"Are you really gonna sit in here all day and meditate?" Rael had her hands on her hips as she looked at Avures.
"Well...I'm trying to." Avures sat on his bed, trying to gather his thoughts. He looked over at Rael.
"Lame." Rael rolled her eyes and walked over to the door. "Our day off of class and you're gonna spend it like this...I guess yesterday was an outlier, huh?"
"It was a special occasion. It's given me a lot to think on too."
"Hmm...well, what can I say? It was your first time making a move on a pretty girl. You'd normally never do that." Rael confidently shrugged.
"Are you stroking your own ego now?" Avures raised an eyebrow.
"Of course. Who else but me could get you out of your shell?...anyways, I'm gonna hang out with the others. See ya later." Rael giggled and waved as she stepped out the door.
After Rael shut the door behind her, Avures waited a few seconds before letting out a sigh of relief. There were two things he wanted to do.
First and foremost, Avures made a realization in that scenario the night before. Between his mock fight with Lylas the other day, him trying to defend Rael, and his own mastery over Dark Element techniques...Avures had reached a sort of wall. He had only started his use of magic around three months ago, when he reached the Academy. Though he could master techniques and concepts with relative ease, it's clear that his power and potential were limited by one thing. His mana pool. His body had only recently become accustomed to casting regularly, and his mana pool had not been exercised enough to store more mana.
Zen had made it clear that training and repeat use would lead to growth, but for Avures...it was too slow. He wasn't impatient, but rather, he already had his own struggles. No matter how much he trained, wielding a weapon was difficult for him. Not only that, but being able to cast magic while doing so was a pain for him as well. Trying to balance something he was inept at along with something that requires a great amount of focus was a recipe for disaster. The solution to this was a two part plan in Avures's mind.
Firstly, he'd have to change the way he would cast and use mana. Although his precision in using techniques was quite impeccable, in the end, it was a reciting of a best practice someone else made. Given any information outright, Avures was bound to remember it to the every little detail. It was a talent of his, after all. The somatic aspect of casting helped in the shaping of the mana, that much Avures knew. The movement would help guide the mind and controlling the shape and flow of mana, creating the technique. But, he also knew it wasn't required. In one of the books he had gotten from the library, there was a side note written about an old warrior who used to cast magic without moving at all. And although it was a mere mention of the idea, Avures wanted to set that as his goal.
If Avures could cast without having to sacrifice his own coordination with wielding his sword, his battle-skills would greatly improve. There were a few issues though, most of which could be addressed through retraining himself. He'd have to learn the technique completely. A complete mastery of the concept and execution from top to bottom. That much wasn't going to be too hard for him. The next issue would be training himself to cast without moving. Maintaining that shape, that focus, without using any sort of somatic help could be difficult, but it was a matter of adapting. He could even use a swing of his sword to cast as well, combining two efforts into one. But lastly, and the problem mostly plaguing him. Mana usage.
Avures wanted to be able to use all these techniques he had been mastering, but it was clear that his mana pool lacked. Compared to everyone else, even Rael, his had been growing relatively slow. Avures knew this place was for the naturally gifted. And even if he had a gift of his own, it's clear that he wasn't quite a prodigy like everyone else appeared to be. Zen did say that the circumstances of one's birth could affect mana pools. From what Avures had observed, just about everyone was a complete natural.
Ventrix was considered the most lancer-ready of all of them. Being of this "Felsta" bloodline, he had impeccable sword skills, and a supremely powerful inherent ability. Not to mention, his magic and mana-weaving abilities were impressive too.
Olicia was a close second to Ventrix. She wielded three whips with different enchantments on all of them. She was a skilled Earth element caster, and had that "demon sigil" to boot.
Bif had only recently shown off his magic after the first one on ones. And it was clear that he knew what he was doing from the get-go. Besides his extremely powerful martial abilities, Avures knew next to nothing about Bif's potential, but he constantly seemed to be growing.
