Fateful Encounter

Unveiling the curtains that blocked out his light, the boy woke up to an eerie room and a familiar scene. A condensed ball of light floated high above him. It was as if all the light in the room gathered into this one spot. The strength of the light was enough to revealed the dry, bloody ground devoid of carcasses.

That’s right. I killed someone… that woman… Morr stared at both of his hands that did the deed. He wasn’t sure why his body sprang to action the way it did. Somehow, maybe, there was a chance that if he didn’t kill her right there, then he’d be the one laying on the ground.

“You’ve finally woke up,” a low and deep voice called out to him.

The boy turned towards the direction of the voice and was surprise that there was only one other person with him. His appearance was similar to others in that they all worn ragtag clothing. The hair limping from his scalp was grey and shriveled. Creases on the man’s forehead was visible on his resting face. The man was scrawny and seemingly brittle, yet had such a calm and composure face.

So many questions ran through his mind: Who is this man? Why are the two of them alone? Is he a friend or foe? No matter what, the boy put up his guard and stayed vigilant.

“You have good eyes. The will to live is rare and appreciative in this desolate place,” the man said. “Tell me, what do you hope to accomplish? Your eyes are good, but your body is weak. Are you planning to win your fights with that unwavering stare of yours?”

The boy didn’t answer. Cautiousness of the man before him sealed his lips.

“Uneasy, are you?” the man asked.

Without saying a word, the boy tensed as he readied himself for the worst.

The man laughed at the boy’s pathetic stance.

“Good response, but one look and everyone can tell you’re not a born fighter. For starters, my name is Vogh. I arrived here before they transported your sleeping body right there.” Vogh pointed at the spot beneath the boy with his fingers. “And you?”

Silence again. Their eyes were staring at each other, yet it was a one-way communication. Vogh contemplated the situation and decided for a different approach.

“Vogh Stonewall, to be precise. You must be wondering why you’re here, why I’m here, and why we’re alone. So many questions and questions need answers, right? Maybe we have the answers we’re looking for.” Vogh enticed.

“Morr Yore,” the boy replied.

“Smart. You catch on quick,” Vogh complimented.

“Are you one of them? One of those people who brought me here?” Morr inquired.

Vogh gazed into his eyes. A burning rage that’s waiting to burst any moment was veiled by the thin brown layer of the boy’s eyes. “I can see your hatred. You can muffle the emotions in your voice, but your eyes tell me everything. But that is good. Now, where to begin? I am a part of the Church of Salvation, but I wasn’t part of the group who brought you here. More importantly, how do you plan to get out?”

Hearing those words impulsively made him budged an inch. The desire to jump at the man and gouged his eyes out was overwhelming. But he did not. The animal instincts inside of him suggested that the old man is not as fragile as he appeared.

“By staying alive. So, what do you plan to do with me? Kill me?” Morr asked.

“Deluded boy, if you could be free just by staying alive, then you’d never be here. No, on the contrary, I want your help. What do you say? I help you, you help me, once we’re out in the world we’ll forget each other and move on with our lives.” Vogh proposed.

Not knowing where the exit was, or how to even deal with those monsters made the proposition very appealing. However, he struggled to find himself at peace working with someone who was affiliated with the Church. They were the ones who kidnapped him, yet here is a man who proclaims to know the way out.

“What do you want me to do?” Morr requested.

“Simple: get stronger. The best way to do it is to remain here and fight your way through it. At the top of this place is a prize for the strongest one. A warrior can reach unfathomable levels with it. Basically, I want you to be my candidate for it. Time’s getting short, so how about it?” Vogh smiled.

To be strong enough to break the chains that tied him to this place didn’t require much thinking. He wanted to immediately say ‘yes,’ but can he trust someone so easily? So many questions left unanswered, but he can’t wait for it all… this chance may never appear again.

“I do,” Morr resolutely replied.

“Come here and sit down.” Vogh instructed.

Morr complied and sat in front of him.

Vogh stretched out his hand and placed his wrinkled thumb on top of Morr’s forehead.

“Trust your knowledge and wisdom, for it is the only thing you can depend on in this world. May your knowledge expand your horizon, and your wisdom guide you.” Vogh hummed.

