The fight started with the winner already in the minds of the people around. Based on the stances, the brown-haired guy is the one showing how it’s really done. Kendrick on the other hand is just holding his sword near his stomach with both hands holding on the hilt. In other words, his stance is all over the place. The brown-haired dude was grinning as his win is already sealed,

“Just raise your sword and admit defeat. It won’t hurt your reputation in swords as it’s already tarnished.” Says the brown-haired boy.

Kendrick smirked,

“Well, my reputation may be tarnished already, but I do want to pass this subject, even though I’m a complete dumbass in swordsmanship.” Kendrick answered as he then charged at his opponent.

He swung his sword down at the opponent, but the brown-haired guy whose name is Eric blocked it and then parried it by shifting his grip over his sword. Eric then went to swing his sword sideways, aiming for the left ribs of Kendrick, but Kendrick saw right through his technique and he blocked it by also shifting his grip on his sword and held it upside down. But since Eric is strong when it comes to swords, he easily slipped through Kendrick’s defense and he hit the left ribs of Kendrick and earning 10 points in the process. Kendrick stepped away to make plans for him to at least get a few points. The points needed to win this duel is 50 points. And each hit consists of 10 points. Which means, Eric only needs to hit Kendrick 4 more times to win. Eric attacked Kendrick as he thrusts his sword forward with minimum effort as there’s no need to go all-out against a guy like Kendrick who miraculously blocked the attack with the same force. But he still got hit and was sent flying out of the mat and hit the wall. The impact was so strong that his vision started to blur. He shook his head as the gymnasium is getting darker in each blink he does. Kendrick is now hearing everyone around him laughing. Although blurry, he can see Eric already celebrating. Because he’ll win if Kendrick doesn’t stand up. As Kendrick continues to slip out of consciousness, he suddenly heard a booming voice inside his head,

“Stand up and fight! You’re no weakling, you are one of us. Conquer your first adversity and you’ll be able to meet us soon. Trust yourself, stand up and fight, Kendrick Griffin!” boomed the voice as Kendrick regained consciousness.

He forced his wobbly self to stand up before the teacher could complete the count. Kendrick jumped up and down to regain his footing since he is literally seeing two Erics. He went back in the mat and resumes his formation. With the damage from earlier still affecting Kendrick, he could not tell if he will be able to stand up strong against someone as monstrous as Eric. Eric Wilson, the so-called prodigy of this school. He has it all. From the physical appearance and abilities, fame, money and almost everything he could ever want. He is also someone who is being recruited by the Corps to join their ranks, because he is the most skilled person in using swords in this school. A lot of opportunities are available for him, not to mention that he’s also from a rich family. Kendrick was jealous. Because an arrogant and merciless guy like Eric has it all. And those who are worthy of being able to be skilled doesn’t. This world really lives up to the famous quotes. Survival of the fittest. Besides, this world is a world of swords. And a world of swords is a world of death. Therefore, there’s no place for weaklings who are trying to pursue swordsmanship in this world. It would be best if Kendrick would just give up his dream and just work a normal job with a normal salary that would be enough to sustain the needs of his family at the church.

“Eric, finish that weakling!”

“Yeah, show him the strength of the prodigy of this school!” yelled the friends of Eric who was followed by the people watching the duel.

The cheering quickly gathered the attention of the people who are in the gymnasium and now went to watch the duel.

Eric laughed as he was proud to have got this much attention,

“Well, it can’t be helped. I will use it.” Says Eric as he then changed his form.

People gasped as Eric is now performing one of his strongest attacks that made him a prodigy. Kendrick took a deep breath and focused. He needs to use all of his remaining strength to deflect the attack. It won’t be easy, but if he can muscle up enough strength, he can at least score a point and show the people and the teachers that he has improved. Even if it’s little improvement since he isn’t really focused in training because he is concentrated on his job to provide sustenance for his family. But at least he gained strength. He placed his sword with his two hands gripping on the hilt in front of his stomach as always. He concentrated, as panicking won’t help him win against a strong opponent. Eric then yelled as he launched an attack on Kendrick. Eric was thrusting his sword forward at maybe maximum strength to finally finish his weak opponent. Kendrick saw no chance of winning against this attack, so he slowly accepted his fate of being a loser once again. But then, the same booming voice but now has turned calm talked to him in his mind,

“Step your right foot forward and your left foot backwards. Swing your sword down at full strength and then quickly recover your sword and attack him 5 consecutive times.” The voice instructed.

As there is no other choice, Kendrick did what the voice told him. He stepped his right forward and his left foot backward. When Eric was about to land the attack, Kendrick swung his sword down at full strength and the attack was sent to the ground that created a small hole. Eric was petrified as he didn’t know what just happened. While Eric’s mind is disoriented, Kendrick grabbed the opportunity. Kendrick brought his sword back up, he then slashed Eric with his sword 4 times. And then at the final strike, when Eric was about to retaliate after sensing that he is nearing defeat. He is bringing up his sword but it was all too late. Kendrick screamed as he thrust his sword forward, hitting the stomach of Eric was enough to seal the game and leave the spectators in awe.

“Winner, Kendrick Griffin!” announced the teachers as students started to cheer.

The fact that the failure in swordsmanship for 3 years has defeated the strongest swordsman of this school is just something to celebrate about. But due to the immense damage he sustained earlier, Kendrick wasn’t around to celebrate his own victory as he was sent to the clinic because of extreme fatigue.

