"Gasp"
How did it come to this...
"Cough"
"Cough"
I couldn't stop myself from coughing blood.
"I knew it would end up like this the day your arrogance made itself known to me"
The "Hero", towered over me, an unmovable frown plastered on his face as he looked at me.
I was crouched down holding the bleeding wound he inflicted onto my stomach. It was this very wound that has incapacitated me and allowed him to stand over me.
I stared straight into his eyes as he stared back into mine.
"Ordinary"
He didn't look like a hero as the world called him, he looked like every other common looking man, not a single distinctive feature in sight.
"I'm gonna die aren't I?"
That's the second thing I realized as I looked at his appearance. I never once felt alarmed by him, he never seemed particularly dangerous, he appeared harmless even. This infact was what was so dangerous about him. Giving him the much needed distinctive feature of the one who would be proclaimed as hero all across the human empires. He was a Elite aurna user, or well, what people called an Aurna lord. How could such a monster in human skin seem harmless? Well he did, and he has just pierced me through the stomach, and I still can't shake this feeling that he couldn't have been the one to do it.
"Do you understand what started this? Do you remember all the things YOU did that led us here?"
"I know Decron, your arrogance blinded you, being a noble blinded you" the hero stated in a matter of factly way.
"Bullsh- COUGH" "COAGH- AACKK"
"Bullcrap"
"It was that damn woman!!"
"All this nonsense occured because of her, and like a stupid love blinded fool I became bitter enemies with this monstrous idiot trying to out compete him for what should have been mine from the start. The only good thing I got out this was realize who she really was."
My gaze sharpened as I looked at the hero.
"T-This wasn't what I imagined when I imagined our last fight" I sighed. I knew there was no mercy to be had. Because if I had the chance to stand over him like this I wouldn't spare him either. I lost too much to not get revenge if I was given a chance. Unfortunately it was quite clear, that I would not be receiving an opportunity to turn things around, not now and most likely not ever.
"I only made one mistake in my entire life"
"That was by dedicating my life to that cheating piece of crap of a woman and-"
"Becoming your enemy"
"Because here I am, and for what? A cheater?"
"I disagree Decron"
"Tap"
"Tap"
...
"Tap"
Yanvier, The hero, closed the distance between us.
"You have made many mistakes, and where you are now is the result of those mistakes" Yanvier strengthened his grip on the sword in his hand.
I looked away, observing the surroundings we created in our fight. As far as the eye could see there were craters, giant meters upon meters long slashes on the ground, and pieces of debris from trees, boulders, the ground itself. There was a river nearby there location that was completely torn up, with water flowing out of it and into the roughed up ground.
"Your family is dead because you targeted mine. All your friends have either died, betrayed you, or now hate you, because of your poor character and rotten personality. You're the reason why we are enemies now. Infact, it is by your own choices that you will now die today."
Righteously he said that, THE "hero", said that.
"You are not a force of nature Yanvier, all the things you've done against me will not be easily forgotten, you will pay your dues. You are the one who massacred my family, you killed my friends, you tricked them, you lied to them, you are not innocent Yanvier. If I am arrogant then you are the embodiment of arrogance, and we made each other into enemies. You are NOT, blameless.This started because of you and Elissia." I was left seething after responding to his bullcrap.
Enraged, I tried to stand up to confront Yanvier, probably the only warlord to blame others for him killing their loved ones, sabotaging their reputation and relationships as revenge to sleep with said person's girlfriend.
"SLICK!!"
A quick sword slash through my knee fumbled my inevitably pointless efforts of standing up. Going along with it my my rage.
"Thrum"
I heard a vibration in a blade that suddenly appeared, hovering before my neck. He was applying aura onto his blade, increasing it's cutting ability to a terrifying degree. Even a full block of steel weighing an entire ton wouldn't be able to provide the slightest bit of resistance before this blade. This same blade was now resting on my neck.
"I attacked your family because they targeted mine you bastard. If I am rotten, then do you sincerely believe you are any better? I can assure you, that I'm not the twisted one here..."
Cold and aloof dark brown eyes stared into my own black eyes. Yanvier suddenly smirked, a reddish, "no; devilish", glint appeared in his eyes. "I can give you an offer" he said as his face morphed before my eyes.
"Serve me, and you can live" his smirk became a giant grin. His dark brown eyes turned silver, and his once ordinary appearance became sharp, and handsome. Originally his hair was brown, but that too became silver. His ears which were short and round became long and pointy.
"You're an elf!!?"
I was shocked at the suddeness of it all. After all Yanvier just turned into an elf.
Elfs were a gifted race, a really gifted race, a race that had every right to be arrogant and aloof, prideful, and full of disdain towards others, which they are famous for being. They had everything a human wanted, long lives? Check. High aurna talent? Check. beautiful appearances? Check. Strong bodies? Once again, Check.
"Is reality really smacking me in the face with the biggest joke it could muster? I was fighting a f-ing elf this WHOLE time?" I could only curse myself as I realized, I was truly screwed from the begining.
Compete with an elf in terms of growth? Once an elf becomes even remotely serious, they absolutley leave us humans in the dust. They reached without fail, the rank of aurna warrior at 12 years old. If they became serious in trying to become stronger, even the most untalented and trash elf could reach the intermediate rank in 7 years. They would become a aurna knight by the time they became 19 even with no talent!! A human with decent talent was usually over 35 by that point!! For a human to become a knight they first needed to reach the aurna warrior rank. A human with ordinary talent would reach that rank within their 20s to 30s, while those with the potential to become a higher rank aurna user would reach that rank before they were 20 and after they reach 15 years old. Out of 455 human aurna warriors only 2 of them would have the potential to reach the aurna knight level before they become 25 years old. A majority of them reached that rank in their 30s.
"That much should be obvious now right?" Yanvier, the elf said mockingly. His expression was full of interest as he looked at me. Before suddenly dropping an incomprensible bomb, "though, you might have the chance to become one of us if your willing to submit." he laughed.
One of my knees was slashed open not long ago, making it impossible for me to stand. I already had a grave wound in my stomach, making movement even more difficult. But I didn't care about that one bit, no, my focus was on something else entirely.
"I can become an elf?"
"Is that even possible?"
In response to my question he pulled out a crystalized leaf.
My eyes widened, "Impossible, that's a leaf from the world tree!!"
"Oh, you know what this is, hmm? That should make things easier then" he replied looking amused, and arrogantly victorious.
It was only now that I focus on the peculiararity of the situation. The Yanvier before me wasn't even acting remotely like the Yanvier I knew. It's as if the Yanvier I was dealing with before had disappeared for this strange elf form of Yanvier to suddenly take his place.
"You aren't the Yanvier I know." I squinted my eyes that were heavy in suspicion towards Yanvier.
"Are you accepting my offer or not" Yanvier replied, completely ignoring my doubts. His tone was a little bit flat this time, "robotic even". His sword's blade was still up against my neck, thrumming with the aura resonating within it.
"Who in the hell are you!!" I didn't trust this new Yanvier, not one bit. Not only has he become an elf, but the way acted was strange, unnatural in everyway possible in our current situation. After all, we were speaking spiteful words towards each other just a moment ago! Better yet he said he would kill me today, why would he suddenly take a step back and try to recruit me?
Yanvier's eyes turned cold as he seemed to realize I was ignoring his offer outright.
"It's your loss" he said.
My vision dropped down to the floor. Not only that but my view of the ground grew closer and closer.
That's when it hit me.
I've been beheaded...