“huh? Who are you?”

I didn’t answer. Why should I? All I have to do is to get past you. My mind spun like crazy thinking about my plan and a way to get past him. at least it was just a moment ago. but when I grabbed the knife, I felt weird and my mind went blank for a moment.

‘The knife… it fits my hand too well… and not only just my hand but I feel like I can do anything with this knife!’

Ah! I got back to myself before anything could happen. I had these suspicions but I think I can think faster than before too. This dream does more to me than I thought… but this doesn’t matter. In fact being able to think faster just helps me here as well. I’ll have to incapacitate him. I got the knife but he is physically stronger than me and has far more experience. But I have to do this! There is no backing off now!

After finding the courage, I slowly moved forward just before the group would notice me here. That man hasn't yet said anything so I should rush through now. I rushed forward, putting all my strength to my legs. We were close so it didn’t take two seconds for me to get to him. His face showed a hint of surprise before turning back to that wicked smile.

“Huh?”

'Sorry mom and dad but your son is going to break some rules to save someone. Hope you'll still be proud!'

I was now one step in front of him. Seeing the slight sweat, the bits of red on his face and his eyes that showed his only interest was to use his lower half right now. Disgusting! And right then, that man threw a fist right towards my face. I saw this coming. And my ‘experience’ only screamed to duck at the moment.

SWOSH

I felt the wind pass my head. I’d be hurt very badly if that had connected. Dammit! That was close! But him missing just so was perfect. Because one step towards his side and a ‘swift’ move with my right arm and…

“ARGH! Bastard!”

I wounded his leg on that side but that wasn’t enough. It was too shallowI to make him unable to move. He spun towards me , swinging his arm with every ounce of strength he had towards the side of my head. But…

SPLURT

“ARGH!! YOU MOTHERFUCKER!”

Pushing the knife towards his arm, I stabbed through his hand at that moment. I didn’t even mean to do that. But it felt too natural. Like my body moved on its own at that moment.

I pulled the knife out, which made him feel even more pain. He couldn’t concentrate at the moment since the pain was too much for him to handle. I went straight towards his other leg and stabbed it as well , making him fall down. Alright! Next!

When I looked at the others fighting again, I saw them looking at me at this moment. Shit! I attracted too much atten…

BAM

“Argh! This bitch!”

Gina punched one of them, hitting the side of his jaw. Falling down , he looked at Gina now not with lust but with pure hatred. He doesn’t care about raping her. This bitch is dead!

‘She took the chance to make them focus on me again. Now this will be easier.’

“You four take care of the fucking bitch. Just kill her while I’ll deal with this shithead.”

Oh fuck… the muscular one turned towards me with a menacing look , making me almost lose the strength in my legs. Now I’m in deep shit. My plan would have worked if he sent any other guy towards me. At least I’d have a chance but now it’s different. Not only will they truly try to kill Gina but a guy that looked like the boss between them was coming towards me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Gina looking at me and when she did, her eyes widened. Seems like she knows about me and was shocked that I was able to handle the other guy like that. And to be honest, I am just as shocked. But then when she saw the boss coming towards me and realising that it was me who was fighting, she dashed to the boss.

“I won’t let you!”

But she couldn’t move far when one of them tried to stab her in the face from the front. She sidestepped and punched the guy in the solar plexus, knocking the air out of him. But before she knew it ,the other three were already around her. She couldn’t come to help me but that was never my plan to begin with. My chances are very VERY low . and this was a matter of life and death.

Yet… this feeling of urgency. This feeling of danger. And this feeling of ecstasy when holding this knife. I don’t know why but…

“... why the fuck are you smirking like that? Is something funny, you fucktard?”

What? I’ve been smirking for a while and I don’t know why but this situation, these enemies and this knife. Wasn’t this similar to my dream? Wasn’t this like the situation I wanted to avoid happening in my dreams yet happened in real life? How ironic. I couldn’t even handle my fights in my dreams yet here I am, smirking to a man that will probably kill me.

The boss’s grip on the knife became only tighter after seeing my smirk. It wasn’t just a smirk to him. It was an insult. Seeing someone so weak looking and who obviously never killed smirk at him was like spitting on his face. The veins on his forehead bulged and his teeth clenched together, almost shattering. Cold sweat went down my back as I looked at him. He wasn’t much taller than me but his bloodlust made me feel like I was against a giant.

But why? Why won’t this smile on my face go away? Have I already lost my mind? And this happened right in front of Gina! Damn I definitely look like a weirdo!

