Azreal, his sword ablaze with Xiara's Fiery Qi, pours in an immense amount of his own Lightning Qi and a tinge of his own Void Qi. Calista's metal flickers between a deep power blue and an inferno red, emanating power beyond the capabilities of Azreal, causing the Ent to turn its head shaped from twisting vines, its hollow sunken eyes turning only with enough time to watch Azreal's strike connect.
Azreal screams as he dashes forward and drives his sword into the centre mass of the Ent, the darker blood-soaked vines giving slight resistance before melting under the incredible heat of Xiara's Fire Qi. Azreal's blade, Calista, pierces through the thick layer of vines before Azreal feels something squishy beneath the latticework of the Ent's skin. Another scream escapes Azreal's lips as he leans forward and pushes with all his might.
The Ent, finally understanding Azreal's intentions, drops Darian onto the ground, a loud thud and cry of pain as he awkwardly lands onto the clearing ground. Azreal's eyes go wide as the four vines he deflected earlier begin to rear and strike towards him, yet he does not falter and pushes his blade with the last of his strength. A scream of relief and the satisfying sound of resistance breaking enters Azreal's ears, red blood begins to flow from the location where Azreal pierced through the Ent.
A resounding thud followed quickly by a grunt of pain from Azreal and a scream of pain from Xiara, as one of the vines strikes his back. Azreal, in excruciating pain, releases his sword and jumps backwards, the three other vines smashing into the ground where he once stood.
"Azreal, distract it for another moment, I think I've found a way to kill this Ent!" shouts Darian as he forces his body off the ground. Azreal, not having the energy to respond, simply focuses on the incoming vine attacks and gives his absolute focus to ensure he does not take more damage than necessary.
Darian, standing to the front of the Ent using its focus towards Azreal to approach the Ent's middle area where Azreal had pierced the beast with his sword. "Azreal! Dismiss Calista now!" Darian shouts, waiting for the moment Calista returns to Azreal's Soul Sea.
The moment Azreal dismisses Calista, the hole in the middle of the Ent begins to close over, Darian waiting for this exact moment shoves his hand inside the Ent. Darian, moving as fast as he can, attempts to find the core of the Ent, "It must be here, the body was feeding it!" he mutters under his breath.
The Ent, suddenly feeling the massive hands of Darian, rummaging inside of its body, looks down and a twisted grin made of vines is the last thing Darian sees as the Ent uses its monstrous arm to swat Darian away from him. "Argh!" Darian lets out a painful cry as he is launched over five feet through the air and crashes into the ground near Xiara.
Azreal watches his friend get launched across the small clearing and crash into the ground with a horrendous thudding sound. "Darian!" he shouts, hoping his friend is still alive, nervous seconds pass as the Ent returns his attention to Azreal, "Watch out!" Xiara shouts. Azreal cannot react in time as the Ent makes two strikes with his vine whips, striking Azreal hard as he is knocked backwards. Shouts of pain from both Xiara and Azreal fill the surrounding area, Azreal quickly rolling away from another two strikes uses the moment to stand and re-summon Calista.
Azreal, remembering he has a twin harmony pill from his Master, quickly retrieves it from his spatial ring and consumes the pill. It will be ineffective as he can't cultivate and spread the healing energies through his body but healing even five percent will be critical to the outcome of this battle. Using a small amount of his remaining Qi, Azreal retrieves two more twin harmony pills, the last of his reserves, and throws them toward Xiara.
"Take one and give one to Darian, I will hold the Ent off until you recover," Azreal commands, as he rushes forward, dodging two more incoming vine strikes. The twin harmony pill heals Xiara quickly, Azreal draws her power further and his blade is engulfed in an inferno once again. He can sense her fatigue yet keeps drawing her Qi as he believes that it's better to be fatigued than dead.
