Exam IV

-Haaa...

My breaths were heavy and agitated, the world in my eyes was spinning and I felt that the strength had fled, abandoning my whole body.

-Clang!

The sound of clashing swords echoed in the distance and gradually became more real and closer.

The landscape soon turned white and took the form of a vast snow-covered forest.

I exerted what little strength I had regained in Rose - who had been using as a cane to keep from falling, - but it was useless, I couldn't get up.

My gaze was riveted on Alan, who was fighting skillfully against four of the five boys, his sword gave accurate swings to weak points and his steps were swift, his battle experience was clear.

In the meantime I had been drinking and generating mana, I could feel how little ambient mana entered my body and gathered in my mana core.

The sensation of generating mana in your core was like that of generating saliva in our mouth, one that you didn't realize when it happened, but just like in our mouth, if you wanted to get it faster you could drink water, that procedure was the same as taking mana from the environment.

My internal monologue about mana ended when my eyes opened in surprise when I saw a pure white light escaping from Alan's hand.

In the game Alan appears at the end of the third year of school, so it was never shown too much of him, he was almost like an NPC, but his title as heir to the Dawnwinter style made him a bit important for his future.

-Crack.

I continued to watch the battle intently, following every move, when I heard the sound of wood breaking.

My eyes moved urgently, scanning the surroundings and after a while, they stopped on a boy who was standing with difficulty.

He seemed to have been stuck under the tree, as blood stained the snow beneath him, his steps were slow and unsteady, but he forced himself to move to a small backpack, where he pulled out a potion.

A sense of urgency welled up inside me as I watched Tomas - the limping boy - recover from his injuries and hurry his steps towards the group that slowly surrounded Alan.

"Shit," I muttered as I looked at the situation.

I tried to think of more options, but none seemed viable except this one.

With no other choice, I conjured from my storage a small glass bottle, which contained a golden, viscous liquid.

It was the only recovery option I had at my disposal, I only had 2 more mana left, but I didn't think they were necessary now as I felt my mana core half full.

-Glup.

I took a long drink of the potion and it took me no time at all to feel the effects, my strength recovered even faster and my wounds stopped hurting, closing up in the process.

I sheathed Dead Rose again and lifted my body halfway up, where I stretched my right foot forward and dragged my left foot backward, my stance was like that of athletes about to start their race.

My concentration moved completely around my sword, I closed my eyes as I imagined lightning surrounding Rose and ice covering her blade.

-Haaa...

An icy breath escaped my mouth as I felt the temperature drop even further thanks to Ice Heart.

My eyes opened apathetically and were filled by a white light generated from Alan.

-Traaka!

The rattling of lightning trailed behind me as I started my run towards Tomas.

He seemed to notice me, but remained completely still, his eyes glued to the silver beams.

One moment I was next to Alan and the next I was next to Tomas.

-Ziiiing~

With a swift movement I unsheathed Rose and swung her towards Tomas's head, he could only watch as my sword came steadily closer to his neck.

I stopped my steps and returned Rose to her scabbard as I turned towards Tomas' head, which rolled to the feet of his boss, Cristian.

My cold, apathetic eyes at the scene met Cristian's wide, angry eyes as he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Bastaaaaaaaaard!. what have you done to Tomaas¡?".

Cristian's thick scream echoed as he tearfully watched Tomas' head beneath his blood-stained feet.

Alan and the others seemed to still be in a state of shock and didn't take their eyes off his head.

I ignored the cries and screams and walked over to Alan, who fixed his eyes on mine.

"If you're not willing to kill them," I said, positioning myself next to him, "they'll kill you," I moved my hand to my scabbard, "and I don't want to get in trouble with your father."

A shallow smile appeared on his face as he heard my words.

"I'll take care of the boss and the guy who conjures air - Alan said moving his light swords to his side - I hope you won't die with the other two rats."

[PoV Multiple]

-Ziiiing~.

Like lightning, Adad moved through the trees of the forest, with each step he approached Sashes and Dun, the two boys who had done little more than support Cristian and Daniel.

The two of them prepared themselves in a comfortable position and evoked a transparent Brown and Blue Aura, respectively.

As he ran Adad told himself that these rivals were different from the others, they had grown up within the town of Dawnwinter and swords were their very life.

-Thud.

A large chunk of earth flew in the direction of Adad, who swept his hands through the air, conjuring a spike of ice that nailed and stopped the rock.

Adad leaped and landed on the rock where he took another leap that brought him closer to the boys.

They moved in expectation and came forward to greet Adad, who sent out a dozen ice spikes.

-Clang!

The swords clashed with the eardrums and during those moments Adad got close enough for a melee battle.

His sword neighborhood near the stomach of Sashes, who blocked the blade with an earth-covered sword, Adad stepped back dodging Dun.

With a spin on his right leg and gaining momentum, Adad kicked Dun's rib, who flew a few meters in the air.

Without waiting for him to fall Adad raised his sword and ran to thrust it into Dun.

But before he succeeded he had to dodge and block a flurry of ground bullets.

Sashes did not wait and deftly swung his sword at Adad's ribs.

