Chapter 257 Trailblazer

"Let's get stronger together, okay?" Ritsuka smiled. Lee Seng's eyes started to water and he nodded. He wiped his tears away. He couldn't believe he was having another one of these conversations.

"It feels like I always have these conversations…" Lee Seng chuckled in embarrassment. "I just need to believe in myself more."

"And we'll continue to remind you that you're strong." Keng jumped and wrapped his arm around Ritsuka and Lee Seng. The two of them were smiling so bright. Lee Seng nodded.

'I haven't given myself enough credit.' Lee Seng thought. 'I prayed and prayed for something to happen to me. I met the God King and made a pact that gave me Keng. I got new powers because of my dormant mutation ability. I managed to push fast and get into the best school in the area. I doubt myself. A lot. But that doesn't mean I have to live in that doubt and shame.'

"I just need to see my worth and prove to myself I'm enough." Lee Seng nodded.

"Exactly! So let's get on the trail, 'kay?" Keng patted Ritsuka and Lee Seng.

"Come on, let's go." Halys motioned.

They followed the river downstream. The river moved to the right, following a slow decline. The river eventually poured out into a large lake. Lee Seng slowed, taking in the sights. He had always had a fascination for views like this. If his home wasn't so dangerous and he was able to take care of himself, he would travel to places like this more.

The two suns were slowly pulling from their hiding spots from the East. The colors of light weren't anything like he imagined them to be. Strange colors appeared in the morning skies that he would've never seen on Earth.

"Hurry up, Lee Seng!" Ritsuka's voice called out. He turned and looked right. Ritsuka and Keng were small specks. He could see Ritsuka and Keng waving at him. "You're going to be left in the dust! The journey starts now!" Lee Seng picked up speed and followed them. The path started to become rougher as he entered the East side of the forest, running towards the two suns. Bushes and small trees dotted around him as he passed them. The rough path started to lead upwards. He climbed the hill as quickly as possible. Keng and Ritsuka had stopped and Lee Seng was about to pass them when Keng grabbed him, canceling his momentum and tugging him backwards.

"Watch out." Keng spoke. Rocks rolled across and fell straight downwards.

"Woah." Lee Seng stumbled while Keng adjusted his balance. The hill dropped straight down. It was deceiving from the bottom and Lee Seng realized why the two boys suddenly stopped.

"Where's Halys?" Lee Seng asked. Ritsuka pointed diagonally downwards.

"There." Ritsuka said. Halys' figure popped in and out of the tree line. Ritsuka's finger traced past him and started to his right. "The path drops here and we have to curve South."

"How do we even get down there?" Lee Seng asked. Keng released his grip on Lee Seng and stepped closer to the edge. Ritsuka and Lee Seng looked at the Fox Spirit who didn't seem to hold any fear while looking down.

"We go down." Keng answered.

"That's right." Ritsuka nodded. He stepped forward. He looked a little bit more hesitant than Keng, but his face didn't compare to Lee Seng's panicked look. "We don't help each other."

"We get down ourselves. Those are the rules." Keng added. "So you better push past your fear and just jump. You're capable of doing it."

"But what about–" Before Lee Seng could even finish his sentence, he watched as Ritsuka jumped off the edge of the cliff. Keng followed suit. Lee Seng watched as Ritsuka free fell for a while. The forest floor grew closer and he quickly embedded the scythe into the wall. Meanwhile, Keng's tails grew and he flipped and slammed his tails onto the ground. The ground shuttered and cracked as all of the kinetic energy started to disperse.

'The ground's already really cracked.' Lee Seng observed. He backed up. 'I guess the only way is forward.' He gulped. His heart was racing. He took a few long breaths before he ran and jumped. The wind whipped in his face as his arms rose straight to the sky. He didn't really have a height phobia, but any person would be a bit intimidated or scared about falling from that far of a height.

As the ground pulled closer, Lee Seng released a gravity bubble. The amount of kinetic energy pulled him to a stop and he floated about halfway from his fall point. He had accidentally suspended himself in the air and tried to take a breath.

