The third encounter was around four months ago from the present time. The memories of the beast had not left him but it was bearable now, he could still see its red, burning gaze. That day, Vayu went to his instructor. The moment the instructor looked at him, he immediately stood up in concern.
"What happened, boy?" he asked.
Vayu had lost weight. His cheeks were hollow, his body weaker, but when he lifted his head, his eyes burned with a fire.
"I need a personal training room," Vayu said firmly.
The instructor studied him for a long moment, then finally nodded. "Fine. If you're this serious, I'll grant you one."
It was after that moment Vayu truly began training alone. After speaking with his instructor, he went to the market. His first stop was the ironsmith.
"I need iron cuffs," Vayu told him.
The ironsmith frowned. " Why do you need them, do you even know what you're asking for?"
"I want to train with them you saw Shen right, I'll do ten days of field duties in exchange," Vayu said without hesitation.
The ironsmith eyes gleamed when he mentioned ten days field duties, then finally agreed. "come back in three days ".
From there, Vayu went to the carpenter. "I need some wooden blocks," he said.
The carpenter chuckled. "Wooden blocks? For what? You're not building a house."
"I need them for my training"
"Training weird " But after seeing how serious Vayu was, he finally waved him off and handed over the blocks. "Take them. I never use these except for burning firewood anyway."
And so, with iron cuffs and wooden blocks, Vayu began a new phase of his training alone.
Vayu knew he was weak, his skills as well as his power was average. Determined to change, he began eating more than usual and pushed himself through grueling training with the heavy weights. The first fifteen days were the hardest, yet he endured. Slowly, his body responded. His frame grew sturdier, and faint lines of muscle began to form and after some days he made up his mind to visit the beast again.
Third Encounter
This time, Vayu tried something different. He knew running was useless so he gave up on running . He didn't fight. He lay down among the roots, forcing himself still, his breath shallow, hoping the beast would not notice his presence.
For a while he heard no sound, "it worked, it really worked" he thought. The forest stretched into silence. But then a twig snapped and them came a growl , it was close, way too close.
And then pain shot up in his right leg.
The beast's jaws locked around his ankle. Then the beast yanked him from the ground, dragged like prey, and slammed him against tree trunks like a rag doll. His bones shattered as his body hit the tree trunk. His face split open, each impact blurred the world until only pain remained.
He died broken, dangling in the beast's mouth.
He woke up again checking every part of his body this time it was not just his throat his whole body ached. But he was getting more habitual to it he was not as much scared as he was for the first time, but then came the question how should he deal with the beast. And the answer was keep getting killed till you kill it so after some days he visited it again.
Fourth Encounter
Vayu stopped wasting time. The moment he entered the forest, he ran. He knew death was waiting, but he wasn't going to make it easy.
He sprinted with everything he had, feet pounding the dirt, heart beating like war drums. The beast thundered behind him. He climbed up a tree, he didn't care if he got scratched he just climbed as high as he can.
For a moment, just a moment, he felt hope that this time he will not die at least.
But the beast leapt higher than he had ever imagined. Its massive body slammed into the trunk, and Vayu lost his grip. He fell, and before he could rise, the weight of the beast crushed him. His ribs snapped inward, puncturing lungs. He couldn't even scream before blood filled his throat.
The last sound he heard was the crack of his own bones.
Woke up again his fist hit the wall "what kind of beast jump that high", he knew he can't run but how can he fight back, after all he was still a child but as his mother said he choose to be brave and this time for the first time he decided to fight back the beast.
Fifth Encounter
By now, his fear had turned into firm resolve, he body still shook, still sweated, but when the beast came, this time he didn't run, he stood still ready to fight .
He waited for the beast to come closer as the beast circled him slowly and as it appeared near him , he swung his blade with everything he had. The blade cut, but the beast didn't even flinched, he didn't even scratched the beast properly.
But this action made it angrier.
Claws raked across his chest, tearing flesh open. His arms were ripped apart, his legs twisted, bones torn from sockets. His body was pulled limb from limb until there was nothing left but a red smear across the forest floor.
But for the first time, he'd faced it head on. For him this was a big step, but this also told him the beast was tough and ruthless.
this time he didn't went back he waited he practiced he learned how to climb trees how to hide his scent, how to hide himself , he tried to perfect his skills his accuracy one by one and after a long time he went back again.
7 DAYS AGO FROM THE PRESENT TIME.....
Sixth Encounter
Vayu came prepared. He had studied the forest and learned its ways. He rolled in dirt to mask his scent, pressed his body into the earth and slowly distanced himself after he reached a safe distance he started climbing into a trees.
He became a shadow just as he had practiced.
The beast prowled below, sniffing, growling, frustrated at the vanished prey. Its red eyes darted through the undergrowth, but it couldn't find him. Its fury was visible on its face, shaking the air itself. Finally, after some time finding nothing it laid down, resting, and closed it's eyelids.
Vayu who had been waiting patiently for this moment struck the beast.
He leapt from the branches, driving his blade down with every ounce of rage he carried. The steel plunged into the beast's eyelid.
STAB
The monster roared, thrashing, blood spilling black and thick down from his eyelid with his dagger stuck in it. For the first time, it bled.
Hope flared.
But the beast's fury was greater. It charged, Vayu barely sliding aside in time. He ran, zig-zagging, rolling, dodging every strike. And when it leapt at him, he twisted just enough to slash its belly. It was a shallow cut, but a cut .
The beast howled.
Then it came at him full force. Its massive body slammed into his, crushing the breath from his lungs. He was hurled into a tree trunk, his spine snapping like dry wood. He gasped, paralyzed, staring at the night sky through blurred vision. He was in great pain but he laughed mocking the beast.
The last thing he saw was the beast's shadow looming above before its jaws closed around his head and ripped it clean from his shoulders.
Six times Vayu had died. Six times the forest echoed with his screams. Yet each time, he returned.
The forest no longer felt like a place outside him. And tonight, as he prepared for the seventh time.