“I’LL SLICE THAT SMIRK AWAY WITH YOUR HEAD!!!”

He swung his combat knife towards my neck with speed that was hard to recognize for a normal person. I know that my body shouldn’t be fast enough to react to this.

'...so … slow...'

My heart pumped as fast as it could, shooting my blood through my veins. My nerve system was on overdrive and every part of my body screamed. Yet my mind itself was so calm. Unnaturally so. I saw a crazy smile growing on his face in slow motion. Was this how someone felt right before their death? But I don't feel like this is the end. And even if it was , I won't let it be the end!

'huh?'

Light.

Golden light in Form of threads that were as thin as they could be

I saw these lines. These golden lines that paved the way from the knife towards my neck but then abruptly went downwards. And the knife in the man's hand followed these lines just like that. I saw them flowing through the air and only

Something in me said that I should look out for these lines. No… it's like the knife in his hands is telling me it's path. It sounds weirder the more I think about it but that's the best way I could describe it. I know now what I should do.

And the pace of time sped up, making every movement return to its original flow.

The knife followed its way towards my neck but when I slightly went down to duck, I went directly down. But unlike how the boss thought this would end, his knife only went past me when I turned to the side at the same time and moved my hand forwards, aiming at his shoulder. He had a surprised look on his face. As if he couldn’t comprehend what just happened. But even I can’t understand it so how should he?

‘How could he read my feint? How much experience does this fucker actually have?’

The boss moved his shoulder back and forward again , this time punching with his empty fist. Time slowed down again but no golden threads this time. But do I really need them when his fist is so close to my face? I couldn’t move out of the way anymore so I have to block this one.

‘This is going to hurt like a bitch.’ With my arms in front of my face and the knife tightly gripped, I got hit.

I got hit hard. So hard that I flew back towards the wall. How is this possible? I mean hitting me hard is fine but so hard that I flew to the wall? This is reality, right? I’m not in a dream, am I?

"I was surprised that you could dodge my knife but you are still too weak, fucker!”

BLURGH

Blood.

‘Why did I spit blood again? Ah… right… I just got hit against the wall. I think I also hit my head?’

I felt dizzy at the moment. The boss’s words, his evil smirk , him walking towards me while talking as if to say his last words before finishing me off for good. I could register none of that. My eyelids feel heavy and my muscles wanted to give up at this moment.

My sight turned dimmer with each passing moment but never dark. I tried to keep myself awake. I couldn’t yet fall unconscious when I didn’t even make a big difference. I took down one out of six. And he was the weakest looking. And now I’m about to die…

‘!?!’

Time slowed down, bringing every motion almost to a halt. The beating of my heart, the rising of my chest, the steps of the boss, the punch from Gina that hit someone in the groin. Everything was as if stopped, to be never continued. But I knew this wasn’t true. I knew my life may only be minutes.

BUT SO WHAT!!

I fought against fucking monsters! I killed fucking beasts! And most importantly is that I already died! TWICE!

By the time my mind went wild , I was gripping the knife even tighter. I never realised that I never let go of the knife. But this was perfect. I can only fight with a knife. Cut him! Make him unable to move! Make him regret underestimating me!

‘LINES!’

Golden lines , passing through the air like threads carried in the wind. But there were more that were not connected to his knife. Lines that were in the air, their glow slowly getting more intense , only to disappear when the boss was going through them.

‘That’s it!’

My mouth covered with my blood was now showing a disproportionate smile , showing all of my teeth. Seeing this made almost everyone stop what they were doing. Because there was now not only a smile like a psychopath on my face but what made everyone halt were my eyes.

To be specific the golden light that escaped my usually brown eyes. It was like golden threads escaped my pupils. In the now dark alleyway, the glow of my eyes was almost mesmerising. But for them, It felt dangerous to look into it any longer. Or they may be trapped.

Step. and another step.

The boss started to step forward again. Unlike the rest, he was not stunned by my eyes.

“I never thought that you’d be awakened as well, fucker. But that won’t change the fact that I’ll kill you!”

I could feel the pressure on me increasing with each step he took. But my smile, in one way or another , grew only with each step. I felt excited! I can do this.

SWUSH

He swung his knife towards me now. I can see it! Every possible way it could move. Every possible way to escape this swing. But that wasn’t what I wanted! I can do better! I will do better!

CLANG

“WHAT!!”

Our knives meet each other. This would be a death sentence for me since he has a lot more strength but my movement was never meant with pure strength. I saw the weaknesses. The weaknesses of his blade, handle, the way he gripped his knife. Everything. I don’t know how I know this but I do. And the lines guided my poor swing, making it able to accomplish what I should never be able to do at this moment.

