"The world may be dark and dangerous, but as long as I fight alongside my sister, there is nothing we cannot overcome." - Selennia Nightsong
"Courage doesn't mean having no fear. Courage means feeling the fear and moving forward anyway, because I know you are by my side." - Seraphina Nightsong
Everything in the world is transient. Life, people, animals, buildings, and all objects. If you look deeper, you realize that even love and friendships are fleeting. In a critical situation, your feelings can change so drastically that you suddenly see your former best friend as an enemy. Especially after years of isolation, instincts develop. Instincts that lead you to always make the decision that benefits you the most.
Seven years had passed. The sixteen-year-old Aiden was now an adult. He spent his days with Seraphina, Selennia, and his other friends from the village. His goal was to conquer the dungeon and its twenty levels entirely. For this, he trained day after day, never stopping to overcome the labyrinths and defeat the monsters within them. The Thunderbear, which had cost Aiden his first attempt, was now no longer a problem for him and could be defeated within a few minutes. And so, it came to pass that the young world traveler finally reached his goal after seven years - level twenty of the dungeon, the final level.
Full of courage and pride, Aiden entered the final level. Before him stretched a long, majestic corridor that ended in a bright light. With each step, two initially fireless torches on the walls lit up, one on the left and one on the right. It was truly a grand setup for the dungeon's final boss. Aiden followed the corridor, full of excitement about what beast the final monster might be. Perhaps a Storm Titan (Tier II Elemental), or even a Phoenix (Tier II Mythical)? When the young man finally reached the end of the corridor, he could see the boss monster. Aiden couldn't believe his eyes. What he was seeing couldn't be real. It was something far worse than he had expected. Standing before the boy was the world's only Tier III monster in the 'Wild' category, the 'Behemoth.'
Chapter 2 - Diverging Paths, Hidden Trails
When Aiden saw the Behemoth, it was a nearly majestic figure, straight out of a fairy tale. It had the size of a multi-story building, the head of a lion, the tusks of an elephant, the scales of a snake, the body of a buffalo, the arms of a gorilla, the hind legs of a bear, the tail of a crocodile, the wings of a dragon, and the glowing eyes of a wolf. Its movements were as graceful as those of a cat and yet as brutal as those of a rhinoceros. The boy knew this beast was not to be underestimated, after all, it was one of four beasts that existed only once in the world. Even if it was the weakest beast of Tier III, the Behemoth could not be underestimated.
Aiden felt his heart race as he watched the Behemoth. Every fiber of his being screamed with tension, but he knew he had to keep a cool head now. The Behemoth moved slowly toward him, and with each step, the ground beneath his feet seemed to tremble. The air was filled with a deep, booming breath, making the creature's presence even more overwhelming. Aiden knew his only chance lay in the proper use of his abilities. He had trained for seven years to reach this moment. His Body Enhancement skill was strong, but against a beast of this size and power, it would be difficult to maintain the full duration. But today was not the day to doubt.
"[Body Enhancement]," Aiden murmured, feeling the familiar, warm energy flow through his body. His muscles tensed, his reflexes sharpened. He was ready to face the Behemoth. The beast lunged at Aiden with a speed that contradicted its massive size. The boy barely managed to dodge to the side in time but felt the rush of air and the impact as the Behemoth's massive claws smashed into the ground. Dust and debris were thrown into the air, and Aiden rolled skillfully to get back on his feet. He knew he had to act quickly. A direct attack was risky, but merely dodging wouldn't save him. The Behemoth prepared for another attack, this time with its powerful tail, which whipped through the air like a lash. Aiden ducked and felt the tail narrowly brush over his head, carving a deep groove into the wall.
"This is impossible," Aiden thought. "Even with [Body Enhancement], I can't keep up with it." But at that moment, as he felt the force of the attack, an idea came to him. Aiden jumped back and focused deeply. Instead of applying his body enhancement to his entire body, he concentrated all the energy into his right arm. Immediately, he felt the power concentrate, and his arm became hot as if it were about to explode. The intensity was overwhelming, but he also felt the immense strength in that one arm. "This could work," Aiden thought and threw himself back into the fight. The Behemoth saw him coming and opened its massive maw, ready to bite. But Aiden was faster. With a powerful leap, he closed the distance between himself and the beast and struck with his enhanced fist. The blow hit the Behemoth right in the jaw, and the force of the impact made the creature stagger.
