The small forest was silent. Yes, silent; not even a cricket could be heard. Within this silence, Nox and Meimei moved toward the southern direction. Weaving through the trees like smoke, Nox ran, jumped, and rolled as they moved. Meimei followed closely for fear he might get hurt.
As they moved swiftly, Nox realized something: 'I feel lighter when moving in the shadows... Like a fish entering water...'
He planted a foot against a tree trunk and launched himself forward. Then, without slowing his momentum, he shaped a spear with a jagged blade out of the darkness.
'Tzel.'
The shadows condensed into spikes and launched straight at a seemingly inconspicuous tree, embedding themselves in the bark. Before anyone could blink, Nox pushed his body to the limit, appearing before the tree in merely moments, then swung down ruthlessly.
WHOOSH!, CLANG!
A crisp, bell-like sound echoed as the jagged spear blade made contact with the tree. Nox recoiled back, landing a bit awkwardly on the ground as Meimei reached his side. She took a quick sniff, then her pupils constricted sharply while Nox pulled himself up.
An eerie sound of bones snapping rang out in the silent forest as the seemingly normal tree began to transform. Thick buttress roots lifted and decayed at a speed noticeable to the naked eye, oozing a foul-smelling, viscous fluid. Vein-like protrusions crept across the bark as the lush green leaves fell from the branches, leaving them exposed and resembling a skeleton. The dark brown bark changed to pale white as a half-meter-long cavity opened on the trunk. Thick and viscous black fluid dripped from the branches as a single, bloodshot red eye stared at the duo from the crevice in the tree.
The entity stood at fifteen meters tall, dwarfing the duo below. Nox was stunned by the sight while Meimei's fur bristled, her claws unsheathed, and her pupils dilated.
Nox whispered as he watched the grotesque transformation, "... What is that?..."
Meimei placed herself before Nox, her eyes locked on the creature as a pale blue, illusory dome surrounded them.
Veil popped out of his chest, tone serious, "'Brat, that's not an ordinary Ruach Ra'ah. That's a Disaster...'"
His face paled a bit, then an unknown flutter in his chest startled him. He placed a hand over it and thought for a moment. Meanwhile, Meimei was deciding what to do when she heard her Master say softly behind her, "Meimei, step down..."
She froze, turning back to look at her Master. Nox stared back, his silver eyes holding fear, trepidation, and...
... Excitement?? Why would he be excited?!
She was puzzled but stepped back regardless. Nox walked out of the barrier.
Immediately, roots oozing that foul-smelling fluid rushed at him. He stepped to the side, dodging one, then squatted down, avoiding two more before willing another jagged blade to form at the base of the spear. He spun it, and like a blender, shredded four more roots that swung at him.
SCREEEEECH!!
The creature let out a bloodcurdling screech while Nox sprinted forward, determined to do serious damage. Meimei yowled, and her Master swung his blade a bit recklessly, as if venting all of his pent-up frustration.
Suddenly, a low branch smacked Nox, throwing him like a ragdoll.
THUD!!
He crashed into a tree and Meimei rushed to him. Nox slid to the ground, pain racking his entire body. He coughed up a mouthful of blood; the taste of iron filled his mouth. Yet, it was as though he didn't feel the pain. He stood up with difficulty as a root lunged for his head, ready to pierce through it.
He lifted his hands, the shadows rippling as he whispered, "Tzel..."
The shadows wrapped around himself and Meimei, forming a shadow dome. Meimei was stunned. Then, her Master sucked on his teeth—once, then twice—before letting out a slow yet deranged laugh.
"... Meimei," he called out.
Meimei meowed and stepped closer to him. Even though it was dark, Meimei could still see, and she felt the fur on her tail stand on end. Nox had a wide grin, his silver eyes glowed faintly, and within them was pure amusement. Meimei took an involuntary step back as a thought came to her mind: 'It should still be early, there's no way the Divine Power should be affecting him! '
Nox sensed her distress, but he couldn't care less right now. He stared at the dome's wall before him, as though looking right through it at the Disaster. No, he was watching everything outside the dome. The shadows had become his eyes, allowing him to observe the entire battlefield all at once. Immediately, however, a sharp pain wracked his brain. He felt nauseous from the visual overload and dry-heaved.
Meimei snapped out of her daze and rushed to Nox, about to transfer Xenon to him, when he raised his hand and brushed her off. He stood up straight once again and did something no one expected, not even the Ruach Ra'ah.
He shattered the dome instantly.
The moment it broke, he leaped into the air straight at the Disaster.
"TZEL!!!"
All the shadows in the area erupted, wrapping around the jagged blade of the spear, making it longer, sharper, and deadlier.
WHOOSH!!!!!
He let out a fierce battle cry and swung down on the Ruach Ra'ah, ready to split it in half. Realizing the danger, the creature used all its roots to encase itself in a desperate attempt to block the attack.
The huge shadow blade met the hard wall of roots. Nox gritted his teeth as he tried to slice through, but it didn't budge. The impact of the collision had destroyed the surrounding trees. Just as it seemed there was no hope, an idea struck him: '... Why should I use one spear?!'
With that, a manic grin spread across his face as he dissolved the huge spear. Immediately, he raised his hands and shouted, "TZEL!!!"
All the shadows in the southern part of the forest erupted, condensing above him like a dark cloud. While in free fall and before anyone could react, he waved his hands down. Spears with jagged blades took form by the hundreds and struck the Disaster and the surrounding area in a seemingly endless rain.
BOOM!, BOOM!, BOOM!, BOOM!
The creature let out one final screech, desperately trying to shield itself, but the spears tore through its defenses, shredding it utterly. Meimei caught Nox on her back as she watched the Disaster convulsing and collapsing heavily to the ground.
Then, there was dead silence. Nox was breathing out more than he breathed in. He coughed up another mouthful of blood before Meimei gently stroked his back with her tail. Nox weakly raised his hand in the direction of the fallen Ruach Ra'ah, opened his palm, and spoke in his heart: '... Baloev...'
The shadows rose like a tidal wave and enveloped the Disaster, leaving nothing behind. Finally, relief flooded Nox as he felt the injuries healing little by little. He sank into a deep slumber while Meimei secured him on her back and ran back the way they came, unease in her heart.
'... How could he defeat a Disaster so fast? He's only been a Vessel for two months and he doesn't even have a Mark!... I need to see the High Priestess...'
She thought this as she made it back to his room and set him on the bed.
Knock!, Knock!, Knock!, Knock!
Four crisp knocks were heard at the door. Meimei walked over, slowly shrinking to her usual size as she shouted, "Go away! My Master is sleeping!"
There was a pause as the person behind the door spoke. "My apologies, but it is about twenty-nine minutes after the set training time..."
Meimei snarled.
"Tell the old man I, Meimei, dare him to try and take my Master."