Once the battlefield art took full effect the outside world was cut off entirely. The Grey streaks of wind were the only thing Malcolm could see all around him, even his hands were barley visible for he had to squint his eyes at all times to avoid the dust and dirt flying all around.
In less then half a minute the situation had taken such a dramatic turn that Malcolm was simply left still as a statue. Malcolm wasn't unfamiliar with life or death situations but the fate of Maurice along with subsequent birth of these oversized larvae and the two hardened superhuman killers rushing his way.
Malcolm managed a small if slightly sad grin at this moment. Which would be quite hard to see givin the intense winds blowing in all directions.
"I really am one helpless nigga I'm I pops?" He quietly says to himself.
At this moment a stream of wind gently enters Malcolm's head where then after that a voice could be heard.
"Little black get it together! Do you hear me?" Malcolm inner thoughts are interrupted by the familiar voice.
"Grandma Mashallah is that you? How the hell are you in my head?
"I'll answer that question later sweetie but right now I need you to- watch out to your left!" Mashallah suddenly shouts as to Malcolm's left a small sphere shape of red fire blasts forward at Malcolm faster then most bullets back on earth if he had to wager.
By the time he turned his head to see the blast it was mere millimeters from piercing his forehead. Yet luckily some of the surrounding wind intensifies hard enough to send Malcolm flying away in time to dodged the blast.
Malcolm unceremoniously skidded on the ground for a distance before eventually stopping.
"Black listen I'm trying to protect all of you right now but things are proving troublesome. I need you to find either Tanzu or Yara's class, the teacher little pumba will protect you." Mashallah urges.
Malcolm stands up a little shakily while taking taking in a large breath.
"Grandma I'm not gonna lie to you, I can hardly open my eyes right now, much less know where the hell anyone could be right now! What's his name Tanzu was close to me but who knows where the hell he his right now!"
"Child I'm already aware, this is one of the effects of my battlefield art, it can distort your perception and sense of direction. I wish I could change this aspect to only target enemies but you'll just have to persevere for now. At least the shot that almost hit you just now was aimed at you by chance."
"Shit!" Malcolm yells not in response to Mashallah's words but in the direction ahead of him. An enlarged maggot like creature was flying at a speed faster then bullets back on earth.
Malcolm however without too much assistance from the battlefield winds managed to shift his head out the way of the creature. This was mainly possible because of the fact that Malcolm now had superhuman reflexes and reaction time. It flew blew by like a jet stream and pierced into the chest of a young boy that Malcolm only saw once he turned around.
It was the same young child that threw the rock at Malcolm just earlier. Even so Malcolm stood shocked and horrified at the sight of the parasite burrowing itself inside the puncher wound it created.
"Dammit all! I couldn't move him in time!" Back at the center of the battlefield art Mashallah yelled while maintaining her stance and weaving handsigns until all anyone could see were afterimages. Sweat was pouring down the soil colored skin of the old woman, gathering into a small puddle beneath her feet.
There were a few key important things that Mashallah had to multi-task all at once with out any room for error. For one the obvious was the ensure that Yara, the tribe's princess remains safe at all times. Two, prevent anymore casualties among the people of the hamlet and students and by extention the Ashuwa tribe she was assigned to protect. Third, probe out the enemy's intentions and motives and act accordingly.
Due to all the events of the past couple of days along with having no long rest of any kind since she left for the tribe meeting, Mashallah's patience was running thin and now with the battlefield needed to be maintained, she couldn't move. She barley had the situation under control and that balance was tilting the other way with the infection of the child near Malcolm. Along with the two enemy combatants no doubt from the Terra clan sent to probe out Mashallah's sincerity for potential cooperation.
All of these factors only compounded themselves on top of a secret she would rather not soul find out. The current battlefield she casted is incomplete as of now, meaning that between all core attributes a battlefield art is suppose to cover which are offense, defense, isolation and malleability, there is not a true unity between all these aspects. In turn Mashallah is working with the equivalent of an undependable prototype device that could break apart at any time. A domain art that Mashallah could make wouldn't cover the entire hamlet and a territory art wouldn't isolate the area it covers.
Just one move from the terra king pushed this powerful expert into a corner and left her with little choice but to use an incomplete battlefield art.
Yara who was confined within the protective yellow gold barrier at this time begun to sweat profusely. Suddenly the air that Yara breathed in felt stuffy and a kind of strange weighty feel was in the air all around Yara and Mashallah.
Mashallah furrowed in her eyes with a dark sharp light that came and went like the present winds. At once the color of her dress changed from a bright blood red to a pitch black color. Along with the color change of her dress Mashallah herself seemed to have been bestowed with the power to give and receive death.
"A-auntie Mashallah what's wrong!" Yara now increasingly worried tried to reach her hand outside the barrier to touch her grandmother figure but the golden yellow light intensified and blocked her hand from moving forward, like a windshield.
At a certain section of the battlefield the surviving villagers were all gathered into a large hut that could fit well over 50 people in total. Along with them there were the majority of the students of Yara's class with their teacher who's real name is Koda.
Right now the winds outside of the hut were protecting them from the parasitic creatures but there truly were a great many of them and they were intelligent after all. Some of them slithered around the hut looking for gaps in it's defense. Others were beginning to burrow underground to either hide out or emerge from beneath the hut.
Koda knew however it was only a matter of time before Mashallah made a mistake or one of the creatures slipped her notice and it's gets inside and someone becomes infected. Koda remembered now that these creatures are called pathteites. They're a rather rare and uncommon mythical parasite that range from realm one to at least four although there have been cases of mystics in the fifth realm being infected by these creatures.
"Poor Maurice. One of the two faced hyenas must've been carrying a pathteite when it attacked him. But it doesn't explain his premonition about that kid. Oh damn it all! Why did everything have to go to shit and where are Banji and Safari?!" Koda screams in his mind while keeping a strict watch at the door and front windows.
It was at this moment he really reconsidered his teacher position and overall life choices that lead to his current predicament. However he knew now was not the time for an inner reflection, to much was at stake, the villagers and the young clan heirs he was put in charge of were people that needed his strength. The winds protecting the hut were starting to grow weaker
He stealed his mind and let his third realm aura shoot out covering over everyone in the vicinity with a soil color layer of spiritual energy. The wind inside the large hut picked up in intensity around Koda. At the same time he weaved a couple of handsigns and recited a small chant.
"For the sake of the sounder, the dignity of my forefathers and my future success I call on you ol great ancestors! I give you my faith and loyalty and all I ask for is an iota of your divine might, for the protection of the innocent!"
