What would happen if an unstoppable force hit an unmovable object?
Could the two even coexist in the same place at the same time? The wind blew around the forest. The tall trees served as a living canopy, yet a blind and deaf witness to what was about to happen.
"A slave?" Mayari asked herself after seeing the clasped handcuffs on the boy's wrist.
Given was still unconscious, her head lying on Mayari's arms. Nemo, once again, attacked Silver Boy with his wind, but once again, the latter evaded easily. A wide grin was painted on Nemo's face.
"Hey slave," he hollered, "What's your name?"
"Wan," the boy answered, "Wan Pusong."
Nemo sniffed the air, smelling the upcoming chaos and blood, "My name's Nemo Pangan." Then he bowed in front of Wan, "A mercenary." Nemo gave a single step forward as he let out a burst of Nu coming inside him and around the place. In an instant, the whole area felt suddenly heavy. Mayari felt it, as if the gravity itself bowed for Nemo.
Wan felt it too. The boy grinned and quickly unleashed the arnis hanging on his waist. Two metal sticks, ready to destroy anything on their path. The crimson-haired mercenary began sauntering as if savoring the moment. His mouth opened as he sang,
"Gleam of steel, like teeth that never fall,
Bring ruin swift to every foe who dares my call.
Ynaguinid, unleash your sacred wrath on all!"
The tattoos hidden on his long red garb glowed red as a double-edged sword materialized on his right hand.
"Damn that's cool..." Wan whispered.
Nemo charged with a sudden burst of speed, and their weapons clashed with a metallic collision. Sparks flew as Wan met Nemo's assault head-on. The shockwave from it blew dust around them.
Meanwhile, Mayari used these moments of distraction to wake Given. "Giben! Giben! Wake up! Are you alright!?"
Given's eyes slowly opened as she heard the clanging of metallic weapons hitting each other. Suddenly, she felt a tremor as Nemo's sword sliced the thick tree trunk behind Wan. The boy had almost been bisected crosswise, but thanks to his quick reaction, he managed to duck low. Wan stepped forward to slam his arnis into Nemo's chest. However, Nemo saw this and quickly leaped backward. Wan followed his retreat and unleashed multiple waves of attacks, all targeting Nemo's left side.
Nemo veered right; Wan smiled once again and followed. Slowly, Nemo realized something—his back was now against a huge boulder.
"Wait… has he been leading me to this spot?" Nemo asked himself.
But before he got an answer, a sharp, agonizing pain jolted him from his side. One of Wan's arnis struck Nemo's ribs. Nemo felt his ribs crack as if struck by a battering ram. Despite this, he disregarded the pain and moved his sword upward, wounding Wan. The boy jumped backward while holding the shallow wound on his chest.
"Not bad," they both said to each other.
Nemo held his side while breathing deeply. Wan, on the other hand, was no better. His chest wound was shallow, yet still, the pain was searing his body like a deep burn. Wan exhaled, and in a span of a heartbeat, it was as if his body turned into a blur. He darted to the side, spun his body, and swung his arnis in a sharp arc toward Nemo. From afar, his arnis looked like a folding fan snapping open, the speed blurring its movements. Wan unleashed a circular strike meant to break Nemo's incoming attack. But Nemo caught it, blocking the blow, then leapt backward to regain distance.
CLACK! CLACK! CLANG!
Wan struck with successive waves, each blow forcing Nemo a step backward.
He moved once more, his feet seeming to glide as he circled around Nemo with swift, floating steps. But Nemo wasn't far behind. He was no stranger to fighting; Wan's attacks were technical. And slowly, Nemo was seeing the patterns in his movements.
He intended to use his own aggression to overwhelm Wan.
Wan's strike caught Nemo in the mouth, snapping his head slightly to the side. Nemo retaliated in an instant, his blade slicing across Wan's side. It wasn't that deep, but it was enough to drive Wan to one knee.
"You're good." Said Nemo, "It's been a while since I felt something like this." He swept a loose strand of hair away from his face, eyes gleaming with the thrill.
Nemo slowly went in front of Wan. But Wan used this unguarded moment to slam his head on Nemo's jaw. The force sent Nemo sprawling onto the ground, yet instead of anger, a laugh burst out of him, low and unhinged. As if a rabid dog finally able to enjoy the kill. He lets out a deafening maniacal laugh that sends a shiver down Mayari and Given's bodies. "ARE YOU READY WAN!?" he asked.
"Huh? Ready for wha-." Wan's response was cut short as Nemo's foot smashed into his stomach, sending him skidding back a few meters.
Nemo lunged with his sword poised to pierce, but Wan rolled away just in time. Waiting for the perfect moment when Nemo's momentum slowed, Wan spun to his left and struck with both arnis at once. Nemo used his sword to block Wan, but the force was too much, adding Nemo's current manic state, the sword made from Nu broke as the anris once again hit Nemo's other side.
Nemo flew meters away and hit a huge tree. Wan, however, wasn't finished. He strode as fast as he could, but his wounds were taking their toll on him. He faltered a little, and Nemo used this moment. He waved his left hand to unleash a sharp blade made of wind towards Wan. The boy tried to evade, but the wind was now too fast for him as it sliced a deep wound on his shoulder.
Their fight has only spanned for two minutes so far. Yet the two were panting heavily. And then, a guttural laugh echoed in the forest.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" His eyes glistened with raw, twisted excitement as he locked eyes with Wan. "That's right Wan! MORE!! MORE!! MORE!!" Nemo embraced himself, gripping his garb. He tore it open together with his top. Wan saw Nemo's lean body. It was full of scars on the abdomen, shoulders, arms, and back. But to Mayari, he noticed something different. On Nemo's upper back, there's a tattoo. Not just a marking of a baylan. It was a flaming crow devouring the moon. "Juru Pakal?" Mayari uttered.
