Theo emerged from the collapsed cave opening with extreme difficulty, gasping like a horse exhausted by distance, his lungs burning violently from the intense exertion and from the dust flying from the collapse.
He fell onto the grass outside the entrance, his entire body trembling violently and involuntarily, his muscles screaming from pain and exhaustion that had reached their limits. He was alive, miraculously escaping the hell he himself had unleashed in the cave, from the power of the Flame of Destruction that had almost consumed him and the entire place.
He raised his head with difficulty, staring at the massive rock mass that moments ago had been an entrance to another world, and which was now a tomb for the dark entity or a prison for it forever. He felt a mixture of painful relief that he had escaped certain death, and deep fear of the destructive power he possessed which had almost killed him himself, he feared himself and the darkness flowing in his veins.
The air outside the cave was unusually cold and refreshing, completely different from the damp and heavy air of the cave, and the sun was bright in the blue sky, casting a comforting warmth on his tired and pale face. He tried to stand, leaning on his trembling knees, then stood up very slowly, feeling dizziness sweep over his head forcefully, as if he would faint at any moment.
And he had barely prepared to catch his ragged breath, or tried to assess the extent of his injuries, when he heard sounds. Sounds that were not usually familiar in this area, coming from the surrounding forest, rough sounds, the screech of primitive weapons moving, a low, deep growl resembling the grumbling of monsters. Sounds of... monsters, and in large numbers. Theo tensed his exhausted body that was almost crumbling, gathered the last scattered and weak mana remaining in his body, focused his gaze towards the source of the sounds, and his blood completely froze in his veins from the horror of what he saw.
They emerged from among the dense trees bordering the cave and the surrounding area.
Not one or two, but dozens, perhaps hundreds, covering the ground with their massive mass, huge green creatures, their muscles bulging and strong, carrying giant axes and primitive clubs, Orcs.
Beside them, smaller and more agile creatures, with long pointed noses and malicious yellow eyes gleaming in the faint darkness of the forest, Goblins.
But they were not just ordinary Orcs and Goblins, the types he had faced before. There were other creatures among them, larger and more terrifying, their skin darker, leaning towards black or dark red, and their eyes glowing with a fiery red or sinister orange color that boded no good, and bearing strange and frightening scars or marks on their huge bodies, with dangerous horns protruding from their heads like demons.
Demonic Orcs and Demonic Goblins, more powerful, brutal, and evil types.
Their numbers were incredibly large, a small army covering a large area of land outside the cave, much more than Theo had ever seen in his short life. It seemed as if they had been waiting, as if they knew something. Waiting for something to emerge from the cursed cave. Were they waiting specifically for him to emerge? Was the deafening collapse of the cave the signal that prompted them to suddenly appear from their hiding places in the forest?
Theo stood alone, a thirteen-year-old boy, completely exhausted after his terrifying experience in the void and his miraculous escape from the collapsed cave, his body trembling from exhaustion, pain, and fear that swept over his being, facing a small but terrifying army of Orcs and Goblins, some of whom seemed possessed by a dark and brutal power beyond the strength of ordinary creatures. He had no weapon in his hand to fight with, and his mana was almost completely depleted after using the destructive Flame of Destruction. The battle seemed utterly impossible even before it began.
There was no room for deep thought or hesitation in this fateful moment. The Orcs and Goblins rushed towards him with growls and chilling primal screams, led by the larger, faster, and more menacing demonic creatures.
Theo knew deep down that he could not face them all in this state, nor could he even stand long against the demonic creatures whose dark energy he felt, in his exhausted state.
He had to fight to survive, but with sharp intelligence and speed. He had to try to open a path to escape before they completely surrounded him.
His fighting instinct quickly kicked in, that instinct honed by Kyle's harsh training for many years and the dark magic flowing in his veins, giving him unmatched speed and reaction.
He moved quickly, dodging the first blow of a massive axe that almost cleaved him in half, thanks to his superhuman speed.
He used his superhuman speed and extraordinary agility, avoiding the slow but powerful and destructive attacks of the Orcs, and avoiding the fast but less powerful and impactful arrows of the Goblins.
His goal at this moment was not to kill them all, but to reduce their numbers enough to open a safe passage to escape this hell, and to distract the demonic creatures that were slowly and confidently advancing.
He knew that the demonic creatures were the most dangerous and threatening, their dark energy was pressing on him strongly, stirring fear in his exhausted heart. He decided to focus on the ordinary Orcs and Goblins first, their numbers were much larger but relatively weaker than the demonic creatures. He had to eliminate them quickly and decisively to reduce the number of attackers and distract the approaching demonic creatures.
