Diaries of Origins

Chapter 21

What's this man update that didn't take months?

Told you we didn't forget about it

Distantly, I heard a dark laughter from the mad priest.

But I barely had any time to process anything, before the stranger charged. He seemed to move with the shadows, as if they were made of them. I stumbled back, my eyes widening, barely avoiding the swing of their sword.

I fell back, and scrambled for my own weapon, ducking under another swing.

The cold weight of a sword was unfamiliar in my hands. I had never been a fighter.

I raised my sword, barely in time to block another swing.

He narrowed his eyes at me, an expression that looked wrong on their oddly youthful face, and took a few steps back. I shakily tried to right my footing, glancing over at the fountain.

Eden was now sitting in a much more casual position, one leg dangling off the spire of darkness, leaning back on his hands, completely at ease as if he were watching a play. He smirked widely at me, and I glared in response.

His magenta eyes glinted, reflecting a light that didn't exist to anyone but him, a sadistic gleam burning just below the surface.

"I knew I was right to hate you..." I mumbled.

The sound of bubbles boiling over made me look back over towards the stranger.

He was still glaring at me, holding his rapier out, pointing it at me.

His rapier was bubbling over, dark steam rising from the blade, as it started dripping what looked like liquid shadow. My eyes widened in horror as the dark liquid rolled down, and lengthened the blade, reconstructing it. Before long, the blade had been transformed from a rapier, to a claymore.

"Oh what the fu-"

I was cut off, quite literally, when he charged once more.

I blocked his blows the best I could, but I could barely manage to get a hit in of my own.

The stranger was fast, and had a clear connection to the shadows, but other than that he didn't seem to have much else.

I may have not been a fighter myself, but I still knew how to fight.

This stranger went through the motions of fighting, but he was jerking around, movements stiff and untrained, and didn't seem to know what he was doing. He didn't have any technique, no experience.

He had raw strength, speed, and potential, but it was just that. Raw, potential. Untrained, unpolished.

It was more like someone following instructions, from a person who watched fights, rather than someone taught how to fight or even someone copying moves they themself saw.

Like he was being used as an avatar by an onlooker, viewing the fight from a distance.

That didn't mean he would be an easy fight, he still was incredibly fast and his sword was far better than mine. Plus, Eden's ever present gaze, his smirk, put me on edge and distractions were never good in a fight.

I was snapped out of my daydreaming when the flat of his blade slammed into me, sending me stumbling back.

I touched my chest, where he'd hit me, confused. He was clearly trying to harm me, but why use the flat of his blade at all?