The next day, Anora wasted no time. She brought Pheo back to the training grounds, her stride brisk, her presence sharp enough to part the noise of drills and sparring around them. The Hollow Ravens were already gathered, their movements disciplined and efficient.
Anora stopped before them, glancing down at Pheo. "Tell me, do you know the story of David and Goliath?" Pheo nodded without hesitation. "I do." His answer made her pause, one brow arched in mild surprise. "You do?"
"Yes," Pheo said simply, his tone even. "The boy who defeated the giant with nothing but a sling. A classic, really."
For a moment, something unreadable flickered across her face, but then her mouth curved into the faintest grin. "Good. Saves me the trouble of explaining. Then you'll also know that the story does not lie when it comes to real combat."
She stepped forward, pacing slowly, her eyes scanning the Ravens as she spoke. "In a fight, size isn't the only factor. There are countless variables that can tip the scale. Speed, awareness, terrain, endurance, timing. Lack in any one of them, and you may end up losing because of it."
Her gaze slid back to Pheo. "And since you can't train your body the way adults can. At least, not yet, you'll need to learn like David did. To see what others don't. To fight with the tools you have."
With that, she lifted her chin and called out, "Rocco!"
From among The Hollow Ravens, a massive figure broke from practice. Taller than the rest, broad-shouldered and built like a wall, the man stepped forward with quiet authority. His shadow alone seemed to swallow Pheo whole.
Anora gestured toward him, her grin widening. "There's your Goliath." She clapped her hands once, loud enough for The Ravens to hear. "Everyone! Our recruit here thinks he can take on any one of us."
The Ravens turned as one, their attention snapping to Pheo like wolves catching the scent of prey. A ripple of low laughter passed through their ranks, sharp and mocking, while others folded their arms and leaned in to watch.
Pheo blinked, caught off guard. "Wait. I never said–"
Anora cut him off, her voice raised, commanding. "He didn't need to say it. He's here, isn't he? He thinks that with his age, he's equal to any one of us. And if he can't stand in the ring against one of you, then what use is he?"
Rocco cracked his knuckles slowly, the sound carrying like snapping branches. His lips curved into the faintest grin, but his eyes were cold and unreadable. The Ravens began to circle, forming a loose ring around the two of them, boots crunching against the sand as their jeers filled the air.
"Hope the boy can still walk after this."
"There's no law against killing in the city, right?"
"Rocco, don't break him too quick!"
Pheo's chest tightened. His legs wanted to lock in place, but Anora's eyes pinned him like daggers. There was no way out, not without shaming himself, not without showing weakness.
"Don't disappoint me, Pheo," Anora said, her grin thinning into something sharper, more dangerous. "If David could bring down a giant with a stone, then you'd better have more than excuses."
Rocco rolled his shoulders, his massive frame stretching like a beast readying to pounce. Then he raised one hand and beckoned Pheo forward with a single, deliberate gesture. "Come on, little David," he said, his voice rumbling like thunder.
"Let's see if you can even last a breath." Rocco stepped fully into the circle, rolling his neck until it cracked. His presence alone silenced half the jeers, The Ravens waiting to see how far he'd take it.
But before the first move could be made, Anora's voice rang sharp:
"One condition."
All eyes flickered back to her. She strode to the edge of the circle, her grin still fixed but her tone edged with command. "Rocco, you don't use your gift. Not a flicker of it." She jabbed a finger toward Pheo. "David here has yet to awaken his gift, being eight and all."
Rocco raised a brow, a faint grin on his face deepening into something sly. "Equal?" His gaze flicked to Pheo, small and wiry compared to his bulk. "Don't think that word means what you think it means."
Laughter broke out among The Ravens again, a few doubling over the absurdity of it. Anora ignored them however. Her eyes stayed locked on Rocco, her silver irises glinting faintly as though daring him to argue.
"You heard me. Pure strength. Pure wit. No tricks. Unless, of course, you're worried you'll need to use your gift just to handle him." Her words hit. The smirk on Rocco's face hardened into something sterner.
He spat to the side and gave a sharp nod. "Fine. No gift." He turned back to Pheo, cracking his knuckles again. "How they die don't change the fact that they're a dead man."
