1 Chapter 1 - New beginnings

I wake up to the sound of owls hooting, wolfs howling, and the gentle movement of the trees.

I get up and put my arm in the air, stretching. I glance at my alarm clock, 5:46, still the morning.

I get dressed in some workout clothes, quickly putting in a tank top and some workout shorts. I grab some 65 Kg weights and begin to lift as I look at the mirror.

In the mirror I saw a tall,somewhat slim, muscular youth laying on the side of their bed, lifting weights.

"Wonder what'll happen today." I whisper as I continue lifting.

——————————Afternoon—————————

I lay on top of a tree, lifting up a sharp, silvery sword with black markings on it that read "Velocita", Speed in Italian, I always loved this sword due to it's swift movements and sturdiness. I received it from some weird cave I found when I was exploring the wilderness.

At first I thought it was a trap but decided to risk it and grab it. Turns out my gut was right and it wasn't trapped. I felt surprised at first and dropped it immediately, only for it to turn into a black beam that went straight to my hand and welded a sign on it. I still haven't figured out what it says.

I always really wondered what it had, I always feel much more clear minded and stronger every time I come into contact with it, almost occasionally seeing a white aura around it. I decide to keep it secret just for safety in fear that people seek this out.

And with this power I think it's just a step closer to my real goal.

I step down from the tree, without breaking a sweat or stride. only some slight leaves to blow into the air as I land down.

Brandishing the katana, I pull out a whetstone and begin to sharpen it. It immediately cut it in half!

"This thing gets sharper by the day!" I exclaim, surprised.

After the wasted whetstone I take a fighters stance.

I focus my senses to the area around me, I begin slashing and putting my focus into only that until I do it perfectly without any imperfections.

I've been training since the age of eight, I'd like to consider myself a professional. Ever since I've first trained with this sword.

Albeit I'm only 14 so I wouldn't consider myself a top notch master. However one thing really bothers me, ever since I got the blade I never really questioned it but it feels as if something is watching over me.

I've learned to just ignore it but I named this entity umbra due to the fact it always watches me towards my blind spots.

I've tried calling out but it never really did anything so I continued ignoring it. That's basically all I know about it.

I continue practicing until I notice a ruffle in the bushes. I stop and focus my senses there, a rabbit?

I edge closer and closer.

"Come ou-" I pause, eyes wide open to see a bear come right at me!

"Damnit!" I tell as I go into an evasive stance, the bear clawing down on the top.

Evading to the right, I notice a blind spot and stab the blade into its arm. Making sure to twist it around to maximize the damage.

The bear yelps in pain as it steps back, being more cautious, surprisingly it tries a feint attack, putting less force into its pounce.

Instantly seeing this, I charge with all my strength, blade in front of me as I slide under it and shoving the blade into its weak stomach hopefully crushing the heart or at least puncturing a liver.

The bear gives a faint whimper of defeat as it goes limp and lifeless as it goes into the ground. A clean heart stab.

No injuries, a flawless victory. Looks like that training pays off. But I need human-human experience. Training can only do so much.

At least this will feed me for at least a couple months. (Keep in mind this was like a super grizzly bear)

"Where did this come from anyway?" I ponder as I begin following the faint trail the bear left behind.

Better play it cautious or I might just as well end up as the bear. Stumbling into a clearing I notice several skeletons both human and animal.

"What morbid crap is thi-" I couldn't even finish my sentence before I was suddenly blown back into a tree. A mixture of power and nausea flooding my head.

"Fuck.. what hit me?" I mutter as I cough up blood.

I notice a shadowy figure coming out the cave.

Umbra? No, a bear? I glance harder and it doesn't seem to be either, a human!

I ready my sword, being cautious I land a feint, being careful to not put too much force or too little. He looks surprised and caught off guard but when I see his face my heart sinks.

A humanoid with spider legs protruding from his back with 8 eyes. Deciding against a full attack I pretend to miss my attack.

He smirks and begins to sharpen his claws as he swings them down to my back. He took the bait!

I unroll my sleeve, a crossbow! Always kept this for special occasions. I shoot at a stalactite above him, catching him off guard.

"Got you now asshole!" I yell as I recover and begin to shoot another crossbow at his leg.

But what I saw shocked me, "what?" I speculate as both of the objects stop in tracks and begin to suddenly get pulverized.

He puts his hand into a gun shape and fires.

"What?" I exclaim as I'm suddenly shot back.

What?! How? Does he have some invisible thread I can't see? Fuck that hurts, the blood won't stop!

Getting up and recovering I pop my shoulder back into place.

This guy is dangerous.

Fin