Second Death

Amari shivered with excitement as he held the book in his hands. A primal urge filled him to open the book right there and then instead of going back to his room, he managed to hold himself back, clutching the hard leather-bound cover carefully.

It would be better to be comfortable while reading the information because this was going to take a while.

But right now he had things to do. Much more important thing. For example, he still needed to meet the General for his lessons today, so he would do that first before trying to read the book.

If there was anything he'd learned, it was that the greatest satisfaction from reading a book usually comes after doing something difficult.

The sword lessons wouldn't be as difficult as he thought, but they certainly would be tasking,

and so he wanted to use the opportunity to savour the moment.

He could even almost taste the words flying off the page into his brain.

No matter what world he would find himself in, Amari was a reader through and through. And a voracious one at that.

After a bit of thought, he opened up the spatial bracelet and dropped the book to the side, away from any sharp objects or dangerous-looking things, he made sure everything was set and left the lecture room immediately.

The sooner he started the savouring process, the better it was.

He shot through the door, making his way through the relatively empty hallway quickly.

Very soon he made his way past the exterior of the academy, quickly heading towards the forest in a combination of Shadow Movement and raw speed. He felt alive, the adrenaline kicking in so hard that he'd forgotten that it was better to use Riclef transportation in the forest.

The realisation kicked in, and he slowed down a little, considering whether to go back for transportation or keep going.

'I've already gotten so far, might as well just keep going,'

So with that thought in mind, he turned back in the direction of the arena and shot forward again.

However, as soon as he did that, a piercing pain spread throughout his body. The thought took a second to register but it did eventually when the ground was reaching closer and closer to him.

Amari fell to the forest floor in a small helpless thud, that seemed like but a mere whisper within a crowded room.

'Am I injured?'

A small spurt of blood stained his black uniform and later the ground, pooling up by his side slowly.

Darkness and light intertwined, bringing him between temporary states of consciousness and of unconsciousness.

In one of the brief moments of light, a pair of worn-out dark boots stepped in front of him, the owner unknown.

When was the last time he'd been injured like this?

'Was it the time with the Spore Goblin Fairy?'

It was. However, the memory from not even a month ago had become incredibly hazy, some scenes flashing in his mind from time to time.

"I didn't expect that old coot to allow such a weakling to replace his daughter's guard." A voice said, presumably coming from the owner of the foot that still stood in front of him "What was going through his mind? We waited to see if you were some sort of hidden expert, but lo and behold, here we are now."

With each word, the voice moved closer to Amari's ears until finally it stopped right in front of him.

The darkness was getting worse, but he could still see glimpses of the person.

Black hair, black eyes, a very unassuming appearance.

Something about the person seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place a finger on it. But did it matter now? He was going to die soon.

It almost seemed too easy. Too mundane for him.

Where was the war that main characters often had to go through before dying? The elaborate joint attack from multiple assassins. The stark power difference that could be felt from miles away.

None of that.

Amari would have scoffed at his own stupidity had he been able to move. Multiple assassins?They only needed one single individual to take care of him soundlessly. And that person hardly needed to us any skills to defeat him.

For all he knew it was a punch to the gut that killed him.

Whatever…

Did it even matter now?

The darkness invaded the light, claiming a small part of his vision as his eyes dully laid on the figure in black. Oddly, it only seemed to increase the aura of non-existence he'd been feeling all this while.

"I suppose you'll die if I were to leave you here, but I wouldn't be so stupid as to try that," The man said, raising a single hand up in the form of a chop.

Amari's eyes were invaded with the last drop of energy he could muster as the terror of losing his own life helplessly finally set in.

'No, I don't wanna die. I have so many things left to do. I still need to save dad and bring the others back to life. Please I can't die now!'

The man in black sneered a little, dropping his hands in a slowly ascending speed.

"Why are you looking at me like that? It was your own fault for looking for trouble past your capabilities. Tell it to the judge in the underworld that I sent you, maybe he'll bless you with a bigger brain next time,"

His words lacked condescension, but as the hand chopped down on him, Amari could feel the unmistakable urge of killing intent closing in, and the reality of the situation finally set in.

There was nothing he was doing about it.

Splosh~!

A small splash sounded and everything went black.

***

Author's note: How everyone finding it so far. I haven't been getting a lot of comments and that's a little disheartening but I do appreciate everyone I get. So make sure to comment and vote!