Azreal has the Stormblade Surge technique still active and manages to deftly avoid each strike, raising his sword and feeling a surge of Fire Qi available to him. The heat of Xiara's flames radiates through Azreal's sword, the intense warmth a stark contrast to the cool rush of his own Qi. The clang of metal against wood rings out across the grove as Azreal's sword clashes against the Ent's vines. Each impact sends a shockwave up his arms, the force of the blows a testament to the Ent's monstrous strength. Jumping into the air, Azreal slashes towards the head of the Ent, managing to make a solid connection and slicing through the smaller vines which are used as the beast's neck. The Fire Qi quickly catches onto the still green neck vines of the Ent. Landing at the feet of the beast, Azreal dashes to the rear of the beast and strikes towards one of his legs.
Azreal's heart pounds in his chest as he narrowly avoids another vine strike. The fear of losing his friends, of failing them, fuels his determination. He knows he must push through the pain, must keep fighting, for their sake as much as his own. With each swing of his sword, he channels that fear, that desperation, into a fierce resolve.
A powerful flaming strike targets the Ent's leg. Azreal's eyes go wide as his blade passes through with ease compared to his earlier strikes. Not wishing to waste this opportunity, Azreal continues the onslaught of drawing Xiara's fire Qi, empowering it further with his own and attacking the critical points of the Ent.
Another five strikes and slashes are all it takes for Azreal to bring the beast down, the flame of Xiara's Qi and the ferocity of his sword making quick work of the mutated Ent. As the Ent falls, the grove falls silent, the only sound being the heavy breathing of the exhausted trio. The acrid stench of burnt wood and spilled blood hangs heavy in the air, a pungent reminder of the ferocity of their battle.
The grove, once a peaceful sanctuary, now bears the scars of their struggle - deep gashes in the earth, smouldering patches of foliage, and the twisted remains of the Ent. Azreal, his lungs burning with each laboured breath, surveys the aftermath with a mixture of relief and apprehension.
The metallic tang of blood mingles with the sweat on his brow as he mutters, "Why did it become so much easier to kill?" His words, barely audible over the pounding of his heart, carry a note of unease that settles like a weight in the pit of his stomach.
A low groan of pain causes Azreal to look towards Darian, who has just managed to sit himself up. A mischievous smile on his face as in his right hand is a fist-sized core, a crimson red and dark green, representing the blood Qi mutation and the Earth Qi of its initial form.
"Fuck me Darian, you actually got the core!" says Azreal as he manages to get his breathing under control. Xiara, sitting in the lotus position, as Azreal can feel her regenerating her Qi and Soul Essence from the twin harmony pill. Azreal rushes over to Darian, his relief palpable as he sees his friend clutching the Ent's core. Despite the fatigue tugging at his limbs, a laugh escapes him, a mix of exhaustion and victory. "If you didn't manage to get that core, we would've been fucked, you're the best!" he manages to say, clapping Darian on the shoulder.
Darian grins, wincing as he attempts to stand, Azreal giving him a hand as he stumbles forward. "Had to make sure it didn't get a chance to heal. Grabbed this just in time." He holds up the core, its crimson and green colours catching the dim light through the grove's canopy. The core, a strange oblong shape indicating the mutation has begun but failed to complete, pulses faintly. Its power no longer running rampant, the lack of blood and Qi causing the mutation to halt and the shape to solidify.
Xiara slowly rises, the effects of the twin harmony pill visibly restoring her strength. She walks over to join them, her gaze fixed on the core in Darian's hand. "Good save Darian. And Azreal, thank you for taking the aggression while we healed, it was an extremely good time to give out the twin harmony pills."
Xiara's gaze holds Azreal's for a lingering moment, her eyes reflecting the whirlpool of emotions swirling within her. The link still connected, acting as a bridge between them, Azreal feels the intensity of her emotions: fear and relief are the most dominant, casting long shadows in her psyche after the battle. But beneath those more immediate reactions, there simmers a small, yet undeniable flame of desire mingled with a profound sense of safety.
There's something undeniable about the way my heart leaps when I see him move in battle, so fierce and determined, yet always aware of where I am. Each time he's near, there's this inexplicable warmth that washes over me, a feeling of safety that I haven't felt in a long time.
This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.
Her thoughts pounding against her mind, she knows that Azreal will at least feel or hear some of these thoughts, the total extent of his understanding unknown to Xiara. She walks towards Azreal, with slightly unsteady steps, Azreal now watches her approach, his crystalline blue eyes staring directly into her own emerald eyes.
