Death's Door

Just five seconds after he took a fighting stance, he vanished from my sight. Almost as if for an instant he accelerated himself to a speed of light. I felt an undeniable sensation of being cleaved diagonally from my left side through my chest. The unbearable pain…it was unmistakable. Of course, he was the same knight the Knight of Night mentioned as his superior. Of all people to run into him, what kind of a horrific deed could I have done in my past life for G.o.ds to be punishing me so?

"In the end, you were just a small fry." The knight of light approached my dying body. "Be gone to h.e.l.l, you filthy demon." He whispered before stabbing me through the brain.

The only thing I could think of was "What did I do wrong? How could I have avoided this situation? How could I have succeeded?"

But in the end, what I received was this result.

No matter where I run, death will find me.

* * *

I am standing in the street, pitch darkness, I remember, this is the same place I was in just a minute ago, but I am not lying on the ground. I sense a parchment in my hand, the map of the city, I realize after looking at it. Then that means this was the moment that the thief left, and the Knight of light had….

"YOU SHALL GO NO FURTHER, THIEF!"

Yep, he is right on cue.

I find myself having an expression of disappointment and face that could only be interpreted as "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" I turned around and found myself facing the same knight as in my previous loop.

"A thief? You must be mistaken. The thief went that way" I pointed towards the northern streets. "I know nothing of the stolen map."

"I never said there was a stolen map." The knight of light locked eyes with me, now he took off his helmet. His features could only be described as beautiful, he looked too beautiful to be a man, and if it wasn"t for his voice I would have thought he was a woman. His hair was golden like the rays of the sun; he radiated the aura of strength and courage. He had no beard or any facial hair, but the determined look in his sky blue eyes told me enough. He was out to get me.

"Oh, I just heard rumors…"

"Lies will not get you anywhere; the map is in your hands right now!" I ended up crumbling the map as I put it in my pocket; I was found out, in such a stupid way!

"Look, I don"t mean to be rude, but I need this map, it is urgent. I need it for my goal to succeed. Please, just let me do my job."

"Purging thieves is my job. In the name of King of G.o.ds, Solaris, I will carry out justice. Theft and burglary is punishable by death."

"I don"t suppose we can come to an agreement?"

"Not a chance."

"Then here we go…again." I muttered.

He put his helmet back on. The knight of light took roughly the same stance he took in the last loop. I knew what he was going to do. He would accelerate so fast that I would have no chance to counter him. But I knew his actions. There was five seconds before he attacks. I needed to get the timing right.

One second pa.s.sed.

Two seconds pa.s.sed. The knight of Light grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands.

Three seconds pa.s.sed. His right leg at the back while his left leg in front.

Four seconds. I took a small step to the right. The knight of light would attack from the left so to avoid it I had to side step him.

Five seconds. His attack launched. He did not seem to have noticed the small change I made in order to avoid a fatal encounter with his sword. He was standing behind me now. I triumphantly turned around, proud that I was able to avoid the jaws of death.

"A small fluke. Though I did manage to cleave a piece off." What did he mean? I avoided his attack completely!

Then, to my horror, I feel a wet sensation coursing through my left side, as though something was dripping from me. I turn and look at my left hand only to find that most of it has been cleanly sliced off, with the hand itself lying on the ground.

"AAAAAAH- AAAAAAH!" I screamed, now falling on my knees, grabbing my severed hand, trying to make myself believe that this was a dream, not some nightmare.

"Rest in peace, sc.u.m." The knight of light approached me before I could even react. With a swift slice at my neck, it was all over.

* * *

I knew it. I ended up right where the one-sided battle began and ended in a moment. I cursed this affliction for its inability to send me further back. I knew that in less than three seconds the Knight of Light would emerge and kill me.

Why can"t this curse send me back further? Why did it send me back right to the moment when I met the Knight of Light? I know Chronos did not have anything good in mind, placing this curse upon me. Maybe, just maybe, this knight of light was Chronos"s underling? I had to confirm just to be sure.