A light energy rippled from the sensation. Heavy pressure befell the both of them, but the only one struggling was the boy. Like a boulder attacked by a breeze, Vogh was unfazed and as calm as ever.

Next, he placed his other thumb on Morr’s heart and continued the verse.

“Your soul is your very existence. Nurture it, protect it, and you’ll naturally grow stronger. If you are ever lost, take a step back and listen… you already know what you want most and where to go.” Vogh closed his eyes.

A heavy, translucent energy rippled from the sensation, trembling both Vogh’s thumb and Morr’s chest.

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“The last step is all up to you. Endure it!” Vogh shouted.

What befell the two was a shocking amount of energy that ran back and forth between Vogh and Morr. Every cycle grew the energy stronger and stronger. As the energy streamed from Vogh to Morr, it forcibly opened a new gate within the boy. At the same time, Vogh’s body recoiled as the energy travels back to his body.

Vogh’s thumbs were slightly shaking and slipping from every jolt. Tingly and numb, he struggled to keep hold as his body was breaking from within. The build-up grew so strong that he began to worry for his own life.

Morr was engrossed in the experience. Every gate opened brought a whole breath of fresh air. The riveting experience unclogged his mind, opening the locks that inhibited his body. It was as if he was floating, lifted by some unknown force as his body became lighter and lighter.

The air gradually softened. Ripples of energy came to a halt, and the two of them returned back to normal. A brilliant light stuck out from the forehead and chest of the boy. It dissipated and entered his meridian core.

Morr opened his eyes. Vogh had his calm and steady demeanor, yet he was drowned in his own sweat.

Vogh stood up and wiped the sweat on his forehead with his forearm. “How are you feeling?”

“Amazing…” he murmured. He couldn’t believe it. His body was that of a malnutritious boy in a third-world country, yet he never felt better in his life. The energy flowing within cruised throughout his body, empowering his muscles and bones. The soothing and relaxing sensation made him felt at ease, an experience long overdue.

“It’s great, isn’t it? Enjoy it while you can. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.” Vogh proudly said.

“What was that?” Yin asked with a stupefied expression.

“Salvation Ritual. To compete in this world requires one to go through it. Now then, we’re running short on time. Throw everything you have at me with the intention to kill!” Vogh instructed.

“Sure.” Morr immediately kicked with all his might. It was a simple forward kick, but the power behind it was astonishing. Vogh intercepted the kick with a slight touched of his hand and the kicked completely missed.

He knew the man in front of him had some secret, but never did he expect his kick to be deflected, especially with his new body. Morr jaws dropped, “What did—“

An enormous force suddenly exploded from the left side of his face, and he was sent flying to the edge of the light. Baffled at what just happen, Morr struggled to stand straight with a bruised face.

“Remember these two key things in any fight: anticipation and reaction.” Vogh advised. “Focus on your opponent. Punches and kicks are telegraphed, but they move so fast that sometimes we can’t react to it. But if you know what your opponent will do and when they’ll do it, then it becomes a lot easier to react.”

Morr walked towards the center of the light, near Vogh, as he burned this terrible lesson into his brain.

“Good. Here’s a kick!” Vogh shouted.

Immediately hearing that, Morr focused on Vogh’s legs and watched as it swung high in an arc motion. The kick was directly heading for his head. He ducked and felt a strong gust of wind brushing the back of his hair.

Suddenly, the sounds of clapping echoed from somewhere in the darkness. “Quick learner you got there, Vogh,’ the voice of a middle-age man echoed throughout the area.

Emerging from within the darkness and stepping into the light was a man in a black-and-white robe embellished with silver embroidery. Following behind that man was a girl, seemingly similar of age to Morr, in worn-out, dirtied clothing. In her hand was a chipped stiletto knife that wasn’t cleansed of its previous victim’s blood. Her wild and straight brown hair fell to her neck, covering patches of dirt on her face.

Vogh looked at the man, then at the girl behind him. “Is that your candidate?”

“An extremely rare one. I almost died when I approached her,” the man laughed. “Luckily she wasn’t awakened at that time, which did save my life.”

“Danger can be found everywhere, Logan. Only the Holy and the Lord can ever be at peace. So, are you here for my candidate?” Vogh asked.

