Their locked gaze had unspeakable weight to it.
Something, beyond them, gazed back at them.
Something he couldn't explain, nor did he try to comprehend.
The pressure he felt in his head made him feel like it would explode. His thoughts felt scattered, like his brain was scrambled.
The mark on his body burned bright, he could feel the powerful magic from the circle as it pieced his thoughts together.
He could feel his mind breaking continuously, yet the mark kept the pieces from drifting apart, putting everything back as fast as it could.
The goblin was the first one to move, seemingly unaffected.
The world through his eyes, however, had changed.
Everything, from the dark sun, to the girl standing further away, to the goblin before him.
Every twitch of muscle. Every breath it held.
He could see it all.
The moment it activated his thigh muscle, ready to step forward. Its shoulder, moving first, preparing to strike. Its core, ready to follow through with the movement.
The information was arriving all at once — it felt like his head was smoldering.
Alexander moved forward, yet he felt sluggish.
The goblin raised its sword high, ready to bring it down.
Through Alexander's eyes, it was predictable.
He stepped forward, angling his body aside to let the strike fall just short.
He could see as the goblin changed its movement, adapting the arc toward him.
It all happened quickly, yet through his eyes it felt as if the goblin was going in slow motion.
He used his fist, starting an uppercut motion. He could see as the goblin reactively jerked his head back.
It was only too late that it realized Alexander wasn't aiming for his head.
Using the force the goblin put in its vertical strike, the impact from Alexander's fist was right on the goblin's wrist.
Its wrist shattered, the fingers becoming loose.
The sword dropped to the ground, the goblin's eyes desperately looking around, trying to follow the scent of blood on the blade.
It quickly reacted, almost jumping forward to grab its handle.
Alexander's leg described a wide arc, hitting the goblin in its throat as it rushed to the sword.
His kick followed through, the goblin rolling backward several meters.
It squirmed on the ground, holding its neck while letting out shrieks of pain and terror.
Alexander picked up the sword, his gaze locked on his opponent.
He walked toward him, nothing escaped him. From the rock the goblin held in its hand, trying to hide it, to the fact that it hadn't breathed since the kick.
It mattered little.
I see everything.
He approached, the rock hurled at his head.
Alexander casually moved his head sideways, without slowing his pace.
The goblin used its legs to push itself out of reach, while one hand kept holding its throat.
It was whimpering, desperate, grabbing more rocks to throw along the way.
Alexander's head moved to the left and right, easily dodging them.
He deflected the rest with the sword, each strike echoing across the platform.
His eyes were locked on his opponent who clung to life.
He was almost on top of it. The goblin had stopped grabbing rock.
It now had joined both hands together, its eyes tightly shut.
It's asking for pity?
Its hands were heavily shaking, while his skin became paler from the lack of oxygen.
You're already dead.
Alexander pointed the sword toward its heart.
You fought well.
He then planted the sword in its throat.
The goblin gargled, reaching for the sword, holding it with both hands as blood splattered around.
Every move it made increased the amount of blood that came out, a puddle forming underneath it.
Alexander, pale, looked at the hand that held the sword.
Everything shattered.
Reality fractured.
What? I didn't mean to…
He felt overwhelmed, as his mind replayed the goblin's horrible death.
Every rock he saw, every muscle the goblin moved, the sun above him, nothing aligned.
It was like watching through a broken mirror, each piece showing a different thing.
The pain that had diminished came back in full-force, the mark on his body so hot he suddenly stumbled backward, letting go of the sword.
Something touched his back.
His heart pounded so hard it felt like a heart attack.
Him, who could see everything, was totally blindsided by whatever was behind.
He swung around, his fist tightly balled up.
The scenery blurred before him, as his movement was too quick to visually process.
He felt light-headed, unable to concentrate.
Everything was slightly spinning, just standing up was difficult.
His fist was ready to hit whatever crept toward him.
It took everything he had, to stop the momentum of his movement.
In a small, fractured part of his vision, he could see her.
He had forgotten.
Her white hair, and neutral expression that stared at him.
His heart slowed down, realizing there were no enemies left.
She raised her arm, slowly pulling on his shirt, drawing Alexander forward.
He slightly stumbled as he bent forward.
And then, nothing.
Darkness.
Her soft hands covered his eyes, gracing him with nothingness. A sea of tranquility.
He could feel his heartbeat, his blood pumping through the veins in his neck.
He could hear the air going through the chamber effect, the distant sounds barely making it all the way here.
Yet pain was what he felt the strongest.
That feverish heat that crawled through his head, as his mind fought for his sanity.
It was like a fever dream. Everything was scattered around, his thoughts about his father, Sunder, the guild and himself. It felt like he couldn't keep up.
The circle on his chest was just as ardent, the same feeling he had gone through as he first entered his inner path.
He could feel it, as the girl's gentle touch stole his sight away from him.
His mind was trying to repair itself.
Piece by piece, layer by layer, it tried going back to normal.
He felt his legs giving up under him, suddenly crumbling to the ground.
She followed him down, letting go of his eyes as they were now closed.
She grabbed the back of his head, gently resting it against her shoulder.
She gently cradled his head, while he felt himself going numb.
The last coherent thought he had was how good she smelled.