Solomon wrapped his left fingers around the hilt of Eden's Penance and pulled the heavy steel from the rubble. He rested the flat of the blade against his shoulder and stared down at his severed right wrist.
For any traditional swordsman, losing a dominant hand signaled the definitive end of their martial journey. Solomon felt a distinct wave of sadness wash over him, but he wasn't devastated.
He stared at the stump, quietly reminiscing about how nice it felt to have a right hand, but his mind was already calculating his new center of gravity to compensate for the missing weight.
A vivid memory from his endless training inside the Paladin's world flashed behind his eyes. He had just successfully mastered the first four forms of the Imperial Sword Arts. Feeling confident, he had challenged the ancient knight to a spar.
The duel ended in a matter of seconds when the Paladin cleanly severed Solomon's arm.