But first, I need to keep my ident.i.ty secret. I quickly slipped on my lizard mask. Yep, I still had the mask Desolai gave me; I kept it tucked inside breast of my coat all this time. Now it was time to use it. She told me the mask is not completely ordinary for it can fool one into thinking the wearer is not human. She told me it was necessary, and that anyone who sees someone wear that mask will not think of the wearer as a human, eliminating the possibility of being outed as a non-deity. Too bad, I kind of screwed up on that one. Chronos caught a good look of my face and this mess happened. When I get back to Master Desolai, I might have to apologize while kowtowing repeatedly, I don"t think even that is going to be enough though.

For now, I have to use everything I have in my hands. The mask that can conceal my status as a human and mortal. I kept a single dagger and a sword from the loot I gathered from the trapped knights, so I was not unarmed. The trouble is, I need enough time to get my sword out, and something tells me the knight of Light is not going to let me do that.

"YOU SHALL GO NO FURTHER, THIEF!" the voice of a knight echoed behind me.

"You know, listening to you say it over and over again is getting really old, ya know?" I turned around, wearing a lizard mask on my face.

"You, unmask yourself!"

"And what if I refuse?"

"Then I will have to a.s.sume the worst-that you are a demon conspiring to wreak havoc inside the city." Oh c.r.a.p. I never thought he would come to that kind of conclusion. I put the mask on myself because on the chance that I managed to evade him, I did not want him to know my face.

"a.s.suming I am a demon just because I am wearing a mask and refuse to take it off, rather absurd, wouldn"t you say so?"

"Not more absurd than having the stolen map tucked in your pocket and refusing to reveal your ident.i.ty. My a.s.sumption is reasonable." The knight of light replied.

"I was curious for a while, could you please tell me, what you knights have beef with demons? Did they do something to displease you, for you to be hunting them so?"

"We captured one of the Demon King"s generals and he is to be executed soon, that is common knowledge. Demons are enemies of humanity; I swore that if I encounter one in my path, I shall slay it without hesitation. Demons only bring calamity and devastation, causing innocent people to suffer."

"Oh, I see." That was the only thing I could mutter.

"If you are not a demon, take off the mask and stand on your knees!"

"I shall comply with the second one, but the first one, I would have to refuse."

"Fine then." He commanded. I sat on my knees.

He approached me, with his sword pointing at my neck.

"Don"t try anything funny."

"I wouldn"t dream of it." I replied with half closed eyes. I waited for a moment of opening, one moment he would let his guard down. In short I was looking for the a moment his gaze would be looking elsewhere. I needed someone to be there, anything, to make a sound, loud enough to distract him for just one moment.

Then a sound of "MEOOW!" could be heard from the side, it was a cat, a stray cat. I never was so grateful for stray cats my entire life.

His gaze momentarily shifted to the cat, then looked back at me. But it was enough of a distraction for me to act.

I grabbed his sword hand by the wrist and tried to stab him with a dagger.

He evaded it by jumping back, but he lost his sword.

I took my own sword from my belt, the sword I stole from the knight I buried underneath the ground. I ran towards him with the intent to kill him with a slash.

He was unarmed; it was perfect moment for me to strike.

Alas, what I felt before my sword could connect was a punch to the gut. I heart wrenching pain transmitted itself through my body. His hands, it was a physical attack; his attack should have pa.s.sed through me, then why did it hurt to much?

My answer was clear as I noticed his hands; they were coated in golden aura. He was using mana in order to make his punches stronger. That is why his attacks stung so badly.

Holding on to my stomach I stumbled backwards. Holding my sword in front in a futile attempt to keep the knight of light away from me.

The knight of light smiled.

"Surely, you did not think I was only proficient in swordsmanship? Underestimating your enemy shall be your undoing." He slammed his hands upon the ground, now spikes made of gravel and dirt emerged from the ground around me and the collapsed upon me, skewering me on the inside, like a flower closing its petals.

The only evidence left of there of him was the liquid that traveled through the tracks of the earth, soaking the mud with its crimson fertilizer.