Tolak yawned, stretching his legs as he sat on his oversized wooden chair. Gathered in front of him were the four surviving students of Imelda’s group. On his right stood Dolar. His back was straight, arms crossed, and an expressionless mask of nothingness plastered over his face.
In front of Tolak and his impromptu throne, a trembling rocky being knelt. They were at least eight feet in height, and a cluster of semi-connected rocks formed their body; it was a Grandorian. Their massive head bowed in submission to the considerably smaller and frailer Tolak, who, for his part, was watching on with boredom.
“So, you’re telling me that one of our own just… disappeared.” He drawled while forming a light, cruel smile on his face.
The Grandorian flinched upon hearing Tolak’s voice, “Yes, Tolak, she-“
“Uh, uh, uh.” Tolak tutted, “Not Tolak, it’s Master Tolak.” He corrected, looking down at the Grandorian, tyrannical imperiousness exuding from him.
The Grandorian looked up confused, but upon noticing the cruel glint In Tolak’s eyes, they lowered their head again. The other three students, who were also kneeling, looked at the Grandorian in worry.
“Of-of course... Master Tolak.” The Grandorian stuttered out.
Tolak smiled radiantly, all traces of cruelty or tyranny vanishing, “Good job. Now, as you were saying?”
Gulping, the Grandorian continued their report, “Uhm, of course…Master Tolak. The Lumanari girl, Alarya, was tasked by you to follow the dual cultivator.”
Tolak grimaced upon hearing this, “And?” He cut out, already knowing the inevitable response.
“She… disappeared.” The Grandorian answered, sounding more confused at the situation than scared of Tolak, “Her last report was that she was traveling deep into the forest to scout his activities…and that was the last we heard of her.”
The Grandorian’s voice was tremulous and timid, clearly scared, but despite this, they continued, “That was three days ago. We haven’t found any trace of her.”
Rubbing his face in frustration, Tolak surveyed his rag-tag team of students. Two words would be all that was needed to describe them: Scared and unprepared.
‘Is this some sort of revenge for using him?’ Tolak pondered, scratching his chin, ‘No, it can’t be. It was a fair trade, and if he wanted revenge, he’d attack me, not go deeper.’ Tolak’s eyes widened in realization, ‘He is going deeper into the forest!’
Snapping back to reality, Tolak asked the Grandorian a simple question, “Was there any change that the girl reported as she went further into the forest?”
Upon hearing this question, the Grandorian suddenly perked up, “Oh yes. She did say that the energy was getting extremely dense.”
Steepling his hands in front of his face, Tolak thought over the possibilities, “A spectral hoard, maybe a powerful beast death?’
Interrupting his thoughts, the Grandorian spoke one final sentence, “Though she also reported on her comm that all energy suddenly disappeared.”
“No, it cannot be,” Tolak whispered as the truth hit him.
His companions watched on in confusion, unaware of Tolak’s realization. Even the ever-stoic Dolar cast a perplexed glance at Tolak.
He sat on his makeshift throne, slumped. Tolak’s red mouth lay agape, and a haziness clouded his eyes as he sat there.
The rest simply stood in their places, bewildered by their typically reliable leader’s sudden loss of composure.
A shaky breath escaped Tolak as he tried to regain his posture. He glanced around fervently at all his companions, ensuring they would never forget his fearful expression.
“Whatever any of you do, do not go into the central forest.” He muttered in a low, quiet tone. No one was foolish enough to interrupt him; however, his voice carried to all the gathered students, “There is an evolving beast there; a near grade two beast!”
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Silence. Mouths lay agape, and eyes expanded in horror.
“Ho- how?” A stocky human man mumbled. “I- I thought this area only had grade-one beasts.”
Tolak’s muscles contorted in anger, “The supervisors must not be checking the forest.” He said, “Or they’re waiting for the beast to reach grade two before relocating it.”
Imperceptible darkness crept through the forest clearing as their situation sunk in. Doubt began to sink into the hearts of the gathered students. They were of the destruction element, yes, but what could they do against supreme power? For the past two or three weeks, they had been dominating the beasts of the forest. Almost nothing could stand in their path, and the group thought themselves invincible. But now…
“Everyone, restrict your movements.” Tolak stated firmly, regaining his authority, “Stay on the fringes of the forest, and immediately run if the energy density changes. Do you understand?” The small group all nodded solemnly.
Nodding in return, Tolak Glared severely at them all as he spoke in a dangerous tone, “And whatever you do, stay away from that dual cultivator.”
