A confusing battle

Rage distorted Lyden's normally indifferent face, which then transitioned into that of shock. He withdrew his longsword, pointed the tip at Tal. For a blade so heavy, he wielded it as though it was made of paper. "Just who are you, stranger?"

His voice was calm and low, more intrigued than cautious. From behind him, Lyden's shadow horse neighed and stood on its hind legs as though it had sensed its master's alarm. And rightfully so.

Meanwhile, some of the shadows were slowly beginning to curl up to Tal's legs, little ones he relinquished from the other dragonsouls. It was all he could gather, but it was enough. This would aid with his speed and agility, at least.

"You would not believe me if I told you," Tal said, and in a blur he moved from his spot to a mere centimeter in front of Lyden. Black claws grew from his hands, scales surfacing from the tips of his fingers to his wrist. His claws glinted underneath the setting sun as he raised them and aimed at Lyden's neck.

The captain of the dragonsouls went wide-eyed, barely blocking the attack with his sword. Sparks flew as Tal's claws slid against the metal of his longsword, Lyden's feet dragging backwards as he received the blow.

Despite the surprise still clear in his eyes, Lyden recovered quickly and struck with his weapon. Tal evaded, lithe and featherlike and not a dark hair out of place. The captain kept coming at him, but none of his attacks worked on Tal.

Lyden attempted to infuse more and more shadow energy into his blade, but most of them ended up missing his target. Around them, whispers began among the ranks of his subordinates.

"It can't be. The legendary captain of the Silverknights… is having a hard time beating a teenager?"

"But he's supposed to be the best dragonsoul in the kingdom! Every one of those dragonbearers are scared of him!"

"All of you shut up! Captain is just holding back on that kid."

"Y-yes, that's right."

Hearing this, Lyden's jaw clenched. Tal thought that he might be a man who gave importance to people's perception of him. It made him chuckle, seeing as how the captain was getting riled up. Seeing the amused expression on Tal, he appeared further infuriated.

Lyden straightened his shoulders and lodged the point of his longsword to the ground. From his weapon, thin tendrils of shadow branched out, shooting toward Tal. He tried to step away, avoiding the whipping shadows, but they got to him and managed to hold him in place.

Tal smirked. "Hey, that's cheating."

Lyden appeared relieved, masking it with a cool façade. He walked to Tal. "I'm done playing with you."

"Too bad." Tal fisted his hands, and the shadows that bound him tore into pieces. "I'm only getting started."

Dragon talons replaced his human feet, and with scaled haunches he rose taller than the captain. Tal leapt, razor-sharp claws diving into Lyden at unbelievable speed. The captain was gawking, realizing and lifting his longsword a minute too late.

Lyden's body flew from the sheer force of it, his subordinates scampering out of the way as he hit his back onto a tree. He rolled and rose fast, never letting go of his weapon. But Talon was onto him again, this time hitting his side. Blood spattered on the ground, but the wound was shallow so the captain didn't fall. Another kick from Tal, and another, and another—but Lyden stood firm.

Tal clicked his tongue, his movements were beginning to take a toll on him.

Lyden was too sharp. "Getting tired? My turn."

He rolled his neck, held his longsword with both hands, something he hadn't done since the battle began. Fiery shadows ignited from his blade, forcing Tal to think of a way to evade that attack. But just as he tried to move, his entire body throbbed.

Tal's knee gave in, every part of him getting too heavy. It was too difficult to move! He had to admit that he had overdone it, and he had gotten too cocky. He should have preserved his stamina and fought smarter. But he hadn't had a fun fight like this in a very long while, so he couldn't blame himself.

Lyden's blow came, and Tal had to gather all his remaining energy into his torso, where hard scales grew and protected his flesh from the sharp edge of the blade. Though it didn't cut, he was still thrown back to a nearby wall, his head getting most of the brunt.

His vision was beginning to blur, and this wasn't just because he had hit his head.

Tal could hear the crunch of Lyden's footsteps coming forward. "You wield the body parts of the dragons. You must be a dragonbearer, and we all know dragonbearers should not exist in this world."

Tal didn't know what the hell a dragonbearer was, but he figured that Lyden was misunderstanding it. He tried to speak, but everything in him was in pain. "I-I'm not…"

"What did you say?" Lyden's voice was closer now. "No matter, you will die here. This is your punishment for hurting the princess. May the Mother judge you righteously."

Tal felt the swing of his longsword, the wind slashing against his cheeks and ruffling his hair. He waited for a blow that didn't come. The last thing he saw as he dipped into unconsciousness was a searing light, coming from a barrier held up by slender and delicate hands. Long blonde locks fluttered against the gust, like golden threads weaved by the Mother back home in another world. How nostalgic, it seemed he was really going to die after all. Well, at least he died looking at something beautiful.