Chapter 70: Controlling The Inner Flame
He activated his skill.
His eyes flared crimson in the darkness.
"Don’t feel pain," he commanded himself.
The ache in his shoulder faded. The sting on his lip disappeared. His body still sent the signals, but his mind simply... ignored them.
"Remove fear. Remove hesitation. Focus completely on the enemy."
His thoughts sharpened. The world narrowed. The mist, the trees, the moons — all of it faded. There was only the monster.
He charged.
The creature swung its axe. Kyle sidestepped and slashed at its thigh. The blade cut deep — not deep enough, but deeper than before. Black blood sprayed.
The monster turned and swung again. Kyle ducked under the axe and stabbed upward, driving his sword into its armpit.
The creature howled.
But it didn’t fall.
It kicked him in the chest. Kyle flew backwards, hit the ground, and rolled to his feet. He was faster now and sharper. No fear slowing him down, no pain distracting him.
But the monster was still stronger.
They clashed again and again. Sword against axe. Kyle landed more hits — cuts on its arms, its legs, its side. But every wound was shallow. He couldn’t get deep enough. The creature’s bones were too thick, its hide too tough.
And it was fast. Really fast.
An axe handle caught him in the ribs. He gasped and stumbled. The monster followed up with a clawed swipe that tore through his shirt and opened a gash across his chest.
He staggered back, bleeding.
`I’m losing.`
He could see it. The monster was still strong. Still fast. Kyle was slowing down. Arms heavy. Legs starting to give. Each block cost a little more than the last.
Nightmare dove again, raking the creature’s face. The monster swatted the bird away. Nightmare screeched and flew higher, but one of its wings was damaged now—it flew crooked, struggling to stay in the air.
`If I don’t end this soon, we both die.`
He closed his eyes slightly, then opened them. They were glowing crimson once again.
He split his mind.
One half kept fighting. Kept the monster busy. Dodged, blocked, parried, survived.
The other half reached inward.
The flame was still there. Small and flickering. A candle in a storm.
`Move.`
He tried to push it. Command it. Shape it.
Nothing.
The flame slipped through his mental grasp like water through fingers.
Outside, the monster swung its axe. Kyle raised his sword to block, but his arms were too slow. The impact sent his sword flying. It landed somewhere in the dark.
He was unarmed.
The creature raised its axe above its head. Both hands on the handle. A killing blow.
Kyle looked up.
The axe was coming down.
He reached inward again. Desperate now.
`COME ON!`
The flame trembled. Moved a little.
Then it held.
For one heartbeat, he caught it. Wrapped his will around it. Made it his.
Energy surged from his core, down his arm, into his hand.
The axe was inches from his face.
Kyle saw the rust on its blade. The chips in the metal. The dried blood on it.
And then—
His hand moved.
Not because he thought about it. Not because he planned it. His body just... reacted. The energy that had surged from his core flew down his arm and into his palm. His fingers closed around the axe handle. Stopped it cold.
The monster’s eyes flickered. Surprise? Confusion? Hard to tell with that skull face.
But Kyle didn’t care.
He held the axe in place. His arm shook. His muscles screamed. But he held.
Then he pushed.
The monster stumbled back half a step. Just half a step. But that was enough.
Kyle let go of the axe and dove for his sword. His fingers found the hilt in the dark. He rolled and came up swinging.
The blade bit into the creature’s knee.
Not a shallow cut this time. Deep. The edge sank into the joint, scraped against bone, and kept going.
The monster roared and dropped to one knee.
Kyle didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop. If he stopped, he died.
He pulled his sword free and stabbed at its other leg. Then it’s arm. Then it’s side. Each strike was faster than the last. The energy inside him wasn’t just giving him strength—it was sharpening everything. His reflexes. His timing. His aim.
He was still weak. Still slow compared to the monster. But he wasn’t fighting the same way anymore.
The flame had more to it now.
The monster’s axe swings were getting wild. Kyle was inside its reach — too close for the weapon to do what it was meant to do. He dropped under a swing and drove the blade into its ribs.
Black blood hit his face.
