A rend powerful enough to split trees lanced forward. It flew true and was without mercy. It aimed to kill and the hatred behind every strike could not be mistaken.

Her opponent was of a higher level, better equipped, and more experienced. However, the spear was guided with raw emotion and the ferocity made its intention obvious. The warrior-class was also slower than the mage-class, with heavier equipment that weighed them down even more, and she would have the speed advantage until class-promotion.

Still, she was overwhelmed. Rana had no idea what prompted this much hostility, and she was afraid of what it meant to her forgotten past. For the first time since her awakening, she was questioning her quest to reclaim her memory, and this shadow within her heart dulled her mind.

There was a lapse in her focus and Kai took advantage of it at the start of the fight, putting her on the defense ever since. The first strike fell her guard, the second swipe broke her stance, and the others that followed had her tumbling and scrambling to evade.

Rana tried desperately to regain her footing, but the poor terrain condition made it incredibly difficult. Her weight shifted too much whenever she parried the captain’s attack, and each evasive maneuver made her lose ground. She avoided death, but it continued to inch closer.

The shine of the blade’s edge flashed in the corner of her eye as she pushed herself up. The steel blew away branches as it swung towards her head. Rana stepped back but her foot caught in tree roots embedded in mud, and a chill passed the top of her head. It was a blessing in disguise. The return swing of the spear would’ve cleaved her skull off if she had not fell on her behind.

Rana rolled to the side as Kai jumped in the air and slammed the spear into where she was. It was a familiar sight. She anticipated the move and thrust her weapon over the spear and planted it into the dirt as well. She used both the weight of her and her foe’s weapon as aid to stand up. The captain only struggled for a moment before pulling his spear out of the dirt, but it was enough for her to regain some footing.

Rana had to focus. The questions of her past would be irrelevant if death claimed her.

Her foe continued his assault and showed no signs of stopping. The captain was able to attack without fear of retaliation, and this reckless abandon was only possible because he pushed Rana to the point of being barely able to stand. If he were to unleash his Skills in this condition, Rana would die. She had to slow down his attacks.

If the terrain was an issue, Rana would make it one for her foe as well.

It was a strike from below, an upper-slash towards one of her weapon arm. She slid her shoulder backward and glanced to the woods behind her. It was dangerous to take her eyes off the weapon, but somewhere in her mind she knew she would be fine. The attack pattern was familiar. She ducked and leaped back, avoiding the second slash downward.

“No, it can’t be,” Kai muttered to himself, and whatever revelation he had delayed his followup.

Rana backed into a tree but it was expected. She used the unmovable object as a means to propel her movements. She moved from tree to tree as she evaded the incoming attacks, making sure that wherever she moved there were woods and branches in the path of the spear. It slowed down the weapon and gave some much-needed breather for Rana.

The two weapons clashed and sparks marked the spot. Rana parried the last of his blows and managed to stay on her feet. She knew of the moves Kai used, and with the knowledge, she traded with the weaker blows and guided the stronger ones away from her. She used the time between each attack and the momentum of her footwork to make sure the sharpness did not cut her.

“If that’s the case,” Kai said as he stopped his attack and took a stance. It was not one of a spear user. It felt more like a stance that a sword user would use, and Rana recognized it. She was ready.

The spear came down, a flurry of slashes aimed to disorient rather than damage. The spear increased its reach, but the attack-pattern was a sword focused one, and the weapon of her foe was heavier and lacked the finesse required for such a move. She also knew of it, a paladin taught swordplay against monsters with weapons. It was used to open a path for the finishing blow.

Rana easily deflected every attempt and waited for an opening. The strikes were slow, lacked control, and most importantly, she knew where they wanted to go. She let herself step back. It was a ruse but she knew the captain would go for it. He was testing her. He wanted confirmation of who she was. She would give it to him.

Mana surged in the tip of the spear and his eyes sparked. The captain was unleashing a Skill with the aid of an Ability, powerful boosts at the cost of Focus. He was willing to sacrifice Focus, the dormant potential within all marked ones. The longer marked one is in combat, the more engaged they were in the tango of death, the more capabilities they unlocked. Kai was willing to push the move to the limit to test Rana, and she welcomed it.

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Sunder was unleashed and the spark in his eyes focused. The captain used Sure Strike, an Ability that guaranteed that the next hostile attack would always land. It took precedence over any speed and the System enforced its success even pass physical limitations. When Sure Strike was active, it was impossible to evade whatever attack it boosted. However, Rana didn’t need to avoid the attack. She also didn’t need to take it head-on.

Rana knew the Skill, she knew of the attack chain. She stepped forward and tapped the tip of the spear with her staff. Mana fuelled the clash and Fool’s Fire exploded. She used to momentum and spun her weapon to the side of her foe. The captain was prepared, he let himself be open to a counter-attack to validate his deduction, but he was not caught off guard.

The captain raised his shield barely in time to catch the blow. He was stronger but the muddy terrain, the recovery after such a huge combo, and the sudden depletion of Focus made his guard unsteady. Rana unleashed a Mana Blast and collapsed his guard. The captain smiled, he confirmed his theory and weathered the counter.

He was mistaken, and his smile fell when he sensed mana swirling from his foe once again.

“How?” he gasped as his eyes widened. It should’ve been impossible. Fool’s Fire was not a costly Spell but Mana Blast was, especially for a level one mage-class. The fight also did not last long enough for a mage-class to unleash them both and be ready for another one, even if his opponent channeled mana during the entire duration of the fight. His opponent should also not have any Talents or Abilities that made it possible as observed during the Fenris fight in the past.

Rana knew that the experienced Kai would know all of that. She also knew her opponent would not realize she was in a state-of-combat ever since wearing the cursed jacket and stored up enough mana that her mana was already at full capacity. She was in a state dangerous to every human and the attempt could only lead to permanent, sometimes lethal, damage. Mana was a volatile, wrath that wanted to be unleashed. If a human stored mana within their bodies for too long, mana would lash at the vessel that contained the energy, damaging the flesh, inducing necrosis that cannot be healed. The damage was not normal, it was destruction assured by the System.

Rana initially feared that the state of destruction would also impact the undead. However, for some reason it did not affect her. When she awoke from the pain after wearing the cursed item, she checked her Status and found out her mana was full. She did not know why, but it was the reality before her. It was then she realized the advantage she held over her enemies.

The captain was staggered. Rana would not allow him to recover. She shot another Mana Blast towards her foe, the force hit him square in the face and blood spluttered from the impact. His nose was fractured and he fell to the ground, dazed. She stepped forward and was upon him. She raised her staff and prepared to bring down the final blow.

Should she?

The captain was down but not defeated. Her assault surprised him and managed to temporarily knock him out, but Rana’s Status was low and couldn’t inflict fatal damage. She didn’t know if it was a blessing or a curse.

Kai was still alive, but only a few smashes to the head would kill the helpless victim on the ground. However, he wasn’t a victim. He treated her well, saved her life, but the moment he found out who she was he became an enemy. Yet he was not like the other people she fought before, who were either criminals or fame-seeking adventurers. The captain was a dutiful soldier and a protector of humanity.

Still, she had to end him now. If Kai recovered, he would come for Rana and slay her. The next time, she would not have the element of surprise nor be at her strongest.

Was it the right choice?

Mana surged and the air broke. The arrow plunged into her raised arm and the force slammed her into a tree. It happened all so fast. Her staff dropped to the dirt and another arrow pinned her shoulder. The cold exploded into her mind from where she was shot.

Rana grit her teeth and turned towards where the arrow came from. She saw no one but she knew there was an archer and they brought death. Another chill snapped into her mind and through blurry vision, she saw an arrow buried deep within her chest.

Her vision began to dim, the darkness began encroaching, encircling the skies, the woods, and her helpless body. The chill began eating her, starting from the bones then into her soul. Her mind was fading. She pleaded for the darkness to leave her be. It didn’t listen. She cried out, but no sound left her lips and the darkness continued to devour. No. She didn’t want to go back. She didn’t want the void to hurt her. She didn’t want to die.

Then, the cold took her and there was only darkness.