And now it was my turn to swing the knife.

A swing. It looked ordinary. Even weak if you would say so. But there was no way to get away from this. And the boss knew it. It was like a blank slate, able to change into anything I wanted. He had no other way than to come with his knife as well.

He felt trapped. It’s like any way out can become a fatal mistake the next second. I was oblivious of this, since I only made my knife follow the lines in the air. But I must say… this feels amazing!

Just when they were about to meet again, I saw the lines moving slightly differently now. Did I do something wrong? No matter what, I followed the lines. Twisting my wrist slightly, the knives never met. The only reason I was able to realise this and follow the lines was because for me

Everything was slow. And I mean everything. Including myself. This was good. Changing any instruction my brain sends to the rest of my body made my reflexes that much inhuman.

And with a cut, the boss lost his pinky finger. No resistance. No force holding my knife back. No strength pushing me back. And with the finger flying up in the air, the boss's face twisted so much that it looked like the face of a demon.

“YOU FUCKER ARE DEAD!!!”

He became faster. And faster! And even faster! It was at this point where I couldn’t understand why this man wasn’t already famous as an athlete. No… this is not humanly possible.

And it’s even weirder that every swing, every stab and every block I make with the knife blocks at least 3 strikes from him. My smile just doesn’t want to vanish and I feel like my attacks became more like a ferocious beast.

No pattern, no true path. Only swinging it according to the lines I see in front of me. The golden light escaping my pupils intensified.

“ha…Hahahahaha!”

“Crazy bastard! You must be an Awakened!”

“Again this Awakened shit! Just shut up and fight! You bastard! You were so happy with the thought of raping that girl and now look at you! Are you about to shit yourself? Are you about to run to your mommy crying because you can’t beat a flimsy boy like me? Are you? Are you?”

“YOU FUCKING DARE!?!”

‘Perfect! Now let your guard down! I don’t think I can do this for any longer…’

Provoke your enemy. I said before that they looked like they got their experience from real fights but I have to correct myself. They only have experience in bullying the weak. That’s why Gina still hasn’t lost yet. That’s why the first guy lost so fast against me. And that’s why this man got provoked so fast. Someone trained or who had enough encounters where they could die wouldn’t get provoked by someone like me.

The dark crept towards this city, making any place without any lanterns hard to see. But I don’t need light. The lines never vanished, only getting brighter at the right time. And the boss didn’t need them either. Cause my eyes now illuminated lightly , making him know where my head is at least.

Faster! And faster! And even faster!

My arm hurt with each move, my muscles screamed to stop and my bones felt like cracking at any moment. But faster! Whenever I sped up, whenever the knife in my hand became faster for the boss, another wound appeared on his arm. Then on his side, his thigh, his shoulders, chest…

Cold sweat was dripping down his forehead. He couldn’t inflict any wound to this fucker in front of him. He couldn’t make him submit like he thought at the beginning. And he was on his final straw. It would be dangerous for him if he pushed it too far now.

“I had enough!”

He swung his knife with every strength he could use at the moment. It was even crazier than before! I swung the knife at the same time, hoping this would be the last one. I had to finish this too. This line at the moment. It was the thickest one yet. It shone brighter than any other I saw so far. And it got brighter with every passing second.

With this line!

With this knife!

With this swing!

I’ll make my way to victory!

CLANG

Sparks scattered. A slight light and a beautiful arch. The knife was knocked out of his hand and thrown straight into the air. The boss was stunned. His grip was so tight that it could have almost broken the handle yet it flew out of his hand like that. My swing wasn’t filled with power like his but that didn’t matter for me.

I moved right towards his left knee, stabbing the backside of it as fast as I could. The boss realised I had moved after I already stabbed him.

“Son of a bitch!”

And another stab.

“Fuck!”

How dare you call my mother a bitch! I’d actually love to stab you again for that but time is running out for the police to come so I have to proceed. I turned around to see the group just watching us with wide eyes. I picked up the boss’s knife quickly. This was something I’d need for later. With my smile now no longer seen on my face, I ran up to them. The goons each took a step back subconsciously.

I passed them like that, grabbed the wrist of Gina and started to run. The goons just stood there, watching. The boss flinched for a second , feeling some pressure coming from the direction of the roof.

“Fuck… What the fuck are you retards doing! Go! Catch that bastard and the bitch already!”

