Tepo laid on the ground. He was covered in leaves and soil, rain constantly pouring down on him. The lush trees around him only offered so much protection.
Insects crawled over his back, but the youngster ignored them completely. His entire being was concentrated on the path before him. In this dense forest where nature had the upper hand, only a few parts could be traversed.
Tepo suppressed his breathing to a minimum, but he still wasn't as proficient at it as the silent man next to him. Despite his tall frame the man perfectly blended into the forest. Even Tepo wouldn't be able to find him if he didn't already know his position.
Like silent predators the two men waited, enduring the cold water wetting their simple clothes.
Finally, some change came into the quiet forest. A few animals scurried away, vanishing into the undergrowth. Their sensitive noses smelled the odor of blood even before Tepo.
But the man next to him seemingly noticed it even earlier. He carefully changed the position of his hand, stretching three fingers. Their skin was dirty and rough, but Tepo immediately gained a sense of security.
Slowly some rustling could be heard from the path. Ugly, guttural sounds reached the two men's ears, mixing with footsteps dragging on the ground.
Tepo narrowed his eyes as creatures appeared from behind the trees. They wore torn human clothing, reddened from dried blood. Their eyes were red, their bodies carrying some smaller mutilations.
Doing his best to suppress his emotions Tepo observed the outsiders as they got nearer. At their back a few of these crazy creatures huffed loudly. They pulled long chains connected to a wooden cart. Human body parts and fresh corpses were transported on it.
The two men laying in ambush kept cold expressions, but the sickening sight only strengthened their determination.
Tepo gripped his knife tightly as the man next to him slowly bent his fingers.
Three, two, one…
Suddenly loud bangs rang out. Bullets shot through the air. Three outsiders went down immediately.
Loud screams left the bloodthirsty creatures' mouths. They radiated fear and excitement.
Leaves scattered through the air as Tepo jumped up. Together with the other man he dashed down a low bank.
Abruptly he appeared before the first outsider. The smell of blood assaulted him. A claw-like hand met him, aiming for his head.
Tepo went to his knees. His body was still small, so the attack was easy to avoid. Subsequently he stabbed his knife forward. Blood flowed down his hand as the knife cut deeply into his enemy's stomach.
Suddenly the youngster felt a presence next to him. He hastily jumped back, avoiding the two arms which tried to grab him. A sharp look was in his eyes as his knife swung out.
But something strange happened!
Tepo's knife met a bloodied arm and suddenly shattered into a thousand pieces!
"Tepo! RUN!"
A voice roared in his ears. Tepo looked towards the side where the other man desperately defended himself.
"Hahaha."
Deep, wheezing laughter echoed in the forest. The outsiders opened their ugly mouths, no attacks having any effect on them.
Tepo's eyes wavered. He wanted to jump back but was stuck in place. Suddenly two of the crazy creatures grabbed his shoulders and pressed him on his knees.
A disgusting hand reached out. It appeared so big in Tepo's vision, its fingernail a long claw as it scratched Tepo's neck.
The hand drew back, delivering a drop of blood to an outsider's mouth.
"Ahhh."
A pleasurable moan left the creature's maw.
Tepo shuddered. His eyes looked left and right in panic. Finally, they focused on the man who was supposed to be his pillar of support. Sharp claws worked to tear the man's skin apart. His arm hung limb, blood dying his entire body red.
The man was barely standing entirely carried by his iron will.
Suddenly a hand plunged into the man's chest. It stuck out of its back, a beating heart in hand.
Tepo was supposed to be shocked, but he only shook his head.
"That's enough."
The young man focused on his own chest. A golden circle stayed there, pulsing faintly. With a smile on his face, he activated his [Infectious Flames].
Immediately Tepo's body was set on fire. The outsiders reaching for him were infected. They screamed in pain, their bodies melting under the flames.
Tepo stood up, his gaze falling on the man missing his heart.
"Shev."
