“Were we late?” I mumbled.

“Alright,” Octus said tucking his sword. “Use your skyburst. I will follow behind.”

I gave him a nod and dashed forward. The range of my skyburst wasn’t enough to cover the entirety of the distance that was left. And it would be a waste to use both of my skyburst and exhaust myself before the fight even started. So it was important for me to close the distance.

When it was enough, I propelled myself to the end of the forest line, where the trees had stopped growing—opening a large field of space in between filled with green and blue grasses. As my world shifted and details started to form within my periphery, the pressure in the air once again intensified despite the rotating bondor inside my body.

I rolled down on the ground, coming to a stop behind a tree. I huffed in a quick breath before getting up on my feet.

In the middle of the space laid the proud body of the hydra that we had been planning to ambush, and the only difference between what was in front of me now and the hydra that I’d seen before was a gaping hole in one of its head—a large lump of bloody flesh falling. Black blood streamed down along with it.

The three of the other heads screeched in pain and anger as the air shook violently, responding to it. The three unharmed heads extended forward, diving down to where I assumed Sirius and Darren were. Dirt and mud were sent flying all over the place as the head curled back.

I flickered open my soul’s eye—a name that I found suitable for the otherworldly vision that they gave me, and then I watched as my surroundings lit up.

My enhanced senses picked up a subtle detail of bondor fluctuating above the hydra as gushes of wind blew from there. First, it was a small burst of wind that felt rather fresh to the touch but soon the intensity increased so much that I had to dig my feet inwards to not have my body flung aside.

The air turned colder, sending shivers down my spine and I saw dozens—no hundreds of crystals manifesting in the air. White mist streamed down as Ice crystals rotated in the air generating bouts of wind.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw Octus arriving as well.

The angered beast sent hundreds of ice projectiles hurling at where my two companions were; both of them being hidden from my sight behind the hydra. Loud booming noise filled the air as the projectiles crashed against the incorporeal blades that Sirius formed with his intent, small pieces of broken shards imploded all around causing violent disruptions of bondor in the air.

It did not take long before the barrage of attacks came to a silent halt just as the mist took in a darker shade. It slowly rose, revealing the wounded hydra’s head. The large hole was no longer there instead it was like the head hadn’t been wounded at all.

“Instant regeneration?” Octus mumbled.

Despite the disbelief, a part of me knew that Octus’s words had to be right. The creature before us was capable of regenerating at such speed that Darren’s healing arts paled in comparison. No, it would be unfair to even compare the both of them together.

As I was taking in the sight of the newly regenerated hydra’s head with a baffled expression, I felt bondor fluctuations again as another spear started manifesting above the hydra. This time it was bigger, larger, and stronger. Sirius was using his incorporeal blade technique to its fullest, I thought. And some kind of hope rose within me that maybe it would be able to finish off the hydra for good.

The beast slammed its tail into the ground and screeched loudly almost as if it was inviting Sirius to throw whatever he could.

With a choked breath, I watched as the giant spear was sent hurling forward with so speed that my eyes barely caught hold of it, the bondor surrounding it so large that my eyes bulged.

The spear easily pierced through two of the hydra’s heads and flew back, crushing against trees. It snapped a large tree out of its roots, tossing it aside. The earth beneath me shook violently as the hydra after losing two of its head rocked backwards because of the impact. Its guttural scream filled the air.

“Fuck it!” Octus cursed and dashed forward.

Lowering his blade he jumped up as his legs bulged with strength. His sword lit up with his blue majestic flame as he stared down at the hydra. But before Octus could come down with his attack, an ice crystal flew toward him with speed that he wasn’t able to counter. It pierced his arm, making him lose his flames.

Shit!

I pressed my feet into the ground and skybursted forward. My world once again shifted into a rainbow of colors and then the next moment I found myself behind the hydra’s head. Imbuing my sword with bondor, I sliced through it or so I intended to do. But I wasn’t able to. My sword did not cut through the shells like I had hoped but instead was stopped by it.

I felt an ominous presence on my left, an eerie feeling made it seem like bugs and insects were crawling across my skin. My breath grew shallow and from the corner of my eyes, I saw dozens of golden-shaded eyes glaring at me. The creature's jaw was wide, revealing needle-like teeth that jutted out, and an unsettling hissing sound emanated from its gaping maw.

In the next moment, my heightened senses detected an something approaching toward me with tremendous speed. My instincts kicked in, and I instinctively raised both arms, bracing for the incoming attack. And it did.

Something soft—almost flesh like struck me, causing the bones in my arms to shatter as my body was sent flying backward, crashing forcefully against a nearby tree.

I let out a grasp as the air was knocked out of my lungs, followed by violent fits of coughs with blood.

I felt a seething pain erupt from both of my arms as a scream was torn from my throat. The voice didn’t feel like it was mine but the pain couldn’t be any more real. It was unlike anything I had felt in my entire life.

Tears rolled down my eyes as my voice slowly dwindled down because of my broken vocal cord. With my heavy breath, I felt both of my arms hanging limply on my sides, broken and unusable. Even a slight moment sent hellish pain and I felt my mind blank out each time.

Amidst the pain, I strained to make sense of my surroundings or what little of it that I could make out from my blurred vision. Squinting my eyes, I saw the bondor move toward something—or someone? Focusing further I pieced together the identity.

Octus. Dead?

No, not dead, but severely injured. His bondor signature had faded significantly, a lot different from his usual self. However, he was going to survive.

I turned my gaze to the right and spotted the damned Hydra. It stared at me, with Darren behind it. Darren had his sword stuck in the ground, struggling to stay upright. His signature was weak, and his body appeared colorless. Something was amiss. Why wasn't Hydra attacking them?

Could it be...?

I coughed again, another burst of pain engulfing me, momentarily cutting me of my soul vision. It seemed Darren had somehow created a barrier to hide both himself and Sirius from Hydra's view. I let my body slump backward, closing my eyes.

Sirius was injured too.

Even with my eyes shut, I could sense Hydra drawing nearer to me. With its enemies defeated, I was its sole target. It was going to kill me, I realized. The revelation sent shivers through me.

Fear?

Was I truly afraid to die? But I had already experienced death once. Would it hurt to die again? Did it even hurt the first time? I couldn’t remember. To begin with did I die back on earth? I’d assumed that was the case. Maybe somewhat hoped that was the case.

Damn. Even my second life would end with regrets. How ironic...

My world grew darker by the moment, and it became increasingly difficult to open my eyes again. It wasn’t like I had any desire to see the monstrous creature again.

I couldn't pinpoint when it happened, but something struck me.

Sharp. Cold. Menacing.

A scream pierced the air. Someone was in excruciating pain.

Mine?

Regret?

Oh, I was dying.

Well, I hoped that Sirius, Darren, and Octus somehow managed to survive. Even if their motives were selfish, they had in fact helped me even if for a little.