Even the smallest bits of information released could cause waves in wars. For one, it’s possible to find a blind spot through the ranks if you know the supreme general’s favorite snack; Poison it, maybe.

This could be seen played out during the war between elves and wolves. One fresh foot soldier was captured by the elves. Before being tortured for information. Naturally, nothing new nor useful was learned. That was until they found out that the head of the soldier’s division had a family in a village. From a village outside of the wolves’ territory and protection.

That being said, information can only be as useful as the amount you could make use of. Meaning, knowing about something doesn’t inherently mean you could do anything about it.

In spite of that, this boy has the potential to become a threat. A threat that could end his race, even before he’s able to reform them. He has to be taken out of the equation.

Kron POV

I leaned forward to gain a better angle to view the two, my dark, bandage-clad legs bent as they took my weight. The feeling of my bow on my back felt reassuring, even though I felt that neither were a threat.

Not until one of them revealed their intelligence however. Though, even with that, the boy was no immediate threat. He was more a little seedling that could blossom into more, not that I would allow that.

It would be a stretch to say that I didn’t panic for a moment when he revealed his knowledge. After all, if a child knew about such, then what is to say that the adults– the ones that can partake in war– didn’t know about it as well? Killing the brat wouldn’t erase that knowledge that humans have acquired.

Through that feeling of dread and despair, I was able to compose myself. I noticed– very quickly– that his mannerisms felt off.

The boy moved in a way that reminded me of a wolf. Not in the way that he was raised or have stayed with the Wolf race for a long time but rather, his movements felt instinctual. It was like no one ever taught him to stay still or behave. Not only that, he subconsciously projects an aura that drives other people away. So it was unlikely for him to be told about rumors leaked or anything like that by his peers.

This boy isn’t someone that has anyone he holds dear, I would almost pity him. But pity gets in the way if you want to kill someone.

Taking a deep, frigid breath, I took out my bow. With an arrow pulled from my quiver, I encased the projectile with thick gales of wind. The surrounding air shifted once more, though it wasn’t my doing. A loud breeze that chilled my brittle bones indicated the start of the battle.

“You’re dangerous.” Were the only words that passed my lips.

Jeylin POV

It was a little theory of mine. If elves were weak to cold– for some reason– but were physically superior to humans, how did that become their weakness? What came to mind was the concept of mind-muscle connection.

It’s quite simple actually; People don’t use 100% of their muscles unless they are in a state of fight or flight. And even then it’s rare. But you can train your brain to be able to use more and more of that hidden strength. Sure, growing your muscles can do the same.

But if you increase your mind-muscle connection, you won’t have to deal with wasted muscle mass that you don’t even utilize fully and still have enough strength to rival one with exactly that. So if elves naturally have better senses, then they would naturally develop better mind-muscle connections. That’s the thought process anyway.

“You’re dangerous.” My instincts snapped me out of my train of thoughts.

Realizing and reacting however are two completely different things. Thus, I wasn’t ready for when my arm was brutally pierced by an arrow.

I was unable to hold back the cry of pain. The scream tore through my throat and was muffled by my clenched jaws. For an instant– with blurry, teary vision– I identified a tree beside me that I could use for cover.

Instinctively, I pushed Kettlelinna to the side in that same moment before I hid there myself. I wondered briefly if I should take out the arrow before I thought better. It hurts but I would bleed out otherwise. Resigning myself to the feeling, I ignored and numbed out the pain.

Staring at the white snow for a few moments, I noticed a bit of sunlight hitting the snow. I stood up from the spot I threw myself into, my piercing gaze directed into the darkness. A certain silhouette in particular.

At the very least, this cover might last long enough for him to grow bored and come near. Where I’ll have a better chance to use my stick–

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a sound. Or rather, a choir of soft thumps in wood. I could barely hear it, but the elf was jumping tree to tree in a circle-like pattern. He was rapidly closing in on us. I cursed.

Even if I use cover, he’ll still be able to shoot at us from either the sides or the back. Kettlelinna seems to have realized this too, despair took over her face. Resisting the urge to close my eyes and think, I delved deeply into the depths of my thoughts.

I need to think of something— Now!

Like magic, several ideas assaulted my mind in an unorganized mess. My hands twitched as I imagined a pair of arms strangling the male elf, then another when I thought of using a rock to induce blunt trauma. Good ideas but I’ll have to think of how to get close in the first place. I discarded those ideas.

My arms and body in its entirety are too weak at the moment to throw something with force so long range is a no-go.

Then an idea came into mind.

Kron POV

I watched the boy come out of their cover, his arm still had an arrow stuck to it. Strange, I noted. His face held a smile full of glee. He has something planned. That much is obvious. I dispelled the layer of wind over the arrow that I shot, in the hopes that he would run away.

Clearly, it didn’t work.

For a second, I wondered if this boy was even a kid. Unlike the other children I’ve fought, sparred and taught, this one didn’t have the habit of giving away their plans by looking at the things they were going to use. Of course, it could just be that he was taught against that habit or he simply has good instincts, but there was something else that added onto that idea.

I could feel determination roll off the boy. Slow and steady yet not weak. Light and casual, yet unending. It didn’t intimidate me. Not at all. But I wasn’t stupid enough to not factor that in.

This boy… he would have grown up to be a strong, unfaltering man. However, as a target, he would make for a troublesome obstacle if he continues to struggle. And it would be doubtful to think he wouldn’t.

With that in mind, I will have to break the boy’s will first. If this does not deter him, then a battle– a slaughter– will be inevitable.