Anora clapped once, loud and sharp. "Good. Then we've got ourselves a proper trial." Her grin returned, wide and merciless. "Show us what you've got, David." With the circle drawn, Ravens watching with arms folded and wicked grins, she gave the nod to start.
Pheo stood across from Rocco, the giant's shadow stretching toward him like a living threat. His heart pounded, but his eyes weren't fixed on his opponent. Instead, he kept darting glances around the training grounds.
Rocco noticed, looking at him confused. His lips curled downward, insult flashing across his face. "What? Too scared to even look at me?" His voice boomed, cutting through the murmurs of the crowd.
Without another word, he lunged. Rocco's fist came down in a brutal arc, aimed straight for Pheo's head. He moved at the last possible moment, stumbling aside as the blow smashed into the dirt, kicking up dust. The ground cracked under the sheer force.
Before Rocco could lift his arm again Pheo's hand closed around a rock nearby. He flung it at Rocco's face. The stone struck with a sharp crack, making the bigger man flinch and snarl.
"Stop calling me David," Pheo spat, breathless.
Rocco roared and swung again, his second strike a sweeping blow that would have flattened him if it landed. Pheo ducked under it, but instead of circling back into the ring, he darted outward, slipping between two Ravens and breaking the circle entirely.
Gasps and laughter erupted.
"Coward!" Rocco bellowed, turning to pursue. His massive strides ate the ground between them. But Pheo didn't stop running. He glanced over his shoulder, yelling back, "There were no rules on how far the fight could go!"
Some of The Hollow Ravens shifted uneasily, looking to Anora for judgment. She didn't move. She just stood with her arms crossed, silver eyes following Pheo intently, her expression unreadable.
The fight spilled across the training grounds. Rocco's fists slammed into walls, cracked wood, and dirt, each miss rattling the air. Pheo kept slipping away, gathering what he could. Small rocks, bits of cord, broken scraps that others had overlooked.
"You think I'm David?" He ducked another swing, rolling to his feet. "David brought a weapon to his fight. I came here with nothing but my fists." Rocco snarled, swiping again. Pheo leapt aside, barely missing the strike.
"David walked in the fight with confidence," he panted, voice rising as he scrambled for another stone. "But I came in afraid. I know your strength, Rocco. I don't have the luxury of certainty."
Rocco charged, his massive frame crashing through the scattered equipment like a rampaging beast. "And finally, David had faith in God's help," Pheo shouted, pulling the makeshift sling tight between his fingers, the stones already weighing in his palm.
His eyes locked on Rocco. "But me?" He drew the cord back, the tension humming in the air. His arms steadying despite the pounding of his heart.
"I trust in what I know."
The sling snapped forward with a sharp whip of air. The stone flew true, aimed straight for Rocco's face. The stone whistled through the air and struck Rocco clean in the eye with a sickening crack.
"Ghh!" The giant staggered, clutching at his face, his roar breaking into a guttural growl of pain. But Pheo didn't hesitate, his sling already spinning again. The next shot flew before Rocco could even steady his breath.
The second stone smacked into his other eye with equal force, and the man bellowed in agony, both his hands flying up to cover his face. Gasps rippled through the Raven's ranks. Some flinched, others murmured.
Even hardened operatives shifted uneasily as the reality set in. The fight had turned from a spectacle into punishment. Rocco swiped blindly, massive arms thrashing the air. Dust plumed with every wild swing.
But Pheo was no longer a boy scrambling to survive, he was precise. Every time Rocco left himself open, another stone found its mark. The jaw, temple, ribs, knees. Each impact forced another grunt from Rocco, the giant stumbling, his body weakening under the relentless barrage.
The Ravens watched, silent now, as the beating dragged on. Rocco, the towering wall of a man, reduced to a thrashing shadow, fighting an enemy he could no longer see. Pheo's small stature let him slip past every blind strike, every desperate charge.
The scene was painful to watch. Blow after blow, Pheo's sling sang, his stones cutting the man down piece by piece. What had started as a test of courage twisted into something crueler. A display of what fear, strategy, and desperation could achieve against raw strength.
