Deathly Still

Soon, the two combatants slowly circled each other again. 

The only difference this time was that they were without weapons. 

Both were struggling, their gait affected by bone-deep fatigue. 

Alden panted heavily. 

His lethargy clouded his focus, dulling his senses and reaction time. No doubt the Dark Elf was also experiencing the same - based on its weary movements and occasional daze. 

Grinning like a madman, Alden planted his feet on the ground. 

The Dark Elf kept circling him.

He remained calm, closing his good eye. 

Alden inhaled deeply, shifting into a martial stance. So long as he had a drop of mana left in his mana pool, he could still use his mana sense. 

…That was why he was so nonchalant about the Dark Elf circling him, and why he had closed his good eye.