"Come on, little lady, stand still with your weapon." Dean shook the wooden stick in his hand. "Oh, no, no, no, you are not a big bear on the snowy mountain. You don't need to confront the enemy head-on." He walked around I turned around, tapped my body, turned me sideways, tucked my belly, and arched my knees slightly, "Well~" He nodded with satisfaction, "How old are you, Messiah? "
"When the snow melts, I will be sixteen."
"Oh!" The big thief raised his head and looked at me up and down with his glowing eyes, "He looks pretty good."
I followed his gaze and glanced at myself, feeling a little complacent, "You are not the first to say this, I am tall and strong!"
"But you're still a kid, look up!"
I followed the instructions and looked at the tall window opposite.
"What if the big guy, Reddy? Rachel? Or Remy..."
"Rui..."
"Whatever his name is, if Remy is standing in front of you, where are you going to attack him first?"
"Abdomen. I can't reach his throat. There must be armor on his chest. He is taller than me. He must be preventing me from hitting his legs."
"No, no, no," Dean denied, each sound louder than the last.
"No?"
"You should go around behind him," he said. Dean, who was standing in front of me, suddenly disappeared like mist, but his voice continued, "Then, find a convenient position," the voice said Not long after, I felt a hard wooden stick pressed against my lower back.
"Ouch!" I gasped, subconsciously straightening my back and tightening my body.
"If he expected that you would attack from behind," this time, before I could react, Dean suddenly appeared in front of her again, and the wooden stick in his hand touched my ribs. This time, it really hurt. I groaned with a grimace and immediately arched my back again. I heard Dean smile and say, "At this time, attack from the front. Look, now you have a chance to hit him in the face." As he said that, he slapped my face with the wooden stick in his hand.
I immediately covered my cheek, "...I, how can I do this? My speed is not that fast."
"No, little miss, unpredictability is the key to assassination. From now on, I will give you two days to become familiar with the dance of death." After saying that, Dean took a few steps back, took out the dagger from his waist, and then, I only saw sword flowers all over the sky. In the blink of an eye, the wooden stick in Dean's hand was cut into seven or eight wooden flowers, scattered throughout the woodshed. "See clearly how to bring death."
This time, Dean's figure did not blend into the air like gray mist. He stepped on the nearest wooden flower, then he jumped to another one, and then another one...
Dean stepped on those wooden flowers again and again, each time in a different order, and each time the landing point was weirder.
Gradually, I realized that my eyes couldn't keep up with Dean. It was obvious that his speed was not very fast, but his figure had begun to leave afterimages in the air, and his afterimages always jumped towards him. Unexpected direction, unexpected place!
Gradually, a mist of purple-gray mist seemed to rise from the ground, which made Dean's figure even more looming. Time and space seemed to have lost its restraint on him. He could appear wherever he wanted, as he pleased.
Gradually, Dean's figure disappeared completely. Only at the moment when he disappeared, there was still a faint gray mist in that place.
"If I want to leave, no one can stop me. If I want to fight, you will die." Dean's voice came from all directions, even from above the head and underground, like an erratic ghostly voice.
"Little Miss." In an instant, his voice came from behind again, and he patted Messiah's waist with the cold dagger in his hand, "If I want to fight, you are already dead."
I was stunned.
"...What is this thing?" The gray-purple mist was still billowing. Even though I knew nothing about magic, I noticed a slight tremor coming from the magical world. This was the first time I stood in the wind of magic. Everything made me feel strange, unknown, and even scared. Because those energies are so dark and cold, as if they exist only in a place where light can never shine. "This is not a fighting step at all, Mr. Dean!"
"Well, how should I put it? This is something similar to a space magic circle." Dean slowly walked to my side. At that moment, there was still a gray-purple light under his boots, like burning purple. Fire, "Those mages in Dalaran, they call it...well, shadow magic. It can interfere with time and space, oh no, only 'empty'."
I stared at his boots, suppressing the turmoil in my heart, "Shadow? Magic? The holy light will split us into powder!" The last sentence was almost squeezed out through my teeth.
"It's just a kind of energy. There's nothing surprising. Aren't those magicians also using it? I mean, those priests who claim to be the most sacred."
"...Pastor? Really?"
"Of course, what's the point of lying?! I said, this is just energy!" Dean curled his lips, looking at an ignorant country bumpkin, but then his face became serious, "Now , Kneel down, little lady, I need you to swear to death that you will keep everything I say next."
I couldn't help but be infected by his look, bent my knees, and solemnly swore an oath.