Lylas was smart. Real smart. However, this was in opposite fashion to Avures himself. Lylas could entrap his opponent with a multitude of tricks. Avures was more book and concept smart. Lylas clearly had a knack for throwing around his knives, but it's clear his mana pool grew fast as well.
Rael was like Avures, completely novice, yet she outgrew him over those first three months. He'd known her for so long, but had no idea she was even this gifted. She grew strong fast. Both physically and magically. In a way, Avures was envious of her success.
And that really just left himself. Avures was in the back of the pack. His weapon skills were shoddy at best. And even if he learned the technical aspects of magic extremely fast, his body didn't grow anywhere near as fast as anyone else to make use of it. Though, he had one thing going for him. The ability to see the future. But even then, it was quite unwieldy, and Avures was unsure of how he could make good immediate use of it in combat.
Overall, this position of himself compared to everyone else left him agitated. Even if he wouldn't show it on his face, it frustrated him to no end. Why was everyone so much better than him? He was normally never the competitive type, so this infuriated him even more. Why was he getting so upset in the first place? But he knew the answer. Deep down, he knew it was because this was the first time he ever felt so passionate about anything.
It wasn't just magic. It was being around these people, having this opportunity to do something with himself. It was also his will, his perseverance, to not be left behind from Rael. It was all he had in life. He didn't deserve it, but that's why he wanted to earn it. That's why he came up with two plans. If he wanted to keep up with everyone, he'd need to push himself into unfamiliar territory. Avures was going to use his soul, and create a shade.
Avures was quite studious. Even though Zen had left Shades as a later topic, Avures had still studied them in his own time prior to now. The key to this being that Avures understood the mechanics of a Shade, what constituted them, and how to make his own. Avures restarted his meditation. He was keen on spending all day doing this. The process of making a Shade wasn't hard or slow, but rather the process of invoking Flow and shaping it was difficult. As Avures processed what he was going to do, the information he studied flooded his mind.
The Shade of the Soul was a unique power that came about from the advent of manipulating Flow through your soul. One's body creating, casting, and manipulating mana was similar to how the soul reacts to Flow. Once a one's soul was opened to Flow, their soul could act as a repository or a "lightning rod" of sorts for the volatile magic. The soul can then freely move Flow throughout the user's body, and even expend it like one would with mana. However, the bounds of Flow are limitless unlike mana. Flow will be expended in whatever way, shape, or form that the soul desires. And once it does that for the first time, Flow utilized by that soul in specific will always be expended in that same way. It creates a sort of casting mold for the dangerous energy to form into. That part, is known as the Shade. Flow is like the molten metal, and The Shade of the Soul is the hammer which shapes it. This all happening in an instant. And though one may alter their Shade over time, the core shape never changes.
The danger of Flow was it's ultimate corrupting power. Because of it's near limitless nature, Flow is a desirable form of energy for power hungry individuals to exploit. And, because of how the soul needs to shape it in order to make it wieldy, it literally tears away and eats at the body, mind, and soul of those who use it during that process. Much like how touching the molten metal will burn you, holding that power within you before it takes shape and resides in your soul will hurt you. This is why large intakes of Flow, or highly powerful Shades tend to harm the user more than the person they would use it on. And while one can mitigate the effects with their own magics, they can never fully stop it.
However, Flow, and subsequently Shades, have many unique properties in their own rights. That is, concerning the nature of passing on it's power. This strange magic has been show to have hereditary effects as such. The inherent abilities one has is tied to both body and soul, and this stems from their own predecessor using Flow and a Shade themselves. Beyond this, and concerning this, it's possible for one to receive the inherent abilities and Shade of another person through two methods.
The first is that the user of these can temporarily "lend" them out to another person. One may exert their Shade or ability onto another person by metaphorically placing these concepts into the Flow that another person has. It's a hard process to describe, but an easily executed one. During this time, that person can use that Shade as their own. Though, it has great limitations that can only be overcome through a true understanding of the lender's soul. Not only this, if the receiver has only one soul and two shades, they can only use one shade at a time. This part, of course, carries into the second method.
