even written in my fortune?" I think to myself as the force makes me fly back and fall to the ground.
"What is this?!" I exclaim, confused and scared.
"You have finally arrived," I hear that same cold voice that sends shivers down my spine.
Slowly, I look up, and my eyes lock with Ranell's. By his side, William is sweating profusely and gasping for air. This is happening right now, and I'm terrified.
~
"Get up now, and meet me in the training ground within 5 minutes with William," He said and left
As I stood up I saw William getting straight it was a little awkward between us, especially with him having Czern.
"So for how long have you been here?" I asked with the intention to start our conversation between us.
"I don't know but I have been here from sometime before sunset" He replies a little stiffly.
"Oh hehe I have just come here it seems I was very late" I replied with a little blush of embarrassment.
We talked about man and other things like our experiences on Earth.
As we reached the training ground we found Ranell standing in the middle.
"Take positions on the opposite sides of the training ground and take positions for the duel," He says as we go to the opposite sides I am on the left while William is on the right of Ranell.
"Kaian Take a real sword and be ready" He orders me.
I quickly take a random sword and get ready.
The sword seems like that [Arcane Wood Sword] only in its weight.
'It must be due to [Mana Flow(E)]' I thought
"Now Begin," Ranell says
I walk closer towards him as he does the same.
I look closely at him specifically his movements.
'Now it is my time to use my trump card' I thought as I mentally smirked.
[Skill Mana Flow(E) has been activated]
[Skill Prediction Sight(E) has been activated]
'I have not looked at prediction sight's description but I am guessing by what its name implies'
[-15 mana points]
'Shit I have to end this quickly this is gonna drain my mana pool' I mentally screamed after seeing the notification.
I could see whole different things I could see William walking forwards and also could see him a little behind. Both the images overlapped each other.
But soon I found if I focused on one vision I could switch quickly between the two visions and could see a few seconds into the future.
Suddenly William rushed forwards and swung his sword at me.
I blocked his strike with my sword easily as I knew about it but the force of his strike reached my hands. I counter-attacked as I saw in many animes.
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But he blocked all of them easily and started his counter-attack from different places striking from above, below and my sides.
He was not able to strike me but my hands started becoming numb due to the aftermath.
The duel was a standstill he could not get ahead of my defence due to prediction sight and I could not counter-attack due to the continuous barrage of attacks.
During this time William's face looked serious and focused I could not tell what he was thinking.
There was nothing but the sound of swords clanging in the whole training ground.
I felt a sensation I had never felt before ever. It was fun fighting and devising strategies and the rush of adrenaline that coursed through my body.
I could not care about Ranell's stare or even William's.
[-15 mana points]
A minute has already passed but it felt like an eternity.
The clash of our swords continued, again and again, he was slowly pushing me back with his relentless stream of attacks.
While I could only block his attacks as I could see them a few seconds before he moved.
He was slowly gaining ground on me.
[-4 health points 32/36 hp left]
[-15 mana points]
'I have to do something to turn the table I cannot beat him in a battle of nutrition this is my final minute with [Prediction Sight] I will cancel it after another minute to maintain [Mana Flow]' I thought
"I will end this now Kaian!" William suddenly said and rushed back.
I grabbed this opportunity to change my position.
Suddenly William's sword started to burn brightly and violently he rushed towards me at almost double the speed I could almost not stop him but only see him and that only barely.
As his sword met mine I was pushed back my hand burned due to Czern's Flame.
[-15 health points 20/36 health points left]
[-15 mana points]
'Damn perfect timing'
~~~~
3rd person
Ranell who was at the edge of the training ground seems shocked as well as William.
Kaian as he got up in a ragged state with bleeding hands caused due to burns was smiling like a maniac.
Ranell was shocked at this display, he had for the second time in his long life seen a sight like this and the last time it did not end good for him.
William did not know what was happening but he felt nervous and scared after seeing him.
~~~~
William POV
A shiver ran down my spine as I saw Kaian grinning with a sword and standing up.
"Be careful he is an anomaly" A feminine voice told me my mind it was Czern speaking to me.
'I know that' I replied in my mind.
"Use that you have to subdue him right now" She said
'Alright as you say' I mentally replied
I rushed back while using [Side-Steps(Level: 3)].
As I used it my trump card.
[Ignition Form(Level:1) has been activated]
[Each stat has been increased by 30]
[Damage-related active skill's damage has been increased by 25%]
[Damage of Fire elemental skills has been increased by 100%]
[Damage from Water elemental skills has been increased by 200%]
[-3000 mana points]
A flood of notifications appeared in front of me but I ignored them and got ready to fight.
~~~
Kaian POV
William's body starts emitting a force that pushes me back but I still stand against it.
His hair had turned blond and his eyes had become yellow and his sword was on fire but this it became even bigger and hotter.
'I am going to die like this' I thought
I don't know my body moved on its own like the sword was like an extension of my own body it was a natural reflex to me.
'What even is happening?' I thought
Suddenly he rushed towards me I could not even see him, I blocked his strike which came from above.
'What the hell? how?'
His face had shock plastered on it.
It even shocked me that even without my skill I could block it just by seeing and predicting his body movement.
But as all good moments end it did as well as the force of his strike pushed me back as I fell over backwards to where I stood before the duel.
"Ah... Ha..."
As I groaned from the pain I got up barely.
My sword had almost broken and it has chipped at its many parts.
Suddenly everything turned dark I could not see anything in any direction.
But this time I was calm.
"Do you know now? How pathetically weak you are?"
A male voice came from behind me, which scared me a lot but I did not let it show.
"Who are you? And what do you want?" I tried to calmly ask it, and I did not look back.
"A question for my question? Haha, no one dared to do it in the past, my name is Valerius and I want hmm... maybe if you survive and be worthy I will tell you in the future" He answers
"Alright so now my answer to your question I know that now I am weak but what should I even do to get strength?" I asked again
"Then how about I give you that strength? in a contract of course" He replied nonchalantly
'A contract? hmm I don't have any chance of surviving in this world so currently, this seems to be the best option for me to survive' I think
"Alright state your terms Valerius"
"Oh! It has been like an eternity since someone has called me that hahaha ... now then my terms are you just need to talk to me and help me if you want to"
"Wait! only that seriously?!" I exclaimed
'There must be some loophole isn't this a bit too easy' I think
"Yup! just that no repercussions so do you accept?" He replies back
"Alright I accept this contract"
"I Valerius also accept the contract"
"Then what is happening in the outside world now? is everything stopped?" I ask him as the duel once agian came to my mind.
"Of course not, we are talking just in your mind, though the world will be slow outside let me help you out a bit"
"Wait!-"
I feel a hand almost the same size as mine touch it and I feel all the strength in my body leave me as I fell to the ground darkness appeared before my eyes and I fell unconscious.