Chapter 14 - Try again.
Dhira woke with a sharp breath. For a moment he didn't know where he was.
Noise still rang inside his head. Crashing stone. Roars of Colossus stone spirits and Memories of the past.
He sat up quickly. Pain ran through his entire body. "…Ah." Bandages. His chest, arms, shoulders—wrapped completely. He blinked. Then frowned, the pain wasn't as intense as it should be. He started pulling them off. One after another. Clothes fell onto the floor of the tent.
He looked down at himself. No wounds. Not even a scar. He turned his arm under the moonlight filtering through the cloth walls. He felt it. He remembered very clearly getting smashed through half a village.
He pushed the tent flap open and stepped outside. Cool wind hit him . He looked at the stars scattered everywhere in the night sky.
A bonfire burned quietly a few steps away. Two people sat near it. Well—one sat. The other stood.
Dia sat cross-legged beside the fire, stirring something slowly in a metal bowl.
Aatreya stood behind her with his hands behind his back, looking up at the sky like he was counting stars. Dhira walked over and dropped down beside the fire. The ground crunched under him.
Dia glanced up at him once. No dramatic reaction. She simply offered him a bowl.
"Eat." Dhira looked at her. There was not much reaction.
"Figures." She said and placed the bowl on the floor in front of him. Dhira looked at it. Something warm. It smelled good enough. He grabbed it slowly. And started eating.
For a few seconds nobody spoke. The fire cracked quietly. Then Dhira asked between bites, "…How did I survive?"
Aatreya answered. Without turning around.
"Dia." Dhira kept eating but lifted an eyebrow. Aatreya continued calmly. "She is a healer." "A witch born in the western clans." Dia rolled her eyes slightly but kept stirring the pot. "She is well versed in medicines and illness. She chose to follow the path of an angel."
Dhira paused mid-bite. Aatreya added one more line. "She knew one of your old friends." Dhira slowly lowered the bowl.
"…Did she?" Dia didn't look at him. But her hand moved to her neck. Dhira noticed it.
He looked properly this time. She was tall. Her clothes were unusual, mostly Indian style cloth, but mixed with small western touches, practical for travel. Her face was long and calm. Her eyes were emerald blue, a rare shade he hasn't seen much… and they were exceptionally clean.
Too calm for someone who dealt with wounds. Then Dhira noticed the feather. A white feather tied to a thin string around her bare neck. The feather moved slightly with the wind. He stared at it. Longer than necessary.
The fire popped. Dia noticed his gaze but didn't comment. After a moment Dhira finished the bowl. He stood up. Without saying anything. Then he started walking. Away from the fire. Away from the tents.
Toward the dark silhouette in the distance. The place where the stone monster had beaten him half to death.
Dia watched him go. "…Where is he going?" she asked quietly. Aatreya still didn't turn. He kept looking at the stars.
"Try again."
Dhira walked into the arena again. The place was quiet. The broken ground still carried marks from the last fight. He looked around. The two huge stone spirits from before were gone. In their place—Hundreds of smaller stone spirits stood scattered across the arena floor. Still. Silent. Not moving as before. They looked like statues again.
Dhira walked forward slowly. The stone statue at the center towered above everything. Ancient. Watching. Dhira stopped in front of it. The moment he stepped into the center—Stone cracked. One by one the spirits moved. Heads turned. Arms lifted. The grinding sound of stone against stone filled the arena.
Dhira sighed quietly. "…Alright." This time he didn't rush. The first wave came. He stepped aside instead of charging. A punch. A twist. A clean strike to the neck. One spirit shattered, then another. He kept moving. No wasted energy, he conserved it, he didn't swing as wildly as before..
The second wave came, Harder than before. He broke them apart one at a time. A kick shattered a chest. An elbow crushed a head. Stone dust filled the air. The arena slowly filled with broken fragments. He breathed slower this time. Controlled. Patient. More spirits fell. Layer after layer.
Finally—The eight giant stone spirits stepped forward. Dhira rolled his shoulders. "…You again."
They attacked together. Fists like boulders crashed down. Dhira moved between them. Dodging. Climbing. Striking there weak joints, where it hurts. One cracked.
Then another.
After a long fight, All eight shattered. Dhira exhaled heavily. Then the four giants came. Larger. Slower. But stronger than all previous eight combined. He had trouble this time. A stone fist clipped his shoulder. Another slammed him into the ground. He coughed blood. Still, one by one, they broke.
He stood there breathing hard. And then—The broken giants began to move. Stone pieces lifted from the ground. Dust spun in the air. They merged. Combined.
Two massive colossals rose from the rubble. Each nearly thirty meters tall. Dhira looked up at them. Then down at his hand. He slowly clenched his fist. "…Again."
He rushed forward. The fight was brutal. Stone fists shattered the ground around him. He climbed one of the monsters. Struck its shoulder. Its neck. Its chest. The second colossus grabbed him and smashed him through the arena floor. He felt his bones crack. Still, Dhira stood again. He roared and charged once more.
The battle ended the same way. Defeat. But before the final blow, Dhira drove his fist into the monster's arm. The stone cracked. A massive chunk exploded apart. The colossus lost its arm. Then the second one struck him. Everything went black.
Dhira woke up in the tent again. Bandages everywhere. His body healed. He didn't even sit there this time. He stood immediately. I walked out. Straight back to the arena.
The next fight began. This time, he reached the colossi without a single injury. But fighting both at once was harder. Much harder. One slammed him into the ground. The other tried to crush him under its foot. Dhira grabbed one of the giant hands. Pulled. Twisted his entire body. The monster lost balance. It crashed into the ground. Dhira jumped onto its chest. Punch. Punch. Punch harder he did .. The stone finally shattered. The first colossus finally collapsed..
Dhira fell to one knee breathing heavily.
"…One." The second one didn't wait. A massive fist crashed into him. The world exploded in white light. He was thrown across the arena. Everything went dark again.
Next time. He lasted longer. Much longer. He defeated the first colossus again. Stone exploded across the battlefield.
Dhira stood there shaking. Blood ran down his face. His breathing was ragged. The second colossus stood across from him. Silent. Watching. Dhira stared back. Blood covered one of his eyes. His entire body screamed at him to stop. Every muscle trembled. Every bone ached. The colossus raised its arm. Dhira didn't dodge. He stepped forward. Then rushed. Even though his body begged him not to. The battle ended the same way. Defeat. But he didn't stop.
Back in the tent. Dhira lay unconscious.
Blood covered half his body. Bandages wrapped him again. Dia sat beside him quietly. She wiped the blood from his face.
Her brows slowly pulled together. She looked up at Aatreya, who stood near the tent entrance.
"Why don't you stop him?" Her voice carried worry. "He isn't strong enough to defeat them." She looked back at Dhira's battered body. "He might die."
Aatreya didn't move. His voice stayed calm. "No." Dia frowned. "He is not fighting an enemy." Aatreya finally looked at her.
"He is fighting his demons." He glanced at Dhira. "Let him." Dia's expression tightened.
"But his body…" She looked at the bandages. "It's getting worse every time." Aatreya held her gaze. "Do you think he would care?" Dia opened her mouth. Then closed it. She looked back at Dhira again.