Winner?

As Aaron ran through the forest he looked behind him, only to see that Eric was right on his tail. Because he was carrying a giant shield and was quite a big person, somewhat lowered his speed and mobility.

He eyed Eric, waiting for him to get closer as he started to decelerate.

When Eric was close enough, Aaron swung his whole body with his shield in hand, ready to attack.

However, right when the shield was about to make contact, it instead zoomed past Eric as he became engulfed in smoke.

Before Aaron could realise what was going on, he heard the bushes to his side ruffle.

Eric jumped out, katana in hand, ready to finish the fight.

Aaron didn't know what to do. He wasn't fast enough to dodge or bring his shield up.

Right as Eric was about to deliver the finishing blow, an earth wall, the size of a door, suddenly protruded from the ground and blocked the incoming attack.

Eric stepped back after his failed attempt to finish the fight. Before he could look for a way around the wall, it instead came to him.

Aaron blasted the wall straight to his foe. Eric barely managed to dive out of the way and land on his chest. As he got up he found a familiar giant towering over him, ready to squash him underneath his shield.

To this Eric released a concentrated light beam, right on Aaron's shin.

He staggered and tried to regain his composure. He looked down to see that the attack had burned through his clothes and caused, at the very most, second-degree burns.

As Eric got up he felt frustrated. He was running low on ichor and wasn't willing to drag this fight on any longer.

He suddenly dashed into the bush which he had previously emerged from. Simultaneously, he came back out, running straight to Aaron.

"That won't work again!" Aaron shouted as he punched the illusion which turned into smoke.

Just as this happened Eric emerged from the bushes again, ready to bring his sword down.

Aaron intercepted this attack and bashed his shield into the enemy's chest. Only for the enemy to go up in smoke.

Aaron's eyes widened as he looked at the puff of smoke getting carried away by the wind.

"WHERE?!?" Contemplated Aaron as he looked around for the original.

As he thought this he heard rushed footsteps behind him.

"Behind me!!!"

Following this thought Aaron raised a pillar of earth that he launched behind him, hoping to catch his attacker.

And he was right. As his eyes finally caught up with his thoughts, he witnessed the earth pillar about to collide with the opponent's chest.

"I WIN!!"

Right as the earth pillar was about to take down Eric, it unexpectedly went through him, as the person who he thought was Eric, went up in smoke.

Aaron's heart sank. Perhaps if he could look around once more, he'll find him. There's no way he has any more ichor left to pull off another one of those clones.

This final spark of hope came crashing down on him as when he turned around, he was met with a familiar wooden katana coming straight for his face, about to strike him. It was over.

Just as he had given up hope, the weapon struck him. Except it had no power. It had no force. It was weak.

Before the confused Aaron could figure out what was going on, Eric, who was sweating profusely, collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Aaron was left in the same position, staring into the air, sweating as if he had seen a mighty beast, ready to devour him.

"Well, I guess you win."

Aaron snapped out of his trance and turned his head to look at the owner of the voice.

Mirage stood there as he carried both Alex and Colt, who looked like they fought in a war, with Noa by his side.

Aaron didn't say anything. Instead, the words Mirage had just said rang through his head.

He won? But why didn't it feel like it?

"You seem like you have some strength left. Carry him and let's go"

Saying this Mirage turned around and started to walk to where everyone was gathered.

As they approached everyone, he walked straight to Stacy.

"Can you heal these two?"

He placed them on their backs. When everyone saw the state of both Colt and Alex, they couldn't help but gulp a little.

"What happened to them?!" Exclaimed Stacy as she rushed to their aid.

She started to heal them but after a couple of seconds, it was clear that she was exhausted. Ever since her battle with Johan and healing everyone else, she had been running low on ichor.

Mirage saw this as he stared at her, then reached into one of his many pockets.

"Here. Use this." He said as he gave her a peculiar stone which had a slight glow of white. It had rigid edges and was slightly transparent.

"What is this?" She asked, a bit reluctant.

"It's an Essence Stone. It has ichor in it. Hold it in your hands, feel the Ichor, then absorb it slowly." He explained.

She did as she was told and after a couple of minutes, she looked completely refreshed. Although she had many questions, she instead decided to help the two injured first.

Before everyone could ask, Mirage started to talk. "I know you all have questions, but not now. I was planning to cover this in a future lesson anyway. Just wait till then." He told them.

After Stacy was done, the boys looked considerably healthier.

"Now they just need some rest to restore their ichor." Stated Mirage

"Alright, let's go home."

After a while, they made it back to the mansion just before sunset. Everyone was extremely exhausted and fell unconscious as soon as their head touched a soft surface.

A couple of hours later

As the sun had long set, the moon and stars decorated the black sky. During the night there weren't many sounds. It was almost peaceful to listen to the whoosh of the wind and flutters of the grass.

On the hill, under a tree, we are met with a familiar fox-masked man.

"Dammit!!" He shouted in the silent night.

"One more time." He thought to himself as he brought his hand up, with the other one clutching his wrist.

All of a sudden a small black void, the size of a tennis ball, appeared upon his hand. The black void looked endless as if it stretched on forever. As he sweated profusely he began to concentrate deeper.

The edges blurred and distorted as the void pulsated with otherworldly energy.

The black void then started to change from the simple two-dimensional circle that it was, to a sphere.

However before it could complete its shape, it went completely out of control as it started to shake violently, as Mirage's hand trembled, until it eventually disappeared.

Mirage felt a rage bubbling up inside him but soon calmed himself down. He pulled his mask up slightly and wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth, which he failed to previously notice and laid down on the grass. He stared deeply at the moon with a slight sorrow in his eyes.

He kept his eyes on the giant circle of light as his mind wandered. For some reason, he started to think about the events that got him here. More specifically the first day he came to this god-forsaken world…

1 year ago

In the middle of a giant forest, one which looked like it stretched on for hundreds of miles, we were met with a young adult, unconscious in a small clearing.

As he started to open his eyes, he began to sit up. He started to recall the events of, what he was assuming, wasn't too long ago. Before he could think of anything else, he quickly checked himself for any wounds or damage. But he was completely fine.

He felt a wave of emotion flood him. More specifically rage and annoyance. He was annoyed because all he could do was stand there and hope to be given a quick death.

"Never again." He declared, as his mind started to spin out of control. He calmed himself and remembered the current predicament he was in.

Standing up, he started to take a look around his surroundings. He was in a sort of forest that was densely packed with trees, plants and all sorts of peculiar nature he had never seen before. Purple trees, giant sunflowers, long thick vines that looked like serpents and much more.

However, the current area he was standing in was devoid of any trees and plant life. Instead, it looked like a great battle had taken place.

As he started to turn around to get a better look at this clearing, something peculiar caught his eye.

About 5 feet away from him was a giant beast, in a sort of foetal position. The beast was decorated with silver scales that had a hint of blue. They looked almost metallic as if it was extremely durable. It also had an enormous tail which was currently wrapped around it. It looked as if it could slice the biggest of trees.

Before the young adult could get a closer look, his heart sank.

"A… a… A FREAKIN DRAGON!!"