Daiden alternated between states of fear and calm at the sight of a second approach. He found it difficult to estimate the ceiling of his Soul Doll; it moved with purpose and conviction, and with greater control than he had ever managed in his time as a gymnast. There was nothing on the other end, neither emotion nor mercy. In the aftermath of another blink, Daiden found the doll at an arm’s length once more; it pierced the open wound with precision, only deeper this time. He winced, and retreated in haste. His circumstance bubbled into frustration, at his Evaluator more than anything. He looked towards Aelius for a moment, in hope for recompense, but scowled instead, receiving little more than a non-reaction.

“If it’s combat, then there will be a day I stand as an equal against you,” thought Daiden, with unshakable conviction. He followed with a whisper, “I’ll remember today. Don’t expect me to just roll over and die!”

The attacks hastened in pace, and Daiden suffered from his distraction with Aelius. His movements lacked focus, his effort lacked detail; it showed, his lack of combat experience. Driven to instinct, Daiden moved with the determination to avoid pain. He bled from different wounds, and the seeds first sown with the intent of fear, now took root, as saplings that threatened to terrorize. Daiden refused to succumb to that adversity. He charged to overcome his predicament, but faltered – repeatedly.

“I must warn you of something,” said Aelius, finally, breaking from quiet observation. “Failure here indicates death; the contract protects you from the laws of the Earthen Realm, but in violation, you’re stripped of the immunity that keeps you from the flow of your world. How you use this information is up to you.”

Daiden clicked his tongue with annoyance and missed yet another attack; it scraped by his eye, and followed with a grab that rendered him motionless. The Soul Doll pressed the charge with rabid ferocity; it poked at the open wound with its thumb, absent any emotion. With a scream, Daiden felt the Soul Doll probe for his eye. He attempted retreat, but failed to free from the grasp of his assailant. His fists moved in a hurry, slamming repeatedly at the Soul Doll’s face, in vain. And then he heard it, a squish that blackened vision from his left. He screamed again, and again, as the Soul Doll lifted him with an arm to his neck, and a crushed eyeball in another. His legs dangled in the air with desperation, kicking at every opportunity.

“I hadn’t expected much to begin with, but this is just shameful,” scorned Aelius, his arms folded with authority. “Either way, it should be over soon now.”

Daiden noticed it again, eyes that reflected disdain. It bothered him more than when the world looked at him with pity. He couldn’t tolerate it. His hands slowly grasped at the wrist that held him by the neck, but as hard as he squeezed, the Soul Doll refused to relent in its assault. Daiden’s hands followed the path of his assailant’s arm and settled at its fingers; his body raged with adrenalin, and offered enough strength to nudge a finger into position. He smiled then, and looked at Aelius with resentment.

“Keep watching, you bastard!” thought Daiden, with a chuckle. “I’m not going to die here.”

An explosion followed. It shook the park that had turned into a battlefield, stirring the creatures that had long since fallen into slumber. Daiden felt his cheeks sag with burn wounds; it pained him, but not enough to deter celebration. He settled his attention onto the Soul Doll’s arm; it oozed the light that its body contained. The doll tremored, displaying its own form of emotion.

“Why is he standing still now?” wondered Aelius, masking genuine surprise. He had managed to dissect it, a manoeuvre that bordered on savage – a primal attempt at refusing death. Despite the speed of execution, Aelius witnessed it with clarity. “Did he manage to grasp at the weakness of aeter-made containers? No. Not likely. He’s still too incompetent for such praise.”

Daiden toyed with his jaw; it hung from shock, without strength. But the situation demanded a smile. It was luck, the result of a bite on a finger – an explosion that shattered the Soul Doll’s arm. Daiden noticed the light escape as well; it moved in small amounts, but in reaction to its once host. The warmth resembled Ehedus’ embrace; it shielded him at first, and then retreated to the depths of his body.

Daiden struggled to comprehend the light and its purpose, but pressed pause in strong realization to his current predicament. He watched the Soul Doll cauterize the hole around its elbow and reposition to a stance better suited for one-armed combat. Daiden admired the resolve on display and moved without thought; his body adjusted to a stance of its own, free from the burden of awkwardness. It surprised him, but the moment failed to alter his own determination. He sought victory first, and then progress.

“He’s straying from the Path of Elements,” remarked Aelius, in thought. “Then again, the battle is yet to conclude.”

The attacks no longer threatened as it once did, and Daiden moved in accordance with the trajectories on display. His evasive manoeuvres pushed past human limitations, and in that moment, he thrived as his title suggested; he was an Awakened. He adjusted from his lowered field of vision and shifted from left to right, with delicate balance, and struck his first blow in perfect form. It surprised him again, the motion of an art that would have taken years to master. His mind flooded with information for combat; in worship to Ehedus, he strengthened.

“It’s still lacking,” thought Daiden, in retreat, at the sight of the Soul Doll unharmed. “But I can do this; all my years in suffering, it was a test for this exact moment.”

Daiden hastened years of practiced muscles and moved with nimble flexibility. It thrilled him, the motion of battle – the pain, the suffering, and then the assault. He embraced everything, and fell in love with it at every passing moment. His experience fell in comparison to the Soul Doll and its purpose for combat, but he adapted with every setback, with every embarrassment, with every failure. The gap, it was still too large to comprehend. Daiden nodded and addressed the situation again; he bided his time for an attack, and slipped from a fist merely inches from contact. He grabbed the Soul Doll next and curled for another bite.

The explosion hurt more this time. Daiden stared at bits and pieces of his own flesh, melted and atop his palm. His face had scarred beyond recognition, but it was worth the pursuit for victory. He discarded the concept of appearances; there was only strength. It didn’t matter anymore, not as long as he resisted pain.

Daiden smiled at the sight of a broken shoulder; the Soul Doll staggered from the impact of the explosion, expressionless still. It stared at its assailant and steadied to continue with the assessment. Daiden felt it once more; he absorbed the escaped light, and encouraged for more to follow. The Soul Doll retaliated in that instant; it noticed the lapse in its opponent’s defence and struck with a powerful kick to the throat.

[Stop taking what’s mine!]

The voice pierced Daiden’s ears with vehemence. It emerged from the expressionless Soul Doll, but shook with anger and emotion. The former fell to his knees and scratched at his throat, gasping for breath. He resisted the suffering and allowed for the light to help him recuperate from the damage. In that allowance of time, the Soul Doll had already cauterized its leaking hole. There was a difference in its demeanour.

“You can talk?” blurted Daiden. His eyes questioningly shifted to Aelius, who remained unimpressed despite the unfolding situation.

“It has happened in the past, yes,” answered Aelius, truthfully. “A rare occurrence of the aeter maturing to heightened intelligence. I suppose it associates you as a threat to its existence.”

Daiden shivered to alertness at the response, but the aeter had already begun its evolution. From its one arm, the Soul Doll had started the creation of a tool – a weapon, a sword.