[color=red][h2]The Blood Devil: Prepare for combat[/h2][/color]

[color=92278f]“Well… I may not be what you thought of first, but I can be that opponent.”[/color]

For a moment, Saria was… [i]insulted[/i]. How can this impotent voice claim he was a match for her? She remembered her training, those early days full of Hell. The fighting, the abuse… 

[i]The killing.[/i] 

She winced as she remembered Alina, sinking into the lake. Another poor, unfortunate soul. Once again, she saw the last memory she had of her: a single hand breaking the surface of the water, then being dragged back down without remorse. She remembered every single day after that, the fear of being killed like Alina was, and the utter vengeance she harbored towards her entire family, before slaughtering them all. 

[i]Did this pathetic creature dare compare its suffering to mine?[/i]

[color=92278f]"It's a long shot, but if I win this, I want to bring my soulmate back. She was all I had after my own kind rejected me, and she met her sorrowful fate at the hands of the man I once knew as my best friend. I miss her every day of my existence, and unfortunately for me, I can't be reunited with her in death, as I live in the afterlife already. She fights for the Heavens, and I am rejected because of my very existence..."[/color]

Saria listened, her interest peaked. 

[color=92278f]"I am Bonesword, the Fungal Knight. A swordsman who has spent his entire afterlife in sorrow... and I'll make sure that your last fight won't be as sad as me."[/color]

For once in her life, Saria felt a certain pang in her chest. No, it wasn’t an arrow or a knife, it was different; a pain that sprouted from the heart and tickled the bottom of her throat. It was terrible. She shook her head, ridding herself of the strange feeling. Even though she was still frenzied, and her insides numb with continuous pain, for a moment, she felt a moment of clarity.

[color=red]“You’re a husk, are you not? Strange, that a ghost such as you is stuck here, wandering the earth. I suppose your loss was… painful. I am no stranger to loss. In fact, I’ve lost everything. I think…”[/color] 

She paused. There was that strange feeling again. She took a deep breath, and continued.

[color=red]“I think… I might change my wish, after this. But first, I’ll make sure I end your suffering.”[/color]