- A Sudden Escape
ishin gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. His body was still weak, but he had no chance of these people catching him.
The soldiers in black armor approached, their weapons gleaming in the moonlight. One of them raised a heavy iron rod and stepped forward.
"Surrender."
ishin laughed out loud.
"Surrender, it's going to be a bit difficult."
The soldier came forward —
BOOM!
Before ishin could move, the soldier was thrown back and crashed into a tree. Dust and leaves were stirred up.
ishin blinked. I didn't even have a hand, how could that be?
A figure appeared in a moment – a tall, gray-haired young man, his leg still raised as if he had just delivered a powerful kick. He gently placed his leg on the ground, cracking the knuckles of his toes.
"You did a good job, we were a little late," he whispered.
Ishin turned to look as another figure advanced – a blonde-haired girl, holding two daggers in each hand, and her green eyes focused sharply.
"Are you okay, why are you looking scared?" she asked, her voice soft but firm.
Before Ishin could answer—
the remaining soldiers attacked.
The gray-haired warrior laughed. "Lyria, let's finish this quickly, I'm hungry now."
---
– The battle begins!
Before Ishin had time to think about what was happening, the battle around him was thrilling.
The gray-haired warrior - keal - moved with lightning speed, his blows swift and cruel.
A soldier swung a sword - keal dodged, grabbing the man's wrist and twisting -
Crack!
The soldier screamed in pain as Keal flipped him over and slammed him to the ground.
Meanwhile, the girl with two swords - Lyria - was a blur of movement.
Two soldiers rushed towards her.
She dodged the first, slashing his leg with one of her daggers -
Shing!
The soldier was terrified.
A quick spin, and her second dagger cut through another soldier's arm, disarming him.
She was fast. Precise. Deadly.
Ishin barely had time to react before another soldier struck him with a spear—
He rolled to the side in time. His body still felt sluggish, but his instincts were working at full speed.
Grabbing a fallen sword, he blocked a blow aimed at him. —
Clang! Sparks flew as steel clashed.
The battle was chaotic, but Ishin felt it - the victory was changing sides.
One by one, the soldiers fell.
Realizing that they were losing, the remaining soldiers hesitated.
Keal laughed. "That was easier than expected, huh?"
The leader of the soldiers shouted at Kopen. "This is not over yet, I will catch up later."
He threw a smoke bomb—
Wait a minute!
Thick smoke covered the battlefield.
By the time it cleared—
The soldiers had fled.
---
- A New Path
ishin coughed and pushed the smoke away. "Just cowards, I wasn't scared for nothing."
Keal walked over and held out a hand. "Are you okay?"
Ishin hesitated for a moment before taking it. "Yes. Thanks for the help."
Lyria crossed her arms and studied him. "You're an interesting person. What exactly are you doing here?"
Ishin sighed. "Good question. I'd like to know that too, what the hell is going on here."
Keal raised an eyebrow. "Oh, how did you get here? Is it a mystery to you?"
Ishin shook his head. "One minute, I was somewhere else. The next moment, I opened my eyes and woke up in this forest."
Lyria blinked. "That's a bit strange."
Keal thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay. You come with us. It's not safe to be here alone."
Ishin glanced between them. Trusting strangers was not a wise thing to do.
But right now - he had no choice.
He needed answers.
He sighed. "That's a good idea, thanks for the invitation. I'll come."
Lyria smiled. "Good decision, you have some brains."
With that, the three of them walked into the battlefield and disappeared into the forest.
---