Crack!

That was the sound of a wooden stick breaking. It was the sound of a group of people, who was making their way through the forest. In the front of the group was a young girl who looks to be around fourteenth to fifteen years old. She pushes away the leaves that were blocking her view.

“Yim, I don’t think this is a good idea.” said a young man.

The young man was a fairly handsome man with a good build. He was a few inches taller than the young girl. She was beautiful for her age and was wearing a light yellow dress. Her dress was loose on her body but you can still see her small curves.  Although they were in the forest, there was barely any dirt on her clothe. The same applies to the young man.

Yim ignore the young man and flip her ponytail to the side as she continues on the path.

“Yim, I really don’t think- ”

She turn to glare at the young man and asked, “What, do you think that I’m scare? I’m not some wimpy kid like you.”

The night was dark but you can see the nerves on the young man’s face appearing. His face flush red and he look like he was trying to control his breathing.  He was just about to speak up when someone interrupted, “M’lady, it really is as Young Master Ikki says. It really is dangerous here.”

Now Yim turn to glare at the person who spoke up. She lowers her gaze when her eyes landed on the woman. The woman began to sweat as Yim continue looking at her. She was scare of Yim but she really had no choice. The location they were in was a dangerous place to their group.  If she did not speak up and Yim continues further, the group will likely encounter danger.

“Hmph!” Yim snorted.

She returns her attention to her path and continues on. She was a talented girl with a noble birth. This made her haughty and arrogant. As a young girl, no one had ever spoken against her. She was always protected so no one had dared attack her. Every once in a while, she will enter the forbidden forest to cultivate.  A group of people will be assign to protect her from danger.

“Why would I be scare? I’m a rank Orange.”  She said arrogantly.

“But M’lady, the beasts that live in this area are rank Green and up.”

These words went to deaf ears. Yim acted like she didn’t hear them and continue on her journey. She kicks away a large rock that was on her path and sent it flying away.

In this world, a person is rank by the color of his energy.  How powerful a person is can only be deciphers through their energy. The order of ranks is in the order of the colors of the rainbow. It goes according to rank red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and finally ended at rank violet. Very few have reached the Indigo and Violet stage.  No one knows what stage comes afterward.

“Yim, stop acting like a kid and return. It really is dangerous here.” Ikki repeated.

He continued, “It is late and the sky has turn dark. Now is the time when stronger beasts roam. The beasts are too strong for us to handle, and I think that it is a better idea to turn back. We have barely reached the middle parts of the forest so we can turn back quickly.”

Yim groaned in annoyance. She and her group had stay in the forest for more than a month. They had stay in the outer parts because she did not have enough strength. She was able to gain more strength throughout the whole month. Now she was able to defeat most beasts in her rank and below. If she and her group combine their strength, they can easily kill a rank Yellow beast. Honestly, she feel really bore in the outer parts and wanted to challenge the beasts in the middle parts. However, everyone present was forcing her to return to the outer parts.

The forbidden forest was vast and it would take the group a while until they reach the middle parts of the forest.  This forest was the most dangerous forest in their country, but it is also the best place to train in. Many experts had come here to train but also to search for treasures. Many stories were told that the forests contain treasure but not many people  had verified it. The inner parts of the forests were mostly unexplored because of the danger it contains. The higher level beasts live in the inner parts. Even Indigo and Violet experts dare not to go there carelessly. Rumors even say that mythological creatures exist there, such as the long lost dragons.

“Should we rest for the night?” Yim suddenly asked.

Ikki sighed, “Did you not hear a single thing I say?”

“I’m not scare. I believe I am strong enough to-“

She suddenly stops talking.  Startled by her sudden actions, everyone stops in their track and turn to look ahead of them. It was dark at night but their eyes had adjusted to the dark already. Yim squinted her eyes to see more clearly.

“Hwarrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!”

That was the sound of a beast roaring! The ground begins shaking and the trees ahead of them were crashing down one by one.

“Everyone, get into position!” Ikki shouted.

Immediately, everyone surround Yim and block her from the incoming danger. She pouted. She did not want to be protected by them and wanted to prove how strong she was!

“Ikki, I can protect my-”

“Be Quiet!” Ikki shouted.

Yim shuts her mouth because Ikki rarely shouts at her. If he was this serious, this meant that there really was trouble ahead. Knowing this, she kept quiet and also puts on her guard. They waited and waited until the beast finally appears. It was a gigantic bear that was twice the size of a normal bear. Its fur was pure golden that seems to shine in the dark. Its claws were sharper and longer than a normal bear, and it had a tail that was similar to a lion that was covered in golden fur.

“Hwarrrrrrgggghhhhhhhh!!!!!!”

The beast roar once more before swinging its claw toward the group. Two men jump forward to block the attack and send their own attacks. When the two left, the remaining quickly covers Yim. Seeing the beast up close finally had some effects on Yim. Her legs tremble as she stares at the beast.

“Take this!” One of the two men shouted.

He slams his sword head on to block the beast’s attack. At the same time, the other men wave his hand in the air and a wall of earth appears. It was useless. The man sword attack did not have enough power to block the beast’s attack. He was only rank Yellow and a human naturally had less strength than a beast. The beast was a rank Green.

The man was sent flying backward and his back slam against the other man’s wall of earth. The people’s faces behind them turn ashen. How could they be defeated so easily? None of them had the time to answer as the attack continues on. The two men were sent flying and finally stop after hitting against a couple of trees. They fell onto the ground and fainted.

