Kaden was building some fire bombs. He did not know proper formations for such contraptions, but he figured stuffing a mana crystal into flammable fluid and then building faulty formation around it would cause overloading and then explosion.

"Those villages...", Kaden mumbled to himself. "They must burn. They produce people who become soldiers."

He was planning on disguising the bombs to seem something else and have them delivered. He lamented that he would not be able to watch. Still, what mattered were the results so Kaden was not deterred.

He had not had much success recently. This was getting to him.

Kaden had not been able to find targets lately. He had also been driven out of his previous hideout after city guards raided it. Kaden hoped they burned. He had rigged up traps using the mentioned fire bombs, but he was already away and only had later confirmed everything did indeed burn down.

"They must die", Kaden continued muttering to himself. "Why can't they just kneel down and wait for me to kill them...".

Kaden was very annoyed that he was being disturbed now at all times. There were so many things to do and everything was getting delayed. He had not even been able to burn anyone to death with possible exception being the guards.

Why were things going wrong now?

Everything seemed to be coming down onto him. It was difficult to think. He could only imagine more and more people who needed to die. Solutions for problems that continued to build up, the ways how to kill people... that was not working out at all.

"I must continue", Kaden mumbled to himself as he filled a bomb with flammable liquid. The mana infused oil. "The work must continue."

One of the most important things Kaden was hoping to achieve was usage of vengeance mana, but, like everything else, he was having hard time making the time to study it and get any results.

At any rate, there were people who needed to burn and die. Kaden took his bombs and then moved out. His target was the marketplace. He knew the nearest smaller towns and villages often came to buy things from there. He would hide his bombs in that stuff, such as boxes. Once they are opened...

"I must find a way to target places further away", Kaden told himself. "They are at fault. They must not aid military nor church."

It took some effort to sneak in unnoticed, but Kaden was very experienced doing shady things unseen.

Kaden hoped his bombs would torch everything at their destination. There were enemies everywhere. He would attack them regardles how small targets they were. Kaden shook his head from his imaginations and began to make his way back.

When he reached the entrance to his hideout, he stopped. There were people in there!

"Tch! I have been found again", Kaden cursed and discreetly walked away before he was noticed. "How did they find me so quickly?"

This was a big loss. He just lost most of his stuff. Yet, Kaden was not deterred. He had started from nothing before. He could do it again.

"Then I kill these meddlers who should die", Kaden told himself.

Regardless, Kaden had no place to go now. He had slept in the streets when he first came to Corand so thats where he went once more. He could drag people in the dark alleys, strangle them and take their stuff such as coins, weapons or anything else they might have.

That was how he first started.

Kaden lied down to sleep in one such alley. He had worked hard. The next day he would find another base and start over. He would never give up. All of his enemies needed to die.

"I have to find out how they are finding me", Kaden mumbled to himself.

He needed to solve the problem or otherw...

------------------

... ey are there! Waiting for him!

Caden screeched in rage. So audacious! He had left 'safety' of the phoenix clan. He knew they knew of his situation and they would not wait and watch for long for any sort of cowardly behavior. Nor would Caden act like that! He was strong! Immaculate! There was absolutely no way he was a coward.

"I will kill them!" Caden thought to himself as he imagined slowly torturing them to death as an example.

They dared to touch him and make him seem weak!

It was only right to extend their pain as long as possible for such a terrible crime!

Still, Caden hesitated. They knew he was there flying in the sky. Why was he waiting. His prey was down there. For sure he was not afraid. That was most certainly not the case.

"I'm planning my attack", Caden told himself.

He was afterall against three. Weaklings, yes, but still three of them. If there were more, he could not see them.

Therefore, this was not fear. It was being smart. It was clearly planning.

"Yes, I will ensure their deaths and then eat them", Caden affirmed his thoughts. "Maybe I will then reach next stage and show everyone their beliefs about me are wrong. I'm ... I'm extra talented! I just need more energy between stages. It doesn't mean that I'm weaker! Each step I take must be bigger."

Caden was certain of that.

He made a quick plan and decided to finish off the weaker opponents first and then he should be able to finish off the stronger ones without disruptions.

Caden swooped down towards a Shadow Fox, which he determined to be second strongest, but then he made a surprise quick turn closer to the ground and went for the weakest, a Silver Badger.

He charged his talons full of mana and prepared to spit out some fire for a quick kill.

While Caden was able to land a hit, the badger just wouldn't die that easily so he was kept busy with it for a while. The other Cari who were planning to kill and eat him rushed in.