The villagers and students that saw the scene were amazed and shocked.
"What is this.. this power? Is this what all mystics are capable of?" An older villager stammered out.
One of the young princesses snorted inwardly at the question while giving the man an answer.
"This isn't necessarily teacher Koda's own power at the moment. He's calling upon the deceased ancestors in the spirit world to ask for inspiration for a new art." The princess finishes while another student chimes in.
"Not just a new art it seems, this might very well be a territory art from the aura present on all of us." The young man states.
The brown aura in the surroundings begins to transform as Koda let's out a shout of appreciation and deep reverence.
"Hahahaaa! Here it is at last everyone watch closely!"
[Territory Art: Sounder protection seal]
A qualitative change began to occur as the defense of the hut was amplified to a new level. The ground and soil around the hut was lifted up to cover the entire outside of the hut. Then after that water inside the soil was drained out and gathered into a brown watery lump in front of Koda. With this the soil hardened up so much that it was practically cemented with how condensed it was. Now the territory art was completed.
Koda fell to the floor and closed his eyes. The nearby people were worried so they ran over however then the lump of brown muddy water that hovered over Koda begun to shapeshift and transform until it became the shape of a warthog. More specifically a small brown watery sow.
The villagers and even some of the students at once were all shocked.
"Oh what's this? It seems my summoner has already over exerted himself, hmph stupid little pumba. He really stretched himself thin, oh well at least he transmitted me a command before passing out."
The watery sow, seeming to be quite arrogant in her disposition looked around to see the people around her with confused, shocked and questioning gazes. This in turn caused the sow to let out a loud snort.
"Listen up little piglets! I'm running this sounder now, so everyone needs to do as I say or the you'll suffer a fate worse then death! Do you understand?!" Everyone with loads of sweat falling down their face nod their heads in perfect unison the how's command.
"Good. Now those who have reached into the first realm step up and pour your spiritual energy into my back."
"Yes ma'am!" The people proceeded to do as they were told. For the moment they are safe.
Back to outside two well off young men were side by side slowly making their way through the veil of wind. One wore a black kaftan with gold stripes mixed along the sleeves. There was a stoic and deep well of power and thirst for knowledge in his black eyes. His hair was tied up in a ponytail.He has a true nobleman disposition with a tall and lean build standing at 6,8, he was anything but unassuming.
Counter that with his companion who was comparatively shorter in height standing closer to Malcolm's height at 5,11. He wore a blood red robe that left his right shoulder and chest exposed. His hair was combed up to a small afro. He looked pleasant and scholarly with a kind of smile that could warm the coolest of hearts. However while he may be unassuming in appearance, this only hid the depths of a young man that pursued the deepest level of knowledge and truth. He followed only his inner heart and had no true fear.
The duo naturally were comprised of Safari Makumba and Banji Ngozi. They both didn't retreat along with the other for naturally their own two separate reasons. They at least knew better then to split off at the moment for even with Mashallah's battlefield art being active it didn't mean they were safe in the least. It truly is a good thing they aren't just any clan heirs however.
[Mystic Art: Pit sight]
Right now Safari took the lead with his own art being activated already. Four tiny crevices appeared on his face with two each below one eye. This didn't necessarily make his vision better but now his could sense any heat signatures ahead of him. Banji let's out a deep sigh.
"Oh good brother Safari, you already possess a art perfect for the situation. You really aren't the the heir of the second strongest clan in the Ashuwa tribe for no good reason."
"You talk as if you don't have your own hidden Ace and I believe you may to reveal it sooner rather then later because I sure as hell won't be protecting you Banji."
"No need to pretend like you're not worried for me big brother, but speaking of brothers have you seen black at all?" Safari is silent for a moment while the duo move forward just as Banji was about pester Safari further he suddenly halted.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" For a moment there was silence in the wake of Safari's command.
"Who am I? To be honest, I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe you should give me a name young man." A kind of conniving and regal voice spoke out from the winds in seemingly all directions around the duo. The type of voice that could only carry with it bad intentions.
Safari and Banji both looked at one another before a sudden gust of wind entered their minds.
"Both of you are good for nothing pair of fools! Why didn't you follow little pumba and the rest back to safety?" Mashallah's voice carried a deep anger but also a barly hidden anxiety to it's edge.
All three of their minds have been linked so for a moment the duo were stuck trying to quickly apologize while accidentally speaking over one another. Luckily just having to think instead of speak saved enough time for the duo to receive information about the opponent they're about to face.
"If I'm correct the man ahead of you seems to only be in the second realm and is relying on illusionary talismans along with the affects of my battlefield to confuse your senses. I can't generate enough power of the winds to kill him at the moment I'll need time to charge up an attack. You two will have to hold him at bay for a few moments. Can you both do it?"
Both Banji and Safari curl their lips up into a smile and grin respectively.
"Don't you worry yourself too death over us strong young men old auntie."
"I shall do my utmost to accomplish this task elder Mashallah."
Mashallah sighs to herself inwardly at the difference and similarly of the young heirs.
So much has occurred in such a short moment in time only around a couple of minutes have passed in total. Luckily Mashallah isn't an elder of a mid to large sized tribe for nothing. Yet even so she was beginning to stretch herself thin in terms of spiritual energy only a couple more minutes she estimated the battlefield art could be supplied for.
Back at the spot where Malcolm was located the child in front of Malcolm began shaking violently with foam forming at his mouth and tears flowing down his eyes. All while staring at Malcolm and Malcolm could only stare back and horror and fear at what was happening.
The child fell to the ground and curled into a fetal position and started to cry even harder. It was a loud and painful cry of anguish mix with fear and hatred. Anguish at the pain the parasite caused by burrowing into his body. Fear from the impending death that loomed over him at this moment. Then finally a burning hatred for the last person he would ever see.
The child with the last of his waning strength lifted his head to glare eerily and angrily at Malcolm.
All sound of the wind and dust, of Mashallah's voice seemed to have gone away for only a feeling moment. The last words of the child that Malcolm heard were nearly inaudible but he could hear them all too clearly.
"All! YOUR! FAULT!" After the words were spoken the child's face grew still and motionless. The boys head fell back to the ground, laying flat upon the soil, unmoving like stone.
A death filled with anguish and regret. A pitiful end to a young and innocent life. Malcolm stood still like a soil covered pillar, quietly observing the child's corpse in front of him. A long moment of silence passed by even the raging winds seemed to have quieted down slightly.
