Hiro grins at Jiza. "Entertain me."
Jiza stands still. Hiro launches a punch—
—BRAK.
It lands clean.
Jiza doesn't flinch. He raises his blade high—
—SPLAAASH.
The strike drops straight down, cleaving half of Hiro's torso.
Hiro pushes forward and uppercuts him—
—BRAAAKKK.
Jiza is knocked upward, but in the blink of an eye—
—SWIIIISH.
A second slash falls, carving an X across Hiro's body.
Hiro counters with two rapid blows—
—KRWAAK! Jiza's face snaps back,
—SKRWAAK! his chin rockets upward as he's hurled away.
Yet Jiza gives no respite—
—SWIIIISH!
Another slash crashes down, forcing Hiro to his knees. His body trembles, torn by relentless wounds. Fists cannot match steel.
Jiza stands tall before him.
"Yield… and begone."
Hiro lifts his head, ragged—then lets out a small laugh.
"Don't you see what's missing from your hand… Paragon?"
A brief freeze. Jiza looks up—sees his own sword descending toward him.
"Begone!"
He dodges, barely, unable to reclaim it.
Hiro rises from his seated posture, shaky but upright. Jiza's sword now stands buried in the ground between them.
Jiza raises his fists, settling into a stance.
"Fight me like a man, then."
Hiro grins wide.
"Aye. This is the truest, fairest bout."
They advance at once—no blades, only force and fury.
---
Darkness.
I open my eyes. Light slips through the leaves above me, a cold wind brushes against my skin, and the sound of a running river greets me as if it has been waiting all along.
"What… what happened to me?" I whisper.
I lift my gaze. "Why am I not dead yet, hmm?"
Slowly, I rise to my feet. Then I notice something beside me—
"A cat?"
It stands by the river's edge, a fish clamped between its jaws. It walks toward me, drops the fish in front of me, and lets out a soft meow.
I crouch down, reaching for the fish carefully. "For me?" I ask quietly.
The cat simply turns around and trots back toward the river.
"Thank you, my friend," I murmur, an involuntary smile forming. A scorching day, no strength left, yet the little creature brings me food.
I pile some dry sticks together, pick up two stones, and strike them—
—SKWRAAKKK!
A spark falls onto the wood, and a small flame comes alive. I feed it gently until the fire spreads.
The cat returns again. Another fish hangs in its mouth. The first fish is already skewered on a stick, ready to roast.
But—
I snatch the new fish out of its mouth.
—GRRRRRR, it growls at me.
Still, I pierce the fish with a stick and hold it over the fire.
"You didn't expect thi—"
—MEEOOOW!
It claws me!