Source Origin(28)

The man cloaked under the grimacing mask portraying a face of suffering was now truly suffering, still stumbling back, something amiss with the impact Cades had managed to enforce upon him due to the sheer damage he had caused, something that had a reason, though he didn't realize it yet, and readied himself, preparing for the next step, a feeling of both anxiety, anticipation and a slight surge of dread coming up deep within his heart and soul, his gut feeling that something bad was about to happen, a feeling omnipresent during most fights as Cades had managed to figure out by now, realizing that the feeling was just warning him of danger, something that was quite obviously there during most fights.

Yet, despite his bad feeling that was hindering Cades judgement for some reason, perhaps another one of the magical spells and skills of his opponent as he now realized as the cloaked man was now starting to mumble something that he couldn't entirely hear, he knew that he would not allow the man, desperately fighting, and as such Cades took his next turn.

He knew that he shouldn't kick the man again because that would allow him to regain some more magic and force to fight back one more due to the small distance they would be catapulted, he knew that if he punched him then the man could retaliate using another one of the thick pillars to hurl it into his body, perhaps even turning the entire situation around, he knew that he shouldn't slice right now, no, rather than that, he knew that the sword would be retaliated against, not because of the situation of the fight, but perhaps because of the intention oozing out from the wound, something he was much less adapt at interpreting as the other him, but still something he would understand to a certain degree as a transcribe, and as such he did perhaps the only thing, the thing he believed would be the best decision right now, not realizing that he was wrong.

In hindsight Cades didn't know why he did it, he didn't know why he listened to the intent and didn't just decapitate the struggling man who still had a faint stream of blood come out from his mouth, or whatever openings he had under the mask, he didn't know why he thought grabbing the man was a good idea, no, it was quite the bad one, but still, he did it.

Cades lunched at the man capable of creating daggers and held him in place, not even entirely knowing what he had intended to do but quickly realizing what he had done wrong, struggling to try and grab at his own dagger, quietly situated on the left side of his hip and easily in reach for either hand ,though Cades chose the left one, or at least he had intended to use his left hand to quickly stab the side of the man's head, before the man managed to retaliate.

However, before he could do so, the man moved his own hand, still weaker than before, the man moved his left hand, just as Cades had intended to do, barely leaving him time to realize that there was a dagger, about five inched long, quite short for one, perhaps because of the man's current state, transparent, blackish and sleek, about to stab into Cades right shoulder, perhaps the only bit of a lucky coincidence as he was about to use his very own left arm, just as the man had done, to stab into the man's own head, something Cades was confused by because the man didn't try to stab his head, but he could probably assumed that to be because of the man's confused state, something that was quite out of proportion after his attack.

Nevertheless, Cades felt his right hand give up, the light sword he had been using for a long time falling out of it, the pain ironically enough not even appearing despite him having been stabbed quite deep, the other ide of the blade slightly visible but covered by the skin, his very bone having been missed, barely, but still having been scratched from what he could tell right now, yet, Cades still was confused, his mind struggling to comprehend what just happened.

When one fought often then there should be a natural resistance to pain, but Cades had rarely gotten hurt in a real fight, he had only been crushed, sliced, destroyed, or maltreated, but barely inside of a real fight, and as such he was confused, even more so since this was the first time this Cades had been hurt, this Cade that had been born of the trash of the mind, this bloodied diamond born of pressure and pain had never truly experienced pain himself.

But perhaps because of that he reacted quickly, understanding what happened, understanding that it wouldn't be long until the man pulled out the blade and stabbed him once more, understanding the danger he was in as long as this man was alive, understanding that the healing active would soon activate, knowing that the healing active took some time to be activated, knowing that it never truly reacted when one wished it would, something the other him had never fully understood, believing that his own incompetence was at fault.

His mind wasn't entirely there, he didn't even entirely realize what he was doing now, his very own intent leading his actions, the intent he had been wearing before, obviously visible to the confused man in the mask, he didn't realize it but he picked up his own dagger, taking it out of the scabbard and quickly stabbing it into the side of the man's head, just as he had done once before, finally defeating the first opponent he would have to face in this place, the first of what he understood to be at least four people.

Then, finally realizing he was fine and barely glimpsing at the sky in front of him where an old man in a tuxedo was hovering, he fell over, his shoulder losing an uncharacteristically great amount of blood, perhaps another try of the masked fiend to defeat him more easily.