Chapter 5: Xalor
The atmosphere in Wendigo was dense, the trees towering overhead like ancient sentinels, casting long shadows across the path ahead. The group moved in relative silence, their footsteps muffled by the thick underbrush. Despite having been together for hours, there was an unspoken tension hanging in the air. Sakuchi had only met Telemon, Number 8, and the rest of them after the battle with the intelligent Wraiths, and the uneasy truce that had formed between them felt fragile at best.
He glanced over at Telemon, who was walking ahead, her silver hair shimmering in the dim light. She seemed deep in thought, her posture straight and focused. He wondered what kind of person she really was under that sharp, commanding exterior. Number 8 was walking alongside him, his quiet demeanor contrasting with the ever-present energy of the group.
"So, Telemon," Sakuchi said, breaking the silence, "you mentioned that the Wraiths aren't the only monsters we have to worry about in Wendigo. What else is out here?"
Telemon glanced back at him, her expression unreadable. "Wraiths are just one part of the nightmare that plagues this land. There are other creatures—beasts, dark entities, and worse." She paused for a moment, considering her words. "There are Dark Generals, for instance. Beings of unimaginable power who serve a greater force. If we encounter one of them, we'll need to retreat, no matter how prepared we think we are."
Sakuchi furrowed his brow, the weight of her words sinking in. "Dark Generals? What are they like?"
"Like nothing you've ever seen," Number 8 chimed in. "Some are bigger than you can imagine. Stronger than anything you've ever faced. They bend the very world around them to their will."
Sakuchi nodded, absorbing the information. It didn't sound like something they'd be able to fight head-on.
"Great," he muttered. "Just what we need. More things to avoid."
Telemon smiled slightly at his sarcasm but didn't comment further. The group fell into an easy rhythm as they walked, their pace steady. But then, without warning, Telemon's voice broke through the calm again.
"So, Sakuchi," she said, a teasing note in her tone. "You've been quiet. I have to ask—what kind of girls do you like?"
Sakuchi blinked, caught off guard by the sudden shift in conversation. He hadn't expected something so casual.
"The kind with… um…" Sakuchi scratched the back of his head, trying to think of something clever to say. "The kind who are strong, independent, and… uh… assertive?"
The others exchanged glances, waiting for him to continue.
"Strong and independent, huh?" Number 8 said with a raised eyebrow. "Is that your type? Maybe someone who could match you in a fight?"
Sakuchi snorted but then took a deep breath, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "No, I mean… I like my mother."
There was a pause, and the rest of the group stared at him for a moment. Then, they broke into laughter.
"Your mother?" Number 8 laughed. "Is that a joke? What kind of answer is that?"
Sakuchi didn't flinch. His expression remained dead serious, unwavering. "No, dead serious. My mother was the only woman I knew."
The laughter died down slowly as the others realized he wasn't joking. There was an awkward silence, and then Telemon, trying to ease the tension, cleared her throat.
"Well, I can't say I expected that answer. But hey, we all have our influences." She smirked. "Maybe I should take notes."
Sakuchi offered a slight smile, feeling a strange sense of camaraderie. It wasn't much, but it was something. They were sharing, if only for a moment, something that wasn't about survival.
As they continued walking, the mood lightened, the brief distraction of their conversation offering a reprieve from the harshness of Wendigo. The quiet was almost soothing—until a strange sensation tickled the back of Sakuchi's mind. The hairs on his neck stood on end.
His eyes narrowed as he scanned the dense trees around them. Something was wrong. He wasn't sure what, but he felt it.
"Sakuchi?" Telemon's voice was low, almost like a warning.
"Stay alert," he said quietly, his gaze never leaving the shadows between the trees. "I'm getting a bad feeling."
Number 8's hand drifted toward the hilt of his weapon. Daiki, walking at the rear, also seemed to sense something. "What is it?" he muttered, his grip tightening on the handle of his hammer.
Before anyone could answer, the ground trembled beneath them. Sakuchi's heart skipped a beat, and then, out of the darkness of the trees, a figure emerged.
It was tall—unnaturally so. Nearly nine feet in height, its presence like a shadow that seemed to warp the very air around it. The figure stepped into the clearing, its footsteps sending ripples through the earth.
Sakuchi's breath caught in his chest. There was no mistaking it. This was no ordinary monster. This was something much worse.
"Who dares trespass in my domain?" The voice was deep and resonant, as though the very ground beneath them trembled at the sound of it.
Telemon didn't hesitate. Her sword was already drawn. "It's a Dark General," she said under her breath. "Get ready."
The figure stepped forward, its massive form shifting with every movement, as though it was part of the darkness itself. Its skin was a deep, obsidian black, with veins of crimson energy running beneath, pulsing like a heartbeat. Its eyes glowed with molten fire.
"You are too late," the Dark General said, his voice booming. "Your fate has already been sealed."
Sakuchi's pulse quickened. The others were already preparing for a fight, but even he knew—this was different. They weren't ready for this.
With a roar that sent the birds scattering from the trees, the Dark General raised one massive hand. A shockwave of energy erupted from his outstretched palm, causing the ground to crack open and sending the group flying backward.
Sakuchi barely managed to brace himself, but the sheer force knocked him off his feet, his body crashing into a tree with a sickening thud. His vision blurred for a moment before he forced himself to focus again, eyes searching for his companions.
"Stay together!" Telemon shouted as she staggered to her feet, sword drawn. "We need to retreat!"
But it was already too late. The Dark General, Xalor, was here—and his power was overwhelming, suffocating the very air around them.
Sakuchi gritted his teeth, pushing himself up despite the pain. He wasn't about to back down. Not now. Not ever. But deep down, he knew—their survival depended on more than just brute strength. It depended on trust. Trust they hadn't fully built yet.
