Chapter 52 - 52 - A Challenge

(AN.: Before we start, I need to apologize. I got a bit too busy juggling all of the RL stuff that was thrown at me. The storm is hopefully passing now, and I am doing my best to re-create the backlog I have just used up.

Again, apologies for this short hiatus. Those that followed my other novel, The Last Primal, should already know that it's very rare for such situations to happen.)

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As if crossing through an imaginary border, the previously sparse oak-brown barrier of trees changed. The light tones of brown, green, and blue transformed into their more ominous, darker shades.

The inner regions of this mythical forest were vastly different. What seemed like an impassive wall, an uncrossable barrier from the other side, felt as if Lucien stepped out from the land of dreams delving deeper into the border between reality and nightmares.

This untouched piece of nature was much larger than the outer regions. The canopy was competed by the thinning but still present population of oak, with an increasing density of larch and even linden. Their leaves and branches allowed for just enough light to pass down for a diversity of shrubs to consume the crunchy layer of leaves below.

Coiling, climbing plants dangled down from the thicker branches high above, a medley of darker-toned flowers and plants, which grew all over the place, added a bit more life in the otherwise homogeneous inner layer.

With careful, measured steps Lucien crossed this invisible barrier, and from the vibrant, lush outer ring, he was now trespassing into this mythical, creepy inner territory of nature.

As he slowly paced forward, making sure that each of his steps was as silent as he could make it out to be, the warnings of Sera rang inside his mind once more. Her warnings to be careful, not to charge headfirst, and scan the surroundings.

She explained that even the air is different compared to the outside. There's a thickness to it, there is an abundance of energy empowering flora and fauna alike. If he is not careful, he could find beasts much worse than some wargs.

The distant clampers, noises in the shaking undergrowth. An eerie hoot. The atmosphere was much different, giving the inexperienced a scary, ominous feel.

Lucien, however, retained his excited smile, even though he did his best to avoid unnecessary danger. His mission was to prove not just to Sera, but to himself that he can handle the danger, he can work under pressure.

If he wanted to grow, if he wanted to be strong, he needed to be able to face the darker shades of the world. He needed to accept reality, his reality.

He knew this of course and was already working on it. Still, he couldn't help but remember the cries of those people, those guards he killed… No. Not just killed but…

'Absorbed…' He muttered inwardly, with a deep frown, remembering the shrivels of the guard he basically tore into pieces before the tendrils shot out from his right arm socket, engulfed and silenced the bastard for all eternity.

"No. Not anymore." He shook his head, dispersing the growing fog in his head. "Such thoughts, as dark as they are, are now a part of him.

"It was either them or me. There was no other choice." He reminded himself, squeezing out the words through the tightly clenching row of teeth in his closed mouth.

He gripped the long hilt of his exotic, eastern-styled sword forcing his thoughts to the back of his head.

Standing beside the wide-berched trunk of an oak tree, the fog slowly dispersed from his eyes, he regained his clarity.

"I should hunt. I need to train my skills and get used to my new body… I need to push on." He repeated his mantra, turning his head to the side focusing on the task he set for himself.

His ears perked, his heightened senses could pick up much more than the average human could.

Pushing through the tumult of disturbances, the crackles, the chirping noises of insects and critters, after a short bit of concentration he eventually made out two distinct routes he could take and continue on.

One of these was to his right. From the far east, he could hear a discord of smaller noises, predominantly those of varmint, adding life to this dark green world surrounding him.

Another option was probably closer, further inside, probably from the north or northwest. Lucien picked up the trickling sounds of a gentle river stream.

Thinking about both choices, Lucien's attention was split between these two directions. From one side, the better option seemed to be with picking the east and slowly traversing the terrain, keeping himself closer to the illusionary border and close in on the sounds of these animals. Whilst they were probably all easier training partners, it didn't carry too much mystery and danger.

On the other side, however, he felt a strange pull towards going deeper and exploring this unknown. This was, after all, a world devoid of human civilization. This was a forest rich with this magical energy, this strange, unknown, spiritual substance. Who knows what mysteries, fantastical sights he could see?!

In the end, he turned his sights to the right. There was no time for childish dreams and wonders. He needed to show results. He needed reassurance.

He killed the growing smile from his face, changing back to the stern, cold look he liked to carry on with, and turned to the east.

However, just as he was about to take a step and embark on the short journey, suddenly he felt a strange sensation at the back of his head, a tingling, uncomfortable feel. Instantly, his nerves lit up, throwing his body into an alerted state.

He jumped to the side, just in time as a small rock passed by his ears, flying with immense speed and momentum, and crashed against the ground.

Instantly he threw his body behind the large tree's protective cover, focusing his hearing on the direction the sudden projectile came from.

From the distance, he could hear a cacophony of snickering howls, hoots, and even echoing high-pitched cries. Whilst they were still a bit of a distance away, they were rapidly closing in towards his destination.

Focusing his attention, he could hear as the voices spread around circling high above, crossing through the branches, just under the thick canopy.

Lucien tightened his grip on the hilt of his katana, his attention following the sources of the approaching enemies expertly.

"3… 4… no… 6 different creatures." He muttered, getting himself ready for the fight.

Soon the hollers turned crazier, the creatures were closer. Acknowledging the sudden alerted state of his senses, he flicked to the left, once again avoiding another sharper pebble crashing against the spot on the tree where his head rested just a moment ago.

Despite missing their target, Lucien could now clearly make out the locations of all the enemies. Amidst the chaotic, reverberating noises, he could make out 6 enemies. Adding more, as he looked up, following the projectile's velocity back to its origin, he could see the shadowy outline of what seemed to be a smaller-bodied monkey-like creature.

It resembled something akin to a smaller monkey, maybe a marmoset, although there were some pretty obvious differences. For one, it seemed to have two separate, long, bushy tails hanging from behind, and instead of a pair of arms and legs, it seemed to have more.

Lucien couldn't be sure, as though his sight gradually focused on his target, he had to avert his attention a moment later when he felt another rock pass by the back of his head.

Although the situation looked pretty grim, as all his opponents were resting above, Lucien wasn't worried. No, on the contrary, as his gaze fixed on the creature in front and above him once more, a thin smile emerged at the edges of his lips.

This was exactly the type of challenge, the prey he was hoping to train on!

Seeing as the dark, furry creature raised both of his upper limbs into the air, seeming ready to attack again, but this time with twice the ammunition, Lucien suddenly charged forward, his speed swiftly increasing as he activated his [Bestial Rush] skill again…

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Slightly further away from the boy, the blonde mature girl, Sera was watching with apt attention as the battle slowly unfolded. While she promised to let the boy hunt alone, she still decided to follow after him, and make sure he would stay safe.

Unlike the boy, she was aware of the dangers, the terrifying monsters lurking at the deepest regions of this mythical subspace of the world.

She was leaning against a thin-looking larch tree, her arms crossed under her chest, her forehead wrinkled with worry. She was forcing herself to stay put, and not act rashly. The boy just started to finally trust her, and gradually close the distance they had between them.

Acting against his wishes, and jumping in without his direct request, would do nothing but ruin their relationship, turning the situation most likely unsalvageable.

Because of that, she could do nothing but sigh helplessly, and stay put. She needed to trust the boy a bit more herself.

"You can do it… Master…"