Fluidity

"Then BOOM. It was pretty epic. Although I'm pretty sure I won."

"You were unconscious, same as I was. How do you know who won?!"

Two young adults could be seen arguing in the centre of a small group, as one of them led the others.

It had been a week since the lesson on the Berserkers. Since then everyone has been preparing for this expedition into the forest.

They had gone through rigorous training. Some of them even got private lessons from Mirage.

One would think since they had such a bad experience with the forest in the past, they would be much more careful.

However, it was quite the opposite.

"It's obvious. I'm much stronger than you." Said Colt in a mocking tone.

"Oh yeah, prove it. Let's go right now." Alex argued in annoyance.

Seeing an opportunity to be mischievous, Colt continued to talk.

"Nah, you're too weak. I've grown past what you can possibly imagine. I am now a being whose strength you can't comprehend. Fighting you… I'm sorry, beating you would be a waste of my time."

Alex gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Wow. That was extremely disrespectful." Said Luca, acting as the instigator.

"Bring it on!" Alex shouted as he started to swing at Colt.

"HEY, I WAS ONLY JOKING!" Colt exclaimed as he started to run.

"Hey, quiet down. We're in the red zone right now. A Berserker could ambush us at any moment." Said Aaron.

"Speak of the devil," Mirage said as he pointed in the distance.

In the distance was a Fenrir. However, it wasn't the same as the one they had previously seen. This Fenrir was much bulkier and bigger. This paired with its red scars made it look like a formidable Berserker.

"That's a Fenrir. It looks like it's a high-ranking Mystical rank. It's supposed to be a pack leader too, so where is it's…" Before Johan could finish this detailed description, courtesy of staying up countless nights and reading the book Mirage gave them, he was interrupted.

The Fenrir unleashed an ear-piercing howl. As this happened their surroundings started to rustle and faint footsteps could be heard.

Over the next second, they were surrounded by a dozen Fenrir.

"Remember what I taught you." Said Mirage as he disappeared.

The others didn't notice this as they prepared for battle.

Alex was the first to move as he leapt at the nearest Fenrir and swung his staff.

The Fenrir didn't stand idly as it sprinted to its prey. Alex, seeing this, waited for the right opportunity before jamming his staff far down the wolf's throat, pinning it to the ground. The Fenrir suffocated and died shortly after.

The others had also engaged in battle as one could see Johan shooting at his opponent. The Fenrir easily dodged the arrows and ran straight toward him. As it approached Johan, a loud boom was heard as an explosion was combusted beneath the Fenrir's feet.

"Well that wasn't very smart of you," mocked Johan.

Eric stood still as a Fenrir raced toward him. He slightly drew his katana, before remembering an event from a couple of days ago.

~A couple of days earlier~

"I saw that you lost your last battle because you relied too much on your aspect." Began Mirage as he stood in front of Eric.

"It's the strongest weapon in my arsenal. Isn't that why you taught it to us? So we could utilise it?" Asked Eric.

Mirage gave no response, as he instead chuckled a little.

"Your personal aspect is a tool. A tool for you to use to gain the upper hand in battle. But at the end of the day, aspects are limited. Limited by ichor, limited by time and other things. What isn't limited is you."

"The aspect isn't the strongest weapon in your arsenal, it's you. You are the weapon. You are limitless. You are the warrior that can rise to the stars and compete with the gods, your aspect will never have the burning fire you have in you. So don't get it twisted."

Eric was in deep thought as this was said.

"Enough chit-chat." Declared Mirage.

"Fluidity. Fluidity is the way of the sword. A code even, that a swordsman goes by."

"To achieve true fluidity in the art of the sword, one must have the patience of a saint and discipline of a warrior. You must wait for the perfect moment to strike like a cobra coiled up and ready to strike its prey. And you must train with unwavering discipline, honing your movements day after day until they become second nature."

"But achieving fluidity is more than just a matter of patience and discipline. It's about stripping away all that is unnecessary, all that is extraneous until all that remains is the pure essence of your technique. Your movements must flow like water, smooth and effortless, each one leading seamlessly into the next."

"To attain true fluidity is to attain a state of grace, where you move with the precision and elegance of a dancer, and strike with the deadly force of a serpent. It is the pinnacle of the swordsman's art, the moment when your blade becomes an extension of your very being, and your mind and body move as one."

"It is a rare and precious achievement, one that only the most dedicated and disciplined of warriors can attain. But for those who do, the rewards are beyond measure, and the beauty of their technique will be remembered for generations to come."

"This… This is fluidity." Eric whispered under his breath, as he seemingly teleported behind the Fenrir, after a couple of seconds the Fenrir's head was severed clean off.

"It's still not perfect." He said as he wiped the blood off his blade.

As he was doing this, two more Fenrir leapt to him as they stretched their jaws, drool being carried by the wind.

Eric again, stood still. As they came face to face, feeling their heavy and hot breath, looking as if it was over, only then did he duck down and once again decapitate the Berserker. However, he didn't stop there. Following his forward movement, he stepped forward and brought his sword down once again to end the life of the second beast.

"WOAH!" Shouted Colt who was observing from afar.

"Great job. You might even be stronger than Alex."

"What did you say!?"

Eric looked at this as he perked up his glasses and tucked his shirt back in, giving them a slight chuckle.

"You know what, I'm going for the big guy!" Shouted Alex as he sprinted toward the Fenrir leader.

As he jabbed his staff at the beast, it ducked down, the beast being faster than Alex had thought. The Berserker bit into Alex's abdomen as it tackled him to the ground.

As the leader prepared to tear away at Alex's flesh, it felt a gust of air behind it. As it was ready to attack whoever was sneaking up on it, it turned around to be met with what was a supposed dragon.

As it stopped to take a second look, a dagger was stabbed into its eye and driven deep into its skull, killing it in a matter of seconds.

"I'll show you." said the supposed female voice, coming from the dragon head which had the body of a human. The head of the dragon began to disappear as a familiar female with blond hair emerged with an annoyed face.

"'Better luck next time'? Who does he think he is?" She rambled on as she cleaned the blood off her dagger.

"Umm, thanks?" Said bleeding Alex who was confused.

"Oh. When did you get here? And why are you on the floor?" She asked with a confused face.

Suddenly a Fenrir leapt at the distracted Sophie.

A root emerged from the ground, smashing the Fenrir into the ground, crushing it and killing it instantly.

"Be careful guys," Stacy said as she ran over to them.

"What an idiot. He nearly died." Said Colt.

Lia could be seen engaging in a fierce battle with a Fenrir. The Fenrir bled heavily as there were multiple puncture wounds on it.

"Just die, would ya." Said Lia as she breathed heavily.

She leapt at the Fenrir and finally dug her rapier into the beast's skull, killing it. She slouched on the ground as she was deep in thought.

"Somethings missing." She said

Being distracted, she didn't notice the two Fenrir sneaking toward her. They leapt at their prey and as they did, one slammed into a shield and was crushed under a thick forceful boot while the other caught an arrow in the eye.

Ester and Aaron had noticed the last two Fenrir and saved her life.

They had completely wiped out the army of wolves without getting injured. Well except for Alex, but he could heal himself.

They couldn't help but think about the past, and how one of these creatures had killed many of their comrades. If only they had been this strong then, maybe they would all still be alive today.

"Everyone collect your spoils and let's go. We don't have all day." Mirage said as he jumped down from a tree.

They couldn't help but tilt their heads. What spoils? Only then did some of them notice a bright glow above the dead Fenrir's bodies.