Striving for Adaptation

"Hah, hah, hah." I was breathing heavily, trying to gather strength to catch up with Ember and the tank, which presumably had Daniel inside. With every turn of the tracks, the tank scattered snow and sand in all directions. There was no hope of catching up without wings.

"Come on, let's go!" I mentally commanded myself as I watched them both move further away. By the time I had flown halfway across the beach, they were already almost on the asphalt road. But words didn’t help. My wings were simply too tired after the flight over the sea.

"Alright, alright, my legs should still work," I whispered to myself, starting to dive. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I immediately took off at full speed. Of course, I still felt the need to stop and catch my breath. But at least my muscles weren’t cramping, and I didn’t risk falling from a height.

After a while, both friend and foe reappeared in my field of vision. Ember was flapping her wings with all her might in a futile attempt to catch up with Daniel. His war machine was moving slightly faster and gradually pulling away from us.

I need to come up with something, fast.

Perhaps it was time. Continuing to run, I reached into my bag and, without looking, opened one of the pockets. Inside were books on magic. I had planned to learn something from them on the ship, but things had gone wrong. So, I’d have to learn runes on the go.

Pulling out the first book I found, I glanced at the cover. Defensive Spells and Their Runic Transcription. Thanks, but I need something that can pierce that tin can!

"How the hell are you running so fast, especially with extra weight!?" Ember asked tiredly from above. Looking up, I saw that I had already caught up with her and even slightly passed her. My physical abilities, plus the rune of additional muscles, gave me an incredible boost!

Shaking my head, I said as I returned the book to the bag, "Never mind! The important thing is that we need to find a way to break through that thing!"

For a moment, the air was filled only with the clanking of tank tracks on the asphalt and the frightened screams of pony pedestrians. Suddenly, Ember asked, "Remember that sphere thing you made to stop quickly? Can you do the same to that thing?"

That. . . is a good idea. At least, it sounds like one.

Looking back at Daniel’s tank, I shouted, "To test it, I need to get closer. Try not to fall behind!"

Zipping up the bag, I tried to run even faster. For a moment, I felt like the fastest runner in the world. My body was leaning forward so much that it seemed like I was about to faceplant into the asphalt. The winter wind grew even colder, and—

CRUNCH

I clenched my teeth, holding back a scream as I felt a terrible pain shoot through the big toe of my right foot. Naturally, with such an injury, my running slowed significantly. But how could this even happen!? I just started running faster!

If I think about it, the rune gave me extra muscles. My bones didn’t get any stronger. Maybe pushing my limits like this is just too much for my body?

Nervously swallowing, all I could do was watch as Daniel got further away. But suddenly, I felt someone grab me under my arms. Ember had picked me up and, before I could even ask, threw me forward with all her strength!

As absurd as it was, I managed to land right on the roof of the tank. Taking a few quick breaths to calm the pain, I grabbed the hatch handle with my left hand and pulled. Bad luck, I'm going to have to stop this thing.

Taking a deep breath, I began releasing streams of magic from my right hand, merging them into a single sphere that hovered in the air. Unlike the first time, this stage went by relatively quickly. Good. Gripping the hatch cover as tightly as I could, I commanded the streams to stop stretching.

Immediately, Daniel’s tank began to skid in place. Success, though I paid for it with excruciating pain in both arms, as if they were about to tear off. However, opening my eyes slightly, I saw bad news—the streams of my magic were still stretching slightly.

They can’t defeat this war machine!

Just as I thought about my failure, it happened. The magic streams snapped, and the tank I was sitting on quickly regained full speed. However, Ember had managed to significantly close the gap. There were probably about thirty feet between us.

Switching hands, I raised my left hand and released a few streams of magic. They wrapped around her mid-flight before pulling her toward me. Fortunately, Ember instantly understood and didn’t resist. In the end, we both ended up on the tank.

"How’s your throat?"

"Fi—" Ember tried to answer, but suddenly Daniel’s tank hit a bump in the road. Reacting instantly, I grabbed her paw with my free hand.