"Okay, let's continue talking about this step! This step, we call it the Death Dance. However, in the Shadow Realm, it is also called the Shadow Step. It allows you to travel through space in one breath and reach behind the enemy. , launching a fatal blow. It is very similar to the magic circle drawn by magicians, oh, you have heard of it, right? The magic circle is a very complicated mess drawn out." Got my approval. After saying that, Dean continued to speak unhurriedly, "But have you ever thought about it? If we move fast enough, just the afterimages of our actions can form a magic circle. You can see the energy in it." trend, and with the help of their power. And the dance steps I just performed are the limit of the physical strength of the mortal race. Not only your feet, but also your arms, and even your hair and your sleeves It all has to go with you and put it in the right place. So, not many people can do it.”
"...I've never even heard of it."
"Hmm, everyone who has heard of it but can't do it is already dead."
"...What?!" That sentence startled me, and then I stared at him angrily. A breath caught in my throat and it was extremely uncomfortable, but after staring for a moment, I was completely unfazed by him. Defeated in his eyes.
Damn it!
He can say it and do it!
*
The sun was setting in the west, and the afterglow dyed the entire snowy field extremely bright red.
My father finally let me out. The coldness in the woodshed was completely different from the cold outside. This made him look around for a long time with eyes like a cheetah's, which made my heart beat nervously. Simply, he couldn't find Dean who had merged into the air, nor could he find the shadow flame that had dispersed long ago.
I won't discuss this with my father. I know that he has always been a loyal believer in the Holy Light. In his heart, he believes in the Holy Light, and that is blasphemy. If he knew I was involved in shadow magic, I don't know if he would send her to some strange place for purification.
Although Dean told me that shadow magic and shadow are two different things, who knows if my father thinks so?
I don't want to take any chances.
Therefore, I could only endure the pain all over my body from being knocked out by Dean without saying a word, and walked into the snow with some difficulty. I guess, in the eyes of my father, all this is nothing more than my willful temper tantrum.
My father took me to the gate of the manor. By the fence covered with white snow, Selin, dressed in silver armor, was saying goodbye to the two daughters of the Rubio family. Like all gentlemen, he kissed the back of their hands politely. And said goodbye to them with a smile. That scene made me a little angry, who was already in a bad mood. I turned around, leaned under the pine tree next to me, and refused to move forward without saying anything.
I don’t know if he was aroused by the sight, but Selin suddenly raised his head. He found my direction very accurately. When he saw me, a heartfelt smile of joy appeared on his handsome face. I don’t know if it was because of it. It's not my imagination, I think his smile at this moment is much brighter than the one he had just facing Sari and the others!
He immediately politely excused himself from the two Miss Rubios, put his helmet on the carriage beside him, and trotted towards me. His hair was silver, but it was also dyed bright red in the afterglow, like a burning flame, just like my hair.
It was obvious that he was still very weak. Even if he was smiling, his brows could not help but frown.
"Miss!" He ran up to me panting, his green eyes seeming to shine.
I don’t know why, but under his gaze, I suddenly felt less angry. I even couldn’t help but pursed my lips and smiled at him, “Messiah, my name is Messiah Rubio.”
"Miss Messiah," his glowing eyes seemed to be smiling, "it is my honor to walk out of the Alterac Mountains with you. Please allow me to say thank you to my distinguished traveling companion, because you have saved Killed me."
"And you saved my life, Mr. Selling. We are partners in life and death, right?"
"I swear to the Light, we are."
"Then, don't give your companion a farewell hug like you do to those delicate ladies, right?" As I said that, I spread my hands slightly and looked at him with a somewhat provocative look. In fact, I wanted to look provocatively. There were two other girls in the Rubio family, but Serling's body completely covered them.
The trainee knight's face turned slightly red. He was in a dilemma and gave me a hug.
His chest is warm, like a warm fireplace on a cold night; the smell on his body is fresh, like the fragrance of grass in spring; his chin is pressed against my forehead, slightly tingling.
I felt that he even touched my hair with his scaly palm, but he took it away again very nervously.
I couldn't help but want to laugh.
*
"If I have the opportunity to go to the King's City of Lordaeron, will you come to receive me? Selin?" I asked softly. Leaning so close, I discovered for the first time that the reason why Selin's armor looked so white was Because it has been worn away and only a thin layer remains.
"I will definitely do it, Miss Messiah." Selin's voice was as firm and solemn as when he swore to me, "Also, you must promise me, be careful of Dean, he is a real cold-blooded devil. "
That sentence made my arms tremble slightly, and I suddenly felt a sour feeling in my throat.
He definitely wouldn't have thought that that cold-blooded devil... He has already shown his fangs. What should I do if I can't learn that shadow step?
No, you can't think so.
I immediately denied my thoughts. What I wanted to consider was how to learn that damn pace as soon as possible!
Obviously, Selin noticed something was wrong with me, "What's wrong? Miss Messiah."
"...It's nothing." After a long while, I took a deep breath and pushed the trainee knight away. Then, I raised my head and smiled slyly at him, "Wait for me to find you, it won't be long, I swear."
The apprentice knight's cheeks turned red again after finally recovering.
