Chapter 20

For several minutes, Raiel sprinted through the forest, anxious to get the remainder of the koval pack far away from his classmates. Not only to protect them, but also to protect his own identity as nothing but a nobody – an oddball, who stood out in society, perhaps, but a nobody nonetheless. It would not do for them to witness what he was about to do to those poor, hungry beasts – or how he would do it.

If he just circled back around the human group, he could emerge from the opposite direction and claim that he had taken refuge in another tree. Claim that he knew nothing more than them, about the alarming howl.

With some degree of surprise, Raiel found himself sincerely hoping that the girl would survive the ordeal she was going through. Pack mentality, perhaps? Maybe he had become more emotionally invested in humanity, as a whole, than he had initially assumed. In his gut, he could feel, that he would be saddened by her death, should it happen. Not that he had time to think about that, at the moment.

Behind him, the communication between the dog-like creatures was clearly audible, as they did their best to keep up with their unidentified adversary. Raiel didn’t have to slow his pace, at all, in order for his pursuers to be able to keep up with him. As a matter of fact, he was quite certain, that they would have caught him by now, whether he wanted it or not, if it wasn’t for their need to track him, while all he had to do was sprint as fast as his legs would carry him. Now would not be a good time to trip.

Now was as good a time as any, he supposed, so he planted his foot hard into the trunk of a tree, using the momentum of his full sprint to kick himself upwards, settling securely on one of the lower branches. A technique that had worked well enough on the slavers. Why shouldn’t it work just as well on those damned mutts?

Soon, the last five kovals of the pack broke through the underbrush, panting and barking in their ugly, raspy voices. The lot of them skittered to a stop at the same time, pointing their snouts into the air, trying to sniff out the trail.

Raiel couldn’t help but grin from ear to ear, as he sat there in the tree, hidden within the shadows of the leaves, waiting for the stupid mutts to wander into his drop range. He was even considering using the knife on the first one, just to try it out. That grin faded quickly, when the first of the five below him began to bark vigorously as soon as it spotted him on his perch.

To think that he had been so confident in his own abilities, that he’d forgotten the difference between human and beast. Their biology and physical capabilities were completely different – something he knew better than anyone else. To them, his scent would be like a brightly colored ribbon tied to his ankle, leading them straight to him.

He massaged the bridge of his nose in frustration, annoyance, and more than anything else, irritation at his own idiocy.

The new life in the city might have taught him many new skills and much new knowledge, but it had also made him forget things that he used to take for granted, that he now had to make a conscious effort to include in his plans and schemes. Although, this first lesson had gotten out of hand quickly, it felt like the right choice to take the class. Maybe it would provide a chance to reconnect with his old self in such a way, that he could construct a bridge between the two worlds, so to speak.

There he sat, like the greatest of fools, stuck in a tree as a result of his own mistake, with five bloodthirsty animals circling him, as one began to attempt the climb. Raiel already knew, that they were terrible climbers, and such was clearly evident by the koval’s hesitant and ineffective ascent. But even so, strong claws and a will to feed would eventually carry the hunter to its quarry.

Raiel had to think fast. It would not do to sit and wait. His best option was to be proactive, and down one before the battle even started. The obvious target was the one, that was slowly and awkwardly making its way up the side of the trunk. He felt energies collect and circulate in his body, as his blood began to pump with the anticipation rising.

He stood up and calculated his next action carefully. There was a branch just below him, a bit above the frothing koval, who had managed to climb almost a meter and a half. It looked sturdy enough. He looked down, judged distances, and stepped backwards, letting himself fall from his perch. He just hoped the one good arm was enough to do the job.

As he fell, he let his body angle horizontally, before he gripped the branch below tightly with his one good arm, feeling his grasp weaken when his fingers began to give way and slip under the sudden weight of his descending body. The momentum of the fall swung his body with all his weight behind it, allowing him to torpedo into the helpless koval feet first, with the power of a charging stag. With a pathetic yelp, the abomination was sent flying through the air, as Raiel’s speed and momentum was abruptly transferred to it. It landed a distance away on its shoulder and face, a horrendous crunch announcing a quick, bloodless death.

Meanwhile, Raiel hadn’t exactly exited the, perhaps too ambitious acrobatic move in a way that could be called smooth, or even successful. When his feet collided with the koval, the impact, which had run through his entire body, broke his hold on the branch, and his upper body continued downwards much faster than his legs.

Before Raiel had even hit the ground, the four other kovals were dashing towards him in a swirling flurry of claws and fangs, as each of them scrambled to get the first bite out of him. Supine and breathless, Raiel quickly reached for the knife, which he had unsafely stashed into the pocket of his pants, lucky that it hadn’t fallen out during his fall. He jammed the knife into the gaping maw of the first koval to come upon him and left it there, giving it more important things than hunger and fury to think about.

