Chapter 14: The Past And The Present
As the colossal, transformed monkey loomed over them, its gaze filled with a savage intent, fear gripped the hearts of the disciples.
In a swift and brutal motion, Isaac was seized and thrown with unforgiving force, his body careening through the dense foliage, colliding with the unyielding trunks of multiple trees.
Each impact sent shockwaves of pain coursing through him, leaving him disoriented and battered.
The onslaught continued as the beastly creature unleashed a devastating kick, propelling both Cato and Ethan through the air.
Helpless, they hurtled towards the unforgiving embrace of the trees, their bodies colliding with unyielding force, their senses overwhelmed by the onslaught.
Meanwhile, Sun fought desperately to escape the vice-like grip of the transformed creature.
His muscles strained against the overwhelming strength, his mind ablaze with a fierce determination to break free.
The weight of survival pressed upon him, urging him to summon every ounce of his remaining strength.
From the periphery of his vision, the elder emerged, his eyes ablaze with a mixture of concern and resolve.
With a calculated strike, he targeted the creature's leg, his blow a testament to his own mastery. But the transformed creature, with an instinctual grace, shifted its limb, attempting to retaliate against the elder.
Yet, the elder's years of experience served him well as he evaded the retaliatory strike with a nimble finesse. Seizing the opportunity, he unleashed a powerful blow, channeling all his might into the strike.
The impact reverberated through the air, the force of it shaking the very foundation of their battle arena.
The transformed creature crumbled to its knees, releasing its hold on Sun, who slumped to the ground, unconscious but miraculously unharmed.
The elder's gaze lingered on Sun's motionless form, concern etched deeply in the lines of his face. But he could not dwell on it for long, for his attention shifted to the fallen beast before him.
"Sun!" The elder's voice resounded with a mixture of relief and urgency, his gaze flickering between the unconscious disciple and the now reverted form of Draydon.
Draydon, his body crumbled to its knee,lay vulnerable before the elder's righteous fury.
Each strike, driven by a potent blend of disappointment and determination, rained down upon him with a resounding ferocity.
The minutes stretched on, each blow an embodiment of the elder's frustration and the weight of the transformed Draydon's actions.
Finally, Draydon stirred, his consciousness returning in shards of painful clarity.
As the barrage of strikes ceased, he gazed up at the elder, his eyes filled with a potent mixture of remorse and realization.
The gravity of his actions settled heavily upon him, his mind struggling to comprehend the magnitude of the harm he had caused.
Transforming back to his original form, Draydon's features contorted with a deep anguish, mirroring the torment within his soul.
The silence that enveloped the scene was heavy with unspoken words and a shared understanding of the magnitude of their journey.
It was a moment of reckoning, a crossroad where the past met the present, and Draydon grappled with the consequences of his transformation and the impact it had on those he cared for.
As the elder stood before Draydon, his breathing labored and his eyes filled with a mix of compassion and disappointment, the weight of their intertwined destinies hung palpably in the air. The battle was over.
As the soft breeze whispered through the trees, Draydon stood on the lakeside, his words hanging on his lips, intercepted by the elder's swift intervention.
A tinge of sadness laced the elder's voice as he bellowed, his words carried by the wind.
"You..." The elder's voice wavered, a glimmer of anguish evident in his eyes. "What did you do?"
Draydon's voice faltered, silenced by the elder's stern interruption. His eyes pleaded for understanding, but the weight of his actions burdened his confession.
"You could have killed Sun," the elder's voice quivered, the tremor betraying a mix of concern and sorrow. "You know that."
Draydon's gaze dropped to the ground, his admission dripping with remorse.
"I lost myself," he confessed, his voice laced with vulnerability. "I couldn't control the darkness that consumed me."
Anger surged within the elder, etching lines of frustration on his weathered face.
His voice reverberated with accusation and impatience. "Why did you feel the need to transform in the first place?" he demanded, his eyes flashing with disappointment. "Huh?"
Draydon's shoulders slumped under the weight of the elder's ire, his voice barely a whisper amidst the roaring turmoil of their surroundings.
"I didn't want it to happen again," he pleaded, his words trembling with a mix of desperation and regret.
"I couldn't bear the thought of their lives being marred by the same darkness that haunted my past."
