Claudius and the others rushed through the bushes. The light from the bonfire was still on and that gave them a flicker of hope that the worst hadn't happened.
They made the final turn and arrived at the camp. Sure enough the fire was burning but no one was in sight.
Had they all run away? They wondered.
Daphne took a step into the camp but something felt soft under her feet. She looked down at the group and became struck with no words.
It took seconds before her eyes synced with her nose. What she stepped on was a human's hand. The stench of blood pouring into their noses greeted them next.
They all took a good look at their camp.
The ground was completely adorned with parts of their classmates.
Daphne threw up at the sight while the others were dumbfounded.
"Oh my fucking God, they're dead," Petal breathed shakily.
It was as if their eyes were bleached—they were open but all they could see was darkness. Claudius placed himself before the rest.
"Listen carefully," he started, "whatever happens, do not run."
"W-what?" Orion stuttered.
"You have to stay right here. Do not move or draw attention to yourselves," he added.
As soon as he finished, they calmed down a bit and came to the realisation that made them even more anxious than before—behind the light of the bonfire, a huge figure loomed.
There was only one thing as big as that in this entire vicinity.
They obeyed Claudius and hid behind a boulder to conceal their presence.
Frieda had wondered why she didn't hear the Bison breathe anymore. Her hearing returned to normal as soon as they entered into the camp too.
Could it be I never lost my powers to begin with? She thought.
However her fear was too great for her to think about it too much.
"So we're just gonna watch?" Orion asked anxiously.
"What the fuck are we gonna do if we don't?" Petal replied.
"We're in a forest, Petal. Isn't this supposed to be your domain?" Orion accused.
"Can you guys fucking calm down? We've got Claudius to handle the situation," Alto said.
He was right. Claudius was there to handle the situation, after all, he was an SR Legionnaire.
"This scarred animal is different..." Nyx muttered as he watched Claudius stand of the other side of the bonfire facing the bison now.
Perhaps, Nyx was also right.
The Bison's behaviour was unusual for a scar below 9★. Most scars below this rank were more primal than intellectual. For the fact that the bison knew where they were headed felt a little odd—like it had a thinking capacity—unlike other scars who attacked on sight.
Claudius spread out his hands and the black threads under his cloak followed his movements like an extension of his body. It lingered around his body as he stood, waiting for the bison to attack.
But it didn't.
Claudius stared. He wasn't so sure why the beast refused to attack them after massacring the other students. He'd never seen a scar of this low magnitude act so...behavioural.
"If you aren't going to come at me," Claudius dispersed his threads. They broke apart into tinier and tinier pieces till they were as big as the sand of the sea.
"Then we might as well see how much more you can breathe," Claudius said.
Claudius' ability wasn't threads. What the rest did not realise that his 'threads' had but no definite form. They were whatever he set them out to be.
"What is he doing?" Orion asked.
No one could answer that question for they were as confused as he was.
Claudius ability was simple and singular: Aether Welding.
Aether Welding allowed Claudius to solidify his aether to form whatever it was that he desired, outside his body only after it is emitted. This said, it meant Claudius had no control of his aether while it resided within him. He could not solidify his bones or inner structures with his ability, rendering his physical durability equal to every other Legionnaire.
One would almost not understand how Claudius have such rank with such a simple power.
The reason for that too was simple.
Due to emission, Claudius always had aether surrounding him—offering both offense and defense. His aether also had a wide range around his body making him able to solidify it away from his body. This said, after solidification, the solid aether would not be able to return back its original form. It was rendered useless at that point.
When on the brink of solidification, the aether gains colour and appears to be the black thread that is visible to the eye. It would deviate from the regular transparent colour his aether had.
Now he stood before the beast with hope of killing it from the inside. He scattered his aether in the air like dust particles. The aether was tiny but visible—it was tiny enough for the bison to inhale.
Realising the aether in the air, the bison was forced to attack Claudius. However, this was Claudius' plan for the more the bison moved, the more oxygen it needed. Though he made sure to control it in such a way that it would not reach Nyx and the others who were hiding behind the rock some metres away.
