Blood Will Tell

I

The room readied itself for ravaging. Its fragile, stained-glass windows sunk into the walls, hiding behind a seamless layer of stone; its grand chandeliers hauled themselves into the arched ceiling, fading until nothing but their light was left; and bricks crept over the marble floor, forming a shield over the precious surface. Once the hall had transformed into an indoor battlefield, its first combatant entered the zone.

A stone golem. With a round body and a rounder head, it was brought to life by shadow magic. Two holes represented its eyes, while a simple slit mimicked a mouth. Its hands were as formless as its face. Four stubby fingers with no clear joints jutted from the ends of two arms—it was not clear if the creature had palms or wrists. The hands were still more defined than its feet, if they could even be called feet, for their only distinguishing feature was that they protruded a bit more than the rest of its stocky legs.

The second combatant entered from the other side of the hall. Edin. A striking contrast to the plain golem across him, Edin was a living and breathing young man. His body was lean, almost lanky, and his slender fingers belied his strength. His sharp, blue eyes stood out from his innocent face like polished lapis lazuli on a porcelain mask. One might wonder if he—or any man, for that matter—would be able to challenge a stone brute. Of course, anyone could. The real question was whether he would succeed or not.

Arden stood close to one of the walls as she directed the scene from a "safe" distance. Even if she did not mention it, one would know at once that she was Edin's superior. An air of authority shrouded her pallid figure, contrasting his aura of naïveté. Her unseen stare, though concealed under a curtain of raven hair, was piercing enough to command deference. She placed her hands behind her back. Her fingers twiddled the air as she controlled the golem.

Edin outstretched one arm, summoning a plain sword out of thin air. He put one leg behind the other and grasped the hilt of his sword, holding it in front of him as he entered his stance. He and the golem stood still. Sooner or later, the golem would be ordered to strike him, but its master had commanded it to be stationary. In the meantime, Edin scrutinized its body for any weak spots. There were no "weak" spots per se, for it was made out of stone, but he could easily discern that the joints of its limbs were more vulnerable than its rotund belly.

A deep and commanding voice resonated from Arden's mouth. "Now, fight."

Edin fed lightning into his sword and struck the floor with it.

Cracks formed in the floor and slithered towards the golem. It sprang to one side, landed, and galloped towards him. The floor shook with its every step. Its hands balled into fists.

Edin sprinted towards it. He drew an arc with his blade. It missed. He sidestepped to evade a stone fist. He skittered back and forth as he maintained his distance from the golem. He leaped and ducked as he dodged its punches. Step, dodge, swing sword, step, step, repeat. After a while, the golem swung its arms so far that it became unbalanced. The perfect opportunity. Edin fed lightning into his sword once more before he swung it at the golem.

Crack! His weapon sliced through the golem's arm and shattered it. It froze, bewildered. Edin took the chance. Lightning enwreathed his blade before he thrust it at the golem's chest. A loud boom echoed through the room as the golem was smashed into a million shards.

Edin lowered his sword and let it fade into thin air. He glanced at Arden. The corners of her lips rose in satisfaction.

"I was not expecting you to finish that quickly. Well done," she congratulated him.

Arden raised her right hand. Light magic flowed from her fingers and swept over the broken floor, mending it. The remnants of the shattered golem filled the crevices. Whatever space still remained was soon erased. It took only a moment for the floor to fully repair itself. With a flick of her wrist, Arden opened the door.