As tears welled in Draydon's eyes, the elder's grip tightened, an impulse to strike once more pulsing through his veins.
Yet, in the glimmering drops that fell from Draydon's cheeks, he glimpsed the shattered fragments of a tormented soul.
He released his hold, his heart softened by the raw vulnerability on display.
"I didn't want to go easy on them," Draydon continued, his voice quivering with a blend of determination and sorrow.
"I refused to subject them to a fate they did not deserve, to repeat the tragic mistakes of the past."
Draydon's voice cracked, his tears merging with the weight of his words.
"I was once their teacher," he choked out, his voice carrying the weight of a painful revelation.
"I indulged their every desire, their every whim, hoping to be the opposite of the teacher who failed me. But my leniency led to the untimely demise of one of my students."
A somber hush enveloped the lakeside, the air thick with grief that permeated their shared space.
Draydon's voice grew stronger, fueled by a mix of regret and an ember of determination. "If only I had been as strict as my old teacher,
" he lamented, his words tinged with a bitter longing. "Perhaps then, within those fleeting moments, he could have clung to life until my arrival."
Draydon's anguish rose, his voice piercing the air with a crescendo of pain.
"I sought justice, but justice cannot breathe life into the departed," he shouted, the echoes of his sorrow reverberating through the surrounding scenery.
His eyes locked with the elder's, a maelstrom of accusation and heartache burning within their depths. "You couldn't understand. You've never carried the weight of such guilt."
The elder recoiled, a flicker of wounded pride etched across his weathered features.
His voice quivered, a fragile plea laden with a mix of hurt and genuine concern. "Don't say that," he implored, his words a fragile bridge reaching across their divide.
Silence descended once more,the weight of their shared pain hung heavily in the air, their unspoken regrets and fractured relationship straining the very fabric of their bond.
The elder's gaze softened, his eyes flickering with a glimmer of understanding amidst the tumultuous emotions swirling within him.
Draydon's tears mingled with the gentle ripples on the lake's surface, mirroring the turmoil within his heart. His voice quivered, revealing the depths of his vulnerability.
"I didn't mean to diminish your experiences," he whispered, his words laced with a yearning for reconciliation. "But it's difficult for me to see beyond my own anguish."
The elder's voice trembled with a raw vulnerability as he spoke, his eyes filled with unshed tears that mirrored Draydon's own.
"You don't even know what I have gone through," he whispered, his words laced with a mixture of pain and regret.
With a heavy sigh, he continued, his voice carrying the weight of a lifetime of longing and heartache.
"My father... he was never there for me. He never cared, never provided for me or my mother. Instead, he subjected us to a life of abuse and suffering." The elder's voice cracked, his memories resurfacing like shards of broken glass.
"I vowed to escape that life, to become strong enough to protect my mother and provide for us both."
He paused, his eyes gazing into the distance as he recalled the path he had taken.
"I became an official guard for the king, and in time, I had a son of my own. I thought that by providing for him, I was giving him everything I had lacked. But I was blind to the true needs of a child."
Tears welled up in the elder's eyes, his voice strained with a mix of remorse and anguish.
"I was always too busy, too consumed by my work, to realize the pain my son was silently enduring. I thought material things were enough, that they could replace the love and care of a father. But I was wrong."
He swallowed hard, his voice quivering with a profound sense of loss.
"When his mother passed away a year after his birth, I didn't know how to cope. I threw myself into my duties, distracting myself from the overwhelming grief and the responsibility of being both mother and father. I thought I was doing the right thing, but in truth, I was only creating a deeper rift between us."
The elder's voice broke, his words filled with a sorrow that etched lines upon his weathered face.
"I didn't realize the extent of his pain, the struggles he faced alone. I failed to be the father he needed, the one who could offer guidance and love unconditionally. And then... I received the news of his untimely death."
His voice shook with a mixture of disbelief and profound heartbreak.
"It shattered me, Draydon. I couldn't comprehend the reality of it. The son I loved, but never truly knew. The chance to show him my love, my remorse... it was taken from me, leaving only a void that can never be filled."
The weight of the elder's grief settled heavily upon them, their shared pain intertwining in the silence that followed.
It was a pain that transcended words, resonating deeply within their souls.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone