Rain poured from the sky, striking the warm earth and causing a humid mist to rise to cover the lush trees that grew far and wide. Birds chirped happily in the roiling waterfall while hiding in their dens. A soft wind whispered through the forest, caressing all who were exposed with a soft touch.

A road, only preserved by the footsteps of humanity, snaked through the forest. Two people walked on it with soft and cautious heels. The tallest and oldest one, with tanned and somewhat wrinkly skin, wore a properly created coat of deer hide that shielded him from most of the gentle rain drops. On his back was a sheathed sword that remained untainted from the moisture as it pushed away the mist. His face was calm and collected while he kept a rhythm to his stride.

By his side with similar attire was a kid whose appearance belied his experienced and vicious eyes that had blue irises and red pupils that seemed to glow in the dark. His stature also gave away the fact that he was a step away from a fight. Like the old man, he had a sword on his back, only that the water that came near it blew apart as if they were sliced by numerous small blades.

The peaceful silence lasted until an inhuman shriek echoed in the forest. Its shrill nature replicated to cover the entire space of silence, reaping the trembling air. The shadows of the trees shifted, molded, and combined into three dozen humanoid apparitions. Their blurred nature rendered any observer incapable of deciphering the differences between them. The transparent claws that descended from their arms whistled through the air as the group charged at the duo.

The kids’ eyes flared red as he ran toward his newfound enemies, pulling his blade from its sheath in one smooth motion that caused all of the mist around him to explode with a calm song of serenity. There were engravings on the blade that showed places with gatherings of people in soft prayer and it was them that sang.

As the first apparition tried to slice the kid with its claws, the kid already had moved past it with a silver flash of his blade. It stood still for a moment before exploding into particles. The same thing occurred to all of the apparitions in less than twenty seconds.

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“Myth, you’ve used a little bit too much force with your strikes.” The older man kept his rhythm of walking the entire time, seemingly unperturbed by the attack of monsters. “Wasted energy only allows you to be a step closer to be exhausted and surrounded by the Darkness. Mastery of Perfection is the key to the door to Enlightenment, which in turn, will officially open the road to your Awakening.”

“Yes Master.” The boy replied with a soft voice. It was only when he looked at his sacred master that the viciousness in his eyes withdrew. With a few steps, he was already beside him.

The old man sighed, “Too few can fight this plague of the world, but then again, it is this plague that gives birth to those who can. From those Emperors who enjoy safety of their relics of Light to the masses who are preyed on by devils, demons, spirits, and sinners, they’re all trapped by their own minds. I was lucky to find you who had the spark, Myth, or else I might have kept walking these foggy roads by myself for eternity with these teachings untold.”

Myth replied, “I am even more lucky, Master. You saved me and taught me. I have grown to be strong enough to withstand all of the atrocities in my way.”

“Do you feel ready to set out, Myth? The time that you have left here will run out again and you will have to try to cleanse the world once more. Before, you had trouble with those so called Heroes and Villains. Just focus on diminishing the Darkness and don’t fall into the webs of lies and politics of the Light. Follow your own pace and don’t give in to your rage. Your Soul will always help you. Finally, remember to beware the Arch Lords of the Light and Darkness, or else even in death, I won’t be able to bring you back here. Those Deities couldn’t kill me and couldn’t push me away from guarding this boundary, and even trapped me here. If they got their hands on you, then they’ll try corrupting you in a locked dimension or worse, vanquish your soul.”

“I am ready to try again, Master.”

“We still have three years before you will have to go. In that time, just help me get rid of the infestations and focus your Soul to try to attain mastery over Perfection.”

“Yes Master.”