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The beast turns his attention to the leftover and charge forward. Although it had a large body, it moves agilely and quickly. Nothing can block its path and the beast continues to sends attacks.

“Yim!” Ikki shouted.

Everyone had busy themselves trying to deflect the beasts attack. It was futile. They were all too weak compare to the beast. Not only that, the beast was only using pure strength. It has not even revealed its real power. While the beast attention was focus on the rest of the people, Yim was alone. She had the time to quickly sneak up against the beast’s back. Her affinity was wind so she was quick enough to appear behind the beast.

“Wind Slash!”

She pointed her finger at the beast and a small spiral flew out. It slam against the beast and began slashing it. Her rank was only Orange so her attack did not damage the beast much, but it did anger the beast. The bear-like beast whips its tail toward Yim. Ikki was the closest to her so he screams out her name and jump over to shield her. He was slap by the bear and flew backward toward Yim. They both collide into each other and fell to the ground. There was nothing they could do but watch helplessly as the bear slaughter their people.

“I can’t die like this!”

She coughs out some blood as her body turns sluggish. Next to her was Ikki, who had blocked her from a powerful attack. His chest has a huge scar that was leaking blood which was spreading to the ground. There seem to be no hope. Everything has happen so quickly that no one was prepared for it. While near her deathbed, she finally realizes how ignorant she was.

“Damn it! If only I had listened to Ikki!” She cried helplessly.

Her injury wasn’t as fatal as Ikki. The only attack that hit her was when Ikki flew toward her. Other than that, she was fine. Although her body hurts from the impact, her limbs were still working. She forces her body to move and it did. Slowly, she musters up all her strength and pulls Ikki along with her.

“I need to get out of here!” She thought.

She knew she was in danger but did not dare give up. Using her strength, she tries to drag Ikki to a safe spot. Sadly, it was futile because the bear had already notice them. It remembers how she had attack him with that weird magic spell. Even though rank Green beasts did not hold much intelligence, it was still able to understand that the girl had attack him. Thus, it was deeply anger.

“HWARRGHHHH!!!!!”

The beast roars as he ran toward them. It swings its claw at her head and she duck down. It was a lucky move and she did not die. The beast quickly switches his claw and sent it flying toward her again.  This time, she had no choice but to push Ikki away from danger. The moment Ikki fell to the ground was the moment the claw slash at her petite body.

“Urgh!”

She coughs out more blood than before and collapse onto the ground. Her vision was turning blurry and she knew that her doom was near. Just as she was about to close her eyes, they snap open when she heard the impossible. The beast did not roar its normal roar but a cry of pain.

The vision in front of her suddenly change since the bear’s back was now facing her. It growls at someone that she could not see. In the next moment, the beast jumps forward to attack something but stops in midair. Yim couldn’t believe her eyes! All of a sudden, the beast did not emit any sound and fell forward. It slams into the ground and sent dust flying everywhere. Then a figure appears before her and the beast.

“Am I dreaming?” She thought.

There was a boy standing on top of the beast.  The moonlight came over his face and his features can be seen clearly. He had long black hair that reaches his waist and his black eyes stare into hers, as if he can see what she was thinking. This boy looks younger than her, but his handsome features can be seen. If only he was a little older, girls will be fawning over him to get his attention. Yim might have even fallen in love at first sight because he was her prince charming! After all, he was the one who had saved her from the moment of despair. Sadly, he was only a kid at the moment.

The boy looks at Yim for a second but quickly turn his attention to the beast. Without warning, he slams his fist into the beast and it easily penetrates through the beast skin. Yim open her eyes and gasp aloud.

“Im…Impossible!” She muttered.

It must be known that a rank Green beast had tough skin, yet the boy was able to pierce through it so easily. Not only that, he had defeated the beast without even breaking a sweat! Who was he? What was he doing here alone in the night, in this forbidden forest? Many questions roam through Yim’s head.

"Who-who are you?" Yim croaked out in a weak voice.

It looks like he had got what he was looking for because he suddenly stood up and was holding onto something. The boy furrows his eyebrows at Yim when she spoke. He stares at her and his lips slightly parted.

“Uyens uicjsejbj hsefcumo angfyu.”

What? Yim did not understand anything he has said. Was her ears not working properly or what?

“Tjnd rgvnj dsghisg cjecxnh.”

Now she knew for sure that he was speaking in a foreign language. It sounded like he was speaking gibberish! And yet, the words he spoke carry a strong sense of power. The boy tucks the thing he got from the beast into his pocket, and gave one last glimpse at Yim before turning away,

“Wa-wait!” She called.

But the boy did not pay attention to Yim. She could only watch as his shadow blend in with the dark surroundings and disappear into the night. His disappearance was as fast as when he had appeared. The moment he disappears, she suddenly remembers how he appears.

Who was he? How come I never heard about him before? Someone so young yet so powerful should be known already. However, she did not have the time to think. Her eyes were slowly closing and she could feel her body turning numb. She silently curses the boy who did not help her. Since he has already killed the beast, he could have at least help her from dying. He had abandoned her even though he saw how severe her wound was.

Gritting her own teeth, she swore, "If I see him again, I swear he will be facing death.” 

She sighs as her eyes were forcefully shut down. But before they did, a question appears in her mind again, “Who was that mysterious boy?”