Elijah Feng stood with a compact build, his arms robust and muscular. His head sported a buzzcut, partially obscured by unkempt facial hair and scattered bald spots. A lengthy scar traced from his left eye to the nape of his neck.
He was a familiar figure in the market district, especially around the food courts. While not renowned for his intellect, his formidable physical prowess remained unquestioned. Employed as the food court's security guard, he handled any minor theft incidents with ease.
"Hey, you coward! Come back here! FENG, chase him down - he's escaping." The clerk shouted.
Encountering Elijah meant facing certain death. He derived sick pleasure from torment, employing hefty stones to crush bones and prolong suffering. Alfred became Feng's latest hapless victim.
*Swish swish*
The young lad darted through the bustling crowd, seizing an opportunity to escape before Feng could initiate pursuit.
Alfred possessed a physical strength above the norm of ordinary individuals, due to being Vesperan. However, this advantage applied solely to those lacking specialized training or magical abilities.
He ran through a mist of smog and sweat, past begging children and outstretched hands, weaving through the crowd with practiced ease. The boy swept around a couple locked in an embrace, then slid between a tall man's legs. The man cursed and grabbed for him but only smacked his head on a wall.
As soon as the youth stood up, he turned right and sprinted into an alleyway. His feet kicked up thick dust from the dry dirt that covered the ground. With each pounding step, his heart beat faster.
Feng, hulking and massive, barreled through the crowd of people like a freight train. He wasn't as nimble as the youth, but his size made him just as fast in a straight line. His broad shoulders collided with anyone who dared to stand in his path, sending them sprawling to the ground.
The peasants around him scrambled out of the way, their faces contorted with fear and hatred. "Out of the way, you miserable worms!" He growled while stomping toward the narrow alleyway.
The air was thick with a mixture of sweat and dirt, broken only by the occasional shout or scream as Elijah's brute force cleared a path through the masses.
Alfred skidded to a stop at the end of the alleyway, his chest heaving in and out like a piston. His pursuer was right behind him, arms pumping, breath steaming, hot on his trail. The youngster wasted no time and squeezed himself between two sagging huts before jumping onto a stack of crates and scaling up onto the roof of another building.
From his vantage point, Alfred could see Feng charging forward like a rhino as he ran straight through the wall of the first hut. The shattering of wood filled the air, sending planks and fragments flying in all directions. Then the short man dashed around the hut that the youngster had climbed moments before and followed him into another alleyway.
Alfred scrambled across the path, weaving and dodging chunks of rock that were hurled in his direction. The explosions shook the walls around him, as rocks flew past his head like furious hornets.
One jagged stone flew so close it grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood that dripped down his chin. He ducked just in time to avoid another that almost collided with his skull.
'That was a close! I need to lose this oaf as soon as possible.' He reminded himself silently.
Alfred possessed the boy's memories, so he led Feng through the alleyways as if it were second nature aiming for a destination.
'This better work.' He was at his wit's end. 'Just one more turn.'
The young lad was famished and exhausted, having gone days without any nourishment. The blood he'd drank only helped him recall memories, but did nothing to alleviate his fatigue. If there were any other benefits he could not ascertain them at this instant.
Right as Alfred was about to take the bend into the backstreet, he heard Elijah Feng bellow; "Accelerate!" in a strange yet familiar language.
*whoosh"
A fist-sized rock flew towards the escapee and smashed into his hind leg, denting his skin and squeezing the flesh against the bone.
"Argh!"
Alfred was engulfed in disbelief. "He knows magic? What if he can ensnare me?" he fretted internally, gripped by panic. Recalling the myriad fantasy novels he'd read, he dreaded the diverse uses of magic and how effortlessly he could be trapped.
In the slums, finding magic users was rare since possessing any magical ability meant one could escape that life. Little did Alfred know, Elijah Feng's renown stemmed from mastering a seemingly basic spell.
Even fledgling wizards typically regarded this spell with disdain, considering it mere child's play for understanding Mana. However, in the slums, Feng's proficiency with this skill elevated him to near-deity status, earning him widespread admiration.
Alfred skidded around a corner, his heart racing as he made the turn. The boy could feel his pursuer close behind, and when Elijah realized the Alleyway was a dead end, his stomach lurched in apprehension. With a sickening jolt, he knew this was it.
'At least I made it, let's see how this goes.' Alfred thought to himself while biting his bottom lip.
Feng cackled with delight seeing his victim had nowhere to run. "You're going to pay for making me run that much!" His eyes gleamed with evil pleasure as he licked his lips in anticipation of what was to come.
Alfred limped towards the back wall of the alleyway, his tattered shoes slipping on the debris-strewn ground. His chest heaved while trying to catch his breath, and sweat dripped down his forehead.
He fixed his opponent with a stare, pausing to give a smile that seemed to hang in the air for an eternity. It was wide and mischievous, sending shivers down Feng's back.
The man's grip tightened around the handle of his pocket knife as he flicked it open, its blade glinting in the dim light.
Feeling anxious, he eyed the boy who seemed out of the ordinary. 'I'd better finish this up quickly,' he thought to himself.
*Growl growl growl*
Feng's attention was suddenly seized by a distant growl, prompting him to glance back in surprise. It was Alfred's pack of dogs, alert to his presence, a testament to the bond he shared with them, evident in their unwavering loyalty.