"Crap, I didn't do the second part." He cursed as he tried to move his suspended self and the gravity orb downwards. It didn't budge and he sighed in frustration.

'Coming down?' Keng telepathically asked. Lee Seng rolled his eyes and looked below him. He could see Ritsuka and Keng looking up at him.

'I'm trying. It won't go down like last time!' Lee Seng responded. He could see Keng telling Ritsuka.

'You can't move the orb like you did in the tunnel?' Keng asked. Lee seng tried again. The orb wouldn't move. He started to flap his arms up and down. The orb wouldn't budge and he angrily spun himself around, slapping the rock wall.

"I CAN'T MOVE! WHYYYYYYY!?!" He screamed. Birds shot out of the forest below him and frantically moved away. He looked down and noticed Keng and Ritsuka were looking into the forest.

"What's that?" Keng asked Ritsuka. Lee Seng could hear something large approaching.

'Crap, my scream must've alerted it. Shit.' Lee Seng shook his head and imagined the bubble popping. Daros's gravity pulled him back down as Keng and Ritsuka split. A large four-legged fat lizard slammed itself straight into the wall.

"What the hell is that?!?" Lee Seng shouted. He was moving closer to the fat lizard. It pulled itself and turned, whipping its tail at Ritsuka. Ritsuka tried to slash at it but the lizard was hard to penetrate.

"Argh!" Ritsuka grunted, flying straight into the rock wall. Lee Seng was really close to the lizard now.

'Crap, I'm going to fall straight into it at this point.' Lee Seng thought. The Dark Matter suit rippled, reminding him of his form.

"That's right! This form!" He imagined wings stopping his demise. The Dark Matter suit bubbled and wings appeared. They began to flap, flexing his back muscles as they did. "Oh god this feels weird!"

"You don't have time to think about that!" Keng shouted. He jumped to the side as the lizard rushed at him. It flew past him as he turned and ran straight for Ritsuka. "Ritsuka are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Ritsuka shook his head. "What the hell is that?" Lee Seng descended, the wings stopped flexing and folded inwards.

"Go back in." Lee Seng spun around trying to force the Dark Matter wings to go back in. They wouldn't listen to him as the three felt the lizard turning.

"It's coming!" Keng shouted.

"Goddammit I don't have time for this!" Lee Seng turned his attention towards the lizard. His right hand grabbed the katana sheath, thumb on the hilt of the blade.

"That lizard has some hard bone plating!" Ritsuka told the two.

"What do we do then?" Keng looked at the two of them. "We need to make a decision now! We still have to finish the course before noon!" Lee Seng slightly turned his body and planted his feet. He moved his left hand and wrapped his hand around the hilt. He could feel energy pouring into the blade, but something was off.

'Something's off.' Lee Seng thought. The lizard started to rush at them. Ritsuka tightened his hold on Angerfang, gulping.

"You sure you wanna try to slash it?" Ritsuka asked.

Rumble. Rumble. Rumble.

The lizard was already halfway to them.

Rumble. Rumble. Rumble.

The lizard shrieked as it moved its head downwards.

'It's using the bone plating to its advantage.' Lee Seng observed. Energy swirled inside of him. The lizard rushed closer. Keng began to panic and grabbed Ritsuka.

"What're you doing?!?" Ritsuka shouted.

"Something's off!" Keng shouted.

"What?" Ritsuka was forcefully pulled away by Keng, who cleared a large amount of distance in a short amount of time. "What about Lee Seng?!?" Lee Seng pulled the katana out and slashed upwards at the bone-plated lizard. The lizard shrieked as it swung its head upwards. The wings pulled into the suit as Dark Matter covered the katana in an instant.

A large energy ripped out of the sword. The energy cut through the bone plating as Lee Seng was hit. He flew backwards into the sky.

'Dammit, something is wrong!' Lee Seng thought as a gravity orb suspended him in the air. He noticed a shallow cut into the bone plate. It hadn't damaged the lizard at all, but did seem to piss it off.