Like floodgates opening wide, a fresh wave of bloodlust swallowed the surroundings. Thick with age, experience, and sheer viciousness. Any animal watching within a 50 ft radius had fled immediately.

The boy fell to his knees, gritting his teeth. A burst of anger erupted from the boy before it was covered up. Strangely enough, a thin sheet of that same determination remained close to his skin. Almost like a barrier over his body.

The girl meanwhile was stuck frozen behind the tree, trembling in fear despite not knowing where the feeling came from.

Does the girl not know what bloodlust is? For a student in one of those academies, her resistance is subpar. I felt irritated at the thought that they would recruit a child from an outside family at such a– relatively– old age. That would not only degrade the overall quality of our fighters but also heighten the chance of them getting killed.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when I felt a wave of intent. The boy, something changed about him, I noted. It seemed as if he came to a realization. I wasn’t sure what it was. The realization of his mortality? Of his fear of death? Or something else entirely…

It wasn’t until I noticed my pool of intent beginning to drain that I got my answer. The boy was able to turn his head to face me and his gaze did not falter despite my bloodlust. I might not be able to deter him before my bloodlust runs out.

I am not a kind man. The other reason I tried to drive him off using bloodlust is so that I won’t have to fight him with my weak body. So brittle and fragile. At close range at least, that would end in my defeat.

Jeylin POV

My head spun like I was rolling through a foggy maze. It was a few seconds ago when the wave of bloodlust finally stopped, the male elf’s intent drained completely. I had to resist letting out a manic laugh for my small victory.

Numbing out the feeling of my entire arm– the same one an arrow is piercing like a needle on fabric– I ran towards the elf squatting on a tree branch.

He looked at me as if I was stupid before readying his bow. Aiming at me, I resisted freezing from the pointed bloodlust and narrowly dodged to the side. I felt a subtle, but forceful, gust of wind that accompanied the passing arrow. Is that… magic?

Realizing that I have an even narrower frame to dodge to, I felt sweat drip down my face. My heart was pounding from having to constantly endure bloodlust, adrenaline fueled my veins. Even if it was mostly my mental stamina that dealt with bloodlust, the cold was forcing my body to waste energy heating itself.

I have to calm down, take deep breaths, and waste no movements. I paused and stared at the dark figure… then dodged!

I once again felt the wind shift but I dodgd too far to actually see the arrow. It seems to have been the right choice though as a dust cloud made of snow erupted the moment the arrow hit the spot I was on.

When I reached a certain distance to the elf, I stopped and continued dodging his arrows. This pattern continued for a while, making wide hops to the sides, back or front, and just barely saving myself from death.

The elf started to get frustrated as he continued to fire arrows, having a seemingly infinite supply. I briefly wondered if it was made of wind… before an arrow landed a few steps in front of me and I didn’t react in time. The arrow blew a large snow cloud and I instinctively dodged backwards to avoid getting impaled, arrow landing not long after.

That was close. I didn’t think he’d use snow clouds like that.

“Are you just going to continue like that?! With no honor– only dodging like a coward!” The male elf taunted in rage. I didn’t react, staring at him with the same deadpan as I wore the entire battle.

Then, I saw it. Just as he was about to up the speed, I caught what I was looking for while dodging. I instantly dodged towards the direction, avoiding the arrow. When I landed with my right foot, I took advantage of my momentum and hopped full force instead of planting my feet to stop the momentum.

My muscles and tendons protested in strain from my admittedly reckless maneuver but it did its job. I continued with the same trick only this time, using my left foot to launch me and my right foot to hop. Somehow, I didn’t trip in snow.

Is he still following me? I was about to check behind me to make sure when the arrow that planted itself just to my right answered my question. Good.

Arriving at my destination, I spun in my feet to face the elf hopping tree to tree. Where we arrived at was the same as the rest of the forest. Tall trees with thick roots were caked heavily in snow. A few of the bigger rocks peaked from the snow. Somehow, I didn’t trip on any of the rocks beneath the snow.

Snow itself wasn’t what I was paying attention to however.

Rays of sunlight coated the snow’s surface, slowly melting it. The main sight that held my attention was the frozen lake in front of me. It was relatively small, its diameter was as big as five grown men stacked horizontally. A weird metric, but that was the first thing that came to mind.

It was time. With my tired body, drenched in sweat and rapidly freezing, I have no plans letting this guy get in my way. Now for the hard part– or harder part? It doesn’t really matter.

I started to run across the sides of the mini-lake, feet stomping harshly against the rock surface. I would no doubt trip if I tried the other side, since it was mostly snow. And I would trip as well if I’m not careful.

Those thoughts didn’t deter me however from speeding my way through. He’ll figure out what I’m trying to do if I take too long, same reason as to why I would risk going through the sides.

Relief came with the sight of the tree that the elf was standing on. I crashed my shoulder into it and watched it wobble for a few seconds. That was before I heard the sound of snapping branches as a figure zoomed past me in the corner of my vision.

A large splash came next and I had to resist falling to my knees in relief and exhaustion. The male elf was now engulfed deep into the waters. Actually… the water was only half-melted, retaining a slushie-like consistency. So the elf was drowning, freezing, and suffocating at the same time. I smiled, a mix of victory and sadistic amusement. No remorse.

He was trying to kill me after all. That was enough for me.

I continued to watch the man gurgle and choke. The cold snow was cooling my sweat-soaked knees. Eventually, the noise faded and silence took its place. I personally thought it was a rather ominous way of telling me that he’s dead, but I suppose it’s fitting.