As the words left him, the sky stretched, and once again I was sent hurtling through the air like a comet.
This time, I wasn't afraid for my life.
I steadied myself, twisting in the updraft to catch one last glimpse of my other self, our final goodbye.
After this, it would be life or death for both of us.
The island rose beneath me, its familiar outline sharpening against the clouds. I recognized the terrain immediately. The cave where it had all begun. I angled my fall toward a pond a few hundred feet south of it, bleeding off speed just enough to survive the impact.
KOOSH.
A cold rushed over me, followed by something worse, the smell of blood.
All around the pond, dozens of wolves feasted on the mangled body of a golden stag.
One by one, their heads turned from the carcass. Yellow eyes locked onto me with raw hunger.
The first wolf lunged. I shifted my stance, baiting it forward.
Slow.
My glaive met its skull in a clean, decisive arc. Bone split. The creature fell in two.
Three more followed, circling in a tightening spiral. Their movement was practiced, their hunger measured. Too bad that doesn't work on me.
I swung. The air stayed still around the blade, parting to let it pass untouched. It was one of the techniques Ouroboros gave my other half.
It let me shape the space around my weapon, removing friction from anything I touched. One mistake and I'd lose control completely.
Slip.
The first wolf's head froze mid-lunge, body collapsing before it hit the ground. I turned the glaive, catching another's canines and wrenching them apart. This one was stronger.
I pressed forward, using the same principle of frictionless movement to drive momentum into the next strike. The blade pierced through the wolf's spine, ending its motion instantly.
The last wolf hesitated.
It turned, bolting past its fallen pack.
Step.
The sound filled the clearing. My blade followed, carving a clean line through its fleeing shape.
Blood rippled along the water's surface.
I pulsed the area around me, scanning for life. Nothing.
The forest was silent again.
My eyes drifted over the bodies. These things used to terrify me. I exhaled, the breath heavy with relief.
It's at times like this you realize how far you've come.
I moved toward the mountain at the center of the island. If there was anywhere worth heading, it would be there. The foliage thickened as I walked, layers of leaves and mist twisting together. I stretched my senses, but nothing nearby posed a threat.
The sun dipped low, painting the forest in dull amber. I could see without it, but night belonged to things faster than me. A hollow beneath one of the giant redwoods caught my eye, large enough for a car.
It would do for the night.
I rested within the basin, counting the creatures I could feel within my perception.
165.
Mostly bugs, small underground critters, and a few harmless predators.
The world felt different when you could feel everything happening, it was like driving a car from the front, back, and sides.
Sure, I had way more control and idea what was happening, but information has a limit to understanding and the constant strain this much info gave me was immense.
This was great training.
Hmm?
Something new entered my field of spatial perception.
It kinda felt like a chicken, kinda. Its head was long, there was no beak. The way it moved…
It's some kind of raptor.
It moved quickly, weaving around trees, like it was searching for something.
What?
Its nose paused upwards, then it bolted back to where it came from.
Did it find what it was looking for?
I pointed my perception towards the direction its face pointed earlier, nothing.
It darted between trees, weaving through shadows as if searching for something. Then it stopped, lifted its snout toward the air, and bolted back the way it came.
Did it find what it was looking for?
I followed its gaze through the trees but saw nothing. Still, that uneasy feeling returned, like I was missing something obvious.
Step.
It wasn't searching.
Step.
It was scouting.
Then came the flurry, thousands of footsteps crashing into my awareness, flooding my senses. Each one struck like a nail driven into my skull.
I pressed my fingers into the dirt, clenching my jaw so tightly my teeth hurt. I couldn't let them hear me. I wanted to turn it off. The perception, the knowledge, the constant noise.
But fate didn't care.
They were coming.
The ground above me trembled as the swarm poured through the forest. The same suffocating unease I'd felt before meeting Ouroboros crawled back through me.
I forced the thought away. Weakness had no place here. An old saying from my dad echoed in my head.
Everyone is weak somewhere. But the guy who never tries is always the weakest.
A grin pulled at my lips as the first raptor crawled under the roots.
"I think I get what you mean, Dad."
I pushed.
The air around me stuttered, then erupted outward. The raptors flew back with it, tumbling through dirt and leaves.
I kept pushing harder, straining every muscle and vein in my body.
I had to survive. I hadn't even made it to the duel yet.
Who was I if I couldn't live up to my other self's will?
I screamed and pushed again, pouring everything into the force around me.