Rocco dropped to one knee, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth, breath heaving in ragged bursts. His fists pounded the ground, blind and furious, but powerless now. And still, Pheo didn't stop.
His movements were mechanical, driven not by rage, but by necessity. Each shot was another reminder, he couldn't afford to fight fair. Not against someone like Rocco. Not against anyone.
"Rocco."
Anora's voice cut through the chaos like a blade.
The Ravens, who had been silent, suddenly smirked. A ripple of amusement and anticipation spread among them, their expressions sharp with something Pheo couldn't quite place.
Their reaction sent a cold shiver down his spine, but he didn't dare lower his sling. Not yet. Anora's eyes glimmered with approval as she looked at Pheo. "So far, you've done great."
"You've proven yourself. You're not David. You don't need faith, or borrowed strength, or anyone's hand to hold. You showed me, no, all of us, that all you needed was yourself to stand against a Goliath."
Pheo's chest rose and fell in sharp breaths, sweat running down his temple. Her praise only tightened the unease curling in his stomach. "Which leaves me wondering…" Her head tilted slightly, her smile growing sharper.
"Are you stronger than David?"
Before Pheo could answer, Anora shifted her gaze. "Rocco." The massive man, still kneeling and clutching his ruined eyes, turned his head at the sound of his name. Anora's tone was calm, almost playful.
"You're free to use your gift now."
For a moment, silence held. Then, slowly, Rocco's bloodied grin spread wide, teeth bared in something that was equal parts relief and savagery. The pain in his eyes seemed to fade, replaced by a terrible joy.
Pheo's heart lurched. The Ravens' smirks widened, their arms folding as if they had been waiting for this all along. Whatever was coming, they weren't worried. They were entertained.
And in that instant, Pheo understood that his fight had only just begun.
Rocco's fists began to blur. At first it was a simple motion, one arm swinging, then the other. But within seconds his hulking frame was a storm of motion. Air churned violently around him, sand and dust whipping into a spiral that grew denser with every rotation.
In the blink of an eye, he was gone, swallowed whole by the rolling black haze of his own making. The Ravens let out low chuckles, some even whistling, as the smokescreen consumed the arena.
Pheo squinted to try and see through the grit in the air, his sling ready, pulse hammering in his ears. Then Rocco's voice came, clearer than before, every word carrying a weight that made Pheo's skin crawl.
"Did you really think you were winning?" The words echoed, steady and precise. Gone was the brutish growl. What replaced it was measured, deliberate, intelligent. "What you saw before…"
"My stumbling, my blindness, that was all compensation. An incentive. A gift to my junior, so you could have a taste of victory. But now…" The smoke rippled, shifted as the voice grew closer. "Now that I'm free to use my gist, I won't be holding back."
Pheo tightened his grip on the sling, every nerve screaming that something had changed. This wasn't the same man. The Rocco before had been a blunt weapon, all brawn and reckless power. The one inside the smoke now was calculated. Patient. Deadly.
The haze began to thin. At first, Pheo thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. A smaller figure emerged, stepping forward with certainty. For a heartbeat, it almost looked like himself, but it was Rocco, only… Reduced.
His frame had shrunk to Pheo's size. "Surprised?" Rocco asked, his grin unwavering on the smaller body. He flexed his fingers once, the air snapping faintly with the force behind it.
Pheo's breath hitched. He barely got out, "What–" before Rocco lunged. The strike came fast, too fast, but the weight behind it was monstrous, the ground cracking under his step.
Pheo staggered back, realizing the truth. Rocco could change his body's size, but his raw strength never diminished. Every punch, every step carried the power of the giant he truly was, compressed into a smaller, faster form.
His heart pounded as the realization sank in. This wasn't about fighting a mirror of himself. This was about surviving something unnatural, an enemy who could be both giant and phantom, who carried the force of a mountain in the body of a wolf.
Rocco's smaller frame darted in, faster than Pheo could anticipate. A fist came crashing toward his ribs. Pheo barely twisted aside, the blow grazing him but still enough to knock the air from his lungs.
