Into the Woods

Back in the woods, Jayden didn't stop running even though he managed to reach the first checkpoint, the forest entrance. When he came with Elio several hours prior, even his father stopped multiple times to check where he should go, and at some point, they entered into a separate space protected by some sort of artifact and hidden by the prying eyes of strangers. At least, that was the explanation Jayden received.

'Now what?' he tried to remember where he went last time but alas, he couldn't. 'I can't stop now anyway, I just hope for that madman to feel my presence in some way or another' he thought.

After ten or so minutes passed since he entered the forest, the terrain became harder and harder to walk in by someone of his stature. Towering ancient trees and dense undergrowth choked the path, forcing him to weave and scramble. Yet, he pressed on, fueled by a desperate hope.

"Crack!"

A sudden sound pierced the silence, sending shivers down Jayden's spine. It wasn't something normal, or a sound made by Mother Nature, it was done by something or someone.

"Who's there" he asked, visible panic in his eyes.

And his dread became reality.

[ Forest Wolf - Unawakened creature ]

The blue screen showed up in his retina showing information about his 'new friend'.

Jayden's heart started to beat like crazy, and his legs almost turned into jelly. 'Run...run! I need to run right now!' he yelled in his mind and with all the will from his being, he started to run like crazy.

"Shit, shit, shit!" he couldn't find any escape from the wolf, as the predator was right behind him. "I can't outrun him, he is closing in, think Jayden, think," wrecking his brains, he tried to find a way out from the dangerous situation.

But it was in vain. The terrain wasn't in his favor, even with mana enhancing his legs and boosting his speed at maximum, he couldn't outrun the wolf even if he was in plain sight, it was child's play for the animal to catch with him.

The wolf's hot breath singed the back of his neck, its predatory instincts sending a primal scream through Jayden's nervous system. He knew he was at death's door.

In a desperate gamble, he summoned every ounce of remaining energy and leaped sideways with all his might. A split second later, the wolf slammed into the spot he'd just occupied, its jaws snapping shut on empty air.

He locked eyes with the beast for a fleeting moment, a cold terror gripping him. He repeated the maneuver, his breaths coming in ragged gasps. But with each leap, his reserves dwindled, his movements becoming sluggish.

'Focus, Jayden!' he berated himself. 'I can't control gravity in this situation, is too much, the adrenaline is too high,' he mustered in his mind.

And it was true. Him being recently awakened and without any guidance, it was easier to control his power when he was relaxed than in a life-and-death situation. Jayden was just a novice warrior facing a relentless predator and the odds were stacked heavily against him.

But life is not fair, and knowledge in battle is something you gain by sheer will, life and death battles, and many other things. For Jayden, running, wracking his brain for an escape route, keeping a tag on where the enemy was, the hard terrain, and other external things were too taxing.

And with all that, the inevitable happened. With a final, desperate lunge, Jayden stumbled, the uneven ground betraying him. The wolf seized its opportunity, a blur of fangs and fur crashing into him from behind.

"Aghhhhh" Jayden yelled from the depth of his lungs.

A bone-jarring impact sent a searing pain through his body. He screamed, a primal cry of agony echoing through the silent woods. The wolf's powerful jaws clamped down on his right shoulder, its teeth tearing through flesh.

Instinct took over, his body twisting to the left in a desperate attempt to minimize the damage. He stole a glance at the wound – a horrific gash, bone visible beneath the torn flesh. Nausea churned in his stomach, but the searing pain dominated his senses.

What he didn't realize was that, for a five-year-old child to be even barely bitted by a wolf, that would mean for his fragile little bones to be directly crushed. In Jayden's case, even though his flesh was torn apart, his bones were intact, showing the benefits of his awakened stats.

'Calm down you stupid idiot,' he forced himself to think, pushing down the rising tide of panic. Jayden realized that he couldn't run anymore, he needed to do something and he needed to do it fast.

Back at the mansion, Elio stood beside, Jayden's bed, looking at his son totally covered by the blanket.

"Jayden...listen to me, I know you're upset with us and maybe we didn't explain to you exactly what you wanted to know, but I promise, this is going to change, I need you to trust me on this son, please," he said with a gentle tone, in hope for a response from him.

Ruele took a glance at Elio while they waited for a response, but nothing came back. "Sweetheart, I know what happened was wrong, but we can't be upset at each other our entire lives, come, let Mommy take you outside so we can eat some ice cream, what do you think? Rule asked him with a gentle voice.

Seconds went by with no response from Jayden and Ruele lost her patience. She gently started to remove the blanket from 'Jayden' just to see a mount of random clothes piled up together in a weird shape.

A choked sob escaped Ruele's lips, and her gaze darted around the space, desperately searching for a sign, anything, that would explain Jayden's absence. Elio tried to understand also what happened, his heart sinking into his stomach.

On the dresser, nothing was missing, an indication of Jayden's impulsive and fast preparations. The sight sent another wave of panic through Elio. How could they have been so oblivious?

"He's gone," Ruele whispered, her voice cracking with despair. "He… he ran away. We need to find him before it's too late."

Elio nodded, his own resolve solidifying. "We will," he vowed, and then, he extended his senses to cover almost the entire estate.

Traces of Jayden's mana residue were spotted immediately by Elio and he disappeared instantly from the room with Ruele following him close.