The bison lunged itself at Claudius countless times but he effortlessly evaded every single attack it threw at him.
After a few minutes, Claudius decided it was time to kill it. He solidified his aether, most of which was already in the Bison's lungs, into a huge ball of rezolite—each on one lung.
The bison coughed and snorted loudly while vigorously shaking around in confusion as to why it couldn't breathe.
But what was strange was how long it was shaking. Rezolite was a metal that was known for killing both Nexuses and Scars—practically anything that had aether.
The bison bellowed loudly. Something about that bellow told Claudius that the fight wasn't over. The eyes of the bull switched to a bright red, glistening through the dim atmosphere.
Nyxander and the others who watched from behind the rock, once had hope they would survive, now thought otherwise after they saw the shock on Claudius' face.
"What's going on?" Orion asked.
"He isn't going to win this battle," Kerith realised. "Nyx was right. This scar is different."
"We should help him!" Petal urged them.
They were interrupted by a beam of energy that came straight at them. Breaking the rock the hid behind, it sent them flying into different directions scattered across the camp.
Nyx got up from the ground as soon as he landed and looked for the bison with his eyes.
It was still fighting Claudius but the scale had tipped. Drastically.
Claudius was defending heavily now as the bison assaulted him. He skipped back narrowly evading its attack.Nyx watched as the bison charged up aether at the tip of its horns to form a ball.
Immediately, it fired it at Claudius who deflected it off the shield he formed while at mid-range.
However the ball took a crooked trajectory and headed right for Daphne who was motionless on the ground. She was conscious but unable to move.
This was all too much for her—the sight of seeing her classmates butchered like animals. She laid on the body of one of them as the ball came for her.
Petal stepped in between the ball and Daphne. A huge tree emerged in the ground and took the impact of the incoming ball of aether. The ball, however, was far too strong and shot right through her defense.
Petal took a direct hit to the chest. The ball exploded as soon as it touched her sending her flying across the camp.
"Petal!" Nyx rushed over to her. Before he took five steps, the bison rammed him in the side. He flew several feet further into the bushes and immediately lost consciousness.
The bison was now moving at an unbelievable speed—even too fast for Claudius who was already struggling. It would charge and dash in attempt to hit any of the Nexuses its gaze was locked in on with its horns. It was fighting them all at once, not just Claudius.
Or perhaps it saw Claudius as already defeated.
Claudius raced after it. He hardened the aether around him to form an armor that covered all through his body, completely protecting him. He dashed to Orion's side, stepping in between the bull and Orion.
The bull charged nonetheless. Claudius grabbed it by the horn and pushed his weight against it. He forced the bison to a stop. With a loud grunt, he bent both horns beyond its limit, snapping them off instantly.
He stabbed the bull with the horns in his hands, right in each side of its neck.
The bull skipped back as blood poured right out its neck. It bellowed softly in pain followed by a very unusual sound. That sounds didn't sound like what should come out from a bull to begin with. It was too out of place.
It sounded like something was rumbling inside of its stomach. As every second passed, the sound became louder and louder.
But then, a boy leaped onto its head and touched it. He jumped off right after. As he landed, he gestured moving his hand like he was cutting through the air.
Immediately, several cuts ripped through the God Bison. The rumbling sound stopped due to the knock back it felt as it was cut. It fell to its side and remained on the ground for a moment, perhaps trying to breathe into its iron filled lungs after exerting itself so much.
"Kerith?" Claudius muttered.
The boy was Kerith. "You were wrong," Kerith walked to him. He had a really tense expression of anger on his face.
He stopped some distance in front of Claudius. "You can't beat this thing, can you?" Kerith assumed. His words sounded heavier than they were supposed to. "And yet, you decided to fight it alone. You told me the secret to being a Legionnaire was about teamwork. But then you decide to fight alone?"
"You aren't Legionnaires, kid," Claudius scoffed.
"Look around you," Kerith pointed at Petal lying on the ground some metres away. "Everyone is either unconscious or maybe even dead."
Claudius glanced slightly at the bison on the ground and then back at Kerith. He wondered what exactly he did to immobilise it to that extent. He didn't like what Kerith was saying but he was right. At least half of it.
