Oki's group walked over to the multi patches of rubble, spread out, and began moving the charred timber away. They were looking for all of the belongings that had survived the white fire. However, each of them was subconsciously looking for people. It was just in case they had been trapped in by any debris. As expected, there were a lot of people that had been trapped inside broken houses. They were also stuck under rubble that had fallen from the destroyed buildings. It wasn't a pretty scene.
The smell of rotting flesh was strong near the pile, as everyone there knew what the smell was from. Amana saw a hand trapped underneath a bunch of rubble and lifted the bricks to help them out. The arm was the only recognisable part of the body. The rest was nothing more than a charred mess.
The group slowly made their way through the pile of wood and brick, helping the few alive Beastpeople that were still under the rubble. In total, about a hundred Beastpeoole survived, but that was nothing compared to the multiple hundreds that lost their lives. Corpses were scattered everywhere. Crushed underneath the rubble, burned to death, asphyxiated by smoke. There were a lot of ways to die.
And speaking of ways to die.
Soul looked up into the air, watching as thousands upon thousands of flaming orbs appeared in the air above him. They were around fifty metres away, but knowing what would happen was the scary part.
"Drop." The slouched figure commanded, not moving an inch from its spot. Almost as if it was glued in place. Soul ran towards the figure, breaking the sound barrier as he did so. However, the person standing there never appeared to move any closer. It was almost as if they were infinitely far away. Or maybe, just maybe, he was being repeatedly shoved back to the same spot every time he moved.
Soul looked up towards the flaming orbs, only to one of them directly in his face. The ball slammed against his head, sending him to the floor. It was almost like a cannonball. Another one hit his chest, while four separate ones injured his limbs. One then proceeded to slam into his crown jewels. Or at least, where they would be if he was Aaron.
Soul looked down at his body parts, realising that they had been disconnected from his main body. His limbs melted, leaving nothing more than a small black stain on the void as his body remade itself, making sure not to absorb the flaming orbs as they did so. Soul stood up, looking at the slumped figure with a glare.
"Drop, level two." The voice whispered, although Soul could still hear them. Soul watched as some of the orbs flew towards him from the sky. He smiled, looking at the flaming balls with a burning passion. "I have no idea who you are, but I'm taking control of this place now," Soul announced, extending his hand into the air. "You no longer rule over this land."
The area around them shattered away, almost as if reality had been broken away from them. The slouching figure looked around, trying to figure out what was going on around it. "This is my mind. It's my land to manipulate." Soul explained, walking forward without a care in the world. "I want to do this, so I'll control my mind how I like." Soul continued, the area around them lighting up in flames.
"Drop, level three." The slouching figure commanded, extending their hand towards Soul and pointing their finger down. However, nothing happened. "Drop. Drop. Drop. Drop!" The creature continued commanding, becoming increasingly more agitated as time went on. "I told you. This is my mind. I don't want you to attack me, so you cannot summon any attack that could pose a threat to me." Soul explained, smiling all the way.
He appeared behind the slouching figure, delivering a quick kick to the side of the head. Soul was quite fond of kicking things. Soul watched as the slouching creature flew into the distance. However, that wasn't enough for him. He wanted to indulge himself just a little. If this person was intruding on his mind, he would be in the right to teach them a lesson or ten.
Soul snapped his fingers, watching the slouched creature fly towards him. Soul grabbed the person by its neck, not bothering to look at their face. "You intrude on my space, and you lose your life. Probably shouldn't have tried to kill me, should you?" Soul asked the monster rhetorically. Soul slammed it down into the ground, shattering the floor that was the void. There wasn't really a floor in the abyss. There was just...an invisible platform, so to speak.
Soul lifted up the monster, his eyes scanning it for any weapons. On its waist lay an ornate dagger, and Soul thought of taking it away. However, if it was a family heirloom, that'd break them. "Here. Go. Leave. I'm not going to kill you. Leave, and don't ever return to my mind. The next time you do, I will personally end your life." Soul warned the creature, turning away from it as he prepared to return to the real world. "I believe I have made myself clear. Crystal, even." Soul finished, snapping his fingers as he jumped away. He planned to leave his mind by jumping into the abyss.
He felt the nick of a metal blade hitting his ankle as he jumped and realised the little fucker had nicked him with the dagger. "They told me that this would happen. I honestly didn't think I'd get the chance to poison Aaron Stone, but look at what we have here. I poisoned the edge of my blade, so I got to injure you!" The creature said in an almost childlike voice. "I'm not Aaron Stone, you fucking idiot," Soul responded, turning to face the being, a look of fear spreading across their face. "I'm Soul, and I'm guessing that poison was specially made to kill Aaron Stone?" Soul asked, not expecting an answer as he walked over.
"You have made a mistake. One that may cost you your life."