The night breeze tugged relentlessly at the cloaks of both men, interrupting the night's deathly silence. Its whistling was accompanied only by intervals of Ivan's measured steps, each one resonating with palpable determination.
"Ha, I see, have I been idle for too long?" the unknown man asked as Ivan approached him.
"Have you gotten too cocky? We can't have that," the man continued, gripping his scythe. Then, the next events unfolded in a fraction of a second.
Ivan wasn't certain when the man had reached him or even when the attack had occurred, but he was certain of one thing—he had lost his head.
"Sigh, I really have become rusty, being troubled by rats not worth my time," the man mused as Ivan's severed head hit the ground.
Then, with a blue flash, Ivan's body disappeared. In another azure burst, he reappeared behind the man, completely unscathed.
