[Riiiiiight. Not scared at all. Zelos grins into Yuan's clothes and then lets go.]
Okay.
[This said like Yuan just invited Zelos to unwrap a present. Nothing's really changed since Zelos came into the library, but for some reason, helping find the books now sounds fun. The newfound enthusiasm lasts for a good couple of minutes before Zelos's body remembers its depletion of adrenaline and he conks out at the table, head in his arms, fighting off sleep.
Over the next few months, Zelos's promise turns out to be remarkably easy to keep, since no one tries to kill him. He turns ten, which obviously means his skill has increased so much that no one would dare try, but that's about the only fun part of turning ten. Zelos is still the Chosen. He still gets treated differently. And he still has to sneak to the library whenever he wants to see Yuan (who he didn't get to see at all on his birthday.)
Spring is settling into a lazy summer when Zelos slips his guard and walks as soundlessly as he can down an empty castle hallway. He's just come off a fighting lesson, so he still has his sword at his belt, and he's tossing a small ball up and down, idly working on his accuracy. The library's a short walk away. No one, not even Nethan, knows just how often Zelos takes this route.
He drops the ball, leans down to pick it up, and hears the woosh of a blade above his head.
Zelos is only ten, but he's had certain reactions drilled into him, not to mention years of the best instruction available. He drops and rolls forward, making himself a smaller target, then gets back on his feet and pulls his sword out of its scabbard. That, though, is as far as he gets before instinct fails him and he stares at the two men ahead, both much bigger than him, both much stronger than him.
He slipped his guard. He's alone. The library's too far to run for. If Zelos shouts for help, both of those men will be on him before he can do anything else. Right now, his only saving grace is that they look just as surprised by his narrow escape as Zelos himself is.
Zelos holds the sword's hilt in both hands and glares at them.] You think you'll get away with this?
[They're not scared off. One of them comes at Zelos very, very fast, and Zelos survives the next few seconds by virtue of being small and slippery. But he doesn't know how to account for two people at once, and somewhere in the scuffle pain bursts in his shoulder, forcing him back against the wall with a pained cry. When he forces his eyes open there's a blade coming for his neck and there's nothing he can do to stop it.]
no subject
Okay.
[This said like Yuan just invited Zelos to unwrap a present. Nothing's really changed since Zelos came into the library, but for some reason, helping find the books now sounds fun. The newfound enthusiasm lasts for a good couple of minutes before Zelos's body remembers its depletion of adrenaline and he conks out at the table, head in his arms, fighting off sleep.
Over the next few months, Zelos's promise turns out to be remarkably easy to keep, since no one tries to kill him. He turns ten, which obviously means his skill has increased so much that no one would dare try, but that's about the only fun part of turning ten. Zelos is still the Chosen. He still gets treated differently. And he still has to sneak to the library whenever he wants to see Yuan (who he didn't get to see at all on his birthday.)
Spring is settling into a lazy summer when Zelos slips his guard and walks as soundlessly as he can down an empty castle hallway. He's just come off a fighting lesson, so he still has his sword at his belt, and he's tossing a small ball up and down, idly working on his accuracy. The library's a short walk away. No one, not even Nethan, knows just how often Zelos takes this route.
He drops the ball, leans down to pick it up, and hears the woosh of a blade above his head.
Zelos is only ten, but he's had certain reactions drilled into him, not to mention years of the best instruction available. He drops and rolls forward, making himself a smaller target, then gets back on his feet and pulls his sword out of its scabbard. That, though, is as far as he gets before instinct fails him and he stares at the two men ahead, both much bigger than him, both much stronger than him.
He slipped his guard. He's alone. The library's too far to run for. If Zelos shouts for help, both of those men will be on him before he can do anything else. Right now, his only saving grace is that they look just as surprised by his narrow escape as Zelos himself is.
Zelos holds the sword's hilt in both hands and glares at them.] You think you'll get away with this?
[They're not scared off. One of them comes at Zelos very, very fast, and Zelos survives the next few seconds by virtue of being small and slippery. But he doesn't know how to account for two people at once, and somewhere in the scuffle pain bursts in his shoulder, forcing him back against the wall with a pained cry. When he forces his eyes open there's a blade coming for his neck and there's nothing he can do to stop it.]