Akai was up before sunrise. Putting boots on, dressed in hunting leathers. Across from him was his father Rei doing the same, and Kidd who was joining them.

  Rei promised to get plenty of meat for the festival being held in 2 days now. With Akai’s and Kidd’s new strength, they said they can pull a sled with what they catch together.

  Though, that wasn’t going to be necessary. After getting dressed and their bows ready, Rei opened the front door to see Lamorie standing with her hands on her hips.

  “Since when did you think you could go out and do something fun without me?”

  Rei laughed and rubbed the back of his head and said. “Well, I was thinking you would be helping some of the others get things ready in the village. You know, your strength would be a massive boon for everyone there.”

  Lamorie slumped and said “It’s so boring, they’ll just have me carrying heavy stuff all day or trying to make me help make the food. So I decided I will be coming with you three.”

  “Do you have a bow too, Lamorie?” Akai asked from the back as he was tying a quiver to his belt.

  “Of course I don’t, but why would I need one? I can just punch” she said, holding up a fist.

  “Yeah, good luck with that. Animals would run away before you even see them.” Kidd said with a chuckle. Lamorie glared and said “I can see one thing I can punch” which made Kidd’s face pale a bit before he said “sorry..” under his breath.

  Rei clapped his hands and gathered the 3 kids attention. He said “Alright, Lamorie you can come with us but just stay back a bit. If you see something, let us know. Then we can all work together to bring back what we catch. But lets start heading out before the sun rises.”

  Soon, the four were off. Heading into the woods north of the village. Walking in the direction of the mountains. Akai kept a keen eye as did Kidd, Lamorie was mostly focused on walking quietly after being scolded a few times for stomping through the woods. The sun was starting to rise and the sky began to gain some color when Lamorie saw a deer off to the side. She walked up to Rei and tugged on his shirt before pointing. Not wanting to scare it away by talking.

  They all stopped and turned to look, seeing a deer. It was a buck, but a fairly small and skinny one. It was just losing the spots in its fur, so Rei shook his head and whispered. “That one’s just a babe, we’ll let it go and grow some, it ought to be good come the winter hunt.”

  Lamorie felt a little dejected as they continued to trudge through the forest. Traveling deeper and into where it is more unkempt, nobody else comes this far out to maintain the land.

  Over the next couple of hours, they spotted a few other animals. Kidd saw a few Kabers and they managed to bag 3 of them, Lamorie surprised everyone by throwing a rock to get one after Akai missed his first shot. Since they were going to be spending the day hunting, Rei bled the carcasses before putting them on a wooden sled, letting the kids take turns pulling it.

  Come noon, they had an okay haul. It wasn’t as impressive as expected, but for the past couple of hours they hadn’t seen anything which was weird. Currently, Akai was pulling the sled which had the kabers, a few grouse, and even a comically massive rat that tried to attack Kidd when he found its hidey hole in a hollow tree. It was almost as big as he was.

  Rei stopped and said “listen.” as the others stopped to do just that. They kept their eyes open and listened closely and didn’t hear anything. Confused, Kidd said “I don’t hear anything, Mr. Ryneveld,”

  “Exactly” He said, “There’s nothing. No birds, no animal calls. It’s silent.”

  Rei put a hand on the string of his bow and said “lets head back, something is wrong here.”

  Nodding, Kidd put a hand on the short sword he brought with him and Lamorie grabbed one of the two ropes Akai held, working together to drag the sled. But as they turned to run, they heard rustling in the bushes.

  Rei backed up and knocked an arrow before they saw something completely unexpected come out of the thick underbrush.

  A large monster standing on what looked like 2 small hind legs and two strong muscled arms ending in black claws. It was covered in dirt and a grey stone-like fur. Black, onyx eyes stared at them as it bared sharp teeth and swished an incredibly powerful thick tail.

  “Run!” Rei yelled, but as he turned they saw this monster wasn’t alone. Cutting off the path they came on was another one of these beasts.

  These beasts, known as graylocks usually lived in the mountains where the ground was more rock than dirt. They shouldn’t be down in the forest and because of that, it had Rei terrified.

  Normally, it would take an entire squad of seasoned warriors to be able to take down a single graylock. Two was just absurd for them to face.

  “Kids, drop the sled and just run. I don’t think even you can-” Rei said quietly as he tried to back away. But his talking was interrupted by the graylock that had been following them lunging forwards. Akai and Lamorie both planted their feet and threw out rising upper cuts. A loud crack was heard as the graylock that lunged was knocked a few feet into the air.

  Rei sighed and realized this was inevitable. He just hoped they could run away before getting too hurt.

  Rei drew his bow and shot the arrow at the graylock that first appeared. Though, to his dismay, the arrow merely bounced off of its stone-like hide. It locked its eyes on him and began to move, but before it could get any speed Kidd was already in front of it. His eyes glowing a dim blue as electricity crackled in the air around him. With speed, he drew the steel short sword and cut. The blade barely able to scratch the thick hide but it cut enough to cause a thin line of red to begin coloring its grey fur.