However it was then that the child's body began to move slightly. At first it was a slight finger twitch then the whole hand started to move slowly as if adjusting to the usage of locomotives. A moment longer passed as soon the child's eyes opened once more but the light that once resided in those eyes were replaced with a bottomless and maddening hunger that threatened to consume the world. There was no longer a child in that small body. Only a creature that lived and died from its violent instinct to devour.
The creature slowly rose to it's feet, in total control over its new vessel. Malcolm could even begin to feel spiritual energy emanating from the creature. For now it was in the half step to the first realm but the aura was raising quickly.
Outside of the battlefield on a small hill quite a distance away the leopard squinted it's eyes in interest at the scene within the battlefield art.
"Now let's see what you can do child." The leopard thought to itself.
Malcolm finally came to his senses after a long moment of being dazed. Mashallah's voice yelled in his mind.
"By the ancestors! Little black listen, you need to kill that creature now before it's too late! That's not a human anymore!" At the end of Mashallah's command the creature ran forward and reached out a hand to claw at Malcolm's face.
Malcolm jumped back slightly to barley avoid the strike. The creature ran forward once more this time enchanting it speed with spiritual energy. This time the creature opened its mouth and aimed low to bite hard into Malcolm's right thigh.
Malcolm grunted hard in pain as he tried to first shake off the boy by spinning around. This quickly proved to be ineffective so Malcolm began punching down at the boy's skull. After a few hard bashes he grabbed the boy by it's hair and took his left leg and kicked it's stomach in repeatedly. The power of these kicks were supplied with bits of spiritual energy, effectively making these kicks hard enough to shatter logs of wood.
The boy only bit harder into his right thigh in response, bright red blood flowing down like a leaking faucet. This only infuriated Malcolm who flashed back to the fight with the two faced hyena, in the small moment of rage grabbed the boy's neck with both hands. Malcolm then dug each of his thumbs into his mouth, his other eight fingers gripped on the back of the boys neck. Then he slowly tore open two wide gashes across the child's face, all while still kicking him into stomach. Finally he tore his way to the end of the child's teeth where he then pried open the boy's jaw, allowing him a moment of reprieve. With one last hard kick the boy was kicked away.
Malcolm then looked at his bitten leg to make sure the wound wasn't too bad. Luckily for the moment it was fine. He then looked over where he had kicked the child to.
The boy layed on the ground for moment before raising up on his feet soundlessly. It's aura now entering the first realm. With the raise in it's realm it could actually regenerate quickly from the horrible wounds Malcolm created. A red misty aura surrounded the boy as it ran at Malcolm roaring with an endless desire to kill and devour.
Malcolm now regained some clarity and realized what he has done and what he had to do. With a heavy heart he reached into his pouch and grabbed his spearhead.
Malcolm lifted the spearhead up high and struck down using as much of his spiritual energy that he could control for a harder and faster strike.
The spearhead pierced into the head of the creature and came out through it's chin. After a moment it stopped moving and hung lifelessly off of the spear. Malcolm lifted it up slightly to take a better look to make sure it was dead though now he wish he hadn't.
The lasting expression on the child's face was one of horror and hatred. The image imprinted itself in Malcolm's mind never to be forgotten.
"A death of pity it is indeed, remember the face well child. Even in your dying moments never forget the first one to be slain in your hands. And of course never forget, it's all your fault." The inner heart whispered quietly in his mind at this time.
Malcolm shook slightly dispelling the voice but it's last words rang and echoed like church bells in his head.
"I'm.. I'm sorry. "Malcolm said solemnly. Yet right after he said this a slight movement could be seen in the open mouth of the body. The parasite seems to still be alive but not a vigorous and lively as before.
"Little black..don't apologize this is all my fault. You only came here at the wrong time and the enemy took advantage of that." Mashallah's voice was quiet and solemn in Malcolm's mind.
Malcolm without saying or thinking of anything applied some spiritual energy to his free left hand and reached into the mouth of the dead child to grab the blood colored parasite.
The creature attempted to burrow into Malcolm's flesh but along with it's weakened state and the barrier of energy blocking its way it could do nothing. Malcolm looked on with an expressionless face at the small creature, it was then he asked.
"Grandma, what is this thing exactly?"
"It's called a pathteite, it's known as a creature that infects primarily human hosts and if allowed to propagate can infect whole communities and cause mass destruction. Once they infect people even if they're not a mystic can forcefully create a spiritual core and quickly raise the realm of the host depending on the aptitude of the host."
Malcolm stood silent for a few moments thinking of something Yara had told him earlier before Tanzu came to Mashallah's residence.
Malcolm sat cross-legged on the comfortable ground floor as Yara explained to him the basic principles of mysticism.
"What anyone practicing mysticism needs to understand the three main principles of being a practitioner of mystic arts. First you must gather the spiritual energy from the world through mainly meditating to enter your body and come together at your spiritual core. Then you must gain control over this spiritual energy and then you refine it so that the energy can become your foundation for further advancement.
Think of spiritual energy running through your body like blood. The spiritual core acts as the heart where all of your spiritual energy is gathered, controlled and refined at."
"Like the heart huh? That doesn't sound to hard." Malcolm said while he pictured his spiritual core like a blue rotating spiral shape.
"Hmm, yeah it's both easy and hard depending on one's aptitude. For example myself and Safari have super grade aptitude, meaning that at the realm we're at currently, compared to the others we can gather control and refine our spiritual energy at a faster rate, reaching the half step to the second realm faster then others practicing at the same time as us."
Malcolm narrowed his closes eyes slightly.
"If that's the case then why don't you two go on ahead of the others and rise yourselves to the second realm already?"
"Simple, in order to gain the most benefit for future advancement in mysticism, accumulating your foundation is key. Basically the more time you spend practicing in your current realm, the more you accumulate as you advance. This accumulation provides a great benefit long term to the mystic who takes their time before advancing." Yara finishes off as the scene shifts back to the present.
Malcolm gives the pathteite a tight squeeze causing a squeal like noise to come from the creature. Malcolm then pulls the spear from the skull of the dead child, he then carefully lays the boy down and puts away his spearhead. Right after this he touched the spot on his thigh where he was bit, Malcolm is surprised to find that the bleeding has already stopped.
The benefits of advancing made itself apparent once more at this moment. However before he can inwardly rejoice Mashallah's voice yells at him once more.
"Get down! Behind you!" Malcolm without a single doubt dropped his whole body to the ground. Above him a bright red sphere of condensed fire blitz by barley missing his head.
