Saryn activated his semblances, a blade of water extending from his arm, shining with crystalline clarity.
The specter dashed toward him. Deep blue echoes gathered around its form like moths to a flame, signalling its use of a semblance.
'So he has everything I have… and the sword as well?' Saryn sighed, stepping forward as the specter glided through the white space like a phantom.
Their blades clashed. The specter's cut cleanly through the water sword, continuing toward Saryn's torso without losing momentum.
A sharp breath escaped him as he twisted, letting the lilac blade whistle past his chest. His free hand shot out, activating the pull semblance and dragging every droplet of the shattered water blade into his fist.
The specter pulled back, then swung downward. The blade carved through the air with a shrill whistle.
Saryn sidestepped.
His step faltered - an invisible force hooked into his ribs and yanked him toward the specter's greatblade. His eyes narrowed. He could see his own echoes being pulled toward the weapon.
He gritted his teeth as the blade sliced across the top of his right shoulder. Blood spilled, heat flaring through the wound, but Saryn ignored the pain and drove his water‑coated fist into the specter's sternum.
His knuckles sank in deep. The crack of ribs echoed through the hollow place. The specter staggered - not in pain, but in acknowledgment.
'Hollow place?'
The words from the armament guide slammed into him mid‑swing.
Saryn activated the push semblance as his fist made contact, causing the water coating his fist to erupt outward in several jagged spikes.
The specter jumped back, smirking as it dodged the spikes narrowly - but it didn't have time to react before a water arrow shot toward its head like a bullet.
Saryn searched through his memories as he fought.
The Severance will peel you from yourself like bark from a tree. Do not cling. Trees that cling do not grow, and roots that fear the wind… never taste the sky.
'Is this the Severance?'
The specter dashed forward, conjuring a slab of water that solidified just long enough to shield it from the arrow.
In response, Saryn activated the push semblance again, launching himself toward the specter with a liquid longsword in each hand.
They clashed once more. Echoes streamed toward the specter's blade, but Saryn couldn't tell if it was an effect of the sword or simply the nature of this place.
The specter's blade nicked him as he twisted away, a streak of blood cutting across his clothes before dripping off. Saryn spun, slashing with both forged blades.
The specter didn't dodge. Instead, it raised the crystal blade horizontally in a reverse grip.
Saryn flinched slightly as he spotted a demeaning grin on the figure's face.
A whirlpool of darkness spiraled into existence around the crossguard, swirling like a hungry vortex. Saryn's dual swords were dragged in instantly, eroded into nothingness.
He could feel his very being tugged toward the blade as well, but he resisted, retreating.
The specter dismissed its ability, the black hole disappearing as it pulled the greatsword back, hurling a water arrow at Saryn while sprinting toward him.
'That sword… it's powerful. Is that supposed to be my armament?' Saryn wondered, dodging the arrow by a hair and digging through his memories again.
The blade you raise is not for them. It is for the part of you that refuses to change. Strike not to kill, but to carve.
'Am I not supposed to kill this guy?' he thought, as the specter's greatblade descended upon him.
Saryn dodged and blocked rapidly, new blades of water forming in his hands each time one shattered.
The excessive usage of semblances was piling on, but Saryn still had a while to go before the insanity got to him.
He began struggling as the specter grew faster, the sword in its hands spinning like a whirlwind. Slash after slash patterned the air in front of Saryn, pushing him into a defensive position.
The duel is not of strength but of direction. You are not fighting to win - you are fighting to decide which version of you deserves to continue.
Should you fall, rise. Should you rise, rise again. The trial does not end when one of you breaks. It ends when one of you understands.
'Understand what?!' Saryn panicked slightly, summoning a row of water spheres in front of him.
He stumbled backward under the endless torrent of strikes, waving his arm through the water balls.
The seven thick spheres imploded, rapidly turning into countless spikes that shot toward the specter, giving Saryn breathing room as it retreated.
'Forget the memories… the author was most likely high when he wrote that book anyway. Instead, I'll just beat this guy's ass.' Saryn concluded, launching himself toward the specter.
The specter's expression shifted to surprise as it pulled the greatblade in front of itself, attempting to recast the black hole.
'You won't get me twice with that…' Saryn licked his lips and closed the distance instead of retreating.
The specter kept channeling the ability, oblivious to Saryn's fearlessness. Saryn reached out, grabbing the hilt of the greatsword, activating the pull semblance while simultaneously sweeping the specter's feet from beneath it.
The specter crashed to the ground, fear creeping across its crumpled face as it struggled to keep hold of its sword like a whining child.
Saryn momentarily let go of the greatsword, instead delivering blow after blow with his water‑infused fists.
The specter thrashed, waving its blade around in desperation.
Blood splattered across the white void as Saryn's fists landed with greater intensity each time.
'I'm winning!' A mischievous smirk tugged at his lips.
…
Was he really though?
With each shattered bone.
Each pool of blood.
Each devastating impact.
It only felt more wrong.
'Am I winning…?'
'This doesn't feel right…' Saryn's unstoppable blows slowed down, his gaze blank as he watched the mangled corpse beneath him.
The specter's bloody remains rapidly reformed itself, knitting itself back together until it lay unblemished. It looked up at Saryn, disappointment painting its expression.
A moment of silence passed, as the specter looked Saryn dead in the eye.
"Dont you get it?"
"You aren't winning."