3 The First Anomaly

A soft voice spoke. "Wake up, Tyrel. We're home. It's almost time to start your training."

Tyrel's eyelids slowly opened as he yawned. He stretched his limbs, and they passed through Saphira's soft tails. "I'm up. Um, what will the rules be for this fight? I know I'm supposed to fight until I kill it. However, I'm unsure if the creature will let me eat anything once it finds out."

Saphira chuckled. "I'll force it to stay in place if you are seriously injured. That is when you are allowed to eat meat from corpses."

Saphira's tails unfurled, and Tyrel saw the ceiling. He looked up at his surroundings. In a corner to the right stood a hole filled with nightmare creature carcasses. Most of them resembled rabbits and deer in some way.

Tyrel turned toward the cave opening, and it was night. He turned toward Saphira. "How did you kill this many creatures without waking me up?"

Saphira grinned. "Well, these are dormant creatures. I simply slammed them into the ground and killed them all. It was quite easy for me. Oh, and I found a half-dead fallen monster and killed it."

Tyrel winced and thought. 'Dang it. I could have gotten a fallen memory or echo in this nightmare if she let me kill it. The spell won't give me anything that good in a nightmare. At least I got a tier two awakened memory for free.'

Saphira lifted her right hand and index finger and placed it on her right cheek. "Is something the matter? Do you need anything, pup?"

Tyrel shook his head. "No, I don't need anything. Will you keep the creature from aiming for my head or heart?"

Saphira giggled. "Will your enemies fighting in the wilderness only aim to injure you? Of course not! I'm training you in life-and-death battles, not sparring. This is the best training method I came up with. We don't have much time, so this will have to do."

Tyrel sighed and asked. "Where Is the creature at, Saphira?"

Saphira smiled as her tails pointed toward a group of collapsed rocks to the left. She smiled as the rocks slowly rose. Each one left and was placed near the cave entrance. Saphira looked toward the corpse pile, and every carcass inside lifted into the air.

Sweat dripped from Tyrel's head as five minutes passed. The stones stopped coming out, and Saphira walked toward the path in their place. She turned around, held out her hand, and beckoned Tyrel to follow her.

Tyrel nodded and followed her through the long, narrow tunnel. The carcasses followed them inside. A minute later, they stopped before a large house-sized room. Inside it was a layer of metallic pebbles. Parts of ancient symbols covered each one. The metallic pebbles moved an inch upward before being forced back down by an unknown force.

Saphira smiled. "Are you ready for your training, Tyrel?"

Tyrel nodded and summoned his Antler Pike memory. He held it out in front of himself, facing his foe.

Saphira shook her head and chuckled as she placed the corpses near the room entrance. She ripped some rocks out of the ground with her telekinesis. She slammed them into the ground until they were small enough to throw with a hand.

"Tyrel. It's time. You need to cut your arm and cover the stones with the blood. You can do the same with the spear if you wish."

Tyrel nodded, grabbed a sharp stone, and cut his arm. Blood dripped from the wound, and he coated the stone in his blood.

Saphira smirked as the metallic pebbles slowly rose from the floor in unison. They coalesced into a humanoid shape resembling a knight. Each metallic pebble moved around the knight's frame constantly, making every part of its body ever-changing. The symbols covering its body glowed blue as two glowing eyes and a mouth formed on the knight's face. It looked Tyrel in the eye.

Tyrel's face turned pale as he looked at the ever-changing knight.

Some metallic pebbles moved toward its right arm and formed a long sword. It stared at Saphira as a deep and booming voice came from its mouth. "Did you come back here to face me again, wretch?! You have imprisoned me here for centuries. And you could not destroy me."

Saphira chuckled. "If only you didn't almost kill me in the past, I would have left you alone. But you're corrupted."

The metallic, ever-changing knight boomed. "So be it." It turned its head and stared at Tyrel. "And who may you be, human? Are you here to die by my hand?"

Tyrel grimaced and replied. "No. I'm here to kill you."

The ever-changing knight stood still for five minutes before letting out beastly laughter. "Hahahaha!"

Saphira frowned.

The ever-changing knight stopped talking and pointed its sword at Tyrel. "You must be foolish, stupid, or arrogant. Perhaps all three. What say you?"

Tyrel gulped and answered. "I'm none. I'll end you here."

The ever-changing knight shook its head and spoke. "I'll give you one chance to leave with your insignificant life. Do not get involved with other's feuds."

Tyrel paused. 'Is he a nightmare creature? Or something else.'

The ever-changing knight hollered. "Will you leave human? Or will I have to butcher you slowly?"

Tyrel looked at the room's entrance, at Saphira, and back at the knight. "No. I'll fight you, sir."

The ever-changing knight chuckled. "So be it."

It ran towards Tyrel while swinging its sword at his right arm.

Tyrel threw the blood-covered rock at the knight while dodging to the right. It didn't dodge, and some blood coated a dozen metallic pebbles. The knight changed its sword's trajectory mid-swing, and it cut a piece of Tyrels arm off.

"Agh!" Tyrel yelled as his blood coated the sword. He jabbed his spear toward the knight, and the pebbles moved around it.

