《Spirit Sagas》 The Beginning Smoke rising in the night sky, screams and howls resonate throughout the surroundings, flames devouring everything in sight. A group of people stood outside a small village watching as another group flashed in the darkness as they silently killed off bandits they came across pillaging. Within the watching group of people was a child around fourteen years old who took a step and entered the village. The others moved as well and they all appeared in the center of the village. When they arrived their comrades had already finished the bandits and joined them. ¡°How many people of the village survived?¡± a middle age man asked. ¡°357, They have all been put to sleep and will sleep till sunrise.¡± ¡°Have we figured out who they are. This is such an out of the way place it makes no sense for so many bandits to be here in such a small place.¡± ¡°According to information we have there is a large bandit group swallowing all the small ones in the area. These should be remnants of the ones absorbed that did not want to submit and chose to escape.¡± ¡°Sean, what¡¯s with all the questions?¡± the young boy finally spoke to the middle age man. ¡°It''s not like we are going to go wipe them out are we?¡± The middle age man named Sean chuckled before answering: ¡°Of course we aren''t. They would be completely unrelated to us if it wasn''t for your orders.¡± he rubbed the boy''s head before continuing. ¡°You are the one who said save those pitiful people. These are just small fries but what if they are part of a large group or have a powerful backing. You should know this already but I''ll tell you anyway. Just because you come from a strong family doesn''t mean you can do as you please if you are weak. You can''t make enemies just cause you have a backing, that isn''t your strength. You were not strong enough to kill all those people on your own so what would you have done if you we''re alone. Your choice made enimies so you should know the all information you can.¡± No one said anything as Sean lectured the boy. They were on alert, watching their surroundings. One man saw a flicker of light and prepared to move when Sean stopped him with a wave. He pointed out the small bird and said: ¡°Now they know what you look like Flynn.¡± he smiled. The boy was shocked for a moment before understanding what was going on. He sighed and told people to hurry up putting out the flames and getting the identification of all the bandit groups involved then turned and proceded to leave the village. He knew that this bandit group had become part of his last test. He felt it was annoying. He didn''t know who they were, their strength, location, or if they had powerful backing. Add to that fact that he couldn''t ask for help from his own family and he felt a large headache. All he wanted to do was save the villge and now look.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. ¡°If you want to move as you please in this world then use your own power to do so. If you want to slaughter or save then do so with your own strength.¡± Flynn listened as Sean continued. ¡°You have a strong family and it''s fine to use it but never forget it''s not only you with a good backing and the family won''t always move for you even if you become the head.¡± ¡°I guess it''s true that no good deed goes unpunished.¡± he mumbled to himself then asked Sean: ¡°What is the original test. I''ll deal with this afterwards.¡± ¡°Well since we are almost there you might as well get started. You have until your registration at Haicho; about two years from now, to bring back the heads and cores of nine Foundaton Domain beasts; one from each tier. No restriction on how you do it as long as they are killed by you. Your destination is the Forbidden Forest and even the weakest beasts are at the Foundation Domain so you will have to be careful.¡± He sighed and continued ¡°They also have to be nine different types of beasts¡± ¡°Have those people gone damn crazy or something!¡± the boy finally lost his cool and yelled. ¡°I''m still at the 8th Tier of the Element Domain. How the hell am I suppose to kill Peak Foundation Domain beasts!¡± When the boy erupted they could see darkness becoming thicker around him. It wasn''t surprising since he had the darkness element, but no one noticeed his eyes flash a deep purple since they were behind him. He realized that no one replied to him then closed his eyes and sighed feeling another headache coming on. He wasn''t the only one in the family tested but he knew that no two people had the same test. Every one had different tests, but very few would have the same difficulty as him; two or three at most at the 8th Tier and the rest at the 9th, but that was still less than a dozen people. ¡°This is the ring your mother sent." Sean said wen Flynn calmed and handed over a dull black ring with gold runes, a Cosmos Ring. ¡°I don''t know what''s inside but since the elders let her send it then doesn''t count as outside help.¡± A Cosmos Ring was a storage tool with a separate space inside that could hold almost anything inside. They needed to be bound before being able to retrieve the items inside and the simplest and least secure way was to bind it with blood. The size of the space depends on the grade of the tool used and the grade depends on the materials used and the one making it. There were naturally things that can''t be put inside such as sentient beings and items that far surpass it''s grade; though there were rumors about extremely high grade storage tools that could accommodate sentient beings. Flynn put the ring on without trying to open it but cut his finger and let the ring absorb his blood for almost an hour while they continued onwards to their destination. Since it was obviously a low grade Cosmos Ring there was no way he was using any other method to bind it. When they finally reached their location the ring flashed a dim purple light twice before it stopped. He glanced at the the ring then waved his signaling Sean and the others that they could leave. From this point forward he was on his own until the test was completed. He stepped into forest and scanned his surroundings. After making sure there was no immediate threat he jumped into a tree to take a rest for a few hours. No one knew that in a large forest in the Haicho Region of the Southern Continent that a young boy that would become one of the greatest assassins in the Mortal World was beginning his journey. No one knew that a king of kings was being forged or that the cause of peace and destruction had just taken the first step in shaking all. Forbidden Forest After resting he finally decided to check the ring before making a move. Sending his perception into the ring he found a space the size of a small room with a few things inside. There was a sword, a dagger, a talisman, and some books. Without even thinking about it he made the dagger appear. Although it was his first time holding it, the dagger felt familiar, like it was something meant for him. It was about nine inches, slightly curved, and pitch black. He smirked and swung it a few times to get a better feel for it before placing it in its sheath and switching it with his old one on the small of his back. He next looked at the sword briefly then the talisman, recognizing it as a teleportation talisman, he knew he did not need to fear for his life during this test. Finally he looked through the few books to see what they were. He found a sword technique, a dagger technique, a movement technique, a strange absorption method and a book labeled The Forbidden Forest. He decide to read the book about the forest immediately as to better understand his situation. The Forbidden Forest was known as a danger zone of the highest magnitude not just on the Southern Continent but the entire world. It was still okay in the outer regions, but the deeper one went the more danger. According to the book very few people have ever returned after entering the fog that separates the outer regions from those deeper in. The lucky few who did were of the King Domain or above and even the Kings were heavily injured so the danger could be understood. It''s not just the strength of the beasts but also their intelligence. Beast that have made it to the Peak of the Territory Domain have intelligence no lower than humans, demons, or other races and those that make it to the King Domain gain the ability to have a humanoid appearance. No one knows what really lies in the depths of this forest. The Forbidden Forest could even be called the Beast Empire of the Southern Continent. There were several rulers even in the outer region; each of them at least at Peak Foundation Domain, and that''s just the tip of the iceberg. Every hundred years or so the beasts flood out of the forest into the rest of the Continent. ¡°I wonder what those people were thinking by sending me here.