Chase

In the depths of his dream, Ethan was acutely aware that he was still within the embrace of slumber. The world around him was not real. It is a canvas upon which scenes of battle and valor were displayed in his mind's eye.

He stood amidst the audience seat of a strange colloseum. Here, he remembered that he was an Aspirant, a title that resonated with the core of his being, yet the meaning of it remained in mystery.

An Aspirant—what did it entail? It was as if the answers danced just beyond his grasp, elusive and tantalizing.

Before him, the battle of unknown figures raged on. His mind distracted again. They were warriors of mist and shadow, their forms blurred and indistinct.

Ethan watched, his heart pounding with the rhythm of their combat, feeling a connection to these spectral combatants that he could not explain.

The figures seemed to be fighting for something monumental, a cause that transcended the very fabric of the dream. Each clash of their weapons sent ripples through the air around them, each parry a defiance of fate itself.

Ethan suddenly felt a pull, a calling that urged him to join the fray. But as he stepped forward, the scene began to fade, the figures dissolving into the mists of his subconscious.

Ethan awoke with a start, the remnants of the dream lingering in his mind.

Ethan blinked several times. The shadow of the dream lingered in his mind, but he could no longer recall the exact movements of the battle he had witnessed. In his head, he felt as though someone was telling him that he still wasn't ready for it.

Jane had also not mentioned anything about Titles. She had simply said that no one had that kind of thing, or if they did, they would hide it. It was as if Jane implied that whatever a Title was, it was something extremely dangerous if exposed to the public.

'I have to figure all this out on my own,' Ethan thought.

A subtle vibration traveled through the ground, a tremor that whispered of something approaching.

He rose to his feet, his Soul Sense extending and he could sense them now—dozens of creatures, approaching them.

The others were still asleep, too exhausted from what they had experienced.

"Wake up!" Ethan shouted as he shook Irene's shoulder. She was his priority; the others, not so much. But he still warned them.

Not long after, Ryan, Liam, Sophia, Mia, and Noah woke up, their expressions confused.

"What is it?" Ryan asked.

"Monsters," Ethan replied.

Irene immediately got up and drew her daggers from her waist. She assumed a fighting stance even as she was just opening her eyes.

A few seconds later the monsters emerged into their view. They were creatures born of the elemental energies that dominated this zone, each a living embodiment of the forces at play.

One group of the monsters looks like wisps of fire given form, their bodies a dance of embers and flame, leaving trails of ash in their wake.

The second group is serpentine beings of water, their scales shimmering like the surface of a lake, movements fluid and unpredictable.

The third group is a dozen giants of stone and earth, their bodies moss-covered and solid, each step causing the ground to shudder. They move slowly but clearly not less deadly.

The next is figures of air that darted about with the breeze, almost invisible but for the whirlwind that followed them.

The next creatures sparking electricity advancing with crackled raw energy and speed, their presence charging the air with tension.

The last group is monster with appearance of crystaline and cold, their icy touch could freeze air and groun around them.

Ethan knew that in this elemental type trial, these monsters will become harder than monsters in the First Floor. He can't let his guard down.

"Lets get out of here!" Ryan said.

Nobody refuted his words, they instantly scraambled to their feet and started to run.

They turned from the encroaching horde and sprinted across the rugged landscape.

The terrain was treacherous, a labyrinth of elemental extremes that makes their way difficult.

They leaped over fissures that exhaled fiery breaths, skirted around pools of water that bubbled with deceptive serenity, and navigated fields of stone that threatened to trip them at every step.

Their flight was chaotic. They instinctively understanding the need for haste. The monsters started to roars as if a constant reminder that the danger are at their heels.

Their pace was inevitably slowed by the jagged rocks and unpredictable gusts of elemental wind. Finally, the fastest group of monsters caught up.

The air grew tense as the sound of the approaching creatures was heard, a cacophony of whsitling winds and crackle of lightning signaled their arrival.

Ethan turned to see a wave of elemental beasts, The closest to them are the electric entities moved with terrible speed. Their luminous forms weaving through the rocky obstacles. Each step they took sent jolts of energy into the ground and leaving scorched marks.

Even in the midst of it, Ethan still calm and looking for opportunity. 'Can I absorb their Soul if their form is that of energy?'

But he pushed the thought for later. He realizing that flight was no longer an option. He summoning his Aetherbow then created an Ather arrow.

Ethan then twisting his body then shoot. Its not hard because the monsters are right behind him.

*SWISH!*

The arrow, which is made of Aether, could easily pierce the elemental in the head and killing it instantly.

Ryan could see that Ethan's weapon was effective against the elementals. He frowned in confusion, as usually there were no weapons capable of harming elementals except those they would obtain in a temple later. Yet, Ethan had one.

"Arghh! Help!"

Ryan turned toward the scream and saw Noah struck by the hand of a lightning elemental. There was nothing they could do to help him.

But Mia slowed her steps and reached for Noah's outstretched hand. What happened next was exactly as Ryan had predicted. Mia was also caught by the lightning elemental.

The sound of crackling lightning filled the air as immense energy coursed through them. Noah and Mia screamed in agony as their bodies were enveloped by high-voltage electricity.

Ryan didn't bother shouting for the others to keep running. At this point, he no longer needed anyone besides Ethan and Irene.

---