"Then, shall we begin?" Vulcan’s golden eyes gleamed mischievously as he raised a hand, his index finger hovering dangerously close to my forehead. .

Yeah, no thanks.

I kicked off the ground, darting backward as fast as my legs would carry me. My only thought was to put as much distance as possible between myself and him. The massive branch beneath me seemed endless.

Vulcan remained still, his finger frozen mid-air, watching me with that damn grin never leaving his face. "This newborn… I am beginning to like him," he murmured before his image flickered out of existence.

I kept running, even though my lungs screamed for air and my legs begged for mercy. “I need to find a way down,” I thought, scanning the maze of branches below. Jumping straight down seemed like a terrible idea, but the trunk, it was somewhere ahead. If I could reach that, maybe I could get away.

But, of course, life does not work out for me. Not ever.

Vulcan materialized in front of me like he was made from the air itself, particles rearranging themselves until there he stood, that grin never leaving his face. I could almost hear him thinking, “This is a fun little game of tag.”

Without hesitation, I changed directions, leaping to the branch below and landing in a crouch before sprinting off again. My knees hurting, but I did not bother checking if he was following, what was the point? The guy could teleport. The only option was to run.

"Mother said teleportation is a hard skill. Most mages struggle with it and never even touch the beginner lever in the spell," I thought, desperately trying to remember her teachings as I ran. "It requires absolute control over mana and perfect visualization of both your body and your destination. Miss one detail, and your body turns into a mess.”

Teleportation was complex, nearly impossible without the right bloodline or talent. But for those born with the gift, it was like the world handed them the keys and created shortcuts. Vulcan made this complex spell seem effortless, easier than breathing. And as if to prove it, he materialized in front of me again, his golden eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Are you done running yet?" Vulcan sighed, his tone almost bored, though the grin never left his face, but I could see that he was slowly losing his patience.

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I didn’t respond, my mind focused on getting away. I leapt down to another branch without a second thought, continuing to run. He gave me maybe a half-second head start before, pop, there he was again, right in front of me.

"Enough of this." Vulcan’s voice shifted, losing its playful edge as he yawned. "I need my rest, and maintaining this world while my spirit is so far away is draining." He snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, glowing red runes materialized in the air around me, and from them, four fiery chains shot forward like snakes, hissing as they cut through the air.

But I had been trained for this, trained to dodge, to move without hesitation. I could hear the faint hum of the chains as they approached, and I threw myself to the side, narrowly dodging the first one as it whipped past my shoulder. Adrenaline raged inside my body as my heart pounded and my breath coming in ragged breaths.

“Move.” That was the only command running through my mind as I ducked and rolled, barely avoiding another chain that lashed out from behind.

"You are quick," Vulcan’s voice echoed, his easy and amused tone returning. "But how long can you keep running?"

The third chain came from my right, forcing me to jump toward a higher branch. My fingers grazed the rough bark as I scrambled for a hold, but in that moment of weakness, the fourth chain coiled around my ankle and pulled me downward. I tried to hold on, my fingernails digging into the branch, but the force was too strong.

In seconds, I was dangling upside down, and Vulcan’s glowing golden eyes met mine. There was no malice in his gaze, just calm, unsettling patience and joy.

"That was fun," Vulcan said, his voice low and casual. "But I am too old to continue with this play" He raised his hand, a small red flame flickering at the tip of his finger. "Let us see how well you handle this."

The moment the flame touched my forehead, an explosion of pain ripped through me. I had felt pain before, plenty of it, but this was different. It was as if my bones were being scraped raw from the inside, my muscles stretched and torn apart, and my heart... my heart felt like it had swelled to three times its normal size, hitting against my ribs, threatening to burst through my chest and rip my skin.

I tried to scream, but no sound came. My body convulsed, but something deep within me refused to let me pass out. Something primal, something buried in my blood, in my soul, kept me awake, kept me fighting against the overwhelming pain.

"Interesting," Vulcan muttered, watching me struggle against the chains, my body trembling as the pain intensified. "He might even surpass Victor at this rate... though what he awakens is still up to him. His soul is also pure and there are not many influence of others in his body and soul. I like it.”

For a moment, he seemed intrigued, but it passed quickly. With a final glance, his figure vanished from the world, leaving me alone in the claws of agony.

I do not know how long I hung there, the pain merciless and unyielding, but at the peak of my pain, something happened. For just a brief second, I was no longer in that tree, I was somewhere else. I was floating in a void, staring out at the universe as stars were born and galaxies crumbled to dust. Then, fire erupted and consumed everything.

And then, everything went black.