The second method of inheriting abilities and Shades is through a method which is only possible when someone is dying. The dying person may will the inheritance of these abilities and their soul unto someone physically close to them. This method tends to grant better results in power and control over abilities compared to the first method. It also has the added benefit of allowing the dying to pass on their Magic Potential and Magic Element to the designated inheritor. Though, it's completely inconsistent.
All of this knowledge, this studying, would be put to use. Although he knew that he might receive backlash from his teachers, Avures was willing to make a final decision on his Shade. Zen had made it clear they weren't going to do that until next year, but Avures had made his mind. If he could, why shouldn't he? In fact, he already knew what he was going to do.
The intertwining of both Mana and Flow was a subtle concept. Both had roots in each other, but was shrouded in mystery. However, it made a conceptual idea a possible reality for Avures. If Avures's pool of mana, if his body struggled to grow its mana pool, or regenerate it fast enough, Avures could create a solution to this. Avures would fashion The Shade of his Soul in order to convert Flow into Mana. At first, when the idea popped into his head, he thought it would be underachieving. After all, a Shade can be anything. But, if Avures could be rid of his mana pool problems, then he could cast whatever he wanted at the price of using Flow instead. And considering that Flow is not finite, it was an easy choice.
However, Avures knew the cost of doing such a thing. Constantly pulling in Flow to convert into Mana would be extremely taxing. But, Avures had many ways to mitigate this. The faster Flow could be shaped into his Shade, and come out as Mana, the less strain he would be putting on himself. Unlike Mana, there's no clear, definitive paths for Flow. As far as everyone knows, one's soul is the epicenter for it to travel. And conceptually, it is believed, and slightly observed to be, the middle of the body. Therefore, Flow would have to path into his soul, convert, and then travel to the part of his body needed for mana casting. Avures thought of this as too slow to be reasonably functional. Both in keeping himself from being harmed by it, and for use within magic.
This was why Avures had thought of a way to truly perfect it. If he were to use the molten metal analogy as a basis...he could make his epicenter, the soul, his hammer to shape Flow. And from there, Avures could alter his Shade, allowing a more efficient method to take hold. His final ideal Shade, would be one that allows his entire body to house the entirety of his soul. This way, when Flow comes to him, it can enter in at any point in his body, and be converted into mana in wherever it entered. His entire body would house his Shade, the mold for Flow which would shape it.
Avures could feel it. The entire time he recounted the information, his plan, the Flow in his soul was reshaping. It felt like he was holding clay in his hands and shaping it into whatever fashion he wished without any sort of physical touch. Though, the Flow required for doing so was causing him great irate pain. His head started throbbing, his muscles ached, he felt queasy even. But, he could tell it was finished. When he felt the advent of completion, he was a little surprised. But, his idea of his Shade wasn't that complex. Complexity played a big part in the crafting and using of a shade. With Avures's being so simple, it allowed for a lot of ease and functionality in shaping it. The part that he thought was going to be hard really wasn't. Though, he lost track of time throughout it. It was a little past breakfast when he started. As Avures stood up and looked out the window, he saw the sun a little past the middle of the sky. Some hours had passed. But, he still had the rest of the day. This gave him time to do the thing he wanted to do most next...
Avures knew he was in for a lot of work in the future. He'd have to get used to using this Shade, re-learn casting from a different approach, and overall still keep up with the others. But even among all of that, there was something else he needed. Answers...
There was too much he didn't know that no amount of study could solve. Between George withholding information on Rael from him, to the clues Avures had figured out about himself days prior. He needed more context, more clues, and only one person would know.
"I need you to come out from hiding. I know you're watching me." Avures looked around his room as walked to the center of it...nothing. "Stop trying to make me look like a crazy person."
"Who would you even be looking crazy to?" That familiar voice rang out.
