Chapter 10: Wind Vs Mind
"Count the points." Liraen looking at Grak'Mar
He nodded
Grak'Mar nodded once. "Alright. Ready, Ren! Kael!"
"Three… two… one… Go!"
The instant the word left Grak'Mar's mouth, Liraen dropped low. Wind spiraled around his legs, coiling tighter, hungry to be unleashed.
Without a word—
SWOOSH!
He exploded forward, a blur of speed as his wind Might launched him straight at Kael.
Liraen gripped his wind forged sword with his right hand, the three golden bracelets on his left wrist rattling from the impact.
He sharpened the wind blade, air screaming along its edge. He aimed to slash Kael's hand and forehead.
SWOOSH!
Kael froze, too slow to react. His eyes widened in shock. Liraen's speed was even greater than he'd expected, faster than Nibsken who also wielded wind Might. This was the result of Liraen's relentless training!
Three strikes landed in a blur.
SHIISSH!
THUD!
"Argh!" Kael's right hand was struck twice, his forehead once, blood streaking as the final blow hurled him to the ground.
But Kael knew this wasn't his defeat. He lifted his head and Liraen was already behind him. His movements were seamless: dashing, striking, and shifting positions, until he now stood exactly opposite his original spot.
Kael pushed himself back to his feet, staggering a step back to create distance. His chest rose and fell heavily as he tried to steady his breath after the sudden onslaught
Liraen mocked Kael.
"Hah! Come on, Kael! Show me what that brain can do!"
Kael stayed silent, not because he was mocked, but because he was thinking.
Three clean hits in one dash, and that insane speed! I can't keep up with him… but I need to figure out how to hit him.
With that speed, it's almost impossible…
But the hit just now made me realize something.
His wind blade connected with his hand. Hmm… if that's the case… I need to try something
"Here I come again, Kael! Make sure you're ready!"
Liraen bent forward, preparing for another attack.
"HARGHH!"
SWOOSH!
He dashed at Kael, aiming for different spots.
Seeing Liraen's charge, Kael turned his back deliberately exposing it to take the strike.
Liraen didn't expect that sudden move. He quickly adjusted, landing only a single slash across Kael's lower back, tearing his clothes slightly.
"Cih!" Liraen hissed. He had only managed to land one hit.
SKREEET!
His feet dug into the dirt as he skidded to a stop, stabilizing himself.
But Kael hadn't done it on purpose; he did it to analyze the situation carefully.
His eyes locked onto Liraen's right hand, the one gripping the wind-forged sword. He studied it closely.
There, caught in the swirling current was a piece of cloth torn from his back earlier.
It spun around Liraen's hand for a few seconds before finally shredding apart under the sharp wind currents.
The blade was sharp enough to cut skin instantly, but it took time to destroy an object.
That means… If a soft material like cloth takes seconds to break apart, then what about something more durable?
Kael's eyes narrowed.
If I use the right item, it could injure his hand
But right now, I only have this Might Splitter with me… I need something hard and sharp enough to injure him.
Kael's hand slipped into his pocket, searching until his fingers brushed against something cold and solid. He gasped.
Oh, yeah… this piece of alloy from Braskert earlier!
His eyes lit up.
All I need to do is plant this alloy onto Liraen's wind sword. The current will carry it straight down to his hand… and that's when it'll injure him.
But that wind sword is long… and Ren's reflexes are amazing. I don't think this piece of alloy will reach his hand before he reacts.
Kael's brows furrowed.
I need to think.
"Ha! What's with that blank stare, Kael? Finally realizing how big the gap between us is?" Liraen sneered.
Once again, Kael stayed silent.
Liraen pointed his wind-forged blade at him. "This time, I'll end it in two dashes. Six more hits, and I win," he muttered to himself.
He bent low, muscles coiling like a spring, his wind Might swirl around his legs.
SWOOSH!
Liraen shot forward with blinding speed.
But this time… Kael didn't move.
Liraen narrowed his eyes. "Not moving, huh? Guess you've never faced someone at this level of speed, Kael.
