A Fake

The wolves had already contained him in their midst. But the ironic thing about it was that Zmey showed no external trepidation. He straightened his back and kept his shoulders at a normal level.Roar! The wolves roared even more to see that someone could look them straight in the eyes without a reversal.Zmey tightened his grip on the sword.The paws of one made a faint scratching noise on the cracked earth, moving towards Zmey. It showed intelligence greater than that of the Elemental Spark Bugs.Nonetheless, Zmey shut his eyes and sighed.He understood that this moment shouldn't burden him with strong emotions. The recruit won't watch him die, so his safety was guaranteed. But for a reason he knew too well, he wanted to give this his all!"..." He sighed again. His eyes fluttered open, and he saw the shadow of the wolf stretch close to him. The other was making his move as well.In the distance, Lys rubbed his chin. He could see the rising tension within the trainee. This made him question this:"Was he always like this in toxic encounters? If he evolved from the recent training, he's fit for the mission beyond the borders then. Same as the other two candidates. Because an important quality of a warrior in this era is to be able to grow with experiences."In the middle, Zmey noticed the beasts were sluggish and too cautious. This contrasted with the burning flame in him. The flame that's slackening his skin over his chest. Something pounded inside him. Something different from his heart. With caution, he picked up a pebble from the ground, unable to keep up with the contrasting situation.He said in his mind, 'No matter how tough your opponent is, they will keep a close watch on whatever you attempt. They will follow your hand movements and even the flow of your breathing...'Zmey, not moving an inch, threw the pebble forward. The sound of it clanging against the hard surface told how lonely this place was.As the pebble rolled to a halt, he caught both silvery entities closing in at faster rates. His brows creased with readiness. Their claws scraped against the floor, producing a harsh sound.'... Their sensitivity to your action makes them a puppet of yours. And they react right away in line with your action! Not because they want to...'Their shadows drew closer. The moment he held the steel sword with both hands, he bent himself a little. He glanced left and right, anticipating the attacks to come before knowing how to react as well. As the wolves' puppet.'... but because they think slacking off will lead them into danger! They think they can stop you by making a move!'Twish!A cloud of dust rose.The wolves roared.'It's now!'The one on his right side lifted its clawed limb, slashing the air at Zmey's side. He glanced both ways in less than a second, realising the other was drifting mid-air.With full force, he lifted himself like the lynx had done in the recent assessment. He was still in the middle but higher above the ground. His weight pulled down, though, obeying gravity. But with every ounce of his numb strength, he threw himself rightwards before falling.His right ribs were the first to face towards the ground as he rolled mid-air. But he knew that even small damages now were bad. So he shifted his weight. His left leg landed. It skidded back. He stabbed the ground with his sword to stabilise himself.He stood ready, body bent and moving like a pendulum, signalling a pump of adrenaline.Pound! Pound!The wolves didn't waste time, and they were already sprinting towards him.In the next second, a tightness gripped Zmey's joints that sent him to his knees.Quack!His sword clattered in front of him...'This is bad!' he thought, clenching his jaw with a hint of pressure. 'I'm paralysed again…'He smelled metal. He sniffed the same scent. This weighed on his instincts. He ran his fingers across his nose. The tips came back smeared with blood. He swallowed.'I'm bleeding. What an exciting fight!'The creatures' shadows loomed over him.For some reason, Zmey's expression shifted back towards his monstrous side. The one that could still put lightness in the face under pressure. He came up with an idea right away.A sharp glint of silver moved before his eyes... his hair turned sideways with a soft breeze...'Don't defend!'Zmey told himself.Slash!Zmey gasped. Thick drops of blood patted the cracked earth, more coming without relent. Five vertical shreds were on the chest of his cloth. He felt such hot, unignorable sensations in his chest that they seemed to be heading for his heart.Yet, he couldn't let himself feel overwhelmed.'You paralysed me and undid it too...!' he thought as he rolled off the spot, evading another limb strike. Pebbles flew in the air. He retrieved his sword and moved back to his feet.His two hands immediately supported the weight of the sword.Zmey panted. Thick blood clotted and glued itself to the side of his face. His breathing came hot, and his saliva moved like glue down his throat.'Show up, Spark!'He said in his mind. But didn't waste a moment to confirm anything before sprinting towards the beasts. The ground shook behind him, as though a humongous entity had just landed.Zmey's eyes burned with flames.'How could I ever afford to be weak again!? How could I ever afford to be vulnerable...?'That moment, he lifted himself from the ground. A bluish set of waves spread across the ground beneath. Spark's sharp-ended limbs stomped behind Zmey.Pounce!Zmey landed atop one of the wolves. A sharp pain shot through his knees. But it was bearable, as he yelled out loud, raising his sword high up... The electric wave Spark release reached, although not enough to shift the weights of the creatures at all...'... They killed my family because I couldn't do anything!'He screamed out loud... The wolf roared...About to penetrate the wolf's back, flames wrapped around the sword mid-air. He drove down...Clang!It clanged against something rigid and strong at the creature's back. Its skin tore open with a small rip. But the steel sword shattered into pieces at the end.Zmey clenched his jaw. Shards danced in the air, but he still held on to whatever remained.Roar!The attacked beast snarled. It stamped the ground with its forelimbs, and a strong force came out of nowhere. It lifted Zmey away from its top and sent his body flying backwards. His abdomen missed Spark's lunging limb, deep in combat, by inches.Crash!His body crashed and rolled back a few times. Nonetheless, he held on to the sword.He coughed. But got back to his feet as if nothing had happened.What remained of his sword was a part a few centimetres long. The handle remained intact.Swoosh!He threw himself forward, the air running in the opposite direction to his. It howled in his ear, and his hair moved in a similar manner as well.'Father was beheaded at the palace with the sword he made... The army also arrested Sis and the rest of the family! I called myself the best young martial artist, but until that day, I did not understand my true self. A fake! One that, not acting on time, couldn't stop his father's head from rolling down the punishment ground's stairs!...'