Calm silence prevailed in a forest. It was encompassing, as if sounds disappeared from anywhere, apart from Allan's mind. A fuzzy, pained roar echoed in his mind. It was painful... He was in a painful sea. His heartbeat was what remained.
The only matter of calmness was right above him, hidden beyond the trees, but he could see that. 2 moons were moving towards the horizon, noticed by the human eye and light to behold. Each had a whitish blue glint to them, as they let some light at this hour.
Calmness was striking his mind after seeing a figure emerging from behind the trees. The servant of Lord Gao walked to him, accompanied by clenched fists and a furious face filled with anger.
“What did you talk about with that man?” He calmly asked, yet his voice was full of killing intent and arrogance. The intention of earlier madness wasn't there to question a token of his master. But as for this boy, he can do whatever he wanted.
“Nothing much,” Allan answered, his lips wet with blood. “He offered me some business in a name of your master’s jade.”
“To you?” the scarred man said, crouching down to see Allan's face a bit closer. “Nice joke. I am not buying it.”
“It is the truth though!” Allan insisted with a clear voice. “He wanted to become my apprentice and travel throughout the continent in hopes to traverse the heavens. He was quite persistent... He wanted to help me with dealings with the Dawn and help my father as well. What a nice person.” Allan couldn’t help himself from expressing his sorrow in sweet lies that were aimed at himself and this terrifying man.
“I laugh so much now.” the scarred man said sternly.
“You should smile more. It will increase your lifespan. I heard it from some grandma on my grocery shopping today.”
Smeck! Bang!
Thud.
Allan’s body shook, and grinding noises of broken bones against the ground and trees alike echoed in the forest. This time, the scarred man wasn't lacking in terms of power. He pushed Allan deeper into the tree, engulfing him around the bark that was pushing into his body. The tree was also almost falling off which was a testament to his power. After all, he wasn't hitting the tree itself but used Allan as a way to do so.
“Hey! That is funny. I found this increasingly hilarious to watch your wrecked face. Hehehehe”
Once again, a punch went to the tree, hitting Allan straight in his face. It dealt massive damage to his jaw which was barely located on his skull right now.
Allan held his breath, consciousness dancing in a state of dizziness, numbness, and consciousness. His eyes were still open, yet a bloody sight was slowly stealing his vision. He could see a starry sky dancing around him, above him. It was everywhere, yet he was still in the tree. Allan expected such a strike since he could see this man as death itself. So, if it was coming, why not welcome it?
Acceptance and grief were two things that come from losses. Helplessness comes from fear and the inability to change one’s fate.
Allan could not change anything. He was broken beyond common sense. Layers of bloody red covered his starry skies. He liked the view, in a strange sense of such sight that he never saw. It was still better than dying by being crushed by stones.
“Oi! You still alive?” Asked the man without a speck of emotion in his voice. This time, Allan didn't see him but heard him.
Smack.
A sudden force punched him into his stomach, waking Allan's numb mind. Allan woke up, startled, coughing up blood. It was a wonder, how any was still left in his body.
Huff. Huff. He could not speak. Earlier, he lost consciousness. Did he also watch the underworld of crimson starry skies? It was a strange sight. It was unlike the sky above his head.
“Hey. You are still quite well. I can see that. Are you not... still alive?!” the scarred man shoved him into a second tree, but he was a bit gentle. To the tree, that is.
“Let’s do it a second time? Shall we?” He smiled.
Bang! Allan was hit once again.
Thud.
The bloody body fell to the ground, while the tree remained fine. At this point, Allan became unrecognizable to the eyes of people he knew. Life was still clinging to his body. He bitterly and continuously felt dizzy and lost consciousness a few times already. Somehow, his left hand still held a piece of bloody cloth.
“They are your precious life supplies, brat.” the Scarred man said, pointing to a bag not far from this tree. “You should get them before your life will split from your body. It is at least what you should do, so why aren't you doing that?”
Allan didn't move, but the scarred man helped him with that. He grabbed him by the neck, tossing him face down before his bag. Allan couldn't see it. He just pushed his face aside, to see the sky with his right eye. Glancing upwards with his bloodied, half-closed eye, he felt nothing, really. Just a whispering wind on the horizon and turning night to day. Nothing too crazy. Nothing too bad.
