Chapter 9: First Fight

    "Who''s there?"

    Leo''s breath hitched at the question, his heart pounding in his chest.

    The opponents had zeroed in on their hiding spot, all thanks to Felix and his fat ass, which couldn''t stay quiet for 30 damn seconds.

    They were about to walk blindly into the trap—a perfect ambush in the making—until Felix''s yelp shattered the silence and turned everything to shit.

    ''What the hell do I do now? Wait and hope they walk into the corner anyway?'' The thought flashed through Leo''s mind, but the answer came almost immediately, sharp and unforgiving. ''No!''

    Hoping they''d stumble into a trap after hearing Felix''s blunder was pure idiocy. They''d already been warned, already had their guard up. Waiting would only give them more time to think, to plan their attack—and that was a luxury Leo couldn''t afford.

    His eyes darted toward Felix, who was uselessly crouched behind a pillar, hyperventilating and looking too paralyzed with fear to do anything, and it was at that moment that it became painfully clear to Leo that Felix wasn''t going to be of any help.

    That he was all alone.

    ''I have to go out. I have to face them head-on. There''s no other choice.'' Leo realized, as fear clawed at his chest, a cold, gnawing feeling that made his fingers tighten instinctively around the daggers in his hands.

    He wasn''t sure he could win—not against skilled opponents, not with his fragmented memory and shaky confidence. But waiting wasn''t an option. Waiting meant death, and that much he was sure of.

    ''Fuck it–'' Leo concluded, as he stepped out of the shadows, his heart pounding like a war drum, as he looked his opponents in the eyes.

    "Well, well," the scarred man sneered, his expression one of disgust, as he watched Leo stand before him with two daggers in hand.

    "Looks like the little bunny decided to come out and play.... Where is your partner bunny? Is he still hiding?" The man inquired, but Leo said nothing.

    His sharp eyes flicked between the two opponents, as he tracked their movements, and noted the way they instinctively spread out to flank him.

    His grip on the daggers tightened, the cool steel grounding him.

    The stocky man chuckled, his voice low and rumbling. "If your partner doesn''t show up soon you''re dead meat boy, two on one and you have no chance"@@@@

    Leo''s heart pounded at the threat, his chest tight, but his gaze remained steady. He could feel the fear clawing at the edges of his mind, threatening to paralyze him. Yet, his body betrayed none of it. His stance was firm, his movements measured.

    ''There''s an opening'' He realized, his eyes locked on the scarred man''s throat.

    The angle was perfect. A quick strike, clean and precise to the throat, and the fight would be over.

    It was an opportunity hard to pass, as the instinct to kill surged through him.

    His grip tightened on the dagger, his muscles coiled like a spring.

    But then, something in him faltered. The thought of taking a life, even in self-defense, made his chest tighten.

    He could feel the weight of it pressing down on him, a suffocating pressure that stopped him cold.

    No.

    Instead of aiming for the throat, Leo shifted his focus. He feinted high, forcing the scarred man to raise his guard, and in that instant, he struck low. His dagger slicing cleanly through the teleportation crystal strapped to the man''s belt.

    *Crash*

    The scarred man''s eyes widened in shock. "What the—?"

    A brilliant flash of light engulfed him, cutting off his words, as he vanished in an instant, his form dissolving into shimmering particles.

    The stocky man froze mid-swing, his eyes darting to his own crystal, which flared to life in response. Panic flashing across his face as well.

    "No! Wait—" he yelped, but before he could finish, the magic activated. His body flickered, glowing faintly before disappearing in a second burst of light, as the corridor suddenly fell silent.

    Leo stood there, his breath coming in shallow gasps, his daggers trembling slightly in his hands. The fight was over, but the tension in his chest remained. He stared at the empty space where his opponents had stood, his mind racing.

    He hadn''t killed them. He didn''t need to, but sparing them did not feel right either.

    The bloodlust within him seemed to be unsatisfied with his choice, as for the first time, the look in his eyes shifted.

    From looking like a sane man in control of his emotions, he transformed into someone utterly deranged, his expression mirroring the bloodlust of the other assassins in the test. Yet, the look of insanity passed as swiftly as it had come, giving way to a composed, measured calm once more.

    The immediate threat was over. His life was no longer in danger.