"If you want to help out kid, get your friends out of here," Claudius walked towards the bison. His shoulder collided with Kerith's as he passed him.
But Kerith knew he was right.
"This isn't your choice," Kerith turned to him. "You aren't going to win and you know it." He walked up to Claudius. "If you die, we die."
Claudius frowned and then suddenly gave an almost genuine smile. "Then let's make sure no one else dies."
They turned to finish off the bison but the space it occupied on the ground was left bare.
It was gone.
Some metres away from them, Orion along with Frieda, struggled to stand up after regaining consciousness.
Orion grunted with the final attempt to rise to his feet. The horrid sight of the camp welcomed him once more. He spotted Kerith and Claudius but the bison was no where.
Did they kill it? He wondered.
However, he searched for someone of greater importance.
"Nyx..." He muttered. "Where's Nyx?"
Frieda touched his shoulder leaning her weight on him. "There..." She pointed, "he's there. I hear faint breathing but I think he's the one."
Orion rushed to find Nyx in the bushes. When he got there, Nyxander was lying unconscious with blood on his side and head due to the Bison's impact. He immediately lifted him up in his arms and ran back to the camp.
By the time he got there, Daphne, Kerith, Claudius, and Frieda were circled up.
He placed Nyxander hurriedly on the ground.
"Have you seen Petal?" Frieda asked.
Orion shook his head.
What boggled Claudius was the sudden disappearance of the God Bison. For something so huge, it made no sound whatsoever when it left.
"Is everyone okay?" Kerith asked.
Though it was unusual for him to ask about anyone in particular, he did actually feel concern. Or was it the fact that he didn't want to see more people die?
"We have to find—"
As Frieda attempted to remind them about Petal, they heard a loud bellow that shook the entire ground. It trembled beneath them, forcing them to their knees.
The ringing sound did numbers to their ears as they tried to block out the deafening sound with their hands.
By the time it stopped, the Bison had appeared before them again. But things—as if they weren't already—were worse this time.
The beast now had an extra head on its shoulders and four horns that looked longer than the former Claudius had broken off. Its physique—heavily enhanced—as well as its breathing normalised. It still had bruises from the conflict of earlier but looked like it was capable of killing them all.
"What the fuck is that?" Orion's mouth gaped wide open.
What looked like a narrow win was quickly turned to a bloody loss.
It wouldn't have been that bad, if Claudius hadn't already used his strongest move against the bison. He couldn't do that anymore because the students were with him and the risk of them breathing in his aether was certain. Besides, it was evident that it wasn't enough to stop the beast.
In the Bison's hand was a Nexus. He was dried off any flesh he had and looked more like a skeleton instead, his eyes almost popping out of its sockets. He dangled about as the wind blew like a ragdoll.
"Alto!!"
A scream came from behind the beast. They all looked to see Petal crawling on the ground towards the monster. One of her legs was broken but she kept of going towards it.
At seeing this, Orion's eyes welled up with tears.
"Al-to?" Frieda's lips trembled. She stared blankly at his lifeless body in the hands of the bison.
"It drained his Essence," Claudius said.
Nexuses did not have the same life span as humans. A regular Nexus loved up to 200 years without the ability to increase its lifespan. This made them reproduce much less than humans did. Essence was what made Nexuses that way. Without Essence, they would love as long as humans did as well as losing their natural physical durability.
Some Scars had the ability to steal essence from Nexuses though they were rare, it only occurred in situations where the Scar had lived for several years. This was likely the case for this Bison.
Somehow the Bison concealed its presence—posiibly by using one of its abilities—while Kerith and Claudius spoke and ran off. It must've been looking for one of them to extract Essence from. Unfortunately, Alto was the one it found.
Orion jumped at the bison as the rage set in. Claudius attempted to stop him but he was moving at a speed his aether couldn't harden at.
Orion augumented his arm increasing its thickness and slammed it in the head. Only the beast's head moved, the body remained stagnant. Orion, still mid-air flicked himself backwards and kicked it into a back flip. It took some steps backwards but it didn't seem like Orion did any significant damage.