Malcolm quickly gets up and turns around to see a fiery figure becoming visible in the heavy winds. The figure slowly revealed itself to be one of the men who tried to kill Malcolm just earlier. The man looked to be in his twenties,around 6ft in height with a lean build. He wore a tattered animal skin that could be said to have seen better days, looking to have been damaged only recently, evidently the man has fought someone already.
Malcolm quickly put the injured pathteite in his pouch in exchange for his bloody spearhead. He then takes a basic boxing stance with the spearhead in his right hand held in a reverse grip.
The man looks at Malcolm expressionlessly as he takes his own fighting stance. The flames around him gather around the man to form a barrier of sorts and due to the element of the battlefield art, the fires are enhanced further without the need for extra energy.
"Fuck my life. Just what I need." Malcolm inwardly laments at the current state of things but know he can only press on and become stronger through the adversity.
Meanwhile with Safari and Banji, they have only just begun to engage the enemy mystic in a fight to the death.
Safari using his art to sense the heat of they're opponent took the initiative to fight first. In the meantime Banji dug into his pouch to pull out a juju artifact that resembled a wooden small cage the size of his palm. Within this small cage were a few jackals that were all foaming at the mouths and were exuding first to second realm aura.
The enemy mystic was inwardly shocked at this but before he could think further a long black spear shot like a bullet from his left side, nearly taking his head off if the man hadn't dodged by stepping back quick enough.
The man once again seemingly became one with the wind. Sounds of movement came from every direction but this didn't do much to confuse Safari. Banji on the other hand held the cage full of jackals in a tight grip as he watched his surroundings carefully for any sign of attack.
One of the jackals in the small cage began barking in a certain direction to Banji's right. A hand suddenly materialized out of the streams of wind grabbing at the juju artifact in Banji's hands.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Banji yelled as one of the jackals in the cage turned into a phantom image of itself and the cage opened for long enough for the phantom jackal to pounce at the enemy mystic. It's size enlarged in less then a couple of seconds to the size of a normal man. It's aura being of the second realm posed a fatal threat to the mystic.
The hand quickly tried to dodge but the sudden change was something the man hadn't anticipated in time. So the attack landed as the jackal bit hard into the hand but strangely enough no blood came out. Soon enough the hand disappeared back into the wind.
"Hmph! Coward! Banji scolded arrogantly.
Safari who saw this scene was shocked inwardly at the juju artifact's affect that was displayed.
"Banji's only at the first realm and not even at the half step but he can pressure someone in the second realm to retreat. But then again." He looks at the juju artifact containing the jackals.
"That's at least a second or even third grade juju artifact right there. Hmph, guess I can never sleep on this bastard. Even if I'm stronger in a head on confrontation, Banji has always been a tricky one." Safari concluded while using his senses to find the new position of the enemy.
"Banji give me an opening to strike him when you can ok?" Safari used the mental link Mashallah gave them to transmit to Banji who gave a wide grin before transmitting.
"Oh good brother Safari, you might wanna cover your own opening first." As he said that Safari jolted as he suddenly felt new heat signatures quickly closing in on his position. They were different from the man, they were smaller but he instinctively felt a greater threat from these sources of heat.
"Dammit! How did he sense them before me?" Safari thought as he thrusted his spear forward in his right hand and pierced the body of a pathteite in mid air. Not even a second passed before two of them flew at him from his right and left directions.
With a quick motion he dropped the spear and crossed his arms and held out both palms infused with spiritual energy. The pathteites both crashed right into each palm as Safari clenched both hands tightly but as he was about to crush them Banji quickly transmitted.
"Brother Safari, you mind sparing at least one of them for me? I could use some new research materials for a new art." Safari answered by only crushing one of his hands destroying the pathteite trapped within while the other one was quickly tossed to Banji who received it with a kind smile.
After making sure the pathteite was weakened enough he stored it away in a small bronze pot he pulled out from his robe.
After a small moment, Banji spoke. "Hey if you don't mind me inquiring sir. Why were you and the other mystic trying to attack brother black earlier?"
The response to the question was an immensely fast arrow that attempted to take off Banji's head, however Safari intercepted it at an astonishing speed and deflected the arrow with his spear.
"Well i guess that's enough of an answer then. Alright auntie you can kill him now."
The moment the man fired the arrow, Mashallah with what little attention she could afford to divided managed to track the man's real body amidst the myriad illusions he had set up. Now with the young duo's probing out of the way and the attack she has built up charged fully, Mashallah struck fast and hard.
The attack was a subtle one, using the fact that the man had relied slightly on Mashallah's own flaw being the natural elusive quality within the battlefield to his advantage. Now however it instead was turned against the man himself as what was seemingly another stream of wind among the myriad of other streams blew itself close to the man and made contact with him like any gentle wind.
Mashallah smiled slightly at this as her aura surged then she chanted.
"[Killer art: Final Breath]"
After this was chanted the wind that made contact with the man forced itself into any and all openings on the man. From his ears and eyes to his nose and mouth even more grimly through his anus and the opening of his penis. All of the wind streamed into him like a tidal wave. Within it became as sharp as razar, tearing through every passage way in his body ruptureing organs and tissue alike. Leaving nothing unscathed, ravaging every bodily vessel in it's path.
There was no time for the man to even scream before it was all over. The last breath he ever took being what killed him.
A few moments later Safari and Banji got to where Safari had last felt the heat signature. Now that heat was gone and he soon found out why. The man was on his knees head lifted high looking up towards the heavens with every orifice silently streaming out bright red blood that trickled down the motionless face. Blood could also be seen dyeing the rough rags the man's privates were covered by. It may have been a quick death but by no means was it a painless one.
The young men stood for a time observing the corpse as if to imprint the image they know they couldn't forget even if they tried. After a short time Banji spoke.
"Brother....we really need to get our asses a battlefield art ASAP."
"I might have to second that opinion for once Banji." Safari replied bluntly.
Outside of the battlefield a slight ripple was opened in space and the enemy mystic emerged from this ripple with a look of horror on his face. He fell on his knees near Akeem and the others.
"B-boss that old woman... she's as strong as they said she was- no! She's even stronger then the reports stated.!" The man stammered out while clutching his chest tightly with both hands.
"Thank the ancestors I'm proficient in illusion and space arts. Otherwise I would be dead by-"
"Okun, your talking too much." Dakari spoke harshly shutting up Okun who did as commanded.
