Luth could still not find a way to figure out his abilities, neither did he have the time to figure out since he was in middle of combat with the assassin. Seeing the man launched at him with the hatchet aimed for a kill, he had to act fast—and in the while figure out to counteract his Miero.
He rolled back and propelled himself in the same direction using his feet when the hatchet landed on the ground, but the ground laid unharmed when another arm emerged out of the first, slashing at him. He could land himself back just in time to not be in reach of the hatchet though leaving him safe.
He threw a small stone towards the arm, which passed through the first one and struck the ground and then he had it sorted out.
The assassin leaped at him and Luth stayed firmly stood on his feet, closing his eyes for a moment, listening to the steps that came towards him. The figure launched his hatchet towards him, but he did not move and let it strike him, when it passed through him and another voice hit his ears then he thrusted his blade straight ahead. He opened his eyes and saw what he expected, the assassin stood there carefully; the tip of Luth's sword digging into his chest.
He moved it further to shove the point deeper into his chest, reaching for the heart but the assassin quickly retracted back to his place; covering the place with his hand.
"We are even now." muttered Luth, keeping the sword pointed at the assassin.
The assassin was struck by the realization of what had happened, like a boulder weighing him down. "You figured it out? My Miero?" he asked, hissing a bit with his breath heavy due to the wound. "I did not think a knight was able to understand this."
"You have a useful Miero," replied Luth, pushing his knee closer to the ground, prepared to launch another blow, "your light is clear now."
"My light?" he said, seeming offended by the statement as he reached for the second hatchet on his belt, clutching the edge in his other hand. "My light is enshrouded by myself; fear it would burn you alongside me if leashed out."
The assassin ran towards him with the same trick that Luth had decoded; it was quicker, yet speed was not a matter to consider in this. The hatchet came towards him and Luth was unbothered now.
Light. He could tell what the trick was, his Miero could bend light. He used the atmospheric refraction—which he could bend without any heat due to the ability of his Miero—to form mirages before him that were indifferent when compared to his and would see Luth's moves before he retracted his mirage and strike him effectively. To prevent this; Luth now had to completely rely on his ears since the Miero was the fooling of his vision.
He struck him once again and the assassin was now sure that Luth knew his Miero. Blood crept down to his finger from his wounded shoulder. He did not make any effort to protect himself anymore, his ability—on what it relied on—had been destroyed. It was of greater risk to make another move that would get him in closer proximity of his enemies. What else could he do then, except going one step ahead?
He leaped back, in the same speed. Luth stood still, not amused to see the same move repeated again. A bolt struck him in the chest all of a sudden, causing his body to move back when the hatchet streaked his shoulder.
There was something else at play here. Luth gripped his sword and stuck him; the hatchet blocked the flow of the sword fairly easily; though threads engulfed his arms, running through them. Luth clenched his sword to put greater pressure onto the hatchet. It began to tremble a bit under the pressure of Luth's blade, but the assassin could not look even the slightest bit of bothered.
From his hand, emerged a small ray of light, covering the string in the entirety. It reached his hand and scorched its way through, causing Luth to fall back further. The string of light reverted back and formed itself into a small ball, and in a moment went through his left shoulder, burning all it torched in the way.
Could Miero be used for comparatively different purposed using the same initial attribute? His lack of understanding of Miero was quickly turning into a curse he had to overcome now. There was no other way, so it seemed than to understand once more.
He tried to move, only resulted into a load of fatigue discharging within his body, causing it to limp on the spot. He feel onto his knees, his energy ceased to flow. He could not even make his body comply with his own will. A pitiful state.
The assassin limped his way towards Luth using his feet, stopping at armlength away from Luth's body. Extending his arm, he roughly took hold of Luth's hair, tugging upon them to hear a pain-filled voice from the boy's throat. He looked upwards, the glory of the sun in the lower stages, now the sky only a bit dull, the clouds going over the luminescent orb.
"You do not know a thing," he spoke, in a soft voice, "of us, of Miero, of this would that you are living in." he lifted his hatchet to let it rest upon his neck,, "Miero has 9 phases, each representative of the magnitude of taming of the Narava. Each phase is like a stage of realization, and this is exactly what you witnessed. After all, I should fulfil a dead man's curiosity at his end. This is my Miero, Second Ascension: Roaring Rays."
He pulled the hatchet back and drew a deep breath.
*****
Shari flung the ashes all around as they scattered in the air endlessly, seeing into the ground. Kol disappeared back into the bushes, invisible from any eyes that could look on him. Shari did not let his mind be bothered and continued to spread the ashes, and a step came from behind, from front, from everywhere. The would around him seemed to dissolve in all the shuffling that was going around him, the bushes seemed to creak and then a step became imprinted on the fallen ashes, causing it to move up and climb onto Kol's leg, tearing through his cloths.
He turned back and swung his sword, the tip, landing a long slit through his shoulder and chest. He ashes climbed up the sword from his hand and seeped into the wound. Kol grunted painfully, treading his steps backward. He was clearly not aware of Shari's ability, but so did Shari not know much of his.
The ashes continued to spread a little before they disappeared in the wound, leaving the slit as a darker mark. Kol looked forward, staring him in the eye.
"You are here to assassinate Cassovin, that is for certain that I can tell." said Shari, lifting him his sword back onto his shoulder, "Who sent you?" he asked, with much authority.
Whoever had sent assassins to kill a Tribunal Member must either have a personal vendetta against Cassovin himself or this somehow relates to the worst of his suspicions. Knowing that no sound assassin would never accept to even go in the proximity of such a figure. The eminence that the Tribunal and the people associated with it ensured utmost distance from all personal and private affairs, only making sure that the law is preserved, nothing else. As much as he was aware of Cassovin—much like any other member of the Tribunal—there were no known assassination attempts onto his life. That only meant that anything which held relation to him as a person was not involved in the arrival of the assassins.
"Cannot tell, it is our law." murmured Kol, tired of the deep scar printed upon his chest, his breathing rougher than normal due to it.
"Whose law?" he asked cautiously.
Kol did not speak, raising the rod back onto the level of his shoulder. "Cannot tell." he spoke with finality evident inside his voice.
Shari narrowed his eyes, it was clear that he was not going to tell, finishing this ordeal is important compared to that anyways. He was tired enough to not care about who sent the assassin, though he had a good guess as to where they had come from.
The assassin in front of him saw no other way to continue this fight further without using his Miero to his highest potential and for that reason alone, he had to move further within the phases.
The rods rested themselves back onto the belt before he took a small rock from the ground, prepared to continue further now. Shari launched at him, and Kol in response threw the rock over, which picked up speed greater than Shari could have thought a mere rock could possibly be. It broke through his sword and flew past his cheek, landing a small cuut onto it before resting itself deep within the bark of a tree.
"Second Ascension: Shuffling Sound."