"Myself. Now, I need to talk with you." Avures looked to the source. Turning to his side of the room, he saw her again. Sitting on his bed, waving her legs back and forth slowly, that girl appeared again.
"Hiya!" The girl waved to Avures as he turned to look at her. "Whaddya wanna talk about?"
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
"It's your latent ability like I said. You should be able to figure it out on your own so I won't tell you. But...if you are wanting to learn more at some point, you should find your roots."
"I wanted to run some things by you, and hopefully get an answer if I can. Also, I apologize for lashing out at you the last time we talked." Avures bowed.
"Oh, it's okay. I didn't really have you and your thoughts in mind when we first met, so my bad!" The girl smiled and patted beside her on the bed. "Take a seat, let's talk."
"Let me get this out of the way first." Avures took his seat beside her. He didn't look at her though, instead staring ahead. "Confirmed in multiple ways, I can see the future through my right hand. Between that, and the visions I've had before becoming aware of this...Kovar...is that my family name? Because that's the conclusion I've come to."
"Bingo!" The girl clapped her hands together. "Avures Kovar!...That is your name."
"Okay then...with that confirmation...you must know why then...or at least what happened-"
"I'm going to stop you right there. I can't tell you the answer to that. You'll need to figure that one out for yourself."
"Can you at least give me some help?" Avures looked to the girl.
"I told you to find your roots, did I not? That should suffice."
"I figured out my name..."
"Go to the village." The girl shrugged.
"How does that solve any-"
"Avures...slow down. What are you in such a rush for?" The girl tilted her head, her smile faded.
"I want to know what happened! I-"
"Why?" The girl stood up. "Is it for your sake? Is someone asking you to do it?"
"No!...it-it's because...from what I've heard, my entire family was killed...slaughtered...by Ozix cultists. Somehow, only I made it out alive, and-and-"
"And what? Could it be...that you're thinking of someone else?" The girl walked over to Rael's side of the room.
"I-...a cultist attacked her. Maybe not an Ozix cultist, but it's still related. And-"
"So it's not for yourself then..." The girl faced the window. "You've completely disregarded yourself in this situation."
"Because I'm more concerned about Rael...you got me. So what?"
"If you want to figure out what happened, go to the village. There's your answer...are you happy?" The girl lightly sniffled.
"...I don't understand you." Avures shook his head. From what Avures could see, the girl brought her arm up and rubbed her eyes.
"Avures...do you love yourself?"
"What does that have to do with this?"
"Do you...enjoy life? Do you value your life?"
Avures sat there...his whole body felt frozen. It was similar to that question...that vision. He couldn't find an answer within him, at least not one that she would find satisfactory.
"What's it matter?" Avures looked down at his feet.
"It seems like you don't live for anything. You don't live for your own sake, you don't live for any passion...in fact, the only thing you believe is that you live for this girl. Do you think you're worthless?"
"Yeah...but, what does it matter if I think I'm worthless? What gives you the right to say that about me?"
"You know...Avures...nobody who cares about you wants to hear you call yourself worthless. Before I continue helping you any further...make a promise to me." The girl turned around, staring right into Avures's eyes. "Can you...enjoy life? Not just for my sake, but for those around you too."
"I-...I don't know how. I'm not sure I get what you mean." Avures didn't know what that entailed or even meant. It was all so sudden too.
"Don't just value the life of those around you, value your own life too. You should do things for your sake as you do for other people. Enjoy the people around you, and yourself. I-...I want you to find joy...okay?"
"...I can try. I'm not quite sure I get it, but I'll try." Avures sighed.
"Good. I want you to keep to that. Now...from the way it sounded, you had something else?"
"Kinda. It's about this." Avures raised his right hand. "I'm extremely grateful about the insight it's given me thus far...but if it keeps overpowering me like that...I don't know what I'll do."
"Hmm...when I've seen you use it myself...I noticed that if you use it in a small amount, you don't seem to phased..."
"But even then, it consumes my entire vision. It's...unwieldy to say the least."
