SWORDFIGHT

The once cold and calming atmosphere had now changed, the cool air is now getting warmer in each second. The sun is now up in the side, its bright light creating an almost a searing pain as it touches the skin.

Darius stood in the middle of the field, in front of him is Oraculi. Both men are holding their weapons tightly. While Oraculi held his sword with a single hand forward, like he would with his ax. Darius held his sword with both hands, the blade facing forward- just like a typical knight would.

The two men stared at each other… waiting, anticipating, calculating, asking- who would attack first?

The wind blew past them, the clouds cleared and the sun shone brighter. With a flick of his wrist Oraculi turned the sword sideways, the sunlight reflected from its clean-smooth surface.

Darius couldn't help but close his eyes as the light temporarily blinded his vision.

That was a dirty trick but smart nonetheless, switching to a defensive position. Darius stepped back as he blocked the attack, to more efficiently absorb the impact. Preventing the possibility of falling to the ground. Their swords clashing together, spark formed between each blade. Birds flew away as the clinking of swords echoed through the forest.

"Remember, strength is not everything. You have to use this," as their swords remained locked, the old man tapped his free index finger in his temple. "A sharp wit can be stronger than a sword when used correctly," he added.

Their eyes connected, Oraculi's words distracted the young man.

Just as intended…

With his free hand, Oraculi grabbed Darius by the collar of his shirt.

"Gah!" Darius couldn't even react as the old man slightly lifted him from the ground, before flipping him back.

As he landed on the ground, Darius heard a disturbing crack along with the thump of his fall.

"I think this one is mine," Oraculi said, a hand trusting forward to help Darius stand.

"Yes… but just that one" Darius replied as he picked up the sword that he accidentally let go of.

"That's the spirit," the old man laughed wholeheartedly, seeing the determination in those purple orbs.

Once again, the two of them took their stand. Weapons ready to clash against one another.

Darius squinted his eyes almost halfway, preparing for another light trick from Oraculi. But unfortunately for him, the old man knew better than to use the same trick twice in a row.

Oraculi dashed forward, slashing his sword against Darius's weapon. Each slash has so much force the Darius could feel his arms vibrate down to the bone. He couldn't even keep up, this man was a beast. He thought to himself, questioning how he defeated Oraculi before. The fourth hard blow from the old man's attacks made the ravenette's arms feel like jelly.

Unintentionally, he let go of the sword. With a thump, it fell to the grass next to his feet.

His eyes widen, Oraculi used his foot to kick Darius off balance.

"Never let go of your weapon," he heard Oraculi say before an irritating ringing occupied Darius's ears. The young man felt the hard fall, the side of his face kissing the ground.

For the second time, he was defeated.

"Again," the mentor ordered his pupil. With his aching body, Darius stood up.

Darius lay on the grass, every part of his body ached. Not once did he even manage to win. He couldn't even remember how many times he crashed to the ground.

Staring at the sky, the once clear blue hue is now replaced by a subtle color of orange.

Dusk is coming, and soon… the night will take over,

"We should head back now," Oraculi said as he stood up from his sitting position.

"I can't even land a proper blow, how did I even manage to defeat you before?" Darius mumbled lowly.

The old man started walking away, "What can I say, alcohol has its own magic."

Darius could only chuckle, as he tried to remember that night.

It was dark and cold, he had been watching the old man from the distance for the last few days. He was the person the merchant Darius had tortured before pointed out.

A close friend of the Kirkland family, the only possible lead to Alexander Kirkland's whereabouts.

Stealthily he entered the old wrecked home, no lamps were lit, the door was unlocked, and some windows creaked as the wind blow them open and close.

In the faint shine of the moonlight, he saw his target. An old man seating on a chair, his head laying on the table as a bottle roll off the surface of the table, before crashing into the ground.

"Ah- what? Hum?" the old man said before going back to his not-so-comfortable slumber.

Darius crept on the old man, his feet as silent as the night, as light as the wings of butterflies.

Unnoticed.

Unheard.

Unseen.

Like a snake on its prey, Darius quickly grabbed Oraculi by the hair. Pulling him back as hard as he can, before slamming his face back on the table. The old man lost his consciousness and the moment he woke up, he was tied to the chair in his own house. Blood dripping down his nose and lower lip.