  In front of Akai and Lamorie, the Graylock halted its backwards momentum with its powerful tail. Then as it landed, it reared its head down with terrifying force. Akai crossed his arms and braced himself, flames starting to swirl around him. But this beast his even harder than Lamorie could. Akai did not remain standing, he fell down onto his knees and sunk a few inches into the dirt. His arms were left red from the impact as he grimaced in pain.

  Across the way, Kidd and Rei were left to fend against the other. Kidd nimbly dodged each swipe of the monster’s claws, avoided its bites, and either ducked or jumped over its tail when it swung it around. However, they couldn’t do much damage to the beast either. Kidd kept its attention, but Rei’s arrows either bounced off or stuck for just a second before falling out.

  Kidd was able to cut it, but his cuts were shallow and only made the thing mad.

  Lamorie punched the graylock again, making it stagger for just a moment. Interrupting its attempt to bite Akai after knocking him to his knees. He felt his whole body protest when he tried to get back up. The impact made his arms ache and his knees feel weak. He realized these things were stronger than expected. Something they should have ran from when they could.

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  He scowled as he saw Lamorie brace herself as it turned and hit her with its powerful tail. Sending her sliding back a dozen feet, leaving ruts in the forest floor where her feet dug in.

  Steeling himself, Akai gritted his teeth and tried to call on more of his nascent power. Orange incandescent fire began to form and swirl around his body, air beginning to warm around him because of it. He pushed the warmth he felt into his muscles as the graylock began charging at him, raising its front leg to swipe black claws at him. He moved in first, ducking under its head and trying to land as firm of a punch as he could on its chest. His fist hit and he felt pain shoot up his arm, he had never hit anything so tough so hard before. The skin on one of his knuckles split but it was not broken. The graylock however had the wind knocked out of it. Akai heard it gasp as it took a step back. He paled though, the thing was gazing at him with hate in its onyx eyes.

  Thankfully, Lamorie was coming back. Before it was fully recovered, she was by Akai’s side. Energy that looked like green water swirled around her arm as she threw a straight punch at the monster’s face.

  The ground shook and a shockwave rippled out from the impact of Lamorie’s empowered hit. Her strength is far superior naturally. However, she made a mistake. She didn’t strengthen her legs with her nascent power, nor take a solid stance the way Akai had. So while the graylock was sent backwards a few feet, she had sent herself flying back into a tree.

  “Lamorie!” he shouted as she smacked into a tree and fell to the ground trembling. “Ow, ow, ow,” She was muttering, trying to get back up.

  Akai looked over and Kidd and Rei were handling things easier. The graylock they were fighting was getting covered in cuts as it couldn’t touch Kidd, and Akai saw as it went in for a bite, Rei’s loosed arrow intercepted it. Digging deep into the much softer flesh inside of the monster’s mouth, leaving only the fletchings sticking out as it made cries of anger and pain.

  Akai turned to face the one that was focusing on himself and Lamorie. It let out a roar that sounded closer to a landslide as its hind legs kicked off, and its much large forelegs dug into the ground pulling it in a charge.

  Akai sidestepped, ducking under a swipe from its claws before grabbing onto its fur. The fire he had encircling him moved under his will. Flowing into its side and burning it as he tried to keep it from going straight to hit Lamorie instead.

  Akai failed, of course. This thing was as heavy as a boulder its size would be and had a lot of inertia. But with Lamorie getting up, she was ready for it this time.

  Green energy coalesced around her whole body as she braced against the trunk of the tree. When the graylock made impact, she pushed herself forwards with all the might she could muster, stopping it entirely as another shockwave released from their impact. Akai was forced to let go of its side and shuddered as he saw Lamorie holding its front legs. Denying it the ability to swipe at her. And ducked under its head, so it could not bite her. Her feet sunk into a mass of roots as the tree was now tilted a little from the forces exerted on it.

  More energy flowed through her as she began trying to push it back. Its hind legs dug into the dirt, resisting her. Akai didn’t want to give it time to get an opening to hurt his friend, so he began trying to manifest more of his awakened power. He remembered the feeling he had as he first awakened. Before he blacked out, he felt so much heat burning inside of his chest it felt like it could have melted steel. And from what his mother said happened, he technically did.

  The fire around Akai began to swirl faster and he tried to make more, he felt the faintest ember ignite in his chest. When he felt ready, Akai charged forwards and took a solid stance. He willed his flames to follow his moving fist and when it struck the side of the graylock, scorching fire flowed over it. Leaving black burned hairs where grey fur was and sending it falling over onto its side as Lamorie wrestled it.

  Akai felt pain radiate through his whole body after the impact. The ember in his chest extinguished and only pain was left in its place.

  Lamorie wrestled the graylock to the ground and was doing her best to not let its teeth or claws touch her. She yelled through gritted teeth “What are you doing, keep hitting it!”

  Akai tried to throw away the pain he felt and called on his awakened power again. Swirling orange flames re-appearing around him as he moved in to try and subdue the monster. But this time, when he got close its tail came around and smashed down on Akai. He yelped as he was pushed into the dirt, feeling like he was just struck in the back with a sledge hammer. He gasped and tried to get back on his feet, but the tail struck him again. Akai’s vision became blurry due to the 2nd hit hitting his head.

