It so nice to wake up in my own bed, Lefu grinned as he yawned. After five days of intense training, he returned to house full of slimes. Snapping his fingers, nearly all the slimes exploded leaving behind layer of slime.

“Lefu, stop sleeping and get to training we only got one more day,” Matt’s voice shattered his dream. Annoyed that his dream was ruined, Lefu opened his eyes. Why do I have to continue, I mastered the skills yesterday, Lefu complained.

“The forms were mastered but you lack combat with them,” Matt said. “Today going to be sparring.”

“Who my partner?” Lefu asked with yawn. Realizing what was said, Lefu quickly rolled to the side.

I should have guessed sooner, Lefu grumbled as he took his stance. Facing Matt, Lefu used ‘Phantom Step’ which he recently learned from him.

Phantom Step allows the user to appear to be stepping one way, but actually going the other. Lefu learned this two days ago from Matt and mastered it with Master Dugu. When Lefu was practicing, he destroyed the training few dozen times.

“You seems to mastered the basics,” Matt praised as he moved closer. Lefu noticed that Matt’s legs didn’t move. “but when completely mastered, your legs don’t move.”

That is just insane, Lefu cried. He quickly dodged Matt’s palm strike. Using his momentum, Lefu sent a palm strike followed by a kick.

“Put your strength into it, I barely felt a tickle,” Matt roared.

There has to be limit to his defense, Lefu complined.

Following his roar, Matt sent a palm. The speed formed flames over his hand.

Lefu quickly kicked towards Matt, but his entire leg shattered. Unable to wait on his his leg, Lefu sent out a palm strike.

Matt intercepted the palm, and launched Lefu fifty feet into the air.

Lefu quickly raised his guard as Matt jumped towards him. Within less than a second,Bang! Lefu smacked into the ground.

Matt landed and attacked again.

He’s not letting up, Lefu attempted to intercept Matt. The clash formed a shockwave destroying all in a twenty foot radius. Sliding back, Lefu sent out a palm strike. A light blue palm formed heading towards Matt.

“Amazing, even the basics of Ghost Palm are nearing perfect,” Matt praised. “But sadly it still not enough.” Matt sent out his own nearly eight times the size.

Lefu quickly activated Phantom Step and barely dodged.

Matt suddenly appeared beside Lefu and sent a palm.

Launched back into the air, Lefu felt his entire body in racked in pain. His regeneration went into overdrive repairing his organs and bones. Spitting out mouthful of blood, he stood again.

“It seems your regeneration improved again,” Matt praised. “But it still not fast enough.” Following his praise, Matt struck again.

Matt’s hand went through Lefu’s stomach and appeared behind him. Coughing out large mouthful of blood, Lefu covered Matt’s eyes.

Lefu took the chance and kicked off the blinded Matt. Covering his side, Lefu struggled to stay awake. Between the pain and healing, my mind struggling to stay conscious, Lefu thought striking towards Matt.

Crunch!

Lefu’s entire hand shattered. Matt’s insane defense caused ninety percent to reflect. Is it too late to call hacks on his defense, Lefu jokes. Before Lefu could retreat again, Matt grabbed him.

“That was a dirty trick,” Matt grumbled wiping away the blood. “But it would be effected on most opponents. Sadly your opponent is me.”

Matt rapidly threw countless strikes at Lefu. A large hole formed in the center of Lefu’s stomach. Coughing out more blood, Lefu nearly collapsed.

“What are you doing Lefu? You need to fight back or you might die,” Matt roared. Using the Phantom Palm, he crushed Lefu’s legs. Next he crushed Lefu’s arms and finally aim for his head.

I got to dodge, Lefu urged his broken body.

Bang!

A five foot hole appeared where his head was. Jumping to his recently repaired legs, Lefu attempted a kick.

Easily blocking the kick, Matt effortlessly shattered the leg. “Lefu, is this all you got,” Matt roared, “Then your failure to both vampire and vampire slayer.”

After hearing Matt’s roar something snapped inside Lefu. The seal cracked and small stream of Aether escaped. But the small stream caused a large changed to Lefu’s body. A black fog engulfed his body, while deep red eyes shown through.

“Now this is what I’m talking about,” Matt insanely laughed. But before he realized what happen, he was forty feet into the ground. Unable to process what happened, Matt sensed immense danger. “I got to dodge,” He yelled, as fifty foot hand crashed down.

“Son, that could have killed me,” Matt attempted to stop the fight.

Boom!

A bottomless pit formed behind him. “Roar!” Lefu’s roar shook the ground and made the air trembled.

“This might be bad,” Matt commented.

***

“What happened to Lefu?” Clare shouted while eating breakfast. The connection seemed is growing weaker. Has something happened to Lefu?

