Wyvern

Now it's obvious that a dragon would have fast reflexes, but I didn't expect this fast.

As soon as we charged forward, the wyvern immediately snapped its head towards us. It opened its mouth and blasted a stream of lightning.

DOOM!

"Shit, dodge!"

I jumped to the side and so did the others.

HOOO!

The wyvern's attack flew past us and struck the trees, causing an enormous explosion.

BOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

After the smoke cleared, all that was left was a giant crater.

I felt a lump in my throat. It didn't even need to charge up and that's what it made?

I turned and the wyvern uttered a sound that sounded like a cackle. Th-this thing is mocking us, isn't it?

"Bastard."

I quickly transformed; my hands, my legs, my wings, my tail, they were all out. For this, I'll be going all out. It's best not to underestimate this thing since it just blew a fucking crater with one attack.

I charged forward, drawing my Katana out and attempted a forward thrust.

However, the wyvern quickly reacted and right when I was about to stab it, it suddenly vanished.

"Wha-?"

"Behind you!"

Ordos yelled and I looked over my shoulder. There it was, glaring at me with its cyan slit eyes.

WHAM!

It quickly swung its arm, whacking me into the ground.

Crack!

The sound of my bones in my left arm could be heard breaking. I tumbled across the ground and was stopped by a tree.

Even with spirito activated, this thing just shattered the bones in my entire left arm.

I lifted myself up and glanced up. Ordos met the same fate as me as he was also smacked away. He landed in the leaves of the trees.

Aurelia activated her spirito, bright shining wings and tails. The surrounding air began to lighten up and her aura became visible.

Whoosh!

She was fast, really fast, probably faster than light itself.

She appeared in front of the wyvern. The wyvern quickly swatted its wings to hit Aurelia but then she vanished. It was quiet except for the sound of rain. But a second later, countless holes appeared in the wyvern's left wings.

The wyvern cried, letting out a high-pitched roar.

Boom!

Lightning struck the ground around the wyvern and it coiled up. A dome made of lightning energy surrounded the wyvern and I could see the holes in its wings slowly closing up.

Shine!

Mia appears next to me and begins healing my left arm.

"Now now, we can't lose you so easily now, do we?"

Mia gave me a smile and then got up.

Crackle!

FLASH!

A bright light came from the direction of the wyvern. Aurelia slid towards us as she was blown away from the force that the light created.

Catch!

I managed to catch her before she crashed into me.

We managed to make eye contact. But then a feeling inside me made me look away.

"Y-you alright?"

"Yeah…"

The light began to die down. However, the wyvern was basically now a living sun. It was glowing brightly. It was like I was staring at a bright blue LED light. The light it radiated was so bright that the whole area was lit.

This is bad. If it keeps on going, I won't be able to use my shadow magic. It needs to be dark for me to use shadow magic. Actually, any dark places can do. Even the shadow behind this tree can do.

I ran behind the tree and took out as many shadow knives as I can carry. I also summoned my doppelganger. Even though my doppelganger is a shadow, it won't be affected by the light though it loses its regenerative ability so one hit and it's gone.

As I was busy, Aurelia thrusted herself towards the wyvern and engaged in a magic duel. The wyvern launched lightning at her and she summoned walls made out of stone. So she has access to earth magic huh?

Not only that but then she made some movements and water began to circle around her. Then out of the end of her rapier came out a stream of water. However, the wyvern managed to block it using its wings.

Mia began to chant and in front of her, countless magic formations appeared. Fire, water, earth, wind, lightning, light, darkness, she had access to every element.

If I recall, it's extremely rare for one to be born with access to all elements, and she's one of them.

VN---NN~!

Suddenly, all the formations that Mia cast fused, creating a large, rainbow magic formation.

"Let's see if this lizard can take on an attack sent from the elemental god himself!"

Suddenly, multiple beams of concentrated energy blasted out of formation and darted towards the wyvern.

B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-B-BOOM!!!!!

The wyvern received the attack directly.

"GAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

The wyvern screamed the moment the beams attacked it. Could that have taken it out?

Later, the wyvern stood there with holes all over its body.

That surely should've gotten it.

