Chapter 2: Chapter 1
Date - 04 / 04 / 708 Ephit Calendar
Time - An Hour Before Midnight
Location - Beast's Forest.
"Ah, why did I agree to come here?" Taeyang grumbles while looking at the night sky. It was dark, with no stars or moon to illuminate it. He let out a sigh. This wasn't how he planned on spending his night. No, it wasn't. His plan was to go drinking at his favorite tavern after completing his mission. However, here he was in the middle of a forest, tracking down a group of bandits at the order of his boss.
"It's cold."
The surrounding trees waved their branches at him from time to time. They fluttered in the chilly breeze that blew by. He came across a small pool of water. In it, his reflection stared back at him.
If he could, he would give anything to be in the tavern right now. A yawn escapes his mouth while his hand scratched his snow-white colored hair.
"We should get this over with, don't you think so?"
He tilts his head while closing one of his eyes. His gray colored eyeball glittered for anyone in the dark to see.
"Not answering, I see. Well, I suggest you step out with your hands in the air, because it will be better for you to surrender now than for you to lose your life."
He takes a step forward. The black fitted boot he wore matched the black gloves on his hand. While the black pants complimented the white shirt covered by a silver chain mail. Hanging on his leather belt was a sheathed sword.
"Let's see, one, two, three, four," he turns to his left while pointing to a tree and some nearby bushes. "Five, six, seven. Hmm? I was told there were nineteen bandit members. Seems I have to move before the others escape."
He drew out his sword and yawns. "Don't say I didn't give you a chance." His gray eyes turned crimson red and with a smile, he shot into a nearby bush.
"Ah!"
A scream rang out, followed by a body flying out of the bush. The body stumbles to the ground before stopping. It was a man with one eye and thick black hair. Despite being alive, he had lost both legs from the knees down and was bleeding severely.
Another scream came from behind a tree near the bushes. Another followed it, and another. Limbs flew out of the bushes and fell back into it. Heads rolled from behind the trees and hid behind the bushes. While blood tainted the leaves red.
The one-eyed man listened to the cries of his comrades who were being slaughtered. By the time he heard the last one cry, his body was drenched in sweat. They had faced the wrong person.
The perpetrator of the slaughter stepped out from behind him. He felt a chill run down his spine and swallowed hard.
"Please don't kill me," he cried out.
"If you guys had surrendered, I wouldn't have killed anyone. However, you guys wasted my time," Taeyang said, while wiping the blood on his sword with a napkin. "Hmm?"
He looks at his left hand. His white sleeve was dyed with blood. "I was so careful. How did it get stained? Seriously, all I wanted tonight was to drink till morning and then sober up."
He turns to the one eyed man who screamed at his gaze. "Please, I beg you."
"There's no need for me to kill you. You are going to die, anyway."
The one eyed man didn't know whether he should be relieved. He would not die by Taeyang's hand, however, he was still going to die.
"You can save your life. Tell me where the others are heading to and I'll heal you."
The one eyed man furrowed his brows at him. "You don't believe me? Well, I'm leaving. I don't have time to waste." Taeyang yawns and turns to leave.
"South, they are in the south."
"Hmm? I don't have a compass with me, so tell, where is south?" Taeyang turns back to him. The man raised his right hand and points to his right.
"There's a waterfall in that direction. There's a space vortex nearby, and the plan was to meet up there and escape with it."
"What? Where does the space vortex lead to?" Taeyang points his sword at the man's neck. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. I just have to kill them before they make it through."
Taeyang places his hand over the man's leg. His eyes returned to gray and his palm glowed white. The man's wounds heal in no time. They stop bleeding.
"If you are lying to me, I'll torture you when I get back," Taeyang said and shot away at a terrifying speed.
He made his way through the trees as quickly as he could. His steps were light and weightless. At a closer look, one could see he was running on the wind.
In no time, he shot out of the forest and arrived at a cliff edge. A small but magnificent waterfall greeted him. If only the moon was up, it would have been a lovely sight. Now it was just dark.
There was a group of people gathered beneath the cliff. Most of them were recuperating from wounds or exhaustion. Each of them had a weapon in their possession.
"Hmm, I sense thirteen, not twelve. There's one extra, but where is he? Did he use some kind of technique to hide himself?"
Taeyang watched quietly. He counted the people again, yet he found only twelve people. There was a thirteenth person. He could sense the presence, but he couldn't see the person.
"Let's see what happens first," he says to himself and hid his presence. More than anything, he trusted his senses, and he would not take any chances.
"Boss, are we not leaving?" someone asked. "Where's the space vortex?"
"We aren't leaving, and there is no space vortex," a man among them said with a smile on his face.
"What?" a few chorused while getting on their feet.
"Why are we here, then?"
"You all will become nutrients to strengthen me," the boss replied.
"What the hell are you saying, boss?"
Four huge black shadowy hands stretched out of the boss's back, reaching out to those around.
"What are those?"
"Ah!"
Screams rang as each of the hands grabbed a person. They crushed the bones of their victims before absorbing them. Those around watched as the victims' body merged into the hands, leaving behind only their clothes. It was a sight no one could believe.
