Shadow slave: In The Eye of The Beholder

The air seemed to burst as the colossal fist was sent flying directly at Silas, every bone is his body screaming, the panic, the adrenaline begging Silas to dodge, to do anything but get crushed by the awakened.

He took a quick step backward but ended up tripping on a fallen painting behind him, the giants fist passes just by the shockwave sending his grey locks cascading back, Sials back hitting the rubble the pointed rocks penetrating the faulty leather, the pain a gripping reminder for the events to come. 

'I think I saw my life flash before my eyes!' Silas screamed internally, his confused grey eyes, looking towards the new threat. 

The uncle had a new approach, his boot shadowing Silas head, in the panic Silas could only see the man's eyes, the depths of his irises did not communicate a sense of frustration, panic or calm. behind them he could only see calculations.

complete calm in the moment, compared with utter focus and attention.

simply put.

Murder Math.

So, Silas gripped the handle of [Mad Cows Canine] and swung at the giant's leg, the blade seemed to cause some wariness in the man, as he quickly halted and rolled backwards, the surprisingly athletic man barely avoiding the sharp edge of the blade. 

His eyes now stared only to [Mad Cows Canine] not at its wielder but just the sword. He simply did not view Silas as a threat, only the sword. 

'He knows, if it was a mundane sword he would have shattered it under his boot, he KNOWS it's a memory, he knows their strengths, as well as their potential enchantments!'

Silas scrambled on the rubble, seizing the brief respite to get back on his feet. He readied [Mad Cows Canine], the blade feeling lighter than ever in his hands despite the fatigue weighing down his worn muscles

Silas parted his eyes from his uncle and to the blade for just a second, the grey steel in his hands was hope, the beacon against the darkness swallowing his life. 

'Thats how I kill the bastard, he doesn't know what the sword can do, so this time, ill be the one deceiving!' The thought put a devious grin to his face, only to be cut off again, his uncle using the slight moment of distraction to ready his arm, swinging with his might, as the stone projectiles flew at him with a whistle. 

Silas ducked for his life, the stones crashing into the wall, more dust and debris showing his form, he looked back towards his uncle, seeing another projectile heading straight for his chest. Resulting in Silas leaping away to the floor, his reaction time being the only thing preventing his early demise. 

And so began a dance of Silas dodging one stone after another, the missed projectiles slamming into the already damaged walls, threatening to collapse the structure, another stone from his irritated uncle sent at him, this time it the rock was dead on, with no space for the tired Silas to dodge. 

With his panic he swung the grey metal blade cleaving through the air, the stone striking the blade with a loud *ting* the strength of the projectile causing Silas to reel back as the stone was crushed against the steel.

Silas in astonishment glanced towards his hands in reverence. 

'Huh, I actually managed to pull that off'. 

Silas's uncle stared, momentarily dumbfounded by the block. His nephew, a mere mundane human, had deflected the blow. A flicker of annoyance crossed the giant's eyes as he bent down, his massive hand scooping up a chunk of debris. Rising to his full height, he set his stance, pulling his shoulder back with a deliberate, calculated motion. His muscles coiled like a spring, arching his back and lifting his leg, his entire body wound up with lethal precision.

Silas barely had time to register the motion—a baseball pitch

Poor Silas was the catcher. 

The hand-sized stones hurtled toward him with terrifying speed, each one whistling through the air like a missile. Silas braced himself, his body tensing for the impact.

The first stone missed by a hair, skimming past his shoulder and slamming into the wall behind him. Another tore through the loose, tattered fabric of his shirt, but somehow didn't touch his skin. A third stone struck the edge of his boot, the force jolting him but causing no real harm.

For a moment, it felt like he was being shielded by some strange, improbable luck. The rocks seemed to find the gaps in his clothes, or just miss him entirely, it seemed like the beholder might have left him some luck for the upcoming challenge. 

But luck can only hold out for so long.

One rock, larger and sharper than the others, drilled into his calf with brutal precision. Pain exploded through his leg, pure agony surging through him as his body crumpled to the cold floor, his leg giving out beneath him.

"AAAGH!" Silas screamed out, the sound guttural and uncontained. His thoughts were simply cut off by the pain, sweat beading down his pale skin, dripping past cuts and bruises, mingling with the blood pooling down his left leg.

