Requiem Of A Failed Hero

"What do you mean fight? Why will I fight you?"

Raith said, his voice bending with caution. He unintendedly took a step back as the asura was about to start talking.

"Fear. I can smell you fear so well. It's strong, it's irritating, it disgust me… feels my lungs with embers of withered tree, one that was supposed to survive harsh times, grow, spread it branches like wings and reign among the clouds. But withered."

Raith paused, slowly gulped as his eyes stared on the asura's golden eyes that pierced the deepest darkness of his soul with its glow.

'...that's so much words.'

But Raith understood where he was getting at. Was he scared of fighting Thard - Harl? Definitely. Every fiber of his being spoke of it. Even as Raith heard the asura say the word "fight" he had begun to sweat over his forehead.

His throat had gone dehydrated, he swallowed nothing several times over and his palm was clammy, his feet was ready to spring away at the slightest of chances he could get.

And all that the asura could clearly see.

Raith stayed silent still, he clenched his fist. His breathe was raspy but he sought to find a calming point. He lowered his head and continually tried to steady his breathe with his hand clenched hard.

After a few seconds, he was able to do so. He raised his head to the asura, his brows furrowing.

"I am not scared of fighting you" Raith said.

Thard - Harl raised a corner of his lips.

"Fine then. Fight me."

He outstretched his right arm to Raith has he demanded.

Raith stayed still for a few seconds, the beads of sweat formed over his head had doubled, some were beginning to rund down his cheek.

The grey atmosphere hung for a second between the two, it was bland - wasn't heavy wasn't light. It couldn't be said that there was a palpable tension nor could it be said that there was a calmness of the sea that brought harmony to the wind.

For that minute second, was a pseudo phase of non existence. Following that the grey stones beneath the feet of the two of them shattered into splinters as both of them clashed.

The bare force of Thard - Harl's outstretched arm made Raith's body tremble, his bones shook with vibration in that moment of impact. The moment the non-existence was cut by an impregnable force from both fighters. Only that one was far stronger.

Raith's body from head to toe ran with a cold chill as Thard - Harl pulled back his hand, he was mistaken to think he had enough time to counter before Thard - Harl would lunge forward the hand.

But…

His bone reverberated with a shrill wrenching sound as cracks like earthquake ran through from his metacarpal to his humerus.

Raith's hand hung low, dangling.

'What happened?'

The collision of his fist with the asura's had left his hand whimpering.

But there was no time to think about that - because the blow the asura pulled back with the same speed, the wind howling at the riding momentum of his arms as he extended them and brushed against Raith's cheek.

For a moment, Raith was sure he heard a screeching sound. Everything went blank and he couldn't tell if he was alive, barely alive or just dead.

The screeching sound in his ear continued for more than a second then slowly whistled away from him.

Raith's swore he saw his hand ripple like water as he pulled them back the second time. His entire being was destabilized as he could nothing but wait in fearful expectation of the second blow.

His wait was short.

He flew across the expanse of stone, tumbled through the ground, shattering larger stones before coming to a helpless stop.

His face was smeared with blood, as he vomited while flying or whether it was the scratches obtained from the sharp edges of the grey stones.

He stood to the floor and let out a puddle of blood like his mouth was a faucet. He couldn't bring himself to his feet, he stayed on all threes and tried to crawl away as he saw Thard - Harl walking closer to him.

Seeing the frightening silhouette of his from the vantage of his blurry eyes, Raith gasped for breath. He urged himself to act but his hands had gone numb. One bones shattered within muscles. The other rippling and stiffening with the tremors of fear.

Raith had never truly experienced what it meant to be fearful. Even when he did the trials of the abyss, and it seemed like he was going to die. There was a safe space in his mind that informed him that he couldn't die.

The only thing was that he couldn't depend on that part of his mind, he had to struggle, he had to put in the effort and run away from real death so as not to get accustomed to it.

But the mind was a tricky thing. It had quite the conniving way of getting adapted to things.

Right now, Raith's mind had neglected that thought, that safe space from death was clearly gone and there was nothing he could do.

So, Raith's mind bellowed with a level of fear he had never felt before… and his body - which remembered a strong foe like Thard - Harl responded to it tremendously.

Thard - Harl stopped in front of the shivering boy. He was like a sheep. One out in the cold, that had somehow managed to survive a turbulent ordeal and was now going to die from the scars it left.

Thard - Harl folded his hands and shook his head with a bitter frown.

"Stand up"

Raith did not respond. He could have really died. He didn't want to respond at all. He just lowered his head, holding his upper body with one hand. He bit his lips hard, regret, pain, fear all sorts of emotions flooded his minded and he couldn't sort them out.

His mind however, resounded with one thing over and over again as the scenario played, he could have really died.

The asura had ended him with just two punches. He could have died before he knew what was going on.

"You could've died you know?"

Raith was silent, he bit his lips harder. The asura could his his hand trembling.

He refocused his gaze afterwards, a frown creased on his face as he addressed Raith.

"You are weak. Very weak. And you have been made to think you are strong because of the world you live in. Listen Raven Raith, your world is the weakest amongst all the planes, as far as I know… it is supposed to be non existential but a particular primordial has decided to favor its people."

He crouched in front of Raith.

"That favor will not last forever and Earth along with its people will collapse. When that day comes, the heroes of earth will be deceived, they will think they can protect their world from the players but they will fail utterly at it."

Raith finally raised his head to look at Thard - Harl, his eyes were reddened and teary, his teeth had punctured wounds on his lips.

"Players?"

His voice still sounded with much of himself despite his state.

"Yes. Players. People like you."

"Why?"

"The conversation is a long one and we cannot start with that. But if you don't have the desire to get stronger, there's nothing I can do for you. I believe you have something in you that has died if not there's no reason why the abyss would choose you."

His look to Raith told that he was getting to the intense part of his speech.

"I am sure I can resurrect whatever it is. I can teach you everything about combat, its smartness, its cunningness, adaptability, vulnerabilities. I can teach you everything you need to know… but you have to be ready to abandon all you have learnt so far, you should be ready to relearn."

Raith's teary face creased to a frown. He stared at Thard - Harl and lowered his gaze.

"I'm not sure…"

His voice was low and shaky.