I rose to my feet against my own will.
I was no longer in control.
But Asol also was not in control.
The two of us fighting from the inside caused my body to go out of control.
It didn't know who or what to follow, so it did whatever its instincts told it to.
It was nothing but a beast.
The beast rose to his feet, and managed to muster these words:
"You shouldn't turn your back on an opponent."
That was something I always wanted to say.
It just felt so cool.
However, it would have felt a lot better if I was the one saying it.
"The fool wants to die? Then finish him, wolf."
The child said.
The wolf turned around and charged at me.
"What a foolish human, I gave you a chance to escape, but instead you wish to charge headlong into death."
She said again.
*SLAM*
The wolf slammed into her throne, which was right in front of her.
She couldn't believe the beast was capable of such force.
She turned to face the beast, but she didn't expect him to be floating fifty feet above the ground right in front of her face.
He was surrounded by red energy.
It was like a giant sphere that could grow to be as big as a building.
As she looked at the beast's fully red eyes and the rising moon behind him, a memory came to mind.
But while that was happening, Asol charged at me.
I tried to do what I did last time.
I imagined myself with a flaming sword and green armor, but nothing happened.
"DO YOU REALLY THINK I'D BE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO LET YOU DO THAT AGAIN?! I'VE MADE SURE THAT YOU CANNOT USE YOUR IMAGINATION TO CALL FORTH ANY KIND OF POWER! FOR THIS BATTLE, YOU ARE NOTHING BUT A NORMAL HUMAN, AND THAT IS WHY YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!"
He's fast.
He was upon me in a mere moment.
He kicked me in the stomach and I flew back maybe 500 feet.
How much is that in meters?
I don't know I don't have a calculator on me.
Nor do I have time for that.
I'm kind of in the middle of something right now.
The blow was so powerful that it knocked the wind out of me.
I began to cough and almost threw up.
I was barely able to calm my breathing down.
I managed to get back up, but at that point, he was on me again.
He punched me in the face, and I was knocked back even further than last time.
How much is that in meters?
I don't care.
This time, I definitely had at least a major concussion, maybe permanent brain damage.
How am I supposed to fight this thing?
And as Asol beat me down more and more, he gained more control over my body, which the child had knocked backward.
As she gazed into his eyes, she recalled a moment that she truly wished never to remember.
It was a dark night, and she was small and alone.
She dug a small hole to hide in, but even then she was not satisfied.
Her fear grew stronger as the night went on.
It was like this every night for her.
She had no clue what might attack her at night, and she was scared to death just to think about it.
That night, a man stared down at her as she cowered in her hole.
It was dark, so she couldn't see his face.
All she could see were his bright red eyes, which illuminated the darkness a bit.
"What's wrong, little one?"
He asked her.
She was hesitant to respond, but eventually managed the words:
"I'm scared of the dark."
The man laughed.
"What's there to be scared of?"
"Monsters."
"Ah yes, monsters are quite terrifying, but there are no more monsters around here, I have made sure of that."
"But how did you get rid of them? Are you not scared of them too?"
"Oh no, I am as scared as you are, but if I just stay scared then who's going to stop the monsters? You have to overcome your fear and fight the monsters that plague you, that is how you become strong."
"Strong?"
"Yes, you can be strong too, how about you come with me, I can teach you how to be strong."
"You will?"
"Yes, and I will protect you while I do."
"You promise?"
"What, you don't trust me?"
"The last time I trusted someone, they ended up abandoning me when the monsters came."
"That's horrible. Beings like that are worse than monsters. They deserve to be exterminated just like the monsters. No one deserves to go through what you did."
"What do you mean, mister?"
"Don't worry about it. Now, come along, I promise that I will protect you."
"Okay."
And like that, they began to walk away from her hole.
"Tell me, little girl, do you have a name?"
"A name?"
"Yes, it's what people call you. My name is Asol, what's yours?"
"I don't have one."
"You don't? In that case, how about I call you Lina?"
"Ok."
"Alright then, let's be good friends, Lina."
Those eyes.
The child thought.
They're just like his.