"Tell me, Pheo–" Rocco's voice was low, deliberate, carrying easily over the clash of their movements. His grin never faltered. "Do you really think tricks will save you?" Before Pheo could answer, Rocco's foot slammed into the ground, his body swelling upward in an instant.
In the span of a heartbeat he was towering again, a giant fist descending. Pheo stumbled back, his sling whipping up in defense, but the impact still sent him sprawling across the dirt.
Rocco stalked forward, his form shifting smaller once more, the speed of his strikes doubling. "Do you think running will make you win?" Another strike. Pheo ducked under it, rolling to his feet, but the next blow caught him in the shoulder, driving him back several paces.
The fight had changed once more. Before, Pheo had dictated the pace, weaving around the blinded brute. Now Rocco's shifting forms set the rhythm, and every question punctuated by a punishing strike pushed Pheo further on the defensive.
Rocco's body warped again, his frame snapping into the build of one of the Ravens in the crowd, a wiry figure with long limbs. The sudden reach gave him an edge, his strikes snapping wildly from unexpected angles.
Pheo's mind reeled. He wasn't fighting a man anymore. He was fighting a storm that refused to be pinned down. Another question came, voice sharp like a knife. "Do you think you're stronger than me?"
Rocco's fist shifted with his body, now heavier, bulkier, the raw power of another Raven behind it. The strike sent Pheo skidding back across the dirt, his feet struggling to hold ground.
His fists then spun the air into smoke, his grin hidden within the haze. His voice boomed out. "Did you think I became a Raven just because of strength alone?" Pheo grit his teeth, stepping back, sling in hand. "No, I–"
Rocco's fist smashed the ground where Pheo had been standing, forcing him into a desperate roll, his words choked off by the impact. He then shifted, his body slimming down, movements sharper and faster.
He pressed in with another flurry, his voice low and taunting. "Do you think what you've done makes you worthy to be one of us?" Pheo raised his arms to guard, stumbling as a strike clipped his side.
He gasped, trying to answer through the pain. "I don't, maybe not yet, but I–" Another blow crashed into his jaw, silencing him, blood spraying across the dirt as he staggered back.
Then Rocco's body twisted again, bones and flesh reshaping until Pheo's breath caught. He wasn't staring at Rocco anymore. He was staring at Anora. Her stance. Her eyes. Her presence.
And her voice– no, his voice in hers, spoke the final question. "Do you think you can fight properly, even when it's against someone you know?" Pheo froze, horror clutching his chest. "I… I can't–"
The words barely left his mouth before the Anora-clone was on him. A fist slammed into his gut, folding him over. Another strike tore the breath from his lungs, a final crushing blow to his head sent him sprawling into the dirt.
The Ravens said nothing, only watching as Pheo lay there gasping, helpless, the fight ripped from his hands. The crack of fist against bone echoed one last time before a sharp voice cut through the training ground.
"Enough!"
Anora's command silenced the air. Rocco froze mid-swing, his fist hovering inches above Pheo's bloodied face. Pheo lay on the ground, heaving, half-conscious, the dirt clinging to his sweat-soaked skin.
Anora stepped forward, her presence filling the circle. "The fight ends here. It's a draw." Rocco's massive shoulders tensed as he turned toward her, "A draw?" His face twisted with dissatisfaction. "He couldn't even stand against me at the end. I–"
"You weren't even supposed to use your gift," Anora cut him off, her tone sharp as a blade. "That was the rule. The only reason why I allowed it was to teach him a lesson. Nothing more."
The big man gritted his teeth, his smokescreen already fading as his body shifted back to normal. For a moment, it looked like he might argue, but then he exhaled heavily through his nose and gave a slow nod.
"Tch. Fine. You're right." He glanced at Pheo, still gasping for breath on the ground. "Kid held up better than I expected, anyway." Pheo struggled to sit, wiping the blood from his mouth.
His voice came hoarse, but steady enough to ask. "So… was this enough for your 'hazing'?" Anora looked down at him, and to his surprise, her lips curved into something between a smirk and a smile.
"It was enough a long time ago. You've already exceeded my expectations for today." The training ground murmured with approval as The Hollow Ravens began to disperse. For Pheo, the world blurred, the noise of their voices fading as the pain finally pulled him under.