"Run!" someone yelled, and those standing in a daze snapped back to reality.
"There's nowhere to run, haha," the boss laughed as several more black shadow hands stretched out from his backs.
"Ah! Help me!"
Those caught by the hands screamed, others tried to run, but they weren't fast enough. The hands ate its victims and reached out for more. In no time, everyone around was gone without a fight.
"Aren't you tired of hiding?" the boss asked. "I can feel your strength. You aren't weak like them, so why are you cowering over there?"
Taeyang, the recipient of the questions, stepped out. He sat at the edge of the cliff and yawned. "Honestly, I don't want to fight. My aim was to kill them. Since you helped me kill them, there is no need for us to fight, right?"
The boss frowned at him as he continued. "I haven't slept in days, so I want to head back to the nearest tavern, drink, and sleep. If that's fine with you, we can both go our separate way."
"Haha, hilarious! Sorry to disappoint you, but that can't happen. No one can know about me and live!" the boss roared and two hands rushed at him.
The hands smashed the cliff where he sat, however Taeyang's voice sounded. "They did not pay me to fight you, so I bid you good day. Find yourself a new fight partner."
With speedy steps that didn't touch the ground, Taeyang ran back the way he came.
"Get back here!"
The boss's roar quaked the earth. Creatures sleeping in the forest woke up because of it. The boss's roar caused a disturbance, and powerful creatures came out to investigate. Some weak creatures hid, while others fled to safety.
"He wants to kill everyone who sees him, yet he is calling for attention. What's wrong with him?"
Taeyang jumps up to a nearby tree. From here, he scouts the area for the threats approaching his way. Behind him, the boss was rushing over. The boss stood on one of the shadowy hand, while the others crushed everything in his path. Taeyang counted and found nine, plus the hand he stood on made it ten. An enormous bird was flying over from the west and a six-foot tortoise rose from the ground nearby.
"Luckily, I can test its strength with these fellows," he thought.
"Human, you dare wake me up from my slumber!?" the tortoise roared.
"Not me, you old turtle, it was him," Taeyang replied and pointed to the boss rushing over.
"Get back here!" the boss shouted again.
*Roar*
"How dare you wake me up!?"
The tortoise roared at the boss, and Taeyang added. "You should be careful of those hands. I watched them take in living beings."
"What abomination is this?"
"I don't know," Taeyang replied.
The tortoise opened its mouth and gathered a ball of energy before it. When it was big enough, he fire it at the boss.
One of the black hand greeted the energy ball. The two canceled out each other. However, another hand grew out of the boss's back.
"Hmm, an attack from a seventh petal beast destroyed one of it. He isn't as strong as I expected, however, if those hands are endless that will be a different story," Taeyang thought.
"Die!"
The tortoise shouted and attacked again and again. However, the results were the same, the boss easily canceled it out.
A loud shriek pulls Taeyang back. Following it was a loud, angry voice. "How dare you step into my territory without my permission?"
"Tch," the boss tsk and halts.
"Ninth petal, I better get going," Taeyang mutters. A layer of red energy covered his skin while his eyes stared at the event that unfolded.
Six of the hands rushed at the bird. However, the bird opens its beak and releases a sound wave attack at them.
"Ah!"
The boss screamed as loud as possible while covering his ears. Each of the hands disappeared immediately. The bird dives at the falling boss's body. Its talons each caught his head and his legs before ripping it in two.
"As expected. Well, time to leave," Taeyang said and shot away.
The bird soars into the sky. Its golden eyes reflect Taeyang's fleeing body. "And where do you think you are going?"
The bird spreads its wings and chased after Taeyang. Its golden feathers made it look like a sun in the dark sky.
"Don't you think you should give me a leeway? Who knows, I may end up helping you in the future!" Taeyang yelled while fleeing away.
"You entered my territory without my permission and expect to leave unharmed? Wishful thinking!"
"So if I am harmed you will let me go?"
"What nonsense do you spit out from your mouth?"
Taeyang halts and draws out a dagger from his sleeve. With a twist of his wrist, he stabs his left thigh. "Now, I'm harmed. Let me go."
"Do you really think that is possible?"
"Yes, because if you don't you will die," Taeyang replies and his gray eyeballs turn crimson red.
The golden bird gazed down at him. Its beak split open and Taeyang reaches for the hilt of his sword.
"Hmph, get lost and never come back."
With a snort, the golden bird flew away, and Taeyang yelled after it. "Never isn't possible!"
He watches the golden bird disappear into the distance. When it was gone, his crimson eyes turned gray. "Luckily, I didn't need to fight."
His gaze lands on the area he had left the one eyed man. "I should bring back an evidence," he mutters before rushing over to where the man was.
"He is unconscious? Must have lost too much blood. He is still breathing. That's good."
Taeyang grabs the man, places him on his shoulder before springing away. The tortoise, who had returned to its place in the ground when the golden bird chased Taeyang, opens its eyes. And it was as black as night.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone