Chapter 34: Shouldering the Burden Alone

*Sehun*

"Well, I'm out," I said, heading for the exit.

"Wait," Ava said, following me into the dimly lit hallway.

"Yes?"

"You aren't planning on fighting those creatures are you?"

I sighed and gave her a slight nod.

She grabbed my right arm, causing me to wince. One of those beasts had hurt it during an earlier battle.

"You aren't up to it," Ava said, letting go of me. "Rest."

I sighed. "I can't."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "If you don't, then don't expect me to talk to you for the next couple of days."

I scratched my head. "Fine, I'll go home."

She smiled. "You mean it?"

I nodded.

She clapped her hands and snickered. "Great." She pushed me forward. "But, if I find out you went behind my back, then we aren't friends any longer! Got it?"

I nodded. "Understood."

"Good! Well, I'm off! I'm gonna go see Sayuri!" She let go of me and marched into the darkness, almost as carefree as Sou would.

I pressed my head against the stone wall. 'Sorry, Ava. But I can't back out. Seiya and your brother are more injured than I am. Someone has to defend this village. While I could ask Davina and Dean to do so, it's best I don't rely too much on them. They're here as guests, plus their main concern right now should be to protect Purpura.'

My eyes darted to my gloved hands. I clenched them into fist. Plus, I was still to weak to protect those I cared for. I had to get stronger, for her sake and Sou's.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. 'I can do this.'

Putting on my white mask, I bent the space around me, warping to the forest. Despite it still being daytime the forest was shrouded in darkness, causing the trees to look menacing. I shivered, but not from the cool forest air nor the trees. Something had felt off.

"Hahahaha," a high pitched voice called from behind me.

I spun around what looked to be a fox-eared standing on two feet. A white veil covered the stranger's face, making it look more androgynous.

"Finally, a snack." The humanoid creature licked its lips.

My heart hammered against my chest. I reached for my sword and took a deep breath. "Sorry, but all you'll be tasting is metal."

It's eyes widened. "You know, for a human, you're very strong. I can sense it."

"And I can sense your bloodlust."

It snickered. "I like you, boy. You'll make a great pet."

"Pet?"

"Don't worry," it said, stepping towards me. "You won't die."

I raised my blade. "That's the last thing I'm worried about!" I dashed at it, but blue flames manifested out of thin air, halting my flames.

Solid flames? What was going on here?

"You're strong, boy, but you can't defeat me."

"Who are you?" I roared.

It snickered. "The name is Tsuneri. I originally used to be a fox, but as I devoured more humans, I began to take on a more humanoid form."

I gritted my teeth and jumped back. This creature gave off a strong magical vibe. It wasn't a pushover, which meant that it would be difficult to defeat.

"Now, be a good boy and don't run. It's been a while since I've feasted on human flesh!" It gave me a toothy grin and revealed black claws.

I dashed at the beast, slashing at the flames with my sword, but to no avail. The flames weren't hot. If anything, they felt as cold as ice.

The werefox laughed and raised its hand, causing a stream of cold flames to attack me. I ducked, but a part of the blue flame hit my leg, instantly freezing it.

"You can't win," it said.

I tried to stand, but the pain was too much. Using my gravity powers, I floated the rest of the way to my feet.

"What a strange power," Tsuneri said. "How did a human get such an ability?"

"I'm not some ordinary human."

It chuckled. "That must be why I was drawn here."

I gulped. Davina was right. We Ethereal Stone clans did draw these beasts toward us.

"So," it said, licking its lips, "are you ready to become a pet or dinner?"

"Neither!"

The fox charged at me, swiping his claw. I blocked, but my arms shook from the force. I pushed him back with my gravity, and created some distance.

'How am I going to beat this thing? It's strong and it knows how to fight. I'll have to try to catch it off guard, but how?'

Blue flames gathered on the creature's palm. It laughed and flung the fireball at me. I dodged, but the flame struck a nearby tree, instantly freezing it.

'That's it!'

I created a sphere of gravity and threw it at the fox. He dodged, but the fox gasped as its movements became a tad sluggish.

"What is this?"

I ignored him and threw a barrage of gravitational balls at the creature, increasing the pressure of gravity on its body. The fox staggered back, but before I could land the finishing blow, it created a barrier of cold flames, freezing my sword and hands.

"Nice try, boy," Tsuneri said, grinning. "Unfortunately for you, my flames aren't affected by your power."

I grunted as I tried to break my hands free from the ice. If I overdid it, my hands could end up shattering.

"Well, I guess it's time to eat." The fox dashed at me, swiping his claws.

I sidestepped its claws and slashed its arm off clean as soon as it got within range of me.

"Arghhh!"

The fox staggered back and stared at his bleeding stump in disbelief.

"You'll pay for that!" Cold flames shot out of the stump, instantly healing his arm. "I guess I'll have to play around with you a bit before I eat you."

He charged at me, moving much faster than before.

I leaped into the air, landing on top of a tree branch.

"My, you're a nibble little one, aren't you?"

I gritted my teeth and focused my energy into my sword. I jumped down, prepared to slash its body in half.

The fox dodged my attack and grabbed my left wrist, slamming me into the ground. My hands became freed, but it hurt like Cianio.

"Not bad kid! Now, time to tenderize you!"

Before the fox could land another attack, a stream of crystal petals blocked the creature's claws.

"Ava?"

She appeared in front of me and gave the fox a death glare. "I won't allow you to touch him!" She dashed at the creature and clapped her hands, causing the leaves of the frozen trees to glow bright pink and transform into crystal.

She waved her arm and a giant crystal shard came out of the ground and impaled the creature.

Tsuneri screamed.

I pushed myself up and dashed forward, aiming for its neck. The blade cut through its skin and severed its head.

The beast fell, and a blue crystal shard fell from its body.

"Nice!" Ava said, giving me a fist bump.

"Thanks for the help." I frowned. "But why are you here, Ava? Weren't you going to see Sayuri?"

"Because I knew you were gonna go fight!" She grabbed me by the collar of my shirt but quickly let go. "I'll take out my anger on you later."

I smiled. Well, at least she wasn't breaking up our friendship.

Ava picked up the crystal and turned to me. "This beast soul core is pretty strong."

"Is it?" I mean, he did feel strong, but I defeated him easily in the end. Granted, it took me some backup to do so.

She nodded. "I wonder who will benefit the most from this. It's strong enough to boost my strength, but that thing gave off more of an evil aura than a chaotic one like most beasts do."

I nodded. "It was the most human-like monster I've faced until now."

"Maybe it has something to do with how often it consumed human flesh?"

I shrugged. "Well, we better head back and inform the others about this."

She nodded but stopped as the soul core vanished. "What?"

My eyes widened as I saw Tsuneri on top of tree. It was an illusion! "Look out!" I yelled, pushing aside Ava as Tsuneri prepared an attack.

Ava spun around, her eyes widening as the beast launched its attack.

The blue fireball engulfed me, throwing me back. I covered my mouth as I breathed in the chilly air. It was so cold.