“Nothing personal. Priscilla, kill him.” Logan instructed.

The girl dashed towards Morr at a startling speed. She held the stiletto with the intent to kill with one strike. Once the gap shrunk to a few feet between them, Priscilla stabbed forth, aiming at the boy’s heart.

She was fast, but Vogh’s attack was faster. The fresh imprint of that attack made everything seemingly slower in comparison. Morr tunnel-visioned on the stiletto the entire time and barely side-stepped a lethal attack. Blood drooled out of the fresh cut on his chest, but he didn’t mind it.

Priscilla swapped her grip, and slashed horizontally at his neck.

Morr impeded her attack by grabbing her wrist with both of his hands. Just when he thought he could breathe, the girl punched him in the face and forced him to stagger backwards.

She lunged forward and stabbed again. Blood oozed out of his abdomen as he gripped the wrist that held the stiletto. She tried to pull it out, but the strength exerted from the boy was too strong. Strength piled up in Morr’s other fist, gathering the might to win this fight.

Priscilla saw the veins popping off of his arm, and frantically tried to pull out the stiletto. But it wouldn’t budge. She punched his face again. But it wouldn’t budge.

Staring into his eyes, she saw an uncontrollable fire that wanted to engulf the world. It was twisting and turning, wildly lashing everywhere it can. And in it, she saw herself. The scorch slowly creeped all over her body, like venom whispering to the God of Death, “Another one.”

The fist rocketed towards her face, and with it knocking the lights out of her. Her rag-dolled body flew towards Logan, and laid lifelessly in front of him. Morr struggled to catch his breath. Every second passed was an ounce of his strength draining away. The blood gushed out as he bit his lips and pulled out the only thing plugging his wound.

Morr slowly walked over while clutching his stomach with one hand and holding the stiletto in the other.

“That was fast. I thought you said she was a rare gem?” Vogh asked.

“Believe me, I thought she was. You should’ve seen the way she killed the others. I don’t know what happened at the end – everything was so sloppy and she looked so lost.” Logan puzzling said.

“I’m disappointed. I didn’t expect anything out of my candidate, but I had high hopes for yours.” Vogh sighed.

“Was that your candidate’s first time fighting?” Logan asked.

“Don’t know. It seemed like it though.” Vogh replied.

“Damn it! I can’t believe she actually lost.” Logan sighed. “Time to find another one.”

Morr finally made his way to the others and stood in front of her slumbering body. His strength waned, he struggled to even clutch the weapon. I have to strike, quickly…

“Kill her, Morr.” Vogh instructed.

Morr lifted the knife high into the air. He could feel his wound tearing the higher he raised his arm. With his last strength and putting all his weight onto it, the knife plunged from the air, but it wasn’t aimed at the girl on the ground. Instead, the knife was headed towards a man who was more well-dressed than the three of them.

Logan smirked. A slow fist, steadily approaching the injured boy, contained a tremendous amount of power in it. The speed of it wasn’t faster than the knife. It was just barely trailing behind the knife by a fraction of a second.

Morr could vaguely tell how much power was in that fist. But there wasn’t anything he could do. His body was freefalling as he attempted to take out his first victim.

But before the knife and the fist could cross each other, two hands intercepted the knife and the fist, and completely stopped them from advancing. Vogh stopped them. “I knew something like this would happen.”

“I wish you would.” Logan provoked the boy.

“Stop it, Logan. You can’t interfere.” Vogh reminded him.

“I didn’t. The knife would have touched me first before my fist would’ve reached him. After that anything’s fair game.” Logan appealed.

Morr fell to the ground, and lied unconsciously next to Priscilla.

“Did you see the look in his eyes?” Logan asked.

“I have.” Vogh replied.

“You’re playing a dangerous game here, Vogh.” Logan said.

“Live long enough to find out how it ends.” Vogh laughed.

“Only if the Holy and the Lord allows me to.” Logan flung the girl’s body over his shoulder and retreated into the darkness.

Vogh looked at Morr and shook his head. “So reckless. At least understand the difference between you and your opponent before you fight them.”

He carried the boy in a similar manner and retreated into the darkness.

The light towering the room gradually soften, diminishing its flames, before letting darkness completely devouring the room.