As soon as Darius was confident that the spirit had truly left, he felt his body weaken. He loosened his grip on the hammer, causing it to fall onto the ground with a thud. Darius felt his legs lose their strength as he flopped to the ground. The blood pumping in his veins slowed, and his body immediately returned to a normal, albeit slightly weakened, state. The insatiable bloodlust he had had a few moments before disappeared as if it had never been there.
Now, the original cowardly Darius took command of his mental state, and the coward in Darius was not at all happy with what had happened. He scratched his head in a manner that made him seem somewhat insane. Darius shakily stood and paced up and down. "No, no, no, no. This cannot be happening. This cannot be happening! What the hell just happened? Something is very wrong here!"
It was obvious to Lara that Darius was unaware of what had just happened to him. While she knew what an Indomitable was capable of, it seemed Darius himself was not as knowledgeable. This led to a situation where Darius feared he had been possessed by some evil spirit or something else along those lines.
He perfectly remembered the events that had unfolded, but from his perspective, it appeared as if he had been dreaming. The moment the hammer had slipped from his grasp, his normal self had come back. He was now awake, and he could not believe what had just happened.
"Alright, they did quite well. Let them rest. The third exam will be administered tomorrow," said the old man after some thought.
"As you wish… sir. May I know how to address you, sir?" Lady Katya curtsied as she looked down, trying to prod some information out of the old codger, but he was far more crafty than he appeared.
"Oh, there is no need to worry about that, you can call me anything! I'm just an old man, is all," said the old man as he laughed. As soon as he finished laughing, the old man walked out of the control room, snickering like a naughty boy up to mischief.
One of the guards finally broke the confused silence and said, "Lady Katya, the next exams are quite difficult. As it stands, it is unlikely that the duo will succeed. Surviving the last one seems like an impossibility to me."
Lady Katya sighed as she sat down, massaging her temples. "Orders are orders, especially if they come from such a high-up place. Even someone with my status has their hands tied."
"Then what do we do, Milady?" asked the other guard.
"Continue following his orders but monitor that young man carefully. It is quite clear that he is the old man's target this time 'round. Also, investigate the boy's history. Dig up every piece of information you can. We have to find out whatever we can about him."
"Yes, milady!"
Lady Katya placed a delicate hand on her flawless chin in thought. "I don't know who you are, old man, and I may not be able to figure it out. However, I will find out who that boy is!"
…
Darius sat listlessly on his bed. His eyes were empty as he processed the day's events.
"I became a Spiritknight. I killed spirits. I have a Smiter. I killed… it."
Too many incredible things had occurred to Darius today, none more important than his battle with the Jade Sea Serpent. Remembering what had happened in his childhood, the visage of the serpent-like spirit that had killed his sister, Darius could not help but bite his lower lip and squeeze his shoulder with his free hand.
That memory had plagued the boy's mind for as long as he could remember. Now, today's events had caused it to return to the forefront of his mind.
"I didn't run. I didn't cower. Despite what happened, I wasn't scared."
Darius looked at his open right hand and wondered, "What the heck happened to me? When I touched the hammer…"
That's when it hit Darius, "That's right! The hammer! I haven't done today's quota!" As Darius' thoughts pulled together, he quickly ran to the door, only to have it slide open before he could open it himself.
"Looking for this?"
The old man who had taken Darius through the ceremony walked in unannounced. The hammer floated above his palm in what seemed to be a bubble.
Darius pointed at the old man with a shaking finger. "Y-y-you!"
"You know, back in my day, it was considered rude to point fingers, but I guess things do change after a few centuries," said the old man whilst shaking his head.
Darius blinked his eyes, trying to clear the fog that must be covering his mind. He dazedly questioned, "Uhm, did you just say centuries?
…
"Yes, I did, but that's not why I am here."
Being the wary person he was, Darius did not take kindly to the fact that an old man he did not know could just randomly barge into his room like this. However, nothing was more important than his life, so he put all his thoughts aside and quickly put on his most respectful expression.
"Respected Elder, I am honoured by the sudden visit. I truly am. The fact that one as profound as you would take the time to visit little old me is an honour beyond comprehension."
The sudden flip in Darius' demeanour stunned the old man.
"However, I am in urgent need of my hammer and would be indebted to you if you could let me have it."