Reluctantly, she stood up and straightened her clothes, which were already completely worn out. In fact, they could do with washing, or better yet, washing herself. But she didn't have such options right now, and it didn't particularly bother her.
As usual lately, there was fruit on the table, brought by the kind fox. Her virtuous woman was home less and less lately, but then again, if there was food, there was no point in complaining. Besides, the brand-new fruit was incredibly delicious! It was an acidic green, firm, incredibly fresh and sour! Such a variety in food greatly pleased Kalidonia.
After a delicious breakfast, Kalidonia hurried outside, as today would be a special day for her! After all, it's not every day you get to train with a talking tree.
It was quite chilly outside, even though the sun was already high above the horizon. The trees creaked in the wind, but they weren't about to fall yet. The cool breeze refreshed the girl standing in the doorway and chased away her bad thoughts.
-How wonderful the morning breeze is! Better than any training. Speaking of training, where's that tree?
-Young lady, don't call me names. I'm here.
-Come out...! Don't hide, I can still see you.
-Then where are you looking if you see me?
Hearing the tree's words, Kalidonia turned and began to peer into the nearby trees. She knew the tree she was looking for was quite different from all the others. It really is hard not to find a huge spruce, right?
Peeping into each tree, she saw the same picture. Each tree was a different shape, but not a single one looked exactly like the same one. The girl's vision was not just excellent, but flawless, but even so, she couldn't see a single difference between all the trees.
-You can't, huh? Hah. Of course you can't. If you noticed me, I'd be very surprised.
As Mikua slowly approached the girl, reaching his full height, he saw something change in her. Her gaze had become much older. As if she had lived ten years in just one night. Or had she become more serious? Or was there despair and sadness hidden in her eyes? For Mikua, reading people was still a very difficult and laborious process.
-Well, since you failed the [Surveillance Sense] test, I think we can train you now. There's no better training than sparring, don't you think?
-Probably? Well, then shall we begin?
This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.
-Hmph. "Then, to avoid killing you, I won't use my abilities."
-Make sure you don't start collecting yourself all over the forest later!
As soon as the words left her lips, she felt the wind stop tickling her cheeks, and the trees stopped moving. The girl was perplexed. But when she looked straight ahead, she saw a huge branch flying towards her. Enormous. Heavy. Completely covered in needles. It filled her with an inexplicable fear.
-He'll kill me. He'll just kill me. I can't even move. I need to dodge, but neither my legs nor my arms can move. It was as if not only everything around me had frozen, but I too. Or... Could it be that he was so fast that my body technically couldn't move? Is our strength that vastly different?
The time she had to consider her next move was a torture that seemed to last an eternity. She was simply helpless against such power. Although her eyes were still dry, Kalidonia was already crying inside. She was so weak.
The blow landed squarely in the girl's chest, pushing her back a considerable distance. The air, held in her lungs under immense pressure, was expelled from her mouth in a silent cry of pain. Her vision darkened, and blood, as red as her hair, flowed from her mouth after the air.
The girl felt no pain. But she knew she was most likely dying, as the nerve cells in her chest area had instantly been destroyed. Every rib was broken, and her entrails were reduced to pulp.
After a short flight, she landed on the ground, hitting her head hard. And now the pain felt completely real. It flared like a match thrown into a can of gasoline. And just as quickly, the pain began to fade. Her brain was losing its connection with reality. She couldn't stop thinking, breathing, or moving.
It went dark before her eyes, but the sunlight was visible. It was quiet, but her ears were ringing loudly. There was no smell, but the smell of iron filled her nose.
And there lay her lifeless body.
Even the metal axe in her hands was completely shattered and could no longer be restored.
Mikua's POV
-Apparently, he slightly misjudged his strength. Oh, she's dying, I think. I probably shouldn't have taken her provocation to heart. But on the other hand, was my prediction about her wrong? How could such a powerful "Oracle of Trent" have made a mistake in my prediction? This is unacceptable. Before my blow, her future was promising, but as soon as I swung, all her ambitions and future achievements were destroyed. But how? After all, I predicted that powerful blow too. She should have survived, dodged, or even counterattacked, but she simply took the blow. Something doesn't add up. I'll have to predict her future again. [ORACLE'S PREDICTION].
All the girl's visible injuries began to evaporate, and her internal organs returned to normal, as if the blow hadn't just shattered her completely. Her breathing returned, and her heart began to beat. She would have to get up soon.
Without wasting any time, Mikua used [ORACLE'S PREDICTION] again, but this time, too, it had no effect. The old tree was in anticipation because she was the first person to change her future. For him, this was very promising—maybe one day this girl would help him achieve his goal of the last six hundred years, but Mikua was planning too far ahead.
Kalidonia's POV
-cough cough. Aaah, why does my whole body ache... I can't even move a finger. What happened? I only remember Mikua suggesting we spar, and then... Right. He killed me, didn't he? Damn tree. But where am I now? Why is it so bright? It's like I'm in the sun...
-Are you awake?
-Why, even when I'm dead, can I still hear that huge thing's voice...
-What a pity? Don't be ridiculous. You were too eager to live if you managed to hold out for one second after my blow, in a state of complete body destruction. Congratulations.
Ahh, I almost forgot to tell you that when I treated you, I couldn't heal your eye. That's simply unacceptable. I think something's wrong with him. Any ideas?
-Shut up already...
It's hard to write when there's another long break :)
Forgive me for being such a lazy idiot. But on the other hand, it's really nice to see how the views on my writing increase even when I'm not writing anything :D
Thank you all.