"Oh...I get what you're saying. You want to use it practically..."
"Yeah. And since you seem to have the most insight into it...I figured I would ask you on what to do."
"Well...if I explain my reasoning, then I'd give away too much...but, try putting as much into it as you can."
"What?!" Avures looked at it and shook his head. "You must have saw what happened last time any larger amount of Flow was put into it."
"Mhm. But, if you really want to overcome it, take it to the max. That's all I can say." The girl shrugged and walked a little closer to Avures.
"All you can say huh...still allowed to chastise me though."
"That's because I have to look out for you! Guardian Angel things and all." The girl smiled and waved. "Bye-bye."
"Bye." Avures waved in return as she slowly faded, becoming more and more transparent until she was gone.
Avures sighed. Was he really about to do this again?...especially after last time...he shook his head. All in all, Avures was pretty useless in helping George yesterday, and before that, Lylas had beaten him pretty solidly. Although creating his Shade would definitely help, this was another step he needed to take. Thinking about it, should he name his Shade? Seeing how George did made him think...is it like a sword or a weapon?...where naming it makes it stronger?...he was getting distracted.
Though, the circumstances this time around were different, Avures found himself staring at that black hand of his again. He'd have no idea what he would see this time if he put in as much Flow and Mana as possible. But, if that's what it took to gain more control over this power, so be it. Lucky for him, the process would be simpler with his new shade. It would be near instant. Taking a deep breath, Avures focused in on the hand...
Without any sort of hesitation or forward warning, that spacial darkness peeled way and immediately consumed his vision. However, this was starkly different from last time. Avures was not overcome with a single vision, but hundreds of them all at once. The noise, flashing lights, the sensations all came at him at once. Avures could feel his chest tightening up and his heart beating like crazy. Avures occasionally was able to peer into one of the visions before being pulled into another. Some of which didn't even include him. Avures was helpless to watch as a vision took over his entire sight.
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"You stupid, fucking big piece of shit! Move outta the damn way!" A voice screamed. Avures had a hard time making out all the details. He saw multiple people around, lit torches with fire dancing all around. There was a large figure in front of the person talking. Suddenly, this figure clapped it's hands together onto the head of whoever was talking. A large, vertical line of blood jetted out from in-between the hands of the creature and sprayed Avures in the face. He freaked out, wiping his eyes and looking down at himself. A large, coat of red encompassed him along with what looked to be gray matter.
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Avures was pulled away from that vision. Returning to seeing multiple different things at once, Avures scanned all of the things he was seeing. This needed to stop. He felt like he was going mad. There was no rhyme or reason to any of it.
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"It ends here!" Another figure's voice could be heard along with the clanking of chains. Avures wasn't in this vision. He could see a mess of blood lining the hallway of this building that seemed to be the Academy. "You're going to rot in hell!"
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"I'm sorry it's come to this, friend. I hope one day you'll forgive me..." A figure's footsteps could be heard walking away. The entire area was almost pitch black. Avures lied on his back as his vision faded out...
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Avures gasped for air. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. Everything was swirling around him, the visions were starting to blend.
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"I...killed my own son?..."
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"You're a true prodigy, Eikadus! And there will never be another like you! Fight me because you must! And fall before me!"
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"Your comprehension and understanding will either contest the future, or turn you into another lost effigy of fate."
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Avures's vision came back to him...He violently gasped for air as he fell of the edge of his bed and lay on his front-side on the ground. His head was pounding. He couldn't make heads or tails of anything he just saw. It was all so violent, all at once. Even the later visions were completely unrecognizable altogether, both in place and Avures's understanding of what was going on.
But, his post-vision sickness didn't seem to be as rough this time around. As Avures slowly crawled and maneuvered himself onto his knees, he took at look his right arm and nearly fainted. The blackness that had overtaken his finger...spread to down to his wrist...had now crawled its way up to his shoulder. His entire right arm had been overtaken by it. Though, in all honesty, it didn't really bother him. It only really surprised him.
