"Gah! Damn it!"

My worn out body is flung across the room, impacting the wall behind me, crushing it under the pressure of my weight. I feel the wind knocked out from me as I grasp for air, inhaling profusely.

I fall down flat on the floor with a loud thud, my body and bones begin to ache, and it feels like I've already broken a few bones during that swift ordeal.

Using my right arm to support me, I raise my upper body as much as I can, trying to look out for the sentient being that's out for my life.

I could still remember being kicked as I sat there earlier, looking helpless, trying to find a way out. I thought it would hurt a LOT, but not that much. My expectations were betrayed then and there.

The ground emits tremors with each step the sentinel takes. Its oppressive figure and demeanor fits its image quite well to say the least, but not to my amusement did I find that comforting at all.

"Where's my sword?... Come on, are you kidding me?"

Looking around the area, I spot my sword just under the sentinel's feet. I once thought that when things become bad, It can't get worse. But now I see the flaw in my own words.

Might as well come running back to the village at this point... Just joking. *Sigh* what am I doing talking to myself? Man, this must truly be the end of me if I've started talking to myself.

If it's true, then what should come next is trying to put up a brave front, and trying to look cool and impressive in front of the great adversary smiting me down.

I try to move my legs, but they don't seem to respond other than sending an excruciating shock of pain that runs through my entire body even with the slightest of movements, making me convulse in pain.

Without even waiting for me to try and do anything, the sentient being walks un-magnanimously towards me, intent on bringing about my end as it winds up its spear, raising it overhead once more.

"Be honored. I intend to defeat you before taking what's rightfully mine. I would have let you bleed to death otherwise."

The old man speaks from behind the sentient being, still accompanied by the giant stone golem.

One more push then i'll be able to send those word back with a little bit more. But how? Where can I find the source, and how can I muster up the strength to do so?

I shake my head, thinking about the present rather than future. It's become quite difficult to dismiss these thoughts about my inevitable loss, but at this point, who can't?

I try forcing my legs up using my right arm as support, ignoring the continuous torment of pain currently destroying my own vitality. In reflex, I grit my teeth, clenching my fist with enough force to make it bleed.

Unable to hold it in, I yell as loud as I can, blocking out the pain through conventional methods.

Now barely standing on my two legs, I lean back on the destroyed stone wall behind me, beathing in and out as much air as I can.

I open my eyes, and a spear comes rushing towards me, held with one hand, closing in at breakneck speed.

Barely dodging it, I set my legs to collapse, using it to my advantage as I drop to the floor almost instantly.

I look above, the spear runs through the wall, small pebbles fall from the crevice created by the sentinel.

"How amusing. You managed to live through that using your own weakness. You truly are something else, but also another thing entirely. I remember you using an unknown power that rivaled my own. I am quite keen to find out what you truly are, but I can't risk you getting in the way of my destiny."

Pahldor raises his arm, ordering his creation with gestures. In which the being follows without hesitation, pulling its spear with great ease as if nothing. It stares me down, and we stand inches away from each other.

I look directly above me, returning its domineering glare with a weak one of my own. While in the thick of it, I try to move my legs, the goal of running for my weapon is the only thing occupying my mind at this point. Not that the thought of a spear pointed directly at me is terrifying.

I glance to the side to where the girl is. Still petrified, but I think it's for the best it stays that way. It might be hard to defend her at this state.

A movement from the corner of my eye alerts me, kicking my instincts into full gear. In one desperate attempt, I grab the sentinel's leg, pulling myself towards it, slipping from under it, just barely avoiding the spear's point as it slams down to the ground that I was in a few seconds ago.

Without looking back or even thinking about what's it doing. My legs give, forcing me to roll forward. I use the momentum to my advantage, still moving my legs until I return to a sloppy looking run with a strong push from my right arm, raising myself with all I have.

I grab the sword, lagging it beside me as I continue running forward. The next obstacle is the giant golem. I try to look for an opening in the golem with what little time I have left until I approach its striking distance.

At this point, I ignore every ounce of pain ravaging my senses, the only thing driving me is my pursuit of strength and the defense of my pride.

The golem lifts its giant, clenched arm. I rush in forward with a controlled speed, waiting for the opportune time to implement my plan.

"It's all or nothing now."

I mumble from under my breath. Knowing that if I fail, I end up not fulfilling my mission, leaving this word and passing to the next with nothing accomplished. But it gives me the reverse of what I imagined.

The thought of it instead makes my body lighter. The fear of dying as a failure doesn't seem to fit in well with me. A small fraction of my latent powers emerge, imbuing my body with strength and speed.