Raiel dug his heels hard into the earth, kicking himself backwards, just as the clawed paw of one koval got him in the thigh, ripping two deep gashes along his leg. He barely got a leg under himself before he landed on his back again, and managed to get to his feet. He stumbled backwards, trying to regain lost balance, seeing the kovals react and change direction in a second, their eyes on their quarry.

As Raiel saw the three beasts coming for him, he knew that, if he wanted to live, he would have to pull more of that mysterious energy to the surface. As if obeying his wish, a rush of power streamed through his body, invigorating him with an almost visible, internal brightness, warming him like the rays of the sun. Could it really be so easy?

Just as that thought crossed his mind, a searing torment enveloped him like the water of a lake, bathing him in agony. He saw his elongated nails grow even further, merging deeper into his fingertips like real claws, but with it a pain like being stabbed repeatedly emerged, as well. He felt his teeth toughen and grow as well, making them feel too big for his mouth, this too bringing with it an almost unbearable suffering.

He realized, that his whole body was experiencing this same strengthening. The price however, might be too high for him to pay.

He buckled and fell to his knees, tears streaming down his cheeks, his vision and cognition having become so exceptional, that he could follow the teardrops as if in slow motion, as they fell to the ground. The sound as the tiny droplet collided with blades of grass on the ground was not lost to his ears, either.

It suddenly occurred to him, that he had not been bitten to death yet, but when he looked up, he could, through narrowed eyes see the kovals moving in slow motion, as well. And as one entered his range, a simple backhand strike sunk deep into its face, sending it several meters to the side, dead in an instant.

The last two canines reacted unexpectedly quickly to the effortless slaughter of their packmate, as they practically turned mid dash, in an effort to put as much distance between them and this terrifying foe as they possibly could.

Raiel managed to grasp the slower of the two by the end of its tail, and began to easily pull it closer, fascinated with the new power, despite the now fading agony flowing through him. The animal struggled, to no avail, to free itself, a low whimper escaping it. The boy grasped the fighting beast by the hip, squeezing bone and muscles until it creaked from the pressure, eliciting a frightened and pained squeal.

Hand raised to finish the koval off, Raiel stopped dead in his tracks. He looked down at the helpless animal in his grip, and realized with dread what he was about to do. He was about to kill an animal that no longer wished to harm him. It only wished to escape and live.

This animal did not think like a human. It had no malicious intent behind its actions other than self-preservation and filling its belly. Once the koval saw the difference in power between them, and decided to flee, Raiel did not have be afraid that it would one day return to exact revenge.

The koval, feeling the steel hand that held it loosen, looked back, and saw death judging it, a palpable aura emanating from the monster that was gazing back so silently. Somehow, the beast knew, that no action on its part would change the outcome in any way. As such, a strange calm settled over it.

For many long seconds, the two beings held eye contact, until Raiel suddenly pulled his hand back, letting the koval go. The beast hesitated before hobbling away, following the last of his pack. Raiel stood as if fossilized, mind empty of thoughts.

Then he exploded forward, practically flying back in the direction he had come from, desperate to get away from the carnage he had wrought.

This power. This power was of a caliber, that he was not ready for. The sheer pain inflicted on him, as if his skin was being torn from his body and his bones crushed, were clear enough signs. His body as it was now, could not possibly handle the toll it put on him. This could not be repeated. At least, not yet.

As he ran, the adrenaline began to dissipate, and the agony in his body returned with a fiery vengeance. Before he knew it, he saw Horoth, still kneeling by the unmoving girl, the rest of the class slowly approaching, warily scanning the area for predators. Raiel knew there were no more coming.

As he came into view, his classmates called out to him. Raiel barely registered it, however, strength rapidly leaving him, tendrils of darkness creeping into his vision. The boy wobbled on his feet before the earth suddenly rushed up to greet his face.

The behemoth was sitting, silent, in the grass when it felt a sudden influx of power and clarity, like that of a radiant sun. At once, the fog was lifted from its mind, as if blown away by a single, mighty sweep of a great fan. The clarity brought with it understanding and realization – two things, which the giant had yearned for, for as long as it could remember, which wasn’t very long.

The understanding granted the giant the knowledge of its own being, as well as its purpose for existing, alone in this strange realm, in which nothing was, and yet everything was present. A crisis of existence, that the apparition would not have thought itself capable of, came over it. After all, it was… something. Something or the other. It was difficult to describe. Could it be called real? Was it corporeal? Ethereal? Either? Neither?