"Ahem, don’t expect any thanks," she coughed briefly as I let her go. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth and released a powerful stream of fire onto the steel. The strange smell of molten metal immediately filled the air as the tank’s armor began to melt.

After a couple of seconds, she coughed briefly and stopped breathing fire. Looking through the hole Ember had made, I saw. . .

Another layer of armor?

Yes! There was a second layer of armor, golden to be precise, and the dragoness immediately declared, "I can’t melt this."

"Why?"

"Um, gold absorbs any magic and becomes harder because of it. Didn’t you know that?"

Did Daniel deliberately not tell me anything useful!?

Sighing, I moved slightly closer and raised both hands high above my head. If I could break through a ship’s hull, then some gold wouldn’t be an obstacle. Exhaling, I brought both fists down on the golden plating and, of course, punched right through. However, when I tried to pull my hand out for a second strike, I realized they were stuck.

Suddenly, Daniel’s tank began to swerve violently. Before I could turn around, Ember was thrown off and fell into a crowd of ponies standing at a crosswalk. Was this his trap!?

Clenching my teeth, I braced my feet against the armor and tried with all my might to break free. My wings flapped a few times, but it did absolutely nothing. Nervously sighing, I looked around and saw that the tall skyscrapers had been replaced by small two-story houses. It seemed we would soon leave the city.

Finally, an idea came to me, and I took a breath. Then, streams of magic began to flow from my shoulders, merging into a sphere. But this time, I mentally commanded the streams to bend like a slingshot and launch the sphere behind a house. Why?

Well, if it works.

In the next moment, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulders, as if I were being torn apart. But when I heard the snap and saw Daniel’s tank start to spark against the asphalt, it became clear that it was all worth it. The sphere acted as an anchor, and the house as an additional support. This thing just wasn’t designed for such sudden braking!

Although my hands remained stuck in the golden plating of the war machine, I smiled happily when I saw it slowly coming to a stop. At first, I began to distinguish individual houses nearby, then individual pedestrians, and finally. . .

A steep slope. By inertia, the tank reached it and stopped only when the front half lost ground under its tracks. Below, I could see a forest and a frozen river. Shuddering, I turned around and, fortunately, saw Ember. Overjoyed, I couldn’t help but shout, "Hey, I stopped it! Now let’s—"

Physics didn’t wait for me to finish. The front half of the tank outweighed the back, causing the machine to tip over. Naturally, it flipped. In a panic, I started flapping my wings again and, thank goodness, managed to free myself from the golden cage, though my wrists were bleeding profusely. Aaaah. . .

Don’t look there, don’t look there, don’t look there.

After flying a few feet, my wings cramped again, and I landed on the slope. Rolling down, I could see the tank clattering and swaying from side to side, leaving a trail of broken tracks, pipes, and other debris. The climax came when the back of the tank hit a tree and began to flip over as it continued down the slope.

"God, don’t let him die like this. I need answers," I pleaded as the descent finally came to an end. Getting to my feet, I glanced at the tank. Upon landing, it had knocked down several trees and now lay on its side, completely crumpled.

"I hope he’s in pain in there," Ember snorted. Turning, I saw her standing to my left. Apparently, while we were rolling down the slope, she had flown ahead.

"Didn’t you want to fight him one-on-one?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Ahem, I meant to say I hope he’s in pain but still alive," she corrected herself before snorting again.

Chuckling, I reminded her, "Well, I hope you’ll let me ask him the necessary questions first."

She rolled her eyes and said, taking a step forward, "We’ll see. First, we need to open this tin can."

I followed her lead, as if agreeing, but suddenly there was a screech of metal against metal. Looking up, I saw Daniel’s flame-like blade cutting through the part of the tank I had pierced. I wasn’t mistaken—he was here.

After making a horizontal cut, he kicked out the piece of metal and stood before us at full height. His sword was tightly gripped in his prosthetic hand, and his eyes were just. . . empty? He looked at us both without any enthusiasm, mockery, or anything else. Just emptiness.

Pull yourself together. The main thing is to get him to answer questions. Then I’ll figure out how to stop Ember.

Taking a step forward, I loudly cleared my throat and said, "Daniel. I have a few things I want to ask you."

