Chapter 2: Origin 2: Old Warrior
The two fighter's clashed, their swords flying at blinding speeds.
John watched, jaw wide open as Zubec dodged slash after slash. He quickly dashed forward to deliver a flurry of slashes in return. Nar was able to dodge them as well but on his last attack, when Zubec shifted his body, appearing to go for a sideways slash, his wrist turned as he went for a forward thrust instead. This caught Nar by surprise and so, the blade pierced into their shoulder. They didn't let out a single sound however as the instant the weapon pierced through, Nar attacked, attempting to stab through his skull.
At that moment Zubec, with a burst of energy ducked, the top of his head barely getting scraped before he pulled his blade out. At this point, their trading of blows which had been nonstop for the past minute had ceased, as the two of them stood in silence. Neither was moving an inch despite being directly in front of the other.
John watched with bated breath.
Nar still held the blades in both hands, being to their side while Zubec's sword was in a downward hold position.
"So, it looks like this won't be too easy after all. I might have to seriously try."
After Nar's statement ended, a strange aura emanated from them. John felt pressure, one so dense and frightening the back of his neck felt cold.
He was practically frozen in place. A part of him wanted to run, to get help from the town guards but he couldn't bring himself to move. The first reason was his gut which told him if he tried to move an inch in that direction he would die. The second was the scene before him being so captivating. John had never seen the old warrior like this. His earlier statement must've been true, that in all the times they'd spared he never fully tried against him.
Reacting to the pressure Nar exuded, Zubec leaped backward, a cautious expression on his face.
Nar slowly crouched, chuckling softly before placing their hand on the ground. Under their hand, a dark-looking substance spread out. It almost looked like a shadow, but since there was nothing above it to make it so, it couldn't have been.
"A blessing?" Zubec's eyes widened at the sight before him.
Once the darkness had expanded far enough, it started to bubble.
"...Shadow Summon: Mak."
The pair of John and Zubec looked on in shock as a midnight black-colored wolf rose from the darkness. Its rows of teeth were longer and sharper than any normal creature, having pitch-black eyes and a big bushy tail. The creature was as big as Zubec, if not bigger, despite height being one of his biggest qualities. The wolf was releasing a deep growl as it stared down the old warrior.
Nar lifted their hand from the ground, rising slowly.
"I'd use more than one summon but this beast should be enough for you. Mak, get Zubec!"
As soon as Nar gave the command the wolf charged forward. Surprisingly the beast was extremely quick, so quick that John blinked and almost lost sight of it.
Zubec clenched his sword tightly, the size of the beast becoming more apparent the closer it came. Nevertheless, he looked on unflinchingly as it leaped into the air, opening its mouth to chomp down on him. He casually sidestepped the bite and right when the wolf landed, he slashed at it.
A dark murky substance poured out from the creature. It didn't wince at the damage however, its eyes simply glued on him as it growled. It leaped but this time it rotated in the air, swinging its big bushy tail at him.
Zubec lifted his blade, blocking the blow but the weight was too great, sending him across the snow-covered field. He was able to land on his two feet, but as he glanced at where Nar was previously they were gone. In an instant, he felt a hot flash of pain in his lower back. Nar was behind him, their blade soaked with his blood.
He winced slightly but slashed back quickly, cutting across Nar's chest. They released a slight grunt and as Zubec started to slash again- seeing an opening, the wolf was behind him. He paused mid-swing, crouching low before jumping up. John followed his leap, jaw wide open as Zubec was high up, passing a nearby bird in the sky.
Nar quickly traced his location, seeing him raising his blade, and preparing to slash down with all his might. They started to pull out their blades to block the slash but a flash of the sun, which was directly behind Zubec's figure, concealed his position. The bright light made Nar finch back, covering their eyes with their hands instinctively. While falling Zubec released a gutsy shout. "This will finish you!"
However, before he could get close to reaching Nar, a bright beam of light zoomed toward him. Zubec's attention shifted, his eyes barely able to follow the attack. His body, unfortunately, couldn't keep up, as he pulled his blade to block but it was too late. The beam of light smacked into his side, his body folding around it as it pushed him back; blood spurted out of his mouth.
Bam
The impact of his getting launched at the ground caused snow to bounce up.
At this point, John couldn't see Zubec or Nar anymore. A coat of mist seemed to permeate through the area now. John turned, looking in the direction the strange beam of light came from.
In that direction, from the mist, he saw a woman emerge. Her pure white hair seemed to be something out of a fairy tale as it seemed to glow in the sunlight. Her skin was as pale as the snow that surrounded them.