A headache, another new phenomenon, emerged amidst the strained thoughts. Everything in its head was a whirl, pieces of new information rushing to receive the giant’s attention.

Thereafter, came the realization. Because, as the power and clarity descended upon the giant’s world, so did chaos, confusion, and disorder. The power was the boy’s, and so was the chaos. The price was too heavy. It could not go on. Not now. Not yet.

Like a waterfall, the energy flowed, when it should have been but a peaceful stream. Like a hurricane, that should have been a breeze.

Reluctantly, the titan sought through the newly acquired knowledge, as if flipping through a particularly thick stack of particularly advanced documents, beginning to prepare for a regression of limitations. It was well aware of the consequences of such an action. Its only hope was, that it would be able to restrict the regression to only a few minutes prior.

It worked fervently, feeling personality and enlightenment abandon it in painful slow motion. There was no choice.

It was the only way.

Deep within the Raha forest, the titanic apparition lumbered along. It had clearly felt the little boy’s materialization within its realm. This time, however, the giant was in no hurry to find the boy, a confidence in its ability to track and find the boy’s presence having developed since it had last seen him.

It hummed quietly to itself in its deep, grinding voice. No melody in particular.

The jog to the boy was a short one. The boy had appeared quite close this time. Could that be why he was so easy to find? There he lay, naked and unconscious, but stirring in his sleep.

He woke slowly as he stretched and yawned, comfort filling his body, the cool grass beneath him feeling good on his skin. When Raiel opened his eyes, he looked around, surprised for only a second, before he remembered everything anew. Scanning the woods for the giant, he found it sitting with its legs crossed behind him, waiting for his awakening.

“So…” Raiel uttered.

“So…” the behemoth repeated with a small nod.

“I’m here again.”

“You are indeed… here again…” A confirmation.

Raiel sat up on the forest floor, crossing his legs across from the giant, gazing at the giant with mild curiosity for a while before he spoke again.

“So… why am I here?” he asked.

“Who is… to say?” the giant said mysteriously. Raiel thought he might have been able to see the tiniest of smiles on the titan’s face, if it had not been bathed in impenetrable darkness.

“Right, then. How about you tell me what just happened to me?” Raiel enquired resolutely, looking up at the apparition through narrowed eyes. His fear of the mammoth figure had all but faded, only a flicker remaining in the pit of his stomach.

“Happened… to you?” it said, not understanding.

“I transformed… But it hurt. It hurt so much. Like you wouldn’t understand.” he explained, a sharpness creeping into his voice. “Aren’t you supposed to… I don’t know – know something about this? You showed me all that amazing stuff earlier!” Distress replacing the sharpness

The behemoth took a moment to study the little boy seated before him. “I am sorry… but… I am afraid, that… I do not know about that of which… you speak.”

“But…-“ Before Raiel had a chance to say anymore, an invisible hand pulled him backwards, through the earth. The image of the gentle giant shrunk at increasing speed, until nothing but a droplet of color was visible in the sea of blackness. Then that too became nothing.

Raiel came to in an ocean of agony, spikes of anguish coursing through his body like surging, spinning blades. He woke up screaming his lungs out.

All around him, his fellow students, who had been sitting in the grass and calming themselves after the ordeal they’d been through, clambered away from him in surprise and terror, still jumpy from the experience. The raspy scream kept going until his lungs were completely empty, before he fell eerily silent. It was as if his body was being ripped open and everything inside him pulled out forcefully, stealing his breath. Pure hell.

The energy to scream again wasn’t in him, although he desperately wanted to.

“Wha… What… happened…?” He croaked, almost soundlessly, staring into the bright blue sky.

“Good to see you awake. I’m guessing you don’t feel well.” A familiar voice caught Raiel’s attention. He let his head fall to the side, so he could look at the source. Horoth sat in the grass, knees supporting his arms. He looked weary. “The kovals left. We got away.”

Raiel’s gaze fell on something lying next to Horoth, covered in cloth. Horoth saw where the boy’s eyes looked and sighed, suddenly looking even more tired.

"Ah… That blanket was all we had, you see.” He said, as if that explained it all. Raiel didn’t understand. “She didn’t make it, Raiel. Despite our efforts, there was nothing to be done. It was only a matter of time, even before I got there.” Horoth shifted the cloth to the side, revealing a white, colorless face. It was the girl.

Raiel felt his stomach tie itself into a knot. She looked peaceful now, but her last moments hadn’t been. Horoth gently caressed her hair. “This shouldn’t have happened, you know… Just a sunny day out, looking around, familiarizing ourselves with the area. Not this.” He bit his lower lip, as if trying to keep something from spilling out.

“She’s…” Raiel began.

Horoth looked back at him, jaw clenched, eyes empty. “She’s dead.”