Azreal watches her approach, an undeniable feeling of desire and attraction wells deep within him and a sense of fear and confusion. Is she approaching me? Or is it Darian? Why does she have that strange look on her face, no one has ever looked at me with eyes like that.
On closer inspection, her body is petite, yet her form carries an unexpected voluptuousness that speaks of hidden treasure beneath her delicate appearance. Her skin, fair and speckled with freckles, contrasts sharply with the vibrant cascade of auburn hair that frames her face, falling in gentle waves down her back. Even the circle glasses perched on her button nose add to her charm, giving her a look of intelligence even through her damaged and battle-fought appearance.
Her emotions feeding into Azreal, his desire for human connection building, he looks down towards the short petite woman embracing him as she looks back up towards him. Their eyes linger on each other for a sweet yet brief moment before she stands up on her toes and kisses Azreal, wrapping her hands around his head.
This feels right, Mother did warn me the link will amplify my own feelings, yet I want this, I want him.
Xiara's thoughts run through both her own and Azreal's mind. Azreal wraps his arm around her lithe waist and leans into their kiss. A tender moment passes, as the pair engage in a deep kiss. Azreal falls into the softness of her lips, Xiara revelling in his firm body being pressed against her own.
Azreal's eyes snap open, a gasp escaping his lips as his mind is violently wrenched from the blissful embrace of Xiara's kiss. The world around him warps and distorts, the once vivid colours of the Lingxi Grove crumbling into a swirling vortex of darkness. It's a sensation he's felt before, reminiscent of the black Qi portal and the black ink and golden tapestry in his mindscape, but this time, it feels different. Instead of being propelled outward, he feels a sinking sensation, as if his very essence is being drawn inward, pulled into the depths of his own consciousness.
As the edges of his vision begin to dim, Azreal feels the darkness encroaching upon his consciousness like a physical force, threatening to engulf him entirely.
Is this what it feels like to let go and fall into the depths of my mind? The thought flickers, a brief spark of lucidity amidst the overwhelming fatigue that washes over him in waves.
He struggles against it, mentally thrashing like a drowning man, desperate to cling to the rapidly fading light. But the darkness is relentless, a ravenous entity that consumes his mind with a hunger that cannot be sated.
I can't give in, not now, not after everything we've been through.
Yet even as the thought forms, Azreal feels himself sinking deeper, the abyss beckoning with a siren's call that grows more seductive with each passing second.
As he sinks deeper into the abyss, Azreal finds himself strangely calm. Having experienced multiple versions of his mind being played with, by those far beyond his own limit. Finding himself floating through a vast ocean of stars, each radiating extreme heat and feeling as if they are being drawn towards Azreal, yet each of them is also so incomprehensibly far from Azreal's location. A sense of strange nostalgia sinks in Azreal's heart, each star twinkling in the vast expanse giving him a different feeling, rage, happiness, love, devotion, desire, hatred, familial love, sadness, longing, each rushing through Azreal and causing him to experience thousands of emotional changes, each emotion lasting less than a tenth of a second. The emotional whiplash, causing Azreal to mourn for the loss of memories he did not have and experience joy that is not his own.
A minute passes, the emotions of each star racing through him, before the scenery around him begins to blur as he is pulled towards the tiniest star within the sky. Seconds pass, thousands of stars blur into light streaking beside him, feeling the pressure from being propelled at such speeds, Azreal loses consciousness, waking moments later to find himself with an overview of a beautiful mountaintop. The mountain, covered in massive and ancient Wisteria Trees, their deep and brilliant purple which encompasses the entirety of the mountainside.
A pathway made from a brilliant red and yellow stone, splits the sea of purple leaves, wrapping itself around the mountainside like a snake constricting its prey. Azreal’s eyes focus on a man who stands tall and proud, his lean muscles rippling beneath the pristine white of his combat robes. The golden dragon's head upon his shoulder guard catches the light, a gleaming beacon that seems to pulse with a life of its own. His movements are fluid and graceful, each step a masterpiece of control and precision that speaks of countless hours of training.
He walks like a Prince, Azreal muses, but there's a kindness in his eyes that belies his regal bearing.
