Flames of Darkness - Chapter I - VI

The battle began. Neither side actually made a move for a very long while, as if waiting for the opposite party to move first.

Wolf took the opportunity and made a quick pounce towards the figure, ready to do a slash on him. The figure just seemed to stand rooted there, as if waiting for the attack to come.

Wolf's claw came slashing right down on the figure, but... something was not right. As he landed on the ground, he turned around to see the figure.

The figure slowly faded away, as if it never existed. It turned and faced Wolf.

"Good try, but, you should try harder!" A quick laugh, and the figure disappeared into thin air. It was as if his attack never struck the figure at all, as if... it was "not there."

A sudden strike from his back stunned him. It was a powerful hit, and the impact sent him flying a distance away. Wolf didn't know where that came from, but he could sense that the figure he was speaking to was still around.

"Well, you already got a taste of my attack even before this. You should have been prepared this would happen!"

Wolf then understood what was going on. Manipulation of surroundings, no, more specifically, air. He couldn't understand though, how the figure managed to stab his body without leaving a trace.

"Just a small present from someone else." The figure responded, as if knowing what Wolf was thinking.

"You ain't going to find me just by standing there, you know? Come on, think of a way to hit me! I'm already bored..." The wind carried the figure's voice. Wolf was really angered by now, but he still couldn't score a hit on him.

"How about I propose a change of rules? I hit you even once, you tell me everything you know." Wolf spoke to the air, not knowing where the figure was by then.

"What? That's way too much of a bargain for you! But, hah! I guess that's fine with me. Not that you'll strike me at all anyway!" Ending off that sentence, a quick punch on Wolf's face could be felt.

There was not going to be any simple way of finding that figure. Not with it seemingly all over the place.

"Focus........" A small gust of wind went over his ears.

More strikes came landing on Wolf while he was still confused as to what to do. By now, the figure was mildly angered by his actions.

"I should up the ante, isn't it? You just standing there like a straw doll makes this no fun."

A sudden slice across Wolf's arm stunned him. It started to bleed, and this definitely was for real. The figure was not kidding this time, and Wolf needed to find a way out of this situation as quick as he could.

"Distracted again!"

A few more slices went slashing onto Wolf. It was not going to be the best ending to this battle. Not when Wolf was getting beaten around like a rag doll.

The strikes were getting more and more vicious as time went on. Wolf just couldn't keep up with escaping the attacks whenever he could. He could feel like the air became razor-sharp knives that were ready to slash him at anytime. He was ready to give up. Ready to just let the battle end with him losing. Ready to let it everything fade to nothing...

"So you want that, huh? FINE!"

Wolf suddenly got picked up into the air. He lost control of his whole body, unable to move a single muscle. The air was restraining his movements. Just then, he felt that the air became thinner... and thinner... and thinner...

He gasped for air, struggling to get out of the situation. There was nothing he could do, was there? Midway in air, not being able to move, doing nothing... He knew it was going to end in his brutal loss.

He was close to losing consciousness. A powerful slam on the ground followed, his body battered and bleeding.

"Take it as your final warning. The next strike, I will crush you bit by bit!"

Struggling to keep himself conscious now, he couldn't do much, other than grab the earth in front of him as a final struggle.

"It's all over..." Wolf made a soft murmur to himself.

"FOCUS! THINK!" A voice inside his head shouted. He didn't know who it was, but it definitely gave him a little more consciousness with such a loud voice.

"Alright. Time's up. Let's just send you to hell, shall we?" The figure picked him up once more, and again, he was floating in air. This time however, the air was getting heavier and heavier above him.

He could feel the air crushing his bones slowly... slowly... A loud crack could be heard.

"AAAAARRRRR-GGGGHHHHH!!!!" Wolf screamed in agony. His ribcage was slowly getting crushed under the air's weight. He had to do something, anything at all. His eyes began to close... ever so slowly...

"Good...bye..." Wolf whispered as the figure dropped him back to ground.

"So that's it? I expected more from you, Wolf." The figure reappeared from the surroundings, stepping his body and kicking it around.

What followed next, was dead silence...