This word suddenly worked like a spell. All the outsiders abruptly went up in flames, burning to ash within moments.
Only the two humans were left.
The man missing his heart turned around slowly. His skin was torn, his chest showing his innards, but his face was adorned with a proud smile.
"Tepmodus."
"Feels good to see you again."
"Yes. You have grown a lot. I can't compare to you anymore."
Tepo slowly shook his head.
"I still have much to learn. For a moment I was genuinely frightened. But you would've kept a determined will even in the most hopeless situations.
That's why you could grow old even in our desolate world."
"But it also made me stubborn. I don't think I could've adapted to another life as well as you did."
"I wish you could see this world, Shev. It's everything you ever fought for.", responded Tepo with a sad smile.
"Who knows. Maybe you will find me in the future and show me this world."
"Is this your wish or mine?"
"What do you think?"
Shev laughed loudly as he looked at Tepo with fatherly eyes.
"The best thing I ever did was rescuing you, Tepo. I hope you knows this. I'm incredibly proud of you. My fight is in good hands with you and your new partner."
"Is this illusion going to end soon?", asked Tepo with a dry throat.
"It ended the moment you acknowledged the entity in your chest. You know it doesn't belong to this timeline..."
Suddenly everything around Tepo turned dark. A single tear ran down his cheeks.
We won't disappoint you Shev!
As Tepo's mind cleared up, panicked cries reached his ears. It was the sound of other warriors.
Carefully, the young man opened his eyes. He stayed vigilant as he didn't know what to expect.
With a little peek Tepo saw frightened warriors. They acted in crazed panic, slumped on the ground or running around uncontrolled.
Even the alliance soldiers were no exception. The male soldier kneeled in mitten the destroyed forest, his face an ugly grimace.
Tepo was just about to open his eyes further when his body lightly shivered. He noticed someone standing on the path they were supposed to take.
It was a rather short man with curly black hair. He wore a red robe which hid his entire body except for his head. A bored look was on his handsome face.
Tepo suppressed his emotions. He recognized this man to be one of the members of Seven Strikes!
But why isn't he effected by illusions?!
Tepo's throat dried as his thoughts churned. He purposely pressed out a few tears as he stumbled through the forest and hid behind a wide tree.
Luckily the other warrior didn't care for the weakling leaving his vision.
From his position Tepo peeked a little more. He soon noticed something obvious.
He is the only one present from Seven Strikes. What… is going on? Why is he unaffected by the illusion? And why does the effect last so long for others? Is it supposed to be like this?
Tepo didn't know how strong the Seven-Tailed Illusion Párou was, but now only its blood was left. Could it still be so potent?
With every passing second the young man felt more and more unsettled.
"No, don't! Please don't hit me!"
Suddenly Yerive's terror-stricken voice reached Tepo's ears. The young man focused on his best friend, finding him on the floor, holding his head in his hands.
Tepo gulped. He wanted to reach out and support his friend, but it would've been too suspicious.
As the warrior leaned against a tree, pretending to be caught in illusions, he listened to the chaotic mix of noises. Quickly he noticed something. One of them didn't fit with the rest. It was a low rumble, which spread from further away.
Tepo was torn. He wasn't sure if he should stick his nose into this.
But if this is the doing of Team Seven Strikes, it means they have moved against the Hub City Alliance. Although I don't know much about their character, they are humanities strongest force.
If someone worked against the Hub City Alliance, it can't be good for humanity, can it?
Tepo took a deep breath. The words Shev spoke to him in the illusion came to his mind. Clenching his fists he decided to make a move.
Suddenly the young warrior activated [Minor Stealth], vanishing from view. He remained still for a few more seconds, trying to gauge the Seven Strikes member's reaction.
After not noticing anything Tepo left his hiding place. He moved with the greatest care, knowing that strong warriors had sensible senses.
The young man hesitated for a moment, his eyes lingering on Yerive. But in the current situation he couldn't do much for his friend. He sneaked away into the forest.