Moonlight stood at the focus of an approaching storm that devoured all, trees, the ground, the surrounding light. Cloud followed suit, his eyes stationed not just to the ground but to the storm.
The first beat shook the ground, causing resting piles of rocks to leap few centimeters off the ground.
Moonlight turned his face to his left, traces of bright green energy moved through the trees, the ground, and the entire environment. It's feel different from what's approaching.
Cloud also noticed but still kept his focus towards the approaching potential threat.
After turning a wide range of the forest, it stopped right at Cloud's foot.
"Mud…?"
Cloud muttered.
Just then, the beat continued.
Its tone, louder and closer than before, the forest gained a heartbeat in the midst of all this; the once unpredictable forest regained its silence but this time in a different feel.
And the beat stopped.
Slowly, Moonlight walked up to Cloud. "You sense it, right."
"Yea, I do. It's almost terrifying how we can sense something as this at our current age." Cloud replied.
Deep from the depths emerged a creature slowly from the mud, slowly it rose. The figure was clear as day despite the red sun pouring on its body.
A horn—two horns came first, then its bug-face and the skin absorbed the total light of the environment revealing its thick exoskeleton skin. Other horns seemed to be at its back and eight legs that moved so quietly that the area couldn't locate him.
Cloud's lips opened slightly, a pore of sweat on his face. "Now that's a monster." Slowly, his right leg shifted backward, kissing the ground gracefully.
Moonlight observed all its features from the front to back. 'Eight legs, bug face, and two horns….'
"It's an Orchid, Cloud!"
He screamed.
"Huh."
Cloud however was already on the offensive. Skillfully, he ran atop the mud, leaving footprints as traces he was there.
He leaped and was already over the orchid's head. The Orchid stood at ten meters high casting a shadow beneath all below. But, Cloud reached a staggering height of twenty meters in the air.
Then, his eyes narrowed downward.
His shadow cast a memory to Moonlight. A memory of when he was about to be outsmarted, taken out by rowls.
In mid-air, Cloud somehow lunged himself to the ground at an impressive speed.
But, one of the orchid's legs simply moved slightly and its body moved along with it in an instant. And it dodged.
Cloud hit the ground with strong impact that the shockwave moved the orchid rather than it did itself. The orchid rolled, despite its huge body, by Cloud's landing. It caused a splash of muddy-water that created a safe-zone right where Cloud stood.
At that same moment, Cloud's eyes faced the tumbling beast menacingly.
The orchid gained its balance instantly and its presence stared at Cloud totally.
BAM!
In an instant, Cloud went out of sight and the orchid received a mysterious blow right on its exo-skin.
Cloud's hands retracted and using his other.
BAMMMM!!!
He gave a blow a hundred times stronger, faster and deadlier than before.
BAM! BAM!
Blow after blow, damage after damage. His fists moved so fast that time itself knew not when he threw them at the orchid's body. The attack grew stronger with each thrust and powerful with each connection.
Then, he stopped and landed on the mud.
He raised his fist. "Just how du…"
PWAP!
The Orchid's body splattered into uncountable species.
Cloud's shook. He stayed quiet for a while.
"Wow that is dangerous."
The safe zone he created earlier cleared up and returned to its original state. In less than a second, he had slain the Orchid without his knowledge.
"Hey hey" He said.
Cloud stumbled back slowly. His eyes were fixated on his hand. "Did I just hit the jackpot? No no. This is too much of a jackpot. This is cheating. Am—
"Cloud?!" called Moonlight.
Cloud turned.
Moonlight waved and called again. "Cloud, you're sinking!"
"Huh."
Then Cloud noticed, he was standing on mud.
Quickly, he moved and found himself standing close to the impressed Moonlight.
He continued to focus on his palm. A worried and happy ran through his face. After some while, he faced Moonlight. "Now that's a threat."
Moonlight watched the entire fight in the brightest quality and one thing still ran through his mind. 'Cloud is cool. Is there anything he can't do?'
"Did you see that, Moonlight?" Cloud boasted as he got closer to Moonlight. "That was desire at work."
Moonlight turned. "Are you sure it's that simple?"
"Yea, even I did not believe it at first, but after today I am forced to believe it."
"Huh…"
A small gust of wind blew both their hairs to the light.
They stood at the road to the light, but right now their path is blocked by a sea of mud that could sink them any moment from now.
The mud began to move again and instinctively, the brothers leaped far back to a tree with numerous branches.
"That mud's gonna be trouble."
Cloud muttered.
Moonlight replied. "I don't think that is the problem, there is something below that."
"Yea yea, about three or four of those orchid things you mentioned. They are not a problem, the only problem is…"
The mud grew closer and they both had to retreat again to another tree far away.
While in the air, Moonlight thought, 'Desire, huh? Is it truly that easy to get strong? The books say otherwise."
He shifted his eyes to Cloud. 'He's always right but should I believe him? His knowledge and mine are different. Even if I exempt what I did before now; everything I've done is considered next to impossible in the books.'
'But…should I really doubt Cloud? He knows lots of things I can't fathom even without visiting the library. He sure is awesome.'
!
A mouth…!
Moonlight twisted his body and blasted to his left.
An orchid sprouted up from the ground and used the two mouths on its back to try to pierce Moonlight.
"What a sneaky way…." Cloud said, intrigued.
'Should I really trust Cloud?'
Moonlight turned to Cloud. 'Should I?'
I will!
In mid-air, Moonlight prepared to attack and then his entire presence changed. Directing his attention to the threat in front of him, he gazed at the surrounding.
He saw an entire mountain full of trees, lives and naturally formed green.
'Desire, huh…?'
With no momentum, his feet reached for the sky and in an instant, he was directly above the orchid. The sun's red light fell on him and created a shadow to all beneath him. The sun was positioned so well that it seemed Moonlight was below it.
Moonlight pierced the orchid's mouth and dragged it back to the mud.
On impact, all the mud in the area felt it. Suddenly, they all had a sync vibration that reached everything within Moonlight's field of vision.
"Woah!" muttered Cloud.
The Orchid splattered an impact but no sound was made. Its body kissed the ground and never had time to savor the painful taste. It was erased immediately.
All the mud on the ground mysteriously deleted as only a bare piece of land devoid of trees remained. The Orchid's body did not rest a bit.
Instantly, it turned to dust and disappeared. NO sign of remains was left, not even a grain of dust or sign of the wind blowing its remains.
"Now that's terrifying."
Cloud turned to Moonlight.
!
He shifted his focus to the light.
"I smell a final boss."