The creature howled and grabbed for him with its free hand. Kyle turned with it, let the claws rake across his back. Shallow cuts. He didn’t feel them. Skill was still running. No pain, no fear — just the next opening.
He worked around to its side and went for the shoulder. Blade into the joint, all the way. The creature’s arm went limp. The axe fell to the ground with a heavy thud.
`One arm down.`
The monster tried to stand. Its injured leg buckled. It fell back to one knee.
Kyle pressed the advantage. He didn’t swing wildly. He aimed for the gaps. The neck. The armpit. The inside of the thighs.
Every strike was precise. Every movement was deliberate.
The knowledge from the Knight card was flowing through him now — not as information in his head, but as instinct in his body. He didn’t think about where to cut. He just knew.
The monster was slowing down.
Its movements were jerky. Its roars were weaker. The green glow in its eyes was fading.
But Kyle was slowing down too.
His arms felt like lead. His legs were shaking. The energy inside him was flickering, threatening to go out.
`Just a little more.`
Nightmare dove again.
The bird’s claws sank into its skull. The creature thrashed, trying to shake it off, but Nightmare held on. Its beak pecked at the eye sockets.
The monster screamed and grabbed Nightmare with its good arm. It pulled the bird off and threw it to the ground.
Nightmare hit the dirt and didn’t move.
Kyle lunged forward and drove his sword into the monster’s throat.
The blade went all the way through.
The creature gurgled. Its hands went to its neck. It tried to pull the sword out, but its fingers were too big, too clumsy.
Kyle twisted the blade. Pulled it free. Stabbed again.
And again.
And again.
The monster toppled backwards. It hit the ground with a crash that shook the forest floor.
The green glow in its eyes sputtered.
Then went out.
Kyle stood over the body, chest heaving, sword dripping black blood. His arms hung at his sides. His legs felt like they were made of stone.
He looked at Nightmare.
The bird was still on the ground. One wing was twisted at a bad angle. Its feathers were ruffled and bloody.
But it was breathing.
Kyle exhaled slowly.
He dragged himself over to Nightmare and knelt beside it. The bird’s eyes — all of them — opened and looked at him.
"Alive?" Kyle’s voice was rough.
Nightmare made a soft sound. Not a screech. Just a quiet chirp.
Kyle laughed. It came out weak and shaky.
"Good."
He sat down on the ground, back against a tree, and stared at the Wendigo’s corpse.
The system screen appeared.
[You have slain a Wendigo.]
[Unused Stat Points: +6 | Shop Points: +60]
Six points. That was all.
Kyle wanted to curse. He wanted to scream. He’d almost died for six stat points.
But he was too tired.
He dismissed the screen and looked at Nightmare again.
The bird’s tattoo on his hand was glowing faintly. Golden light pulsed from the mark and flowed toward the injured creature. The twisted wing twitched. Then straightened.
Slowly, Nightmare pushed itself up.
Kyle watched, surprised.
`It can heal itself?`
The bird shook off the remaining dirt and spread its wings. The damaged one was still stiff, but it worked.
Nightmare looked at Kyle. Then it hopped beside him and tucked its head under his arm.
Kyle sat there, frozen.
`Is it... cuddling?`
The creature was warm. Its feathers were soft. And despite the eyes on its wings, despite the nightmare it was named after... it felt safe.
Kyle didn’t move.
He just sat there, under the three moons, in the misty forest, with a monster from the Chaos Age beside him and a dead Wendigo a few feet away.
He was bleeding from a dozen cuts. His shoulder was a mess. His ribs ached with every breath.
But he was alive.
He closed his eyes.
`That was stupid. Really stupid.`
He’d followed Nightmare into the dark without a plan. Fought a monster twice his size without backup. Almost died.
But at least he was able to control his inner mana now. He was finally able to feel it. He officially became "Seeker".
He opened his eyes and looked at the mark on his hand.
"Next time," he muttered, "warn me before you fly off."
Nightmare chirped.
Kyle took that as agreement.
Suddenly, the system screen appeared in front of him.
[New Skill Acquired: Internal Mana Control]