The blow was not too swift, but as he blocked it Adad felt like he was hitting a huge boulder.

His eyes closed in pain and when he opened them he was flying and had Dun a few steps away from him with his sword raised.

The alerts sounded and almost by instinct Adad let loose a 360-degree blast of icy tympani.

An icy mist rose due to the intense cold emanating from the eardrums and blocked the view of Sashes and Dun, who was in a cold sweat from the tension emanating in the air.

Their eyes slowly scanned the eardrum-filled landscape.

-Crack.

Until they heard the crunch of footsteps on the snow, their guard rose as never before in the entire examination and sweat ran down their hands despite the chilling cold.

A sepulchral silence filled the air when all noise ceased, but this did not last more than a minute when a horrible scream resounded.

-Giiaaaaaaaahhhh! Heeeeeeeelp Meee Duuuuun!

By the time Dun turned around -

- Sashes hand had already been ripped off and was flying and spraying blood into the air.

At that moment Dun wanted nothing more than to drop his sword and run for his life, but he couldn't even take the first step when he felt the indifferent gaze of the silver-blue-haired boy fall upon him.

His hands shook uncontrollably as he prepared to fight, but out of his expectations, the boy ignored him by turning away.

He was about to let out a breath and run away when he met eyes with his friend Sashes.

A shiver ran through him as he saw the look of pleading and pain in the eyes of his lifelong companion.

Gradually the fear faded and was replaced with another feeling, hatred.

Just as Adad was about to kill Sahes, Dun thrust Adad's heart.

-Clank.

Adad turned in an instant and blocked Dun's sword, an icy air surrounded his feet and in an instant, he had moved towards Dun.

With a quick swing that forced Dun to retreat Adad attacked, followed by that he took a step and swung his sword again.

This time Dun tried to block.

But before the swords clashed Adad spun Dead Rose on his palm and moved his body until his left hand caught Rose between his fingers.

A bolt of lightning escaped from the sword as it moved vertically and cut Dun's arm, but the sword did not stop its journey and moved horizontally and cut Dun's left hand.

Dun's mouth opened, but before he could say anything Adad spun on his axis and pierced his head with a single swift blow.

Adad's eyes did not stop on the lifeless body but moved coldly to Sashes, who was drowning in his tears watching his friend die.

*********

Alan, on the other hand, seemed to be going through more difficulties.

Blood was running down his forearm, his breathing was heavy and agitated plus his movements were already slow and easy to detect.

But there was one person in an even more reprehensible state, it was Daniel who, with his right arm missing and with his left, was barely handling his sword with difficulty, blocking the seemingly infinite bullets of air.

Cristian, on his side, was not much better than Alan, blood was pouring from his legs and his skin was as pale as the snow that surrounded him, besides his Aura had become almost invisible.

-Haaa...

Alan let out a heavy breath and tensed his arms and legs, starting a run towards the dying Daniel, he noticed that and moved his sword, in the course of which translucent air bullets flew towards Alan.

Moving the course of his carriage and bending his body Alan did not stop his run and without pause, he approached Daniel, in an instant, his sword approached him threatening to cut his neck.

-Clang!

Just when the blade reached Daniel's neck, Cristian had reached Alan and had managed to interpose his sword, avoiding Daniel to die decapitating.

Alan and Cristian stepped back and as if it was a pact they started a fight in which they ignored the tired Daniel.

With each blow and step that Alan gave Cristian took, Cristian retreated two, Alan's sword hit without ceasing the neck, tendons, and other weak points that, although they were protected by Cristian's sword covered with sand, were not spared from the small cuts.

Alan saw that Cristian's limit was near and decided to end this all at once.

"Sadly, we have to end this way," said Alan, who was beginning to surround himself with a dawn-like light seen on the shores of the sea, "but there's no turning back now, not for swordsmen like us."

The light contracted until it took the shape of three curved, golden swords, which looped around Alan's back.

A tear came out of Alan's eye as he remembered his past together with them, they were the first boys his age he had ever met.

He had always lived locked in his room and with the death of his mother he came out for the first time.

He knew that they only sought him out because of his status, that they looked at him as a weak and foolish child, that they made fun of him on the sly, but even despite all that, he felt happy.

In those moments when he stopped being alone, he was happy, even if it was all a lie, for him, it was a beautiful lie.

"See you."

A trail of golden light spilled from Alan's sword as he swung it without pause toward Cristian's neck.

-Spurt.

The sound of flesh being pierced echoed as a sword pierced a body.

But the body was not Cristian's, but Alan's, who was impaled by the grinning Daniel.

As Alan watched the sword move into his body a faint smile appeared on his face.

"I'm sorry, mother - with the sword that had been held high in his hands he pierced the head of the stupefied Cristian and with the golden blades he had hidden in heaven he pierced Daniel's heart - I won't be able to keep our promise."

The strength of the three boys disappeared at the same time and they began to fall towards the ground.

Just as Alan was about to fall he managed to see the silver-blue-haired boy with blood all over his face stretch out his hand towards him.

A smile formed on his face at the sight of him and his eyes closed, slowly... and heavily.