Elaine *** Elaine’s fear of death had been tested countless times. She had encountered notorious assassins, undead demons-like zombies, demon-possessed humans, and now wolves. These encounters made her life exciting and more meaningful, aside from the fearful notion of death, life before Dreygo was dull and boring as she recalled. *** They walked along the mountainous steep of Sheng. Dreygo was walking two steps ahead of her and Officer Sho took the lead on their trek. Sho had a map and he knew the place better than them. The air was uncomfortably cold which added to her fear of being attacked by wolves again. It perturbed her the moment wolves attacked them, she never had experienced such magnitude of fear ever since. The first audible howl had given the instant gooseflesh that awoke her. The rustling of leaves that brought about the hurried trods of the four-legged creatures had tingled her skin. The gleaming sharp teeth of the wolves had given her a familiar but undefined memor
Elaine *** Tears welled in her eyes. She knew her two comrades had not recognized her sudden shift of emotions. They were hiking ahead of her, silently - only the chirping birds of various varieties sang unrhythmic hymns that emerged among several corners beneath the thick leaves. She sobbed under her breath. She knew the pain that was rooted from but tried hard to relinquish the detailed memory pushing itself to break through in her thoughts. Undoubtedly, pain carried with it. ‘Think of something else, Elaine.’ She forced the thought. But the more she shut the painful memories down, the more it plays in her mind. She wanted to talk of something to his two comrades to avoid sulking in tears but the memory was strong enough that the need to reminisce was insatiable. Until she succumbed to it. *** “Wolves,” her father said. The coldness of the air and the coldness of her father’s voice gave her chills. She was a teenager and had not experienced such an encounter, only the inform
Elaine *** Thud! The sound of her small body as she slammed to the ground. The rifle that hung at her back cracked against the outcrop that sat below the tree. She lost her footing while descending the somewhat slippery tree trunk. She immediately hauled herself up and inspected the rifle. It was damaged. She cocked it but something inside was dislodged. Now it was broken. Luckily, her back was not hurt, only small concussions that developed on her thighs but were still manageable for her to force a long walk. She assessed the area but all she could see was darkness and the faint gleaming moonlight filtered by the thick leaves above her. Her vision adjusted to the environment, and slowly the tree trunks appeared before her. She took gentle strides toward the direction her father had given her. ‘There is no sign of them.’ She pondered the thought, referring to the wolves. She glanced in the direction where her father was taken. Her vision fell to the paints of blood, faintly conc
Bahukatso Dojo, Sheng Mountains, Cheena, Earth *** Elaine *** “We are here!” Elaine exhaustedly said after hours of a trek along treacherous mountain cliffs. She stood before a few ramshackle concrete columns that were half-covered with moss and plastered with ancient carvings. These six pairs of columns were sharply filed in two lines, in between them was a cobbled pathway that led to endless stairs seemingly reaching heaven. Beyond the stone-piled steps were ruggedly strewn shrubs/bushes and wild mountain plants. The stairs were almost covered with dead leaves and some of them seemed slippery brought by the mountain rain. The sun started to retire for maybe less than an hour. The worry of wolves again had sunk into Elaine’s thoughts. Dreygo would protect her at all costs, at least was what she convinced herself. She avoided the thought again of revisiting his father's death. “We should keep going, at least we could reach the Dojo before dark. I am allergic to wolves,” Officer
Unknown location, Sheng Mountain, Cheena *** Darkness. The blank sky. The smoke and the heat. The cries and screams. He knew he was dreaming. He knew these horrors had not escaped his memory. For Centuries of agony and despair had defined not only his character but the essence of his mind, his thinking, and his existence. His dreams were vivid enough but consciously, he knew that nothing was real. He inspected his hands, his forearms, and body, he had no armor and walked on bare foot. He was a humanoid demon when he experienced his first descent to hell. He felt powerless, weak, and full of remorse. He tried to pull a memory of Elaine’s last encounter but he seemed to forget. Dreygo tried to move but surprisingly, he was not able to freely do so. He inspected again his body only to find out that he had shackles on his hands and feet. He could walk but with limited freedom. Instantly, a long line of humanoid demons had filled his vision and he found himself in it. He swept his eyes
Bahukatsu Dojo, Sheng Mountain, Cheena, Earth *** “I am the leader of Bahukatsu clan. The ancient ninja clan. Your friends here said that you need to train the ninja way fighting style. Is it correct?” The old man said with no hint of disdain in his face. ‘Is this the guy who would train me? He seems weak.’ Dreygo thought. The man had a friendly expression and his ninja skills were hidden within the unhostile and comfortable tunic he wore. “That's right. I believe the Zi Lok clan leader trained here with you.” Dreygo said. He was still adjusting to the tranquilizer’s residual effects that course through his veins. “Yes. My question to you is why? Why train here, Dreygo?” The old man’s face somewhat tested him. His expression was somewhat joyful and full of humor but with a certainty that this man did not want to waste time. “I want to kill the Zi Lok leader and stop their menace,” Dreygo responded blatantly. He was confident that the teachings of the Ninja way must be used toward
Bahukatsu Dojo, Sheng Mountains, Cheena, *** Everything was in a blur. He could not control the urge. He felt his stomach churn and sweat now bathing his body under his shirt. He turned his focus to his condition, not on his opponent. He tried to suppress whatever he got going but the impulse was strong enough that it would uncontrollably emanate outwardly. “Dreygo, are you ok?” Elaine said, her words muffled to Dreygo’s hearing. Unknowingly, he felt punches landing on every part of his body, his stomach, his face, his neck. They were fast enough but not that strong that he maintained his footing without shuddering back. The challenger was frustrated as Dreygo did not even defend himself until the black pitched eyes were now looking at him. The color of the harbinger's eyes gave a hint to the challenger that his opponent was not human. Nonetheless, he continued with his strikes briefly until a strong grip caught his throat. The demon elevated the challenger mid-air effortlessly an
Bahukatsu Dojo, Sheng Mountains, Cheena *** “When can I start training, master?” The demon asked. The impulsion of the probable knowledge that the Demon Lord of Pride could have commanded the wolves to attack them had driven him to hasten the beginning of training. “Today. If you are ready.” The master immediately answered. The master seemed prepared even for a Demon like him. “I am ready. I have a bad feeling about the wolves. Maybe some demonic forces might have been involved with their existence within the forest,” The harbinger's fists were clenched hard. “If so, I will fortify the Dojo for a possible attack. But your mind must not have a dual focus. Your focus should be on your training only,” the master suggested, “Jade can assist you.” “I thought you are going to train me, master?” Dreygo surprisingly asked. “For the last part of your training, yes. But for the 2nd and 1st level of your training will be Jade.” Dreygo conceded and asked, “What is your name again, master?”