Mashallah took a deep breath calming her aura slightly. The black dress she wore waving in the wind freely as if wanting to consume all life itself. A slight ripple came from her dress that separated into a black stream that formed into the silhouette of a young woman that looked vaguely like a much younger Mashallah. It wordlessly changed towards Malcolm's direction.
Mashallah then for the first time during this conflict looked at Yara before asking.
"Little Yara sweetie. Do you happen to have those healing herbs Amara gave you a while back?"
The mention of her deceased friend made Yara drop her head low for a moment before nodding.
"Good because little man's been injured badly and I can't afford to stop the battlefield to use my healing arts right now. So I'll bring him over and you try and keep him alive ok?"
There was a brief pause before Yara stealed her eyes with a determined aura emitting from her body.
"Yes auntie Mashallah I'll do what I can, I promise that on the graves of the deceased of this hamlet."
Mashallah let a gentle smile show on her face before turning around and quickly taking one hand and grabbing at the air to her left while the other one was still performing handsigns only now at a faster pace. From the wind vail to the left flew in Tanzu who had as Mashallah said been gravely injured.
Most of his elaborate yellow robe had been burnt off, exposing the scorched flesh underneath. All along Tanzu's body starting from the right side of his face to his feet there were burns so horrific that sections of his skin were entirely melted away exposing the white bone beneath. The hands for instance only had patches of dangling flesh remaining in place what showed was just the fragile bone that almost looked to begin melting at first glace. The face was what frightened Yara the most for what was previously apparent at first glance was not really a handsome man but the kind of man anyone wouldn't mind looking in the eye while speaking to.
Now what remained were parts of true appearance of what people fear and shun underneath the skin and flesh. This is what can only be described as pure horror in Yara's innocent eyes, the closer Tanzu came the more fear built up in Yara's heart until she took a slight step back. It was already alot seeing the aftermath of the attack from earlier but now she witnesses the violence firsthand.
Mashallah carefully drop Tanzu in the barrier Yara is in and as the man falls to the ground Yara begins to breath heavily with a quickly raising increasing frequency.
"Yara honey. What are you so scared of?" Her mother asked her bluntly and without room for disengagement.
"T-this is it?! Is this what it means to be a mystic?! I don't understand, why do this to uncle Tanzu? Surely he needent beat him so brutally and viciously!"
"Now's not the time to philosophize about this! What you need to focus on is the present! If your so concerned about Tanzu's well being then quit being frightful and help him!" Her mother commanded.
Yara as if whipped into shape grew silent and stoic as she approached Tanzu with gritted teeth. Trying her best to ignore her own fear she knelt down on one knee and pulled out a storage talisman.
It was an elaborate bronze made pouch with leather straps on the top for an easier carry. One the bottom there were small rings with red rope attached to the the rings with shell tassels at the very bottom of each rope.
Yara opened the pouch from the top swiftly and started rummaging through the talisman frantically. Tanzu was barley able to open his reminding eye to try and see who was helping him but by the sounds of it he made it out to be Yara. He smiled the best he could. He tried to make it gentle but the image of the burnt man smiling with half of his face scorched only made Yara start crying at the sight of it.
"Hey.. hey why you doing that Yara? Your a big girl now, big girls shouldn't cry it's unseemly." Tanzu let out a pained moan he couldn't suppress as he tried to lighten Yara's mood.
Yara pulled out a few herbal plants along with a canteen of water and a white jel like substance contained in a tiny bronze pot.
"Dammit I need a rag!" Yara cursed inwardly before throwing away regard for appearance and ripped a part of her white dress away and dipped the ripped clothing in a good amount of water before beginning to dows the burned skin, especially on Tanzu's face.
"Mashallah didn't need to glace back to know that Yara was hard at work now. She sighed in relief at the scene. Now her focus could return to the pathteite problem and the last enemy mystic currently about to engage Malcolm in a fight to the death.
The pathteites were intelligent creatures and figured out after sometime that some kind of barrier was not only limiting their reach but also able to kill them suddenly out of nowhere with no regard for mercy. Without a human host once enough time passes the pathteites will die out from malnutrition.
With this in mind no matter how small it was, the creatures started to burrow underground to try and wait out the wind storm, others still persisted on taking over a human host since there were still people that were close enough to be taken over.
One such potential host was a man who was still wounded from the previous beast attack. Due to this several close calls occurred where Mashallah had to divert a not so small amount of attention to save the man on several occasions. However as time went on not only did the pathteites become more evasive and desperate to capture a human host, Mashallah's battlefield art was growing weaker with time as well.
That fact revealed it's ugly head for a small but fatal moment in time. One of the creatures were hiding in a pile of rocks for quite sometime ever since the battlefield art began, waiting for its moment. A man clutching his chest in pain stumbled by with a bloody axe in hand, evidently the man had been able to defend himself to some degree and quite frequently it seemed.
The pathteite coiled slightly, inching it's head out so that it would have a direct shot at the man's wounded chest when the time was right.
The man was taking in deep breaths which only seemed to irritate the wound on his chest causing him groan and moan in terrible pain. He kneeled on the ground on one knee. Yet even at this moment the man was alert and ready for any attack.
"Those two faced bastards! They got me good they did. Ancestor knows." As he thought this he flashed back to Maurice's final words before dying, an eerie light shines in his eyes.
"That damn boy." He growls to himself in anger only the growl more at his own pain. The winds were the only thing clear in his vision, howling with a divine might that threatened to uproot the whole world.
He struggled to stand to his feet. All the while, the pain in his chest burned worse then any heartache the man ever felt. Sweat poured down his face like a leaking faucet. Yet even so the stubborn will to live is what keaped him going.
One shaky step at a time he took slowly, for each step if even one was misplaced it could very well be his last, for once he fell it would take a blessing from the ancestors themselves to get him back up.
"S-someone help me!" A young child's voice could be heard in the distance. Hurt and alone with no one the depend on but himself, the man considers abandoning the child to their fate yet in his inner heart cannot seem to accept not helping as an answer.
In the end the inner heart won him over so he pressed forward towards the child's direction. He walked forward with a grit and determination that would impress many hardened warriors and cause any caring yet not daring people to sigh in affirmation.
The cries of the child only grew louder and more desperate as the man drew closer. In response the man tried to move even faster then before, but doing that would worsen his already near fatal wounds so he soon slowed himself down and took a deep breath.
"Hey kid are you ok?!" The man shouted after a moment of pause.
"Oh! Hey! Mister where are you?" The child shouted hurriedly.
