As the wind covered my entire body,I become even faster than before.
---
The forest was eerily quiet, the moon casting a silver glow through the dense canopy overhead.I moved silently through the underbrush.The forest had always felt alive, but tonight it seemed more like a predator, waiting to strike.
Mia had been gone for too long.Far too long and I begun to worry about their location.
The tension in my chest grew with each passing moment.It had been hours since anyone had last seen her, and now I was out here, alone, tracking her down.I'd told Alex to stay behind,he wasn't ready for this.These men weren't ordinary criminals they were mages.Dangerous ones.It was better if I faced them alone.
With a slow breath, I closed my eyes, letting the wind spread out from me, covering the entire forest.I listened,feeling the flow of mana in the air change,as it scoured the forest for any sign of her. There was no room for doubt. I would find her, no matter what!
That's when it ticked,a small change in the air's mana was enough to help me.
There they was,found them,just past the ridge, near an old, decrepit cabin. Mages. Five of them. Their mana felt thick and aggressive, corrupting the flow of energy around them.
The moment I confirmed Mia was there.I took another deep breath.
This situation wasn't really unfamiliar with me i had faced such stuff in the past and they did not bother me a bit,am I anxious because I'm a human?These feelings are both beautiful and strange.
I couldn't let these men take Mia,use her or even worse.So I moved.
And so my body move swiftly without a sound.
As I neared the place, I could make out the light from the cabin windows and the figures standing guard outside.Their presence was that of a Pupil Level Mage or even a Master, their mana as dark as "Sin". But their arrogance was evident they hadn't noticed me yet...
crouched low behind a large tree at the edge of the clearing, assessing the situation. Five outside, one inside. I could sense their movements clearly, the ebb and flow of their mana like a dark pulse.It would take precise timing, but I could handle them.
The wind once again coveted my body, spreading out across the clearing, touching everything it could reach.I needed to disable them before they could react.Before they even knew I was there.
With a flick of my wrist, the first gust of wind surged forward, slamming into the nearest mage with bone breaking force.He was thrown back into the trees before he even realized what had hit him. I was already moving, heading toward the second target.
The second mage barely had time to turn before I sent another blast of wind at him, knocking him off his feet and into the dirt. His breath left him in a harsh gasp and his mana went out.
Two down.
The remaining three reacted quickly, but not quickly enough.One threw up a mana barrier just in time to deflect my next strike, but it was a poor defense.I twisted my fingers and redirected the wind, sweeping low and striking him from below. His barrier shattered, and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious.
The fourth mage wasn't as lucky.He lunged at me,anxiousness in his eyes as he conjured a fireball in his hand, but I didn't give him the chance to release it.The wind danced around him, snuffing out his flames before they could even ignite.He collapsed with a grunt, his mana dispersing.
And the i turned to the last mage, who stood frozen near the cabin door.He was younger than the others,older than I was now, but his eyes were filled with fear. He raised his hands in surrender, trembling, but I didn't stop.
The wind rusher forward, knocking him out cold before he could say a word.
With the outer guards dealt with,I stepped cautiously toward the cabin.Inside,I could feel the last presence stronger, more dangerous.This was the one in control.His mana was dark,was he a demon?I thought.
I pushed open the door slowly,letting it creak on its hinges.The interior of the cabin was dimly lit,the air heavy with the stench of stale mana and old wood.The figure inside was seated in a chair, his back to me.His hood obscured most of his features, but the malevolent energy rolling off him was unmistakable.
He didn't turn as I entered, but his voice was cold and low. "You're too late."
My eyes narrowed and my heart pounded. Too late? No, I refused to believe that. I stepped closer,my body dripping in mana.
"You think you can stop me, boy?" the figure said, finally rising from his seat.He turned, his eyes glowing faintly under the hood."You have no idea what you've walked into."
Without warning, the air around us exploded with dark mana.I was thrown back, crashing into the far wall, the breath knocked from my lungs.I scrambled to my feet, my vision spinning, but the man was already moving, his hand raised, summoning another wave of destructive energy.
I barely had time to react, throwing up a barrier of wind just as his attack hit.The force of it nearly shattered my defenses, but I held firm.I couldn't afford to lose here.
The man smirked,his dark mana gathering around him like a living entity. "You're strong," he said, his voice mocking. "But strength alone won't save you now."
I completely ignored his words, focusing on the battle.I needed to end this quickly, or his magic would overwhelm me.With a deep breath, I gathered all the energy I could, pulling the wind into a vortex around me. The air crackled with power.
But before I could strike, the ground beneath us trembled.
A blinding flash of light filled the room, and everything around me twisted and warped. The air felt heavy, like reality itself was being torn apart,I tried to move, but it was like the world itself was pulling me in,dragging me somewhere...
Then, in an instant, everything went black.
---
When I awoke, the air was cold and damp, and the soft sound of dripping water rang through the darkness.My body ached, my head spinning as I forced myself to sit up. The first thing I noticed was the stone floor beneath me,slick with moisture.The second was the dim light flickering from a distant torch on the wall.