But it wasn't enough.
The sound of digging echoed from behind. Raptors were already tearing through the opposite side of the tree.
Think, if the raptors want to come down here so bad, why not just rip the lid off?
So I did just that.
The tree above me slowly lifted, its roots pulling up the ground around me, pushing the small raptors back just enough for me to run.
Raptors poured in along the broken ground, climbing me like a river of snakes.
Step.
I stepped through the air, pushing myself into the air and onto the branches of a nearby tree.
My skin was torn in multiple spots, my hand was close to broken, but I was alive.
I collapsed against its upper trunk, heaving at the strain in my arms and brain.
I watched as the small raptors climbed on top of each other trying to climb up the tree with pure rampage.
They were savage. Some were eating each other, some using another's body to get just another inch higher.
But suddenly, that uncontrolled tide of mouths and blood stood still, and left.
The surrounding world felt quiet for a moment.
Thud.
I instantly released my spatial perception.
If I held onto it any longer, I would die.
Thud.
Besides, I didn't need my spatial perception to feel that.
Its shape rose through the treetops, blotting out the light of the stars. I held the air still around me, pressing my presence down until even the wind forgot I existed.
A massive spine jutted from its back, tearing through branches as it moved. A Spinosaurus.
Its mouth stretched long like an alligator's, teeth glinting in the moonlight, eyes the size of my entire body. I was meant to fight this thing and win?
I crushed the thought immediately, terrified that even thinking it might draw its attention.
The beast stood on a hill, the ground sinking beneath its weight. It scanned the forest with a slow, predatory calm.
From my left, a challenger appeared. No less grand and oppressive, I remember reading about this one, The T-Rex's older brother.
A Giganotosaurus.
For a heartbeat, it didn't feel real. Was I about to watch a child's dream play out before my eyes? It felt more like a nightmare.
The two giants locked eyes. The forest broke into chaos.
Their roars shook the trees, deafening and endless.
The Spinosaurus lunged first, its legs driving into the soil with thunderous force. The Giganotosaurus met it halfway, sliding to the left mid-charge, twisting its body to clip the Spino's flank.
The hit threw the larger beast off balance, opening its neck for a killing strike.
But the King of the Lake didn't die easily.
It slammed a foot into the Giganotosaurus's throat, puncturing deep. The larger predator stumbled back, choking on its own breath.
The Spinosaurus limped forward, blood dripping from its jaw, when the Giganotosaurus recovered and rammed it sideways. The impact drove both of them through a tree, the Spino's spine shattering against the trunk.
It tried to rise, one leg useless, breath ragged. Both beasts stood facing each other, wounded, silent, and waiting.
One of them was going to die.
At least, that was supposed to be the outcome.
A hiss broke the stillness.
From the brush along the hill, eight glowing eyes appeared, low and fast.
The hunters had been stalking their prey for a few nights, and I guess their stalking paid off.
One by one, the cackling of the raptors broke the quiet silence that pressed on the air around them.
The first one made its move, diving under the Spino's leg. It casually nipped at its leg in passing, watching the reaction from the Spino.
It had watched the fight, the damage the Giga left on the Spino.
The Spino whipped its tail outward, furious at the small lumps of flesh pestering its lower half.
But maybe it would learn to not underestimate small things after this fight, if it survives.
The Giga was not left alone, 4 Raptors teaming up, baiting out lunges from the Giga, they noticed the blood along its neck. It won't survive much longer.
I watched.
Bite from Raptor.
Lunge from Giga.
Dodge.
Bite.
Repeat.
The scene was almost inspiring underneath the constant carnage.
A small beast, confronting a giant monster.
And winning.
The Giga, now a pitiful shell of its past, collapsed along the ground, its breaths slowing down to a halt. It had died, and the Spino was not far in comparison.
Chunks of flesh were missing from its limbs, it couldn't walk, and one of its eyes were out of commission.
The Raptors circled around their prey, watching the Spino take its final breaths as well.
Amazing.
It was the perfect hunt.
All the loose ends that could've existed were closed.
The only real variable was if another beast would interfere as well.
As I relished in the feeling of awe I had for the raptors, I noticed that there was only 7 Raptors around the bodies.
I looked around, under the trees, around the clearing.
Nowhere.
Just as I stopped, a small peck came from below me.
I glanced down, two beady, golden eyes looked back.
Hackakak.
One by one, the raptors lifted their heads, blood and guts dripping off of their faces.
They all looked at me.