For a moment, there was silence between them. The man did not know how to respond to this. If this monster was everything he hated about himself, what would be the solution in order to defeat him? How could he fight against him? Fight against... himself?

  This time, it was the man who laughed, to the dismay of the one he hated.

  'What is so fucking funny?!' He snapped at the warrior.

  'I'm just wondering how many of you are walking around wearing my face, is all.' He stood up. 'I mean, I get it, I am handsome, but you should get an identity of your own.'

  'Well, it's your weakness that called me to life!' Answered, Beast.

  'No, it was not weakness,' said the swordsman, while sheathing his sword. 'It was my inability to act, to help my parents. That is my oldest failure, because of which—as it seems—I still blame myself. Even though I was just a kid! What the hell was I supposed to do? I had neither the strength nor the wisdom to help'! He chuckled again. 'God, I am such an idiot sometimes.'

  'Finally, something we agree on,' said his black-armored foe. Beast readied his sword. The traveler noticed that but did not take action. He simply continued.

  'This is where so much of my rage comes from. Everything else was mostly just fueling this feeling, this sin, which was never real in the first place. I was fighting myself on so many occasions, beating myself up that I failed to realize that I can not treat everything the same way as this problem. Yes, I was powerless in helping my parents, but that was not my burden to bear in the first place! So I should not put the hate on myself for it, for it was not my actions that made those things happen.'

  'That's not the only thing you fucked up!' Beast shouted as he took position behind the man. The wanderer knew what would happen next. Still, he continued.

  'True. But this is where I learned how to deal with failure and inertness. Or rather, I learned the wrong way of it. To blame myself, to make myself feel worthless, and to think that I am the problem in every possible scenario that goes wrong.'

  'You are!'

  'No, I am not. But that is what gave you life, is it not? And that is why I distanced myself often from those I cared about. To not hurt them, to not be a burden. After all, I can not hurt anybody if I talk to nobody, am I right? And eventually, that is what caused our mutual friend, the other who bears my face, to appear and create this nice little prison for you. Why would the void have walls, if not for containment and for reaping'?

  The horned, helmeted menace snarled loudly behind the man.

  'By hating you, you became a potent source of negative energy. One, that would be a delicacy for a creature like the Hollow. You were right. You are not a pet,' said the warrior with an audible amusement in his voice. 'You are livestock.'

  That was the final straw for Beast.

  'YOU ARE JUST A NO-GOOD FUCKUP!!!' He cried out as he launched himself at the man. He swings his blade at the man's back, aiming to decapitate him, striking his neck.

  But the blade did not go through!

  Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

  'WHA-' The warrior turned around in a spin and delivered a punch to the chest, sending the black-armored menace flying back, landing him on his back.

  'No, I am not just a fuckup,' he said confidently. 'I did make mistakes. I do have bad habits, and I did make decisions that caused harm to me or others. Those will not go anywhere. But I learned from them. I am working on them. I will be better through them! For too long, I have hated you. Hated me. Fought against myself. No more! It's time I accept my shortcomings as a part of me,' Beast tried to get up to his feet. The man started to draw circles in the air. Seven of them.

  'You will fail! Accepting that I am a part of you means that I will always be here to poison you, idiot!'

  'No, you will not.' He stretched out his hands, sending the circles flying above him to form an arch.

  'Tremble before the god-king's power, feel the wrath of his seven thunder!' He closed them, making a snap of his fingers on each. From the circles, mighty lightning struck at Beast in quick succession. He tried to protect himself; he tried to raise a shield against them, but they went through it like it was not even there! He cried out from the pain, his armor broke off in multiple places, and he could feel as his bones broke at the might of the impacts! He lay on the ground, barely even comprehending what was happening. He could barely move.

  The man quickly stood above him. Looking down at his broken foe, with pity in his eyes.

  'You—you will not kill me! You are too weak for that. Even if you win this round, I will always be back for more'.

  The wanderer did not answer. He simply punched him in his face. There was no anger, no hate behind it. Still, it completely cracked the horned helmet.

  'You still don't get it, do you? I will not kill you. But you will lend me your power at my command. You will obey me.'

  'Never, you miserable f-' Another punch was dealt, even mightier than the first.

  'You will. At least, until I am done unmaking you.'

  'What are you talking about, shithead?'

  Once again, a punch met the line.

  'Every bad habit has a useful quality in it. In my laziness, there is the ability to relax. In my stubbornness, the ability to stand up to myself and so on. Each of them is a block, waiting to be remade and reused in rebuilding myself'.

  Another punch was dealt.

  And another.

  And another. The man's hand was covered in blood.

  'As for your remarks, I will use the same thing that I am using right now.' He punched again. Beast was barely conscious by now, let alone able to say anything in response. 'Self-worth shall protect me from you and from anyone I fight!'

  He continued hitting him. The strikes came unyielding, unending. The prison was filled with the sound of never-ending punches and the occasional cries of their target until...

  'Alright!' Beast, he finally said. 'Alright, just... just stop now. Please..'.

  The man stopped. His fight was finished. His goal was achieved. He now knew that the source of the voices in his head would be obedient. And if he was not, well, he can come down here anytime to reteach this lesson to him. But now he was ready to walk away.

  'See you around, Beast,' he said and started to reawaken himself.

  'Even if you have beaten me. It will not go away. You know that, right?' The beaten-up menace asked.

  The man took a moment. Thinking about whether he should answer or not.

  'I do not want it to,' he said simply.

  And with that, he broke the trance. He could feel the wind once again bracing his face. He could feel the grass under him. Finally, he opened his eyes.

  The sun was going down, and his mentors were preparing a meal, not even noticing that he woke up until he turned his head. The Hollow sat right beside him, staring at him. He let out a little smirk.

  'Finally, you are back,' came the voice of Wolf. He rushed over to his student to see if everything was alright. 'You seem like yourself, which is good. How did it go'?

  The man answered simply and swiftly. With a punch to his war-hardened mentor's face, sending him to the ground.

  'Lad, what has gotten into you?! Did that monster—' Scythian was interrupted by Wolf laughing.

  'Hahaha, not bad, kid,' he said, while smoothing his chin.

  'Just so you know what to expect next time,' the traveler said. He walked over to his mentor, lending him a hand in standing up.

  Scythian sighed.

  'Sometimes I feel like I am the only one normal around here.'

  'Well, if that's the case,' the man turned to him. 'Then you will have no problem reminding me to find a blacksmith in the next town we run into. I have an idea of how to upgrade my armor'.