'I think it's been about 10 days since I left Triplume City' the tired Elias spoke as he rested on the top of one of the arms high up in a tree. He stared at the map of The Great Wilderness held between both his hands. Although The Great Wilderness was covered in the darkness of night, he had to decide which direction he should take the next morning.
Throughout this time Elias had not managed to get enough rest, he was always on high alert within the wilderness which was lurking with dangers in every corner. He dared not get complacent. This left him mentally drained with a tinge of exhaustion. He was constantly on the move and he couldn't stop.
He had already lost his items of holding such as the high quality essence stones given to him by Emily. He did need those essence stones for his journey to Dawnhaven City but he couldn't do anything now. All he had left was the silver dagger strapped on his waist.
His upper garments was riddled with tears and minor superficial wounds were all over his body. He had put up a fierce struggle against many wild animals. His hardened muscles were visible, unusual for his small 3 foot 9 inch frame.
'The past week has improved the condition of my body by leaps and bounds.' Despite being a defect Awakened, he noticed more than marginal gains with his body. It had increased in toughness and raw strength 'I could probably put on a good fight against that boar I met on the first day.'
But the greatest change was within his mind. He started to realise what it meant for the strong to rule over the weak. If he hadn't been strong, he would have died at the hands of the wild animals he had encountered during his time in The Great Wilderness.
As if nature was undergoing a natural cleansing of an invading species, a horrifying aura spread out and crept towards Elias, locking down the entire area and leaving no room for escape.
Elias was caught off guard but he knew what kind of existence could release such an aura, "Sh*t, an essence beast!" He did not expect one to appear before him. He had done everything right so far, following the safest path towards Skycloud City.
An essence beast.
One of the terrors that existed within Lumeria. They were natural hunters that ran purely on instinct and lived on the top of the food chain wherever they went. There were countless species of essence beasts that came in all shapes and sizes each with unique abilities.
He became too confident. His continuous victories against wild animals made him think he strong enough to overcome any difficulties. He honestly thought he could take on an essence beast using underhanded tactics if he had to. If he couldn't take it one on he believed he could at least flee to save his life.
But actually being in the presence of one, he marveled at his foolishness. He vastly underestimated the power of an essence beast.
Throughout his life, he's seen many essence beasts, but they were all already dead and didn't pose any threat. He had even eaten many since they were good nourishment for improving the body.
It was an entirely different experience to be in the proximity of a living one.
The essence beast's electric blue eyes became visible from within the shadows. It's eyes locked on to my very being. For the first time since coming into The Great Wilderness, I felt like I was the prey. It was as if my soul had left my body.
It had a sleek, muscular frame covered with jet-black fur and shimmered with a saturated light blue glow. Lightning energy crackled around its body, casting a brilliant light onto the dark surroundings. It had elongated, sharp claws on each of its four legs that looked like it could cut the toughest of materials, characteristic of a fearsome predator.
The very hairs on my body stood on its ends. Every cell in his body screamed to run.
My mind raced with maximum capacity seeing if there was any possibility of escaping.
He realised what type of essence beast this was from the books he had read..
A Thunderpaw Panther.
An essence beast around Tier 1 known for it's ability to wield the Lightning essence. It was also known for its quick speed which ranked at the top within all Tier 1 essence beasts. It would kill its prey so fast they would not even be able to process what killed them.
Essence beasts were at the top of the food chain, they were much stronger compared to an Awakened of the same Tier. This was because they had naturally tough bodies and were more attune to the essences of the world. A single essence beast could take on multiple Awakened of the same level if it wanted to.
This was why essence beasts were the most feared existence in the eyes of Awakened.
Despite the thunderpaw panther belonging to the lowest Tier of essence beasts it was not even close to being called weak. Elias had no possibility of defeating a thunderpaw panther, especially as a person without an essence.
'I can't escape.' It was impossible for Elias to outrun the thunderpaw panther. He could only fight even if there was a slim chance of making it out alive. He desperately hated that he couldn't use the power of essences in this situation.
Before Elias could think of a plan, the thunderpaw panther started to glow in a faint blue light on the surface of it's muscular body. The lightning intensified until eventually the thunderpaw panther disappeared from its position. This entire sequence of events lasted for only a brief moment.
Elias watched with widened eyes as the thunderpaw panther crossed meters in a blink of an eye in a straight line towards him. The beast split the surrounding air, leaving arcs of lightning behind it.
Elias barely had the time to react before the beast was inches away from taking his life. Facing the sharp claws of the thunderpaw panther, Elias instinctively raised his silver dagger to block the incoming attack.
Clang!
Waves of lightning coursed around the two until Elias couldn't last any longer and shot outwards through the air like a cannonball. The thunderpaw panther remained in its position, surprised Elias was able to react fast enough to deflect its blow.
Bang!
Elias smashed into a nearby tree, coughing out a mouthful of blood. Just from that altercation, his entire arm and some of his ribs were broken. He looked pathetic with bloodstains and open wounds all over his body. His flesh was charred black due to the rampaging lightning within his body. His arms dropped lifelessly onto the ground.
The difference in power was too massive.
After seeing the thunderpaw panther, I knew I stood no chance. But I couldn't throw my life away without putting up a fight. Seeing himself in this pathetic state made him realised his attempt, if you could even call it that, was completely pointless.
He had lost his grip on his silver dagger, the blade was completely shattered, leaving only its hilt on the ground. It couldn't withstand a single blow, but it had prevented his entire arm from being blown off.
The thunderpaw panther was visibly surprised Elias had survived, a person who couldn't even use the essences. He had just defended its strike with his body alone.
Elias didn't care about the thoughts of the beast.
The beast opened its jaw revealing a pointy row of teeth. He wanted to finally finish off his prey and it had decided to use its most powerful essence ability as a token for surviving his first attack. It was as if it was telling the human it was deserving of an honorable death.
An small sphere of lightning manifested from its mouth, cackling with more intense sparks compared to before. A slight distortion of the air created a faint outline around the lightning orb.
I looked up at the growing sphere of dense lightning with desperation. Just being in the vicinity of that orb made my primal instinct kick in. It was telling me to get far away as soon as possible. Alas, I couldn't. My broken body was charred and bloodied. I couldn't move no matter how hard I tried.
"I guess this is the end.." I uttered with struggled breaths. My life flashed before my eyes as I watched the orb come closer. The faces of ridicule back at the estate, Maxwell and Duke Ashthorne's true colours, my promise to Emily, my desire to become an Awakened standing at the top, and the longing to find answers about my mothers death.
I was the only one to be blamed. I grew too confident while still being far too weak thinking I had the strength to survive The Great Wilderness. All my problems could have been solved with sufficient strength.
Elias' body exploded into a mist of blood intertwined with the overpowering force of lightning.
All that was left within the vicinity was the thunderpaw panther and the hilt of a dagger belonging to a young boy named Elias who no longer existed on the continent of Lumeria.
The night continued with its usual stillness in The Great Wilderness as if nothing had taken place.