  Lamorie gritted her teeth and more green energy wrapped around her body. She began digging her feet into the dirt as she fought the graylocks attempt to right itself. But suddenly, she felt herself being lifted off the ground. The graylock managed to get a foot under itself and was now pushing itself to stand on its hind legs. Before Lamorie could tell what was going on, she felt like a boulder was crushing her. The graylock slammed her and itself down, She gasped as she felt like she couldn’t breathe. Her strength waned and she let go, the graylock getting up and lifting its clawed leg to eviscerate the girl that was just wrestling it.

  Akai looked up and felt the heat return in his chest. But he couldn’t get up. But Rei wasn’t just doing nothing while Kidd distracted the other. He wasn’t going to let his friends daughter get hurt. An arrow whizzed past Akai and the arrowhead dug into the graylock’s onyx eye. Sinking a few inches deep and causing it to cry out as blood spilled from the wound. It backed off and swung its head around before the arrow fell out, but leaving a nasty bloody hole where its eye once was. It turned and glared at Akai’s father, standing in the middle of the clearing with his bow and his last arrow already in his hand.

  The beast charges, and Rei focused his arrow and as Akai watched, time seemed to slow. He saw his father release the arrow and it shoot forwards. Flying through the air, aiming for the beast’s other eye. But to Akai’s dismay, the creature wasn’t as dumb as it looked. It closed its eye tightly and the arrow only lightly cut its stony skin before being deflected away.

  Rei was already stepping to the side to dodge, but he was planning on it being blind now and unable to track him. It opened its eyes and turned some, managing to swipe and catch Rei’s leg with its claws. Four deep cuts appearing on the side of his calf, and the Graylock wasn’t stopping.

  Akai tried to shout, but the burning in his chest was growing and becoming more painful than ever before. Kidd didn’t hear him and was too focused on the Graylock he had been fighting to dodge completely when he saw the other getting too close.

  Kidd ducked a bite, but was still slammed by its chest. Being knocked to the ground and stepped on as its charge didn’t stop at just a hit. The weight of the Graylock almost breaking bones as it briefly trampled him.

  Akai felt the same fear he felt when the bandits had caught him and his family. The burning pain in his chest igniting involuntarily. His muscles burned as he got back onto his feet. The wisps of orange fire circling him turning into a small inferno of bright gold, the light behind his eyes enveloping them completely in the same vibrant yellow. All of Akai’s nascent powers now laid bare for him to use. The only thought he could get through his mind coherently is “I have to protect them” as he lunged forwards. Each step leaving a burned imprint of his shoe in the forest floor as he rocketed forwards as fast as Kidd had been.

  Akai jumped and punched down on the top of one of the graylock’s heads, bright golden fire erupting from the impact as it was knocked down into the dirt. As soon as his foot his the dirt, he spun and kicked its head with all of his might. Akai felt the bones in its head breaking against his foot.

  The one that hurt his father turned and saw the last hit and recognition gleamed in the monster’s eyes. It began charging again, but this time away. Not willing to fight anymore after witnessing Akai shattering the skull of its companion with his foot.

  Akai took a step to chase it, but the burning pain in his chest overwhelmed him. Kidd was just lifting his head to look, Lamorie had sit up onto her side, and Rei was watching while on the ground. They saw Akai’s golden fire revert back to a normal orange flame and begin to disperse. His eyes dimmed back to normal. Then he fell down onto his hands and knees, vomiting a scarily large amount of his own blood onto the slightly scorched dirt. Akai’s vision went blurry as he felt like he was burned inside and out. “Whatever power that god gave me, why does it hurt so much to use it?” He thought to himself as every part of him felt weak. It hurt to move, to breathe, his heart hurt just to keep beating.

  Just as he was about to fall over onto his side, Kidd got up and held him steady. “Are you okay?” Kidd asked, but Akai didn’t know how to answer. He tried to say something, but it only made him throw up again. At leas this time it wasn’t blood. He turned to look in the direction his father was. Seeing Rei sitting up and bleeding from his leg.

  “Hey, Akai, what are you doing?” Kidd asked as the silver haired boy forced himself to stand back up. He walked unsteady towards Rei. “Akai, don’t stand up yet. Sit and rest” Rei told his son, but Akai didn’t listen. Akai gritted his teeth as he kneeled next to his father and Akai’s hands became enveloped in orange fire. Kidd ran up and tried to stop whatever Akai was going to do. But Akai shook him off as he said “I feel like I can do this..” weakly. The flames in his hands began turning golden like before, but much less intense in heat. His chest felt hot, but it wasn’t burning in pain like it was before. Akai grabbed his father’s wounded leg and the fire enveloped it for a few seconds. The wounds were not being healed, but the bleeding was being stopped. After a few seconds, Akai stopped and fell back into Kidd’s arms. Rei’s leg wasn’t healed, but the bleeding was stopped thankfully.