But Liraen had no idea what Kael was planning.
The alloy plate rested in Kael's left hand, while his right gripped the Might Splitter tightly.
Liraen smirked, convinced Kael couldn't keep up with his speed. Once again, he charged straight in.
SWOOSH!
His wind blade slashed forward, striking Kael three times in rapid succession.
"Argh!" Kael groaned, his body wracked with pain.
He was still standing… but the alloy plate was no longer in his hand.
After the exchange, Liraen had positioned himself behind Kael. He didn't notice the alloy plate swirling violently inside his wind blade. To him, it was nothing more than a useless scrap of metal. He was wrong.
Come on, Kael… I don't want to hurt you further. Just hit me or give up, Liraen thought to himself.
"Cih! I'll end it here, Kael!"
From Kael's back, Liraen launched forward without hesitation.
SWOOSH!
His arm rose high, wind blade ready to deliver the final three strikes that would end the match.
But mid-swing—
"ARRHH!"
Blood burst from his hand. The alloy had shredded its way through the swirling currents, biting into his flesh. Liraen's grip faltered. His dash collapsed, stopping just before he could land the finishing blow.
Kael's eyes lit up. Now!
He swung with the back of his Might Splitter's handle hitting Liraen head
THUD!
"Ouch!" Liraen staggered, clutching his head from the blow.
Then Kael grinned wide, laughter spilling out. His plan worked out.
"Hahahahaha! I win, Ren!
Liraen was still rubbing his head, dazed.
He blinked a few times, spacing out as if his thoughts had tangled themselves into knots.
The bleeding on his hand had already stopped, but his mind refused to settle.
No… this doesn't make sense.
This was Liraen's greatest flaw he always overthought. Simple things turned into impossible puzzles in his head.
Did Kael just use… wind Might?
His eyes widened, his pulse racing.
B-but he doesn't have any Might! That's impossible!
"H-How, Kael? How did you… how are you able to hit me?" Liraen's voice cracked with disbelief.
"Did you just use… Might?"
Kael opened his mouth, ready to answer—
Then suddenly,
THUD.
THUD.
THUD.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the area. Their friends came running in, entering just in time to see the aftermath of the duel.
"Pant… pant… pant… What just happened, human?" Nibsken asked, still in shock.
"Y-yeah… what did you just do?" Nylum stammered, eyes wide.
"Awoooo! That's insane, human!" Reyvik's wolf ears twitched as he howled in excitement.
Grak'Mar rushed to Liraen's side. "Are you okay, elf?" he asked, worry etched on his face.
Liraen glanced down at his hand, still faintly bleeding. "Yeah, I'm okay, Grak'Mar… but I don't understand what that human just did to my hand."
Volgran's giant figure simply turned observed in silence, his sharp eyes taking in every detail of the fight.
"Heh… calm down, guys," Kael said, rubbing the back of his head, a little embarrassed.
"Kael! Explain to me!" Liraen pressed him, his tone a mix of frustration and curiosity.
"Okay, okay… I'll tell you," Kael replied, holding up his hands. "But is your hand still hurting?"
Liraen shook his head. "Not as much as before… I'm fine now."
"Honestly… I'm even surprised what this thing can do." Kael bent down and picked up the alloy plate from the ground.
Liraen's eyes widened. "Isn't that metal? I could easily cut that with my wind Might… but it didn't!" Liraen thought.
"What is that?" Liraen's voice trembled. He knew just how intelligent Kael was.
Kael held the piece of alloy up for everyone to see. "Oh, this? This is called alloy."
"Alloy?" The group exchanged confused looks. None of them had heard the term except for Nibsken, who remembered hearing it before.
Kael sighed, rubbing the back of his head. Explaining this is such a burden…
"Okay, I'll explain it to you guys. Alloy isn't regular metal. Alloy is made by combining two or more metals together. That gives it insane durability… and even sharper edges."
A few of them still don't get it.
"Okay… but how were you able to hit me with that in a second?" Liraen asked, still confused.