Avures stood to his feet. He moved his arm around. Everything seemed fine. But, there was certainly a different feeling. Not so much physically, but mentally and spiritually. Avures had a lot of work to do if he was going to make this usable, and especially more if he was going to catch up to everyone else...
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"Feels weird to still refer to him as a kid, ya know?" An old man sat at a campfire. It was real late in the day.
"Well, he's a kid compared to us." A young looking woman sat across from him.
A wagon was parked nearby, and the horse dragging it was resting on the grass. They rested in the woods as the day came to a close. There was more traveling to do for them. After all, their journey had only just started. They had just finished cooking up a meal, some meat they got from a butcher in the capital where they started from.
"From what the letter said, the boy is camped out with a group of mercs'. They're currently in hiding with suspicions of being watched and tracked. I could only wonder by who." The old man sighed.
"It's what they wanted to do." The woman shrugged. She reached over to the bag by her side and pulled out a bottle of wine.
"Drinking already, Eiva?" The old man shook his head as he took a bite of some of the beef he cooked.
"Go fuck yourself, Ash. I need to be able to sleep. I hate camping out." Eiva took a prolonged drink from the bottle.
"Anyways. The merit of their idea is alright by my books." Asheraun stroked his long, gray beard. "And if Toby's kid needs protection, I'll follow that little kid to the depths of hell. I'm sure you feel the same. I'm also surprised Cynthis didn't want to tag along."
"Oh sure...anything for Toby and his little gremlin. But, they can't be surprised that somebody wants them dead." The woman shook her head. "And as for him, Cynthis is outta the game anyways. He's pretty happy with his family and all...lame. Also, I'm pretty sure Xilvas made his stance clear from the get-go. No matter how "safe" it sounds on that ritualistic approach, you're draining the world of Flow. That would be like drying up the ocean and expecting life to go on smoothly."
"Are ya saying ya aren't gonna help?"
"I'm saying that Toby shouldn't have gone off and made his plan known to the most powerful wind mage to live. I'm also saying that the outcome is...shaky at best."
"I won't deny that...and it probably is Xilvas targeting them...which is going to inevitably lead us to him...-well, at least they gave us instructions on where to find their new hideout. Gotta see the positives, eh?" Asheraun smiled as he took another bite.
"Eighty years later...and you're still the same." Eiva took another drink.
"So are you little missy...literally too. You still look the same from when me and Mathias met ya."
"Cheers for mentioning that asshole..." Eiva laughed and took another drink. "If he comes back again for this like he did before, I might kick his ass. Still, I miss seeing him."
"How would you like it if I reunited you all then?" Meius walked past the line of trees into the small circular clearing they were camped out in. He then walked up to the campfire, the warmth hitting him. Asheraun and Eiva immediately stood up and readied themselves.
"You!-you must really want your ass kicked, huh?" Eiva dropped her bottle of wine.
"Say, you look familiar..." Asheraun squinted at him.
"I'd rather you not recognize me, to make things easier and less awkward. On behalf of Xilvas Numidis, I'm here to clean up this mess." Meius bowed. "It's my honor to fight and kill both of you."
"Like hell you're gonna kill us!" Eiva put both her hands above her head, slightly separated. "Fireball!"
"Eiva..." Asheraun muttered out. He held his hands out and looked at them in shock. Eiva's gaze didn't break as she failed to conjure forth any magic.
"Well, there really isn't any honor in this to be honest. It's more like I have the privilege of killing old heroes with subterfuge. Such a shame too, straying away from the light." Meius smiled and shook his head.
"What...what's going on?" Eiva brought her hands down and stared at them.
"Even my scuffle with the other two old men were more honorable. Tobias put up a good fight before I got him. And Cynthis...well..." Meius reached behind him and into a bag. He pulled out another bag from there and tossed it over to the two of them. A small, round bag, soaked in blood.
