Requiem Of A Failed Hero

Finding himself within the warm confines of comfort while his life was in peril was truly remarkable but very dangerous. But Raith tried not to think about all the things that could go wrong, neither did he give thought to the things that could go right.

He just fell.

And left the moment of it.

It qasnt arguable that reflexes are activated with the senses are preoccupied and the body is left with no choice but to assume to position of protection even if it is for 0.01 second. Until the senses detect that thing.

And the funny thing about reflexes is… they can be pretty late to the occasion.

Raith's head was a tad away from smashing the ground. His legs widened and swirled, swinging him in a spur of wind, using the wind blow, Raith's body twisted in an insane manner, bringing his to a quick roll and landing his feet on the ground.

It all happened so fast that Raith couldn't even tell what he had done.

But he survived the fall. And he did it so well. All the shock was absorbed into his legs and released at the same moment, causing the ground to crack a little bit.

"Good. Now you have had the basic. You are pretty much set for the real Neofut."

Raith frowned… not because of what Thard - Harl has said. But just now, he saw… felt something move in the darkness. He didn't have a special affinity for darkness, not anymore at the very least, but those times of being one with it had sort of rubbed on his skin, leaving him with a little bit of sensitivity.

"Neofut is a piece of legwork that profits in one form. No matter how many asuras use it. It only works for you when you use it for you. It's a footwork where you find your reflection in. Failure to do that. You are as good as dead."

Thard - Harl's voice sounded amidst the darkness. For Raith, it was like pure torment. Moreso, he couldn't even give a hundred percent attention to what Thard - Harl was saying.

He was sure he saw something move through the darkness a second time while Thard - Harl was talking.

Raith frowned and held fast.

'No need to be afraid. I am different now'

But he also couldn't rely on a strength he didn't want to show the wicked asura unless he had gotten to that moment where they would fight to death.

And the ominous presence that surrounded Raith in this dark depth was very uncomfortable. Raith might need to give everything he can pull if he wanted to survive the encounter with whatever was in this depth.

Wham!

At once, it shot forward like an ordinary mass of darkness, shooting past him. But harvesting a line of blood from his cheek.

It would have gone for more if Raith didn't sidestep at the last minute. Before he could turn back to behold the monster, it had merged with the darkness and gone.

Raith did not loose his alertness. He continued to observe keenly, turning around every moment to observe where the darkness could strike from.

Whish!

This time it came from behind. He was too late to see it coming but his body reacted almost on its own, spinning in a blur and meeting the black blade with metallic bracelets he was wearing.

A sharp clang soared through the depths. For the first time in a less than two minutes of encounter, Raith was finally able to see his enemy's face.

It didn't have a face.

The body was a smoky mass of darkness, humanoid by all means and was rounded by tapes like a mummy.

Raith had peered straight into its eyes the moment they collided. He saw nothing but deep darkness. As he exclaimed, his enemy retreated into the darkness, dissipating into it.

Raith remained alert, his senses primed for another attack from the shadowy figure. He strained his eyes peering into the darkness, but could discern no movement.

Suddenly, he sensed a shift in the air currents behind him.

He spun quickly, lifting his arm (blood sword forming out of it) just in time to block another slash from the wraith's shadowy blade.

Sparks flew as metal clashed against metal, and Raith countered with a swift kick aimed at where he guessed its torso to be.

His foot passed straight through the creature's smoky form, throwing him off balance.

Before he could recover, the wraith surged forward, raking at him with its free claw. Raith barely dodged the attack, the razor sharp talons leaving thin trails of blood across his cheek.

Hissing in pain, he leapt backwards to open some distance.

The creature blended perfectly with the darkness, giving no indication of its next move.

Raith closed his eyes, relying instead on his other senses - the subtle displacement of air that signaled its rapid movements, the scrape of claw against stone seconds before it struck.

He bent backwards as the wraith's blade whistled past his throat, missing by a hair's breadth.

In the same motion, he slammed his palm upwards, a focused blast of small swords exploded from his hand.

They struck the creature's center mass, and this time it let out an angry, inhuman shriek, the first sound Raith had heard it make.

Pressing his momentary advantage, Raith charged forward with a flurry of punches and kicks, each strike accompanied by bursts of energy from his hands and feet.

The blades tore chunks from the wraith's shadowy form, but did not seem to slow its attacks.

Its movements were blindingly fast, claws and blade finding gaps in Raith's defenses and leaving behind deep, bloody furrows.

Panting, Raith examined his wounds. Long slashes crossed his torso, blood dripping freely down his body.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, he tore strips of cloth from his clothing to bind the deepest gashes.

It would have to do for now. He had survived the first trial, but the challenges ahead would likely prove even more deadly.

After catching his breath, Raith continued to explore the lightless realm he found himself in.

The eldritch darkness seemed to absorb even the sound of his footsteps. Warily, he sent out pulses of aura at regular intervals to scan his surroundings, trying to find the cunning wraith.

The subtle sensory aura he sent out was enough to not notify the asura unnecessarily and the only thing it served was to observe any movement in the darkness. Which he couldn't find.

Until a second later. A sharp flash passed where his aura reached. Immediately, Raith turned and flashed after it.

It was hard seeing in the darkness but relying on his senses was enough. They had even gotten awfully better since his new self emerged.

The shadow suddenly stopped and Raith was quick to note it. He stopped, standing ten meters apart from the brooding darkness.

The dark humanoid beast, cracked its neck and expressed a crooked grin that revealed its pure white set of teeth.

"You bastard!"

Obviously, it was teasing Raith!

"Maybe it was time I got serious with you…"

Remembering the things the asura had been blabbing since, Raith stood a stance. This time he stood differently.