But it didn't. The moment it was free of any attacks, it began to heal. The holes closed up and the wyvern cackled as if nothing happened.

No way… it's like my shadow magic. As long as there is lightning, it can heal any part of its body.

ZOOM!

It appeared behind Mia and whipped her with its tail, sending Mia flying away. She was later eventually caught by Aurelia.

Me and my doppelganger flew up into the air and started raining shadow knives all over the wyvern. Likes previously, the wyvern noticed and deflected every knife using its wings. Then it shot a stream of lightning towards me.

I managed to dodge but my doppelganger was not so lucky. I interpreted the wyvern aimed at me, but it was actually aimed at the sky.

Crackle!

Zap!

Suddenly, I felt something missing from my back and when I turned, one of my wings were torn off by a bolt of lightning.

"Ack!"

I bit my tongue so I wouldn't scream but the pain was unbearable. It was like getting your arm ripped off by a crocodile.

With one wing, I immediately lost control and pummeled towards the ground.

Crash!

I managed to break my fall with a soaring fist. However, I won't be able to regenerate a torn wing without my shadow magic.

Crackle-crackle!

I jerked my head and looked at Aurelia who was fighting the wyvern. She was evading all the attacks that were sent towards her.

However, it looked like she was about to reach her limit. Evading continuously would take a lot of stamina, and I could see some sloppiness in her movements.

Zap-zap-zap!

The wyvern's attacks were fast. Even with enhanced vision, I was unable to keep up with most of it. I don't think Aurelia will be able to dodge anymore.

Trip!

Aurelia messed up and fell onto the ground. That's when the wyvern saw its chance and suddenly its wings looked brighter than usual. It glinted and my heart almost stopped. It just made its wings metal!

I immediately got up and despite me missing one wing, I flew forward and managed to balance myself while heading straight for Aurelia.

Shiiiiiiiing!

The wyvern lifted its metal wing and thrusted it towards Aurelia.

Luckily, I managed to snatch Aurelia away before the wyvern got her. We tumbled down a small hill and stopped by a log.

Aurelia managed to get out with just a sprained ankle, but I on the other hand was not so lucky.

An excruciating pain came from my back. I looked over and saw my wings scattered across the field.

The wyvern had managed to cut my wings off. Not only that, but it had also left a large cut on my back.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!"

I screamed in pain. I tried to look for any shadows to perform shadow mending, but the wyvern was giving off too much light. Even behind the log, not one bit of it was dark.

The wyvern turned its attention towards us and began cackling as it slowly approached us. This is bad, Aurelia can't move right now so she's vulnerable. I'll have to divert the wyvern's attention on me.

I got up and ran to the right while launching a barrage of [Scarlet Bullets]. The wyvern blocked it with its metal wings and now it was glaring at me.

I prepared myself to dodge whatever comes at me next but instead the wyvern appeared directly in front of me and swept its wings upward.

Slice!

…

Huh? What… happened?

It used its metal wings and struck me across the chest but I didn't feel anything. That was until I looked down to see three large gashes across my chest.

My head also began bleeding and I realized that it had left a large cut on my face too.

I fell down onto my knees and landed on the ground.

I didn't have to energy to scream because I couldn't breathe. The wyvern had managed to damage my lungs with just a single move like that.

I heard screams, probably from the others, and also a cackle.

Guess I failed… this bracelet will send me to the camp very soon and I'll get treatment there, that is if I make it. Who knows, I might die of blood lost before I even get transported. That fight with Marth, well, it'll never happen now.

This sucks…

"How… disgraceful."

A male voice said. Somehow, this voice sounded a bit familiar to me. It wasn't Marth, wasn't Ordos, wasn't anyone from this world.

Suddenly, I appeared standing in an empty room. There was absolutely nothing in this dark room. Not even a door.

Is this a dream? I probably passed out and just dreaming right now.

"Please… let me out…"

A voice came from the corner and sitting there was a small boy.

"It's dark… please…"

I couldn't see the boy's face as he was huddled in the corner with his face in his knees. Who is this boy?

"Hello?"

I said but the boy didn't seem to listen, he just kept crying.