¡± Flynn spoke aloud then closed the book and returned it to the ring. ¡°I should find a water source before doing anything else.¡± _______________ After moving for about three hours, he finally arrived at a small river. Looking at his refection in the crystal clear water, with hair so black it looks like it absorbs light around him and dark eyes. Standing a little more than 160cm and a little thinner than kids his age he was still one of the strongest of the children he grew up with. He couldn¡¯t help but think about his short past ____________________ When he started to feel Element of Darkness around the age of five he originally didn¡¯t know what was going on since it was common knowledge that normally one should only try connecting to the elements at the age of ten, those in his usually family started at nine and you were a genius if you could do it at eight. Since he connected subconsciously and way before he should he never let anyone know. It wasn''t that he didn''t dare but that he simply didn''t want to, but how could he hide it from his mother since she also had the same element. She sensed the absorption one night and found him cultivating under the moonlight. Although she pretended she didn¡¯t know, she still said that once he was older and connected with his element that only hard work would make him strong, that talent would only take him so far and without hard work it would actually impede his growth. After having obtained the Element of Darkness, he naturally felt at home when it was night. Absorbing the elemental essence around him from sundown until dawn for five years he was able to enter the fifth tier of the Element Domain as others were just connecting to the elements. When he turned ten his mother taught him personally and his strength rose slower but his foundation was deeper so although others in the family gradually caught up to him in Tier but few could match his strength. Just absorbing the elemental essence is the basic of basics. She showed him how to purify the essence before absorbing it and making it his own. It wasn''t a technique of the family but some thing she obtained on her own when she was younger. She also taught him how to use a dagger and trained him to use his body without completely relying on essence. Until he surpassed the Foundation Domain he would be unable to use many darkness abilities in the presence of light and the first time he ever saw her dagger it was already an inch away from his eye before he even knew what happened. ¡°The only time your enemy knows you used a dagger is the moment it takes their life.¡± She told him. For the next three years he worked hard building his skills with the dagger and absorbing the elemental essence. During that time he also connected to the Element of Space and Element of Mind, but since he couldn¡¯t understand the spatial element he focused on strengthening his mind because if it reached a high enough level he would be able the split his mind after reaching the Foundation Domain instead of later. Dividing his mind would allow him to do multiple things without losing any concentration on either of them. It would also strengthen his perception allowing it to evolve into Spiritual Sense. As the power of his mind grew his skill with the dagger also advanced faster than before. Shortly after he turned thirteen he entered the eighth tier of the Element Domain.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. For the past year he wasn''t allowed to increase his Tier at all. His mother; Anya, had him suppress it and focus on using a sword. Since he wasn''t allowed to use his dagger unless he was killing and leaving no witnesses he needed another weapon and naturally chose a sword, the emperor of all weapons. He would be allowed to cultivate once he started his final test to become a candidate for the position of patriarch of the family. _______________ After hearing a sound he snapped out of his reminiscence and stared at the other side river and noticed he was being stared at by a green wolf about two meters in length and about a meter and half tall. It was a Gale Wolf that was inching closer when it realized it was noticed. Facing a beast that should be at least in the Foundation Domain, Flynn still showed no fear. Since he had been training his mind for the last four years his thinking ability had increased at least two fold. He realized that he could not use the shadows to his advantage since he was out in the open under the sun. The Gale Wolf was known for its speed so running away was not possible. The beast started moving the moment Flynn took out the sword from the Cosmos Ring. Although he wasn¡¯t an expert with a sword currently, with him having practiced for the last year and with the state of his mind he knew the basics and believed he could win easily enough and with the talisman fear of death was unnecessary. As the wolf leaped across the river Flynn started moving as well, aiming to catch the beast in the air in order to end the fight as soon as possible. What he didn¡¯t expect was that the moment he leaped into the air the wolf opened its mouth and a powerful gust of wind blew against him blowing him back to the ground. ¡°So much for trying to end this quickly¡± he thought to himself. Being distracted by his own thoughts he almost failed to notice the wind blade that the wolf launched the instant it landed. Concentrating the essence in his body towards his feet, he shifted to the right; he avoided the wind blade by the smallest of margins and dashed forward as the wolf charged at him. Knowing he could never defeat a Foundation Domain beast in a head on fight, especially since beasts are stronger than most other races; especially humans, at the same tier, let alone one in a different domain such as this Gale Wolf, he decided to use distraction to gain the advantage. By manipulating his own shadow he made it charge forward while he followed behind. The wolf thinking the boy was foolish, struck out with its claws only to feel no resistance as the shadow disappeared leaving nothing behind but a sword aiming for its throat. The wolf was surprised but still dodged the sword and avoiding a fatal wound but the blade still scratched its hide as it sailed past. Turning back to look for its prey as its rage soared, he found the boy with a dagger and that was the last thing it saw as the boy slashed both its eyes effectively blinding it. Flynn hastily retreated as a wind blade cut through his previous position. His breath was unsteady as it took more essence than he thought to move the sword with his mind and manipulating his shadow at the same time. He rushed forward to grab his sword as the wolf let out a savage howl causing the wind to pick up and dozens of wind blades to strike out in all directions. Stepping back after picking up the sword he dodged the wind blades that came in his direction. He ran forward as the wolf turned to flee and once again controlled the sword with his mind. Aiming at its right hind-leg, the sword pierced deep with the tip coming out two or three inches on the other side. Coming up on the left side of the wolf, he plunged his dagger into its left shoulder. The wolf felt the pain turned around and bit down on Flynn¡¯s left leg as they both tumbled from the momentum. Reacting quickly he removed the dagger from the wolf¡¯s shoulder and drove it into its skull piercing its brain before it could rip his leg off. It whimpered shortly then fell silent. Clenching his teeth in pain he removed the wolf¡¯s mouth from him leg. The feeling of removing the fangs from his leg almost caused him to pass out. Getting up and limping towards his sword and pulling it out before storing it and the wolf inside his ring he moved to the river. He began washing himself and cleaning his wound. He had never felt such pain in his life but knew that screaming out would only attract more trouble than he could currently deal with, especially now that he was wounded. He had to move before more beasts were attracted to the scent of the blood. Feeling dizzy from the pain and the rapid loss of essence, he quickly finished and headed upstream looking for a quiet place to rest and recover. ¡°It looks like I''m not as strong or smart as I thought.