Alexander was overwhelmed with a burst of energy, as his heart pulsated through his thin chest.
His tousled, dark hair fell in disarray across his forehead, as a dusting of freckles were spread across his face. He breathed erratically, like a wounded creature spilling blood on the floor. His mind was flooded with a sea of thoughts, being broken into tiny fragments waiting to be pieced together.
He was 17 when he first killed someone. He remembered the oozing of fresh ruby blood as he sliced his enemies neck, the soul exiting the man's body as the man instinctively gripped the cut harshly. He vomited at the sight of the corpse still vibrating on the ground and every time he closed his eyes, he saw the blood-thirsty eyes of the man staring back at him, keeping him awake.
Through this trauma, he was congratulated for his first kill, praised extensively by the elders. Although it didn't quite feel like a celebration, it was just a matter of luck. If odds didn't favour him, he would have been the corpse vibrating on the ground. The townsmen would then ridicule him.
" Ha! Alexander couldn't even get his first kill, what a failure of a man!"
However, as he locked his dark hazel eyes onto the sleepwalkers, he was burdened with vast nausea and anxiety, not comparable to his first kill. He previously thought the sleepwalkers were similar to animals, and killing them would be no different than slaughtering a goat. But the situation was entirely different, Alexander experienced a mix of emotions as he charged towards the army, emotions he never felt before. He soon came to realize the high chance of his death in battle, and slowly regrets started crowding his mind, like a river of thoughts continuously flowing along.
He tightly gripped his sword as the spill of blood got nearer and nearer. Albeit his internal turmoil, Alexander focused heavily onto the impending conflict, his eyes locked onto the sleepwalkers directly charging towards him.
The sleepwalker's skeleton rattled vigorously, along with the trotting of the horse. Its large, lifeless eyes which were deprived of feelings gazed into Alexander's soul. The sleepwalker pointed his shard, grey sword directly at him, initiating the call for battle.
Alexander breathed heavily, his eyebrows narrowed, his muscles tensed as he silently whispered against the desert wind,
" May the gods be on my side."
He aimed his sword at the sleepwalker, targeting his ribcage and with aggression in his eyes, he violently screamed with his full determination.
CLASH!
Alexander plummeted towards the ground, his horse yelling out cries for help as blood gushed down its face. The slashing noises of swords, combined with a splatter of blood shadowed the land.
His face was smudged into the dry, hot sand, his body unwilling to get up. His muscles started to become numb, his mind paralyzed as Alexander slowly waited for death on the ground.
"If this battle is going to end in death, then what's the benefit of struggling? What's the benefit of prolonging death? Maybe it's better to not fight" thought Alexander, his mind overcome with distress and worry.
" You coward! Get up and fight!" Screamed a middle aged man, as he aggressively pulled up Alexander by his shoulders.
Alexander wobbled on his feat, his head dizzy with thoughts. A sleepwalker marched towards them on his horse, his blades aiming for the man's neck.
With a slash of his grey sword, the sleepwalker cut through the flesh of the man like butter, splashing blood onto Alexander's face. The thick blood trickled down Alexander's cheek whilst he gazed at the mahogany eyes of the struggling man as his body crashed towards the ground.
Alexander started breathing rigorously, his hands stung with pain whilst his skin burned.
" Starshatterer, please save me." Whispered Alexander as he called out to his sword.
" 2nd awakening- radiant flux"
Alexander felt a sharp-tingling pain in his gut, like if worms were eating his intestines inside him. His lower abdomen became completely frozen solid, making him groan in agony. Then suddenly, a velvet energy surrounded Alexander's whole body, making his vision turn red. A blaring noise erupted, enough to make ears bleed, as the energy spread across the battlefield.
Alexander's skin was showered in his sweat, his heart beating out of his chest. His whole body had a disgusting stench of onions as he inhaled rigorously, his mind drained and exhausted.
As the energy spread, it painted the battlefield in shades of red and orange. The bones of the sleepwalkers caught fire upon contact, which burned brightly in the heat, growing bolder with each breath. The sleepwalkers hurtled to the ground one by one, their whole skeleton ignited by fire which spread rapidly like a disease. The energy continued to spread out, until it finally dissipated into the air.
Trying to catch his breath, Alexander lunged over, his sweat penetrating his eyes, giving the sensation of boiling water being sprinkled on his skin. He gazed at Maximus, who rode elegantly on his horse with a black metallic spear on each hand.
Maximus penetrated the skeleton of the sleepwalkers effortlessly, his mind calm and his face brimming with resolve. There was no need for him to use his affinity, no need to waste energy, to him the sleepwalkers were just bulked up individuals wearing strong chain Armor. Yes it did require effort, but if one knows where to strike, then even the strongest enemies can die from one hit.
This was the power of a 4th grade awakener! They were 10 times stronger than 3rd grade awakeners like Alexander. This was the vast difference between their strengths, comparable to the difference between a snail and an elephant and like a snail, Alexander could not comprehend the size and magnitude of Maximus.
War cries enveloped the desert, now the blood that painted Alexander's face started to become dry from the heat. He slowly got up on his feat, heaving a deep sign amongst the bustle of the battle.
As he stood up, 3 sleepwalkers surrounded Alexander in a circle, their stance low and ready to pounce. Alexander continued to inhale rigorously, trying to reclaim as much stamina and energy as he could.
The sleepwalkers screamed furiously as they projected themselves onto Alexander.
" 3rd awakening, Echo mirage"
Alexander felt a chilling frost on his chest, as various body parts that looked identical to each other emerged out of his body.
A hand emerged from his mouth, a leg from his hips and face from his head. In a heartbeat, there were now 4 individuals that looked identical to Alexander standing in the entrapped circle.
3 of the individuals surrounded the original Alexander in the centre, defending him. If the sleepwalkers were to strike the original Alexander, it will consequently also get rid of the clones, making him vulnerable.
" Enchantment art- swordforge"
Their swords were now surrounded by a grey energy, as their blades met with the sleepwalkers in a resounding clang, a collision of metal that reverberated through the air. The sleepwalkers bones were as tough as iron, and impossible to penetrate by an ordinary individual and thus their skeleton can only be damaged through the use of magic.
The clashing sound of swords vibrated in the air, and with a final desperate lunge, the duplicate Alexander's found an opening. The sleepwalkers' bones started to shatter, along with the duplicate Alexander's as they exchanged repetitive blows.
More and more blood painted the golden sand red, the desert slowly started to transition to hell, as Alexander stood on a pool of his own blood, his body scared and wounded.
He slowly tread through the bloody desert, wanting to go back home, to the place he found comfort. There, he was happy, there he danced to the vital sounds of drums and flutes, where he looked up at the stars and wondered what his place was in the world.
Slash!
Alexander stared towards his abdomen, his body was now completely paralyzed and deprived of energy. He glared at the sword that pierced through his flesh.
" What was my place in this world?"