The ruthless beast stared down at the two trainees, the same unnatural smile stretched across its scaled face.
It was horrifying.
Golden aether began gathering between its jaws, condensing into a blazing sphere of light. The air trembled around it. Trees groaned. Leaves were ripped from branches and scattered by the violent pressure pouring from the creature's body.
Levi forced himself to keep looking. Every instinct screamed at him to run.
"We're not its target," he whispered.
Mika glanced at him. "What?"
Levi kept his eyes fixed on the monster. "Think about it. A creature like that could kill us whenever it wants. If it wanted us dead, we'd already be dead."
The sphere of aether grew larger. Mika tightened his grip on his sword.
"Then what do we do?"
"We leave."
Mika blinked. "That's your brilliant plan?"
Levi shot him an irritated look. "My brilliant plan is surviving."
The sphere suddenly condensed.
"DODGE!"
The beast unleashed the attack.
A torrent of golden flames erupted from its jaws. The forest vanished beneath the blast. Trees exploded into splinters. Earth was torn apart. The shockwave alone sent both boys tumbling across the ground.
Levi rolled to his feet, coughing. The beast hadn't moved — it was charging another attack.
His eyes narrowed.
It can't attack while gathering power...
Or at least I hope it can't.
"Mika!" Levi shouted.
"I know!"
"When it starts charging again, we run! I don't think it can attack while powering up!"
"It's worth a try!"
As if responding to Levi's words, another sphere of golden aether began forming between the beast's jaws.
Levi's heart pounded. "NOW!"
The two boys immediately sheathed their swords and sprinted. Branches whipped against their faces. Roots shattered beneath their feet. Every ounce of strength they possessed surged into their legs.
Both of them were far faster than ordinary Nascents. Some Workers would have struggled to keep pace with them. Yet neither dared look back.
They simply ran.
For the first time since the encounter began, hope appeared.
"Split up!" Levi shouted.
"What?"
"It can only chase one of us!"
Mika hesitated for half a second before nodding. "See you at the trainee tournament."
The two darted in opposite directions.
Five seconds passed. Ten.
Then —
The forest fell silent.
No wind. No insects. Nothing.
Every hair on Levi's body stood on end. His legs stopped moving — not because he wanted them to, but because terror had frozen him.
The pressure had returned. Stronger than before.
Levi struggled to breathe. Slowly, he turned around.
His blood ran cold.
The beast was standing behind both of them.
It shouldn't have been possible. They had run hundreds of meters. The creature hadn't chased them. It hadn't flown after them.
It had simply appeared.
The ground beneath its eight legs was cracked and broken. Nearby trees bent away from its presence as though nature itself feared it.
Levi's mind went blank.
His theory had been wrong. The creature hadn't been unable to attack while charging. It hadn't been trying to kill them at all.
It had been letting them run.
The realization terrified him more than anything else. The beast lowered its head slightly.
Levi expected another blast. Expected claws. Expected death.
Instead —
The beast spoke.
"Why did you run?"
Its voice was deep. Calm. Almost amused.
Levi felt his heart stop. Mika stood frozen beside him. Neither could answer.
The beast tilted its head. "Did you believe I could not catch you?"
The smile widened. "Puny humans. You think far too little of me."
Golden aether rippled across its scales.
For several agonizing seconds, neither boy moved. Neither breathed.
Then the beast looked away.
"I have no business with you."
Its massive wings unfolded.
"Besides..."
The smile widened.
"I have already eaten."
With a single flap, the creature shot into the night sky and the pressure vanished.
Silence followed.
Levi and Mika remained frozen long after the beast disappeared. Neither trusted their legs. Neither trusted reality.
Eventually, both exhaled at the same time. Their lungs burned.
Levi looked down and realized his hands were shaking uncontrollably. Mika's sword slipped from his grasp and hit the ground. Neither of them had even noticed.
Then, unexpectedly, they laughed.
Not because anything was funny. Because they were alive.
"I always thought aether was incredible," Levi said between breaths. "But that... that was beyond anything I imagined."
Mika nodded. "It spoke."
Neither of them could quite believe it. "It actually spoke."
Levi stared at the sky where the beast had vanished. "And it wasn't even trying."
Mika followed his gaze. "If that's what true power looks like..."
His voice trailed off. Neither needed to finish the sentence. For years they had trained believing they understood strength. Tonight they had learned they knew nothing about it.
After a moment, Levi frowned. "There is something I don't understand."
"What?"
"Why did it let us go?"
Mika was silent. Neither had an answer.
The creature could have killed them a thousand times over, yet it hadn't. The mystery lingered.
But beneath the confusion, another feeling burned.
Desire. The desire to become stronger. The desire to never feel that powerless again. The desire to surpass monsters. To surpass humans. To surpass everyone.
Levi clenched his fists. "I'll win the tournament."
Mika scoffed. "That would only happen if I didn't exist."
A grin appeared on Levi's face. "Last year we barely missed the top ten."
"This year," Mika said, "we make the top five."
"Agreed."
Mika smirked. "Assuming you've actually improved."
Levi laughed. "We'll find out soon enough."
The two stood there for a moment longer before Mika turned away. "We only have a few days left to prepare." He began walking. "See you at the tournament."
A few seconds later, he vanished into the forest.
Levi watched him leave before sighing. Even with all our speed, we couldn't outrun it.
The thought lingered. Just how strong was that beast?
He shook his head. There was no point dwelling on it. For now.
Then another realization struck him. Levi froze.
"...Wait."
His expression darkened. The entire reason he had entered the hunting grounds had completely slipped his mind. He still hadn't completed his task.
His stomach growled.
Levi stared at the ruined forest around him. "Damn it." He rubbed his forehead. "I should've stayed home and slept."
He looked at the destruction left behind by the beast. Hours wasted. No food. No prey. And a near-death experience.
His stomach growled again.
Levi sighed. "Now I'm starving and still have nothing to eat."