Dreama had ventured deeper into
the forest, still humming a carefree
tune. Despite the bruises on his
knuckles from the previous battle,
his energy remained boundless, a
predatory grin plastered across his
face. The sound of birds and
rustling leaves filled the air, but
something in the stillness hinted
that he wasn't alone anymore.
From behind the trees, a figure
emerged. Kash, accompanied by his
group of four, stood across the
clearing, his eyes burning with
disdain.
"Looks like you survived' Kash
sneered, stepping forward. "I
thought the beasts would've torn
you apart by now."
Dreama wiped his hands on his
robe, unimpressed by Kash's
appearance. "Disappointed?"
Kash's eyes gleamed with
malevolence. "You've been lucky so
far, but luck runs out. You don't
stand a chance against me."
Dreama chuckled, running his hand
through his hair. "You sure about
that? You don't seem like the type to
get your hands dirty."
Kash's expression darkened, and
with a snap of his fingers, two of his
group members stepped forward.
One of them, a burly boy wielding a
massive sword, smirked. "We'll
make sure you don't walk out of here
in one piece."
Dreama sighed. "ls this the part
where I'm supposed to be scared?"
The burly boy lunged at Dreama with
surprising speed, his sword aimed
for Dreama's chest. Dreama
sidestepped at the last second,
dodging the strike effortlessly.
Before the boy could recover,
Dreama delivered a swift punch to
his gut, sending him crashing to the
ground.
Kash's other companion, a girl with
fiery red hair and daggers in each
hand, moved in next. She slashed at
Dreama with impressive precision,
but Dreama's movements were fluid,
his reflexes sharper than hers. He
ducked and weaved around her
attacks, grabbing her wrist
mid-swing and twisting it justenough to disarm her.
"l expected more,' Dreama muttered,
tossing her aside.
Kash, growing impatient, snarled.
"Enough playing around. You two are
worthless!"
Suddenly, Kash's body began to
radiate a dark aura. His eyes glowed
with a fierce intensity as he
activated his power. The air around
him shimmered with heat, and the
ground beneath him cracked from
the force of his growing energy. The
remaining members of Kash's group
stepped back, fear creeping into
their faces.
Dreama watched calmly as Kash
transformed, the dark energy swirling around him like a storm.
You Sure you want to do thnis?
Kash let out a guttural roar and
charged at Dreama, his fists
crackling with dark flames. He
moved faster than before, aiming a
flaming punch at Dreama's face.
Dreama barely had time to react,
raising his arm to block the attack.
The force of the blow sent him
skidding back several feet, his arm
singed from the heat.
"Finally," Dreama muttered, wiping
the blood from his lip. "A challenge."
Kash grinned maniacally. "lll crush
you!"
They clashed again, trading blows in
a whirlwind of fire and speed. Kash's
dark flames flared with each punch, while Dreama countered with his own gravity-based strikes, slowing
Kash's movements whenever he
could. The ground beneath them
cracked and trembled from the
intensity of their battle, the air thick
with power.
Despite Kash's strength, Dreama
remained calm, analyzing every
move. He knew Kash was
dangerous, but he wasn't invincible.
In the brief moments between their
attacks, Dreama could see the
openings in Kash's wild swings.
With a burst of speed, Dreama
ducked under one of Kash's flaming
punches and delivered a powerful
uppercut to his chin, sending him
flying into the air.
Kash landed hard, groaning in pain.
But he wasn't done yet. He struggled to his feet blood dripping from the Corner of his mouth. "i'II KlI you!" he
roared, summoning more dark
energy.
Dreama shook his head. "You really
don't learn, do you?"
As Kash charged again, Dreama
decided it was time to end the fight.
With a swift motion, he raised his
hand, manipulating the gravity
around Kash. Kash's body suddenly
felt like it weighed a thousand tons.
He gasped, his knees buckling
under the pressure. No matter how
hard he tried, he couldn't move. His
flames flickered and died, and his
dark aura dissipated.
Dreama walked over, staring down at
Kash's trembling form. "You were
never strong enough to beat me,' hesaid quietly. "But it was fun while it
lasted."
He raised his fist, ready to deliver
the final blow, but before he could
strike, a deep rumble echoed
through the forest. Both Dreama and
Kash froze, looking around. The
trees shook violently as something
massive approached.
Out of the shadows stepped a
colossal beast, its fur dark as night,
eyes glowing red with malice. It
stood three times taller than the
bear Dreama had fought earlier, its
fangs dripping with poison. It was a
creature unlike anything they had
seen before, and its presence sent a
shiver down Dreama's spine.
Kash's group, still watching from a
distance, screamed in terror and
bolted, leaving their leader behind.
Dreama smiled. "Well, looks like my
luck just got worse... or better."
Kash, still pinned to the ground by
Dreama's gravity, looked up at the
beast in horror. "W-what is that
thing?"
Dreama cracked his knuckles, his
eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Looks like we're about to find out."
With the beast's thunderous roar, the
real battle began.
_________________________________________
Meanwhile, back at the clearing where the phoenix grandmaster had gathered the children, she sensed a shift in the air. Her thoughts returned to Dreama, the boy whose potential she couldn't see. Something about him stirred her curiosity—perhaps he was more than he appeared.
"Interesting," she mused, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "It seems he possesses a spark that could either ignite a revolution or lead to his own downfall."
With a wave of her hand, she conjured a small orb of light that floated towards the forest, destined to track Dreama's progress. "Let's see what you can truly do, young one."
She noticed an energy fluntion that was extremely destructive.
"Is that... Why in the world is it in a beginner forest?"
"Those kids need to get out of there now" she brought out and artifact and contacted the other masters who's face paled after learning what was going on.