"You-you're a monster..." Asheraun pulled his sword off his back. A blade which was almost as big as him, and almost as wide as well. "He was staying out of this."
"Would he have stayed out after I kill the two of you? Most likely not, and I'm no fool. I know his capabilities." Meius frowned. "Though, I understand that this perhaps makes me a monster, killing a bunch of old heroes, way past their prime...consider this. You're threatening the stability of this world by going along with that plan."
"You'll pay for this! I'll fucking kill you!" Eiva screamed as she pulled a knife and ran towards Meius. As she brought the knife downward to stab into Meius, he caught her wrist with his right hand and stopped it entirely.
"Also, since you asked, let me answer...Junswath. A rare flower which can inhibit and completely stop the flow of mana if consumed. Tasteless as well. All it takes is a drop in a liquid, and a drop settled into a meat." Meius looked away from the two of them. "It's so underhanded, I feel so bad. But, I wasn't confident I could defeat either of you two if I hadn't. What can I say? I was paranoid."
"Magic or not! I'll kill you!" Asheraun charged in and swung downward with his large sword. With his left arm, Meius put it up straight in the air. A thick, black tendril emerged from the ground and blocked Asheraun's swing, also wrapping itself around the sword in the process.
"I'll be taking that." Meius turned to Eiva. "Yoink."
Eiva hardly had time to react before Meius's right leg came up and kicked her right in the chest. Meius had kept a death grip on her arm as well. With a slight glow, the force of his kick and hold shoved Eiva back around ten feet away, and completely ripped her right arm out. Eiva grabbed at the right side of her body in pain as she screamed to the heavens. Tears streamed down her face as she rolled in agony on the ground. Her own blood spurted and leaked out, making a mess on the grass and herself.
Meius inspected the arm for a second before grabbing the knife and throwing the arm to the side. As Asheraun broke his sword free from the tendril, he charged once again at Meius. He brought down the sword again, but Meius himself blocked it using the tiny knife.
"Incredible...the difference magic can make in a fight, huh? A little bit of Enchantment magic at a basic level, and I can outclass you using this knife." Meius threw Asheraun's blade from the block to the side. The tendril that he had just broken his sword free from then drilled itself through Asheraun's torso. The old man stopped in place and coughed up blood. The tendril then went crazy, wildly whipping itself around through the air while still impaled through him, until finally throwing him to the ground.
"Mathias! Toby! Someone!" Eiva's throat seared with pain as she looked for anyone who might come to help them.
"Now now. That's very unlike a hero. Though, I can't forget that you're still basically a young adult despite being older than me." Meius walked over to Eiva and squatted near her. She kept crying and clutching onto her arm.
"Mathias...help me..." Eiva's voice started to die down as her eyes were losing focus. The blood she lost, and the lack of magic to help sustain her caused her to feel dizzy.
"Don't worry. You'll see him soon enough." Meius held the knife downward. He sighed, smiling slightly as he jabbed the knife into her chest, stabbing her in the heart. The life in her eyes slowly gave way. He pulled the knife out, and heard shuffling. Meius curiously turned around, greeting Asheraun somehow still standing. He still held his sword up, and through his slow, bated breaths, he somehow stood face to face with Meius.
"You're scum...there is no saving you...therefore...it's my job to...to send you to god for judgment..." Asheraun's body lightly swayed as he spoke.
"Now that's the merit of a real hero. I have much respect for you, Asheraun. It's a shame that it came to this. A shame that I had to do things this way. A masterpiece of a letter stolen and used to make a forgery signed from a dear friend..." Meius still smiled. Asheraun moved forward as quickly as he could, and made another downward strike to Meius, using the last bit of strength he had. But, he was too wounded, and his strength had faded far too much. Meius stepped to the right of Asheraun's slow swing. He then stepped forward towards the old man to the side of him. He moved the knife to his left hand, and jammed it into Asheraun's throat. The old man did what he could, dropping his sword and desperately reaching for the knife, but he soon dropped dead as well...