The Awakening Of The Shadows
Chapter 46: The Price of Hesitation

Chapter 46: The Price of Hesitation

The silence that followed the battle was almost as suffocating as the fight itself.

Lian remained still, his fingers still gripping the hilt of Oblivion, his eyes fixed on the lifeless body of the ex-soldier. The smell of blood and rotting flesh permeated the air, and his breathing was heavy, not just from the effort of the fight, but from the reality of what had just happened.

He hesitated.

If Vance hadn’t appeared at the last second, he would be dead.

"You froze," Viktor’s cutting voice echoed across the field. He pulled his spear from the corpse with a swift motion and wiped the blood on his pant leg. "If it had been a faster enemy, we wouldn’t be talking right now."

Lian clenched his teeth. He knew Viktor was right.

Looking around, he saw the other soldiers gathering. Vance went to Deren, checking his broken arm, while the others still stood alert, as if expecting more enemies to emerge from the forest.

"What the hell was that?" Deren spat, groaning in pain as he pressed his arm. "He should’ve been dead! We pierced him multiple times!"

"It wasn’t human," Viktor replied coldly. "Not anymore."

Lian swallowed hard. He had heard of corrupted soldiers before, but that... that wasn’t normal.

"Why did he keep moving after so much damage?" Lian asked, staring at the body. "I cut him, you pierced him. Nothing stopped him."

"Because it wasn’t his body fighting," Vance replied, pointing to the lifeless eyes of the corpse. "It was the energy from the portal keeping him alive. These bastards keep fighting as long as that energy is active inside them."

A shiver ran down Lian’s spine. If the energy of the portals was strong enough... was it possible for a soldier to never stop fighting?

"There’s no honor in the war against the portals, rookie," Vance continued, his gaze piercing through Lian. "No justice, no balance. Just survival. And if you freeze again..." He stepped closer and grabbed the collar of Lian’s armor, pulling him so their faces were inches apart. "...I’ll bury you myself before another bastard gets the chance."

Lian didn’t look away. His anger grew inside him, not against Vance, but against himself.

"I won’t hesitate next time," he promised, his voice firm.

Vance released his armor and stepped back. "We’ll see."

The patrol was canceled. With Deren injured and the unexpected appearance of a corrupted soldier, Vance decided it was best to retreat to the base.

The way back was silent, heavy. None of the soldiers made jokes about Lian this time. They knew what he had just witnessed, and for many, that experience alone was enough to change someone.

When they finally crossed the gates of Red Hollow, a group of soldiers and medics were already waiting. Deren was quickly taken for treatment, and the others reported what had happened to their superiors.

Lian, however, remained still, looking around.

The campfires around the base crackled softly, casting dancing shadows on the tents and watchtowers. Soldiers moved, some returning from missions, others training in the courtyard. But more than anything, what caught his attention was the state many of them were in.

Men and women returned covered in blood and wounds, their eyes empty of emotion. Some limped, leaning on their comrades. Others had hardened expressions, as if they were used to pain.

Lian watched as a young soldier, not much older than himself, was carried on a stretcher, a gaping hole in his abdomen. The man groaned in pain, his fingers gripping the fabric of the stretcher tightly, but no one seemed to react to his suffering.

For them, this was just another ordinary night.

Lian felt his stomach churn.

Before, he had seen war as something distant. Something grand, heroic. But here, in this moment, he understood.

There was no glory.

There was no heroism.

Only pain.

"If you have time to think, you have time to train."

Viktor’s voice sounded behind him. Lian turned, finding the veteran with his arms crossed.

"Have you seen enough today?" Viktor asked.

Lian nodded.

"Good. Then let’s fight."

Lian frowned. "Now?"

"Now."

Viktor gestured with his head, signaling for him to follow to the training arena.

The arena was an open space, surrounded by watchtowers and floodlights, with a ground of packed dirt. Soldiers gathered around, curious to see the fight.

"Why are we doing this?" Lian asked as he positioned himself.

"Because you still don’t understand what it really means to fight," Viktor replied, taking his stance. "And I’m going to teach you."

Lian gripped Oblivion, feeling the familiar weight of the blade in his hands.

"You can use your sword, but no powers," Viktor said, spinning his own weapon, a simple but sharp blade. "If you want to learn to survive, you have to be able to fight without relying on tricks."

Lian took a deep breath.

Then Viktor attacked.

The first strike was fast, faster than Lian expected. He barely had time to raise his sword to block before feeling the brutal impact of Viktor’s blade, pushing him backward.

Lian slid across the ground, his arms vibrating from the force of the blow.

Without giving him a chance to recover, Viktor struck again, this time with a downward slash. Lian twisted his body and dodged, trying to counterattack. But before he could finish the strike, Viktor sidestepped and delivered a powerful kick to his stomach.

The impact sent Lian stumbling back, coughing.

"You’re hesitating," Viktor said coldly. "You’re holding back because you still see this as training. But let me tell you something, Alvarez..."

Viktor vanished from Lian’s sight.

Before he could react, a fist slammed into his face with enough force to knock him to the ground.

"In war, there is no training."

Lian got up, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. He tightened his grip around Oblivion’s hilt.

Then he attacked.

This time, he didn’t hesitate. He launched himself at Viktor with everything he had, striking with speed and precision. But Viktor blocked every attack effortlessly, dodging and countering whenever he found an opening.

"You’re fast," Viktor admitted. "But predictable."

He dodged another of Lian’s blows and, in one fluid motion, grabbed his arm and threw him to the ground.

Lian hit the dirt hard, his entire body aching.

He tried to get up, but Viktor pressed his foot against his chest, pinning him down.

"Did you learn anything?" Viktor asked.

Lian looked up at him, his pride wounded.

"That I’m still not strong enough," Lian replied, struggling.

Viktor removed his foot and extended a hand.

"For the first time, you’re starting to understand."

Lian took his hand and stood up.

He wasn’t strong yet.

But he wouldn’t stop until he was.

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