Chapter 168: Chased to the imperial dormitory

Chapter 168: Chapter 168: Chased to the imperial dormitory

The sky showed no mercy, and the ground offered none either. A human like being sliced through the air, his wings beating the wind so violently that the sound chased after him like thunder, and with every stroke he lost a bit more of his strength. The pain had been forgotten by him long ago. Only one thing mattered in this world, and it lay far ahead of him, beyond every tree and border. He was flying away from everything that wanted to end his life, with nothing but determination keeping him from dying.

The forest rushed past him.

He flew among the trees, shaking loose leaves from their branches. A trunk stood ahead of him. He pulled up sharply and shot past it, then between two very tight trees that barely fit his own body. He felt bark scrape against his shoulder but did not flinch.

"Get back here!

"You’re getting nowhere!"

The voices of An Unknown Entities followed after him, their expressions hungry and determined.

He gritted his teeth and pushed harder.

His wings burned, but he did not slow down. He had to keep moving. "If I stop, then I will be finished, and all I know will die with me." whatever was behind him he could not afford to let it catch up to him.

The trees became thinner as he broke out of the forest and onto a wide expanse of dry terrain. Before him lay sand and parched ground, a wasteland broken only by scattered rocks and withered bushes. Nothing grew in this place, and nothing offered him cover either.

A desert.

He refused to slow his pace as he battled through it, heading toward the unknown that lay ahead. Heat climbed off the ground and burned his throat as he moved to higher ground so the wind could aid him. The open sky allowed them to spot him, but it also gave him an opportunity to escape them. He clung to that idea, since he had nothing else to hold on to.

Then a shadow swept over him.

He raised his eyes.

Multiple Unknown Entities were already soaring through the air above him.

They had overtaken him.

His stomach dropped. He had driven himself past his limits, yet evidently that had not been sufficient. Their hands moved in unison, weaving a spell together between them. Magic collected in light above them, taking shape as a potent mass of energy.

His expression grew grim.

"Damn it."

The spell poured down on him.

He turned sharply to the side.

It missed him, but it detonated on the ground next to him, blasting a wave of hot air against his flank. He hardly had a moment to catch his breath.

A spell came flying from the very direction he had just dodged away from.

"Ah!"

The magic struck him.

His body was lifted off his feet and sent tumbling over the sand, rolling backward until he finally stopped, grit in his mouth and his ears ringing.

Pain surged through him.

*Get up, get up, you made a promise*. He thought, bitterness rising in him. He had made it this far, and he would not let their hands be the last thing he felt before he died.

He drove one hand into the ground and pushed himself up.

Above him, the Unknown Entities came closer.

"He’s down!"

"Capture him!"

They charged forward, their shadows spreading over the ground like spilled ink.

He pushed himself up, his legs trembling, but he did it anyway. One of them reached out for him.

He lashed out at them.

Magic burst between them, driving the pursuers back, and seizing the opening, he spread his wings and launched himself back into the sky, flying faster and higher.

The desert dropped away below him as he sped toward the finish, yet his breathing became harder and heavier with each beat of his heart. His wings felt as heavy as lead, but the desert’s edge was near.

Nearly there.

Then everything changed.

A force bore down on him, and he stumbled. He raised his eyes, and his face went pale.

"What?!"

An Unknown Entity floated above him—the very same one that had attacked him before. It observed him, calm and patient. He understood that he was watching something whose time was running out.

"You’re not supposed to be here..."

He hardly got the words out.

The Unknown Entity raised one hand.

An unseen force slammed into him.

His body was hurled crashing downward.

BOOM!

The ground split open beneath him.

Dust engulfed him completely for several seconds before he stirred and crawled out of the crater he had landed in, an inch at a time. Blood trickled down his face, stinging his eyes. His breathing was ragged, and every part of him longed to simply lie there and let it take him, yet he remained standing. Despite his frailty and the pain he felt, it still wasn’t enough.

A roar ripped from his throat.

Magic burst from him, flinging force and dust in every direction. The unknown Entities, wrapped in their cloaks, braced themselves as he forced the magic outward.

Once the dust had settled, he was gone.

The Unknown Entity stared at the empty ground, frowning.

"Find him."

They turned to him.

"Search everywhere, he must not reach his destination."

"Yes!"

They scattered across the ground and through the sky. Some flew toward the forest while others scoured the surrounding land, but they were too late. He had entered the forest once again.