The ground beneath the Behemoth's feet shook as it righted itself again, visibly surprised by the strength of the attack. But it was far from defeated. With an angry roar, it charged at Aiden again. Aiden knew he had to use his new ability wisely. The Behemoth was not only strong but also fast. Another frontal attack would be suicide. He had to find a different tactic. The boy sprinted off, keeping the Behemoth constantly in his sight. He let it get closer on purpose while memorizing the space around him. As the Behemoth prepared for its next strike, Aiden deftly dodged and ran directly toward one of the massive stone pillars that lined the room. The Behemoth roared and followed him, its heavy steps echoing through the hall. Aiden jumped at the pillar and used his enhanced legs to leap up it. With a powerful thrust of his arm, he broke through the base of the pillar, causing it to wobble.
In a fluid motion, Aiden jumped back to the ground just as the pillar toppled, crashing down on the Behemoth as it charged forward. The massive stone block hit the beast on the side, pinning it down for a moment. Aiden seized the opportunity to execute his next plan. He knew he couldn't maintain his enhanced strength much longer, so he focused everything he had left into his right arm again. This time, he aimed at the most vulnerable point he had spotted on the Behemoth – the eye. With a single, powerful leap, Aiden landed on the Behemoth's head, which was trying to shake off the weight of the pillar. With one final, decisive strike, he drove his enhanced fist directly into the Behemoth's glowing eye. A bone-chilling roar echoed as the fist pierced through the protective layer of the eye, and the energy exploded in a blinding flash of light.
The Behemoth reared up, then all became silent. The colossal creature fell heavily to the ground, and the earth trembled under its weight. Aiden leaped to the side to avoid being crushed by the falling giant. He watched as the Behemoth's glowing eyes slowly dimmed and the mighty beast finally lay still. Breathing heavily, Aiden gazed at the defeated monster. He could hardly believe he had actually won. The sheer exhaustion brought him to his knees, but a sense of triumph flooded through him. He had defeated the Behemoth – with intelligence, courage, and a new, more intense control of his abilities. "The lifespan of a mayfly, huh...?" he whispered before losing consciousness and drifting into a well-deserved sleep, while the last pillar behind him collapsed and the light in the dungeon finally went out.
During his sleep, Aiden thought of his friends. They were probably somewhere in this world. Be it Ash with his optimistic nature, Yuichiro with his strictness, Azrael with his quiet personality, Mikko with his helpfulness, or Elara with her calm yet just and always friendly character. Aiden hoped that they were all doing well. But most of all, he thought about his best friend Vincent.
"I hope you're okay, Vincent."
The boy opened his eyes. A beeping sound was in his ears, and bright lights surrounded him. Selennia and Seraphina were sitting beside him. "Are you awake?" asked Seraphina. Selennia just held her hands over her mouth and looked at the boy in shock. "What happened...? I was only gone for a moment." A tear ran down Seraphina's cheek. Selennia replied, "You were unconscious for almost a week. When you hadn't returned after two days, we went down with a few fighters to check on you. Since you defeated the boss, the function of individual dungeons disappeared too. We didn't have many problems because you had defeated most of the monsters. We found you on level 20. For some reason, you were still fine. You survived down there for two days without any issues." The boy was shocked. Almost a week? He immediately sat up. "Hey, can you really stand? You should rest a little longer." Aiden smiled. "Oh, I'll be fine." Then he left the small house and went for a short walk to the main street. But what Shuji saw was shocking. "Y-You?!"
"Ah, what? You're Aiden, right?" Before the young man stood none other than Vincent, his best friend. Vincent wore a brown jacket with a fur collar. He had dark hair that he had slicked back. However, one large strand hung in his face. Vincent was sitting on a Thunderbear, which did not attack him. Beside him stood a Direwolf, eagerly awaiting his command. Vincent had chosen the class of Beast Tamer. "Hey, Vince, want to maybe find the others and reunite our group of friends?" But Aiden's counterpart was unimpressed by the suggestion. "Group of friends? Wait a minute, do you really think we're all still friends after everything?" The boy with the different-colored hair was shocked. "But... Why would you say that? You were the one who cared the most about us. You were the one who founded the whole group and sacrificed the most for it. Do you really want to give all that up?" Vincent looked at Aiden with a serious, incredulous expression. "We are in a different world here, where maintaining friendships is not our biggest concern. This place is full of powerful monsters and beasts. That's why I can't team up with someone just because they're my friend or something. I only travel with those who can help me and don't get in the way. As long as you're not useful to me, I'll travel alone."
