The moon hung low in the sky, casting an eerie glow over the dense foliage of the black forest. as they ventured deeper, the forest seemed to close in around them. Twisted branches clawed at their cloaks, and the rustling leaves whispered secrets. Carl`s heart raced, the powerful aura they sensed was unlike anything he had felt before.
Suddenly, a guttural howl echoed through the trees. Everyone`s instincts kicked in and unsheathed their swords, their blades gleaming in the moonlight. Then they saw them—cayotes, larger and fiercer than any they'd encountered. Their eyes burned with hunger, and their snarls sent shivers down Carl's spine. These were no ordinary beasts; they were guardians of the forest, protectors of its secrets.
The battle erupted. Swords clashed, arrows flew, and Carl danced between the cayotes. His blade moved with precision, but he knew it wasn't enough. He needed to test his abilities—to push beyond the limits he'd set for himself.
With a thought, he commanded the earth beneath the cayotes' paws to tremble. The ground shifted, throwing the creatures off balance. Carl's eyes blazed brighter; he envisioned fire, and flames erupted from his fingertips. The cayotes yelped, their fur singed.
But there was more. Carl sensed the forest's heartbeat—the pulse of life that connected every leaf, every creature. He reached out, tapping into its energy. The cayotes froze, their movements sluggish. Carl whispered a command, and vines shot up, ensnaring them.
The soldiers stared, mouths agape. Carl had become a force of nature—a fusion of swordsmanship and magic. The cayotes whimpered, defeated. Carl released them, watching as they fled into the shadows.
The soldiers still could not believe it they knew that one could control several elements but this was different it wasn`t controlling but it seemed as if he owned it. So after relaxing a bit they begin to move again, but the something seemed to happen suddenly.
The forest held its breath, as if aware of the impending danger. The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, their swords still drawn out from the cayote battle. Carl's heart pounded; he'd faced mythical creatures in stories, but this—this was different.
The silence shattered. A primal roar echoed through the trees, rattling leaves and unsettling souls. The ground quivered, and Carl stumbled, catching himself on a gnarled root. His eyes widened as the forest parted, revealing a clearing bathed in moonlight.
And there it stood—a gargantuan white serpent, its scales shimmering like moon-kissed snow. Its body coiled upon itself, horns curving menacingly. Carl's breath hitched; this was no ordinary snake. Legends whispered of the Nivara, ancient king of the forest.
Viciousness dripped from every inch of the serpent. Its eyes twin orbs glowed with malevolence. They bore into Carl's soul, dissecting his fears and weaknesses. Its fangs were longer than his arms, its scales were not merely armor; they held memories and screams of those who dared to cross its path.
The soldiers quaked, their bravado replaced by terror. Carl's mind raced. He recalled tales of the Nivara—their wrath, their insatiable thirst for blood. The thing ringing on their mind was how this king was here and why. They knew it kept sleeping and never awoke and never interfered with anything they did ever since the largest beast stampede a hundred years ago.
"We need to get out of here and report this to the duke this is just beyond us this is something for the Silver thorn knights." One of the soldiers said his limbs shaking.
The others also thought that was a good idea but how would they get them to come here and the beast was just staring directly at them. " Lisa once I distract it make a run for it, go activate the teleportation rune that you created for emergencies and get help." Carl says as he tightly grips his sword.
"Sir Carl your safety is most important let us distract it so that you and Linda make a run for it." John the the team captain suggested.
I am sorry John but this is my decision nothing can change it." Carl says as he starts to move forward. "Besides I want to show you guys just how powerful I am." He adds smiling.
The moment he finished to speak he started to run towards the Nivara. Immediately as if waiting for the group to make a move the snake roared once more and started to move towards Carl. Carl readies himself for a clash with the snake, he then disappears and appears close to the snake then a second later he appears on top of it and goes to stab it but then lightning sparks form from its horns and blasts Carl away.
"Wait what! How come he can teleport. No no that is not teleporting but blinking is the skill that the Hardies use? and that beast uses the lightning ability? What is not happening." one of the soldiers speaks confused.
As Carl fell down the snake sent another lightning strike. The air crackled and Carl vanished, reappearing behind the Nivara. Carl lunged, blade meeting scales. The Nivara's tail swept, but Carl blinked, evading. Each strike sent ripples through reality—the Nivara's form blurred, its movements unpredictable.
Carl's sword hummed with energy, he infuses his sword with elemental power. The blade sears the Nivara's flesh but just leaves a small scratch. The Nivara uses its tail again and hits Carl. Immediately it electrocutes Carl making him paralyzed.
The others seeing this decided to go help Carl after all they were the adults and couldn't let a kid do every thing. Lisa had taken the chance to go get help as the others charged. Fireballs streaked towards the Nivara. John's fire licked the Nivara's tail and the others used water and earth to pin it down as Mathew jumped to finish it of by slicing its head off.
As if the world was against them the Nivara's body was charged and it released it all. The skies then turned black as lightning bolts came falling as rain. The earth tried to protect the others but he alone could not do it himself for long. The Nivara charged at them but Carl managed to move an immediately struck it with his sword and then blinked to different parts of the Nivara stabbing it.
Finally he had managed to hurt it as it made a painful roar that caused a slight tremor in the whole kingdom.