¡± he grumbled while spreading out his perception and moving as fast as he was currently able. _______________ After walking roughly half an hour Flynn spotted a cave and decided to rest there. Spreading out his perception he searched the cave for signs of other life but found none. ¡°I suppose staying here should be fine. At least until I advance to the Foundation Domain, it¡¯s too dangerous to move through this forest unless absolutely necessary adding the fact that I have plenty of time before I have to leave, there really is no reason to rush around.¡± Collapsing against a wall, the pain was becoming unbearable. He immediately started absorbing and purifying elemental essence and using the essence to start to close his wounds. It was the first time he needed to heal himself to such an extent and it was taxing on his mind and body. After an hour or so he was able to completely close his wound and the pain gradually faded. Elemental Stones During the process Flynn noticed the size of his essence core had expanded. The Essence Core is the area in one¡¯s body that holds the elemental essence once it has been absorbed. Along with the Quintessence Palace that houses and nourishes the soul, they are the foundation of a cultivator. The bigger and deeper one¡¯s essence core, the more essence one can use and for a longer time. The Quintessence Palace, in the Element Domain, is unusable and only nourishes the soul passively. Only by entering the Territory Domain can one actively make use of it. ¡°Using my essence until the point of nearly exhausting it may also have caused the growth of my essence core, but since I have never drained myself to this degree I can¡¯t be positive¡± It seemed that using his essence until the point of it nearly drying caused it to increase slightly in size. He never heard that the size of a person¡¯s essence core could grow without advancing to the next tier. It seems he got more out of the fight besides the essence core of that Gale Wolf that he will have to dig out later. After completely restoring his essence, he decided to take a look at the books inside the ring his mother gave him. None of the books had a name and they were incredibly old, but one book had a sword technique, another had a dagger technique, another had a movement technique and the final one taught another way to absorb the elemental essence making the body stronger before it is purified and enters the essence core. Although he wanted to learn them all now to increase his strength, the sword and dagger techniques and absorption method could only be used once he entered the Knight domain. Only the beginning of the movement technique could be used now. ¡°Advancing to the Foundation Domain shouldn¡¯t be too far away. I should make the best of my time and move steady.¡± Placing the books back in the ring and took out the corpse of the wolf and the sword. He decided to improve the power of his mind by controlling the sword with it and carving a hole in the center of the wolf¡¯s chest, to remove the core. The core was about the size of a baby¡¯s fist and radiated a bright green color representing the wind element. Placing the core to the side, Flynn skinned the wolf and was able to cut it up place it back into the ring before feeling dizzy from using nearly all his essence. His control increased a bit and the amount of essence needed to move the sword decreased slightly. He immediately started absorbing the essence again and noticed that his essence core did indeed grow slightly, but not as much as before. ¡°It seems simultaneously absorbing and using the essence and also draining one¡¯s self completely can increase the size of my essence core.¡± Once it was completely restored he picked up the core and began absorbing its essence hoping it would allow him to advance to the next tier. Normally when someone absorbs essence from a core, they only manage to absorb half of the essence because the core of others have a berserk element within and absorbing to much is the same as looking for death. As he started absorbing and purifying the essence, he noticed that the berserk element within the core started to vanish and a hint of joy flashed within his eyes. ¡°Without the berserk element I should be able to absorb all the essence without having to waste any.¡± Absorbing the core took quite a while and although he didn¡¯t enter the next tier he was now at the peak of the eighth tier and only needed a step to advance. The light of the core disappeared after absorbed what he could an now looked like an ordinary stone. ¡°It feels a little different than the essence of the world but it still gets the job done.¡± He walked to the entrance of the cave with the sword floating behind him steadily increasing his control and power. Spreading his perception in the surroundings he noticed that no beast were in the vicinity. He started retracing his steps until he found the river then headed outside the forest. There were some essential things required that could only be obtained from people and not in the forest since there were very few, if any, people inside. After leaving the forest he soon arrived at the village that was attacked and stood outside. It was noon and he could still smell the blood wafting through the air. Almost a hundred people were killed last night, only a dozen or so were villagers while the rest were bandits he ordered killed. He was surprised the village was basically empty, with all the villagers gone and a few bandits roaming around, going through every house one by one. Using his perception he noticed that there were only seven all together and only was at the Foundation Domain, 2nd Tier at most, the others were all in the Element Domain. Unknown to him his eyes flashed purple momentarily due to his rage before he stamped it down. ¡°I need to be calm. Losing my cool will only make me make mistakes.¡± he remembered his mother''s words. He placed his sword back in the ring and focused, moving quickly towards the closest house with a bandit. It only took a few seconds before finding his target heading into a room. The opponent was only at the 7th Tier so he immediately made his move. Reaching around to crush his throat to stop any sound from escaping, Flynn thrust his dagger into the back of his heart.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. There was no struggle. It was over immediately so Flynn continued to the next house. It wasn''t his first time killing a man but it was different from killing prisoners of the family. He knew that once the adrenaline wore off he would need time to recover and doing that now was just stupid so he didn''t waste his time. He only made a move when the bandits were on there own and in a house and avoided the Foundation Domain man at all costs. Each kill became easier and allowed him to calm his nerves, no longer running on adrenaline. It didn''t take long to finish off those in the Element Domain since the strongest was only at 8th Tier and there was no problem taking out someone of the same Tier. Facing the last house with the Foundation Domain bandit he didn''t try to sneak around anymore as it was of no use since the man finally noticed none of his comrades were responding. Taking out his sword he walked slowly towards the house making no attempt to be silent. It didn''t take long before the bandit rushed out the house he was in. ¡°Was it you, little bastard, that took out my men¡± the man clenched his teeth and spoke, looking around for anyone else. Inside he was shocked. The person in front was only a young boy and he also noticed the boy was only at the 8th Tier of the Element Domain and now all his subordinates were dead. He also noticed there was no blood on him or the sword in his hand so he obviously thought someone else was here. ¡°Where are the people of this village¡± Flynn wholly ignored the question. Then he noticed the man looking around and smirked. ¡°There is no one else here but you and me so you can stop looking¡± The man was startled for a moment before revealing a fiendish smile. If it was only the boy then the man felt 100% confident in finishing this quickly. He took a step forward and prepared to charge at the boy. ¡°Time to...