Chapter 16

“Here they are!” Zephyr flashed a wry smile, wondering if he could ever catch a break. He quickly ducked into the bush nearby, carefully hiding himself between the reeds. Although using Lightfoot was crucial to his escape, it used too much of his true energy to operate consistently. Were Zephyr to be caught without enough true energy, it would not bode well. A quick sliver of shimmering light flashed across Zephyr’s eyes, followed by a cracking of bark, and whipping of vines. A great tree fell, and before it stood a middle-aged man, hands clasped around the handle of a sharp sword. Behind him, nine other men ensued, faces full of bloodlust, “Linus!” Zephyr thought to himself after he scanned the entire crew before his gaze finally settled on the man who felled the tree. Linus was Puck’s greatest underling, a fighter with immense skill, a Strength of level seven. ‘In my current state, I could probably take Linus on, but going against 10 fighters at once, I will definitely get my *ss kicked… no, I can’t risk it!’ Zephyr contemplated. Zephyr hesitated for a bit, before he took flight deeper into the forest. “There he is!” Seeing Zephyr appear, the 10-man crew immediately leapt after him. A gleam of light shined through the forest, and a sharp blade cut the great oak beside Zephyr in two. Zephyr had dodged Linus’ assault, but the look on his face gave much suggestion to what he would do next. “You little sh*t, save your energy, you’ll never escape! Just give up and come quietly, apologize to Master Puck, and he might even let you live!” screamed Linus, it shook Zephyr’s core. “F*ck off, eh?!” retorted Zephyr as he accelerated his Lightfoot technique, and sped towards a hill crop. There it was, his destination — the Feather Forest. Zephyr morphed into an afterimage and left his pursuers stunned. “D*mn it, the little sh*t escaped into the Forest!” Seeing Zephyr’s afterimage slowly dissipate, the 10 pursuers were at odds with how to proceed. “Linus, should we enter?” asked one of the pursuers. They all stared at Linus, waiting for his answer. “Don’t be stupid, that’s the Feather Forest right there, full of monsters and whatnots. Beasts stronger than ours, we couldn’t possibly go in.” replied Linus warily, “Heh, that b*stard went in, he’s probably not coming back. However, just to be sure, we’ll have to stay here for a while,” he paused, looking into the Forest. Within the Forest lived a great beast, one of the greatest beasts in this world. It was of a strange shape, but had a variety of terrible powers, such as lightning breath, or hypnosis… They are cruel in nature, often reveling in sadistic effects. Greater beasts may even take on a human form, with full capability of replicating even the greatest techniques. The Feather Forest lay next to the hills behind the Khan household, often a site to stray away from due to its dangerous nature. The moment Zephyr escaped into the Forest, it meant only one outcome: dinner. However, Zephyr already had plans to enter the Forest, for it held something he needed. For Zephyr to fully realize his draconic powers, he needed to enter this specific Forest. Somewhere within the Forest lay true draconic power. Zephyr had gotten word of this in his previous life. Were it not for this tidbit, he would not have dared set foot into the Forest so lightly. “O great beasts of the Forest, great and terrible ones, hopefully you aren’t unfortunate enough to meet me!” Zephyr laughed sarcastically. The beasts of the Forest themselves had their own categorical system, a nine-tiered system whereby tier one was the weakest and tier nine was the strongest, there were even rumors of an ‘emperor’-tier beast roaming about, the strongest of the strongest. “They aren’t following me anymore, aren’t they? I suppose they aren’t without merit, knowing the dangers of this place,” sighed Zephyr, relieved at the thought of not being chased. After catching his breath, Zephyr cautiously scanned his environment. The air within the Feather Forest was different, full of malice and horror, a truly unpleasant place. ‘This place stinks of blood and rot… no wonder it’s so feared,’ Zephyr thought morbidly.