The moonlight illuminated the field, outlining every strand in a fluorescent white glow. I lay down broodily and in an external crisis.

The silver strands drooped over me lazily, my slumped figure shivered in the cold.

My eyes scraped the surface of the sky as my thoughts ran free.

I couldn't even blame her necklace for my loss. Or my teacher. I was just relying on my genius to guide me. At Least she made some decisions. Every decision I made was already a half-filled cup. I wasted so much energy and got hit so many times that even I can't help but sigh at my combat incompetence.

I cursed and clenched my fist when I remembered the girl and her teacher. Why was I so mad? Because my teacher-student relationship was worse? Jealousy then? I didn't even know where this rage had come from. I knew I had been acting like a child but that was what I am now. A child.

A genius. And a child.

I looked at the silver blade as its metal shone in the moonlight. Reflecting a perfect landscape into my eyes. And that was all I needed, to put my worries behind my eyes and sleep soundly.

I don't know how long I slept. But it was still dark. A dark silver, or in other words still nighttime. I saw a doll-like figure with white hair a shade lighter than the snow trodding. Looking for something. Still in a daze she kept on looking. Her face lit up.

She must have found it.

My mind wasn't in the right state. Hazy and muddled it was only when I felt a vortex of world energy form behind me that I knew something was wrong. Where was this unsettling feeling coming from?

Her body, bent over so she could pick a small item, was unknowing of the monster chasing.

An image formed in my head. Of a satanic bird being dragged down into the ravine. And the bird soon changed form, its feathers fell down and its flesh changed sluggishly.

It became the girl in front of me.

I shook my head and realised there was a girl in front of me.

Her features illuminated by the moonlight were the least of my worries.

Because she was going to die.

Wait. What.

My mind caught up to my thoughts in a slow instance.

Forward. I had to go forward.

My stance instantly formed as my legs pushed themselves upwards.

My eyes hadn't even the time to move before I felt myself being propelled through the air, towards the girl.

Boom.

I held my arms together and barged her back with minimal force. Just enough so she got some distance from the edge.

Panting and looking down occultly...

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I found myself standing before a fallen girl. Shock and fear were plastered on her face. I stood as a black silhouette with vermillion eyes in the silver sky. However her gaze lay not on me but on an object.

Soon her form changed, swiftly and silently.

She squealed quietly and pushed through me. Aided by a wind magic of some sort, I was helplessly pushed by the pressure.

She dove and caught the amulet that had been flung off the edge, a smile curved on her face as she looked at it with care and love.

I however was shocked, she had instantly moved me out the way at close range. Wasn't she meant to be in a lying position? And it seemed like the impact hadn't gotten through to her.

I found myself falling.

Fast. And far.

And then I found myself falling extremely far at a dangerous speed as my mind caught up to my situation.

Damnit.

What should I do?

A stream of world-energy formed as it slowly made its way to me without command. I knew it would be a hard landing due to the build up and decided to rely on instincts.

It was dark. I couldn't see anything yet I could tell due to the world-energy that I was next to the ravine wall.

I tried to reach out but an extremely small rock impaled my hand, I cursed as I applied the world energy to my feet. It took a few tries due to the speed I was falling at and the shambles my mind was in. I used the sword that had been lingering in my right hand and tried to stick it in a gap. Unfortunately no gaps were found. Only disappointment and desperation.

Soon I managed to blast off the wall onto the opposing wall, my attempt to go up failed as the world energy soon lost contact. I made do with the little I could sustain.

6 steps I calculated.

I could go 6 steps before my body could no longer command or sustain any more world energy.

1 step. I managed to make some distance, I landed on the opposing wall praying to not land on a sharp surface or apparatus.

2 steps. I jumped back, my foot weeped in pain but no major damage.

3 steps. I scraped my arm on a nasty edge. Blood has already begun to fall over my eyes. Weakening my already poor vision.

4 steps. Nothing goes wrong but my state is already so poor that there wouldn't be much of a difference if something did go wrong.

5 steps. I blast off downward, hoping to make up for the distance I sacrificed to avoid any pain.

6th step. There was no 6th step. Only pain.

A world of pain.

I smelt blood. And I saw a disgusting sight of raw flesh laying within my arm in a small crevice where light had fallen.

My legs had several scrapes, my legs threatened to give in from the smallest movement. Forget running, I could barely stand.

My right arm was in bad shape but my left arm was more or less in good condition.

Stinging continued and spread throughout my body, as time passed more and more pain spots were revealed. My bones felt as if they were being constantly tightened and the spot above my knee had been bloodied, causing me to have one knee soaked red. Not a nice red, a bad paint job kind of red.

As I stopped reviewing my unnatural state I saw a figure across from me. Innocently staring at her armour and brushing dust off her shoulders.

She was unharmed. Her wind magic made it so that she could easily get down without any issues. There are two types of genius.

And it was night and day from even my blood-soaked vision.

She went over to me as soon as she noticed but before her mouth could utter a single word I bombarded her.

"You idiot." My words were laced with poison and contempt.

"Why do you need a pendulum so much? You pretty much killed us both,put us in a monster's den and now you're still completely fine. Me on the other hand? I'll be the first to die because of y-y-your absolutely crazy behaviour and don-"

I stopped myself as I heard my rabid pants. The world broke down and her face made me look at my blood soaked hands. What was I doing? I held the two sides of me together as I swallowed repeatedly. Clearing my mind.

She was just a child. And a scared one at that. I held back the angry juvenile from my past and looked away. I wouldn't apologise, but I wouldn't seek violence.

I walked away but not too far, still barely visible in the dark abyss that was this ravine.

"Th-thanks." I heard that quiet, no longer elegant but now regretful voice. It didn't pierce through the darkness but drifted along it. It resounded in my mind for a while.

I didn't answer. Afraid it would grow into a bonfire of rage and frustration that was building up within me.

I merely lay down and shut my eyes. Not to sleep obviously.

I needed to rest. If I got a good enough rest my body might be capable of one more World Energy pulse.

A vibration travelled through the cave.

It knew.