Kael grinned. "Oh yeah… actually, you're the one who hit yourself."
"Huh?" Everyone blinked, utterly confused.
"Your wind sword… it swirls around your hand. While you're using it, it's connected to your hand, right?"
"Yeah." Liraen reply.
"Anything that enters that wind sword like this rock it swirls around before turning into dust," Kael explained, picking up a small stone from the ground. "It still hit your hand, right? Even if it's just a tiny piece of it?"
Liraen nodded slowly. "Yeah… sometimes I notice it. But even if it's metal, I can cut through it. But that alloy…"
"Yup! That alloy isn't regular metal." Kael's grin widened.
Liraen's brow furrowed. "But… how did I not notice it entering my sword? Did you cover it with something?"
Kael laughed. "Hahaha, not exactly, Ren. This…" He held up the Might Splitter, showing it to everyone, a few cracks already visible. "…this is what made it possible."
"Might Splitter?!" Liraen's eyes widened in shock.
"Yeah," Kael said. "I split your wind sword on your second attack. When it split into two, I threw the alloy on the bottom side of your wind sword. Since your wind sword was already split, you only saw the upper tip and you never saw the bottom.
"And as you were about to hit me from above," Kael continued, pointing his Might Splitter at Liraen, "the wind sword's current got stronger, pulling it even faster… and that's what injured your hand."
A heavy silence fell over the group.
"Th… that's brilliant." Liraen's eyes widened. Even if the idea seemed basic to Kael, in this world it was something far more complex.
Silence fell over the group as they tried to wrap their heads around the alloy and Kael's clever technique.
Finally, Kael broke the silence, placing his hands on Liraen's shoulders and smiling. "Anyway… I win!"
Liraen smiled back, proud.
"Train me, Ren," Kael said, his blue eyes full of hope.
Liraen's smile widened. He had always known Kael would find a way to win, humans like him always did.
Nodding with pride, Liraen held back Kael's shoulders firmly. "Yeah…I will, Kael… I will. In the name of the Etherians, I will train you to become a Realm Protector."
"Thanks, Ren!" Kael smiled.
"Awooooo!" Reyvik howled.
Hahaha! Nibsken and Nylum laughed with pure joy.
Grak'Mar looked up at Volgran's giant face and smiled—and Volgran smiled back.
Kael's friends celebrated his victory. They had always known Kael was special, that fate itself seemed to weave him into a unique destiny, the only human meant to play a role in what was to come.
But from afar, someone watched.
Durmuk the dwarf, boss of this forgehold, was walking toward them.
"HAHAHAHAHA! Young blood!"
Everyone gasped. "BOSS!"
"Yah! What ya guys doin?" Durmuk boomed, stroking his long white beard playfully.
"Not much, Boss… uhmm… just having a duel," Liraen answered honestly looking at Kael.
"A duel?… why?" Durmuk's eyes twinkled behind his beard.
Liraen and Kael exchanged a glance, unsure what to expect.
Then Nibsken interrupted. "They were having a duel, Boss. If Human wins, Elf will train this human to become a Realm Protector!" He tapped Kael on the back.
"Hmm… Realm Protector, huh?" Durmuk paused, letting the words hang in the air. Everyone grew nervous.
"HAHAHAHA! That's great! Kael, ma boy, ya wanna become a Realm Protector!" Durmuk clapped him on the shoulder. His long white beard shook as he laughed.
Kael grinned, scrubbing the back of his head. Hehehehe…
"Ah, speaking of Realm Protectors… Ren!"
"Yes, Boss?" Liraen answered respectfully.
"Someone wants to meet you at my workroom."
"Hmm?" Liraen frowned. Who could it be?
"Ah! Ya gonna see him anyway."
"Oh…If that's the case… I'll head to your room right now." Liraen responded
Suddenly, a familiar voice reached Liraen's pointy elf ears.
"There's no need. I'm already here."
Everyone froze and silenced. The figure Liraen had just been speaking of stood right in front of them.
End of Chapter 10
Who are they going to meet?
How will Kael react to this new figure?