Empirical year 91

A pair of the red-eyed horned cat was moving through the jungle at high speed. They had their eyes set on their prey, a black boar. Vanishing at one, reappearing at another, the boar was moving very fast through the jungle using [shadow steps]. But no matter how much it used the [shadow steps] the pair of cats were still on its tail.

The boar was the offspring of shadow strip swine. If it was pure one then there were very few predators in the whole jungle that could threaten it, but after dilution of blood through so many generations the price of innate skill increased too.

Repeated use of its innate talent cost it too much mana and the moment it showed any weakness it was impaled by one of the cat's horns. Next moment the cat jumped back to create some distance between them.

The boar was twice the size of the cat and the vitality of a beast is something that could be ignored. Both the cat was struggling to hold the baby boar down.

*Shhhp*.

Even before the cat could feel something was wrong an arrow went through its body.

*Shhhp*.*Shhhp*.

Soon two more arrows were released to claim the lives of two cats. The wild animals had a very keen sense towards the danger and these carnivorous animals were more so, but still, they had failed to sense the child sitting on the tree.

'If I really would have been a mercenary then I would have been a great ranger.' Thinking about past life… Kinoya started to feel disheartened. 'My emotion is all over the place.'

With multiple holes all over the body, the boar was furious. Whether herbivore or carnivore, nothing is more dangerous than a wounded animal, and Kinoya didn't dare to come close to it, so he waited.

The more it struggles, the more it lost its blood and soon it was laying on the ground. Only after struggling became weaker Kinoya came down from the tree.

Kinoya took out his cheap dagger and started to hack the root of the horn of the cat. If one wants to break off the horn from the skull that would be hard, but Kinoya knew that if one could put the tip of the dagger at the root of the horn and give pressure at the right angle, then it will be easy to dislodge it.

'The time in library worth it.' Though the library lacked books on magic when it comes to flora and fauna around the city, it is worthy of its reputation. On top of that, he had spent countless hours studying everything he could get his hands on.

His military scholarship was over after 2 years, but it didn't stop due to her, little Marchioness. His meal didn’t stop, rather it improved in quality. Also, his authority clearance increased. Something he had yearned for a long time.

After collecting the horns he turned to the boar. Even breathing was hard for it. Kinoya was cautious as he inched closer to the boar. Those eyes, torn in vengeance, were staring daggers at him. It was not the first time but looking at those eyes but a shiver ran down his spine.

‘Something is not right.’ Kinoya could feel his danger sense was banging. Before he could understand what just happened the ground had started to rock. With each passing moment, the quake was getting stronger.

‘It isn’t a single one.’ The rhythmic banging made him understand the direness of the situation. He put down his ear on the ground to understand the distance and the direction of the group before running in the other.

Silence enveloped the place for a moment. Right at the next, the shaking started to get stronger. The black sounder of wild hog soon reached the wounded one. Few of the stopped around the wounded one but most of them continued to run in the direction Kinoya had gone to.

'For the first time in 6 months, I was going to eat a boar. But now I am running for my life.’ He couldn’t help but laugh at his so-called good luck.

With his strength, fighting head-on was out of the question and Kinoya had no intention to do it. He was more confident of running away but soon the territory he was accustomed to, came to an end. His feet couldn’t dare to stop.

With a boar tide of 200 meters, he had no chance of turning back. All he could do was to run deeper in the jungle. He had no idea how long he had run but his limbs were aching in pain.

‘All I can do is run. Run if you want to live.’ He continued to mumble those words to self-hypnotise himself and it was effective.

When he felt that his already-depleted stamina was reaching its bottom-line again, the view in front of his eyes changed. Open land in the hearts of the jungle. Cleaned, without a single tree stump or any weed, the place looked like a well-cleaned lawn of a high-class mansion.

‘Where is this?’ For the moment his curiosity was surpassed by his survival instinct. With the hogs behind him, he didn’t dare to stop his feet.

‘Someone must be living here. It is not right to bring those beasts here.’ Kinoya had no intention to bring other people in his problem. He turned to leave the open plane but…

‘Why aren’t they coming in here?’ Confused, Kinoya turned to see hundreds of eyes were staring at him but none dare to come in the clearing. ‘Could it be something very dangerous is in here?’

With a moment of relaxation, the fatigue crashed in. He fell on the ground without a single ounce of energy to move his limbs. He had no idea how long he was exercising like a dead body.

When he stood up again, Kinoya began to move with caution. Some of the beasts had left but, still, many red eyes were lingering around the clearing.

The clearing was about 100 meters in radius, with only two structures in the middle. One was a small hut, can be seen in any slam and the other was a dome. Stronger and firmer than the hut, it was right in the middle of the clearing.

“Anybody home?” Kinoya called out. Waiting for a moment for a response, Kinoya moved in the hut. There is none.

A bed made of dry leaves and small seeds of the unknown tree were spread all over it, a water jug made of clay, some dry fruits and meats. ‘It doesn't look like it is abandoned.’ Kinoya came out after he was unable to confirm the presence of a living being.

‘That place is the heart of all the secret.’ Even a child could have known that and Kinoya was no exception. ‘I shouldn’t go there.’ Even if he had realised it but he couldn’t stop his feet. Something was dragging him towards the dome.

The door was made of a single piece of wood and was in stark contrast to the hut. It opened with a small push. Not a single speck of light escaped from the darkness within.

