Someon prepared for the upcoming battle with the unknown monster. This would be his first battle in this world. But no matter how nervous he was, his heart beat calmly. The hand holding his sword trembled.
– Phew... Quiet, – the young man whispered under his breath, trying to calm down.
And, strange as it was, it worked. The trembling began to subside little by little. The grip remained just as strong, but the confidence in it grew. He felt more confident in the coming battle. As much as he wanted to avoid it, it was inevitable.
Someon waited patiently until the wolf came closer, at least two meters away, so that he could react in time thanks to this small advantage.
«Come on, come on, come closer, dog», – He glanced behind him and could make out a shadow in the darkness of the night.
The power of "Wind Shroud" gave him an incredible advantage in such a situation. Someon understood this and tried to maintain this advantage until the very end.
The distance ahead of them was getting smaller and smaller. The wind from the invisible "Windshield" field studied the enemy and provided him with all the information he needed to deal with the situation. But beyond the wind at his command, there was another, natural one. It was this wind that now swayed the boy's silver hair and ruffled his clothes. At the same time, the leaves and flowers swayed beneath the currents of the invisible field.
All sound seemed to vanish from the world. Someon heard nothing but the streams of "Wind Shroud" in his ears, the crunch of branches under the monster's feet, and the boy's own nervous, ragged breathing. He ignored the sounds of the night insects, his attention focused solely on the enemy.
Very close. The distance between them was getting smaller and smaller. The excitement was growing, even though Someon tried to calm it. He knew he was risking his life fighting him.
But what else could he do?
«Maybe it would be better to run away? – a rather tempting idea popped into my head. – No. It's too late. There's not enough distance to escape»
He felt the monster's eyes, filled with murderous lust and blood, bore into his back, piercing his very heart. The beast was probably already imagining how its fangs sank into his flesh, its claws tearing at his skin.
Someon, without hiding it, imagined it himself. And, of course, he shouldn't have. A rather familiar feeling came over him. He knew it, having experienced it just a few hours ago. It was fear.
Fear of death.
The very same serpent and its enormous fangs, capable of destroying an entire ship with a single bite, appeared before his eyes once again. A maddening fear of death gripped his body, like those very same watery shackles of a bottomless river.
His current enemy was several hundred times smaller than the serpent, but that didn't make him any less afraid. It seemed quite the opposite. As if he'd gotten bigger.
He relaxed, lying and resting on the riverbank and walking through the forest. He had already forgotten this feeling. In just a few hours, he had forgotten this suffocating fear, robbing him of his will. Depriving him of everything he had then.
«No. Now there's a difference, – he suddenly protested against the fear that gripped him. – Back then, I had only just woken up and didn't have «Welter's Grace». Now, I have a chance...» – He didn't have time to finish the thought before he heard sounds behind him.
Crunch!
Rrrrrr ...
A growl erupted from the mouth of a wild and bloodthirsty beast. A shudder ran through my body, and my back broke out in a cold sweat.
Someon felt with his whole being the primordial aura of murder that the wolf behind him emitted.
«Forward!!»
Someon would wait no longer! He would no longer wait and give in to fear!
His body abruptly turned toward the beast and immediately lunged. Raising his sword back to strike, the young man braced himself. The wolf reacted as well, leaping toward him.
Hit!
The youth lunged, and the blade of his sword collided with the beast's fangs and claws. A wave of air erupted from the point of contact, causing the foliage to tremble. Everything held its breath. It seemed as if even nature itself, or those very lights, had frozen in anticipation of the battle's end.
Someon jumped back a couple of meters. He fixed his gaze on the enemy, studying him.
«Not a scratch? What?» – Someon thought feverishly, trying to find a way out of this battle.
How could he kill the wolf so quickly? How could he do it without getting hurt himself? His body knew the basics, but it didn't know how to fight the way he wanted. Once again, his lack of memories stood in his way. And now, especially, it was an incredibly large and difficult obstacle.
The «Windshield's» field focused on the enemy more than anything else. He wanted to know exactly where the wolf was.
Holding the blade of his sword before him and fixing his gaze with a sharp, war-filled gaze, the young man prepared for a second encounter. The beast crouched, preparing to spring.
He realized the enemy was no simpleton and wanted to end it as quickly as possible. Bloodlust and hunger clouded the living creature's mind, turning it into a monster obsessed with hunger and blood.
Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
The growl erupted again. Only now there was anger in it as well. No. There was pure fury in it. A fury capable of tearing apart anyone who stood in its way.