[Emergency Mission: Stop Lefu’s out of control Aether,

Timelimit: ten minutes

Punishment: Lefu Dies.]

How am I supposed to reach him in time? Clare cried at the unfair mission. If by magic i reach him, how am I supposed to save him.

[Prepared to be warp over...3...2...1.]

Clare’s surrounding changed from a dining room to wasteland. Looking around, Clare seen holes, blood, and tries were everywhere.

“Lefu, calm down,” Matt’s voice yell rang in her ears.

Facing the direction of the yell, Clare saw him wounded all over. Five deep cuts running across his chest. Facing him was large black fog with deep red eyes.

“Is that Lefu? What happened to him?” Clare cried out.

[Due to the seal cracking, an incomplete transformation happened. Due to the exceeding his body limits, the Aether is slowly destroying his body and mind.]

“But how am I supposed to stop, he doesn’t seem to be in control?” Clare asked as Matt crashed through trees.

[Countdown: 9:58]

System if you don’t want to help, I just do it like a side character, Clare roared. Dashing towards him, she attempted to throw herself on him. But reality won and she was smashed into the ground.

“It seems the anime and books lied to me,” Clare spit out blood.

[Countdown: 6:32]

Why, what made the time shorten. Clare cried as the time limit shorten even more.

[Due to host reckless behavior, the Aether is moving faster.]

[It is recommended that the host use mind link.]

“What am I supposed to do?” Clare mumbled. ”Drag him into the mind realm.”

Clare’s scenery changed once again. Appearing in a flower field, she noticed a figure on the ground. “Lefu!” she shouted as she approached him. “Lefu, wake up,” Clare shook Lefu, but he didn’t wake up.

“He won’t wake up,” a man voice said. “His will isn’t strong enough to fight back the Aether corruption.”

Clare turned her head and face the man. To her surprise it was the man training Lefu. “Who are you and what do you mean?” Clare asked in threaten tone.

“You can call me Master Dugu,” Master introduced himself. “Anyways the boy lacks a strong will power. While in mortal terms it could be consider strong, but at his current level...he is inferior to the ones without it.”

“What! There has to be a way to save him,” Clare shouted.

“There is a way,” Master Dugu said slowly. “What you have to do is strengthen his will. There are multiple forms such as will to live, protect, fight, and well you get the idea.”

“How am I supposed to do that if he not awake?” Clare pointed out.

“That is not a problem,” Master Dugu replied. “Once you start, there is no going back. If you decided to turn back you will die.” he warns.

“I don’t care how dangerous it is,” Clare said without hesitation.

“Well, prepare yourself,” Master Dugu smiled. “But why do you go so far for him.”

Clare was unable to answer as she didn’t have an answer. “I blame myself for his current situation,” Clare said after long pause.

“If you had the chance to pick again, would you still pick the same or let him die?” Master Dugu asked.

After some thought, Clare answered slowly, “I would still pick the same answer.”

“Then why do you blame yourself?” Maser Dugu asked.

“Because he died protecting me,” Clare lashed out. “I would have been fine, but…”

“You would have been fine,” Master Dugu interrupted. “But what if I told you that his transformation would happen with or without you.”

“What do you mean,” Clare asked confused.

A small screen appeared next to Master Dugu showing Lefu. He was covered in dirt and wearing rags. The look in his eyes was filled with pain and loneliness.

“This screen is from a parallel world where he didn’t meet you.” Master Dugu explained. “He met with a vampire with a grudge against his parents. He went through the same process you witness. After that without the seal or will, he rampage and wipeout eighty percent of the population. When he finally regain his consciousness, he realized he was alone and hated by everyone. Now he sits in abandoned building unabled to die and tortured by what he done.”

The screen changed and a older Lefu appeared. “This is from a world where his entire family was killed. He made a deal with few gods and began wiping out all the supernaturals for revenge. He doesn’t care if they were innocent or guilty he slaughtered everyone.”

Hundreds of thousands screen appears showing different Lefu’s. Most of him were either better off dead or public nightmare.

“What do you gain from showing me all these,” Clare asked with red eyes from crying.

“Once you make a choice, don’t ever regret it,” Master Dugu said, “If you chose to regret you answer a long road of regret and pain is ahead.”

“But what if it the wrong choice?” Clare asked.

“As long as you believe it the correct answer,” Master Dugu replied. “Then it doesn’t matter of everyone or the world tells you. The only thing you gotta do is believe that your choice is correct.”

Clare as if receiving enlightenment from Master Dugu confusing words smiled. “How do I save him?” Clare asked with firm resolve.

“His body Aether is rampaging,” Master Dugu replied. “What your going to do is take it into your body and create a circuit. After creating a path for it to follow, Lefu will awaken and the corruption will disappear.”

“What should I do,” Clare asked impatiently.

“Kiss the boy.”