For a few moments, he just continued to stare at me emptily. But eventually, he asked listlessly, "Well?"

Swallowing, I began, "All the things you did in Equestria. Were they for Celestia? Burning ecosystems, 'helping' me adapt, and other things?"

"Yes," he simply replied without moving.

Wow. Uh, it’s a bit harder to hate him now.

Shaking my head, I asked the next question, "When you told me not to pursue you and to beware of water, what did you mean?"

Daniel sighed and said slowly, shaking his head, "I just didn’t want to see you or be reminded of you."

Taking a shaky breath, I asked one of the burning questions, "Why exactly do you hate me?"

It seemed like my words paralyzed his body completely—not a single muscle in his face or arm moved. It seemed like he even stopped breathing. We just stood in silence as the winter wind gently swayed the tree branches.

"I don’t hate you."

"But you said—"

"I said I feel hatred when I see you. But it’s not directed at you," Daniel sighed, lightly tapping his forehead.

"Then why?" I asked cautiously.

He lowered his head. Silence. A second, two, ten—it felt like an eternity. He tightened his grip on his sword and said without raising his head, "Because of me, you ended up in Equestria."

W-What?

Daniel ran the tip of his sword along the ground before saying, "I assume you’ve seen the stone covering Celestia’s chest. You see, that was done by me. To be precise, by my spell that copies the elements of harmony."

Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Akhirata told me that the elements of harmony, when used, create holes in the world’s magic. When these holes naturally fill, things from another world end up here. Or beings, in our case."

Raising his gaze and slightly averting it, Daniel concluded, "I was experimenting with my copy of the elements of harmony to remove the stone covering Celestia’s chest. Every second, I subconsciously understood what this could lead to. But I only stopped when I received news of your appearance."

Y-You. . .

I clenched my fists and hissed, "You knew what this could lead to."

In response, Daniel just nodded, which made me bare my teeth and continue, "YOU know firsthand what it’s like to be ripped from your own world. Even if you had no one on Earth, it’s still a shock. But I had someone."

A nod. Again. Growling, I took a step forward and said, "YOU’re just a bastard. There’s nothing human in YOU. If YOU get fixated on something, YOU’ll destroy everyone for it, you piece of shit."

I paused for a moment to take a breath and immediately cut off any possible justification, "I don’t care how much YOU love a princess from a cartoon. YOU completely destroyed my past life. And YOU understood that every second."

Breathing hoarsely, I took a step forward and said, "If your pathetic appearance even slightly matches how you supposedly regret it, then just kill yourself. Right now."

Daniel exhaled slowly, leaving a bit of steam in the air. Then he sheathed his sword and said, finally meeting my gaze, "Arthur, I want to save Celestia. At any cost. I won’t die here. And if you intend to take revenge on me. . ."

"I’ll just have to kill you here," he coldly replied. Trying to scare me, huh!?

Let’s go. I’ll stomp you into the mud.

With my wing, I gently pushed Ember forward. For a moment, she didn’t move, but then she began to walk in step with me. As Daniel stood in place with his hand on the hilt, I took off my bag and threw it at the roots of the nearest tree. I don't think I'll be able to concentrate on finding new spells in a fight like this. The rune of additional muscles was still holding—I was at my peak.

Sighing, I leaned forward and pushed off the ground with all my strength with my left foot. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough strength to get behind him as I wanted. Seeing him pull his arm back for a thrust, I braced my feet on the ground, skidded to a stop, and threw a handful of snow in his face.

To my own surprise, Ember flew at full speed into Daniel, who was blinded by the snow, and slammed him back against the tank. Hitting his head against the steel armor, she raised her fist but was interrupted by a sudden kick that sent her sprawling onto her back.

In the next moment, he charged at me at full speed. Clenching my teeth, I ran toward Daniel. The distance between us rapidly closed. Ten feet. Six feet. And!—

A sharp pain shot through my forehead as his sheathed sword suddenly struck it. Even though the whole world started spinning in front of my eyes, I tried to land a straight punch with my left hand. But Daniel stepped aside and stabbed me in the nose with the scabbard a second time.

