Mood swings

"She was always with me. She cared for me and raised me in those dens of lions but I..." William took a huge breath. His voice was too soft and broken. He pulled his hair with both his hands but no tears flowed from his eyes even if his eyes were watery. His nose was blocked because of agony and frustration. His mouth gasped for air. Lin Cian hasn't seen him this way in all his days with William. Lin Cian couldn't help him so he just watched him lamenting and spouting nonsense. Lin Cian moved near him and put his hands over William's back. When William sensed Lin Cian's presence he felt relaxed. He felt that someone is with him. He felt that he was not alone. He felt that he harbor a way to repent. The pulling hands just relaxed their force from his hair but were unmoved. It covered his head and he bowed down as his elbows rested on his thighs. His breath became stable and Adam's apple on his throat slightly went up and down like vibration to indicate that his body functions were normal. The noise of him inhaling and exhaling can be heard by the person near him. William realized that the voice ringing inside his head was no more active and the vivid images he saw of him yelling at his mother were not to be seen anymore. His tears started to drip out from his lower eyelids as if they were stored in his eyebags for a long period of time. His body became very relaxed. But he didn't exhibit that he was also very tired. He raised his head and took a long breath and put out a smile on his face and turned towards Lin Cian who was just sitting near him and smiling at him without a word or breath.

Lin Cian was a very calm and collected person. As a person who was exposed to bullying, he had a very strong emotional intelligence as well as a good psychological perception. He also developed himself into a person who can easily see through people's minds and analyze the situation. Whenever he met a person he used to carefully listen to whatever they speak despite his actions. He knew William for more than a year. He knew that the words of motivation will be useless for the time being because the situation William was going through was not something that can be coped with by discoursing simple motivating words. Lin Cian didn't let a word but he made William feel that he was not alone.

As soon as Lin Cian saw William recover for the time being he started to taunt and ask for a fight. Suddenly William's interest was piqued up and his mood started to drift. He jumped up and put himself on his shoes and extended his right hand. "Sharp Tail," he said, and immediately a ray of light formed in his hand in the shape of a pole and condensed into a spear. He held the spear like a person would wield a one-handed sword. He held the spear in the middle of its shaft while the other end of the spear was behind his back. He extended his left hand towards Lin Cian and gestured for him to charge.

Lin Cian who saw that his idea worked out just as he thought showed a sign of a smile on his face. A simple smile covered his entire scheme. He turned left and right in a rigid way as it made a snapping sound. Then he inhaled and exhaled as someone would do a breathing exercise. Then he made a yawn like a lazy person who doesn't want to fight. He then looked at William from the corner of his eyes. He was holding the spear and standing in front of Lin Cian unmoved and not irritated by his act. He still waits patiently for Lin Cian as a tiger would wait for its prey.

Lin Cian conformed that William is focused and collected. He let a grin from ear to ear fastened on his face. He decided to step in. He extended his hands and a cold yet sharp voice with a crystal clear tone followed.

"Sabretooth"

A dagger appeared in his hand in the reverse grip position. He stepped in front with his right foot and placed the right arm with the dagger in front of him. Immediately he pounced on William who was waiting for the right moment as he was waiting for his prey to move. Usually, the attacks made with a spear were stronger than a sword because of the increase in length. The physics behind it was really simple. The longer handle or the shaft lets the spearhead acquire force while swinging. So Lin Cian could only dodge but cannot block or fight head-on. Even if someone gets into close combat with a spear holder he would not be surprised to see the spearman having the upper hand. The spear is a superior weapon that can be used as a primary weapon, ranged weapon, or secondary weapon. The art of spearmanship is easy to learn but was hard to master.

Before when Lin Cian was sparring with William he would pounce over William and point his dagger at William's loopholes but this time it isn't that simple. The experience of picking a fight with dire wolves and a vampire improved William through leaps and bounds. Lin Cian felt hard to deal with William because his response time was reduced drastically. Not to mention that 'sharp tail' was made by the master Bladesmith. Lin Cian struggled to keep up his pace with William. He had to go his all-out in order to just dodge because William's attacks were quick and fierce.

Lin Cian was fully suppressed and couldn't do anything but flip and flop to escape the attacks. Even if Lin Cian went all out he could barely dodge his attacks not to mention counter William's attacks. When he was sparring with William he had time just enough to say a word

"fast"

William didn't exaggerate himself but kept on his speed. When Lin Cian pounced on William he had to encounter countless thrusts. When Lin Cian went defensive he would face swings, cuts, slashes, and sweeps. Lin Cian could see that not only his speed was improved but his technique. Lin Cian had no time to get shocked by seeing improvement in William because of the pressure applied to him. Lin Cian could see that the sharp tail looked like it was an extension of William.

The speed William harnessed was not something Lin Cian was used to. William was not standing on a place and swinging the spear but instead, he pounced on Lin Cian with thrusts to which Lin Cian responded with dodge backward. The thrusts were very quick and were focused on one point after another as if it was without perception so Lin Cian didn't have an option to dodge sideways or had a chance to counter him. When Lin Cian was faced with a sweep at a point Lin Cian did a jump and rolled in midair. He dodges back because any delay in time could lead him to get cornered by William. Before he could finish interpreting his thoughts Lin Cian faced countless thrusts that forced him to retreat.

However, Lin Cian's reflex is not bad to just retreat. Upon the mask of retreating Lin Cian dodged and stomped on the ground and pounced on William knowing that William wasn't prepared for that. William was also surprised by the sudden action of Lin Cian but he didn't even have a second to waste. His eyes widened from the shock but his reflex is faster than Lin Cian after all. He dodged sideways and he ought to strike him with an upper slash but at that moment something struck his mind. William retreated his spear and rotated it behind his back. That was the moment a sound was heard caused by the clashing of the dagger on the shaft behind him.

Lin Cian rolled and stood up without any delay. He was breathing hard. That his focus was completely on William. His blue-colored pupils were fixed on William. This time he was not holding his dagger in Infront of him. His dagger was disappeared for some reason. William smiled and looked at him and once again altered his stance. He held his spear in the sword position. While Lin Cian was looking at him William's eyes also stared at Lin Cian. His breath was rapid which was the result of the quick maneuver. His mouth was open in an 'o' shape. And the air was inhaled and exhaled desperately. He was still on his guard because the experience he had a second ago still left him amused.

When he saw Lin Cian exposing his loophole, William realized that Lin Cian could easily avoid it. But suddenly it strikes Lin Cian's ability to make a body double or Doppelganger. Upon realizing William felt that he had no time to delay. He didn't have time to turn his body because William was aware of Lin Cian's speed. So he had no choice but to rotate the spear behind his back blindly to avoid the strike from behind.

Little did he know that the one who exposed himself to William with loopholes was the original one. When he saw that William's neck was exposed he throw his dagger at it. The thrown blade missed William's neck by a few millimeters not even leaving a scratch. William was shocked to know that Lin Cian exploited him using what William know about Lin Cian. William knew that Lin Cian had the ability to create a body double but Lin Cian usually use the skill to deceive the opponent and attack him in the rear. William believed that Lin Cian was stuck himself to that strategy. So Lin Cian reversed the strategy to exploit William.