Suddenly, he noticed something. A crimson light in the far distance. Tremors shook the ground, making his skin scowl in panic. The starry sky above the pair of one arrogant man, and a helpless mortal changed.
Rumble! Total mayhem was happening far beyond.
Cloudy fog of bloody color appeared in the sky, higher than one could see. They wanted to approach the forest, and surround the atmosphere dozens of kilometers beyond this forest. It was yet to come down. To the mortal lands. This storm of unknown strength but unnatural ferocity.
Thunders streaked forth, within and outside of this storm. The sight of crimson clouds fell off from the foggy sea. It continuously descended, after obliterating the hurdles of the atmosphere as if they didn't matter.
10 kilometers...
5…
1 kilometer.
BOOM!
A huge crimson-like thunder struck out as if it reached another barrier. After single a moment of shocked silent down below, it was as if the heavens stopped breathing. Both Allan and scarred man felt something amiss. Though, only one of them felt that this was way too strange to happen here.
The face of this scarred man showed unnatural fear, as the crimson continued its descent as if nothing could stop its path.
Shimmers of red-colored waves rained downwards. It wasn't water. It was a wave of energy. A cosmic kind, causing corrosion of surrounding mountains and destroying life. The mountain and the ground trembled. It was as if the time for their destruction came.
Shock waves caused the wind to travel hundreds of kilometers, obliterating countless trees. The sight beyond was like a black sheep in a sea of white. The crimson become the center of this part of the world. This planet. An overbearing atmosphere of this terrifying weather abnormality shook the earth right above the mountain range for hundreds of kilometers.
What jsut happened was not even the direct descent. Those were residual energy shimmers. The thing that was involuntary effect of this storm could destroy many things. The main thing that happened next, was true descent.
Red crevices surrounded the sky as if the sky was made of glass. It was not seen by many as it rapidly reached the mark of the tallest mountains.
A storm moved past the last hurdle, arriving at the lowest atmosphere, right above the forest - or what was left of it.
Inside the ferocious storm that was at least a dozen kilometers wide, was a source of everything. An Orb so red in color, that no one would guess its identity. In fact, no one would even notice it inside such a storm of energy waves. It was a king, dominating this sea as the utmost ruler.
This was an otherworldly occurrence that caused all animals over thousands of kilometers to shiver and ran for their lives. It deeply affected every creature in the surrounding territory. Man included. It was a deep, instinctual feeling of fear, even if they witnessed the bloody sky or not. Even insects, tiny vermins, and blind animals ran.
Waves upon waves of this sea crashed to the ground with its main body. There were some parts of the storm that was much bigger, and deeper in crimson color. Waves unnaturally shoot at the skies, surrounding and folding around the mountains as if they wanted to clutch the entire mountain range to their grasp. Uprooting the tree, as heard in some legends, didn't happen.
Not far down, even though the majority of the trees disappeared, the scarred man hold Allan by his collar. By a consider, the outburst of wind and everything also caused Allan's back to stop by scarred man's feet. His interest wasn't down there, at the ground level. No. He was glancing at the sky in complete reverence and fearful serenity. He never felt this feeling. Such powerful sight, as if The Maker descended to realms of his rule.
Thanks to that, Allan survived, even though his intentions weren't as honest as that. He almost acted in instinct when he grabbed the boy, while the outburst of force that destroyed the suroudnigns didn't affect him at all. He wasn't weak, after all.
A burst of hundreds of crevices shook the lands, making the earth in this mountain range change. Across the surrounding dozens of kilometers, chasms, valleys, and destroyed mountains littered the ground. It was chaos. Literary, the world was turned upside down by waves of countless storms of various power.
Right around the corners of this destructive Core, were the locations of Allan, and Lord Gao’s servant.
The scarred man stood in shock, looking forth into the approaching waves that were coming in his direction. It was the main storm, much to his fear, delight, or mixture of both.
At this point, Allan finally saw the outcome after succumbing to unconsciousness. He too was shocked, but by different factors. First, by the instinctual fear and exaggeration of the devastation of this madness. Second by the vision of a bloody orb that seemingly looked in his direction, inside the crimson storm.