"Uncle… please let me out… it's dark… I'm scared…"

Uncle? Who's uncle would do something like this to a child?

"Disgraceful… you think you can call yourself an assassin after what you did?"

The earlier voice echoed through the room, but there was no other man in the room except me and this boy. This voice, it seems familiar to my teacher.

"Mana died… because you were foolish enough to try and help her. Didn't my training teach you anything? You should always solely work by yourself and only yourself. If you are working with another, leave them be, especially if it was Mana…"

Mana… that name seems familiar to me. I don't know who though, my memories about other people from before I was 15 seems to be a little blurry.

"But Uncle I-"

"It doesn't matter."

The Uncle began coughing. It sounded like a sickly cough, like the Uncle was nearing his death.

"I don't have much time left, it's time I force the doctrine onto you."

Doctrine?

"The reaper-"

Oh, what is this man talking about? Reaper? What is this, 8th grade?

"-demands these emotions be taken away."

Emotions?

"Happiness, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, Shock, Guilt, and Fear."

What is this man on about?

"Those feelings shall be purged and cast aside into the vacant garden that the progenitor has perished on."

Suddenly, I heard a weird sound coming from the direction of the boy. I turned and the boy was beginning to twitch. His veins were becoming visible and they were bulging.

"A-are you ok?"

I asked the boy but again he couldn't hear me.

What is wrong with this kid?

"Has it started?"

Another voice spoke. It wasn't of the Uncle but of someone else.

"Indeed, it has."

That's when the boy began exhaled. The way he breathed was strange. Like he was being possessed.

That's when I realized I was also breathing the same way.

"Purge all thoughts. Eliminate all feelings. Embrace the reaper's blood. Empty your soul for the slaughter. Your heart belongs to the puppet master that the reaper controls."

There was a sudden pain in my heart and my legs suddenly felt weak. My vision started to blur and my hearing muffled.

W-what is happening to me?

"Destroy the last fragment of light and embrace the darkness."

I looked over at the boy and everything was now clear. This boy was no ordinary boy, this boy was…

Me… five years ago before I was brainwashed…

By my Uncle…

The boy's hair was starting to be submerged in white. The veins around his eyes were bulging and they were black. Then the boy opened his eyes. It was not human. Black sclera and a violet iris with a slit pupil that was as dark as the abyss.

Then the boy turned towards me. Then he was submerged in darkness and then in his place was... me, probably six or seven years old. I suddenly felt fear, something I haven't felt in a long time.

"Accept the darkness."

The boy said as he approached me. The violet glowing eyes slowly came closer and a feeling inside me told me not to.

"N-no! Get away from me!"

"You have no choice, accept it."

"Why should I?"

"No one loves you. Rejection fills your heart."

With those words, I suddenly felt another feeling. Sadness. Tears slowly came down my cheeks.

"N-never..."

I backed up onto the wall and something fell onto my head.

Shatter!

A mirror fell onto the ground and the pieces of glass scattered across the floor. I looked into one of them and saw my reflection.

My hair, the white bang that I have was slowly turning the rest of my hair white. My sclera was slowly darkening and my pupil looked like it just split open. Out came what looked like purple smoke, which completely clouded my iris.

No… this can't be me… I refuse to accept it!

"You wander around the empty abyss to claim nothing. You will never receive love and never will. Not from anyone, not even... yourself. You cannot move any further. These feelings limit you."

He would get closer and closer.

"You need to get rid of that feeling. That fear of yours to not be loved. Accept the reaper's gift."

He held out his hand.

"Purge that fear of yours. You will only live for yourself, and yourself only."

His words were like that of a devil, guiding you down the path of sin and sink you into darkness.

"G...get away from me..."

However, he was correct. Love... I never received... Instead, I got rejection. I worried about other people's wellbeing, but all I got was pain. That's how Mana, my cousin, died.

If I only live for myself... then I won't be able to hurt others anymore. All I have to worry about...is me...

I reached my hand out and connected with the boy. It was cold...

The boy smiled and then whispered.

"Katharsis."

And then everything became dark and the only thing left in my mind…

…was Bloodlust.

.

.

.