Beneath my feet as I leapt over the wall was the body of Nate. His chest was bloody, and blood dripped out of his mouth as he laid their seemingly unconscious, or at least that’s what I hoped.

My hearing wasn’t good enough to hear his heartbeat from this distance and his was not the only body lying on the ground.

In the distance there were a couple of other bodies lying around.

Most of them were Nates people. Which wasn’t a surprise. They weren’t as prepared as we were, weren’t as experienced in fighting large groups of enemies as we were, weren’t armored as best as we were.

So, I understood why they were struggling, even against the weakened Hobgoblins.

Yes, I understood.

Of course, it wasn’t just them, Richard was doing his best to hold out against one of the Hobgoblins, and Brandon was doing the same.

They were both struggling, and if the Hobgoblins they were fighting weren’t already weakened from my flames and continuously getting weaker by the second, then maybe they would already be dead.

This too wasn’t surprising, and I understood their struggles because of the gap between someone at the 4th Cycle and someone still in the 3rd. Plus there were likely racial advantages at play as well.

Yes, I understood.

The Hobgoblins I left behind would likely catch up soon and there were more coming over the wall in the distance each moment. This was not surprising either, the Tutorial has never been a safe place in the first place. It was not meant to guide and teach us, nor was it meant to protect us. It was only meant to give us a glimpse into the world we would soon be living in.

Yes, I understood that.

I understood it all.

So why was I so angry?

Why was I seething?

Why did I want to rid the world of all Goblin-kind?

Why did I want it all to burn?

Why?

Why?

Why?

I don’t know.

I feel calm…calmer than I’ve felt before. Far calmer than I would be naturally. What is this feeling?

I don’t know.

I landed with a thud and took off running towards the approaching Goblins, and to my back I could hear the Hobgoblins I left begin to climb over the wall.

Though my mind was someplace else. In the midst of my simmering anger and likewise eerie calmness, I felt a call.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Something was calling to me.

As if whispering into my soul itself.

It didn’t feel harmful, so I listened.

I only heard one thing.

Something I didn’t know the meaning of, but I instinctively felt like saying it.

“Vorrash.”

And then the world went black.

POV Jrino

Shortly before Raizen said Vorrash…

“How do you think he will handle this?”

“The same way he’s been handling everything else, he will burn anything and everything. If didn’t know just how much time he puts into training with his spear, I would tell him his flames were a crutch.”

“A crutch? Really Jrino? You would tell an Infernal their flames were a crutch? That seems like something that would get you killed.”

“The boy is not one of those naive young scions scattered all over the Clan Greja. He and the rest of attendees will have to work for their survival unlike being those spoiled brats being spoon fed every resource imaginable.”

“He is indeed different, but it’s not a bad thing to be cautious. Now thank you for your input, but my question was centered around something else. How will he handle the death of a comrade?”

“The death of a comrade…I don’t think that’s something we need to worry about. He will be fine. This is something all cultivators need to be able to deal with throughout their lives and from what I understand about Infernals, they especially need to be able to deal with this.

“…Wait…what is this feeling? Do you feel this too?”

“Hm...? Yeah, I do feel it…it feels like there is something else…something more…it’s coming from Raizen…

Both Greja and Jrino, who were nascent soul cultivators felt a bit perplexed at the situation. They knew that they were not all powerful in the grand scheme of things, but in the Tutorial surrounded by a bunch of Body Tempering Realm Cultivators? They were akin to gods.

Yet one of these very Body Tempering Realm cultivators was doing something they couldn’t seem to understand.

Their Qi sense was wrapped around him, yet they couldn’t sense anything else apart from the fact the weird feeling they sensed was coming from him.

Though before either of them could explore further, Raizen’s lips parted.

He didn’t talk very loudly, and for some reason it appeared he didn’t need to.

“Vorrash”

Everything for a few miles immediately became covered in the color black. There was no light, none could see, none could truly feel, none could hear.

Just darkness for miles.

Even Jrino and Greja were subject to this experience, though on a much lesser scale.

Their senses were still intact, only subdued, though both of them instinctively knew they could break out of whatever this was quite easily, but neither did so.

That was because to them, they could feel something else.

That feeling from earlier was stronger than before and now it felt like something was watching them, something they shouldn’t offend.

They stood still and didn’t move even to breathe and after a second the presence was gone as fast as it came, and with the absolute darkness that descended.

Though once sight was returned to all that was still standing was different, the chaotic scene before was gone. All Hobgoblins were gone, not a single trace left behind, all of Raizen’s flames were seemingly extinguished, again not a trace left behind, though something that most people only noticed a few moments after were the houses and…they had numerous cracks and even seemed burned in some places.

Of course, only a few people understood the significance of this.

“The system protected buildings…they were damaged by his flames…that…”

“Greja…It is probably best we do not speak about this.”

…

Of course, the man that caused this was just standing there…in a daze…

POV Raizen

What…what just happened to me...?

I heard something weird call out to me and then…I simply said what I heard and then everything went dark…but it wasn’t just dark…it felt as if I was all powerful…anything I wanted to be removed, and it would’ve vanished…and then…that feeling of being watched. Something was watching me…but it didn’t feel harmful…it felt like…family…

Just what…

“Raizen!!!”

“Huh?”

“Raizen!! Are you alright?! Raizen!!!”

I finally looked up and realized the situation I was in. I completely forgot what was going on for a second there. Richard was shaking me and screaming my name. He was bleeding. A lot.

“Sorry. I’m okay just out of it. What about you? You’re bleeding. Where are the potions? We need to get everyone a po...”

I didn’t get to finish my sentence as I immediately felt extremely woozy and before I knew it, I was falling over with my eyes closing. Richard’s screams were the last thing I heard.