Divinity

--- [Alex’s perspective]

He could make my heart stop at any moment?!

Is he bluffing?

Is his ability really that powerful…?

Either way, he needs me; he’s not going to do it to me.

But if he really can do something as insane as that, I need to be careful.

He may not kill me, but he could probably cripple me in other ways.

The problem is, I can’t damage him without touching him.

If only Shin was here…

He’d make quick work of him with his swords.

Wait a minute…

Could I…?

“How long are you just going to stand there? If you won’t come to me, I’ll come to you!” – Arthur

I have to try it, it’s now or never.

He sprints towards me at full speed with both his hands stretching forwards as far as they can.

All he needs is to touch me, power is irrelevant to him.

I lift both of my arms, preparing myself for a collision.

He runs right into me, his palms touching mine.

However, not before I used my specialty…!

“Oh… Smart. I’m genuinely curious to see if it works or not!” – Arthur

We both take a step back and lower our arms.

“Let’s see.” – Alex

If this doesn’t work, I don’t think I can win against him, so it doesn’t matter if he got a free hit on me now.

“Now then… What kind of accident will you be in…” – Arthur

He thinks for a moment, then:

“Ah! I got it. Let’s have you… Sneeze!” – Arthur

That’s it…?

A few seconds passes, but nothing happens.

It worked!

My specialty can absorb his.

That means as long as I use my palms, I can touch him.

He’s not that durable, so palm strikes should be more than enough to take him out.

“That certainly makes this a lot more interesting… Let’s see how long you can avoid being touched anywhere other than your palms.” – Arthur

Just as I’m about to go on the offensive, I hear footsteps rapidly approaching.

“Who’s there?!” – Edward

They walk around the corner and…

It’s…!

“Oh, just me.” – Shin

“Shin! You’re okay!” – Alex

“Of course!” – Shin

“I was worried…” – Alex

“Why? No need to worry about me, I wouldn’t let these losers beat me.” – Shin

“Shin… He…” – Alex

“Now then, who do we have here? Edward and…?” – Shin

“Arthur.” – Arthur

“So, you’re the boss around here, or…?” – Shin

“That I am.” – Arthur

“I see… So, you’re the one that needs a good beating then.” – Shin

“Heh… I suppose.” – Arthur

“Shin, you’re better suited for fighting this guy than me. His ability is dangerous, but it only activates when he touches you. You’ll easily take care of him with your swords.” – Alex

As he walks towards me, Edward steps between us.

“I won’t let you do that. Arthur told me to let him deal with Alex, he never said anything about you.” – Edward

They won’t let us swap opponents…

Smart, it would only be an advantage for us.

“Edward.” – Arthur

“Yes?” – Edward

“… Go for the kill. If Alex submits, then you can stop.” – Arthur

“Got it.” – Edward

Edward summons his giant sword and points it toward Shin.

“We don’t want to kill you guys, but you’re refusing to submit. We have no choice but to take drastic measures. When Alex sees how big the difference is between me and you, he’ll definitely give up.” – Edward

“Alex, don’t do it. Not ever. Even if you think my life is at risk. Don’t ever help these scum. Besides, he’s got it all wrong. When you see how big the difference is between me and him, you’ll be even more confident. I’m going to beat him. No matter what.” – Shin

“Okay!” – Alex

“Oh, you’re a cocky one, aren’t you?” – Edward

“Yes, and for good reason.” – Shin

Edward scoffs at what Shin said, as if it wasn’t all true.

“We’ll see about that…” – Edward

“I fully believe in you Shin but watch out. He’s strong. He even… He…” – Alex

“Spit it out.” – Shin

“He killed one of them…” – Alex

“What…?” – Shin

“I… I don’t know who it was, but he killed one of them. Lett or Illian… One of them is dead.” – Alex

The look in his face and his entire attitude changes when he heard it…

Shin is pissed…

“Is it true? Did you kill one of them…?” – Shin

“Of course. They were about to finish off one of my own allies, so I stopped them. Simple as that.” – Edward

“…” – Shin

“This could have all been avoided of course. If you had just-” – Edward

“Who was it?” – Shin

“The boy.” – Edward

“Illian… I haven’t known him for as long as I have with the other two, but he was still a beloved friend… He was a good guy with his entire life ahead of him, and you took it all away… This is… Unforgivable!” – Shin

“So, I hear you use swords too. Let’s see who’s the better swordsman.” – Edward

“Enough with the jokes! You’ve crossed a line you can’t ever uncross. You’ll pay for what you’ve done…” – Shin

--- [Lett’s perspective]

These halls…

They just go on and on, seemingly forever…

Wait…

I hear something.

Who is that?

I run around the corner, and…!

It’s Illian!

“Hey, are you okay?” – Lett

“Yeah, I’m fine.” – Illian

“There’s so much blood… Is it…?” – Lett

“It’s mine. But don’t worry, I used my specialty. I’m not hurt.” – Illian

“That’s a relief…” – Lett

“Edward… I met him earlier. He’s strong… Too strong… I don’t think anyone other than Alex could deal with him, and that’s only because of his ability.” – Illian

“Is he really that strong?” – Lett

“Yes. He’s a monster… One attack was all it took. He finished me off in an instant. If it wasn’t for my specialty, I’d be a dead man. Luckily, he didn’t know about it, so I managed to trick him into thinking I was dead. But more importantly, we need to find Shin and Alex. If they run into him, they’re in big trouble…” – Illian