He flew among the trees, blood still streaming down his face. His vision blurred briefly and the green around him became one large black smear, but he shook his head and pressed on. *Not now, rest later. Rest once it is over.*

He spotted something amid the trees.

His expression shifted.

"The Ancient Forest."

At long last, he had made it.

Hope swelled within him, tiny yet present, like a candle flickering in a storm. He nearly let himself show that faint smile.

Yet the forest had no plans to let him reach his destination without a fight.

A roar burst out from beneath him.

He glanced downward.

A massive beast flung itself into the air, its jaws gaping wide. He wrenched himself aside. Its claws found nothing, but the strike drove him down out of the sky. He hit the ground before he could rise again, and the beast rushed at him. He rolled.

A huge paw slammed into the earth where his head had just been, sending shockwaves rippling across the ground. He scrabbled backward, dirt biting into his nails. The beast lashed out once more, and this time it caught him. Its massive paw hurled him into a tree, and all he could do was gasp a lungful of air before his back slammed against the trunk with brutal force. The creature lifted its other paw, and he stared at it. Then at the beast.

"I didn’t survive all of that only to die here". Anger surged through him, pure and fierce and unwavering. He lifted one hand, his shaking fingers closing around a bolt of lightning.

"Stay away from me."

CRACK!

The lightning bolt burst from his hand, hitting the beast right in the center of its body. It shook violently before collapsing to the ground, unconscious. A hush settled over the forest. He dropped his hand, blood dripping down its side. He wiped it off with the back of his hand. He took no pride in the death he had just caused. Only a quiet sorrow that he had been forced to harm a creature that was merely defending its home.

Then he unfurled his wings once more.

There was no time left to rest. He took off, branches lashing past him as he flew deeper and deeper into the Ancient Forest, until the voices came back.

"There he is!"

"Get him!"

"He cannot be allowed to reach the border!"

"Don’t let him make it there!"

His heart sank.

They had caught up with him.

He looked back and saw the Unknown Entities closing in, dark shadows slipping between the trees. He clenched his teeth.

"I wont give up."

His wings beat with greater force as he drove himself onward, the trees blurring into streaks of dark lines.

Then it came into view.

The border.

He could scarcely believe his eyes. He was going to make it there. He was so near.

Then he spotted someone ahead of him.

The very same Powerful Unknown Entity.

Waiting.

His hope faded away. It had sliced through the forest ahead of him as though the distance were meaningless. The Unknown Entity watched him approach with a calm, certain gaze.

He slowed for just an instant, and when he spoke, his voice trembled yet remained unbreakable.

"You caught me once," he said, gasping for breath. "but I won’t let it happen again."

His body started to change. His form dissolved into the trees.

The Unknown Entity’s eyes tightened.

"Where?"

It was too late.

He sprang out of the trees a few meters ahead and darted forward. The Unknown Entity launched an attack, but the strike never connected. He had gone past the border and had succeeded. He soared past the Ancient Forest and into another expanse of woodland. Then he spun around.

The Unknown Entities chasing him had crossed the border, and they halted once they reached it. One moved forward, and nothing occurred. Another tried the same, and it was unable to move. The boundary prevented them from crossing, and not one of them could get through. He gazed at the Unknown Entities on the far side and exhaled briefly. His shoulders at last relaxed as he absorbed it.

"I made it."

Then the pressure returned.

His body went rigid, and the force bore down on the forest once more, almost bringing him to his knees. He glanced around, and the trees were different. The air had a different scent.

He peered further into the forest.

"No... I am within the Spirit Forest."

He pushed forward with difficulty. One step, and then the next. He was almost out of strength, yet he continued walking. Minutes went by, and then even more. The forest appeared to have no end, but he kept going.

Almost an hour afterward, he arrived at the forest’s edge.

He came to a halt and raised his head.

In the distance stood a tower, rising above the trees around it. Its structure shone in the light, making it impossible to miss.

His weary face at last softened.

"The Imperial Dormitory..."

He fixed his gaze on it. He had arrived at the place he had yearned for. Yet he was not there to rest. He required answers and assistance. He required his master.

He advanced one more step.

"You have to know what happened."

He gazed at the glowing tower.

"Whatever it takes, I must reach you."

He tightened his fist.

After that, he made his way toward the Imperial Dormitory with the little strength he had left.