‘’ I’ll leave by myself.’’

‘’...alright.’’ After hearing Quan’s dry reply, Ubel left the infirmary. He walked through the halls and marveling passages of the college. On the way, he encountered Kowalski. They looked at each other for a moment, then both smiled.

‘’Want me to escort you to your home?’’

‘’My honor, sir Ubel’’ Kowalski sneered as they clasped hands and left the college. They passed through the streets adorned with yellow lamps and color of gold. There were paths with no people in sight. A little disturbing aura filled those places. Uneasiness, however, had not affected the duo. For, when a human stood together with another of its kind, they felt safer than ever. Either from the law or from the creation circumstances of their past. Courage supplemented courage, joy encouraged joy, sorrow fueled sorrow.

They were strange creatures, immortals. They differed from the normal humans in ways both perplexing and expected for many. Among those differences, most expected one stood apart from the rest. Which was, of course, the ability to depend on nature rather than their own kind.

Immortality, at its core, represented merging, obeying, then turning with, to and into nature. The end state, they called it-differing in different languages- was a world. Yet, people also said its main doctrine -purpose, if you would like to call it that way- consisted of rebelling against the heavens. Stealing life from the heavens, then replacing the heavens also. Yet, these two youths, walking in silence and sometimes talking of pleasant and humorous words, didn’t know any of that. They did not care about these schools of thoughts, these ideologies, and these ideas. Ideals that some people depended so reverently upon and huge conflicts like the clash of beasts and immortals, did not appeal to them.

To the young, no matter how bad or good their nature could be, conflicts over ideals and purposes would always result in no gain. They were empty, meaningless fights. Thoughts were keepsakes, or secrets, for one to hold. They were yours, and others’ were others’. The simple act of trying to change someone’s belief seemed irrational and unworthy.

Then, how could they place their foot on the road of path finding? If you didn’t hold your ideals and dreams, your primary purpose, on the spotlight and defended it. If, against any kind of accusations and falsified judgments, you did not retaliate. If you were indevisive, how could you walk on that path?

You couldn’t.

A simple, two-word answer.

You couldn’t.

The repetitiveness of an idea and memorizing your own philosophy were two milestones of achieving the path finding. And the people, like Kowalski, from rural places-or considered as rural by the lofty people of Cindersnow- had none of those. To simple men born of mortals and living among mortals, conflicts over abstract words were, as said before, meaningless. So, the way to path finding never opened its gates for them.

Ubel, however, did not think the same. But his thoughts, ready to flow like the river of death; unrelenting, ceaseless, strong, and mighty stopped at the sight of the monster in front of them.

They only caught a glimpse of its brazen yellow skin, and two little horns over its head. Then it disappeared into the sewers of the city down below by a small hole.

‘’Kowalski?’’ Ubel looked at his...friend’s eyes, filled with awe and a sparkling excitement. He felt the same surge of emotion wash over him, but not from knowing, because of the unknown. ‘’Do you know what was that?’’

‘’It should be...a lightning imp.’’

‘’Lightning imp?’’ Ubel repeated.

‘’They are a member of the imp family, one of the largest beast families among the twelve other. They have a scrap of thunder inside their veins and can use it to reach extraordinary speeds.’’

‘’Why are you so excited about it, then?’’

‘’Ubel, this is a chance to do meritorious service!’’ Kowalski looked deep inside his eyes. Only then, Ubel, at last, managed to glimpse upon another emotion.

Hope.

‘’They say lightning imps are personal favorites of the enemy beyond(Ubel knew he meant forsakens, yet did not interrupt.) So if one is here, something big must have happened. If we can catch it and give it to city lord, I might get a chance to enter into a sect.’’

So it is like that? Without any merit, they can’t enter into any other sect? If he said the sect instead of a sect, Ubel would find it acceptable. Yet, to bar one’s path to enter into any sect with systems and laws and things of the sort that he didn’t understand, how rational was it? It disgusted him more than anything else. Before, he admired the system that protected the mortals and mortality of the immortals. It hindered them from turning into power maniacs. It kept their status not more than that of mortals. And it held them at bay and encouraged to use their powers for good. Yet, he felt wronged, or deceived, by the same system now. It could also be, he thought, he didn’t understand the system’s purpose wrong. It was the system that erred from the righteous path.

