The village was quiet as the predator descended. Her slit-like eyes glowed faintly under the dim moonlight, scanning the houses for any sign of movement. The stench of divinity had vanished beyond the outskirts, leaving her furious.
"This mortal dares to hide from me?" she hissed, her voice echoing with venom. "No matter… If he is hiding in here then I will tear this place apart and draw him out myself."
She took a step forward, her clawed feet crushing the ground beneath them, and with a swing of her tail, she obliterated the nearest house. Screams erupted from within the village as people scattered in panic. The predator's lips curled into a wicked smile.
Her rampage had begun.
…..
The martial school was the first to respond. The students gathered under the guidance of their master, who stood at the forefront, his aura blazing like a bonfire in the night.
"Stay behind me," the master commanded, his voice steady despite the chaos. "This creature is unlike anything you've faced. Do not act recklessly."
The predator emerged from the shadows, her pale, scaled figure illuminated by the flames of the burning houses. Her serpentine eyes locked onto the master, assessing him briefly before speaking.
"Are you the one?" she asked, her voice a chilling whisper.
The master didn't respond. Instead, his aura flared, bright and oppressive, as he stepped forward. The students watched in awe and fear as their master's energy surged to a level they had never seen before.
The predator tilted her head, unimpressed. "You are not him."
Without hesitation, the master attacked, launching himself at her with explosive speed. His strikes were relentless, each one infused with burning aura growing weaker with each strike. The predator snarled as her non-scaly skin blistered under the intensity of his attacks.
But she was far from defeated.
With a deafening roar, she swung her tail, sending the master crashing into the ground. He rose shakily, his aura flickering like a dying flame. Realizing he couldn't defeat her with conventional means, he made a decision.
He closed his eyes and began to channel all his remaining energy into a single point.
"Students," he called out, his voice filled with resolve. "Run. Live to fight another day."
The students hesitated, fear and loyalty clashing in their hearts. Before they could respond, the master unleashed his final attack. His body became a beacon of light as he detonated himself in a massive explosion, engulfing the predator in a fiery inferno.
The aftermath was silent, the air thick with smoke and ash. For a moment, it seemed the master's sacrifice had succeeded.
Then, from the flames, the predator emerged. Her non-scaly areas were charred and raw, but her expression was one of unrelenting malice. She bared her fangs and charged at the remaining students.
Lin, standing at the forefront, was the last to charge. His sword flashed in the firelight as he struck, but she was too fast. Her claw plunged into his chest, lifting him off the ground like a broken doll.
Blood poured from his mouth as his wide eyes locked on the figures approaching in the distance. A single word escaped his lips, faint and choked:
"Run…"
Then his body fell limp, and she cast him aside.
Zhong and his party arrived just in time to see Lin's lifeless body hit the ground. The sight rooted Zhong in place, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing.
"No!" Mei's scream cut through the air, raw and filled with anguish.
She and Jin charged, their tears mixing with the blood and ash around them. Mei struck low, aiming for the predator's legs, while Jin targeted her burned flesh. Their attacks were wild and desperate, fueled by grief and fury.
The predator's tail lashed out in response, moving with blinding speed.
In one swing, their heads exploded like fragile pottery.
Their bodies crumpled to the ground, lifeless.
Zhong stood rooted in place, his breath shallow and his body trembling. He told himself to move, to fight, to die avenging his friends. But his legs refused to obey.
"Move!" he screamed in his mind. "Fight! Do something!"
But he didn't. He couldn't.
The predator slowly turned her gaze to him, her lips curling into a cruel smile. She stalked toward him, each step slow and menacing.
Zhong's heart pounded in his chest as she loomed over him, her claw raised for the killing blow.
Then, she froze.
Her slit eyes widened slightly, and her head snapped to the east. A surge of aura, powerful and the stench of divinity, rippled through the air. The scent she had been chasing returned, stronger than ever.
Without a word, she turned and dashed toward the source, leaving Zhong behind amidst the carnage.
…..
Zhong knelt in the heart of the ruined village, his body trembling. Rain poured over the carnage, mingling with the blood-soaked earth. Around him lay the lifeless bodies of his comrades, his master, his friends—his family. Mei and Jin's broken forms were barely recognizable, their heads shattered beyond recognition. Lin, his brother in everything but blood, lay motionless where he had fallen, a gaping wound in his chest.
Zhong's breath came in shallow, ragged gasps. His vision blurred with tears, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the devastation. His mind screamed at him, over and over, as if trying to make sense of the incomprehensible.
"I could've fought…" he whispered. "I could've saved them…"
But he hadn't. He'd stood frozen, paralyzed by fear, as the predator tore through everything he held dear.
His nails dug into the dirt, blood smearing his fingers as he clenched his fists so tightly they shook. A flash of memory struck him—Mei's hopeful smile, Jin's laughter, Lin's reassuring voice telling him they would reach the peak together.
And now they were gone.
The storm raged above, lightning splitting the sky, the thunder matching the pounding in Zhong's chest. His breath quickened, his shoulders heaving as the weight of his grief crushed him.
"I should've moved," he choked out. His voice cracked, barely audible over the storm. "I should've died with them."
But then the sorrow twisted into something else. His tears stopped, his breathing grew slower, heavier. An overwhelming surge of emotion coursed through him—hot, unrelenting, and all-consuming.
Hatred.
Pure, blinding hatred.
The predator's grotesque smile flashed in his mind, her scaled tail swinging effortlessly through his friends, her claws plunging into Lin's chest as if he were nothing. That memory burned itself into his soul, fanning the flames of his rage.
Zhong slammed his fists into the ground, the earth shattering beneath him. His aura flared erratically, a volatile mix of pain and fury that lashed out uncontrollably. The storm above seemed to respond, the wind howling louder, the rain pelting harder.
"You…" he growled, his voice deep and guttural, barely human. "I'll kill you… I'll tear you apart with my bare hands!"
The image of the predator's face taunted him, mocking his weakness. He roared, a sound that was more beast than man, his aura exploding outward in an unrefined burst. The air around him rippled with energy, raw and unstable, fueled entirely by his emotion.
But just as quickly as it surged, it faltered. Zhong collapsed to his knees again, his body trembling from the strain. The power was there, burning beneath the surface, but he is unable to draw it out.
Something inside him was changing…. his tale which was heavily damaged by Sun broke into thousands of pieces before a small red ball of energy replaced it as his new tale.
The storm's fury began to subside, the wind dying down to a mournful whisper. Zhong sat amidst the wreckage, his face twisted in agony.
He looked around the destroyed village, at the corpses of the people he'd sworn to protect, at the ruins of the school where he'd grown and laughed and trained. He had failed them all.
The rain washed away the blood from his hands, but it couldn't cleanse the guilt that consumed him.
"I'll find you…" he whispered, his voice hoarse but resolute. "I'll make you pay."
The predator was gone, chasing the scent of divinity that had lured her away. But Zhong's hatred burned brighter than ever.
And when they meet again, he wouldn't freeze. He wouldn't falter.
The storm had passed, but a new one brewed in Zhong's heart.