As the man reaches the mountaintop, the brilliant blue sky above begins to churn, golden and black clouds boiling forth like a celestial tempest. The otherworldly voice that emanates from the maelstrom is a thing of glee and horror, a guttural croak that scrapes against the nerves yet pleases the soul booms through the mountainside.
"I knew that you would seek me out," it rasps, each word dripping with a malevolence that makes Azreal's skin crawl. "The pain you feel will never fade, but I can give you the power to enact your revenge." The offer hangs in the air, a temptation wrapped in a threat, and Azreal watches with bated breath to see how the man will respond.
Azreal, a trace of familiarity as he stares into the beautiful man walking along the red and yellow stone pathway. Unable to place where he knows this man from, but is certain he has seen him before. Watching the man walk up the mountain path, Azreal is awed by the grace of his movements, he seemingly glides from step to step. After an unknown amount of time, the man reaches the mountaintop, the once brilliant blue sky begins to be overtaken by a series of golden and black clouds.
The tall and powerful-looking man only shows a peaceful expression, as his eyes stare directly towards the clouds as they appear. Azreal takes a sharp breath as a stray lightning bolt strikes past him and towards the man, turning just in time to see a smile appear on his face.
A blinding flash erupts from the clouds above the mountaintop, followed by an ear-splitting crack of thunder that reverberates through the air. The bolt of lightning, a searing heat, can be felt as it passes by Azreal as the bolt arcs downward, seeking out the path of least resistance. Smoke rises from the location where the man stood, as an errant wind blows, the smoke fades revealing the man untouched by the bolt, standing in the same place with a smile on his face.
"You know that your power down here is far from enough to break my skin, let alone hurt me," the man's voice booms through the air and echoes down the mountainside. In response, the clouds begin to constrict, before releasing themselves as the cloud spreads across the sky. "I knew that you would seek me out, the pain you feel will never fade, but I can give you the power to enact your revenge," an otherworldly voice echoes and croaks in response.
The man's smile vanishes, a hateful glare, strong enough to kill anyone unlucky to be on the receiving end, replacing it before the glare fades back to the peaceful smile. In that moment, Azreal's mind begins to work, the puzzle piece of where he has seen this man before suddenly clicking into place. The black ink tapestry, the man standing before him, is definitely the same man, older than his first memory of the child who was saved in a ravine and younger than the man who led an army against the demonic cultivators and demons spewing from a crack in reality.
"You seek vengeance for the mother you never knew, the father figure in your life surviving torture for months just to get one last look at you, the sister who lays at the feet of the devil and the first love you lost to a twisted beast. I will not promise you your revenge, if you accept this power, this position, you will become an even more outstanding individual than you are now,” The otherworldly voice firm as it echoes down the mountainside, the leaves of the Wisteria Tree being buffeted by each word.
“I know your offer, I believe you are nothing more than remnant will left behind a cultivator far above anything I can fathom. Stop giving me warnings and accept me as one of your chosen!” The man shouts towards the clouds.
The clouds attempt to laugh, sounding more like a gurgle than anything resembling a laugh. “Oh how I love the devotion, the more you blame yourself, the better chosen you will become for me. You will receive a set of blessings, the blessings will be tailored to your talents and abilities, you will receive the first one now, and as you build your power and complete deeds that benefit the heavens you will receive more. Enjoy your new Physique, it will grant you many blessings and serve as the base for your limitless potential” The otherworldly voice sends a torrent of wind cascading down the mountain, before a single ball of golden light manifests in front of the man. The orb of golden light, moves forward passing directly into his body. The man accepts the orb, showing no reaction as it embeds itself deep within his body. A crushing silence, broken by his pained scream as he keels over and collapses into the ground.
Azreal, shocked by the level of pain within his scream, feels his mind spin before his vision blurs and he finds himself standing in the clearing with Xiara and Darian. Still holding Xiara’s lithe waist, her flushed expression and emerald eyes stare into his own, a hint of desire evident in the depths of her eyes. Azreal, feeling a mental whiplash, as mind reels with the new information and the kiss from Xiara. Yet, he is given no time to sort his thoughts as a notification window appears and obscures his vision.