Then, upon seeing that, Allan shook a little as if he saw something that he shouldn't have. It was jsut a little moment of this terrifying sight, and another wave of tremors traveled through the ground to his body.
The screeching sound, as if the world's tallest mountain fell from the sky, descended. The main core of the storm was coming, destroying everything on its way to come to the scarred man and oblivious mortal who didn't know any better.
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Quite some distance away, before the storm came to this place.
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Destruction was yet to come.
Lord Gao was still in hot pursuit of Skoll, who remained running away from him. Confidently Lord Gao let his attacks roar! Using 2 twisted green javelins and about a dozen long hands, he was tossing rocks and boulders at his hunting goal.
Skoll was wounded. He was unable to one time retreat aside, causing a twisting javelin to scrap by his side. It went through his front shoulder, piercing a small hole around his neck. It was a more superficial wound for his size and did not reach his insides or his spine. But it still boiled his blood in anger, causing his fur to turn into bloody color around his front.
“Bloody sun, How much stamina this stupid dog has? It has been hours and hours. I am getting impatient.” Lord Gao continued to curse from the top of his bird.
Skoll continued forth, unaware of what was happening to his life token in terms of Allan's safety. He knew Allan's scent. He was still alive, but he had a bad feeling from deep within himself. In the end, Skoll had to change his strategy. No longer trying to directly compete with this old man, he came up with some plan.
Instead of playing the exchange of moves, he chose the path of draining Lord Gao's energy. Then, by following through with his sudden attacks at right angles, a well-timed attack can cause much more than a continuous barrage of attacks. Skoll already succeeded several times, causing Lord Gao’s body to be hit two times at the cost of being hit also two times by his javelins. It cost him his precious blood, but unlike this Immortal, Skoll held absolute confidence in his body.
Skoll was not sure how long he should keep going, but he had no choice but never stop. He would have reached Allan's position already if it wasn’t for this old man.
“This fucking beast. This…” Lord Gao continued to curse, realizing his own problem after a couple of hours. Normally, he did not need to worry about stamina manage. It was his bad luck not having a brain-dead enemy. The other was his confidence, so he didn't take any precious material, pills, or anything that would be useful. After all, he was summoned to a mortal planet.
“I will defeat this beast in one swoop of my strike. Let’s wait for the best opportunity, like this toy of my future... Hehe.” Lord Gao smirked, watching the situation below.
Both of them were equally worried and injured.
One was planning a road to success, the other his last attack.
Skoll was suddenly jolted into an unnatural trance. Coldness and fear descended on his mind as if something completely terrifying traveled through the ground, and air, pricing his very soul and existence. Looking around to see what was the cause of the abnormality, he didn't see a thing. It was that feeling of encompassing domination and fear that shocked him. He glanced at the sky. A rather vast distance away were crimson colors of clouds. It was yet to reach the surface and was dozens of kilometers away. The crimson fog was pushing toward the planet until it entered the atmosphere.
It was a situation that was out of his world. A thing that he never saw before. Though, Skoll was aware of some stories from his ancestors. To his knowledge, this was something that should never happen on mortal planets. Mainly, his abnormal feelings were the main factor that shook him up.
“What in the world is that thing?” He wondered, ignoring the fight. “It affects me a great deal. For this to be natural, that’s the most terrifying thing about this, but what if it isn't? A treasure? Person? A natural presence of some Immortal is taking place in the vicinity of this planet? It is like a hand pushing toward an ant. And... I am also an ant.” Skoll was speechless by this display.
Bang! Bang!
In his brief state of shock, he couldn't dodge in time. Two bloodied wounds appeared on his side, penetrating his thick fur. They brushed past the metal fur-like armor to deal damage to his flesh.
“Ugh… no!” He grunted in pain. Looking up, he saw the old man keeping his charge, even though he also stopped to observe the situation with some fear. It was no surprise he took this chance and strike out since he was a shameless bastard with no morality
“Whew. This was a stroke of good luck for me. What is that thing in the sky? For such pressure and a sight to appear here, why do I feel something too? I don't know what… Reverence? Not that… Fear. A primal law that pushes everything. The very blood itself?” Lord Gao was looking from his eagle. His vision glanced to the far distances.
As he did so, his eagle shook from a continuous barrage into his being. As with every animal, it panicked, causing Lord Gao to fall down from its back. The eagle shrieked, pushing its wings in the opposite direction of the storm as if its life depended on it.