A dungeon.I didn't recognize it, but the oppressive atmosphere was unmistakable.
A dungeon,is a place created by an evolved Demonic creatures to trap humans,it contains at least a hundred Demonic creatures.But why was I here?
I groaned, clutching my side as I stood.My mana felt off, like it had been disrupted by whatever had happened in that cabin. I took a slow breath, steadying myself as I surveyed my surroundings.
There was no sign of Mia, or the man who had caused the explosion.Just me, trapped in this dungeon. Alone.
I had to find her,my anger almost took over,I couldn't act like in the past.My past is the thing I'm trying not to repeat.I was a human now damn it.
But as I stepped forward,something movef silently in the darkness.A low growl echoed
through the dungeon, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps.
The air grew colder as the growling reverberated off the stone walls,making the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.I tensed, my instincts screaming at me to prepare for a fight.I reached out with my mana, feeling the flow around me,sluggish and faint, but still there.Whatever force had teleported me here had disrupted my connection to mana, but it wasn't enough to stop me from defending myself.
The footsteps grew closer, the shadows deepening as something massive moved within the darkness.I couldn't see it yet, but I could feel its presence filled with malice.My breath hitched as the creature stepped into the faint light of the distant torch.
It was monstrous,towering over me with a body that resembled a grotesque hybrid of beast and man.Its skin was mottled and pale, stretched tightly over bulging muscles. Its glowing eyes locked onto mine with
hunger and its maw was filled with jagged teeth,dripping with saliva.
For a moment, I froze, taking in the size of the thing.It wasn't something I could easily take down in my current state.I didn't even have time to fully gather my mana. But retreat wasn't an option. I couldn't afford to show fear here.
I took a step back, lifting my hand slightly as I tried to pull the wind around me,but the atmosphere in this dungeon was different,
heavy, as if it resisted any manipulation.The creature took a menacing step forward, growling low, its breath ragged and foul.
I needed to move and I need to be fast.
With a swift burst of speed, i dodged to the side just as the creature lunged at me.Its claws slammed into the stone floor where I had been standing, sending cracks through the rock.I skidded across the wet stone, trying to find my footing as the creature turned its glowing eyes toward me again.
The wind was weak here, but I could still feel it, faint and distant.I needed to be more creative.
I ducked as the beast charged again, claws swiping at me with deadly precision.As I spun away, I forced the air in the room to twist, creating a sudden gust that pushed the creature off balance.It stumbled but quickly regained its footing, snarling in frustration.
This massive fuck,I said frustrated.
With a flick of my wrist, I sent another gust of wind toward the torch on the wall, snuffing it out.The room plunged into darkness, and I used the momentary distraction to move again,keeping low as I circled around the creature.My breath was steady, my focus even more as I listened to its movements, felt the tremors in the ground.
In the pitch black,i had an advantage.Back in the past,the first war of the demons was in complete darkness,I was used to this.
The creature roared in frustration, thrashing wildly in the dark.It relied on sight, and now it was blind.I remained silent, waiting for the right moment. Its heavy footsteps heard in the cavern, and I could sense it turning, trying to locate me.
Patience. Just a little longer.
When it finally turned its back to me, I struck.
With a surge of mana, I released the wind in a sharp, concentrated blast aimed directly at its exposed spine.The force hit the creature hard, and it let out a pained howl as it stumbled forward, crashing into the wall.But it wasn't down yet.
I pressed the advantage, rushing forward and using the wind to make myself faster.I closed the distance in an instant, aiming for its vulnerable side.My hand crackled with raw energy as I channeled the remnants of my mana into a condensed blast of wind, striking the creature in the ribs.
The impact was enough to knock it off its feet, sending it sprawling to the ground with a sickening thud.Its growls turned into pained whimpers as it tried to push itself up, but I wasn't about to give it the chance.
I clenched my fist, and the wind around me surged again, lifting debris and rubble from the dungeon floor.With a final push, I sent the wind crashing down on the creature, pinning it to the ground under a storm of debris.
It struggled for a moment, but soon its movements grew weaker and weaker until it finally went still.
The dungeon was filled with silence,only broken only by my ragged breathing.I stood there for a moment, staring at the motionless body of the beast, trying to calm the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
But I couldn't rest.Mia was still out there, somewhere in this place. I had to find her before anything worse happened.
Wiping the sweat from my brow, I stepped over the creature's body and continued deeper into the dungeon. The air grew even colder as I descended further, the light growing faint as the walls closed in around me.
This type of dungeon was strange,I encountered something like this when I was Kijin.
But I couldn't stop now.I remember what I replied to my former master back then,when he tld me,there are many strange people in the world,your siblings could end up your enemies.
And I arrogantly replied,"I agree,but you know,I have the power to kill my enemies."
As much as I'm not proud of it,I was a genius in the past.
But that was the past.
I should focus on Mia...