Chapter 13: Who am I really?

If I could sweat I was sure my body would've resembled that of a swimmer straight out of a pool, Cecil, on the other hand, seemed barely conscious of my obvious exhaustion and instead pushed me further rather than giving me a little break.

A swipe barely grazed my head, doing little in shaking my nerves this time, knowing full well I was stuck here till Cecil's sympathy decided to come back to her although the stern and commanding feeling of her voice quickly quenched any hopes of that ever happening.

Narrowing its eyes as it noticed my growing adaptation, the felis demon's feline features suddenly changed tactics. Over the course of Cecil's ceaseless commands no better off than a subtle attempt at murder and a bewildering pattern had made itself difficultly known.

Nothing that harbored intelligent thought or at least a mind that could strategize and adapt to a situation was predictable, or to be more apt with the point in making, held a pattern. It was so easy for them to change tactics, so easy for a completely new avenue of retaliation to be born from that frightening beauty garnered from natural evolution. Video gaming knowledge where a player agonized on the counting and analysis of characters attack pattern was useless, much less was it anything of probable choice on the verge of life or death.

A privilege I had not in having to worry over.

Sliding across the grey sand's, I tossed myself left, the whizzing nature of an obsidian claw just grazing the air above me rang in the hollow holes of my ears. Cecil's assistance was as silent as my thoughts attempted at being through the hours of repetition that were slowly accumulating at a rapid pace of progression.

[Your attacks are too human at times]

A thought flashed past me.

'Too human? You do know I am, right?'

[A Shadow Demon is no human, advanced fighting techniques wouldn't work for you. They'd be a hindrance] I remembered a conversation earlier, planting my foot into the sands as my body unconsciously landed on all fours.

[Your greatest course of action would be accepting a part of what you already are, master]

I grew silent then, leaning into the sheltered walls, 'You ask a lot of me, you know that?'

I'd pondered, though it didn't take much thought. What it had taken was an exceptional amount of self acceptance on the matter:

I was a shadow demon but I was human deep down, my entire life had been wrought as one so why change now? Cecil was by no means far from helpful but I couldn't deny that at times her pragmatic nature to my progression was frightening, the redeeming factor was that she wouldn't allow me to go mad. Remembering the last time when I'd used Kin eater for far too long and the forced termination of my conscious thoughts was a prominent sense of gratification I had for her but.. denying to an extent that I was human? Thati was once human? The thoughts were shaken from me for the next moment as I misstepped, quick on its feathered feet that seemed and most definitely were accustomed to the shifting and fluid sands, it noticed and spared no time in lunging forward at a speed my current self; lacking all the benefits of the skills I'd so painstakingly absolved in the harrowing depths of the night could never hope to evade..at least..not with the skills I had now.

'CECIL!!' I shouted, within my head, the attack was sure to grab at my neck and although I held full confidence that the current health I had now was more than enough to take it at brunt force, I was rather not in the mood of experience what that would feel like.

The shadows coalesced, my point of view shifted and the harrowing blow never made contact. Making sure that my body hadn't whisked away somewhere, I let out a sigh of relief and turned back around though grating was it to hear her voice so cold and monotonous at this point.

[Skill: Shadow step activated]

[Mana: 1010/1080]

[Skills have been sealed]

Most grating indeed...