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Sighing, Thorne looked sadly down at the body. A fair-skinned, sleek girl lay on the forest floor, ruined. Green parasitic energy veins crept up her body, sapping all life from her. The usual fair, sunny complexion she must have had was all but destroyed—replaced by a pale, bloodless husk. Once radiant in its chaos, her red spectrum crystal was now colorless.
Thorne was shocked at this sight, ‘How can a spectrum crystal become like that?’ He thought in placid horror. He then realized something and contorted his facial muscles uncontrollably in a mask of rage, ‘It was that snake.’
Thinking back to his first encounter with the beast, he remembered intently its body, but more so, its energy. The snake's energy was limitless; it appeared as if all the power in the world was concentrated in that one beast.
Bending down, Thorne examined the volatile green veins over the girl's body. They were overpowering—dominating the energy pathways of the girl, as well as the bloodstream and normal, non-energy bodily functions. It was terrifying.
‘So, as well as stealing from the forest, the snake steals from living beings.’ Thorne realized, and for the first time in his life, something occurred to him. He felt dread. Thorne had been scared over and over in his relatively short life. However, that was due to the events occurring in those specific moments. At this moment, Thorne wasn’t scared of the beast; no, he dreaded it. He dreaded the fact that more than just killing him, it could completely strip him of his energy. Completely strip him of his power. Completely strip him of his freedom.
‘Should I go through with this?’ Thorne thought, his eyes darting fervently back and forth between the eerie endlessness of the forest and the husk of a corpse.
His eyes hardened though upon settling on the corpse of the once beautiful girl, ‘I have to; if I don’t, I’ll be just like her.’ Thorne walked away from the corpse, leaving it to the errant decay of nature. ‘I’d be just like her, even if I live.’
Thus, Thorne began to venture back to the center of the forest. He had begun to spy on the snake’s whereabouts in the last few weeks but had never actually come in contact with the monstrous beast.
Again, just like all those months ago, the energy rapidly increased to the point where Thorne felt muddied and entrapped by the pure density. In tandem, darkness seeped throughout every corner of the central forest. It became a habitat of difficulty and death for every living creature except for one.
The strenuous atmosphere of the central forest atmosphere was perfect for the snake. None could challenge it in such a place. All the energy obeyed it. All the land obeyed it. In this land, everything obeyed the snake.
‘I need to draw it out somehow.’ Thorne thought firmly, gloomy shadows playing solemnly under his multicolored eyes. ‘But first…I need to find it.’
Continuing on, a resolute spirit forming in his mind, Thorne marched onward, further into the depths of the beast’s territory. He trudged for hours, and seemingly nothing changed. The darkness remained, the energy did not disappear, and no snake appeared.
“Shit!” He swore, ‘I only have a few days to find it.’ Remembering the deadline, the time when he, as well as the rest of the students, would finally return to the city, Thorne continued searching.
Hours passed, or was it days? Neither the sun nor the moon held any dominion in the central forest; only the eternal darkness was a constant. No other beats were present. Thorne was shocked to not even see any corpses or signs of death. He seemed trapped in an endless cycle of traveling through nothing. Every tree and plant were the same, and there seemed to be nothing of distinction in these parts.
‘There!’ Mind racing, Thornes sleep-deprived eyes darted to the left. ‘Nothing.’ He grimaced, holding his head in his calloused, dirty hands.
His breaths resounded in a manic tune, ‘There’s nothing…why is there nothing!’ He grumbled inwardly. His wild, unwashed, uncut hair blew in the wind as a single tear rolled down his dirt-speckled face.
‘Wait.’ His previous expression of lunacy dissipated in a flash, to be replaced by one of enlightenment and realization. A wide smile overtook his face, his yellow teeth glowing.
‘Light, wind.’ His eyes widened and did not blink in haunting excitement. ‘It’s here!' Breathing wildly and with clunky movements, Thorne retrieved his swords and waited. Constantly going around fanatically, Thorne replayed one scene repeatedly in his mind.
‘it will die.’ The blade connected with the head, ‘I will kill it.’
A horrible sound ran through the forest; branches broke, and trees collapsed as a membranous, squishy noise rang true in Thorne's ears.
“It’s here.” he thought, smiling eagerly. And it was; the energy dipped entirely, and the darkness disappeared. In their stead came slowly a being of incredible proportions. It almost dwarfed the tress in size and slithered forward without a care. This was its domain, and it would not endure insubordination from its property.
Thorne saw the snake and closed his eyes… in bliss. “Finally,” He whispered, “Finally…I CAN KILL YOU!” His maniacal rage returned in a frenzy, and Thorne leaped up, his blades swinging right at the wide-open celestial figure!