I sharpen my gaze, breathing in and out slowly as to regulate my remaining energy. I don't like the idea, but I'll have to use my powers for this, otherwise I'd be done for in a heartbeat.

"Such tenacity. It seems that we both share the same desperation for the crypt's hidden powers if you show this determination in defeating me. But at this point, it's to be considered as stupidity. No matter what you do, you won't be able to rival me. I am all powerful "

The golem rams its fists down on the ground, causing a massive tremor of even greater proportions. Anticipating this, I back away seconds before the blow lands, just as I envisioned it to be.

My body aches, forcing me to stiffen, ruining the great timing of my plans. With a millisecond left of an opening, I rush forward, yelling on the top of my lungs just so I could move forward no matter the pain.

I jump on the golem's fist, running upward along its arm to its shoulders. It raises its left arm, moving it toward its right shoulder.

I leap off towards Pahldor, sword raised and ready to be brought down with every ounce of strength I have left in my body. From behind me I feel the pulse of air from the golem's attack on his own shoulder. It makes me quite happy to have dodged that, but my true challenge still stands in front of me.

In that moment, when everything became blurred, a fast moving object breaks through the air, reappearing in front of me in the blink of an eye.

It releases the air surrounding it with a flap of its wings.

The sentient being caught up to me without my notice, blocking my passage leading to Pahldor. Unable to stop my descent, I instead bring down my sword on the sentinel, hoping to inflict as much damage as I can on it.

With enough speed and power to even cut the wind, I forcibly swing my sword down. And as I expected, it blocked itself with its spear, holding it horizontally in front of me with two hands.

The sword connects with the spear, igniting a spark, but to my disappointment, it had no effect whatsoever, only making a small dent not even large enough to be seen as a normal dent.

After blocking my attack, it grabs and holds me up by my neck, the lower rest of my body goes limp after having used a lot of my built up power. Grasping for air, I try aimlessly swing my sword thinking that it would reach him from this position. But I don't seem to hit anything, making me give up resistance. I instead attempt to formulate a new plan in my head, trying to calm myself down in the process.

"Now don't you see how foolish it was to continue defying me. I won't take your life swiftly. Instead, I will allow you to have a slow excruciating death while enjoying the scenery. That will be the last thing you will see in this world. but it is truly unfortunate that you won't be here to see my rise in power. The day that I truly rule the world. it is near. I can almost feel it coursing through my veins. it makes me ecstatic."

His words come to a stop, and at the same time his sentinel fully extends its arms forward, still holding me captive.

I feel a faint breeze fanning me. It was only then that I realized the sentinel was slowly flying upwards through the open ceiling with me in tow. I take one more glance, reaching out my bleeding left hand towards the girl who, from the corner of her eye takes a look at me with a perplexed face, retracting herself from her fetal position.

For a split second, I see Pahldor levitate towards the girl that I was supposed to be defending.

It was faint, but I could hear what he said to her. "Come, let us continue from where we left off shall we?" he extends his hand out to her. In that moment, her sanity broke as she started screaming, huddling farther into the corner where she sat.

I heard her say something that made caught my attention.

"F, Fafnir... Help m, me."

Soon the view changes, the sight captivates me, making me forget of the happenings these few minutes that have passed. I remember that it wasn't that long when we initiated battle with Pahldor, and that the gleaming rays of the sun still covered the land. The fluffy white clouds strewn across the blue sky fills me with comfort despite my state.

The cold becomes somewhat commonplace as it envelops me out in the open. I have grown a bit accustomed to it these past few days I think

Suddenly, a cold feeling fills my stomach. It's a stinging cold sensation, but my body feels too numb to even tell what it is in the first place. Then that cold feeling passes, and I feel something being pulled out from me as my body gets dragged forward for some reason unknown to me, but I feel weak all of a sudden.

My stomach feels wet, then dry, but what could have caused it? It feels like me energy is being sucked away slowly, my eyes begin to dim.

In one motion, I am swung back by the sentient being. The next was a blur, things moved and transpired faster than I could realize that they were happening, but I understood that it threw me away a great distance from the forest.

I impacted the snow, creating a large crater in the snow bed. My senses are too numb to even realize the magnitude of damage that I took from the throw. It's cold, I feel tired, I want to rest. Is this it? Is everything finally over now? Somehow the only way to forget the things that worry you, is to stare at the present and admire it. Soon it'll all be gone, and it won't return.

Closing my eyes, I begin drifting to sleep. If this is eternal or not, I will know sooner or later, but for now, I want to just rest. I feel so tired...