Eyes shut, Verus stumbled out of the explosion of fiery light. The exposed skin of his arms and the side of his head flared with pain, and he knew he’d been burned. Worse than the pain was the panic, its intensity scattered his thoughts and resolve. He was blind and wounded, alone in a fighting ring with a powerful opponent, and the next blow could come from anywhere at any time. Worse, Fortex was more than powerful enough to finish him off with one good attack, which would cause him to fail the mission given to him by Lady Nightclaw.

Verus remembered the dark and crushing aura of the great elder, as well as all the creepy prison-like rooms in her basement. He really wanted to avoid angering her. He almost wished he’d brought his sword, but if weapons were allowed in the match then Fortex would have brought one of his own, and his pockets were very deep. All Verus had was a simple ki-tempered blade that he’d only just began practicing with. Fortex would be able to afford much better. He might even have access to a spiritual weapon.

That left Verus with few choices. His first instinct was to keep stumbling around to make himself harder to hit until his eyes recovered, but he knew that would be a mistake. Instead, he recovered his balance and reached out with his spiritual sense. He’d spent months training it, so it was far more responsive and sensitive than that of most of his fellow disciples. Hopefully, it would be enough.

Almost instantly, Verus detected a burst of ki that took shape a moment later. It was beam of burning energy headed right at him, and he could tell it was powerful enough to burn through his defenses and ravage his body. As an imminent sense of deadly danger filled Verus, the Warrior roared to life within his mind. It brought a cold calm that suppressed all fear and indecision, and he moved without thought.

An intense burst of Ki flowed through Verus’s body as he twisted around with startling speed. The beam missed him by less than a foot, and although Verus felt the heat from it wash over him, he wasn’t wounded.

Fortex wasn’t finished yet though. Verus’s ki senses alerted him as the other disciple charged at him. Thankfully, by this time, Verus’s eyes were beginning to recover and he could make out blurry shapes again.

Turning to face his opponent, Verus raised his guard and clumsily defended himself from a series of punches. At the same time, he blinked madly to help his vision recover. Using his ki senses to try and track punches was less than ideal. Fortex’s body was mostly one big blob of ki to him, so several of the punches slipped past his guard and grazed him.

Grimacing, Verus fell back. Although his vision was mostly back now, he was still in a very bad situation. The grace and skill of the Warrior was the only thing keeping him in the fight. Despite his opponent’s martial arts skill, Verus was able to predict his opponent’s moves and quickly respond thanks to the Warrior. Was there some sort of ki technique that would enable him to turn this situation around? He desperately needed to grab Fortex and lock him down! That was his only way of winning.

Suddenly, the rain of blows ended, and Fortex stopped advancing. The unexpected respite surprised Verus, and as he blinked a few more times, his vision finally recovered completely. Fortex was now standing a few feet away, looking calm and relaxed.

“I have your measure now, and I must say, it’s rather disappointing,” the young noble laughed. “Your martial skills aren’t bad, surprisingly good really, but your ki techniques are pathetic. You’ll never beat the glorious legacy I inherited from my ancestor with that pitiful bag of tricks of yours.”

Verus ground his teeth together as anger rose up within him. Fortex was a rich spoiled brat! He had no idea how hard Verus had worked to put together his ‘pitiful bag of tricks’. He’d had to risk his life over and over again, while everything had been handed to Fortex simply because he’d been born in the right family. Verus was struggling to understand even the basics of void ki, but Fortex had numerous techniques already prepared for him.

“I’ve earned my techniques. They’re mine, while yours are just borrowed from your family,” Verus shouted.

Frotex snorted rudely. “Borrowed gold is still gold, and tin is still tin, no matter how hard you polish it. You shouldn’t be so jealous of the blessings that God has granted others. It’s unbecoming of a temple ward, aren’t you supposed to suffer in silence?”

The young noble then charged forward again. In response, Verus deflected his first punch and then slowly began falling back and using the graceful feints and counters from the Shifting Serpent Style. He was trying to lure Fortex into overextending so that he’d be vulnerable to a grappling move.

After dodging several more punches and a low kick, Verus got his chance. He twisted out of the way of a punch aimed at his head while deflecting the blow with his forearm. This allowed him to push on Fortex’s arm and get him off balance slightly, which then gave him time to reach over and grab his elbow. The bony joint and a quick application of the Unseen Hand allowed him to get a solid grip on his foe’s limb.

Golden orange ki flared up from Fortex when he realized what was happening, so Verus immediately cycled his ki and prepared to prevent him from escaping. However, instead of pulling back, Frotex went on the offense, taking Verus by surprise. Before Verus was ready, he threw a powerful punch at his head, which landed on his cheek and sent him reeling. That wasn’t the end either, keeping his momentum up, Fortex used the power from flaring his body enhancement to launch a devastating side kick that slammed into Verus’s ribs.