‘’I assessed at that moment, it is at the second Qi destruction. We can fight with it, but capturing it...might prove to be difficult.’’

‘’We can try it. Also, how did you know its cultivation?’’ Kowalski looked up and down at Ubel. Then his eyes caught the dark circles under his eyes. ‘’Also, why do you have those bags-’’

‘’I broke through some time ago, but It should suffice.’’ He interrupted Kowalski. Then Ubel turned towards the hole Imp disappeared. It had been almost ten seconds now. ‘’It shouldn’t be far away, let’s go behind it.’’

Going without a plan was dangerous, more so for the Kowalski. But Ubel had confidence. He had trust in himself. He, in the free time he had these days, spent the time very well. He wondered about his background and practiced his newfound abilities. As a result, at last, he also found the way to progress in the path finding altogether.

Those dark circles were results of those overnight sessions and the burden on his, or his and Quan’s and Gaobun’s shoulders. Weight of emotions crushed heavy, heavier than mountains, sometimes.

With him leading, Kowalski right behind, Ubel leaped down the same hole and looked around. His premature third eye could catch the traces of many things; blood, aura, dirt, earth, Qi. Yet, in a chaotic and filth brimming place like sewers, a fog of brown smirch covered the whole sight.

He cut off the connection to his premature third eye and glanced at the environment again. They trod upon a not so wide path made of stones, supported with pillars longer than their gablefront house. The splashing and swirling of the stained waters sounded and like leaves in the autumn on a rainy day, stuck whatever filth or garbage they had onto those same pillars. A long time ago, its color must have been a beautiful gray and black. But now the only color was the stomach-churning green.

Kowalski covered his nose with a hand and looked around as well. ‘’How are we going to find him? Should we split up?’’

‘’No, It is too dangerous.’’ Ubel refuted the idea, ‘’Instead, we can try...did you hear that?’’

‘’I was about to ask the same thing,’’ Kowalski replied and both gave their backs to the other. Their eyes darted around the two passages the imp could come. And they pricked their eyes to hear the fear striking giggle among the flowing stream’s melodies. They waited, tense and fearful, their anxiety and excitement reached onto a new peak, then the sharp laughter sounded.

‘’Above?’’ Ubel raised both his hands and heard the crunching sound of his shoulder. It dislocated from a single attack by the flash of lightning, and Ubel, in a hurry, kicked in front. His feet collided with the small body of the imp and sent it flying towards the deep waters. But the monster managed to hold onto the edge and climb up.

‘’The monster had never left the surface, cunning prick.’’ Kowalski cursed and Ubel looked at the lightning imp, this time more careful, while Kowalski placed back his shoulder. When it came to expertise in treatments, Kowalski fared better. Yet, in knowing herbs and medicine, he crushed him with a definite win. Their simple rivalry did not matter here, of course, when the danger of an enemy loomed over their heads.

Imp’s body actually wasn’t brazen yellow, it was gold. Not pure gold, but dirtied like unrefined gold ore. It struck one’s eye the moment they saw its non-existent tongue. It was rather filled with a strange liquid, flowing with strands of lightning.

‘’Do you know what that is?’’ Ubel asked.

‘’I’m not sure, but we might need to act fast. Imp can escape if it wants.’’ Ubel nodded and attacked. His movements like a whirlwind, creating marks on the stone floor on the way, he shot towards the Imp. Yet, all the monster had done was chuckle and disappear again.

‘’Kowalski!’’ Ubel shouted. Kowalski also turned around at the same time and cast a divine ability from his manual. The temperature fell sharply and a freezing mist surrounded him. Ubel did not wait for the Imp to attack Kowalski and cast his third ability, Waters Of Netherworld. His subconsciousness left the real world for a moment and appeared in a new kind of dimension.

There were not much to see except a dark, flowing river in front of him. Demons, devils, yamas, beasts, humans, angels swam in it, their eyes blank and deaf to words. Ubel knew, from where he didn’t know, the name of this river wasn’t the Death River. Its name was Water Of Netherworld. He felt that there was a subtle difference between Death River and the Water Of Netherworld, but he did not ponder upon it at the moment.

He grasped a whole lot of water with Qi and shook the people inside it back to the water. Their eyes glinted for a single moment and turned blank again, then Ubel returned back to his world.

