Alpha Instinct

The Gothia sky was a gray and cold canvas, mirroring the emptiness Leonard carried within him. The morning after Liam's death, so brutal and unexpected, had robbed him of more than a friend; it had stolen his hope.

Guilt gnawed at his insides, a constant weight that prevented him from breathing freely.

With heavy steps and slumped shoulders, Leonard headed towards the training ground near the Guild House.

In his hands, the new swords, gifts from Liam before the fateful mission, seemed to weigh tons. With each step, the silver gleam of the blades reflected his somber face, marked by pain and determination.

He needed to get stronger. Not just to survive, but to protect those he cared about.

The memory of those who were gone was the last fuel remaining that kept him moving forward.

He couldn't fail them. He couldn't allow anyone else he loved to fall victim to Humbra's cruelty, especially after saving him.

After passing through the central square and approaching the training ground, the clinking of swords could be heard from afar.

The vast area with targets, cloth dummies, and a training course was slightly crowded. Some instructors present gave orders and taught those who could afford it, while the rest trained on their own.

Entering the training ground, Leonard isolated himself in a corner, away from the curious glances and lively conversations of the other guards and Neumonds.

The vibrant and competitive atmosphere of the place seemed distant, an echo of a world he didn't want to belong to.

His mind was a whirlwind of dark thoughts as he replayed the fight against Fleshripper, Liam's death, and the promise of revenge he had made.

"I need to be better," he murmured to himself, his voice hoarse and thick with emotion. "I need to be faster, stronger, smarter."

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath, seeking the calm that eluded him.

He remembered the elite Gnoll's axe, leaving its disgusting and filthy hand, in slow motion, spinning in infinite tranquility, the blade whistling slowly through the air.

He fixated on this feeling, and just before the memory of Liam being hit surfaced, he forced himself to remember Roland.

Cherishing his memories, he thought of the words Roland had spoken like a caring mentor, and they echoed in his mind: "Blow like the wind, flow like the water..." and Leo concluded, "Be the dance itself."

Opening his eyes, Leonard unsheathed his swords, the cold, sharp Frosteel contrasting with the heat emanating from his hands.

He began a series of sword forms, slow and precise movements, seeking the fluidity and harmony that Roland had taught him.

"Not yet, more! I need to go deeper!" Leo murmured.

With each strike, each step, he focused on perfecting his technique, on becoming one with the blades, his focus becoming more and more superhuman.

The sword forms he practiced were purely intuitive, which made it difficult for him to deeply understand swordsmanship.

Gradually, sadness and guilt gave way to determination. With each movement, each drop of sweat trickled down his forehead. Leonard felt the rage transform into strength, the pain into focus.

He was no longer the insecure boy who had left Besen. He had become a warrior, forged in the fire of loss and revenge.

For hours, he trained tirelessly, pushing himself beyond his limits.

He stopped in a combat stance, his breath coming in ragged, heavy pants. He let out a long, deep sigh and sheathed his swords.

"I feel I'm almost there…" Leo thought.

Two novice Neumonds had just received training with their respective instructors. When they spotted Leonard isolated in the corner of the field.

"Look there, who's back? Isn't it the dummy fairy?" said a burly Neumond.

"Aha! Look at that, who knew…?" replied the other.

They looked at each other, and a malicious smile appeared on both their faces as they nodded in agreement.

They approached Leonard, invading his personal space, but Leo evaded them. He didn't want trouble and just ignored them both: "Excuse me..." he said and walked away.

The two troublemakers insisted and stood in front of Leonard again.

"What are you going to do? Stop us?" The brute laughed.

Leonard's blood boiled. This was the worst day to provoke him.

"What's wrong, little fairy? Are you scared? Come on, let's play a little, 'Pixie.'" The skinny one urged with a laugh.

Leo could barely hear them anymore. He just drew his swords, Smiling and Absolution, and walked towards the arena.

A clear message that he had accepted their invitation.

Leo had been testing his skills and honing his reflexes all day. With each sword movement, he sought to achieve that feeling from before. The ability that allowed him to anticipate his opponents' movements and react with superhuman speed.

The first of the Neumonds was a robust man at the peak of the Iron rank, specializing in brute force.

The man charged like a raging bull, taking a long leap forward, holding the axe with both hands above his head.

"This is the end for you, fairy!" he said with a malicious grin.

It was the last straw. Leonard exploded. His eyes sparked like mini lightning bolts.

The muscular Neumond practically stopped in mid-air before his eyes. He could perceive every millimeter of change within a 3-meter radius.

Images of future actions forming in his mind, probabilities of movements, and calculations of intentions discarding all useless causality.

All based on superhuman cognition. He wasn't predicting the future, just reading the movements of someone futile with a weak mind.

"It's done," he thought.

"1: The gorilla will descend, tearing through the air. I'll take two steps back, deflect at 35 degrees with crossed swords."

"2: A slight counterweight push, and he'll lose his balance with the impact of the deflection. I'll take a step forward."

"3: He'll rotate on his axis to stabilize himself and attack horizontally from the left side, and I'll deflect diagonally with my right hand to the left side."

"4: He'll use the energy of my deflection and rotate the axe for an upward cut. I'll take a step back, opening a clear window in his right flank after my dodge.

"Checkmate." Leo calculated everything.

Time began to flow again. Leonard needed less time than the blink of an eye.

His opponent's blow whistled through the air and fell heavily on Leo, who deflected it in the shape of a cross.

Leo, however, remained calm. His eyes followed every move of his opponent, every muscle contracting, every subtle change in posture.

He was starting to believe.

Just as he had calculated, every blow, every nuance of the duel was under his control. After the last clang of weapons meeting, he saw the same opening from his calculations.

Leo then struck a blunt in the opponent's ribs with the back of the blade of both swords.

The man roared in pain, stumbling backward, but the cut was shallow. It wasn't with the blade edge.

Leo gave a sly smile, his face reveling in the feeling of what he had achieved.

He finally understood his Neumond power.

"It's over. You can't fight anymore." Leo said.

"Arrg... how did you...? Argh..." His opponent was in pain.

"Breathe... you're not going to die from just that, are you?" Leo said ironically.

Leonard's blades gleamed in the hot sun, dazzling the eyes of some who stopped to watch the performance of both warriors.

The buzz was loud.

After defeating the first opponent and his cries echoing through the arena, it wasn't hard to get the attention of a small audience. Everyone was trying to understand how the "dummy fairy" had become so strong.

Not satisfied with the defeat, the brute stood up with difficulty, grabbed his axe, and recomposed himself.

The pain in his ribs reminded him that this was not purely luck, but his pride was too high to just let it go.

"I'm coming!" he bellowed.

Leo just closed his eyes and nodded.

The man attempted one last desperate attack, raising the axe with both hands to throw it at Leonard.

However, the attack was so poorly executed that Leo didn't even need to activate his ELEV.

He just lunged forward with a cunning dash. Before the opponent could recover, he delivered a well-aimed blow with the pommel of his sword to the big guy's stomach.

The axe fell to the ground with a thud, and the Neumond knelt, defeated, totally nauseous.

Leonard approached, pointing his swords at his opponent's neck.

"You fought well," he said, his voice calm and controlled. "But do you think you would survive with that out there?"

Leo sheathed his swords: "Everything here is child's play until you know real despair."

The Neumond, breathless and humiliated, nodded silently.

"Next…" Leo teased the other one.