Killian's eyes trembled, gazing at the blood on his hand.
[But how?]
Merikh stood before him with a smirk.
[Did I somehow let my guard down?]
Killian shook his head, stood upright and wiped himself clean—he was nervous.
Killian held his stance and spat blood on the ground.
In an instant, a strike was aimed for his gut. His eyes could barely track it, but he managed to soften the impact with his fist. Yet, the force sent him sliding backward on his feet.
[Not this time.]
Without a second thought, Killian dashed toward Merikh.
[Are his hands tucked?]
Killian delivered dozens of attacks; uppercuts, faint strikes, tornado strikes, swift and furious jabs—enough to fall a tree. Yet, as he pant and died on his attacks, Merikh calmly evaded each attack.
After a swift jab, Killian instinctively flipped six feet away from him.
[I was able to see it.]
Killian stood there, panting, as blood trickled from his nose. He wiped it away with the back of his hand.
Though he had barely evaded it, he saw it—a jab so fast that he doubted any mortal eye could track.
Killian took a deep breath, stretching his limbs.
[It's possible I asked Merikh to do this. If that's the case, then I believed this fight would be my win.]
Killian jogged on his toes, rolling his shoulders as he locked eyes with Marikh, his gaze intense.
[Light… Dark… Shadow…Lightning.]
Killian wondered what his affinity was about. Why must he be brutally beaten? What is evolution? How did he create his army?
[I guess I wouldn't know if I don't try.]
In a flash, he was in front of Merikh. With no guard up, he used a peek-a-boo maneuver and delivered a fearsome strike to Merikh's chest.
Merikh reacted just in time to block it, yet the sheer force of the strike still left the ground behind him cracked open.
[If I don't know what it is, I just have to be fast and blinding like the lightning, and fearsome and overwhelming like the shadow I am.]
Killian continued to jog on his toes.
Faster than Killian was, Merikh closed in on him.
They clashed. Fists blurred, dodges weaved between strikes. Sparks of lightning and air pressure turned the field into chaos.
[This is clean.] He smirked.
"Sire." Merikh said.
He immediately bowed on one knee. Killan's attempted strike, paused midair as he stared at Merikh in confusion.
The crowd, who had been quiet all this time, began cheering and chanting 'Sire'.
Killian's eyes were widened.
"You went easy on me!"
He got up. "Those were your wishes, Sire."
Killian let out a sigh.
[What kind of an idiot was I?]
Killian knew full well that he wouldn't have won if the fight had dragged on much longer, but a bow mid-fight was the last thing he expected.
Killian stood in front of Merikh, his hands resting on his waist, disappointed.
The others instantly joined in, and they bowed.
In a blink, they were in the throne room. He hurled himself on the throne, relaxing his body.
He smiled. [I'm proud of myself. Can I defeat Raiden?]
His self admiration didn't dwell on much longer before Merikh spoke.
"I'm glad you can hold your own, Sire."
Killian tilted toward him.
"Was it my idea for you to act the way you did?"
"Yes, Sire."
[What kind of monster am I? Perhaps, they are lying.]
"There is something you must know, Sire."
Killian leaned forward, giving them his full attention. At this point, he couldn't ignore them—they might have crucial information for him.
"There are bigger threats approaching, Sire. It's just a feeling—we have nothing to back it up. Yet, I urge you to remain vigilant."
Killian already knew greater forces were at play, but for them to sense their presence in this realm? That made it clear—this was far beyond what he had imagined.
The mention of forces also brought a question in mind.
"Does the abnormalities of my core have anything to do with it? Why does it act on its own? The electric waves?"
"Yes, Sire. The core is nothing less than a part of you, so it instinctively tries to protect you whenever it senses a threat."
Killian leaned back against the throne.
His mind wandered.
[How did Lucid know that?]
Everything Lucid said about his core proved to be true, giving him even more reason to believe Lucid knew him.
Killian always knew that he and Raiden would be of use to Lucid in some way, but he never expected Lucid to know this much about him.