¡± he didn''t finish speaking when Flynn moved first but he didn''t move towards the bandit. He actually used the strategy he used to handle the Gale Wolf and manipulated his shadow to go forward while he rushed to a small bird that was on a house close by. By the time the man realized what happened the bird was already dead. He felt anger and humiliation. His opponent felt it was more important to kill a bird than to face him. He yelled in and charged at the boy at full speed but when he had only covered half the distance his pupils contracted as he felt pain in his back. He looked down and saw the blade of a short sword sticking out of his chest, but the pain was only half the problem. He felt his essence core shatter because of the sword. Looking behind himself he was shocked to see absolutely nobody there. Flynn turned around and looked at him coldly. During the time he made his move against the bird and manipulated his shadow he also dropped a sword he picked up before leaving the last house. The moment the man charged at him his fate was already decided. As soon as he passed the sword Flynn used his mind to move it a destroyed his essence core. He was only still living because he wanted to know what happened to the villagers. He moved towards the now crippled man who was still in shock. He picked him up by his hair and again asked about the villagers. It didn''t take long to get it out of him. It turned out that when they arrived at the village it was already empty with only the corpses of the bandits from last night here. They started searching the village with the hope of finding anything of value and hopefully someone who knew what happened. He also found out that although a group was absorbing all the others it was far from being under control so many groups still acted on their own and that it wasn''t a bandit group but an official mercenary band. Those from last night were a mob but the ones today were sent for the group doing the absorbing, Red Star Mercenaries. Done getting all the information he wanted he finished off the man and also took the Cosmos Ring from his finger. He found an empty house to have a rest and also check the ring. It had the same size as his own and inside the ring were about 1000 gold coins, a few weapons, and other miscellaneous things. What made him happiest was that the ring had a pile of elemental stones, almost 1500 of them of various elements. Elemental stones were stones of concentrated elemental essence. They were like beast cores except that there was no berserk element and they can be used for things other than cultivating. Fire stones could be used to heat water or cook food and wind stones could give the user a boost in speed or allow one to levitate for a short time. Water, earth, light, darkness, and lightning elements all had stones. With these stones, making it to the Foundation Domain will be easier and so will staying alive in the forest. He transferred all the items into his own ring the searched the house for some clothes his size. It didn''t take long to find some then he left and searched all the other mercenarie. After taking the few things he found he rushed out out of the village and back into the forest. Instead of heading directly to the cave he moved to the area where he killed the wolf. He had been busy all day and was quite hungry and if he cooked inside the cave it would draw the beasts there and that would cause unnecessary trouble. Taking out a piece of the Gale Wolf and a fire stone he cooked it while staying on alert. Just as he finished he detected a presence and turned around to see a fox that was a little more than half the size of the Gale Wolf he killed. The fox had glossy black fur and purple eyes a shade darker than his own when he was angry. Although it was smaller than the Gale Wolf he felt that this fox was actually stronger than the wolf and if he had to fight it he would undoubtedly die. He truly felt unprecedented fear from the bottom of his soul. The fox looked like a Shadow Fox except that it had two tails and one had a purple tip and the other had a gray tip. They just stared at each other as time continued. Flynn noticed that the fox seemed to be injured. It had large wound on its right side which he felt made it more dangerous instead of easier to deal with. He didn¡¯t know why the fox hadn''t attacked yet but he didn¡¯t want to wait until it decided to. He took the rest of the wolf out and tossed it to the fox. When it looked at the meat Flynn activated the wind stone he took out and fled as fast as he could without looking back. He rushed into the cover of the trees and covered himself it darkness and headed to the cave. Just before he made it to the cave he spread out his perception and when he was sure he wasn¡¯t followed and no beasts were around he rushed directly inside. Only after covering the entrance with shadows did he let out a sigh of relief. ¡°Dammit that was dangerous.¡± he whispered to himself. He turned after sealing the entrance and his heart skipped a beat. In front of him were two purple eyes glowing in the darkness. First Soul Companion Standing there looking at the fox that should not be there, Flynn finally couldn''t suppress the soul shuddering fear he truly felt any longer. His body started to tremble and sweat began pouring out. He was sure that there was nothing in the cave when he entered, but the fox that caused him to flee for his life even while using a wind stone, was standing in front of him once again. He took a slight step back but then realized that he could not out run the beast in front of him. His mind calmed down and he started thinking of how to survive, but no matter what came to mind, it always ended with his death. ¡°Is this really how I die. In some small cave that no one knows exists.¡± His thoughts grew dark and he could not see a path to survival. ¡°Fine, If I must die then I won¡¯t be dying alone¡± He strengthened his resolve and drew his sword. Once the fox saw that the boy drew his weapon it narrowed its eyes and they started to glow. In the next instant the sword dropped to the ground and the fox stood before Flynn before he knew what happened. He stared in shock when he saw the blood on the fox¡¯s claws before blacking out from the excruciating pain. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe it would end in such a pathetic way.¡± was the last thought that ran through his mind. ____________________ Flynn opened his eyes and was wondering why he was in so much pain. His mind finally started up and he remembered the attack of the fox. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was alive. He also didn¡¯t understand how he was attacked in the first place. Feeling the pain in his body, he at least knew his body wasn¡¯t crippled and he could still feel the essence of the world he knew his cultivation also wasn¡¯t destroyed. He spread out his perception and his body shook a bit when he realized that the fox was still in the cave. He thought about it and couldn¡¯t come to a conclusion on why he was still alive. He then realized that although the fox did indeed make the first move, it was himself that made the first provocation by drawing his sword. If the fox wanted him dead then he would undoubtedly be dead without the chance to retaliate at all. He tried to sit up and realized that his body couldn¡¯t move and it only brought him pain. He thought for a second and then began healing himself. The moment he began the fox stood up and looked at him causing him to immediately stop. After a few minutes passed he realized that the fox hadn¡¯t made any other move he once again started slowly healing himself. After an unknown amount of time all his wounds had closed. He didn¡¯t directly start absorbing essence to replenish what he lost but instead sat up and looked at the fox staring at him. The first thing he noticed was that although the wound on its side had started closing the shine in its eyes was significantly dimmer. He wondered what level this beast had reached but he didn¡¯t have the power to sense it. The boy and fox just stared at each other. Flynn wasn¡¯t stupid enough to do the same thing twice and just waited. After a few minutes of just staring Flynn finally blinked and when he did the fox vanished. He just stood there stupefied until he realized that the fox was right beside him. When he turned his head to look the fox once again disappeared and was in its original location. Time, this beast was controlling the Laws of time. After seeing it up close a number of times, he finally started to see what was going on. The fox was stopping time or at least slowing it down to such a degree that he couldn¡¯t tell the difference. The time law was just like a legend. It has been said that along with the spatial law, the time law, and a few others such Yin, Yang, Life, Death, etc. were extremely rare, to the point where hundreds or thousands years might pass and no one would wholly master it. All he really knew about Laws were that most were on a much higher level than the nine elements. ¡°Do you want to die boy?