But it can't be.
He's dead.
He has been for many millennia.
It's impossible for him to be alive.
It's a good thing he isn't.
Who knows what that evil bastard would do now?
"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME, BOY!"
He came again, and I couldn't even stand before he kicked me into the air.
I went higher than the tallest building in the world.
And I'm just a moment, he appeared behind me and axe kicked me into the ground.
"SEE, BOY, YOU WILL DIE FIGHTING AGAINST ME, SO GIVE UP AND LET ME RAKE CONTROL!"
I was barely able to form a cognitive thought, but I was able to push myself up onto my knees.
"Fuck you."
I said to him.
"HAVE IT YOUR WAY!"
Outside, the beast was tearing everything up.
The wolf had recovered from the attack that sent him flying back and prepared for another assault, but he realized that he couldn't win with a frontal assault.
"My Lady, what should we do?"
But the child didn't respond.
It was as if she was paralyzed.
"Damn it."
The wolf said as he used all of the energy he could muster with his next attack.
Meanwhile, Asol was prepared to finish things, in both fights.
Kill the wolf, and knock the boy out at the same time.
Those were Fate's instructions.
She also said that there is no chance that I could win.
There was not a single possible fate wherein I defeated Asol.
Asol was prepared, but it was hard for him to attack me and the wolf together at once, so when the wolf attempted to pounce, Fate made red string explode from my right hand.
The blessing she gave me finally came into use.
She had planned this from the very start.
The red string wrapped the wolf in bondage and rendered him powerless.
The butterfly and plant did not interfere as they were not meant to be a part of this test.
The child still stood paralyzed.
THANKS FOR THE ASSIST, FATE!
Asol thought.
"This is it."
Fate said as she watched from a safe distance.
"All of my careful planning for the past 1,000,000,000 years has finally come to fruition. Yuhven shall lose, just like that, and Asol shall reign supreme. This is the only possible fate I see at this moment. IT IS OVER FOR ALL OF YOU! LORD ASOL IS NOW IN CONTROL!"
The red strings pulled the wolf in closer to the beast, and the beast drew his fist back to prepare for a full-power attack.
He channeled all of his energy into his right hand.
The red energy was so immense that it raised up to the sky.
It turned the moon that was rising behind it blood red.
"Two-thousand years ago, I delivered a prophecy,"
Fate said.
"I said that the war between light and dark would end in the human year 2020, however, this prophecy had two different parts. It foretold that the man, who would put an end to the war, would appear thirteen years earlier in the human year 2007 and cause the moon to turn blood red. The savior of this universe is you, My Lord. FINISH THIS!"
"IT'S OVER!"
Asol screamed as he charged at me.
I couldn't do anything.
I was nearly unconscious, but I had a plan.
THIS IS IT!
Asol thought.
IT IS TIME THAT I STRIKE THEM BOTH DOWN AND BEGIN MY CONQUEST!
…
And just like that, it was over.
The beast's fist hit the wolf in the center of his head, and Asol attacked me.
But…
The red energy surrounding the beast's hand left the moment the fist made contact with the wolf's head.
And Asol…
Missed.
Or more precisely, I dodged.
And now, I held him at my beck and call with my hand on how throat.
I was in control.
I won.
"IMPOSSIBLE!"
Asol said.
"NO MERE HUMAN HAS EVER BEATEN ME AT 10%!"
"Then maybe I'm not just a mere human."
I took full control of my body, and my consciousness was transported back into my body.
"THIS CANNOT BE!"
Fate screamed.
"THE RED STRINGS DID NOT SHOW ME SUCH A POSSIBILITY! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! A MERE HUMAN CANNOT DEFY FATE ITSELF! WE ARE ALL BOUND BY THE STRINGS OF FATE, EVEN ME! WHATEVER I SEE HAS A CHANCE OF HAPPENING, BUT I DID NOT SEE SUCH AN ENDING TO THIS STORY! JUST WHAT IS THAT BOY?!"
When I felt the wolf's fur on my fist, I smirked.
"I…won."
I said as I collapsed to the floor.