THE REBORN WORLD OF THE CHRONICLES

The beta darkside spirits surrounded Alfie in a frenzied attack from all directions. Their overwhelming speed and brutal strength left him struggling to defend himself. One of their punches landed hard, sending him flying toward the edge of the cliff. Gritting his teeth, Alfie stabbed his sword into the ground to halt his momentum and used it as support.

"I took one down so easily," Alfie thought, panting. "Why is it getting harder now?"

Then it clicked. The six remaining darkside spirits weren't working together—they were fighting over who would devour him first. A brutal contest of dominance. That chaos, Alfie realized, was his only chance.

"If they're not coordinated... I can use that."

He turned and sprinted toward the cliff, baiting them into the open. As the darkside spirits caught up and lunged at him again from all angles, Alfie narrowed his eyes. "Now!"

He ducked, rolled, and twisted—dodging every strike. In their frenzy, the darkside spirits crashed into each other. Alfie leaped back and watched them stumble, dazed by their own attacks.

"I can't use Renshi," he reminded himself. "That power came from my hatred—and now that hatred is gone. But... I'm still standing. I'm still fighting."

He looked down at his small hands gripping the oversized sword.

"I'm only ten years old... but is this really a ten-year-old's strength?" He paused, heart pounding. "No. This has to be something else. Something I haven't figured out yet."

The darkside spirits got back up, their dark forms swirling with tension. With a guttural screech, they summoned their own weapons—black, jagged swords formed from dark Renshi stretching from their elbows down to their wrist. They rushed again, moving faster than before.

Alfie stood his ground.

"Time to test this power... whatever it is."

The first darkside spirit charged. Alfie stepped back, braced his stance, and swung. The blade met no resistance—until it cut straight through the creature's body. The darkside spirit collapsed in two, stunned eyes flickering as it dissolved into mist.

The remaining five hesitated.

"That's right," Alfie muttered. "I don't know how to fight with a sword—but I can outthink you."

He kept still, calculating. "Let them come to me."

They did.

This time, their attacks were infused with Renshi. One fired black lightning from above. Another sent spikes of cracked rock from the earth. The rest charged with slashing blades that formed six arcing lashes.

The sky darkened.

Alfie closed his eyes.

He listened.

Every footstep. Every movement. Every crackle of energy. They echoed like signals in the silence. Calm and focused, Alfie tuned into the rhythm of the world around him.

"I can hear them. I can feel them."

He twisted. Dodged. Jumped. Slid. The attacks missed—barely—and collided with the environment instead. A cloud of dust swallowed the area.

Blind now, Alfie listened harder.

Footsteps.

One direction.

He smirked.

With all his strength, he slashed toward the sound, sending a gust of wind so powerful it cleared the dust instantly. In front of him stood all the darkside spirits—all split in half before it even realized what happened. Their top halfs fell forward in silence.

Alfie fell to his knees, gasping for breath.

"That's a good job, Mr. Sword," he chuckled weakly. "Turns out I can fight without Renshi after all."

But the effort had drained him. His arms trembled from fatigue. "It'd still be easier if I could use Renshi."

He dragged himself back inside his father's site through the gaping hole the darkside spirits had left earlier. Inside, he scanned the room for tools—essentials for surviving alone.

Knives. Bow. Arrows. A compact shield.

"That'll do."

Strapping them on, he paused. "I've been thinking a lot lately. Like... an adult."

He blinked. "Maybe I'm growing up faster than I thought. Is this what it means to survive?"

With his gear in place, Alfie stepped back out toward the cliff. The sun had dipped slightly, casting long shadows on the land. He stood still, unsure.

"Should I cross the cliff... or go back into town and find Mama, Eli, and Marcus?"

His heart pounded.

The wind whispered around him.

He stood there—torn between family and destiny, fear and resolve—as the path before him waited to be chosen.