In a spacious living room, Eldar quietly sat on a couch, cradling a steaming cup of tea in his hands with a small plush bear kept in his left arm. The room is bathed in soft, warm light, casting gentle shadows across the elegant furnishings.
Suddenly, a nearby couch hurled itself towards Eldar. As it flew through the air, it burst into blue flames, casting an eerie glow across the room.
At the same moment, sharp spikes erupted from the ground around him; however, their target had long disappeared.
Amid the silence, Leon frantically searched his surroundings before a soft, incongruous sound broke the silence—a gentle slurping. Leon whipped around, and there, sitting calmly behind him, was Eldar leisurely sipping a cup of tea
Immediately, Leon felt the ground shift beneath him, and before he could react, thick tree vines shot up from the ground, wrapping around his legs and torso. Just as panic began to set in, a sudden rush of blue embers surged through the air and engulfed the vines, reducing them to ashes.
Alan jumped towards Eldar with a flying kick, however, with intense speed, Eldar caught Alan's leg with his right arm, absorbing the force of impact.
As if expecting that, Alan swiftly twisted his body, using the momentum to his advantage. With a fluid motion, he drew a blazing sword, its blade alight with an azure flame.
Eldar quickly released his grip on Alan's ankle, Eldar swung his right fist with great force towards the boy.
However, just before his fist could connect with Alan, a solid wall of earth erupted from the ground, intercepting the blow. Eldar's fist slammed into the sturdy barrier, the impact causing a dull thud to resonate through the air.
Eldar's eyes narrowed in confusion for a brief moment before a smirk spread across his face. With a sudden burst of speed, his figure became a blur, moving almost faster than the eye could follow.
As he vanished, the blazing sword sliced cleanly through the earth wall, its intense heat causing the stone to crack and crumble.
Eldar reappeared on a separate couch, his demeanor completely unbothered. He sat down gracefully and resumed sipping his tea. "Great attempt, already much better than before."
He applauded the two boys with a smile, just as a barrage of vines flew towards them. The vines moved like a flurry of bullets, twisting and snapping through the air with a relentless force.
Alan's mouth hung slightly open as he watched the approaching vines with calm eyes, In that moment, his mind cleared, and he tapped into his instincts.
As Alan focused, the surroundings shifted into a monochromatic view. Eldar and all the attacking vines glowed with a bright, ethereal white, light making them stand out against the now-insanely gray backdrop of everything else.
Moving instinctively, Alan fluidly sidestepped a vine that reached for his head, Without hesitation, he leapt into the air, effortlessly clearing another vine that lunged towards him from below. As he landed, his momentum carried him forward in a swift dash towards Eldar.
In one fluid motion, Alan summoned a sword made of blue embers, the weapon materializing in his hand with a brilliant, fiery glow.
Numerous other vines shot towards Alan but were quickly pierced through by multiple jagged spikes, allowing Alan to continue his advance.
As Alan pressed forward, Leon moved swiftly beside him, matching his pace. Leon rushed towards Eldar while hurling spikes of earth towards the approaching vines.
Leon suddenly dropped to one knee and punched the ground, creating ripples through the ground. Like a forest of stones emerging from the earth, they pierced through the air towards Eldar.
Alan's feet pressed heavily against the floor as he burst through the area, the intensity of his movement left a faint trail behind him, arriving in front of Eldar in a heartbeat.
The blade, now positioned behind his back, was positioned for a strike. Alan's body tensed as he prepared for the final blow.
As Alan charged towards Eldar, Leon appeared behind him. Surrounding him were countless spikes, hovering in the air. The spikes varied in size and shape, forming an imposing wall of jagged points that seemed to defy gravity.
At the sight of this assault, Eldar coldly smiled with a swift and fluid motion. He threw his right arm forward with such incredible speed that his arm became a blur, almost invisible to the naked eye.
A brutal pain suddenly surged through Alan's abdomen, as if struck by a cannon. His eyes instantly, rolled back, turning a stark white, and his vision faded as he lost consciousness.
Alan's limp, airborne body flew uncontrollably through the air. He collided with Leon, and the impact sent both boys hurtling backward, crashing into a large pillar.
All the floating spikes suddenly rained to the floor, hitting the ground with a series of loud tapping sounds.
The impact cracked the stone pillars as small dust and debris cascaded around them.
The two boys collapsed to the floor, completely unconscious. Loud laughter filled the silence as Eldar heartily laughed.
He looked at the motionless bodies of the two boys and smiled. "This was your thirty-eighth attempt and your greatest attempt so far; get some rest." None of the boys heard any of his words as they continued to lie on the ground.
...
Inside a large room, numerous beds were neatly arranged in rows along the walls.
Alan and Leon lay side by side on two of the white beds, their bodies covered in bandages. The bandages were wrapped carefully around various parts of their bodies, covering wounds and injuries from the recent battle.
A young nurse, dressed in a long white uniform, silently walked towards the two boys. Her youthful appearance was accentuated by her dark brown hair, neatly tied back.
She approached the two boys with a large frown on her face. "This is the thirty-eighth time you two have come here within the span of seven days."
For the past seven days, Alan and Leon have continuously attempted to capture the teddy bear. They attacked the chief at the most random times, but they received heavy injuries each time.
Alan looked at her with closed eyes and a nervous smile. "We are sorry to put you through the trouble, Miss Lara."
For the past seven days, Lara has attended to their needs every time they were severely injured, treating their wounds.
She heaved a large sigh and slapped her forehead. "Never mind that, just stay still." Lara's eyes emitted a vivid green colour as she stretched her arm forward.
The very air around Alan and Leon gave off a bright green glow, slowly recovering Alan and Leon's wounds. Lara possessed a healing factor, quite rare amongst all the blessings in the world.
"You two need to stay safe; I better not see you here again." Lara repeated what she told them for the previous thirty-eight visits and walked away towards the exit.
"Thank you!" Both Alan and Leon expressed their gratitude towards Lara as they noticed a familiar person walk in.
Her long auburn hair was neatly tucked behind her sharp ears as she looked at the two boys with no expression.
"Hey Ariel..."
"You two are weak." Without exchanging pleasantry, Ariel immediately cut to the point.
"Come to the marketplace with me tomorrow."