When I woke up, the memory of the dream was still vivid in my mind. I could feel the weight of the divine being's words, the responsibility placed on me, and the danger threatening not just our world, but other dimensions and realities as well.
I looked at Kaori, still asleep beside me. Her breathing was calm, her face peaceful. I wondered if I should carry this burden alone or tell her what I had seen. But something inside me told me it wasn't the right time yet.
I got up carefully so I wouldn't wake her and stepped out of the room. The temple was quiet, the only sound was the wind rustling through the trees. I decided to walk for a bit to clear my mind. Before I knew it, I had wandered into the garden, where the old master was already meditating.
"Good morning, young one," he said without opening his eyes. "Your energy feels heavier than usual today. Did something happen?"
I hesitated for a moment but chose to change the subject.
"I just had a strange dream. Nothing to worry about."
The old man smiled with that familiar wisdom in his expression.
"Dreams are sometimes more than fleeting images. If you ever need guidance, I'll be here."
I nodded, but before I could reply, a shout rang out from the temple.
"LEO!!"
It was Kaori's voice.
I turned and ran back to the room. When I arrived, I found her standing, a mix of anger and... embarrassment on her face?
"Why was I sleeping next to you?!" she demanded, her cheeks red.
I scratched the back of my head, unsure of what to say.
"I don't know… I remember falling asleep in my own bed last night."
Kaori gave me a skeptical look, then sighed.
"Forget it… You better not have done anything weird."
"Come on! You really think I'd do something like that?"
She just crossed her arms and changed the subject.
"Anyway, we're continuing the tour around Kyoto today. I hope you're not too tired."
I looked at her for a moment and remembered the dream, the mission that had been entrusted to me by that being. "The beings will awaken…" But when I saw her smile, I decided that, at least for today, I could allow myself to enjoy the day with her.
"I'm not tired. Let's go, Kaori. Show me more of this place."
She nodded and, smiling, took my hand. Without knowing it, that would be our last peaceful day before our true trial began.
The day passed calmly. Kaori and I walked through the streets of Kyoto, exploring every corner with the curiosity of someone discovering a new world. We visited ancient temples, passed through small markets where the smell of freshly cooked food constantly made us stop, and she showed me places she used to visit while studying here.
But even though everything seemed normal, I couldn't shake off the memory of my dream. The divine being's words echoed in my mind: "The beings will awaken." I didn't know exactly what that meant or how it would happen, but something told me I couldn't ignore it for long.
After hours of walking, the sun began to set. Kaori and I decided to head back to the temple before nightfall. We walked in silence, enjoying the cool breeze, when suddenly Kaori stopped.
"Leo… do you feel that?" she asked in a low voice.
I stopped and tried to focus. Then I felt it—the air was strange, heavy… and the most unsettling part: complete silence. No voices, no footsteps, not even the chirping of insects.
"Something's wrong…" I murmured.
Suddenly, a shadow zipped past the nearby buildings. It was so fast, I barely caught its shape.
"Watch out!" Kaori shouted, pushing me aside.
At that moment, a loud crash shook the ground where I had just been standing. A massive metallic object had slammed into the ground. As I looked closer, I saw it was a black spear, covered in glowing inscriptions that seemed to pulse as if alive.
"What the hell…?" I muttered, quickly getting to my feet.
From the sky, a tall, slender figure emerged, cloaked in darkness. Its face was hidden behind a silver mask, and in its hand was another spear identical to the one embedded in the ground.
"So I've finally found you…" The voice was deep and echoed as if coming from everywhere at once.
Kaori immediately got into a fighting stance.
"Who are you?" she demanded.
The stranger tilted their head slightly.
"My name is irrelevant. All you need to know is that I've come for him." He fixed his gaze on me. "Leo, bearer of divine power, your existence threatens the balance of the prophecy. And for that… you must be erased."
The air around us grew even heavier. I could feel an overwhelming power radiating from him. He wasn't human—that much was clear. He descended slowly toward where Kaori and I stood, still at some distance.
Kaori turned to me for a brief moment.
"Leo… this isn't just any enemy. We have to fight together."
I nodded, clenching my fists. I knew this would happen eventually. And even though I didn't fully understand my power yet, something inside me told me this was the first real test of many to come.
"Alright…" I said with determination. "Let's face him together."
The mysterious figure let out a sound—it was joy.
"Let's see if you're really as strong as the Master claimed."
Without another word, he launched himself at us with inhuman speed. The battle had begun.
Kaori and I moved in opposite directions, trying to confuse him. But his eyes never left me. His gaze, glowing white and intense, seemed to pierce through me, analyzing every fiber of my being.