Hitting where it hurts, huh!?

Despite the fact that my head fell back, I managed to keep my balance and hooked Daniel. Well, I tried. At the last moment, he lifted his foot, dodging the cut, and stepped on mine, making me scream. He stepped right on the spot where I broke my toe!

Fortunately, at that moment, Ember returned. She grabbed Daniel by the ankle and opened her mouth to bite. But at the last moment, he shifted his foot from mine to kick the dragoness in the face, sending her flying back again.

For just a second, I saw his gaze shift to check the recent threat. Instantly, my body rose to its feet, and my right hand delivered a side blow to his skull while my left covered my face. Again, Daniel dodged by ducking. But when he stood up, I felt unbearable pain.

This bastard hit me in the groin!

I took long, heavy breaths, trying to soothe the pain as my legs buckled on their own. Daniel took a couple of steps back before turning fully to Ember and asking, placing his foot on her chest, "So, who are you? And what are you doing here?"

"Ember. And I came to avenge the dragon lord you crippled!" she growled, grabbing his leg with both paws, trying to throw him off. Apparently, her fire breath hadn’t recharged yet.

Finally gathering my strength, I quickly lunged forward, leading with my shoulder. Only at the very last moment did Daniel notice and take a small step back. Gotcha! I pushed off slightly with my right foot to maintain my speed, but he just took another small step back. Wait. . .

Suddenly, he sidestepped and delivered another blow, this time to the back of my head. Unable to keep my balance, I fell flat on my face. All I could see was how he hit Ember on the horn, causing a small crack and making her scream, "DON’T TOUCH IT!"

This is no good. At this rate, he’ll just beat us like kittens and keep us on the ground. He’s like a robot, everything he does is perfect and every move is maximally efficient.

As I pushed myself up with my hands, I heard the dull sound of a scabbard hitting the ground and Daniel’s words, "Now that everything’s clear, I can say this. Both of you need to be eliminated."

Turning around, my eyes saw the blade already descending, but where exactly was unclear. But if he’s going to kill me quickly, then he must be aiming. . .

"HERE!" I growled as I caught the sword just an inch from my heart. Naturally, my hand immediately started bleeding from the movement. But the fact remains—I managed to predict where he would strike!

"Tsk," Daniel clicked his tongue before pulling the sword back and taking a step back. Due to the wavy shape of the blade, the cut on my hand was so deep that I could see the thin muscles barely holding my palm together. But pure hatred suppressed my fear of blood.

I want to kill him. Here and now.

Rolling back, I got back on my feet and raised my fists in front of me. Daniel, as always, stood arrogantly straight with his sword lowered, my blood dripping from it. Shifting my weight to my left foot, I sharply swung my right, sending a new snowball into his face. Think, what’s the most efficient way to use the blindness? Strike from the blind spot!

Ducking, I saw the sword fly a quarter of an inch from the tip of my head. Then, I took a step forward and clenched my right hand into a fist. For just a moment, our eyes met. Through his glasses, I could see Daniel’s eyes tense with obvious rage. Smirking, I struck with all my might right into his smug face. The glasses cracked and shattered under my knuckles. A new weakness revealed.

Obviously, he wouldn’t let me stay close for long. Daniel slightly raised his leg. From this angle, he couldn’t hit my groin, but he probably couldn’t reach my head either. So he’ll aim. . .

"HA!" I shouted right in his face as I blocked my kneecap with my bloody hand at the last moment. Seizing the moment, I struck again with my hand, this time to the head. This made Daniel stagger slightly, allowing me to step back and look around. Ember had taken to the air. Apparently, she was waiting for her fire breath to recharge. If we time it right, we can at least leave this monster with a bunch of burns.

However, I can’t help but wonder. Why isn’t he using magic? Is it related to his crumbling soul?

Screw it. If he dies from us, good. If he dies from his soul, also good.

Lowering my hands, I ran toward Daniel, releasing multiple streams of magic along the way. As soon as he raised his sword for a vertical strike, I forced some of the streams to merge into a sphere just in front of my head. His eyes widened as the attack path was blocked. Chuckling, I led with my shoulder to knock him down. . .