Saphira frowned as a tear fell from her left eye. She muttered. "I'm sorry. But you need the battle experience, Tyrel."

The ever-changing knight scoffed, and its sword moved towards Tyrel's right leg. It was too fast, and Tyrel yelled out in agony as its sword impaled his leg.

Blood dripped from the wound as the ever-changing knight pulled its sword out of the man.

"Saphira! Save me!" Tyrel yelled as he ran toward a carcass and bit down into it.

Saphira nodded as more tears fell from her eyes. She used her telekinesis to hold the knight in place.

The ever-changing knight turned toward her and roared. "Wretch?! You dare stop me from killing him?!"

Saphira shook her head. "You'll see."

The ever-changing knight turned toward Tyrel and saw him heal at an alarming pace. A grin formed on its face. "Interesting. Very interesting. Hehe..."

The ever-changing knight's grin widened as it chuckled.

Saphira frowned.

Once Tyrel finished eating, he turned toward the knight as tears fell from his face. He held out his spear and whimpered.

Saphira let go of the knight, and it rushed toward Tyrel.

Tyrel held his spear out.

The ever-changing knight was disassembled into many metallic pebbles. They floated around Tyrel and cut into him like how a hot knife would through butter. They wriggled underneath his skin and tore up his insides from all sides.

Tyrel let out a blood-curdling shriek as blood spilled from many parts of his body. Some of his organs spilled out from his abdomen. He yelled while blood spilled from his mouth. "H-Help me!"

Saphira's eyes widened, and she used her telekinesis to hold the pebbles in place. She looked at Tyrel and gasped.

Most of his body looked like Swiss cheese. Blood drained from him at a rapid pace.

Saphira used her telekinesis to cut a few dormant nightmare creatures into parts and shoved them down Tyrel's throat. Tears poured from her eyes as she pleaded. "Please make it. Please!"

Tyrel shrieked as his body healed with the ever-changing knight's metallic pebbles still inside. Once the skin healed, he let out another unholy shriek.

Saphira whimpered. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

His skin bulged all around as some of the blood-covered knights' pebbles ripped it open. Saphira continued to force raw meat into his mouth as this occurred. For a minute, his shrieks continued until the last metallic pebble came out of his body.

He fell to the ground and cried loudly. "Wahhh!"

Saphira forced the ever-changing knight to stay in place as she turned toward Tyrel. She walked toward him as tears continued to pour from her eyes. "I-Im sorry, Tyrel. Come here. It's okay."

Tyrel backed away toward the room's entrance. "N-No... Don't come any closer..."

Saphira lowered her head in shame. "I want to comfort you, Tyrel."

He stared at Saphira as he backed away. "S...t...a...y a-away from me! You should have known it had those powers. You imprisoned it for centuries... You had so much time... You wanted to torture me!"

Saphira whimpered. "No! I-I didn't want to do that. I forgot it could do that to a living thing. It's hard to keep track of everything for centuries."

Tyrel yelled. "I suffered torment! It was hell! Why did you subject me to this!? Did you try to be nice to me so you could see me suffer!?"

Saphira fell to her knees as she lifted her hands. Her eyes were wide as her pupils moved side to side. "No... No... I didn't want this to happen. I care for you, my pup. I love you like you're my own child... Please believe me..."

Tyrel went silent and continued crawling away. As he did, Saphira looked at her hands. "I-I did this... I planned to kill the knight for so long... I should have written down all its abilities..."

The ever-changing knight laughed. "Your arrogance blinded you, Saphira. If you only wrote down my abilities, you would have watched my every move. Now your pup, or so you call him, fears you as much as he does me."

Saphira sighed and cried. "I know... I'll fix this... I know I can..."

Tyrel got up and ran.

Saphira sighed and used her telekinesis to keep Tyrel in place. She also flung off all the blood, covering him with her power.

"No! No! No! Let me go!" Tyrel yelled as he couldn't move.

Saphira shook her head and walked to him. She lifted herself with her telekinesis and floated to him.

He floated up to her, and she wrapped her arms around his shivering frame.

"I know I'm in the wrong, pup. I messed up, and you almost died. I was just desperate for you to be able to fight on your own. I'm sorry." Saphira whimpered as she rubbed Tyrel's back with her right hand. Her left hand moved to his head, and she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Please. Let me go..." Tyrel pleaded.

Saphira shook her head. "No. I won't. You will die out there without my protection. I won't force you to fight anymore. I'll comfort, spoil, and take care of you. I'll restrain many creatures so you can kill them. You're safe with me, pup."

Tyrel let out heartbreaking cries.

Saphira smiled as tears poured from her face. "There, there, pup. I got you. Relax in my arms and let it all out."

For twelve hours, Saphira comforted Tyrel and held the ever-changing knight in place.

Once the duration ended, Tyrel stopped crying as the spell whispered into his ear.

[You have slain an anomaly dormant devil, Amorphous Knight.]

'Is it dead?'

[You have received an Echo: Amorphous Knight.]

(Would everyone like Tyrel to stay away from Nephis, Sunny, and Cassia as much as possible In this fanfiction?)

(Yes)

(No)