“You!! You dare to mess with me?” Lord Gao shouted, falling down into the forest. He fell to the ground regardless of his anger. The eagle flew far above the trees before disappearing beyond the horizon in a matter of a couple of moments.
“Damn you!” Lord Gao shouted at a distance, standing on the ground. His pet was gone, just like that. Though that was it, and this is the reality. Before cursing more, Lord Gao spread his weapons and steams of green hands. He dropped the stones, before transforming the rest of his energy into another 2 twisted javelins. Protection and defense of his technique were the same as in the air or the ground. But his visibility drastically declined upon reaching the ground, filled with trees, crevices, and hills. It was a bad situation to fight for him.
“Where the fuck is that beast?” He wondered, looking around him. Vegetation was blocking everything. Was this his worst life crisis yet? Nah. He was yet to be over with his power and techniques.
Skoll welcomed the sight of the old man falling, yet it caused one issue. He fell into a dilemma. Charge or retreat towards Allan? He was unsure about what he should be doing at the moment. That mysterious dangerous instinct was still tingling in his mind. This was not a safe place to be in and either way, he should get over this fight already.
“It is even in my calculations. Let’s just get the goddamn kid!” Skoll decided, wondering if he did the right thing or not. “I cannot fathom what the hell is brewing inside those clouds at that place, but... It terrifies me because it is a place where Allan is. It feels absolutely terrifying to me, but I have to force it. There is nothing for me without him. Nothing.”
Skoll decided to retreat forwards, traversing the land as fast as he could. He backed from Lord Gao, who didn't know if his enemy would be a coward or not. Considering the chances, he was unsure in the same manner as Skoll. On one hand, he had no motivation to continue fighting. The Skoll, that is. On the other hand, fleeting was a probability too. Though Lord Gao didn’t have a decent chance of fighting in this environment, so it was complicated.
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Far away, in the sea of blood that descended upon the ground.
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Thud... Thud... Thud...
Orb of red slowly floated from the cloudy sea of crimson. The surrounding sea waves subsided and even clouds dispersed into the Orb. It floated as if it was taking a stroll in the remains of a forest. It was coming towards the last two living beings in its vicinity.
The scarred man looked aghast. He could not move or think. He stared into the light in a speechless manner. Whether intentionally or in trance, he stopped grabbing Allan, letting him fall onto his bag.
Seeing the crimson light on the skin of the Orb of Red, his own vision turned to the sea of colors inside. He couldn’t help but be mesmerized. Falling to his knees, his body trembled, his head etching, hurting. “Do not look! You are unworthy.” He heard a lofty, inhuman voice in his mind. The voice was so full of death that it caused his mind to turn into a completely blank state.
“Unworthy?” He thought before his vision turned black.
Orb of Red continued its journey, unhindered by anyone or anyone any longer. Reaching Allan in a moment, it was floating in the air above him. It wasn't even that big of an orb. It was as big as a human head, but its energy and power were mindboggling. Ripples of red veins started to twist around its surface, striking the air in random order as the unknown dark aura took over the previous one. The bloody one.
Allan forced his eyes open. He felt immense pressure and felt he should watch what happened. Facing something more terrifying than some oversized wolf or hits caused by some deranged man, he felt a new sense of helplessness. It came from his very being. A feeling that made his soul shiver in pain. Such feelings were the worse, or so he wished to think. He did not wish to look at it any longer. He did not want to be near it. He wanted to be gone. Even death would be fine.
Allan gave up, closing his eyes. He was having no thoughts left. His consciousness should fade away as the pressure rose. That was what he wanted. Nothing else.
At the last moment, an image of his eyes stared into a starry sky, which no longer uncontrollably spun. He was looking at some figure of the old man with a forced smile on his face before the image faded away. The image seemed to be quite far. As if it was a long distance away outside of the space. Yet this brief moment of clearness left him questioning if he had seen things or not. Falling unconscious from a better life of him was much better than questioning anything.
Orb of Red flared up once more, using some form of technique, and the surrounding air distorted in powerful ripples.
In a powerful moment of speed and power, the Orb of Red pierced through a couple of meters into the air, drilling into Allan's chest.