He stepped forward, slowly advancing toward me. His presence was suffocating, and the strangest thing was the sensation he gave off. His aura wasn't like that of a human or even a creature—it was like wind, shifting and flowing with his movements.
Kaori took the chance to strike from behind with lightning speed, targeting vital points. But something was wrong… He didn't even react. No matter how many attacks she landed, his body absorbed them—or they simply passed through him like he was a ghost.
"No… My attacks aren't affecting him…" she muttered, cautiously stepping back.
I struggled to process what was happening when suddenly he looked up. In a blink, he vanished from my sight—and before I could react, I felt a brutal impact in my stomach.
"Agh!"
The blow knocked the air out of my lungs instantly. My vision blurred, and the next thing I knew, I was flying through the air like a leaf swept by the wind.
I crashed through the tops of several trees before slamming into the ground in a nearby forest, rolling over branches and leaves until I stopped.
The pain was unbearable. I could barely move. My breathing was erratic, and my vision hazy. I felt like my body was falling apart from within.
"What… was that…?" I whispered, trying to catch my breath.
In the distance, I heard a faint hum in the air. I looked up with difficulty—and there he was, floating above me. He was flying.
My eyes widened in disbelief.
"How…? How is he doing that?"
But there was no time for questions. From above, he extended one hand, and I felt the air pressure around me intensify. The wind howled, and the sky darkened.
"No… I'm not going down here!"
I clenched my teeth and forced myself to stand. My body trembled with pain, but I couldn't afford to give up.
I closed my eyes for a moment and focused everything I had. I felt my energy surge, spreading through every part of me. My aura burst forth, lighting up the forest with a radiant glow.
The ground beneath me trembled. My body filled with power—something I had felt before.
I opened my eyes with resolve and locked onto the figure above me.
"Now… it's my turn."
My energy exploded around me like a raging storm. The battle was far from over.
Without hesitation, I charged at him, fueled by the power burning inside me. Our fists clashed again and again—each punch met with another just as powerful. Our speed increased, creating shockwaves and gales that tore through the landscape.
But then, in a moment of distraction, he found an opening in my defense.
"No…!"
Before I could react, his fist slammed into my stomach with devastating force. The impact hurled me through the air like a projectile—straight toward Kaori's location.
My body hit the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris. A sharp pain shot through me, but I didn't have time to care.
As the dust settled, I saw Kaori a few meters away. Her expression showed worry, but also determination.
"Leo! Are you okay?"
I couldn't let her get caught up in this. If that being attacked again while she was nearby, everything could end in disaster.
Without thinking twice, I reached out my hand and used my teleportation.
In the blink of an eye, we were at the temple.
"Kaori, stay here! It's too dangerous!"
She tried to say something, but I didn't give her the chance. Before she could react, I had already vanished.
I returned to the battle, this time with a stronger resolve.
I couldn't underestimate it anymore.
I took a deep breath and closed my eyes for a moment, recalling the training I had gone through with the other girls and the old man. I knew I had a hidden power, a state that could awaken in extreme situations… but I also knew the price was high.
If I used it, I might lose consciousness—or worse.
But I had no choice.
I opened my eyes and let out a scream that echoed throughout the area.
My energy burst forth in an uncontrollable surge. My body began to radiate a brilliant light, the air around me grew heavy, and the ground trembled beneath my feet.
It was now or never.
"I'm serious this time!"
With superhuman speed, I launched myself back into the fight.
With the final blow, the being was sent crashing into the forest floor, leaving a crater in its wake. I remained standing, watching closely, still feeling the tremor in my fists from the force of the impact. As the dust cloud cleared, I noticed its gaze fixed on me—not with the same coldness as before, but with surprise… and perhaps a hint of recognition.
That's when I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a nearby puddle. My appearance had changed. My eyes glowed with a vivid flash of purple and blue, radiating a power I had experienced during training. My hair, usually loose and weightless, now stood on end with the energy surrounding my body. The aura I emitted was so intense it looked like thick vapor swirling around me in glowing blue streaks, as if the very atmosphere was reacting to my awakening.
Without giving it time to recover, I struck again. My speed was so great I barely left a trace on the ground before appearing in front of it. I unleashed a flurry of rapid punches, each one hitting with explosive force, driving it back. Finally, with a powerful punch aimed at its face, its mask shattered into pieces.
What I saw beneath left me speechless.
Its skin was covered in shimmering feathers, each one glowing in shades of deep purple and black—almost hypnotic. Its facial structure was human-like, but with sharp features and a presence more beastly than human.
"What the hell are you…?" I muttered, not taking my eyes off its face.
Without a word, the creature roared with fury. In an instant, its body became enveloped in a black wind that seemed to evaporate on contact with its skin. Its aura began to vibrate with alarming intensity. Its muscles tightened, its wounds healed instantly, and before I could process it, its size had doubled.
