The goblin moved—
Then stopped.
Its blade didn't fall.
Not yet.
Elios' blurred vision struggled to focus, the world shifting in and out as he lay against the cold stone.
The goblin stepped back.
Not hurried.
Not cautious.
Deliberate.
It created space between them.
Just enough.
Elios' breath came out uneven.
"…Why…"
The word barely formed.
The goblin didn't answer.
It simply stood there—
watching.
Not like prey.
Not like a predator finishing a hunt.
Like something observing.
Measuring.
Giving him time.
A chance.
And that—
was its mistake.
Elios' fingers twitched.
His body screamed at him to stay down.
Every part of him ached.
His arm burned.
His side throbbed.
His leg barely responded.
His breathing was shallow now.
Weak.
"…Get up…"
The thought came again.
Fainter than before.
"…Get up…"
Nothing moved.
The goblin shifted its stance slightly.
Waiting.
As if expecting something.
Elios' vision flickered again.
Dark.
Light.
Dark.
And then—
A memory surfaced.
Not clear.
Not whole.
Just a fragment.
A sack.
Weight.
His hands lifting it.
That feeling.
That alignment.
"…That…"
His fingers tightened against the ground.
Barely.
"…That thing…"
He didn't know what it was.
Didn't understand it.
But his body remembered.
That moment—
when something inside him had responded.
When his strength had changed.
"…Move…"
This time—
he didn't try to force his body.
He focused.
Not on pain.
Not on fear.
On that feeling.
Subtle.
Like reaching for something just out of grasp.
His breathing shifted.
Uneven—
then slower.
Not stable.
But different.
His muscles tensed—
not rigid—
Responsive.
A faint sensation spread through him.
Not strength.
Control.
Incomplete.
Unstable.
But there.
The goblin stepped forward again.
Closing the distance.
It had waited long enough.
Elios' eyes sharpened slightly.
"…Now…"
His body moved.
Not fully.
Not cleanly.
But faster than before.
He rolled to the side.
The strike missed.
Barely.
Stone cracked where he had been.
Elios pushed himself up—
His leg trembled—
but held.
For now.
The goblin turned instantly.
No delay.
Another strike came.
Elios raised his arm—
Too slow.
The blade cut across it.
Blood followed.
But this time—
he didn't fall.
"…Not enough…"
The words came out strained.
But real.
His grip tightened—
He stepped forward.
Not back.
Forward.
The goblin adjusted.
Its eyes sharpened.
Now—
it recognized the change.
Elios swung.
Not perfect.
Not clean.
But faster.
The goblin blocked.
But the impact—
was different.
Slightly heavier.
Slightly sharper.
Elios pushed again.
His movements still rough—
still unrefined—
But no longer delayed.
The goblin stepped back.
This time—
not by choice.
Elios exhaled sharply.
"…Again…"
That feeling flickered.
Unstable.
Slipping.
He forced it.
Too hard.
His body strained.
Pain surged through him again.
"…Ghh—!"
The alignment broke—
then returned.
Flickering.
Dangerous.
The goblin moved again.
Faster.
Sharper.
Elios reacted.
Barely keeping up.
Their blades clashed—
again—
again—
Each impact heavier than before.
Elios' movements improved—
but not enough.
Not yet.
The goblin struck low—
Elios blocked—
but stumbled.
His footing broke.
He dropped to one knee again.
"…Damn it…"
His breathing shattered.
The feeling slipped again.
Fading.
The goblin didn't wait this time.
It stepped in.
Closing the distance.
Elios' eyes widened.
"…No—"
Too close.
Too fast.
He reacted—
Not with thought.
With instinct.
His body moved—
twisted—
And for the first time—
it wasn't him controlling it.
Something deeper took over.
The blade moved.
Faster than before.
Sharper.
It cut.
The goblin staggered slightly.
A shallow wound—
but real.
Both of them stopped.
For just a moment.
Elios' chest rose sharply.
"…What…"
He felt it.
Not clearly.
But enough.
Something inside him—
had answered.
Not fully.
Not safely.
But it was there.
The goblin's stance changed again.
More cautious now.
More aware.
Elios tightened his grip.
His body trembled—
not from fear—
from strain.
"…I'm not done…"
The words came out low.
Broken.
But burning.
The space between them closed again.
And this time—
it wasn't onesided anymore.
End.