***

“Wake up, Kenny. It’s time.” Says a soft female voice.

Kendrick then opened his eyes and realized that he was at the school clinic. He sat up and looked around him. He saw Eric laying in bed inside the clinic and was probably unconscious. Kendrick got up from the bed and slowly stretched his aching body. He looked at the wall clock and it was already 3 in the afternoon. So, he thanked the school nurse and went back to their classroom to attend his final class. As he entered the room, all eyes were on him. He sat on his chair and just looked back at his classmates who kept on looking at him. It was awkward for Kendrick, since his classmates normally ignores him every time. Well, it’s a given, since Kendrick beat Eric up and defeated the strongest swordsman of this school for the first time. And it turns out that there is no class right now as it’s time for reviewing as it will be start of the final examination tomorrow. But Kendrick has something else on his mind right now. Who is that voice? The man and the woman’s voice, who the hell are those people? And why are they talking to Kendrick? Is he already insane? Kendrick has no answers to the questions that is engulfing his brain. What he knows is that it’s a mystery and it will remain as one, especially when he is living in a world that nonsense can make sense sometimes. So, Kendrick just sat there and reviewed for their upcoming exams.

***

The belly rang as everyone then packed their things up and left the school. As Kendrick was about to go home since there’s nothing else to do. Kirk, who is this brown-haired student then approached him with his group of friends,

“Hey, Ken. Mind if you join us for some karaoke and a little celebration for your win against Eric? Our treat.” Kirk invited.

Kendrick was about to decline the offer, when he remembered what Father Edgar told him. As Kendrick actually wanted to spend time having fun even for a while, he agreed to come and all of them went to go out and do some karaoke. It was a fun celebration until it’s finally time to go home. The group got separated as they went home. Kendrick rode the train back to the church. It was already 8 in the evening. He got too carried away from the party that he forgot that he had a curfew to follow since Father Edgar is a very strict person despite how kind he is. As Kendrick sat in the train, it suddenly stopped. People looked around as the lights also flickered,

“This is the train driver speaking. The train malfunctioned due to the sudden attacks on Westes Station by demons. We advise that the passengers are not to step out of the train and wait until the swordsmen comes to our rescue. Thank you for your cooperation.” Announced the driver.

Attack on Westes station? That exact station is just right in front of the church that Kendrick was living in. Kendrick then began to panic as the lights of the train went off. He tried to find an exit since he is worrying about his family too much. Despite the fact that the driver advised the passengers not to go out of the train because of an attack, since demons might come this way as they might be targeting the passengers, Kendrick couldn’t stay here while his family is probably in danger. He then broke the train’s window and jumped out of it. He ran on the tracks and went towards Westes station which is away for more than a kilometer. Even though his body is telling him to stop running as he still has damage from the duel earlier, Kendrick didn’t pay attention, because what matters to him the most is his family in the church. He arrived at the station, and just like what the driver of the train he rode said, there was an attack going on and the swordsmen and women are now fighting against these hideous creatures that are called as demons. Since Kendrick couldn’t possibly go down in the station stairs, he came up with something immediately. He stepped over the iron fence as he looked down below him. He walked like a crab towards this metal pole as he jumped on it and slid down using it. Kendrick is now down in the streets and is running as fast as he can towards their church. As he was about to take a left to enter the premises of the church, he was suddenly tackled by a demon mutt. The ugly mutt demon who has no eyes tried to eat Kendrick, but he grabbed the neck of the demon as he used his strength to not get eaten by a demon. Instead of panicking and just using his brute strength, Kendrick looked around to see if there’s anything he could use to kill this creature as his own strength won’t work against it since he’s not that strong. He glanced to his right and was immediately relieved to see a long and sharp glass shard laying on the sidewalk. Kendrick reached out for it, but it was too far away. There’s only one choice. Kendrick pushed the demon as hard as he can and he then ran towards the shard. He grabbed it with two hands and the demon charged at him again. Kendrick faced the demon, and as it jumps towards Kendrick, he crouched down and then impaled it with the shard. The demon splashed out a lot of black blood before turning into ashes and returns to the underworld where it belongs. Kendrick let go of the shard and it shattered completely as it touches the sidewalk which is covered in demon’s blood. Kendrick’s hands got cut because of the shards' sharp edges but it was all worth it. He rushed back to the church and immediately bang his fists on the big door and tore it down so he could enter. He roamed around the house in an aggressive manner as he looks for his family which he couldn’t see. Maybe they have been evacuated by the swordsmen, if that’s the case, then Kendrick is glad. However, he feels this foreboding that something is wrong. He went to the kitchen and grabbed two kitchen knives to serve as his weapon against foul demons. Kendrick was about to enter the place that they sleep in, when he heard from the crack of the door some munching and soft growling from the inside. As he completely opened it, what he saw made his whole world fell into pieces. The orphans who he considered as his own siblings and then the priest who Kendrick sees as his father figure all lay on the floor, cover in thick red substance and is being devoured by a dark humanoid being. Kendrick’s family has been killed by a demon. The family he grew up with, the family he loved so much that he would sacrifice his life for them. All of them are on the floor, staring at the ceiling with those lifeless eyes. This is the day when Kendrick realized that he now has no reason to live anymore. He dropped the knives on the floor as it clattered. Kendrick Griffin fell onto his knees and was now consumed by despair and just offered himself to the demon in front of him.