¡± Flynn heard a soft voice in his mind and looked around until he realized where the voice came from. He didn¡¯t understand how a beast could talk to him in his mind. His mind was in disarray trying to figure out if all this was a hallucination and he had lost his mind. ¡°I asked you a question boy. Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡± the fox spoke again. ¡°I-I don¡¯t want to die.¡± Flynn stuttered out as he realized that this was real. He thought to himself ¡°what dumbass would want to die?¡± ¡°Why is such a weak human in this forest?¡± the fox narrowed its eyes as it asked. Flynn felt a sharp pressure that felt like it would crush him if he relaxed even the slightest bit. He resolved himself to stand strong and not collapse under the pressure. He knew that if the fox wanted to take his life then there would be no need to talk. ¡°I entered the forest as part of a family test and to increase my strength.¡± he answered honestly. The wolf released its pressure and spoke again ¡°How could a weak human hope to survive in this forest? That¡¯s no different from wanting to die.¡± ¡°It''s no different from the weak beasts that survive and grow stronger. Strength reigns supreme and mine is not enough. If I don¡¯t have strength then I can¡¯t live as I please. The weak always live under the strong¡¯s rule and would be nothing more than food for the strong. I don''t need to be almighty but I want the strength to decide how I live or die. Whether I slaughter or save. Everything in this world needs strength.¡± he spoke resolutely. The fox¡¯s laughing voice resounded in his mind almost making him taking a step back in fear.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°If you want power then are you willing to pay the price?¡± Hearing the question Flynn couldn¡¯t help but shudder before nodding. The fox¡¯s eyes started to glow once again before it slashed through the empty air. Immediately after a hole opened that emitted a strong suction force and without having the chance to react in the slightest Flynn was pulled inside and once the fox leisurely walked in the hole it instantly closed. ____________________ Flynn was tossed outside the hole and shocked to see he was no longer in the cave. How could he not be shocked? What the fox just displayed wasn''t time but space. Having one or the other was already rare but having both was insane. Although the fox made him feel fear, he couldn''t help being curious about what it was and more so, what was the feeling of familiarity he felt when passing through that spatial tear. Turning around he looked at the hole only to see the fox stepping out and the hole closing instantly after. Looking around he could only see trees and a small mountain. He figured he was still in the forest. ¡°Follow me boy¡± the fox said and headed towards the mountain. Flynn didn¡¯t hesitate and followed behind the fox while looking around. He spread his perception and noticed nothing at all. No beasts or even insects could be found within the range of his perception. It felt truly desolate. Arriving at the mountain, they walked into a rather large cave that could not be seen from the outside. Flynn tried to search the cave and noticed that his perception was blocked and there was little essence within the cave. It took almost ten minutes before he saw changes. The dark cave suddenly brightened and the amount of essence multiplied a hundred fold. The cave opened up to a room that had a large crystal with a small black spot floating in the center surrounded by sixteen smaller crystals. ¡°What the hell is that?!¡± Flynn reflexively shouted while staring at the crystals. ¡°Focus boy¡± the fox said and snapped him back to attention. ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of time and a few important things to get out of the way¡± ¡°Okay¡± ¡°The deal is simple; before your life ends you MUST kill the king of this forest¡± ¡°Who is the king of this forest and is that how you became wounded?¡± asked Flynn ¡°You will know who he is in time. Do you want the power to decide your own life or do you want to die now¡± the fox asked while glaring at the boy. ¡°POWER!¡± he shouted The fox smiled and had him stand in the middle of the room under the crystal. The smaller crystals started to rotate clockwise while the larger one started to shine brighter. While Flynn watched the crystals the already thick essence within the room grew even thicker and started centering at his location. Being so focused on the crystals he failed to realize that his essence core was rapidly expanding and heading towards the ninth tier and then entered the Foundation Domain. Only after he entered the Foundation Domain did he come to his senses and begin to feel what was going on. His power continued to rise until the smaller crystals finally shattered leaving only the large crystal shining with the black spot at the center. The essence started to gather at the center of the crystal causing the spot to slowly grow. He looked towards the fox to ask what was happening only to discover it lying weakly on its side and the glow of its eyes growing dimmer. He tried to rush forward but was held in place unable to move. He called out but he received no response. Seeing that its eyes still had a bit of its shine he knew that the fox had not yet died but was sure it would not last much longer if its situation remained the same. He heard a sound and looked up and noticed that the spot inside the crystal had grown quite large and there were cracks running along the crystal steadily expanding. ¡°What the hell is that thing?¡± Suddenly the crystal shattered causing Flynn to cover his eyes. He looked up again and saw nothing and grew confused. Remembering the fox he looked that way and was shocked to see another, smaller, fox beside it looking towards him with the same deep purple eyes. The bigger fox weakly stood up and nuzzled to other and they both walked forward to Flynn. He just stood there not moving an inch. ¡°Go¡± The word caused Flynn to be confused because he didn¡¯t understand, but as he was feeling confused the smaller fox shot forward and immediately sunk its teeth into his right wrist. By the time he reacted it was already over. A black mark was making its way up his arm and finally stopping at his shoulder forming the infinity symbol. He looked back the little fox and saw the same symbol briefly shine on its forehead before disappearing. He didn¡¯t get what was going on but he could feel the fox¡¯s existence closely linked to his own. ¡°Master¡± said the little fox as it bowed before him ¡°Be happy boy. You could search for a hundred years and never find a finer Soul Companion than her¡± the larger fox proclaimed proudly. Looking at the little fox, Flynn could feel its presence as strong as he could feel his own. Deep in his Quintessence Palace he could feel another soul intertwined with his own and it actually made him happy. He smiled at the small fox and asked for her name. ¡°This one doesn¡¯t have a name master¡± she replied still bowing ¡°It¡¯s your duty to name her boy¡± Flynn thought for a moment before giving her the name Nyx. After giving her the name her eyes flashed a brief purple light. Nyx moved over to his side and looked into his eyes as he continued to smile at her before he looked at the other fox and speaking. ¡°So would you please tell me exactly what a Soul Companion is? I have heard of Spirit Beasts but not Soul Companions. I can feel that we are connected but I don¡¯t understand why or how.