He gathered the last scattered mana remaining in his body, concentrating it in his trembling fists. It was not enough to cast powerful and destructive spells, but it was enough to enhance his fists with dark power, to increase his movement speed and reaction in combat.
He rushed towards the nearest group of Goblins, who formed the weakest links in this attacking army.
The fighting was incredibly brutal and chaotic, a battle for survival in every sense of the word. Theo moved with lightning speed between the huge feet of the Orcs, dodging blows falling around him like rain, delivering quick and powerful punches enhanced by dark mana towards the weak points in the bodies of ordinary Goblins and Orcs, striking with precision and lethal force.
He killed with astonishing speed, using everything he had learned from Kyle about hand-to-hand combat, everything he had learned about using mana to enhance his physical strength and endurance. Every blow he delivered was calculated, every move he made was aimed at bringing down the enemy or disabling them at all costs.
He was fighting for his life with all his might. There was no room for mercy or hesitation at this moment. The Orcs screamed with animalistic fury, and the Goblins made sharp, annoying sounds.
The demonic creatures initially watched from a distance, as if allowing their ordinary soldiers to exhaust the prey and break its defenses, but they began to advance slowly and confidently when they saw how Theo was eliminating large numbers of them with such unexpected speed and brutality for a boy his age.
Time was a crucial and fateful factor, he had to finish off the ordinary Orcs and Goblins before the demonic creatures reached him and surrounded him.
Pain escalated in his body with every blow he received, with every violent movement he made. He felt a cut on his left shoulder, a strong blow that almost broke his ribs, and a deep wound on his right leg that hindered his full speed of movement, but he completely ignored the pain, focusing only on fighting, on staying alive.
He saw the numbers of ordinary Orcs and Goblins rapidly decreasing before him, falling like autumn leaves, their ugly green blood flowing onto the ground, their massive bodies falling around him like small mountains. He fought with a ferocity he had never known before, as if he were the embodiment of darkness itself in its fastest and most deadly forms, moving with superhuman speed, striking with lethal force. The demonic creatures were getting closer and closer, he could feel their dark energy stronger and more menacing, as if pressing on his soul.
'It seems that truly recognizing the visible element makes a person stronger!'
Finally, after what seemed like an endless battle, a battle that drained all his strength, he finished off the last ordinary Orc or Goblin in front of him. He stood in the middle of a circle of scattered monster corpses, his body covered in blood from head to toe, breathing with great difficulty, pain gnawing at his entire body from inside and out.
His injuries were very serious, he was bleeding from several deep wounds, and he felt extreme weakness in his limbs that almost prevented him from standing, but he had survived the first and largest part of the battle.
He raised his exhausted eyes to look forward. The demonic creatures were there, standing a few dozen meters away, staring at him with their evil red and orange eyes with curiosity and anticipation. They had not attacked yet, as if assessing the damage he had sustained, as if waiting for the right moment to pounce on their injured prey.
Their numbers were much smaller than the ordinary Orcs and Goblins, but they were much larger, more powerful, and more dangerous, their dark energies were stronger and more intense.
Theo immediately realized that he could not fight them in his current state. He did not have enough mana for spells, his body was exhausted and almost collapsing, and he had no weapon. Survival was not in fighting here, but in escaping as quickly as possible.
He gathered the last of his remaining physical and spiritual strength, exerting an effort beyond what he thought he was capable of. He turned, and began to run at the maximum speed he could endure, moving away from the army of demonic creatures that had begun to move slowly towards him, and away from the collapsed cave he had left behind. He knew they might pursue him, especially the demonic creatures, but he had to try, this was his only chance.
He ran through the forest, pain burning his body with every step he took, as if a thousand needles were piercing him, the cold air hitting his open wounds, increasing the pain. He heard sounds of savage screams and heavy footsteps behind him for some time, he knew they were pursuing him, but it seemed their speed was not as fast as his, or perhaps the forest terrain slowed them down, or perhaps the demonic creatures were interested in something else inside the collapsed cave.
He didn't care about anything but getting home. His focus was entirely on reaching safety.
He saw the village from a distance, but the sight was utterly unexpected. The village was destroyed, houses burned or even ruined, bodies filled the streets. Some Goblins could already be seen devouring children from afar, they were very few as if they were some greedy soldiers for what remained of the spoils.
The streets were filled with the blood of the villagers, the gentle breeze Theo used to enjoy every morning had turned bloody. He was now already completely covered in blood.
The village was silent with the silence of graves, a complete massacre. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of Goblins eating flesh and crunching bones.
They seemed completely content with such a meal.