Aiden's expression was now somewhat sad and sympathetic. Although Vincent treated him poorly and essentially abandoned their friendship, the boy knew there had to be something bigger behind it. The man couldn't have just turned into an unpleasant person like that. It must have been a long, deep pain. However, the boy couldn't give up on his best friend. Alone, he could never figure out how to return to his home world. So he replied, "I can be useful to you." Vincent looked at him. "Oh yeah, and what class are you?" Aiden lowered his gaze. "Street Fighter..." Without a word, Vincent turned away. "I'm leaving." He was disappointed. He had finally found one of the six friends, only to realize that he was useless. But Shuji didn't want to let that go. "Wait!" he called, causing Vincent to stop for a moment. "One fight. If I win, I can travel with you. If you win, you can do whatever you want. Okay?" At that moment, Vincent's status window appeared before Aiden. It was just like his own:
< Profile >
< Name: Vincent Eberhart >
< Age: 25 years >
< Class: Beast Tamer >
< Skills: >
< [Beast Taming] >
< [Beast Empowerment] >
< [Interdimensional Communication] >
With a sigh, the survivalist turned back around. "Fine, let's get this over with quickly." Vincent smiled slightly, an expression that was uncomfortably familiar to Aiden. It was the same confident, almost arrogant expression he always had when he was convinced he had the upper hand. "Thunderbear, Direwolf – attack!" Vincent called, and the two beasts charged at Aiden. Aiden felt his heart race again, but this time it wasn't just fear; it was also determination. He knew he didn't have time to waste. "[Body Enhancement]!" He activated his body enhancement, felt the power flow through his body, and prepared for the attack.
The Direwolf was the first to reach him. With a lightning-fast leap, the beast tried to grab Aiden with its powerful jaws. But Aiden was ready. He jumped to the side, focused the energy in his legs, and kicked at the last moment. His foot hit the Direwolf hard on the head, sending it crashing into a wall, but the beast was tough. It shook its head and stood up again, its red eyes glowing with anger. Before Aiden could react, the Thunderbear was upon him. The huge bear swiped at him with its electrically charged claw, and Aiden felt the air crackle around him as the lightning zipped past him. He managed to dodge the first attack, but the second hit him on the shoulder and threw him to the ground. The energy surged through his body, and he felt a burning pain as the lightning entered his muscles.
Aiden gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet. He knew he couldn't last long if he only defended. He had to attack Vincent directly before he had a chance to give even more powerful commands. "This will be tough," Aiden thought, seeing the Direwolf sprint at him again. He jumped up, letting the beast run under him, and focused all his remaining energy into his fist. "Now or never!" With a mighty leap, Aiden jumped directly at Vincent, who widened his eyes in surprise. The Thunderbear tried to throw itself between them, but Aiden was faster. With a single, enhanced punch, he struck Vincent directly in the stomach. Vincent gasped, the air knocked out of his lungs, and he was thrown backward.
But Aiden knew one hit wouldn't be enough. Even as Vincent fell to the ground, Aiden turned around and focused on the beasts, who were now hesitating. The Thunderbear stood still for a moment, while the Direwolf growled, preparing for the next attack. "Just a little more," Aiden murmured to himself. "Just a little more strength..." He knew he didn't have enough energy left to fight both beasts at once, so he had to act quickly. He ran at the Thunderbear, jumped up, and grabbed the animal's horn to pull himself up. With all his remaining strength, he struck the Thunderbear directly on the skull. The bear roared in pain and pride, but Aiden's blow was enough to push the beast back for a moment. Vincent, who had since recovered, stood up, blood running from the corner of his mouth. "You… you've gotten better, Aiden," he muttered, suppressing his own pain. "But it's not enough."