¡± ¡°Soul Companions are Beast, Demons, Humans, or any other race that have formed a bond with someone willingly and whole heartedly called a Soul Covenant. It¡¯s a bond that lasts until death and they can never be forcibly separated by an outside power; it is even extremely difficult for those bonded to break it and the price for doing so is immense. If either of the bonded were to be harmed the other would immediately know and they would also be able to locate and communicate with one another no matter where they are as long as they are on the same plane. They would have no other choice but to help and take care of each other because if one were to die then so would the other. To have a Soul Companion is to have a companion for life and death. It is a bond that far surpasses that of blood or matrimony.¡± Flynn was dumbfounded but before he had the chance to fully comprehend what he was being told the fox continued to speak. ¡°Spirit Beasts are beasts who have also entered into a contract with another being. The difference is that these contracts are usually based on strength, with the beast being forced to submit. Although some are equal, those rare cases are few and far between. This type of contract also allows a Spirit Beast that was forced to submit the ability to fight back against their master if they ever grow strong enough. Very few people know of Soul Companions and even of the few who know even fewer would form a bond that would bind their life and death to something they consider expendable. Some people have tens of spirit beasts so why would they even dare to bind their soul to something they have plenty of.¡± the fox spoke dismissively. The Body As Flynn stood there listening he would occasionally glance at Nyx and she at him as he contemplated what he was being told and trying to come to terms that his soul and life was so tightly bound to someone he had just met and then a question struck him like thunder. From the way it sounded he had to willingly and whole heartedly accept having his soul bound but he had not. He knew nothing until it was done so how is it that a bond that was so strong completed without his acceptance. ¡°I''m certainly not complaining, but how did Nyx become my Soul Companion without me accepting? I mean I still would have accepted but I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°You really catch on fast boy, but the answer is simple. The essence that helped give life to her was the same essence that helped you break through. There were also the soul crystals that absorbed essence directly from your essence core and supplied it to her. How could there not be a bond between you. Even without the Soul Covenant she still would have become your Spirit Beast. I just chose the option that insured her the best future. After it finished speaking it moved at a speed that Flynn could just barely see but was completely unable to re-act to. It bit deep into the left side of Flynn''s neck and injected a small amount of its own essence into him along with something else. It then stepped back and looked into his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t worry boy just think of it as motivation to complete your end of the deal. If you die before you complete it then your bloodline will end with your death. Any descendants you sire will die with you. If you are ever able to remove it with your own personal strength then you would have no problem killing the king of this place.¡± it said. ¡°But if you can kill it without removing it then it will be very beneficial for you. A blessing or a curse. Your own efforts will decide.¡± Flynn looked back at the fox and a hint of rage flashed in his eyes for a moment before receding and calming down. He knew he wasn¡¯t a match for the fox even in its weakened condition and even if he was he wouldn''t make a move. He had already promised to kill the king of this forest so he would keep his word. The fox had already helped him more than once and he wouldn''t turn on his benefactor if there wasn¡¯t a threat to his life. He didn¡¯t like what happened but he could understand and let it go. ¡°Stop wasting time boy. You just advanced from the 8th Tier of the Element Domain to the 2nd Tier of the Foundation Domain. Do you really think that you can completely control the power you have as you are now? It¡¯s time to hunt¡± ____________________ ¡°Aawwooooo¡± ¡°Aawwooooo¡± A Gale Wolf gave a final howl before a black long sword plunged deep into its skull ending its life and another wolf howled before fleeing. It hadn''t made it very far when its life came to an end also as a black shadow flashed past. ¡°Nyx don¡¯t forget to get the cores and I¡¯ll store a few for dinner later¡± said the boy holding the long sword covered in blood. ¡°Yes Master¡± said the shadow that just appeared at his side. ¡°I told you that it¡¯s unnecessary to call me master Nyx¡± sighed Flynn. ¡°True but you are indeed my master¡± she chuckled. Obviously it was Flynn and Nyx that just finished a hunt. They were surrounded by the corpses of at least ten Gale Wolves, all of them being the Foundation Domain. They were now extracting the cores from them all before taking a break. For the past two weeks they had done nothing but hunt. The only time they didn¡¯t hunt was when they were cultivating or were unable to move. Then they would absorb essence and the hunt again. It was exhausting but not without good rewards. Thanks to the constant hunting, Flynn had gained control of his power and was even at the peak of the 2nd Tier while Nyx had advanced to the 1st Tier of the Foundation Domain. He never expected that Nyx would advance so quickly. Although he was proud for having his strength at his age, he wasn''t arrogant, but after seeing Nyx exceed his fourteen years of hard work in just two weeks, he felt that he had nothing to be proud of. Being shocked was being shocked, but he was far from discouraged. It actually made him work harder so he wouldn''t be the one holding her back. After taking a break they headed back towards the cave. With his power now stabilized it was finally time to start learning the things his mother left him. Although he had time before the test ended, he only planned to spend at most a year and a half completing it. He wanted to use the remaining time for his own personal reasons so he needed to get stronger faster and the techniques were a good start. ¡°I wonder if it has woken up yet¡± Walking into the cave he couldn¡¯t help but wonder about his benefactor. It had been asleep since the start of their hunting without showing any signs of waking up anytime soon. He would have believed that it died if it wasn¡¯t for the shallow breathing that could be seen fromtime to time.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°I wonder when it¡¯s going to wake up or if it will wake up at all¡± Sitting in the same place he stood before the crystals broke he took out half the cores they recovered today and gave them to Nyx so that she could absorb the essence. The other half he kept with the thought of selling them at a later time after he left the forest. He wasn''t worried about money but it would be nice to not need to rely on the family as much. He relaxed and brought out the book about absorption and started to read it silently and was confused for quite a while before finally understanding what had to be done. The book not only contained the absorption method but also the best types of places to absorb essence depending on the elements connected to in the Elemental Domain and that it was best to only use elemental stones and items of the same element to obtain twice the rewards for only half the price. ¡°I never knew that essence could be used to directly strengthen the body.¡± he thought. ¡°I¡¯ll also be able to strengthen my essence core and Quintessence Palace to a whole new level in the future. And this is only the first part. If I can find the right treasures and medicine and get them refined then I can also completely cleanse my body of impurities.¡± The rest of the book was blank but he didn''t know why he felt something on the blank pages. He started thinking of where he could find Items he needed and how much it would cost. A feeling of impatience and frustration started to swell in him because he couldn''t find a solution. The cleansing had to happen while he was in the Foundation Domain for it to have the best effect. Although he could do it after that the effects would reduce significantly, the difference being as big as day compared to night. A small smile of self ridicule appeared on his face as he placed the book back into the ring. ¡°How foolish it is to think about something like that at a time like this. I can''t even hold on to treasures of that level with my strength and the family would only have a few of them and it''s a long shot to say the least if I could even obtain them.