He fixed his gaze on the white light. In a moment, it was let loose, coming towards him.
Finding it hard to jump aside, he fell to the ground; the spear flew right above him, and at that moment, he began crawling on the ground.
Suddenly, many tiny spears formed in the air and rained down onto the ground.
Unfortunately, about nine pierced Caelum's back where he lay. He coughed up blood from his mouth.
But somehow, Caelum just wouldn't stop; he slowly crawled towards where he suspected the creature was.
Another set formed in the air again, and this time he rolled his body slightly to the side, avoiding three, but one grazed his ear. He ignored the pain.
"Aye, I'm... so close!"
One fortunate thing about this creature was that its second form couldn't battle up close with an opponent. This was the reason why it always favoured the death of its first form, as it would gain its potential; again, that one would have to be dead for it to evolve.
Another drawback for it was that the process took hours, and the creature had to remain in one position, idle and not in battle. So Caelum aimed to get close to it, but right now that seemed impossible as it continued its persistent attacks.
Any more of that wave would surely kill Caelum; it was a miracle he was still alive at this point.
Of course, this was the benefit of his class, for supposedly he should have been dead after even the first encounter with the initial form of the Monki. Yet here he was, struggling to survive.
Caelum used the stone knife to drag himself across the ground; his path was stained in blood. Crimson liquid found its way out of his mouth.
The Monki began to create another wave of tiny spears in the air. They scattered around Caelum; certainly, this was going to hit him. Whether accurate or inaccurate, it was inescapable.
With a bit of strength, he stabbed the stone knife into the ground, using it as leverage to lift himself up. His hand shook constantly as he struggled.
After reaching midpoint, he used his injured leg to push himself up, ignoring the pain. He then placed his second leg down, finally raising himself off the ground, his hair falling over his face once more.
His hand held the makeshift knife downwards while his face was also bowed.
With a deep breath, he shot his head back to look upwards, where he saw bright lights like stars surrounding him. He slowly counted how many single lights there were.
'10... then I will use 15 seconds to reach that bastard. Running straight will be quite dangerous, as I will be shot dead the moment I take a step, so I will have to run in a zigzag. You stupid curse! Give me strength; you brought me here anyway! So help me out!'
'Let me loose...' Caelum thought, focusing his wavering and dulling eyesight straight ahead. He tried to locate the creature.
Through the fog, which had started to descend, he saw a pale hand suspended in the air, as if holding the tiny spears.
Caelum focused on the pale hand, waiting for it to drop. He had already guessed that it was the creature.
Caelum steadied himself, formulating a short plan as he staggered towards the hands. The moment he took a step forward, they instantly dropped, and he dashed in a zigzag pattern, desperately trying to dodge each one.
He counted each spear that missed him:
"...2 ... 4... 7..."
In a rough moment, he caught a clear glimpse of the creature. It stared back at Caelum with fear as he raised his hand upwards, poised to strike its head.
The creature's second form was quite pale, resembling its first form but missing its claws and possessing an actual hand. Two thin horns extended from its forehead, and between them lay a dormant red hole.
There, right there, was where Caelum aimed.
Inadvertently, a white rolling blade shot from his side, heading straight for his head. His peripheral vision caught its glint, and without hesitation, he hurled the stone knife at the red spot on the creature's head.
'...Luck, make it hit!' That was Caelum's last thought as the rolling blade sliced through the air, decapitating him.
The stone knife successfully struck the creature's red spot, and black blood gushed forth, erupting from it as the creature burst into a vibrant shade of black.
Meanwhile, Caelum's head rolled across the floor, his lifeless body collapsing to its knees before finally landing fully on the ground.
***
[Cursed One] You have slain a Monki.
[You have destroyed the history of your first biggest mistake, therefore cleansing yourself!]
[Explanation:] The repercussions of your second biggest mistake are the Monki, an entity caught between an Aspire and Acer rank.
[Congratulations, Fledgling] You have tamed your first fate.
***
...
In an old graveyard, where most of the graves were overrun with weeds, it was dirty, and the trees had all shed their leaves, now brown and with holes in the ground. The place seemed as if it were four centuries old.
It was currently night, with crickets chirping in the quiet space.
A deep male voice suddenly spoke, "So we've been visiting this fool's grave for the past two months, and he has yet to wake up. Are you sure he isn't dead? I wouldn't have had to go through all that trouble of rescuing him from being burnt."
"Honestly, he isn't. I sensed some life force still remaining in him, though it weakens each day we come here. But today, it's quite bright; maybe he will wake up." another male voice, softer yet firm, responded, painting a black rock red.
They stood in front of a newer grave, compared to the others.
The first man was in his late forties, with wrinkles and a deep scar on his left arm. He had cropped brown hair and held a unique battle axe:
The axe was entirely black, with a wide blade adorned in swirling motifs and angular engravings. Designs of interlocking vines and ancient symbols were etched into the dark metal, giving it a mystical appearance. The handle, also black, was wrapped in dark leather embossed with geometric patterns, providing both grip and aesthetic appeal, with subtle ridges along its length.
The man was a tall figure, around 6'6".
The other male beside him was in his mid-twenties, with a chiseled jaw and long, dark hair that reached his shoulders, styled to frame his face.
He was shorter, about 5'4".
Both wore light clothing made from a dark fabric. The taller man's tunic was loose-fitting, with wide sleeves, while the shorter man's attire was more fitted, with a high collar and tapered sleeves.
Out of the blue, the sky darkened as heavy clouds rolled in, swirling like a thick, grey blanket.
A sharp wind began to whip through the bare trees, causing their branches to sway and the leaves on the ground to fly and dance.
The two strange men looked up and noticed the approaching storm.
The middle-aged man exclaimed, "Great! A storm is coming, and this fool is still in the grave."
In the distance, a low rumble of thunder echoed.
Flashes of lightning illuminated the horizon, momentarily revealing the movement of the clouds.
The temperature dropped suddenly, sending a chill through the two men.
Promptly, a hand shot up from the grave. The two men watched intently, waiting for the body to emerge fully.
A second hand followed, grasping at the air as if clawing for life. Grains of sand cascaded down like a fine waterfall, covering the trembling hands.
"See, I told you he wasn't dead yet. Perhaps it just took him a while to tame his first fate; you took eight months," the shorter man whispered to the middle-aged man.
The man scoffed in response, "Whatever..."
Slowly, the figure began to rise, the shifting sand revealing a dirtied silhouette. It was Caelum.
"Hello, Fledgling... I believe that's your current rank," the short one greeted with a wave and a grin.