𝗟𝗜𝗧𝗧𝗟𝗘 𝗗𝗔𝗥𝗞 𝗔𝗚𝗘

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐘 - WEAK

I shivered pulling my arms as close to my chest as I could — I was practically curling over in fear wanting ball up and slouch on the floor.

This wasn't supposed to happen. It was supposed to be something — so incredibly simple it makes me seem useless to the other shamans. I may humiliate myself on something small but at least I had some encouragement to beat it! Instead I'm forced to shrivel up and hide or else I'll be ripped apart and devoured by the inescapable death real shamans confronted more often than me.

I couldn't even consider myself a shaman at this point — there's no way. I had doubts to fight a low-grade and now I know I'm going to die, I have no future from this point on. I'm weak and didn't have an impact on either worlds I was tied into — I'll be forgotten quickly, a pace so uncomfortably fast I'll ponder even in the after life if it was worth it. Dying was a part of existing, and sadly my end is here.

I sucked in a huge breath, thick and sharp from my anxiousness before peering around the corner one last time. Nothing was out in the open, wading across the empty space was absolutely nothing. An eerie silence fell over me, the beat of my racing heart felt calmer and my breaths were less nervous and shaky; in the brief moment, I felt great relief. The obnoxious buzz in my ears hadn't faded but kept a consistent spasm that had left me always on my toes.

Though I felt safe, I knew I wasn't — I couldn't have been let off that easily.

My shoulders tensed a little more as the piercing blares of a high pitched siren rang at its highest frequency making me wince. A sudden pulse of fear made me shudder and my adrenaline raced through me sending my reflexes into a frenzy, within a second I had crouched down to the ground without another conscious thought. The concrete my head leaned against had shattered above me, the grey wall cracking and falling in many different shapes of debris. It crumbled above me with a dense shake and tumbled onto the top of my head until I scrambled to shove myself away from the wall.

I started to sprint, pushing myself off the ground. It found me. How was I supposed to live now?

I fled in a panic taking different turns in the building until I settled behind another wall. There was only silence with the occasional grumbles and murmurs that reverberated through the dark halls. I but my lip trying to be as quiet as I could — even if that were holding my breath. I was terrified, what if it could hear my heartbeat? I've encountered a special grade once and I can barely remember how that ended — there's no way this circumstance would be any different unless it were worse.

I was a coward — I was most definitely not worth the time of the other students. I don't understand why I'm still alive.

Confusion ran through my mind, buzzing like crazy bees and keeping me completely distracted in fear. I couldn't think straight completely consumed by terror and had no control over my body — I was just acting out of reflex and thoughtless assumptions. Impulsivity ran through my reactions having no real idea what to do; I wasn't trained to handle special grades, I was barely able to handle a low-grade — the only reason I was really on this mission was to see what it was like. It wasn't supposed to be complicated, it was supposed to be simple.

I'm not impressive or strong — I'm weak and cowardly, I learned that after reality hit me in the back of the head and took away the only people I was close to. It proceeded to drop me in a scenario that it knew I would never accomplish.

Fate, a disoriented jerk that absolutely despises my existence.

I let out a shuddered breath when from the corner of my eye I caught the gaze of the creature I wanted nothing more than to hide from, it's bold and vicious gaze devouring my terror in pleasure. I gasped pulling my body away from the being and pulling the sword in front of me — I knew I didn't have anything special or prodigious about me, nothing worth saving, but that didn't mean I wanted to die. I wanted anything but that...

I knew how to use a sword — not well but it gave me some comfort to have on me. It was something I could rely on more than myself, way more.

The moment I lifted the blade in the air I could feel my hairs rise and instantly understood what that meant. An attack. My eyes widened and I instantly reacted, pulling my body away to try and avoid what was coming. Done quite well, I had propelled myself to the side and avoided the wall that suddenly demolished beside me, with it created a strange form that I couldn't quite explain. I wanted to take that as a chance to move as it were focused on what it was working with. I turned on my feet a darted again, parting ways with rushing fear.

I felt a slight sense of confidence and glanced back briefly to see exactly how my run was going. A sudden scraping feeling clawed at my arm and attacked my skin with pressure, I looked to see the cruel creation warping into some type of hand and held my arm tightly pulling me back. The spirit lunged towards me and I lifted the sword, slashing at the spirit — specifically its head. I wanted this mission to end.

My breaths paused and relief completely dissipated. There was no more happiness or satisfaction — not an ounce of calm or serenity. There was only pressure and filthy pain that spread through my veins the moment the sound of metal cracking broke the tough silence.

Silent, silver shards fluttered to the ground until the only thing that remained in my hand was broken and dim grey attached to a pitch black hilt that weakly hung in my sweaty palm.

Comfort was completely gone.