Kinoya put his eyes on the small gap and…

If there was anyone, who was standing outside, he or she would have seen that the dome swallowed Kinoya in a single gulp.

‘Where am I?’ Kinoya was not sure. He had felt an enormous force had enveloped him before dragging him inside. ‘I couldn’t feel anything anymore.’

There was no growling of the ferocious beast around the jungle, nor there was any chippering of some unknown insect. No grass under the feet now smells of green in the air.

‘It smells like blood.’ Those memories inside his mind shook again. The view in front of his eyes changed. Light spread across the red sky dyeing the sky into the red. The soft sun had started to rise from the east, illuminating hundreds of dead bodies spread over the earth.

Head was severed, armoured or not, their bellies were cut open. Eyes, decorated in the eternal void, were staring at Kinoya in resentment. The arrows made the land more poisonous and...

“Is this a battlefield?” Kinoy mumbled in a low voice. He was not sure whether he was hallucinating or it was the reality that was hidden inside that mighty dome.

The earth started to shake again, with it there was a black cloud that was spreading across the horizon. The cry of enraged and the vibration of hoof soon reached him. The cloud had started to take the shape of the cavalry and countless infantry.

‘Are they attacking? But how? I was in the jungle then… Could it be some kind of illusion or space magic that has transported me to…’ He couldn’t care less for now. ‘I have to survive.’

Kinoya had no idea when he had grabbed onto the talwar that was plunged into the ground right beside him, but…

'Can I fight them? Do I have to ask help from him, again?' Kinoya had no intention to grow up again. This hand on the hilt tightened even though he had no idea about what is the reality of the illusion in front of his eyes.

'Can't I just run away?' Kinoya had no idea why didn't he think about it before but just the moment it appeared in his mind, he turned to be greeted by a similar sense from behind.

Wearing armour, similar to the dead soldiers, another group of cavalry and infantry was charging towards Kinoya.

'It's too late.' Kinoya's grip tightened on the hilt. Never did he noticed that the talwar on his hand was larger than him, and it was heavy.

'If I have to fight then my choice of weapon couldn't be worse.' First thing Kinoya had looked for the dagger under his dress.

It was cheap and dull. Due to its reach, it was not suitable for long battle but that was the weapon Kinoya was most accustomed to. Alas! No matter how much he looked for it wasn't there, not even the buckle was with him.

'It can't be the reality or did I lose it while running away.' He wasn't sure about it. He started to look for other weapons much of his height. There were spears, pikes, arrows even clubs buried under the body.

'I need something smaller.' Soon he found a gladius with its tip broken. He hadn't had the time to hesitate. He grabbed the gladius and…

"It is heavy." Kinoya was shocked. It wasn't a matter of weight, rather the weapon.

'I am sure I had thrown away the talwar before grabbing it, but…' Looking at the giant talwar in his hand he had no idea what had just happened.

He moved with quick feet but no matter what weapon he had grabbed, all of the weapons had transformed into big four feet long talwar.

'It has to be a dream'. Before he can choose a suitable weapon the enemy reached him with full force.

First to reach him was a cavalryman. With momentum build-up from the charge of beast underneath, he swung his giant two-handed swords.

*Boom*

The giant sword met the Kinoya's half-hearted talwar with a thunderous boom. Kinoya was uprooted in the air with blood splattering from the root of his thumb.

All he could do was groan as the painful illusionary reality punished him. The cavalry didn't stop and continued to move forward with the beast. After the first one more followed behind.

Kinoya was lucky that none of them attacked him but the pressure continued to increase. It was hard for him to escape from the thick legs of a warhorse. After the bloody realization, he couldn't be careless.

It took some time for the whole cavalry to pass. Without the build-up momentum, there was an obvious gap between the cavalry and the infantry, that was the time for Kinoya to recover.

With dislocated left shoulder and a broken ankle, it was hard for Kinoya to even stand up much less to fight.

But if life had taught him any lessons through the trials, then that was not to give up. Even with pain all over his body, he grabbed an arrow that was close to him.

It transformed in the expected talwar. Kinoya stare right at the infantry as both the cavalry clashed with each other behind him.

"Come, if you want to die. No matter who you are, I am not going down without a fight." He cried like a crazed soldier on steroids as he charged at the enemy and…

"How did I pass through?" Kinoya was dumbfounded as the infantry behind the cavalry passed right through him. Right at that time, someone flicked his forehead.

*Ahhhhh*

Expression of pain escaped his throat. 'How can a mere flick be more painful than the… my hand, shoulder… all have recovered? How can…'

"What are you doing in my house?" The man was standing, rather than man, it is better to say he is an old man. But his hair was neatly combed with a perfectly trimmed beard on his cheek.

'Where do you get your hair job done?' Kinoya might have asked it but right now he had more important matters to handle. "In your house?" Kinoya was too happy to see he had escaped the immediate crisis but have no idea about his whereabouts. "Could it be the dome?"

Different weapons were decorating the walls of the dome, with a talwar plunged right in the middle of the room. 'That was the talwar'

Following his line of sight, the old man erupted and right at the next moment, Kinoya was stamped on the ground with blood in his throat.

'It feels like my organ had shifted.' Kinoya could feel huge pressure was crushing him down on the ground. It was sheer pressure, something he had never felt before, but... 'No it is not from up, something is attracting me towards the ground.'

"What are you? Who send you here?" The old man's voice thundered in his ear, "Tell me and I will give a swift death."