"Just follow the sound of my voice!"
"But! But Mister I can't move! I'm injured, please I need your help!" The man gritted his teeth slightly in response.
"Well that makes the two of us then kid, just stay where you are!" The man said as he dragged his weakened body farther passed it's limits to reach where he heard the voice of the child.
He arrived at a barren patch of dirt and rocks where he saw a small boy in tattered clothing sitting on the ground right next to something indistinct to the man at the moment. He arrived before the boy and looked around to make sure the coast was clear then he carefully got down to the boy's level to look at what he was sitting by.
"Oh by the ancestors!" The man was so shocked and horrified at the scene in front of him he dropped axe he was holding.
What the child was sitting near was a horribly mangled and desecrated body of a young woman. Almost all of her clothing had been burnt off along with her entire face, revealing her scorched black skull underneath. The only the man could tell this was a woman was due to her quickly melting breasts. However the fire itself isn't what killed her.
Upon a closer inspection, the chest area of the womon was caved in with the ribs protruding from the wound. The man having enough experience with living the trife life in the outer periphery could tell that the chest wound came before the fire.
"M-mister. Could you help my mom? She's hurt and I can't wake her up." The child gives the corpse a shake as if to wake the burnt woman up from a deep sleep.
The man grabs the boy's shoulder to look him in the eye to tell him the truth of the women's fate, however a small red colored worm like creature leapt itself in the air at a fast speed enough speed that the winds of the battlefield couldn't slow it down by much or become sharp enough to kill it in time.
Like a missile it shot forward in a trajectory that aimed for the boy's back. The man not even thinking about it instinctively gripped the child tightly and put him behind him to shield him from the pathteite. At the same time he quickly grabbed his axe and motioned to swing it down with all of his remaining strength to cut the creature into two.
Unfortunately in a sudden motion the boy grabbed the man's arm that was holding the axe in a tight grip the man couldn't escape.
"Wait! What the h-." The man didn't have time to process the sudden betrayal before the pathteite drilled itself into his wounded chest, easily burrowing itself inside his body.
The man grew still and silent, standing tall and straight like an old Acadia tree left alone in the vast world to live and die, all alone.
The man dropped to his knees with blood spewing and pouring out of his chest like a waterfall. His eyes were wide open stretched to their limits and his mouth was equally wide open in clear shock but slowly the eyes fell back down to their neutral position and the mouth closed. The combination formed an expressionless face.
The child to formed an expressionless face as he walked in front of the man holding both hands behind his back like an elder preparing for a lecture.
The winds around the pair howled in rage and attempted to close in on the pair but an invisible force was blocking it from closing in on them. The boy looked down at the woman's corpse for a moment before looking back at the man before giving a small sigh.
"It seems the others are struggling to find their keep. Why don't we assist them? After all the more of us the better the blessings."
The man only nodded as the pair began their hunt for human bodies.
Mashallah was gritting her teeth in anger and stress at the sight of the scene.
"Of all the times why now! Why are the pathteites evolving so damn quickly? If only I could move but this accursed battlefield needs to be maintained or things will only get worse." Mashallah vented out a small dose of the anger boiling in her old body.
"Auntie don't stretch yourself too thin, if you need I can supply you with some of my spiritual energy if you run low." Yara kindly suggested.
"Oh sweetie no need for that, your foundation is key to the tribe's future and I would hate to sap you dry before you even leave the nest." Mashallah turned her head to give Yara a gentle sagely smile.
Yara gave a kind smile in return before going back to tend to Tanzu's injuries.
Back at the large fortified hut, the people inside were beginning to grow anxious, not entirely due to the threat outside but now mainly a threat brewing within. Koda was still unconscious while the sow spirit was busy maintaining the territory art.
"Please young masters, It would be ill-advised to go searching for the two clan heirs at the moment, I beg you!" A middle aged burly man was on his knees pleading to the clan heirs and heiress to not force their way out of the territory art. Doing so would leave an opening that would no doubt invite whatever calamity lurks outside.
Even if it was only a moment, that short period of vulnerability would seal the fates of all the people inside. Unless of course Koda wakes from his slumber.
"Lowly old bastard. Im gonna ask you one more time, get out of our way before I put you to sleep!" A young light skinned man wore an extravagant blue robe with red and yellow ornaments in it's design stood over the man and looked down at him arrogantly. His name was Aba and like many with a privileged lifestyle and sheltered upbringing, Aba grew to hold little regard for those without not only the powers of mysticism but any of those who weren't born for greatness in his eyes.
"Young master I have a daughter here, if you create an opening in the territory those creatures outside might slip in and I don't wanna see my baby in harms way." The man sniffs while tears begin falling from his eyes. With his head down no one saw it for the moment.
"I mean you all no disrespect, I truly don't but I won't let you go through with this so please young masters, let's just wait for elder Mashallah to end this chaos!"
The older man was shaking slightly, clearly this level of submission was not a natural state for the man to maintain for long.
"Oh really so that's how you feel? I'll tell you what mister. Where's your daughter right now?" Aba asked with an innocent curiosity etched in his tone.
The man looked up at Aba with a peculiar and unreadable expression. Aba in turn looked at the man with an unreadable expression. The two men stared at each other in a long moment of silence.
The man took a deep breath before slowly standing up and pointing a finger in the crowd to a young dark skinned woman with weathered rags and hide that unfortunately at this moment didn't do much to hide her figure. Her hair from the front was braided until it reached the back where it knotted into a bun and from the bottom of the bun stretched straight hair that reached her shoulders.
She had a defiant and wild look in her black eyes. Aba stared for what felt like to the older man and the girl to be a millennium before his grin quickly turned into a wide malicious smile.
"Now look at this beauty right here. Oh how did you come to beget such a young woman sir? You know what? Safari and Banji can take care of they damn selves, im gonna have some fun with this one here haha!" Aba laugh excitedly like a child who had received a precious gift.
"Say Aba you might as well let us join in on the fun, we're all bored as hell over here!" A few of the other heirs spoke eagerly wanting to partake in the depravity. The princesses were quietly shaking their heads in disgust but yet did nor said anything to stop what was happening.
"The only thing you sick bastards are touching is a cold lump of flesh if I can help it!" The girl said resolutely while pulling out a knife and putting it close to her throat with the cold tip touching her skin.
"Sasha don't do it, please!" Her father screamed out on horror.
"Young heirs please I beg you! Stop this madness, if not for us then at least for yourselves before it's too late!" Another man shouts pleading for peace but unfortunately it fell on wicked ears.