Suddenly, his left fist crashed into my lower abdomen. An incredible, staggering pain ran through the upper half of my body, my stomach, and my back. Reflexively, I bent over and only straightened up when Daniel grabbed me by the hair, "You forgot about the second hand."

After these words, he slammed me down onto his knee. Instantly, I felt my entire face flood with blood, and my eyes rolled back. Naturally, when he let go, my body collapsed backward onto the cold snow. Daniel immediately lowered the blade, aiming to pierce my eye.

But at that moment, Ember appeared. She flew into him at full speed and began grinding him into the ground. They only stopped when his head hit a nearby tree. Then, her mouth opened wide before unleashing a wide stream of fire!

For a few moments, she continued to breathe fire. But when she stopped, there was nothing left except Daniel’s sword. Sensing danger, I immediately ran forward to Ember. And rightly so—behind me, I heard the quick crunch of snow.

This demon wanted to strike me from behind!

Reaching Ember, I quickly grabbed the sword and, bracing my foot against a tree, turned around. Daniel had stopped his pursuit about thirty feet away. Now that we were united, our chances were much better! Taking a quick breath, I whispered, "Listen, I have a plan. Let me engage him, and when I can land a hit, fly into him. Just don’t breathe fire—throw him forward after a while. Got it?"

Surprisingly, there were no objections or questions. Just a nod. Great. Sighing, I pushed off the tree. The pain from my broken toe had long been suppressed by adrenaline. At full speed, I charged at him, spreading my right hand with the sword and my left, clenched into a fist. If he’s such a genius, he’ll notice that both limbs are tense and ready to strike. There’s no way to dodge to the sides. Your only path is...

Instead of sweeping my legs as I expected, he made a superhuman jump. Alright, alright, still under control! I raised the sword and, as Daniel began to descend, delivered a quick thrust. But he, just like I had earlier, caught the blade with his hand.

The only difference is that he has a metal prosthetic!

As I tried to pull the sword back, it slipped from his grip with a shower of sparks, and Daniel landed on both feet. Without waiting a second, he stepped forward and delivered an uppercut. I swung the sword in response, and in the next moment, I saw the sky. The blow was perfect, snapping my head back. But the blade had hit something—I could feel it.

After a few moments, I managed to recover. Just in time, because Ember, following the initial plan, flew into him again at full speed. This time, there were no trees ahead, just a short slope leading to a frozen river. Great, now for the final stage.

Taking a breath, I ran at full speed slightly to her right, partially hidden by the tree line. Daniel was delivering powerful blows to the dragoness’s grip, literally crushing her skin and immediately exposing muscle. But she held on. Only after a while did she scream, strike him in the temple, and throw him forward dozens of feet.

As soon as he landed, kneeling on one knee, I ran out from the tree line and delivered another blow to his temple with all my strength. This made Daniel gasp and stagger back. But there was no 'perfection' in these movements as before. He wasn’t in control. Taking a few quick steps, I swung wide before sending the sword toward its owner’s neck.

I hope you suffer in your last second, you bastard.

The recent attack had completely unsettled the former captain of the guard. The connection between the brain and the rest of the body was almost completely severed. It is impossible to move not a finger, not a toe.

It was at this moment that an old memory awoke in him.

I remember something like this. . .

It seems the connection between me and my body is completely severed. Plus, without my glasses, I can’t see anything at all. However, something appeared in the air—a mirage of some sort. It distorted for a while before taking the shape of a kitchen table with three people sitting at it: a man, a woman, and a boy.

"Hmm, well, today I got a B+ in geometry at school," the boy said emotionlessly before swallowing a small spoonful of salad. He had weight issues, his stomach slightly protruding from under his clothes. What a nasty little freak.

"I hope you understand that this is below your level of knowledge," the man noted coldly. The woman just nodded slightly, continuing to eat.

The boy swallowed and said, looking down, "Yes, Dad, I’ll try harder next time."

Taking a long breath, the father asked calmly, "Did anything else happen at school today?"

"Nothing. . ."

"You’re lying to me," the man said harshly, making the boy look up in fear.

