The battle between brothers

Tension filled the air.

Strax stood with a claymore in his hand, just an ordinary sword used by some knights—a sword without a soul.

His eyes were closed, fully concentrating on what he was about to do, how he would fight, how he would use all his strength. He had calmed himself somewhat; rage must be contained and controlled to increase strength, that was what he believed now, so for Strax, he was in complete focus.

He was waiting for his opponent; he needed to finish this quickly. More important than his revenge was knowing how she was. A feeling beyond explanation, pure concern. He had realized for some time that his emotions were much stronger, not just his love, but everything about his self. He had analyzed thousands of possibilities, but only one existed.

The System had influenced him.