Kadiem lifted his arms, then drove them into the ground, and lifted his shoulder up. His head was drooping, but he soon lifted that to. He breathed in a calming breath, then let out an angered sigh. He stood up, and stretched his head, then his shoulders. He looked at me, and seemed to be boiling over inside. I had pushed him too far.

“You’re a worthy opponent. But now I’ll reveal my true colours. I’ll stop holding back.” Said young Kadiem.

“You don't frighten me." I replied.

"Then why not attack?"

I knew he was trying to trick me into attacking him, but I wasn't prepared to stand there and wait for him. So I played into his trick, and in doing so, conned him into a false sense of security. He thought that he had the advantage by being the one defending, but it wasn't true.

I sprinted forward, towards him, and sprung into the air a few feet away from him. I lifted my right leg, and spun my body to my right, away from him, in order to gain momentum. I then changed the direction of my swing, and threw my right leg at his face. I was expecting my foot to connect with the side of his head, but he had somehow anticipated my attack. I watched him duck below my leg, and I was helpless to stop him. I had gained too much speed to stop now, and I was open for attack.

His head popped up to my right, on the right side of my leg. In trying to kick him, I had lifted up my right arm for balance. My right side was once again open for attack. I started to move my arm down, but I knew that I was in trouble no matter what. I closed my eyes, and readied myself for his strike to my side. My arm was nearly all the way down, maybe I would be able to block him.

I had no such luck. I was ready for the blow to my side, but it never hit. Instead, Kadiem struck my right leg, in the middle of my calf muscle. His claws cut through my flesh, and sent pain cursing through my body, flying through my every nerve. It felt as if his claw had cut a few centimeters into my leg, in fact I was sure it had. I was still in great pain, when I realized that his blow had been incredibly powerful. Not only had it cut my leg, probably causing lasting damage, but his blow and been strong enough to send my body into a flip. I opened my eyes, and saw the ground in front of me.

I had been parallel to the ground, now the ground was shooting up towards me. My legs had flipped underneath me, and catapulted the rest of my body towards the hard ground. I truly was in trouble, and the pain I was feeling was about to multiply. There was nothing I could do. I watched hopelessly, as the ground loomed. My nose hit first, followed quickly by my left eyebrow, then my left cheek. The pain was like nothing I had felt before, my face was burning, searing with pain. My nose was surely broken. The ground was marble, and I was feeling just how hard it was. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse. The weight of my body forced against my neck.

My head had hit first, so it took the most damage. My bodies weight was compacting my neck, and sent me into even further pain. Then my shoulder hit, and my hips and legs were whipped into the rock hard floor. Every muscle in my body hurt, and my leg was causing me even more pain than before. My right ribs, had taken more damage, and my clothing was wet from all my blood.

"Feels great. Doesn't it?" Said Kadiem sarcastically.

I was in far too much pain to respond, and he knew it.

"The funny thing is that, after your attack, which was similar to this, I stood up and fought. Yet, there you lie. Head planted in the floor, leg and ribs bleeding. I think it's time to finish this."

He leaned down, and picked me up by my shoulders. He lifted me clean off the ground, and stood me up on my feet.

"I'm going to let go. So stand you pitiful fool." Instructed Kadiem.

He let go of his grip, and I tried my hardest to remain standing. My right leg shook, and wobbled, then collapsed. Sending me to my knees. I forced myself to stay upright on my knees. Little did he know, I still had my powers at my disposal. I was in a world of pain, but definitely not out for the count yet.

Kadiem walked over to where he had tossed his robe. He picked it up, and pulled out a sheathed sword from a compartment in the back of his robe. The sheath was black, and plain, but the handle was of an intricate design. It had four protruding, protective, knives at the top of the handle, just below the blade. They were at ninety degrees to each other, at were angled to deflect the opponent’s sword, and protect the wielders hands. The knives were black, and so was the handle itself, but the handle had a silver lining that wound down and around the length of the handle.

He dropped his robe back to the ground, and grabbed his sword with the handle with one hand, and took the sheath with the other. He was about to unsheathe his sword, when the Chronoplast began to glow blue again. It took both of us by surprise. I was preparing to use my powers on Kadiem, and he was preparing to slice my head off with his sword. But alas, neither of us would have our wish.

We both looked at the Chronoplast, and eagerly awaited the immanent arrival of some unknown entity. We would soon find out who it was, because the orb shot lightning into the 'X' on top of the portal again. And it erupted into flames once more. The Chronoplast was glowing yellow now. The being stepped through the time travel portal, and I immediately noticed that he was brandishing a sword, held high, and posed to strike. As he entered our time, his bodily features became noticeable. I looked at him, then blinked a few times verify what I was witnessing. Could I be seeing things? Was this the person I thought it to be? Could it possibly be?

Was that me? A future Kain?