Flustered, the other men started to run towards us. I was going through the alleyways with Gina in my hand. If this wasn’t a dangerous situation, I’d have enjoyed the touch of her slender hands. This gentle and soft skin on her hand was amazing to hold. Oh! Looks like I’m already enjoying it… hehe…

“Why are we running now?!”

“We should get out of this situation, not beat them or teach them a lesson. I have already called the police but if they catch up to us then we are finished! That's why we are moving our legs!”

My legs hurt. I don’t have the strength anymore but I pushed them forward. No matter what. Just get past a couple of alleyways and It’s over. I let go of Gina’s hand. At this point , it was clear that she normally was faster than me in running but she was tired after fighting with five men with knives. It’s a wonder that she could even fight with them.

The road ahead split into three. We could hide on the right path but it would take longer to reach a bigger street where more people are. Straight would repeat our struggle and left was the shortest but the most open and the easiest to catch up to us. I took a deep breath before I shouted.

“GINA!! TO THE LEFT! IT’S THE SHORTEST WAY OUT!!”

Gina looked at me like I was an idiot to shout something like that. But when I pushed her to the right path and hid behind a path that went right yet again, did she understand my reason. But this wasn’t it yet. I needed them to believe me more. So i held the two knives in each hand. Taking a weird pose that looked like I was stretching my hip, I held one knife and threw it up in the air.

I had to be fast and accurate with this. I couldn’t think about what I wanted to do or I’ll mess up. To be accurate , I knew that my body shouldn’t listen to my mind but the other way around. The knife flew in an arch towards the left path and right then did I do something that would even made me widen my eyes.

SWOSH

Throwing the other knife towards the one in the air, I was now aiming for sound on the other side and I went back to gina before they could even hit each other, hiding in another alleyway now. I held my breath, not making a sound at all. I had to hear this!

CLANG

And right after that came the sound of steps. Multiple ones. The goons now arrived at the crossroad.

“That idiot shouted so much and even made more sounds. If we can kill this fucker, I’ll brag about this kill for months!”

“Shut it and run! Let’s go!”

And they ran towards the left path. Led to the left, they were oblivious of the miracle that happened just a moment ago. Hitting the knife so accurately was something only trained individuals who threw knives for ten years could do. The moment I didn’t hear the steps anymore, I grabbed Gina again and ran out of this alleyway.

After running around for 15 minutes, I fell down from exhaustion while Gina breathed heavily. Gina was surprised multiple times today. Not only was she attacked by gross men who even tried to fully kill her at the end. But more so by me appearing out of nowhere and fighting to help her. A normal person would have called the police and so did I but…

The light from my eyes, which have now vanished, and my knife fight with the boss was so shocking it made everyone around stop fighting as well. But the lack of physical power made her question if he even was trained or just lucky and gifted at the same time. But nevertheless.

"…Thanks for helping me out there."

My ears turned red while my breathing calmed down when I looked at the beauty while sitting down on the ground.Gina was amazingly gorgeous for everyone. No doubt about it. With her dirty blonde hair and sky blue eyes, her perky nose and small full red lips was she considered a goddess already. But as if that wasn't enough, the rest of her body was almost perfect as if being able to tempt every man and woman alike no matter what sexuality.

You could say the face created by god to be loved while her body created by the devil to be lusted over. No wonder those men were so desperate to not even give up after getting hit that much.

Seeing everyone's crush right Infront of me and even thanking me like that with a slight expression made my brain short circuit at that moment. With my glasses broken , my mouth slightly covered by my blood and the rest of my body covered in dust, I looked like a broken robot trying to reboot myself. I looked extremely dumb at the moment.

"Pfft!"

That small chuckle would normally bring you back to reality with peace in mind but my brain already was mush at this moment so this was like a true critical hit towards my heart. This is cheating I say! Cheating!

I stood up again and looked at this beauty again after I calmed down again. But damn.. From any angle and in any situation… Why does she look so beautiful? But not now, Laith! Don’t be rude! You shouldn’t stare at her that much! With that being said, I should at least say something.

"Ah sorry. Trying to help out someone from my class was the least I could do. I think its a bit late for instructions but I'm Laith Arslan."

That’s a lie. That’s definitely a lie. I’d maybe help someone else in that situation as well but my first reason was selfish… maybe mom and dad shouldn’t be so proud of me now like I thought at the beginning.

"I already know you. You are Felix's friend ,right? I'm Gina Agostini. And thanks again for helping me back there"

"Ah yea Felix is my best friend. And it was nothing compared to how you fought them so skillfully. You were so cool when you went Bam and Pow Pow!"