¡± he chuckled then sat in a comfortable position and put those thoughts to the back of his mind and began absorbing the essence. Figuring it would be better to improve his foundation and worry about the weapon techniques and the movement technique after having a solid base, he didn¡¯t immediately take out the other books. While absorbing and purifying the essence, instead of directly bringing it to his essence core he tried absorbing it into his skin, bones, and muscles. At first the essence just surrounded him and wasn¡¯t being absorbed and it seemed like something was wrong and after a few hours of trying, when he was about to give up and stopped focusing, it happened. He noticed that a small part the essence was absorbed into his bones but not the skin or muscles. After observing a short while he tried again, and again he failed. Thinking about why he couldn¡¯t succeed he had a thought. He tried absorbing the purified essence only into his bones and wild joy flashed in his eyes and he laughed unreservedly for the first time since coming to this forest. Although it was a miniscule amount the essence was indeed absorbed. ¡°Finally I succeeded Haha¡± His joy was so wild that he lost control of the purified essence and it dispersed back into the world. Cursing himself inwardly he finally calmed down but the smile was still on his face. He now understood that he would have to strengthen the different parts of his body individually instead of all at once. The process would be slow but he would be able to make his body much stronger in a few weeks to a few months. Thinking back to the cultivation book he read he now understood that the body is more important than simply gathering essence. Everything starts with the body, the soul may reside inside the Quintessence Palace but that is still inside the body. Without a strong body you can only go so far. According to the book the stronger the body the more essence that could be stored and the faster it can be absorbed. Before this moment he never paid to much attention to his body. All he knew was that it would grow stronger along with each tier increase. He also use to bathe in medicinal baths when he was younger but he never gave it another thought. Now that he knew that he could continue to strengthen his body and the uses it would have to him he was ecstatic. ¡°I wonder if mother cultivated this way?¡± he could only guess since he didn''t even know his mother¡¯s cultivation. He exhaled a deep breath he didn¡¯t know he was holding and calmed himself down. Feeling a little hungry he pulled out two of the Gale Wolves and started skinning them. He was actually starting to get a little tired of them since they were all that he ate since coming to this forest. He no longer controlled his sword to do it because it no longer increased his strength and it was monotonous so his control was no longer growing. Although the power of his mind didn''t increase a substantial amount, his control over it improved quite a bit. Controlling the sword or dagger was now as easy as moving his limbs and added a new dimension to his fighting ability. While cooking the wolves with a fire stone he glanced at the old fox sleeping in a corner before calling over Nyx. He rubbed her head and gave her the bigger wolf and they started to eat. It didn¡¯t take long before they were finished and Nyx thanked him. ¡°Nyx you don¡¯t have to thank me for something like this. We will always be together so it¡¯s only natural right?¡± ¡°Of course Master but I''m still thankful for having you as my master¡± she again chuckled which caused Flynn to sigh again. He chuckled and rubbed her head for a short time before deciding it was time to continue cultivating since he knew it really would be long road. Nyx cuddled up to his side and settled down. Absorbing and purifying the essence once again he started slowly but surely absorbing it into his bones. He could feel his bones slowly growing stronger and he was indeed happy. This slow process would lay the ground work for his future. He would become powerful enough to kill the king of the forest and that was only the beginning. ¡°I will become strong, strong enough to really live freely. Whether I can become the patriarch or not all depends on strength.¡± Looking down at Nyx he thought ¡°and strong enough to protect what¡¯s most precious to me.¡± Start of The Hunt Sitting on a branch of the highest tree in the area, Flynn stared at the moon contemplating what to do with the time he had left. It had been half a year since he entered the forest and half a year since he gained Nyx. Left with a little less than a year and a half to get to the academy and it would take at least a few months to get there with his current strength. It was a good thing he would be stronger before leaving. He stood firmly at the peak of the 3rd Tier of the Foundation Domain, a step away from the 4th Tier, and the strengthening of his body was going well. He was pleased with himself since he felt that although his cultivation didn''t increase much, his combat ability soared after learning the other techniques of his mother. While being at the 3rd Tier, the 4th Tier didn''t enter his sight any longer, he could kill normal 5th Tier beasts with relative ease, and he could still kill 6th Tier beasts if he used sneak attacks, if fought head on then he could fight while being able to advance or retreat as he pleased. He had only met two 7th Tier beasts up until this point. The first he tried to launch a sneak attack but was countered and was very quickly beaten within two moves. He only survived and escaped because it was slow. He was forced to flee without doing any significant damage. The other encounter was even worse since that beast was stronger and faster so he couldn''t outrun it. It was also able to catch him completely off guard and he was only able to squeeze out a pyrrhic victory because Nyx joined the fight. Even after she joined he still used many elemental stones and they were both so injured that they were only able to completely recover after half a month. What was worse was that he still let the beast get away with only slightly better wounds. If he didn''t have Nyx and was alone he would have been forced to use the talisman to escape, thus almost guaranteeing the failure of his test. That battle woke him up. He had been growing a little too comfortable in the forest lately and it nearly cost him his life. He had lowered his guard only to have been taken advantage of and he did not like it. It also let him know what his limit was. He still wanted to kill the beast but it would have to wait until he advances andif he could find it again. Standing up as he pulled out his sword and swung it backwards, he watched as the head of a snake was separated from the rest of its body. Striking out again he cut the head in half and took it''s core. It was a darkness type beast so he was a bit happy since they worked better for him. During the past half year he and Nyx started only absorbing dark element cores according to the book left by his mother and kept the others for sale after he arrived at the capital. Feeling the tattoo that represented his covenant with Nyx he knew she had returned and smirked as he turned around. They had started moving separately lately while mapping the area. He wanted an accurate grasp of all the beasts locations and strength. Now that she had returned he planned to hunt the beasts required for his test that were under the 7th Tier. During the last six months the old fox had only awakened once and sent him back to the previous cave. It also told them to return to see it before they left the forest and Nyx would be able to find the location. ¡°Is everything ready Nyx?¡± he calmly inquired. ¡°We can move whenever you are ready, Young Master. All the targets required within 300 miles have been located.¡± she replied after hopping onto his shoulder. After smiling at her, he lept from the tree and headed for the first and nearest location. The type of beasts didn''t matter. Only their strength and the Element they were had effect on the test since he needed at least one beast of every element for each Tier, for a total of 81 different beasts. While hunting only those under the 7th Tier for the time being was not difficult, hunting all 54 beast would be time consuming and tedious. When arriving at the location of the target, a 1st Tier Shadow Panther, Flynn figured that just killing them would be to boring and wanted to add some fun to it. It didn''t take long to come up with an idea, but it could potentially make the process even longer than it already was. ¡°Hey Nyx, how about we turn my test into a game? It should be fun.