The five people I had been expecting finally arrived. I greeted them warmly, but all they did was smile. That alone made me anxious. Luckily, one of them spoke, saying, "We were just passing by, saw this beautiful house, and thought we could rest here for a bit." I wanted to refuse, but my fear kept me from declining, I thought it might lead to a fight. So I agreed.
As we entered the house and moved through the passage toward the living room, one of them noticed the seal of the Thunder Clan on the wall. What had felt like a friendly walk instantly turned into a harsh interrogation. He slammed me against the wall, his elbow pressing against my throat.
Filled with murderous intent, he fired a single question, one that felt like it would decide my fate.
"WHO ARE YOU?" he demanded.
I reacted without thinking. I struck back, cutting his arm into pieces hence breaking free and in that instant the situation exploded into battle.
They all drew their blades and the room darkened. Before I could fully grasp what was happening, the living room was torn apart. It was horrific, they controlled the shadows of the entire room and turned them into weapons. Even so, I managed to escape, though not without injuries. When they realized I was still alive, they launched a frontal assault.
It was perfectly coordinated. All five moved as one, clearly trained to fight together. Still, I refused to give up. I closed my eyes, heightened all my senses, becoming hyper aware of everything around me and charged forward with the intent to survive.
It wasn't easy. They had powerful techniques and were highly efficient with blades and martial arts. I barely managed to block and evade their attacks with my katana. The worse part was that I was already injured. The pressure kept mounting I was exhausted, stressed and worn down from lack of rest. It became overwhelming.
Then, when I finally caught a moment to breathe, it happened.
I was struck critically and knocked unconscious.
As my vision faded, I tried to stay awake, but the weight of my emotions, fatigue, stress and anxiety dragged me to my limit. At that point, I lost all control. I was barely aware of what was happening, my body moved purely on instinct.
The lightning I had never been able to fully use before suddenly felt natural. There was no hesitation. I temporarily dominated the battlefield with my swift speed and my heightened sense almost like living lightning itself. I believe that this state was born from my deepest desire to survive. Although I wasn't any stronger than I previously was, I was fast enough to defend myself and fend off every attack. Their resolve began to shatter as they bean to doubt themselves and their movements.
Clouds swirled overhead, darkening the once clear afternoon sky. Thunder roared as electricity surged through me, as I was about release it. The clouds began to clear.
I was conscious again.
I had no memory of what had happened, but I knew I had to escape before they could strike again. They were all stunned for a while and couldn't move due to their hesitation, I took this chance and ran straight into the bushes without looking back. I didn't stop until I could no longer sense their presence.
I rested beneath a tree and fell asleep. When I woke, I was so dizzy with my breathing shallow and slow. It had to be from the rapid loss of blood. I thought that was the end.
Just as I was about to give up, the green swordsman appeared before me once again.