Following in his master's footsteps, Jay walked lost in thought. That strange dream still bothered him.
'That dream... There's something wrong with it! It felt like the person with Saint Clarice wasn't really me. How strange.'
"Watch out for the waaaaall!"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Jay looked at his master, who wore a bizarre expression. Beijamim had a malicious smile and a gaze that seemed to crave chaos.
Jay raised an eyebrow just as his head slammed against a tree.
His forehead began to sting intensely, and a bump started to form.
"Ow, ow, ow!" Jay immediately let the heat of the moment consume him. "Man, why didn't you warn me I was going to hit a tree?!" Jay shouted in anger.
"Because I wanted to see it happen," Beijamim said, already resuming his pace.
'There's something wrong with this kid. He's too pensive! Even if that's just his way, this is beyond normal.'
While Beijamim thought this, Jay continued to grumble.
Time passed until, at a certain point, the color of the tree leaves changed to orange.
'I have the impression I know this type of tree...' Jay thought, knitting his brows.
Beijamim's lips curled. "We are close to our destination," he said.
"Really?! Already?" Jay tilted his head, his eyes wide.
Beijamim's mood immediately deflated. His expression went blank, and his shoulders slumped.
"Just because two days have passed in our long journey? You ungrateful brat!"
Jay let out a sigh. "But it wasn't fast and..." Jay looked at his master, pointing a finger. "At what point was I ungrateful? Do you have proof?"
"Hm, no, I don't!"
"Then I—"
"Yes, for the first time in your life, my disciple has beaten me! Hahaha!"
Jay closed his eyes, flashed a proud smile, and put his hands on his hips.
The master opened his eyes and spotted a giant coming their way. The being was wounded; blood flowed down its arm, and it wore a familiar look...
'Empty.'
The creature had no posture; its sword was being dragged along the ground. Besides the slumped stance, its clothes were stained with blood, and the trail left by the dragging blade was proof that it had just come from a fight.
"Jay, look behind you," the master said calmly.
Jay frowned but obeyed without complaint. Turning around, he saw the massive being, standing roughly 8 to 9 meters tall, with hot, reddish fluid dripping from its worn-out clothes.
Jay felt the hair on his arms stand up, and a cold sweat ran down his spine.
The giant began to raise its sword. The earth seemed to split into two parts as Jay unsheathed his own blade. The scent of blood began to fill the air.
Jay was trembling; his sword shook in his hand. His heart wouldn't stop racing.
'It's more than clear he just fought! This will be a good experience for that "kid"... Wait! Did I tell him about the powers and species?'
While Beijamim tried to remember if he had explained those things, the fight began. The giant delivered a strike with its bone sword. Jumping to the side, Jay watched as the earth sprayed in both directions.
Rolling on the ground, Jay lunged toward his enemy. The giant, with its blade still in the dirt, dragged it upward, sending a wave of earth toward Jay along with a slash.
The dirt blurred Jay's vision, and he jumped back in an attempt to retreat.
'Damn it! There are no openings. Is this what a fight against a giant is like?'
Jay gripped the hilt of his sword tighter. Grinding his teeth in tension, he charged forward. The giant swung its sword horizontally. Jay jumped without realizing the danger of the follow-up.
Beijamim, watching the fight, felt sweat drip down his forehead when he saw what his disciple had done.
'That idiot.'
Beijamim leaned his body forward, preparing a strike before the inevitable happened.
Jay felt something approaching. He looked and saw the bone blade closing in—it seemed eager to cut him in two. Quickly blocking the giant's blow, Jay was thrown against a tree.
Falling to the ground, Jay winced in pain.
'I think during that block... I ended up straining a muscle in my right arm.'
Jay grumbled while furrowing his brow. Clenching his fist, he stood up with difficulty. He stared at the giant like a lion refusing to lose its territory. Biting his lip as he felt the pain in his arm, he charged again.
The giant roared, red particles flying from its mouth as it swung its sword at the human. The bone blade came toward him; Jay dodged. Before the being could lift its sword again, the human stepped onto the blade and kept running.
He ran up the giant's arm, and the creature didn't defend itself. It did nothing to stop the boy who just kept advancing. The arm that had been trembling with strength suddenly went limp.
The boy reached the shoulder.
Closing its eyes and accepting its end, the giant simply tilted its neck back. Jay didn't hesitate. Brandishing his sword against the neck of the colossus's poor soul, he took its head.
Relief washed over Beijamim. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with a smile.
Standing atop the colossus's body, Jay looked at his hand while a silent pain arrived to collect its tax.
'I managed to kill it, final—'
An acute pain shot through his arm—specifically his shoulder. Kneeling and dropping his sword, he ground his teeth, gripping the source of the pain tightly.
'The pain!'
The tax had been collected.
"Jay!" Seeing his disciple kneeling on the corpse, Beijamim ran to him.
Jay's vision began to blur as he felt his strength fading.
"Jayyyyy!!!!!!"
Darkness permeated the place, lit only by the faint glow of a lamp. Gabriel stood tall, his expression serious and unwavering. He was facing a man sitting in a deplorable chair.
"So... you killed him?" the man asked in a cold voice.
Gabriel nodded. "Yes, I killed him as you requested."
The man let out an... unpleasant laugh. "Ha, ha, ha. Great. I can always trust you with these... 'services,' you know?"
"..."
The man pulled out a briefcase and said, "Here is your reward."
Without a word, Gabriel took the briefcase. Turning around, he walked toward the door.
"Hm."
Gabriel looked back at the man with an expression that asked what it was.
"Tomorrow—no, in two days—you will have a new job."
"Understood."
The sound of the door opening and closing echoed through the room. Suddenly, the crackle of a campfire pulled Jay out of the dream.
Opening his eyes slowly, Jay saw only the black sky.
'Why have I been having these strange dreams lately?'