November 13

“Wo ho ho, Denny! Do you really want to take a swing at me? Don’t you know the common sense to not hit yourself? That kind of hurt. Almost like a quick pinch. How strong a boy you must be Denny-o. To be able to hit the almighty Dar…”

“SHUT… UP!” I only saw blood through the tears that flooded my eyes.

Fists clenched. Top teeth almost ripping the bottoms out. My body hardened.

“Denny? Did I push a little too hard this time? HAHAHA! GOOD! GOO…” He was just antagonizing me like always.

“I SAID… SHUT… THE… FUCK UP!”

My eyes glared hate while my right hand started to burn with a shimmering white light with a hardened solid starting to take its place. I started to twirl the weapon in my hand, staring at The Dark Veil with my brow furrowed. It’s pointy blade gleaming outwards while it’s pitch dark absence alongside my body.

I twirled the staff one more time as I felt a rather sadistic grin come across my face and my legs started to move.

I closed in slowly second by second. The light came closer and closer, brighter and brighter, hollower and hollower. The hate seething.

I saw the black suit in front of me, as if mocking my attack. Shaded as it was, and mocking as it was, I couldn’t shake this haunting feeling.

He was waiting for me to do something, wasn’t he?

Okay. Now, he is really pissing me off. Way more than before.

“TAKE THIS YOU PIECE OF… HUH?” I hit the release latch on my Dark Veil and the blade shot outwards but it came back unhooked.

“Huh? What?”

His body disappeared.

Vanished.

Gone.

Where did that smug bastard go?

Without noticing, I let my guard down and heard a swish from behind me.

A small, quick pained strike was placed right along my spine.

I dropped to my knees in sheer pain. Almost paralyzed.

“Denny. Denny. Denny. Are you really trying to fight with me? Do you really have a reason? Anger, revenge, lashing out? Are you a child or a man?”

I jumped back to my feet and use the blunt end of the staff to jab behind me.

The strike must have been just fast enough as I felt a little resistance for a half second.

“Nice hit there, Denny. See! That is the glimmer of being a man and a quick fighter. You’re a ranged fighter with speed. Hitting me should be your forte.”

I dematerialized my Dark Veil and spawned my bow, in which I still have not named.

“You want quick?! I’ll give you quick!”

I closed my eyes and calmly inhaled for a second. Then, calmly exhaled for another.

“Trace… ON!”

My left eye started to shimmer a sky blue tinted white blaze and my mind focused purely on The Dark Veils every single slithering movement. His leg twitching, his dagger-like stare underneath his mask, his rather smooth moving transitions. Everything.

I materialized one arrow, smirked, and strung it immediately. It took half a second to start its trajectory and another half to hit the opponent.

Only a slight flinch.

He started to chuckle. Small enough to miss but I didn’t.

I pulled out another. Strung, release.

Another. Strung, release.

Another. Strung, release.

Over and over.

Over and over, I pulled my bow. Arrow for arrow, just to land a hit. They were hitting but seemed to have little effect on him.

Then I saw it!

I saw one hit on his right shoulder and saw a visible twitch.

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A weakness perhaps? I don’t care if it is or not. It caused a visible reaction and I am going to use it as my lever.

I pulled three arrows in tandem this time, each pointing in a slightly different direction.

Let’s see him dodge these all at once.

I pulled one, release. Trajectory of the arrow was aimed towards his smug smile.

The next one that I pulled was aimed directly at his right shoulder.

Hopefully, a hit.

Then, the next pulled directly after was aimed towards his left leg. This one is meant to hopefully throw him off balance.

I kept up the usual single pulls after the previous three but at a slower repetition this time to preserve my energy just in case of a counter.

He seemed to dodge the arrow almost as if he was dodging the bar in a traditional limbo competition.

Head back, body bent slightly backwards, flexibility at an all-time high. He made it seem like child’s play. And that angered me even more.

The second arrow headed for his left leg. Again, he made short work of that attack as if he was just stepping over a spring trap wire meant to set off an alarm.

Why aren’t my arrows tracing well? They are going to their intended targets but they should move on their own fruition to give themselves the best chance to hit their mark.

But they weren’t.

Maybe, he is able to read my thoughts and determine my strategy?

But my worries were wrong. And in a good way.

The arrow hit its mark on his right shoulder as his head was slightly turned to see the arrow near his leg. I saw his visible twitch and felt his anger.

A pulse formed around him and burst outwards throughout most of the blank space in the room.

Glowing, shining, glittering, and terrifying.

My arrows were gone.

My bow was gone.

My tracing interface was gone.

“Oh… Denny! That actually hurt. Now, I am kind of sad and pained. You just may be stronger than I thought. All of your ancestors haven’t been able to land a true hit on me like this little…” He pulls out the arrow and drops it on the ground as if crumpled paper. “thing. You know what Denny. I am a kind entity. Go back to your battle. Go back to your ‘friends,’ your ‘precious’ Kyo Koura Azuraine. So bye for now, Denny Boy.”

My feet started to make the best impression of a treadmill and started to run towards him as fast as I possibly could.

But he knew.

That bastard knew.

How did he anticipate me?

He appeared in front of me as if reappearing from an in-depth magic trick.

“Bye for now.” I saw his smirk as he grabbed my head for a second, then… black.

Complete and utter darkness.

My eyes opened after a second and I saw Kyo on the ground. Not hurt but in shock.

No! No! No!

I looked around and saw blank stares from Aster and Elsa.

I wanted to apologize.

I wanted to run.

I wanted this all to end.

I felt time slow down as my body couldn’t move well even in automatic control and a volley of around forty silver laced arrows flew towards me at full speed.

I have hurt the one that I love and I deserve this.

But my body seems to think differently as it started to break out of the spell with sheer strength and will.

Its focus was back on Kyo and I have no control…