Silas thoughts finally breaking free from the pain and remembering the threat, in an utter panic he looked for the giant, only to find it charging directly at him, he's muscles flexing against the wounded fabrics of his attire, the dance of biomechanics directing a crushing fist to the frail Silas.

The fist grew larger in his vision, each callus and scar on the rough skin coming into sharp focus, the world around it blurring into insignificance. Adrenaline surged through Silas, his mind frantically sorting through any chance, any desperate hope of survival. He felt his heart pounding in his chest as he instinctively screamed out with all the air in his lungs.

"EXPLOSION!!!"

The word tore through the air, a desperate gamble. Silas knew there was no explosion coming, but he also knew his uncle's wariness of the memory sword. The gamble proving true, the giant hesitated, his momentum faltering as he pulled back at the last second, caution overriding aggression as he shielded himself for a second, his eye peeking past the guard, observing the incoming attack, only to realise its falsity. 

The millisecond of silence amidst the chaos allowed the combatants to lock eyes—the cold, calculated gaze of the giant meeting the agonized, fearful defiance of Silas. Predator and prey. Uncle and nephew. Opponent to opponent.

Silas felt a surge of anger, desperation, hope, and desire all at once. These emotions crashed over him like a tidal wave, consuming any plans of retreat, any notion of surrender, and any thoughts of compliance. The raw intensity of these feelings surpassing common sense, igniting within him an eternally burning resolve.

His body continued to scream out in agony, but was soon found weakening, the [Mad Cows Canine] in his iron lock grip shone with new glory, the enchantments runes sparkling anew. 

'Do you think ill go down that easy' Silas questioned internally, his smile finding its place, the joy of embracing in the comfort of the ethereal warmth of the runes overtook him, the runes then activating on the blades surface. 

[Frenzy]

Enchantment Description: Draws upon the beast's insatiable hunger, granting the wielder increased power.

The overpowering hunger surged into his mind, devouring the pain that had tormented him, consuming the ocean of thoughts, the river of rage, the torrent of defiance. All his emotions seemed to be swallowed by the endless hunger, as if pouring the flow of his feelings down a bottomless well. The contents scraped against the stone walls as they fell into the abyss below.

The endless colours of emotion were washed away, replaced only by hunger and strength. Silas bit down on his lips, the taste of blood satiating his thirst, his eyes now filled with the same bestial savagery that burned within him.

His will, his [Empowerment], was driven by the desperate need to fill the void.

The emptiness consumed him, leaving only the desire to be full. Silas, treading on his bloodied leg, used the remnants of his muscle to push himself up from the stone floor. Uncalculated strength burst out of him, rocketing him directly at his uncle, the dust around him violently blown away by the force of his leap.

Silas's form whistled through the air, his frail body now filled with unnatural strength. The remnants of his clothes fluttered wildly in the wind, droplets of blood being carried away by the momentum. His grey locks shifted constantly under the pressure, his eyes flashing in and out of view beneath his bangs.

Silas struck out with the blade, the metal edge catching his retreating uncle by surprise, cleaving a deep line down the surface of his chest, the sword tracing its path before being brought along with Silas, hurtling toward the hard stone walls of the inner castle. 

His instincts surging as with a flip he cancelled some of the momentum, landing of the floor, sliding by with all fours, his hands grating against the debris that spiked up from the duel, his form stopping just before the dead end of the wall, The pain of his palms being quickly consumed by the famish. 

The giant followed his movements, gripping his chest as the wound began dripping down, his warm blood meeting the cold stone under him. They both stared at each other for a moment in the short silence, the only noises being the painting of the giant, and the grinding of Silas's teeth.

Silas readied himself once again, his body compressing ready to spring back at its opponent, the abyssal hunger powering his every step. 

The uncle did the same, getting into a choregraph stanched, his muscles bulging with strength as the awakened essence flowing through his veins and giving him even more might. 

In the moment, none of them spoke, there thoughts were already being conveyed by their actions, Silas's defiance and the giants unwavering killing intent. 

The Silance broke as both of them leapt to each other's thought simultaneously.

And in the cold castle of the endless fields.

Began the violent dance of the Mad Cow and the Giant.