[What if he was my father? Naa… I doubt that's. How did Raiden lose his memory in the first place?]
Killian knew overthinking would only give him a headache, so he chose to act instead.
"Is there anything else I must know?"
"Yes, Sire."
In an instant, Merikh held a pocket watch similar to what the angel in his dream held.
With his eyes widened, he leaned forward to take an observant look. Though he rarely dwelled over the dreams, he could remember them perfectly.
"How did you get that? Who does it belong to?"
The words hurried out of his mouth.
"This was discovered thirteen years ago on your throne. It contained no specific information, but we believe it may be of great help to you."
Killian leaned back against the throne, his elbow resting on the armrest as his finger tapped against his cheek repeatedly.
[I don't trust them. I'm sure they remember everything but can't say it because I asked them not to.]
Despite his trust issues, he couldn't ignore the lingering desire to learn more about the pocket watch.
Yes, he was oblivious, but he wasn't naive enough to dismiss the possibility that he had some connection to the angel.
The comfort he felt when he dreamed of her, the timing of those dreams—always when he was near death—and the serene expression she wore, all of it was hard to ignore.
[How did I get to know an angel though?]
Killian slapped his forehead.
He gestured, and Merikh brought the watch over.
It was lightweight, its golden-brown surface reflecting the white interior. Despite its age, the second hand ticked gently.
Killian took a long stare.
[Where exactly did this path take me to?]
He thought, clenching the pocket watch tightly.
At this point, he wanted to head back to his realm—he had a mission he wanted to accomplish.
"How would I take the watch with me if I am not here physically?"
Endanger took a few steps forward. "This is your realm, Sire. Everything is possible for you here."
[Is there more to 'This is your realm? He's always going on and on about it.]
"I'd suggest you take a few unique weapons with you, Sire."
[This dude.]
Killian's expression etched with confusion.
Endanger's mysterious nature was getting out of hand. Killian had planned to ask about it before leaving, but he beat him to it—almost as if he could read his mind.
He smirked and snapped
The walls were covered in armors, artifacts, weapons and gears, different from what was at the training center.
"Choose any of your liking, Sire."
Killian rose from the throne, strolling around as he searched for something that might pique his interest.
There were swords—various kinds—along with unique, glittering artifacts. The full suits of armor looked otherworldly, their texture and appearance unlike anything he had ever seen before.
But what got his attention were the daggers and the cloaks.
The first thing to catch his eye was a cape-like black cloak, draped elegantly over a mannequin.
He immediately removed it and put it on. It was too big for his size, but he wasn't going to leave it behind.
[I will wear it like that.]
He thought.
To the left of the cloaks were daggers, their sharp blades glinting softly under the light of the crystals.
Killian wished he could take everything with him. He spent nearly an hour pacing, torn over what to bring.
Lyssa walked over and picked up a black-and-red-laced dagger. It had a gentle curve, and its hilt was slightly bent and covered in black and blue.
It looked sharp, portable and flexible.
She hurled it over. As soon as Killian touched it, he fell in love with it.
"This used to be your favorite."
She smiled.
"I'm glad you remembered."
He said with a grin, while hurling the dagger.
[She must know me pretty well to know my favorites.]
At this point, Killian knew he had to leave immediately. A part of him worried about what he had missed out on in his realm, but he still valued his time in this realm more than the other.
"I would like to return now. But can I come back or summon you to help me, just in case?"
Bia spoke up.
"We would be honored to assist, Sire. Seeing you again would be the greatest privilege, but I'm afraid it won't be possible anytime soon."
Killian stared calmly at her.
"Until this conundrum is resolved, I'm afraid this will be the last time we see each other. I'm sorry, Sire."
[Her voice, so clean.]
Killian hardly paid attention to her words, yet every syllable echoed clearly in his mind.
Killian shook himself out of the curse of her charming voice.
"Now, how do I get back?"
Endanger spoke up. "With a clear mind, visualize where you want to be, Sire."
Killian gave a firm nod, and closed his eyes.