Chapter 1

Loud banging of metal against rock rang throughout the forest. Lena ears perked up and her eyes narrowed into slits. Who could possibly be within the forest besides herself? She hadn't seen anything other than beasts within this forest since she moved here. Mooncalled always left their parents at the age of fifteen in order to prove their own strength and ability. This was important within a world where the strong ruled and the weak would perish without the strong protecting them. 

She could not return to see her parents until she reached the rank of cultivation that they told her to reach before returning. In Lenas case her parents told her to reach the Divine rank. Which is rarely done by any creature within this world. She never stressed about not seeing her family though. This test was more than just gaining strength. It was also for her to learn to be more independent. She was clingy to her parents and siblings. As such her parents felt that giving her this difficult task would teach her to be less clingy. They even said as much before she left them.

It had been really hard the first three years. The loneliness was crushing and the urge to return had nearly destroyed her spirit more than once. Thankfully her will was stronger then her momentary urges. She did not want to be a disappointment to her family and clan.

She was currently ranked at wind rank four. The ranks start at the earth followed by fire, wind, water, light, darkness, space, time, and lastly Divine. Each of these ranks has ten ranks within them. After rank ten in each rank there is a test to reach the next rank. These tests could cause extreme damage to both the body and the soul if one was not careful. There were rumors of ranks beyond Divine,  however Lena had never seen anyone with that kind of strength, so she never gave it much thought.

Lena quickly stored the food she had been eating into her interspatial ring and then she began running toward the sound. She would stop every once in a while, her feline black ears twitching and her feline green eyes searching. She then would make slight changes with which way she ran toward the noise. Usually she was avoiding a fight with beasts she could smell. She wanted to reach her destination quickly without drawing attention to herself. 

As Lena got closer, she slowed down and placed her body into a crouch. She could smell the man now even though she had yet to see him. It helped that he was upwind from her. If the wind changed, she would not catch the smell of male sweat. Her nose wrinkled at the strong and unpleasant scent as she started sneaking closer. 

She reached the area of forest near the mountain. Lena made sure to keep herself downwind of the man and she also hid her aura. She could see his broad back now. He was currently shirtless as he was raising a pickaxe in the air and quickly bringing to back down in practiced movements. His black hair was tied into a top knot on his head. She could not see his face, however she could tell that he was human. He had no tail or animal ears on his head. Despite this truth, Lena was fascinated with the rippling muscles on that smooth back. She had an urge to touch them and see if they were as strong as they looked. She pushed the desire down and continued to admire the man.

Was it because she had not seen another person in such a long time? Is that why she wanted to run up to a stranger and touch him without his  permission? She shook her head while trying to sort out her feelings. Lena knew it wasn't a good idea to just walk up to a human regardless of gender. Humans tended to kill Mooncalled for ingredients for potions or weapons and armour. In fact, this is the reason the Mooncalled were created by humans long ago. She would be a big fool to get close to this human. She decided that she needed to make sure he could not harm her by watching him for awhile.

Adam took a short break from his mining, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel he removed from his ring. He quickly grabbed the ore he already freed from the vain and stored it away in his ring. Then he did a quick survey of the surrounding area. These woods were full of beasts that could attack him at any time. He set plenty of traps around so that he could safely mine without a care. He also kept his vigilance up even while working. Adam would drop his pickaxe and quickly draw his two handed axe if need be. He knew the drawbacks of two handed weapons and he prepared a few surprises for the beasts just in case.

Seeing and sensing no danger around him. Adam did some quick stretches before sitting down. He removed a glass bottle of juice and a cup from his ring, setting them to his left side. Then he removed some jerky. It wasn't the best tasting, but it would fill his belly a bit. After taking a big bite of the jerky, he poured himself a drink of apple juice and sipped it.

Lena hid behind a tree as the man looked around. She peeked out while both hands lightly held the tree she was behind. Lena could not help but drool when the handsome man was stretching his body. She could easily see the six pack of muscles as he flexed. Did this man have any fat anywhere? She forced herself to move her eyes away from the flexing muscles on display before her so that she could study his face. 

 Honestly she felt his face was kind of plain. He didn't have the features she would call handsome. Her brothers all had smooth and feminine looking faces, so she thought that was handsome. This man had a sharp looking chin with a long pointy nose. His eyes were a plain brown color and his cheeks seemed a little too full. Perhaps this is where his fat goes? She frowned slightly as she continued studying him. Lena could not understand why such a plain face would be so interesting to her. 

Is it because he looks nothing like any other male she has met so far? Maybe it was a case of forbidden fruit that drew her in. He was human, she was not. They are bound to be enemies and yet she is drawn to him. Lena was trying best to calm her beating heart while still holding the tree and watching the man. She was afraid that he might hear it. Thankfully he seemed to be busy eating and resting.