Swallow.
Someon swallowed hard and exhaled sharply, never taking his eyes off his opponent. His hands were shaking, as were his legs. He was nervous, quite nervous. He was inexperienced and weak. Everything was against him here, but he wasn't about to give up.
– Come on, you damn dog, let's see who gets who! – he growled back, his lips twisting into a creepy grin.
Whoosh!
Both braced themselves, their gaze locked on each other. They bored into each other's souls, preparing to end the other's life.
Another dash. They quickly closed the distance. Sword and claws were about to meet and then part again. But then the blade of the sword, like the youth's legs, was covered by small currents of wind. He accelerated.
Cut! Clink!
Under the acceleration and enhancement of "Wind Shroud," the sword acquired everything it needed for a good attack. Someon hoped he'd managed to kill the wolf with a single blow. But he wasn't quite sure. So he looked at it with a sharp, murderous gaze.
Approaching the wolf's body, the young man saw it twitch weakly. A pool of red blood was already spreading from beneath it. The nearby grass and flowers were stained with it. Its scent hung in the air, reaching Someon's nostrils. This would be his first kill in this life.
The monster was still alive and trying to rise. The wind from the invisible field flowed around its body, giving it a full picture. The cut had nearly killed it, but it was just short. The youth's inexperience and lack of strength had taken their toll.
«Kill him. I have to kill him», – he repeated to himself as he approached the beast.
Reaching his side, he raised his blade above his head, preparing to end his enemy's life. The wolf looked at him. And there was no fear, no despair, no anything similar in his gaze.
Only hatred, rage, hunger and the thirst to kill.
Honestly, Someon was glad about this. After all, now he could more easily end the life of the one who wanted to kill him.
He also coated the blade with wind and slashed downward. The blade pierced the wolf's neck, decapitating it. A copious stream of blood gushed forth like a fountain. The soft green grass and beautiful flowers were stained red by the light of the bright, full moon. The same blood was on Someon's sword.
Noticing her, he looked at where he had previously seen his reflection. Now it was half-covered with blood, preventing him from seeing his entire face.
–I made it, I survived, – the young man whispered quietly, putting the Artifact back into Welter's Mercy.
The sword shattered in a shower of golden sparks, vanishing from his hands. Now he was left alone with the mysterious forest and the corpse of the monster he had slain. A few drops of blood fell on his face. He ignored them, as he did the blood on his clothes.
«Strange», – Someon lowered his head and looked at his hands, which were slightly bloody. Just a little, but he felt something different.
– Nothing, – he felt empty.
The young man felt no bitterness, no disgust, no pangs of conscience for killing a living creature. His state was the same as before. As if nothing had happened.
And this frightened him more than the snake and the wolf. A fear he had never experienced before.
Lost memories, no hunger, no thirst, no sleep, no change in heartbeat... And now, the absence of sensations and emotions from killing...
What did it all mean? Someon knew for sure he was human. He knew it, absolutely knew it. He'd ignored everything else, believing it was a consequence of the changes he'd undergone as a result of ascending to the rank of Apprentice. But now he didn't think so.
The young man sank deeper and deeper into these dark and deep thoughts... And at that moment the voice of «Welter's Grace» sounded in his consciousness:
[Congratulations, Exalted Someon!]
[You have killed the Tainted Monster, Wolf of the Paradise Forest!]
«You killed... killed... killed...» – these words echoed in the young man's head. He looked at himself and his hands again.
The next moment, a shower of golden sparks shimmered near his right hand, forming the shape of a sword. A few seconds later, he was already holding his «Princess's Sorrow» Artifact. But there wasn't a drop of blood on it, as if he hadn't used it to decapitate a monster a moment ago.
There were no traces of murder on this sword. Only a memory that remained with him. One of the earliest memories of Exalted Someon in the new world was the memory of killing his first enemy.
– Huh, not the best start, huh? – he said with a chuckle, turning away from the beast's corpse.
Now he knew where he was. The Paradise Forest. The name suited this place perfectly. At least, it seemed so at first glance. And now Someon realized it was only a veneer designed to deceive the traveler. So from now on, he would be careful and try to prevent what had just happened.
He was practically deceived by the forest and almost killed by a simple wolf.
But that wasn't even the most important thing for him, though it was important. Walking further into the forest, deeper into it, he muttered under his breath, his eyes pensive:
– Who am I anyway?