Shadow slave: In The Eye of The Beholder

Silas leaned back, letting the noise of the dojo wash over him as Instructor Rock announced the next stage. Sparring. His chest tightened at the thought, but his curiosity outweighed the tension.

"Now, we will move to sparring and evaluate your general level of training. I need two volunteers to begin."

Without hesitation, Nephis was already standing in the centre of the ring. There was something about her, a quiet confidence that didn't need any fanfare. His eyes followed her every step, studying her.

Even though her strike earlier had been weaker than his own, he didn't feel any sense of superiority over the silver-haired talent. What he had achieved with his attribute, she nearly matched with pure skill alone. It gnawed at him, making him painfully aware of the gap between them.

Despite his reluctance, Silas had to acknowledge the truth: while he was powerful, Nephis had something he lacked. Discipline. She had the calculated precision that came from experience, a depth of training that could only be honed through countless battles and relentless practice.

In contrast, his power came from chaos—violence born from desperation, survival instincts sharpened in moments of life and death. But that was the difference, wasn't it? He fought like a cornered beast, wild and unpredictable. Nephis, however, was a hunter, deliberate and controlled, always a step ahead.

He clenched his fists at the realization, the self-awareness creeping in like a shadow he couldn't shake. As much as he wanted to believe in his strength, Nephis was a burning reminder of what he lacked—true, honed skill, something that could only be earned through relentless discipline.

A second later, a tall, muscular Sleeper followed her into the ring. He was massive compared to her—his muscles bulging beneath the fabric of his uniform, his sheer size commanding the space. Silas almost scoffed, feeling the inevitable conclusion of this match before it even started.

The sleeper wasted no time, his attack was fierce, direct-a huge kick aimed to bulldoze through her, though nephis seemed unphased as it came closer and closer to home. 

at the last second, she ducked and grasped the sleeper's leg, using the momentum of his charge to swing him over her back, meeting the wooden floor with a bang. The sleeper was now flat on his back with a dumbfounded 

The fight was nothing but an illusion, the flawless execution was more of a display of her domination rather than a proper clash. 

A murmur of shock rippled through the dojo. Instructor Rock grinned, his eyes glinting with approval. "Next."

What followed could only be described as a massacre. One after another, Nephis managed to defeat almost every single Sleeper present in the dojo. She didn't seem to be faster or stronger than them, but each time someone entered the ring to fight her, they would inevitably end up beaten and thrown to the ground.

Silas watched silently as nephis danced around her combatants, the floor was her canvas, with each stroke of action like a paintbrush, one after another each sleeper was added to the floor, her composition was the defeated remnants of all those who thought they stood a chance. 

Silas watched in awe, stunned by the beauty of Nephi's executions. With each flawless move, his curiosity burned brighter. Would he ever reach that level of skill and domination on the battlefield? Could his desires one day be realized through well-timed strikes and precise counters, instead of the desperate, chaotic outbursts he was used to?

Activating [Beholder's Eye], the threads of her combat came to life before him. The thread that Nephis represented was utterly smooth—perfect, without a single flaw. Unlike the others, whose strings showed ragged edges of uncertainty and imbalance, hers was a masterclass in precision.

Silas could see it clearly: the fates of each challenger unravelled before they even began, their flaws immediately seized upon as Nephis guided their weight and momentum against them.

Before every fight, Silas saw the inevitable conclusion—a silent dance of threads where one always plummeted toward the wooden floor.

With every subsequent fight, Silas's doubts about his own strength deepened.

Would I be able to win against her? The thought gnawed at him as he tried to decipher the context.

In terms of raw power and speed, he knew he had moments where he could match or even surpass her, especially when [Empowerment] kicked in. The boost it provided was fickle, but sometimes it pushed him miles ahead of his opponents. Yet, those advantages alone had already proven useless against Nephis.

He considered his own aspect. Being able to see her thread during combat would certainly be a game changer, and with [Guiding Tapestry] in play, he might have a chance. But the truth was that he had only recently unlocked these abilities. He'd never truly used them in a real fight.

The more he thought about it, the more uncertain he became. Even with his newfound abilities, the odds felt like a toss-up—a 50/50 chance at best.

But there was something else nagging at him.

What about her aspect?

He had never seen anything overtly flashy or unique from Nephis, apart from her skill. Not once had she seemed to rely on an ability that could easily be identified as an aspect. Was it something subtle, like his own, invisible to others? Or worse, was she simply that dominant without needing an aspect at all?

eventually the only remaining sleepers left were Silas and Caster, instructor rock looked to Silas at first, he at first motioned to Silas to challenge her. which he simply responded wide eyed with a shaking head. 

'No thank you, I don't want to get slammed into the floor voluntarily.' If he was ever to properly face nephis in combat, he would make sure he would have his memories at his disposal.

Caster through a quick look at Silas before stepping forward to face nephis, he didn't seem perturbed by the miserable failure of every other sleeper, once again the legacy showed his abnormally. 

They locked eyes for a few seconds, and then caster slightly bowed. 

"Lady Nephis. Please excuse me in advance"

'Why is he calling her lady nephis? she's not a princess or something right?' Silas thought as he leaned in to observe the duel. 

but to his Suprise the strings of fate emerged with surprising speed, unlike before were they emerged steadily, they simply burst out in a spiral twirling with each other before both of them ended at the floor. 

Silas stared at the sight confused, he was ready to witness in real time what lead to this, the answer was simple.

Caster was fast. 

He blurred and rocketed forward, in a second his figure had already crossed the distance and delivered a devastating blow, but somehow nephis was able to react in time. turning her body in order to deflect the strike.

Nephis narrowly avoided a direct hit to her core, but Caster's fist still connected with her shoulder, sending her spinning. Wasting no time, he vanished, reappearing behind her to strike while she seemed focused on his previous position. Just as he prepared to finish the fight, Nephis shifted and threw a powerful elbow back—it had all been a feint.

Caster barely dodged, his speed saving him by a hair. He quickly tripped and pushed Nephis, sending her to the ground, but caught her collar at the last moment, gently lowering her to the floor. The entire exchange lasted mere seconds.

Silas was stunned. 

Silas stared in disbelief. 'Caster won?!'

He had expected Caster to put up a good fight—after all, he'd beaten Silas before and scored an impressive 21—but this display of skill was on a whole different level. The young man showed why he was a Legacy, moving with a speed that seemed to defy reality. Silas's mind raced as he watched Nephis rise, shaken but composed.

'Was I really trying to beat that?' Silas felt a weight settle in his chest. Caster had overshadowed him before, but now, seeing him defeat Nephis, it was clear how much further ahead he was. Power, skill, speed—Silas lacked in all areas.

Around him, the other Sleepers gawked in awe, whispering among themselves. They looked at Caster with reverence, while Silas remained invisible, brushed aside by the same eyes that now followed the Legacy's every move.

But despite his doubts, Silas's resolve burned brighter. He wanted to clash with the Legacies, to surpass them like he had always promised himself. Each challenge was a mountain, but instead of fearing the distance, he dreamed of the summit.

Today would be the day he'd punch a Legacy in the face.

With a growing smile, Silas stepped forward, threading through the crowd until he stood before Caster. His chest tightened with excitement as the Legacy turned to face him.

"Hey, I hope you didn't forget me," Silas grinned, his voice steady. "It's my turn to fight."