Trials of the body.

Deleo ran in the forest with aches in his body all the while sweat clung to his body and carried on it several leaves and sticks.

Blue eyes dulled with tiredness, Deleo panted as his heart continued to try and escape his chest.

Hearing the rustles of nature warn him of the incoming enemy, Deleo blinked once right before rolling onto the ground dodging the black panther that leapt above him.

Following it, Deleo kicked his legs at the leaping target sending the large black panther around double in muscle straight into a tree.

Slamming against the tree, the black panther groaned right before falling to the ground.

No wonder since a combination of momentum and added forces kicked the panther back first into the tree.

But it was actually because of the unique body structure of the panther like beast that allowed him to do so in the first place.

Carrying the general body shape of a feline, the back of the panthers head was opened to release several moving feelers.

Like hair but alive.

And all the more reason to make sure that it didn't touch him.

Staring at the patch of quickly rotting wood on the trees bark, Deleo already knew that the panther's feelers were not to be taken lightly.

And everyone knows that although the back was also the strongest part, it was also the most vulnerable one.

Trembling on the ground and groggily trying to get up, Deleo didn't forget about his pursuer, no, far from that.

Ripping off a branch from a nearby tree, the sharp splinters stuck to his hands causing them to bleed.

But as if he couldn't even feel it, he ran his fingers rough with calluses against the branch, making it even simpler as the branches broke off the much larger branch.

Making a sharp stick, Deleo pointed the ends of it directly at the giant black cat and thrust forwards.

And although the resistance was great, it got the job done.

Stabbing at the wound in the pitch night black leather of the Panther, the golden eyes of the panther glared at Deleo prompting him to stab even harder into its body.

Penetrating the muscle, the Black panther roared loudly before sending out a swing of its claw.

Dodging it, Deleo pushed harder onto the wound right before the wooden branch broke apart.

It seemed that it couldn't stand the pressure.

But it did its damage.

Running back, without any hesitation Deleo circled the bast like a predator looking at wounded prey.

A free meal.

Eyeing the black panther, the large feline beast groaned before glaring at Deleo with golden eyes.

Opening a jaw full of teeth, slit golden eyes stared.

And Deleo stared right back.

Feelers waving through the air, the panther's eyes seemed to turn slit like before widening into eyes much more reminiscent of a humans.

And it was then, the panther started to morph.

Growing larger and larger, the body of the black panther morphed with the distinct cracks of bones popping and locking together.

The black further receded into the skin revealing metallic skin.

The closed jaws split down the middle as they moved upwards and covered the eyes like slits in a helmet.

And underneath the green canopies, it was as if the night was replaying itself all over again.

Arrogantly looking down like a giant, the head seemed to be tilted upwards as golden eyes stared through the slits of their helmet as if the person beneath them was just that disgusting.

Like a bug just to be stepped on.

Just like his family.

And that was when he snapped.

Before both of them could know it, his hands were around the panthers neck and the knight was pinned to the ground.

Quickly trying to pry his arms off of its neck, the metal hands clasped around his arms right as a silver flare passed through his eyes.

Lifting the knight up, the golden eyes flashed for a moment right before they were slammed right back into the earth.

Like a madman this action repeated itself several times.

Arms bulging and tearing with exertion, the panther's claws grabbed at Deleo's arms and clawed at them drawing deep gashes into the flesh.

But despite the pain now clearing his mind and bringing the image of the knight to a stop, Deleo didn't stop.

Even as the Feelers stabbed at the open wound and infused the venom into his skin causing the wound to necrotize, he didn't care.

Lifting the body up, his blue eyes became blood shot as he thrust the panther back into the earth.

Bam! 

Cracks spread from the panther as the wooden root protruding from the tree was broken apart from the force.

Slamming the beast against the ground again, the top soil was kicked up as the panther tried to breathe through the gripping force on its throat.

Slamming its tail against the ground, the claws moved to claw at Deleo's face.

Ignoring it, his eyes seemed to have an almost manic look on them even as the wounds on his body seemed to grow larger and larger in both severity and number.

The poison coming from the feelers definitely didn't help with it.

But nevertheless, Deleo continued to choke the life out of the panther all the while it was still struggling weakly against its aggressor.

Bringing the panther up once more, he slammed it against the ground for the last time.

---

'I worry for the Boy'

Silently chewing on ice grass, the raw materials for a popular drug of the Moon Touched that both wakened people up and enlivened them, Erika stared at the boy tending to his wounds outside of the hut.

Its been three years since the boy started training under her.

In the beginning, she didn't care much about the boy.

If anything, she only took him under her wing out of a mixture of pity and gratitude to the elder of the moon touched who had taken care of her when she was at her lowest.

That and the fact that his entire village which was supposed to take care of him was now completely obliterated.

And if he went to other cities...

Well... the kingdom was taking care of that solution by turning it into a problem.

From her outside sources, although the older generation didn't believe the kingdom's propaganda, a good majority of the population were now painting the moon touched as the bad guys.

Bad guys on par of the God Facing Alchemists who aimed not only to kill a god, but to replace them.

If that wasn't blasphemy what was it?

So besides that knowledge being lodged into her head and festering there.

Deleo was an interesting child nonetheless.

Having started off the training with the general regime being designed for village boys who had a higher than average stamina than most adults.

She quickly found out that he had an incredible amount of stamina nearly on par with knights, something usually possible only with the rich bastards who had resources poured into them since birth.

 But then again, if he didn't have that much stamina than he wouldn't have escaped the purge.

So skipping the stamina training and going straight to both muscle and combat training, she learnt something new about him.

He was a genuine battle genius.

With an uncanny sixth sense for battle, dodging and weaving through attacks that were otherwise unnoticeable to the human eye.

Everything that she had taught him was absorbed like a sponge.

If only he could get rid of that hesitation towards harming other living beings showing aggression and go on the offensive than he would be a dangerous warrior.

However, besides those rather fatal flaws that prevented quick ends to fights.

He was still a boy.

At age 13, he should still be learning the trade from his father or playing with his friends.

Something impossible now.

But it was getting slightly better as he now at least talked a bit more.

'But ever since hunting that Fear Panther... He's been different.'

Staring at the boy who was bandaging the claw wounds on his arm, her eyes furrowed.

Recalling how Deleo had hauled over the large black body of a panther all the while soaked in blood, she felt a twinge in her heart and subtly ignored it.

'Goddess I was strange then.'

Remembering how she had fussed over a boy that she had decided to train for a while, she shook her head and continued to chew the ice grass.

She glanced at Deleo just as he picked the axe up again and went to the forest to fell a few more trees.

Now, she could see that he was incredibly dedicated to his craft now.

To much so as he now fought like a relentless beast without anything to lose.

It was as if he was consumed by the desire for... something.

And she could faintly realize what that something was.

'...But we shall see.'

Moving from the window to the door she shouted loudly at Deleo.

"Deleo! Stop cutting down trees! We got enough to last two winters now!"

"Ok."

"Goddess I swear you'll be the death of me."

Axe hanging off of his shoulder, Erika's eyes glanced at the dark forest behind him which was illuminated by the sun.

And through those trees, eyes of red stared.

Blinking, the red eyes disappeared as if the mirage in a desert.

'...Who the hell opened the hell gates?'

+++

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