"Let me explain again. Hiding your mistakes from me only makes things worse for you. Only I can give you the right advice. For example, that your lies are completely pointless. This way, you won’t be able to get a job when you grow up," the father explained, pointing his fork at his son.

The boy swallowed and admitted, fidgeting, "Well, today in the drama club, we were assigning roles for the next play. I really wanted the lead role. But one guy said I was a stupid fatso and didn’t fit the part at all. At best, I could play a rock..."

"And? Finish the story," the father demanded impassively.

The son swallowed and said, trembling, "I got angry and hit him. Everyone in the drama club saw it. Then. . ."

"OW!" he screamed when his father slapped him sharply on the cheek. The skin immediately turned red, and tears welled up in his eyes. Such a slap was extremely painful but didn’t leave bruises.

This is my childhood.

The child version of me sniffled, barely holding back tears, but the father demanded harshly, "Stop crying. Men don’t cry. If you did something like that in public, everyone would remember you as a loser."

Of course, this didn’t calm me down at the time. I clenched my teeth, trying not to cry loudly. For a few moments, my entire child’s body trembled in fear and tension. Predictably, a second slap followed, making the boy fall off the chair onto the floor.

"I hope you remember that I allowed you to join the drama club only so you could learn to control your emotions. But it seems it would be better if I took care of that myself," the father said, and suddenly the mirage stopped. Something deep inside me twitched.

Keep emotions under control.

For half my life, I was forced to keep my emotions under control. The other half, I lived only by my rage and hatred. Plus, the last few months, I’ve been living. . . with nothing, emptiness. Even when I openly opposed my father, I couldn’t release my emotions. I, a fucking idiot, couldn't put these ideas aside for a very long time.

Emotions, feelings, regardless of whether they’re positive or negative, became my shadow. A shadow I radically refused to accept. At most, I was willing to accept tiny particles of this shadow. Everything else was always put in the closet and used as an example to portray a 'personality' for the people around me.

And if all emotions were my shadow, then who am I? What does this so-called "I" want? Why, when I strived for perfection and looked down on everyone, did every small defeat, every small deviation from the plan, destroy me?

S̵̢̻̖̥͕̟̖̫̥̘̮͈̹̗̘͛̐̔̚t̴̢̘̗̫̞̳̠͙̣͇̩̞̠̪̙̉̽̏͑̿́̕͠ͅͅó̷̜̭͔̰̮̆̏̚ͅp̶̢̢͇͖̣̦̝̺̠̰͚̝̱͑̎̎̋̐̈́̓͑͆́͋̀́̅̆͜͝͠.̵̡͈̖̖̹̀̽͑̃̔̾͆̇͌̊͠͠

Because eternal victories were the only way to maintain an initially incomplete self! The only way for me to become whole is to integrate the shadow. Fully, unlike all previous attempts.

I want to try. To act and follow every impulse. Without filtering anything.

As soon as I felt the cold steel touch the back of my neck, my body braced its hands against the ground, and in the next moment, my legs spread apart. My heels felt a clear impact—one with something soft, a face. The other with something hard, probably a horn.

Pushing off the ground, I landed on my feet a dozen feet away from both opponents. Arthur was standing, clutching his cheek with his hand, trying to soothe the pain, while Ember was on one knee. Her horn was her weak point, after all.

Don’t think. Act on impulse.

Exhaling, I took a step back. And in the next moment, I ran at full speed toward Arthur, bending my legs low to get under him. Getting close enough, I grabbed him by the thighs and lifted him in front of me. Continuing to run, I shouted, "Ha, didn't you ever expect to get a pass between your legs, huh!?"

Before Arthur could respond, I relaxed my arms, letting him fly forward by inertia. His body smashed through one tree and only stopped when it hit another, about twenty feet away from me.

Ember, from behind, raised her arms above her head. Without thinking, I turned on the spot and led with my head. A shiver ran through my entire brain as both her fists hit me right in the forehead. However, her clenched teeth clearly showed she was in pain.

I want you.