"Is that a threat you just uttered? Hmph these lowlife no name scum of the world think we should, 'stop the madness'." Aba mocked Sasha's father while he calmly took steps in her direction.
Sasha pressed the knife enough to shed some of her own blood and yelled.
"Tell me something if you're all so much better then us then why bother us, 'lowlifes' in the first place? Or better yet if you wanna fuck something, go fuck yourselves!" The crowd gasped in shock at Sasha audacity towards the young nobles while the nobles themselves were taken equally by surprise. Even Aba stopped his movement and stood silent.
"The only couple of you nobles that I met that was worth a damn was princess Yara and elder Mashallah. But the rest you are no better then those damn hyenas that attacked us! Your joy comes from the pain you inflict on those weaker then you, you're no men just beasts wearing the skin of human beings!" Aba charged at Sasha the moment she finished speaking. Killing intent radiating his surroundings.
"You talk too much." Aba spoke coldly while letting his first realm aura leak out. He reached his hand out at Sasha's throat and managed to close the distance before she could stab into her own throat. Aba grabbed the knife with a grip too tight for Sasha to fight back against.
Before anything else could happen there was a hole punctured through the territory art then another and soon many more breaches were made. Some of the people were hit by the force that created the holes, luckily the territory art was shielding the people at this moment. The sow spirit was quick to fill the gaps back up using it's supply of spiritual energy. However it's supply was quite limited since even maintaining the territory art were taxing on it's reserves.
Panic was at an all time high inside the fortified hut. Children were huddled up close to their mother's who gathered in the center where they would be closest to the sow spirit and the unconscious Koda. The men or older boys were all in a semi circuler formation around the center with weapons in hand, ready to die for their remaining families if needed.
Meanwhile Aba and the rest of the nobles were all together in one group near where the exit would have been originally. The difference between the two couldn't be more apparent then at this time. While the villagers were terrified and angry at the cataclysm that has befallen them, the nobles were relatively calm and almost casual about the whole situation. This was mainly due to who exactly came along with them to the trip to the outer periphery.
Outside the pathteite possessed man and boy pair were laying siege to the defense of the territory. The boy without needing to chant or use handsigns seemed to command a formless force that prevented the winds from getting close enough to kill the two, no matter how fast or sharp the winds were. Meanwhile the man was punching at enclosure in front of him. At first the punches were slow at first but soon they were fast enough to generate their own winds. After that the fists became a blur that could not be tracked with the naked eye. So fast they were that the force created from the fists shot forward and created the holes in the territory art.
These holes were soon sensed by the nearby pathteites to be the perfect opening they needed. The boy mentality linked himself with all of the nearby pathteites to give one command."Feast!"
Malcolm and the fiery mystic stared each other down for a few long moments. However before either one of them could make the first move a black blurry figure ran beside Malcolm.
"Little black, this clone of mine will sub you out. Escape while you have the chance to do so!" Mashallah's voice urged.
"Thanks grandma but I don't think he wants me to leave so soon. Besides I don't wanna keep getting my ass saved every time." Malcolm responded calmly. Mashallah sighed tiredly.
"Alright but I'll still help to make sure you at least put up a fight. Little black, I'll need you to take a deep breath and hold it on my signal ok?" Malcolm nodded at the clone.
The enemy mystic took this moment to attack. He extended his hands out with his palms facing Malcolm and the black wind clone. There was a pair of bright orange red fire balls quickly being created. Malcolm and the clone both ran forward at their fastest speed with the clone taking the lead.
But neither of them could reach the mystic in time before he yelled out.
[Mystic Art: Blazing Barrage]
The mystic closed both of his hands around both fireballs and punched out a flurry of blows that with the aid surrounding winds could create a myriad of powerful flames that shot forward in a flash.
"Now!" Mashallah yelled. Malcolm then took a deep breath while the black wind clone stopped in it's tracks to begin what Malcolm soon discovered was a dance unlike any dance he had ever seen.
The clone performed movements that should've been impossible with the human body. From its arms to it's fingers, from it's legs to it's feet there was a wild and unfettered freedom that couldn't be comprehended in such a brief moment. Then again the strangest thing to Malcolm was the dance itself looked to be performed quite casually without any regard to the current situation of life and death.
The world around seemed to respond to the calm and tranquil nature of the dance. The winds slowed down to a crawl the rocks and debris fell to the barren soil but most of all the space around the three became empty of oxygen and with this change the blazing barrage died out.
"W-what?!" The mystic shuttered in shock and a growing feeling of fear within bared it's fangs at this moment. He grew still while his mind was moving at the speed of lightning trying to come up with a way to counter this technique. However Malcolm never stopped running forward and in only a couple of seconds he was right in front of the man.
The mystic instinctively tried to blast Malcolm at point blank range with fire but nothing spark out of his hand. It was too late to correct this mistake before Malcolm smashed a hard knee into the man's gut, sending him flying backwards for a distance.
Malcolm winced slightly after the impact."Damn tough motherfucka, that hurt."
"I won't lie to you little black, I would still recommend retreating for now. Who knows what other techniques this man may have up his sleeve and even without them there's still a huge realm gap between you two. And for your information he beat little man who you were with just earlier. But it's up to you." Mashallah said bluntly.
"Nah, I can't retreat now grandma you ought to know once you start a fight you're better off finishing it. Besides I got an idea I wanna try so just keep up the dancing for me ok?" Mashallah sighted deeply at Malcolm's response.
"Fine just don't die too fast little black." The moment she finished speaking the man rose up and instantly charged towards Malcolm with the thirst for blood on his face and an axe in his right hand. Malcolm quickly took out his spearhead to barley block a downward slash that was meant to rip his head in two. The difference in strength could be felt in all it's measure by Malcolm who desperately held off the axe from inching closer to his skull with both hands gripping the spearhead tightly.
Malcolm noticed that the man was now holding his breath as well. He gritted his teeth at this point." Shit I guess his ain't in the second realm for nothing." He thought quickly.
The man retracted his axe back to go for another strike. This time it was a forward slash that Malcolm jumped backwards to avoid. However with the speed of the slash a slight gust of wind was generated and the wind was quickly used to become a flash of fire that singed and blinded Malcolm for a moment. But Malcolm in turn kick up a cloud of dirt that hit the man in the face blinding him in return.