The trees around it creaked under the pressure of its energy. The air grew heavy. Its presence was overwhelming.
But instead of stepping back, I exhaled, letting my own energy surge even stronger.
I wasn't afraid.
My fists clenched tightly as the vapor of my aura rose higher, swirling around me like a raging storm.
"Is that all you've got?" I asked with a faint, defiant smile.
The creature let out a thunderous roar, its voice shaking the entire forest. Without another warning, it lunged at me with overwhelming speed.
This time, the real battle had begun.
I, too, charged forward at full speed. Our blows echoed through the air like explosions, each one blocking or countering the other's. The intensity of the fight was staggering. For a few moments, we were nothing but blurs of movement, clashing with inhuman precision.
Then, in the midst of the flurry of strikes, I noticed a slight opening in its guard. I didn't hesitate. With all my strength, I launched a direct kick to its chest. The impact was brutal, arching its body backward from the force. But I wasn't finished. Before it could be thrown into the air, I spun and delivered a powerful punch to its face, sending it flying through the forest.
The crash of its landing shook the earth, kicking up a cloud of dust and leaves. I stood firm, my fist still clenched, staring at the spot where it had fallen. Silence fell for a moment. I took a deep breath, feeling the energy coursing through my body, ready to deliver the final blow.
But just as I began to charge power into my fist, the ground started to shake.
The entire forest trembled with tremendous force. Trees swayed, branches snapped, and animals fled in terror. My instincts screamed at me to move, so I quickly retreated to where I had been with Kaori earlier—the same place where that mysterious spear had fallen.
When I looked up, I saw it.
That being… had changed.
Its body had expanded, growing to a terrifying height. Its arms had turned into massive wings, its torso had thickened, and its skin—once covered in feathers—now gleamed with a dark radiance. Its new form resembled a phoenix, but black in color. Its head… its head was that of a golden eagle. Its eyes burned with wild intensity, and its forked tongue flicked out of its mouth, tasting the air as if it could sense my very presence.
In that moment, I understood.
The words of that being in the white robe echoed in my mind.
"They will awaken the ancients... Mythological beings will take human form... Creatures with unimaginable power…"
This was one of them. One of the beings destined to awaken.
My body tensed, and my aura flared around me with greater intensity. The air vibrated as my power responded instinctively to the danger. I couldn't afford to hesitate.
This fight wasn't over yet.
I clenched my fists and braced myself for what was coming.
The moment I saw its new form, my thoughts raced. Its size, its overwhelming aura, the way its energy merged with the environment… Everything pointed to the fact that this being was no ordinary enemy. That's when it hit me.
This wasn't just a powerful creature.
It was the Ziz.
One of the three entities mentioned in ancient scriptures — a colossal bird-like beast created by God Himself, capable of facing and defeating divine forces. But if He couldn't intervene in this world, then what did this mean? Why was it here?
The Ziz moved, dragging itself with a weight that made the earth tremble. Every motion it made seemed to defy reality itself. Its skin, covered in feathers, reflected the moonlight with a cold, dangerous gleam.
Then, without warning, it spread its wings and soared into the sky.
Its massive body vanished into the dark heavens with astounding agility, as if the sky and air were its true domain. For a moment, everything fell into an eerie silence. But then...
A roar.
A roar so intense that the ground cracked beneath my feet. The nearby trees shook, gusts of wind turned into hurricanes, and the very air grew heavy. The pressure was unbearable.
I knew I couldn't hold back this time.
I took a deep breath and made my decision.
If this was the Ziz, a beast of unimaginable power, then I had only one option: to use 20% of the power I had been given.
My body returned to its normal state. I felt my energy stabilize as I focused every fragment of my strength into my right fist. My aura ignited with a bright, blue light, releasing steam and glowing sparks.
I couldn't hesitate.
Just then, the Ziz reappeared in the sky, its colossal wings stretched wide. Its eyes, glowing like two cursed stars, locked onto me. Then, it opened its mouth…
Inside, a sphere of dark energy began to form — a devastating attack that could likely erase everything in its path.
But I wasn't going to let that happen.
Without hesitation, I charged at full speed.
The air roared around me as I shot forward in a straight line. I felt energy surge through every cell in my body. My fist, now engulfed in blazing light, reached forward.
Before the Ziz could unleash its attack, I was faster.
My punch struck its head with indescribable force.
Time seemed to freeze for a moment.
The Ziz's body began to disintegrate, as if its very existence was being erased by divine energy. Its roar faded into a stifled echo, while white and blue smoke rose into the air.
When the last fragment of its form vanished, silence fell.
It was over.