In their eyes, this was their domain. The reason he escaped to this alley was for this opportunity.
Feng pivoted just in time to see three dogs charging towards him. Reacting swiftly, he raised his left arm in a half-circle, striking two of them with a backhand motion.
However, the third dog proved too swift, sinking its teeth into his right wrist.
"Argh!" The short man yelped in pain and dropped the knife he'd been holding.
'I need to act quick, I can't give him a chance to turn things around.' Alfred hunched down into position, his heart hammering in his chest. The thrill of adrenaline coursed through his veins as he felt a power surge through him - one he hadn't felt before.
His injury still throbbed, but the pain was gradually fading away. 'This must be an ability of Vesperans.' Alfred thought to himself, grinning.
With a sudden burst of energy, he propelled himself off the ground and roared with a primal scream that echoed around him. An electric current prickled his skin like thousands of tiny needles as he took his first step shimmering and vibrating with supernatural force.
Alfred felt a sudden boiling heat in his veins, his eyes now blazed crimson with two razor-sharp fangs descending from his mouth. His hair erupted an extra five inches, standing erect as if charged with electricity. His body surged with power and his muscles expanded and rippled with strength.
He felt as though he could reach out and tear his opponent apart with the sheer force of strength coursing through him. Struggling to control his emotions he contemplated on his transformation. 'Vesperans can transform? Now I partially understand were the energy from the blood went.'
Elijah Feng stood roughly 12 meters away from his target, oblivious to Alfred's transformation. Suddenly, the boy surged forward with astonishing velocity, covering 10 meters in the blink of an eye.
Feng's eyes widened in alarm as Alfred materialized before him. Reacting instinctively, Feng crossed his arms in an X-shaped defense, bracing for an assault. Yet, as he scanned ahead, Alfred had vanished without a trace.
A chill ran down the short man's spine as he spun around; it was too late. Alfred's cold stare met his own, and a long pocket knife was lodged deep into his throat.
The boy carefully maneuvered the blade, gripping the handle tight. After slicing the jugular vein, he yanked the blade sharply with ferocious might. This wasn't his first murder, there was no hesitation in his actions. He knew precisely where to cut and how much pressure to use for maximum destruction.
"Bleurgh!"
*Fwish fwish fwish*
Elijah Feng dropped to his knees in disbelief, blood jetting out of his neck in pulsing streams.
He desperately tried to cover the injury with both hands but the fountain of red only seemed to worsen. Panic spread across his face as he realized his approaching doom.
*Gurgle gurgle*
The burly man fell face forward with wide eyes, completely aghast.
[Low Energy Detected.]
[Beginning Energy Transfer.]
*Fwoosh*
Alfred gulped down 5.5 liters of blood and strangely found pleasure in it. He couldn't control the joy that spread across his face, no matter how much he tried to fight it.
'I can't believe I enjoyed that.' Alfred thought as he cringed to himself. 'The absorption of the energy seems to be somewhat autonomous however I can vaguely sense its due to me having expended a lot of my Vesperan energy. I think I can control when I want to absorb energy in the future.'
[Downloading Blood Memories: 8%]
The percentage slowly climbed up until it reached 100%, and the last year of Elijah Feng's memories flashed into his mind. After a brief discomfort.
'This time the amount of memories is significantly less, I need to test more before coming to any conclusions. The potential for untapped scientific discovery is exciting if I force myself to overlook the absurdity of my experiences so far.' Alfred rationalized before beginning to sort through the memories.
He observed that Feng's memory banks were largely unhelpful recollections, with no more than vague cravings to destroy things.
All the henchman did was consume food, sleep, and torture anything that fell victim to him. Alfred started to contemplate if everybody in this world was completely mad.
However, he did find one piece of vital information, the spell; 'Accelerate', and how to cast it. This sudden realization gave the boy an idea.
'I need to test my abilities further before I can get a better grasp on my strength. So much to discover, it's almost daunting.' He judged with a wry smile.
Alfred took a deep breath and recalled how Elijah Feng drew Mana from his memories. He inhaled and pictured the Mana in the air entering his lungs. While he was attempting this he could see small light particles in the air gathering towards him.
The next step was to gather the Mana in his abdomen, then conjure up the spell he wanted to cast. To achieve this he needed to picture the charm for the Accelerate spell.
Finally, he would vocalize the enchantment in a strange language different from the common language spoken by the public whilst letting the retained energy move through him as it followed the pattern of the charm.
Different spells had different charms, and some were more complex than others. Certain spells would take more than an hour to make the Mana flow through the entire charm.
If a single mistake was made, the spell would either backlash or not work entirely.
This was what made magic so difficult and not easily accessible to most commoners. Only people who went to magic schools or nobles were given the correct instruction to master magic.
"Accelerate!"
Alfred shouted out while imagining his fist going at incredible speed. The Accelerate charm was simple, it appeared like three overlapping triangles. However, Alfred still needed to get the start and end flow of the Mana correct.
From the casting hand, the Mana could then be projected onto objects but he directed it towards his fist for a punch.
*Whoosh*
He succeeded.
'Haha, even across realms my natural learning ability isn't inhibited. I need to quickly focus on putting myself in a position where I have access to vast amounts of information. I hope this world has libraries.' Alfred theorized.
*Rumble rumble*
Alfred's stomach growled, he remembered his initial objective and picked up the bag with the meat buns.
'It's time to eat!'