That night, Darius tortured him for information. But he saw something on Darius that night, potential.

A chance and a pair of purple eyes longing for redemption. Partially intoxicated and out of wit, Oraculi trusted Darius that night, he told him where Alexander was.

Before leaving Darius cut the ropes, leaving a message on the table.

A brief word of appreciation for his help and a guarantee of Alexander's safety.

"Are you going or what?!" Oraculi shouted from a distance.

"I will!" he shouted back before standing up, as he turned to leave. He heard a voice, not Ravana but something else.

It was a beautiful voice, gentle and sweet.

"Are you going?" a feminine voice asked. "Are you going?" she repeated, her voice shaking Darius to the core.

It was so enchanting and sweet, he could feel himself being pulled back. Almost of a trance, turning back to the forest Darius saw no one.

Not a single soul was around.

"Are you going?" the voice resounded in his ears. "Come, come," the voice said.

"Come with me," she offered. "Come inside, you'll see me" she added.

Darius took a step forward, he could feel a great desire to see the person hiding in the forest.

She laughed sweetly, "Let's go, let's go," she said.

"Darius!" Brennan grabbed the older man by the arm. "Where are you going? We have to go" Brennan told him.

"Huh? Uh-hmm… sure," Darius snapped out of his trance. Swallowing thickly, he could feel the atmosphere darken.

There was something in the forest, he thought.

"Brennan…" he began. "Let's go inside the forest for a bit," he said.

"What?! Are you insane? We can't, it is too dangerous. It's getting dark, not even Oraculi enters the forest at night. He said this is something inside, something even he can't handle just yet. He requested help from the other hunters to form a party, but so far there were no replies. Come on." Brennan pulled Darius away, fearing for the other male.

"But didn't he say he will send you to the forest?" Darius asked.

"No, he wasn't serious then," Brennan explained.

"What's taking you so long?!" Oraculi shouted from the house.

"We're coming!" Brennan shouted back, as both of them started heading towards the house.

The three men sat around the table, each has a bowl of hot vegetable soup. The bread was sliced and was placed on the center of the table.

"Well, your cooking is starting you look more decent," Oraculi told Brennan. The young lad only scratched the back of his head, a smile plastered on his lips.

Yes, he's proud of himself because nothing burnt this time. Nothing exploded too, which happens a lot whenever he was in the kitchen. But both Brennan and Oraculi are terrible at the kitchen, so nothing could be done about it.

As they started eating, Oraculi decided to break the ice. "Darius, I've been meaning to ask you a question. Because when I first offered you the apprenticeship, you declined. What changed your mind?"

"Oh, I was wondering about that as well, when we went separate ways after killing the witch at the Kirkland mansion. You said you will leave this life behind," Brennan added.

Suddenly, the already bitter soup became more terrible. His mouth felt dry and his throat ached, and his chest felt heavy.

Shaking his head, he tried to compose himself. "There… there was an incident back at home." He began.

"Wait no, that wasn't an accident. A witch killed my parents… from what I was told a witch wearing a white hood took my little brother. From the information given to me, I only have a year to prepare. I needed to kill the council of witches to save him." Darius bit the inside of his mouth, he couldn't even look at them.

"And you think it was good to keep that information?" Oraculi asked.

"No, I was planning to tell you. But I just haven't had the time yet… well I just couldn't find the right moment. But now I'm glad that you asked." Darius admitted.

'Why take your brother though? How sure are you that he's alive?" Brennan asked.

"I'm not, I could only believe the information I have. I was told that they need to wait for the planetary alignment." Darius knitted his brows, he didn't fully understand that.

"Then you better get stronger, the planetary alignment destroys the balance of the world for a short period of time. During that time all the world and dimensions aligned, but that's not all. During the planetary alignment, every seal ever created weakens. So the witch that took your brother might be intending to use him as a sacrifice" Oraculi explained.

"What?!" Darius stood from the chair, both hands were slammed against the table, eyes wide, teeth clenched.

oddly enough, the idea came as a surprise.

Ravana did say something about the ritual, but he wasn't expecting his brother to be used as a sacrifice.

At least he didn't wish to believe it was the case.