Gulan's sword clashed with the spear. Both were pushing against each other with all their might. Suddenly, the Village Chief used his tail to sweep Gulan's legs, trying to make him lose his balance.
Gulan anticipated the move and stepped firmly on the Chief's tail while regaining his footing. Then, he delivered a powerful headbutt to the old man's face.
The Chief's vision blurred, but he didn't give up. He tried to retreat, but he couldn't move. Gulan was still pinning his tail to the ground.
Gulan raised his sword high toward the sky before bringing it down hard on the Chief's tail.
"Noooooo!"
The Chief screamed, but it was too late. Blood splattered everywhere, and the severed tail twitched violently on the ground.
"You bastard!!!"
The Chief lost his mind. Severing a lizard's tail was one of the greatest insults. It would grow back, but the fact that it was cut in a duel before the entire village struck the Chief's pride deeply. He charged at Gulan in a fit of pure rage.
He lunged with his spear, attempting to pierce Gulan's chest. Gulan dodged the strike and countered with a side slash. The Chief parried the blow, spun around, and delivered a horizontal strike. Gulan blocked it, but a sudden kick to his exposed stomach sent him rolling across the ground.
The Chief pursued him to prevent him from standing up. He stabbed at Gulan, who was rolling desperately to avoid the frenzied old man's strikes. However, he failed to dodge completely; a thrust pierced his shoulder deeply.
"Gah!"
Gulan gritted his teeth and gripped the spear's shaft with his hand. He was unable to stand under the pressure of the Chief pinning him to the ground. Suddenly, he raised his sword and began hacking at the Chief's legs. The strikes weren't powerful due to his position, but they caused painful wounds. It wasn't enough to stop the old man, who continued to dig into Gulan's flesh.
Gulan was losing... but then, suddenly...
***
**Ascension**
Gulan's body flashed with a green light. His strength surged, and he shoved the Chief's spear out of his shoulder, standing up instantly. The old man looked at Gulan, shock filling his face.
"Y-you... when did you become... when did you become a Transcender?!"
Gulan raised his sword before rushing toward the Chief.
"I-impossible!"
Before the Chief could react, Gulan lunged. The old man dodged the strike and even attempted to take Gulan's head, but Gulan ducked and tackled the old man. Both crashed to the ground, but Gulan ended up on top. Without hesitation, he raised his sword and plunged it into the Chief's chest.
The old man groaned in agony, blood spilling from his mouth.
"You... you deceiver... I will finish you!"
The old man tried to rise, his face dripping with sweat and his eyelids trembling. Gulan said nothing; he just watched him. Then, after a moment, he leaned in and whispered into the former Chief's ear:
"Just because you were ignorant of something doesn't mean it's because of me. You simply never asked."
Without delay, Gulan pulled his sword out and decapitated the Village Chief.
Silence fell over the area. Every villager was staring at Gulan's back. He stood up and slowly turned around, holding the head of the former Chief. He raised it high and let out a victorious roar.
"Waaaaaaa!"
The villagers responded with cheers and shouts. Today, Gulan was crowned the new Village Chief. People gathered to congratulate him, but his wife withdrew with a group of women. Gulan watched her leave with complex emotions. He had married her for power, but over the years, he had developed deep feelings for her, especially after their child was born. He decided to let her rest and comfort her later.
"Gulan!"
A lizard covered in wounds arrived, carrying Gulan's child in his arms.
"Move!"
Gulan pushed through the crowd and ran toward his son. His heart beat like war drums. 'Please, no! Please!' He took the child and checked for a pulse. After moments of silence, he breathed a sigh of relief. But what followed was pure rage.
"Who did this to my son?!"
He looked at the wounded lizard and realized it was the same warrior he had sent to watch over the Freak. The warrior hesitated before speaking.
"The Freak did it... he escaped."
"How?! I sent you there! What happened?! And what are these wounds?!"
"I encountered two people coming from the direction of the tent. It seems someone went to get his friend, and they ran into me on their way back to the battle. It took time to take them down."
Gulan stood there, and for the first time, fear gripped him. He had to find that Freak no matter what.
"Gather five of the best warriors. We are going after him," Gulan said before heading toward the forest. "I will go ahead. Make sure to catch up."
Gulan left in pursuit of Rain. As for Rain, he was ignorant of the dangers of the forest, the danger of his limited time in this world, and the threat chasing him. Sometimes, ignorance is a blessing.
***
In the forest, the atmosphere was quiet and dark. Moonlight filtered through the leaves, and a warm, humid breeze filled the air.
*Snap!*
The sound of a breaking branch was followed by ragged breathing. Rain leaned on his knees, gasping for air. Since entering the forest, he hadn't stopped running, but his body couldn't keep up anymore. He wiped sweat from his forehead; the heat and humidity were stifling.
Rain looked around. He couldn't see clearly. Things were getting crazier. Was that child dead? Would his father come after him? He wouldn't stay to find out. He pulled out the map and searched for a patch of light to see better. The map showed a dense forest in the northwest. That was his location.
He looked back. Should he risk going back or continue into the unknown? During his contemplation, he noticed two red lights glowing in the forest. They were eyes, three meters high, and they were approaching.
Rain didn't wait. He ran the moment the lights moved.
*Huff! Huff! Huff!*
He felt nauseous. His heartbeat was like a drum. His bare feet ached. 'Damn it! Why is this happening to me? What is this place?!'
"Ah!"
Rain stopped abruptly. His body went numb, and the pain in his legs vanished. A blinding light hit his eyes. He tried to cover them, but something restricted his hands. He squeezed his eyes shut, then slowly opened them.
"W-what?"
Before him stretched a vast field of red grass, devoid of trees. The ten moons were gone, replaced by a bright morning and shining stars. On a nearby hill, there were tents and campfires... and lizards.
Some were cooking, others were cleaning clothes. It looked like a normal village scene. Suddenly, a group of young lizards ran toward him.
"Daddy! Daddy!"
Rain was in total disbelief. He had seen this child before. The child ran past him and jumped toward someone next to him. Rain looked to his right. It was that cursed one-eyed lizard, hugging his son.
"How are you, you little rascal? Did you miss your father already?"
Rain's heart raced.
"Daddy! Daddy! What is this?" the child asked, pointing at Rain.
Rain swallowed hard, trying to suppress his nausea.
"Oh, this? This is our bright future, hahaha!"
Rain's eyes were dead. He looked at his hands and found them tied again. He looked around and saw the same lizards who had captured him the first time. The sword was gone. The map was gone. The wounds on his feet were gone.
His body trembled, and a cold sweat ran down his back. Rain whispered in disbelief, "Have I gone mad?"
His gaze was fixed on the back of Gulan's child's head. A small part of him felt relief that he didn't have to regret what he thought he had done. But then, he noticed a red liquid trickling from the back of the child's head. It became faster and thicker.
Suddenly...
"Aaaaaagh!"
The child started screaming and clutching his head. It happened so fast. Gulan didn't understand what was happening until he looked at his hand and saw blood. His child collapsed with a massive injury to the back of his head.
"My son!"
Panic erupted. Rain couldn't believe his eyes. He became certain he was in a dream... no, a nightmare.
*BOOM!*
Rain was thrown several meters. Pain exploded through his body. His vision blurred. He tried to look back to see what happened. All he saw was the blue lizard screaming incomprehensible words.
"It was the Freak! I saw him! He was staring at the child! He must have done something!"
The children started screaming and running away. Warriors surrounded Rain.
"Heh..." Rain let out a muffled laugh before losing consciousness. His last thought was: *I've gone mad.*