Only a single second had passed and Imp’s attack struck Kowalski from behind. He flew like a dart towards Ubel’s side and crashed right beside him. A tooth fell out of his mouth as well while he spat a small amount of blood.

‘’That hurts! Aagh!’’ Kowalski could hardly control himself as he struggled to stand up. Ubel reached out with a hand and pointed the other towards the Imp. Its disgusting sneer irritated both youngsters.

‘’What should we do?’’ Kowalski got up and whispered in Ubel’s ear. ‘’Damn monster is way too fast.’’

‘’Hmm, I can cover the floor with my spell but the thing can bounce and walk on the walls and ceiling. It might even decide to escape if he senses danger.’’ Ubel gave his opinion.

‘’True,’’ Kowalski nodded and glanced at the smiling Imp, who also plotted something. ‘’I have an ability called Piercing Needle. It’s like...’’

After a lengthy discussion and sizing each other up, Kowalski finally found an workable idea.

‘’Let’s escape!’’

‘’What?’’ Ubel didn’t understand the reason, why would they go back at this point? If they lost it, then Kowalski also wouldn’t get any merit or sorts.

‘’No, we will escape, do you understand me? We will report him to the city lord.’’ Kowalski winked twice and pointed at the entrance behind them. Ubel had a face of realization for a moment, then nodded.

‘’I’ll cover you so you can escape,’’ He said but this time loud enough for Imp to hear it, ‘’Go report it to the city lord! I will keep it in here.’’ Kowalski sidestepped without any wait and ran back towards the entrance. Ubel summoned the Water Of Netherworld he held at bay and let it loose. Like a wild beast in a frenzy, the water surged like a river and destroyed the walls and roads, even the pillars under them. As pillars fell off and Imp understood what was going to happen, it let out an angry shriek and chased behind Kowalski.

‘’You are not leaving!’’ Ubel pressed on with his ability and leaped like a tiger. His movements were crude, more so than even mortal guards, but the power behind them was unquestionable. With a punch, he sent splinters of all kinds flying towards the Imp and forced it to use lightning to bypass.

The moment Imp came in front of the entrance to the sewers, however, a giant piece of sharp Ice fell down from the surface. Imp had no time to react and hastily moved back, avoided the damage to its head but his lower jaw shattered. An angry shout of defiance shook the sewers as Kowalski fell down with another ice piece and sent it flying towards the Imp.

Imp clicked its tongue and moved, but felt too strange. It couldn’t move fast? What happened to its lightning? It finally looked down and saw all the liquid in its mouth drooling to the ground, not even a drop of it stood in its place.

‘’Ghuruguhururrl!’’ It screamed again and moved towards Ubel. The only advantage it had, speed, no longer existed; Imp lost it a moment ago. So the Imp had no way of escaping. In a fit of anger, it lunged towards Ubel and bared its teeth to bite down. Kowalski barely missed the Imp and the ice piece flew towards the Ubel’s side.

‘’Ghurgur!!’’ Imp shouted in delight as the Ice piece almost collided with the Ubel, but felt its hopes shatter again. Ubel acted faster than the projectile and caught it with a hand. His body revolved like he was ready from the start, and sent it back towards the Imp with a faster speed. Aura of frost invaded its body as the ice pierced through its shoulders and pinned it to the ground. Another howl erupted from Imp’s mouth but both youngsters did not care.

They had done pretty well in their opinion in their first fight, so it was a moment worth celebrating. Although it was only for a moment as several different howls erupted from the sewers again. Ubel felt his scalp tingle while Kowalski paled. Ubel picked the wounded imp from the ground and attempted to escape with Kowalski. Unfortunately, another lightning imp appeared from the entrance and closed it with its body.

Ubel coated the whole of his fist with depression and sent it flying. Imp couldn’t endure the blast of death river Qi and flew like a ragdoll to the air, but it succeeded in its goal. Kowalski reached to the entrance and managed to leave. But several lightning imps appeared and surrounded Ubel at the same time.

‘’Ubel!’’ Kowalski shouted then leaped down to help his friend. He stood by the side of Ubel and looked around, then his face paled once more. Eight of them would be too difficult to deal with. Ubel looked at the Kowalski and Kowalski looked at Ubel.

‘’Do you have a plan, Ubel?’’

‘’No I don’t, you?’’

‘’Well, I don’t too. What will we do then?’’

‘’Kowalski, analysis!’