Without being told, the other joined him on the attack, except Daphne who remained behind with Frieda.
Claudius formed several daggers and launched it at the bull to follow up Orion's attack. Kerith ran forwards to assist Orion engaging the beast in close quarter combat.
Frieda noticed Petal and rushed over to her side helping her up as the both went back to Daphne. Petal stretched out her hand to help them but was stopped by Frieda.
"You're going to get yourself killed," She warned.
"Then let me die!" Petal ignored her. As she waved her hand, the trees began to uproot themselves and took to the sky. They collided with each other and the shards of their branches came together and formed a giant pincer.
She at once sent the pincer down at the beast. The impact was great enough to cause the ground to shatter. The others braced themselves due to the rocks flying from the point of impact.
Dust swirled around and it was difficult to see. Frieda squinted her eyes and coughed while wiping through the dust with her hand. She could still hear the others fight the bison even in the dust.
By the time it cleared out, she felt her heart drop down into her stomach.
Everyone was down—everyone including Claudius.
She trembled in realisation of the situation: she was the only one who the responsibility of beating the bison was given to. And unfortunately, there was not much her power could do offensively.
The right arm of the bison was torn off but it still looked as threatening as ever. This was likely the cause of Kerith or Petal's attack.
Frieda looked at Petal who has now passed out in her arms.
"No, no, no, no...!" Daphne shook vigorously. "No, Frieda fucking do something! We...I can't die like this! Isn't it your duty to do something?! You're a fucking Nexus, be useful."
Frieda knew most of Daphne's words were just unbearable fear speaking, but it was terrible enough that she couldn't do anything about it.
"So I only have use because I'm a Nexus," she turned to Daphne frowning horribly.
The bison walked towards them, each step sounding like a thunderclap. They were running out of time.
"Frieda..." Claudius strained on the ground. He was still conscious but was unable to move at all. Every word that came out of his mouth sounded like it took great effort. "You...have to run."
Frieda started shaking now. All her life she had felt nothing but helplessness.
Is this what Nyx has been going through?
She did have an ability, but it was just for show. Nothing made her any different from Nyxander. Without other Nexuses, she would be utterly useless.
She grabbed a rock and stood on her feet but she couldn't stand because of how much her legs were trembling.
The bison now loomed over her.
They had lost.
Everyone was as good as—if not already—dead. It happened so fast. What hurt her most is the minimal role she played in everything.
Their fate has been sealed.
Fate.
The wind suddenly gushed violently almost blowing her and Daphne away. She shielded her eyes from the dust particles flying around with her hand. Then a cold liquid dropped on her face, and another followed and another and another.
The liquid poured like rain onto her and Daphne before stopping some seconds after.
Frieda slowly opened her eyes but she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She first noticed that the liquid she felt wasn't the rain as she looked at her entire body covered in red. It was blood.
She raised her head up at the bison who was still standing there looking as menacing as ever. However, it missed a viral part of its body aside from its right arm. The two heads were gone. The dead bison fell forward in which she immediately gave way as it fell.
Daphne who was on the floor tapped Frieda's ankle. Frieda looked down at her and her followed the direction her finger was pointing in.
The finger led to the sight of a figure standing not so far from them. Frieda who was still struck with fear and confusion squinted her eyes at the figure and dared not to step any closer to it.
The figure turned and walked towards them. Startled she fell back to the ground as she attempted to run this time. But as it got closer, the image became clearer.
The figure—with blazing red eyes—walked with the two heads of the bison in his hands. It stopped as it got to the two girls who were on the floor.
It was clear enough to see who it was now, but the sight was outrageously unbelievable.
Standing before them was the one without an ability, the one who sought out to bend a fate already set in stone and yet had the two heads of their sealer in his hands.
Everyone knew when facing a threat, there were two things involved.
Flight or fight.
On this night, Frieda learned a secret—a secret about a third.
For they fled and fought but fate had something else in-store for them—something big enough for it to show its face as the third thing involved when facing a threat.
Flight, Fight and Fate.