"All I will do is watch over you so that if something goes wrong, I will be there to protect the both of you." A grin broke out across his face before it faded away, his brow furrowed slightly in deep thought, making it clear that this situation bothered him greatly and weighed heavily upon him.
At first Ariel had no objections whatsoever, but once the words left her mouth she went silent.
As he turned and began walking towards a nearby cave, he finally let slip one last warning. "And no magic for either of you unless absolutely necessary!"
With that we all stood there staring out at the cave entrance waiting, watching carefully, wondering what might come out of the shadows and into our lives once more. There were two things in particular that were on our minds. Could we truly be strong enough without relying solely on our powers? Or would this challenge kill us before we could overcome it?
My body was shivering and covered in dirt, mud, and sweat. The trees swayed around us with each passing gust of wind, making it difficult for me to understand what was happening around me, until the night came. As our night vision gradually developed, we finally understood the layout of the jungle itself.
It was huge, spanning for miles and miles to the horizon, covering the ground almost entirely. Trees stood tall and mighty above us, blocking the sun's harsh glare during the day, giving us respite.
In addition to that, there were thousands of smaller shrubs and ferns scattered around everywhere. Behind us were cliffs rising hundreds of feet up the sides, forming a sheer cliff face towering above everything. Before us stood a stone archway stretching fifty yards high at least, guarded by a row of large pillars. It looked like this would be our best bet at finding a place safe and comfortable. We began our trek towards the archway with cautious steps, eyes peeled open and scanning all the nooks and crannies surrounding us.
When we were just inside the archway, there were countless cracks and holes and fissures in the rocks lining the ground. Upon closer inspection, they were actually tunnels leading deep into the mountain's depths. I could tell where these were coming from just by looking at the paths leading directly from where we had traveled. These were paths carved out over thousands of years by rainwater washing away sediments.
Some were created by erosion while others were naturally formed caves dug out by creatures burrowing underground to escape the elements.
One of them looked man-made. A tunnel had obviously been hacked into the solid rock in some areas. Some sections were crude and had clearly been excavated with hammers, picks and shovels. The path inside curved and narrowed until it disappeared around the bend.
The passageway widened after it passed the corner, although not significantly. To my surprise, there was a second passageway which led even further into darkness. This second passageway opened onto what appeared to be a chamber that contained a large pool of water. This particular chamber was narrow and about fifty feet high, with walls of solid granite lining both sides. From this angle, there appeared to be no end to the chamber; it seemed endless, stretching out as far as the eye could see. At some point, there had been a natural break between the wall of granite on my left and the other side of the wall across from it where this second passageway led out. The other side of this wall was also covered by layers of granite, except for two sections at both ends where there was a large crevasse.
"What is this place..." I could barely contain my excitement. We had stumbled across the perfect hideaway, a place which would allow us both ample protection and space to live. It had taken us many hours to finally reach our destination, so there would definitely not be much food available anywhere near this location, which means that hunting and gathering would be a priority.
This hideout was incredible and exactly what we needed for shelter. Although not the most comfortable, it was nonetheless better than sleeping outside. The main thing about the room was the large stone slab that I had discovered near the rear of the chamber, which doubled as both a bench and a bed. Underneath the bench was a small opening which served as a hole, probably meant for the toilet, though I doubted anyone would've ever used such a crude one. As we continued to search around the area, I couldn't help but notice the feeling of being watched. Whether that was just me being overly paranoid or the actual reality, I shrugged off the feeling and continued to explore this intricately built space.
With each second we explored, the fear that Ariel would be killed before I found her again only increased. Every inch I walked felt heavy and difficult, a small seed of despair forming within my mind. Despite our differences, she was still the only friend and family I had known since our first encounter besides my parents. There were very few moments throughout the past three years that I remembered, but the times we did spend together were the most special, moments which should never end, and shouldn't ever be lost in a cloud of confusion.
It wasn't the fact that Ariel didn't try, but she did her best every single moment she woke and got to work. This girl cared so much, she loved everyone around her and it shone brighter than anyone else."What an intriguing prospect..." A man whispered into my ear. Before I could even look to my right he was in front of me. His black eyes with a red glint were staring intently back at me, a small smile pulled at the edges of his pale lips.
I thought to myself, this could be a test. After all, Azriel has thoroughly planned out our training regiment, but the more I looked at him, the more I realized this guy was fucked in the head. I've been alive long enough to know this guy is a psycho.
"Ariel." A sweet tone slithered out of his mouth as his right hand outstretched. Just as quickly, his body dashed at an amazing pace that caught Ariel off guard, nearly ending her right then and there.
The man raised his arm up and thrust it directly into her abdomen, throwing her into the stone wall with an ear piercing boom. A crackling sound could be heard before a powerful gust of wind picked up dust and threw it in her direction, causing a sharp and excruciating pain to emanate through Ariel's body.
I summoned my Aetheric daggers and rushed towards him, WHERE THE FUCK IS AZRIEL! With an incredible amount of force and a downward swing, a heavy weight made my weapon hit with a lot less power than I would have preferred, unfortunately this did little to hinder this mans speed or strength. He moved at an incredibly fast rate towards her, slicing at Ariel with a blade formed entirely from an obsidian black smoke. He slashed viciously and with extreme precision, however even his monstrous strength couldn't overwhelm her. Her strength may have not surpassed his but her movements were just too fast and fluid for anyone who couldn't move as fast or fluid as this being. His movements were smooth yet powerful, almost reminding me of a skilled musician, or artist. She used this speed to quickly dodge attack after attack before counterattacking. However, his speed was so great, his power was so immense and his control so precise, she had to use magic to defend herself and launch counterattacks. If only she didn't have to deal with the mental strain from not being allowed to use her full potential, then maybe she could beat him...