"What?" Given asked, her eyes fixed on Nemo.
"They're one—if not the most feared—mercenary group in Ma-i," she answered, her teeth gritted as she realized the implication of this. "THOSE SONS OF BITCHES," she blurted out. "This fucker was sent by one of the elders. They're the only ones who can afford a mercenary from that group."
Back at Nemo, he stretched out his arms as sharp winds covered his body and he floated upward. With a blur of motion, he lunged at Wan. Wan raised his arms defensively, but it wasn't enough. Razor-like winds slashed across his body, leaving deep, jagged gashes. He crumpled to the ground, his body a crimson wreck.
At this point, no one would have blamed Wan if he had remained lying on the ground. His body was covered with wounds, as if his skin was torn off from his flesh. However, a flicker of movement. Wan slowly tried to stand up.
Wan drew a deep breath, refusing to mind the beating his body had taken.
He wiped the blood from his eyes and brow, then tightened his grip around his arnis. He stepped forward, fresh streaks of his blood marked the ground beneath him.
"ENOUGH!" Mayari yelled, "GET OUT OF HERE!" Even Given flinched at the sound of her voice. To be honest, based on the Mayari she had gotten to know in the last few hours, she fully expected the princess to use Wan as a distraction so they could escape.
Mayari's words had no effect on Wan. The boy's eyes were empty, devoid of consciousness, driven only by instinct and defiance. He moved like a specter, a force that would not be quelled. Even Nemo, as deranged as he was at that moment, cannot fathom how Wan can still move. His wounds should have left him incapacitated or dead at this point.
Few more seconds later, Nemo noticed smoke seeping from the cracked bakal na pira on Wan's left wrist. It leaked out like black water spilling through a crack. A like a thick, restless tide straining to break free. For reasons none of them could understand, Mayari, Given, and even Nemo suddenly struggled to breathe. The air itself felt heavier, thinner, as if something unseen was swallowing them all. Moments later, the metal cuffs on Wan's wrist finally shattered.
The weight on Given and Mayari's chests grew even heavier, as if a massive stone had been dropped over them. Nemo swallowed hard. His hands began to tremble on their own, a feeling utterly foreign to him. Was it exhilaration that made his heart pound? The thrill of finally meeting someone worthy? Or was it… fear?
Beads of sweat began forming along his brow. Wan stretched out his left hand. From the shadow pouring out of it, a blade began to take shape. In that moment, Nemo understood something. Wan's magic… His baylan path— it was the same as his.
Without realizing it, he breathed out, "So you too are on the baylan path of Sigwas..." A sudden heat surged through his muscles. He doubled over, shocked, and saw the black blade buried in his body. When he looked up, Wan was already standing in front of him, gripping the sword that had pierced straight into his flesh.
Nemo gasped, blood sputtering from his lips as he struggled to process what had happened. Wan stood over him, eyes devoid with consciousness. Mayari's eyes widened, mouth agape as she processed the impossible. How had a slave defeated a mercenary who had effortlessly slain so many soldiers. With a sharp yank, Wan withdrew his blade, raising it high attempting to split Nemo in half. Wan was about to drag the sword down when a foot was planted on his cheek.
A powerful kick sent Wan flying. A woman had suddenly appeared in the middle of the chaos. She ran a hand through her short, jet-black bob-cut hair, she spat to the side, and moved quickly toward Wan to clamp a new bakal na pira around his wrist. She drew in a deep breath, then lit a stick of tobacco.
"You, absolute idiot," she muttered, pressing her foot onto Wan's unconscious body.
Mayari could only stare, struggling to process everything happening around her.
In a single night, she had been accused of killing her own father, hunted by soldiers, punched for the first time in her life, and now this—this woman. Slender. Pale-skinned. A bobcut hair. And golden, round eyes that gleamed like they belonged to another world.
The woman approached them and bent down. As she lowered herself, the two finally got a clearer look at her face. She had a sharp nose and thin, red-tinted lips.
"You both ok?"
Mayari frowned, while Given looked even more intrigued. "What do you mean?" Mayari asked.
"Oh right, my bad… I mean, are you two alright?" the woman clarified, then pointed at Wan. "Did my idiot student bothered you?"
"No…" Mayari answered. "He actually helped us…"
The woman raised her eyebrows. "Is that so? Well then…" She turned back to Wan and hoisted him up as if he were nothing more than a sack of rice. "Babush."
"WAIT!" Mayari shouted, her voice cracking with desperation. "P… please, I'm begging you… help us."
The woman sighed, rolling her eyes as if weighing the price of compassion.
"Hold on. Judging from your clothes, you are a maginoo," she said, then her gaze drifted to Given. For a moment, the woman stalled. "Hmm. weird." She paused for a bit, puffed a smoke, and then said, "Alright then. Follow me."
Mayari finally breathed out in relief and pulled Given up with all the strength she had left. "Thank you…" The two said to the woman.
"Yeah, whatevs… let's go," the woman muttered. "By the way, the name's Hiraya."
"Thank you, Hiraya," Mayari repeated.
Before they could take a step, a weak voice spoke up. "W… wait…"
All three turned to Nemo.
"Well now… still alive?" Hiraya said, her eyes glinting with a mix of approval and irritation. "You're strong, kid. You even forced this idiot's power to break through a bakal na Pira."
She began walking away again. "However, you lost against this idiot. Though, I cannot blame you for losing to this fool."
Nemo managed only a blood-stained smile before his eyes slid shut, as if savoring the strange compliment in the final moment before unconsciousness claimed him.