With a quick motion of my left hand, I struck her where a human’s solar plexus would be. Her breath caught, and as soon as she opened her mouth to inhale, I grabbed her horn with my prosthetic and pulled her toward me. Before she could react, I opened my mouth wide and bit down on her lips and everything nearby. A bite.

With all her strength, she flapped her wings, allowing her to break free from my teeth and retreat to Arthur. Taking advantage of the pause, my tongue slowly ran over my teeth. My canines were almost completely covered in blood, with dead skin—or perhaps Ember’s lips—on my lower jaw. On my upper jaw, I could clearly feel scales with a bit of flesh. She had pulled away too sharply.

Spitting out the debris onto the snow, I said, glancing at the dragon, "You’re not tasty."

Ember covered her mouth with her hands as blood continued to seep between her fingers. Arthur briefly glanced at her before pointing at me and saying, "You’re insane."

What kind of people can be crazy and selfish?

Following the idea, I quickly made a simple rune, creating a ball of my magic. My left foot carefully rolled over its surface, making the ball slowly roll forward. Ha, such a strange feeling. Ball, ball, do you want to play?

"Arthur, let’s play football! The kind of football the whole world plays, not the American kind!" I said, starting to dribble the ball forward while keeping my eyes fixed on it. Oops, should I have said 'soccer' so he’d understand?

Anyway, when I got close enough, I pushed Ember forward and bounced the ball back into Arthur's face. As I focused on the dragon, I saw that she had opened her mouth to release the fire again. Chuckling, I stretched out my hand to the side and focused on the natural magic around me.

As soon as I saw the flame coming from her mouth, I cast my magic through the streams of nature. For just a moment, they flashed my magic and went through Ember like circular saws. In the next instant, I forcefully pushed her forward, slamming her into a tree and knocking her out.

Then, I turned back to see Arthur catch the ball. But instead, he disappeared somewhere.

"Do you think I’m completely stupid!?" Arthur asked from behind me. Turning around, I barely blocked the sword with my prosthetic at the last moment. However, the force behind the blow was excessive.

I was sent flying through the cold air, and the ball left me. Sigh. Sighing, I grabbed a branch with my left hand, and as soon as it creaked, I let go. Landing, I turned around. Arthur’s kick had sent me flying over the frozen river—the distance between us was definitely over a hundred feet. Apparently, his muscle-enhancing spell hadn’t worn off yet.

But I want to even the odds even more.

Glancing at my prosthetic, I saw that Ember’s strike had caused some parts to crack. Of course, it was still functional, but I didn’t want to risk it. Sighing, I undid the strap securing the device to my arm with a light motion. Then I carefully placed the prosthetic on a branch to come back for it later.

Looking back at Arthur, I could barely make out that he was standing there. Although, if I were in his place, I would go back to the bag. I think there's something useful in there.

Focus on emotions. Screw tactics.

Taking a deep breath, I took off and ran toward him. It seemed he noticed my movement because he also started moving toward me. The cold wind suddenly picked up, cutting through me to the bone and making the snow on the river roll slightly to the side. The ice under my feet creaked but held for now.

As the distance closed, Arthur made a horizontal slash with the sword toward my stomach. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his foot shift slightly forward, as if preparing to strike as soon as I ducked. Too bad. . .

With a sharp motion, I stopped the blade. With my teeth. As soon as Arthur tried to pull the sword back, I clenched my jaw tighter and pushed him back a few steps with a blow to the chest. As a result, due to Arthur’s powerful grip, the sword broke into two pieces—the blade in my teeth and the hilt.

Spitting the blade onto the ground, I turned my body toward Arthur. He also threw his part of the sword on the ground and raised his fists in front of him. What do I want at this moment? Do I need to kill him?

I want to knock him out. Then check on Cozy Glow.

Exhaling, I slightly shifted my right foot back. And in the next moment, I pushed off the ice, causing it to crack. Arthur threw a straight punch, probably the easiest to dodge. But I let it hit my shoulder while I struck his face with the top of my head. My hair became wet with blood.

As he stepped back, I suddenly started to fall. A cut! I crashed onto the ice, causing cracks to run through it. However, Arthur wasn’t fazed and sat on me. Before delivering a blow to my face. Lift, clench, strike. Again. And again.

Suddenly, there was a loud cracking of ice. In the next moment, we both found ourselves in the cold water. This interrupted Arthur’s last attack because he started flailing in the water as we both continued to sink. He can’t swim?

Shuddering from the incredible cold, I grabbed him by the neck and teleported to the shore. My ears rang with sharp pain from the sudden pressure change, and the air only intensified the cold throughout my body. Throwing Arthur onto the ground, I reflexively felt my face.

His attacks didn’t do any damage. It seems he was using the muscle-enhancing rune. But it’s worn off.

"Do you think one good deed justifies you? You’re just a manipulator!" Arthur shouted between breaths. Looking at him, I felt no bloodlust. Only regret.

"What, standing there like a statue? Did you think I’d really fall for that?" he growled, leaning forward. In response, I again didn’t move. Clenching his teeth, Arthur struck me in the face with his fist. Then he pulled his arm back and delivered another blow to my chest. And a final kick to the knee.

"Arthur, that’s enough," I asked without moving an inch. In response, he delivered an uppercut to my jaw. The blow didn’t even make me close my mouth.

"You bastard, fight! I won’t calm down until one of us is dead!" Arthur demanded, spinning around and delivering a blow with all his strength to the bottom of my ribs. But this only made me take a small step to the side.

Sighing, I took a quick step forward and cupped Arthur’s face with my palm. Before slamming him into the ground, I whispered, "The fight’s over. No one died."

Once on the ground, Arthur began taking deep breaths as his eyes slowly closed. Without a word, he fell asleep. Exhaling, I walked forward toward the fallen tank. Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at Ember. My defensive spell had melted most of her armor, but she had managed to remove it before losing consciousness. The only wound was a strip of charred skin on her chest.

I’m not feeling too well. . .

A strange sensation in my chest, near my heart, stopped me. For a few moments, nothing happened before I started coughing. When I tried to cover my mouth with my hand, it was overwhelmed by incredible pain, as if it were being melted by acid. In the end, a large clump of mucus, shimmering blue and yellow, fell to the ground. It had begun.

Taking a few breaths, I quickly headed toward the tank. As if sensing my approach, Cozy Glow ran out from it. She looked at me worriedly as I coughed up larger and larger clumps of magic. Apparently, for now, my body could safely expel them. But soon, it would melt me from the inside.

"What happened?" she asked, taking a slight step back.

"Remember how I promised you power? The time has come," I replied, placing my hand on her chest and concentrating. Almost immediately, I could feel her soul. So small and weak. It would be much easier to fully exchange.

Cozy’s veins, filled with new magic, began to glow slightly. On the other hand, I felt the magic in my body rapidly diminishing. In the end, when the procedure was complete, I sat on the ground and looked at Cozy. Her entire body was glowing slightly, and she was trembling with a smile, as if trying to contain all the power.

I think she's still alive. Great, you did well, filly.

After taking a few deep breaths, I put my hand on my forehead and said, "Now, can you wait a little? Phew, I need to catch my breath. "

"Mmm, no," she replied slowly. When I took my hand away, I saw her standing there with a toothy smile and wings spread wide.

"I can feel the power boiling inside me!" She exclaimed, laughing as she experimentally flapped her wings a few times. Apparently, her body had already begun to adapt slightly to the new volumes of magic, as she rose to the same level with the treetops with one swing.

Before I could say anything, she giggled and asked: "Dread League, are the necromancers in northeast Griffonia speaking? Do you think they know how to make me an alicorn? Or even an adult!?"

Without giving me a chance to respond, she flapped her wings once more and flew off at full speed.

Being betrayed. It wasn't my first, but. . . she was really sweet. I should have trusted my intuition.

Sighing, I lay down completely on the ground, pulling my arm to the side. Due to the battle and the drastic drop in magic, I feel incredibly tired. So, in winter, at the site of the battle, in the wilderness, two people who had recently been in the river and one dragon with burns lost consciousness.

In the last moments before going to sleep, I muttered: "Let's see how the one who wakes up first will realize his capabilities."