Theo stood shocked from afar, his mind already more foggy and he almost fainted from the horror of the scene before him, but he endured and ran quickly, his eyes searching among the bodies as he ran quickly through the village, he feared someone would be among them.
He was very fast but suddenly heard, "Th-Theo!"
He knew that voice well, it was the voice of someone who had always been harsh with him, he trained him madly and Theo initially blamed him until he knew the reason, he listened to his training with great obedience after that, and then his respect for him grew day by day.
"Trainer!" His breathing became very rapid, and his pulse increased, his pulse was already drowning out his hearing now.
Kyle was missing his right arm, his left eye was gone, there was a huge wound on his stomach and even his intestines were starting to come out, his left leg was completely gone, and his right was very badly injured, there was a cavity next to his heart now, he was barely alive, as if he was just waiting for someone to appear.
And around him was a mountain of Orc and Goblin corpses, and Demonic Orcs and Goblins, and when he looked around he discovered that their bodies were everywhere around him, the ground was destroyed, he was the one who killed them, he killed nearly a thousand demonic monsters by himself, Theo even discovered several horned monsters he didn't know about.
"Sorry I suddenly disappeared," he breathed with great difficulty as he spoke, talking was too much for him now given his injuries even for someone of his strength, "but I-I had to get som-ething, something for-you."
Then he extended his left hand which was a fist as if holding something for fear of losing it, then opened it to reveal a small black box small enough to fit in Kyle's huge fist, it was slightly ornate and there was nothing else distinguishing it.
Theo lowered Rayn to the closest place he could lay him down and made him lie on the ground before going to the severely injured Kyle, he was now trying to heal him with his weak magic.
His mana had already dried up, and he was spitting blood because he was pushing himself to do this.
"St-stop, just take th-this box," his breathing quickened, "If you feel... you're close... to the Fifth Rank, take it, you w-won't break through with-out it."
Theo heard him but was trying to treat him with all his might, he almost fainted several times already while trying to treat him.
"This is the first time I've seen you cry, Theo!"
Theo's right eye was now shedding a waterfall of tears down his right cheek and droplets of tears were already falling to the ground.
"Just... l-live... okay?"
Those words came out of Kyle's mouth as he smiled faintly as if he had found peace, and the light from his eyes gradually dimmed until it completely disappeared.
Theo stopped trying to heal and stood for a moment in front of Kyle's body, it was already severely disfigured.
He felt a pain in his chest, a terrible pain that pierced through his entire body, he no longer distinguished between physical and psychological pain, everything was mixed up, he could only say that it hurt and he couldn't pinpoint what hurt.
It was late, but tears ran down his left cheek, falling silently to the ground, the blood absorbing them already, now no one would know he cried.
Theo carried Kyle's heavy body and Rayn and tried to run but couldn't, he was now walking quickly to his home. Passing by the corpses and destroyed and burned houses, he saw a head obstructing his way every now and then.
He finally reached his home, but from a distance, although most of the house was fine, the windows and door were completely destroyed. The house seemed quiet, partially dark, no lights illuminated from within.
He felt complete panic at the sight of it.
He stepped through the destroyed front door with his trembling foot, and entered slowly, carrying the unconscious Rayn on his back.
He called out in a faint voice, barely audible from exhaustion "Mom? I'm here! Rayn is hurt! I need help!"
He heard no response to his call. The house was strangely and eerily quiet. Darkness enveloped the main room. No light was on, no sound of movement, no sign of his mother being inside.
A cold and harsh feeling suddenly swept over him, worse than any cold he had felt in the void. Where had they gone? Had something happened to her while she was away from home? His worry for her began to overshadow his worry for Rayn for a moment.
He ignored the worry for a moment, he had to focus on Rayn now, the most important thing now was to save him.
Rayn was still heavy on his back, and his wounds were bleeding more and more despite his attempt to heal them with mana.
He had to put him in a safe and comfortable place, then find his mother somewhere around the house.
He moved slowly towards his room, which was at the end of the narrow, dark hallway. Every step he took was real agony, the pain doubling, his body nearing complete collapse. He finally reached the wooden door to his room. He stretched out his trembling hand to open the door.
And as soon as he opened the door and looked inside the room to put Rayn on his bed, he froze completely in place.
The shock that swept over him this time was stronger than any shock he had ever felt in his life, stronger than seeing the monster army before him, stronger than seeing Rayn so brutally injured, even stronger than the future self's talk in the library, even Kyle's death would not shock him like this.
The scene before him surpassed any nightmare he could have, surpassed any horror his young mind could imagine. He never expected to see something like this in his life.
He fully opened the door, and looked inside with eyes wide with absolute terror, as time stopped around him.