Hey everyone!
Things get intense in this chapter as Aarav faces his first real taste of this world's training. Sometimes the hardest lessons aren't about winning — they're about understanding the weight of reality. What did you think of that ending?
Chapter 20 ——
"Hey—! At least tell me how this works!"
Aarav's desperate voice rang out loudly in the massive enclosed chamber, echoing off the high reinforced walls before fading into the dim corners.
No answer came.
The two grotesque creatures continued circling him slowly, their twisted, rough-skinned bodies moving with eerie patience. Their unnatural eyes glowed faintly in the low light, fixed on him like predators sizing up easy prey.
"…Right," Aarav muttered, taking another shaky step backward. His heart was already hammering painfully against his ribs.
"Trial by death. Amazing. Just what I needed today."
They didn't rush in.
They watched him.
They studied him.
Their slow, deliberate movements made the tension ten times worse.
Aarav's throat felt completely dry, his mouth tasting like metal.
"…Yeah… that's so much worse."
Suddenly, one of the creatures lunged forward without any warning.
"—WAIT!"
Aarav twisted his body sideways at the last possible moment. Sharp claws sliced through the air, missing his face by mere inches. The rush of wind from the attack stung his cheek sharply.
Too close.
Way too close.
His heartbeat exploded in his chest like a drum.
"Okay—this is real—! This is actually happening right now!"
Before he could even steady himself, the second creature attacked from the opposite side.
No pause. No mercy.
Aarav raised his arm on pure instinct. The heavy impact slammed into him like a battering ram, shoving him backward violently. Sharp pain exploded through his shoulder and raced down his arm.
He gasped loudly, stumbling to regain his balance on the smooth floor.
"…Move… move… I have to keep moving…"
There was no plan.
No technique.
Just raw, desperate survival.
His eyes frantically scanned the ground and spotted a broken metal rod. He snatched it up and swung wildly. The rod connected with one creature's side with a dull crack.
It flinched.
But it didn't stop.
They kept coming.
Relentlessly.
Aarav's swings grew messier and more frantic with every passing second. His breathing turned ragged and heavy. Sweat stung his eyes. Every dodge was clumsy, every block barely enough to keep him alive for a few more seconds.
He wasn't fighting.
He was simply trying not to die.
A brutal strike landed directly on his ribs.
"—Ahh!"
White-hot pain flared through his side. He staggered badly, his vision blurring for a dangerous moment as the world tilted.
His grip on the rod tightened until his knuckles turned white.
"…This isn't…"
Another attack came immediately from the left.
He blocked it — just barely.
"…This isn't a game…"
His legs were burning with exhaustion. His body was screaming for rest. Every breath felt heavier than the last.
The creatures showed no signs of tiring.
They closed the distance again, leaving him almost no room to breathe or move.
Aarav stepped back desperately—
And his foot slipped on the smooth stone floor.
For one terrifying split second, everything froze in his mind.
*This is it. I'm going to die here.*
---
"…Enough."
The single word cut through the air like a cold, sharp blade.
Calm. Cold. Absolute.
The entire atmosphere inside the chamber changed in an instant.
Aarav didn't move. Couldn't move.
He felt the shift before he even saw it — that heavy, sharp, overwhelming presence filling the space.
The man stepped forward. Just one single step.
That was all it took.
Both creatures immediately turned their full attention toward him.
Aarav, still gasping for breath, could only stare with wide, horrified eyes.
"…Wait—"
The man moved.
It was barely visible — just a flicker too fast for the eye to properly follow.
For one heartbeat, nothing seemed to happen.
Then—
A thin, perfectly straight line appeared across
creatures' body at the exact same time.
Clean. Silent. Deadly.
And then—
Their body simply separated.
They slid apart with horrifying smoothness, as if an invisible blade had quietly erased everything that held them together.
The sound arrived a moment later.
A wet, heavy, sickening thud.
Blood splattered across the stone floor in dark, spreading pools.
Aarav's eyes widened in pure, unfiltered horror.
He couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
His mind completely shut down, refusing to process the sight in front of him.
The creatures that had been alive and attacking him just seconds ago were now lying in two clean, separate halves each.
Blood continued to pool slowly beneath the remains, glistening under the dim lights.
Aarav's stomach twisted violently.
"…No…"
His voice came out broken and weak, barely a whisper.
His legs moved backward on their own, unsteady.
"…No…"
His breathing shattered completely.
He turned away sharply and threw up harshly onto the floor.
His entire body shook uncontrollably as he bent over, one hand braced against his knee while the other wiped his mouth with trembling fingers.
The taste of bile burned his throat.
"…What…"
He forced himself to look again.
And immediately regretted it.
The split bodies were still there.
Perfectly divided.
Blood slowly spreading across the stone.
"…They were alive…"
The words slipped out like a broken, empty breath.
---
The man stepped forward again, moving casually toward the second set of remains.
Aarav's head snapped up in panic.
"…Wait—"
The man didn't stop.
"Stop!"
This time the word tore out of Aarav's throat, raw and desperate.
The man paused. Just slightly.
"…Why?" he asked, his voice still eerily calm.
Aarav froze.
His mind went completely blank.
No words came.
Only that horrifying image — the clean cut, the sliding bodies, the spreading blood.
"…I—"
Nothing.
Just pure instinct.
"…Just stop."
Heavy silence filled the chamber once more.
The man looked at him for a long, quiet moment.
Then he moved again.
Another flash.
Another perfect, clean line.
The second creature's body split apart with the same terrifying ease.
Aarav didn't shout this time.
He didn't move.
He simply stood there, staring at the gruesome scene.
At the blood.
At the pieces.
His breathing slowed, but not from calm.
It was pure shock settling deep into his bones.
His vision started blurring at the edges.
"…This…"
He took one shaky step back.
"…This is…"
His knees finally gave way.
The world tilted violently.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
---
When Aarav woke up later, he had no memory of falling.
Only that single horrifying image remained, burned deep into his mind like a scar that wouldn't fade.
---
Servants carried his unconscious body away in complete silence.
The training chamber emptied once again, leaving only the faint metallic smell of blood hanging heavily in the cold air.
---
The man stood alone in the middle of the arena.
Completely unchanged.
Completely unaffected.
Soft footsteps approached from behind.
He didn't bother turning around.
"…You pushed him too far."
The voice was calm and measured.
Aris Valen stood a few steps away, arms folded across his chest.
A long pause filled the space between them.
The man's gaze remained fixed on the blood-stained floor.
"…No," he said quietly, almost to himself.
"…I showed him enough."
— End —