In a quiet forest, where the only sounds were the gentle rustling of the leaves and the occasional chirping of birds, a strange glow appeared in the middle of a clearing. It rapidly expanded to the size of an adult human and transformed into a portal. It was shimmering with a rainbow of colours, like a soap bubble. Nothing could be seen beyond it, only a blurry distortion of the forest behind it.
From it stumbled out a man, clutching his chest. His suit was torn and scorched, revealing bloody wounds and broken bones. He gasped for air, feeling the pain of every breath.
He looked to assess his surroundings, decided it was safe enough for a moment and rested a little to stabilize his condition before making a quick exit.
As time passed following his departure, a mysterious figure suddenly manifested into existence, seemingly appearing out of thin air. He was a striking sight, with his snow-white hair falling over his forehead and framing his sharp features. His golden eyes sparkled with intelligence and curiosity, contrasting with his pale complexion.
He gazed at the spot where the portal had vanished, then shifted his eyes to the direction where the mysterious man had fled. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully and muttered,
"So the anomaly has finally appeared, huh?"
With a mischievous grin on his face, he vanished into thin air just as quickly and mysteriously as he had shown up.
A few moments later, another group of people appeared at the scene. There were five of them, and they looked like ninjas in their black body suits. They carried different weapons, some with swords and some with bows, ready for combat.
The leader of the group was ahead of the rest, who trailed behind him. They wasted no time in checking out the place as soon as they got there.
Not noticing anything new about their surroundings, they gathered around their leader to discuss their next steps.
"Has there been a mistake?"
"Impossible! There has never been a mistake. There were clear indications of a rend in the Last Wall."
"How come this place is empty then? We got the report from the surveyors less than an hour ago. Based on previous cases, the traces of a rend should last for a day at least."
"A possible explanation is that someone deliberately erased the evidence."
"The entity that created the gap must have immense power to erase any evidence. However, the higher-ups should have been alerted and would have intercepted it. And there should have been no need to call us then. Clearly, this isn't the case."
Unable to come to a conclusion, the leader finally signalled to stop the discussion.
"We have completed our mission, and we should return to the rendezvous point with the Advance Corps. They are waiting for our report, and they will take care of the next steps."
As per their leader's guidance, the team quickly gathered their equipment and traced back their steps. Their journey through the forest was a remarkable sight, as they moved with exceptional agility and grace. Instead of moving on the ground, they relied on the dense vines that connected the trees to swing effortlessly from one giant trunk to another. The team's unique method of navigation allowed them to move quickly and efficiently through the forest, leaving nothing but a fleeting shadow behind.
They did not have to go far before they reached a different clearing. This one, however, was occupied by a group of warriors in ancient steel armour mounted on steeds.
A tent stood at the centre of the crowd, drawing attention from all sides. As the team approached, the people parted to make way for them, clearing a path to the tent. The team walked briskly, quickly reaching their destination.
The tent's only inhabitant, a muscular man, welcomed them as they entered. He seemed to be the platoon's commander. He wore thick armour and had a massive sword next to him. Sitting on a wooden stump that served as his chair, his presence was formidable.
The moment they entered, they saluted him by bringing their right arm to their forehead and opening the palm to face the man, with fingers and thumb together and the middle finger almost touching their eyebrow.
As the team saluted, the man reciprocated with the same gesture before motioning for them to step forward and deliver their report.
The leader of the team stepped forward and started reporting.
"Sir, as per your instructions, we arrived at the location of the reported fracture. However, we found no evidence of any anomaly or damage. The area looked like a regular forest clearing, with no traces of fracturing or its consequences. It seemed that nothing had occurred, and everything was normal. We also expanded our area of operation to account for any mistake in the coordinates."
The man frowned upon hearing their report and again asked to reconfirm:
"There was no fracture in the walls? How is that possible? There has never been any instance of them being wrong."
"Yes, sir. We were also in disbelief upon reaching there. It was beyond our expectations and comprehension. We followed all the standard procedures to verify that our observation was accurate and not a mistake. But the results were the same."
"No signs of fracture, but they still informed of a possible intrusion. The most plausible scenario is that someone immensely powerful came and eliminated the creature, as well as the fracture."
"We also reached the same conclusion, sir."
"Fine. Good work, everyone. You are dismissed."
The team again saluted him before exiting the tent. Once alone, the man reached for a flat stone that hung from his belt. It had smooth edges and a rectangular shape.
He began to interact with it as if it were a smartphone, tapping and swiping on its surface.
Soon, a voice started coming out from the device.
"Ah, Selesis, I completely forgot about you. Something happened, and I was busy dealing with it."
An odd expression appeared on Selesis's face.
"Sir, we investigated the possible fracture, but we couldn't find anything..."
The person on the other side immediately interrupted Selesis.
"You no longer need to concern yourself with it. Someone has already dealt with it. You can fall back."
"Ok, sir."
As the situation has already been taken care of, Selesis decided not to involve himself any further. He believed that it was not his responsibility to inquire about the identity of the person who resolved the issue or the characteristics of the entity involved. He was just happy that at least his work had lessened.
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On the other side of the forest, the man who came out of the portal was running while limping. He had been running for more than an hour, and his condition was rapidly deteriorating, so much that even running was proving to be laborious for him.
But what he didn't know was that there was an eerie feature-less face constantly following him and keeping an eye on him.
Finally, the man couldn't take it anymore and collapsed on the base of a large tree. On the verge of fainting, he finally saw the face, but there was nothing he could do except fainting. The grievous injuries inflicted upon him previously and the constant running have taken their toll on him, rendering him unconscious.
The forest was eerily silent. The birds that were chirping earlier seemed to have vanished. It appeared as if all life had suddenly vanished from the forest.
Ten minutes after the man had passed out, the reason for this strange occurrence finally revealed itself. As the man lay collapsed, a massive snake revealed itself from the tree. It was terrifyingly huge, measuring about 25 meters in length and 5 meters in width. Its black scales absorbed all light, giving it an otherworldly appearance. On top of its head was a gleaming black horn, almost 3 meters long.
The man was about to be devoured by the snake, but a sudden terror flashed in its cunning eyes. It quickly snapped its jaws shut and darted away from the scene with a velocity that belied its bulk.
Without warning, a striking figure appeared, standing tall with white hair and piercing golden eyes. The man watched as a snake quickly slithered away, his face betraying no emotion. Only after the creature had vanished from sight did he turn his attention to the motionless form lying before him.
"Caught you, kiddo."