She was walking towards them, a stride full of confidence as her hand rested under her chin, a content smirk on her face. The woman had silver eyes that while having a dreamy look to them, also held a ferocious side in their depths. She wore a white coat, one that was slightly larger than her body. The sleeves had three red streaks resembling blood on them. Her coat wasn't zipped up also, revealing a golden necklace with a cross attached to her neck.
Everything about the woman screamed power.
She turned to John, locking eyes with him. The second she did so, his heart skipped a beat; and not in an infatuated way, it was a reaction of pure terror. He couldn't explain why, but behind those unique silver eyes, he felt an almost indescribable amount of malice.
He instantly broke eye contact, looking down at the ground. Sweat started to pour down his face at the pressure he felt exuding from her even though his body felt cold. The feeling her aura gave him was far more intense than Nar's, it couldn't even compare.
Without a word she looked away from him, continuing to walk forward, and just as she was about to pass him-
A gust of wind blew the mist covering most of the area away, revealing Zubec and Nar. Zubec was standing over them, blade raised ready to give a killing blow. He was holding Nar by their collar but just as he started to strike he paused, turning to look at the woman standing next to John.
As he coughed up blood he glared at her. "Luna…"
John had been looking at the ground, too afraid to look up again but hearing that name being spoken, he had to see. With a raise of his head much to his surprise, he met her gaze face to face. He jumped back startled, by her being so close but before he could try and run, she grabbed him by his neck. With little effort she lifted him off the ground, turning to face Zubec with a cold smirk.
"Don't you hurt him!" Zubec hissed. The panic that poured from his voice was like music to Luna's ears. It meant that she had acquired herself some good old-fashioned leverage.
Zubec was still over Nar, blade held up in an easy-to-strike position but all his attention was on Luna. Nar didn't try struggling though, simply lying limp in his hold. John was the opposite, however, squirming frantically to escape. Her grip was too strong on his neck though, so no matter how hard he tried prying her hands open it proved fruitless.
Luna had a cold look in her eye as she spoke to him. "I won't... If you let my subordinate go."
Zubec's grip tightened around Nar's collar. An expression of conflicting thoughts washed over his face as he looked down at his incapacitated enemy, then Luna, and back again.
The silence felt like it would drag on forever as he contemplated his decision. The whole time John was losing more and more air, he was barely able to muster the words. "Don't do it," through his bated breaths.
Zubec's hands loosened, letting Nar drop to the ground. The instant he did so, they hopped back, gaining distance once more. The wolf, which was slowly starting to approach Zubec suddenly minimized. Its remnants formed into a puddle of darkness which returned to Nar, slipping into their shadow.
Zubec gazed at Luna, his breath shaky and uneven as he continued to clutch his bloody side. "Alright. Let the child go."
Luna returned his look, however, unlike his which was filled with resolve, her eyes were completely unreadable. She then turned her attention to John, who while able to breathe somewhat was losing air, clear by his face starting to turn purple.
"You know, Zubec, I don't think I will."
"Why not?"
"Because there would be no point. This child would only suffer greatly if I did so."
"Why is that?"
"Because there's no one for him to go home to."
Her words pierced through John's heart like a sharp dagger. No one to go home to? He thought to himself.
She dropped John, letting him fall on his back with a gasp. He coughed and heaved for air once more. A look of pure horror found its way onto Zubec's face.
"No…you didn't?!" His voice shook in disbelief. He knew what she had done but he didn't want to accept it, so his retort was filled with denial.
With a dead-eyed smirk, she responded. "I killed them all. Unfortunately, this town didn't have what I was looking for though."
"Y-you killed everyone?" John's voice was no louder than a whisper. His face, was completely blank as he stuttered in confusion.
"Sorry to say so but I did."
Despite her words being apologetic, her tone and expression didn't match it. Her demeanor was very casual like she was talking about the weather, not that she admitted to killing an entire town full of people. Innocents, like children. Adults who were the kind to give you the shirt off their backs if needed. John's eyes watered, his face practically frozen from shock.
Zubec coughed up blood, his hand pressed firmly on his side. His clothes which had been battered and torn slightly gained a new condition, becoming stained as well. Blood was starting to seep through, coming from the side his hand was placed over. It was the side that got hit with Luna's attack.
"Please... Just don't kill the boy." He pleaded, his eyes softening. It was the first time during the whole confrontation that he showed vulnerability and weakness.
All in attendance took note of this, including John whose mind was currently breaking. He started to open his mouth, to tell his teacher that it would be okay, but in that instant, it was over.
With a flick of Luna's finger, a beam of light shot out, piercing into John's abdomen. A wave of pain washed over him, as he coughed up blood.
Zubec dashed forward instinctively, panic in his eyes. He was saying something, but it fell on deaf ears as John fell face-first into the snow, a pool of blood leaking out from under him.
"JOHN NOOOOOOO!"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone