"You've heard enough, Captain…" Seeing him struggle to stand, his body already weak, his face beaten, wounds scattered all over, he is bathing in his own blood. "You've already used all your mana. It's pointless now."
Despite his injuries and wounds, he attempts to attack me, but it's weaker— even a child could dodge. "Worry not, Captain… you will meet your son in the afterlife, and I too will meet my little daughter." I stretch my hand, ready to cut his head, when suddenly—
"Pa!" It stops my action. I hear her voice. Was it in my mind? It must be. I'm sorry, my little Daisy. Pa will come home soon.
"Forgive me, Captain… I'm not a monster. I'm a father!" I aim for the captain's neck and strike with my ultimate speed. I was so sure he wouldn't feel pain. However…
"He disappeared?" That was my quickest attack. Considering his condition, I know he couldn't dodge such speed. "Where is he?"
What is this atmosphere? It suddenly becomes cold. I look around me; I don't find the captain's body. Furthermore, the place is getting colder and colder. 'Is this a spell?' Until everything is freezing. What's happening?
"Getting cold?" Suddenly a man speaks.
Is that him? "Is this your spell? Who the fuck are you?" I ask.
"Doesn't matter," he replies. That's the captain in his hand. 'He does not look like a Night Watch patrol. Is he a traveler?' The man is covered in a hood. Based on his face, he's at least below 30 years old—thick beard and gray hair. The way his eyes gaze is the very embodiment of cold. Casting such a wide area, he's probably skilled. I must not let my guard down.
"Who the hell ARE YOU!!" I scream, casting a Wind Blade, my spell that condenses the wind, making it sharper than any ordinary blade. Unfortunately, this guy just deflects it with his bare hand, redirecting it in different directions.
"That was not cool," he speaks. Then, in an instant, he is at my back. "If I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead the moment you saw me."
I try to attack him with my massive wings, but his body turns into blocks of ice. "Don't you play with me!" I shout. 'He's fast.' True enough, he's a strong opponent. Even with my current strength, I know I wouldn't stand a chance against him. He's not a normal traveler.
He's doing all that while holding the captain's body. "What a fucking hassle… well, this is my final act. It doesn't matter." I always planned on dying anyway. I don't care how strong he is. So I summon two blades for my hands, steel feathers ready to attack anytime.
Without a warning…
"Aaaggrrrrhhh!!" A punch in my face strikes fast like thunder, stronger than any attack I could imagine, sending me flying across the forest.
"Wh… what's t… tha… that?" I am thrown farther, deep into the forest. I couldn't even react to that speed. My whole body aches, countless bones broken, my left arm cut off. I can't move my wings because of the fatal damage I've sustained. My mind is dizzy and my eyes blur. Deeper wounds cover my body, bathing me in my own blood. I feel like I've lost the majority of my strength just to protect myself from further damage. All that in a single punch. If I hadn't protected my head with magic mana, I would've been dead by now.
'My regeneration is getting slower.' I stand up. 'The fist that punched me… it was not from him. It's small. Could it be?'
My eyes widen in surprise when I see the kid from earlier. "The captain's son… HA.. HAHA.. HAHAHAH.. Look at this… you're still fucking alive?" Truly a strong one. After all the damage you've received from our fight, you still have enough power to punch me like that. This kid is something.
"Hoi brat! What are yo—" What is this? My knees are shaking, but what concerns me is they're not shaking because I'm wounded. They're shaking because of fear…
'Me? Am I scared? That's bullshit.' But then I see this brat walking with intense bloodlust. He's ready to kill me. His aura is terrifying; I could vomit. My eyes struggle to focus; I can't even lift my wings. This is not the same kid I fought earlier. I know it… it feels like a different person. I can't even look directly into his intense gaze. My instinct is telling me to run…
"What the hell happened to you! You! WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!! Don't you fucking come near me!" I shout desperately.
From a far distance, in the blink of an eye, he reaches me, punching me in my stomach. I am not able to block. Then he attacks me with great precision and impressive combos. I become his punching bag. I can't even touch him. This is not him. The fighting style is different from earlier. It's like I'm being toyed with by extremely aggressive warriors from ancient times. Each punch and kick is delivered with great accuracy. I'm taking damage faster than I can regenerate. He is way too powerful for me.
"Pa! Let's play!" Ahh… that again. Your voice, my little Daisy. I'm coming home… Papa is coming home…
Then… when my body can't move, he stops. He summons a blade in his right hand made of pure magical mana. He gazes at me and doesn't say a word as he cuts off my neck cleanly as if it were jelly.
"See, I told you no fighting!" My daughter… "Well, at least Papa is here now. I will never leave you again."
"Where's the hope when someone burns it to oblivion? Who's responsible for injustice? We strive to live abundantly because we were born with nothing but a drip of water, but why do gods seemingly abandon us? Are we insignificant to them? How can we fight if we've already lost before it even begins? How can we seek help if the poor like us are insects to their eyes? The world is broken, and no one can fix it."
Nathan POV
I woke up in the middle of darkness. "I've been here before." This is where I first saw the fox.
"This is called the Void." A man appears.
"Am I dead?" I ask. "Again…"
"No," he replies. "I created this a long time ago when I awakened the Nine-Tailed Fox."
"You mean that majestic beast? I saw it the last time I was here," I reply.
"It was me. I showed myself in that form to give you an idea of what was inside you." He smiles as he answers.
"What exactly is inside me, and who are you?" I ask. "You were tempting me back then to use your power to win a fight with my dad."
"Easy, kid… we have plenty of time here…" he stops me. "I was trying to test something from you, and you passed. My name is Zhaskier. I am the first ever to awaken the Legendary Nine-Tailed Fox, and you will be the second. Don't ever mistake me for the fox. I'm just a human like you."
"What is it that you want from me?" I ask another question, trying to figure out his intentions.
"Relax. I'm not an enemy." He sits on the ground. "Let me tell you a story—"
"Wait…" I interrupt him. "I don't care about your story. I need to get back there. My friends need me. My parents will be worried about me. And… and Premo, the enemy, is still there. It would be dangerous to let him stay there…"
"Calm down, geez…" he sighs. "I am the one in control of your body now. I said we have plenty of time here. Now listen carefully. After this meeting, you will never see me again. Thousands of years ago, I awakened the fox. It was the time of the Great War that molded what's today. I fought countless warriors and skilled mages with extremely powerful animal spirits. One of them is Wyverus…"
"Wyiv… waybr… whyvera… what?" I can't understand what he's saying.
"Afterwards, I created this place I called Void. This connects my soul to this animal spirit. After I died, the fox would be inherited by whoever is worthy of great power. So for thousands of years, I have been looking for the successor, but I was not lucky until I found you. Your arrival in this world sent a spiritual signal that led me to you."
Now it's getting interesting. "My arrival?" So I ask.
"Yes. The moment I saw your soul, I knew you're from the other side of the sun," he replies.
"Other side of the sun." That's why he knew my name in my previous life.
He looks into my eyes with intensity. "Yes, I know where you're from and your previous life. I looked into your past. Ian…" he answers.
"I see…" I'm lost in thought… then he speaks.
"I will leave the power of this fox in your hands. The journey will not be easy. You will face many disappointments that you must accept. Many will fall at your side, as will your enemies. Strengthen your heart. That is the true source of power—the center of everything. You must equip yourself with love. Never let your mind be clouded by rage and vengeance. Remember, the true power will always manifest through your soul and through your heart…"
After that, I wake up in the middle of a completely destroyed forest with the severed head of Premo in my hand.