"Pfft! Hahaha! But you were even more impressive with your fight against that big guy… Oh! Sorry but I have to go back home before my parents get worried about me. See you tomorrow , Laith."

"Yeah… See you tomorrow…"

Before Laith's brain could register what just happened, Gina turned around with a smile on her face. Oh how lovely she looked with that smile on her face and waving at me.

Another type of smile on the other hand was now on my face. I talked with Gina! Not like how I wished but hey! At least something, right? I could even hold her hand! This was a win I gladly accept. Even if my life was at steak a moment ago.

GRUMBLE

‘I should go back… I’m hungry… and tired.’

On the rooftop of the buildings in the vicinity of the incident. A woman and an old man were there watching what had happened in that little alleyway. They were there the whole time, waiting for an opportunity to get the muscular man that laith thought of as the boss. He was their target. Or to be honest the woman’s target.

The old man was crouching at the edge of the roof looking at the still baffled boy with dirty clothes and broken glasses with a look of interest. He couldn't decide if what he displayed was just a miracle or an amazing talent.

"What do you think? You think he has awakened as well?" Asked the woman behind him in the shadows. She clearly wasn't as interested in the boy as the old man was. But the fight had still piqued her interest. It wasn’t often that you see a normal human win against an Awakened. And he was not even someone that looked strong for even a normal human.

"No… He wouldn’t have spit out blood like that when he got punched towards the wall like that. And we would have at least felt his Will."

"Then it was a miracle that the boy survived. The fight was unnatural but the suspect held back his powers. Seems at least he knows not to use his powers in front of normal humans. Even his goons are normal."

This boy was very lucky. And to top it off, he got the attention of such a beautiful girl. The woman thought that the beauty of this girl was like a cheat. She herself was gorgeous but awakening has just such an effect so it’d make someone wonder how this girl would look after awakening. But before she could go on with that line of thought she was interrupted by something she wouldn't think she heard from this old man.

"No this definitely wasn't luck either. This boy obviously never trained but luck wouldn't be this good unless you'd be blessed, which clearly he isn't. No this is different. He is a never found Talent that could shake the world. "

The eyes of the woman widened at that last statement. She knew how high his standards were to call something a talent. For example, you’d have to make a five star meal out of garbage ingredients to be called a talent in cooking in his eyes. His standards were too high for him to even evaluate someone's talent as good, not to mention some talent that could shake the world.

"What do you plan on doing then?"

"I suppose I could train this lad a bit. My bones went stiff for the last 70 years and it's about time that I need to find myself a disciple to pass on my knowledge."

"YOU WHAT?!?"

“Please don’t scream. My ears are not what they used to be.”

“BULLSHIT!”

The woman screamed with every bit of air in her lungs. If it wasn't for the old man deploying a kind of silencing effect in this vicinity, half of Berlin would have heard her already.

"When I came to you and showed the great talents of AWAKENED students you didn't even glance at them yet someone who clearly doesn't have an awakened body with only his supposed talent is catching your eyes? The Break should have started now instead of two months later if you are already so crazy."

"Hahahahahaha! I’m not crazy yet but I have already decided! This boy is the one I want to pass down my knowledge. And there is nothing that will stop me! Even the Break. You know how stubborn I can get so don't even try to convince me , Association Director."

The woman also known as the Association Director looked at the old man with a bizarre look before finally giving up. Shrugging her shoulders and sighing, she looked towards the boy with broken glasses who went back home at nightfall. She needs to look into this person. At least help out this old geezer a bit. If left alone, who knows what disaster he will cause.

"Oh and please don't torture people even if they are bad, Association Director. We are supposed to be the good guys if you remember."

"I do but being good doesn't have anything to do with finding information from our enemies. One way or another, I have to find clues for the recent sightings of power usages. It's not that I like to do this but nativity is only our downfall. We don't have much time"

"I suppose you are right but still. We do not hurt the innocent.”

“I know…”

“welp .. then if you excuse me. I have to start my training with this boy. And if you already look into this boy send me the files as well."

"…fine… I'll send you them once I find everything about him."

"Seven hours"

"I'm the association head here! I still have work to do!"

"And I was your predecessor here so I know your capabilities. I’ll wait for the detailed information in SEVEN hours. Until next time." Said the old man before disappearing on the spot. The wind unable to follow him.

Even superhumans would have thought that he teleported but he was just fast.

Extremely fast.

And on the big streets of Berlin walked a dirty boy back to his home, not knowing that his peaceful days were now numbered.