¡± he spoke after seeing several Shadow Panthers together. ¡°No problem. What kind of game do you want to play.¡± she said casually after getting off his shoulder. ¡°It at least shouldn''t be too simple Young Master.¡± Flynn looked down at his targets as he sat on a branch. ¡°How about this. We each get one shot at a kill but only one strike is allowed.¡± Smirking at himself he continued. ¡°To add to the difficulty we can''t be touched or it''s a loss. If we can''t kill it in one blow or are touched then we let it go. The one with the highest kill count wins.¡± As soon as he finished speaking Nyx became quite excited. ¡°This would indeed be more fun, especially since I don''t just have to watch you kill.¡± It would be extremely boring just to watch someone else hunt she thought in her heart ¡°but are we really going to do that now? Even if we add in your rules, we both know that none of those below the 5th Tier could withstand a single strike or touch us.¡± she explained ¡°we should just rush through those at the 4th Tier and below and start at the 5th Tier. It will save time.¡± she proposed.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Hmm, you''re right.¡± he contemplated for a moment before agreeing with her ¡°Let''s do it your way. We only have a year left before leaving the forest to get started on my plans and only half a year after that to make it back home so we should get this started.¡± he took a deep breath then drew his sword and attacked. ¡°After killing those at the 6th Tier, let''s close up until we reach the 7th Tier. With that we should be able to finish the test and go see that old fox before leaving. No need to stay longer than necessary. I want to get started with my own business sooner rather than later.¡± he spoke slowly after collecting the head and core and moving towards the next location. As they moved through the forest, they killed beast after beast. They hunted their targets down one by one. It didn''t matter if they were alone or in a group. If the target was alone then all the better, but if the were in a group then the entire group was wiped if they retaliated. It was a slaughter that caused many low tier beasts to escape their original locations resulting in the time extending. The hunting in the outer regions continued for two months before calming down. Although the time was short and those killed were weak, the scale of the bloodbath was anything but. It caused a few of the rulers of the outer regions to take notice. Though it was nothing major, more and more 6th and 7th Tier beasts were appearing in or around locations belonging to the lower tier beasts. Upon noticing the increase Flynn and Nyx only felt the rise in difficulty would only add to their fun. After two months of hunting it was finally time to begin the game. Looking at the 5th Tier beasts below, a group of four apes, Flynn and Nyx were resting before Nyx would make her move. It had long been decided that she would have the first attack once the game officially got underway. If she were to face one of them head on then despite victory was still assured, she might still be touched in the retaliation resulting in her loss which she found unacceptable. It had been just over half a year since Nyx was born but at this time she was at the peak 4th Tier of the Foundation Domain, a Tier higher than Flynn himself. She was likely to breakthrough to the 5th Tier before they closed themselves up. She was stronger and faster than Flynn in every single aspect except her perception wasn''t as strong. In every training session they had he lost soundly without any suspense. She silently waited for over ten minutes before finding her chance. One of the apes started moving slightly away from the others and when it was far enough away she struck. The ape was only had time to move its head slightly towards her direction before Nyx¡¯s claws slashed through it neck before disappearing into the darkness. By the time the other apes reacted Nyx was gone and the one that was attacked was in its death throes, attacking everything around. While its companions were rushing towards it a shadow flashed. Flynn picked that moment to strike the ape in the rear. It died just as fast as as the other. The two surviving apes let out an enraged roar before turning and running away. ¡°Young Master that was sneaky.¡± Nyx snickered after seeing how he attacked. ¡°It wasn''t necessary to act like that was, was it?¡± ¡°It really wasn''t necessary but it was effective.¡± Flynn replied nonchalantly. ¡°Besides it''s not really different from you waiting for one to wander off by itself is it?¡± Spreading out his perception he noticed a 7th Tier beasts making its way towards them. ¡°Let''s get moving Nyx, we''ve got company on the way.¡± They disappeared quickly after crushing a flower he removed from his ring and spreading it around. A few minutes later a large beast arrived and saw two apes dead on the ground. One with its head missing but both had their cores removed. It roared in rage upon noticing that these apes were killed by the same people that had been slaughtering through the forest. It looked around but couldn''t figure out what direction they ran off towards neither could he smell them. It could only follow the trail of the two apes that escaped in order to get more information on what happened. One hour later, in a different location, Flynn and Nyx we''re caught up in a bit of trouble and running for their lives. The had come upon a pair of pythons and since they we''re alone, they struck out quickly without checking their surroundings well enough. It was immediately after that a pressure descended upon them, almost causing them to lose consciousness. A roar rung out causing all other sounds to dissappear as if every other beast and and insect had died from fear. Flynn reflexively spread his perception in the direction in which the sound originated and fear spread through his body as he found the source. He instantly started moving in the opposite direction. ¡°Nyx move it now!!¡± Flynn roared ¡°Dammit I fucked up, really really bad. How could I be so stupid?¡± Nyx didn''t know what he saw but she felt his fear and anger at himself. She refrained from asking questions and ran as she glanced behind her and her pupils constricted. A large pit of pythons were pursuing them. Most of them didn''t look strong but there were more than 100 of them with about a dozen or so at the 7th Tier. That in itself was a problem but the pressure they felt didn''t come from a 7th Tier beast. That beast most likely surpassed the Foundation Domain altogether. If they weren''t so far ahead and didn''t move out immediately they would already be dead. Flynn and Nyx were moving quickly, trying to stay alive. This was the first time he had ever put the movement technique he learned to full use. He would have already used the teleportation talisman except it would take time to activate and could only teleport one person and he would absolutely not leave Nyx behind to die. For the first time he didn''t know what to do and had lost his calm and paid no attention to where he was going. ¡°Master!¡± Nyx called out but didn''t receive a response as they kept running. She didn''t have the Mind element so she couldn''t spread her perception as far as he could so she also couldn''t direct them. In desperation she jumped towards him and bit his wrist. ¡°Master you have to calm down or we are both going to die!¡± The pain brought him back to his senses and he realized that he indeed needed to calm down, but it was already to late. When he looked around he noticed they were surrounded by fog and his heart almost stopped. The only fog in the forest was the one that separated the inner and outer regions. He started to shake but forced himself to stay calm. After spreading his perception to the limit he realized that he could see nothing but fog, not even the pythons that were after them. He didn''t know which direction to head in to go back and he wouldn''t dare move forward. ¡°Nyx, I''m so very sorry.¡± he spoke as tears welled up in his eyes.