The Dream Shifter

Chapter 31

The space between them was disappearing quickly. There was no more time for him to be asking questions, for she was not letting him have another moment. The blade of the sword had nearly reached striking distance eliminating any remaining time that he thought that he might have had. Yuki jumped out of the way rolling to the ground just in time to only have the ends of his hair clipped.

Ayumi came to a stop from her strike with her sword held down from the swing. She looked over her shoulder towards Yuki as he came to rest on one knee. Yuki stared at her trying to decipher the meaning of her sudden attack on him, but all there was present was the desire to kill. He saw only cold emotionless eyes set on him with a single purpose. "Ayumi… What's going on? You nearly took my head off!"

She stood back up turning to face Yuki with her sword held at her side. "If you can't control your power I will force it out until you learn." Ayumi raised up her sword bringing the point to bear on Yuki bridging the distance.

Yuki could not believe what he was hearing from her then. 'This is like in those stories. The hero is pushed to the edge to realize their power by their master. But this isn't a story!' He pushed himself up off his knee to stand and face Ayumi. His legs were shaking knowing that he was in danger. 'But still, the master only made it look real. She wouldn't really hurt me. It wouldn't help her.' The efforts to calm his nerves down were slowly beginning to work as he stopped shaking.

Ayumi pulled her sword back entering into a charging stance. "You've stopped shaking in fear. You need fear if you expect to learn!" She charged towards Yuki swinging her sword again at him in an arc at his chest.

'She's not going to hit me. Just need to keep on my toes and watch her.' Yuki managed to dodge the swing of Ayumi's but stumbled finding that the reach was deeper than he was expecting. He slid back on his shoes from his evaded blow staring back at Ayumi questioningly. However, he had no time to think as Ayumi was on the attack again. 'Keep moving and I'll be safe. She's not going to hit me.' Another swing from Ayumi was avoided with a thrust followed up before Yuki saw it. He fell back hearing the ripping off his clothes in his ear as he hit the ground.

Yuki winced in pain from the impact of the ground underneath the snow of Ayumi's field. The snow had not been enough for him to be cushioned. 'She nearly cut me with that last attack. But she didn't.' He felt more certain about what was happening now. However, he was not given more than a moment of rest as Ayumi came at him with even fiercer attacks making Yuki roll through the snow just to keep going. 'The attacks are getting more accurate.' Yuki continued to roll on the ground until he was far enough away to get back to his feet. He could confirm his suspicions from his clothes that had several more cuts left in them. While he was examining himself Ayumi did not skip a beat of her offensive taking him off guard.

The sword cut through his right sleeve and into his skin drawing up blood soaking into the cloth. Yuki yelped in pain and surprise stumbling backward from step to step away from Ayumi. He felt how deep she had cut him with her blade. It left his entire arm feeling numb and difficult to move. His left hand clutched the wound tightly streaming more blood over his fingers unable to hold back the bleeding. Yuki looked down at his arm and back at Ayumi still in shock that she cut him so severely. 'This isn't how it's supposed to go.' He caught the glow of her blade in his eyes as she raised it up with his blood dripping from the tip staring him down. "What are you doing? You nearly took my arm off! This is going too far, Ayumi!"

"Not yet. You need to learn."

"Learn? All you're doing is making me bleed!"

"That's because you aren't afraid yet. You think I won't hurt you because I'm supposed to be training you. You couldn't be more wrong. I'll do whatever it takes to make you learn and right you need to remember fear to draw out your power." Ayumi tightly held the hilt of the sword stepping forward, a step to draw tension through the air.

"You can't be serious! You'll kill me!"

"If I must. This is the real world, not some story of yours. This is the fastest way for results. I can heal any injuries you sustain."

'She's serious!' Yuki's mind froze on Ayumi's words, not understanding until then how determined she was to make him use his power. It was immediately afterward that he felt the shaking in his legs resume once more. The shaking was beyond his control as his body became re-familiarized with fear. The cold stare of death from his opponent was something that he wanted to forget, but she was forcing it on him with a feeling that his body would never forget. Yuki attempted to get his arms to move but found them just as immobilized as his legs. '…I-I can't move…' He stared at Ayumi seeing what her next move was going to be.

Ayumi stepped forward slowly narrowing her eyes at the changes that were happening to Yuki. "That's the feeling. Fear me and call on your power!" She was no longer holding back her strike and leaped back into the attack coming for Yuki.

Yuki could see her coming, but he could do nothing about it. He was left paralyzed by his own fear and inability to protect himself. His left hand was still clamped on his wound unwilling to let go. 'Ayumi's…she's…would she?' The sword slid across his left upper arm and shoulder cutting nearly as deep as before flowing blood from his new wound. Yuki stumbled backward again biting his teeth against the pain. 'She'll kill me at this rate!' He had found strength in his legs finally and turned away trying to get away from her as fast as he could.