This however didn't do much to slow either man down. The benefits of mysticism were showing their full effects at this moment. With the enchanted senses and strengthen body, to the long time that they could hold their breaths, it was evident to Malcolm that he hasn't even begun to touch the tip of the continent long iceberg that is the art of mysticism. This passing thought made him crack a wide wicked smile. Forgetting his own grievances Malcolm let the weight of the past fall off his shoulders for the time being to immerse himself in the struggle of life and death.
The man leaned his upper body down slightly to go for a low slash across Malcolm's stomach but before he could swing his axe he heard a sound of what he guessed to be a forward thrust. He only shifted his head slightly to avoid what he assumed to be Malcolm's spearhead but at the same moment another sound was heard before the impact of a fist could be felt punching his nose.
"Not a bad punch." The man thought for a second.He then quickly grabbed Malcolm's hand while running forward to tackle Malcolm to the ground. He finally opened his eyes to see what he believed to be his next victim. But was surprised to see that the young man underneath him was smiling with his teeth showing. This threw off his momentum for a moment before he regained his spirit and lifted his axe up and infused some spiritual energy into his arm to make certain that his enemy would die undoubtedly.
However out of the corner of his eye he saw what Malcolm held in his left hand as it drew closer to his chest. Malcolm pressed the pathteite forward pouring all of his spiritual energy into his left hand which in turn nourished the creature and strengthen it.
Malcolm's hand crashed into the man's chest caving it in along with letting the pathteite enter his body. Blood splattered and covered the surroundings as Malcolm and the man struggled on the ground. The man brought the axe down and struck Malcolm in his left shoulder however it didn't get too deep since the man was beginning to lose control over his body the deeper the pathteite burrowed inside him. "D-damn you little demon! Damn you!"
At this time the man began to scream in horror and fury as he let go of his axe that was stuck to Malcolm and started punching and smashing down on the young man who sealed his fate. Malcolm with a satisfied smile seemed to welcome the violence in kind as he punched back.
"DIE DIE DIE!" The man shouted as blood started pouring form every orifice on his body. Malcolm managed to land a clean left straight across the man's face cracking his cheek bones and knocking him to the side. Malcolm then threw himself on top of the man and started smashing down blows to the man.
Crack Crack Crack
Sounds of flesh and bone breaking were all Malcolm could hear and as far as what was in his sight, reigned the color of blood.
Malcolm cupped both hands tightly then lifted them up high and stuck down for a double hammerfist that crushed the man's ribs. He kept punching and punching while holding his breath.
Mashallah watched the scene in shock and disbelief at not just Malcolm beating an opponent with a higher realm but at the sheer brutally the kind looking young man was currently displaying.
"I wouldn't have guessed it but now I see it. Oh little black it seems your aren't without your own inner demons to." Mashallah sighed deeply, her old age truly pestered her to no end.
The leopard outside of the battlefield saw this and inwardly smiled at this."Good, he'll do just fine then for the future. Oh child you may yet be my salvation. Akeem narrowed his eyes slightly but still maintained his slight smile.
Safari managed to sense the heat signature of of three living beings with two of them dimming out in the current direction ahead of him so him and Banji pressed forward quickly. As they neared Mashallah warned them to take a deep breath as they approached the area where Malcolm is fighting.
They nodded and did as she said and they came across a rather brutal scene of Malcolm bashing the body of one of the mystics that attacked him earlier. Blood gathered into a puddle. The body was so mangled that even when the pathteite tried to escape it ended up being crushed into mincemeat.
"Good heavens above. Hey brother black, I think he's already dead." Banji said while Safari calmly approached Malcolm and put a hand on his shoulder.
Malcolm snapped his head at Safari, akin to a wild dog with blood covering the front side of his body, Malcolm gave off a savage aura even with his spiritual energy drained. "Calm down black, the enemy are inbound where the villagers are at. Now take a few deep breaths little brother and gather yourself." Safari calmly spoke while Malcolm after a moment of stillness started taking breathing deeply and slowly calmed himself down.
The clone had already stopped the dance and approached Banji who stood a few meters away from Safari and Malcolm. "Hmm tell me something auntie, did you sense that he was capable of such a feat when you first met him?" Banji asked curiously.
"To be honest with you Banji, he surprised me to. I didn't think such a young prodigy would appear at my doorstep but." Mashallah paused to look at the young man in question who put his hands together for a small prayer at the corpse below him.
"He's gonna need some fine tuning, that I know for sure." Banji gave a slight nod. "Well that's what we have you for auntie." Mashallah sighed deeply at the implication Banji made.
Malcolm after a silent prayer opened his eyes and looked down at the dead man at his feet. Suddenly he had a moment of déjà Vu. His mind rewinding the clock back to nearly half a decade ago.
His breathing was heavy as his lungs took in exhale after exhale. His small scrawny arms were aching and sore. His thin legs were shaking and trembling to keep him standing. He could feel where the collisions of bone and flesh left their agonizing marks on his young black face. Blood poured out of two of his nostrils like a leaking faucet. In fact blood seemed to bath the young Malcolm from top to bottom in its marron hex.
The reason for this state was layed out before him in a heap of his own blood and pain. A long time bully who would punk Malcolm at every opportunity without rest.
Malcolm only stood and breathed in and out with but the blood covering him along with his smile made him resemble a little demon in the eyes of the kids. His head looked down at his fallen foe and with no warning he started kicking the unconscious kid.
Thump Thump Thump, Crack Crack Crack.
The scene shifted the time back the present where Malcolm currently was breathing deeply and starting to wince from the immense pain he endured. Safari wordlessly keaped his hand on Malcolm's shoulder the entire time. Malcolm held his hands together in a prayer as spiritual energy began to replenish in his spiritual core. The world beyond Malcolm's immediate peripheral senses grew distant as he fell into a moment of contemplation now that the immediate threat was neutralized and there was time to reflect.
Within the span of mere minutes he had taken the life of two people. For any other 16 year old the act of murder might of sent them into over the edge of their wall of inner fortitude into the depths of despair and self loathing. However Malcolm as he drew in the external energy of the world was also concentrating his inner will to sharpen his heart for the new life that stared him down. He only muttered repeatedly one phrase.
"It's a bad world for the helpless. It's a bad world for the helpless." With the tempering of the heart and soul the young youth steadied his bloody and sore body for yet another life or death encounter.
Safari leaned down to say something quietly to Malcolm only for Malcolm to open his eyes as if he awoken from a nap. His eyes held a cold light that contained a newfound acceptance and understanding towards the world.
"It's all your fault for being so damn helpless." His inner heart whispers.