Verus heard a crack from his ribs as pain rippled through his chest. Immediately, he lost his grip on Fortex and was sent stumbling backwards. The world spun around him as he gasped, but he somehow managed to stay on his feet for the moment. His legs felt weak though, and he wasn’t sure he could stay standing for long. Even his consciousness felt fragile, like he could pass out at any moment.

Through the pain-filled haze, Fortex’s mocking voice reached him. “See, I told you that you’d feel the difference between us with your body.”

Ugh, that sounded so stupid. Eyeing his opponent warily, Verus struggled to raise his hands and regain his strength. He wasn’t going to lose to this entitled jerk.

Verus somehow managed to steady himself, but his hands were clearly trembling, and his ribs still ached. It felt like that half of his body was going numb. It didn’t seem like Fortex was in hurry to continue attacking though. Flaring his enhancement technique had cost him as well, but he’d recover soon.

Was this end? Verus couldn’t think of any way to turn the fight around now. It seemed like he was doomed to fail and would be missing the tournament. That meant he wouldn’t be becoming Elder Caligo’s apprentice. With all the enemies he’d made, that would probably end his dreams once and for all. Becoming an elder would become a distant dream, although at the moment, Verus cared more about showing everyone what a temple ward like him was capable of.

No! He couldn’t give up. It wasn’t only his dream. It had been Warin’s as well. He couldn’t let his brother down! He’d show them all!

The Warrior bubbled up into Verus’s unstable mind, filling the cracks and driving away the confusion with iron discipline and burning cold intensity. There was only duty.

Human ki rushed into Verus’s body and began to flow in complicated patterns that twisted in on themselves, restoring the strength of his flesh. Within his soul, the Splinterseed began to move as well. Twisting and turning as it fulfilled its purpose, the bringing of change.

New strength flowed into his body, but Verus knew that it wouldn’t be enough. He needed more. No matter the cost. It was time to stop holding back. He couldn’t run from the truth any longer.

The words Inanis had spoken before the challenge had started echoed through Verus’s mind. Listen to the voice of what was. Only then will you have the strength necessary to survive. You must let go of yourself to understand yourself.

Standing on the stone platform, full of pain and determination, Verus knew what Inanis had meant now. The time had come to face the truth about the Warrior and accept it. He knew what the strange presence was. Really, it was obvious. He’d simply been terrified down to his soul of the implications.

The Warrior was him. It was his memories from a past life, when he’d been someone else. Someone with incredible power and terrible purpose.

Everyone knew souls reincarnated, but the Heavens were supposed to take their memories and sins, washing them clean. Sometimes people retained vague feelings or had brief flashes of odd memories, but the Warrior was far more than that. It was the core of who he’d used to be, and thanks to the Splinterseed, it was getting stronger.

That terrified Verus, more than death itself. All his life, all he’d ever really had control of was his own will. The temple and the empire had controlled everything else about his life. If he accepted the Warrior, would he still be himself? Or, would he be replaced? Could he let go of who he was?

There was no way to know. The implications of the Warrior’s existence were as profound as they were dreadful. It led him to question the very nature of his own being and the nature of the soul at his core. Who was Verus? He felt like he was trying to stand on earth that was collapsing beneath him into a bottomless pit.

Who was the Warrior? Verus knew it had been a powerful and committed cultivator who had suffered greatly, but that was it. What terrible experiences had forged it? He could feel its terrible depths, its resolve and its sorrow. Accepting his past life would mean accepting the terrible pain within it. That dark ocean could crush him.

However, in the end, Verus had no choice but to grit his teeth and step forward. He wouldn’t back down, he couldn’t. Taking a leap of faith, he gambled his very soul. Embracing the Warrior entirely, he broke down all the barriers within him. Closing his eye, he let his sense of self go. It floated away from him, leaving nothing. Void.

In that instance, Verus ceased to exist entirely.

When his eyes opened again, he was not the same person as before. The distinction between himself and the remnant of the Warrior was gone. They’d become one.

No wave of restored memories overwhelmed Verus. He didn’t remember the details of his past life, but his perspective shifted. A new weight settled over him. He was no longer just a lonely temple ward adrift in world he didn’t understand. He was veteran warrior who had seen death from both sides. Unconsciously, he shifted his posture subtly and studied his enemy with new eyes. His fear had drained away, to be replaced by a deep intensity backed by ancient experience. He had a mission to accomplish, a duty to fulfill. This was one small step on a long road to his goal. One that had spanned lifetimes.

A frown appeared on Fortex’s face. He’d been calmly recovering from flaring his ki technique, but he’d noticed the change in Verus and didn’t seem to know what to make of it.

“What just happened?” he asked hesitantly.

“I died,” Verus replied in steely voice as he casually strode forward