"We'll see about that," Aiden replied, turning in a fluid, dizzying motion to fend off the Direwolf that lunged at him from the side. With a swift blow, he struck the beast on the jaw, throwing it back. Aiden knew his time was running out. The body enhancement was slowly wearing off, and he barely had enough energy to keep fighting. But he couldn't give up. Not now. He looked around and spotted a loose boulder nearby. "This might work..." he thought and ran toward it with everything he had. He picked up the heavy stone just as the Direwolf leaped at him again. "Come on..." Aiden murmured as he hurled the boulder at the Direwolf. The rock hit the beast hard on the head, causing it to stagger. At the same moment, the Thunderbear lunged at Aiden again, but this time Aiden was ready.
He activated the last of his body enhancement and concentrated all his remaining strength into his right arm. With one final, desperate blow, he struck the Thunderbear right in the center of its skull. The force of the blow made the Thunderbear's electrical patterns flicker for a moment, and then the massive animal collapsed. The Direwolf, which had just recovered, saw its fallen comrade and growled softly before retreating. Vincent stood still, his eyes fixed on the fallen Thunderbear. Aiden was breathing heavily, each breath burning in his chest. "So, Vincent..." he began, looking at his best friend, "What now?" Vincent stared at him for a moment, then his expression relaxed, and he allowed a faint, but appreciative smile. "You've won," he finally said, "You can come along."
Aiden let the tension in his shoulders ease and slowly nodded. "Thank you," he replied quietly. Vincent patted the exhausted Aiden on the shoulder. "Maybe... maybe there's still hope for this friendship." The two young men, once friends torn apart by the hardships of the world, now walked together into an uncertain future. But Aiden knew one thing for sure: He wouldn't give up, neither on his friends nor on the possibility of returning home.
Soon dusk set in, and the day drew to a close. Vincent and Aiden's wounds were treated by Selennia and Seraphina. "Haha, I treated Vincent's wounds better than you treated Aiden's!" said Selennia proudly to her sister. Seraphina only sighed. After all, Vincent's wounds were treated only with a low-quality burn ointment and loose bandages haphazardly wrapped around Vincent's arms. The injuries were mostly bruises in the abdomen. Aiden, on the other hand, was perfectly treated by Seraphina. So the boy with the two-tone hair began: "So, Vince. How was your life in the seven years we haven't seen each other?" Vincent closed his eyes briefly before answering, "Well, I woke up in an area where there was no human civilization far and wide. I hunted my food daily and fought for my survival. It was there that I realized how important survival is in this world. Eventually, I found a village where I saw people for the first time in five years."
While Vincent was telling his story, a man in a dark cloak entered the inn where they were sitting. Aiden looked sadly at his best friend. "I'm sorry I asked you that..." Of course, after five years of complete isolation, Vincent only focused on his survival. Apparently, he had developed strong survival instincts. "Oh, forget it. You couldn't have known how bad the time was." Before they could continue their conversation, the dark-cloaked man who had just entered the inn approached their table. "Gentlemen..." The man had a rough, dark voice. The two boys immediately turned around. The figure evoked a deep sense of unease in them. But it gave them no time to think about it. "My master, Lord Azrael, would like to see you. Please be at the 'Le Clair de Lune' bar in Valoria at ten o'clock tomorrow." Aiden immediately jumped up. "Azrael? That can't be..." Azrael was one of the seven friends who came to the paradise through the book.
Aiden immediately yanked the man's hood down, only to see a skull instead of a head. "A skeleton...? No, necromancy!" The skeleton instantly crumbled to dust along with its cloak. Azrael had apparently chosen the class of Necromancer, making him incredibly dangerous. The duo had to be cautious the next day. They might never be able to return. "Then we'll go to Valoria tomorrow." Vincent looked at Aiden with a slight smile. Aiden sighed briefly before nodding in agreement. For now, the most important thing was not to worry too much about it. After all, Takeo was their friend. So they went to bed, hoping for a friendly reunion the next day.
The second chapter of my second online story Tales of Seven is finally here! Unlike Akuma, this story will be shorter, with only about twenty chapters. Still, I'm excited to share the story of Aiden and his friends with you! :D
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Stay tuned for the next chapter and don't forget to share your thoughts and feedback in the comments. See you next time!