The Battle Unfolds
Xalor took another step forward, his massive form blocking out the light as he loomed over them like an unstoppable force of nature. His voice was like thunder as he spoke again.
"You will all die by my hand, insects. I am the harbinger of destruction."
Sakuchi's fists clenched, flames igniting once again around him. His Aura burned hotter with each passing second, the heat almost unbearable. He couldn't let fear take hold. He would fight.
"Flame Tornado!" he roared, his body surrounded by a cyclone of fiery energy. The tornado of flames surged forward, roaring toward Xalor.
But Xalor didn't move. He simply raised his arm, and with a flick of his wrist, the flames were snuffed out like a candle in the wind. The shockwave that followed sent Sakuchi tumbling backward, struggling to regain his footing.
"Is that all you have?" Xalor taunted, his voice dripping with mockery.
Telemon, ever the strategist, was already charging in, her sword raised in a precise, powerful arc. "Silver Moonstrike!" she cried, unleashing a blinding wave of light from her blade. The attack sliced through the air, aimed directly at Xalor's chest.
For a brief moment, it seemed like the strike might land. But Xalor's hand shot out, catching the blade with a casual swipe. The force of his grip shattered the blade's edge, sending shards of metal flying in all directions.
"Your weapons are no match for me," Xalor growled, his grip tightening as the remnants of the sword disintegrated into dust.
Number 8 and Daiki moved in simultaneously. Number 8 was like a shadow, darting forward with his twin daggers in a blur of motion. His movements were so quick it seemed impossible to follow, and for a brief moment, he almost managed to land a strike on Xalor's flank.
But the Dark General turned with lightning speed, slamming a fist into the ground. The shockwave was so powerful it sent Number 8 sprawling, his body slamming into a tree with a sickening crack.
Daiki wasn't far behind. He swung his massive hammer with all his might, aiming for Xalor's head. The weapon collided with Xalor's shoulder with a deafening impact, but the Dark General didn't even flinch. Instead, he spun around, backhanding Daiki with enough force to send him flying through the air, crashing into the underbrush several yards away.
The Retreat
As the battle raged on, the group was pushed to their limits. Sakuchi's body ached, his Aura barely holding on. He was running out of options, but retreat wasn't a choice they had anymore. Xalor's attacks were too powerful.
It was then that Telemon staggered, visibly struggling. She'd taken a blow from Xalor earlier—a glancing strike—but it had still been enough to weaken her. Her knees buckled, and she collapsed, her breath ragged.
"Sakuchi!" she gasped, her voice filled with pain. "Get… out of here."
Sakuchi's heart clenched as he looked over at her. Her silver hair was matted with dirt and blood, her usual sharp expression now clouded by exhaustion.
"Telemon!" Sakuchi cried, rushing to her side. "We're not leaving you!"
She tried to push him away weakly, but he wasn't having it. Ignoring the throbbing pain in his own body, he dropped to his knees beside her.
"Telemon, I'm carrying you," he said, gritting his teeth.
"Don't be an idiot—"
"I'm not leaving you behind," he interrupted, his voice steady despite the chaos around them. "We survive together."
With a strength born of desperation, Sakuchi swept Telemon into his arms. His muscles screamed in protest, but he wasn't about to let go. Not now. Not when they still had a chance.
As Sakuchi lifted Telemon in his arms, his heart raced. He could feel the weight of their situation pressing down on him, the Dark General, Xalor, moving closer with each passing moment. His presence was suffocating, like the very air around them was being drained. Sakuchi knew they couldn't keep up the fight—there was only one option left.
With Telemon's weight in his arms, he felt the familiar warmth of his Aura ignite inside him. But this time, there was something different. His flames, usually a deep red-orange, flickered with an unnatural hue. A deep, unsettling purple.
"Purple Inferno," he muttered under his breath, and his Aura surged. The air around him shimmered, distorted by the heat that radiated from his body. His flames danced like a wild, uncontrollable storm, growing fiercer with every passing second.
Xalor paused, sensing the shift in the air. His glowing eyes narrowed, his heavy steps slow and deliberate as he started moving toward them, the earth cracking with each footfall. His voice rumbled like distant thunder. "You think this will stop me?"
Sakuchi's hands tightened around Telemon. His muscles burned, his heart pounding as the power of the Flame Aura surged beyond its usual limits. He gathered the flames, twisting them around him, merging them into a violent vortex of purple energy.
"Flame Tornado: Cataclysm!" he roared.
The tornado exploded from his body, its force like a hurricane. The massive pillar of swirling purple flame cut through the air, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. But Sakuchi wasn't finished. As the tornado spun higher, he thrust his palms forward.
"Flame Nuke!" he shouted.
The tornado erupted, and from its heart, a sphere of pure, condensed fire—a nuclear blast of flame—shot toward Xalor. The explosion that followed was catastrophic, a blinding flash of heat and light that split the air and set the surrounding trees ablaze.
Sakuchi felt the force of the explosion at his back, throwing him off-balance for a moment. But the shockwave pushed him forward, urging him to run. The sound of the explosion echoed for miles, the earth itself trembling beneath the intensity of the blast.
"Now!" Sakuchi shouted, his voice urgent. "Go, go!"
The rest of the group, eyes wide with shock and awe, didn't hesitate. With one final burst of energy, they took off in the direction of the woods, sprinting as fast as their bodies would allow.
Behind them, the air was thick with smoke and the remnants of the explosion. The ground cracked and burned. But through the haze, Sakuchi could still feel Xalor's presence. He had to known. The Dark General wasn't finished. Not by a long shot.
But for now, they had a chance to escape. They had to take it.