The entire situation devolved into a chaotic fight where Caden took hits, but so did his opponents. Caden fought with blind rage. How dare they strike at him! How is this possible!

----------

At this time in reality, the part of the ball of mana that was Kaden, started to use its mana quicker that was tied to the phoenix side.

----------

The fight took far too long, but Caden came out victorius. He had killed his opponents, but he was bleeding, his feathers stained in blood, both his own and his enemies. He was heavily injured, but alive.

"Strong! I am strong!" Caden told himself.

He was very annoyed that since the fight didn't go exactly as he planned, he was not able take the time to torture his opponents.

It could wait. Caden wanted to acquire his rewards. That was to consume his opponents and grow stronger.

Caden burned whatever remained unburned of his enemies and started to eat.

Then he was interrupted!

"ROAR!" A roar sounded nearby and a Blade Bear shredded through what remained at the edges of the area Kaden had fought at.

It was stronger than Caden! He was still at initial Lower Cari, but the bear was at least mid. If he was at top condition, he might have fought, but not now.

"The fools killed themselves and now I reap the rewards! I'll get all of you!" The bear laughed as it rushed in to finish everything. "Die phoenix!"

Caden tried to fly away. There was no concern about being cowardly. He would not be able to fight. Yet, the Blade Bear tossed out sharp mana blades preventing him from flying away.

Caden had to fight. He felt some despair, but he knew what he had to do. He chose path that he felt was neccessary. The Blade Bear would be killed later. He would remember this... but he would have to survive first.

-----------

Suddenly Kaden's mana expenditure in reality slowed down significantly.

-----------

Caden trusted his endurance as a phoenix. He had to at least injure his opponent and then run. He turned around and attacked.

The two collided and fought.

While he was indeed being suppressed, Caden was surprised to find he had unusual focus and vigor. Somehow he was able to drag out more strength than he expected. He was able to fight back!

Caden was able to keep his mind in balance even as he was being pummeled over and over again. The bruises didn't matter. His perfection didn't matter. What mattered was survival.

The Blade Bear then suddenly looked to be intending to finish the fight after it got Caden in bad spot.

Caden still maintained focus and went in for attack instead of attempting defense that he deemed useless against such a strong attack.

The bear crashed down with its bladelike claws charged with mana, ready to eviscerate Caden. At this time Caden rushed into the attack range and unleashed attack of his own upon the Blade Bear.

The Blade Bear roared in rage as Caden shot sharp blast of fire at pointblank range right into its chest. The incoming attack weakened, but there was no longer avoiding it.

Caden got hit across his head, leaving deep gashes and he felt dizzy ... but it was not deadly. He would survive and so would the bear, but Caden was able to limp away just as more sounds started to come nearby. More of those hoping to benefit were coming.

"I'm not sure what just happened", Caden realized as he thought the fight. Things didn't make entirely sense. "It felt like I was supposed to be stronger and yet knowing my opponents are nearly always stronger than me."

Where did that come from? He felt like he had discovered something odd. It was like this fact was trying to wriggle itself out of his attention, but he held onto it firmly. Remembering everything.

"I need to hide and think this!" Caden thought as he cauterized his own wounds se his blood trail wouldn't let others follow him.

There was no returning home... at least not yet. He would have to come back victorious, not beaten and battered and half dead. That would be a loss in eyes of the clan. He would have to survive until he restored himself to sufficiently good condition.

Caden had time to think.

How odd thoughts. Caden thought his previous opinions about seeming perfect and and immaculate were extremely strange. Right now he should be raging, but he was not. Only thing he was now thinking, that he needed to be patient and grow. Then kill opponents calmly and not in deranged rage like he had done before.

What was this?

"I don't understan"...

------------

Kaden woke up in the backalley of Corand.

"I require a proper place where I can prepare", he thought as he stood up. "This is priority."

After growing in strength such things as sleeping in an alley did not cause problems on his performance. This was good trait since he found that guards were going all around in open daylight looking for him. Somehow they had gained even an image of his face.

"How?" Kaden lamented. Then he walked back into the alleys. "It doesn't matter. I will continued my work and kill all those who need to die."

He noticed guards starting to search the alleys just as he escaped deeper.

"What is happening?" Kaden thought. "Are they tracking me somehow? If that is the case why was I not discovered while I slept and rested?"

Something strange was going on.

------------

While this was occuring in the dream world, the mana that made up Kaden in real world was being, again, spent quickly. He still had plenty, but more and more of it was being lost - his time was burning away.